Chapter
34: Third Time’s the Charm
“Who’s this?” came the sharp female voice from the other end.
Ian recoiled from the response. He wasn’t expecting anyone to actually
Sara while she was under such a spell, but these things always happened in
movies, so he wasn’t all the surprised. “Who is this?” he replied.
“It’s Vicky, are you Van?” she asked.
“No.”
“Then who are you? And where’s Sara?” Vicky kept interrogating, the
ever present fear in her voice becoming more exaggerated with every word she
spoke.
Ian needed to find a way to calm her down. He thought about handing the
phone over to Van, but as he looked in his direction, he could see him clutching
Billie for dear life. ‘Too unstable,’ Ian thought to himself as tried to
find someone else to pass the phone onto.
“Well, who the hell are you and why do you have Sara’s phone?” Vicky
became more persistent.
“This is Ian, and I only have Sara’s phone because she’s busy at the
moment,” he finally answered, become fed up with her. “Would you like to
leave a message or should I just tell her to call you back when she is able to
get to the phone?” Ian cringed at the thought of being a secretary, having to
deal with people like Vicky day in and day out.
“Tell her I’m sorry for being such a bitch and that I’m taking my
vacation early this year, so I’ll be in LA Saturday around
“Alright, I’ll give her the message,” Ian replied, then heard the
buzz of the dial tone in his ear. They were all looking at him, and he knew
exactly what they were thinking. “That was Sara’s friend from
“Shit!” Van hissed. “What the hell are we supposed to do with Sara?
What are we supposed to tell her? Does she know about the Witchblade?”
“No,” Ian told him. “But she has been suspicious for a very long
time.”
“I just hope that Sara wakes up in two days,” Deaq spoke up. “Or
we’ll all be in deep shit.”
“Ya think?” Van retorted.
“Boys, enough,” Billie quickly interjected when the testosterone
levels of the room began to intimidate her. “We have plenty of time to come up
with a cover story if Sara doesn’t wake up in two days. Right now, we’ll
take this a little bit at a time. I don’t want fighting, got it?” She looked
around the room and made sure all three men nodded their heads in agreement.
“Yes, sir,” Van grumbled as he lay back on the couch and covered his
eyes with his forearm. He could feel the headache building in the back of his
mind. It would only be a matter of time before an all engulfing migraine hit
with the force of a hurricane. He needed to take a break and rest before he
decided to use his brain for any more strenuous things like thinking about what
they’d do if Sara didn’t wake up by the time her friend arrived.
*~*~*
“So, this is your forest,” Sara said as she and Artemis walked through
the woods on the footpath. ‘I should have made the connection earlier. Artemis
is the goddess of the hunt and the forest. Am I really that stupid?’ Sara
thought as she kept her eyes peeled for her next obstacle.
“Yes,” Artemis answered. “This is my forest and my burden. I must
keep it safe from all those that threaten to destroy it.”
“How do you do it?” Sara asked, hoping to get some helpful advice she
could use in her own life, especially now since she had the same monumental task
with the Witchblade to protect all humanity from evil. The thought made her
shiver impulsively. The world was too big for her to save alone.
“My nymphs help me,” Artemis said. “They tell me what goes on in the
forest. They are the first to alert me of any danger.”
Sara almost laughed at her response. ‘Nymphs! I wish I had a bunch of
those running around giving me a hand. Oh, wait, I do have a couple of them
running around… Van and Ian.’ The mental picture that thought conjured up in
Sara’s mind made her burst out in laughter.
“Sara?” Artemis questioned, giving her a strange look wondering why
she was laughing.
“Sorry, I just thought of something really funny,” Sara said, quickly
suppressing her urge to continue laughing. She shook the thought out of her head
and kept walking silently until they reached the end of the forest. It opened
into a beautiful green valley surrounded by towering mountains. A wide and
winding river cut the lush valley in half as they continued to walk away from
the woods and onto the thick green grass. “This is beautiful,” Sara said as
her eyes took in the scenery.
“Beyond the mountains is the sea,” Artemis informed her as she smiled
with pride at the mystic valley opening up to them.
“I’ve never seen anything so spectacular in my life,” Sara commented
as she kneeled down and ran her fingers through to grass to make sure it was
real. As she lifted her hands, she could see the dew on her palms glistening in
the fading sunlight. Sara stood up and they began to walk towards the river, its
waters so clear she could see all the way to the bottom.
“We shall rest here for a little while before we continue with the
journey. Your final challenge will come with the creature on the mountain,”
Artemis said as they reached the river’s shores. She set down her satchel and
all the other concealed weapons she had been carrying beneath her clothes, which
included several small knives, two more swords, and an extra bow.
“Don’t tell me it’s a dragon,” Sara replied as she sat down beside
the mound of weapons and let her feet fall into the cool river waters, cleansing
them of their filth.
“I won’t,” Artemis said with a wink.
Sara was beginning to dread what she was hinting at. Instead of thinking
about it, she decided to give herself a rest. She was exhausted, and only wanted
a short, hour long nap before they continued with their journey to confront the
creature of the mountain. She closed her eyes, the water still trickling over
her feet, and fell into a restful sleep that she hadn’t enjoyed for a long
time. But almost as soon as it began, it was over. Sara could feel a hand on her
shoulder and wanted to shoo it away, but woke up instead.
Artemis was standing above her with her stuff packed over her shoulders
and on her back. “We must go,” she said, helping Sara to her feet.
“Darkness has fallen. The beast should be stirring now.”
Sara looked about her to see that the moon was shining down on the valley
and the stars had appeared in the clear black sky, shimmering. She stood up and
brushed herself off. Her feet felt much better now that they were clean and
cool. The walking and battles before had worn them out, but now she felt like
she could walk a hundred miles.
“So, what should I expect?” she asked as they crossed the river via
bridge that was built a few hundred feet from where they had camped.
“Something big and disgusting or something small and meaningless?”
“I have never laid eyes on the creature myself, but those who have say
it is enormous, with black scales and wings longer than twenty men. It has long,
sharp ivory teeth and claws longer than a tiger. Its eyes are the color of fire
and its breath smells of decaying flesh,” Artemis told as they continued to
walk up the slopes of the mountain towards its peak.
“Great,” Sara replied. “Just what I was looking for, a big black
thing with stinky breath and big teeth.” Silence fell between them as they
continued to climb higher and higher up the mountain. In the distance, they
could hear a sharp cry, and both looked up to discern its location. ‘Here it
comes,’ Sara thought, bracing herself for the worst as she continued to climb
the mountainside. It leveled off some two hundred feet ahead of them, and they
were left to peer out across the valley.
Artemis raised her head to the sky, hearing the ear piercing cry once
again. She pointed towards the horizon, allowing Sara’s eyes to catch what was
flying around in the darkness. “Ho…ly…Shit,” Sara pronounced when she
saw the thing. It was just as she had predicted, a big black dragon with huge
wings spanning nearly a hundred feet. She wasn’t as surprised as she thought
she would be. She had almost expected the thing.
“Good luck, Sara,” Artemis said as she handed her the spare bow and a
bunch of arrows from her satchel. Sara took them, a very surprised and grave
look on her face.
“You can’t help me, can you?” she asked.
“No, this is your battle,” Artemis answered. “But I have faith you
will succeed. Be careful and look for any sensitive areas.”
Sara nodded as she turned and began her journey up the mountain alone to
face the demon that continued to fly around in the air, its piercing red eyes
spying all things around it.
*~*~*
Sara’s breathing began to quicken as Ian held her in his arms. Van was
fast asleep on the couch, meaning he’d have to get her through this alone. Ian
took hold of Sara’s body in a tight embrace, waiting patiently for her to
thrash out.
Billie was quick to notice his restraint on Sara and walked over, sitting
down on the couch at Sara’s feet. “Let me help you,” she offered, looking
up at Ian.
“No, she might hurt you,” he replied.
“Hey, I’m not as fragile as you think I am,” Billie retorted.
“I’ve been through a lot of shit lately, so trust me when I say I can handle
what she throws at me.”
“Alright,” Ian finally gave in, not wanting another fight. Besides, he
knew she was capable of holding down a thrashing person. She was, after all, a
black belt. “Hold down her feet when she starts moving.”
“No problem,” Billie replied as she sat down on Sara’s feet, taking
advantage of being forewarned. Ian gave her a strange look and she added,
“What? Forewarned is…”
“Forearmed,” Ian finished for her. “Great minds think alike.”
Billie smiled. “They do,” she said. ‘Is he the perfect match or
what?’ she thought happily.
Before either had time to make another comment, Sara jerked her body to
the left, focusing their attention on keeping her from hurting herself or anyone
else for that matter. She let out a held breath and jerked to the right, a sharp
cry escaping her lips and waking Van.
“What’s going on?” he asked, quickly sitting up and looking in their
direction. It was then that he saw Sara’s head move to her left and a large
gash appeared on her cheek. Van hopped off the couch and nearly jumped beside
Ian and Billie, holding a towel to her bloody face.
“Why didn’t you guys wake me up?” Van angrily questioned as he
glared at both of them.
“It just started,” Billie answered between her clenched teeth as she
fought to keep Sara’s legs from coming out beneath her hold. She jerked to the
right again, this time nearly managing to struggle out of Ian’s grasp, making
Billie hold on even tighter.
*~*~*
Sara saw the dragon glance in her direction and quickly make its way
towards her. She could feel her heart begin to thunder in her chest as she put
down her bow and arrows in favor of the sword. The black dragon quickly made its
way towards her and stopped just a few feet from her face. Their eyes locked,
and after a couple of seconds of silence, Sara let out an all powerful battle
cry as she swung her sword at the monster. The beast moved away, allowing her to
hit sheer rock.
“You slimy little weasel,” Sara cursed as she picked up her sword
again and tried to hit the thing once more. It moved away and threw its tail in
her direction, hitting her full force and slamming her against the wall. Sara
slid down the rock face and grunted in pain. Her body felt as if it had been
placed in a meat grinder, but she soon recovered and was back on her feet, the
sword still in her hand.
“Come here you little bastard!” Sara shouted to the dragon as it flew
above her. She held a determined gaze and raised her sword once more in
challenge. The thing flew down to her level, its wings flapping so forcefully,
the wind alone almost sending her back against the cliff face. Sara had to
struggle to keep her footing, but she managed quite well. Her sword came down
close to the monster’s head, but unfortunately, it back away when she tried
again.
‘This is useless,’ Sara thought when she realized the dragon was too
fast for her. She’d have to outsmart the thing in order to get a clear shot.
But she knew the dragon’s strategy was to probably wear her out then attack.
Sara had to reserve her energy long enough to find a way to slay the dragon,
which she knew now to be nearly impossible. Her head raced with ideas, but not
one was good enough to actually put into play.
Sara decided to take up the bow and arrows, send a few towards the dragon,
but not anyway near it, hopefully confusing it enough to make a final moved to
hit it in the chest. Now, of only she could remember the techniques of archery
from her gym class. With her right hand, she grabbed the bow and quickly picked
up an arrow with her left hand. As she drew back the bow and let the arrow rest
on her hand, she let go. Her first shot went sailing towards the dragon, quickly
falling in an arc just bellow it. The dragon flew to its left, giving Sara the
opportunity to shoot another arrow in its direction. It moved again, and this
time headed straight for her.
A thick, scaly tail quickly hit Sara, throwing her back against the rocks
and slashing her left cheek. She could feel the blood run down her face and
quickly lifted her hand to see just how much damage was done. She was relieved
to see it was only a flesh wound. Sara regained her footing and grabbed her bow
again, this time determined to kill the dragon. She was down to three more
arrows, but confident enough that she’d hit her target with one of them.
“Hey, Inky! Come and get me!” Sara yelled at the dragon as it hovered
above her. She could see the fire in its eyes and quickly grabbed her bow and
one of her three arrows. Just as she was about to aim for its chest and shoot,
the thing moved away, and she missed. Sara was now more determined than ever to
catch the beast. It flew towards her, its tail swinging in her direction. She
jumped up, missing it by only inches. Sara let out a relieved sigh and grabbed
another one of her arrows.
The dragon saw she was about to let go of the arrow and quickly knocked
the bow out of her hands, snapping the arrow and her right wrist. Sara screamed
out in pain as the dragon flew up in the air triumphantly. She knew she was
screwed when she saw it fly in a big circle around her. Its eyes were ablaze,
staring at her intently. Sara quickly picked up the bow with her left hand, and
taking her last arrow, she rested it on her broken right wrist. This was her
last shot. If she didn’t make it… well, that’s not what she was thinking.
She knew she’d make it.
“DIE, YOU SON OF A BITCH, DIE!” Sara screamed as she released the
arrow and it flew right into the path of the dragon as it descended towards her.
The sharp edge sliced through its chest muscles and pierced its heart. The thing
gave off a blood curdling cry as it flew back and began its descent towards the
ground.
“It’s not over yet, Sara!” the dragon hissed in a surprisingly
familiar voice that made her blood run cold.
“Kiss my ass, Kenny!” Sara yelled back, realizing it was the voice of
none other than the spirit of the man that seemed to continue to haunt her even
after she had managed to kill him twice, Kenneth Irons. She smiled at herself,
realizing that she had defeated the one thing that had kept a constant hold on
her conscience ever since she had accepted the Witchblade as a part of herself.
Sara limped down the mountainside, her broken wrist beneath her arm as she
held onto her weapons with her good hand. This was definitely one of those
experiences to remember. When she reached the valley once more, Artemis was
waiting for her, a wide smile on her face.
“Well done, Sara. I congratulate you on your victory,” she said as she
extended her right hand, then pulled it back seeing that Sara had injured hers.
“Thanks,” Sara replied with a wary smile. “Can I go home now?”
“Yes,” Artemis answered. “Just close your eyes and this memory will
be erased from all conscious thought. You won’t remember what happened, nor
will you have the scars of it taking place. When you return to the conscious
world, all will be as you had left it, save for a change in your self.”
Sara closed her eyes as she had been instructed to. All of a sudden the
world around her began to spin, slowly at first, then increasing in speed. The
last thing she heard was, “Goodbye, Sara. I’ll never forget you.”
*~*~*
Van head a bone splitting snap and looked down to see Sara’s wrist twist
in a horrible shape as she let out a gut wrenching scream that seemed to echo
through the entire warehouse. Almost instantly, he reached for a splint from the
first aid kit beside the couch and wrapped it around her wrist. It was the worst
thing anyone could witness, but he endured the pain and kept it at the back of
his mind until this was over.
Sara suddenly stopped moving and became very still, an unsettling calm
passing through the room. Billie, Ian, and Van all suddenly became aware of what
was going on. Sara had stopped breathing. Van leapt from his seat on the floor
beside the couch, his mind quickly snapping into action. Just as he was about to
give her CPR, a gasp came from her lips as she struggled to breathe.
“Come on, Sara,” Van encouraged. “Come on, wake up.” His eyes
never left the rise and fall of her chest as she gasped for breath.
Ian was beginning to step back from her body as he saw the Witchblade
swirl into action. He motioned for Billie to move away as well, then pulled Van
back with them. They all watched as the bloody gashes and bruises around her
face began to fade away, leaving no trace of what had happened. Her wrist
straightened out as well, and the three wounds on her shoulder disappeared.
“What’s happening?” Van whispered to Ian.
“The Witchblade is healing her,” he answered quietly.
Billie just nodded her consent, still too awe struck to speak. Never in
her life had she witnessed such a miracle happen. Well, there was a first time
for everything. She was now a part of this thing, and felt the weight of her
decision to accept it fall on her shoulders.
Sara’s breathing leveled as the healing process finished and the
Witchblade stopped swirling on her wrist. The faint traces of a smile came to
her lips as she relaxed for the first time in a long while. Van was at her side
almost immediately, gently coaxing her to wake.
“Sara,” he whispered. “Sara, it’s me, Van. Wake up, baby.”
She moaned lightly and turned her head towards his voice. “Van,” Sara
replied in a raspy voice as she slowly opened her eyes. Everything was still
blurry to her, but she managed to make out his face. She drew a weary hand
towards it, but he caught it in his and gently placed a kiss on top.
“Sara,” Van said, barely able to keep the emotion out of his voice as
a few more tears managed to slip past his line of defenses. He tired swallowing
the lump in his throat, but it just wouldn’t go away.
As Sara’s vision cleared, she could see the tears that streamed down his
face. She wiggled her hand out of his grasp and gently rested it on his cheek,
wiping them away. This was the first time she had ever seen him cry, but that
made everything so much better. He was human, after all, she thought. It was now
that he finally decided to show it. Van finally broke down as his head fell
beneath her chin. All Sara could do was hold him as he continued to cry.
“I was so scared,” his muffled voice came from beneath her chin. “I
thought I was going to lose you.”
“You’re never going to lose me,” Sara reassured him even though she
had no idea what he was talking about. Everything was a blur from the time he
had set her down on the couch to now. She gently eased his head out from beneath
her chin and added, “I love you too much.”
A weary smile appeared on Van’s lips as he gazed down at her with red
rimmed eyes. Sara pulled him in for several feather light kisses until he
finally decided to deepen them into something a little more passionate and
fulfilling. Van knew that whatever made her say that was probably due to her
experience in the netherworld.
“How sweet,” Billie cooed. “Remind me to puke later.”
Ian glared at her. “Can’t you be just slightly sensitive?” he asked.
“All this lovey dovy stuff is making me sick. I’ve put up with it for
the last twelve hours. I really can’t take it anymore,” she answered.
“Besides, it’s scary to see Van Ray in love. It’s like totally out of
character for him. It’s not normal! Then again, nothing about this entire
situation is normal.”
“And nothing ever will be, again,” Ian said with a smile.
“Great,” Billie sarcastically replied as she turned around and began
to walk out of the lounge. “I’m going home and taking a long hot bath so I
can forget this happened.”
“Would you still like to accompany me to dinner or shall I have it
brought to you?” he asked, following her out.
“Oh, shit! I completely forgot about dinner!” Billie said. Suddenly, a
devious smile appeared on her face as she grabbed Ian’s hand and led him out
to the showroom. “We’ll have it delivered to my place.” As they headed out
of the Candy Store, they bumped into Deaq carrying a large pizza box and a six
pack of soda.
“Where are you two going?” he asked, then noticed that look in
Billie’s eyes.
“We’ll see you tomorrow,” she replied with a wide smile.
“Hold up, what’s going on? Why are you guys leaving?” Deaq called.
“Because Sara woke up,” Billie answered.
“Sara woke up?” he asked, but she was already gone by that time. Deaq walked inside to see that it was true. Sara was sprawled out across the couch with Van lying beside her, gently kissing her face. Deaq quickly cleared his throat and both looked in his direction. “Anybody hungry?"