“Watch what you say, you idiot!” Harris hissed urgently.
“Because ‘his royal pain in the ass’ can hear you,” Jimmy said, suddenly behind Harmond, blazing in angry fire. “And the big men with sticks are unlikely to take insults to him kindly.”
Harmond gulped. “My apologies, Lord Daybreak. I let my frustration at the situation get the better of me. I do not want to disrespect you.” I nodded slowly once and Jimmy backed away slowly.
“How is this unlike him?” Thorn asked, looking around the room carefully.
“First off, he’s not talking,” Harris said, worriedly. “First has spoken more than he has and that’s not normal. And second and probably most telling, where are his brothers? They don’t go anywhere alone. No, he’s up to something. Your only option at this point is to try to limit your losses as best you can. He’s got you dead to rights. If he was one of the Queens, the United States would be without half its government right now and all of its military would be in her thrall. You’ve gotten amazingly lucky. He’s the nice one.”
Jimmy and I both burst out laughing at that. We couldn’t help it. The man with a death sentence on his head just called me the “nice one.” Whether he meant the Faeries or my brothers, it was funny.
“Who are the blue men?” Harris asked while Jimmy and I were preoccupied.
“Presumably part of the forces that sought sanctuary with him a few days ago,” Thorn answered. “They’ve, ah, changed a little, it would seem.”
“Sanctuary? You mean, asylum?” Harris asked, alarmed. “That must have been before he learned about your Entity status, then.” He thought for a moment. “Ask him if questions are permitted.”
“Yes,” I said, skipping their question. “You may ask questions, Marshal. I may not answer.”
“Understood, Lord Daybreak,” Harris said. “Who is currently on-site that would remember the signing of the Accords which aligned the Pentagon as an Entity?”
“The third Signatory is currently on-site and trying rather desperately to find his Great Egress,” I told him, wondering if they would catch a century old circus reference. “One Arnold Elton Dominick.”
Chapter 53
Barnett returned then, hurrying across the room to Harmond.
“Col. White is packing a bag now, Lord,” Jimmy announced before Barnett could say anything. “Sgt. Morton is with him and will return shortly.”
“Thank you, First,” I said, cheerfully. “Best news I’ve had all day.” And it was sadly true. Barnett, somewhat deflated, nodded to Harmond.
“That matter has been taken care of, General,” he said quietly.
“Thank you, Colonel,” Harmond said, distractedly. “Lord Daybreak, should we call for Mr. Dominick? If he knows more than we do…”
“Daybreak knows the head of the Magic Division?” Harris nearly shrieked in shock. “And you didn’t think you should tell me that? And he’s the freakin’ Signatory? Could this get worse?”
“Yes,” I said simply and left it at that. Of course, I had no idea who Dominick was outside of a signer of those two documents. Extra information was always good to have.
“You’re up to something,” Harris said to me suspiciously. I smiled wanly.
“Explain to them why they’re in trouble, Clifford,” I said in a bored voice. “Let’s get this over with. Breakfast was some time ago.”
“There are several problems, sir. Which is the one under consideration at the moment?” Harris asked.
“The matter of the favor owed is, at the moment, the greatest concern,” I answered. “Most of the others will fall away after reconciliation of that.”
“True,” Harris said sadly. “Two questions, General Harmond. When did Lord Daybreak meet Mr. Dominick?”
“At the contract signing for the asylum papers,” Harmond said. “Daybreak picked him out of a crowd of sixty people.”
“And who was present when Daybreak asked his favor?” Harris asked without pause or comment to Harmond’s answer.
“The four of us, all five of them, the Grimes kids, Sgt. Dawes, Major Byr—,” Harmond said before Jimmy interrupted him.
“Commander Byrnes,” Jimmy said loudly, across the room from them.
“Commander Byrnes,” Harmond corrected, “And the woman we thought was Cpt. Pierce.”
“Okay,” Harris said, taking a deep breath. “First off, in a preschool way of explaining particle physics, the Unseelie Accords is a supercharged peace treaty that keeps the strongest powers that be from tearing the world to shreds. Since we live here, it conveniently keeps us alive at the same time. The Rules of Hospitality define how everyone interacts since the disparate powers exist in very different environments with very different points of view. For those not bound by the Oath, it can protect them immensely, especially as a whole.
“Since you are bound by the Oath as an Entity,” Harris said seriously, “you gain some privileges not normally granted to others, among them a stronger position in bargaining. When Dominick signed the asylum contract, he publicly admitted knowledge of the Pentagon’s position, not that it mattered to Daybreak’s point of view. It’s the bargaining position that’s the problem here.
“Daybreak asked a favor of you and you complied,” Harris continued. “Probably a perfectly natural part of the conversation, too. I doubt he even considered the ramifications at the time.” He glanced over at me, so I threw him a bone and shrugged slightly. “But even then, he knew that there’d be a repayment due at some time. Being who he is, though, he bulldozed through it and left it open till later.”
“Is that good or bad?” Thorn asked quickly.
“To this particular incident, it’s indifferent,” Harris answered. “But it speaks to his character and to his brothers’ characters as well. And it is your only saving grace here. The woman was a spy. That she wasn’t your spy is unimportant. Worse, she presented a danger to his realm and its safety. And again worse, when he asked to verify her position, you refused him and made yourselves complicit in her crimes. Again. So, not only did you fail on your side of the bargain while still being in a position to demand repayment, but you have committed an act of war against him. Both are rather severe breaches within the Rules of Hospitality.”
“I… can imagine,” Harmond said, shell-shocked.
“And the only prescribed penalty?” I asked.
“The… end of the Entity,” Harris said, staring at the floor suddenly, but he lightened up a second later. “But I don’t think he’s going to do that. He wouldn’t have dragged this out like this if he meant to just kill everybody.”
“Bravo, Clifford,” I said, congratulating the weasel. “A little better than preschool but nothing they can’t handle.”
“You can’t be serious, Seth,” Harmond said, grinning uneasily. “Killing everyone in the Pentagon? Even if you could, what would that accomplish?”
“Shut up, you idiot!” Harris hissed.
“Very good advice, Cliff. You would be smart to take it, General,” I said coolly. “We stand a chance of defeating this conspiracy by tomorrow and possibly ending the war on wizardry by Friday, but only if I have your full cooperation. You need to understand how badly you’re in the hole to me, how much you owe me, because you’re going to have to work very hard over the next few days to make up for some of that. And you’re not going to like most of it. Things are going to get nasty and bloody. Hopefully, not on our side, though.”
“End the war?” Harris asked hopefully, clearly asking for clarification.
“Your end of it, at least,” I said. “There’s more going on with that than meets the eye. But again, only possibly. My brothers are investigating.”
“So you know who’s behind all of this?” Harris asked expectantly.
“No, we’re eliminating enemies one by one,” I said, showing my distaste for the method. “We’ve got to come up with a better way. With seven billion people on the planet and who knows how many realms and dimensions they could be hiding in, the
y might get successful before we do.”
“All right, where do we fit into this?” Harmond asked.
“I’m done here,” I said, shaking my head and turning my back to them. “Dense as the veil.” Concentrating on the sense of Dominick from our previous encounter, I shoved power around that presence and a word rolled out of my mind from somewhere, “fetch.”
The rings in my shirt strobed in burning intensity briefly as the spell worked. Harmond and company shielded their eyes while I was busy with the world quavering. That was one of Kieran’s words, the ones that made everything shimmer and quake. But Kieran never said that word around me. How did I know it?
Dominick appeared in a cloudy field of mustard yellow, shouting, “…it work! I have to get out of here, now!” The field dissipated rapidly as Dominick realized he wasn’t where he thought he was and he was shouting at my Guard. He looked around sharply, trying to ascertain where he was, stopping instantly on me and panicking, clamping down on his emotions immediately.
“Mis-ter Dominick,” I drawled. “The Pentagon has breached the Rules of Hospitality and committed an Act of War against me. Your agents lack the proficiency to even discuss the matter and you are trying to leave the premises. Why is that?”
“I simply have an important meeting to attend, Lord Daybreak,” Dominick said. “I was unaware that you were here.”
“You should only lie to those less able to tell, Mr. Dominick,” I said curtly. “Why didn’t you mention the Pentagon’s status at the contract signing?”
“I didn’t think it necessary, sir,” he answered.
“But it was necessary that you sign the contracts,” I said.
“Well, yes, sir,” he said, seemingly confused. “I am the most senior of the Magic Division, after all.”
“But it wasn’t necessary to make certain that all of your staff know how to act under the Rules?” I asked.
“Hospitality is covered in orientation classes,” Dominick said defensively.
“As a code of conduct. Lie or even attempt to mislead me again and I will call on the Authority of the Accords and pronounce summary judgment. Am I clear, Mr. Dominick?”
“Yes, sir,” Dominick said meekly.
“Why doesn’t your staff know the Rules?” I asked again slowly.
“Because too many people thought that they could make agreements based on them in the beginning,” he said. “It created a number of problems during the first two years that took over a decade to fix and we lost a number of good people during that time. It was agreed that if knowledge of how and why certain things were done were limited to certain people then damage could be contained.”
“So as long as no one knew how to light a match, the gasoline and matches could be kept together,” I said.
“To make that appropriate to our condition at the time, Lord Daybreak, the matches were broken and soaked in water,” Dominick countered.
Dominick told the truth as well as any elf. The question now was would he believe me.
“Very well, Mr. Dominick. I’ll accept that,” I said imperiously. “The Fifties was a very different era, post-WWII, the rise of communism, nuclear proliferation, Korea, the Cold War. I wasn’t there to know better, but now is a much different situation. You gave them permission to bargain with me in my presence, Mr. Dominick. They made a bargain, a bad one. They broke protocols. And all because they didn’t know what they were doing. Who’s going to pay the price for that, Mr. Dominick?”
“What’s the price?” he asked, gulping.
“Answer the question,” I said sternly and suddenly felt little more comfortable, maybe a little more at home. My shirt glowed with Daybreak and Gilán’s energy and Gilán flooded the room. Dominick tensed at the feelings I projected, working hard not to show reaction.
“We are,” Dominick said, very afraid now.
“Yes, you are,” I said, circling him. “And badly. You risked my Realm. Admittedly an excruciatingly small risk, but the probability of its existence in the first place falls far shorter. I don’t like to take chances where Gilán is concerned.
“My price for not calling a breach is this. First, any unfinished agreements between us are void and will have to be re-negotiated. Second, under compulsion, every member with an M-rating of any kind will be trained in all aspects of Hospitality as well as bargaining. Starting with these four here. Third, under compulsion, you will notify every Accorded Entity that you have re-entered the political arena.
“And finally, Mr. Dominick,” I said, drawing in a deep breath, “because it was an important issue with me, involving someone’s family, you will owe me fifty favors in the future that you will not refuse. Do you agree to this, Mr. Dominick?”
He hung his head in resignation, knowing the consequences of denial. “Yes, Lord Daybreak, I accept.”
I pushed into his mind then, to place the compulsions. Expecting the layers of detritus of years of workings, I found more than I expected. Dominick had many compulsions and near-compulsions placed on him by his first master, long since completed but still active. Instead of merely adding mine to the end of the chain, I cleared away the junk by breaking the bindings and seared my bindings into place at the top of his consciousness. Dominick felt the change immediately, swooning as his own energies were re-directed and mine imposed my will on him.
“Good day, Mr. Dominick,” I said, then wrapped him in a portal and sent him back to where he came from. Turning back to Harmond and Harris, I said, “Gentlemen, I do not like working with the Accords. I prefer a more understanding and friendly relationship. Honesty is important. Full disclosure is neither expected nor given, but spying is unforgivable. This wasn’t your spy, though, which is why this building is still standing. And once Dominick finishes with the compulsory training for you, you’ll understand precisely how well you’ve done here. Care to take a guess, Marshal Harris?”
“Freakin’ amazingly well would be my first guess,” Harris squeaked. “Makes me wonder what you’re up to, Seth McClure.”
“At the moment, my biggest concern is self-preservation,” I said cheerfully, changing my mood considerably. “And we’ve just had the most wonderful luck.”
“Have you now?” Harris remarked, curious.
“Yes, and it brought up an unanswered question that I assumed you could help me with, Marshal,” I said. “Why were you missing the night of the attempt on my home? Why were you unavailable most of the next day?”
Harris stiffened before saying, “I was told to make myself unavailable.”
“How’d that work out for ya?” Jimmy asked, chuckling happily.
“On a personal level, not well at all,” Harris said grumpily. “My boss wasn’t happy with the loss of Calhoun, either.”
“Oh? Did something happen with Marshal Calhoun?” I asked indifferently.
“He requested medical retirement immediately after returning from Alabama,” Harris said evenly.
“Ah, that makes sense,” I responded, meeting his eyes and accepting the accusation evenly. “I was angry when I discovered the many different ways I was being screwed over that day. Why were you told to be unavailable?”
“I haven’t been able to find out yet,” Harris mumbled. “But what it looks like is several people felt the danger to you was over and they wanted to see how you coped.”
“So, another test,” I said, still cheerfully. “When do we begin testing all of you, I wonder? I’ll have to ask Kieran what he thinks.”
“Isn’t that what you’re doing now?” Harmond asked.
“No, General, now I am dealing with a problem,” I said. “But you might want to pass the word around. If I’m pressed into another test, I will be most angry, as will my brothers if they are likewise tested. We were doing the right thing and involving the law. You’re teaching us that is a bad thing to do. Is that the lesson you want us to learn?”
“No, absolutely not,” Harris said.
“Especially since the Fifties, eh, Mr. Harris?” I said wi
th a grin. “General, the first favor I will require of you is simple transportation of pairs of my Guards to various ports around the world. Nothing spectacular, they can accompany your normal troop transports and I don’t require any knowledge of any secret bases or anything. I’ll send someone on Friday to begin coordinating with Cpt. Thorn.
“And I won’t keep you waiting on the rest,” I said, as Sgt. Morton returned to the room, taking position at the beginning of the hall and waiting. “I’ll return in a few hours with some things I’d like delivered. Yes, I know, not a task usually performed by the various branches of the military, but I need them there by tomorrow morning and they’re not places normally supported by the Post Office. You might need to forewarn whomever is in charge of the Middle East Theater that you’re going to require a few helicopters.”
“I don’t have that authority, Lord Daybreak,” Harmond said, surprised.
“Then speak to Mr. Dominick. He has the necessary influence,” I told him. “As I said, I don’t like working within the Accords, gentlemen. I prefer a friendlier, more natural relationship, perhaps even business-like. I had assumed, perhaps mistakenly, that was why you were involved, General Harmond, instead of Mr. Dominick and his department.”
“No, sir, not quite,” Harmond said. “Yours is an unusual situation that I was brought in on after the cock up that covert affairs and Dominick made of their first attempt to handle it. Usually my office deals with lawyers and diplomats.”
I smiled. “So you’re not used to dealing with raving lunatics who run through the building with men on fire, is that what you’re saying?” He glanced over nervously at Sgt. Morton, who smiled slyly at him.
“A fair assessment, yes, sir,” said Harmond.
“Hopefully, that will not become an issue,” I said, still cheerful. “I’ll be back in a few hours, gentlemen. Until then, good day.”
The Honor Guard snapped to attention and slammed their staves to the ground again. I shifted the ten of us to the Throne Room in the Palace before the echoes bounced from the walls of Harmond’s office, releasing the field that held the doors closed at the same time.
Sons (Book 2) Page 99
