Avidan signalled to the other three men on his team. Dressed in black, they moved with the shadows, stopping at open windows and doors to give those still awake instructions and waiting until the opening was shut and secured. They were determined to have everyone in this village safe at the end of this terrible ordeal.

Ben froze in place, his head snapping toward the beach. Suddenly, he called a silent halt, looking at Avidan intently. Silent signals flew between the two men. Ben took one of the other men toward the road area, and Avidan took the other of their team, moving quickly toward the incoming vessels on the beach.

The small army dressed in black slowly disembarked and gathered near the stairs in the shadow. One man rose from the cluster as the two men approached.

"Bidh sinn a 'gluasad mar sgàile ach tha sinn aon," he whispered into the night, stopping the men in their tracks.

Avidan looked at his teammate, raising his eyebrows questioningly to be answered with a nod, and the man stepped forward.

"Thig còmhla ri bràithreachas agus faigh dìoghaltas do theaghlaichean," his teammate said, stepping forward and offering his hand and arm exposed to the elbow. The new arrival stepped forward, grasping him at the elbow and allowing his own to be grasped in an age-old greeting of warriors.

"Tha sinn mar theaghlach tha sinn aon," they said simultaneously.

A tall shadow rose from the cluster, nodding, "This is all fantastic, but what in heaven's name did you two just say?" he hissed.

Avidan's low chuckle reverberated over the thick sea air, "Yes, please, can we have a translation?"

"The opening greeting was - We move as shadows, but we are one – then it was followed by ..." the first man whispered before silently requesting Avidan's teammate to continue.

"Join the brotherhood and seek your family's revenge," he said, "then we both ended with ..."

"We are family; we are one," they said in unison.

"Great, now that we're all on the same page," said the man in the cluster, "who is Avidan?"

"I am," Avidan whispered, raising his hand, "you are?

"I'm told to tell you that …" he paused, raising a finger thoughtfully, "… Charlotte's great-great descendent sent us … and they are not of the male line."

Avidan relaxed, sighing, "Your numbers and assistance will be greatly appreciated."

The man stiffened, "Your enemy is already here."

"They are, and we are only four," Avidan said as they moved toward the slumbering village, "what do you know of the Channings Secret Society?"

"Oh, they were part of a Nazi-based society in the War, evil to the core, selfish, entitled and have no regard for human life … or any kind of life in any form," he quickly supplied, "why do you ask?"

"That is who our enemy is," Avidan said, "we have two teammates securing the village at the moment, but the ones we're concerned about have come in by road and will be wanting to get their hands on the Magi's Coronet before the night is over."

"That cannot happen," the man said, "where do you want us?"

"We need to contain them from the road to just before the ocean," Avidan said, "they cannot go anywhere near the house or the cliff path. We have a group of local protectors who are our last line of defence, but I would rather they get the straddlers if we're all dead than have heavy casualties."

Nodding, the man glanced at Avidan, "What are they protecting?"

"The Islands," Avidan whispered, stopping and waiting for everyone to move past them before meeting the man's startled gaze.

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"That was ...is a legend... a myth …" the man shook his head.

"They are not," Avidan whispered, "and neither are the people who have been living on them safely and leading a full yet protected life."

"How many souls?" he hissed, his body becoming alert and focused.

"On the last count …" Avidan sighed, glancing around, "… over five hundred."

"That many," he shook his head, "then we have to stop these monsters here and now."

"Yes, but we also have other ways of totally destroying them," Avidan smiled, "and it's currently underway. We hope their communications and other technological assistance will be cut off soon."

"You do live up to the name," the man shook his head, "I am Alistair."

"Good to meet you," Avidan said, his head snapping toward the sound of running feet, "Ben .. what is it?"

"They are trying to get to the cliff path," Ben said, "we have activated the initial traps, so if any do get through, they will not get far before diving off one of those fatal cliffs."

"Okay, we need to move," Avidan said as he strode up the beach toward the now silent, dark village, "Alistair, this is Ben, the only other one in our group who can use his name," Avidan looked at Ben, "Ben this is Alistair the leader of our back up."

"Alistair …" Ben murmured, "… surely not the Alistair of the … guard."

"That's me," Alistair whispered, "but we can do all that later. Right now, we have lives to save and protect."

Avidan strode ahead of the pair he needed to put in play that which he was authorised to do, "Alistair …" he called while taking a tablet from one of his teammates, "... meet everyone," looking at his teammate and then the tablet he continued talking, "is this everyone who has arrived to take what is not theirs?"

"Yes," he whispered, "we activated the road defences … the ones with the spikes. If anyone else arrives, they will not get through."

"The fact that we have activated that means things are about to go loud and ugly," Avidan said, looking at the faces on the screen, "every single one of these people is wanted for war crimes."

"Are you sure?" Alistair asked.

"Avidan's mission is to find them and eliminate them," Ben said, "their faces are etched in his memory."

"Wow," Alistair murmured, "so what is the command? I'm guessing we're not on orange as an idea of engagement?"

Avidan shook his head, "We have authorisation from all in command to proceed with lethal action and extreme prejudice. These men and women have no morals nor are inclined to preserve any form of life. If they get to the Islands, everything will be destroyed."

"What of the Magi's Coronet?" Alistair whispered.

"If the Channings get that in their grasp," Avidan shuddered, "the world as we know it will be …" he inhaled, "… non-existent."

"Oh, that is bad," Alastair said, "we do it your way."

Striding toward his team, Alistair updated them as Avidan flipped to another screen, watching the heat signatures in the darkness.

"Okay, we need to station people along that ridge," he pointed to the screen, "in the foliage of the path toward the cliff," he indicated the area before moving the screen in another direction, "and then … some in the village itself and others along the beach blocking off any entrance to the house."

"Do we have that manpower?" Ben asked.

Avidan looked over his shoulder, seeing the clump of darkness spread, "I believe we do."

"Then let's end this," their linguist hissed.

Avidan moved toward Alistair, telling him what the plan was, and quickly, teams were dispatched and moved into position.

"Do they know that no one is to stay alive?" Avidan asked as they watched the points of protection appear on the tablet screen.

"They are aware they have the authorisation to use lethal action," Alistair said.

"Do they know what that means?" Avidan asked, glancing at the man.

"Ask Ben if we know what that means," Alistair said as he moved into position in the darkened village, pointing ahead at approaching hostiles, "it's time to play."

Avidan knelt beside Ben, frowning, "It's time to play?"

Ben silently chuckled, "I had to work with them on a protection detail," he whispered next to Avidan's ear, "they don't know anything else but lethal action … plus Alistair is part of another … guard."

Avidan frowned, not understanding anything his friend had said, but shaking his head to clear it, he focused on what was happening now. Looking down at the screen, he motioned where the enemy was coming through. It was time to take action and save these people, if not the world. It was time to make right what had been wrong for too long. It was time that Good stepped up to the plate and swung instead of ducked.

Tonight …. now …. this minute … it was time.

Raising his hand in silent signal, he glanced up as the corresponding shadows filed through the only open alleyway. Quickly, he pushed the tablet into a secret pocket inside his bulletproof jacket and waited. The many shadows stopped coming, and he let his hand fall.

Now was the time.