It Never Rains (But It Pours)

Passion and Pain

The three of them didn't say a word on the drive over to the warlocks' condo. But the closer they got, the wilder the weather became. By the time Adam pulled his car next to a collection of a dozen or so others, the wind and rain was pounding at them, and the rumble of thunder was almost continuous. Adam looked up, half expecting to see an army of the heavenly host swirling among the clouds above. If only. But of course, even if they were there, he couldn't see them, and Frank gave no indication of seeing anything.

Adam's eyes fell on Frank. The old man was grimacing, leaning on the car. "You ok?"

Frank hesitated before answering. "It's Blake," he said at last. "He's singing, and the song is pretty bad. He's really fighting, and he's in a lot of pain."

"I'm going in," Adam announced.

"Adam, calm down!" Pharrell cautioned. "God knows I want to run in and stop it almost as much as you do. But you cannot help him by charging in there and letting them use you to help control him. He's bound primarily to you, remember?"

"Yes, I remember!" Adam snapped. "And that's why they'll let me in. They need me to go in so they can take the spell off of me! Blake is in pain, Pharrell. I've got to do whatever I can to help him." He looked at Frank. "A little advice would be appreciated?"

"The best advice I can give you, to be honest, is 'Don't go in there,' and I know it's not what you want to hear," Frank sighed. "Adam, you're taking a terrible risk for more reasons than one. If you go in there, you could end up getting yourself killed, and probably will! And I can see in your face that you don't care. So here is my advice. Keep your head, think about what you're doing, and don't let them get to you. They will hurt him, Adam. They're hurting him as we speak, and they'll hurt you, too, to get what they want. Your best hope is your relationship with Blake. He's hurt and frightened, but he's also very powerful. If he can tap into that, tap into what he really is? He might just be able to break free. And meanwhile, we'll do our part."

"And what are you going to do?" Adam looked around. He saw a lot of people who looked like street thugs similar to Dr. Greg, who was among them. But intermixed with them was an assortment of people dressed as various branches of clergy, including a rabbi and a couple of nuns. "No offense, but this looks like a convention crossover between the Hell's Angels and the Village People!"

"Everyone here today has experience with this sort of thing, except your friend Pharrell, but he's already talking to the right people," Frank replied, nodding towards Pharrell, who was holding his hat to keep it from being blown away as he talked with a man dressed as a priest. "What we're doing here is essentially a mass exorcism. It's going to be rough. That place is literally crawling with their so-called 'mutts,' and once you're inside, Adam? You're on your own until we can break through." He sighed. "If we can break through. Without the protection of the girls, this is going to be a lot harder!"

"Just be safe," Adam warned. He impulsively hugged the old man.

Frank smiled. Water dripped from the tip of his bulbous nose as he looked Adam speculatively up and down. "Paladin," Frank mused. "Isn't that some sort of a holy warrior?"

Adam smiled. "Yes, Sir."

"Sounds like you fit the bill, son. But remember, being a holy warrior always means paying a steep price."

"I understand," Adam replied. "But I'm not giving up on Blake."

"Me either," Frank announced. "We'll do our part out here, you go get him. Good luck."