Hunting Thingamajigs

All Brian needed to do was to hold his hand close to it, and he could feel the life energies in it. "Yes," he said. "It is. Fairly fresh. Perhaps 3 or 4 days. No longer." It wasn't Khaat's. That made him more at ease. He ran his hands over several of the wine bottles and found some older 'vintages' but nothing fresher.

"We need to get the hell out of here," Brian said. "Quickly."

"Yes," Michael agreed. "We need to get out of the caverns and off castle grounds. Then if we need to we can resort to portkey. I know you. You made some."

"Yes," Brian admitted. He had made a number of portkeys back to the treehouse the night before. "I know you're al tired and deserve a rest but now isn't the time. Perhaps for a moment back in the caverns, but not right under his nose. Are you up to it?"

Jim , cassidy and Jack all looked at Brian and nodded and moved closer to the door way all had the wands at the ready still hearing the bats behind it as Jack opened it cassidy and Jim fired taking down all of the bats then diving for the opening that they had come threw stopping to check Brian, Angus and Michael were following. They quickly saw they were clear and stood waiting for the port keys to get them back to the hut. " what about Khaat?" Jim asked.

Brian hadn't forgotten. He turned to Angus as they stepped out of the caverns. "We can't activate portkeys until we get off the castle grounds or they'll know we're here. Angus, how far from there to go back to the village?"

"The village? Maybe an hour. Why?" Angus asked.

"Go back. Find Aura. Tell her to tell that sonofa**** that I want to trade. My life for hers."

"He wont' take that," Michael said. "He's a womanizer."

"Then, tell him I've got the amulet. Tell him he gives her to me and I give him the amulet."

"You want him to have all that power, Lad?" Michael asked gently.

"No but as I recall, you're an expert forger," Brian smiled at Michael. Michael laughed.

"Oh, well played, Son," he said. "And it will be some of my best work."

"Good. Lets go back to the treehouse. Quickly." He turned to start walking.

"Indeed. And Brian?"

"Yes," Brian turned back.

"Robert would be very proud of you. You're doing this exactly in every way he taught you. Well done indeed."

"Thank you," Brian said. He left them tied together but now they could walk in pairs back across castle grounds. Then they would untie themselves from the rope line and port back to the treehouse.

Jack and Jim walked with Cassidy once clear they untied them selves and ported back to the tree house cassidy heading to shower and change so she could relax a little jack and Jim looked at each other and chuckled " playing the old switcharoo then Brian " Jim asked and moved to sit down. Jack moved to grab a cold soda before he went to shower and change his clothes and relax but not to much as something told him trouble was on its way and its name was Escobar.

"Yes," Brian said, putting down his pack and getting out a cold drink for himself. Michael got a cold drink as well, and he put it on the table and got out the amulet.

"You know, Lad," Michael said. "there is only one man that I trust to have an artifact like this one and not use it."

"Robert," Brian said.

"Yes," Michael got out a small tool kit and a jeweler's loop and sat down with the amulet and began to work to study it before he began to reproduce it.

"Do you think you can do it?"

"I think," Michael said, "That I need to take a piece of it to put into the reproduction. If I do not, it will not hold the same magical signature..I must take the smallest piece and put into the new one. Otherwise, we may as well offer him a box of chocolates."

"We need to be ready to move out just as soon as we're done dealing with Escobar," Brian said. "I'm thinking that our portkeys might just get us home. We had no portkeys here and we didnt want to alert him with an insurgence of magic. But--we might well be able to get out.here."

Jim sat and watched interested in watching master jewel thief at work on the amulet. Jack on the other hand just sat in the shade having had enough of the jungle heat for the day. Cassidy returned clean and with her hair down this time as she moved to grab a soda from the fridge.

" We're not done yet are we?" she asked looking from Michael to Brian and back as she opened and took a deep drink of cold soda.

Michael took off a plain gold chain off his own neck and used it to transfigure it into a copy of the amulet. He laid it beside the other and inspected his work closely. It had to be just right. Then he disassembled part of the amulet and part of the copy and switched them, doing it by hand. The next thing he did was to exchange the gemstone eyes. He put the real ones on the copy and put the copies on the real one. He inspected them carefully and then lifted them one at a time in his experienced hands.

"It will work, I think. It has just enough power that if Escobar is sensitive, he'll feel some degree of power to it. But it wont have enough to help him much. He'll think the power is just dormant and that he has to unleash it," Michael said. He was careful to shrink the real amulet and add it to the keychain in his pocket where it looked like nothing more than a harmless trinket. He slid the copy to Brian.

"Thank you," Brian said. Angus apparated back in.

"Gear up," Angus said quickly . "She was pretty pissed off when we demanded a meeting. I told her we had the amulet. I dont think he'll be far behind us. He's coming, I'm sure of it."

"Good," Brian said, stonefaced, wand drawn and at the ready. Michael summoned a bottle from his pack.

"What's that?" Angus asked.

"Holy water. Did you think I'd march into Hell without it?" Michael asked, drawing his wand with the other hand.

Jack Jim and cassidy accioed there back packs and changed into the jungle clothes quickly then they stood waiting for Brain and Michael Jack saw the holy water and frowned " expecting trouble ?" he asked as he did up his back pack. Jim glanced over and shook his head.

"Ow that's his back up plan if things should call for it " he said softly to cassidy who just said an 'ow' and folded her arms across her chest as she waited for them.

Brian spun his head towards the north, towards the castle. "He's coming," he said. "And he's got Khaat. I can feel her. I dont' know how. I just know. Nobody fires at him while he's got Khaat. Got that?"

"In stone," Michael said. "Show time, Everyone. No mistakes." He moved to stand as close to Brian as he could get, his own wand drawn and at the ready.

A moment later, a black flourish of smoke spun viciously on the balcony of the treehouse and it materialized to be Escobar himself, and he had Khaat with him. She looked to Brian like she was a bit confused. Disoriented. What the hell was she wearing? Some odd flowing white Gothic longsleeved gown? Like it was straight out of a cheap muggle movie? Who did that, anyway? He looked directly into the eyes of the vampire. They were coal black, no irises. He was powered up. Brian could feel the immense evil rolling off of Escobar like chill off an icecube.

"Give it to me!" Escobar demanded in a powerful tone.

"No," Brian said coldly. He lifted the amulet out of his pocket, the chain entwined in his fingers so it could not be easily accio'd from him. "This is what you want, and you have what I want. I want my wife. I get her back and you get the amulet."

"You're a fool," Escobar hissed. "I could kill you right now."

"You could try," Brian admitted, "And I could power up this thing and destroy this whole part of the globe. And dont' think I wouldn't rather die with her than without her. Your choice."

Jim and Jack moved to ether side of Michael and Brian Cassidy stood to one side but all held there wands when Brian spoke every one spoke the same words " understood" they said together and waited Cassidy jumped a little when the black smoke appeared but she realized it was Khaat and a dark eyed man she focused on Brian and Michael as she felt something cold walk past her and she shivered she knew death followed this man where ever he walked.Jim touched her hand and she looked up at him.

" Brian don't trust his words , death stands at his side " she said and looked at Khaat.