Chapter 21

Caleb jumped to the side, landing close to Reid. He looked down at him, then back up, shaking his head. Something's not right, Tyler thought, resisting the urge once more to run out there and help. It'd be easy. It'd be so easy. Run out there, tackle Pogue, proceed to cause as much damage as possible while Caleb came up and delivered the finishing blow. But I don't think it'd go down like that. Caleb may try to talk it out with Pogue, try to get him to relinquish his demand and carry on with this like it never happened. Except for the whole trying to kill me two times over. He wouldn't let that one lie easily. Tyler watched the two bounce back and forth, the fight turning into an artistic warfare. It became a dance of strategy and intelligence, going off of what they knew of each other. Pogue would have the upper hand for a moment before Caleb would come swinging back, striking his blows over and over and over again, attempting to whittle the younger brother down into nothing. Kate stayed to the side, Sarah watching her like a hawk. Every move Kate made, Tyler knew from the sudden flexing of Sarah's body, contemplating and resisting the urge to go out there unprotected.

One particular blow sent Caleb flying and landing next to Reid, causing him to knock into the blonde. Caleb quickly stood up and checked Reid over, who moved, bringing a hand up to his skull, before back to his leg. Tyler could see Pogue's grin widen, completely open-mouthed by the time Reid was up on his feet.

Tyler took in the picture, wondering if any challenges for leadership in the past had turned out anything like this. Caleb, leather jacket hanging open, both jacket and shirt ripped in many places. His face was bright red from the cold, wind, and exertion, eyes dark as they stared at Pogue. He had an arm around Reid's waist, the blonde having a supporting arm around Caleb's neck. His own jacket was open and dirty, his breath showing strongly in the chill weather. The sun was beginning to set, the pain on Reid's face still quite evident.

Pogue began laughing out loud, held up his hand, and snapped his fingers, the simple action echoing throughout the field, spreading louder and louder. Reid slipped out of Caleb's arm and fell back onto the ground, arms moving up and covering his ears. Thrashing his head back and forth, the pain in his leg didn't seem to bother him anymore, even as the cut split back open and began bleeding furiously.z

"What spells did you put on him?" Caleb asked frantically, glancing back from Pogue to Reid.

"Do you really want to know? Just so you may have a chance at saving him? You even said so yourself it's pretty much too late, especially now that they've all matured and tied in together. How are you going to defeat me and save him at the same time?"

Tyler growled, startling Sarah next to him. "Easy, Simba. I don't think we can go out there just yet..."

Tyler stared at her for a moment, before turning back, seeing the skin around Reid's leg beginning to darken again. Reid began clawing at his head, scratching at the skin aggressively around his temples and ears. Caleb stepped near him, causing Reid to yell out and turn onto his side, curling into a ball.

"If it makes you feel better, I'll allow one of you to be coherent enough to get him to an asylum. Maybe the nurses there will be able to calm him down enough to allow the voices to momentarily leave him alone from time to time. If he's out of the public eye for a while, I really think it'd be good for his wellbeing. Maybe he'll be able to attend a university in a few years, when he's up for the challenge."

Tyler suddenly recognized the spell. Before Caleb even had a chance to respond, he burst out from the side of the house. It was an old spell Tyler knew Pogue's family was good at. With the type of disciplining Tyler had grown up with as well, his father had threatened to use the spell on him enough times. When Tyler was sixteen, he decided to do some research to see if there was anything he could do to defend himself, which he could. He had learned the counter spell, something in Latin, and hoped that he could use it on himself if need be.

"Tyler!" He heard vaguely from behind him, Tyler pushing everything he had into getting to Reid without harm. He thought he felt everyone's eyes on him, but a quick glance around told him exactly what he needed to know; Kate was too far off to cause any damage, Pogue was closer to Kate than he was to Caleb, Caleb was closer to Reid than Tyler was, but Tyler was now further away from Sarah, leaving her an open target as well. He heard more than he saw though, an aggressive yell coming from one of the brunettes, and another tirade of the power flew around them, Tyler doing his best to avoid anything that came remotely near him. He jumped up at Reid, grabbed his hands from his head, seeing the deep scratches, skin and blood under Reid's nails. His eyes had rolled up back into his head, Tyler knowing Reid had probably been under the spell for far too long. Sitting on Reid's waist, holding the blonde's hands together and forcing his head to remain still was a greater difficulty than he expected. He had to ignore Reid's rambling about the voices, and begin a steady counter spell. He had no idea what the words meant, but knew they had a small tie in with the dark ages and renaissance in breaking demons from a person's heart and soul.

Tyler felt something brush past his head, attempting to either break his concentration or knock him out, he wasn't sure, but he was relying on Caleb wholeheartedly in distracting Pogue from the two of them. Another something sped by his head, Tyler trying his hardest to keep Reid stabilized. Another voice rang out, female, soon Tyler recognizing it was Sarah. He wondered what she was doing, but focused again on Reid. This was the least he could do for the blonde after all of the stress and disappointment he's been put through. The words flowed, not gracefully, but in a steady enough pulse that within a few moments he could see an improvement. Reid's body began calming down, beginning with his breathing beginning to slow. Tyler wasn't able to release his hold on the hands just yet, otherwise he knew they would tense right back up and proceed to try to dig out his brain.

A sudden flash went off, blinding Tyler as a sudden shockwave rode through the ground, the echoing boom filling his ears. He faltered in his words as the ground shook around them, Reid's hands fighting to break free. His did his best to stay his ground, but he couldn't absorb a lot of the impact. Without thinking of the consequences he grabbed his powers and put a shield around them, proceeding back into the counter spell. Reid began to calm down, the rumbles progressively ending. Tyler felt warm, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead. He had to do this for Reid. He was going to fix his mistakes. He owed his Brother that much after all of his lies and secrets.

Finally, Reid's eyes closed, the blonde relaxing. A sudden crack broke Tyler's focus, paralyzing his ears and spine with the intensity of the sound. His mind blanked and he felt the shield crash around him, Tyler's vision blacking out for a moment. His heart pounded in his ears, his breath not far behind, lungs expanding further than he's ever needed them to. His vision returned, Tyler pushing himself up onto his knees, scouting the area. Sarah and Kate he first found back where they had found her hiding in the tree, but Caleb and Pogue were somewhere else. He checked Reid and saw he was breathing deeply, body calm. The black around his leg though was still intense, spreading all over his skin.

Tyler looked around again, thinking of the house, woods, air, field, by the well, his eyes then focusing on a large mound of dirt towards the driveway entrance to the clearing. The embankment raised high, facing away from their direction, with rocks, snow, and trees disturbed and upturned from the shockwave. Tyler stayed where he was, waiting for the two to appear again. A sudden crash came from behind Tyler, causing him to drop over Reid and look towards the direction. He briefly saw Pogue on the ground, snow smeared all over his body. Tyler saw Caleb floating over him, snow hugging his pants thickly. A lash of power came from Caleb, strapping Pogue to the ground.

"Will he stay there? I'll go get Sarah then," he called out, startling Caleb.

"What? Yes, please go get Sarah. If Reid is stable, he's safe right here."

Tyler nodded and got up, running over to Sarah. His legs threatened to give out on him, but he had to do this. He wasn't as weak as they thought he was. And if he truly was, then he could begin training right now. He came up to the two girls, a little nervous in attempting to break up the catfight. Sarah let out a yell and dug the heel of her boot deep into Kate's hip. The darker girl gasped and fell back, Sarah looking over at Tyler. "Shall we carry her over?"

Tyler nodded and they quickly put Kate's arms over their shoulders, Tyler grabbing his power and wrapping Kate's ankles together. They rushed across the clearing as quickly as possible, Tyler's vision slowly darkening. He did his best to keep his step steady and quick, but he knew Sarah was holding back. A minute later they came up to Caleb, dropping Kate right in front of him. Tyler stumbled backwards from the sudden lack of weight, legs finally collapsing, muscles and limbs numb. He tried standing back up, but hands were holding him down. Why are they pushing me back down? I want to stand up. I have to make sure my legs are okay. His vision began dimming, Tyler fighting his body's command, and the pressure of those around him.

~~/~~

He felt light, floating steadily in air around him. There was no pressure, but his head hurt. Nothing was pounding out of control, just hanging out, waiting, listening. His ears tuned to the area around him, explosions of booms around him. Deep voices were yelling commands, others responding in their own codes, some frantic, others steady and controlled. He moved his neck, pressure beginning to build around his body. He didn't know what was going on, but his head still hurt, causing his thoughts to slow.

"Come on buddy, wake up. You'll be fine, just open your eyes."

He tried. He knew they needed to be open. He needed to get back into action. The voices became more clear, the codes and chatter beginning to unravel and make sense. He felt weight press around him, cutting his breath off for a few seconds. He opened his eyes, struggling to remember how to breathe.

"That's right, come on, see, you're fine. Just show me those eyeballs and we'll get you up and out of here."

He gave another attempt, having more success as he finally realized breathing was in and out. No big deal. Carefully he blinked his eyes, feeling weak. A bright light caused him to turn his head, attempting to catch something darker to look at. Suddenly he felt hands all over him, flopping him around like a doll. He then was sitting up, very unbalanced, falling forward as the hands grabbed him again, repositioning him.

"Simms! I demand that you respect your authority and sit up straight. You aren't about to quit the game now."

"Yes sir!" Tyler tried, focusing on sitting still, his muscles locked, hands stiff with a tight grip on the table.

"You're mission was almost aborted because of your idiot thinking. You have another chance. Get out there and get rid of the enemy!"

Boots walked off, Tyler catching the backside of a man's head, brown hair cropped close, green hat sitting on his head. "Take this. Snort it, quick." Tyler's head was gripped and turned, Tyler comprehending the rolled bill in his hand and the black piece of granite in front of him with four lines across it. He quickly inhaled the first line, "Again," commanding the second one's disappearance, booming once more with the third. His chest expanded wide, his heart pumping aggressively. He looked up and around, seeing Aaron next to him.

"All right, I have your attention. You have to get back on the field. The Guard is coming up from the south. The Grey is flanking on the sides, but our Reds are lining the borders, ready to attack. We need you to sneak down the southeastern edge and take out the commanding officer. Do you understand?"

"Yeah. The commanding officer has a yellow arm wrap, right?"

"Correct. Now, one more and get the hell out there."

Tyler quickly finished off the last line, coherent and functional enough now to slide off the table, holding his balance steady. He looked around the dark tent, lights in each corner providing a warm glow. Aaron began handing his weapons back, Tyler rhythmically putting them where they belonged. His mind was beginning to spin, catching up with the rest of him. It was hard to remember what happened still, but he remembered enough of his training to get him by. He was the assassin, after all. When he was settled, he gracefully snuck outside, quickly heading towards the southeast. His gear was heavy, but he had to push on to beat the troops. With his light frame he moved swiftly through the trees, pausing now and again to see if he could hear the troops. Finally, his skills began to pay off and come back to memory as he heard the troops, crouching low and holding still against a tree as the first group passed. When it was silent he moved again, sprinting now through the trees knowing he was on the right path. The first group always searched the widest parameter. It'd only be a matter of time now until he saw the flag he wanted.

Memories of what happened clipped at the edge of his mind, but he didn't allow them to cause any distraction. He'd deal with them later, after he was allowed to sleep. The white flag suddenly bounced between the trees, Tyler grabbing onto a low tree branch and the trunk to help him stop, dropping flat as soon as he heard the bark crunch under his gloves. The low rumble of movement in the distance seemed to continue on, Tyler beginning to crawl forward towards the troops, using the sporadic rocks and trees as the best cover. The crescent moon helped him hide well, making it in good time to the end of the troops.

Now he had to take action.

He quickly scoped the area, seeing his target on a grey horse, the yellow armband pronounced in the surrounding torches. This was the ending to everything, to all the battles and conspiracies, to the heartbreak and terrors. All of the spells the warlock had placed on his followers would be broken, and everything would soon get back to where it was supposed to be.

Tyler counted six guardsmen on smaller black horses, forming a rhombus. He shifted his favorite piece to the side, looking around. Could he use the sniper this close? If so, how quickly would he be able to dismantle it and get out without further harm touching him? That idea sounded horrible. The figures moved in between more trees, Tyler following and scouting. His other artillery required short range, but a consistent thump across his chest couldn't make him forget about his faithful friend. He quickened his pace to pass the six again. He'd have six shots. He began going through the parts of the body, which had armor and which had no protection. He could bring down the two surrounding the leader, but who was to say that he didn't have a shield on him? The shots could bounce off and his cover would be blown. Or, he could bring down the guard and make it a one on one. It'd only be a matter of time before the rest of the guard arrived again.

Stopping a good amount ahead, he laid on the ground, planting his fingers into the hard dirt. He opened his mind, a low electric shock traveling down his arms, through his fingers and into the ground. The current traveled through the ground, attempting to catch anything from the demented warlock. The power began to fizz out, finally bouncing off of something that wasn't supposed to be. He opened his eyes, quickly cutting the power and standing back up, running once more a little ahead of the troops. He recognized the power, but he didn't think that it'd be so easy. When a tree caught his eye he quickly grabbed the limbs and moved up, not wanting to waste a precious moment. Looking down the trail, he positioned himself against the branch, pulling his pride and joy over his head. He reached down against his leg and undid the zipper to a secret compartment where he kept his arrows. His commanding officer thought he was nuts for designing his uniform to include the compartment, but when it was his best skill, there were no complaints.

He knocked the arrow, relaxing and weaving a bit of power around arrow, focusing a burst at the tip. Now, all he had to do was wait patiently, the first of the soldiers in his sight. Seconds ticked by as the horses slowly came closer, Tyler now able to see the barrier around the warlock. He saw the hole in the top of the shield, pulling the line of the bow back, filling the burst at the tip of the arrow just a tiny bit more. The warlock wasn't expecting an attack from above.

And the arrow was gone.

Tyler moved back towards the trunk as the arrow slipped through the hole in the shield, a bright flash consuming the group. Everyone turned around, Tyler moving further up the tree as people began yelling, heading for their leader. He didn't want to risk exposing himself just in case the blast didn't work. He thought he had seen the shimmer of the spell dissipating, and if he had, his team should be surrounding the warlock any second. He jumped to a nearby tree, sliding around the back and able to jump to one more nearby tree. He moved close to the trunk, crouching into a ball and looking around, watching for anyone scouting the area. From here anyone would be an easy kill. He heard yells below him, a smile forming on his face as his thoughts raced. They were finally going to succeed in this battle.

The last two years have been brutal with innocent lives lost to town ransacks and supplies taken. People were forced to move somewhere else, or try to rebuild what they lost with minimal help available. Tyler had joined the citizen troops, slowly able take down the White Knights. The last few months had been planned out carefully, finding ways to reach the leader upon discovering that Tyler had a gift just like the warlock. The gift had been his secret for his entire life to avoid execution, but when things only seemed to get worse he had to tell someone, to see if there was any way he could be more help than just an assassin.

Voices came closer to where Tyler was hiding, him carefully pulling his arrow out and looking below, the white helmets of the guard prominent in the dark. He released a small ball of power above the two heads, knocked an arrow, and released. The ball of power split the arrow perfectly in two, the halves dropping the bodies onto the ground. The horses scampered, soon taking a brisk walk in the direction they had been heading. Tyler slid down the tree and ran back towards the basecamp. He could hear voices yelling to the left and right, but still a bit away. Hopefully he had succeeded. Within a few minutes he was back in the camp, the sentries nodding as he passed.

He came up to the officers tent, folding the flap back and stepping through, dropping to one knee.

"Rise. Did you complete the mission?"

"Yes sir." Tyler gazed into the deep blue eyes of his commanding officer, Danvers nodding his approval.

"Well done. Taka a short rest. You've had a rough day and have completed your duties. We'll see you shortly."

Tyler nodded and left the tent, darkness setting in. He grabbed at his head, falling to his knees. His vision flashed, putting him in trees, snow, dirt, and pain. Pain racked through his muscles, his craving grabbing full force at his chest. He needed something to satisfy the desire, but there was nothing beside the drug itself. The trees flashed in front of his vision again, pulling his eyes to look around. His body felt heavy, his arms refusing to lift him off the ground. He didn't want to be awake anymore, the black was overwhelming his conscious mind. But he had to know where he was. Nothing was descript, it was cold, and he wanted to die. He was shaking uncontrollably and couldn't stop. Where am I? He felt added pressure against his chest, causing him to look up. Forcing his eyes to open and focus, there was only white. He liked that. It was bright, but peaceful, calm, innocent...

"Don't let him get up!"

That wasn't what he expected to hear...

Tyler moved his head, more coming into his vision; colors and shapes. They didn't really come into focus, but they were far off. It didn't matter. He saw other forms, slightly closer, forming a small mound. He rolled over, looking at them, trying to recognize the shapes. He knew them. He thought he did.

"Take this. Snort it, quick."

Tyler shuddered, the tent enclosing his mind. He wished. Oh, how he wished. He had to get back to the dorms, first. His body stinging everywhere, he rolled over onto his front and pushed him up onto all fours. He heard the voices reciting something, another yelling. His arms shaking, he couldn't get up any further. The group needed him though, he knew he had to do it.

"Take this. Snort it, quick."

A short burst of energy filled Tyler, giving him the strength he needed to get himself off the ground. He made his way over to the group, his vision not clearing up at all. He was so tired. His body hurt so much. Especially his head. Everything was a blur, but he had to make sure everything was going all right. He wasn't weak. He could do this. He was feeling a bit stronger, more powerful, just about normal.

"Take this. Snort it, quick."

He came up, seeing a girl tied up with a yellow strip of the power, unconscious. She had her hood pulled up around her head, keeping the snow away from her face. Another girl was crouched next to her, the blonde hair spilling around her face. She looked at Tyler as he came up, and gave him a gentle smile. "You're up. That's good to see. Are you okay?"

Tyler gave a slight nod, his vision still partially gone. He was so tired. He dropped to his knees, seeing a guy strapped to the ground with green and blue strands, eyes looking up. He didn't have a hood, his face and hands pink. His breathing was quick, eyes pressed closed. Two other boys, one blonde, one brunette, were above him, chanting words. Tyler caught a few of them, recognizing the flow and pattern.

"Take this. Snort it, quick."

Tyler brought a hand over his eyes, pushing his temples with his thumb and middle finger. He felt his body fall forward, catching the snow with his other hand. He wanted the voice to go away. He wanted to know why it was bothering him so much. His eyes fluttered opened, seeing the blonde girl looking at him peculiarly. He looked back at the guy on the ground, seeing the White Knight. "Who did this?" he asked.

"You did," the blonde breathed, staring at him. "Don't you remember?"

"What? No!"

"Yeah. I don't know what happened. You just came back to life and through a spell at Pogue. When he fell, she did too. Then you dropped. Reid and Caleb are trying to bring him back out of this mindset of where he's the ruler. It's hard to tell if it's a spell or his personal belief still. Caleb's still convinced it's a spell, while, you know, Reid's opinion."

She just kept talking, like Tyler knew what was going on. This was the King of the White Knights, for whom was trying to kill him. The guy was dead. Or, so he thought. He had told his commanding officer that he was dead. So, these guys were trying to bring him back? He couldn't allow that! "He can't come back. He can't ever wake up again."

"What? Tyler, hold on, now. You tried to kill him?"

"He has to die! What don't you understand? He tried to kill me. He's tried to kill all of us. He needs to disappear."

"Caleb," she called out warningly, the brunette looking back, pausing the one next to him as well. They looked at Tyler, who was ready to attack them.

"What's going on?"

"He doesn't want Pogue to come back. He tried to kill him on purpose."

"He doesn't remember anything," the blonde guy seemed to realize, looking at Tyler. "He doesn't know what's going on."

The girl nodded. Tyler looked at them, feeling cornered. His head spun, vision started to fade. They were overwhelming him. He wasn't able to focus on how to take all of them out and get away, while staying conscious. His head hurt, and he needed to get back to the dorms. He knew what he needed, otherwise he was going to go through relapse again. He didn't want to battle that again.

Reid.

Tyler looked up at the blonde guy, meeting his eyes. Reid didn't want him to start again. They had to talk about it, he had to know. If he didn't, Reid was going to look around and find it himself. That couldn't happen.

Tyler blinked.

He knew he was going to go on a binge as soon as he could. He needed to get everything moved and put somewhere else. A good hiding spot was going to be in his system.

Reid shook his head, Tyler blinking again and taking a step back. Reid knew what he was planning. Fuck. But he had to focus with the present right now. That leader wasn't dead like he was supposed to be, which meant Tyler failed in his shot.

"Stop where you are Tyler. There's no need for you to do anything further."

Tyler looked at the brunette, realizing it was his commanding officer. "Sir, you ordered me to get rid of him! We discussed it before Aaron came in. I lied to you, which is automatic termination. Please, let me finish his life before you end mine."

"Tyler-no! Simms, you are to step down. You have done enough for right now, and you may proceed once you've gotten some rest."

"Sir—" Tyler gaped at him. This was not the man he had trained with. Where was the tough brute that had made him run until he passed out? So many swims in the rain, hunting at night, obstacle courses in the snow, the man had no mercy. The harsher the condition was outside, so was your personal training. Tyler was terrified of the man. But, this here, was not him. "I don't believe I'm hearing you correctly. If so, then I must assume you're an imposter and finish the deed. Clearly he has placed some sort of spell over you."

"Simms! Step down!"

"No Sir, no!" Tyler ran towards Pogue, his power filling his body. He reached down towards his ankle, grabbing an arrow, the thin rod appearing in his fingers. A stone came to his hand, Tyler breaking off the rock into a point. He was right there, at Pogue's feet, before something whipped him back to the ground, his breath leaving his lungs. Black rolled across his sight, a voice saying, "Simms, you are to step down! Refuse and be punished!"

"Why the change of plans, Sir?" Tyler asked, gasping for breath.

"He doesn't need to die today. You have done enough."

Tyler wanted to argue, but he couldn't. His head hurt so bad. This man was clearly an imposter, but there was nothing he could do about it. Unless, well, he had one more shot. He grabbed his powers, moving his hands and finding the stick and rock. Sitting up, he fused the two together and lunged for the imposter. The guy jumped, but Tyler was able to stab him and shoot a short bit of power through his leg. He grinned as they both hit the ground, a short bit of laughter humming in his ears. Maybe he'd wake up soon and finish them all off. There was nothing he could do right now, but it was only a matter of time.

I think I've sat on these chapters long enough.I hope the grammar isn't awful. Still quick reading through these chapters