Ben appeared in a special room that had been prepared ten years ago for Jonathan, sighing Ben thought all this time, this would have been over a decade ago if Jonathan wasn’t as stubborn as Ben’s brother had been. Checking the boy, Ben was sure he was still out, but shaking his head he wasn’t certain they had that much time Jonathan was far stronger than he at first appeared. Finally the rest of the council appeared sealing the room, Ben actually crossed his fingers laughing at his human wise-tale, but hey anything that worked. Sure enough not ten minutes later Jonathan awoke wearing a look of shock which quickly turned to a snarling rage.

“You really think you can hold me Ben? Though I have to admit, this is indeed a good trap you obviously don’t realize just how strong my power has grown.”

Ben only nodded almost afraid to speak, the boy was right no one really realized except him, turning he advised the council of this. Almost immediately they increased the power of the room, Jonathan could only smile at least they were taking this seriously. Jonathan sat in the center of the room and closed his eyes, Ben wasn’t fooled and told the council they needed to hurry, the boy was building up. For an hour the council took readings learning far more than they had in countless centuries before. From all they got almost anyone could access the wild magic, with a serious amount of concentration, Jonathan needed nothing like that as it came to him naturally. The only problem with the wild magic was it often burned out the user’s mind with over use and no control. As Ben suspected Jonathan had almost complete control over it, learning the locks over the last few hundred years.

Back at the keep Lana was finally on her feet, getting ready to leave she was stopped at the door by a smirking Trina, “I have to go home, I have to find Jonathan!” Lana said as she tried to move past Trina.

“I’m afraid I can’t let you go Lana, if what mother and I felt is true you’ll have to stay human for a while longer!” Trina exclaimed excited.

“Huh?” Lana started, “what are you talking about?”

With a huge grin Trina placed a hand on Lana’s stomach, “I’m talking about this here,” Trina gently massaged Lana’s stomach. “We can’t have you hurting yourself, plus you need to stay human for at least a week.”

Lana still confused could only stare at her best friend Trina, still it hadn’t dawned on her what Trina meant.

“I think what she means Lana my dear, is that you are pregnant,” came a voice behind both of the women.

Still wearing a look of confusion it slowly dawned on Lana, just what the voice had said. Then a sly and truly happy smile began to spread across her face.

“He warned me that I might be, I hadn’t thought of it at the time but if I am then I can truly be happy.” Lana said almost in a whisper. “I have to tell my mother! She has to know! I have to go and…”

“I can tell her Lana,” Evelyn said walking up behind Lana, ” you need to rest, the next few weeks are going to be hard on you.”

Lana just nodded going back to the bed, an even bigger smile on her face, she was carrying Jonathan’s baby!

Lady Vishnew was going over finances, she’d missed her daughter the last ten years she’d just closed her book when she received a thought.

<Vish? It’s Evelyn.> Came the thought.

<Yes Evelyn, is everything well there?> Lady Vishnew replied.

<I need you to come over here I can bring you but it must be just you that knows, don’t tell Vidon.> Evelyn instructed.

<Give me an hour then contact me, > Lady Vishnew said.

It was barely an hour later that Lady Vishnew appeared in the room with Evelyn and Trina Timmins, and someone on the bed. Lady Vishnew’s mouth dropped open, Lana! Throwing her arms around her daughter true tears of happiness began to flow from her eyes tears that been held back for over ten years now.

Evelyn and Trina left the room; it was more Lana’s place to tell her mother than them. They’d only been in the hallway for a few minutes when they heard Lady Vishnew shout, looking in they saw that Lana and her mother were hugging fiercely. Lana’s mother’s face held a myriad of emotions ranging from shock and disbelief to absolute joy and happiness. Lana on the other hand was smirking though she hadn’t planned on it, she was glad for what she and Jonathan had done on the island, now she just needed him back in her arms.

Tom had felt Evelyn pull Lady Vishnew over to the keep though he didn’t know why he was sure they were up to no good. If Tom had learned one thing in over a thousand years, it was to not poke too far into what his wife was doing, that is unless it involved their children.

Tom was at his wits end he’d tried to contact the council, and all but one of them were unavailable. The one elder had hurried him along seemingly too busy to engage in conversation for long. Then there was his Uncle Ben, he’d been there not long after Jonathan had disappeared then poof! He too had seemed to drop off the earth. Just what in the hell was going on? Why was Tom afraid that it all had something to do with his outlaw son? Shaking his head he walked his territory, no sense going to the keep not with all the women there, probably get another brow beating by his wife about sticking his nose into female business again. Growling he felt like something incredibly important was about to happen and everyone was purposely keeping all information about it a secret from him. Walking to the outer most boundary he opened the sealed vault that he knew of, now that Jonathan had found hundreds of years ago. Walking to the huge capsule he laid the pieces of the Rinora crystal within it, sighing he looked over at the other four. It was a good thing Jonathan had only gotten the Rinora. It was the least powerful of the five, well four now though the security had to be increased so that no one else could release any of the others. Looking them over he remembered the capture of all of them when he was a boy. The worst he stopped at, it’s massive security Tom never felt was enough it had decimated the entire council. A good many Mages had died that day, Tom remembered it was his grandfather’s sacrifice that had sealed the pure evil of the crystal. He could still hear his grandfather telling him to guard them well and what spells to use, then the tears falling from his eyes his grandfather had sent him away, horrified Tom watched his grandfather die. The old man had been consumed then it was all quiet, doing as his grandfather had instructed he’d sealed the crystal, then each in turn as it was gathered. It still eat away at Tom that he couldn’t have done more to help, he’d loved his grandfather his own father destroyed by several vampire clans right before he’d been born. Tom had to wonder if that was why he was so dead set against his son? All the horror he’d seen from the abuse of power was that why he was so afraid?

Locking up, Tom was heading back towards the keep when he felt a familiar feeling one he’d missed in the last few hundred years. “Hello Vidon, what brings you out tonight?” Tom said to the darkness.

“Damn it Tom, you could give a vampire a complex if it were possible, I take it you felt Vishnew at your keep?” Lord Vidon replied.

“Yes,” Tom sighed, “I decided it was time to check security, before something like ten years ago happens again. Besides I haven’t won a single argument with Evelyn in over 1000 years, I don’t think I am going to suddenly start tonight.”

Lord Vidon chuckled slapping Tom on the shoulder, “Ah my friend! I too am in the same predicament, Lady Vishnew seems to have an answer for every question I have to ask her. Infuriatingly as it is she always seems to make more sense.”

Here Lord Vidon thought a moment, “Well almost everything, the Triog wars 1000 years ago, I decided to not listen to her, had I, none of us would have been here now.”

“I know the feeling,” Tom said, “It was the same during the Mage war 1200 years ago I had to go but Evelyn insisted that I stay, it was war, and I couldn’t, though I tell you, it damn near killed her!” Lord Vidon nodded, “Yes, if I remember right, Vishnew told me that if I were to be destroyed she’d no longer be able to go on. I miss the old days when loyalty was far more important than anything else.”

“It’s this new world that they discovered in America, it has given freedom to the masses, they feel they no longer have need of us it’s a shame though the power that we wield will still be there just not believed in as much.” Lord Vidon answered.

“I think it will always be those with the money that will always have the power, I don’t see that changing any time soon.” Tom said.

“My son especially, strange thing I can’t contact the Mage council.” Tom told Lord Vidon.

“Strangely enough the vampire council has also been indisposed the last two days, strange things happening in these strange times my friend.” Lord Vidon said. “Since my keep has none of the female presence at the present time what say you and I retire there ’til such time as the females decide that they have need of us again eh?”

Tom’s eyes lit up he always loved to go to Vidon’s keep, the history there was somewhat older than that at his keep. “Uh,” Tom started, “you wouldn’t still have that 500 year old scotch would you?”

“For you Tom, I think we can break out the 700 year old!” Lord Vidon replied.

Walking off neither saw the young boy take off for the keep. Reaching the front door the boy ran all the way up the stairs to Evelyn. “I saw them both Lady Evelyn!” The boy exclaimed out of breath from running, “They were both heading to Lord Vidon’s keep.” Leaning close he whispered, “They were talking about drinking old stuff called scotch!”

Thanking the boy Evelyn walked into the room to tell Lady Vishnew.

“Oh dear!” Lady Vishnew laughed, “It appears that our husbands feel as if we no longer need them!”

“What make you say that?” Evelyn asked.

“Why my dear they are both human and they’re going to get drunk. Remember the last time they pulled this?” Lady Vishnew asked.

Evelyn’s eyes got huge, “the Triog wars! I believe not long after Tom discovered that they were both human around each other. I also remember they were drunk for well over a week! Ugh! I also remember the smell! Vish we have to stop this!”

“How do you propose we do that? Remember the last time? We both ended up pregnant, sorry but I am far too old to be that way again!” Lady Vishnew said.

“Oh hell!” Evelyn cried, and then laughed herself, “You are so right! Something needs to be done though, I don’t think I’ll ever get that smell out of my mind!”

“I might have an idea for that, though I’m going to need your help. We’ll have to wait ’til they pass out a while before we do it though.”

Two days later both Lord Vidon and Tom Timmings awoke both sporting hellacious hang overs, looking down at themselves then at each other, they both started to laugh. They were both were sitting on several sheets that were in fact all around them, plus the fact that they were both stark naked did nothing to deter the laughter. They’d both just sat up reaching for another bottle when there was an enormous explosion off in the distance.

Both stumbled out the door holding their heads and stomachs, looking to the west they both saw the huge column of smoke rising from what Tom saw was near the council headquarters.

Lady Vishnew and Evelyn were feeling pretty good, the plan they’d carried out would at least insure that the keep wouldn’t smell like a brewery or worse a drinking club that their husbands had frequented before. They were just sitting to have tea when up stairs they heard Lana screaming at the top of her voice. Rushing to her room it was taking all the four women in the room could do to hold her in bed.

“NO! NO JONATHAN! DON”T DO IT! PLEASE!” She was screaming over and over. Then there was a sudden explosion west of the keep. “NO JONATHAN NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

Then Lana was unconscious, Evelyn started to feel a huge power moving toward them. Oh my god! It was Jonathan! His power was huge many, many times greater than the other day when he brought Lana to the keep. ‘I have to keep her safe, ‘ Evelyn thought, quickly she changed Lana everything about her Jonathan wasn’t the only mage that could do a wipe. Grabbing Lady Vishnew and Lana; Evelyn flashed them both to a small shack between both of the keeps.

Tom and Vidon watched as something streaked over head heading to Tom’s keep. Thanking Vidon, Tom started to stumble toward his keep, though they both felt they weren’t wanted any more Tom still felt he had to protect the women of the family. Just out of site of Vidon’s keep he felt his power start to return, flashing quickly to the keep, he found no sign of his son, wife nor Lord Vidon’s wife. Now what the hell was going on? It had felt like Jonathan flashing over but he hadn’t felt him leave. Searching the keep he found his daughter hiding in a corner a look of terror on her face.

“Trina!” Tom yelled getting no response from her, he turned her face to his.

Tears were streaming from her eyes. “Daddy?” she sobbed out. “We have to help Jonathan he is so angry, I’ve never seen such rage as he had on his face. Please Daddy, I know you are mad at him but you have to help him, you are the only one who can. You have the power in you, Johnny told me you did just like grandpa. Please Daddy, you have to, if you don’t it will kill him, he is willing to die rather than hurt anyone else.”

NO! Thought Tom not again! Sighing he knew what he had to do but wasn’t sure he could, he’d suppressed the power for so long. It had taken a long time to gain the control he had, it took almost dying to gain it.

“I’ll do what I can but I’m not sure I can anymore, I shut it off so long ago.” Tom said almost in a whisper.

It meant exposing his secret that he’d hidden for well over a thousand years, exposing himself to the ridicule and shame that he suffered all those centuries ago. Trina looked up at her father he was the only hope for them all.

Tom sighed and flashed out to where the council headquarters was, that was the definitive word was. There wasn’t much but rubble, fire, and a lot of gouged earth. Reaching out Tom began to feel the council members, several were badly hurt, but at least they were alive. Taking a deep breath Tom reached in as deep as he could, feeling the endless well of power that was there. Slowly he brought it out ’til he felt it was enough then simply made a sweeping motion and the debris was gone.

Ben’s mouth dropped open he’d never seen his nephew display that kind of power. With one hand Tom lifted all the council out of the debris field, with the other he waved his hand and the building was whole and complete again.

“Yes Ben I have it also, I haven’t used it in over 1000 years.” Tom said.

Ben limped to Tom looked him in the eye, “You’ve had this much control of the wild magic and you didn’t think to help your son?!” Shaking his head Ben punched his Nephew in the face. “You hypocrite! You son of a bitch! All this fucking time!”

Tom picked himself off the ground, hanging his head he could only agree.

“You have to save him; you are the only one that can!” Ben screamed. Tom reached out he could feel Jonathan, his power was almost overloading, if it wasn’t stopped soon the boy would explode taking several thousands of miles of everything near him with him. Tom started to give chase feeling Jonathan’s power still increasing though for some reason it had finally started to slow.

AN HOUR BEFORE THE EXPLOSION

Jonathan had searched the room a dozen times feeling every weakness every inch of the stone. He’d started to build up his power it should be high enough to get out of here soon. Looking out at Ben he could see that the man wasn’t happy, why not? He’d helped to capture a dangerous criminal, though here Jonathan smiled, he wouldn’t be captured much longer. Ben could see that Jonathan was becoming calmer as each day passed though he wasn’t sure what he was up to. They’d finally determined that though he had great control he still only had a little more than half what he needed. All the tests done, Ben was more worried about Jonathan than their damn decision. Ben watched him for almost an hour the council arguing and discussing, Ben noticed that Jonathan’s skin was starting to glow. ‘Oh shit, ‘ Ben thought, reaching out he grabbed the council throwing a shield around them, looking back he saw Jonathan stand, nod at him then the entire building exploded. Damn it Ben thought I underestimated him again.

---