by Ron Francis
"I know him very well. Thanks, Grams." He dialed the number and waited for Trevor to pick up. He was a little surprised when Kendra picked up.
"Thomas, do you know what time it is?"
"Kendra? What are you doing with Trevor's phone?" He looked at the clock on the wall and then felt bad about calling. "I'm sorry, I had no idea what time it was until you just mentioned it."
"Six o'clock, Thomas!" she said for emphasis. "Trevor won't be up for hours. Lucky for you, I'm already up with Sarah. Why didn't you call us back yesterday?"
"I got home from the council meeting and then things got a little crazy and then I was unconscious for twelve hours. I just woke up now and called you back, sorry it's so early, I didn't realize."
"No problem, and what do you mean you were unconscious for twelve hours?"
"It's a long story. Do you know what Trevor wanted?"
"Yeah, we're here to back you up. The clan called everyone back to New York. We're at a hotel by Newark Airport, with your aunt and uncle."
"But you don't even have powers, Kendra, and you've got Sarah to worry about now."
"I know, but Trevor had to come, and I had to be here for him, for both of you. The business is going well and I brought everything I needed to work on with me. You know I couldn't stay away, it would have just given my parents one more reason to slam the door on me and Sarah."
He felt terrible about the bitterness he could hear in Kendra's voice. Her relationship with her parents had been ruined because of him. It was all Asa's fault, but she would have been much better off if she had never known him and become a pawn in Asa's games. He hoped her bravery and the fact that she answered the call might put her back in her parent's good graces. "Well, I'm glad you're here. I can't wait for you guys to meet Abby and her family. I'm gonna see if they could put you up in one of their safe houses. Hold on a minute while I ask Abby's grandmother." He muted the phone and asked her if there was a safe house nearby that his friends could stay in with his aunt and uncle. She told him to have them come here and her son John would figure something out. He un-muted the phone and said, "Kendra, when everyone wakes up, bring them here and Abby's dad will get you sorted. I can't wait to see you guys again and hold little Sarah." He gave her the address and hung up to find another plate of food in front of him. He thanked Grams and dug in again, this time, a little bit more civilized.
Four hours later, the whole family was up, dressed and had eaten. They were sitting around waiting for John and Dyson to get back from Dyson's first training session. Dyson had learned how to use a sword a long time ago, all of the Fitzpatricks had, so they all figured he would take to it easy enough. There was a knock on the door and William opened it. The first person he saw was Kendra and he just stood there. It didn't take Connor long to tease him for it. "Ay, Will, are you planning to leave Tommy's guests out in the cold or what?"
William seemed to come back to himself, and he said, "Sorry about that. Please, come in." Thomas noticed that William couldn't take his eyes off Kendra. Her long dark hair and bright blue eyes had him captivated. Then Trevor followed, holding little Sarah and the last to enter were Aunt Laura and Uncle Pete.
Thomas looked at his friends and family, every one of them put in his life by Asa to keep tabs on him. The old, cautious Thomas would have had a big problem with that type of betrayal, but the new, Paladin TJ knew they had no choice, and had done their best with a bad situation. He ran across the room and picked his aunt up in a bear hug that she hadn't expected, but very much enjoyed, and followed with a firm handshake pulled into a half hug with his uncle.
"So, does this mean you're not mad at us, Tommy?" Everyone noticed his aunt's apprehension at his uncle's question.
"Of course not, Uncle Pete, you guys raised me. I know Asa strong-armed you into lying. You had no choice, I don't blame you, I blame him. You can't fake the kind of love you guys have shown me." Aunt Laura's relief was visible and she gave Thomas another hug. He thought he saw a tear in her eye. Then she moved to hug Abby. Thomas made the introductions while he gave Kendra and Trevor a hug. He then relieved Trevor of the small, precious package he was holding. He held up the beautiful, happy little girl and was rewarded with some spit-up right on the front of his shirt. He made faces at Sarah while Kendra wiped his shirt off and apologized. Sarah seemed much happier and everyone laughed. He gave Sarah back to Kendra and took Abby aside to explain who Kendra was. He told her everything including giving her the five thousand a month ago. Abby was not happy at first, but felt a lot better when Thomas convinced her that he and Kendra had no interest in one another. He also pointed out William's interest in Kendra, and Abby was quick to set a new goal of getting her only unmarried brother off the block.
"So, Trev, how did that mountain bike trip turn out?"
"It was epic, bro, thanks for the wheels. I had a great time." He looked around the room and added, "So, how bout you hook a brother up. Abby is beautiful, where's her sisters?" Everyone started laughing and Trevor looked confused.
"Abby doesn't have any sisters, just five brothers and twenty-three male cousins. She's the lone young lady in the entire Fitzpatrick family. Sorry man, all of the good genes were wasted on this lot." He swept his arm over Abby's brothers and a couple of her cousins.
"Well, we know Tommy's part of the family now, don't we?" Connor said. "So, Trevor, what are your abilities?"
"I'm a Mage, I haven't completed my training yet, but I had to come to back up Thomas. He's been good to me over the years. Even after Kendra couldn't take lying for Asa anymore and went to a different college, he still helped me out whenever I needed it. I heard your granddad is a legendary Mage, maybe he can help me get ready for the battle."
"He's not here now, but in the meantime, Liam and Mark could probably help you a bit." Grams began, "But no one is going anywhere until you get some good, home-cooked food, and I get to hold that beautiful baby girl. That was a joy I had far too little of during my time as a grandmother."
"You can't fool us, Grams; you loved every second of all of your grandsons." Connor reminded her. "After lunch, William can take you guys over to another one of our houses, it's only a few blocks away, and we'll do our best to get Trevor squared away. How about you, Kendra? What are your powers?"
"I'm sorry to say, they never manifested, but I'm a Mage as well. I'm just here for moral support and to take care of my little brother."
"That's more than enough, plus you have the baby, so you'll stay back at our base of operations where it's safe, with Grams. Pete, Laura, how about you guys?" Connor asked.
"We're both Paladins, although I don't have much power." Laura began. "Pete on the other hand is pretty powerful. He'll get Tommy's back, too. I'll stay back with your grandmother and Kendra, to help with things here."
"Sounds good. Grams get's some help and we get two more competent fighters that Tommy trusts." He looked over to see if Thomas agreed.
"That sounds good, Connor. We'll let your granddad make the final call. Is there any way we can get the other five families aligned with you together? I'd like to see what we're bringing to the table, and figure out who has to stay behind. We're going to need to leave a sizeable chunk of Fitzpatrick's and their allies behind and use people we might not trust as much."
"Why would we do that?" Liam asked with a confused look on his face.
"Now that I know the dynamics, I believe Asa's plan is to put us all on the front lines so that when it's all said and done, the Fitzpatricks won't be able to challenge for clan leadership. I know none of you would ever run from a fight, and you will always want to be there for each other, but you have your families to think about as well as the clan. Think of it as fighting the battle on two fronts."
"Thomas is absolutely right," John said as he strode into the room with a happy Dyson in tow. "We have two concerns, and while one might not be as glorious as the other, it's no less important. We want a strong presence here, but we will also need to make sure Thomas is covered. We ca
n trust everyone the Light Council puts out there except Asaph's people and the Cadaraii clan." He looked up when he noticed the guests. He broke into a huge grin and said, "Hey, Pete, Laura, when did you guys get here?"
They explained over lunch followed by William taking them to the nearest safe house. Grams didn't want to give up the baby, so Kendra promised they would be back later. It was hard to tell, but it looked like she was enjoying all of the attention William was giving her. Thomas wanted to help her get her powers, but he didn't sense them the same way he had sensed Dyson's. He would need to seek some council from Abby's dad or granddad before trying that again anyway. Grams seemed to think it wasn't a good idea for him to do it again, ever. When everyone was settled, Thomas took Abby by the hand, gave her a light coat and left with her to take a walk. They had not had anywhere near enough conscious alone time and he needed to be alone with her for a little while. He couldn't wait to fight Devlin and get it over with so he could finally be with Abby. Until then, getting to know her, holding hands and the occasional kissing of her angelic face would have to do. He vowed to himself that if Devlin didn't attack soon, he would take her to city hall to make it official and then the war would have to wait a couple of weeks for them.
Chapter twenty-five
Devlin's plan had taken a little bit longer than he anticipated, but it worked. After he defeated Smythe and took over the Xinara clan, the Davara and Tunara clans pledged their allegiance to him within the hour. The Cranara clan had already aligned themselves with him before he fought Smythe, which left only the Rynara clan to deal with. Unfortunately, they were proving much more difficult to subdue than he had anticipated. They had sequestered their leaders and resorted to guerilla tactics on Devlin's forces. To normal humans, it must have looked like an uptick in gang activity had hit the DC and Baltimore areas with a vengeance. Devlin knew that to the Council of Light, it would look as if he were unable to get full control over the Shadow Assembly. These battles had to end soon. The longer they lasted, the longer he would have to wait before he could begin his master plan.
Devlin wanted to kill the bulk of the world's population. He wanted to purge them, and rule over the survivors. To say his goals were apocalyptic would be an understatement. He and Antonio had created a virus that would drive normal humans mad, but would not affect Ethereal physiology at all. Hundreds of millions of humans would go mad and slaughter each other. When there was less than five hundred million people left on earth, he would release the cure into the air and the survivors would be free to create a new society with him as their leader. As he was musing about world domination, Antonio entered the room with a report.
"The Rynara clan still fights us, but we have a lead on their second most influential elder. Most all of our forces have arrived and occupy the area from two hours south of DC to north of Baltimore, near the border of Maryland. People are starting to notice the large amount of visitors and are beginning to ask questions."
"Let them ask, we have close to four million Ethereals in the dark clans and thousands of the warriors are ready to go to war with the Light. By the time humanity figures out what is going on, it will already be too late for them. Is there anything else, Antonio?"
"Yes, Darcy would like a face-to-face meeting with you?"
"Concerning what?"
"She feels she is the most powerful Shifter in the Dark clans, and I am inclined to agree with her. She would like to meet you, and be brought into your confidence as I have been. This way it will look as though the leadership is complete with a Zdrada, Shadow Mage and Dark Shifter aligned at the top, under you of course."
"Of course," Devlin replied. He knew young Darcy craved power, and she was powerful. Maybe it would send a better signal to the united dark clans if he installed a Dark Shifter alongside his Shadow Mage. "Tell Darcy I have not refused her request, I will take some time to think through all of the scenarios this appointment could set in motion."
"As you wish," After a slight bow, he left the room.
Devlin meanwhile continued to think of ways to bring the Rynara clan under his heel. Once he gave the okay to take their second most influential elder, it would only be a matter of time. Time, however, was the one currency he did not wish to spend. Another tactic would need to be devised in order to gain complete control of the Shadow Assembly. They may have all pledged allegiance to him, but they were not going to step in and help him subdue the last clan. They were all anxious to see if he had what it took to lead them all. He shuddered to think of what would happen if they decided he did not.
*****
"Attention, American Airlines, flight 227 has now arrived at Dulles International Airport. On behalf of American Airlines, we would like to welcome you to Washington DC. As you exit the aircraft, please make sure you check around your immediate seating area for any personal belongings you might have brought on board. We know you have many choices of air travel, and we thank you for choosing to fly with us today."
Lucas grabbed his backpack and trudged towards the plane's exit. He always found aircraft announcements to be amusing. Personal belongings? What other kind of belongings are there? He would much rather muse about the redundant nature of airline announcements than think about what he was here to do. He had never considered himself to be a Shadow Mage, maybe a mischievous Mage, but not dark. He may have used his powers on occasion in the casinos, or to increase his chances with whichever blonde caught his eye, but he had never used them for outright evil. Now, he was going to meet with his father and he knew he would be asked to do just that. Even worse, it was probable he was going to have to use his powers against his best friend. All in some insane quest to accomplish a goal he didn't want to see happen. I like normal humans, especially the women. I like sports, gambling and drinking. All of that goes away if humanity is wiped out. Why would I want that? Where would the fun be then? He was so at odds with what he knew that he was going to be asked to do, that he couldn't think straight. He stepped into a cab and before he knew it he had arrived at his destination.
He exited the cab in front of his father's office building, DSC holdings. He was to be greeted by a man he had never met. A trusted confidant of his father, named Antonio. A man who fit Antonio's description was waiting outside the building with a cute blonde he thought he recognized. Wait, is that? It is... "Darcy, this is a surprise, I was wondering what side you were on."
"Come, Lucas," Antonio began, "your father is anxious to see you."
"Wait, his father is..." The look of shock that crossed Darcy's face was priceless and Lucas smirked at her while Antonio took in the situation.
"Yes, his father is Devlin. Is there something I should know about?"
"He is the pig friend of the champion, the one that helped him escape our grasp." Darcy blurted out before she could stop herself.
"Careful, Darcy," Antonio reprimanded her, and then turned to Lucas. "Is this true, Lucas?"
"Yes it is, because no one bothered to tell me whose side she was on. Thomas had sent me a picture of the Fitzpatrick girl and after his apartment had been attacked, Thomas was flushed out in the open. I figured Darcy was working with Abby to make sure the Council of Light would have him. My plan was to bring Thomas here to hide and deliver him right to my father. It seems someone should have done a better job coordinating our efforts." This was mostly true, but Antonio didn't need to know that.
Lucas knew that Antonio was going to have a hard time explaining to Devlin that Thomas had slipped his grasp because no one knew he had a son. That's how dear old dad likes to play his games, but this time it backfired.
"I'm sorry I slapped you, Lucas." Darcy offered with her head down. He could tell by her body language that she was not happy with this revelation.
"I wish I could say that I was sorry I knocked you over, but it was actually kind of fun." He winked at her, and then walked into the office building.
Antonio dropped back and spoke in hushed tones to Darcy, but Lucas paid close attention. He was lo
oking for anything he might be able to use to get himself out of what he knew was coming. "This puts a crimp in your plan to get close to Devlin and seduce him, doesn't it?" Antonio asked.
A look of surprise crossed Darcy's face, "How did you—?"
"Come now, Darcy, it wasn't hard to figure out. You are an attractive young lady, rising up the ranks and you have begun requesting additional face-to-face meetings with Devlin."
"Does he know?"
"I haven't told him, and he hasn't mentioned it. I don't care who he chooses to be with. You must realize now that he will never even look at you in that way, once he knows you have been with his son."
"Does he have to know?" she pleaded.
Antonio raised an eyebrow, "You're playing a very dangerous game, Darcy, he will not hesitate to kill you if he finds out you have tried to play him for a fool."
"I think I can get Lucas to agree not to say anything. I'm sure the thought would be amusing to a pig like him." They were not aware Lucas was eavesdropping, until he tried to stifle a laugh at Darcy's comment.
"Careful, Darcy, Devlin will also not hesitate to kill you if he hears you talking about his son in such a manner. He would also not hesitate to kill me if he knew I withheld this kind of information from him. Which means, you will not be seducing him, but take heart, he is giving your proposal to be top Dark Shifter very serious consideration, so there will be no need for you to enact your misguided plan."
When they walked into the office, Lucas was smiling and Devlin looked a little annoyed. "You slept with my son, Darcy?"
"Yes, sir, I did," she replied without hesitation. "You wanted me to get close to Archer, um Hunter... whatever his name is now, and Lucas was his best friend. Fitzpatrick had already gotten to him, so I did the next best thing. I was not told he was your son."
