by Petra Landon
The Guardians found themselves facing a tactical defeat at the hands of an Alpha who’d built a reputation as an uber Wyr in the traditional mold. That he’d handed them the defeat without lifting a finger or deploying his formidable Shifter army spoke volumes of his superior strategy against the GCW. Sebastian Thorne couldn’t believe it. Judging from the expressions of the Guardians around him, neither could his comrades. They were not to know this, but their fellow Wizards ranged on the side of the Alpha had seen Raoul do this before. Tactically destroy an opponent without deploying his Shifter army. Sienna and Jason had borne witness in Chicago when the Alpha had strung together an unlikely coalition to hold Bianchi’s Vampires at bay, for Sienna.
“Since the Alpha has been gracious enough to allow the CoC to perform a job it’s best suited for, I’ll ensure that the Council delivers a swift trial and apt justice, Guardian Thorne” Faoladh chimed in for the first time, from his perch on the couch.
Thorne faced the Alpha, his face expressionless, while the Wizards waited with bated breath to see what he would do next. They knew that all avenues had been exhausted. Guardian Thorne would need to conjure a rabbit out of his hat to keep Ted Anderson at Wizard Headquarters.
The Alpha said something under his breath and in a few minutes, Shifters streamed into the grounds outside the building. With the last of the setting sun’s rays, Tasia could see the crowd of Shifters on the grounds through the large windows. She knew that the Wizards could see them too. It brought the Wizards to immediate attention. The Alpha had just upped the ante. The Guardians’ bluff was being called in this cat and mouse game they played with the Alpha.
There was an instant of silence in the foyer while the situation seemed to teeter on the edge of a cliff. Then, the pregnant silence was shattered by Sebastian Thorne.
“Bring Guardian Anderson in” Thorne said to one of the other Guardians. The other Guardian hesitated for an infinitesimal moment, before he turned away towards the hallway beyond.
Thorne turned to the Alpha as the tension in the room seemed to come down a notch.
“You said that you’ve a few things to say to Guardian Anderson, Alpha?”
“I do.”
“May I request that you question Guardian Anderson here in the presence of his fellow Guardians, before you hand him over to the CoC.” Thorne was playing with a weak hand but he attempted to make a last stand. The Shifters looked angry enough to go after Anderson and his fellow Guardians, but Thorne made the appeal to the Alpha. The assault should have made the matter personal for the Alpha. Yet, the Shifter continued to look very much in control, his cold impassiveness yet to be penetrated by anything the Guardians said. It puzzled Thorne.
“As you wish.” Raoul gave in easily. His intention had always been to publicly address Anderson about his quest for a Wizard. This would allow the other Guardians to hear what he had to say, so it served him well.
The next ten minutes remained tense in the foyer. The Wizards watched the Shifters warily, much like a cornered mouse might a cat, while the Shifters watched the Wizards in anticipation, much like predators with their prey finally in sight. The others watched both Wizards and Shifters closely and with great attention, waiting to step in at the slightest sign of impending danger. Sienna shot a glance at Tasia. Tasia noted the relief in Sienna’s eyes, mixed in with other and more complicated emotions. Sienna had been adamant that the Guardian be punished. The assault had shocked the other Wizard, Tasia knew. But Sienna was clearly fond of her aunt, and the First Wizard’s public difficulties with the Guardians made for some anxious moments for her niece.
Eventually, Ted Anderson walked in, flanked by his Wizards. Incongruously, it was a triumphant march into the foyer, rather than that of a man being taken into custody to be tried for an unforgivable crime.
Guardian Thorne glanced at the Alpha, clearly looking for direction. Raoul waved at the table they’d used to go over the evidence. The First Wizard now stood beside it.
DiZeyla vacated her chair as Anderson seated himself across from her. The Alpha strode to the table while the small phalanx of Wizards accompanying Anderson took position behind the seated Guardian in a show of support.
“I didn’t expect you to look so well, Alpha” Anderson opened. “There are rampant rumors of an attack in San Francisco.”
The words were clearly aimed at getting a rise out of the Alpha. Some of the Shifters bristled, and a few Wizards seemed taken aback by the Guardian’s brazenness, but the Alpha remained unperturbed.
Beside Tasia, Hawk stiffened.
“It’s always been easy to surpass your expectations, Guardian.” Raoul pulled back a chair to seat himself indolently on it, facing Anderson. “You don’t have what it takes to beat me.”
They stared at each other, the hall around them silent, the Guardian with a sneer on his face and the Alpha showing no discernible expression.
“You’re a fool, Anderson” the Alpha said contemptuously.
This time, Anderson bristled at the Shifter’s tone. “If I’d ordered an assault on you, Merceau, you’d be dead” he shot out. “That you’re alive and sitting across from me today is evidence that I did not.”
“I’m not that easy to kill, Anderson. If you’ve learnt any lesson from San Francisco, it should be this. But I wasn’t talking about the assault on me. You’ll be punished for that soon enough.” Raoul’s voice was matter-of-fact. “I’m talking about the other side project you have going.”
The Guardians in the hall stirred, but Anderson looked puzzled. “What project?”
“The muggings of Wizards as a means to an end.”
Anderson laughed. “I didn’t mug any Wizards, Alpha. I’m a Guardian. Why would I need to mug some L2 Wizards in San Francisco? That was your Shifters.”
“San Francisco was not the first” the Alpha said. “Similar Wizard muggings have been reported in New York, Boston, DC, Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, Philadelphia and Los Angeles, much before San Francisco. I suppose my Shifters did those, too.”
Anderson’s face paled.
“I know what you’re up to, Guardian” Raoul said softly.
“What do you mean, Alpha?” Sebastian Thorne asked the question, his brow furrowed. This was not the conversation he’d expected the Alpha to have with the man who’d attempted to force the Shifter to lose it.
The Alpha turned to Sebastian Thorne. “He’s been orchestrating these assaults on Wizards for a long time. For at least a year and a half, per my information. If the GCW had done its job, it should’ve discovered this and punished Anderson long before he even set foot in San Francisco.”
“But …” sputtered one of the Guardians beside Thorne.
“The Alpha is correct” Jason chimed in. “The respective Wizard Registries that he just listed will confirm accounts of the muggings. In all the cases, the targets were female Wizards of little magic — eerily similar to San Francisco.”
“If a Shifter Alpha could ferret out this information, I’m sure the GCW could easily dig up who was behind the muggings.” Duncan spoke up again, his voice caustic. “For the muggings in San Francisco, we gave you a neatly wrapped up package. All you had to do was dig deeper. But you threw it away without a second glance. It’s time you did your job, Guardians.”
“But why would Guardian Anderson … Why would any Guardian target Wizards like this? It doesn’t make any sense” muttered a confused Guardian McKinley.
The Wizards couldn’t refute the Shifters’ accusations, yet the incongruousness of the assaults made no sense to them.
“It makes perfect sense” Raoul countered. “Anderson has been searching rather desperately for a Wizard — a powerful witch he believes is hiding in plain sight, as a Chosen with little magic to her name.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about, Merceau” Anderson retorted, making a valiant effort to regroup.
He knew that Raoul was aware of his search, but that was all the Alpha knew; Anderson had, more or less, admitted
it to the Alpha at the San Francisco Registry.
“Who would he be searching for, Alpha?” queried Sebastian Thorne, clearly not convinced by the Alpha’s words.
“Like I said, he’s a fool. Someone played him. Told him that his erstwhile best mate Azevedo had left behind a powerful Wizard daughter. And he’s been hunting for her ever since, targeting the big metros and female Wizards of a particular age, registered with minimal magic.”
This time, Anderson went white. He had not expected the Alpha to know this.
A forewarned Tasia could only marvel at the Alpha’s tactics.
“Azevedo” muttered Thorne. “Do you mean Gabriel Azevedo?”
“Yes.”
“He’s been dead a long time, killed by the Vampires he went to work for.”
“Tell that to Anderson here” Raoul said easily. “He’s been wreaking havoc all over searching for Azevedo’s mythical daughter. While the Guardians look the other way, as he terrorizes vulnerable Wizards under your care.”
Not just the Wizards, but also the other Chosen looked dumbstruck by the Alpha’s statement. Even Jason LaRue, the one to confirm the muggings at the other Registries, looked thunderstruck by the accusation.
“Is this true, Guardian Thorne?” David Hamilton demanded, shaking off his own shock to question the GCW representative. “Has the GCW been looking the other way while our most vulnerable Wizards are targeted by a Guardian?”
Thorne continued to look gobsmacked. “I … The GCW was not aware of this” he stuttered, his composure shaken for the first time. Where he’d not lost his composure or confidence, even once, while the Alpha and the other Chosen cornered him on Anderson, he looked like a shaken man now.
“How could the GCW not be aware of this?” David was incredulous. “Where do you think Anderson has been getting the names and addresses of the Wizards he targets? By exploiting his access to the Registries, as a Guardian! Are you telling me that no one in the GCW flagged this?” David’s voice rose wrathfully. “I knew he had help from inside the San Francisco Registry, but you refused to give me access to question Anderson about it. How could the Guardians betray the Wizards who look to you for their welfare like this?”
Roman, equally taken aback as the others, directed his query at the Alpha. “How do the muggings help the Guardian in his search for the Wizard, Merceau?” He was clearly puzzled.
“The muggings were just a ruse, Durovic. He’s been taking blood samples from the Wizards to compare with the DNA of his dead friend.”
More than the Ancient, the other Wizards looked astonished by the Alpha’s answer.
“That he was drawing blood from the mugged Wizards was documented in the evidence we provided after San Francisco” David added angrily. “The Shifters he hired gave us the details.”
Anderson sputtered in protest, though the Wizards arraigned around him seemed unsurprised. Raoul realized triumphantly that he’d done the right thing by confronting the Guardian publicly. Anderson’s mugging of Wizards and the details about it were out in the public domain. Now, he’d poke a few holes in Anderson’s theory on Azevedo’s daughter. That might be enough for his allies to desert him. Anderson was going away for a long time. All Raoul needed to do was convince the Guardian’s allies that they’d been led on a wild goose chase, and the witchling would be safe.
“Did your Vampire conspirator happen to tell you that his nest killed Azevedo when he refused to work for the Clan any longer” Raoul inquired casually.
Anderson looked stunned by the question, just as Thorne asked weakly “Which Vampire conspirator?”
Sebastian Thorne now wore an expression of resignation. The shocks had been coming too fast for the Guardians. They had been prepared to defend their comrade from the Shifters, but the Alpha’s revelations about Anderson were starting to pile up rather heavily.
Before Raoul could respond, Mistress Franciszka jumped in. “My Pure Bloods have had no truck with the Guardian, Raoul.”
“I know, Franciszka” he answered. “I’m talking about Rafaelo Bianchi from the Lombardi Nest, who visited Anderson a few days before the assault on me in San Francisco.”
“A Vampire met with Guardian Anderson before the assault” Guardian McKinley muttered in disbelief, with a shake of his head.
“We have documented evidence of this, Guardian McKinley” Jason roused himself to inform the Wizard. “Willard Trent confirmed the meeting between Anderson and the Vampire, Rafaelo Bianchi, at the Guardian’s home here in San Diego, last Tuesday evening.”
“The Guardians should also know that Rafaelo Bianchi was thrown out of San Francisco and exiled from the city for kidnapping David’s daughter Caroline and threatening Sienna McAlister, a Wizard who currently resides at the Pack Lair” DiZeyla announced in a dispassionate voice, though the revelations flying fast and thick had astonished her, just as much as the others present. She was not aware of Sienna’s unique position in the Wizard world.
Sienna’s name seemed to rouse the Guardians. The McAlister name was highly regarded in their world.
“Rafaelo Bianchi also kidnapped Tasia and me from the Chicago Registry” Sienna chimed in. “There were Guardians present that evening at the confrontation, when the Alpha and his Pack refused to give me up to Bianchi.”
Sebastian Thorne could not stay silent any longer.
“Tell me you did not conspire with a Vampire who tried to harm Sienna McAlister, Ted?” Thorne turned to Anderson, who stayed silent.
The Guardians flanking Thorne were starting to look seriously uneasy, while the mutterings amongst the rank and file Wizards in the hall had increased considerably.
“I do have one question, Guardian” Raoul persisted, drawing Anderson’s attention back to himself. “Did not Bianchi tell you that his people killed Azevedo before he could father any children? Or did you not mind getting in bed with the Chosen that killed your friend and comrade?”
Anderson gritted his teeth. It was clear from the expressions of the Guardians around him that their support for him was weakening. Many of the Wizards now wore expressions of mingled disgust and contempt as they stared at him. Targeting weaker Wizards was one thing, but working with the Clan was unforgivable. The Guardians considered themselves above that kind of co-operation.
“I’m not admitting anything, Sebastian.” He turned to Guardian Thorne. “But I will say this. If Gabriel Azevedo’s daughter were alive, she would possess the kind of power the Chosen have not seen for centuries, and she’d be an asset to the GCW.”
Raoul chose that moment to twist the knife in, without giving Thorne a chance to respond.
“I can’t believe the GCW allowed a Guardian to bring such an august institution to the brink of disaster. And, on such a fool’s errand, Guardian Thorne.” There was a thread of amusement in the Alpha’s even tones.
Thorne went white-faced in response. He realized that the Alpha’s words were truer than he’d anticipated.
“If this mythical daughter existed, do you think the Clan would allow her to live, given that they’d snuffed out the father? Did not Franciszka’s words earlier today remind you how the Vampires look upon revenge, Guardian?” Raoul drove his point home with clinical precision. “It’s a blood sport for them. The Clan would never allow the progeny of a man who had betrayed them to live, asset or not.” He studied Anderson dispassionately. “At the risk of repeating myself, you’re an absolute moron, Anderson.”
“The Clan knows nothing about her” Anderson said through gritted teeth, goaded into revealing the information as he sensed that he was losing the crowd.
“I see. You expect us to believe that the Clan knows nothing about her, but you do, Anderson? Correct me if I’m wrong, but Gabriel Azevedo renounced the GCW to go work for the Lombardis. Are you saying that you went with him, Anderson?”
“No, of course not.”
Raoul could sense that some of Anderson’s entourage were finally starting to question the Guardian they followed. The seeds of doubt h
ad been sown in their minds. Someone had clearly told Anderson about Azevedo’s daughter. He’d have loved to discover the identity of the person that had tipped Anderson about this, but that was impossible without arousing suspicions. So, Raoul let the matter rest, satisfied at having accomplished his goal here.
He turned his attention to Sebastian Thorne, ignoring Anderson.
“What else does the GCW not know about what your Guardians are up to, Guardian Thorne?” Raoul inquired, his eyebrow arched. “Mistress Franciszka put it in more colorful terms, but I agree with her. The Chosen are watching, Guardians. The GCW better get its act together and quickly, before others interfere where they’ve been careful to tread so far.”
It was a blunt warning to the watching Guardians and Wizards. The vague uneasiness in the Wizards was now transformed into apprehension and agitation. Suddenly, they seemed undecided about what to do with Guardian Anderson. Until now, matters had been clear. They would defend a Guardian, one of them, from the blood-thirsty Shifters intent on revenge against a Wizard for something no Guardian would ever do. Now, it seemed that there was more to Anderson than they’d suspected before. Perhaps, even more to the GCW’s entrenched infighting that was an open secret at Wizard Headquarters.
Confident that his message had been effectively delivered, Raoul stood up to signal that he was done.
“We cannot allow a Guardian to be taken into Shifter custody” one of the Wizards arraigned behind Anderson stated, before Thorne or any of the Guardians could say anything. Though shaken by what the Alpha had alluded to, Anderson’s Wizards were still hesitant about giving him up to the Shifters.
“That decision is not up for debate” Raoul said coldly. “But if you need a little incentive, I’ll provide it.”
