9th September, 1988.
Despite the gloomy weather and heavy rain that fell on the small town of Ipswich that autumn night, the Danvers mansion was buzzing with excitement. Evelyn Danvers had just given birth to a beautiful boy.
"Caleb," she murmured, stroking the newborn's soft cheeks as he slept. Her husband William stood at the head of the bed, looking down at the mother and son. His own little family.
"Caleb Danvers," he repeated, a smile slowly forming on his lips. "I like it."
"Do you wanna hold him?"
"Please. It's time he meets the rest of the crew." Gently, he took the infant from Evelyn's arms before planting a quick peck on her lips. He softly rocked him for a few seconds after the shift in position caused him to stir.
"Get some sleep," he whispered. "I got this." He tiptoed out of the room and into the hallway where three men waited. As soon as they saw him, they hurried towards the father and son, excitement and curiosity evident on their faces.
To William and the three other Sons of Ipswich, this marked an end of an era and the beginning of a new one. Soon the others, Wayne Parry, Joseph Garwin, and Glenn Simms would also bear sons of their own and the new generation of warlocks will be complete. They would then be facing the tedious task of guiding these boys with the rules of the Covenant, an age-old secret which had kept their families alive during the darkest of times. All that loomed ahead of them but at that moment, William didn't mind. He was too focused on the warm bundle in his arms. He looked down and smiled at the sleeping infant. When the four of them caught a glimpse of him for the first time, Joseph quickly pointed out that the baby was an exact replica of the older Danvers. William couldn't argue with that. His only wish was that the boy wouldn't grow up to be exactly like him. He prayed that Caleb would possess the willpower and self-control that he lacked, especially when it came to using the Power.
'Do better than your old man,' William thought, chuckling quietly.
"Um, guys? I think you'd want to see this," Wayne called out. He was standing by the full-length window overlooking the mansion's massive front lawn. The three men quickly flocked towards where Wayne stood and followed his gaze.
"Are you kidding me?" Glenn mused.
"What is that?" Joseph wondered out loud.
Amidst the pouring rain, lightning struck the soaked ground of the front lawn. It was a common enough occurrence. Centuries of magic invoked within the mansion's walls attracted the elements to its vicinity. What they did find strange was the frequency of the lightning and the precision of its strikes. Like a rhythmic pulse, the blinding rod kept striking the same spot on the ground over and over and over again.
"Any idea what that means, Will?" Joseph asked, looking at the de-facto leader of the brotherhood.
William shook his head and brought his son closer to his chest. He had never seen that happen before. However he had an unsettling feeling in his gut that whatever it meant, it was something pivotal for the Covenant of Silence. And no matter how much he tried, he couldn't ignore the nagging feeling that it would involve the newborn baby that he held in his arms.
