Chapter 28
Gorman gently placed the book he was reading on the small table next to his chair and rubbed his tired eyes. He'd been up for many hours pouring over his many books and scrolls, hoping he could find something to aid in his search for answers.
He wasn't finding any; none of his books held any answers but he refused to give up. After all, what choice did he have? His covenant was in shambles and their sons were disorientated and lost; he needed to something, it was his duty as the only surviving elder. He heaved a tired sigh and reached for his book once again when his hand froze in mid air. Something dark and venomous brushed over his mind, like an imaginary hand, forcing the hairs on his arm to stand up.
Someone was here...
Instinctively he filtered his powers outward, feeling through the many halls of the house trying to locate the source of the disturbance. He founded it a short time later; the dark feelings were coming from the inside of his house! Being as silent as he could, Gorman rose from his chair and reached for his cane, tightly gripping its handle with his thin fingers as the feelings grew stronger and stronger by each passing minute. He tried to keep his footsteps silent as he headed into the hallway and into the house's foyer.
The feelings in the air grew stronger and when he tracked their source, Gorman discovered they were coming from the far side of the house. Dread and nervousness quickly pooled inside of his stomach but never the less, Gorman fallowed the hall and towards the open doorway that led into the large dinning room of the house. The area near the door was dimly lit with a small flicker of morning light and as he approached the room, he spied a single column of light peering in through a crack in a window shade. The tiny flame lit the room with a pale glow and completely illuminated the lone figure sitting at the table who eyed the elder with a cold gaze.
"You know, I honestly expected the strong hold of the legendary covenant to be much nicer then this."
Gorman's eyes narrowed as he stared at the figure, almost immediately recognizing the dark hair and the bulky frame.
"You!"
"Yes, me." Caleb replied darkly leaning forwards in order for the light to catch his face.
Gorman stared at the boy, his body coiled tight and ready in case he had to defend himself. A smile lit up Caleb's face as he noticed his behavior and the teen lazy leaned back in his chair.
"Now, now old man, there's no reason to be rude." Caleb's smile stayed in place as he flashed his eyes, slowly making the chair across from him slid outwards.
The elder narrowed his eyes at the chair and remained where he was.
Caleb's smile soured slightly. "Here I am being civilized and all I get in return is rudeness."
"Civilized? You barge right into my house and expect me to a gracious host after everything you've done to my god children you ungrateful little whelp? I have half a mind to tear your arm out of its socket."
"That's rich coming from a frail old man who cab hardly lift the cane in his hands. I can see now where Pogue gets that stubborn streak of his."
The elder's face hardened even more. "You leave him out of this, if you come anywhere near Pogue again–"
"You'll hurt me; kill me, blah, blah. All of you say the same damn thing over and over and guess what, I'm still standing." Caleb laughed coldly.
"Why are you here? What do you want?" Gorman snarled.
"Answers."
Gorman narrowed his eyes once again. "Answers to what?"
"The Nexus Stone, how does it work?"
"I don't know what that is." The elder replied darkly.
The air around the two of them thickened as Caleb became angry and Gorman could feel his powers gathering inside of the small room.
"Don't lie to me old man, you know damn well what I'm talking about. The fucking thing is cracked and won't work. How do you fix it?"
Gorman eyed the boy for the longest time. "Boy you are messing with things you shouldn't be. You saw what happened to your father when he tried–"
The elder silenced when Caleb's fist slammed into the table loudly.
"My father was week and a moron for trusting a member of your covenant to help him–"
"He dug his own grave when he tried to manipulate Roran; he knew damn well none of us could control him and the damned fool completely shattered Roran's grip on reality."
Caleb's eyes narrowed dangerously. "So Roran was the one who cracked it then?"
"I wouldn't know, I wasn't there. It could've been Roran, Gavin or your father for all I know. They were the ones near it last."
"So you do know what it is."
Gorman blinked and growled slightly, his fingers tightening around his cane's handle. Caleb laughed once again and leaned back in his chair.
"I thought so. How do I fix it then?"
"I already told you, I don't know." Gorman barked, banging him cane on the floor loudly. "And if I did, what makes you think I'd ever tell a selfish little bastard like you?"
The instant he finished, Caleb's eyes turned black and the boy violently flung his arm outwards and the elder was thrown hard into the wall behind him. The impact knocked him off balance and the second Gorman righted himself and looked up, Caleb was less then a foot away from him.
"Now I'm sure I can find a way to get some answers. For starters I can always pull a limb or two off. And if that doesn't work–"
The boy didn't get a chance to finish his sentence before he was thrown onto the table by a powerful wave of the elder's powers. A surprised, pained groan tore from the boy's lips as he struggled to pull himself upright.
"Well, well, there is some power in you after all old man."
"I'm much stronger then you are boy, in case you've forgotten." Gorman snarled and forcibly rolled the boy on his back with a lazy wave of his hand.
"Could've fooled me since you ever use it." Caleb growled darkly and fought back, using his powers to fight the hold the elder had on him.
The boy fought hard enough for the elder to feel winded but he refused to yield. Caleb's chest heaved painfully and after taking a deep breath of air, the boy raised his hand and jerked a finger sharply. Gorman let out a pained cry as a deep, painful cut started forming on his left forearm and angrily, he used his powers to slam Caleb's head back against the table.
"Arrogant little brat, I can keep this up all day."
Caleb turned his head towards the elder and laughed darkly. "So can I because it's not me you're hurting."
The elder gave him as puzzled look which then turned into a dark glare when the meaning of Chase's words sunk in.
"Can you feel him Gorman? Can you feel him writhing and screaming? I know he's got to be in pain from all of this."
A long string of emotions touched the elder's mind almost instantly and somewhere deep within his skull he could hear Caleb's voice wallowing in pain. He tried to contact it but his godson's presence was then engulfed by a heavy mental wall that he couldn't break through.
He was too busy trying to locate the source of the mysterious power that he failed to notice Caleb working an arm free until the boy used his powers to throw the elder off of him. The hard wooden floor slammed into his shoulder as he fell backwards and before Gorman could scramble to his feet, Caleb's footsteps neared him.
"As much as I love proving to every member of your covenant who's stronger, I have more important things to deal with. Now, are you gonna give me the answers I need or am I going to have to force them out?"
A strong wave of Chase's power forced him onto his back and Gorman glared into Caleb's eyes dark eyes. "Do your worse boy, but I doubt you'll kill me, I've outlived five bloodlines of this covenant."
Caleb stared at him silent for a moment and leaned down over him.
"Now who ever said I was going to kill you?"
The dark glint in the boy's eyes told Gorman all he needed to know and the elder was about to growl a reply when a set of footsteps entered the room.
"You son of a bitch."
The elder turned his head to the side and gasped slightly when he saw a blond haired boy standing in the doorway.
"I told you to stay outside." Caleb snarled as he raised his head.
"Yeah, and you also said you wouldn't hurt him!" Reid snapped back as he stormed into the dining room, his hands balled into fists.
Caleb rose to his feet and shrugged innocently. "I didn't, I merely fought back in self defense. You can even ask him."
Reid turned his head towards the wounded elder and even though his hazed vision, Gorman could see the pleading and the desperateness written inside them; almost like they were asking for help. Confused, the elder forced what was left of his powers outwards in order to touch the blond's mind but they were quickly blocked.
"Ah-ah-ah old man. None of that." Caleb mocked and leaned down closer once again. "He's here willingly, that's all you need to know."
"Fuck you." Reid growled across the room.
"Why don't you make yourself useful and go wait for Pogue to show, like I told you to."
"Blow me you son of a bitch."
Caleb's eyes narrowed as he stared the blond down. "Reid, do you really want to make me angry?"
Cold, sharp fear jabbed against Gorman's subconscious as the blond gave him one more apologetic look and slowly left the room, glaring at Caleb the entire time.
"You monster... what are you doing to him?" The elder seethed, his anger rapidly growing.
Caleb cocked his head to the side and leaned over the elder's crumpled body once again
"I'd be a bit more worried about myself if I was you, but if you'd tell me what I'd wanna hear then things would go much differently."
Gorman stared at him for a moment before a tiny grin came to his face. "I think my god child said it the best, fuck you."
Caleb rolled his eyes and raised his arm once again. "As you wish old man."
--
Pogue grimaced as a dark wave of power washed over him and it took all of his strength to keep a strong hold on the Ducati's handle bars before the bike could low-side on the dirt road. He immediately killed the throttle and waited for the bike to slide to a halt on the side of the road.
The night air was thick with power and Pogue had a decent guess where the source of it was coming from; he was less then a mile away from the colony house and what was worse, the presence that tore through the early morning air was too dark to be Gorman's.
Once he got his body to stop shaking, Pogue centered his weight evenly over his bike and maneuvered the machine back on the road. Something was wrong, he could feel it with every fiber of his being and if the dark presence that hung in the air was any indication, Chase was involved.
The old, slowly decaying colony house soon appeared at the end of the road and as his bike neared it Pogue could see something large and black sitting at the edge of the road. He squinted his eyes in order to see out of his helmet shield more clearly and saw that the black blob was Tyler's hummer. He pulled his bike near the open area along side it.
He didn't feel Tyler's presence anywhere near him, but he felt someone else's.
(Reid?)
He dismounted the bike and after setting his helmet down on its seat, he approached the Hummer. It was Tyler's alright but what was it doing here? Did the younger boys also feel the disturbance?
With a frown, he touched the vehicle's hood; it was cold, meaning that it had been sitting there for quite some time. He tore his eyes away from the Hummer and eyed the old house with a wary gaze. None of the lights were on, not even the one in Gorman's study, a sign that something was seriously wrong.
He gazed at the house for another moment and reached inside of his jacket and pulled the gold pendent out of its hiding spot and tucked it into the yellow bodywork of his bike. Once the item was thoroughly hidden, Pogue swallowed down a large gulp of air and started towards the house's front door. The power in the air started becoming thicker and thicker as he neared the porch and as he climbed the steps, Pogue could feel their source coming from inside the house.
(Sure as hell doesn't feel like Gorman.)
Cautiously, Pogue opened the door with his hand and stuck his head into the foyer. It was dark, like it normally was but something felt off. He closed the door as quietly as he could behind him.
"Gorman?"
When he received no answer, he took a deep breath to opened his mind and felt out the area with his powers like Gorman taught him too. At first he felt nothing so he tried harder; ignoring the slight ache starting near his temple. A quick second later a long string of emotions touched his thoughts. They were powerful and dark causing him to shiver as they brushed against his subconscious and the left side of Pogue's chest burned with the all too familiar warmth.
He barley had time acknowledged it because the sound of footsteps reached his ears and before he could open his eyes, something hard slammed into his back. The impact forced him onto a knee and after letting out a pained growl Pogue turned his head. A figure was standing in the shadows of the foyer and when it stepped into the light Pogue's breath hitched when he caught sight of blond hair; he honestly couldn't believe it.
"Reid?"
The younger boy stepped out of the shadows with a grim look on his face and slowly raised his hand.
"Sorry Pogue."
Pogue didn't have much of a moment to prepare himself as another wave slammed into his body hard, sending his body crashing against the hard floor. The impact knocked the wind out him and after emitting a pained groan, he tried to pull himself off the ground.
"Reid, what the fuck?"
The other boy's footsteps sounded in his ears once again as the younger boy moved towards him and a moment later, Reid's hand felt around the outside of his jacket. He shoved the blond away with a growl but Reid recoiled by slamming his head against the floor with a wave of his hand. Reid cursed when his fingers didn't feel anything in the leather and he rolled the long haired boy onto his back with a painful shove.
"Where is it?"
"Where's what?" Pogue coughed.
"The fucking pendent thing, where is it?"
"Why the hell do you wanna know?"
"Because I need it. I don't want to hurt you Pogue but I will if I don't get some fucking answers."
Pogue glared at Reid darkly. "I don't have it."
"Where is it then?"
"I'm not telling you."
His remark earned him a kick in the gut from the blond's foot.
"Where is it?"
Pogue emitted a deep growl as he turned his eyes black and sent a strong wave of his own power at Reid. The blond's body was thrown hard against a nearby wall and Pogue used the opportunity to crawl to his feet. Reid did the same only to find himself thrown back up against the wall and held there by Pogue's powers. Reid let out a enraged groan and struggled against the hold that pinned him to the wall but Pogue quickly threw another wave at him.
"Now that I have your attention, mind telling me why you where just trying to pound me into the floor?" Pogue asked darkly as neared the blond.
Reid stared at him and said nothing so Pogue sighed mentally and raised his hand to the blond's forehead. He sent his powers forward into Reid's mind only to have them repelled shortly after wards.
(What the fuck?)
He didn't have much time to ponder the question before Reid broke free of his bonds and in the blink of an eye, disappeared from his sight and moved behind him.
(Fuck, Reid's gotten better at that.)
A fist soon connected with his lower back and Pogue fought to keep his balance as Reid shifted around him through the shadows. Pogue's eyes frantically moved back and forth around the area, hoping he'd be able see the blond coming at him. Reid's fist came flying into his gut a quick second later but the boy was gone before Pogue could even raise his arm and a strong uppercut sent Pogue crashing against the floor once again.
"Give up?"
Pogue groaned and rolled onto his side. He could taste blood in the corner of his mouth and answered Reid's question by spiting a small glob of it on the floor.
"I told you he was a stubborn one."
Pogue felt his body freeze when Caleb's voice sounded behind him and turned his head. "You!"
Caleb entered the foyer slowly, his dark eyes raking over Pogue's injured frame smugly before looking at Reid.
"He doesn't have it." Reid said darkly.
"He doesn't? Well, that's bad luck for you then, unless you can force it out of him."
Reid's eye bore into Caleb's form for a long moment before he rounded on Pogue, slowly knelt down next to his friend.
"Pogue where is it? Don't make me hurt you anymore."
The empath glared at Caleb for a long moment before turning his eyes on the blond.
"You're working with him?"
"Pogue, just tell me where the fucking thing is–"
"You fucking moron, you don't know what he's planning–"
"It's not what you think; just tell me where the fucking pendent is!"
"No." Pogue growled dangerously. "I'll rip your damn head off, you fucking traitor."
"This is getting us nowhere!" Caleb yelled as he approached the two of them.
"I'm trying." Reid seethed.
"Well try harder. Like this."
Caleb raised his hand and flooded Pogue's body with his powers, sending intense pain waves through the empath's body. Pogue screamed as his body curled under Chase's power and after a long, intense moment Caleb lowered his hand and Pogue slumped against the floor.
"You fucker, stop hurting him!" Reid yelled as he violently shoved Caleb's shoulder.
"If you would've done it right the first time I wouldn't have to."
Reid glared at the darker haired boy for a long moment before looking back at Pogue grimly.
"Pogue, just tell him where it is. Please."
"Fuck the both of you." Pogue yelled as he pulled himself to a knee.
"Pogue please–"
Reid's words where drown out by a pained scream as Pogue threw a large ball of his power into the blond's chest, sending him across the floor a few yards away. Just to make sure he didn't get up anytime soon, Pogue threw another burst at him and the force of the blow slammed Reid's head against the floor hard enough to knock the blond unconscious.
Caleb watched the display with an impressed look. "Well, you boys just continue to surprise me."
When Pogue was convinced that Reid wouldn't be moving anytime soon he slowly and painfully crawled to his feet, using a nearby wall for support. "Why the hell are you here?"
"Looking for some answers." Caleb shrugged and held up something with his hand.
Pogue eyed the item closely and gasped mentally; it was the Book of Damnation!
"Answers to what? Why the fuck do you have that?"
"What this, you can have it back." Caleb replied as he tossed the heavy book on the floor. "I got what I needed...well almost."
He eyed Pogue darkly and took a few steps closer and Pogue instinctively took a few back and drew himself upright, despite the pain coursing through his body. Just as he took a few more steps back, Caleb raised his hand and sent a large bolt of power into Pogue's chest and before the long haired boy could fight back, his body was forcefully pulled forwards until he was an inch away from Caleb's chest. The taller boy's hand immediately came around his throat a moment later and tightly closed around his windpipe.
"Since I have you here, mind telling me where the talisman is? And don't even think about telling me to fuck off again."
He tightened his grip around the boy's throat as he finished, just to make his point. Pogue fought for a few gulps of air as he tugged at Caleb's strong fingers, trying to break the hold around his neck.
"Fine, I'll rip it out of you if I have too." Caleb growled and placed his free hand against Pogue's forehead.
The empath didn't have much of a chance to protect himself as Chase's powers forced their way into his mind once again and started tearing through his memories. Pogue shrieked from the burning pain Chase was causing to his head and fought to keep his mind blank. His efforts earned him a frustrated growl from Caleb's lips and seeing his opportunity Pogue summoned his energy and leveled his hand near Caleb's face.
(Take this you son of a bitch.)
Using all of his anger, frustration and hatred -at both himself and Chase - as momentum, Pogue gathered a large amount of his powers and sent them spiraling at the dark haired boy's face. Within mere seconds, Caleb gave a bone curling scream and instantly released his grip on Pogue's throat.
The empath fell to the ground, gasping heavily as he crawled to his knees. Caleb was sagging forwards with his hands covering his face and after a long period of painful groans and curses, he removed his hands and Pogue saw that his fingers were covered with blood. Three large scratches covered the pale skin of Caleb's face, one of them even cut through his left eye, and the older boy's eyes kept darting back and forth from his blood covered fingers to Pogue's surprised face.
The surprise only lasted a moment before Caleb's eyes narrowed. "So there is some fight in you."
"Try that again and I'll show you more you." Pogue groaned and shakily pulled himself to his feet once again.
Caleb answered by forming a large power ball in his left hand and threw it Pogue, growling loudly when the long haired teen rolled out of the way at the last second. A large ball of Pogue's power flew into his chest a quick second later and the forced knocked him off balance.
Pogue rolled near the wall right as Caleb raised his arm to strike back and sent another wave of power crashing into the older boy's chest. He was honestly surprised at how well he was doing because he never lasted this long against Chase. As a matter of a fact, Chase seamed slower then usual and the moment Pogue opened his mind to feel the area he realized he could track the older boy's movements. Something in the depths of his mind signaled that Caleb was raising his arm again and Pogue quickly countered with a blow that sent the bastard falling to the floor. Pogue hauled himself to his feet quickly afterwards and slowly limped over towards Caleb's fallen body. He was about halfway there when a powerful forced grabbed him and kept him rooted to the spot.
"Pogue don't."
Upon hearing Gorman's voice behind him, Pogue turned his head and saw the elder sagging heavily against the open doorway at the end of the long hall. His clothing was rumpled, his lip was split and several long, gashes decorated the elder's arms, along with a few on his leg. The sight only angered Pogue more and with a deep growl, he broke Gorman's hold and stormed over towards Caleb.
He slammed Caleb's head against the floor when the boy tried to pick himself up and Pogue sent a few more powerful stabs of power into the fucker before Gorman's powers grabbed him once again and pulled him back.
"Pogue stop!"
"Stay the fuck out of it Gorman! I'm ending this." He yelled over his shoulder and broke free from Gorman's grip.
His anger was at an all time high between Chase's appearance and Reid's betrayal, at the moment Pogue wanted nothing more then to rip them both limb from limb. He raised his hand over Caleb's body and forced his powers downwards, thoroughly enjoying the pained screams that reached his ears.
(How's that feel you son of a bitch?)
Just as he was enjoying his moment of revenge is was shattered when Gorman forcefully jabbed at his subconscious with his powers and a deep scream tore from Pogue's throat as the elder's powers twisted, pulled and stabbed at his mind. The sensation was horrible, almost like someone was jabbing a railroad spike into the side of his head.
Tears soon clouded his eyes and he fell to his knees, clutching his head. Through his hazy and pained filled vision, he could Caleb slowly crawling to his feet and the boy completely disappeared from his sight a moment later. The attack on his mind soon ceased as Gorman pulled his powers away and Pogue crumpled to the floor almost instantly.
The last thing he remembered seeing was Gorman slowly staggering over to him and the elder's stern face was the last thing he remembered seeing before he blacked out.