Rodriguez didn't waste any time.

  He had manoeuvred behind them and came in fast. He was trying to blitz them, take them out quickly, and end their attempt to reach the church.

  A fair tactic against two opponents.

  They had stopped speaking as soon as they entered the graveyard, focusing on moving and staying alert. I appreciated that they were taking this seriously and moving with due regard for the danger around them. So many blundered in here blindly, not realising the threat that they had walked into. That included several of the Challengers as well. Not respecting what they were attempting to do ended them and added their bodies to my growing tally of filled graves.

  Gabriel was to the right, and Samuel was to the left. The two brothers moved in tandem, covering as many of their blind spots as possible. They spoke about the fact that they had experienced violence in their lives, and their actions reinforced this. They had mentioned the Klan, and I wondered if it was like the one in my world. I haven't heard much about such things in this state.

  I was forced to shake myself out of my thoughts as Rodriguez was closing the distance.

  He was close enough now to charge and did so. But as he did, Gabriel turned his head slightly, catching sight of something behind him. Operating on pure instinct, he pushed his brother aside, dropping to the ground when he turned. As he turned, he slashed out blindly with his blade, a Hail Mary to hit whatever was behind them.

  Rodriguez was committed to the charge and was taken by surprise by the action. This forced him to arrest his momentum as best he could by leaping aside. Unfortunately, he was too close, and the blade sliced across his leg. The wound was deep, and it didn't seem to hamper him.

  Samuel was getting up quickly, not deriding his brother for the push, realising it was meant to save his life. Gabriel was on his feet again, pressing the attack against Rodriguez. My Hunter was no fool and was quickly manoeuvring to protect himself, blocking the machete strikes with his Tomahawk blade.

  Gabriel moves with practised motions against Rodriguez. My Hunter was bobbing and weaving, keeping the blade from striking him when he couldn't block. The two were engaged in a dance of violence as Samuel attempted to flank and enter the fight.

  Rodriguez could see what he was doing and was keeping him close to his brother, stopping him from getting behind and hitting him when he was exposed. This brought Samuel into the fight now, as he realised he couldn't get around my Hunter. He began striking out with equal skill with his weapon. Both brothers knew how to use their machetes, forcing Rodriguez further back.

  There was a regular sound of metal striking metal as the blades were blocked and turned aside. Rodriguez was on the back foot, and he knew it, both brothers proving to be competent opponents. The terrain was also somewhat working in their favour, but also against them. The pathway was wider here because the gravestones were farther apart. But not so much that they could easily be gotten around. This gave them room to attack and keep my Hunter on the defensive.

  The fight was taken back towards the gates. Unless Rodriguez got a lucky break, this fight was not going to end up in his favour.

  To reinforce this point, he took a slash across the arm, tearing into his heavy coat. It protected him from most of the below, but I could see that blood was coming from the wound.

  The three continued their dance. Their breathing was heavy from the exertion of the fight, but they were all still committed to it.

  Samuel made the first mistake with the brothers. He leaned in and put his weight behind the strike, allowing Rodriguez to grab his arm at the wrist, and with the violent yank, he pulled him in, punching him in the face with his hand holding the Tomahawk. Before Rodriguez could deliver another blow, this time with the Tomahawk blade, his brother Gabriel stepped in, shoulder barging the Hunter.

  Rodriguez was knocked back and staggered slightly, but was still in the fight.

  The furious punch knocked Samuel back slightly, and the younger man was holding his face around the nose. I could hear muffled cursing.

  Gabriel launched a furious series of strikes at Rodriguez, and the two were again locked in their deadly dance. The clangour of metal echoed through the area. Samuel was wiping away blood from his nose when he stepped up and joined his brother.

  The two of them continued to press the attack, but I could see that Gabriel was tiring. The fight had not lasted long, but it was intense and taxing for the elder brother, who had been fighting longer. Rodriguez was suffering, but his stamina was far greater than that of the average man.

  Unfortunately, the third cut to his other arm indicated the fight was turning against him. Again, he was bleeding but not profusely as his heavy coat protected him. Samuel scored this blow in return for the punch.

  Rodriguez was snarling, and I knew he was making the mental calculations. Continue or retreat. Both held risks.

  Rodriguez kicked out, catching Gabriel in the leg, causing the man to cry in pain and stumble slightly. His brother moved to protect him as he recovered his footing, giving Rodriguez the opportunity he needed to turn and run.

  The sudden retreat caught both men off guard. Gabriel was limping slightly from the kick to his leg, and his brother stayed with him. I didn't think Gabriel was severely injured, just suffering from a nasty kick.

  "Dear God! What was that?" Gabriel exclaimed as he leaned against a gravestone, breathing hard.

  "One of the monsters I told you about, remember?" Samuel said to him, breathing hard as well. His voice was a bit more muffled as blood was still leaking from his nose, but not as severely as it had been. He rubbed it out with the sleeve of his coat, staining it.

  Both men stood there breathing hard, watching the retreating figure of Rodriguez.

  "Come on, Gabriel, we need to keep moving. We will find no safety until we reach the church." Samuel told his brother.

  The older man nodded, standing up straight. "Anymore?"

  "I reckon a few. Let's get going." Samuel replied honestly, and the two men set off again, looking over their shoulders more now.

  Rodriguez was out. McGregor was next.

  I was not confident in this Hunter's abilities.

  He was sadistic but, in many ways, a coward. He enjoyed killing and suffering, but only when he had the power to do so. Beating an opponent who could actually fight back was a less appetising prospect for him.

  Well, here he had two now.

  I watched as the two brothers continued to make their way deeper into the graveyard. They were now inside McGregor's hunting grounds, and I was keeping a lookout for him.

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  The two brothers were now moving at a pace that was allowing them to recover from the previous fight. They weren't pushing themselves, nor were they moving slowly, allowing them to regulate their breathing. Smart.

  As they made their way through a narrow stretch of the pathway, I spotted McGregor. He was on top of one of the tombs' roofs, where the path passed close by, the structures becoming denser as they approached the centre of the graveyard. He planned to take a page from Rodriguez's playbook and attack them from above.

  I wasn't sure if this was just a desperate move, a sign of fear, or a genuine shift in his tactics. He had been extremely sullen since I disciplined him. It had not changed his loyalty level, but I could tell he wasn't as happy as he once was.

  Hopefully, a few kills will make him happier. But I suspect that they will not come today.

  I watched as the two brothers drew closer, McGregor making his move. This style attack was new to my Hunter, and he misjudged the distance. His attack did take the brothers by surprise, and caught Samuel with his blade across the arm, but he fell badly, and I heard a crack, and both screamed out in pain. McGreoger remained standing but fell back onto the wall to stay upright.

  Gabriel instantly went to his brother's side as McGregor got up. Samuel was wounded badly, but so was McGregor. He had broken his leg in the impact, and he was hobbling. Gabriel turned to face the new attacker, but McGregor had already started to get the hell out of dodge.

  Gabriel wanted a follow-up on the man who would hurt his brother. But he could not leave him as the wound to his arm was bleeding, and if you did not receive medical attention, you could die. Blood loss leads to shock, and shock kills.

  I shook my head at the absurdity of it all.

  I wasn't happy with McGregor's performance, but at least he made an effort this time. I hoped he would learn from it.

  Gabriel helped his brother out of his coat, pulled a bandage from his satchel, and began binding the wound. McGregor's blade has sliced down the arm, leaving a nasty cut. Gabriel patched up the wound and stopped the bleeding. He helped his brother back into his coat but left the wounded arm out of its sleeve.

  "Do we go on?" He asked his brother, concern in his voice.

  "Yes. We need to finish this." Samuel said through gritted teeth, his face paler from blood loss and pain.

  Gabriel took Samuel's pack, and his brother still held his machete, so they continued.

  They were now approaching the centre of the graveyard and were close to the second ring. The direction they were taken had led them through the Spirit hunting grounds, but she had not made an appearance due to the time of day.

  Harrington was next up.

  They were now in the densest part of the graveyard. Trees, mausoleums, tombs, statues and countless gravestones surrounded them. The only thing that kept them going was the sight of the church spire ever closer. The sun was now touching the mountains in the west. The shadows were growing longer, and here there were large patches of darkness. Harrington had the advantage in any ambush here.

  I have not seen him yet, but I suspect he is close.

  Samuel is moving, but I could see him staggering now and again. The blood loss was taking its toll along with the pain. He was not one hundred per cent aware of his surroundings, but that did not mean he was vulnerable. His brother was taking up most of the slack, doing his best to keep them both safe and moving forward.

  I barely noticed the shadow move. It slid across a wall, revealing Harrington using his magic. The brothers had not seen him, and he was coming in from a blind spot. He was targeting Samuel, who was clearly the weaker of the two at the moment.

  Harrington had his sword drawn. He had recently started covering it with oil to dull its metallic reflectiveness, which made it more effective when he was using his shadow magic.

  He struck out with his sword, and the universe decided to play one of his jokes on him.

  As the blade sliced through the air, Samuel stumbled, causing him to lean forward as he went slightly off balance. The blade connected, running across his back shoulder through the coat, causing pain in the crowd. If he hadn't stumbled, then the blade would have probably decapitated him.

  His brother was instantly alerted to the danger and dragged his brother out of the way. Harrington presses the advantage, forcing Gabriel to defend himself and his brother. He had the advantage in blade length, which he used to his advantage here.

  Gabriel had pushed Samuel back as he was doing his best to stop the sword from cutting into his body. The dull clang of metal-on-metal was echoing once more.

  Harrington was trying to separate the two men, giving him the advantage to strike at the other. And this succeeded as Gabriel was pushed back by his brother, and the two were separated.

  At first, I thought this was a good tactic, but then I realised the mistake Harrington made. He was concentrating on Gabriel, seeking to eliminate the most dangerous of the brothers. Samuel was again wounded but not out of this fight. This mistake cost Harrington.

  Samuel had turned and pushed forward while Harrington was focused on his brother's lashing out with his machete. He caught Harrington along his sword arm, scoring a nasty cut, slicing through his coat and deep into the flesh below. Harrington cried out in pain and staggered back, clutching the now badly wounded arm.

  Gabriel moved up to support his brother, and Harrington was now forced to make the same choice the other Hunters had. He chose retreat. He quickly stepped into a heavily shadowed area, and its form dissolved almost as he used his abilities to aid in his escape.

  Gabriel wanted to hunt him, but tended to his brother. The younger one now had two nasty injuries. He was bandaged up again by his brother, but he was clearly suffering, and I wondered how much more he could take.

  Before his brother asked, he told him to press on; they were nearly at the church.

  Gabriel is now supporting his brother as they leave the second ring and enter the central one. They stood before the church's doors and entered the building. As they did so, the sun was finally setting in the west. As soon as the two crossed the threshold, a sense of peace and cessation of violence swept across me.

  There was enough light coming through the windows to allow Gabriel to take his brother down to the pews just before the altar. Once they were there, he lit a lantern and tended to his brother's wounds again. I can see the additional blood soaking through the bandages and watch as they are changed.

  There was a good chance Gabriel could get out of the dungeon. As a Samuel, I doubted it.

  It was about fifteen minutes before Gabriel was satisfied with the dressings he had now applied to his brother's injuries. Once he was done, they ate and drank, and Samuel helped him to his feet. Gabriel supported him to the altar.

  Samuel reached into his shirt and pulled out a necklace with a silver ring on it. He pulled the necklace over his head and placed it on the altar.

  [Challenger's offering has been accepted.]

  A wave of images and emotion swept over me. I saw a young African-American woman nursing a child. Suddenly, there was fire and men dressed in hoods. Then I saw images of a gravestone in the rain, with two names inscribed upon it.

  As suddenly as they began, they disappeared, and I knew that Samuel had lost his wife and child. Gabriel helped his brother back to the pew and then returned to the altar himself.

  He reached into his trouser pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. He placed it on the altar and opened it, revealing a silver-engraved locket.

  [Challenger's offering has been accepted.]

  Another wave of images and emotions slammed into my mind. This time, I saw an older woman sitting in a rocking chair, ill but still holding onto her faith in her sons' future. This was his mother, and I felt his love for her.

  She too soon faded, and I found that Gabriel had walked back to his brother, now sitting next to him.

  "Why have we got to leave them?" He indicated the locket and ring. He spoke quietly, as if in a typical church.

  "We… Got to pay the price." Samuel said, swaying slightly.

  "Is it worth it?" Gabriel asked more of himself than his brother.

  "When we get out… When the sun comes up, it will." Samuel replied.

  "How can you be sure?"

  "I have been right about everything else, haven't I?" Smauel looked tired.

  They fell silent as Samuel lay down across the pew on his uninjured side and tried to sleep. Gabriel stayed awake longer, looking around at what he could see in the lantern light.

  Eventually, he drifted off as well.

  I watched them sleep, thinking of my remaining Hunters outside.

  The Spirit would be active. Rigger, Blackstone, and Roberson were still in play—a good spread of styles and skills overall. Rigger was to the north with Roberson in the south. Blackstone was closer to the gates.

  I was confident that things were in my Hunter's favour. Life had taught me not to believe it was a sure thing, as in fights, luck plays a role.

  The nights are shorter this time of year and pass quickly.

  Gabriel slept fitfully, his brother's injuries keeping him from settling. Dawn was still an hour away when he woke again and checked his watch. He had to light the lantern, as it was darker now that the cloud cover was heavier. This disturbed his brother.

  "Dawn in an hour," Gabriel told his bleary-eyed brother. "We need to eat and drink before going back out."

  Samuel nods and eats mechanically. His arm is still, and he cannot move it due to the two injuries. He is still pale and his face lined with pain. Gabriel is watching him, worried. They both know there is still danger outside the church. How many did they not know were out there in the dark?

  Like them, I was preparing myself for what lay beyond the gates.