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Chapter 19
Currently, A Light in the Darkness II Chapters 19-30 are available at jaygordonstories.com ,(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!
ALSO:
A Light in the Darkness volume 1, which folds the two stories [Light and Things That Go Bump] together, eliminating the repetition and smoothing out the transitions is available in both a convenient kindle and print version. BTW if you are Amazon Prime members you can borrow the book from their lending library for free and I get paid! My ultimate goal is to release two books on Kindle and in print formats only this year.
The Kindle version is available, at: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007P0CA3I/ref=cm_cr_rev_prod_title
The paper copy is available at: https://www.createspace.com/3832918
Sam came into the lobby and invited the men into his office. Closing the door, he said, "I'm sorry we have to begin like this, but there's no profit in waiting until we get Chase back." Marcus, Chris, Carl, and Daniel all nodded somberly. Edward leaned against the wall and looked at the ceiling.
"Sorry I'm late," Lt. Spencer said, interrupting the tense moment. He couldn't meet any of their eyes, his inner shame so great, growing steadily day by day, but he tried to make his voice sound cheery.
"Think nothing of it, Lieutenant," Sam said. "Shall we take this to a safer realm?" With that, he opened a door to his own training ground and led the men through. "We don't know much about how the powers of priests differ from those of wizards like Spencer and Marcus and those of mystics like myself, so we're touch and go here, guys. But Chris and Carl have shown remarkable progress in traditional magick, Daniel. So let's begin! Marcus, if you'll help bring Daniel up to speed, I'll take the more advanced students. Spencer, would you mind working with Edward on his potions? I understand he's something of a prodigy... Unless you'd like to try your hand at magick too, Edward?"
"No, thank you sir. Not right now anyway," Edward replied, shaking his head. So they broke up and spread out in the huge space. Spencer led Edward to a distant workspace lined with supplies.
"Why don't you grab a medium-sized cauldron and tell me what you've been working on," Spencer instructed quietly.
"Spencer," Edward said, dropping his voice. "How are you doing?"
"Can we not talk about it?" Spencer replied flatly. Edward dropped his gaze and looked sad. "I'm sorry, Edward," Spencer said. "I just don't know how to talk to anyone anymore. What my mother's done! How can they trust me?"
"Because Chase trusted you, for one," Edward replied, stepping closer to the man.
"Chase trusted everybody, my mother included," Spencer retorted.
"NO, HE DIDN'T," William responded, having arrived late, and noticing their intense conversation, he had approached. "He didn't trust your mother any more than he trusted the Black Thorn, though they have turned out to be somewhat different that everyone thought."
"What?" Spencer asked.
"Chase's grandfather had the same talk with him you did, and Chase came home and told me about it. He was very skeptical – you both told him the same story, practically. The only difference was the villain. He wasn't sure he could trust your mother or his own grandfather, but he NEVER doubted you. And THAT IS good enough for me. Plus, you turned your back on everything you've known to help us," William explained. Then he took Spencer by the shoulders and pulled him into a hug.
Then he whispered with a tearful, but bright smile, "And he told me what you did for Charlotte's bachelorette party. Only a true friend would do that. And, by the way, BRAVO!" The last he added, leaning back and winking. "You look after yourself!"
"I forgot there were pictures," the man replied with a blush.
"Don't worry, no one can see your face," William answered with a pat on the back. "Now, don't be a stranger?"
"Thanks," Spencer said. "Oh, by the way, I was on guard duty at your house the other day and had an encounter with a very aggressive guy. Gorgeous artist looking for Chase. He thought we had made the rescue, so he knew part of the story..."
"Well-tanned, muscles like a greek boy-god, with a smile that makes you bone up?" William asked, making Edward snort.
Spencer nodded with a blush, "TOO TRUE!"
"Dorian Brandt," William said. "How did you get him to leave?"
"Told him it wasn't a good time, and he asked me to dinner. I went and he put his best moves on me, but I told him no. He kissed me when we got back, and I had a much harder time making him leave."
"Looks like Dorian has a new crush! Good luck. He's relentless! He put the moves on Chase with me standing there with the baby!"
"Oh, God," Spencer groaned. "Dean won't be amused."
"On the bright side, I'll owe you one when Chase gets back and I don't have to deal with that horn-dog painter all the time," William said, trying to sound positive. "By the way, Dorian is Silas Brandt's son," William added, making Spencer pale.
"Dear Lord," the young prince exclaimed. "What have I done?"
"Don't judge him by that, Spencer," William said. "Don't get me wrong, he rubs me every which kind of wrong! But not the, I'm an evil villain' sort of wrong, so much as the your boyfriend should be flattered by the opportunity to ride me' kind of wrong." Again, Edward snorted. "I'm not so sure how to feel about the Black Thorn anyway, anymore, except for what happened to Chase." With a smile, William shrugged. "Still, there's Dean, and Dorian COULD make trouble there!"
Spencer tried to whip up a smile, but only managed a pale grimace before Edward grabbed him and asked, "Can I see the pictures of your ass?" Then he was all red-faced smile.
Sebastian had been on the phone since the early hours of the morning with those consuls who'd agreed to return to the Council after the recent events.
"We've tried summoning Daemon into a circle, but we can't get a lock on him, Sebastian," Christen reported.
"How are we going to hold him if we catch him?" Americ added.
"I have a thought about that," Sebastian said. "How are your relations with the Windsors?"
"The former consul to the United Kingdom would have better access, but I can pull some strings," Americ said. "Why?"
"We need a very powerful circle to start with," Sebastian replied.
"And you want to use Stonehenge as the base for a magickal circle," Christen deduced.
"Exactly," Sebastian said. "It's worth a try, and we have to be ready so that, as soon as we figure out how to draw him, we can hold him!"
"But HOW will we get him?" Avery asked.
"Sweeten the pot," Musa replied. "His kind can't resist temptation."
"Bait," Sebastian said. "I don't like it."
"Well, do you have a better idea?" Musa asked.
"No," Sebastian said, disgruntled. "I know who we have to ask, it just pisses me off."
"Why?" Americ asked.
"Because he's the only person who piques Daemon's interest close to Chase, and he's a human boy," Sebastian said. "Chase's best friend, Matt. He is ... very important to me as well."
The meeting broke up shortly. "Christen, a moment?" Sebastian asked, and he and the woman entered a private chat. "How does Dora feel about you being in the newly reconstituted Council with the rest of us?"
Christen sighed as she sat back in her chair. "I've been stripped of my status in the queen's realm. But I made my choice. It's Spencer I'm worried about; she's been acting very unpredictably, of late, so I understand. This thing with Chase is just one instance. The power grab she has planned for the World Congress could change the balance of things and put even the Council at a disadvantage, Sebastian."
"We'll worry about that when the time comes," Sebastian said. "Should we be really worried about Spencer?"
"If I wasn't a Council officer, I think she'd have had me imprisoned. Percy was her greatest betrayal," Christen answered.
"NO! Her biggest betrayal was of all of us!" Sebastian answered. "Sam hasn't said but I assume he's on the outs too?"
"Oh yeah! He went with a Black Thorn team to attack her ritual, for goodness sake!" Christen replied. "I've told him to stay inside and travel by portal whenever possible. An assassination attempt is inevitable."
"She's gone mad if she thinks," Sebastian began.
"Sebastian, she's not going mad, SHE IS MAD! That's the thing. The only people who seem to have noticed are those Black Thorn bastards," she said, cutting him off.
"Don't think I miss that irony that the ancient enemies of the crown are showing themselves the great seers of our time," Sebastian replied. "Watch your back. When we get Chase back, we'll deal with her."
"If we get Chase back," she said cautiously.
"WHEN!" he answered. "Talk to you soon, Christen!
A few days later, their plans were beginning to take shape, and Sebastian had a meeting with necessary Council personnel and the boys.
"So the plan is simple. We use the circles of Stonehenge to form the base of our circles, and then we draw Daemon in, using summoning rituals, and bait," he explained.
"Bait?" James asked. So far, Sebastian had kept this part from even him.
"Yes, so far Daemon has evaded our summoning, so the only way we can think of to draw him in for a sure thing is to lure him in with something, or someone, he wants," Sebastian explained.
"But he's got the person he wants the most," William said. "Who else is he interested in?"
"Who does he taunt most?" Sebastian asked. "Who, whenever he has the chance, does he turn his charm on? There IS someone who has his full attention."
"That would be me," Matt said with absolute certainty. "From the very beginning."
"I'd noticed," Sebastian grimaced. "You'd be helpless against him," the ancient vampire added, though he'd begun to doubt that. "You'd be inside the circle with him and Chase. He'd be fully capable of opening up on you with his full power."
"I'll do it," Matt said.
"Let's be clear," James said, looking into Matt's eyes in earnest. "You could get taken as well, or worse."
"I know. Let's do it!" Matt said.
"We're coming too," Edward said, surprising them all.
"You couldn't protect yourself either," William said, shaking his head.
"We're all coming," Chris said, squeezing Marcus's hand. "We're stronger together!"
"Agreed," Carl said. Sebastian looked at William and the two of them knew there was no arguing. In a few days, they'd all be in the English countryside at one of the world's most mystical locations.
William was packing his bag when he heard movement behind him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Daniel standing in the door looking concerned. "What's wrong?" he asked as he kept packing.
"Why can't I come?" the boy asked.
"Because you can't REALLY defend yourself against what's coming, and we can't afford the distraction," William said plainly. Then he sighed and turned to face the boy. "I'm sorry, Daniel, but I can't sugar coat it. Every person we have to protect is less energy we're devoting to getting Chase back!"
"I know," Daniel said, almost whispering. "But Matt can't protect himself at all! Not even as well as I can with a few lessons!"
William smiled and laughed gently, walking over and putting his hands on Daniel's shoulders near his neck. "That's what this is about?"
Daniel nodded, his smile fragile. William laughed softly and pulled the boy into his arms and gave him a big hug. "You'll never get used to this part," he whispered. "What did Matt tell you about all that happened in the winter and spring?"
"Just vague things, like how that caused all this because it outed Chase to my parents' cult, and stuff," Daniel said.
William sat on the edge of the bed and patted the spot next to him. When Daniel sat, William lay back on the bed and sighed. "I guess the thing to do is start at the beginning. One day in the early fall, I wanted to go out to a friend's house. I was living with my family near D.C. and my parents wouldn't let me. So I snuck out of the house and went anyway. On my way home that evening an explosion knocked me unconscious. It was my house, and it killed my parents," he began to tell the exhaustive tale of the events that had brought them thus far. He told him about how he met Chase, and later Sebastian and his crew, as well as the others at school, and explained more about his thoughts on Chase and Matt's friendship.
"Matt's going to do what he has to do for Chase, no matter what! Matt went into hell itself with us without anything more than his heart, and he came back without a scratch. So he may not have powers, but he's a big boy, and he's got some big boys watching out for him. He's going to be fine!"
"Damn right I am," Matt said cockily, smiling as he leaned against the door frame. "You boys have a good talk?"
Daniel rose and wrapped his arms around Matt's waist. "You guys go," William said. "I'm still packing and I want to play with Alex before we leave. It'll be a few days!"
"I did have something in mind," Matt said, winking at Daniel. "Come with me young man!" he teased. Daniel followed him out into the dark and they climbed into Matt's car and drove off. They didn't notice they were being followed, protected, because Sebastian was in the sky.
William was sleeping soundly when he heard a board creak and he whipped around with his wand ready to draw blood, when he realized the intruder was just a diminutive boy in boxers. "Daniel?" he asked groggily. "Everything alright?"
"It's me," Edward said hesitantly.
"What's wrong?" William asked.
"I had a dream," the boy said, sitting on the very edge of the bed, facing away from William. "About my mom," he added.
He felt a big warm hand on his bare shoulder, and felt William pull him back. "Get in," William whispered. He pulled the covers up over them and held Edward in his arms. "I'm so sorry, Edward. I remember how it was at first, the dreams. The worst is when you wake up after a great dream, and you ... wake up," he said with a bitter laugh.
"I just saw them kill her again," the boy said pathetically, and William could feel Edward's tears on his shoulder.
"Shhh," William said. "Would you like me to call Carl to come over?"
"No," the boys said grudgingly. "His parents think we spend too much time together as it is! But can I stay with you?"
"Of course!" William said. "Everything okay with Carl?"
"Yeah, great! Better than great! But his parents have started giving him a hard time. They think we're too young!" Edward said with a little bitterness.
"They must think we're a terrible influence," William said with a wicked smile that perked Edward up.
"My yes!" Edward replied, eyes twinkling a little. "But like everyone else they also don't really know what to do with you two, do they? Where'd they get the baby? Who let them have it? Why would they want it? Who'd have ever guessed William for a poofter?"
William laughed at the last bit. "Who would've?" he asked rhetorically. He knew there was a time when he could never have imagined life like he had it with Chase, when he could never have imagined the heartache he could feel at being apart from him. But that boy had lost his parents and been torn from the world and thrown in with such a ragtag group of misfit boys. He didn't exist anymore; he'd become something better.
William hugged Edward and said sleepily, "Everything will be alright Edward!"
"Or we'll turn them all into toads and be shut of the lot of them," the boy added with a pirate's gusto and his little British clip before chastely kissing William on the cheek and turning out the light. "Thanks," he whispered as he curled up into the muscular boy at his side and fell into a gentler sleep.
"Gone for a night and look what we miss!" Matt exclaimed, waking William and Edward with a shock. "We might have stayed closer if we'd known there was a sleep-in."
"And just what did you two boys do out all night last night?" William asked, pinking Daniel's cheeks.
"Nothing as naughty as all this I bet," Matt said, wrapping his arm comfortably around Daniel. William smiled to see the boy laying his head on Matt's strong shoulder and relaxed into the hug.
"Well, I hope it was enough to be worth missing out on this," Edward grinned cheekily up from William's chest.
"We had fun," Daniel said, smiling up at Matt with a look they had all seen before.
Matt looked down into his eyes and the world went a way for a second. "We sure did," he grinned.
"Do tell," William insisted, and the boys just grinned at him.
"It was ... private," Daniel said softly.
"I'm just kidding, Daniel," William said, getting up and revealing his long, browned muscles without any shame, setting a good example for the shy newcomer, and Edward followed his lead. William began to dress as he chatted with his friends, and Edward returned soon from his room all ready.
"How do you feel about getting back to England, Edward?" Daniel asked.
"It's been a long time, but we won't be anywhere near my old home north of London. Still, it'll be nice to be there again," the boy said, his accent growing a little more defined in anticipation.
"I bet," Daniel replied.
"How about you?" William asked. "Gonna be able to let us borrow your man for a couple of days?"
"Yeah, we talked, and I feel better," Daniel said, blushing lightly. Of course, that was nothing new!
"Don't worry," William said to Daniel, "when this is all over, if you want to go somewhere, we can make that happen!"
"Sebastian, is there any reason to believe that this will work?" Sam asked as they sat waiting for their group to assemble. Council agents were presently securing the location, which the British government had shut for a few days due to "security risks" as a favor.
"Sam, do we know for certain that it won't work?" Sebastian countered. No one besides him knew how many times the Council had failed in its attempts to return Chase. But they all knew that Dora Spencer and her supporters were growing more vocal in their opposition to Sebastian by the day, as the International Congress drew nearer. "We HAVE to get him back before the Congress," Sebastian said.
Sam nodded. "Have you kept in touch with Silas since the Jerusalem incident?" Sebastian asked.
Sam sat back in his chair and crossed his legs. "Yes... Yes I have, as a matter of fact." Sam offered no more details for a moment, before adding, "He'd like to meet with you before the Congress..."
Sebastian grimaced. "You realize I hold that man and his entire organization partially responsible for this outcome! Their assistance was essential to the Order's capture of Chase, which allowed Daemon..."
"I understand, Sebastian, but their intentions," Sam cut in, only to be himself cut off.
"Their intentions are IRRELEVANT TO ME!" Sebastian said, slamming his fist into the bed and nearly rising from his seat. "You don't accomplish good by doing evil. Perhaps in the short term, but in the long run... What have we learned if we haven't learned that?"
"I know, but they were helpless in the face of the Royal office, and no one would help them. We wouldn't listen to them! Now that we know what we know," Sam said, "surely we have to reevaluate our position?"
"Sam, I may not be the person to do that reevaluating then, because what I know is that a person I care for very deeply was harmed by the Black Thorn's Machiavellian scheming, and my inclination is to go down there and roll around in their blood, not make friends. So," he took a breath in the midst of his rant, "I've been doing them a great favor by not taking meetings with them!"
"Well, may we at least release Felix?" Sam said and now Sebastian did rise to his feet.
"FELIX ABERNATHY IS SCUM AMONG SCUM!" Sebastian shouted, waves of angry power radiating from him dangerously. "For the love of God, how can you ask me that?"
"Let me see him," a voice said from the door, shaking both men in the office.
"William," Sebastian said, calming considerably. "I don't think that's such a good idea."
"Let me see him, please," William said, nodding.
"We need to be going," Sebastian began.
"It can wait. I only need a few minutes," William replied.
Sebastian and Sam stood and walked out to the big concrete floor in the basement and conjured the circles before summoning Felix from his cell in Ashaer. William sat a chair across from the man, who looked terrible, and sat down just outside of the circle. "Give us a moment," William said, never breaking eye contact with the man inside the circle.
Sam and Sebastian found the others waiting upstairs and began to chat nervously, not knowing what to expect from downstairs.
"Do you know who I am?" William asked darkly.
Shakily, and with great effort, the man replied, "You must be William."
William nodded. "You're the man who helped the Order take the love of my life from me."
"To elevate him, to give him power, to save our world from the Queen!" Abernathy replied, unrepentant.
"What of the cost? What about Alex?" William asked.
"I ... didn't know about him until it was too late," the man admitted. "But no harm was to come to either of them," Felix added insecurely.
"Hmmm," William said, "The best laid plans of mice and men."
"Has something happened to my grandson?" Felix asked, real concern on his face.
"Oh yes! You know he wasn't what they thought, but they had our friends, our child. And so he had to make a deal to defeat the Order and save us all. A deal he wouldn't have had to make without your holy plans!"
"What deal?" Felix asked.
"He called forth Daemon from the pit!" William answered.
"The lord of incubi and succubae? Peculiar choice for the cause," Felix considered.
"After Chase defeated Sammael, Daemon ascended to the high throne. Chase called forth the Lord of Hell to take the Order, but in return he allowed Daemon one kiss. That kiss remains to this day unbroken, and despite all our efforts, there seems to be no way back. Funny thing is, you lost the most powerful ally you might have had in the upcoming Congress. Congratulations."
"My grandson is a prisoner of Daemon's desire," Felix mumbled to himself. "What have I done?"
William scratched over the ground with his foot, breaking the two circles with a crack and approached the man with a blank stare and raised his hands over the dazed prisoner, now back in the earthly realm.
"PLEASE?" the man began to beg, and William stopped. "Just once before you ... may I see a picture of my great-grandson?" William reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet and handed the man a photo of Alex. "He's beautiful," the man whispered and looked away from William, clutching the photo.
William reached out and a pure white light burst forth from his hands, surrounding the man like a blanket. He could hear Felix gasp as he realized he wasn't going to die that night. When the light dimmed, Felix could feel what the boy had done for him. He had taken away as much of the pain as he could with his power. "Your friends in the Black Thorn can handle your long-term healing," William said, as he turned his back on the man.
"William?" Felix asked.
"Yes?" the boy replied.
"When you get him back, tell him I'm sorry. So sorry," the man said, struggling to get to his feet before falling.
"SAM!" William called and the man hurried down as William helped Felix up. "Tell him yourself," William whispered to the broken old man. Then to Sam, William said, "Get him where he needs to go, and then let's get this show on the road!"
Upstairs, William found the room quiet. Sebastian looked at him and asked, "You released him?"
William nodded. "It's not what I wanted to do, but it's what Chase would have wanted. Hate can only get you so far. I don't always know the answers and I sure as shit wish he was here to give them to me. But I know that's what he would want."
Sebastian's brow furrowed but he nodded. He knew the boy was right. It didn't make it any easier to take. "You have to tell Steve," Sebastian said with a shrug.
Sam knocked on the door, Felix weighing heavily on him despite the magickal assist. Shortly, the door opened and Silas gasped, grabbing Felix's other arm. "Let's get him on the couch," Silas suggested. "They released him? Why? Is it over?"
"No," Sam said grimly. "I asked, and I thought Sebastian was going to blow a gasket, but William decided to let him go."
"Hmmm," Silas said. "Well, thank you." There was an uncomfortable silence which Sam desperately wanted to fill with heartfelt words. "Get him back, Sam," Silas said before turning and beginning to tend to his injured friend, leaving Sam to let himself out.
The team stowed its gear at the Council safe house in Bath before heading out to the site. The little country inn was overrun with teenage boys and twenty-something men, an unusual occurrence for what seemed to be a small mom-and-pop operation. In reality, of course, as a front for a major shadowy syndicate, the owners were surprised by nothing. Still, these kids seemed like the real kids they actually were, and that WAS different. Despite the seriousness, there were all sorts of shenanigans and public displays of affection.
Besides Sebastian and a few other real agents, only William was moderately subdued. Matt was subdued for Matt, which involved chasing guys in the hall snapping them with towels and that sort of thing. By the time they got settled, it was getting dark.
"We'll go out first thing in the morning and work through setting up," Sebastian said. "Let's try to relax this evening."
Games were brought out, chess and cards and Monopoly, and even some of the serious young agents joined the boys.
After dinner, William pulled Sam aside and said, "I'd like to go out to the site tonight and walk around. Could you take me?"
The man gave him a grandfatherly smile and said, "Perhaps you'd rather Avery took you?"
"Avery's enjoying time with the boys," William smiled at Avery, who had his arm casually draped over Chris's shoulder. "Besides, I asked you."
Sam nodded and went to speak quietly to Sebastian before leading William outside. "Did your parents ever bring you to England?"
"No," William whispered.
"Your mother loved it here," Sam said.
"She talked about bringing me all the time," William smiled sadly.
Taking out his wand, Sam traced a fiery portal in the air and smiled. "Then you're going to love this." They stepped out onto the windswept Salisbury Plain, lit by the full moon in the mostly clear night. A few hundred yards below them, the stone circle looked smaller than William expected. "When you see it from a distance, it's always underwhelming," Sam said, putting his hand on the boy's shoulder.
But as they approached, the sheer size of the stones was easier to grasp. And then he felt it, still a distance from the stones. The gentle humming rising up from the ground fairly crackled at the edge of his consciousness. Sam grinned. "You feel it? We've just entered the outer circle!" William looked at Sam confused and the man explained, "There used to be a much larger circle surrounding the inner complex, mostly wood and small stones. We know it was here because of the post-holes." After the walked on a bit in silence, Sam said, "Take out your wand."
William did as instructed, and as the instrument moved through the air, the atmosphere felt thick around it. "What is that?" he asked.
"The power," Sam said. "This site was chosen by the ancient architects, wizards of the oldest order of magickians in Western Europe. Their religion is as old as mine. They were the ancestors of the Druids, the Celts, and the Norsemen, magickally. The magickal complexes here are SO much older than anyone suspects William because they don't know the right questions. They didn't need technology to build this because they had wisdom."
Sam took the tip of his want and ever so gently touched its tip to a spot between William's eyes just above his nose, his third eye, and suddenly William found himself standing in the midst of a large ritual complex far more complete than any reconstruction. He was seeing it as the Druidic ancestors had constructed it.
He walked outside and saw the huge wall surrounding the complex. Tall, fierce-looking men with staffs manned the walls and sat around fires. The soldiers at the wall had painted their skin with mud and wore skins for protection, while the priests around the fire reclined nude, smiling and talking, their fair skin glowing by firelight, their red hair startlingly radiant. Suddenly, one of them, younger than most, looked at William and their eyes met.
William was startled; he had thought he was having a vision. But then he realized only the boy could see him. When the young priest stood, he was about 5'10" and built more like Chase than William. His skin was the color of pure milk though his shoulders were dotted cutely with freckles, which also added a touch of cuteness to his face. When he was nearer, he brushed his long red bangs from his face and revealed eyes that could only be described as sapphire, though the stones would look dull in this young man's presence.
He spoke to William in a long-lost language and saw the confusion on the boy's face, so he smiled and raised his hands to the sky, stretching his lithe muscles enticingly, and suddenly William could understand, as the boy was in the midst of his chant, "... invoke the ancient spirit of wisdom!" Seeing that William understood him, he grinned, revealing subtle dimples. "Who are you, strange spirit?"
"Strange spirit?" William laughed.
"What sort of alien skins are these you wear?" the boys said, touching his soft cotton shirt curiously. "I should rather prefer you dressed in our garb I think," he added with a giggle.
"What?" William replied, smiling helplessly.
"It would please me if you would take your odd skins off!" the boy translated with a melodic, nymph-like laugh.
William blushed and said, "I'd prefer not to..." Seeing the boy's disappointment, however, he took off his coat and pulled the shirt up over his head. Before William could stop him, he felt the boy's soft hand on his chest and beginning to travel down his abs. "No, no, please," William hurriedly said. "I am devoted to a special boy!"
"Of course you are," the boy said, drawing his hand away with a sad smile. Then he winked and said, "Still there is no harm in letting me see..."
William shook his head and kicked off his shoes before shucking his pants and underwear. William blushed harder as the boy walked around him and admired his ass and cock. "You don't think me cute?" the boy asked with an adorable smile.
William blushed and said, "Surely you can see that's not so!" as he visibly hardened. The boy's eyes widened and his own member responded in turn. Slipping his arm under William's, the boy rested his hand on William's hip and said, "Well, not for lack of trying. Come, let me show you my temple!"
"Your temple?" William asked, surprised. As they walked, he enjoyed the feel of the smooth flesh against his own. It was a feeling he missed greatly.
"I am Carollan Mac Cionaoith, High Priest of the Plain, and this is my temple," the boy smiled over at him and let his head rest on William's shoulder a little as they walked.
William laughed and asked, "Do you have a son?"
The boy smiled at him and said, "I've done my duty. Now I seek the man who will be mine.... I hoped you were him, particularly a few moments after you took off those horrible skins," Carollan added with a smile.
"Some man more deserving than me will find you and never let you go," William said, squeezing him tight.
"Why did you ask about my son?" Carollan asked.
"Because I know your descendant," William smiled.
The boy looked at him curiously and inquired, "My people remain on the Plain?"
"No, but your descendants are spread all over the world and they keep your religion alive in their hearts, worshiping in sacred groves and holy places the world over," William replied. "But I am visiting your temple's ruins, which still stands in six thousand years."
Carollan looked at him and asked, "The altar is secure?"
"There isn't an altar stone," William said.
Suddenly Carollan grabbed his hand and led him, running, toward the center of the circular complex. They entered the inner sanctum and Carollan asked, "You have never seen THIS stone?"
"No," William said.
The boy looked intense, his eyes glowing lightly, as he said, as if in a daze, "The power of this place is in the nexus, but there are nexuses crisscrossing the world. As in all magick, it is the focus that consolidates and concentrates its power, and the focus of this site is its stone. In latter days, this stone is the focus of all foci! It must be located. Everything hangs in the balance!"
William looked into his eyes and knew what he meant – "I need the stone to save him..."
"To say the VERY least," Carollan added cryptically. "You must go, but before you do... Tell me about my descendant?"
William smiled. "He's gorgeous, which isn't surprising, is it?" Carollan blushed for the first time and smiled. "He's much taller and more muscular than I, and he has a beautiful, beautiful boy who loves him dearly. He is a loyal friend."
"Then my people have done well. You have given me a great gift," Carollan said with a smile and leaned in to give William a peck on the cheek. Just before he disappeared, William saw him smile and felt the boy's hand squeeze his ass tightly. When William returned to Sam, he was laughing and crying, as he fell to his knees, feeling the energy humming in the grass beneath his hands.
"How long was I gone?" William asked.
"Gone?" Sam asked. "I touched your third eye and then you collapsed. Less than three seconds passed, but you never left."
William shook his head and said, "I was gone. I was here at Stonehenge when it was active. I met the high priest!"
"Are you sure it wasn't a dream?" Sam asked, and though he was sure, he shook his head no. He didn't want to explain what he had heard. They had to try this, altar or no altar. They had no other answers, no other hopes.
"So Carl's grandpa grabbed your ass?" Matt laughed, propped up on his elbow in bed. Matt and William were sharing since most of the young guys were partnered up with their boyfriends on this mission. Given that the bed was a small double, this meant that even though he was on his side, the full lengths of their bodies were pressed snugly together. Matt's free hand was resting on William's chest.
"Yeah! But next to you know who, he may be the hottest guy I've ever seen," William confessed with a blush.
"You're too kind," Matt teased, "but you really should tell Chase that HE is the second hottest guy when you tell him this story!"
William smiled and softly punched Matt in the bare stomach. "YOU are a distant third," William laughed.
Matt looked at him and said, sincerely, "Really?"
"You really thought you'd be higher?" William asked.
Quietly, Matt said, "I thought I'd be much lower on the list."
"To be honest you aren't a distant third," William said, "but a close runner up. You're as handsome as Chase is pretty. You two would have been a beautiful couple!"
Matt laughed, "God, yes! You know the thought didn't really occur to me until you came along. I mean I knew Chase was gay, or I was pretty sure, but I never let my mind go there until I saw that a guy like you... I mean I guess that made me see that the part of me that ALWAYS was in love with Chase wasn't bad. But I let go."
"You loved him enough," William nodded, and softly put a hand on Matt's jaw, causing the boy to close his eyes. "You're beautiful, Matt. You've got a beautiful soul." Matt, though his eyes were closed tight, could feel the warmth of William's chest against his as the boy rolled into him. He could feel the hot breath as William kissed him ever-so-softly on the lips, and then he felt the boy's cheek against his as he whispered, "And I'll always love you for that."
Matt wrapped an arm around his waist and drew him into a much tighter embrace, and they held each other in the room's soft light.
After a while, William leaned back and smiled, "So... You and Daniel?"
"What?" Matt answered with a grin. "Boy is adorable!"
"Agreed! And sweet," William replied.
"He's also so funny, when he lets his hair down," Matt said with a grin. "And the fact of the matter is, when I'm around him, my stomach is full of butterflies and my cock is hard as a rock!"
"Your cock is always hard as a rock," William teased.
"It's cause I never get any lovin'," Matt pouted with a grin.
"I bet you and Danny will work that out soon enough," William said.
"I'll wait for Danny as long as he wants. In the meantime, I get to warm my dog between your buns," Matt teased, wagging his eyebrows.
"No, no, no," William replied. "You got that backwards!"
"Everyone rested?" Sebastian asked over breakfast in the morning, and from the number of blushes he received, he figured little sleeping had actually been accomplished. It was the blushes from William and Matt, as well as those from a few of his young agents, that surprised him.
Seeing the ancient vampire arch his eyebrows at him made William's blush deepen. "Matt and I were a little cramped into that bed," he answered the look. "We're both big boys." Seeing the reply coming – that they were all big boys – he added emphasis, "We're both BIG boys. Big boys who aren't sticking it to each other, so..."
Now even Sebastian was red, even before Matt added, "And it's a damned shame because with these tools we could have wrecked each other last night!" before popping another piece of bacon into his mouth with a smirky grin at Sebastian. That grin said, `You shouldn't ask!'
A few moments later, Sebastian cleared his throat and handed out instructions to assigned teams. One team, the largest, led by Spencer and Sam, would lay the outer circle, the last line of defense and, by and large, the weakest.
Sebastian had a second group establishing a circle without precedent in the architecture of the place, between the outer circle and inner complex. The outer circle of that complex would be secured by Marcus, William, and Americ, who had joined them in the morning. The center was going to be laid down by James and Sebastian, Musa and Avery. If the center fell, the rest would only give them time to regroup and retreat, and they all knew it. By evening, candles, as yet unlit, dotted the plain in intricate designs, and the practitioners had all retreated to private locations to meditate in preparation for the evening's magick. That left Matt alone to wander and ponder the significance of the coming night.
"Scared?" a voice shocked him from his reverie in the twilight.
"No, you?" Matt asked with a smile, not turning to face the voice.
"Truthfully," Sebastian said as he appeared at the bigger boy's shoulder, taking his hand gently, "a little..."
"Comforting," Matt grinned and squeezed the soft hand in his own. "Why do I feel so close to you?"
"I don't suppose, `Because I'm here,' answers your question?" Sebastian asked as he leaned into Matt with a soft laugh.
"Not quite," Matt said, drawing him closer still with a half-hug.
"You are one of the most intriguing people I've ever met," Sebastian said honestly in the falling darkness, though it wasn't the whole truth either. "I think in part it's what Daemon sees in you. You share a lot, this tremendous beauty, this sensuality and easiness, but what in him is all darkness and chaos is all light and laughter in you. I think that's why I felt so drawn to you initially." Matt looked down at him, skeptical and also surprised at the forthrightness. "As for why you're drawn to me, I suspect in part it's my devotion to Chase, which we share, and in part ... well, one shouldn't say such things."
Matt's eyes lingered on Sebastian's too long before he looked away. "No, I suppose not," he replied.
"You know, it's funny," Sebastian said as he stared deep into the dark. "I lived a life of horrors for nearly three thousand years, and spent the last half a millennium trying to make up for it, trying to find something better." Sebastian started walking and, since he had not yet let go of Matt's hand, the boy was soon in step with him. "I've made some wonderful friends and had some very special times with them – Avery and Musa, Americ and so many others – and then I met James and the world changed for me. It became a lighter place. Which is why I couldn't let him go."
"Let him go?" Matt asked.
Sebastian smiled at him weakly and said, "You've not heard the story then? James was very nearly killed by his father. Actually he was killed by his father but before he died I gave him my blood. He was dying in my arms and he couldn't ask for help, but I couldn't let him go. But later, in the hospital ... Matt, what I'm about to tell you I've not told anyone, not even James."
"Why not?" Matt asked.
"Because I'm deeply ashamed," Sebastian said, and Matt let go of his hand, wrapping his arm around his shoulder.
"I have a feeling you shouldn't be," Matt said with a smile.
"I came into his hospital room and found an angel looming over him, Richard absolutely helpless of course. As was I... His name is Gamaliel."
"Never heard of him," Matt said.
"I'm not surprised. He is one of those very specialized angels, very powerful and important, but they don't get much press. Gamaliel attends to the Holy One, and at his discretion is dispatched to earth to retrieve the souls of the righteous."
"So he's an angel of death?" Matt asked.
"No," Sebastian replied. "When a very special soul passes, God sends Gamaliel to retrieve the soul at the moment of death and spirit it up to the highest heaven to be with God..."
"Oh, God," Matt muttered.
"Indeed!' Sebastian said darkly.
"BUT," Matt said, collecting himself, "Do you think that, in a timelessly distant future, James will lose his soul?"
"No, I don't believe that," Sebastian smiled and squeezed him back.
"Then you just prolonged the inevitable. And gave him an eternity to love you, if you both want it," Matt answered.
Sebastian turned to face him and they stood close together. "Thank you." After a brief pause he continued, "After James, meeting, and growing to love, Chase and you and William has been the most confusing and wonderful thing to happen in my long life."
Matt hugged Sebastian and stood quietly as the winds swept by them. "You know, it is okay to love more than one person? Each in his own special way?" Matt whispered.
"I suppose you'd know,'' Sebastian said with a sly grin.
Matt smiled and said, his eyes tearing up, "I do know."
"He's going to be alright," Sebastian said, rubbing his back softly. "And I you're right. I know you're right because I love you too."
Matt kissed him on the cheek and said, "I'm really feeling the love these days," with a happy laugh.
As the men began to assemble, Matt sat in the center of the stone circle and contemplated what was coming. He knew Daemon and he had a connection, a very dangerous connection. Just being near the demon made him question everything. But now there was Daniel, and Chase was in the balance, and he was sure that was more than enough.
"Is he ready?" Sam asked Sebastian.
"He's ready," Sebastian said with a frown. "He's been ready. The question is, are we?"
Sam stared at him for a moment and shook his head, before calling, "Everyone, take your places!"
In the middle of the circle, Matt stood alone, ringed by the inner circle standing stones. At the north point of that circle stood Avery Salazar, while Sebastian stood at the east, Musa at the south, and Americ in the west. Sam was in charge of the middle circle, ringed by less experienced wizards, like William, Xavier, Aiden and a hand full of agents. Wizards and witches of all calibers ranged beyond the outer circle, ready to open gates in case of all-out retreat.
"Guardian spirits of the north, I summon thee to close this magickal circle," Sebastian's voice resounded, as he began the summoning. As the inner circle closed with Americ's, "Blessed be!," a loud crack split the sky and a single bolt of lightning set a nearby tree on fire. The candles around the circle spontaneously lit and Sam began the process at his circle.
When the second circle closed, the ground beneath their feet shook violently and somewhere, a flock of birds was disturbed, filling the night with their cries. The outer circle took the longest to close, and was the least powerful, but combined they were formidable.
"It's time, Matt," Sebastian called.
Thanks to Mary for looking over this chapter.
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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