A Visit to Ireland

Part 2

The next morning after breakfast they were all seated in what looked like the living room. It was hard to tell because of the tapestries and old-fashioned furniture inside the room, along with the gray, stone walls and crackling fire place. Raphael had his back up against the warm stones around the fireplace, having bumped Mike out of the way. Mike had, in turn, crouched on the other side of the fireplace, soaking up the heat. April and Casey sat together on a couch with Shadow between them, while Venus and Donatello huddled on an opposite couch. The only two that didn't seem bothered by the cold were Riana and Leonardo. He stood behind Venus and Don, while Riana sat back in the high back chair across from the fire.

"...and that's how we came about," Mike finally finished the story of their origin. Everyone seemed to sigh and lean back. They had heard that story so many times they all knew it by heart.

Riana's eyes opened in awe. "Tha's quite a tale, there. Ah'd never have believed it if Ah dinnae see it with muh own eyes."

"Then how'd you know about us in the first place?" Leo asked. There was no suspicion in his voice, only curiosity.

Riana smiled and reached into her pocket. "Wit' these," she answered, pulling out a deck of Tarot cards.

"No way," Raph said. "Those things aren't real."

"Oh, we 'ave an unbeliever in our midst," she laughed. "Come here an' Ah'll prove they're real."

Raph smirked but he sat down by the table by her anyway.

"Now think of a question ye want answered," she told him, shuffling her deck. "And mind ye, yuir family is gauny hear aboot it, so choose something safe."

"Any question?" Raph asked.

Riana nodded.

"Will I ever get Leo drunk in a Truth or Dare game?" Raph asked. Everyone but Leo and Shadow started to laugh. Shadow, who did not quite know what they were laughing about, was letting her eyes wander around the castle. She was particularly interested in the closed door in the downstairs hallway, but since April was always with her, she hadn't been able to get close.

"I can tell you the answer right now," Leo growled. "What is your preoccupation with getting me drunk?"

"Are ye sure that's the question ye want?" Riana grinned.

"Yeah."

"Okay, let's see whut the cards say."

Riana began to deal the cards out one at a time in a definite pattern. The first card was the Fool. She began to giggle.

"What's so funny?" Raph asked.

"That's the card that signifies you," she smiled.

Mike grinned. "I guess the Tarot really does speak the truth."

Riana took out another card and lay it above the Fool. It was the Hermit. "Oh, not to worry, child," Riana smiled, "ye've got the makings of a wise man in ye."

"Must be buried deep down," Don laughed.

"Shut up, Donnie," Raph said.

Riana took out another card, the Hanged Man, then another, Death. One more came out, the Sun.

"Well, that dinnae tell me anything," she complained to her cards.

"What's it say?"

She sighed. "Not much. The Hanged Man means the decision is up in the air. Death, since it's upside down, means bad luck, and the Sun means fortune. Which means it could come out either way, depending on yuir luck."

"Man..." Raph griped, heading back to the fireplace.

"Well, it's for the best that none of ye get drunk yet," Riana sighed. "Ye'll need to be sober in case there's trouble."

Both Raph and Leo leaned forward. The rest had no idea what she was talking about.

"Fight?" Mike asked.

"Who do you need protection from?" Leo asked.

She looked up at him. "Do ye promise to believe me, and not to laugh?"

Raph nodded.

"Trolls."

They both blinked.

"What?" Raph asked.

"And kobolds," she continued. "And just about every evil spirit in the lands around muh castle."

"Why are they after you?" Leo asked, putting aside his disbelief for a moment.

"Because muh father used tae fight them, but now that he's dead, there's no one tae protect the castle. The only reason they haven't come in yet is because the protective wards around the castle are still up, but they'll collapse sometime in the next few weeks. Ah looked in muh cards for help, and Ah came up with you."

"But how did you know it was us?" Don asked.

"Muh cards showed the seven of cups, which means a distant friend, and then five major arcana cards in a row, which is very rare. Ah got the Hermit, the Magician, the Fool, the Empress, and Death. Each of them signified you, and following them, was the Hanged Man and then the Devil. Each of the five represented you five, and the two after signified strange yet natural forms, because of the way I had set them down."

"Well, the Empress must be Venus, and we know Raph's a fool," Don smiled, then winced as Raph moved as if he was going to hit him. "But who were the others?"

Riana shrugged. "I have nae seen ye enough tae know, yet."

Mike stared into the fire, then looked up at Riana. "So, what's for breakfast?"

Venus looked at her youngest brother. "Do you ever think about anything else but food?"

"Sleeping," Raph grinned.

Mike just rolled his eyes.

Riana nodded, answering Mike's question. "Aye, come wit' me. Ah'll need help in the kitchen."

"Lead on," Mike said, jumping up and following her. The rest of them went after her, but Leo held back with Raphael.

"Leo, you don't think she's nuts, do you?"

He shrugged. "Well, we've seen some weird things too, but trolls? I think we need to get a good look at the castle grounds."

Raph nodded. "But first, breakfast."

*

Morning was well underway before Raphael and Leo were able to start combing the grounds. Riana had a stable with several horses, which she given them permission to take out. Leo had barely been able to keep from smiling. None of his brothers could ride.

While the humans chatted in the castle, the five ninjas entered the stable.

"Why can't we just take a car or something?" Mike whined.

"Cars can't go everywhere a horse can," Leo answered, "and besides, did you see any cars around here? I just hope these things are well-tempered."

"Why?" Venus asked.

"So they don't run away when you guys fall off of them."

Venus was about to ask what he meant when Raph passed by them.

"Yeah, well, we'll just see what happens, huh?" he muttered, choosing a reddish mare.

"You can ride, right?" Leo asked his adopted sister.

She nodded. "Of course. My master made certain that I learned early on."

Leo didn't answer. Instead he loosed a black stallion from its tether and started to lead it out. Venus followed suit, taking a cream-colored nag who snuffed persistently at her mask. Mike chose a brown mare, while Donatello took a white gelding which wouldn't stop trying to eat his belt.

"Choose a direction and start looking over the place." Leo scanned the surrounding area. There was a thick clump of trees on either side of the castle, leading off into dense woods, and behind the castle was a vast plain of hills. Whoever took the hills was in store for a hard ride.

"What exactly are we looking for?" Mike asked, struggling onto his horse's back.

"Anything odd, I guess," Leo answered, rising onto the stallion's back and looking as if he was at home. Venus noticed that, besides herself, he was the only one at ease on a horse. The other three were fighting just to stay seated. "And don't wander off too far. Be back before sundown."

They all nodded and started off. Venus was pleased when Leo followed beside her as she rode for the rolling hills.

"Keeping me safe?" she asked.

He held silent, then pointed to a tree in the distance. "Race you there?"

She smiled. It was rare when he relaxed enough to play. "You'll never win!"

They both broke into a gallop, tearing over the hillside. The ground seemed to pass by in a blur. Venus noticed a fence that had previously been invisible because of the rolling terrain. She leaned forward in the saddle and hoped the horse would jump it without her direction.

The creamy nag leaped over the fence easily, coasting through the air. Beside her, she could see Leo's horse sailing through the air and land at a run again. Both horses seemed to be enjoying themselves. It took only a few seconds for them to reach the tree, each of them pulling up before they ran past it.

"A tie," Venus sighed.

When Leo didn't answer, she glanced over at him. He was staring at something at the base of the next hill. She followed his gaze and noticed what looked like a large rat scurrying over the grass, hopping from one stone to another. Slowly they both began to walk their horses toward it, staying out of its line of sight. Venus' horse gave a little start as they drew closer, but she managed to calm her down before the creature noticed them. Suddenly the rat turned and faced them. Venus nearly screamed when she saw it.

The first thing that she noticed were the hideously long fangs set in its mouth, easily twice as long as normal canines. Its eyes, partially sewn shut, were a dull green, and seemed to be covered by a fine layer of filth. What she had thought at first was a light gray coloring was actually a twisted rag draped over and around its mottled fur, full of snarls and burrs.

"How did it get that rag tied around it?" she whispered.

"It's not a rag," Leo realized out loud. "It's a funeral shroud."

"What!" she glanced at him, then back at the creature who was hissing at them now. "You mean somebody actually buried that thing?"

"Or at least tried to, I think," he answered. His eyes narrowed. "I got a bad feeling about this." He pulled out a dagger and held it at the ready. Venus noticed and did the same.

Without warning the rat-like creature suddenly hurled itself at them, claws stretched out and fangs bared. As it passed between them, the two ninjas slashed at it. When it landed, the shroud slipped away and it gave one final screech as it faded into a thin mist and disappeared.

"These are really good horses," Leo said, patting his stallion's neck. "They didn't even flinch."

"What the hell just happened?" she asked, cursing in English.

"It attacked and we killed it," Leo said.

"I know that!" she sighed. "But why did it miss us when it jumped? It's hard to miss one of two turtles on horseback."

"Unless you're blind," he answered.

"Blind? But it's eyes were almost open..." She looked back at the spot where the rat had died. "That was one of this land's night time spirits, wasn't it?"

He nodded slowly. "Yeah. Riana can probably tell us what kind it was."

Venus glanced back across the hills. "We're not too far from the castle now. Could that thing have gotten inside?"

Leo shrugged. "I don't know much about this country's dark legends. Maybe it could have, or maybe it would just wait until the wards she mentioned failed enough to let it in."

"Leonardo...?"

He looked at her. "Yeah?"

"Are these things like the bugs on the television?"

"What do you mean?"

"If you see one, then there are a thousand more hiding in the house?"

"A thousand of those little things," he murmured, "over-running the castle at once...and that's if those're the only ones..."

"The only ones?" Venus prompted.

"Riana mentioned trolls and kobolds and things like that at the fire, remember? It's just...I always thought trolls looked like the things in the movies."

"But that thing sure didn't," Venus agreed. "Then that was one kind of devil, and if all of the other kinds are trying to get to the castle, and they're as fast and vicious as that thing was..."

"...then a dozen of those things would be problem enough. If there're hundreds of those things..." Leo closed his eyes and sighed. "I think we have our work cut out for us this time, Mieh."

"Do we look for more?" she asked.

He considered, then nodded. "We have several hours of daylight left, and we need to know what kind of monsters we'll be dealing with. If we don't see them first, the horses will let us know we're not alone."

She agreed, and they both started searching the hillsides for any more creatures.

"Shouldn't we tell the rest of the family?" she asked.

"Do you think they'd believe us?"

She opened her mouth, then shut it again with a wry grin. "Leo," she said, mimicking Donatello's voice, "you're being paranoid. I'm sure there's a very logical and scientific explanation for what you two think you saw. This isn't the sixteenth century anymore, remember? It was probably just a rat that decided to get dressed."

Leonardo started laughing. "You've been hanging out with Mike too much. Come on, let's get going. I wanna be back before dark."

*

As he started out to the east, Donatello sighed, then grunted as his white horse shifted his weight around. "Come on, you stupid animal, can't you just walk straight?" In response, the gelding trotted to a near-by bush and started to munch, ignoring Donatello's pleas to get moving again.

Thundering hooves caught his attention for a brief moment and he turned around. He groaned as he watched Venus and his elder brother galloping across the plains. "Sometimes I hate that guy," he growled. "Why couldn't we get bikes or cars or something mechanical? Okay, horse, that's enough lunch for you."

He gave the horse a swift jolt to its flanks, and the horse reared up in irritation, depositing Donatello on the grass, which was about as soft as a slab of concrete. A string of colorful metaphors escaped before he realized that he was cursing out a horse.

"All right, Mr. Ed, you win." Don staggered up and took the reins in his hand. Side by side, they started to walk to the small stream that led to the forest.

"This isn't so bad," he said a few minutes later. The breeze was cool through the trees, and the sound of the stream coursing along the rocks was actually comforting. "It's actually pretty nice here. We don't have many places like this in New York, that's for sure, horse. I can't keep calling you horse, and Mr. Ed really doesn't fit. You know, though, I was planning on giving the computer virus I'm working on an equestrian name. It'd be like a metaphor, since it'd be 'galloping' through enemy systems. Of course that'll be if I can ever get it working. It's almost finished, but I can't get the final message to appear on screen. It's a graphic of a black horse racing across the screen as it fades into static. It'll look great once it's up and running..."

He talked to the horse for a long time, following the stream and losing all track of time. When he looked up again, it was a little after noon. He was about to mention his surprise to the horse when the gelding stopped in its tracks and refused to go any farther.

"Come on, don't get stubborn on me now," he sighed. "I swear, you're just like a donkey--"

*snap*

He fell silent immediately and looked farther into the woods. He didn't see anything and he shook his head, trying to laugh at himself. "Geez, Donnie, you're getting as bad as Big Brother. There are no such things as--"

The horse whinnied lowly and shook its head back and forth, taking a nervous step backward. Don peered into the woods again. He still couldn't make anything out of the green background, but that didn't mean nothing was there. The horse was definitely skittish about something. Now the leaves and dark shade weren't so comforting as before. In fact, he noticed that it was too quiet. The birds and bugs had stopped chirping. It was as if the forest was holding its breath in terrified anticipation.

*snap*

*snap*snap*snap*

Finally he could tell what that was. It was the sound of twigs breaking, and it was coming closer.

Throwing all pride to the wind, Donatello jumped back up onto the horse. Without any prompting from his rider, the horse turned and galloped back to the head of the stream and with it, the sunlight. Behind them, Donatello could something crashing against branches and scratching stones in its race to catch up. He risked turning in his saddle and managed to catch an image of glowing, silver eyes set in a shadowy shape. Not wanting to see anymore, he turned back around again.

It took only a few minutes to gallop back to the start of the stream. Once they were there, Donatello leaped from the horse and pulled his staff into his hands, waiting for whatever was following them. Nothing came into view. After a few seconds the birds started singing again, and dragonflies reappeared over the stream as if nothing was wrong.

He let out a deep breath. "It was a bear, or maybe a cat. Yeah, they've had sightings of wild cats here. I'm sure that's what it was."

He sat back up on the horse and together they managed to walk around the rim of the forest. He still had to search the grounds, but despite what he had told himself, he didn't venture into the dark forest again.

*

"Oh, quit whining, Raph," Mike groaned as he struggled to stay on top of his mare, who adjusted her weight to keep him steady. "Venus and Leo're watching the hills, and Donnie's on the other side of the forest."

"Then go ride with Don," Raph sighed.

"Like I wanna hear about his stupid virus," Mike said. "Besides, you're just afraid that I might see you fall off your horse."

"It'll probably happen to you first," Raph said. "Fine, you can ride with me, just don't start any trouble."

"With what?" Mike sighed. "There's nothing out here, just a bunch of trees and stuff."

"Then you don't believe there are any trolls?" Raph laughed. They entered the forest, keeping with the stream that served as their guide. It babbled softly as they rode on.

"I doubt it. Maybe there's like...I dunno...a gang of oompa-loompas out to get Riana."

Raphael looked at his brother, then quickly stared straight ahead when he nearly slid off his roan. "Mike, sometimes I'm glad we're just adopted and not really related."

Mike was about to argue when he decided it wasn't worth it. In fact, now that Raph mentioned it, he was right. None of them were really brothers. Or sister, he reminded himself. We're not even really adopted, so we're just like a bunch of guys hanging out together. No wonder V-Babe doesn't like name calling around her. She's probably nervous with it, unless of course Leo's there.

Mike suddenly sat bolt upright and almost fell off the horse again.

"You okay, bro'?" Raph asked.

"Yeah, yeah," Mike grimaced. Now that I think about it, they do hang out a lot now, he thought, keeping his track of thoughts going. And they did ride off together just now. And last night, they were talking when everyone went back to bed. And they practice together, and they always go off on their own exploring things, and--and I'm going nuts with all these "maybe's", he sighed. They're probably just talking strategy, or maybe they feel safer together because they fight so much better than we do. Or maybe Leo just likes to ride with someone else who knows how for a change.

"Hey, Mike, check it out," Raph's voice startled him out of his thoughts.

Mike followed Raph's gaze to break in the stream. It wasn't large enough to be called a pond, but the water definitely widened out for a few feet. The current swirled around near the center, but the edges were calm and steady. The surface was partially covered in algae, with stones jutting out at odd corners. Tall grass and lilies grew around the sides and out towards the rest of the forest.

"Weird," Mike said. "And it doesn't do that anywhere else...?"

Raph didn't answer. Instead he dismounted, walked toward the edge and knelt down. "That's odd," he whispered.

"What is?"

"I thought for sure I saw something inside the water..."

"Maybe it was a snake."

"There are no snakes in Ireland, Mike."

"Maybe it was an alligator."

"Ditto for 'gators."

"Crocodile?"

"No."

"Shark?"

"Mike..."

"Platypus?"

"Michaelangelo..." Raph growled

Mike held silent. He knew that tone of voice.

As they were staring down into the water, something stirred near the center, sending ripples and bubbles shooting out. Raph stood, one sai drawn. Both of them watched in wonder as a young woman rose up out of the water, standing with the stream a few inches below her throat. Her hair was red and strewn with algae, but the green streaks only made her jade eyes stand out. Mike noticed that her skin also seemed a light shade of green. Of course both of them noticed that she was completely naked.

"Raph, I got a bad feeling about this..." he whispered.

Raphael didn't answer. Instead he stood, seemingly mesmerized, and knelt back by the pool. She eased up closer to him, reaching her hand forward. Mike slid down from the horse.

Suddenly she lunged and grasped Raphael's hand in her own, hanging on tight with a ferocious grip. Once she was certain she had a good hold on him, she tried to lean back and drag him into the water with her. Raph gasped in surprise. For something so slight she was amazingly strong. It took all of his strength to keep from falling in. Mike noticed two other girls coming up to the surface, eyes intent on Raphael.

"Use your sais, moron!" he yelled at his brother, grabbing hold of his shell and pulling backward.

Raphael brought his sai close to her face, intending to slash at her, but before he could move she screamed and let go of him. The two turtles collapsed in a heap on the grass, backing away in a rush. All three girls dived back into the water and disappeared from sight.

"Raphael?"

"Yes?"

"How deep was that pond when you looked in it?"

Raph shook his head. "Not deep at all. Couldn't've been more than three feet deep."

"But they..."

"Yeah. They dived in like it was a lake, and stood up like it was shallow. I think Riana was right."

"But what were those things? I mean, they didn't look like trolls."

"And how do you know what a troll looks like?"

"Um...Ernest Scared Stupid?"

Raph rolled his eyes and stood up, helping Mike back up. Together they got back on their horses and started heading out of the forest.

"We can scout the woods outside the treeline," Raph said, and Mike nodded. Raph glanced over at his little brother. "Um...Mike? Thanks for riding with me."

Mike gave him a little smile, but continued riding in silence.

*

"Where are they?" Riana sighed, scanning the land outside the front of the castle. The sun was beginning its final descent, and none of the five had returned yet.

April stood by her friend, with Casey and Shadow standing beside her. "Leo's probably rounding them all up right now," she said. "He said they'd be back before twilight, and he wouldn't mess up something like that."

As she finished talking, they heard the sound of galloping hooves to their right. They all turned and started to laugh despite their best efforts to hold it back. Raphael and Mike had obviously lost control over how fast their mounts ran. Raph was hanging on for dear life while Mike was slumped over sideways on his mare. Finally he slipped off, landing first on his feet and then falling on his back. As Mike sat up with a groan, Raphael was carried into the barn with the two horses, who knew where they were going. A few seconds later he walked out of the barn with a sheepish look on his face.

"At least they stop when they eat," he sighed.

"We shouldn't have let you guys out on horseback," April smiled.

"Yeah, yeah, rub our faces in it," Mike grumbled, standing up.

Shadow ran out to hug Mike. "That's okay, least you can get up on one," she said, trying to comfort him. Instead, the humans just snickered.

"Thanks, kid."

As they walked toward the door, they heard Donatello's irate voice over slowly falling hooves.

"Whut on earth?" Riana wondered, staring at the third turtle.

"...stupid horse, can't we go faster? Geez, you only run when you got shadows chasing yer back? Come on, horse, Mike walks faster than you do..."

"I heard that!"

Donatello looked up and smiled. "Finally! I thought this horse would never get us here."

Instead of stopping the horse and jumping off, Donatello had to settle for sliding off as it kept heading for the barn. It didn't even acknowledge the lack of his presence.

"Hi! Hey, where's Leo and Venus?"

They shrugged. Raph opened his mouth, about to suggest going out looking for them, when they heard the horses galloping from behind the castle.

"See, I told you they'd all be back," April said.

Leonardo and Venus pulled up a few feet away, nimbly dismounted, and then sent their horses off to the barn. The other three brothers sighed in resignation.

"What took ya so long?" Raph growled. "It's almost dark."

Leo and Venus exchanged a look.

"We got into a few fights out there," Leo said. "We need to talk about these things haunting your grounds. If there are more like the ones we found, we've got a problem."

Riana nodded. "Aye. Come on in and rest yeselves by the fire. We can talk there."

As they all walked in, Donatello noticed that Leo was favoring his left arm, and Venus held her right hand in a tight ball against her side. The familiar warning bells went off in his head and he grabbed each of them by their shoulder.

"Okay, what got hurt and how?"

They both groaned as the rest of the group finally noticed their injuries. If there was one thing they both hated, it was being fussed over.

"It's nothing," they both chorused.

"Which means it's definitely something." Don forcefully took Leo's arm and turned it over, revealing three long scratches in the skin. When he looked at Venus, he found two red cuts across the back of her hand.

"Well, they're not that bad," he admitted. "We can take care of these while we talk."

As Riana locked the giant doors, they all gathered around the fire place. Don sat by Venus and Leo, bandaging their cuts against their will and only after he had promised not to use iodine. Raph and Mike had taken up their positions by either side of the fire, and Riana quickly joined them in the large sofa at the middle.

"So, whut did ye see?" she asked, fearful of what the answer might be.

Leo glanced at Don. "You first."

"I didn't really see anything," Don said as he wrapped a strip of gauze around his sister's hand. "I was walking the horse--"

"'Walking the horse'?" Raph asked with a smirk.

"It was a mutually satisfactory arrangement," Don growled. "Anyways, I was walking the horse through the woods when it stopped and wouldn't go any farther. I heard something up ahead, and it sounded big and it was coming right at me, so I got on the horse and we ran off. It didn't catch up to us."

"You ran off?" Leo asked.

Don rolled his eyes. His big brother always had a hard time understanding why anyone would willingly leave a fight. "It's hard to use a staff in a forest," he said. "I was gonna fight it when it came out into the light, but it never did."

"That's all you saw?" Mike asked. "We saw three of them!"

"Three of what?" Leo asked.

"Dunno," Raph said. "They were in a pool, three green girls all standing as if the water was five feet deep, but I know it was only three, if that."

Riana gasped in awe. "They didn't touch ye, did they?"

"Yeah, one of them grabbed my hand and tried to pull me under," Raph admitted. "But Mike helped hold me back and when I just showed my sai to them, they screamed and dived down." He shook his head. "Dived and disappeared in three feet of water. Weird."

"Those were sylphs, probably undines," she told them. "They're water spirits. Ah dinnae think we'll have to fear them. They prefer to stay in their pools or trees. Ah'm just glad ye had iron wit' ye."

"Iron?"

"Ye're weapons. The supernatural hate iron. It burns them. That's whut frightened them off."

Raph nodded. "Man, you should have heard them scream. It was like hearing rabbits scream."

"So, what did you two see?" Don asked, starting on Leo's arm. "Or rather, what did you tangle with?"

"Four rat things," Venus said, "one spirit that looked like a child..."

"...two gargoyles and what looked like four goblins," Leo finished for her.

"Did ye kill them?" Riana asked.

"Except for the child," Venus nodded. "That one just cried and disappeared."

"That's so sad," April murmured.

"Where were ye riding?" she asked. "They couldnae 'ave been oot in the sunlight."

They shook their heads. "No, they were in the thicket we found back a mile or so. Why couldn't they have been in the light?"

"They'd turn to stone, o' course," Riana said matter-of-factly.

Don looked at her. "No way. Nothing turns to stone in daylight. It's--"

"It's not logical," the four other turtles finished for him.

"Well, it isn't," he said.

Riana smiled. "Donatello, things 'ere work differently than in yuir part of the world."

"Hold on," Venus said, beating Leo to the punch, "if they turn to stone in the light, how was that rat moving around in the daylight?"

"Whut?" Riana asked.

"There was one creature that looked like a rat," Leo explained, "with a funeral shroud over it. It was blind, but it wasn't stone."

"Or stoned?" Raph snickered to himself, and was surprised when Leo gave him a stern glare. Leo's acute hearing always caught them off guard.

"Magic..." Riana growled. "Something was keeping it alive by magic."

"An evil sorcerer?" Don asked, holding himself back from rolling his eyes.

"Nay, Ah doot it. Evil creatures build their own magic, and if they get enough stored, they can use it to block the sun's rays for awhile. When that rat died, had you just taken that shroud off of it?"

Venus and Leo both nodded.

"Aye, that makes sense. That shroud was a ward that kept the sun off of it."

"But someone had to tie it around that thing," Venus said. "That implies intelligence, planning, and most of all, hands, none of which we saw on the things we fought."

"And the goblins?" Don smirked.

"No, those had stumps instead."

"Stumps?" Riana asked.

"Yeah," Leo nodded, "like their hands had been cut off."

"More like ripped off," Venus said. "Their arms ended in sick twists."

"Ah've never heard of anything like that," Riana shook her head. "Ah suppose we should head ta muh library and see if we find something."

"Library?" Donatello perked up.

"Aye, a library," Riana smiled, "on the first floor in the east wing. Ye can go explore it if ye want. Just dinnae go down inta the basement."

"What's in the basement?" Raph asked.

Riana sighed. "The one creature muh father couldna get rid of. It's a bloody bones, a real nasty one."

"Bloody bones?" Raph repeated. "Sounds like a nice name."

"It's a sick, malicious thing that usually dwells under the basement stairs," Riana said. "But Ah always keep the door shut, just in case."

"It can't come out?" Mike asked.

"Not if the door's closed," Riana assured him. "Well, Ah guess we can head off to the library now. Ah want to know exactly what you saw. Muh books might help in getting rid of them."

They all stood up and started down the hall, but Casey stopped suddenly. "Where's Shadow?" The group glanced around themselves and then the room.

"Oh, crap," Mike moaned. "She's not here."

"Split up in pairs," Leo said immediately, "search the entire castle. Call out if you see anything weird."

They nodded. Raph and Casey took off down the first floor of the west wing, while Mike went with April on the second, smaller floor. Donatello left with Riana into the east wing.

Venus glanced at Leo. "Downstairs?" she asked, knowing what the answer would be.

He nodded. "Keep your knives out. This could be a rough fight." Both of them wanted to clear that basement out now that they knew about the monster, even if Shadow wasn't there. They headed down the hall until they found one door that was covered in a layer of thick dust. It was slightly ajar.

"Damn," he whispered. Venus backed against the wall by the door, watching as Leo opened the door and stepped in. She followed after, shutting the door just as softly.

Before she could ask him anything, they both heard something that chilled their spines. A child's whimpering farther downstairs in the darkness.

Without any need to speak, they raced into the unknown, not willing to waste any time with caution. Neither of them needed any light since they were practiced at moving without their eyes. As they circled down the spiral steps, though, they found a dim glow emanating from the bottom. It seemed to be the light of a candle. They halted just outside of its light and looked around the corner.

Shadow was there, held in the arms of a gray and black monster. It looked somewhat like a human, except its body looked outrageously strong and its skin was covered in what seemed to be its own blood. Its eyes were perfectly black, and its fingers ended in filthy claws.

Venus readjusted her grip on her dagger, and then flung it out. The blade sparkled, blinding the creature before sinking into its arm. The 'bloody-bones' dropped Shadow, who backed away as fast as she could into a corner. Leonardo positioned himself between the monster and the girls.

"Get her out of here and lock the door," he said, readying himself.

Venus whisked Shadow into her arms and ran upstairs, calling the rest of the family. Not even waiting for them to arrive, she bent next to the child.

"Shadow, tell your father to lock the door and not let anything out except us, okay? Tell them we said not to come in. We'll handle this." Venus looked up and saw Casey and Raph racing down the hall. "Okay?"

Shadow nodded shakily. "I promise."

Venus disappeared back into the darkness, closing the door. As she ran down the steps again, she could hear angry voices above her, but she had no time to think about that. Leonardo would need her.

She came back into the candlelight and drew her dagger, waiting for an opening. The monster bore several slashes now, as did Leo. Both of them were standing apart, ready to strike. Apparently they had both earned a kind of respect in the other's eyes.

"I thought I told you to get out of here," Leo growled.

Venus crouched lower as the monster hissed. "You need my help and you know it."

Leo smiled grimly. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

The monster rushed at him, taking advantage of its speed in such a small space. While Leo stepped back, Venus reached forward and managed to retrieve her dagger from its arm. It howled in renewed pain and flung its arm out, smacking her down. Using the distraction, Leo struck, ramming his sword into its chest.

From the way the thing moved, the blade didn't have much effect.

It drove its other arm forward, pounding Leonardo into the stone wall. He sank down with a groan, his eyes scanning for another weapon and finding it in a small rack of wine bottles. As Venus jumped behind the creature and sliced at its spine, he took the nearest bottle and crashed it over the monster's head. Purple liquid ran over its body. The monster didn't even pay attention to him, instead choosing to slap her hand away. Bone cracked as Venus winced and drew back. The bloody bones went after her, showing her its long fangs in a fierce snarl.

"Venus, duck!" Leo yelled, picking up a small table beside himself and hurling it at the monster looming over her.

When the heavy wood hit its back, it stumbled forward, tripping over Venus, who backed up the stairs. It whirled to face Leonardo, its hand brushing over the candle, and the alcohol on its body suddenly combusted in the heat. Flames ran over its body and it screamed in pain, thrashing about wildly.

Leonardo tore his sword out of its midsection and sliced again at its burning body, this time taking an arm off. Venus plunged her daggers into its eyes, then pulled back before the flames could touch her. The monster dropped to its knees, trying to regain its senses, and Leo smiled.

"Perfect," he whispered, raising his katana. In another moment, its head was rolling away into the shadows. The body fell to the floor and the flames died out as its fuel ran out.

The two ninjas sighed and slumped to the ground, ignoring the blood and smell.

"You hurt?" Leo asked.

Venus just looked at him.

"Don't worry, I swear I won't tell Don," Leo laughed.

She smiled back. "Yes, I think my hand was cracked. And my head doesn't feel too good. You?"

"My whole right arm feels like a mess."

Venus nodded. "Well, I can hide my hand injury, but your cuts will get his attention."

"Unless I'm listening to your after-the-fight-victory-conversation," Don said, walking down the stairs.

His only reply were two muttered curses.

"Is it dead?" Mike asked, staring at the body.

Before they could answer, a shrill shriek blared out of the farthest corner. They all turned to see a large, scraggly rat with a cloth over it leaping out at them and giving them no time to react. Leo and Venus couldn't retrieve their weapons from the body in time, and Donatello couldn't use his staff in the cramped space.

Just before the rat fell on Venus, a sai impaled it and stapled it to the wall with the force of the throw. Raph came down the steps and pulled his sai back out as soon as he was sure it was dead.

"Sheesh, Leo, I thought nothing could take you by surprise," he smiled wryly, looking the area over. "Looks like you two had a fun time down here."

Leo rolled his eyes. "Fun?"

"Knowing you two," Casey laughed, "you probably enjoyed the challenge."

Leo opened his mouth to reply, then decided to let it go. That only made his siblings laugh harder.

"Can we just forget it?" Venus asked. "I'm tired."

"You can sleep after these wounds are treated," Don said.

"Then we can at least do this upstairs?" Leo asked, in a voice that told his brother they were going up whether he liked it or not.

"Yeah, come on. I need to see these in a better light anyway."

Most of the headed back to the main room, but Mike excused himself to go make everyone a cup of tea. Leonardo had noticed his youngest sibling exchange looks with his brothers, but at that moment he didn't care. He was only focused on the fact that Donatello was about to treat him with iodine no matter how much he protested. Once they were all seated, Venus gave Riana the grim news.

"Your wards aren't just about to fall," she said, "they're falling as we speak. I would say you have only a few days before they are entirely lost."

"But how do ye know that? The books hardly say anything specific aboot time."

Raph looked up from his post at the fireplace. "It has to do with that rat thing I killed, doesn't it?"

Leo nodded, trying to ignore Donatello, who had finished examining Venus. "That's exactly what we encountered outside earlier today. Except this one didn't seem blind."

"It wasn't in the sun," Venus nodded. "But it still had that shroud around it."

"Then maybe that shroud serves a dual purpose," Don said, dabbing at Leonardo's cuts with iodine. "Maybe it keeps them out of the sun, but also keeps...I dunno, tabs on it or something."

Casey closed his eyes in thought with Shadow fast asleep in his arms. "Then maybe it's not just a huge army of these monsters we're facing. Maybe there's also a big boss out there, commanding his troops."

"But you can't control an army without a headquarters," Mike argued. "There's no enemy base around here."

"Maybe, maybe not," Leo said through gritted teeth. "Donatello, are you almost done yet?"

"It's just iodine," Don said firmly. "It doesn't sting that bad, at least not as bad as those cuts would."

Leo leaned back as his brother finally finished. "Riana, is there anything nearby that would serve as a base of operations?"

Riana looked around at her friends in confusion. "Ah'm sorry, Ah dinnae quite know whut ye mean. Ah dinnae know whut ye're looking for."

"Like, a secluded castle," Raph suggested.

"Or an abandoned building," Mike said, finally coming in and handing hot cups of tea to everyone.

Venus leaned forward, absent-mindedly drinking what her youngest brother had given her. "Is there any kind of building or structure nearby? Like, around ten miles away?"

Riana shook her head. "Nay, there's only Connel's keep, but that's over twenty miles away. Ah dinnae know of anything closer than that. O'course, there may be older structures Ah dinnae know aboot."

"I guess we'd better check the library," Don said almost gleefully.

"And we'd better take watches during the night," Leo sighed. "I don't want to be surprised by anything."

"Your castle spirits won't hurt us, will they?" Venus asked, finishing the tea off at the same time that Leo did.

Riana smiled. "Muh spirits aren't dangerous. They're playful, but they won't hurt anyone. Of course, they're rather weak. They can't help us, either."

"Well, I'll take first watch, then," Raph said.

Casey yawned. "I'll take second."

"Then I'm third," Don answered.

"I guess that means I'm fourth," Mike grinned. "I get to sleep!"

"No, that means you wake up earlier," Raphael laughed.

"Aw, man!" Mike groaned. "Not fair!"

"Now, wait a minute!" Venus started before Leo could voice his protests. "Who said you're taking watches?"

Don smiled at her. "Because you and Leo are too busy sleeping."

Leo looked at him with poison in his eyes. "You drugged the tea," he suddenly realized. "Michaelangelo!"

Mike took a fearful step behind Raph. "Dude, he used my whole name! You know he's ticked when he uses my whole name!"

"He's not the only one," Venus stood up, about to walk over and smack him, when her vision dimmed and she started to topple forward.

Raphael caught her and cradled her in his arms. He looked up to see why Leo hadn't reached her first, then snickered when he saw his elder brother passed out on the couch.

"Will they be all right?" Riana asked.

"Yeah," Raph sighed. "No harm done. They're just gonna sleep real well tonight. I guess we'd better take them upstairs," he sighed, "so we can keep everyone together. Riana, can you sleep upstairs with us tonight?"

"Ah suppose," she nodded, "but where?"

"We'll just put these two in one bed," Raph said, "you can take the other one."

Don eased Leo into his grip. "Geez, Mike, why didn't you give them a slower drug so we wouldn't have to carry them up?"

"I wasn't sure how much it would take to knock them out," Mike admitted. "I didn't think I'd put in enough, to be honest."

"Well, you did," Don groaned. "Man, he's heavy!"

"And he always says I'm out of shape," Mike laughed. "At least I don't weigh as much as he does."

"That's cause fat weighs less than muscle," Casey joked, carrying Shadow up with them.

"HEY!"

"So, we put them in the same bed?" Donatello asked. "They might not like that when they wake up."

"Yeah, but it'll be easier," Raph nodded, "we might as well keep them together. And can Shadow sleep with you, April?"

April nodded. "Sure, no problem. At least she doesn't snore half as bad as someone I know."

"Hey," Casey snapped, "you implying something?"

"No, I think she came out and said it," Don laughed.

They managed to get their sleeping siblings settled and then split up into their own rooms, each of them leaving their communicators on the loudest setting. They listened for a few minutes in bed as Raph, sitting up in a chair positioned in the center of the hall, talked to them via their 'shell-phones', as Mike liked to call them.

"Now, remember," Raph said, "if you hear this thing go off, get yer butts out here, got it? I don't wanna be stuck fighting a small army while everyone else takes a nap."

He heard Mike snickering and asked what was so damn funny.

"It's just that whenever you're leader for a day," Mike laughed, "you get just as bossy as Leo!"

The line was quiet for a moment.

"Donatello?" Raph called.

"Yeah?"

"When you wake Mike up, you don't have to be that nice, okay?"

"Roger, over and out."

*

Casey paced back and forth, his mask laying on the chair in the dark hallway, along with his hockey stick. Staying still was too boring. In fact, this whole watch was boring. Nothing interesting was happening, not even a stray creak from the stairs or the sounds of the castle boards settling. They'd been so sure something would happen tonight, and now he felt a little disappointed.

I went to Ireland and all I got was this lousy insomnia, he thought. He glanced down the hallway at the round window on the end. The stars were perfectly framed.

A door to his right opened and his whirled, hoping something was going to attack. Instead, Donatello jumped back a bit to avoid Casey's lunge.

"Hey, relax, it's just me," he grinned. "Anything up?"

"Not a damn thing," Casey glanced down at his watch, struggling to make out the numerals in the dark. "Wait a sec, it's not time to switch yet. What're you doing up?"

"Bad dreams. I woke up early and I can't get back to sleep. Thought I might as well join you out here. We might need a real guard tonight."

Casey smirked. "Then go back to sleep. Yer distracting him."

Donatello tossed the hockey mask on the floor as he sat down and opened his laptop. Casey stepped behind him and glanced over his shoulder. Several minutes passed by.

"Whacha typing?" he asked, confused by the things on the screen.

"It's the finishing touches on my virus," Don answered, fingers flying. "It's been giving me trouble for awhile now."

"Y'know, they got medicines for that," Casey said in as flat a voice as he could manage.

Don groaned and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I guess you'd know all about that."

He hit the last key and then pressed enter. First there was an image of a dark horse galloping in the center of the screen, and then binary numbers flashing down behind the animal.

"Yes!" Don laughed. He started typing more keys.

"Now what're you doing?"

"Copying it." He pulled out a CD, then shut off the laptop. "All I have to do is run this in any computer, and down it'll go."

"Instant crash?"

Don started to reply when a soft thump on the ceiling caught their attention. He slid the CD into the small, leather bag at his side that he kept his tools in, and retrieved his staff from the open doorway. Casey slipped the mask on and flipped the hockey stick into his palm. The noise was followed by several others, then by an unnatural scuttling across the roof and wall. Donatello flipped on the communicator and woke up Raph and Mike. In a few seconds they were all in the hallway.

"What the hell is that?" Raph asked.

"Tell you what," Mike said, "why don't you go look, and when you find out, come tell us."

Raph gave Mike his drop-dead stare.

"Well, we're gonna have to go check," Casey groaned. "I say, two go out and two stay in, just in case."

No one asked what 'just in case' was for. Something skittered just above them, making them all jump.

"We'd better do something," Don said. "It's coming closer."

"We can paper, rocks, scissors for it," Mike said. "Winners stay in, losers go out."

They all nodded.

"One, two, three," Raph called.

Raph: Paper, Don: Scissors

Casey: Stone, Mike: Scissors

"Okay," Raph said, "Mike, c'mon."

"Un, did I say losers go out? I meant winners."

"Get yer tail up here," Raph growled, climbing out the hallway window. The round edges made the climbing easier.

In a moment, both of them were standing on the roof, glancing around themselves. All they could see were thousands of stars in the black sky.

"I never knew there were so many stars out there," Mike gasped. "It's impossible to see them in New York."

"Or the sewers," Raph growled. He flipped on the communicator. "I can't see anything out here. Can you still hear anything?"

"Yes!" Casey's voice came back. "From the other end of the hallway. It sounds like it's headed straight for you!"

Both of them whirled to face the other side of the roof. There was a flash of red and green disappearing over the sides, and then the night was dark again.

"The sounds just stopped," Don said.

"They're trying to get behind us," Mike said, turning and putting his shell up against his brother's. "Stay at that window."

"How many do you think there are?" Raph asked.

"How should I know?" Mike asked. "I can't even see them."

"Watch out!" Casey yelled, "They're everywhere now!"

"I see them!" Raph said, watching in awe as the entire roof seemed to fill with glowing eyes. "We're completely surrounded!"

"I guess they gave up trying to surprise us," Mike whispered. "Now I wish we hadn't drugged Leo or Venus."

"Too late for that," Raph sighed. "Casey, can you get up here?"

"I'm on my way," came the reply.

"What about me?" Don asked.

"You stay there," Raph ordered. "We need someone down there just in case some of them slip through."

Suddenly a white mask popped up beside his, and he cried out in surprise.

"You scaredy-cat," Casey laughed, twirling a hockey stick. "You get surrounded by demons and you go to pieces."

Raph grinned. "Get ready. I don't think they're gonna hold back much longer."

On cue, there was a shrill scream from the darkness, and then the horde rushed at them. Shadowy shapes hurled themselves through the air like little missiles, pointed fangs and needle-sharp claws aimed at the trio.

"Incoming!" Raph yelled, straining to hear anything over the sudden clamor. He slashed at the closest one and impaled it on his sai. With a disgusted grimace he flung it back at the mob, which parted to let it fly through.

"It's like batting practice!" Casey said swatting the goblins as if they were baseballs. The sick sound of bones crunching filled the night.

"Hey, watch where yer swinging," Raph complained, ducking under what would have been a home run hit. "Mike, you okay?"

"I'm fine," his youngest brother grunted, sweeping a large monster off of its feet. "I think I found our first troll!"

Raph allowed himself a brief glance at it. "Geez, it's ugly," he said, revolted by its overly muscular body and short limbs. "Looks like a small boulder."

Casey spotted it just before Mike kicked it off of the edge. "Looked kinda like you, Raph."

"Ha ha."

"Hey, Leo 'n Venus were right!" Casey said.

"'Bout what?" both turtles asked.

"Those little things, their arms don't have hands," and now that it was pointed out to them, both of them noticed the twisted ends on the monsters.

"You think someone did that to them?" Mike asked.

"Well, they sure as hell didn't do that to themselves," Raph replied.

"Hi guys!"

They all turned to see Donatello climb up beside them, knocking a goblin back down the walls.

"I thought I said to stay below!" Raph snarled.

"Nothing can get through," Don argued. "A few tried, but they exploded when they hit the open window."

"Exploded?" Casey asked.

"Yeah. It's like there's a blue force field that they can't get through. The air itself sparks and then they pop. The wall's a real mess right now."

"And I bet you can't wait to dissect the bodies," Raph said.

Don rolled his eyes, then laughed when all the creatures backed away from him. "That's right, you little critters, I cut things open 'cause I like seeing the insides!"

"I think you scared them, Donnie," Casey said.

"Hey, listen to that," Mike said.

"I don't hear anything," Raph said.

"Yeah, exactly. The noise is gone."

They all looked at the monsters, who were backing away with wide eyes.

"I don't think they've ever seen a scientist before," Donatello said.

Slowly the mob disappeared back into the night, vanishing without a sound. Soon the four were left alone, all of them staring at Donatello.

"Man, Donnie," Casey whispered, "those little monsters actually found you terrifying."

Donatello shrugged, but he still smiled. "Good. I can't wait to examine the dead ones."

They all dropped back down through the window, where they were surprised to see that no one was awake. Casey checked on April and Shadow, nodding when he saw that they were all right. Raph checked on his sleeping siblings and Riana while Don and Mike examined the rest of the hallway, just to make sure that nothing had slipped through.

"I don't get it," Raph whispered. "Why didn't they wake up?"

"Well, Leo and V-babe were drugged," Mike said, "but the others should have gotten up."

"We can ask Riana later," Don said. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm tired."

"That's too bad," Casey smirked. "You've got watch duty next."

Donatello groaned as the others laughed, making their way back to bed.

"Remember, Don," Raph said, "wake us up if you hear anything else tonight."

Don just rolled his eyes and sat down in the chair. "I hope you guys have nightmares," he mumbled.

*

Part 3