Council of Peacocks

by M Joseph Murphy

  “But they are our demons,” another voice said. “They come from our planet’s evolutionary cycle, unlike the other one. Defksquar is moving behind our backs.”

  “Again, this is not news,” Propates felt the heat of anger rise in him. “We’ve known for twenty years he wasn’t going to give us the full story about why he was helping us. And we’ve known for five months now he was outright lying about some things. But he is not lying about what’s coming. Our oracles have confirmed it. So have the demons. If we are to survive this war…”

  “Of course we’ll survive it,” a third voice said. “It’s just a question of who we kneel to. Some of us have concerns that the agent from away wants us to kneel to him.”

  “We kneel to no one but Argus.” This came from a truly familiar voice. This one was definitely Otto.

  “Exactly,” Propates said with a smile. “And if we stay on this path that is where we will continue to kneel. As for Wisdom, I made it known long ago that he should have been informed about the coming war. I was outvoted. You all believed Wisdom’s father that doing so would be disastrous. Like an idiot, I let you all keep him out of the loop. If we had his help, maybe we wouldn’t need the agent from away.”

  “The agent from away has given us technologies and magics completely unlike anything on Earth.” This voice, with its overriding tone of arrogance and assumption, was the one who had called him earlier. “Without his help we would never have perfected the process of Eyeness. Nor would we have the knowhow to design the weapons the demons are building for the coming war. What would Wisdom have given us?”

  Propates fought the urge to rise and backhand the man. “He could have given us an army of immortals, demigods like me. Beings who could survive the yet imperfect process of Eyeness. We wouldn’t need alien technologies. And we wouldn’t have had to give over our children to the demons.”

  “Our children, not yours.”

  For a moment, the tension was nearly strangling. Some of those chanting in the corners stumbled over their incantations. Now Propates did rise. He moved to the center of the dais and raised a hand. The darkness dissipated and, in an instant, the underground chamber was filled with a bright, warm light. Sunlight. He pushed his cowl away from his face and turned toward the owner of the arrogant voice.

  “Enough. Your petty power games have made you forget yourself. You are not my equal. So you sold your firstborns for a cause. So what? You all know what I went through. I lived in the Black Sea! I dwelt with demonic forces you can’t even comprehend. I was found, saved by the spirit of Argus himself. When I returned to Earth hundreds of years ago, I was able to rebuild his church. The reborn Argusites. The Council of Peacocks. Perhaps you’re thinking that I’ve led too long?”

  None answered him.

  “Your silence speaks for itself.”

  “Only some of us question,” Otto said. “I am not one of them. My loyalty is to you.”

  “Some of us do have questions.” This was Lucius. The magic that masked voices was gone now, but the bravado did not disappear with anonymity. “You’re part of the old régime. Like Wisdom. The Djinnistani informed us the timeline has changed.”

  Propates moved quickly. He gathered the shadows around him, solidified them and constructed a spear. He slammed the butt of the weapon of darkness against Lucius' chest and knocked him to the ground. “You’ve spoken with Wisdom’s father, have you? And you believed him? You doubt an alien but you believe a creature like that? By all my eyes, Lucius, you have just proven to me that you are too stupid to live. I banish you.”

  “No, Propates!” Otto stood and removed his cowl. “This is forbidden. The laws…”

  “The laws?” Propates clenched his fists and the light of the room wavered. “I wrote the laws! And this insignificant termite is trying to eat away at everything I’ve built. Living in the shadows was good for my character. Maybe it will be good for his.”

  With a mental command, Propates called upon the darkness, a crepuscular world of death populated not by the demons or Edimmu, but by ghosts and fear. Long ago, this world had reached out to him, captured him and perverted what was left of his humanity. Ever since Argus had freed him from the land of the shades, Propates had become their master. The things in the shadows now obeyed him. The artificial sunlight quickly faded. In its place was a sooty gloom beyond night. This was more than the absence of light or the vacuum of space. It was the antithesis of life. Within the darkness, unseen by any but Propates, the denizens that haunted the netherworld moved. Little more than centers of gravity, they circled around Lucius, not placated by his screams of raging. Then rage gave way to pain as unseen hands tore at him and dragged him away. In a matter of seconds, the shadows retreated and all trace of Lucius was gone.

  The Vulture Antechamber was silent. All chanters, Edimmu and human, stared at Propates in awe. Terror. ‘Good,’ he thought. ‘That reminded them.’

  From behind one of the vulture statues, someone, something, cleared its voice and said: “Sorry to interrupt, pets. We could come back later if you prefer.”

  Propates ran a hand through his hair, took a deep breath and relaxed his powers. He slipped the cowl back over his head and, on cue, the incantations began again. This, in turn, recalled the magic of the place.

  The Vulture Antechamber had been used for over a thousand years to contact other realms of reality. At first, the Edimmu had used it as a form of telecommunication, talking with encampments of their people in the underground cities of Kazakhstan and the subterranean country of tunnels and cities beneath South America. Then Propates, as head of the Council of Peacocks, used its energies to commune with the peacock-god Argus and the undead creatures of the gloom. Repeated dimensional warping here had weakened the boundaries of normal space. It allowed the agent from away to contact the Council. It also let these two beings, outcasts, stand and breathe in a world that should have been closed to them. These were the Orpheans, demons to most, partners to the Council of Peacocks.

  “Why are you here, Sanchez?” Propates spoke to a hazy blur to the left of the statute. In this world, the Orpheans had no solid form. They were ghosts. Phantoms. The one he talked to was short and rotund. The figure beside the first one was taller and much more slender. Her name was Carla and, unlike Sanchez, she scared Propates just a little. There was a spark in her eyes that spoke of a long, burning rage.

  “Are we unwelcomed?” Carla’s voice was just as thin and strained as Sanchez’s, as if they were shouting from somewhere far away.

  “Of course not,” Propates said with conviction. “Our allies are always welcome here. Did you need bodies to possess?”

  “No,” Carla spoke quickly and looked down at Sanchez with an expression that told him the subject was not up for debate. “We cannot stay long. We will find bodies elsewhere soon enough. We bring word from our Lord Ahriman. He confirms what the Djinnistani told us. Wisdom has been traveling in time. The ripples are faint, well-hidden, but, once Ahriman knew what to look for, they were easy to see.”

  “Has he changed anything?” Propates was glad his face was covered. It allowed him to conceal the loss of blood to his face.

  Carla and Sanchez exchanged a slow, meaningful look. Then Sanchez spoke. “He has changed much, but nothing of consequence to our plans. He still does not know what is coming and, in the end, his father will take him away. We must focus instead on our own concerns. Our children must be gathered. Initiated. The time of the Activation approaches.”

  Then the Orpheans were gone. In a wink, the hazy figures faded from view, leaving only natural darkness. For a moment Propates kept his silence as everyone in the room reflected on the warning.

  “I suggest you all remember their words,” he said. “Our world is in jeopardy. Everything we hold dear is in danger of being ripped away from us. We do not have time for in-fighting. I will waste no more time on it. I strongly suggest you do the same. And as for the agent from away, we’ve been in bed with him for too long to start wonderi
ng now if he’s diseased. Our path is set, for good or bad. The Activation is coming.”

  Chapter Ten

  The classroom was larger than David expected. It was the size of a small banquet hall and, for the most part, empty. When he stepped through the door, the first thing he noticed was a long oak desk at the head of the room. Three stacks of files were piled neatly upon one corner while the rest of the desk remained empty.

  The second thing he noticed was the big-boned woman by the windows. She looked out over the city as she ruminated on her lower lip. Her left arm was in a cast and sling. Taking in the rest of the room, David saw three rows of reclining chairs, all black leather and surgical steel. Each chair was five feet away from the others, spacing them out over the width of the classroom. They faced a chalkboard that took up the majority of the wall opposite the windows. There was nothing else in the room.

  Amy, Barbie in hand, sauntered in with Jessica. Jared gave up pounding his head against the wall long enough to take a seat. Garnet did not show up. David assumed she must be in another group. He waited until everyone else was seated before selecting a chair. He chose the one furthest away from the other students.

  “How is your arm, Ms. Ryerson?” Jared asked. When he spoke, there was a dangerous glint in his eye. To David, he looked more like a boy with a magnifying glass over an anthill than a student asking a teacher about her injury.

  “It’s still broken,” she answered. She moved away from the window and David inhaled sharply. The right side of her head was covered with a large white bandage. Her neck and cheeks were red and raw with visible burn marks. Her eyes ran over Jared then settled on David.

  “I am Ms. Amelia Ryerson,” she said. “As you’ve probably been told, I teach a few things here you don’t learn in a normal classroom. So let’s set some ground rules right now.”

  She took a deep breath and suddenly looked back out the windows. Her expression, like looking back on a lover she was forced to walk away from, made it very clear she wanted to be somewhere else. Lips pursed, she looked at the ground and then began to speak again.

  “This is not high school, so there is no acting like children. I have no time for it, and after yesterday it seems like none of us do. I need to also point out that I am nothing like you.” Her good arm fell free and she paced back and forth in front of the chalkboard. “Jessica, will you please explain to the verbose Mr. Ross what exactly you are?”

  The young girl opened her mouth to respond, stopped for a moment and then looked to Ms. Ryerson. They stared at each other for a heartbeat before Ms. Ryerson responded.

  “Oh, for God’s sake, child, give him the simple version for now. I can’t believe you had to ask that. Now go on.”

  Jessica’s face went slightly red at the word ‘child’, but she turned in her seat to face David anyway. “All of us were born with certain abilities that are anomalous in humans. We call these abilities EFHB, which stands for Extraordinary Functions of the Human Body. EFHB, a term first used by Chinese scientists, is used here to distinguish what we can do from the stigma attached to words like ‘paranormal’ and ‘psychic.’ Almost everyone has some degree of psychic powers. They experience moments of déjà vu or brief telepathic contact with their loved ones. That’s normal. It differs from person to person, kind of like the propensity toward sports and puzzle solving. Some people are stronger than others. What we do is very different. That’s why we are called Anomalies. We are outside the realm of normalcy.”

  Jared squirmed in his seat. “Can we talk about my re-test?” He focused on cleaning his fingernails as he spoke. David realized that Jared barely looked at Ms. Ryerson and, when he did, the look was one of contempt. He wondered just how Ms. Ryerson had gotten that broken arm.

  “No, Jared,” Ms. Ryerson answered. “At this point in time I’m not sure there will be any re-tests. Wisdom wants me to ensure you’re ready for more concrete scenarios, so I’m going to have to skip fairly quickly through a few lessons. Now, each of you lean back in your chairs. Go on, get comfortable. David, I would appreciate it if you would stop clawing at the furniture. You may be a freak of nature but, nerves aside, you are not a cat. The first thing we learn is how you can access your abilities at will. I am going to teach you some concentration exercises before we move on to the big stuff. What is the first step in relaxation? Anyone?”

  Bethany opened her mouth to answer. Then her face went lax.

  She looked around her, as if searching the corners of the room for something.

  “Bethany, what …?”

  “Hush, Toddie. Do you hear that?”

  The room was silent.

  Bethany got up from her chair and walked to the windows. “It’s coming from outside.”

  Ms. Ryerson stared at Bethany’s back, her lips tense and white.

  “Do you hear anything?” she asked Todd.

  “No, Ms. Ryerson, but then I’m not as strong as Beth. What about you, David? Anything?”

  David’s eyes went wide and he shook his head. “What am I supposed to be hearing?” He stopped and looked around his mind to see if anything seemed out of place. “I do feel…something. Almost…I guess it does kind of feel like I’m being watched.”

  “This can’t be good.” Amy got up from her chair and went to stand beside the older woman.

  “What the hell is this?” David asked. He stayed in his seat. “Bethany?”

  Bethany shook her head, her eyes focusing between the city streets below and the windows of the nearby glass buildings. “I don’t think they know I’ve spotted them. They are cloaking their thoughts. I only caught it because I was thinking of how that creep Jessica is so hard to read.”

  “I’m not hard to read,” Jessica said. “You’re just a bad reader. And I am not a creep. I’m just stronger than you and you’re jealous. There are three of them, Ms. Ryerson. They are about to enter the front lobby. Do you want me to send for Elaine?”

  Ms. Ryerson nodded, slowly clenching her good fist over and over. Then she shook her head. “No, I’ll take care of it. Jessica, I am putting you in charge until I get back. David, you’re new, but trust me on this. Follow her lead. I want the five of you to meet up with the others on the roof. A helicopter will be waiting by the time you get there. You’ve all got to get out of the country ASAP.”

  Amy looked at the ground for a moment, glanced at Jessica, who only shook her head, and then bit her lip. Then she said: “It is them, isn’t it, Ms. Ryerson?”

  Ms. Ryerson blinked and looked away. “Do as I say. If you’re lucky, you will never find out. Now go.” With that, Ms. Ryerson ran off faster than humanly possible, little more than color in motion.

  “How…? What...?” David was out of his chair now.

  “You’re such a newbie.” Jessica rolled her eyes and walked toward from the main bank of elevators. “Do you think Wisdom would hire someone normal to teach us? Come on, we’ll take the private elevator.”

  David started after her. “Shouldn’t we wait for one of the guards? You know, the guys with guns and training? It could be dangerous.”

  “Don’t be stupid,” Jessica answered. “Of course it will be dangerous. But so are we.”

  David looked over at Bethany, who was still looking out the windows.

  “See,” Bethany said. “I told you she’s creepy. Come on, we should follow them. This could be bad. Poor guy, you have no idea what you’ve got yourself into, do you? I wish I could tell you, but somehow I don’t think you’re ready for the truth.”

  “So I hear. Can you tell me why the hell everyone’s acting like the Russians are coming?”

  Bethany laughed and put her arm around David’s waist as they followed the others out of the classroom and through the halls. “You are far too young for that reference. Hell, I’m too young for it. Well, not really, but I feel too young for it. The reason we are leaving is that a group of…well let’s just call them a group for now. They are coming and they want to kill us. No, I can’t tell you why. Of co
urse I know why. I’m just not allowed to tell you. Not yet. Mr. Wisdom has some enemies, very bad men who do very bad things.”

  “You know, the whole answering questions before I ask them is also very disturbing. Can you stop that? Are these the same ones that got to Madeline?”

  The color drained from Bethany’s face. She shook her head, clearly upset. “What do you know about that? Never mind, I’m still not telling you anything. But yes, I do think so. Maybe not the same ones, exactly, but the same group. Listen, we don’t have much time and I don’t even know what you are capable of. Do you know?”

  Ahead, he saw Jessica point her finger at the two Chinese men that had almost run into him earlier. While he watched, both men nodded their heads and took guns out from inside their jackets.

  “Yes. I know what I can do.”

  “Good. Because if we don’t get to that helicopter on the roof you may have to do some of whatever it is you do. Look, don’t give me that face. See guns? People running? This is not a ‘let’s talk about it’ situation. This is not an ‘Orange Alert.’ This is a ‘kill or be killed’ type of situation.”

  They caught up with Jessica and the others just as the door to the elevator opened. Once inside, Todd pressed his hands against the metal doors and they started to rise very quickly.

  “Todd, can you make this go any faster? They’re in the building now.” Jessica pulled on her lower lip with her fingers. She looked like an old woman worried about her taxes.

  “If I make it go any faster the cables could snap and we’d fall right into their laps. Now let me concentrate.”

  Although he did not seem to be pushing very hard, there was a lot of sweat pouring off his forehead. David could not begin to fathom exactly what Todd was doing.

  “What happens if they find us?” David asked. “They just kill us and leave? Won’t they try to kill Wisdom and the others first?”