Gathering Storm

by Danann, Victoria

  Storm blinked rapidly and tried to unclench his teeth enough to get out one sentence. He looked at Glen. “You and I both know there’s no such thing as a replacement for him. Don’t we?”

  Glen nodded and left quietly.

  A representative from The Order offered a choice of resting places for Sol, but Farnsworth wanted his body to be buried nearby because he’d spent so much of his life at Jefferson and because, regardless of appearances, she insisted he loved that job. Naturally every knight he had recruited or supervised wanted to attend the service so they delayed it for two weeks to make that possible.

  Since so many knights were going to be on hand for the funeral, Elora volunteered to organize an honors ceremony the following day. She had time because she wasn’t going to be able to return to teaching until her shoulder and face were completely healed. And she wanted to do it.

  She consulted with Simon on several ideas that required permissions from The Council. He was an excellent contact, but moreover, he and Sol had served a tour of duty together as knights when they were in their twenties and that was a surprise. While she was occupied with those plans, Rammel was busy doing his own bit of organization unbeknownst to her.

  Five days after being admitted to the hospital, Angel was released. Rosie took him to the vineyard through the passes, but went as slowly as she could. He spent the next five days recovering there.

  Sitting on the side of his bed in the guest room he looked around one last time. He had a satchel of mementos, mostly things to remind him of watching Rosie grow up.

  She came to the door and knocked softly. “You ready?”

  He didn’t think he would ever be ready, but decided there was nothing to do but man-up and say, “Yes.”

  Angel followed Rosie to the kitchen where Litha and Storm were waiting. He hadn’t seen much of Storm since he’d been Whistered away because Storm had been busy helping Glen administrate the Unit and oversee cleanup and rebuilding.

  “The Great Storm.”

  “It is,” Storm replied. “Although people don’t acknowledge that nearly often enough.”

  Angel smirked. “You’d be surprised.” He glanced at Litha. “Is this the big speech?”

  “Which speech did you have in mind?” Storm asked.

  “The one where you say this dimension isn’t big enough for the two of us.”

  Storm smiled. “Something like that. I have two things for you.”

  “What?”

  “You owe some ugly thing named Shade money?”

  “Yes.” Angel’s eyes cut away from Litha and Rosie. There wasn’t any part of him that was proud of who he’d been and he’d rather they didn’t know much about it. But sometime during his sessions with Aelsong that were so wretchedly uncomfortable, he’d learned there was beauty in telling the truth even when it revealed him for the loser he was and he even began to take a sort of perverse pride in it.

  “How much?”

  “Fifty thousand.”

  Storm set a leather bag down on the table and it clunked. “There’s enough gold in there to cover that and start over. Can I count on you, knight to knight, to pay your debt with it?”

  Angel hesitated and looked puzzled, but nodded.

  “Good. Here’s the other thing.”

  Storm handed Angel a letter written on heavy paper.

  “What is this?”

  “Take your pick. It’s either righting a wrong or better late than never or my tribute to Sol. If you decide you’re meant for a different life, Deliverance will take you to the Headquarters of Black Swan in Edinburgh, Scotia. Walk in and ask to speak with the director. If you give him that letter, I’m betting they’ll have something for you – something besides a tracker named Litha.” He smiled at his wife and she returned that smile with a warmth that made Angel’s stomach ache.

  He opened the letter and began to read a concise and factual account of the fact that he’d been mistakenly kidnapped from his dimension of origin and coerced into impersonating Sir Storm. The second page was so shocking it made his jaw go slack. It was a letter of recommendation.

  To Simon Tvelgar or Whomever Currently Serves as Headquarters Director:

  We, the undersigned, petition for invocation of the ancient and honorable Rule of Gathering so that the chivalric title of knight, with its responsibilities and privileges, may be bestowed upon the presenter of this document, Angel Wolfram Storm, by merit of deed. We, the undersigned, vouch that he has been trained in the exigency of the knighthood and that he has proven its qualities admirably, as witnessed in his performance of duty when engaged by an enemy of Black Swan, and that he has been found deserving.

  The following names and titles were typed. Underneath each was a respective signature.

  Glendennon Catch, Acting Sovereign in the stead of Solomon Nemamiah, Jefferson Unit

  Sir Engel Beowulf Storm, Knight of the Black Swan, Emeritus

  Sir Chaos Caelian, Knight of the Black Swan, Emeritus

  Sir Rammel Aelshelm Hawking, Knight of the Black Swan, Emeritus

  Lady Elora Laiken, Knight of the Black Swan, Emeritus, Combat Instructor Jefferson Unit, Active

  Sir Dirk Ales Fennimore, Knight of the Black Swan, Active

  Litha Liberty Brandywine, Senior Tracker, Arcane Division First Class

  His mind was swimming with the possibilities. Yes. He wanted a new life. He was going back, but he wasn’t going back the same person.

  “What do you want to do?” Litha asked quietly.

  Angel looked up. “I just promised your husband I would use this gift to pay a debt. Then I’d like to be dropped off at Black Swan in Edinburgh.” He looked at Storm. “With my letter.” His gaze returned to Litha. “Maybe there’s someone like you. There.”

  Litha smiled at Angel, then beamed at Storm. “Maybe. And perhaps you won’t need to do more than walk through the front door.”

  Angel turned to Rosie. “You think you might visit now and then. Maybe let me know how everyone is doing?” He glanced at Litha when he said the word “everyone” and no one in the room missed it.

  “I’m keeping tabs on you from now on. Making sure you behave.” Rosie smiled and gave him a hug around the middle and assured him that she would not lose touch while Litha called Deliverance.

  When the demon arrived she said, “Be sure you put him back where he goes, Dad. No excuses.”

  Deliverance rolled his eyes like a thirteen-year-old. “Alright. Alright. I got it. Sheesh.”

  “He needs to run a quick errand and pay a bill before he goes to Charlotte Square.”

  “I’m going along. Don’t worry. We’ll see to it he gets to the right place,” Rosie added.

  The demon gaped. “I get no respect.”

  Litha double checked the catch on the purple fur lined handcuffs, then gave Angel a goodbye kiss on the cheek.

  “Wish me luck.” The way he looked at Litha made her hope there was another version of her in his dimension. One who was languishing and just didn’t know she was waiting for a tall, dark, and gorgeous knight to come walking through the Headquarters foyer so that she could wake from her half-sleep and feel a rush of aliveness.

  Z Team waited in the hallway until they were formally admitted to the Chamber by Glen’s assistant, Barrock. A table was situated in the middle of the room. Engel Storm and Glendennon Catch were seated behind it. Off to the side, on the first tier of curved bench seating, were Thelonius M. Monq, Elora Laiken, Kristoph Falcon, and Rolfe Wakenmann. On the other side, a bespectacled young man sat with a device that looked like a miniature sound board. Barrock closed the door behind them and directed the four men to, “Stand there.” He pointed to an invisible line on the floor about five paces from the table.

  When they were in place, Barrock said, “These proceedings will be recorded. Do you understand?” They looked at the sound engineer and nodded. “Good. Will each of you state your name so that we may begin?”

  “Torrent Finnagarick.”

  “Rafael
Nightsong.”

  “Gunnar Gustafsven.”

  “Robert Forzepellin.”

  After stating their names, the four stood waiting, quietly but obviously seething about being held accountable. That collective state of mind was further antagonized by the fact that Storm made them stand waiting.

  Storm didn’t try to hide his contempt as he stared at them.

  “Why so serious? You must enjoy proceedings like this or they wouldn’t have occupied so much of your careers.”

  A muscle ticked visibly in Torn’s jaw.

  “A report has to be filed concerning the particulars of the attack on Jefferson Unit and there are a few details that are fuzzy. Part of the purpose of this hearing is to clear up those details. So let me ask. Were you aware that Glendennon Catch was in charge as acting Sovereign at the time of attack?” There was mumbling and a couple of slight nods. “Gentlemen. You’re not teenagers called to the principal’s office. Will someone speak up so that you can be clearly understood for the official record?”

  Raif said, “Yes. We were aware that Glen was in charge.”

  “Thank you, Sir Nightsong. That’s Acting Sovereign Catch to you. And did you make a reasonable effort to seek him out and submit to his authority?”

  “No.”

  “Why not?” All four looked at Glen and then back to Storm. “Someone?” Pause. “Anyone.” Pause. “Gustafsven?”

  “All respect, sir, we didn’t think that Gle… um, Acting Sovereign Catch’s experience prepared him to make battle command decisions.”

  “I see. It so happens, he didn’t think so either. That is why he placed Jefferson Unit and its defense, that includes you, under the temporary martial command of Lady Laiken. Did you make yourselves available to follow her orders?” No one answered. “Finngarick?”

  “No.”

  “No? Why not?”

  Torn glanced at Elora. “For one thing we didn’t know she’d been put in charge.”

  “For one thing? Is there another thing you want to add to that statement, Finngarick?”

  Torn glowered at Storm. “No.”

  “As a review for the record, you did not make any effort whatsoever to seek out the unit command for orders. In fact, what did you say to Elora Laiken?”

  Glyphs spoke up at that point. “I told her to stay out of our way.”

  Having that admitted so blatantly and shamelessly made Storm look like he was going to breathe fire the next time he exhaled. As that fury radiated from every pore, he glared at Glyphs for a moment more.

  Storm turned toward Elora. “Is that an accurate retelling of what occurred, Lady Laiken?”

  Elora looked at Z Team as she said, “It is, Sir Storm.”

  “Thank you. The witnesses are dismissed.”

  Monq, Elora, Kris and Wakey got up to leave. Everyone except Elora went straight to the door Barrock was holding open for them, but she detoured so that she could cross in front of Z Team on the way out and took her time doing so. She stopped in front of each and held his eyes for a moment before leaving the room. She wanted to make the point that she wasn’t intimidated by them or their reputation and that she didn’t need daddy to discipline the kids on her behalf.

  When the door had once again closed, Storm said, “It can’t have escaped your notice that The Order is running out of things to do with you. Who among you understands that something went terribly amiss and can describe what that was?”

  When it was clear that no one else was going to speak, Gustafsven finally said, “We should have followed chain of command. We should have made every effort to locate Acting Sovereign Catch and get our orders.”

  Storm nodded. “What else?”

  “We shouldn’t have been disrespectful to another knight even if the knight is a woman.”

  “What else?”

  Silence.

  “Very well,” Storm began, “I’ll tell you what else. The four of you have lived inside each other’s asses for so long you’ve lost the ability to smell stink. Your team has taken on the worst qualities of each other and magnified them. The result is a mess.

  “Your actions violated at least three of your vows to Black Swan. Further, by walking off as a team, leaving the non-combat residents of Jefferson Unit completely vulnerable, you chose to stay together and protect each other instead of them. That flies in the face of everything the knighthood stands for and is so disgraceful I can barely stand to be in the same room with you.

  ”I have my doubts that you have any honor or good judgment to rehabilitate, but as a last step before stripping you of hunter status and sending you to various minimum security jobs, I’m going to recommend that Z Team be dismantled and that each of you be reassigned to serve with other teams.”

  Finngarick and Nightsong both paled at that suggestion. It was clear they’d rather be sent to Antarctica together than be split up.

  “Now hold it right there, “Glyphs said.

  Storm managed to grind out, “I beg your pardon?”

  “I’m retiring.”

  The other three members of Z team jerked their heads toward him. It was obvious they hadn’t seen that coming. He saw the question on their faces.

  “I stepped out with that coffee girl, Brendel. She asked me what I’d be doing if I did something else. I got to thinking that I’ve been taking orders from Black Swan since I was thirteen years old. I was so busy doing what I was told that I never thought about asking myself that question. When I did ask myself that question, I realized that I’m way past done. I want to work on cars. Maybe cars and bikes. Or just bikes. Doesn’t matter. What does matter is I’m over this quasi-military bullshit. I don’t care if I’m discharged honorably or not. I don’t care if I get a pension or not. Give my place to somebody else.”

  “Done. No reason to ask twice.”

  “Just like that,” Glyphs said.

  Storm turned slowly and pinned him with a glacial stare. “What were you thinking? Commendation? Gold watch? You get a big adios and Catch’s assistant will get the door for you on your way out.”

  Glyphs took a look at his longtime compadres and walked out. According to Storm’s suggestion, Barrock did hold the door open for his uncelebrated exit.

  “Now then...”

  “Sir Storm.”

  Storm turned to Glen.

  “Excuse the interruption. Could I have an aside?”

  “Of course.”

  Storm and Glen walked off to the side of the Chamber where it would be more difficult to be heard.

  “I’d like to present an option.”

  “Sure. Go ahead.”

  “Well, the past weeks have made it painfully clear to me that I’m not cut out for desk work. I’m up for bidding, as of now, and I want hunter division if you think I’ll be approved.”

  “Of course you’ll be approved. No question. Surely you know it.”

  “Well,” he looked over at the three remaining members of Z Team, “instead of disbanding them… just yet, we could try one other thing first. Let me take Glyphs’s place.”

  “Glyphs?”

  “Um, Robert Forzepellin. I dubbed him Glyphs.”

  “You dubbed him?”

  “Yeah.”

  Storm studied Glen for a minute. “That indicates they might have some regard for you.” Storm looked over at Z Team. “I don’t have to tell you how I feel about them.”

  Glen barely suppressed a full on grin. “No sir.”

  “Putting someone like you in the middle of a rats’ nest… Seems like oil and water to me. You know you already have a reputation for good judgment. Commendable at any age. Incredible at your age. But I cannot stress the gravity of this question enough. Are. You. Sure?”

  “Like you said, they’ve been on a loop for too long. And, they’ve been living on the edge of civilization. Maybe they need some reminders about what knights are supposed to be, inject another voice.”

  Storm stared at the floor for a minute with his lips pursed. “I’ll agree to it on
a temporary basis. Three months.”

  “Six months.”

  “Done. I have a few more conditions, but I can spell out terms for the record.”

  Storm returned, but did not retake his seat. He leaned against the table instead.

  “Well, gentlemen, and, believe me, I’m using the term loosely, Acting Sovereign Catch has suggested an alternative, but I won’t sign off on it unless I have your agreement to all accompanying conditions.

  “It seems that Catch here thinks his butt is getting numb in an administrator’s chair.” Z Team looked at Glen appreciatively. “He’s throwing in with hunters. Says he’d like to see you get one more shot at this before we bust up Zed Company. So, he’s volunteering to take Forzepellin’s place on the team. Personally I don’t see it, but I have enough respect for him to let him try”

  Z Team’s expressions moved from surprise, to interest, to relief, to amusement.

  “Now for my conditions. There will be a review in six months to determine whether the assignment should be permanent or whether the experiment should be disbanded. Meanwhile, I would like your word, as knights, that for the next six months, you not make any choice or decision without first hearing and considering Glen’s opinion.

  “He has great instincts, keen perception, and astute logic. One of his best qualities is that he can wield a delicate touch when it’s called for. I’ve seen him manage a testy werewolf king with the diplomacy of an angel dancing on the head of a pin. He could be your savior if you let him.

  “To help with that, I’m appointing Gustafsven team leader for the probationary period of a half year.”

  Nightsong and Finngarick looked at Storm like he’d lost his mind.

  “Yes. I know that teams traditionally don’t appoint leaders, but that’s one of my conditions. What do you say?”

  After a couple of beats Gustafsven said, “We’d like to discuss between the three of us for a minute.”