Chapter 43- "The Master of Puppets"

Chase felt himself hit the cold stone floor with a painful crash. A sharp pain wave crawled up his spine from his shoulder and the teen gingerly pushed himself up on his arms, nursing the injury with a pained groan.

(Shit.)

As he rubbed his throbbing shoulder a thought came to his mind. Pain? Pain, white and hot was coursing though his entire body. He couldn't remember the last time he felt pain, he wasn't enough whole enough to feel it.

(What the hell?)

Confused, Chase raised his hand and glanced down at his fingers. They weren't Caleb's, they were his own, full and pale, almost exactly like they were before Danvers finished him off. He was in his own physical form. He turned his hand over a few more times, a relieved grin coming to his face. However, his grin only stayed in place until he glanced at his surroundings. He was in the middle of an empty space, surrounded by nothing but a thick sea of darkness.

(Oh fuck...oh fuck...no, no, no.)

He wasn't back in his own body or Caleb's for that matter. He was in the chamber's messed up version of limbo. He remembered this darkness clearly, it surrounded him that night when Caleb destroyed his body and attempted to drag him back down into the slimly depths of the room's lower caverns. Now he was out in the open and defenseless, without a body he couldn't use or fight: he was helpless!

That's not fear I'm sensing now is it?

Chase startled as the deep voice touched his mind, thick and smooth. He heard that voice a few times before and he really didn't want to hear it again so soon.

"I shouldn't be here!" He yelled into the thickening darkness. "It hasn't been a year yet."

As he expected, the darkness immediately answered him.

"You've been defeated you arrogant child, accept your fate."

"Pogue hasn't killed me yet. I still have time–"

"It doesn't matter, your host is dead and I've lost all patience with you."

Before Chase could ponder what the voice meant, a sharp stinging pain shot up his arm. His eyes saw something dark blue crawling upwards from the back of his hand towards his shoulder; it looked like a long strand of ancient runes in blue ink. The pain grew more unbearable as the runes spread, almost like they were being carved into his skin by a knife. The pain soon spread onto his back and Chase released a throaty scream.

"Dammit it, give me some more time–" Case felt his voice cut out as the runes continued to spread. "I can jump to Pogue–"

You can't possess an Empath boy; you have tried and failed many times already.

"But–"

ENOUGH!

The darkness thinned and a figure emerged from its shadows. Chase blinked at first, for over half a year he had heard the deep voice speak to him but he'd never once seen who it belonged too. A sudden sense of Déjà Vu wash over him when he felt a pair of ghostly blue eyes lock onto him and he instantly recognized the man's face; it was the same one he'd seen staring back at him in the mirror over the past few hours.

"Once again, you've outlived your usefulness...I have given you all the tools you needed and yet, you failed." The figure hummed darkly as he willed the runes to finish removing the annoyance before his eyes. "I think your new friend will do just fine in your place."

"You–" Chase choked on the rest of his words as the blue tipped runes crawled up his cheek and spilled into his eyes. His vision soon turned black as the last non-existent gasp eased from his lungs. The final image that faded into his mind was a pair of pale blue eyes watching him writhe with satisfied glint in their depths.

--

"Come on, you don't feel anything?" Reid was less then three seconds away from pulling a lock of his hair out.

Gorman sat in his old, plush chair near the fireplace with his eyes closed. A frown sat heavily upon his ancient face and Reid could feel the elder's powers ghosting throughout the heavy air around him.

"I'm searching Reid." The elder said back, his eyes remaining closed.

The blond scowled and continued pacing the length of the study, grumbling under his breath. He was beyond feeling worried, he and Gorman had awaken an hour beforehand and - much to the fear already building in his gut- both covenant members quickly discovered they were alone.

(Tyler...)

He had no idea where the younger boy was but he had a sickening feeling Chase had him somewhere...and that feeling wasn't very comforting. Reid glanced back over at Gorman with another frustrated snort and resumed pacing.

(Where the hell is Pogue when you need him?)

A thought suddenly entered Reid's mind and he waited for Gorman to acknowledge him before voicing it.

"Can you find Pogue anywhere?"

Gorman shook his head slowly. "No, I haven't been able to locate him since he left. He's gotten remarkably good at blocking me lately."

"Dammit." The blond swore and resumed his pacing, his heart still turning in circles.

(Ty, where are you?)

--

(Please wake up.)

Pogue's eyes burned under their closed lids as he hugged the lifeless body in his arms close. He refused to believe Caleb was actually...was actually...

He couldn't even bring himself to admit it.

Those brown eyes would never open again; they would never look at him again with their normal soft warmth. He'd never hear Caleb's voice again. All that was gone, gone in a blink: all that was left was the slowly drying stains of blood and the dead weight resting heavily in his arms. The warmth from Caleb's body had long since faded but no matter how hard he willing himself, Pogue couldn't let it go, the naive part of him wanted to believe that Caleb's eyes would open again if he kept holding his still form.

He failed. There was no other way for him to put it, he promised Caleb that he would find a way to save him and he didn't. He was weak, worthless, he failed and his best friend was dead because of it.

(Please come back, Caleb. Please.)

A cold chill suddenly rose in the room and Pogue raised his head from Caleb's chest just in time to see the few lit candles go out. The room was then encased in a suffocating darkness and the empath gently laid Caleb's still form on the cold ground before slowly pushing himself to his feet.

--

From the darkness the blue eyes watched the still alive boy occupying the room. The boy's power was the first thing that drew his attention a short while ago; it had been so long since he'd felt an empath enter his resting place. Their kind normally stayed away from gathering places.

(I can see why that arrogant whelp lost to him. He's adapted to that gift well.)

After observing his prey for a few more short moments, the pale eyed man sent a small strand of his presence outward, seeing if the boy would detect it. He wasn't disappointed. He saw the covenant member straighten almost immediately afterwards and wearily touched the presence with his mind, probing.

(Smart boy.)

--

(What the fuck?)

Goosebumps slowly started rising on Pogue's arm as something brushed lightly against him. Keeping his guard up, Pogue swallowed and lightly ran his powers over the strange presence, trying to feel if it felt familiar to him. It didn't, it felt cold and endless. The entity it belonged to was powerful; it even felt ancient like Gorman's. Swallowing deeply Pogue rose to his feet, swaying slightly from the knife wound in his leg.

"Hello?" He called out into the darkness, ignoring how silly the idea seamed to him.

Silence hung heavily in the air and Pogue was about to call out again but was silenced as the row of candles nearest to him suddenly ignited with a loud whoosh.

A lone figure stood before him, his piercing blue eyes almost matching the color of Pogue's own.

"Hello Pogue."

The man was dark-haired and clothed entirely in loose black robes. His skin was almost as pale as a ghost, his blue eyes also looking ghost-like, but his appearance was nothing compared to the endless amount of power Pogue felt drifting off of him.

Pogue felt himself stumble backwards. "Who the fuck are you?"

The man made a humming sound and it took Pogue a moment to realize he was laughing. His figure seamed to waver with every false breath and the empath glimpsed faint extended lines near the man's mouth and eyes, hinting there was something darker lurking under his face. As the man turned his face to the side slightly Pogue couldn't sworn he glimpsed fangs through the pale skin the man's cheek that fully extended along the man's jaw line, as if there was something demoniac about him.

"You know who I am boy." The man stated in a cold, even tone. "Take another feel."

Pogue eyed him for a moment before letting his mind touch the stranger's presence once again. It felt as cold and dark as it did a short moment ago but this time some memories came with it. Pogue closed his eyes briefly after making sure the man in front of him wouldn't move while he did so.

He suddenly found himself standing outside a large building, a barn of some sorts. As he focused in on the image he realized it was a much newer version of Putnum barn and the man in front of him was chained to a poll in the middle of it. His back contained numerous cuts and Pogue winced as he felt the pain from the memory flood his senses.

Pogue then felt the image dissolve and reform into a new one. This time he found himself standing in the middle of a room. The strange man stood an arm's length away from him and was arguing with someone. After shaking the strain away from his mind, Pogue moved around until he could see the second figure in the room. He almost fell over from the shock. It was Gorman!

(What the fuck?)

Gorman looked remarkably younger but Pogue instantly knew it was the elder. The memory didn't fade away yet however and Pogue felt the sounds of their conversation reach his ears.

"I can not stand idly by while you defile my covenant. It doesn't matter what immoral act that man committed, you had no right to bring murder among us!"

Pogue felt himself wince once again. He knew that tone, Gorman was furious.

The dark-haired man narrowed his eyes. "It's hardly murder Joseph. It's redemption."

"It doesn't matter what name you call it John, he was a priest. If you endanger the rest of us because of this I swear–"

"You'll what, come after me? I'm the strongest, I'll end you all."

Pogue shook his head as he felt the anger from both men cloud his mind.

"This was the reason we banished you in the first place. If you keep these acts up you'll bring the entire village down on our heads!"

Pogue waited for the reply from the strange man but it never came. Instead he felt the image waver under his grasp. His ears did pick up one last thing before the image got away from him. It was no more then a whisper that came from the younger Gorman's direction but it rang loud and clear in Pogue's mind.

"Mark my words John, you'll rot in purgatory for that boy."

The stone room quickly returned to him and Pogue felt his knees give out from under him. He slumped to the floor and held the side of his head with his free hand. The strange man was still watching him with an intrigued look.

"Did that answer your question?"

Pogue groaned in relief as the pressure in his mind faded. He willed his eye to open and lock with the man standing in front of him.

"John Putnum."