by Doug Welch
* * *
After picking up Alex’s truck from the place Dan had parked it, I drove to the Bowman farm and slipped along the wooded area and past the Shadows that guarded the house.
Prowling around the perimeter of the house, I found an unlocked window and crawled inside.
I moved through the house, searching, until I found my quarry in the dining room.
“Good afternoon, Tony,” I said.
He startled. “How did you get in here?”
I laughed. “I was in the Army Rangers. I know how to get into places.”
He hesitated. “You know, that medallion around your neck is no protection from me. I could render you a vegetable without raising a sweat.”
“Maybe, but I took the chance that you would talk first,” I said.
Tony looked around the room, but we were the only two people there. “If you've come to seek my help, I must disappoint you, I cannot help you.”
“I understand, but I have a different purpose in my visit.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And what might that be?”
“I finally came to the realization that if you can't beat them, join them. I've come to offer a compromise. One you may be able to accept.”
He seemed amused. “I have to credit you with audacity. What do you have in mind?”
“I want to join the People on an equal basis. I want to become a House, with my sister and my friends as members.”
“I'm sorry I must decline, that would require an Adept and you don’t qualify.”
“No?” I opened my senses and allowed him to experience my mind glow.
His eyes widened, surprised. “So...you were able to use your father's work. This does change things.”
“All I want is to have an equal chance. I'll do whatever is required,” I said.
“I could just immobilize you and solve the whole issue,” Tony said.
“Yes, you might, but I’ve made arrangements. If I don’t return to the farmhouse, my father’s journals will be broadcast to the Internet and the Government. I don't think that would be in the long-term interest of the People.”
Tony rubbed his forehead with his fingers. “You don't know what you're asking. There are requirements when an Adept becomes the head of a house. One is that disputes between houses are settled by a duel between the Adepts. You can't survive against Luca.”
“Luca?” I said.
“He’s the Adept that started this whole rotten affair,” Tony said. “He was the one responsible for the breeding experiment and he’s ambitious. He holds your friends as hostage. If I do this, I’ll need time to make the Council aware of your new status and it would be easier if you agreed to turn over all of your father's research.”
“I can agree to that.”
”Next, you'll have to undergo an imprinting.”
“What is that?”
“It’s a pattern,” Tony said, “one that compels you to obey the Council rules. All House Adepts are imprinted.”
“How does that affect me?” I said.
“You’ll be compelled to obey the Council and follow the rules for relationships between Houses. We made that a requirement when we formed the Council.”
“What if I don't know the rules?” I asked.
His look grew grim. “Learn them. I'll help, but I think the effort is pointless. Luca will kill you or leave you as a vegetable. Some on the Council may oppose your petition because you and your sister are too valuable to the People.”
“I won't live as a slave with the Borgias, I’d rather die.”
“What about your sister? Have you thought of her?”
I glowered at him. “She feels the same. You’d lose both of us. I'm offering you the best compromise I can. I'm not afraid of Luca.”
Tony snorted. “Then you're a fool, because you should be. Understand, in a duel you won't be able to use physical weapons. You'll have to overcome him with your mind. The imprinting will force you to obey that rule. I can sense that you may become powerful, but you lack experience. You won’t be able to use the medallions and that lack will kill you. In the end, you’ll be dead, and the Borgias will still take your sister.”
I started to lose confidence. If the Council agreed, and I was imprinted, it would remove one of the weapons I’d counted on. But what choice did I have? I thought I might have a fragile chance, but it was better than none. I gathered what courage remained to me, resigned to try.
“I've made my choice, will the Council agree?”
“Maybe. Many of the members fear the Borgias and their ambitions. I’ll try. If I don't succeed, you’ll be on your own. If I do, I’ll come with you to enforce the rules. Let me make some calls.”
