by Ron Francis
"No, we leave it be for now," Grandpa started. "These things have a way of working themselves out. I'm sure you will meet him in the future and then it won't look like you were a hothead looking for vengeance."
"Grandpa's right, Connor," Abby added, intertwining her arm in his. "Let's just stay here with TJ until he's better and then take it from there."
Chapter nineteen
Devlin arrived at the Satarra clan meeting to quite a sight. The entire upper echelon of his clan was awaiting his arrival. Almost three thousand Zdrada, Dark Shifters and Shadow Mages were waiting for their leader to reveal his plans. They were assembled in the ball room of an Ethereal owned hotel. The golden chandeliers and golden wall sconces along with the polished wooden floor were a reminder that this room usually served a very different purpose. As Devlin entered the room, his ceremonial black cloak hiding his identity, one of his advisors greeted him with some important news.
"Devlin, while you were in flight, Archer was spotted on Staten Island, fighting the Cadaraii clan. He escaped and has gone off the grid but the entire Undaraii and Cadaraii clans are now in the New York City area. The Council of Light is on their way there as well, while the remaining five light clans have taken up positions throughout the tri-state area. It will be next to impossible to get enough warriors into Staten Island to capture Archer at this point." The advisor bowed after finishing his report and took a step back.
Devlin contemplated the information he had been given while he decided his next step. Antonio and Darcy were by his side and he dismissed Darcy to confer with Antonio alone. After several minutes of back and forth, Antonio bowed and took a seat next to Darcy. Devlin took the stage and the anticipation rose when he readied himself to speak.
He looked out over the massive hall filled with his people. He noticed the craftsmanship of the golden, Victorian chandeliers that hung gracefully from the high ceilings, and the intricate design of the molding that framed the room. He took a breath and then began. "The time has come, brothers and sisters. The light has reigned too long. Power has corrupted them and they have grown weak. The Shadow Assembly cowers before the light, plotting little victories here and there, but I will unite the Assembly under my rule and we will take our rightful place as the masters of this earth. Any that stand in our way must die." Three thousand of his clansmen erupted in applause, and Devlin paused while preparing to continue.
He took hold of the microphone in front of him and dislodged it from its stand. He then began to move around on the stage, his robe flowing while he spoke. "Thomas Jefferson Archer is said to be the one man on this planet that can stand in my way, and he is now surrounded by the light. We still do not know if he is for them or against them, but the time has come that he, too, must die. Once he is dead, Ethereals will begin to take their rightful place in this world. We will purge the humans like they purged us ten thousand years ago, and we will not stop until every remaining human knee is bowed before us." He pumped his fist in the air, and the clan broke out into a raucous applause once again.
"We are the largest of the six dark clans! We will use our power to unite the clans by whatever means necessary. If they will not join us of their own accord, we will remove their leadership until they do. Antonio will give each of you your assignments. I want the Shadow Assembly united within the week. Then, it will not matter how many the light puts before us, they will still fall and I will kill Thomas Archer with my bare hands." He almost growled that last line, then walked off the stage to a thunderous ovation and prepared to become a god among men.
*****
Asaph sat among the council while they listened to the threats from Devlin. He wondered where his son Asa was and why he had not yet delivered Thomas Archer to them. He turned his attention back to the screen as Devlin was about to deliver his ultimatum.
"I will have the entire Shadow Assembly united within a week, and I will storm New York with a vengeance, killing all in my path, both human and Ethereal until you turn him over to me. The only way I spare you is if you relinquish the prize to me."
"You will not march on New York, Devlin. You would lose more to the humans than you ever would to us. We are not intimidated by your ravings." Asaph replied.
"You should be! I can see the fear in each one of your eyes. You know you have let corruption sink in. You know that you are weak, and you know my people outnumber you. I shall enjoy killing each of you and then killing your families." Devlin found he was enjoying this back and forth.
"We have no way to trust that you won't do that anyway. If it's war you want, it's war you shall have, and all Ethereals lose." Gunter replied. Devlin looked at the man with graying hair and sharp eyes. The stars on his collar marked him as the head of the Nalaraii clan. What Devlin didn't know is that while Gunter's clan may not have been the most powerful, Gunter was the CEO of Dondar Limited, which provided government contractors and weapons, and that made him a very powerful man.
"We don't have Archer, Devlin. Nor would we give him to you if we did." Asaph added.
"Come now, even I know he is somewhere on Staten Island. I am certain you will be seeing him soon. When you do, you have a choice, turn him over to me or risk all out war and the human discovery of the Ethereal race. It's up to you, it matters not to me. I'm sure you all know by now how much I enjoy the killing." Devlin cut the feed before they could reply and the Council of Light was left to discuss the implications of what had just happened.
*****
Rupert, the head of the Cadaraii clan looked at Asaph and inquired in a loud voice, "Where is your son? Why has he not reported in with Archer yet?"
Before he could answer, Asa entered the room with Malachi and Stacy. Stacy was nowhere near as powerful as Abby, but once Abby had left, he was forced to make due. "I am here, gentlemen. As you all know, Thomas Archer is somewhere on this island. We believe he is hiding out with the Fitzpatricks. He has been betrothed to their daughter since her birth." A murmur went through the council that suggested to Asa that none of them were aware of that fact." There was a misunderstanding between him and Malachi that drove him from us, then the Cadaraii clan showed a severe lapse in judgment when they attacked him this morning. He may not be willing to trust the Council at this point, but if I can speak to Jonathan, the head of the Fitzpatrick family, I might be able to smooth things over."
"That's going to take a lot of smoothing, Asa," Jonathan replied upon entering the room. Asa thought he saw Jonathan smile. Where is his sense of decorum? He should know better. A scowl formed on Asa's face, and Jonathan continued. "I told the guards I know where Archer is and would only tell you if they let me in right now." He said in answer to the question on Asa's mind. Asa took in the council room while his rival spoke, and was surprised by its simplicity. Four gothic style cylindrical lights hung from the high ceiling and the council was seated behind a raised bench built in the shape of a semi-circle. The only other furnishing in the room was four old wooden chairs positioned against the back wall of the room. The light grey color of the walls made the room seem even more expansive because there was nothing adorning the walls.
"This is great news," Asaph replied. "Bring him to us so we can see where he stands."
"Well," Jonathan put his hands in his pockets and rocked from his heels to his toes as he spoke. "There's a couple things you need to know before we do."
"What is it?" Asaph inquired impatiently.
"One, is that you failed to mention that the reason you lost Thomas in the first place is that Malachi put a sword to his throat and threatened his life. Doesn't sound very light side to me. Another thing is one of Devlin's Dark Shifters got a good shot in on him while he was in Baltimore a couple nights ago. And because he could not seek medical attention, a severe infection developed. My wife patched him up this morning, but he hasn't woken up yet, and he won't be ready to come before the council for at least four days according to my wife. The last thing is that some thugs from the Cadaraii clan tried to kill him this morning in the
park. Even worse, they tried to kill his betrothed, our little Abby. I don't see him forgiving that, so it might be best to have your goon Bartholomew and his criminals not be here when Thomas arrives."
"Is that all," Rupert mocked. "What's preventing me from sending my...'Goons', as you so eloquently put it, to place you under arrest until your family produces Thomas?"
"Our intel suggests Thomas was in fact injured in Baltimore," Asa added, knowing the scene was about to degenerate. He knew that Jonathan had never gotten along with Asaph or Rupert, but that the rest of the council had great trust in him.
"We have no reason to threaten one so distinguished, or mistrust his word, "Gunter announced."We have a week to make a decision. Thank you, John, we shall see you in four days."
"Thank you, Gunter, in the meantime, it might be wise if Bartholomew stays away from my family."
Rupert flew into a rage at that comment. "Are we going to let this dog dictate terms to us and threaten our people, right here in the council chamber?"
"You misunderstand, Rupert, I was not threatening Bartholomew, just warning him that every single one of Abby's five brothers, five uncles and twenty-three cousins are quite upset with his actions, and they have long memories. Not to mention how her father is feeling, and we all know he is the best swordsman in the twelve clans." Malachi bristled at Jonathan's statement. Both he and Asa knew it was meant as a personal insult. Jonathan looked at Rupert and finished his thought. "Young Bart might want to think about who he is threatening next time. I would never threaten the boy, I just felt compelled to warn him about how upset my family is with him." With that he left.
Asa continued his briefing after Jonathan Fitzpatrick left the chambers. "Our intel suggests that everything Fitzpatrick said about the attack in the park this morning is true. Bartholomew's men fired first, and he threatened Abby's life before Archer went on the offensive."
"That mutt and his Shifter killed seven of my men, and they must answer for that!" Bartholomew yelled in a rage. "I say we give him to Devlin."
"The council never ordered or condoned a hit on Archer or Fitzpatrick! He was defending himself against an unprovoked attack. We will be discussing this incident at length later. Last time I checked, we were the Council of Light." Gunter replied with steel in his eyes. He was looking back and forth between Rupert and Bartholomew in a way that let them know to go any further with it would not be in their best interest.
Asa continued, "Other intel suggests that Devlin is gathering all his people in DC and is in fact planning a hostile takeover of the dark clans within the week. We can expect him to begin his final plans within the next three to six weeks. We don't have much time to complete Archer's training."
"Complete?" Bartholomew snorted. "He was by far the most well trained Paladin I have ever seen. He is a swordsman without equal, faster than any man I have ever faced. Not to mention that he also exhibited Mage powers when he threw fifteen of my men at once with a powerful telekinetic burst. And, did I also mention that he deflected a telekinetic shove from my Mage with his sword? His sword!" He shouted for emphasis. "I didn't even know that was possible." Bartholomew's words had left both Asa and the council in shock. How is any of that possible? Asa wondered. I can't even throw fifteen men at once. Maybe four, if they were close enough together, but fifteen? How is that possible?
"And he did all this while injured," Asa added trying to keep his excitement hidden. "He must be the child of destiny. We have nothing to fear from Devlin now."
"This opens up a whole new realm of possibilities for us," Gunter began. "Thomas is now the second generation to exhibit secondary powers, and they are far more powerful than his parent's secondary powers. His powers triggered when his love was threatened, just as his parent's did. Maybe it is a strong love that does it?"
"It is possible that it is a side effect of the betrothal spell. Less than five percent of our people still do that. Paul and Lynette Hunter were betrothed as infants, as were Thomas and Abby." Asa added, failing to hide his excitement about the possibilities.
"So what we are saying is that it might be a byproduct of being betrothed as an infant and having a deep love for the one you are betrothed to. There has got to be more to it than that." Asaph asked with a dubious look.
"In both cases, we are talking about powerful Ethereals, I'm sure that adds to the mix, but it is a great place to start." Asa couldn't wait to begin testing the theory. He might have to damage a few lives, but if he could make it work, it would be well worth it. He left the Council meeting with Malachi. The plans swirling around his head made him almost giddy. There was one thing bothering him, and it had nothing to do with secondary powers. Where had Thomas received his training? It was a troubling thought, but even that could not diminish his excitement while thinking of possible test subjects.
Chapter twenty
Thomas woke up in a strange room, in a strange bed, with the familiar scent of jasmine, and a beautiful face staring down at him. Her smile reached her eyes, and she leaned over and kissed his forehead. "Welcome back, my love."
"Abby?" His voice was weak, and he squinted against the light coming in from the windows. The confusion in his eyes was evident, and he asked in a voice scratched by sleep, "What happened? How did I get here?"
"My grandfather rescued us and Grams healed you. We are at a Fitzpatrick safe house and my brothers are standing guard. No one will harm you. You will remain here until you have recovered." She paused and swallowed, but he nodded his encouragement and she continued. "When you are well, you are to appear before the council. They are on edge due to Devlin's threats and need the reassurance that you will fight their battle for them."
He contemplated what she had just said, but he wasn't angry. He was more resigned as if the outcome was inevitable. "What about my training? Will they send me unprepared?"
Abby shot him a curious look. "What do you mean? You are trained. I have never seen anyone as skilled with a sword as you, TJ."
He looked back out the window, still squinting against the light of day. He was so confused, "Abby, when did you ever see me use a sword?"
"Two days ago in Clove Lakes Park. You saved my life. You exhibited extraordinary Mage abilities along with the most powerful Paladin abilities I've ever seen. TJ, you were unstoppable, please tell me you remember." She pleaded with her lovely eyes, and he wanted to remember but he came up blank. She leaned over, stroked his head, and asked, "What's the last thing you do remember?"
"I was in a hotel room in Manhattan the night before we were supposed to meet and I was very sick. I was so angry that I had to get sick right before I was supposed to see you again. I wanted you to see me at my best." He reached over with a slight wince and put her hand in his. "I had another dream of us when we were children, and then I woke up here."
"TJ," she replied, "That was three days ago. We did meet at the park, we engaged in battle with the Cadaraii clan. You almost killed their most skilled Paladin, Bartholomew, after he tried to kill me." Flashes of fighting and glimpses of a swing set filled his mind. Warriors were flying backwards and a green eyed tiger was mauling some wolves and there he was, sword in hand. He was moving faster than anyone he'd ever seen before. The images flickered out almost as soon as they appeared. He furrowed his brow, and looked into her worried eyes.
"I'm getting glimpses, Abby, flashes of a fight, but I don't really remember. I'm sorry."
She leaned over, kissed his hand and laid her head on his chest, careful not to go near his healing stomach. "You have nothing to be sorry about, TJ. I'm just happy you're going to be all right. I'm so happy we're finally together, and at least for the moment, we're safe. You had me so worried."
Just then the door opened and her brother Conner stood there with a worried look. He looked to Thomas, and then he looked back to his sister and said, "Asa has just pulled up to the house with a full detail. Malachi and his young protégés are with him." He flipped on a monitor mounted on the wall and they could see Asa walk
ing towards the house with his men standing around the car they arrived in. The picture was clear, and Thomas was impressed with the security.
Abby stood, her anger rising and replied, "If they try to enter this room it will be the last thing they ever do." She hurried to undress, then she shifted into her favorite form of tiger and began to prowl around the room.
"That's my girl," Connor said with a grin. Then he turned and left the room. Abby sat in the open doorway while Thomas watched the brewing showdown with interest. He could see Conner through the open doorway, and he could see Asa and his people on the monitor and he didn't like the odds.
"Abby," Thomas said, and the tiger turned to face him. "If it gets too hot, you leave, I don't want you getting killed protecting me." His request was met with a low rumbling growl that suggested she wasn't going anywhere and that she was not very happy he had asked.
They both listened when the impatient knock came at the door. The door opened and they heard Asa say in an intimidating voice, "Clan business, Connor, step aside."
Connor remained in the doorway and glared at Asa. "I'm the only one home, if there's clan business, we discuss it outside. You are not welcome here." Thomas watched the monitor, and Asa motion for four of his Paladins to join him at the door. He then he saw Connor laugh when his father and four brothers pulled into the driveway and began piling out of their car. It made for an intimidating entrance even on the monitor.
"I will get in there and discuss what needs to be discussed." Asa threatened.
"I know the clan has not given you the authority to search my home." Conner replied and then he allowed his father and brothers to pass. Asa tried to pass with them, but Connor once again blocked his way. "As I have already said, you are not welcome here." Thomas could hear in Connor's voice how much he disliked Asa.
"What seems to be the problem?" Abby's father asked as he came back to the door.
"I need to speak to Archer, Jonathan."
