by Sonja Bair
“I have also reflected on the matter of electing Elders. Our system has been set up so that those with the most experience and wisdom are chosen and granted executive power by individuals. You were right: if all the Alva were to sit around and talk about policy, not much would get done. We need wise people who devote their time and experience to solving the many convoluted and complicated issues which come up frequently. I realized that you care deeply about our Flock and are fulfilling the role of a strong Elder because you love and value the Alva. Previously, I hadn’t appreciated your understanding of what the Alva need. I apologize. Thank you for your leadership.”
Tilde’s face didn’t reveal any emotion, but as she didn’t sneer out a derisive comment, I figured she was at least somewhat placated by my apology. Viktor, on the other hand, was scowling deeply at my speech, figuring I had turned against him. The silence didn’t last long, as both Elders started to talk over each other. But I wasn’t done speaking.
“Viktor,” I pushed on, through their loud voices, “from what I can see, we agree on much more than Tilde and I do. We both believe in the importance of individual rights and transparency from leaders. And we, as Alva, definitely need Elders who realize that the Flock is composed of a collection of individuals with unalienable rights, and any effort to protect the whole group cannot compromise these rights. Thank you for your leadership. Indeed, I have realized that both of your methods are necessary for leadership.”
I took a quick breath. This was the tricky part of my plan.“But both of you are also wrong in your methods of leadership…”
“That’s enough,” snapped Tilde.
“For once I agree with Tilde. You have overstepped your bounds. What is the meaning of this meeting?” Viktor scolded.
“I promise there is a point. Please have a little more patience.”
“No. I am done. You can submit a formal appeal in writing for whatever point you may think you have.” Shoulders stiff, Tilde turned to my hospital door and grabbed the doorknob. But the jerk of motion that should have opened the door had an unexpected outcome—the doorknob merely fell off. For a second, she stood stock still, gazing dumbfounded at the piece of metal in her hand.
“Must have been budget cuts in the maintenance department.” I said solemnly. “But since we seem to be trapped in here...”
Viktor joined Tilde at the door, poking and prodding at the hole, trying to find a mechanism that would open the door, but nothing worked. Sighing, I wished I could freeze them in place like David had done to Gina. But without such skills, I would have to depend on my words.
“I promise to fix the doorknob after you listen to what I say.”
It took about two minutes of stern scolding before they could settle down and listen. And that’s all I wanted them to do—listen.
“I, too, was mistaken about the Elders because I thought I had to pick a side in this dispute. And I was on your side, Viktor—Tilde has royally ticked me off since she arrived. She and I will never be buddies. But just because we won’t ever swap friendship bracelets doesn’t mean I don’t benefit from her leadership. In fact, I have already. My mother is alive because of you and your different take on leadership. That’s why our ancestors wisely created the concept of a group of Elders, instead of one ruler. It’s the same with werewolves—there must be two Alphas. With power, there must be checks and balances. And you guys, the Elders, must check and balance each other.
“Viktor, your story about my great-grandfather was inspiring. But I believe you need to be reminded of a critical part of the story. You said Valter worked tirelessly, going between the three groups, listening and working on compromises. That’s how the conflict was solved. There was no shortcut to get the groups to cooperate. He didn’t create a binder full of secret documents and try to maintain his own righteousness by getting someone else to leak it for him.”
At this, Tilde turned, her eyes blazing, to confront Viktor. Viktor glared at me for a moment before turning to Tilde. This was going to get out of hand in a moment if I didn’t enact the last part of the plan. In the firm and authoritative voice I use in front of a classroom full of students, I continued.
“That’s right, Tilde. Viktor has been collecting documentation of your secret meetings and not-so-legal activities, then he asked me to mail a copy to the Flock, effectively giving himself deniability in his own underhanded techniques. I decided not to mail it and Tilde, I’ll give it to you so you can see what kind of information Viktor knows. But I want to let you both know that I did take it to the copy store and created a second binder which I will hold on to as insurance—insurance that you guys will take a page from Valter’s strategy and talk with each other. It won’t be easy and won’t be fun. I certainly wouldn’t want to sit down and listen to Tilde repeatedly insult me, but if that’s what it would take to work through her issues, I’d do it. And perhaps then we could get down to the business of compromising and making good decisions. So if I am willing to do that, so should the elected leaders of our Flock.”
If I didn’t see it myself, I wouldn’t have believed it—both Elders had an oh-so-slight look of embarrassment about them. Good. Now for the sticky part of this conversation. Let’s see if I could catch some flies.
“If I don’t see you guys trying to understand each other’s points of view, I’ll release the binder as evidence of both your manipulations. Yes, Viktor, you were as unscrupulous as Tilde, and I will make sure people understand that. But I sincerely hope I won’t need to tattle. The Flock needs both of you. And you both have the best intentions for the Flock at heart. You both want the Alva to be great. You may have different strategies but you have the same goals, so act like it. Tilde, stop with the secret meetings. Viktor, stop with the passive-aggressiveness.”
Shaking with passion from my delivery, I glared at two of the most powerful people in my Flock. I could get in so much trouble for my tirade, but it needed to be said and I would accept the consequences of my actions. Viktor and Tilde returned my glare and the tension in the room ratcheted higher and higher until I thought I would suffocate on the emotion, but I still refused to blink.
Tilde was the first to break the silence. She laughed. I jumped slightly—this was not a reaction I had planned for. I didn’t even know she could laugh.
“Well done, Freya. Well done. Sometimes truth is spoken from the mouthes of infants. I admit to getting carried away with my own beliefs and forgetting how, for many long years, I have long respected Viktor’s wisdom. Yes, I will open up those secret meetings to other Elders, but do not expect me to always agree with them.”
Relieved, I thanked her and assured her that I didn’t expect the Elders to always agree. We both looked to Viktor. He remained still for a moment more and then slightly inclined his head. Good enough.
Reaching behind my pillow, I grabbed the screws and screwdriver for the doorknob. I slipped out of bed, hobbled to the door, and within a minute, the door handle was working again.
Tilde left without saying anything, but Viktor helped me back to bed and then paused.
“In our first phone call,” he said, “I mentioned that you were worth watching, and you have proven that to be the case. I will keep Valter in mind as I interact with Tilde and the other Elders. He was a man worthy of emulation. Rest up. I believe you will be released soon, and you will then need to tackle the growing problem of Gina’s new bloodthirsty empire.”
Chapter 34
Viktor, graciously acting as if I had not just basically blackmailed him, drove me home a little more than twenty-four hours later. Whatever he said to the baffled doctors about my quick recovery must have at least partially appeased their confusion, since I got strange looks and not an interrogation about why my broken bones mended way ahead of schedule. But the sharp pain and dull aches of those injuries had mostly transmuted into an itchiness which I couldn’t scratch away. And frankly, I wasn’t sure which was worse. There were drugs to mute the pain, but no medication would make the invisible w
altzing ants burrowed into my body hang up their dancing shoes.
“You are going to scrape yourself bloody and then get infected,” Viktor scolded. “Besides, you should know scratching doesn’t help.”
“But I have to do something.” There was more whine in my voice than all the hundreds of vineyards of the Central Coast put together.
“Ignore it.”
I slouched in my car seat, jutted my jaw out, and shot daggers at him from the corner of my eye. I had never learned Scandinavian stoicism and I didn’t want to sign up for lessons now. As covertly as possible, I leaned over and scratched a scar on my leg. Viktor sighed and shook his head.
“What has your school said about your extended absence?”
“What can they say?” I mumbled. “I wasn’t playing hooky; I was hit by a truck.”
“They could say the school needs a teacher who is not in the hospital once a month.”
“I’m not in the hospital once a month.”
“You have been this year.”
He was correct, but I didn’t want to admit it. Effective teaching requires commitment and time—students deserve no less—but life was taking me strange places recently, and one of those strange places was the hospital. My classes were behind and disjointed from my frequent absences and I truly missed my students.
“I’ll figure something out.”
“You’d better.”
Viktor pulled alongside the curb of my house and parked the car. Wondering why he didn’t pull into my driveway, I pushed open the car door and discovered that my driveway was already packed with cars. I recognized David’s, Alrik’s, Julia and Amir’s, and the stately, high-priced sedan that Tilde insisted we rent for her. The only car missing was my beloved Eagle.
“A welcome home party?” I asked Viktor, not bothering to hide the sarcasm.
“Of a sort.”
Squaring my shoulders, I gathered my courage and self-possession, but my slow limp toward the door belied any show of strength. Seeing my need, Viktor came to my side and subtly held out an arm, which I gratefully took.
“Hello everyone,” I called out as I entered my own house. “I hope you have made yourself at home. There’s beer in the fridge.” It was nine o’clock in the morning.
David and Alrik both rose from their seats in the crowded living room and took a few steps toward me, but Viktor waved them back.
“I didn’t offer them beer, but I made us all a pot of coffee,” replied a familiar voice from the corner. Gina sat gently rocking in my old chair, looking ridiculously at ease despite the choking amount of tension in the air. Rex, sitting on a folding chair next to her, didn’t look as comfortable; he scuffed his feet slightly and avoided eye contact.
“I’ll pass,” I said as Viktor and I settled onto the sofa that Alrik and Tilde had vacated for us. “So besides wishing me a swift recovery, what are you all doing in my living room? I’m especially curious about the Romano twins. Are they here to try to force me in front of another large vehicle?”
“Yeah, sorry about that,” said Gina. “We got a little carried away back there. There’s a learning curve in how to use all this power, you know. But although I could never accept you as an Alpha, I hope you know that I totally respect you all the same. You’re actually pretty cool. Oh, and we are borrowing your Eagle for a bit, though we left it with our pack members for the moment. I hope you don’t mind.”
I didn’t bother to reply to her ridiculousness. In no way had I forgiven or forgotten them trying to kill Pedro and Philip, but this was not the time to address it. “So at the moment you aren’t here to kill us. Why are you here?”
“To welcome you home from the hospital, obviously.” Gina shrugged. “And also to get some of my stuff that I forgot. David and Alrik were already here because they both have goo-goo eyes over you and wanted to be the first thing you saw when you got home. I don’t know about my parents or her.” She motioned to Tilde.
“Why are we listening to this traitorous mutt?” Amir growled, rising from his seat. “She and her backstabbing twin should be banned from any sort of gathering from now on.”
“Why?” Tilde jumped into the conversation. “Because she has discovered the root of your problems and is acting in a clear and decisive manner?”
“And why should we listen to you, either?” asked Julia, gently pulling Amir back down to his seat. “From what I have gathered, your own people are rebelling against your desire to control them.”
“Bickering isn’t going to get us anywhere,” I interrupted. “Let’s get back to the reason why you’re all here. I understand David and Alrik’s reason. Gina and Rex happen to be here because she forgot some stuff at my house. How about you, Amir and Julia? Why are you gracing my living room?”
“To share some critical information with the people that may be our strongest allies at the moment.” Amir glanced around at David, Alrik, Viktor, and me. “Unlikely as they may be.”
“That leaves you, Tilde. Why are you here?”
Viktor answered for her. “I invited her. When I left to pick you up at the hospital, I saw several different parties converging at your house. In an effort to increase communication and understanding between myself and a fellow Elder, I invited her.”
Tilde looked to him and inclined her head slightly in thanks. I gave an inner sigh. My gamble with the Elders seemed to be paying off.
“Okay, we’re all here for better or worse,” I said. “Amir, what was it you wanted to share with us?” I asked.
Amir hunched forward, leaning his elbows on his knees. “Julia and I are not surprised by the actions of Gina and Rex. In fact, it may be our fault, since we should have killed them when they were toddlers. But to kill a young child is a difficult thing to do, even when you know you will regret your misplaced mercy in the future.”
A glance at Gina and Rex revealed white faces and rounded eyes, but Amir wasn’t done with his revelations. “But it was easy enough to kill their parents.”
My rocking chair crashed against the wall from the force of Gina’s lunge. Rex was a blur of motion toward his adopted parents. But in a rare moment of aligned thinking, David and Alrik tackled them both. The scuffle was over in seconds, David pinning Gina with her arm bent so far behind her back that she had to lean toward the ground to ease the pressure. Rex stood on his very tiptoes, clawing ineffectively at Alrik’s arm, which trapped him in a headlock and dangled him ever so slightly off the ground.
“There will be no violence in Freya’s house. Do you understand?” Alrik growled softly into Rex’s ear. “The rest of us are interested in what Amir is saying, so if you continue to threaten them, or misbehave in any other way, I will be forced to take stricter measures against you. If you don’t like what I am saying, you are welcome to leave. I will gladly throw you out myself.”
“We understand.” Gina’s voice was tight and low with both pain and anger. “I want to hear the excuses those bastards give for my parents’ murders so I can repeat it back to them when I rip their throats out.”
“And do you understand, Rex?” I didn’t hear or see a reply, but Alrik must have been satisfied with his compliance since he released the headlock and dumped him on the floor. “Please continue, Amir.”
With murderous glares aimed at everyone in the room, the twins returned to their seats. If anything, Amir looked amused by their violent reaction. “Their parents were visiting from Italy when we met them. They were lone wolves in America, wandering in no-man’s land between packs. Back then, Julia and I were in charge of taking a census of all werewolves in the country. We met them in Kentucky and were immediately taken with the European couple. They were charismatic, charming, and as fascinated with the American werewolf culture as Julia and I were fascinated with the Italian tradition. I was raised in Spain until I was ten, but much of my knowledge of the European traditions had faded with time.
“We spent a few enjoyable weeks together, traveling around the country ostensibly searching for more packl
ess wolves, but really just enjoying each other’s company. And, yes, this couple also had two adorable young children. Julia and I didn’t have much desire for children, since we were both werewolves and knew that we could never conceive, but we became enchanted with these sweet two-year-old-twins.
“As charming as this family was, the real reasons for their presence in America emerged—they had been kicked out of their pack for trying to overthrow their Alphas. Sure, they spun each story to sound as if they were the misunderstood heroes of the drama, but the bare bones truth shone through. They were power-hungry insurgents who justified their treachery with their supposedly prophetic dreams. These dreams told them that, through them, a new nation of superior werewolves would arise. Their city on a hill would gleam for centuries as an example of what supernaturals are capable of.
“But in these talks of glory, they also revealed the terrible cost of their rule. Naturals would die to begin with, but they were expendable chaff, of course, and necessary to regain the right order of things. Yet the more they explained their scheme, the more deaths they talked of: other opposing supernaturals, weaker supernaturals, and eventually werewolves who were not fully supportive would be put to death. Julia and I realized that these were power-mad people who would sacrifice anything for their future empire, and they needed to be stopped.
“But kicking them out of their pack hadn’t stopped them, so it fell to Julia and me to take the next step and execute them before they would murder innocents. So we killed them.
“But what would come of their sweet, innocent children? The dreams, their parents boasted, had spoken of their children taking up the banner of glory when they died, but Julia and I convinced ourselves that this was nonsense. They were so small and young that we could raise them to be respectful, upright citizens of the supernatural world…” Amir’s voice trailed off.
“But we were wrong.” Julia’s voice was strong as she picked up the story. “They will be the cause of terrible death and destruction if unstopped. We should have killed them with their parents.”
