Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction which will include t/t and m/m relationships, and probably some sex too. If it is illegal in your area to read this, or if you are not old enough to read this (you know who you are), stop here. Otherwise, please enjoy.
Chapter 17
I am now posting my stories to my new website, jaygordonstories.com. I'm putting them up there a little in advance so I can make final edits before submitting to Nifty, so if you are interested, you can check it out. Currently, A Light in the Darkness II Chapters 18-27 are available there, (The latest chapters are for registered users only, so if you don't register you won't find them!), as well as new stories not available on Nifty, so check it out if you like the story!
Information began to trickle in. But a lot of it was bad. The Order was proving as committed, well-trained, and willing to die for their cause as everyone feared. And the news was bad on the home front. Dave and Charlotte had been taken on their way home from a store, before their security even arrived. Various kids from school, Susan, Maria and Charles among others, were abducted -- people Chase would know.
By the end of the day, things were bleak in the house, which was filling with wounded and those in hiding. Sebastian and Avery emerged from the basement talking quietly. "Did she tell you anything?" William asked.
"Nothing useful," Sebastian said heavily.
"Can I talk to her?" Daniel asked, surprising them.
"I, well, I don't know if that's a good idea," Sebastian said softly.
"Please, tell me what you want to know and let me talk to her?" Daniel asked, almost begging.
"We need to know where this Abraxos's headquarters is and, if at all possible, what he plans to do," Sebastian replied. Then he nodded to Avery to take the boy to his mother. The woman was handcuffed to a chair in the basement. The light was dim but sufficient.
All the woman said when Daniel emerged from the shadows was, "YOU!"
"Yes, mother. ME!" They sat there staring at each other for a long time in uneasy silence.
"You're dead! I saw you get shot!"
"They saved me," he smiled.
"Get me out of here, now, young man. These, these monsters are..."
"Mother, there's only one monster in this house, and that's you," Daniel said softly.
"They've brainwashed you," she said, trying to sound soothing. "They killed your father!"
"You and father tried to kill me! He shot me! I'm only alive because Matt risked his life to help bring me back!"
"We didn't realize Matt was one of the abominations," she said, almost to herself.
"He's human," the boy said.
"But then, why didn't the bullets hit you?" she asked.
"That was me. No one has asked me about it yet, but I suppose they will. I don't know how, but I stopped the bullets. I could feel it coming from deep inside." The look of disgust on his mother's face told him everything he needed to know. He was now unclean in her eyes. There was no coming back from that. "When I thought I was dying, I told him I am in love with him, mother," he said with a breezy smile. "I'm a double abomination."
"I should have killed you the day you were born," she snarled.
"Mother, we are going to find Abraxos, and we are going to go after Chase," Daniel said, his mind spinning. "If you tell us where his headquarters are, I won't tell him that you raised a queer `abomination.'"
"He'll kill you all," she hissed.
"Then that'll solve your problems, won't it. Is your faith in him stronger than your fear of us?" he asked, taunting.
"You'll find us in strength in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem," she said.
"I already told them that, mother," he said with a smile at her surprise. "I've been watching you people for a long time."
"Near the corner of St. Francis and ha-Notsrim," she hissed. "I hope he makes it painful."
Daniel sat there and considered her for a long time, and she just glowered at him. "What is so important that you could hate your son? What are you people all about?"
"You aren't my son anymore," she said. "But you know why we do all that we do. We live in the last days, and we exist to usher in the age of the king, the Messiah, son of David!"
"I know all that, but now that he's here, now what?"
"Once he accepts his destiny, Abraxos will teach him what to do. Then our Order will march on the Temple Mount and he will raise it up and we will all enter into it and praise God as in the days of old!"
"But that will cause a war!"
"What do you think we want, you simpleton?" she asked with disdain. "The war will be necessary to eliminate the bulk of those who oppose the rule of the king. Soon he will dominate the whole world, with the High Priest Abraxos at his side!"
"Shit!" Daniel exclaimed, and ran for the steps.
He burst through the door at the top and said, "I know where they're keeping him! They have a compound near the Greek Patriarchate -- off of Saint Francis..."
"Great work," Sebastian said as he got on the phone to have their intelligence network begin to focus the search on that neighborhood's communications networks. "But did she say why?"
"Why else?" he asked. "They want power, and they're gonna use Chase to get it. Or so they think." After a pause, "Is he really as powerful as all that?"
"I don't think they could conceive of the power at his disposal," Avery said. "But he isn't what they think he is."
"It won't matter," Daniel said. "Abraxos wants to rule at the right hand of the Messiah. He's tired of waiting, and if Chase has the power, he'll make the people believe it. He wants an Armageddon that will lay the world at their -- his -- feet."
"God I hate these religious fanatics," Avery muttered. "Sorry!"
"I'm with you," Daniel said. "Getting shot by your father has a way of giving you a healthy perspective," he added.
Avery laughed and put an arm across his shoulder. "I like this one!"
"Well, find your own," Matt joked, winking.
"Oh, ho?" Avery laughed, raising his eyebrows questioningly at all of them. He had not been at the hospital after all.
Daniel leaned in to Avery, who put an arm around him, before announcing, "I'm tired, guys. It's been a long day."
William said, "Take our room. Matt, why don't you show him the way and catch a few hours of sleep too?"
"What about you?" Daniel asked.
"I'll find a spot. You guys need to talk. I'll move Alex down to Aiden and Xavier's room, so you'll have privacy," William said, before he realized it. Before the first tear fell, it was Daniel who grabbed him in a big hug, and Matt embraced them both from the side, as others broke into tears. "We'll get them back," Matt promised.
Xavier grabbed his nephew and led him off to his and Aiden's room. "You're staying with us tonight!"
After a few awkward moments, Matt grabbed Daniel's hand, making him blush brightly, and led him upstairs. "I don't have anything to sleep in," Daniel said when they were alone.
"I'd suggest you strip down to your boxers, but I'm guessing you're not ready for that! Even though we've been swimming together and I've seen it all," he said it all with a wearied smile.
"And you are okay with that?" Daniel asked, amazed.
"Sharing my bed with a guy in boxers is nothing new, you know!" Matt shrugged. "That's the way I always sleep, guests or no!"
"It isn't uncomfortable?" Daniel asked, as Matt went through Chase's dresser and found a pair of pajama bottoms and a t-shirt, which he tossed to the boy.
"Why?"
"Well, with so many of your friends being, you know?" Daniel asked.
Matt laughed, "So? Chase and I were like brothers before either of us knew what kissing meant! And I like feeling close to my friends..."
"But," Daniel said, turning his face away, "I know what kissing means."
Matt smiled gently and said, "I'll give you a minute to change."
"Thanks," Daniel said, still blushing bright. Matt closed the door and leaned back against it, letting his head rest on the wood.
"A little shy, is he?" Carl asked as he exited the bathroom.
"Not like us," Matt said with a smile. "Poor guy..." Carl smiled at him weakly and Matt threw his arms around the big boy tightly and whispered, "I'm so, so sorry!"
Carl began to cry again, and buried his face in Matt's shoulder. "What are we going to do?"
"Get them back," Matt whispered.
"They killed his mom," Carl said, forlorn. "He's an orphan; it'll kill him!"
Matt put his hands on the big boy's face and said, "It might have, but he's going to have you to get him through it. Will your parents take him in?"
Carl looked stunned at the question and at Matt's faith that he would be returned. "I ... I don't know. I mean, they're alright with me, but I don't know how they'd feel about..."
"Never mind. He can stay with me, if your parents won't let him stay with you, when he gets back," Matt promised. "Mom loves him!" Carl smiled a little and hugged him back. "Are you alright by yourself? You want to stay up here with us tonight?"
Carl shook his head. "I'll be fine. You guys have fun!"
"Carl! It isn't like that!" Matt grinned.
"Yet," his friend declared with a wink.
When Carl was gone, Matt knocked lightly on the door. "Come in," Daniel responded. Matt entered and found Daniel dressed in Chase's too-small pajamas, which hugged him in ways which surprised Matt. When they swam, the boy wore those baggy shorts!
Matt just casually stripped his shirt off, smiling to himself when he heard the boy gasp a little. He knew he wasn't THAT hot! "You've seen me in less," Matt grinned over his shoulder as he dropped his pants, draped them over the back of the chair, and crawled into bed. Daniel was still standing motionless, and Matt laughed. "Are you coming?"
"Oh, yeah, sorry," Daniel stammered and climbed beneath the covers. "The bed isn't that big."
"For these guys it doesn't have to be!" Matt laughed.
"Chase IS pretty small," Daniel admitted.
"I mean, when you cuddle, it makes extra room," Matt replied, shaking his head.
"Oh," the boy said softly. After a moment of silence, he turned his back to Matt, facing the wall. "You know, what happened at the hospital today, it was ... there was a lot of emotion. You thought I was dying. If you said some things you maybe didn't mean, I'd understand." Daniel fell silent, but Matt could hear him holding his breath.
So Matt rolled over behind him and ran his hand down Daniel's left arm, until he squeezed his hand. "I don't say things I don't mean, not even to dying boys," he whispered, and felt Daniel exhale deeply. But his silence was replaced by wracking sobs. Matt rolled the boy onto his back and wrapped his arm around him.
Daniel grasped on to that arm for dear life as he cried. When he at last fell silent again, Matt gathered him up in both his arms and wrapped the boy in a tight embrace. "There is nothing wrong with you, Danny!" he whispered and felt the boy squeeze him tight.
When he felt Daniel relax, he pulled back a little and smiled down at the boy, who still held on to him. As the boy ran a hand down his back, Matt laughed and said, "Bet you wish you slept in your boxers now, huh?"
Danny blushed and laughed and pulled Matt in tight for another hug. "It's hard," Daniel said softly.
That promptly initiated a knee-jerk joke by Matt. "Not yet it isn't. I'm just THAT BIG..."
Daniel giggled nervously, and shook his head. "No, I mean, I was raised to believe two things above all over. Supernatural = EVIL, and homos go to hell. And now, here I am, suddenly shoved into a world of supernatural homos -- as one of them! What am I supposed to feel? If I hadn't had the opportunity to get to know Chase and William, I'd probably be on the verge of suicide," he said, making Matt prop himself up and pay close and serious attention. "I'M OKAY," he added with a giggle at Matt's serious face. "But ... it's all so new, and all so open, and it's a whole new world, and I just can't imagine! I feel like a boat, drifting out of control," Daniel whispered.
"You've been so strong," Matt whispered. "You aren't drifting, you're being led somewhere, by something greater than us..." He fell silent and chewed on his lip for a minute. "Can I tell you something?"
"Of course," Daniel said.
"When I found out you were moving, I panicked. I should have told you running away was stupid and dangerous. I tried to tell you that, but even then the thought of losing you was too much. I wondered what I'd do without you. And then, when Chase ... I knew. I couldn't ... without..." Matt's voice began to break. "So when I, at the hospital, and you were slipping away, I agreed to be a magickal vessel for a group of the most powerful wizards in the world..."
"I know what you did, and I don't know what to say," Daniel said.
"I need to tell you something, and I'm not telling this to make you feel like ... you owe me something," Matt said nervously, "because you don't!"
"I owe you everything," Daniel whispered.
"No," Matt said. "I was being selfish. I just wanted you back! But I need to tell you. After you passed out, and refused to be turned, I asked Sebastian if they could pool their power and he told me they needed a vessel. He warned me that, in all likelihood, the process would destroy the vessel. I decided to take that risk..."
"You ... could have died?" Daniel asked, tears in his eyes. "But why?"
"At first, I told myself I couldn't ... lose anyone else, but that isn't really the reason. I ... I'm not sure I can say the real reason out loud," he said, squeezing the boy's hand. "I've been lost, Danny. I'VE been drifting lately, and every time I've found myself drifting, it's been you who ... put me right. YOU! And I, in that moment I," he tried to say and found the words sinking into his tears.
Danny put a hand on his arm and said, "Shhh, it's OKAY. You don't have to..."
Matt shook his head and said, "It was easier to risk dying with you than to risk living without you. There's only one other person I could ever say that about..."
"Chase?" Daniel asked and Matt nodded.
"Yeah," Matt said with a bitter smile. "But I've known him for years, and ... with you there's something else! It's different; I don't know how to say it yet."
Daniel squeezed him tight and nuzzled his head into the boy's neck on his shoulder and said, "You don't have to name it," with a little sigh.
"I'm so tired," Matt said, his last words as he fell into the deepest sleep he'd ever known. As Daniel laid awake for a while, absentmindedly stroking Matt's chest, he pondering how this had happened. He felt deeply unworthy, but decided he'd have to get over it.
"Chase?" Matt said, as he approached his white-clad friend, who sat slumped in a chair in a little room overlooking an ancient city. He was dressed much like he had at the beach, light, airy clothes. But his gaze was distant and withdrawn. "Chase," he grabbed his shoulders and shook him.
Slowly a look of comprehension passed over his face and he whispered, "Matt," with a confused look. "Is this a dream?"
"Mine," Matt said, nodding. "I think..."
"I'm not real?" Chase asked, disoriented. He looked like a ghost lost between worlds.
"I think you are," Matt said. "I think it's like earlier. Like you said, I was playing way out of my depth, and I still am, I think. I think it's like when I came to you in your mind before..."
"They've got Edward," Chase said, beginning to cry. "Susan, Maria, Charles and a bunch of other kids from school! They've got ... SO MANY people... I tried and I just made it worse!"
"Alex is safe," Matt whispered, kneeling down and taking his friend's hands.
"I'm glad they didn't get you..." Chase said. "How's Daniel?"
"It worked," Matt smiled weakly. "We're in your bed..."
"Be sure to change the sheets in the morning," Chase joked half-heartedly. "I'm going to do what they want," Chase said. "I can't figure a way out that doesn't get all these people killed. I'm giving in..."
"Chase, just hold on! You've got to believe..." Matt began but the boy cut him off.
"Why?" Chase said. "I've had Him inside of me, so I might have to believe that He exists, but I don't have any reason to think I'll get any help. And even if I did, can I risk other people's lives for that belief?" Chase sighed, and added, "It hurts, Matt. They've done things..."
"When?" Matt asked.
"Soon," Chase whispered, so tired and beaten. "Soon..." He looked up with tears in his eyes. "Matt?" The boy holding his hands teared up and nodded. "I'm sorry... Tell them I'm sorry?"
"No, I won't," Matt growled through his tears. "Don't do it. We'll figure something out! Have some FAITH IN US!"
"Please," Chase said. "Tell them..." And then Matt felt himself being sucked away at the speed of light. He had a sick feeling in his stomach and he awoke sucking breath.
"What?" Daniel snapped awake, but Matt had already bolted from the room in his boxers, screaming, "Get out here!"
A few people asleep in the living room were roused, as vampires and Council agents working in the dining room emerged to stare at the crazed teen. Matt ran right up to Sebastian and said, "There isn't time! We're out of time!"
"What?" Sebastian said, putting his hands on the boy's shoulders.
"I just had a dream," he explained. When he'd rushed through the story, Sebastian said, "Are you SURE it wasn't just a dream?" Sebastian asked.
"It wasn't even a dream. I was there! I was with him!"
"I don't believe Chase would give in so easily!" William declared, but Matt turned to him with a look that spoke volumes.
"They know his soft spot," Steve said, speaking up to the surprise of the assembled. "My father explained to them how to use his love as his weakness. They've got those people, and Chase won't risk causing more harm to come to them..."
Matt nodded and hesitated. Sighing, he said, "They've ... done things to him, too." His eyes fell and he had to wipe away a few extra tears. William's face contorted in anguish as he collapsed into a seat.
Sebastian and some of the others retreated to Xavier's office and called a worldwide meeting of the Council. "I need volunteers," Sebastian said, "to go to war immediately against the Order. I need you all to destroy them wherever you find them, but first, I need an army to go with me to Jerusalem. And I need it in place to arrive there by dawn in Israel."
"But," Americ said, "sun has already set! That's not even twelve hours! What has changed that makes this so urgent?"
Sebastian replied, darkly, "They've broken Chase..."
"How?" Americ demanded.
Sebastian explained both what he knew and how he knew it. Dora Spencer leaned in and said, "We have to contain the city," she said. "We have to stop him, cut him off from his power. We cannot risk his success, even if it means the death of his friends!"
"I'm taking an army to stop them, but we'll need access to magick, Dora! If we place a giant ward over the city, it will impede our progress, and they have guns!"
"Sebastian," she said, "it's too risky! If we can make him fail, the plan is foiled. It's over!" With a deep sigh, she said, "Not even Chase's survival is worth what we lose if he succeeds!"
Sebastian looked at her and they could all see his look turn from shock and dismay to seething anger. "Shall we vote, then?" she asked.
"Assault or containment," the secretary announced. "Press your red buttons for assault, green for containment."
"Before the vote, I'd like to remind you all what I've sacrificed for this Council, and what Chase did for our world! Without him, it would have all ceased months ago!" Sebastian shouted.
The voted began to appear on the screen, each side increasing almost equally, but by the end, the Council had a decision. "I'm sorry, Sebastian," Dora said.
Sebastian sat back and said, "So am I! Execute alpha delta gamma beta sequence seven four six three nine."
An electronic voice announced through all computer speakers, "Council Subnet emergency containment procedure initiated. Subnet security compromised. Self destruct sequence initiated." After a short countdown, screens all over the world went black.
"What have you done?" Avery asked.
"When I designed the Subnet," Sebastian explained, not turning to look at the horrified faces behind him, "I installed one last security feature. In the event of a fatal compromise of security, so that our enemies could not use the system against us, I installed a self-destruct sequence to destroy our servers and satellites."
"Why?" Sam asked. "Why did you do it?"
"To keep them from being able to organize that ward before we get there and get Chase out," Sebastian said.
"They'll destroy you. They'll send you to Ashaer," Sam said.
Most of the rest of them had not yet recovered from the news. Sebastian said, "Perhaps. They'll try..."
"They'll fail, or I'll die stopping it," Avery said, putting his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Sebastian, I deserved what I got. What I did was pure revenge, but..."
"Thank you, Avery. Any of you who would like to go, or any of your underlings who would, are welcome to do so. As far as I'm concerned, there is no Council anymore," Sebastian said.
"Anyone who leaves is a traitor," William said in the corner of the room, "and I'll never forget it." They looked around the room and a phone rang, drawing all eyes to one last stunned-looking figure.
"Hello?" he asked, raising the phone to his ear. "Yes, I'm still here... Alright, mother," he said, handing the phone to Sebastian.
"Sebastian, the Council has issued a warrant for your arrest," Dora said.
"Dora, as your godfather I feel it is my duty to warn you against doing what you're about to do, because I have to look out for you," he replied
"I never thought I'd see the day when you were the threat, Sebastian," she said angrily.
"You're a fool, and you're leading that gaggle of fools off a cliff there is no coming back from, Dora," he responded.
"Release my son," she said. "We have work to do..."
"Your son is no captive," Sebastian said solemnly. "He is free to go..."
"Good," she said nervously. "The next time we see each other, well..."
"Dora, we're never going to see each other again, in all probability," Sebastian said. "And if we do, I won't be captive." Then he handed the phone back to Spencer.
All eyes watched the boy as he put the phone to his ear. As his mother spoke, he met their eyes one by one. "MOTHER!" he said. "YOU CAN'T!" as his eyes met William's. "Absolutely not! I'm going to Jerusalem with the others..." He winced at the noise in his ear. "Well, then, I'll have to carry a gun, if the magick won't work. OR YOU CAN STOP BEING CRAZY!" Whatever she said, he responded by throwing the phone against the wall. "We'd better hurry," he said sheepishly.
Avery and Sebastian's phones began to ring. Americ and Musa, and of course Horatio, were calling to coordinate. The surprises were when other calls came in -- the Dragon, Ivan Breslov, consul of Western Russia, called and pledged the support of his powerful clan.
"Thank you my friend," Sebastian said, and put the man on speaker phone.
"If what that witch-woman plans is successful, Sebastian, we can be of great help. The natural powers of the dragon are not affected by such trifles!" Sebastian laughed at the man's observation, and his characterization of Dora as `that witchwoman', and filled him in on where they planned to set up checkpoints around the monastery.
As they were all talking excitedly, one last phone call came in. "Sebastian," the woman said, "you put me in an interesting position!"
"We're doing this, Christen," he snapped at the US-West consul.
"Yes, WE are," she said. "Now watch your tone!"
"My apologies," he laughed. "Her Majesty must be very angry?"
"In all likelihood. I haven't spoken to her," Christen said. "Phone's all wacky. In the meanwhile, as consul of US-West I answer to no one."
"Well," Sebastian said, "in the absence of guidance from the Queen, perhaps you'd like to speak to the Crown Prince?"
"He's with you?" Christen asked. "Oh, shit!"
"Yeah!" Sebastian laughed, handing Spencer the phone. The boy explained to her what he wanted her to do, which instructions she gladly accepted.
"Alright, Avery, you and your team will block off eastern access and work westward," Sebastian said, pointing to the map. "Christen will approach from the south from here. Sam, are you well enough?"
The old man nodded and said, "I can at least command a squad," he said. "Not that our magick will be worth that much."
Sebastian frowned and said, "I have a thought about that, Sam, but later. I'll come in from the east with my team. We'll drive them here to meet Aiden, Xavier, William, and the bulk of our forces."
"That should be easy enough," William said. "That's where they want to go anyway!"
"Alright, we'll all be armed, too, just in case Dora can get her people in place and shut us down. I've had the armory transferred to my house so we can launch from there."
"I'm going," Matt announced, silencing the room. "If you don't have magick, I'm just as good with a gun, if not better, than William and most of the rest of you," the boy insisted proudly.
Sebastian frowned as if he was going to blow the boy off, but then nodded. "Stick close to Xavier and Aiden," he said. "Now I need to speak to Sam privately, before we stage this operation..."
Everyone filed out and left them alone. Sebastian walked to the window and looked out before speaking. "Sam, there are some things I always suspected, but I left it to you to decide what you'd tell me. But recently, I've thought a lot about your past more carefully. Particularly your romantic life during your time as an agent..."
"It's neither here nor there, Sebastian," the man began. "My life is what it is..."
"Sam, it's me you're talking to, but it is relevant! What I'm going to ask ... I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Sam!" Sam looked at him apprehensively and nodded. "With our most powerful allies all in the field, we still have a problem. We might rescue Chase, or we might not. And a lot of people are going to die. Good people."
"Out with it, Sebastian," he said.
"We need to disrupt the spell. Dora and her best people need to be distracted, and with all our best people... You leading a little team of kids won't even distract her, much less her whole team! I need you to go to Silas Brandt and ask the Black Thorn to help you..."
"SEBASTIAN!" Sam said, pain etching his face. "I ... he'd never do that for me!"
"Convince him, Sam," Sebastian said.
Sam sighed and looked at his feet. "When it's over, they'll try to kill her, Sebastian."
"Convince them not to," Sebastian said darkly. "Or stop him." Sam closed his eyes to blank out the tears, but he nodded and hurried away.
"Do you understand?" Abraxos asked, and Chase nodded weakly. "And you know what will happen if you betray us? We WILL kill them, and this time it won't be one at a time, or an idle threat..." Chase nodded again.
"Everyone has gathered in the courtyard, sir," a man said from outside.
"And our agents are dispersed through the city to fight off the abominations?" Abraxos asked.
"Yes sir, heavily armed!"
"Good," Abraxos said, leading Chase downstairs. Chase saw his friends, each flanked by two guards ready to kill, all lined up for this last macabre parade, and nearly cried.
When Edward called out to him, he hung his head and answered, "My name is not Chase. I am David, son of David, King of Israel..." He felt Abraxos's hand clench on his shoulder and saw Edward's face etched in confusion.
Sebastian and his friends closed in on the monastery, but a dragon scout radioed them first and said, "There's nobody here. Looks like everybody just left here on foot!"
Sebastian replied, "That means they're already on their way to the Temple Mount! Ready for live fire; double-time, everybody."
Their nearest team got within a quarter of a mile of the procession before undercover guards opened fire. At first, the vampires were able to neutralize a few shooters without even returning fire, but as gunfire drew more armed resistance, they slowed, taking cover and returning fire.
William and Matt watched the painfully slow movement of the amorphous blob of combatants tightening around the procession drawing closer to the Western Wall.
"I have a shot," a sniper called. "I can take the shot; I've got the guy holding Chase dead in my sights."
"No, their leader goes down, they start slaughtering people," Xavier called. "With no magick, we can't get them out fast enough!"
Silas sat at his desk, and never turned before calling out, "Hello, Sam! I never thought I'd get you in this office!"
"You didn't," Sam said angrily. "Sebastian sent me!"
"Hmmm. Well, here you are!"
"Silas, there's precious little time, and we need your help!"
"That's rich," Silas snorted. "The Council needs Black Thorn!"
"Not the Council. Sebastian and I need your help. Chase is in trouble..."
"We know all about that," Silas said. "If those idiots want to make my colleague's grandson monarch, who are we to impede that."
"Dora is warding the whole city. Chase won't be able to perform the miracle. They'll kill him and everyone with him!"
"It's a damn good plan," he said, "if someone wanted to kill Chase!"
Sam fell silent. It was a good plan to kill a Grand Marshal, actually. "This is your chance to foil the queen with the approval of the local consul," Sam offered.
"What would the rest of the Council say?" Silas smiled.
"Not much. Sebastian shut them down and destroyed their communications network," Sam admitted.
"Now THIS IS interesting!" The man thought for a moment and picked up the phone, explaining, "It's a win win! We stop her and either Chase becomes their poobah, or your guys rescue him and I still get to rub it in her stuck up face!"
He dialed a number and said, "We're assaulting the Queen's Altar Stone! Full force, stage in five minutes, ¼ mile east of the site!"
"Do it," Abraxos said, shoving Chase hard. "Raise up the Temple NOW!"
Chase raised his hands again and managed little more than a rumbling of the ground. "I can't! Something is weighing down on my power! Maybe I'm not..."
"SHUT UP!" the man said, grabbing Edward and putting a knife to his neck. "You ARE him, now keep trying!"
Suddenly, they were pinned in on all sides, and while one guard held a hostage, the other aimed at one of Sebastian's company. Meanwhile, each of Chase's liberators had an enemy in the sight of a weapon.
"Attack ... now!" Silas directed, Sam to his right. Suddenly, Black Thorn members began throwing fireballs and lightning bolts at the assembled witches around the Queen's Altar. They turned their energy toward their attackers and the ward faltered with a sharp pop.
"Dora, just retreat! Don't make us fight you!" Sam called.
"SAM! How could you?" she screamed.
"THE BOY! You should never have made us choose!" he yelled back.
"You'd forsake your queen for the boy?" Dora asked.
"Why are you doing this, Dora?" he called.
"We can't risk it," she began.
"Why did you try to kill him at his test?" Sam asked, making everyone fall silent, and temporarily the exchange of magicks ceased.
"WHAT?" she asked.
"That last spell you threw at him, from behind, aimed at his back. I thought I was wrong until this morning. It was a killing spell!"
The little woman trembled in rage at being called out before she spat. "Chase ABERNATHY! What more reason is required? A GRAND MARSHAL with a Black Thorn grandfather!"
"They don't have any real relationship," Silas replied. "You're that afraid?" he added with a contemptuous laugh.
"God almighty, Dora, the Black Thorn helped Abraxos and his people get Chase safely, but who was it who revealed that a potential messiah was in Richmond? Who put them on the scent in the first place? Was Felix right when he told the boy...?"
"I AM going to crush the Black Thorn," she said. "I couldn't risk the boy joining them, or not siding with us!"
Silas pointed his wand at a young wizard near Dora, and the man raised his wand to her back unseen. Sam whispered, "Don't," but the man shook his head almost imperceptibly and flicked his wand. Sam didn't try to stop him, and the young man's wand glowed brightly as he unleashed a spell, quite under Silas's control.
Silas turned to Sam with a strange expression on his face and said, "He just stunned her..."
"Why?" Sam whispered. A part of him had hoped he'd just kill her.
Silas grinned and said, "If I killed her, that son would just take over. Better a publicly disgraced, morally compromised spiritual leader than a righteous man as an opponent. Plus, for old times' sake," he added.
As Silas turned to go, Sam called to him. Silas turned, but Sam didn't say what he wanted to say. Instead, Silas just said, "If things could have been different..." Silas turned to go before adding, "You know, nothing else ever came close!"
The sky sizzled with otherworldly energy over Jerusalem as the ward fell. Suddenly Sebastian's company raised their wands, stowing their mechanical weapons.
But by the time this happened, more of the Order's troops had closed in from behind. Suddenly, the standoff thickened, and Matt and a few others got grabbed in the ensuing confusion.
"If you kill us, you'll die too," Avery called out to the high priest Abraxos.
The man laughed dismissively. "That's the difference between us, infidel! There will always be another to step into my place.... You'll be gone, your friends will be gone, except for the ... abominations," he added, sneering at Sebastian.
"Alright, alright! Enough!" Chase said with a weary sigh.
"You're ready to admit who you are and finish on Temple Mount?" Abraxos asked, surprised.
"No," he said. "But I can summon the one you seek. The real messiah you people follow, the one YOU serve... I can bring him here. You never really believed it could be me, did you? Weak little gay kid?"
Abraxos nodded hesitantly and Chase raised one hand, looking briefly at the men holding knives to the throats of his nearest friends and family. Every inch of him screamed it should not be done, but the voices that had guided him true before remained silent, as they had ever since Gabriel had stepped away at his request. He'd broken faith, and there was no turning back now, not with everyone in the balance.
He traced a very simple sigil and called, "Daemon!"
A dark cloud gathered immediately above them and a single crack of lightening announced that the figure was already there. Nearly every man in line of sight gasped, and some began almost to move until Daemon restrained the power of his presence sufficiently. He stood before them looking every bit the teenage boy Chase was, a little younger, absolutely enchanting, in blue jeans and a pink polo shirt. Add to that the baby he wore in a backpack carrier and it was a somewhat hilarious image to those who knew him for what he was. The only thing that jarred the image was the literal fire that burned where iris should be.
"This is HIM?" Abraxos asked, unsure of whether he was being conned.
"THIS is the one YOU serve," Chase replied with contempt.
Daemon looked around and shook his head. "I don't get it," he yelled, his sweet boyish voice reverberating as if a massive sound system were functioning. "WHO THE FUCK DO YOU PEOPLE THINK YOU ARE? WHO DO YOU THINK I AM, YOUR GODDAMN FUCKING CONSIERGE? SURELY YOU CANNOT HAVE FORGOTTEN?" Chase shook his head sadly, tears in his eye. A strange look passed over Daemon's face as he stepped almost involuntarily toward the boy. In less of a rage, he looked at Abraxos and said, "They rejected me, if you can believe it.... Every last one of them rejected me!" The man nodded and knelt, totally misunderstanding Daemon's words.
Then Daemon smiled playfully at Matt, "Peculiarly, they all rejected me but you.... If that bitch Katrina hadn't been around, I could have had YOU!" Despite the danger, Matt blushed and began to harden as their eyes met. He snapped his eyes shut and turned his face away so violently that the knife of the man holding him nicked his neck. Out of the corner of his eye, Chase thought he saw something moving at Matt's feet, but shook his head. It couldn't have been. Chris's familiar wasn't present and THAT was too big for a cat.
"WE WILL NEVER FORSAKE YOU, MASTER!" Abraxos called.
"I believe that," Daemon laughed.
Suddenly, out of the crowd sauntered a large graceful feline, not Chris's cat but a lion. Abraxos was rapt, as it confirmed the new presence to be who he thought he was. But he didn't see the look on Daemon's face. The lion looked back and forth between Daemon and Abraxos, growling and licking its lips.
"Stay back," Daemon hissed, but the lion began circling Daemon and Abraxos with hostile intent.
Turning his gaze, but remaining tensely aware of the presence of the ancient cat, Daemon continued, "Chase, you know, we once had a shared interest ... in saving the world. But you've forgotten what my interest in the world is! I HAVE THESE PEOPLE, THEY ARE MINE and YET YOU HAVE CALLED ME?"
"Yes," Chase said.
"TO DO WHAT?" Daemon demanded.
"Save us...."
Daemon laughed, and the sound of it was thrilling. "WHAT? Why? Ask your friend to save you," he added, pointing to the lion.
"I thought he was with you," Chase whispered, and Daemon shook his head, looking around the crowd in a moment of uncertainty and almost fear. "Please?" Chase begged.
"Beg," Daemon said, almost softly, as his smile fell away. He flicked his hand and the man holding Chase let the boy go. "Get on your knees and beg...."
"Chase," William began to yell, but Chase collapsed forward, his body so beaten and broken that even his hip no longer hurt. A cruel cure.
"Please, Daemon.... Save the people I love.... Save William and Alex, my relatives and friends.... PLEASE!"
Daemon took another step toward him and knelt down on one knee. He whispered, "I want the world to survive to sow discord and sorrow.... I want a world where every pervert has access to a child, where ever pervert suffers untold sorrows to pleasure other prisoners until miserable death comes. I want to see lovers murder their beloveds. I want to see parents hurt their children and children hurt their parents. I love pleasure, and pleasure has so many darkened corners to explore, child! WHY SHOULD I DO WHAT YOU ASK? These are the very people who all oppose me at every turn, defeat my human pawns.... But now I have them!"
Chase's eyes filled with tears and he grabbed Daemon's ankles, his tears falling on the ancient demon's feet. Nearly everyone, friend and foe, looked away automatically from the painful scene. "Then do it now, before they realize," Chase whispered, breaking his own heart with the words. "Take them before they can repent..."
"One condition," Daemon said at last.
"Same rule as before," Chase whimpered, and Daemon smiled wickedly and nodded.
"Same rule as before...."
Chase looked up and wiped his face. "What?"
"One kiss...."
"I...." Chase began and cut him off, but Daemon shushed him.
"No magick, active or passive to seduce you against your will. Just one kiss...."
Chase looked at William, whose face wore a blank look. Chase mouthed, "Alex needs all of us...." Then he looked at Daemon and nodded.
The demon reached down and took his hand. The lion roared at them and made a move to charge, but stopped at the last minute as Chase stood between it and Daemon. Once he had helped Chase to his feet, he solemnly declared, "Agreed," with a smirk at the lion.
Daemon turned his eyes to the sky and let out a massive roar, an endless cloud of pure black spirit pouring out of his mouth, swirling and attacking all the members of the Order, beginning with those nearest. The priests who had held Chase's friends fell prone to the ground and began to shake as demons began to collect the corrupted self-righteous souls of zealots. But Daemon did not stop, and the dark kept coming, causing the lion to whine terribly. Chase could see in the distance, the collected mob included very small shapes, initiates little more than children, some hardly teens. And he realized he had given Daemon a free reign.
"Not the children!" he yelled, and through the cloud Daemon laughed.
"The time for negotiations is past, little one!" Daemon laughed.
"Listen fiend," Sam yelled, stepping forward. "No one is culpable at all for their sins until they are of age. At thirteen a child is responsible in this world for his sins, but not until twenty-one in that world. You have no right to them, and if you take them, Chase would be in his rights to stop you...." Immediately, the lion roared and stalked purposefully toward Daemon.
Daemon laughed again. "NO CHILDREN.... I'll pick them up soon enough!"
When Daemon's dark cry ceased, thousands of black-hooded devotees lay dead, while over a hundred teens milled amongst them as if in a daze. Then Daemon turned his blazing eyes on Chase, and William ran over to the boy and grabbed his hand.
"DON'T," he whispered loudly.
"I gave my word," Chase said. "I couldn't lose you, and everyone else.... I'd have gladly died, myself...."
William pulled him into a hug and whispered, "Be careful! He'll try something...."
"I know," Chase said, secretly caressing William's ring. "This will keep me safe...."
"Touching," Daemon laughed. "But the clock is ticking...." He handed Alex to William and stood before Chase. He was extraordinarily gentle as he placed a hand on the boy's cheek and stroked it with his thumb. He whispered, so quietly only Chase could hear, "It's probably good you resisted me before...."
"Good for me?" Chase asked, as he looked up and saw the fires in the demon's eye go out, demonstrating he was quelling his power to some extent.
"Good for me," Daemon responded as he leaned in and with a soft breath kissed Chase on the lips. William looked away almost instantly but not before the image of the kiss seared into his mind. Daemon turned his head slightly and slipped his tongue between the boy's lips. As the kiss lingered, more and more of the assembled looked away in growing embarrassment. At last Chase tried to push Daemon away. "Not yet," the demon replied mentally so all could hear. "I'm not ready for my kiss, my single, unbroken kiss to end...."
Then, as a laugh crackled through the air, Chase and Daemon were gone, still locked in their first kiss.
Thanks to Mary, Kevin, and Terry for looking over this document.
More to come soon. If you enjoyed this story, you might consider my other on-going stories at Nifty, Fantasy/SciFi, Devil's Gambit, as well as Feels Like Falling in Highschool.
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