Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
A week later, Brent and Travis met up with Mark Wojcik and Father Leo at Fletcher’s Bar outside Conneaut Lake.
“Thank you again for bringing in the Occulatum,” Travis told Father Leo. “They were a big help.”
“You’re very welcome. It’s been a while since we’ve worked with Father Jacinski and the Logonje,” Leo replied. “Nice to see everyone assemble for a good cause.”
Brent chuckled. “Not exactly the Avengers.”
Leo shrugged. “Close enough. And that Vatican helicopter was snazzy.”
“I think that’s one party I’m glad I skipped,” Mark said, after a long drink of his coffee. “But ever since your get-together at Moraine, there haven’t been any more hunter hits. The monsters have calmed down to normal levels. Whatever passes for normal for us, anyhow.”
“Good to know,” Travis replied.
“Did you ever find out how the authorities explained the explosions?” Mark asked.
Brent shrugged. “There was a promise that the wells would be screened, new safety measures would be implemented, blah, blah, blah. As for why things went boom, I heard it was blamed on a rogue discharge of static electricity,” he added with a smirk.
“The witches did a damn good job of keeping the authorities away during the fight and covering up the mess afterward,” Travis said.
“We had agreed on an exit route ahead of time, so that’s where everyone parked, and the magic kept it hidden long enough for us to get out.
It helped that the Swiss Guard took the bodies. ”
“In a backhanded way, this whole shitfest probably strengthened hunter alliances,” Mark added. “We’re usually a curmudgeonly pack of loners, but at least for now, I’m seeing hunters do better asking for backup and sharing tips. I don’t know if it’ll last, but it’s progress.”
“CHARON’s back to being the same old arrogant sons-of-bitches they usually are,” Brent said. “Davis thought this whole mess might get me to change my mind. I made it clear it didn’t.”
“The Sinistram is on lockdown until the Vatican cleans up the mess,” Travis added. “While I wouldn’t normally care, it also means the library is closed. And after everything that happened, I’ll never look at the Keepers quite the same way again.”
“Do you think other chapters will heed the warning?” Mark asked.
“I suspect that the Holy Father will get his point across sternly,” Travis replied with a bitter chuckle.
“But I don’t expect the replacement elders to be any more ethical than their predecessors, even if they are mortal.
Although at this point, I strongly doubt they’ll keep trying to get me back into the fold after the role I played in the regime change. ”
“The Logonje and the Occulatum will remain on alert, now that we know what threat to watch for,” Father Leo said. “We forgot that the most dangerous monsters are human.”
“Whatever the elders did that woke up the old ones has faded,” Brent told them.
“No more Messie in the Mon, the mine monsters are quiet, and the dark power at Lake Arthur is silent. I’m hoping that any other vampires or powerful immortals out there will decide that trying to take over isn’t worth it. ”
“Long overdue, but now that we’ve realized the potential threat from all the capped wells, some of our witch friends reinforced the protective spell from the battle so it stays in place to prevent future explosions,” Travis added.
“And we’ll be on the lookout for other spots like that, so maybe we can prevent the next apocalypse. ”
“How are you two?” Father Leo asked. “My priests and I managed to avoid most of the hand-to-hand fighting, but the magical drain was pretty severe. I didn’t want to get out of bed for days, and I know I won’t be back to full magic for a while yet.”
Brent intentionally didn’t look at Travis, leaving it up to his partner to divulge the price of using the dark magic of the Precepts. “My bruises have bruises, and my sore muscles are reminding me that I’m not as young as I was in my Army days.” Brent stretched ruefully.
“I’m healing.” Travis looked at his drink. “One day at a time, from the inside out. I’m still a little untethered, which is weird, but I’m working on that. Father Jacinski hooked me up with a Logonje priest who also does post-battle magical injury therapy, and it’s helping.”
“Don’t be ashamed of asking for help,” Father Leo said. “I’m glad you’ve found resources. And your friends are here when you need us.”
“Thank you,” Travis looked a bit sheepish at admitting his injuries.
Brent kept in touch with Jon and Matthew to support Travis as he recovered, sourcing help from their witch friends, brujas, and healers as the need arose.
Travis didn’t confide much, even to them, but he knew from Jon and Matthew how often Travis woke screaming or stayed up all night.
Fortunately, those incidents seemed to be getting less frequent.
The conversation shifted to less dire subjects, from the weather to the Steelers to television shows and movies. After a while, they settled the bill and walked out together to their cars.
“Don’t be strangers.” Mark gave each of them a handshake and a firm clap on the back. “The world doesn’t have to be ending.”
“Same here,” Brent replied.
Father Leo blessed them and gave parting hugs. “Call if you need us. Or if you just want to talk.” He looked at Travis with the last comment.
“Will do,” Travis assured them.
For a while, they drove back to Pittsburgh in silence. Brent listened to the rumble of the Crown Vic’s engine and watched the scenery go by.
“How are you, really?” he asked, careful not to make eye contact.
Travis shrugged, uncomfortable despite how close their friendship had become.
“They warn about dark magic for good reasons. My counselor said that soul wounds are real, and the source of a person’s abilities can be bruised, for lack of a better word.
Those take longer to heal than anything physical. ”
Brent nodded. “Makes sense. And it also explains why people who gravitate to tainted magic end up losing their way and going Dark Side. Slippery slope and all that. It certainly works that way for unethical decisions, even for people without abilities.”
“I don’t know that I’ll ever be sorry for doing it,” Travis said, “given what was at stake. And I know that can lead to rationalizing using that kind of power again, for the next dire situation. Which is why I’m glad I have good friends to keep me on the straight-and-narrow.”
Brent grinned at him, pleased that Travis had been so candid. “We’re going to do our fucking best.”
“I’m counting on it.”