A/N: I think this might be the first Covenant Fic, but I saw the movie last night and really enjoyed it, so I thought why not write a fanfic for it? Moving along... Read and respond if you'd like. I always enjoy thought out critique.
My eyes open, slowly letting the dawn's light into my throbbing skull. Hangovers are a bitch. I lever myself into an upright position, and scan the room, not really expecting to see anything abnormal, but always on the lookout. In the months since Chase and I fought, I haven't slept a full night, let alone slept well. Pogue tells me to just accept that he must have died in the fire; that he can't be hiding in the shadows, waiting to come back for his personal vengeance. But I can't believe that.
Chase returned to Ipswich just to get vengeance for a slight, an insult. A 300 year old insult at that, and one given to a man dead these 300 years, but felt by the first born male of his line ever since. That insult and Chase's craving for more Power, were what brought him back to Ipswich and what lead to our showdown in the old Putnam barn. I hadn't planned on surviving. I'd just hoped to get Sarah out alive and hope the others could get away safely. But Mother took care of me, even when I told her not to. She convinced Father to do the unthinkable, to will me his power, and with that I was more than a match for Chase.
The book of Damnation says that of the five families, the Danvers and Putnams consistently produced the strongest Users, that they were often equally matched. But when I fought Chase, I knew we weren't equals. Maybe his father was weak, or maybe it was Chase himself who was weak, but their strengths were a poor match against my own melded to my Father's. Seeing that gout of flames erupt from where I'd launched his body shook me to the core. I'd thought I'd killed him, but when the firefighters couldn't find a corpse, a skeleton, or even evidence of either, I began to doubt he was truly gone.
Standing, I walk over to my closet and grab a towel. Wrapping it around my waist, I enter the bathroom. Turning on the Shower, I drop the towel on the counter and step in, loving how the hot water takes the chill off the air, and begins warming my night-chilled skin. Using the mirror hanging on the shower wall, I carefully shave my face, and then move on to my chest, arms, and the rest of my body. I used to worry about shaving my body, but years of competitive swimming have taught me that to be the best you have to be the sleekest in the water. With a twist of the knob, the hot jet of water turns off, and I lean out to grab my towel. A plume of steam fills the bathroom, and I rub the soft towel in my hair. Letting the towel fall to my shoulders, I step to the mirror and reach for my toothbrush, but out of the corner of my eye I see a dark shape.
Almost without thought, I grab my Power, and prepare to blast whatever it is through the wall… but there's nothing there. Not a person, not a shadow, not so much as a bug on the wall. Turning back to the mirror, I grab my toothbrush, and begin scrubbing my teeth. After spitting out the suds I look back into the mirror and drop my toothbrush in shock.
Scrawled across the mirror is a message:
Sleep well sweet prince, I want you well rested when I come for your Power
I scrub at it with my hand, trying to wipe away that dark writing, but it only gets darker. Seizing the Power again, I wipe using that, and suddenly the writing bursts into writhing flames. With a curse, I stumble backwards, trying to avoid the malicious flames, but before anything else catches fire, they wink out of existence. Chase is still alive, and he's back.
The snow isn't a problem for my silver convertible, the wedge of Power in front of my hood makes sure of that, but I think even without it, the car would handle well. I'm driving over to Spencer Academy, hoping to see Sarah. She's been a bit out of touch lately, trying to focus on her studies, and trying to grasp what it means to be dating a powerful witch. The few times we've fought it's come up…. "Why don't you just put a spell on me? Then I'd have to do what you want me to…" or "You could always fix this with Magic, why don't you?" She always apologizes later, but it worries me. Mother says it's normal, and she said some of the same things to Father before they settled down and got married.
Sunlight glistens on the crisp snow that buries all the dead leaves from autumn as I pull into the empty parking lot of the Academy. Most everyone has gone home for the Winter break, but not Sarah. She decided to stay here. It means I get to see a lot more of her, but with how distant she's become it's almost like being alone still. A deft touch of the Power could unlock the door for me, but I don't want to let it addict me. I have to use it sparingly, and right now, there's a non-magical way to get in: cell phones. Dialing Sarah's number, I glance at her window, and see the light on.
"Hey there Caleb, are you here?" She sounds happy, content even… I can only hope that means she's worked it all out in her head.
"Yeah, I'm downstairs. Wanna come let me in?"
"Be there in a minute." Click. The last sound I hear is her phone closing. I watch my breath mist in the air, and I shudder, remembering the message from Chase. Suddenly I feel a hand on the nape of my neck, and I jump, yelling. It's only Sarah, and she's laughing, her eyes crinkled with it. Before she can say anything, I swoop in, and pull her into a kiss. Before we break, I feel her fingers twirling in the short hairs on the back of my neck. God I love that.
Taking my hand, she silently leads me upstairs, through the mostly empty hallways. We pass the information counter, waving at the dour old woman sitting behind it. Gladys had never enjoyed being the Dorms Mistress, but she enforced the rules fairly and fiercely. Her sour smile made us both grin, holding in laughter as we entered the stairs, rushing to Sarah's floor, to get out of the unheated halls and into her warm, cozy room. As we close the door, we continue the kiss from before, and it's sweet. My coat falls to the floor, her zip up fleece joins it, and soon enough, we're lying on her bed. I kick my shoes off, using my toes to peel the socks off too, as I stroke her sides and kiss her mouth. She puts her hand on my chest, and pushes herself up so our eyes meet.
"Caleb, are we safe?" And with that one phrase, the whole mood changes. I pull her in close, resting her head on my chest, and begin lightly stroking her shoulder.
"Yes, for now… I think we are." I say, my voice sounding more confidant than I feel. "I know I'm stronger than Chase, but he's got the element of surprise. He gets to decide when he comes for us. All I can do is be ready for him." She's tense now.
"What will you do when he comes?"
I pause in my strokes, my fingers curling around her shoulder. "I'll finish whatever it is he starts." For some reason she laughs.
"Sometimes, Caleb Danvers, you're very much a man." Her laugh turns into a giggle, but before I can ask what she means, she's kissing me again. I guess I soothed her fears… or something.
Later, we're snuggled on her bed, a fleece blanket wrapping us tightly, my warm feet resting on her chilly ones, her head tucked under my chin, and all I can do is wonder. What will I do when he comes? He's already here. What will I do, now that I know he's able to enter my own home and threaten me there? I slowly pull myself out from under the fleece, and tuck Sarah into it, and the rest of her bed.
Pulling on the Power, I summon a spell. Most spells are forbidden to us by Covenant law, but this one is not only not forbidden, but it's taught to each of us as soon as we're able to control enough Power to use it. As the spell forms in my mind, a large wolf comes bounding down the hallway. He's black as my eyes must be right now, his own eyes are even darker than that.
"Guard this room and the two who live in it." In my mind, I picture Sarah and Kate. The wolf just stares at me. "Guard them from any other who would set spells against them, especially spells using spiders or other vermin, insects, or arachnids."
With a nod I took for assent, the wolf faded into nothingness. It would do its job, protecting the girls whether I was there or not. Slipping back into the room, I climb back into my place under the fleece, and when Sarah stirs, I just whisper nothings into her ear, calming her. As I close my eyes, I see a dark pair in the mirror and know my spell is guarding us.
Hours pass, and I feel a sharp jab in my ribs.
"Wake up Caleb! I saw something!" My eyes instantly fly open, and find Sarah standing near the window looking out into the winter wonderland that is the North East. I climb off the bed and come to stand beside her.
"What did you see?" I ask as I scan the grounds below her window.
"There, near the woods. I saw a man in a hoodie watching this window, but before I could yell or say anything a black dog appeared out of no where and chased him off, into the woods." She pointed to an area of snow that had obviously seen a bit of action. Yes, the spell worked.
"It's OK Sarah. We're safe, though I think that was Chase's first move against us."
Damn, he's strong. I've never had to fight off a Guardian that strong before… Lucky for me it gave up the chase when I fled. She saw me though. Damn it all. The Power fills me as I pull it into me, and suddenly a tree trunk explodes, sending shards of wood into the air and with a crash the top falls to the ground. That felt good, but I shouldn't Use as much… I've got to resist the urge… I don't want to end up a wasted old man before I'm in my forties.The snow crunches under my boots as I hike back to the old road I'd parked on.
I see the truck, the bike and the humvee sitting outside the gate as I pull up alongside them. Per the norm, I arrive last. I don't deliberately do it, but I do enjoy the entrance I get to make. As I step into my family Home, four sets of eyes lock onto me. Apparently Gorman had some more wisdom for my friends.
"It's good to see you back here Caleb. I'd begun to doubt whether I'd ever see you again." His voice is raspy and old, but it's sounded like that since before I was born. Every Gorman Twoberry had a raspy voice like that, and every one of them served the Covenant Families. I knew Gorman had a son, somewhere, also named Gorman, but that man would not take on the duties of his father until that same father decided it was time.
"It's good to see you too Gorman. I've just been a bit stressed, and trying to relax. Does my father need anything?" At the shake of his head, I continued, "Do you have any wise words for my young skull?"
It was an old phrase, an old pattern between friends, and it brought a grin to the older man's face.
"I'll always have wise words for your thick skull, boy." He turned to a side table and picked up a book. "This, though, is someone else's wise words for young skulls. Read it, learn from it, and come back to me when you're finished."
Taking the book from him, I read the cover: The Words of Danvers. I frown as I flip it over, and then open the cover, looking for a summary or any clue to its purpose. Not finding one, I open it to the front page.
In this tome, you, my reader, will find the words of the Danvers men. I began writing in it shortly after my ascension, and I will give it to my son when he too ascends. See that you pass this book on when your own son comes into his own.
I flip through it, noting every few pages a new handwriting takes over, there are gaps of anything from as few as 15 years to as large as 36 years in the dates on the corners of the pages, but each and every hand that had added to this book had been one of my Ancestors. I hug Gorman, and then put the book into my coat pocket. My father had not lived to give me the book, but I'm sure I'll find his words in it, words of wisdom for me, from my Father when he was just entering into his Power.
Leaving us to ourselves, Gorman climbs the stairs to his rooms, right next to the living room where my Father spent the last five years of his life. I look over at my friends, and have to wonder at the looks they give me. Pogue looks a little jealous, Reid definitely looks jealous, and Tyler looks a bit in awe. Tyler is the youngest of us, his birthday is a few days off, and then he'll ascend into his full Powers. Reid ascended a few weeks ago, but still mopes because even without my Father's Powers, I'd still be much stronger than him. Pogue ascended shortly after me, just a week later, but he got over being weaker than me almost in the same breath. The question is, how long would it take Tyler to adjust to it.
Right now, if we were to measure our Power against each other, it would be like a child measuring against a marine. Pogue and Reid are more like scrawny college kids against a marine, despite being ascended. I don't understand what their problem is, but all I can do is hope they adjust sooner or later.
"Guys, I asked you to come here…" I started but Reid cut me off.
"More like ordered us to be here. Just because you're the strongest doesn't mean you can just order us around Caleb." He sneered at me, and I took a deep, calming breath.
"Asked or ordered, it doesn't matter. Chase is back. I wanted to warn you. He's not a match for me, but he is stronger than any of you, you especially Tyler. You've got to watch out, until you ascend, he could destroy you without much effort." I tried to meet the younger boy's eyes, but he wouldn't let me. Maybe jealousy is starting off early in him. I look to Pogue, who's frowning. He remembers what it was like to match his strength against Chase's. That ended up with Chase coming after me, and Pogue in the Intensive Care Unit.
"I think I can take him." Reid declares, his pride wrapped up in the idea he could out do me in something.
"Whatever man, just keep an eye out so he doesn't take you with your pants down." Pogue snickers and I look at him with a question in my eyes, he ignores it, but Reid blushes and glares at Pogue. I guess even in a tight circle of friends there are secrets.
Our little gathering ended quickly as none of us wanted to be out in the night driving to our respective homes alone. As the sun set, I drove out following Pogue's bike. We didn't really live all that close together, but better safe than sorry.