The Brotherhood

by Patti Larsen

  “Well, I’ll be damned,” I said.

  Someone loomed behind me but I didn’t turn around as Piers leaned forward, fists on the table, intense gaze locked on Apollo. The Zornov brother’s cocky attitude faded a little at the fierce focus of the Steam Union leader’s attention.

  “Why,” Piers snarled, “am I only hearing about this now?”

  “Because,” Simon said, cold, precise. He’d changed so much from the sweet and innocent boy I’d once known, the trials and pain he’d been through turning him into a sharp edged weapon of words and intelligence. “You never asked.” He flared with sudden anger, aura shifting visibly into red, making me wonder if the boys had been tampering with him, waking his sorcery, though I felt nothing of the sort from him. “Instead, you chose to ignore the value of one who’s given so much to your little cause.” My lips pursed in my own temper at the wording, and because Simon was right. But was he talking about Apollo or himself?

  I waved off Piers’s angry retort before he could give it voice. “Enough,” I said, a little surprised my sorcerer friend actually listened. He straightened his tall body, glaring down at the table while I turned to Gram and Demetrius. Let Piers brood. I wanted to take advantage of this sudden opportunity if we could.

  “What do you think?” Gram didn’t meet my eyes, her own gaze on her husband while the sweet faced sorcerer mused with a mix of surprise and fiery joy growing on his face. His cherub smile beamed at me as his mind finally settled.

  “I think,” he said, turning that thousand watt grin to Apollo, “this boy is a genius and we have a way to bring down Liander Belaisle once and for all.” He shifted in his seat, Gram with him. “Apollo already carries the power of the Brotherhood with him, a power that has never been broken before.”

  “Ever?” I found that hard to believe, no matter what Demetrius had been through. When he turned his blue eyes to me, I shivered inside at his angry intensity. But it wasn’t aimed at me, more within himself. How tortured was he still by what he’d gone through?

  “The power that claims your sorcery when it’s first woken is the power that owns you the rest of your life.” Demetrius swallowed visibly, hands shaking as he clasped them around Gram’s waist. “That’s why turning Brotherhood sorcerers never works. Once your power is claimed, it’s done.”

  I had no idea, though it made some kind of odd sense. And reminded me of something Piers mentioned in passing the day we rescued Simon from his Brotherhood captors. Being the first magic, the connection would be far stronger than the elemental magicks. Almost like blood clan allegiance, only unbreakable. “But Apollo.” I turned to the grinning Zornov.

  “That might be true under normal circumstances,” he said. “But I don’t think any Brotherhood initiate—or Steam Union, for that matter—has a sister and brother combination like mine.” He rattled the tips of his fingers on the table top in clear excitement. “I can feel them, still. The pull of the Brotherhood. That’s why I knew I was still hooked up to them. But it’s faint, distant. The connection to Trill and Owen is stronger.” He flinched from mentioning his sister, but barreled on. “They claimed me a long time ago. And now they think they own me.”

  “What if they do?” I wasn’t taking chances. No way could I allow first Trill, then Apollo, to betray me, especially in his case when such betrayal could be prevented. Who was to say he wouldn’t go to the dark side if Belaisle got his claws into Apollo again?

  But the older Zornov was shaking his head already. “That’s the beauty,” he said. “Trill, Owen and me, what we have, cancels out everything. It’s the only way I was able to leave in the first place.” He was making sense, at least. “Otherwise I never would have been able to desert those that claimed me.” Okay then. “I know I can do this, Syd.”

  Demetrius was nodding his agreement. “It will work,” he said, the most optimistic I’d ever seen him. And he’d know, wouldn’t he?

  Maybe, Gram sent to me just as I was about to grasp at hope. My darling husband might be right. Or, he might be diving headfirst into wishful thinking. Her worry tempered my excitement. He’s never fully recovered emotionally, though he has magically and mentally.

  Understood, I sent.

  And yet, Sassafras interrupted, we would be foolish to ignore such an excellent opportunity.

  I raised an eyebrow at the silver Persian. Since when are you all for risking the lives of others on a maybe?

  Since we have no other options, he snapped. And despite your lack of interest in Apollo, I’ve been watching both Zornovs carefully. He’s equal to the task, Syd. You give him less credit than he deserves.

  Consider me chastised, I sent, meeting Apollo’s eyes. “We can’t just send you in there willy nilly and hope things work out,” I said, good sense rising to the fore, for once.

  “No one has ever turned a Brotherhood sorcerer before,” Demetrius said. “Not completely, thanks to the initial bond. The same with a Steam Union sorcerer. Only torture and brainwashing techniques work, and only the Brotherhood are willing to resort to such methods. Considering the results are less than reliable and typically lead to madness, the subject is rarely of much use.” Was he thinking of himself just then? Because he had turned out to be of great use to Belaisle along the way. Still, his devolution to insanity before his mind was restored was proof enough. “Apollo’s bond to his siblings makes the chances of this working much higher than we could hope for. But, Syd is correct. You need some kind of safety net.”

  Apollo shrugged, gestured at Piers. “You’re working with some young recruits,” he said.

  Gram and Demetrius both turned to look up at the Steam Union leader. My grandmother’s grim expression told me she wasn’t a happy camper and when she spoke I understood why.

  “You said you’d expelled them,” she growled, blue eyes simmering with darkness.

  Piers shifted his shoulders under his longcoat. “I’m being careful,” he said. “They are allowed nowhere near the rest of the Steam Union.”

  Demetrius shook his head, face sad and troubled. “You risk repeating the mistakes of your predecessors,” he said. “You know better, Piers. They can’t be turned, not now.”

  “I’m not my mother,” Piers snapped, far too defensive for my liking.

  “Not just her,” Gram shot back. “Don’t be an idiot, Piers.”

  Something I should worry about? I sent the message directly to Gram, shielding it from everyone else.

  We’ll handle it, she sent, short and cold.

  Okie dokie.

  “Let’s say we do this,” I said, changing the topic back to the plan at hand. “I see one giant obstacle to your success.”

  Apollo nodded. “You’re worried Belaisle will kill me on sight because he knows my family and yours are aligned.” I really had underestimated him. Shame on me. There was more weight and seriousness in his expression than I’d ever seen before. “I’ve thought this through for weeks, Syd. Ever since Belaisle attacked the covens. Even before then.” He shifted in his seat, face falling ever so slightly. “I should have brought it to you sooner,” he said. “I could have saved a lot of lives.”

  “Not your fault.” I reached across the table and took his hand, Sassafras between us, purr rising softly from his furry body and linking me to Apollo with the cat’s sympathetic, supporting power. “Don’t ever blame yourself for that, please.”

  He nodded, swallowed hard. “I know I can do it, Syd.” His fingers squeezed back. “Belaisle knows by now Trill betrayed you. He was there when she stole the hand of Creator out from under both your noses.” He had to remind me. “I can use that to my advantage. And we have more ideas on how to keep me safe while I’m under cover.” He glanced at Simon who nodded slowly. “Hear us out?”

  I let go of his hand, sitting back again as Sass’s purr rose in volume before falling away.

  “I’m all yours,” I said. For the first time, but not the last. No more prejudging the people I cared about.

  That’s the Sydlynn H
ayle I raised, Sass sent.

  “Our plan is twofold,” Simon said. “With magic and with technology.” He gestured to Owen who pulled out his smartphone. The screen moved, wobbled as he set it on the table. I looked down into it and pulled hastily back as the top of my head appeared in the image. A look up had my eyes following Apollo’s finger to one of the buttons on his shirt. “Button cam,” Simon said. “Has a built in unidirectional microphone to cut out surround sound and will only pick up on Apollo’s voice and someone standing close to him.” I returned my attention to Simon whose smug smile almost triggered my anger again. “We can track him using GPS with the same device, though I’ll be implanting a number of chips on him—in clothing, one under his skin—to ensure we don’t lose him if one is discovered or destroyed.”

  Piers sank back into his seat, coffee obviously forgotten. “The Brotherhood is notorious for using technology to their advantage,” he said. “What makes you think they won’t suspect Apollo is bugged?”

  “Because,” Apollo said, “they might use tech themselves, but they would never think we were smart enough to do the same.” He shrugged, hands spread wide on the table, eyes locked on mine. “We can do this, Syd. I just need you to trust me.”

  I looked away from him a moment, gathering my thoughts. This would mean sending Apollo into the Brotherhood fold on his own with only a flimsy electronic tie to safety. “There are no promises we can get you out if you’re in trouble,” I said.

  “You’ll know where I am at all times,” he said. “I know you’ll have my back. But I won’t need it, I swear. It’s time we had the inside track on the Brotherhood for once.”

  Amen to that. I turned to Simon. “You trust this tech?”

  He shrugged. “Best your money could buy.”

  I scowled, though it amused me. “You have your own fortune. One I gave you, if I recall correctly.”

  Simon’s expression didn’t change. “More fun spending yours,” he said.

  Sigh.

  “Even if Apollo’s power is blocked,” Owen said, pointing to the phone, “we can still find him and pull him out on a moment’s notice.”

  “And what if the Brotherhood blocks the tech?” Piers reached for the phone, wiggling his fingers at the camera on Apollo’s chest.

  “Doesn’t work that way,” Simon said. “They’d have to find them and destroy them.”

  Wait a second. “Are you saying technology is stronger than magic?” Whoa. What?

  Simon shook his head, brow furrowing. “Not stronger,” he said. “Just different. I’m surprised you didn’t realize that already.”

  I’d honestly never explored it before. Never thought to. From the odd, almost shaken looks on Gram, Demetrius and Piers’s faces, they hadn’t either. But very good to know.

  “I’ve been experimenting with Owen,” Simon said. “Attempting to augment tech with magic. So far, we’ve run into glitches. The two don’t seem to understand each other. But we’re working on it.”

  “As for the equipment,” Owen said, “we’ve already done extensive testing.” He’d always been the most serious of the three despite his younger age. “But you’re welcome to do your own.”

  “That would be wise,” Demetrius said. “I would be happy to do so since I have the most experience with the Brotherhood.” His blue eyes met mine, clear and hopeful. “But I am optimistic. This could work.”

  I had to tell Femke. But I wanted to make sure Apollo’s infiltration succeeded first. She had enough on her plate to worry about. Or did she? This was important. And the last thing I wanted was to piss her off by acting autonomously on such a huge issue.

  Decisions, decisions. I finally nodded to Apollo whose grin flared with triumph.

  “Demetrius is the lead on this,” I said, as the three young men high fived each other. “If he approves the tech route, you’re good to go.” I really had to tell Femke. Didn’t I? I wanted to bring her a victory. Damn it, Syd…

  “Agreed.” Apollo stood abruptly. “Let’s get to work.”

  I held up one hand, to rein him in a moment. “Before you run off half-cocked,” I said, “let me talk to Max.” Knowing Belaisle had a way to track me when we sought out the pieces of Creator still rankled. The thought he might be using ordinary, normal tech to do it hadn’t crossed my mind, not really. But now it seemed a real possibility.

  “Simon, I need a favor.” And damned quick. Anxiety woke up and knocked on the inside of my temples. “Check my house, Mom’s office, see if you can find any bugs planted.” Was that where Belaisle was getting his info from? Was I really that far detached from the normal world, despite my former desires to the contrary, I’d missed the obvious?

  Damn it, was Belaisle listening to us right now?

  But Simon was shaking his head. “Already scanned your place for devices,” he said. “I’m happy to do the same for Miriam at Harvard. And Femke, too. But, from what I can tell, you’re clean.”

  I wasn’t sure if I should be pissed he was in my house doing tests without telling me or grateful he thought of things I failed to.

  Settled on happy and left it alone.

  That meant, though, we still didn’t know how Belaisle was tracking me. My drach friend and I had been planning to set a trap and see if we could make our enemy’s life an unhappy place to be. If Apollo succeeded, it might make more sense to use him to help set up the trap rather than going after Belaisle directly. That way, we wouldn’t be walking into a situation of the Brotherhood leader’s making, but one of our own. And minimizing the risk I put Apollo in made me more comfortable with the whole thing.

  The more I thought about it the more excited I grew until I stood as well.

  “Let me know the moment you’re ready to go,” I said. “We’ll be ready to back you up.”

  Apollo nodded, the others rising to join him. Need compelled me to reach out to the Zornov brother.

  I swear, I sent, not meaning to be so intense but unable to stop myself. If anything happens, I’ll come for you.

  His eyes met mine, confidence rippling down his power to me. I know, he sent. Why do you think I’m so sure this will work? Sydlynn Hayle has my back.

  I let him go, shivering on the inside, hoping his faith in me wouldn’t be proven false.

  ***

  Chapter Sixteen

  I let the boys leave, waiting until the door closed behind them before turning to Gram and Piers. Sassafras shifted from his perch on the table and into my lap, paws resting on my forearm as he faced off with the two remaining sorcerers. I was glad Demetrius left with the Zornovs and Simon, not only because that meant the three would have some supervision, but I wanted to ask Gram more about how far she believed Demetrius would go for revenge and if it might be an issue we had to add to the mix.

  But she was already on to me before I could ask. “He’ll be fine,” she said, flicking her fingers at me. “Sorry to worry you.”

  I tapped my own fingertips on the tabletop in answer to her dismissal. “You know I love Demetrius,” I said. “But if there’s potential for a problem here, Gram, I need to know about it.”

  “He won’t put the boy in danger,” she said, heat and barbs in her words.

  “I never said he would,” I said. “You’re the one who suggested it.”

  She drew a hot breath but Sass beat her to it.

  “One step at a time,” he said. He turned his glowing gaze to me. “Femke?”

  So I wasn’t the only one thinking she needed to be notified. “I’ll tell her,” I said, sighing inwardly at adding to her stress. But it was the right thing to do.

  “If it makes you feel better,” Gram said, “Demetrius and I will take shifts with Simon watching over Apollo.”

  That did make me feel better. “Thanks,” I said, sending her a burst of love. Her anger dissipated and she answered in kind.

  Sorry, girl, she sent. Touchy times.

  You never have to apologize to me, I sent.

  Piers shifted beside me, drawing me
away from Gram’s mental grunt of disagreement.

  “I can’t believe it, Syd,” he said, eyes downcast, voice deep but soft. “Mum would never join the Brotherhood.”

  Of course his head was still there. Gram raised an eyebrow at me while I reached out and took his hand. Sassafras’s purr rose, amber magic touching him as the cat had done with Apollo only a few minutes before. I never fully appreciated Sass’s ability to soothe until I understood what his purr really meant. And though there were times when I was younger I wished he’d mind his own business, it was moments like this I believed Sassafras was truly the heart and soul of our family, the mesh of love and commitment that held us all together.

  “Piers,” I said, leaving the way open for Sass to do his thing, “we don’t have solid proof of that yet.” I sent the conversation we’d had with Iosif to Gram in a tight burst of power. Her only acknowledgment of receipt was a subtle tightening of her jaw. “Until we do, no conclusion jumping, agreed?”

  He looked up slowly, gray eyes troubled. “It’s hard not to,” he said.

  “It’s fully possible your mother is working with Belaisle,” Gram said, tone harsh. I scowled at her but she ignored me. “For her own reasons. You really think Eva would ever bow down to Liander or the Brotherhood?” Piers’s shoulders lifted a little, expression turning thoughtful. “If anything, she’s playing him. And has her own agenda.” Which worries me more than collusion, Gram sent privately. We have no idea what she’s up to.

  Agreed, Sass sent. Leave it to him to poke his nose into a conversation meant only for the two of us.

  Piers’s attitude slowly changed until he finally shook his head, pale, blond hair rippling over one shoulder as the silken stuff cascaded across his lap and to his knees. “You’re right, of course, Ethpeal,” he said. “Mum must have plans of her own.” He smiled, weak but present. “And no matter the situation, Apollo will uncover the truth. If this plan of his works.”

  But even Piers sounded slightly optimistic.

  “Tell me we’re not sending him into a death trap.” My heart clenched in time with the sudden roiling of my stomach.