"Hi, nice to meet everybody. Great room by the way," I began.
Lucy looked over at me, her eyes wide in disbelief.
I continued, "I just wanted to assure everyone I'm not an enemy. I heard that word and it kind of freaked me out, you know. I just wanted you all to know that I'm all in, totally on board. That's all." Well, that had sounded completely idiotic. The council members didn't look amused. Except Grand Poo-bah Cynthia: I couldn't be sure, but I thought I detected a quick micro-grin.
I looked over at Elyse and Mr. Kelly, hoping for some assurance. Mr. Kelly was a blank slate; he didn't meet my eyes, just stared at the floor. Elyse had an arm locked around her dad, almost like she was keeping him from tipping over. She gave me a weak smile. Tommy was radiating rage in waves. No surprise there.
Lucy spoke up, "If I may address the council?"
Grand Poo-bah Cynthia nodded at Lucy to proceed.
"Orson is a shape-shifter," Lucy said, "but he is unique."
Several council members turned their attention to me again, no doubt looking for the telltale magical signature that marked all shape-shifters. Good luck with that.
Lucy continued playing to their egos. "As you can all obviously see, he doesn't have the aura of a shape-shifter. But as you all know, there are clear precedents of unique abilities. Wyatt is the perfect example."
Wyatt? His ability was unique? Now that I thought about it, I hadn't noticed the same energy around him that was practically bursting out of Lucy. Was he not a mage? And if he wasn't a mage, then what was he?
"This is nonsense!" Tommy shouted. "He is the Ollphiest. I witnessed it with my own eyes. Lucy's magic didn't so much as singe his fur."
"Lucy, is this true?" Creepy eyes asked.
I held my breath. This was the moment of truth. Was Lucy on my side or was she about to rat me out?
"No. Thomas is mistaken," Lucy lied.
"Mistaken! My son is crippled for life because of him." Tommy was going apoplectic.
"As unfortunate as that is, it is an internal shifter matter and has no bearing on these proceedings," Grand Poo-bah Cynthia pronounced.
Tommy wasn't done. He stepped toward the table, his body shaking with rage. "Unfortunate? Is that all my son and I get, after decades of loyalty? Mere words?"
"The council hasn't heard my full report yet," Lucy said.
Full report? This should be good.
"There is mounting evidence that Kyle French colluded with blood mages to attack the Kellys and Orson, not just once, but twice. The last attack resulted in the death of Katherine Kelly."
Tommy roared, running at Lucy. He wanted blood. He didn't shift — I think the chamber's magic prohibited that — but he still had super speed and strength and could do some serious damage. He was a blur, and I wasn't sure if Lucy's magic worked in the council chamber. I looked at the council members, but none of them moved to intervene. They didn't seem worried in the least.
I, however, wasn't going to take any chances. I could easily track Tommy, even at the speed he was moving. The moment he was in range, I backhanded him across the face. The crack of bone on bone was like a gunshot.
Tommy was a powerful shape-shifter who was centuries old. He would have been a match for any ten shape-shifters. But I was the Ollphiest.
Tommy's limp body sailed through the air of the chamber, crashing to an abrupt stop against a pillar. I could hear his heart beating; he wasn't dead, just unconscious. I rubbed my hand. Even with super strength, that had stung a little. The chamber's mojo swallowed the echo of the crack and Tommy's body falling to the ground. Nobody spoke. The silence was complete, and it was eerie.
I glanced around. I had finally gotten Mr. Kelly's attention. He stared at me and he looked kind of pissed. Oh well. Elyse had a stunned look on her face; she kept looking from me to where Tommy lay. Lucy kept her attention on the council, who were all staring at me.
I broke the silence. What did I have to lose? "Sorry about that, but you guys know him. He's kind of a dick."
This time, Grand Poo-bah Cynthia didn't hide her smile. She laughed out loud. I could feel Lucy relax next to me. A few of the council members were smiling, but the others, like Square jaw, were frowning. They spoke among themselves for a moment. Several guards went and stood over Tommy, who was stirring.
"I could've handled him," Lucy whispered to me.
It was the best I would get from her, so I took it. "You're welcome."
Grand Poo-bah Cynthia turned to address us. She didn't look happy. That didn't bode well.
"The council has decided," she began in a clipped tone. Yeah, she was not happy about something. "We will accept your word on this matter, Lucy, if you agree to re-assert your testimony, including that of Orson's ability, under oath."
That was it? So, Lucy would tell a little white lie, she could cross her fingers and ask for forgiveness at a later date. Then I noticed Square jaw smiling. He seemed overconfident, and I started to get a bad feeling.
Lucy took a deep breath. "I understand. I am ready for the oath."
I was missing something.
"Do you, Lucy Newton, accept the oath of truth upon pain of death?"
Death? Holy shit. These people where psychotic: a death sentence for lying? I looked at Lucy, but she refused to meet my eyes. What was she doing? If she told the truth, we were sunk. But if she lied, she, what, dropped dead on the spot? Who even got to decide if what she said was the truth?
I raised my hand again to speak.
Grand Poo-bah Cynthia shut me down. "Orson, you will remain silent."
Lucy nudged me.
This was going sideways fast. I didn't care if I set off some kind of magic alarm system. I reached out with my magic spidey-sense. If we needed to fight our way out of here, I wanted to be prepared.
The entire council raised their arms and began chanting something in a language I didn't understand. I watched, fascinated, as the magic in the room responded. It swirled and eddied around the council members, and then a long finger of energy slowly extended toward Lucy. It completely enveloped her, small tendrils snaking their way into her head and chest. And then I understood. The entire chamber was a giant lie detector.
We were so screwed.
My mind raced. I was pretty sure if I went full Ollphiest, I could get us out of here. Of course, I would have to take out most of the council.
Yes.
Shut up.
I was in the same predicament I had been in when I first faced Lucy. These seven people were supposed to be the good guys. If Lucy's theory was correct, some of the council members were cabal members, but I didn't know which ones, and getting out of here would require absolute carnage. Lucy shifted her stance slightly, the back of her arm pressed against my side. It was a clear 'knock it off' gesture. She knew I was tensing for battle.
The spell complete, the council dropped their arms. Grand Poo-bah Cynthia once again addressed Lucy. "Lucy, claims have been made that Orson possess powers beyond that of an ordinary shape-shifter. That he is the mythical creature Ollphiest. That he is immune to magic and the power available to the Paragon Society, and therefore presents a threat to our very existence. Under penalty of death, what say you?"
Lucy didn't hesitate. "Under penalty of death - all of these claims are false."
I winced ready for lightning and fire to reign down on the both of us.
Nothing.
A look of . . . surprise passed over Grand Poo-bah Cynthia's face. Square jaw stopped smiling.
Tommy, who must have regained consciousness just in time for the show, cried out, "No. She's lying." The guards surrounding him moved in closer. Tommy threw his hands up in disgust and shut his mouth.
With a wave of her hands, Grand Poo-bah Cynthia dispelled the magic around Lucy and walked toward us, with Creepy eyes right behind her. The other council members spoke among themselves. The tension in the room burst like a bubble, and I felt my muscles relax.
We weren't going to die, at least not
today.
Grand Poo-bah Cynthia patted Lucy's shoulder and held her hand out to me. I took it, and we shook hands.
"Orson, I'm Cynthia. It's nice to formally meet you."
"Nice to meet you too, Gran, er, Cynthia." That was close. I had the feeling she wouldn't like being called Grand Poo-bah.
"This is Council Member Ellen," Cynthia introduced Creepy eyes.
"Council Member Ellen." I shook her hand.
Ellen didn't let go; she wrapped both her hands around mine, those creepy eyes staring directly into my eyes. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Orson."
I wasn't sure how to ask for my hand back without offending her. It was starting to get weird. Elyse and her dad saved me from Ellen.
"Excuse me, Council Member. Can we borrow Orson for a minute?" Elyse asked softly.
"Of course." Ellen released my hand.
"Don't go too far, Orson. We need to talk about next steps," said Cynthia.
"Okay," I agreed.
Elyse slipped her arm in mine and moved us away from everyone else, stopping when we were out of earshot.
"Mr. Kelly, I just wanted to say how sorry I am," I said. "Mrs. Kelly was―"
"Don't you say her name," he hissed.
"Dad please . . ." Elyse whispered.
Mr. Kelly refused to be mollified; he pulled his arm away from his daughter. "You may have fooled them, but I know what you are — Ollphiest."
I was blindsided. Mr. Kelly blamed me. His wife was dead, and he blamed me.
"Katie is dead because of you, because of what you are."
"Dad, please keep your voice down. You promised."
"Promised?" I looked at Elyse, but Mr. Kelly didn't let her respond.
"Yes, keep your little boyfriend safe. I know." His voice dripped with sarcasm. "Your mother's dead, but who cares, as long as Orson is safe?"
Elyse sobbed and turned away. Too far, I didn't care who he was. I didn't care that he was grieving or that the rulers of the magic world were standing just a few feet away. He had gone too far. I reached for him. He growled at me.
"What the hell is going on?" Lucy got between us, pushing me back. "Are you two crazy?" she whispered, glancing over her shoulder at the council members, some of who were looking in our direction. "Richard, I'm sorry Katie is dead, but this isn't what she wanted. She gave her life to protect Orson. You dishonor her memory." Lucy turned to me. "And you, do you want to die? Because some on the council are looking for any reason. I know you think you're invincible, but the magic in this chamber will end you." She glared at me until I backed off.
I went to Elyse. She let me wrap my arms around her, and she buried her head in my chest, crying. Even though I wanted to tear her dad's head off, I said, "You know he didn't mean that. He's hurting. He needs you," I assured her.
"I know." A shudder passed through her. "He doesn't really blame you, either."
"I'm not so sure about that."
"He just needs time."
"Yeah, of course."
Elyse looked up at me, our faces inches apart. Tears rolled down her cheeks. I didn't know what else I could do, so I just held her tighter.
"He . . . he is going up North to the compound," she said softly.
My heart sank. I knew what she was going to say before she said it, but it didn't make it any easier to hear.
"I have to go with him. I promised my mom I would take care of him." Elyse was talking fast, trying to get it all out at once, trying to convince me, trying to convince herself.
I cupped her face with my hands and kissed her lips to quiet her. "I understand. He's your dad. You've got to take care of him."
She nodded and kissed me back. What was I going to do without her? We had wasted so much time over the years, keeping each other in the friend zone instead of just going for it. A week, that's all we'd had together, and now she had to leave.
"Maybe you could come with us?"
Even though we both knew it was an impossible suggestion, she was sincere, and I loved her more for it.
"Nah, I got to stay here and save a centuries' old secret society from itself. You know, because I'm the chosen one and all."
Elyse giggled through her tears. "Dork."
CHAPTER 22
Things moved fast after that morning. The Kellys had their house packed and their belongings shipped to the Compound within a week. All the wedding plans were cancelled; it would no longer be a huge affair. Instead, Elyse's sister and her fiancé would be married at a small ceremony up North. The hole that Mrs. Kelly left behind when she died was huge, and I wasn't sure if it could ever be filled.
The older Kelly children took charge of closing up the Pasadena house and organizing the family's business holdings. Mrs. Kelly's body was released by the Coroner's office; the official cause of death was listed as extensive internal trauma brought on by the explosion that supposedly destroyed my house - the Paragon Society was everywhere. No funeral or memorial service was held; the body was shipped North for burial.
Elyse and her dad left town immediately. Elyse sent me a frantic text that her dad had announced they would be leaving within an hour. I broke several traffic laws getting to the house before they departed.
"I'm sorry. He just sprung it on me this morning. I think he was hoping we wouldn't see each other again," Elyse said, her voice tired and wrung out from crying.
"I get it, and I'm sorry if seeing me hurts him, but I couldn't let a text be the last thing we shared."
Elyse's brother and sisters were treating me with the same cold disdain as their father was. I couldn't blame them. Their mom had died fighting while helping me. The only bright spot was Kevin, Elyse's younger brother. When he spotted me out on the driveway, he gave me a wave and a weak smile. I waved back, appreciative of the effort.
Mr. Kelly exited the house and slowed when he saw me standing there. His eyes were dull and he looked like he hadn't slept. He ignored me. "Elyse, we are leaving, now," he said to her.
Elyse gave him a small nod. Mr. Kelly walked to the Range Rover, got in, slammed the door, and the engine roared to life.
I gave Elyse one last kiss. It was slow and gentle. I tried to convey everything I was feeling: sadness at the death of her mom and the pain I was feeling at her having to leave. Elyse hugged me tight, climbed into the Range Rover, and just like that she was gone.
The compound was deep in the mountains and so cell service was non-existent and the Internet was shaky at best. Elyse and I had promised to talk as much as we could. I knew it wasn't true, but it felt way too much like a final goodbye — it sucked.
Tommy continued to throw a hissy fit - he really is a dick - he even resigned from the Southern California shifter council. There was nothing except circumstantial evidence against Kyle, and in a move that surprised everyone, the Society let Tommy pack up and leave town with his son.
I was officially inducted into the Society. It was more than simple. I signed my name to the bottom of a legal document. Of course, it was a magically binding contract where I agreed to keep the secrets of the blah blah blah.
Boring.
I was hoping for a ceremony with secret handshakes and cool, hooded robes. Lucy thought I was an idiot.
My Aunt Tina and I had to stay out of sight. It was decided that the fire at the house was the perfect cover. It turned out the neighbors couldn't identify me after all. The police questioned all the witnesses and even reviewed the cell phone footage, but because of my new height and superman muscles, nobody could identify me as me. The smoke and fire also helped obscure the front yard enough that Elyse wasn't recognizable in any of the footage.
It was decided that Tina Reid and Orson Reid were both killed in the explosion and fire that engulfed the house. I didn't even ask where the Society got the extra bodies as a stand in for Aunt Tina's and my charred remains. Aunt Tina and I were officially dead. I couldn't believe that both the cops and the news reporters bought the story the Society spun, but they did. There was one part of the
story I couldn't stomach, and I objected until Cynthia intervened personally and finally shut me down. Tony was cast in the role of the bad guy - or at least the crazy guy. The final police report would reflect that Tony and I had fought over the so-called prank at Costco, and that he had driven to my house in anger. The altercation then escalated to the point of the house burning down. Tony was innocent and deserved better, but I was overruled and the fiction became fact.
The Society set up a whole new identity for Aunt Tina and the only thing left was the spell Lucy needed to cast.
"I'm sorry I blew up your life," I said, eyes cast down.
"None of this was your fault," she said. "Even if I had told you about our peculiar family history, what would that have done? You still would have met Elyse and become friends. Nothing would have changed."
"It feels like it's my fault."
Aunt Tina pulled me in for a hug. I now towered over her, so it was a little awkward, but we adjusted our positions and it was nice. I hugged her tight, lifting her off her feet.
"I'm going to miss you, kiddo," she said.
"This isn't forever," I promised.
"I know."
"It's time," said Lucy.
I watched as Aunt Tina drove away in Lucy's ridiculous car.
On paper, it looked like we had won. We had fooled the Society. I would begin training with Lucy and Wyatt and the three of us would do everything we could to bring the cabal down from the inside.
Yay, us.
None of that, however, changed the fact that being the Ollphiest had cost me everyone I loved. Even though that loss was temporary, it hurt like hell.
So, I was determined to root out every person responsible, uncover every dirty secret the Paragon Society was hiding, and clean house.
They will all fall before us.
Yes. Yes they will.
GYPSY WITCH
A Paragon Society Novel
**Coming Soon**
Orson Page 22
