-Power of Five-
"The Sons of Ipswich were said to be immortal once, that they would never age and could never die. Though the prospect is a highly extreme belief, some do believe they age regularly and may one day die of old age. But maybe, if one of the Sons were to be killed, they would come alive again within moments."
-Excerpts from the Book of Damnation
Pogue nearly crashed his motorcycle when his eyes turned black. He'd gone to visit Kate to tell her everything was okay and everyone was safe. Sarah was with her and they were both wide awake and certain something horrible would happen. He let them in on some of what happened, choosing vague descriptions so as not to scare them further. They didn't need to know every last detail of what plagued them these days.
He'd been on his way home when the contact was made and he braked in the middle of the lane. The hour was late enough, or early depending on one's perspective, that there was no traffic. Planting his feet, he opened the visor and tugged off the helmet, allowing contact in his mind now that he wasn't focused elsewhere.
Get to the motel. Chase is hurt.
"Damn it. What happened?"
He's dying.
"I'm on my way."
His eyes cleared. Tugging the helmet on, he drove down the road at top speed. Thoughts on what might have happened blurred past him alongside the blurred scenery. Snow began to fall and he noticed only when the road became slicker and more dangerous with the speed he was going. He was too far away.
This time Tyler reached out to him with finality in his voice. Pogue.
No. The guy wasn't dead. He was a minute from them. He didn't respond, wishing he could speed up when he was going as fast as he could without killing himself. His power thrummed around him in his ears, reminding him this was what he was capable of and it was awesome, but not enough.
The motel came into view. He saw Caleb's car, the rental, and there. His three brothers kneeling on the snow-coated parking lot. He sped in and shut off the bike, dropping it. He never dropped it. He loved that bike. He forgot it existed and jogged the few feet to what they were looking at. Who.
Chase laid there, limp and unmoving, eyes closed. Caleb's hands were on his scarf which was on Chase's stomach. It was darkened and soaked with blood. There was blood leaking out of the corner of his mouth now that he looked closer. They didn't look at him when he crouched and shouldered Reid out of the way as respectful as possible in this circumstance.
He placed a hand on his forehead and brought the other hand lower. Caleb removed his hands and the scarf to reveal a deep wound. A cut. A stab wound maybe. Blood was leaking out. He could be alive yet, pulse too weak to detect. They could have checked the pulse wrong in the first place. Pogue just felt like he would feel it if one of the members was dead. It might be wishful thinking.
A choking gasp sent Reid and Tyler backward in terror. Caleb stayed put, shocked into going still, and Pogue wouldn't let Chase go. He continued delivering his life force to the heart and brain, imagining them functioning and solid, imagining smooth skin and the blood on the inside instead of the outside. It was probably more than he needed to do.
Collapsing to his side, Caleb separated his hands from Chase and it was wise. He thought he might pass out. Reid recovered and gripped his side after moving closer.
"You okay?"
"Fine."
His attention was on Chase, who was shifting ever so slightly. His eyes slowly opened, tilting sideways and seeing him. Did he know what happened? Was he with them?
"I killed someone." His voice came out quiet like he was hesitant to speak. "Again."
Pogue propped onto an elbow, fighting through the exhaustion. "Did the someone stab you first?"
"Yeah."
"Then we're good."
Chase sat up and Tyler helped him whether he needed it or not. It was adorable. Pogue got himself to sit up beside him and Caleb gave him a look. He sighed recognition he had to lie down for a while and motioned to his best friend. Reid was there with Caleb to get him on his feet and they watched him wearily walk on his own in case he grew too tired to keep walking.
The motel room door had been left open and he ended up on the sofa against the far wall. Blood splatter on the white sheets, smears across the carpet, and the body crumpled near the window was distressing. It was hard to remember a time when he merely worried over school, family, Reid's using, and Kate.
Caleb and Reid stood at the center of the room, avoiding the mess. The older of the two approached the body and pushed aside the fallen lamp to roll the dead guy over. Chase entered the room not looking at anyone, Tyler following. He seemed demoralized and it frustrated him.
"Okay. What evil thing do you think you did to deserve self-hatred now?"
Guy appeared ready to run out of the room and not because there was a dead body.
"Come over here."
He did not move, even when Tyler gave him a nudge.
"Sit. You were about dead a minute ago. Sit."
Pogue put on an expression that dared him to not obey. He fingered the bloodied shirt with a hole in it. Turning away, he pulled the shirt above his head and dropped it on the floor. Chase opened a bag and tugged on a black t-shirt before coming to sit on the other cushion of the sofa.
"Speak."
Chase scowled and Caleb plopped down a couple feet from him on the carpet, looking at him. The scowl switched to him. Tyler closed the motel door and stood next to Reid.
"You don't believe we'd expel you from the covenant for this, do you?"
"I've killed her friends. And that guy... I didn't know it."
Pogue had no clue what he was talking about. Judging by the looks on his friends' faces, they didn't know what he was saying either. Chase seemed ready to cry. He was a tough bastard. People torturing him, trying to make him do things, and trying to kill him. None of that brought tears to his eyes. Thinking he harmed someone he cared about by doing something that sure as hell was something he had to do to save himself. That brought tears.
"The man who died by my magic in the car outside the party. Do you remember?"
He couldn't recall the name but yeah he recalled the death. It was freaky and unexpected. "Yeah."
Chase swallowed, blinking to prevent the tears from escaping. "His name was Christian Baron. He saw me using magic and was going to tell so I killed him. I didn't know... He was Selene's cousin. Her parents asked him to locate me and monitor my movements."
"How do you know that?" Reid asked, then thought of a more pressing question. "Why would her parents do that?"
"Jason's obsessed with Selene. He'd do anything to have her. He talked a lot before I threw him into the wall and he split his head open. I don't know why her parents are doing this, but they asked Jason to get rid of me."
Reid shook his head. "This is bullshit."
"What's going on?" Tyler fidgeted and appeared ready to flip out.
"Plan C," Chase mumbled. "That's what he said to me."
Pogue frowned watching the guy crying now, arm pressing to his forehead to obscure it poorly. He stared into his lap at an upturned hand. He better not be doing something as dramatic as imagining metaphorical blood on his hands or whatever. Unacceptable.
"Jason says Selene told her parents where to find me. That my uncle, the smoking man, him... They all found me and tried to kill me because of her. He's lying though, right?" Chase risked peeking under his arm at Caleb. "Remember what I did to you? I wanted to kill you for abandoning me and my family. For leaving me on my own and not knowing about the addiction behind the magic. Taking your magic seemed the solution. I deserve this all."
He heard the questioning even though he hadn't said it as a question. Caleb heard it too. "No one deserves to be murdered. I didn't deserve it. You don't deserve it."
Pogue wasn't big on hugs and kisses with his brothers unless he was fooling around or whatever, but the pressing need was here. He wouldn't fail to come through for any of them, even this guy he didn't like that much. They formed a magical contract and belonged to each other.
"Chase." Chase looked without turning his head away from Caleb and the others. "Can you remember the last time you used your power when it wasn't necessary?"
Surprise filtered into his sad expression. "Uh... Not long after the barn burned down."
"How often do you feel like you want to use?"
He buried his face in his hands. "A lot."
Chase lowered his hands, thinking. "But..not much since Trisha's spell ended. That's probably because I have to use it to save my ass though."
"Well, maybe I changed the addiction center in your brain when I undid the spell or maybe you did it yourself. You use less than Reid when it comes to pointless crap."
"Hey!"
He hugged the guy before he could wimp out. Chase reacted like he thought he was moving in to hit him for a second, sagging when an attack didn't happen. He didn't expect him to hug back and cling to him in desperation.
As the embrace went on, Pogue was thinking it made sense. What did he know about this guy? Eighteen years old, no idea he was from a bloodline of warlocks until magic came to him, biological father murdered his mother, adopted parents abused, neglected, and tried to kill him, biological father willed him his power when he was addicted to the power he already had. He had to take a breath in his own mind for all the crap yet coming.
Left his girlfriend for the power and a complicated relationship even before finding out her family was after him? Friend put a love spell on him to get past the unrequited love, died by werewolf, tortured by paid off police who were going to kill him, tortured and almost killed by three men seeking their power, scarily close to dying because of this guy dead in the room.
He stopped there. He didn't even cover everything haunting this guy. He was thinking in factual terms. Imagine, feeling the emotions behind it. Pogue cared so much for Kate that he felt physical pain sometimes worrying about her, stressing. Chase's constant trauma was depressing.
Caleb managed to fit on the sofa to Chase's left and hugged him from behind. They both pretended not to hear the sob while glancing at one another, heavy gazes meeting. Their lives were awful at present but it wouldn't always be the case.
Whatever moment of solidarity they were having was interrupted when Reid sat on Chase's lap to join in. Pogue yanked back to be annoyed but a laugh broke the odd turn of events. Caleb leaned back and Reid squeezed Chase's cheeks, openly admiring his small smile.
"There ya go, handsome. Turning that frown upside-"
"Don't," Tyler interrupted. "Don't finish that sentence."
"Well get in here and finish this then."
"What?"
"Group hug fails to be without the entire group."
"I can't fit anywhere."
"Au contraire."
"I hate you."
Chase grasped his wrists. "I think I want to stand now."
Reid wriggled unnecessarily with his butt and the guy beneath him grunted, shoving him in the stomach. His face was red. Pogue stood up and half lifted, half dragged Reid off. Tyler offered his hand to pull Chase to his feet. He took it but was standing awkwardly. A problem in his pants, or, well, boxers.
He was pretty certain all of them were aware and Tyler hugged him quickly, leading him to the bathroom. "You should shower and get the blood off. And..that guy. So. Go."
He looked grateful and disappeared into the bathroom. Pogue chuckled and there were smiles all around at the inconvenient boner. Who hadn't been there?
Caleb got it together first and gestured to the body and the blood everywhere. "What should we do about this?"
"It's innocent and we could probably get through it okay."
Tyler shook his head. "It's the lawful thing to do, but I don't think it's the smart thing to do."
"Chase doesn't need a police investigation either," Reid pointed out. "Do you think our family could help us cover this up?"
"Limo guy could help."
Pogue and the other two studied Caleb. "You wanna trust that guy with this?"
He went to the window and peered outside. "The snow will hide the blood for now. Smoker, limo guy, whoever. He'll show up like he does if we remain here. He always finds us somehow."
Reid raised his hand like he was in class. "Think we can wake the manager and get a different room?"
/
His shoulder had to be crushing Caleb's rib cage but he snored softly, completely undisturbed. Chase couldn't exactly move with Tyler pinned to his back like he was a giant teddy bear to be held. The three of them fell asleep side by side and somehow ended up in the same spot on the middle of the bed. Pogue slept on the sofa and Reid had been at the end of the bed. It sounded like he was in the shower.
Thankfully the manager had zero interest in why they wanted a room and was satisfied with the money they handed over. Right next door was his old room and Jason's body. Oh. Pogue was awake and drawing something with chalk on the room's carpet. He could get a look when shrugging off Tyler, who toppled to the mattress where he began snoring because his mouth opened.
He sat upright, arm on a raised knee. "What are you doing?"
"Drawing a pentacle."
"You're doing a spell?"
"We are."
"We are?" He shifted and adjusted, crawling to the end of the bed and sitting there cross-legged to observe. "What spell?"
Pogue went to a paper bag previously unnoticed by the door. "Kate hunted these down at some novelty store claiming to have genuine magical artifacts. After finding out the legend was more true than not and she was dating a 'Son', she got a little into it."
He was holding five crystals, thin and about the length of his little finger. They were attached to thin leather string creating necklaces. Pogue set each of them on the five points of the symbol. It seemed like something Kate would make, but five?
"She made five?"
He smiled, not stopping his preparation. "Kate's an optimist."
Chase moved his hands around, uncomfortable with what he wanted to say. Reid left the bathroom with a towel around his waist and plopped down on the bed to sit next to him. Tyler stirred and grumbled unintelligible. Maybe he wouldn't say it. Not knowing sucked more though.
Out of a duffel bag also by the door, he produced five elements: Wood, metal, dirt, a candle and matches, and a cup. He threw the plastic cup at Caleb's face, hitting him on the nose and waking him. Pogue set inside drawn symbols the bit of wood and metal, moving on to the candle which he lit and also placed particularly.
Sitting, Caleb rubbed his face, bleary-eyed and with a mess of hair sticking up in all directions. "Wha? What? Huh?"
"Fill that up with water."
He groaned and pulled off the blanket and sheet covering him from the waist down. Snatching the cup, he wandered to the bathroom and Chase heard the sink turn on. Before he came back out, audible urinating could be heard in the toilet bowl and he quit listening then. Glancing to Tyler, he patted his leg until his stirring became pronounced. All of them awake, he observed the completion of the spell prep.
Caleb knew what to do once he set the cup of water in its spot. "Okay, guys. You need to avoid smearing the chalk and kneel on each of the sides of the symbol where there are spaces. We all have a place. Be in contact with your crystal."
One by one the Sons moved into position. Most uncertain, Chase waited to take the final place and saw how the other four had a palm on top of a crystal. He did what they did, curious. It was funny how much he trusted them and didn't feel the need to demand answers. Probably helped they repeatedly saved his life.
Pogue opened a book from the duffel bag to a bookmarked section. Holding it open in his available hand, he began to speak the words. A whole lot of phrases about conjuring a protection against evil intent and power of five to provide the good to combat insidious forces.
Bursts of light, pure white and dissipating into the black and clear coloring of their use, and the five elements vanished, intermixing above their heads. Chase stared at the sight but shut his eyes when the magical light grew brighter again and shot in five directions. His eyes opened, blackened, body shivering with power flowing through him. It always felt so good. He loathed that.
When their eyes returned to normal, he sought the crystal beneath his hand. It was glowing bright but fading and he was looking at a white crystal now appearing a cloudy black. He watched Caleb visibly relax, lifting his crystal necklace and putting it over his head to wear.
"Our research in the months since we found out you existed, Chase. We discovered having five members in a covenant grants perks. So, Pogue figured this spell out on making symbols of protection instead of the ones that hurt us."
Chase picked up his own necklace, running a finger along the smooth crystal. "How does it work?"
Pogue put on his necklace. "Protects against any dark magic or anyone with bad intentions toward us. We'll get a warning when that kind of danger is near and this repels the weaker sort. It serves as a kind of tracker where we can focus and locate each other if we want. Nobody can remove it but a member of the covenant. Basic protection."
Tyler grinned. "That sounds pretty awesome."
"Harry Potter has got nothing on us."
Chase bit his thumb, wishing he wouldn't appear a complete idiot and knowing this was a thing he should know. "Um, who is this Potter?"
Yup. Incredulous expressions from everyone. Reid stood and came over so he stood too. Wrapping an arm around him, he was pleased.
"Movie marathon night is so happening!"
"Oh. It's a movie?"
"Seven. No. Eight."
His jaw dropped. "No way we can watch eight movies in a row."
A honk outside. Pogue was quickest to hop up and go to the door. He unlocked and opened the door.
"You guys slept in, but I spoke to Kate and my parents. Smoking man showed up, the real one, I guess."
Chase's forehead creased. "The driver?"
"Yeah. And he's here. There are guys cleaning up and covering up everything that went on in the other room. Ah. Should we go out there, or?"
Caleb was eager to take the lead. "Meet him out there. Tyler, Reid, could you guys clean this up? Please."
He didn't wait for a response and headed outside. Pogue followed and Chase followed him. He tucked the necklace beneath his shirt as he passed through the doorway, shutting it behind them. It was no longer snowing but an inch coated the ground. Except for a suspiciously specific area which had been hosed down and wiped clear at some point. Huh. This guy worked fast.
They didn't see the man in the suit who was never seen without a cigarette. Some man he'd never seen before sat behind the wheel of the familiar limousine, window rolled down on the empty passenger side to motion to the back. He wore sunglasses and had a polite manner of speaking.
"Gentlemen, if you would please, my employer is ready for your meeting with him. The seats are heated and drinks in the fridge. Make yourselves comfortable."
He rolled the window up and sat facing forward. They looked at each other and Caleb walked to the back of the limo. The door opened and the driver was there wearing his sunglasses and stubbing a cigarette out in a dish. Caleb pulled the door wider and studied the man possibly in his thirties or forties, hard to say. Short, combed hair and blue eyes when he removed the shades to rest on the seat. He'd slid to the other side of the seat to make room and Chase realized they were still staring without getting in.
Nudging Caleb's heel, it propelled him forward and he sat on the seat across from the driver. Not driver. Real smoking man, apparently. Guy pretending to be his own driver and using a replacement to fool people.
Pogue sat next to Caleb, forcing him to sit next to this stranger. Great. He sat and yanked the door shut. Putting his back to the door, he stared at the man.
"Who are you?" asked Caleb.
"My name is Dean Lasko. Dean or Lasko is fine. I come from money and operate an extremely wealthy company in New York. You may know me by the name, Dean Cambridge. I live in Manhattan and what is not public information, is that I run a secret research project on women. You see, I find young girls who I believe to be descendants of witches. For a very long time, I believed it was females alone gifted with magical ability. A foolish belief, I now understand."
Pogue snorted. "For a rich guy, your research was lacking."
The man accepted the ridicule in stride. "A coven of witches aided me in hiding themselves and the Gordon family. You didn't see them, but they were surrounding the perimeter of the property to keep the false appearance of the house and property intact."
Okay, that was impressive and shocking, but he mainly wanted to know why this guy was involving himself with them.
"Weren't you and Austin working together? Those cops said you or that other guy working for you hired them to kill me. Gave them a foolproof ritual to keep me dead no matter what magic could revive me otherwise."
"I..did." Chase frowned, clenching one of his hands. "Your death would have been preferable over Austin gaining control of your powers or covenant. Of course, your survival is most ideal."
Pogue leaned forward, elbows on his knees, hands folding below his chin. "But you worked with the guy. Why? The things he's done. You helped him?"
"Ah, no. Austin cares nothing for publicity or messes. I feigned association with him through my employee pretending to be me in order to learn of his plans. Sometimes I could interfere, other times he was..unpredictable. I mean no harm to the Sons of Ipswich and their covenant of silence."
Caleb remembered something and snapped his fingers, leaning back like he'd caught the guy in a lie. "You went to Sarah and tried to find our covenant pact on paper. Hidden well, by the way. I'll bet it was you who told our families about a Pope joining the long-held contract of four too. How are these things the actions of someone who means no harm?"
"The research benefits for humanity cannot be understated. Sacrifices must be made if they must. Your covenant is better off broken or given to someone like myself, who would safeguard its members and their magic."
Leaning back in the seat, Pogue folded his arms on his chest. "I can't tell if you're just an asshole, or a dangerous asshole."
Lasko examined the two Sons across from him a lengthy moment. "I am encouraged by your achievements and potential. My work is for the good of the world. It's why I never extended an offer to Austin or Redd. They would never act in the interest of someone else."
His mother warned him about a smoking man. He tried to recall how she put it. There were people out there wanting to use the covenant's power for their own ends. She could only know so much, being dead for as long as she had, but he couldn't discard her concern. Anyone messing with magic had the potential to do bad. It was the nature of magic. A manipulation of the natural order of the universe. Lasko could hold good intentions, and knowing there was at least one coven of witches out there was intriguing, however, shaking his uneasiness to trust someone new was unlikely to occur.
Caleb seemed to share his feelings. "I get you're saying you want to offer us a place in New York with your company and research, but I mean, we just want to get through high school."
Chase took that as his cue to open the door for them to leave. He gave him a disdainful grin. "My mother warned me about you. Bye, guy."
He left the car and stood waiting for the other two who emerged seconds afterward. Caleb was thanking him for covering up Jason's death and the bloody mess. He was making it appear an accident elsewhere so they wouldn't be connected to it. Chase supposed that was generous of him. He didn't get this Dean Lasko. An offer to learn about their powers and how to possibly use them for the benefit of humanity. But only after they endured a hell of a lot. It felt intentional. A way to feel them out and decide if they were magic users worth recruitment.
Well, it was a choice to consider, even if it was a choice put forth by an asshole.