by Jan Stryvant
Sean nodded, "I'm grateful all the same."
"And you're welcome. Now, Daelyn, take me home and see if maybe you can keep that monster machine of yours south of the speed limit for a change!"
Sean smiled at Daelyn as she led her grandmother out of the room.
"Now what?" Jolene asked.
"I think I should call her father, and let him know she's alright."
Jolene nodded. "I'll sit here and keep an eye on her."
"Thanks, Love," Sean kissed her on the forehead and then went out into the kitchen and found his pants. Shifting back to his human form, now that he had enough power back to do so, he put them on, and getting out his phone he went upstairs and then out of the garage and into the darkness. John had told him that the only way they could track his phone now would be to try and triangulate off of the towers he was picked up by. As long as he didn't use it in the same place twice they'd never figure out where he was, assuming that they even thought to try that. Usually they just went for the GPS information on your phone.
Putting the battery in, he turned it on. He would have used the burner phone, but he had no idea what Roxy's father's number was, but it was stored in his phone.
He was still sorting through the directory list when the phone rang. Looking at it in surprise, he saw it was Roxy's father.
"Hello," Sean sighed.
"About time you turned your damn phone on!" Sean heard Mr. Channing growl. "How's my daughter? She had damn well better be fine!"
"She's fine," Sean sighed.
"Then put her on!"
"She's still sleeping."
"The rumor is she was attacked, with silver! What the hell happened?"
"We were surprised by one of the Ascendance members while leaving them a little love letter in their coven hall," Sean sighed.
"What! Are you crazy?"
"Obviously. Anyway, we got surprised by a one-armed man who I recognized. He shot Roxy first, then he shot me a bunch."
"Wait, was he using silver bullets?"
"Yup."
"So why aren't you dead?"
"Why do you think?" Sean grumbled. "Once I got Roxy out of there, I got rid of the silver in her body, but it had done a lot of damage. Healing that wasn't easy, but we did it. Now she's resting."
"I want to meet with you."
"So do a lot of people," Sean sighed again, "I'll think about it."
"Son, who do you think you're talking with here?"
"A neutral party. One who probably needs to stay neutral. I meet with you; you're probably going to get in trouble and I don't think I want that on my conscience right now. However, I will tell you one thing I learned today."
"What's that?"
"The Ascendance started this whole thing, not the Litho's. They were the ones driving the van that tried to kidnap me."
Bill Channing paused a moment, then asked, "You sure about that?"
"The one-armed man who surprised us? They got his other arm in evidence down at the police station from what happened in the van they tried to kidnap me with."
"Well," Bill Channing said after thinking a minute about what Sean had just told him. "That changes things. You take good care of my daughter. And if this happens again, you and me are gonna have words, Son."
"Bye, Dad." Sean sighed and hung up.
Taking a look at his screen there were a bunch of text messages, they were all from his friends, who he'd since talked to, so he cleared those.
There were also a bunch of messages left on the answering system. So he called that up and let them play.
The first three were from detective Schumer, he deleted those immediately, he really didn't care what Schumer had to say right now.
There was one from his lawyer, about the bike.
Two from Steven, before Sean had caught up with him.
The last one, that stopped him cold.
"Hello, Sean? It's Mom. I, I wanted to wish you a happy birthday. I know the odds of getting you on the phone now are pretty slim, but I don't know of how else to contact you.
"I can't tell you where I am; only that I'm safe, and I'm far away now. Sampson, he saw what was coming and got me out of work, and gave me his car before going after you.
"There's a lot I wish I could have told you, you probably know that by now, if you're still alive. But the deal was if I didn't, you'd be allowed to grow up and live your life as a normal man. Obviously they lied and broke that deal," his mother's voice got rather harsh as she said that.
"Your father was a good man, a great man, I loved him very much. Not being able to tell you about the wonderful things that he did, that was hard. But I did it all for you son. He always told me that you were our future, our brave new world."
Sean heard her gasp a moment.
"Remember that, my Son, my Sean; you are our brave new world. And please, if you can, let me know that you're alive."
Sean waited until the message was done, then deleted it. Going into his message box he played his greeting, it was simply 'This is Sean, leave a message.' Hitting record he spoke into his phone, "You've reached Sean Valens, and I'm very much alive." then pressing the button he saved it. Checked to be sure it worked, then turned off his phone and pulled the battery back out.
Putting it all in his pocket he sat there a moment and thought about what he'd just heard. His mother was alive! And she'd called him! On his birthday no less! She was safe, and she was far away. Well, at least he knew now what had happened to Sampson's car.
Getting up he went back inside, Daelyn would be back soon, he was sure. He needed to check on Roxy, and he needed to sit down and figure out just how to tarball that damn system, because he needed to make another one, and he needed to make it soon.
Meanwhile
Arthur Troy looked around the table, the heads of the four other main councils were here, and even old Harrison from Eruditio had shown up.
Morgan, the leader of Vestibulum raised his hand to get everyone's attention.
"Gentlemen, I have called this meeting at the request of the leaders of both the Council of Ascendance, and the Council of Gradatim," Arthur noticed that Morgan's voice only mildly showed any of the disdain he had for the two groups. "To discuss today's unexpected events."
"Events!" Harkins thundered, "We were attacked! One of my men was murdered! In our very own coven house! Shot dead by that vicious murdering scum Valens! He came right into our home! Our house! And he killed my right hand man! Our associates at Totis Viribus tells me that they were attacked as well! Only luck saved them from losing any of their coven members to these murderous butchers!"
"Yes!" McConnell thundered then, almost on cue. Arthur wondered if the outrage on the man's face was real, or put on just for the meeting, "They came into our coven house as well! They destroyed our circle! A circle that has been sixty years in the making! And then left their foul sign behind after they had left!"
"Gentlemen, please," Morgan sighed, "All of us were visited by Mr. Valens, or perhaps his associates today."
"Oh? Did they destroy your coven circles? Did they damage your homes?"
"Actually," Morgan smiled, "he left us a simple message. As I understand he did at both of your coven houses, Troy, Harrison?"
Troy and Harrison both nodded.
"And just what did this missive they left say?" Harkins asked angrily.
"It was a warning from Mr. Valens that our world was about to change, and a request for our help in making it a peaceful and orderly transition."
"And just what is that supposed to mean!"
"It means," old Harrison sighed from his seat at the table, "that young Sean has taken on the mantle of his father. He means to free the lycans from those of you who still keep them against their own wills and better interests."
"So," McConnell said, "it's a threat!"
"To you, perhaps," Harrison said, nodding slowly. "To me it is just the inevitable finally coming to pass."
"You would side with him?" McConnell glared, hi
s flabby neck and thin face making him look more humorous than dangerous, Arthur felt.
"We side with no one, Roger. Put it back in your pants. I'm simply stating the facts as they are. When you moved against Ben Valens, I warned you all that this would come around again, and now it has."
"And what of you, Troy?" Harkins asked, glaring over at Arthur. "Where do you stand? I've heard that your round-heeled niece has taken up with the Valens' boy!"
"Yes, I believe she has. I even had a few words with him last week, which I am sure most, if not all of you, know about at this point?" Arthur said with a smile.
"And he didn't attack you?" Morgan asked.
Arthur shook his head, "No, but I did manage to upset him, I fear I have misjudged him."
"How so?"
"The young man is already an accomplished mage. I suspect an accomplished alchemist like his father, as well."
"Wait, what?!" Harkins leaned forward in his chair, hands on the table before him. "That's impossible, we had him geased! There's no way he could have learned magic!"
"Well, perhaps the geas dissolved when you broke the agreement?"
"What! How dare you say that! We of the Council of Ascendance have always kept our word! We had nothing to do with the attacks on the Valens' boy! Everyone here knows that!"
Arthur raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Is that so? Tell me, your right hand man, just what was his right arm doing in the van that attempted to kidnap the Valens' boy?"
"What! How dare you accuse us of breaking our vow!"
Arthur shrugged, "I have it on good authority that Valens killed your man because he was one of the ones who kidnapped him, and the one that killed his warden and mentor, Sampson. Deny it all you wish, it will not," Arthur smiled slowly, "change the facts."
"And just how did you learn this?"
"I have my sources."
"Harkins, sit down!" Morgan growled, and then turned to Arthur, "Troy, you say he's become powerful?"
Arthur nodded, "No one has been able to scry him for how long now? And when I cast two powerful spells on him, one of paralyzation and another of sleep, they had no effect at all."
"Perhaps your niece?"
Arthur shook his head, "I know my niece's abilities, the Valens' boy has learned and mastered much in a very short time. I can only surmise that his father prepared for this day."
"What of his mother?" Morgan pressed, "I know he believes we had her kidnapped, or," Morgan glanced at Harkins and McConnell, "killed."
"As far as I know, she is no longer here. Whether she left, or was murdered like Sampson, I don't know. Neither apparently, does anyone else.
"However, allow me to point out that the geas placed on her is most likely broken now as well, with the breaking of faith by the Council of Ascendance."
"Take that back!" Harkins yelled, raising to his feet and pointing at Arthur.
"Or what? You'll have your men raise another storm and try to kill me?" Arthur laughed, "You have no idea yet what you've wrought, what you've brought down on all of our heads. Ben Valens was a kind man, the sort of man who saw the good in everyone and always tempered his response in all things.
"Sean Valens? He's a mean son-of-a-bitch with an axe to grind and you just gave him every reason in the world to hate and mistrust us." Arthur stood, "With the breaking of faith by the Council of Ascendance, the Council of Sapientia withdraws from this conclave. We do not traffic with oathbreakers."
"Take that back!" Harkins yelled again.
"I'll leave you all with one last thought," Arthur said as he headed for the door.
"And that is?" Morgan asked.
"The silver bullets fired at Sean Valens, who as we all now is know a lion-were, did not affect him, nor did they kill the female lycan who was with him."
"What! Impossible! I was told he carried her out of there!" Harkins yelled as Arthur left the room, and let the door close behind him.
"Well, that could have gone better, right Arthur?"
Arthur sighed and shook his head as the two men of his bodyguard detail formed up on either side. Currently there was an opening for the number three position.
"I fear not, Dean. The only positive thing that has happened today was Sean didn't destroy Vestibulum's circle as well, and I think Morgan knows that."
"But they didn't try to kill the kid."
"Yes, but they did try to kidnap him, and none of us are naive enough to believe they would have let him live, at least not as anything less than a slave. The young man is showing restraint. He's picked his targets, and now he's isolating them from the rest of us. I have no doubt that Morgan will take a wait and see stance, just like we are, and both Harkins and McConnell, and their people will be hung out to dry."
"Still, he's just one kid, and a couple of girls," James, his other guard said with a shrug.
Arthur sighed and shook his head. He'd heard the rumors of a sudden influx of lycan necklaces on the market. Then there was what happened today, Harkins' people had been quick to blab to everyone and anyone that they'd shot a lycan, a lion lycan, a dozen times with silver bullets, and nothing had happened. Arthur kept up with lycan customs, beliefs and even their superstitions, to lycans, lions were special. They were also rare.
And now Sean not only was one, but one with a gift to deliver those still in bondage, out of it. A messiah figure if there ever was one.
Arthur had gone over the reports that James had brought him on Sean. The young man had done well enough in public school to earn a scholarship to college, all while working nearly every afternoon and weekend at low paying and often low-status jobs. This was a young man who understood sacrifice and determination, and wasn't afraid to do what had to be done to survive.
"Slave revolts are an ugly thing, James," Arthur said as he got into his car.
"Yeah, but don't they always lose?"
"Most times, yes, but you know who else always loses as well?"
"No, Boss, I don't."
"Slave owners."
End Book Two
Afterword
Hi! I'd like to thank you for reading my story: Perfect Strangers. I hope you enjoyed it, and if you did I would greatly appreciate it if you would rate and review it on Amazon. We do get rewarded by Amazon, when we get four and five star reviews, and of course, the more we get, the more we get rewarded.
What is that reward you ask? Simple: Amazon will show my book to people who they think will enjoy it, like you did.
So please! I'd appreciate it very much if you gave me a good review.
If you find any typo's or 'wrong words' please feel free to email what and where they were to me. Typo's always make it through, no matter how many people I have checking things.
Oh! And that Cashier at McDonalds? He's fine! He was just knocked unconscious for a minute.
If you'd like to read more about the continuing trials of Sean, as he tries to find his way through this new world he's been dropped into the middle of while trying to continue his father's work (with the help of course of Roxy, Jolene, and Daelyn), please buy the next book in the series when it comes out!
Book three: Over our Heads (working title, hopefully it won't change!) will be out sometime in October 2017, hopefully on the 20th.
Book four: should be out before Thanksgiving, I'll probably have a firmer date on that once book three is finished.
(Later books in this series have not yet been titled, though the plots have been developed)
Other stories of mine already out: Shadow, which can be found, along with this on Amazon, by going to my Amazon Author's webpage at:
https://www.amazon.com/Jan-Stryvant/e/B06ZY7L62L/
Occasional announcements at:
https://stryvant.blogspot.com/
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