Chapter 21

Almost lost in his rage Tom turned and fired at Johnathon, Johnathon smiled and his shields flared as he held the blast ‘til it extinguished.

Tom’s mouth dropped open; that was the most advanced skill of control Johnathon had shown and without Lana there!

“Yeah I finally figured what you had been doing to build up my control, I started a few exercises of my own, and it has helped quite a bit. So feel better?” Johnathon smiled as he looked at the intense look on his father’s face.

“More than you’ll know, so have you been able to open it yet?” Tom asked looking at the power that Johnathon was showing.

“Almost half way now, ‘bout 5 or 6 hours now. I heard what you did in the chambers; here I thought you were an unfeeling asshole all these years. That you were training me out of duty, I want to know about grandfather. I’ve heard that his control made both of ours look like a joke.” Johnathon told Tom.

Tom nodded and said, “Almost, I am close now, if you remember our fight I didn’t bring out everything ‘til the very end I didn’t have to. Remember with the lock once you open it your power is slightly amplified, though at the end I have to admit you were starting to overpower me, I barely got it all the way open when you hit me.”

Johnathon was nodding taking in everything his father was telling him, the fact that his father had defended him in the open council chambers had spoken volumes to Johnathon.

An hour later, Tom had Johnathon performing a number of harder and harder tasks. When each went better than he thought they should, the pride on Tom’s face started to show. “I’d say you have no less that 90% control now, one last test for today. I want you to open the shield as far as you can.” Nodding Tom watched as Johnathon began to open the magical power shield over his power, nodding Tom saw that he’d already mastered the smooth opening of it. At half Tom smiled very good, at 3/4 Tom was even prouder. Finally almost all the way open Tom saw that Johnathon was starting to struggle to keep it open, so this was the first time he’d got it open that far, excellent!

“Alright Johnathon back it off and the barrier will close” Nodding Johnathon did as his father said and the power slowly at first then faster began to decline.

“Very good you are almost completely ready now, another day or two and I think you’ll be ready.” Tom told his son. Johnathon looked shocked he thought it would take at least two months of training not five and a half weeks. Looking over at his father to make sure he’d heard right he saw his father shake his head yes.

That night, in the darkness many powerful mages moved through the forest towards the keep. The older looking leader of the men wore a grim and cruel look that reached all the way to his eyes. Smiling a wicked smile he started to surround the keep with a power lock down spell no one had never broken, but just in case he had more than enough powerful mages out here to kill the keep leader and his son. Smiling he thought of the keep leader’s wife and daughter, ummm they would be sweet beneath him when he took them by force laughing he had so many toys he was going to stuff them full of. After all the things theses do-gooders had done they were going to suffer and suffer greatly.

The next morning Tom felt the magic ring erected around the keep, smiling this spell felt familiar. Reaching out Tom touched it and opened a hole as easily as ripping a piece of paper. Laughing ‘til he felt the extremely powerful force outside the ring. Hmmmm it was a good thing Johnathon had as much control as he did this would make things a little easier when they went to battle.

Calling Johnathon Tom advised him what was going on then he sent message to Ben. The council was advised that there would be a massive amount of death out by the keep so they might want to prepare. Ben asked if they needed him and Tom thought for a bit. “You have to use the power Ben; yes I know you have it, Father told me not too long before he died. I know your control is far greater than his was I can’t even feel yours.”

Sighing Ben decided he’d been hiding long enough and this was his family, or what was left of it. Tom also contacted Lord Vidon to let him know, he could hear Vidon growl when he heard that his friend and neighbor was under attack. Tom asked him to keep out of it, these mages were of a higher caliber than most that Vidon had been against, Vidon laughed and told Tom not to worry he was far more powerful than Tom thought.

Stepping out near the barrier Tom addressed the massed group. “What is the meaning of this? You are trespassing on my family’s land leave now while you still can stay and I cannot guarantee any will leave alive.

There was a lot of snickering then about ten of the mages opened up striking Tom’s shields, Tom just yawned and looked bored.

“Don’t let the son of a bitch goad you! You’ll exhaust your power and be an easy target!” The leader yelled from the extreme back of all of the men. ‘So,’ Tom thought, ‘that’s where you are, need to remember that for later on.’

Tom waved a hand at five of the ten and they were instantly engulfed in flames, dropping they were dead within a mere minute. Smiling, Tom thought ‘Well that’s five, it might even make a difference later,’ “Please, I don’t know who you are but you have no chance even with this many!” Tom yelled trying to convince himself more than them even with Johnathon it was going to be a struggle. With a savage yell many more opened up on Tom. Smiling Tom opened his power to 3/4 the jump didn’t go unnoticed.

“That’s it men he’s almost at full power even he can’t last forever!” Tom fired killing another six then three more, even more started to fire at him, ‘Damn it,’ Tom thought, ‘I can’t kill them fast enough!’ Suddenly there was a huge blast and twenty of those in front of him disappeared.

“I’ve got your back father!” Tom heard Johnathon shout as he took another twenty out reducing the blast hitting Tom to less than half.

Tom and Johnathon started to use cover killing as many as they could each time. When the ring finally collapsed Tom smiled and erected his own barrier, this shocked those on the back side, and now the full force was in front of them. An hour later Tom and Johnathon had both been hit several times and were bleeding from several places. They were holding their own when an errant blast hit Tom knocking him out, there were several wicked laughs.

They were ‘til they felt Johnathon’s anger grow as did his power, taking out quite a few, Johnathon managed to get Tom under cover. Another shot hit Johnathon in the arm effectively numbing it, still firing Johnathon wasn’t sure if he could hold out much longer when there was shouting at the back of the enemy’s lines.

Johnathon felt the Vampires before they even arrived, then Ben was beside him, lifting his father, “I’ll be right back,” he told Johnathon.

Out in the lines many screams started to sound as several of the mages disappeared, back to back the mages finally started to get a handle on thing but their forces were now at half what they had been.

Lord Vidon looked at the carnage before him; his men had grabbed half of the men and ripped their throats out. Damn it they were starting to defend now, and then he felt an extremely powerful power land next to Johnathon. Good he was there finally, for the next hour things grew somewhat quiet, there were still a great many mages out there, and many of them had substantial power. Ben appeared next to Johnathon crap! Johnathon was bleeding from his face arms legs chest; though Ben smiled, Johnathon had killed quite a few. Leaning down Ben whispered to Johnathon, “You stay here I’ll show you why your grandfather was feared.”

With that Johnathon felt Ben open his power all the way then he felt the shield meld with the power, what the hell? Ben felt as powerful as he’d been when he fought father! Ben started to float then rose above the trees. Lord Vidon felt him and withdrew all his men. Ben’s face was a mask of hatred and rage; his eyes were like fire his hands were glowing as the power started to concentrate there in them. In a booming voice Ben looked at all the men, “I’ll give all of you a chance to walk away, you have this one chance, and then you are dead, think about it you have 1 minute!”

Several of the men talked among themselves then flashed out, Ben smiled so they weren’t all idiots! The rest that remained laughed and pointed at Ben opening fire at once, shrugging it off Ben’s temper started to grow as did his power. All the men on the ground laughed and fired even harder, when nothing happened they started to get worried. Ben started to smile and pointed at each man as each started to scream, and then die. The leader flashed out, damn it he thought the plan had been perfect! Five minutes later Ben settled next to Johnathon the smell of roasting flesh was everywhere, gently Ben lifted a now semi conscious Johnathon and flashed to the keep.

Evelyn screamed in rage when she saw Johnathon covered in blood though a good bit of it was his fathers. Lana growled looking at the many cuts and burns on his body, Johnathon tried to sit up and nearly fell.

“Sit still; let your mother heal you I have to go after the leader. You are good son, and your father trained you extremely well but he didn’t know everything, but we can discuss that later.” Ben flashed out to a keep a few miles from theirs and began to look around hmmm nothing, appearing in several more that he suspected Ben was a little disappointed. Sighing, Ben thought, ‘Well one more than I’ll have to rethink who might have been behind this.’ Searching around he finally felt the power signature he’d been looking for then, huh it was gone? What the hell was going on? Feeling the trail he started to follow it as it led back toward his family’s keep! Appearing in the sitting room Ben saw that he’d been right about the energy but had to be sure.

There with his arm around Evelyn’s neck was the patriarch of the Pompoff family!

“So it was you after all Bernard!” Ben said as the older man tightened his grip on Evelyn.

“Hello bastard,” the old man said to Ben, “‘bout time I got a chance to kill a few of the whores in this family!” The old man laughed, licking the side of Evelyn’s face, “Isn’t that right you fucking whore!”

Johnathon was still on the divan beneath them and hadn’t moved; suddenly he sprang up and ripped the man’s throat out. “NO ONE touches my mother, you son of a bitch!” Johnathon growled as the man fell on the floor blood pumping out as his death rattle started. Johnathon smiled at his mother and a shocked Ben; then the world went black, damn he thought, ‘this sucks!’