IV. How Soon is Now?
I am the son
And the heir
Of nothing in particular
I am human
and I need to be loved
Just like everybody else does
-The Smiths
They rushed to the hospital after the ambulance with their hearts in their throats. Once again, their faces weren't anything new to the staff at Gloucester Hospital; the only difference was they were asking for Pogue Parry's condition not Rowan Danvers. An hour later with Pogue stable, they stood outside the automatic doors while Caleb tried to talk to Pogue. Rowan's older brother came out like the world was on his shoulders.
"I say we go after Chase right now," Reid seethed.
"It might not be that easy," Caleb said, slapping him on the back.
"Why do you say that?" Rowan asked.
He paused. "Chase has his father's powers."
They were stunned into silence.
"He found his birth father?" Tyler said.
Caleb nodded. "Already addicted. His dad willed him his Power."
"That's fucking against the Law!" Reid exclaimed angrily.
"Isn't the first Law he's broken," Hunter said dryly.
"What does he want, Caleb?" Rowan asked quietly, dreading the answer.
He'd been hoping no one would ask that. Least of all his sister. Rowan looked so tired and worried he didn't want to add to her distress.
"Cay?" she prompted.
"Tell her," Reid said.
Rowan glanced at all of them; they averted their eyes sheepishly. Everyone knew but her! "What?"
"He wants me to will him my Power tomorrow night," Caleb told her.
And you can't do that, she thought. There was no point in saying it. If Caleb willed away his Power, he would die.
He hugged his sister. "Call me if there's a change," he said before walking out.
"Where are you going?" Rowan asked.
"Sarah's waiting downstairs."
"Oh. Okay. How is she?"
"Holding up."
After her brother left she went into Pogue's room and stood beside his bed. She wasn't used to being on this side of the spectrum, the uninjured party. She would have traded places with Pogue in a second if it made him well. Rowan touched his head lightly and he twitched. Her fingertips sizzled painlessly for a second.
"What is it?" Reid asked. Hunter and Tyler came in behind him.
"There's…" She touched Pogue again and got the same reaction. "Oh…that…asshole…" Rowan hissed under her breath.
"Explain," Hunter said.
"Chase put a spell on Pogue. Like a…parasite inside his body that enhances his pain and slows down the healing process."
None of them questioned her. When it came to spells, Rowan knew better than all of them put together. But before she could provide more information, her body went ramrod straight.
"He's going to tell!" she exclaimed and ran out of the room.
Rowan caught up with Caleb just as he and Sarah were getting into his car.
"Is something wrong?" Caleb asked, immediately concerned.
"Yes!" she nearly screamed. Rowan pulled him away.
"Wait in the car," Caleb told Sarah.
Rowan took him out of earshot. "You can't tell her!"
He was taken aback. "How did…?"
"I don't know! But I know you were! Caleb, you can't."
He sighed. "She already suspects."
"Then tell her she's wrong," Rowan insisted.
"Row, she knows the spiders are a spell."
"She thinks that because she was flipping through The Chronicles of Paganism on the first day of school," Rowan said. "That doesn't mean you have to confirm her suspicions. Put a mollifying spell on her. It's easy."
"I'm not putting a spell on her," Caleb said firmly.
"You know I don't use spells like that capriciously, Cay, but listen to me when I say she doesn't need to know."
He stared at his little sister in silence. Glanced back at Sarah who was watching them from the car. He meant it when he said that he didn't want to put a spell on her, and he couldn't bring himself to lie outright.
"Know what?" Reid asked, coming up behind them.
Caleb rolled his eyes. "I got to go."
"Go where?" Rowan asked. She blinked furtively, then her eyes focused. "The Colony house?"
Caleb pursed his lips in exasperation. Her psychometry was getting to be a pain in the ass.
"For what? You need to take her there to tell her?"
"What? You can't tell her!" Reid asserted indignantly.
"Stay out of it, Reid," Caleb ordered.
Rowan was losing her temper. "Why would you take her there, Caleb? For what? To parade dad around like a three-headed moose at a freak show? She needs visual confirmation to believe you when you reveal a secret that isn't just yours to tell?"
"You didn't ask any of us," Reid interjected.
"I said stay out of it," Caleb snapped. He turned back to his sister. "You don't get to tell me what to do, Rowan. Got it?"
"My opinion doesn't count at all?" she countered.
"You're taking this Keeper thing way too seriously," he spat, and instantly regretted it.
Rowan visibly recoiled as if she'd been slapped. For a minute the only sound was that of the wind blowing.
"Row, I'm-"
"Fine," she said, her voice a quiet whisper. "Just go. Tell her. Tell her everything. And when you're done you can take her down to the cellar, light the altar, roast some marshmallows and share each others hopes and dreams, okay?" She pivoted sharply on her heel and went back into the hospital.
"That was low, Caleb." Reid glared cold blue eyes on Caleb, feeling like socking him in the face. "What the hell makes you think Sarah can handle this?"
"You don't know her."
He scoffed. "And you do? You've known her, what, six days?" Reid laughed ruefully with a shake of his head. "This is the most fucked up thing you've ever done."
Caleb stood there until Reid was out of sight. He walked back to the car and got in without a word.
----
Rowan went home to get Bubbe and some things she would need to exorcise the parasite from Pogue's body. Reid wouldn't let her go alone with Chase on the loose. They were quiet in the jeep as Reid drove.
"Was I wrong?" she asked quietly.
"Hell no," he said, meaning it. "He deserved every word."
Rowan worried her bottom lip. "Caleb hardly ever does anything for himself. Maybe…maybe this will be good for him."
Reid was already shaking his head in disagreement. "You were right, Row. Don't start doubting yourself. This is not just his secret to tell. If he wants to go nuts, he should find another outlet." And how many freaking times had Caleb gotten on his case about "exposing them"? Now here he was ready to spill his guts to some chick he hardly knew.
When they got to Rowan's house the kids were waiting for them in the foyer.
"I'll feed them," Reid said.
She nodded and went to her sanctum sanctorum to collect what she needed. Rowan retrieved a small handbag and put the appropriate candles, gemstones, and incense she would need. And most importantly, Bubbe.
Before she left Rowan checked on her mother, dead to the world.
"Ready?" he asked quietly.
"Yeah."
----
Rowan put a masking spell on Bubbe so the hospital staff wouldn't see her. The orange tabby cat was very much a homebody and didn't like outings too much though she tolerated them occasionally. Tyler and Hunter were sitting in Pogue's room when they got back.
Bubbe instantly stiffened in her arms.
"It's okay," Rowan crooned, scratching Bubbe behind her ears. "Pogue needs your help." She placed Bubbe on the end of his bed.
Bubbe hissed and her hairs stood on end.
"Damn," Reid said.
None of them were used to seeing the cat so perturbed. Naturally she was very maternal, cuddly, sweet. Now Bubbe looked possessed.
The feline hissed again and Pogue's entire body jerked.
Rowan lit the candles and placed them on either side of Pogue's bed. She took out a seven sphere bloodstone healing wand. It was set in sterling silver with a faceted tip and the other pointed. She placed the pointed tip on Pogue's forehead gently, and when she removed her hand the 6" wand stood up by itself. Next was a double termination amethyst wand point pendant encircled by wire. It would channel the negative energy Rowan planned on expelling from Pogue's body.
"Can you guys stand around the bed?" she asked.
Tyler and Hunter stood on one side, Reid stood beside Rowan while Bubbe continued to man the end of the bed.
"Hunter, hold him down," Rowan said. "I need you guys to chant with me," she said to Tyler and Reid.
Rowan's body relaxed and she began to chant under her breath. Tyler and Reid picked up her words and joined her. The windows weren't open but the flames of the candles wisped as if a breeze were trying to stifle them. Pogue's body jerked after a few seconds. Once, twice, three times. The muscles in his face twitched spasmodically. His back arched, coming off the gurney. Hunter used his telekinetic energy to make sure Pogue didn't jackknife off of the bed completely.
An odd sound emitted from Pogue's mouth. The wand on his forehead vibrated, and the amethyst Rowan was holding over his body was swinging back and forth. A black cloud erupted from Pogue's mouth and tried to spur away. But Bubbe's hiss had it backpedaling, right into the amethyst stone. It made a sucking sound as it absorbed the parasitic energy. When it was completely trapped, the amethyst turned black.
Hunter let go of Pogue and they could see a significant difference in their brother's body. He looked more relaxed, his breathing was easier. Bubbe moved up to Pogue's head and licked his cheek, meowing softly while nuzzling him with her nose.
"Bubbe approved," Reid deadpanned.
----
They decided it was best for them to sleep under the same roof for the night, or until this thing with Chase was over. Rowan's mom was still unconscious when they got home at six in the morning. Caleb came downstairs when he heard the door open.
"How's Pogue?" he asked.
"Row took out the parasite Chase planted in him," Tyler said. "He'll be fine."
Caleb nodded. His sister avoided his eyes. He didn't blame her for still being mad at him.
"So, where's Sarah?" Reid asked snidely.
"Upstairs sleeping," he replied.
"So you told her," Hunter said. "How'd she take it?"
"She was pretty good about it."
Rowan ignored them all, heading upstairs with the three animals at her side. Every step felt hard to climb but finally she made it to her bedroom. The dregs of negative energy clung to the fibers of her clothes. She shucked them off in the bathroom and took a hot shower. Reid was lounging on her bed when she came out in her robe.
"Not tired?" she asked.
"I was waiting for you." He held up his hands innocently. "Just to sleep, I promise."
Rowan chuckled. Too fatigued to be modest she got dressed in her PJs in front of Reid, feeling his eyes on her the entire time. She combed her hair and braided it before slipping under the covers with him. He spooned her close, holding her tight. The animals jostled the bed when they jumped on and got themselves settled.
"I guess I'll have to get used to this," Reid said.
"Used to what?"
"Sharing a bed with a dog, cat, and ferret."
Rowan hmmphed. "Why would you have to get used to that?"
"For when we move in together," Reid said as if she should have already known.
Rowan turned her head to look at him with a quizzical expression that he could make out in the dark.
He smiled. "Not now. After we graduate."
"I didn't know we were going to cohabitate after graduation."
"What? You think we'll be living in dorms?" He shook his head. "Nah, I've done the dorm thing. After high school it'll be you and me in the same bed."
"Ohh, is that your aim? Just to sleep in the same bed?" Rowan turned on her other side to face him fully.
Reid's expression was serious though. "I like going to sleep with you then waking up next to you. You don't?"
"I do."
He smiled. "Then it's settled. After high school we'll move in together."
He said it so easily and definitively that Rowan was still put off. The topic had come out of nowhere. "You're serious?"
"Yeah."
As if supporting this idea, Bruce Lee skittered up by their heads and fell asleep.
"See? Bruce Lee likes it."
Rowan half-grinned. Cuddled up close to him. "Love you."
"Love you, too."
----
Sarah Wenham had disturbing dreams throughout the night. Caleb's dad's face kept superimposing itself onto Caleb's, causing her to wake up with sharp gasps of fear and dread. She couldn't believe her boyfriend was a warlock; Kate was under a spell because Chase wasn't the all-around good guy he had appeared to be; and somehow she had gotten caught up in the web of chaos. No, Caleb was telling her that Chase wanted him to basically commit suicide by giving up his Power. That would be what would happen if he did. It was like being in a continuous episode of the Twilight Zone.
She rubbed her eyes, turned over in bed…and screamed.
Not five seconds later Caleb rushed in to see her scrambling out of bed that a furry creature now occupied while going spastic.
She had her hand over her heart, but was already calming down. It was just an animal.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah," she breathed. "It just surprised me."
"Bruce Lee, stop," Caleb said, picking up the animal by its scruff and holding it at eye level. The ferret quieted down and Caleb held it normally. "Sorry, he's excitable."
"It's okay," she said. "What is that? A…"
"Ferret," he finished with a lopsided grin. "He's friendly."
Sarah nodded.
"So…how did you sleep?"
She made a so-so gesture with her head. The room he had put her in was right across from his and was as big as her living room back home. She wasn't used to such opulence, his home was a museum.
"Are you hungry?" Caleb asked. "Row's downstairs making breakfast."
"God, what time is it?" She ran her hand through her hair.
"A little after eleven."
She followed him downstairs in her pajama pants and t-shirt. Caleb was wearing boxers and t-shirt. The chattering in the kitchen stopped when they came through the swinging door. Rowan was at the counter flipping pancakes; Reid's fork halted midway to his mouth. They all stared at her expectantly, warily. She knew their secret now.
"Morning, Sarah," Rowan said. "Sit down. I hope you like pancakes."
"Yeah," she replied. Caleb pulled out a chair for her, sat down next to her.
"Do you like anything in your pancakes? Blueberries? Chocolate chips?"
"Um…plain, is fine."
"Whipped cream on top?"
Sarah laughed. "No, thank you."
Rowan nodded and turned back to the pan. Five minutes later she was setting a plate of golden pancakes, scrambled eggs, and sausage in front of Sarah.
"Thanks, Row," Caleb said when she set a plate in front of him, too.
She just nodded. Rowan was still stung by his comment the previous night.
When Rowan joined them at the table with her breakfast, things started to iron out. As they ate their breakfasts the three animals looked on, hoping someone would drop something.
"So…do you always cook for them?" Sarah asked.
Rowan smirked.
"She spoils us," Tyler said.
"Yeah, she goes all out on our birthdays," Hunter added.
Sarah smiled. Caleb had told her that Rowan made their favorite breakfasts on their birthdays and they all made a morning out of it. A tradition that had gone on for several years. So what would happen tomorrow morning? Maybe she should go back to the dorms and let them have their time together.
"Nothing better than having a girlfriend who can cook," Reid bragged.
Said girlfriend rolled her eyes.
Naturally, it was Reid who brought up the pink elephant in the room. "So, Sarah, what do you think?"
Caleb glared at Reid who blithely ignored him. The blond figured that Caleb hadn't been considerate to anyone else, so why should he? Besides, they had a right to know if they had a "witchist" in their midst.
Her pancake thickened in her throat and it hurt going down. She glanced at all of them uncomfortably.
"You don't have to say anything," Caleb told her.
Rowan nudged Reid's foot under the table.
"Just curious," Reid stated with a shrug of his shoulders and went back to his food. Hardly anything could ruin his appetite.
When they were done eating, Hunter said, "I got the dishes."
"I'll help," Tyler added.
"Thanks, guys," Rowan said.
Hunter glared pointedly at Reid.
"What? How many people does it take to clean up?" Reid inquired. "I mean, I can have it done in two seconds…"
"Lazy," Tyler accused with a shake of his head.
"No, it's pragmatic."
"Whoa, big word!" Hunter exclaimed. "Where'd you get that one?"
"Rowan's Word of the Day calendar," Tyler smirked.
The group laughed.
"As a matter of fact, I did. That was today's word," Reid said.
Rowan, though amused, left the kitchen and their witty banter. She showered and changed into jeans, tee, and her Chucks. It was rainy and cool so she put on her knee-length black jacket.
"Where you headed to?" Caleb asked.
"To see Dad," she replied shortly. She ran a brush through her hair.
"Why?"
"Oh, gee, I don't know, Caleb, because he's our dad?"
He pursed his lips. "Okay, I guess I deserve that." When his sister kept mum, he walked further into her room. "I'm sorry about what I said last night." Silence. "I didn't mean it."
"I'll chock it up to your pre-Ascension PMS."
He snorted. The fact that his sister was making a joke meant that she wasn't completely mad at him still.
"That's your one get-out-of-being-a-douchebag-free-card. Got it?"
Caleb laughed. "Yeah. I got it." He hugged her. "I love you."
"Love you, too, Cay."
----
The drive to see her dad was a quiet one. She didn't put on any music or hum to herself to relax her mind. Rowan was glad to have cleared things up with Caleb because she didn't like to have tension between them. Especially with so many things going on, his hurtful blurb the previous night seemed small compared to everything else that was happening. He was worried like the rest of them, anxious about his-
Rowan slammed on the brakes, hard. Chase Collins had appeared out of nowhere five feet in front of her bumper. She tried to catch her breath. Any vehicular surprises were enough to trigger a slight anxiety attack. When she had herself under control, she shut her engine off and got out of the car. The wind whipped her hair in her face and she hastily brushed it aside. Oddly, now that she knew who Chase was, he did not bring to mind frightful images of Augustus Putnam.
"Hello…Lil Bit," Chase said, using the diminutive her brothers used. It sounded tainted coming from his lips.
"That was dangerous. I could have hit you," she told him.
He scoffed. "That would have solved your problems, huh?"
Rowan was standing with the back of her leg touching the bumper of her jeep. Chase was two arm spans away from her.
"I don't want to hurt you."
His brow rose. "Really, now? Not even after I hurt your…brother?"
"I'm not a violent person by nature. And Pogue will be fine. He's strong."
A sneer marred Chase's lips.
Rowan's hands clenched inside her jacket pockets. "What do you want?"
"Your brother asked me that last night."
She shook her head. "I mean right now. Why are you here?"
"I realized," – he took small steps around in a contemplative manner – "that you and I have hardly had a chance to talk. What with my having such a negative affect on your senses. Why is that?" He smiled at her.
She was silent for a moment. "You remind me of one of your ancestors."
Chase's face went slack.
"Augustus Putnam," she said. "The father of John Putnam. I think you know that part."
He didn't know very much about his ancestors being so separate from the families. Chase was sure not to let his face betray his interest. "Was he powerful, too?"
"He had power," Rowan replied. "He was also addicted."
His face twitched.
"He never asked for another member of the Covenant to will him his Power though. Even he knew that was against the Laws. The others wouldn't have stood for it."
"Because Augustus didn't have as much power as I do."
"That's true." The chill breeze made her shiver. "My brother wasn't lying when he told you that having more power wouldn't stop the aging. It'll make it worse."
Anger swelled in his chest and it became visible on his face.
"You don't even know what that much power will do to you. It could damage your brain. It might even kill you."
"I'm willing to take the chance," he spat.
Rowan felt compassion for him. She couldn't imagine what it would have been like to have grown up with no guidance or knowledge of his Power. He must have been so scared when they first manifested on his thirteenth birthday. And then his eighteenth.
"Let me help you," she said, her words surprising even herself.
He half-grinned, amused. "Help me? How could you help me?"
Rowan felt her own power rising within her. The power she had never consciously evoked. Even the few times it had risen to the surface for even the briefest of moments, it had drained her of energy to the point of unconsciousness.
"To help your addiction," she said. "You're not so far gone."
Chase chuckled. "That's rich."
"Why give up on yourself?" she asked. Rowan took a step forward. "You can fight it, you know."
"I don't want to fight it," he snapped. "I like it."
"You sure? The constant pulsing in your mind? The constant whispers, telling you to use and use again? Even when you're too tired, too sick of it all. You just want it to stop but you can't because your Power has its claws so deep inside you. Sometimes it hurts."
"What would you know about it?" he sneered viciously. "What do you know anything about power?" Chase took a heavy step towards her; he was so close now she could feel his body heat. "I can sense magic in your veins. But what can you do?"
And she let her spirit come forth. Her eyes turned as white as a baby lamb. And a luminescent glow surrounded her. Rowan felt it coursing through her, swimming on the surface of her consciousness. It was exhilarating in a way, but scary, too.
Chase took a step back, astonishment clear as crystal on his face. "What the hell are you?"
"The Keeper of the Covenant." Rowan held out her hand. "Let me help you."
Chase stared at her extended hand as if it were a cobra ready to strike.
"Please," Rowan said. She could already feel her power taking a toll on her energy. She wasn't used to this. Her body wasn't strong enough to sustain it.
He was shaking his slowly. "No."
"It's not too late."
He looked her in her immaculate eyes. Free of subterfuge, malice. Full of sympathy, compassion.
"No," he whispered under his breath fiercely. And he was gone.
The power flickered and petered out completely. Rowan fell to her knees, the world spun around her. She collapsed on her side into a ball. What was it Lucius had said? Being a Keeper wasn't about having more power than those you watched over. A Keeper might not have much magic power at all. Really, it was about strength of the spirit, keeping the Covenant together, keeping the bond strong.
Rowan tamped down the urge to vomit. She didn't want to open her eyes. She felt someone lifting her off of the ground.
"It's okay, Row," Hunter said.
She never made it to see her father.
----
The rain pelted against Rowan and Hunter, soaking them. They made their way through the fire and debris of what was once the old Putnam barn. They found Chase's inert body among rubble, flames licking close, trying to get a taste of him. Hunter nudged him with his foot. Nothing.
"Okay," Rowan said. "Hold him down."
Hunter easily restrained Chase with his telekinetic energy. Enough so he couldn't move, but not even to crush him.
Rowan took out a clear stone from a small drawstring pouch. When she let go of it it floated above Chase's body. She began to chant, the words resounding around them, building up energy. Chase's body bowed off of the ground, and a cry of pain tore from his throat.
A cloud erupted through his chest, the gem above him absorbed the Power that had once been Chase's father's.
When Rowan touched the stone, it was hot and vibrating.
"Can you feel that?" she asked Hunter.
"Yeah," he replied.
She put the stone in the pouch and clutched it tightly in her hand.
"What do we do with him?" Hunter asked.
Chase's eyes snapped open. And he disappeared in a howling cloud of smoke.
----
"How can that be?" Sarah was asking him.
Caleb stared at the ruins of the Putnam barn, bewildered. The firemen were putting out the fire and had told him that no one had been found inside or around the barn. How could Chase have survived the explosion? He couldn't worry about that now.
He felt his Power coursing through him like a rapid. Ascending had hurt. He hadn't expected another bout of power though. He wasn't sure where it had come from, but he thought he knew, just wasn't ready to let the answer form.
Caleb held Sarah's hand, and without thinking repaired his broken windshield.
Jesus, she thought. What have I gotten myself into?
I had planned to write a little of the fight, but it seemed superfluous.
I hope the bit changes weren't too bad.
Love to know what you think.
Thank you to those who've been reading and reviewing. Much appreciated.
