Chapter 9

When they arrived back at Brindles’ home, Marcus placed her on her bed to rest.  She wasn’t asleep or even tired, just somewhat overloaded with energy.  Marcus sat at the foot of the bed and waited for her body to accustom itself to the amount of energy it had consumed, a task that once her body was acquainted with would not happen again as it would readily consume all it needed and perhaps more with no effects.

About twenty minutes later Brindle looked up at Marcus with a grin on her face.  “Whoa!  That was unbelievable, what a rush!” 

Marcus smiled at her reaction and said, “Don’t get up too quickly you were dizzy when I brought you home.  How do you feel?”

Brindle considered things for a minute, what had happened was awesome, an experience she would always remember.  She thought about how she felt and had to say that she felt fine, better than fine actually.  “Marcus, I don’t think I’ve ever felt this good or this strong before, is that normal?”  Then she began to laugh, “Normal,” she said, “I don’t recall much of anything being normal for sometime now.”  Marcus had to agree with her and he laughed as well.

Brindle lay on her bed a while longer just to make sure she didn’t get all dizzy when she finally did sit up.  “You know Marcus I once wrote a poem about that rainforest, want to hear it?”  Marcus looked impressed and said that he would indeed like to hear her poem.  So she began…

                                                  Minnamurra

                                               Lyre-birds scratching

                                                 In the rich brown earth

                                             Pushing back leaf litter

                                               Detritus and all

                                           Scratching and looking

                                   Until they see – juicy fat worms           

                                                  To have for their tea

                                        Curarongs fluttering

                                            From tree to tree

                                             Watching visitors

                                            Have a cup of tea

                               Watching – waiting, looking to see

                     “Have they left any food scraps behind for me”

                              Lillypilly, Bloodwood, Sandpaper Fig,

                                       Epiphytes, Settlers Flax,

                                      Flame Trees and Ferns,

                               Only a few of the many types here

                                        But deep in the heart

                                    Of the Rainforest stands

                                         A lone Red-Cedar

                                         As old as time

                                     A constant reminder

                                  Of what was almost lost

                                   The oldest of the few

                                  That were not logged

                                       Sit and listen

                                   Close your eyes and see

                                      A part of nature

                                 That’s always been here

                                  Let your mind wonder

                                  Your imagination drift

                                       Enjoy the forest

                                   And maintain its gift

Brindle looked at Marcus expectantly, “What do you think?” 

Marcus smiled a smile that lit his entire face up with a soft golden hue.  This pleased Brindle no end and she sat up quickly and her head spun for a few seconds before it settled again.  “I take it you liked it then huh?”  She said and he agreed that he had. 

“I did not realise that you were a bard,” he said to her. 

Brindle climbed off the bed with a grin from ear to ear pleased that he’d liked her little poem.  “You learn something new everyday Angel Boy.”  And this time Marcus didn’t mind that she’d called him this at all, in fact he quite liked it. 

“This forest had meaning for you?” He asked as they headed to the living room.

“Yeah, you could say that.”  Brindle was thoughtful for a moment before she continued.  “I visited that forest a couple of months after my parents died.  I was a mess, my emotions were all over the place and I hurt so much I never thought it would ever stop… I never thought I’d feel anything but hurt ever again.” 

Brindle sat on the couch and looked down at her hands.  “When I entered that forest I felt a sense of peace that I hadn’t felt since before I lost them, the closer I got to the heart of the forest the greater the peace became.”

Marcus reached out and touched her hands saying, “I can understand that, I too felt the peace that is held within that forest.”  He gave her hands a squeeze and waited for her to go on. 

“When I walked onto the platform where the Red-Cedar is I had to sit down, I felt so calm Marcus.  It was like someone had slowed down my heart and my breathing, like someone had taken the pain away.  This is gonna sound crazy, but I almost felt as one with… with the tree, not the forest. It was as if it had taken hold of me and healed me in some way.  That’s what I meant when I said he felt like an old friend.  I knew the feel of him, if that makes any kind of sense at all.”

“It makes perfect sense little one, you are a ‘Keeper’ and as such even before you awakened you would have felt connected to the earth, to nature.  Were there other places that you felt like this?”

Brindle thought about this for a while knowing that at some stage this knowledge may well be important.  “When I was in Canada a few years back, the mountains… the Rockies drew me to them.  They were so stark, so bare and yet I felt safe and comforted by them.  I remember feeling exhausted trying to climb as close as I could to them and I sat down beneath a tree and rested for a bit.  When I got up I felt refreshed, like I hadn’t trekked halfway up a mountain at all.”

“Good,” Marcus said.  “Do you remember other places?” 

As Brindle sat there the memories came to her, all the places of the earth she had visited and been welcomed too.  The beach areas along the coast drawing her to sit in the warmth of their sands and soak in the coolness of their waters and Brindle always seemed to know when there were dolphins close by.  She’d run to high ground to watch them knowing that if she stayed in the water she might miss seeing them.

She’d only been truly inland once several years ago and she had felt the same there.  The desert area with its sand-dunes and sparse scrub had at first seemed so unhospitable.  But as she sat by the campfire and let her mind and her senses take in the area, she felt a warmth and sense of belonging that surprised her. 

She looked at Marcus, “It is alright little one, I am in your mind and see your thoughts, you have been known to the Mother for some time now.”

She let her thoughts wander and found herself remembering a visit to a farm owned by a friend of her parents that sometimes contacted her and her Uncle.  She’d been invited to visit just before harvest and was given leave to wander the grounds and help herself to any of the fruits or vegetables available.  It had been a strange experience, she was looking forward to the taste of fruits and vegetables that were freshly grown, but when it came to it she didn’t have the heart to pick or dig for them.

She remembered resting under an apple tree looking up through the branches and enjoying the way the wind made the leaves dance.  She had dozed off and when she woke there was a wicker basket beside her filled with an array of fruits and vegetables.  It was as if someone had picked or dug and dusted them off and placed them here for her to find. 

“Marcus, they were a gift to me weren’t they, because I wouldn’t pick them myself?”

“Brindle, it would seem that you have been gifted with your earth connection far longer than anyone suspected.  The Mother has been aware of you for some time it would seem and has been watching you.  It would appear you have pleased her greatly, which was shown by your recent contact with her.”

“Marcus, does this mean what I think it means… will I be able draw from any area of nature to replenish my strength?” 

Marcus nodded saying that this was the case; unless there was true evil residing there she would be able to draw strength from any area with natures blessing.

“Bloody hell!” Was all that came to mind in that moment and Marcus reiterated, “Bloody hell indeed!”

They sat looking at each other for a moment and both jumped when the phone rang.  It was Father Adrian confirming the meeting with Kendrick the following day.  Which they had quickly realised would give the priest more time to work on ways to defend against demons within the walls of his office.

Next day Brindle and Marcus decided to make their way to St Dominic’s separately so as not to alert Kendrick to Marcus’s presence, but he told her that he would be by her side in spirit and that she wasn’t to fear his not being there in the physical. 

“Okay,” she said when he’d explained that, remembering how Obanab had looked when she’d first seen him in the park assuming that’s what Marcus would be like.  But she was in for a bit of a shock as she was unable to see him at all.  She could feel his presence, she could even follow his scent, but he was for all intents and purposes ‘invisible’.

When Brindle arrived at St Dominic’s her Uncle greeted her as he always did with a hug and a kiss on the cheek.  They went into his office and closed the door and she looked around curiously waiting to see if Marcus would show himself.  She made a slow turn doing a complete circle trying to see if she could pin point where he was and as she came full-circle she all but jumped out of her skin as he appeared right in front of her.

“Holy Crap Marcus, you scared the hell out of me!” 

Then realising where she was and what she’d said she looked to her Uncle all innocence and said, “Oops!”

Father Adrian stifled a grin and Marcus had to turn away from her so she wouldn’t see his reaction.

Brindle got all serious then trying to give the impression of knowing what she was doing and looked around her Uncles office.  She’d been here so many times before, had always felt safe and comforted enclosed within its walls, but now she saw it with different eyes.  Now she saw it as a ‘Keeper’.  She didn’t see the comfort of its chairs or the leather bound volumes, she looked for how her Uncle had prepared the room, how he had made it safe.

She saw scented candles at intervals around the room candles scented in protective oils.  She noticed an array of tea candles floating in a dish on a stand by the window and realising they were floating in holy water she smiled at her Uncles creativity. 

Brindle looked at Marcus and waited for him to survey the room and comment.  “What else do you have Father?”

Father Adrian opened the little bar fridge behind him and placed a pitcher of ice water on a tray laid out with several glasses.  “I thought perhaps, if he’s thirsty…” and raised and eyebrow. As if waiting for Marcus to say something. 

Marcus grinned and nodded at the priest, “You iced holy water?  Good Father, very good.”

Brindle sighed audibly, “It’s not gonna be enough though is it Marcus?  I mean there’s nothing here he can’t bypass, at best we’ll be able to reveal what he is and if we’re lucky he won’t kill us.”  She walked around the room letting her mind open up to the store of memories Obanab had given her.

Brindle lifted her hand and moved a finger as if instructing someone or something unseen.  Moments later several vases of carnations appeared with scatterings of lemon myrtle and heather throughout.  Marcus arched an eyebrow at her and Brindle ignored him as she modified the candles so they were scented with rue, angelica and heather.  Next she conjured up a pot of herbal tea, lemon myrtle to be exact then she closed her hand for a moment and concentrated.

When she opened her hand three rings lay in the middle of her palm, one for each of them; the bands were plain sliver and each had an oval shaped piece of hematite a protection stone set within it. 

“Okay,” Brindle said as she gave Marcus and her Uncle a ring to wear.  “This is gonna have to do for physical protection.”

“The flowers and the candles Bree, are they for protection as well?” 

Brindle nodded and said, “Yep! Just please don’t ask me how I know Uncle Adrian okay.” 

Brindle looked at Marcus then and said, “I need something more...”

He waited for her to continue, knowing inside himself that she would know what to do.  He was her guide, but he needed to let her do things her way, to find the right way to fight, to respond to what was happening and so far she was doing extremely well.

Brindle stood in the middle of the office with her eyes closed as she breathed in and out slowly to slow her heart beat and make sure she was completely calm.  She held up a hand palm open as if to say ‘I need you both to be silent’, then she turned so that she was facing an open window and lowered herself to her knees lifting her head as she did so. 

The priest thought that his niece was going to say a prayer asking God for help and in a sense that was kind of what she was doing... she just wasn’t asking God specifically for help, she was turning to nature, to what some might call the ‘Elemental Gods’.

“Mother Earth, Father Sky

                                         Evil is wakening, determined to rise

                                     Mother, Father please lend your strength

                                      As Keeper I am charged to stay this tide

                                        Three we stand to guard his world

                                    To return the evil one to his darkened pit

                                     Keeper, Guardian and Innocent we be

                                   Standing for right, to maintain the light”

Father Adrian’s jaw dropped as he realised what Brindle had done, as a priest he wasn’t sure if he should allow this or not, but as an Uncle and as a man he knew it couldn’t hurt because they needed all the help they could get.  So he remained silent and watched his niece as she invoked the protection of both Mother Earth and Father Sky.

As Brindle spoke the final words she felt a breeze filter in through the window, it circled her encompassing her entire body as if coating her with a film of protection.  She remained calm, accepting what was happening and as she did so a great strength engulf her. 

Brindle turned her head and saw that both Marcus and her Uncle were experiencing something similar.  She nodded towards them, not to Marcus so much as her Uncle because she knew he must be confused or afraid and she wanted to reassure him as best she could.

As the sensation subsided Brindle came to her feet knowing that her call for aid had been heard and that they had been honoured by the protection that had been given to them.  She looked to her Uncle and asked if he was okay to which he nodded as speech had temporarily escaped him, then she turned to Marcus.  “I just want to make sure we walked out of here alive and now I’m thinking maybe we will.”

Marcus nodded accepting what she’d done and waited for her to continue.  “Are you going to stay in the open or hidden Marcus?  Kendrick’s likely to freak when he sees what we’ve done here and I’ve got no idea how he’ll react.”  Brindle waved a hand around the room to indicate the flowers, candles and so on.

“I will remain hidden for now little one, it is best if he believes he is meeting with you and your Uncle.” 

Brindle nodded then after a few seconds replied with, “But what about your scent?  I can smell you Marcus… won’t Kendrick be able to as well?”

Marcus looked at her seriously and told her that with mix of scents she had placed in the room he doubted if Kendrick would be able to hone in on him, a statement that pleased Brindle and her Uncle no end.  “Besides,” he added, “You can scent me because of the bond we now share.”

“Okay,” said Brindle turning to her Uncle, “What time is Kendrick supposed to be here?” 

The priest looked at his watch and said, “He indicated that he’d be here by 3.30pm which means he should be here any minute.” 

Brindle looked to Marcus and nodded and her Guardian faded out blending into the streams of light coming in through the open window.

She motioned for her Uncle to take his place at his desk, looked at the two seats on the other side of the desk and decided to sit on a corner of the desk so she’d be closer to her Uncle.  Before Brindle sat down she poured two cups of lemon myrtle tea, passing one to her Uncle, then she sat on the desk slowly sipping her tea as they looked towards the door and waited.

Several minutes later the phone rang and Father Adrian picked up and was told that Mr Kendrick had arrived for their 3.30pm meeting.  The priests face turned ashen, but he told his assistant to show the man in.  Brindle placed her cup on the desk and squeezed his arm to let him know it would be okay and slowly a little colour re-surfaced in his face.

The door opened and Kendrick stepped in, Brindle watched him carefully looking for any reaction he might have to their rudimentary security and when he sneezed she figured the scent from the flowers and the candles had irritated him in some way.  They both said ‘God bless you’ and although he seemed to tense at the words, he thanked them explaining that he was allergic to some flowers.

Brindle figured this was a hint for them to remove the said flowers, but chose to ignore it as she wanted every bit of protection around them that they could get.  Father Adrian gestured for Kendrick to take a seat and he did so, saying it was good to finally meet with them both to discuss the insurance policy he’d mentioned to them.  Brindle offered Kendrick a cup of tea, but he declined graciously, playing the gentleman to the hilt.

Kendrick sneezed again then started coughing and Brindle offered him a glass of water.  Caught off guard, Kendrick accepted the water and took a long drink of it.  As he put the glass down he cringed, his face turning shades of red.  Brindle played the innocent and asked him if he was okay, offering him more water.

Kendrick’s hand came up to his throat and he held it there as it if would stave off what ever it was he was experiencing. 

“Mr Kendrick,” said Father Adrian concern written on his face.  “Is everything alright?”

“Wh… what was in the water, it seems to have worsened my allergy?” 

Brindle answered knowing that her Uncle would not want to lie.  “It’s just water Mr Kendrick, plain bless… ‘ed’ water.  Would you like another glass?”

Kendrick looked at the glass in front of him trying to control himself as he realised exactly what had been in the glass.  “Bless… ‘ed’… as in blessed, is that what you meant?  This is Holy Water is it not?” 

Before Brindle could reply Father Adrian piped up.  “Of course, we always serve Holy Water; it somehow helps those meeting with me feel more at ease with being here.  It also seems to help open the wallets of those we are seeking funding from.”

As they watched, the colour of Kendrick’s face turned a darker shade of red, with tinges of blue around the edges.  “Mr Kendrick,” Brindle began, “Is something wrong, can I do anything to help?”  Anger showed itself on his face for the first time and Brindle took in a long slow breath in preparation for what might come next.

“Woman, I believe you have done quite enough already.”  Kendrick rose from the chair and looked eye to eye first with the priest then with Brindle and they could see deep in his eyes the colour red… blood red.  It was so unnatural so frightening that Brindle wanted to flee the room, only her Uncles presence held her where she was.

“So,” Kendrick began, “You have revealed my true identity!” 

Brindle stood beside her Uncle, not wanting to look as if she was intimidated by him when she did in fact feel very much intimidated.  She placed her hands on her hips and said, “Demon.  I name you Demon!”

A nasty ugly smirk crept onto Kendrick’s face acknowledging that she was correct in what she had said.  She swallowed trying to do so quietly and stood her ground. 

“What do you want here Demon and don’t tell me it’s got anything to do with an insurance policy?”

“For long years we have waited for you ‘Keeper’ and now we have you.” 

Father Adrian cleared his throat and said, “What do you have Kendrick?  You are here in the office of a priest… in a church.  You are in the same room with my niece, but you do not have her… she is her own person and will make her own decisions.  Do you wish to take her, because in all honesty I cannot see that happening?”

Kendrick scowled at the priest, “You believe being in a church will hinder what we want priest?  She is ours!”  Brindle moved and gently edged her Uncle behind her before speaking.

“I am a ‘Keeper’ I will never be yours.  You and your kind may try to kill me, to prevent me from stopping you, but you forget… there will always be a ‘Keeper’.  If I die there will be another, you can’t prevent that from happening, you will be defeated in the end.”

“Kill?”  Kendrick said with sardonic laughter.  “We do not want to kill you Woman; we want you to join us!” 

This statement was made with so much conviction that Brindle knew he was being truthful.  A look of confusion spread across her face and Kendrick picked up on it immediately, a smug look on his face.  “You have been misinformed Woman.”

He paused for effect and Brindle felt her confidence slide.  “Let me guess,” Kendrick continued, “Your Guardian,” and he looked around the room as if looking for him. 

“Your Guardian would have given you the spiel of goodness and light and ‘God’.”  His evil smirk grew as the look on Brindles face told him that he was right.

“Both sides want you Woman!  It is your decision which way you will go… although we will influence you enough to ensure you will be ours.”

Brindle stayed calm, wondering for a moment if Marcus would show himself then pushed the thought aside realising this was up to her… this was her decision to make and Marcus being there or not, she had to take control of the situation.  She needed to assert who and what she was in no uncertain terms.

She moved around the desk slowly wanting to face him without the barrier of the desk between them.  Her Uncle gasped but she ignored him and continued to move until she was about three metres away from him.  There she stood her ground.

“You seem very sure of yourself Demon?  You are correct in saying I wasn’t told of ‘evil’ wanting me for their cause, but what you neglected to realise is that there was never a need for this.”  Brindle took another step forward ensuring she was in the vicinity of the open window.

“What has eluded you and your kind in this consideration Demon is that there was never any need for an explanation.  I am a ‘Keeper’ born to goodness and light… I am honour bound to free the world of evil, be it Demon or Other, I cannot be swayed in this.  If you wished to bring me to your cause, it was a wasted effort.“

The expression on Kendrick’s face turned from anger to downright evil, his face all but contorting in an effort to show Brindle not who, but exactly ‘what’ she was dealing with. 

“You will come with me Woman, you will do as you are bid and you will do so with out question.”

It was Brindles’ turn to smirk now, for she saw Kendrick for what he truly was… evil incarnate and although she was very much afraid… she was completely calm.  Expecting her to do his bidding was a joke, in her mind it was not a possibility.

“So,” she began, “You expect me to walk away from all I have known, all that is good and right and do the bidding of… ‘you’?”  Brindle couldn’t help herself she laughed in his face.  “Who are you to bring me to heel, who are you to assume I will come quietly?  I am a ‘Keeper’ and as such I will never lower myself to what you and your ‘betters’ want.”

This angered Kendrick; he was a lower level Demon but had always seen himself as more… he had always put across the impression of being of a much higher station and to have a mere human and a woman at that speak to him like he was nothing infuriated him.

He let out a cry of rage as he raised his hand to do… Brindle had no idea what.  She didn’t have time to think or look to her Guardian, she had to act.  She knew they wanted her so Kendrick wouldn’t risk harming her.  This meant he’d go after her Uncle, he meant to show her she could be hurt in other ways, he meant to demonstrate that he meant business and that if she didn’t do as he ordered she would know his wrath.

Her gaze never left Kendrick’s as in the blink of an eye the priest disappeared.  Brindle teleported him to the safety of the basement gym, where he fell to his knees unsure of what had just happened and wondering if he should go back and try to help his niece.

Fury emanated from every cell of Kendrick’s body, fury that spoke of the horror of what he could and would do to get his way.  Brindle couldn’t let him escape, if he did he would come after her Uncle again and next time she might not be there to protect him.

Brindles’ composure remained the same, outwardly she was calm almost serene showing none of the anger that coiled within her heart at the fear of what had almost happened.  Her reactions kicked into automatic as her senses explored the room.  She identified Marcus hidden within the streams of light coming in from the window; she again felt the protective aids that engulfed her amplifying her confidence in the situation. 

Kendrick’s claws were showing… literally!  The face that was so refined, so handsome and businessman like was now gross, ugly in how it reflected the man before her.  He looked ready to pounce and she was the only target left that he could see.  

Brindle took in a slow steady breathe, she held out a hand palm outward and pushed with her mind holding him in place.  Kendrick froze for a moment and she pushed harder to keep him in place… again he froze but only momentarily.  She felt her confidence waver slightly and he moved a hand as if to fling something at her and just in time her body moved sideways avoiding a ball of fire that had been aimed at her.

She looked eye to eye with Kendrick.  Calm, in total control, the only difference was her eyes… eyes usually a deep chocolate brown were now a deep dark black… black as coal... black as soot and filled the knowledge that he would be hers… he would not leave this room alive!

She lifted her hand once more holding him in position and this time she pushed as hard as she dare without pulling all her defences in.  He froze!  Internally she allowed herself a ‘woo hoo’ but stayed focused and in that moment she realised with barely a thought that her mind had grown… expanded in some way.  Brindle now had much greater control of her mind to the point that she could cordon it off into sections isolating them controlling each section separately.     

Brindle stayed her hand, keeping him in place. She ignored the roar of Kendrick’s voice screeching out in guttural tones what he would do to her once he finally got his hand on her… his ‘Master’ be damned.  She lifted her other hand directing it at the window and the corner of her mouth rose in the slightest of smiles angering him further.

She felt Marcus move from the light by the window and stand to her left, not close, not so he could intervene or take control… but there as a support, so she knew she wasn’t alone.  Kendrick roared again when he saw her Guardian, knowing that he should have sensed him earlier and tried to eliminate him.  Brindle saw this written on his face and in the way he was reacting. 

“No more Demon,” she said.  “Never again shall you walk this earth, you will return to the darkness from which you crawled and will never again set foot in this world.”

Marcus tensed as he watched realising what she was about to do, still he remained where he was knowing that in this moment Brindle needed to prove herself not to him so much, but to herself.  If she truly was the ‘Keeper’ she needed to be able to do this on her own.

Kendrick tried with all the strength he had to move his body, to prevent this woman from holding him like some insignificant being.  He was better than that and he struggled desperately to not only free himself but to inflict harm to her and if he could her Guardian.  He struggle trying to produce a ball of fire, but was only able to bring forth sparks which fell at his feet before dissolving into nothing.

Brindle took this in knowing that everything could be used either to her detriment or to her benefit and she smiled at Kendrick then, a smile that was not a smile of happiness, but a smile of knowing… of telling that he was defeated!

She lifted her free hand to the window and spoke…

“I call you Demon!

                                         Born of darkness, born of evil

                                   As now you stand before me in the light

              The foulness of your essence permeates the goodness of this place

                                 I call upon the elements of Earth and Air

                     Hold and bind this Demon, banish him to the darkened pit

            Lace his wrists, his hands and arms, circle his body entwine his legs

                        Contain him and cast him back to the depths of hell

                                         Never again to walk this world!”

As she spoke a breeze came through the window and she guided it to the Demon moving it over his body, lacing it around his arms, wrists and torso then moving down his legs and ankles.  As the breeze moved it left what looked like vines in its place, vines so strong no amount of struggle could break them.  When Kendrick was bound to her satisfaction she guided the breeze back to where it had come from, then she uttered two words…

                                                             “Be gone!”

 Brindle thought that Kendrick would simply disappear, so what happened truly shocked her.  Kendrick was still struggling, fighting for his life and as he did so sparks flared around him and to his horror took hold, the bindings around his ankles catching fire and quickly flaring up his legs moving so quickly that within seconds his entire body was alight.  Brindles bottom lip quivered slightly and before she could react further the Demon seemed to explode and disappear at the same time taking all the debris of what was once him along with him.

Strangely the thing that caught her attention was that though the vines looked as if they were on fire, they didn’t burn, they remained intact and the thought came to her that when he landed back where he’d come from, he’d appear whole, but he’d still be bound.  She shook her head not wanting to think about a bound Demon having to answer to his ‘Master’ for his failure to bring her before him.

Brindle took a deep cleansing breath but remained where she was unsure of what to do next.  Marcus moved to her side taking in her condition, making sure she was unharmed and knowing that if he were to touch her or comfort her in any way she would break down and he needed her to remain in control.

“Little one,” he said, and she turned towards him.

“Uncle Adrian!”  She cried and in the next moment he appeared before her, a little unnerved by the experience, but in one piece.  Brindle all but threw herself at her Uncle, wrapping her arms around him and holding on for dear life.

“Are you okay Uncle Adrian?”  She was unconsciously running her hands over his shoulders and his arms searching for wounds.  Father Adrian took hold of her hands and held them to his lips kissing them softly, his eyes tearing but not caring that his niece or her Guardian saw. 

“I’m fine Bree, confused, but fine.”

Brindle turned to Marcus, “Is he gone… for good?  Did I kill him Marcus? I… I…” she trailed off unable to find the words she needed, so many questions forming in her mind. 

“He is indeed gone little one, you have not only sent him back to the darkness, you have banished him from ever walking the earth again.  Astoundingly you have in effect rendered Kendrick useless to his ‘Master’, that was no mean feat for someone who had no clue don’t you think?”

Brindle blushed, “You were in my mind weren’t you, you knew I had no idea what I was doing?” 

Marcus nodded to his Charge, “Yes little one, I knew, but I also knew you needed to prove to yourself that you were worthy and you have done so much more than that.”

“Really?”  She asked him, “Do you think Obanab would agree with that?” 

Marcus shook his head and laughed, “Brindle you have no reason to doubt yourself, you have shown your worth to all concerned and while this wasn’t a test, it was what you might call a rite of passage.”

Father Adrian seemed to know better than to ask questions, although he did wonder who Obanab was.  He looked to Marcus and they both led Brindle to the couch against the back wall thinking she’d probably need to sit down.  They made it half way there when Brindle froze, shock written over her face as if she were re-living what had happened then she went limp in their arms.   She’d passed out either from shock or exhaustion.