How long the Wolf had been quietly watching him, Ben didn’t know. Moco seemed to have a means to sense Ben’s brooding, despite the boy’s impenetrable cloaking. Soon Ben was busy helping Moco re-arrange furniture to match a floor-plan that Amanda had sketched out. The vampire had very particular ideas about furniture arrangement. She liked her favorite chairs to be away from sunny windows, for example. Moco’s only requirements were that his recliner have a good view of the TV and that there be someplace nearby to rest a beer.
Soon it was getting close to dinner time, and Amanda woke and drank some fresh calves’ blood. The vampire's food needs were miniscule but specific. After washing up and changing clothes it was with some apprehension that the trio walked next door.
****
CHAPTER 3
Dinner
“I still can’t believe it!” said a grinning Mark, who greeted the guests at the Tuttle front door. He shook hands briefly with Moco and Amanda before giving Ben a warm, brotherly hug. “This is crazy! This whole town will go totally nuts!”
“Welcome to our home,” added Red Eric warmly, as he led the guests into the living room where Elizabeth and Ann waited to greet and seat them.
“Benjamin, Benjamin, Benjamin!” gushed Elizabeth, “and Moco and new wife Amanda also! This has all been quite a surprise to all of us!”
“More of a shock, I suspect,” said Moco.
“More so for the story that Ann’s been telling us,” added Eric. “Elves? Sprites? Demons and Evil? It’s all far too fantastic!”
“The Cub is a bit more loose-lipped than me,” growled Moco, “but I suppose it would have all come out soon anyway.”
“Nobody will believe it, is all that we’re implying,” said Elizabeth.
“People can believe what they want,” said Moco, as he shrugged his huge shoulders. “I really don’t care.”
“But it could mean trouble for you and problems for Ben,” said Elizabeth.
Moco again shrugged his massive shoulders. “Can’t be helped I suppose, but we’re all pretty thick skinned, including the Cub. You won't believe how thick-skinned he is!” He nodded towards Ben.
And thick headed, Elizabeth thought. “Maybe if you were to publicly offer a more simple and plausible explanation, things would go smoother for you.”
“What would you suggest?” said Amanda, with a fang-showing smile.
“Perhaps that Moco spirited an injured Ben away from Hope in secret, in response to a last request by his parents,” said Elizabeth.
“That would be a lie,” stated Ben, flatly, his distaste plain. "I don't lie, and neither does the Wolf."
He hadn't mentioned vampires not lying, the Tuttles noticed.
“But it's not very far from the truth,” said Elizabeth. “Simply leave out the more fantastic parts about sprites and elves. Let more of the truth come out over time, after you’ve re-established yourselves here.”
Moco shrugged. “That might work. It’s actually closer to what I figured what we’d be doing. What do you think, Cub? It’s up to you.”
Ben shook his head. “Removing me from Hope that way could still possibly get Moco in trouble, even if it was done at the request of my folks,” said Ben. “Hope thinks that it owns all young Wizards. I won’t have that. And it might get you folks in trouble for not immediately passing on what you know to the rest of the Council. I assume that news of a Demon on Earth and possibly still in Hope will be of interest to them?”
Eric and Elizabeth exchanged glances as they exchanged brief thoughts privately. “SMART KID!” Eric remarked to Elizabeth telepathically. “THOUGH NAÏVE AND PERHAPS DELUSIONAL.”
“AND HEADSTRONG AS HELL,” added Elizabeth. “I’M IMPRESSED THAT THE WOLF DEFERRED TO HIM. I’VE NEVER SEEN MOCO DO THAT WITH ANYONE, YOU AND I OR THE COUNCIL INCLUDED.”
"I should mention that I hear all nearby telepathy," said Ben, "though I can't produce any."
"MESSAGE RECEIVED, BENJAMIN," said Elizabeth. "I noticed that you and Moco wear matching magic amulets," she said to Amanda, changing the subject. She glanced knowingly at the green gem stone that the vampire wore as a necklace and the matching one that was attached to Moco's belt buckle.
"Yes," said the vampire. "My family uses them to communicate with each other. Most of them are not telepathic although I am. The amulet is not telepathy but it works well enough. And it works across any distance."
Elizabeth found herself annoyed to learn that the vampire was telepathic and also possessed magic amulets of impressive capabilities. Magic among non-Wizards was rare and frowned upon by the Wizards of Hope. "Ben has no such amulet?"
"They don't work for him," said Amanda. "He's sort of a magic dead-zone, except for what he does himself subconsciously. His handicap is the essence of why we moved here to Hope."
“Yes, even though moving to Hope will probably make things difficult for all of you,” said Red Eric. "For what it’s worth we’ll of course help as much as we can.” He looked at his wife for affirmation.
“Which might not be much,” she added, though she nodded in agreement. “We’re both Council Members but there are nine other members. We’ll try to see that you are treated fairly, of course.”
“You know that I’ll help,” added Ann. “And Mark too.”
“Sure,” Mark added, though without as much enthusiasm.
“Thanks,” said Ben. “That means a lot to us.”
“Alright, that’s all settled then,” said Elizabeth. “I don’t think we need all run out and tell all of Hope the juicy details right away, but they won’t be secrets, and Eric and I will need to report it all to the Council very soon. But right now give me about ten minutes in the kitchen and dinner will be ready.”
“Smells delicious, Elizabeth,” said Moco, sniffing the air. “Both beef and duck?”
“Best way to pacify a wolf,” Elizabeth acknowledged, as she stood up and walked towards the kitchen. "Some of it is uncooked, of course. Nice and bloody. I'll just warm the raw meat up to body-temperature for you."
Dinner conversation was limited to mostly small-talk, though Mark asked a lot of questions about elves and Alure. Ben downplayed and prefaced his answers with many declarations that he had been a small child and hidden away by Soone while he was in Alure, so he was by no means an expert on the world of the elves. Nevertheless, what he did know fascinated the Tuttles, including his description of Soone's wondrous gardens. What the elves accomplished on Alure through magic far surpassed anything the Hope Wizards could begin to even imagine.
Eric and Elizabeth were particularly fascinated that the elves also ruled themselves using a council, with membership determined largely by magic capability. It sounded so similar to the Hope Council that he wondered if the elves were somehow involved long ago in setting up the Earth approach. Hope early history was a jumble of conflicting stories that included elves, but many of the details had been lost.
After dinner, the adults retired to the study to talk while Mark and Ann gave Ben a tour of the basement rec-room, which featured Mark’s prized computer gaming equipment. “Lately I game a lot over the internet with Troy Grim and Frank Marks,” Mark explained. “You remember them?”
“Vaguely,” Ben admitted. From grade-school he remembered them as pushy, unfriendly, considerably older boys; bigoted sons of Wizards that felt that they were something special. Troy especially was a mean bully. But perhaps they had changed?
“Tonight and tomorrow you can prep with Mark and me for Evaluations, Ben,” said Ann. “Evaluations are the day after tomorrow.”
“I’ve already told Troy and Frank that I’d spend this evening with them at Troy’s,” said Mark. “That was before Ben showed up, of course. You can come with me, Ben; I don’t suppose Troy would mind. They took their Evaluations three years ago and are going to give me some pointers.”
Ann rolled her eyes in exasperation.
“Thanks,” said Ben, “but I’m not worried about preparing for Evaluations and I’m still busy
with unpacking. Maybe some other time.”
“Maybe it’s just as well,” said Mark. “Troy can be a little particular when it comes to people; I should probably convince him that you’re OK before showing up at his doorstep with you.”
“Whatever being ‘OK’ means for Troy,” quipped Ann.
“You know how Troy is,” Mark retorted.
“Exactly. That’s why I can’t fathom why you or anyone else wants anything to do with him.”
“Because he practically runs the school, that’s why! He runs the ‘in’ crowd for sure. Maybe you don’t want any fun or friends, but I do.”
“I’m particular about my friends, thank you, and am very happy to not count Troy Grim as one of them. Besides, most of Troy’s popularity is in his own little mind. I hear that most kids won’t have anything to do with him. Aside from Frank, only John and Fred follow him without being pushed into it out of fear. He’s bad news at Hope High School, just like he always has been. I hear that the other Apprentice Wizards have formed a secret sort of club in part as defense against Troy and his crew.”
“Troy’s not perfect, but he’s not that bad, and he’s a fact of life. Mom and Dad have to put up with his dad, and you and I have to put up with Troy.”
“I do put up with him, but I do it by as much as possible not having anything to do with him,” Ann explained. "And that goes for his creepy friends too, especially Fred Hanes. There's something really creepy about him. I can't read him at all. He's somehow cloaked and maybe shielded I think, maybe as soundly as Ben is."
Mark shook his head in exasperation. “Your pig-headedness is one of the reasons I have to be in such good graces with Troy in the first place!” He stomped out of the rec-room and up the stairs, leaving an upset looking Ann and a bemused Ben, who had listened to the growing argument from the sidelines until the Tuttle twins seemed to have forgotten about him.
“I’m sorry to have set off an argument,” Ben told Ann.
“It’s not your fault,” Ann replied. “Troy and his gang are plain no good, in my opinion, but Mark can’t seem to see that, or he doesn’t care. Troy just puts up with Mark because our parents are Council members. But he can't hide his contempt for our whole family and everyone else.”
They started up the stairs to rejoin the grownups.
“Can I still come over tomorrow anyway, Ann?” Ben asked.
“Of course you can,” she replied, with a smile. “You’re always welcome here, Cub.”
Ben smiled. “The Wolf has always called me that. Will I have to put up with being called that from you now too?”
“Probably, unless you'd rather be called Trouble Maker.”
“Ready to trot back to the den?” Moco asked of Ben, as the two teens entered the study where the adults were congregated. “I’ll need to prowl the yard for a while in full wolf form.”
“He needs to spread his scent around the place,” explained Amanda, smiling her sharp-fanged smile. “Wolves will be wolves!”
“Just try to limit the late night howling please,” Eric requested, with a grin. “Some of us humans have to work days.”
****
“That went fairly well,” Amanda said, while walking home. The sun had set, which also cheered her up considerably. Vampires didn’t rapidly disintegrate in sunlight, but it bothered them terribly. “You know I don’t care much for Wizards, but they seemed to be really decent people, especially Red Eric.”
“All men like you, much as you like them, Love,” said Moco. “It’s in their blood and yours. Ann really likes you, Cub,” he told Ben, as he playfully mussed the boy’s long black hair with a huge hand.
“As does Red Eric,” Amanda added, “even if he is also male. I read mixed feelings from the other two. Elizabeth seemed a bit upset about my telepathy and amulets.”
“Wizards usually tend to be upset when some non-Wizards also have powers," said Moco. "Elizabeth never was that friendly with me, but Mark is a true puzzle. That young man is conflicted about something.”
“Mark is alright,” Ben said uncertainly.
“He ran outside before you and your girl came upstairs, Cub, and he didn’t look happy,” said the Wolf.
“He has left the vicinity,” added the vampire. “I can’t sense him nearby at all, not even cloaked.” Elizabeth had excellent sensing abilities, even for a vampire, but it was only good for a few hundred meters. The aura of the Tuttle boy had faded away and been obscured by that of others. She wasn't used to living in a town. She sensed too many people for comfort, dozens of them, all with hearts pounding yummy blood through their warm flesh! She sniffed the air. It was full of the scent of human prey, but many years ago she had sworn off eating humans, as had Moco. Here among them it was going to be a long night.
"Did you tell them about the message from Alan Dale?" Ben asked.
"To an extent," said Moco. "I told them that I left a letter for Council at the Courthouse, that it was from Alan Dale and it was highly important. I didn't describe its contents."
"Dale said not to trust anyone, not even old friends," said Ben.
"And I don't," said Moco. "I don't trust the Council to even consider the letter, though if they don't I think that Eric will honestly let us know that. I promised Alan and my brother that I'll see that the Hope Council gets the letter and considers it. Only when Eric correctly feeds back to me what's in the letter and also tells me that the Council has seen and considered it will we contact Alan through the amulets and affirm its successful delivery. Damn I hate politics!"
"This project of Dale's will turn their isolated little Hope Wizard-centered world upside down," said Amanda.
"And ours too," said Moco. "The Council will reject Dale's overtures, I predict. I just hope they don't take it out on the messengers. Can you contact your daughter from this place? I can't make out specifics, but this whole area stinks of interfering wards."
"Your wolf-sense does you credit, my Love. The town protective wards are strong. But yes, I tried out my crystal ball and amulet this afternoon. The transmission through the Hope wards is slightly garbled, but quite satisfactory. At least it is far more dependable and secure than telephones or the internet. Until Alan's proposed talks with the Norm Government bear fruit, using a Norm means of communication is out of the question. Could you imagine what the Government's reaction to Demons might be? Think Army and NSA, and all Wizards arrested on suspicions of various sorts having to do with national security. Alan's plans better work or the Wizards will go down and take us with them."
The Wolf shook his shaggy head. "I hope that we will have a positive response from the Hope Council to convey to Alan, but I seriously doubt it."
Amanda nodded her agreement. "Your wolf-psyche driven pessimism is likely correct, Love."
****
CHAPTER 4
Trailer Trouble
In central Hope, Mark arrived at a huge old stone house. The building was nearly as old as Hope itself, and stood out even among the other old stately homes in this, the oldest section of Hope. Unlike the other houses on the street the Grim Mansion was totally dark. Even the light from nearby street lights seemed to wash out when it neared the stone structure.
Mark could sense that the house was very heavily warded, as was to be expected of any home occupied by Wizards. But why would someone ward against light? Besides Troy, the Grim Mansion was home to Horace Grim Junior, Troy Grim’s father the Council Chairman. Horace's father Horace Grim Senior was also rumored to still live there, though he hadn't been seen by non-family members for many years. Occasionally Junior referred to Horace Senior in the present tense. Mark hoped that he wouldn't encounter either Horace; Troy was a scary enough Grim to deal with. But because of the warded cloaking, Mark couldn’t tell if anyone was inside the dark house.
He had a bad feeling about the Mansion, even though like the King backyard, this place was said to be a natural nexus for Earth magic flow, as it was built over one of the local geological features that channeled Earth
Life Energies. That was supposed to be a positive thing, but perhaps the house wards blocked the Earth magic, because strangely, Mark could not detect it. Instead, he sensed nothing from the house at all. Ann had told him that according to Ben the Earth magic within Desolation Glen was blocked by Evil. Could that also be the case at the Grim Mansion? But no, that was a totally crazy thought! What would Evil be doing in the home of one of the most respected families of Hope?
But he couldn't help feeling spooked by the old dark Grim Mansion. Despite being out of breath from running most of the way to get there, Mark instinctively wanted to immediately run away from Grim Mansion and whatever dark mysteries it hid. Instead he walked to the backyard as Troy had instructed him to do, where he immediately found Troy.
“You’re late, Squirt,” said Troy Grim. Troy stood a full head taller than Mark and was built like a football player, which of course he was: he was the high school’s quarterback. Even in the light of only half a Moon his trademark good looks and blonde hair were apparent. With him stood Frank Marks, his loud-mouth right-hand man, and two other older boys that Mark recognized as Fred Hanes and John Dwight, other disturbing members of the Hope High Football squad that hung out with Troy. Each of them outweighed Mark by at least forty pounds.
“Are you sure the Squirt is up to it?” Frank asked, with a laugh.
“Up to what?” Mark asked, puzzled. It was his understanding that Troy and Frank would simply be giving him pointers on how to pass Evaluations.
“Nothing much,” Troy said. “Just a little initiation, that’s all. If you want to hang with us you have to show you got balls, kid.”
Frank got in Mark’s face, bending down to stare at him eye-to-eye. “Well, do you have any balls, Tuttle, or do you always let your Wizard Momma and Papa protect your soft little ass?”
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