Date: Sat, 19 Jun 2010 07:11:18 -0500 From: Jason Gordon <jaygordon_1981@hotmail.com> Subject: A Light in the Darkness 12 Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction which will include t/t and m/m relationships, and probably some sex too. If it is illegal in your area to read this, or if you are not old enough to read this (you know who you are), stop here. Otherwise, please enjoy. AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is a companion story to "Things that Go Bump." The story lines are related and the characters will occasionally interact. The stories begin at roughly the same time. My sincerest thanks go out to Tarton who kindly edited this chapter. And thanks to everyone for writing such encouraging emails. I am now posting my stories to a Yahoo!Group, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jaygordon_1981/ as well. I'm putting them up there a little in advance so I can make final edits before submitting to Nifty, so if you are interested, you can check it out. It's closed membership to avoid spam and flames, so just let me know! A Light in the Darkness, Chapter 11 "The Beginning of the End" "What is it?" Chase asked. "Something's happened at Sebastian's house," William muttered, and both boys jumped as there was a loud knock at the door. William carefully checked and saw the very tense face of Lt. Spencer through the peep hole. He opened the door and the man rushed in, Eric on his heels. "What's happened?" William demanded. The man looked distressed. "I'm not sure, I can't get through to the manor...." He looked guiltily over his shoulder at Eric and said, "I was chatting with Eric last night, and James told me just to take the night off and hang out. Sebastian got me a room so I could stay. Then I was watching the news." William thought the man might start crying he looked so guilty. "It's not your fault," William said, putting a hand on the man's shoulder and giving it a squeeze. "Chase, can you tell anything?" The boy sat down and put a hand out and his eyes went blank for just a moment. "Whatever was happening, it's over.... The only presences powerful enough for me to sense from here are Avery and Sebastian and they're both alive...." "Thank God," Lt. Spencer sighed. But Chase gave him a look and warned, "I didn't say they were well. I just can't tell beyond that. We need to get down there, closer, and then maybe I can tell more," the boy said, pushing himself to his feet. "Do you think you can get us nearby, but outside the police perimeter?" Chase asked the young lieutenant. "Yes, I think so," the man said, before turning and taking Eric by the elbow and leading him into the hall. The two had a brief conversation and Eric nodded and turned to go. Spencer pulled him into a hug, causing the man to smile brightly, before hurrying back inside. William couldn't help but smile even in the circumstances, and Spencer, blushing, asked, "What?" "Eric's a really nice guy. He'll make a good friend," William answered cryptically. Then he added, "Now let's get this show on the road!" "William," Chase said suddenly, "try Sam...." William got out his cell phone and called Sam Roth's number. The old rabbi answered, "William? Is everything alright?" "It was," the boy replied. "Have you seen the news?" "No, what do you mean?" the man asked. "There was an explosion outside of Sebastian's and we can't reach them.... We're going there now...." "It might not be safe," Sam exclaimed. "We're getting close, not going inside," William said, not budging. "Where are you opening the portal?" Sam asked with a sigh. "Here, I'll let you talk to Lt. Spencer," William said, handing the phone to the young soldier. The man gave some explanation and began nodding, muttering things like, "Yes, general.... No general...." And then the man hung up. Turning to the boys, he said, "He's meeting us there to guard our arrival and offer assistance as required." "Good," Chase said, and the young man began opening a portal to the exact location he had described to Sam Roth. Sam was waiting for them when they stepped through, and the man led them as close as they could get to the manor without being observed by the police, who had cordoned off the neighborhood. "The danger is definitely gone.... I can't tell who was in the car, but no one was killed there. It wasn't a car bomb," Chase said with a note of certainty. Sam nodded. "It looks like someone threw a powerful energy ball at the car as it exited the manor's grounds, flipping the car over.... If you're sure it's safe, we need to get inside, Chase...." "I'm sure," Chase said. The defenses around the house were too strong to unilaterally open a portal, however, so Chase reached for the dagger he had commandeered and repeated the procedure, tearing a hole in space and leading the men into Sebastian's basement. Within moments, men's voices were shouting at them to freeze. "Stand down! Stand down! General Sam Roth, reporting...." "Stand down!" Avery exclaimed. "He's got the boy's...." "More accurately, Avery, the boy's got me. None of us could get through on the radio's or phones. Something is suppressing communications...." "We're on it. They must have learned their lesson from the original assault. They didn't give us a chance to call in reinforcements...." Avery sounded grave, and his active presence did not bode well, given that he had withdrawn since the death of his brother. If he was occupying such an active leadership role, something was terribly wrong. "What's wrong?" Chase asked, silencing everyone. "Where is Sebastian?" "He's upstairs in his room.... They're pumping him full of blood. He was injured but he'll heal himself in pretty short order. A vampire of his age and power. But I've ordered him sedated. We've called in a druid witch to keep him under...." "Why?" Chase asked, his voice hollow and barely suppressing anger. It was chilling coming from him. "Because we ... I ... don't know what to do if he wakes up.... It's too dangerous to wake him," Avery said, hedging. "WHAT ... IS ... WRONG, MARSHALL?" Chase asked one last time, using Avery's rank, and everyone could feel that if he could see, he would be staring Avery down. And he'd be winning. "James," the man said, closing his eyes. "James is gone!" The tears rose in Chase's eyes as he tilted his head and coughed to ask, "Gone? You mean, dead?" "No.... Maybe.... We just don't know," Avery said. "They took him. He was thrown clear of the car and they took him. We don't know whether they took him dead or alive. To be honest I don't know which would be better...." "Alive is better," Chase said with a note of finality before turning to William. "Take me to him," Chase demanded of his love. William led him out of the room full of soldiers and up two flights of stairs to the master bedroom. Sebastian looked small and frail in the enormous king-sized bed. His physical injuries were healing but they still looked terrible. Chase reached out and touched the edge of the bed and guided himself down to sit. Then Chase grasped for Sebastian's hand, but William had to guide him. William stepped out into the hall and leaned against the wall. They had all been so happy just hours before. Now everything seemed headed for ruin. Hearing tears, William stood and walked down the hall where he found Chris in Steve's arms. "Hi, guys," William said softly as they noticed him. Steve nodded and Chris coughed. "First Pete, now James.... When will this nightmare be over?" William sat down next to Chris and put an arm across his shoulder. "Soon, I hope.... But I don't know. We'll get him back ... if we can." "Him?" Chris asked through his tears. "You mean them?" William gave them a funny look and said, "What do you think happened to Peter? You know he went over to the other side, right?" But he could tell by the look on Chris's face that he did not know that. "That's not true! It can't be true!" Steve said, by way of an explanation, "Pete was like Chris's brother and best friend," because he realized in an instant that everyone had been protecting them from that knowledge. "I'm so sorry, Chris, but it's true.... Without Pete's help, Sammael wouldn't have been able to resurrect the last ancient vampire he wanted for his scheme. He was standing at Sammael's right hand when we saved Sebastian and the others...." Chris broke down crying and said, "Pete would never," before he was totally overcome, and William patted his head softly. "I'm sorry," he repeated, and sat quietly with the boys until Chase appeared in the doorway. "He's healing," Chase said, "but Avery is right. We can't wake him up right now...." Then his face changed slightly. "Chris? Are you alright?" He had felt the boy's pain. William explained about Chris's connection to Pete and that he had let slip that Pete had joined the other side. Chase took William's place next to the boy and shooed the other two boys out of the room. "Chris, do you know what I am?" Chase asked. "I've heard rumors.... Do you know what you are?" Chris asked. Chase laughed, "Partly.... If I told you that I'll do whatever it takes to save Pete for you, would that make a difference?" "You'd ... do that?" Chris asked softly. "I can try my darnedest. I'll do whatever I can to bring the boy back to you," Chase said. "Just don't lose hope...." Chase felt Chris's arms around him, the boy's heart surging with relief, and Chase returned his hug and called for the other boys. Later, when they were alone, William would ask what Chase had done or said to make the boys spirits improve so much, but Chase only smiled and said, "Trust me...." Chase called his mother and father with the news, "We're at Sebastian's," he said with a heavy sigh. "He's been injured and James was taken. We're going to stay here as long as it takes...." "Sweetheart," Sarah began, her voice heavy. "Mom! This isn't a negotiation.... We're staying!" "Sweetheart," Sarah began, this time a tone in her voice, "I was going to tell you to be careful and stay close to William. Matt will know which of your friends to tell?" "Yeah, mom.... Tell him everything. And I'm sorry I got on your case." "Don't worry about me, sweetie. We'll see you soon. I love you." "Love you too, mom," Chase said as he hung up the phone. Then he had William lead him to Avery. "You know you can't keep him sedated forever?" Chase asked the man pointedly. Avery might have glared at him, but Chase wouldn't have seen. "What do we know?" Avery replied, a little saucily, "Not that I report to you ... but the trail is cold...." Chase gave him a funny face before observing, "No, but if it weren't for me, none of you would be reporting to anyone...." "Too true," Avery allowed with a laugh. "A man from the Society is coming down this afternoon to test you and William by the way...." "What for?" William asked. "Since you are a wizard, and Chase is ... whatever he is ... it is required that you be assigned a rank before you are pressed into regular service," Avery replied. "Rank isn't based on experience?" Chase asked. "No, it's based on power and ability...." "So you're a marshal?" Chase asked. "What does that mean?" "Marshal and Grand Marshal are the two highest ranks. Only two people alive today hold the rank of Marshal, none the rank of Grand Marshall," Avery observed. "So there's you, and Christen?" William asked. "Heavens no! Christen is a bright and accomplished young witch -- she's a Lt. General, like Sam.... You're father was just appointed Brigadier General before he left the Society and the Council," Avery added with a nod. "So who is the other Marshal," Chase asked. "Why, Her Majesty the Queen, of course!" Avery exclaimed, like it should have been obvious. And of course it should have. Chase nodded. "In the meantime, I'd like to go to the Temple and see if I can get anything about James's disappearance. If you can help us?" Avery nodded and took the boys to the door to William's space, which already had an existing portal to the Temple, and helped them open it. You could have heard a pin drop in hell's archive as Sammael stood facing Pursan. "What have you done?" Pursan asked with venom. "How DARE YOU bring HIM HERE?" "There is nowhere else, my teacher," Sammael said, lowering his head in a sign of respect. "I had to bring him beyond the reach of Sebastian and ... the boy...." Pursan grunted impatiently. "Tell me about the boy...." "He's small for his age, blond, extraordinarily beautiful ... for a human.... And power! So much power!" "His eyes?" Pursan asked hesitantly. "Blind," Sammael answered. "What is he?" Pursan looked long and hard from beneath his ancient cowl, before scowling, "He is the END-GAME, and he MUST NOT find the vampire here! You've broken the accords, Sammael, just by bringing him below!" "Accords! Luckily HE turns a blind eye to what goes on below the sphere of the moon! He doesn't CARE!" "Sammael, you are making a mistake that could cost us everything," Pursan said, exhaling deeply. "Put him in your old cell...." "Thank you, my teacher," Sammael said, again lowering his head in respect. Then he motioned for his mean to seal the boy in. "Now let me see your hands," Pursan said, reaching for the blackened flesh of Sammael's human form. "You touched him?" "Yes.... I had no idea. We took him because he is Sebastian's lover," Sammael said, downcast. "We were going to torture him and drive Sebastian mad with grief!" Pursan laughed, "Only to find out that you cannot touch him! The irony. Good thing you didn't try to rape him!" Sammael rolled his eyes, but he'd had every intention of enjoying the boy's supple flesh, and of sending the video to Sebastian. And he knew his old teacher knew. "This one was foretold ages ago, Lord Sammael! He is the vampire born of light and love! Frankly, you're lucky you were able to hold your human form together! The filth permeates his being...." "You'll keep him secretly," Sammael asked. "They'd destroy me if they found out I was still with you.... And breaking the Accords! Not everyone is as flippant as you about the possibility of Divine intrusion into infernal affairs!" "Thank you," Sammael said, and then he was gone. He couldn't afford to get caught downstairs either! Stepping out of the shadows, Daemon gave a little clap. "You're a tricky old devil, aren't you?" Daemon asked with a laugh. "The fool has brought ruin on us all! Watch over the boy and keep him safe at all costs! And for Evil's sake, don't touch him!" Daemon nodded and bounded off toward hell's most forbidding prison. Looking through the door, he saw James had been left bound and gagged with a bag over his head. So he stepped inside and ripped the bag off. James's eyes were wide with fear, rage, and recognition. "Stop struggling, ape! I'm going to unbind you, but if you hurt me I can't help you!" With a doubtful look, James stopped moving and let Daemon remove the gag. "YOU!" "I thought you looked familiar! You're the adorable little vampire's jock-boy!" "James," the big boy growled. "Daemon...." "Yes well, most men don't forget me once they've seen me.... Listen, same rules apply. I'm going to untie you...." And he did. "What's going on?" James asked, confused and definitely not trusting this latest bit of help. "Sammael kidnapped you, and now he's brought you down to the Pit to lock you in his own cell.... He's trying to keep the kid out...." "You've got to let me out," James said, looking panicked. "I can't help you escape, and if I let you out, they'll kill you if they find you down here! Having a non-damned soul in hell would be grounds for a Divine invasion...." "So what am I supposed to do?" James asked. "Stay here.... I'll protect you and feed you until we can figure out how to get you rescued without destroying us all.... In the meantime, cast a circle and spend all your time reinforcing it. That way, if Sammael comes back, you'll be safe...." James looked very unhappy, but he nodded and began drawing a circle in the floor that took up most of the room. Chase stood in the Temple with his hands on the altar in a silent back-and-forth with the voices only he could hear. At last he shouted, startling William, "Tell me where he is! We'll find him!" "There are a billion billions of worlds, mortal child," a loud voice echoed through the room. This one William heard. "You'll find him when the time comes, if it's meant to come!" "How can you do this? Give me so much power that is entirely useless to help those I love?" Chase asked, tears streaking his lovely face. "You speak to me, unless I need to hear!" "Very well," the voice said, with a terrifying note of finality, and fell silent. Chase gasped and William rushed to his side. "What is it, baby?" William asked. "Silence.... The voices are ... gone." Chase's voice was full of anxiety and a touch of relief. "Let's go," William whispered, and led him to the door, shutting the portal behind them. As they returned to Sebastian's, they heard Avery call out, "I'm glad you're back.... Mr. Smith is here from the Society.... What happened?" he asked as he noticed their faces. William shook his head. "I'll go first. Chase needs to rest a while...." An older gentleman in a three-piece suit approached and held out his hand, "Nigel Smith. You must be William Jennings! I remember when I gave your father this test before he was promoted! He'd be very proud of you today, young man, based on what I hear from his own teacher...." "Thank you sir, though my father left the Society and Council for a reason...." "Yes, well.... Water under the bridge.... Your father is missed," the man added as he led William upstairs and outside. The test was a rigorous test of William's skill at manipulating the magical elements -- the heat of the fire he could conjure, how much earth he could move, and the like. Then he was tested on the strength of his offensive spells and defensive spells. When he had a particularly difficult time defending against William's offensive spells, Smith summoned Avery. "Avery, if you wouldn't mind, I need you to test the boy's defenses. His offense is fairly formidable...." So Avery raised a beam of energy and fired it at William's shield, increasing power gradually until it began to pierce William's defenses. Then Avery whispered to the man to give him the data he needed. "Very impressive," the man noted and then made a calculation. "The queen herself will want to award you your insignia, but I've made my determination," the man said with a salute, "Colonel Jennings!" Avery slapped the boy on the shoulder and said, "GOOD SHOW! William looked dazed as he shook Mr. Smith's hand. "Are you ready, Chase?" Smith asked. The boy nodded and stood but he was clearly distracted. The man ran him through the elements one by one, muttering to himself and making notations. He looked perturbed when he said, "Let's move on to offensive spells.... When I say ready, give me all you've got...." "Wait!" Avery and William yelled at once. "That's not a good idea," Avery said. "You don't understand...." "Don't be silly! The boy isn't even a wizard!" But the man raised a very powerful shield, more powerful than he would have otherwise, and said, "Ready!" Chase raised his hand and did NOT give the man all he had -- just all he had an interest in giving. And all he heard was a loud bang, followed by a thud. "What happened?" "It seems Mr. Smith has bumped his head," Avery said as he crossed the yard to help the man up. After a few minutes, Smith murmured, "Perhaps you'd like to take over from here, Avery?" Avery smiled and raised the most powerful shield he could manage, and when Chase hit him, he really let go. When the energy ball struck Avery's shield, he was just able to maintain it, though he stumbled back a few feet. Avery then consulted with Smith about the strength of the shield and the impact of the blast. Smith simply shook his head and said, "Chase, raise your shield, and Avery will attack it with a beam of magick, increasing in intensity until he can penetrate your defenses. Okay?" The boy nodded and raised his shield. Smith blanched at the sight of it and the little shock wave of energy that pulsed through the yard off of it. "Now!" Avery increased his intensity steadily for ten minutes until his energy burned blue/white, throbbing and many feet wide. "Avery?" Smith asked, uncertain. But Avery's forehead was beaded with sweat and concentration, and he did not answer for another minute, at which time he merely shook his head and dropped his attack. "That is not possible," Smith said with absolute certainty. "You're a wizard and he isn't!" "Then how do you explain it, Nigel?" Avery asked with a little grin. The man groaned and shook his head, and returned to his calculations. At last he sighed, wrote his report and handed it to Avery. "You'll need to sign this to verify that you used as much energy as you said. This is above my pay-grade," the man said, unhappily as he walked away to make a phone call. "What's going on?" Chase asked. "Did I do something wrong?" "No," Avery laughed. "You just showed him what his precious assumptions are worth!"" Nigel returned wearing a frown. "The queen will arrive in three days time to see a display of your power and to award you your rank." "Can't you tell us?" Avery asked. "The queen wishes that honor for herself. These are dark times, and she hopes the ceremony, which will be broadcast across our network, will be a morale-boosting event. Good day, gentlemen!" And the little man disappeared, leaving even Avery looking surprised and uncertain. "Alright, then! What do we do now?" Avery pondered. Chase smiled wanly at him and said, "You don't answer to me, remember!" "You're never going to let me live that down, are you?" Avery asked with a smile. Chase just smiled and said, "Any news?" "Yeah, and it's not good. They've learned their lesson: get in, get out, spread chaos," Avery said. "Come on, I'll let you guys in one what we've got since last night...." They went down to Sebastian's office and Avery began playing clips for them from surveillance video and even some news reports, describing bits of the scene for Chase's benefit. "This first video is from a village outside of Rome," Avery began. The female reporter's voiceover took over from there: "What you're seeing is a little fishing village near Rome, the sight of a health catastrophe of biblical proportions. The entire town has been quarantined, to control the rampant spread of an as-yet unidentified virus which has claimed over two hundred lives...." "Resheph?" Chase asked. "Plague is his favorite mystical toy," Avery said, "though Aethon could have done this too. He taught Resheph all he knows.... But we suspect Aethon's been at work elsewhere...." With that, he switched videos. "The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has announced that a blight has struck the grain fields of the Ukraine, formerly the 'bread basket' of the USSR, destroying as much as 30% of the annual harvest. It is unclear what affect this will have on international grain supply and prices.... If the fungus spreads, it could decimate the European grain harvest for years to come...." "Hell's bells," William exclaimed. Just then, the phone rang and Avery picked up. A few short seconds later, he muttered "Mother fucker," and keyed up a live feed from a local station in New York. A reporter in a helicopter was shouting into her microphone, "We are reporting live from above the Long Island Sound's Hart Island, city of the city burial ground, a so-called 'potter's field'. In the last century-and-a-half, New York City has buried nearly a million of its unclaimed dead on this desolate island, where, tonight, the unthinkable is happening. We have reports that the dead are rising from their graves! This afternoon, the department of corrections lost contact with the work detail in charge of burying the dead here, as well as security staff. Fly-overs reveal, as we are now broadcasting, the island is over-run by corpses, more rising by the minute. So far the authorities have no explanation, and the incident seems isolated. Nevertheless, this is cause for alarm...." Avery shut off the news feed and told the boys, "Get suited up, and tell the men to get ready to go! Looks like we're going zombie-hunting.... Then he got on the phone with his fellow commanders, and then the governor of New York. The man was in a panic. "We can't give you your cover story, Mr. Governor, and too many people have seen it anyway.... Maybe you can sell it as a hoax, maybe not, but we need you to shut down the airspace over the damn island so we can go in and sanitize it.... Yes sir, we can.... No I don't think they can leave the island.... The magic animating them won't allow them to cross the sound, unless someone is controlling them all individually.... No, governor, they're probably not infectious. There are too many of them for it to be that kind of outbreak. They're just plain old homicidal, super-strong corpses.... Yes sir, we ARE better equipped for that.... Thank you sir. As soon as the choppers are all cleared out of airspace, we'll go in. I'll let you know when the situation is under control...." When the team was assembled, Avery explained his plan, which involved casting a giant magick circle around Hart Island to cut off the flow of magick that was keeping the corpses animate. They would have to do this from boats and coordinate, which was a trick procedure, but he had already made arrangements with the Coast Guard to sail five ships to position them around the island for the procedure. Three hours later, they were in place and began the spell, which expended a great deal of energy. But within moments of completing it, the air hummed and a pop could be heard in the distance. And all at once, a few hundred thousand corpses fell dead and decaying to the ground. It was a huge mess to clean up, but that was for the human authorities to handle. Back at the house, William and Chase were given an inflatable mattress to set up in the floor of Sebastian's spacious room, where they got some sleep. In the morning, they wandered down to find their friends drinking coffee around the television as pundits weighed in on the recent events. Even as scientists thoroughly discredited themselves by trying to explain how there must be a rational explanation for how decades- or centuries-old corpses could crawl out of the ground, the priests and religious leaders on the program sounded utterly rational. One old man declared, shouting down a scientist, "Isn't it clear what this is? It's God's judgment upon us all! Armageddon! THE END IS HERE!" Sometimes the simplest answer IS the truth. The he couldn't help but add, "Our society's toleration of all manner of sin -- rape, pedophilia, homosexuality -- this is what has brought us to the edge of oblivion...." "So, God brought the dead back to life on Hart Island to protest New York's gay marriage drive? You people never made it far past the Inquisition, did you?" one of the scientists asked in rebuttal. "God has nothing to do with this!" Avery switched off the program and said, "He's right on that, but for all the wrong reasons.... There was more activity overnight. A group of rebel soldiers in central Africa attacked a boy's orphanage, raping and murdering most of the residents. This has sparked renewed fighting in the local civil war. Sekhmet was sighted in the area, of course. Oh, and two women were videotaped being attacked by werewolves of all things in Paris last night. All this Armageddon talk is heating up all over the world.... And there is precious little we can do about it...." "We'll hold the line," a weak voice from behind them startled them all. "Now what the hell is going on here?" Sebastian asked, looking shaky on his feet. William rushed to his side and helped him to a seat. "I, uhm.... You should be in bed, Sebastian," Avery stuttered. "What happened?" Sebastian asked. "The last thing I remember, I got a call and James and I were on our way to the intel offices.... Then, nothing...." Chase knelt by his side and took his hand, while William grasped his other hand. Sebastian's face began to dawn with comprehension, and he choked out, "What happened?" He had a helpless look on his face and directed that full force at his oldest friend. Avery's eyes got misty, and he averted his gaze as he said, "They took him.... We don't know where, why, or in what condition...." A heaving sob wracked Sebastian's inner being as he doubled over. Chase ran a hand softly through his hair and kissing his head. "We'll get him back, Sebastian," the boy whispered. But Sebastian's chest merely heaved with another sob. Chase held onto him as William helped Sebastian up and led him upstairs back to his room. When he laid down on the bed, he was nearly in a fetal position, but he didn't let go of Chase's hand. The boy nodded to William that he should go, and Chase laid down facing Sebastian. "I went to the Temple to try to find him, Sebastian," he whispered. "I was so angry that they wouldn't tell me, I lost my temper, and ... now the voices are gone," he added with a tearful laugh. "I'm so sorry...." Chase felt Sebastian's arms surround him and the two cried together until they could cry no more. When William looked in on them later, he found them sleeping soundly. Daemon tossed James a bag of O-Negative and sat outside his protective circle on the floor, looking as delectable as ever. "Turn off the charm, demon," James said grumpily. It bothered him how much he liked to look at the pretty demon-boy. "It is my burden to bear," Daemon said, smiling sweetly. "So, why me?" James asked. "What's the ... plan here? I'm not that important...." "That depends on the perspective, doesn't it? If you had an enemy who was more effective than you expected, and you weren't sure you could get to him, what would be the best way to make him less effective, besides killing him?" James thought for a moment. "Preoccupy him.... I'm a distraction...." "And a pleasant one to look at.... I could sit in here all day if you'd take off some of those bothersome clothes," Daemon said seductively. "What is his next move?" James asked, ignoring him. "Alas, we are not in on his plot.... But what would you do in his place?" Daemon wondered out loud. "Well, there's Chase," James said, knowing he wasn't revealing anything to Daemon, who'd had a close encounter with the boy. "That there is. He is frightened of the boy. That's why he took so desperate a measure as bringing you down here. It violates the Accords that established this place and ended the war with heaven.... If hell knew you were here, they wouldn't just remain neutral; they'd actively fight Sammael." "So why don't we tell them?" James asked. "They don't want war with heaven, so they'd be obliged to destroy the evidence. And you and I are the evidence...." "Good reason," James responded. "So he'll go after Chase next.... But if he decided not to go after Sebastian in such a roundabout way, what are the chances he'll take Chase head-on?" "Oh, no.... He'll hit him where it hurts -- his family, his friends, his lover.... He doesn't need to defeat Chase. He only needs enough time to bring his plan to fruition...." The Church of the Holy Spirit is housed in a massive complex fifteen miles from the center of Dallas, an easy drive from more than a few neighborhoods of McMansions. Hundreds of acres of land, filled with parking structures, members facilities (including gym, recreation areas, and childcare), and office buildings surrounded a sanctuary that seats thousands. The church broadcasts daily services at noon to millions of viewers via the Christian Broadcasting Network. The congregation wasn't full for weekday lunchtime services, but homebound and elderly believers tuned in in droves. When they tuned in on Tuesday, they got a show they never expected. Which is ironic, because the pastor predicted just such an event. I guess you never expect it to happen to you. "I'm feeling the need for healing," the junior pastor, his face red, implored his congregation with fervor. "I know, there are those of you out there who are hurting.... And healing is at hand. You only need to reach out to the Son of God, who died for you, and turn your back on the evil, sinful ways, that have corrupted your souls...." There was a scattering of 'Amens' around the room, but one, out of tune and late, was louder than the rest. And as if to punctuate it, the speaker repeated himself. The cameraman turned his camera to catch the image of the stunning young man who had stood to shout his Amen, hand toward heaven, looking rapt. "Amen, brother! Pastor, may I testify?" The man was taken aback, really, by the man's forwardness. He wasn't the plant who was to have been healed live on television. But the minister couldn't deny this Christian his opportunity to share his faith, could he? And the man was photogenic. And looked like he'd be a tiger in the sack, the man thought for a second, before he repressed all traces of it. "Testify, brother," the pastor called out. "I ... have felt the fires licking at my feet. I was so sunk in sin, I thought I could never escape. I ... had sex with men, lusted after boys and girls, I spread my wickedness wherever I could," the beautiful young man cried out, his voice wavering, apparently on the verge of tears. "I felt like I was trapped in hell's own prison...." The minister's eyes caught his and he fell immediately under the young man's spell, lost in his lustrous eyes. "How did you find salvation?" "I rose up in my little prison, and I said, I'll escape from this hell...." "Yes?" the minister asked. "So I killed my guards and wreaked havoc on the order of things so that I might rise up out of the depths to bring perdition into the world," he growled, his eyes turning cold and flashing fire. With a wave of his hand the doors around the congregation crashed shut and became immovable. The minister's eyes opened wide in recognition. Somehow it never occurred to him that he'd be so beautiful, or have such a FINE ass. "Get behind me, Satan!" The young minister cried out. Sammael's laugh ripped through the room like a blade of ice. "You'd LOVE THAT wouldn't you?" Sammael asked. With theatrical gracelessness, he raised nose to the air and sniffed, before walking over to a young man, perhaps twenty-one, in jeans and a t-shirt, who stood before him quaking. Sammael placed his hand softly on the young man's chest and felt him shiver in a mix of fear and lust. "Tell me, is the good minister a fine lay?" The young man was caught in his gaze and answered, "He likes me to be rougher than I want to, and he won't kiss. I like to kiss...." People around the room were gasping, and casting judgmental looks about. Until Sammael put his hand on the young man's chin and leaned in to give him the kind of kiss that would make experienced women blush. "And you're very good at it," Sammael said with a hearty smile. "You don't know what you're missing, pastor...." "You have no business here," the defeated holy man said, his shoulders slumped. "I do have business here," Sammael said with glee. "It's time for a great revelation, and I've decided to give Christians the scoop. So, all cameras on me, boys," he said with a flourish of the hands that brought all cameras to bear on his face. "Please allow me to introduce myself! I am the devil...." Screams of "Boo!" and "Blasphemer!" echoed around the room. But the minister knew better. The beast had known his soul. Sammael merely smiled. "I expected a bit of skepticism. After all, no one saw me work my wonders on Hart Island, or in the deserts of Africa, or in the fields of Europe. Minister, come to me!" The man stepped down from the stage and walked toward the demon as if under the control of another. Sammael reached for him, and drew him into a passionate kiss, rougher than the one he had given the younger man. "See, not so bad, was it, Rick? Now, watch carefully," he instructed as he grabbed the man's chin and twisted hard. The minister, Rick, fell to the ground, his neck clearly broken. Then with an entirely to pleasant smile, Sammael said, "Cast yourself down ... and I shall raise you up!" He waved his hand over the corpse and it began to move. Indeed, Rick stood before his murderer, and then bowed before him. Before a silent crowd, the former minister, now of his own accord, proclaimed, "You shall be my god!" Suddenly, everyone in the crowd began to scream and rush for the exits, which would not yield to them. It was then that they were set upon by vampires in waiting, who ripped and tore at their living flesh at inhuman speeds. All while the cameras were broadcasting live. And millions of Christians watched the devil strike at their religion and show no mercy. And many of them took notice that God did nothing. And they watched their minister follow his new god out of the building, stepping on the corpses of their brothers and sisters as he went. "Go wake them," Avery said to William after he turned off the video of the scene from the Church of the Holy Spirit, which was now being run on some of the major networks. Reports of sporadic violence were now coming in from small towns and cities across the heartland, and risked spreading to major urban centers. William ran upstairs and shook Chase and Sebastian awake apologetically. "I'm sorry, but ... it's begun...." He quickly told them what was happening, and Sebastian, feeling much stronger and more rested, rose quickly to his feet. The boys followed him down to his command center and demanded a status update from Avery, who explained that the enemy was in and out before they could be targeted. Thus there was nothing to update. "So he's just going to get away with this? We can't stop him?" Sebastian demanded. "It's up to humanity now, Sebastian," a soft woman's voice spoke from the door behind him. "They can resist him, or they can do his work for him.... And this world will only be the first. World by world will fall before him." "Dora," Sebastian said softly. The young woman wrapped her arms around him and said, "I'm sorry my friend.... I heard, and I'm sorry." "Thank you, but ... what are you doing here? We shouldn't be under the same roof. It's too dangerous," Sebastian said, choking back new tears. "I've come to see this young man's final test and to award him his rank," the queen of the witches said, smiling at Chase. Though he could not see, he could hear the smile in her voice and returned it. But you're right. We shouldn't tarry long. May we begin?" Sebastian looked at Chase and saw the boy was resolved, so he nodded, and the group proceeded to the back yard. While the video feed was being set up, Sebastian pulled Chase aside and said, "It's been a long time since I've seen one of these. Be prepared for anything...." "Thanks," Chase said softly, and walked out into the middle of the garden. The walls were flanked on all sides by wizards who had come to see this, from the queen's guard to Christen and Sebastian's private forces. "Wizards and witches, we have gathered here today," the queen began, "to test the skill and power of this young human. His opponent today shall be ... Avery Salazar!" There was a murmur all around as no one expected this. This was to be more than a mere test of skill and all assembled thought Chase would be sorely out matched. Even Avery, who had seen his attacks thwarted by the boy, was concerned. "Your majesty! Chase is a human, and he is blind. He can hardly be expected to dual...." "I have heard many unbelievable things about this boy, and I'd like to see them with my own eyes. He is free to withdraw and forfeit his rank, if he likes." "No!" Chase said, to everyone's surprise. "But I would request that William and Sebastian act as my eyes...." "Fair enough," the woman said. "Ready?" Chase and Avery nodded. "Begin!" Avery was slow to begin and when he began his attacks he was noisy about it so Chase would hear him coming. The boy mostly deflected all his attacks, though he was knocked on his back when a particularly powerful spell struck him his shield head-on unexpectedly. Then Chase countered by tossing a web of magickal energy at Avery, which mostly missed as he dodged. But a bit of it tangled on his leg and began wrapping around. When he reached for it to remove it, it entangled his hand to his arm, leaving the powerful wizard to fight one armed and one legged. "Duck!" William yelled as Avery threw a fireball that Chase didn't hear coming, and the boy fell on his back to get out of the way. Avery raised his hand to attack again, when Sebastian cried out, "Behind you! The QUEEN!" The woman had raised her arm and was weaving an intricate and dark spell, whose energy was fairly humming. Chase was still laying on the ground, his back mostly to her when she released the destructive curse at him. "NO!" Sebastian cried, and as fast as he was, he'd never be able to block it.