Wayward Son
By Dabeagle
Chapter 12
After calling my parents, and listening to my mother giggle when I sought permission to go to Gideon's, he and I headed over while Aila and Joel went to get ready for date night. Gideon took my hand and we walked slowly, dawdling really, through the slowly darkening streets. We idled past houses with lights flickering behind windows and drapes, past porch lights with bugs swirling around and bumping into the glass. The wind sighed contentedly through the branches of the early spring evening. For a moment, we just walked.
“So I learned today that you play baseball. What else don't I know?” Gideon asked as he gave my hand a slight squeeze.
“Hmm,” I thought for a moment. “I'm not sure how to answer that, I've never been asked.”
“Well, how about you start with your parents?”
“Okay,” I took a mental breath, “My dad is Dean and my mom's name is Helen. They met when they both worked at a movie theater for a summer and they only had one child.”
“So, what's it like to have parents?” Gideon asked in a subdued tone.
“Well,” I took a moment to put my thoughts in order, after all parents were something you just had. At least in my life. I couldn't imagine life without them, much less to find out you'd never really been with yours like Gideon had. “My dad is a really good person, they both are, but in different ways. He's really practical about most things, very accepting about the world as it is. He loves sports and is always there for me. Lots of guys won't say they hug their parents, but when my dad gives you a hug, you just know how much he cares.”
“That sounds amazing,” Gideon replied quietly. “And your mother?”
“She's practical too, I guess they passed that on to me. Like when I came out to them they just accepted that's who I was and we moved on from there. My mom is all about the details like,” I rolled my eyes and Gideon smiled at me.
“What? Tell me!”
“Well, she loves Joel like a second son. I won't tell him this but ever since she accidentally froze a package of M&M's and discovered Joel loves them, she keeps them in the house that way just for him.” I pulled Gideon around a bit so he could look in my face, “ You can never tell Joel, his ego is out of control already.”
“So why were you afraid of my meeting her?”
“I was afraid you or I would die from embarrassment!” I laughed and he smiled quizzically.
“I don't understand.”
“My mom has been waiting for me to date a guy forever. She always questions me to see if I'm close to bringing someone home to meet the folks.” I sighed, “She claims it's because she has to listen to everyone else talk about who their kids are dating and she wants in on that but...”
“But?”
“But I figured she'd be so focused and stuff on whoever I dated they'd feel kind of uncomfortable, you know?”
“No, I don't.” Gideon smiled and shrugged at me, “I thought it was wonderful to have someone ask me if I might be in love, to ask me what I like about my boyfriend and what kind of a future we might have together.”
“She asked about our future? Like what, marriage?” I groaned. Gideon pulled on my hand and brought me to a stop facing him, theatrically, under a flickering streetlight.
“I'm excited to think that I may be falling in love, that I even have the ability to...” He brought my hands to his lips and just held my fingers in place before slowly lowering them and looking at me with those warm eyes. “I do a lot of reading, you know. I have to so I can prepare for what my life contains. When I read the great poems of the romantics like Blake, Wordsworth and Shelly I could only hope that one day I could experience that incredible lightness of being. As human dark I had to wonder, sometimes, if I even had a soul with which to love someone else.
“So to have your mother ask me if I thought I could be in love, if I thought I could have a future she gave me the gift of possibility. The fact that she cared to ask was just...dessert.”
“You...you think you could be in love?” I whispered.
“I could be. What I feel for you I've never felt before, and I'm certain that I will never feel exactly like this towards another. Do you think you could love me?”
I answered him with a kiss, one I hope was as every bit life affirming and hopeful as his fist real kiss to me had been earth shattering. We stayed joined at hand and lips and simply let the evening move past us, one perfect moment frozen in the expanding twilight.
Arriving at Woolcott's we found the house empty. A thrashing sound floated out of the kitchen and Gideon rolled his eyes at me.
“Hang on, I have to feed Audrey, it's past dinner time.” I trailed after him out of curiosity. After all what did a plant with teeth eat, exactly? Gideon opened a cupboard and selected a can of tuna. Audrey began to waver from side to side in her pot, leaning towards Gideon hungrily. Gideon crossed the room and tossed the can, unopened, into Audrey's waiting maw. The teeth bit down viciously and began to chew the can into a pulp. It was extremely disturbing.
“I guess we should order some food.” Gideon smiled at me and I smirked.
“Anything but pizza.”
“Deal.”
Gideon opened a drawer to reveal an impressive stack of take out menu's and we settled on Chinese. While he ordered I walked over to look at Seth. A sheen of sweat lay on his forehead and his mouth was turned into a frown that spiked into a grimace before relaxing back into the frown. His chest heaved unevenly and his fingers trembled on the tabletop. My heart went out to this poor, mistreated boy. I hoped Woolcott was having good luck tracking down his contact.
“Let me give him a little healing, food will be here in twenty.” Gideon said as he joined me at the table. Gideon's eyes went dark and the shadows, so like smoke, wafted from his eyes. The darkness pulled from every corner and swirled around Seth and began to dive into Seth's battered body. Almost immediately his face began to relax and his fingers eased their frantic tattoo.
In the living room there came a thunderous crack and the room lit up as if it were high noon. I raised a questioning eyebrow at Gideon.
“What the hell?” Gideon muttered with concern. Another crack like thunder and Woolcott appeared for a moment, was gone and then flickered in and out like a bad television signal before finally resolving into full HD. A final burst of multicolored light blossomed around Woolcott and then the room went still.
“Ah, good, you're back.”
“Were you successful?” Gideon asked.
“Partially, I have a strong lead. Enough that I think I can find her.” Woolcott threw a closet door open and began rummaging through the clothes hanging there.
“We should call Aila then, be ready to move.” I said.
“No, not quite yet. Now where are...aha! I knew I still had them.” Woolcott turned to face us with two very long, brightly colored robes with attached hoods. “Here put these on.”
“Why?” I asked, instantly suspicious.
“I have to perform a ritual to track down Azlea and you're going to help.” Woolcott stopped suddenly, glancing at Gideon. “You know, I'm hungry.”
“Ordered Chinese.”
“Oh, that's a nice change. Here,” He held out the robes, “Put these on and...oh, maybe you should get Aila but try to get her without mister fussy pants.”
“All right,” Gideon said slowly while shrugging at me. He picked up the phone and placed a short call. Mere moments later Aila and Joel popped into the living room with a crack of light.
“I'm so glad you called, that movie was horrible.” Aila stated. Woolcott rushed to the door and threw it open to reveal the startled delivery driver who was about to knock on the door.
“Gimme,” Woolcott said to him while thrusting a wad of bills at the poor driver. Throwing the door closed Woolcott tossed the food to me and glanced at Joel. “Pretty boy, go get some plates so you can be marginally useful.”“Hey!” Aila glared.
“What?” Woolcott grumbled irritably, “We need plates.” He threw the closet door open again and made a few stabs into the clothing rack before coming out with two more of the gaudy robes. Joel, meanwhile, wandered into the kitchen in search of plates.
“Gah! What the fuck is that?” Joel shrieked.
“Oh jeez, Audrey,” Gideon headed for the kitchen.
“Get forks while you save him!” Woolcott called out as he threw a robe to Aila.
“What are we doing exactly?” She asked suspiciously.
“Once we eat I have to work a spell to find my contact. Things may be interesting afterward.”
“Let me guess, you didn't part on good terms?”
“Well, I told her it would never work right from the start, she'd have no logical reason to be angry. Or to still be angry.” Woolcott frowned, “Logic never was her strong point.”
“Her choice in men was suspect too,” Aila muttered as she slipped the robe on and pushed the cowl back.
“Oh no, not really. She wore men out, she was incredibly physical in bed.” Woolcott straightened and looked at Aila, “I, of course, was far too delicate for her regular pleasure.”
“You can't handle sex?” Aila burst out laughing.
“What you and I call bloodsport she called foreplay. I dare say you wouldn't have fared any better.” He sniffed. Gideon brought a shaken Joel out of the kitchen along with utensils. With a wave everything on the cluttered coffee table folded in on itself until there was scarcely anything to indicate anything was there at all.
“Oh, that smells good.” Woolcott sat in anticipation.
“There's a plant with teeth in there.” Joel said to the room in general and then settled his gaze on me. “Teeth.”
“I know,” I replied taking a plate for myself.
Aila pulled Joel next to her and we settled into eating dinner. Woolcott rushed through his food like normal and waited impatiently for the rest of us. Once the meal was cleared away Woolcott lifted the table up and moved it out of the room to reveal the battered oriental rug underneath.
“Stand away from the rug and on with the robes,” Woolcott said and began to mutter something that could have been Latin. Or pig Latin. The edge of the rug darkened briefly and then it lifted and rolled up before settling itself in a corner. Set into the hardwood floor was a large brass circle with arcane symbols etched into its surface.
“All right, you and you over here.” He pointed to Joel and Gideon whom he placed side by side. He then grabbed Aila's hand and had she and I stand a third of the way around the ring away from Gideon and Joel. Woolcott stationed himself a third away from both pairs of us to complete the circle. Woolcott told us to pull the cowls up and, having complied, he burst out laughing. “You all look perfectly ridiculous. Oh, wait!” he thrust a hand deep into his pocket and pulled something out. With a devilish twinkle in his eye that only made me wary he showed us briefly that his open palm had brass figurines in it.
They came in pairs and he separated the four figures and gave us each one, admonishing us to keep it in our hand at all times during the ritual. Retaking his position, he at last seemed ready. With one quick muttering all items in the room shrank away so that the room was largely only the five of us and the brass ring set into the floor. Continuing to mutter, Woolcott held his hand out in a fist giving the ring a thumbs up. He lowered his thumb and a bar of energy shot from the bottom of his hand and into the ring, which began to crackle with power. His muttering took on a rhythmic cadence and the room began to heat up. The floor inside the circle fell away as though cut and flame with a heavy dose of smoke rose from the hole. The heat was limited, the ring seemed to mitigate the area now exposed, which I could only think was hell.
Woolcott's chant grew to a fever pitch and the hole suddenly darkened as a creature from nightmare emerged. It seemed to have a head and a half and a third shoulder to support the half face, but only had one arm which ended in a scythe rather than a hand of any kind. It raged at the summoning and lashed out at Joel but slammed into the barrier of the circle which seemed to extend into the air around the beast. Poor Joel shrieked again and I felt his fear; I'm nearly sure I'd have wet myself. As it was I looked in fear at Woolcott wondering what he was up to.
While continuing to mutter Woolcott pulled a piece of dirty white cloth from his pocket and with a final intonation threw the cloth at the demon. It howled in rage, pain and panic as its body folded in on the cloth, as though it were absorbing the demon like a towel does a spill. As the demon collapsed into the cloth, light and shadow exploded into the summoning circle. Before the dust could settle there was a staccato burst of lights outside the house, each window lighting up as if a floodlight were shining through each one.
“I was afraid of that,” Woolcott muttered. “See you soon.” He muttered a phrase and I felt the brass figure in my hand move and before I could even think to drop it I found my body feeling heavy and growing, moving, against my will, so that I was in a lovers embrace with Aila, if she were carved of bronze. Strangely I could move my field of vision but it was disorienting as my gaze shifted without my head moving. I saw that Aila and I were in a corner of the room which was now populated with furniture tossed aside as if an explosion had ripped through the space. Across the room I saw Gideon and Joel.
They were in a reclined pose with Joel's head on Gideon's abdomen. I fumed, sure this was not a random event. My mind cleared of jealousy as the door burst in from its hinges to shatter the mirror on the entrance hall. The shards of glass instantly flew out the open doorway and a cry of pain could be heard from outside. Above that Woolcott's voice could be heard, a bellow of the kind I never would have credited him with.
“Who dares breach my sanctum? Know that you face not some common prestidigitator but a full sorcerer of the plane!”
“Parley, Sorcerer.” Came a voice moments later, firm but still perhaps wary.
“Parley then.” Woolcott replied.
A white robed figure entered the room, followed by another who was leaning heavily on a third, his body peppered with glass. The lead figure pushed his cowl back to reveal a soft face, one you might even trust under normal circumstances.
“Well, if this isn't a turd in the punch bowl,” Woolcott commented. The white robed figure inclined his head slightly and his robe shimmered as if made of moving light.
“Sorcerer, there has been increased demonic activity in the vicinity, surely you've felt it?” He said reasonably. His eyes were busily taking in the room, however, never resting long anywhere.
“What of it?” Woolcott challenged.
“We felt it's dark stain here, we came to stop it.” The injured man replied in a firm tone from behind the kind faced man.
“No need.” Woolcott pointed to the circle on the floor. “You know this?”
The calm, almost kind eyes hardened and turned to face Woolcott. “Azazel's ring?”
“Just so. Note the lovers,” Woolcott gestured to us. “With them there was no hope for the creature.”
“Why would you summon such an abomination?” The man intoned.
“How else do you expect me to get demon's blood if I don't actually have a demon?” Woolcott snorted.
“Demon's blood is forbidden!” The leaders nostrils flared. Woolcott's expression became harder and he snarled back.
“For you perhaps, but you hold no sway here.”
“We cannot allow you to toy with,” The white leader reached into a pocket and then froze.
“Allow?” Woolcott's voice filled the room and with a rumble of shattering ceramic there appeared possibly the strangest thing to date. Audrey moved on roots, dropping clumps of dirt on the ground as she went. Each movement forward increased her size.
More white robes rushed into the room, through windows with blazing light reaching from their hands to stab the interior of the house. Audrey raced forward and with one mighty snap latched onto the white robed figure that was holding up his injured compatriot. Woolcott roared and his suit of armor appeared, charging through the room and reflecting the beams of light so that they burnt the room wherever they touched. Woolcott now had a blazing staff in his hand, something that resembled a thunderstorm held inside a glass rod. He slammed the tip down to the floor and waves of visible force flowed from that point, like a liquid wave, and it washed over the white robed invaders.
All thirteen of them. The liquid force threw the figures against the walls, and almost through them. Bones snapped and bowels emptied in terror, pain and death. Within moments the living room was an abattoir with Audrey moving around the room sliding the bodies down her gullet. Woolcott sniffed.
“Allow indeed.”
A new pot had been found for a much larger Audrey, who was now snoring and leaning to one side and occasionally belching. Items were floating around the house and disappearing through shimmering disks of multicolored light. After the Council members had been wiped out the spell holding us released and I dropped the brass figure as if it were burning. We needed answers and we needed them now.
“What was that all about?” Joel asked in a small, timid voice. I glanced at him worriedly.
“I needed the demonic essence to track Azlea.” Woolcott said with a heavy sigh.
“Some warning might have been in order,” Gideon stated calmly as he put a protective arm around my shoulders.
“Perhaps.” Woolcott allowed, “But I needed all four of you and I couldn't risk someone making an informed decision to not participate.”
“That thing was going to kill me, like spill my guts and eat them.” Joel shuddered, “I could see it in my head like it was in there.”
“You were the least protected, but never in any real danger.” Woolcott replied as he sat tiredly on the floor.
Joel trembled and I crossed the room, skirting the brass ring, and hugged him close. His grip on me neared being painful, but I held on while he shook and Aila rounded on Woolcott. “How dare you? We are a team, you don't shut us out and keep secrets!”
“You are children. Talented, smart but still children. Sometimes those with more knowledge and experience have to make decisions.” Woolcott gave her a tired, possibly apologetic look. “Even unpopular potentially dangerous decisions.”
“I don't think so. I'm done with you, Sorcerer. Come on Joel.” She turned and took in the fearful clutch he had applied to me and her stance softened. She walked over slowly and hugged me from behind, wrapping her arms around Joel as well. Joel trembled as he began to cry tears of fear, relief and stress. Gideon left the room only to return a few minutes later with a steaming cup in his hand. He slowly separated us and guided Joel to a seat.
“Drink this, it will help.” Aila sat next to him and rubbed his back while Joel slowly, tentatively sipped the hot drink.
“Everything was fine before you guys got here.” Joel said suddenly.
“What?” Aila's hand froze on his back.
Joel yawned heavily, the cup starting to slide from his hand. “All this weird shit, it's 'cause of you guys. If you'd never come...” Gideon took the cup from Joel's slack hands as he slumped in sleep.
“Did you just drug him?” I asked angrily.
“His system is in overload, he needed some rest to heal and allow his mind to sort through things.” Gideon explained.
“Oh, so more of this people with knowledge making choices for us, is that it?” I said angrily.
“Daniel,” Gideon said softly, “I was trying to help.”
“Drugging people usually isn't the way to go.”
“Oh, bore, bore bore. Life isn't fair, someone did something I didn't like. Well, it's only going to get worse from here but since you're so interested in choice, let me tell you what happens next, shall I?” Woolcott thundered. “A demonic summoning, which was necessary to achieve the goals you laid out, also happened to draw the attention of a nearby nest of Council morons. Even better when they attacked I had to kill them, all thirteen of them if you're scoring at home. Why thirteen do you suppose? They don't show up for minor imps because, historically, it doesn't happen that often. They are looking for Gideon and,” he whirled to take in the faces now locked onto him, “And it is a sure bet they had already reported the possibility of his being here to higher up whackos. This means that when the nest fails to report in, since they are all dead, more council members will sweep in. We have to go now.”
“Go? Go where?” I asked.
“First we find Azlea, then we get an archangel on our side. Either way those things don't happen here,” he glared at us all in turn. “Your normal lives are over.”
I sat with Joel as objects flew around the room and through portals to their new homes. The house slowly emptied, even the brass circle, Azazel's Ring, lifted and floated to a new home. Aila burst in and out of the house in a burst of light to get her traveling items from home. She was the logical choice to travel since she didn't have to use any detectable dark, like Gideon. I brushed Joel's hair back off his brow and he groaned in his sleep.
Woolcott approached us and squatted down on his haunches. He held two brilliant green spheres in his hand and rolled them in his palm like those Chinese stress balls you see in gift stores. “You can't go home right now.” He said quietly.
“When can I?”
“I can't be sure. You have a residue on you from the summoning. I want you to understand something. It isn't that important to me, but it may be important to you.”
I sat silently waiting for him to speak, holding Joel protectively. Gideon hovered nearby but didn't sit with us.
“When you live as long as I do you tend to take a long view. I knew that the path to trying to save Seth Robichaud would more than likely come to this, something you didn't know. But in your righteous indignation you all came to a decision that has altered your lives, that has coated you as an enemy of the Council of Light. I knew that was a strong possibility and advised against it, but your mind was made up. Now you reap the consequences of your choices. You are a fugitive as well as your friend and Seth's life is still uncertain at best. Your decision, made without knowledge, has led to this.”
“I...I want to see my parents.”
“You can't.”
I closed my eyes and sighed. “Tell me why, please?”
“For a time the summoning marks you, having that energy on either of you makes you a beacon for both the council and others. Going home puts your parents in tremendous danger.”
“They'll know we're gone, they'll be worried.” I whispered.
“That's what these are for,” he held the orbs aloft. “They will provide the impression you're home while we...complete our task.”
“How do they work?” I asked.
“They copy your essence, create impressions for those you know that you are present. Of course you aren't, and they don't actually interact with you, but it leaves the impression with them that they have.”
“It will keep them safe?”
“Yes.”
“Okay,” I sighed as I pulled Joel tight for a moment. “I'm sorry about all this brah.” Woolcott held one orb to Joel's head and it darkened visibly. He took the other and repeated it with me then handed them to Aila.
“Plant these in their bedrooms at home. It will give us the time we need.”
An hour later Joel was on his feet again, if a little dazed. The house was an empty wreck and we each had a bag with our immediate needs. Woolcott pulled a small silver ring from one of his many hidden pockets and, muttering again, threw it into the air where it rapidly grew and snapped into a doorway looking into what seemed to be an empty farmhouse style kitchen. Woolcott strode through the opening tugging a floating Seth on an invisible tether and then held his hand back through. Gideon handed him our bags before following Woolcott. Aila stepped through then assisted me in helping Joel through the gateway. I took one last glance about the room, the holes and damage that could only come from a monumental fight.
With a deep breath and a feeling of remorse for all that had happened thus far. I glanced through the gateway at this group. My best friend Joel who was still trying to recover his wits. Aila, his fierce girlfriend who may not be able to reach him now. Gideon, whom I was increasingly sure I was falling deeply in love with but at whom I was currently pissed. Lastly Woolcott, who knew more, far more than he let on. In the background, laying on the kitchen table was Seth, as much a victim of others choices as we now were.
There really was no choice, and so through the gateway I went.
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