I am never doing a chapter this long or action filled AGAIN! Seriously, this thing really did a number on me.

Chapter 31

Pogue grumbled as he slammed the book in front of him closed and shoved it to the edge of the old cracked table with the rest of the non-helpful pile. There wasn't a clock or anything down here so there was no way for him to tell what time it was but from a guess, he assumed it had been a few hours.

He pulled another heavy leather bound book towards him and opened it, his eyes closely skimming the thin, scratchy words. While it's pages described a few of the early rituals his ancestors practiced, there was nothing about the one he was looking for so he closed the book and shoved it down the table with the others.

(None of these are getting me anywhere.)

With an exhausted yawn, Pogue rubbed his eyes and leaned back in his hard chair. He was feeling beyond tired and honestly thought if he picked up another book he'd throw it across the room but he knew he had to keep looking; Caleb needed him too.

After rubbing his eyes with one hand, Pogue blindly grabbed another thick book and opened its pages. Dust spewed into the air as it was opened, making him cough slightly as the pages settled and Pogue let the old parchment breath for a moment before letting his eyes roam across the lettering. The first few chapters were nothing of importance so he numbly turned the pages of the book until his fingers bushed across a bent corner. At first, he didn't put too much thought into it but then his eyes glanced at the title of the chapter and his eyebrows curved into a frown.

Chapter 13, the Chamber of Shadows

A rough picture was sketched into the space under the title and Pogue couldn't help the chill that ran up his back. The drawing was of an open stonewalled room held together by large pillars. Even though it was just a rough black and white sketch, Pogue knew exactly what he was looking at; it was the room he'd been dreaming about. He re-read the title a few more times and a dark feeling settled inside of his stomach. He knew he'd never heard that name before but there was no mistaking that drawing. Intrigued, he skimmed downwards towards the faded writing, reading the scratchy words slowly.

A place thought not to exist in the material plane, The Chamber of Shadows served as a gateway between life and death. Its walls are stained with blood and tainted with the remaining souls of the innocent who are forever trapped within its realm. Its unknown wither the room was constructed by the early settlers of Ipswich or by–

The rest of the letters were completely faded and unreadable, making Pogue grumble a few words angrily. He turned the page and his eyes saw a small piece of paper wedged in-between the book's pages, near its spine. His fingers acted on their own accord, pulled the paper out of its hiding spot, and carefully unfolded it.

Roran

Here's the damn place you wanted me to look up. I still think this shit is beyond weird, does Gavin even know you're messing with this junk? This stuff gives me the creeps, Anyway this book should tell you what you need even though you wouldn't bother telling me what it was you were actually looking for. Happy reading and whatever.

Gabriel.

Pogue read the letter a few more times before he set it down on the table. He didn't recognize the handwriting but the three names, Roran, Gavin, and Gabriel were familiar to him.

(Must've been members of my grandfather's covenant. Glad to know I wasn't the only one researching this junk.)

He bit on his lower lip slightly and folded the letter back up. The muscles inside his stomach were starting to coil tight as he thought about his grandfather. He had few memories of the elder Parry before his mysterious disappearance but he knew for a fact that his grandfather never mentioned that weird place or anything else tying to it. But then again, according to the letter, Roran was the one looking for it.

(Tyler's grandfather was named Roran. This shit just keeps rolling down hill.)

A pair of light footsteps echoed on the stone stairs and the air was filled with Gorman's powerful presence. Pogue quickly stuffed the letter back into the book and closed it just as the elder appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

His sharp eyes rounded on Pogue almost instantly. "You're awake, I see."

"Yeah." Pogue mumbled blankly.

The elder crossed the room, his cane kicking up small puffs of dust as it struck the hard stone floor, and he paused as near the table, his eyes immediately locking onto Pogue's face.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine." Pogue shrugged, slightly uncomfortable under Gorman's eyes.

The elder continued staring at him and after a moment he lightly grasped Pogue's chin and tilted the boy's head to the side in order to see him better.

"Yeah, I know, I look different." Pogue mumbled as he pushed Gorman's hand away. "Any idea why?"

The elder sighed and shook his head. "I haven't a clue; I've never seen anything like this. All my powers did was stun you."

Pogue groaned and ran a hand through his hair. "Terrific."

Gorman's face remained stony as he eyed his godchild.

"Reid's awake now, in case you were wondering."

"Good, now I can kill him for stabbing me in the back."

"You should listen to his reasons for doing so before you pass judgment." The elder warned.

"Whatever. He still helped Chase– Mmh!" Pogue yelped as the side of his head burned slightly.

Gorman's eyebrows rose. "What is it?"

"Headache." Pogue grumbled, as he rubbed the side of his head. "Damn it's getting worse."

The teen moaned as the burning feeling spread throughout his entire skull and through the haze, a strong presence brushed against his subconscious.

Pogue can you hear me?

Pogue recognized the voice almost instantly.

(William?)

You need to get back to your school. Tyler's in trouble.

Pogue's breath hitched slightly.

(Wait, what?)

NOW!

William practically screamed the word into his mind and his presence retreated a moment later, leaving Pogue with a rolling headache.

"Pogue, what is it?" Gorman asked, his face showing heavy confusion as he watched his godchild clutch his head with his hands.

"Tyler's in trouble." The empath growled as he pushed himself out of his seat and dashed to the stairs.

Gorman shouted something behind him but Pogue was too far up the stairs to hear it. He could hear the elder trailing behind him, his old body moving as fast as it could go and the teen was forced to a stop when he heard his name called out.

"Pogue, hold your horses for a moment. What's going on?" Gorman hobbled into the hall, panting heavily. "You can't make me run like that boy."

Pogue caught his breath turned towards the elder. "Tyler's in trouble or something. Don't ask me to explain it, he just is."

"What?"

The hall echoed with the sound of Reid's voice and the blond appeared in a doorway before the blink of an eye. Pogue immediately glared at the younger boy's head, his pale blue eyes startling the blond momentarily before he found his voice again.

"What about Tyler?"

"He's in trouble apparently; at least that's what Pogue thinks." Gorman answered, his eyes moving back and forth between the two boys.

Reid's blue eyes narrowed and he lowered his head shamefully. "Fuck. I gotta find him."

"You're not going anywhere in your condition, either one of you." Gorman barked, causing both boy's to growl loudly.

"What? Gorman this is bullshit! Chase is going to go after him because of me."

Pogue tightened his fists. "Then why'd you agree to help in the first place, you moron?"

"I didn't have a choice; he was going to hurt Tyler!" Reid yelled furiously.

Every one of them drew silent from the blond's words. Pogue's eyes narrowed dangerously, he honestly didn't know who he was angry with, Reid, Chase or himself, but he really didn't care. Before he could say anything, he felt William's presence brush against his mind once again.

What the devil is taking you so long! The elder growled.

(Nothing, I'm on my way.)

Hurry damn it!

(I'm coming!)

William's voice faded out but Pogue could still feel the elder Danvers still lingering around his subconscious. Pushing the matter to the back of his mind, Pogue cleared his throat.

"You two can sit around here arguing all fucking day but I'm not wasting anymore time."

Gorman and Reid went silent as Pogue turned and headed towards the front door before either of them could say a word. The door flew open at his command, the wood almost cracking from the force of his powers. Footsteps echoed in the house behind him and followed him across the porch and down the stairs. The empath tried to ignore the footsteps but they followed him all the way to his bike and he didn't need his powers to tell him it was Reid.

"Go back to the house, Reid."

"Go to hell." Reid snapped back as he followed the empath down the dirt driveway.

Pogue slowed to a stop near his bike and patted his jeans for his keys. Thankfully, they were still in his pocket and with a relieved sigh he pulled them out. He was about to climb on his Ducati when he noticed Reid standing a few feet away.

"Reid."

The blond gave him an annoyed look. "Yes?"

"I said go back to the house."

"And I said go to hell. Tyler's in trouble because of me. You think I'm just gonna sit here while that son of a bitch puts his hands on him?"

Reid's anger flooded through Pogue's mind along with frustration and helplessness but never the less, he cleared his mind and made his face as stern as he could.

"Fine. But if you stab me in the back again I'll tear your head off and not even Gorman will be able to stop me."

The blond didn't back down, instead Reid drew himself to his full height and tightened his fists. "Fine."

--

"Say it!" Caleb growled. "Say the fucking words!"

A pained groan eased from Tyler's split lips as Chase's fist once again sent him crashing to the floor. The youngest covenant member didn't make any other sound as he gingerly tried to pull himself off the floor. The feat was difficult due to the fact that his arms were still bound by a thick cord but he managed to crawl to a knee.

Caleb's footsteps circled him and the older boy sighed loudly.

"You're just as bad as the rest of your covenant. Caleb sure as hell gave me a run for my money and Pogue and Reid have tons of fight in them but I honestly didn't expect this much hassle from you. I'm actually amazed."

"You don't know me very well then." Tyler mumbled shakily as he lightly touched a finger to his busted lip.

"Apparently I don't, otherwise I would've set my sights on your powers a lot sooner." Caleb snorted and crouched down near Tyler's face.

Tyler winced as Caleb grabbed a lock of his hair and pulled his head back roughly. "Come on baby boy, we can end this real easy."

Tyler's blue eyes glared at Caleb's face for a long time, hardly recognizing the man that crouched in front of him. He'd always admired Caleb; the older boy always took care of the three of them ever since they were kids. Caleb was the reason Pogue stayed in school after both of his parents died and he was also the only reason Reid hadn't run his life into the ground by over-using. Caleb loved them all, that's what made the sight sitting in front of him even more difficult to look at.

Tyler turned his head away from the other boy's face. "No."

Caleb's brown eyes narrowed with rage and his fist once again slammed into Tyler's jaw hard. The impact sent the younger teen to the hard wood floor once again, except Caleb didn't even bother pulling him back up.

"Fine. Have it your way then." Caleb growled darkly and kicked Tyler's stomach painfully with his foot. "It's not like I'm getting tired or anything. You'll crack eventually."

Tyler didn't give any reply. He thought about Reid, picturing the blond's face in his mind and letting the image keep him strong. Part of him was crying out for the blond to come and save him but that hope was growing thinner the longer this hell dragged on; Reid probably had no idea he was in trouble.

Heavy footsteps rounded on him again but Tyler didn't even move his eyes until a wave of Caleb's powers rolled him onto his back roughly and he had no choice but to glare up at the older boy.

"You know what the words are; you can end this without it getting anymore messy. Think of Reid, you'd be saving his life."

The mention of the Reid's name had caused a silent gasp to ease from Tyler's mouth but the younger boy closed his eyes tightly afterwards and swallowed. "No."

Caleb roared furiously and raised his hand. "I'll fucking rip it out of you if I have to!"

Tyler turned his head away and braced himself for the hit but it never came. He fearfully opened his eyes and saw Caleb's own dark eyes glaring at his raised arm, which seamed to be frozen in the air.

"I was wondering were you went, you've got some balls trying to stop me now." Caleb mumbled into thin air.

Tyler gave a confused blink, wondering who the hell Caleb was talking to and his question was answered a short time latter as a deep voice rumbled inside the room.

You little bastard, I'll rip you apart for this!

The voice was dark and seamed to resonate from Caleb's body but he could hear it inside of his head, making the hairs on his arm stand up as it vibrated through the dorm room

Caleb rolled his eyes and lowered his arm. "Talk all you want William, that's all you ever do."

I'll do a hell of a lot more then talk this time! I'd run if I were you.

"Whatever old man, you know you can't hurt me."

The room vibrated once again but this time the voice seamed to be laughing.

True, I can't harm you in this state. But someone else can and he's on his way.

Caleb's body grew stiff and Tyler saw his eyes narrow once again.

"Whatever." Caleb snorted but his head jerked up a moment later, as if he heard something.

His brown eyes moved towards the wall of the dorm room and then turned black. For a long time, the older teen stayed perfectly still, his eyes never leaving the wall.

"Fuck." He groaned loudly and turned his attention back towards Tyler.

The blue-eyed boy was still lying on the floor looking up at him. With a dangerous glint in his eyes, Caleb moved towards the wounded teen and pulled him painfully upright by his shoulder.

"Pogue's here, along with your little fuck buddy." He whispered darkly in Tyler's ear as he pulled the boy towards the small bathroom. "This should be interesting."

--

The left side of Pogue's chest fluttered with the unusual warmth but the empath didn't pay it much attention. His eyes were focused intently on the road in front of him and he didn't dare look away as the yellow Ducati screamed down it.

Reid's arms tightened around his stomach as the bike changed gears and sped up, his head pressed firmly against Pogue's back to keep the wind out of his eyes as they turned off of the highway towards the road leading to Spencer's campus. Luckily, the road was nearly deserted because of the holiday season so Pogue didn't even bother slowing down or parking in the student garages. Instead, he directed the bike towards the sidewalk and pulled back on the handles in order for the machine to jump the small curb and pull it's self onto the cement.

"Jesus Christ, are you fucking nuts?" Reid wailed against his back as he struggled to hold on and not fall of the rear.

Pogue's only answer was a swift twist of the throttle as the Ducati raced across the grey stone of Spencer's pavement. When they neared the building that housed Reid and Tyler's dorm, Pogue pulled heavily on the bike cable and centered his weight forwards in order for the bike to slid to a stop on it's front tire. A screeching sound echoed loudly in the air as the bike halted and fell back on its back tire and both boys let lose the breath they were holding.

"Remind me to never ride with you again." Reid groaned as he slid off the bike.

"We're here aren't we?" Pogue replied as he undid his helmet and dismounted his bike.

"Yeah, but I think my stomach is back on the road somewhere." The blond coughed loudly as his stomach turned but it turned into a loud gasp a quick second later. "Fuck."

Pogue frowned when he heard it. "What's wrong?"

Reid shakily held a hand to his chest, near his heart and closed his eyes for a moment.

"Tyler, he's– he's hurt or something. Fuck, that asshole has him!" The blond shouted and bolted up the stone steps, towards the building.

Pogue immediately took off after him. "Reid!"

The inside of the building was just as empty as the campus without a single trace of light on the first floor. Reid slid to a stop in the lobby near the elevators and Pogue caught up with him a moment later.

The older of the two tapped the call button impatiently a few times before he cursed. "Damn, it's not working."

"Fuck the elevator!" Reid growled and headed towards the stairs.

Pogue fallowed with a groan and together both boys bounded up the flights of stairs until they reached the floor the dorm was on. Reid used his powers to slam the stairwell door open and both teens sprang into the dark hall.

Before Reid had the chance to get away from him, Pogue grabbed the boy's shoulder and signalled for him to wait while he felt out the area with his powers. Reid's frustration clouded his mind at first and made it hard for him to tell if anyone else was in the area but when Reid settled down he was able to feel Tyler's presence along with – he growled deeply in his chest – Chase.

Before he could even open his eyes, Reid bolted down the hall towards his dorm and Pogue ran after him as the blond threw open the door to his room.

"Tyler!"

His call went unanswered and by the time Pogue entered the room, Reid had called Tyler's name a handful of times. The room was a complete mess, papers were scattered everywhere and one of the beds was turned over. It was beyond obvious a struggle had happened. Pogue felt his stomach tighten as he gazed at the chaos and let his eyes drift closed as he sent his powers outward once again to try to locate the youngest member of their covenant. He had to use more force then normal for some reason, probably due to the fact that Reid's frustration and anger was too strong for him to block out and he was starting to get a small headache but he forced himself to ignore the discomfort and keep searching.

It was no use though; something was blocking his attempts and preventing him from feeling out the area, something powerful. He tried to focus harder but a small voice broke his concentration.

"Reid."

Next to him, Reid's shoulders lowered in relief as the blond recognized the voice. "Ty?"

The voice had come from the direction of the bathroom and Reid was across the room and standing in front of its closed door in the blink of an eye.

"Tyler are you okay? Open the door, man." The blond knocked on the door a few times and tried the handle. "Ty, come on."

"I'm not feeling too good okay. Give me a minute."

"Uh, okay." Reid replied and took a few steps away from the door.

Pogue watched with a confused look. By now all of his inner voices were screaming the exact same thing; something was wrong. He couldn't quite put his finger on it but he was sure something was wrong with Tyler and their surroundings weren't helping to calm the matter either.

(That sounds like him but it doesn't feel like Tyler.)

That's because it's not him.

Pogue jumped slightly as William's voice entered his mind.

(What do you mean?)

Close your eyes.

Pogue did as he was ordered and felt William form a mental picture in his mind of the sight beyond the bathroom door. A large figure was leaning against the door with his arms wrapped tightly around a smaller person whose hands were tied together, one holding the struggling person close while the other was clamped over the other's mouth, preventing him from speaking. The image sharpened a moment later and Pogue could tell the smaller person with the bound hands was Tyler while the one hand a hand over his mouth was none other then Caleb.

"Son of a bitch." Pogue hissed quietly.

Reid turned and gave him a confused look. "What?"

"That's not Tyler." Pogue whispered and approached the wooden door.

He raised his hand and used his mind to locate Chase and he zeroed in on his presence a quick moment later.

(William, I'm going to need you to help me.)

Gladly. The elder Danvers hummed darkly.

With a deep intake of breath, Pogue forced his powers into – what he hoped was – Caleb's mind and was rewarded a moment later when an ear-piercing scream emitted inside the small room. He forced the mental waves deeper with William's help, making sure the ripples tore through Chase's mind as painfully as possible and he enjoyed every single pained sound he was getting the bastard to make, despite the fact that is was Caleb making the noises.

Still keeping his powers aimed at Caleb, Pogue pulled the bathroom door off its hinges with a wave of his hand, revealing the sight in the small room. Caleb was slumped against the far wall, holding the side of his head and screaming in agony while Tyler was huddled on the ground next to him fearfully.

The sight was more then enough to send Reid into a blind rage. "Tyler!"

"Grab him!" Pogue yelled as he felt his grip on Chase start to recede.

He didn't need to tell the blond twice; within the blink of an eye, Reid turned his eyes black and used his enhanced speed to bolt across the room. Caleb struggled under Pogue's assault as Reid grabbed Tyler and Pogue used all of his energy to keep the fucker in place until both covenant members were safely at his side.

One look at the younger boy's bruised face and Pogue felt his anger rise once again to a dangerous level as Tyler buried his face against Reid's chest with a fearful whimper. He made the mistake of watching the two boys for too long and before he even felt it, Caleb broke free from Pogue's assault and turned his eyes black.

"Fuck!" Pogue cursed loudly and threw himself in front of Reid and Tyler as Caleb threw a large wave of his powers at them.

The impact knocked the three of them down and before Caleb could strike again, Reid vanished for a quick second and then his fist connected with Caleb's jaw with a loud crack.

"Son of a bitch!"

Pogue struggled to his feet in an effort to help but the blond was thrown to the floor with a wave of Caleb's arm before he could and the darker-haired boy immediately rounded on him.

"When will you learn?" Caleb growled as he used his powers to pin Reid to the floor. "You can't stop me."

Reid screamed as Caleb's powers vibrated through him, setting every nerve on fire and making his body feel like it was being torn apart. Across the room, he could hear Tyler scream his name and out of the corner of his eye, the younger covenant member tried to get to his feet in order to help but Caleb threw him against the wall.

"Ah-ah-ah baby boy! I'll deal with you later but first your little fuck boy."

Caleb placed his hand over Reid's shaking body once again but before he could torture the blond boy further, the hard wood of the bathroom door crashed over his back and he was thrown to the floor himself. Enraged, the older boy whipped his head around and his eyes narrowed to thin slits when he saw Pogue standing behind him.

"You–"

Pogue didn't let him finish, he turned his eyes black and once again raised his head and forced his way into Chase's mind. Caleb wailed loudly and fell to the floor, clutching the side of his head as the empath's powers tore through him. Pogue grunted from the amount of force he had to use to keep the boy pinned to the floor and knowing the next few moments could get dangerous, he moved his eyes in Reid's direction and found the blond attempting to crawl to his feet a short distance away.

"Reid, get Tyler and get the fuck out of here."

The blond's head jerked up. "Hell no, I'm gonna kill that asshole."

"Reid, get out or I'll throw the both of you out!" Pogue barked loudly and used more of his powers on the thrashing boy on the floor.

The blond growled and looked like he was going to protest but a stern glare from Pogue's black eyes was enough to change his mind and with a loud swishing sound, Reid was across the room and threw his arms around Tyler's torso. The younger boy dug his fingers into Reid's shoulder and faster then the blink of an eye, the two boys disappeared from the room. In their absence, Pogue continued his assault the screaming person rolling around on the floor.

(Come on you fucker, I'll rip you out with my bare hands if I have too.

However, his strength was quickly fading, blood was pounding inside his ears and another extreme headache was coming on but he forced himself to hold strong for as long as he physically could. He was forced to withdraw his powers less then a minute later just as he felt his legs gave out and his body slid to the floor. Caleb was spread out on his belly across the floor breathing his heavy pants and when the empath got his wind, he carefully crawled towards the wounded teen. His eyes were back to their normal color but they were blank and unfocused and for a moment, Pogue feared he'd gone too far.

He tried using his remaining energy to reach for Caleb's mind but he was forced to withdraw after a moment with a small shutter. His friend's mind was in complete chaos, Caleb's memories were scattered and there wasn't even a solid piece of his subconscious for Pogue to grab onto.

(Fuck.)

Slowly raising his arm, Pogue hesitantly reached out and touched Caleb's shoulder. The boy's entire body was trembling and Pogue had to fight all of his urges to wrap his arms around his former friend for comfort.

"Caleb?" Pogue voice was husky with fear and unease.

Caleb blinked slowly and when his eyes reopened, they were glossy and reflected their surroundings clearly.

"Pogue?"

--

No it's not over yet. Not by a long shot. Mwhahahaha!