by Terri Reid
“Understandable,” Sean inserted, walking alongside him.
“And when I got into the office, I discovered that several of my employees had been followed home last night and needed the assistance of the security personnel I had requested,” he said.
“Was anyone hurt?” Sean asked, stopping in his tracks, the smile dropping from his face.
Ian stepped forward from the door, overhearing Sean and Pete. “Is everything all right?” he asked.
Pete stopped the wheelchair and turned to Sean and Ian. “No one was hurt, but I spent a lot of time thinking about this whole situation,” he said slowly. “I don’t think we have all the information about Jamal yet.”
“You think Jamal is holding out on us?” Sean asked skeptically.
“No. No, that’s not it at all,” he said. “I think Jamal is in the dark as much as we are. But things just don’t seem to add up.”
“I agree,” Ian added, studying the outside of the church building and the statues of the saints staring down at him. “I feel we’re walking into the middle of a puzzle, and I’m not quite sure who I trust yet.”
Sean recalled Em’s comment about trust. Well for my part, I trust no one, she had told him. And I’ve never been disappointed.
“Maybe trusting no one is the wisest course for the time being,” Sean said aloud.
Pete nodded. “I agree,” he said. “Trust no one and keep your eyes open.”
They entered the church and walked towards the elevator. “So, who are we meeting?” Pete asked as they waited for the elevator to appear.
“Two of the aristocracy of the faery realm,” Sean said. “Aengus and Caer, the lord and lady of Chicagoland. Must be my peasant background, but I’ve never trusted aristocracy.”
“Excuse me?” Ian countered.
Sean grinned. “Present company excepted, of course.”
Ian nodded. “That’s more like it,” he replied with a smile. “So, in our cast of characters, who should we each be watching as this drama unfolds?”
“Well, I think it takes one to know one,” Sean replied. “So you, Sir Ian, get Aengus and Caer.”
Pete nodded. “That works for me,” he said. “I’ll keep an eye on Jamal’s grandmother. I have a feeling Mrs. Gage might not have told us everything she could have.”
“Okay,” Sean agreed. “And I’ll watch everyone else.”
Ian chuckled. “Well, if you need to trim that down a bit, I’d say the most interesting person to watch would be the good Father,” he suggested. “He’s a man who’s used to living with a secret, at least one, and I don’t find him as forthcoming as I’d like.”
The elevator door opened, and the three stepped inside. “Off to another adventure,” Sean murmured.
“Why the hell can’t we just play pool like the other guys?” Pete asked with a smile.
“Trust me, you’d be bored in ten minutes,” Sean replied.
The door opened, and they moved down the hall to Father Jack’s residence. Seeing that the door was not closed, they entered without knocking, and Sean glanced around the room at the occupants. Father Jack was in the kitchen pouring hot water into a tea pot. Gillian was sitting in a chair, facing the couch. Two people sat with their backs to Sean, and he assumed they were Aengus and Caer. But Em, Jamal and Mrs. Gage were nowhere to be seen.
“Ah, you’re here,” Father Jack said, looking across the room. “Good, now we can get things started.”
The two occupants on the couch turned, and immediately Pete gasped in surprise while Sean pulled his gun out of his holster and pointed it at the woman.
“You want to slowly stand with your hands in the air?” he commanded her.
Chapter Forty-four
“I beg your pardon?” Aengus demanded, turning in his chair and then standing to face Sean, Ian and Pete. “Do you know who she is?”
“Sean, put your gun down,” Father Jack pleaded. “This is Aengus and Caer. They are the diplomats of faery.”
“All I know is that she broke into my friend’s apartment last night, was waiting for him in his bed, and tried to seduce him,” Sean replied. “Then she escaped capture by jumping from his balcony.”
Aengus turned to Caer, one eyebrow lifted. “You seduced a human last night?”
Slowly, the beautiful, red-headed faerie stood, her face calm and slightly amused. She studied Pete for a moment, slowly licked her lips and then sighed with exaggerated disappointment. “No, I didn’t seduce him,” she said, looping her arm around her husband’s. “But I can certainly see why one would try.”
“Do you have a twin?” Pete asked. “If not, you were certainly in my bedroom last night, and you were definitely without clothing.”
Shrugging lightly, she met his eyes. “I do not have a twin,” she replied. “And I was not in your room last night, human.”
“I don’t believe you,” Pete replied.
The echo of Gillian’s sharp gasp was the only sound heard as the room slowly filled with silence. “I will have you killed,” Aengus roared, his eyes growing luminous with anger.
“You’ll have to go through me first,” Sean said, stepping between his friend and the faerie. “And it won’t be that easy.”
“Pete, faeries can’t lie,” Gillian said, standing and hurrying across the room. “They can trick you and manipulate things, but they can’t out and out lie.”
“I recorded you on my phone,” Pete said, pulling out the phone and offering it. “I didn’t realize it until this morning. But when I put the call into Sean, I must have hit the video record. It’s not a good angle, but enough to see who was in my room. Tell me that’s not your wife.”
Gillian took the proffered phone and handed it to Aengus. He watched it for a moment, his eyes widening, and then rewound it and watched it again. Without making a comment, he handed it to his wife. The amusement in her face changed to outrage as she watched the video. “Who would dare do this?” she asked, lifting her hand in an attempt to smash the offending device.
“Wait! Phone!” Pete called, stretching his hands out. “Don’t damage the phone!”
Tossing him a defiant look, she hurled it against the wooden floor. Pete winced as he heard the delicate, electronic device crack upon impact.
Shaking his head slowly, Aengus stood and picked up the pieces. “My darling, we can’t take our temper out on inanimate objects that had nothing to do with the betrayal,” he said easily, cupping the phone inside both of his hands. “We need to save that anger up, let it simmer and use it on those who deserve our wrath.”
He turned to Pete and bowed slightly. “Your phone,” he said, surprising Pete by sliding an unbroken phone into his hands. “I do apologize for my wife’s display of anger. We generally don’t appreciate someone duplicating our likeness for their own use.”
Pete returned the nod. “I fully understand that feeling,” he said. Then he shifted his gaze to Caer. “And I apologize for doubting your word. I did not understand your culture.”
Caer stared at Pete for a moment and then shook her head. “The uncertainty was understandable, given the circumstance,” she replied as she sat back down on the couch. “We will not have you killed.”
Sean shook his head in amazement. “Okay, now that we’re all buddy-buddy like, can someone please tell me what the hell is going on?” he asked.
Chapter Forty-five
Aengus cleared his throat lightly and looked across the room. “Well, Father Jack, you are much more acquainted with the realms of both hell and heaven,” he said sardonically. “Perhaps you might be the more appropriate person to lead this conversation.”
Father Jack sat back in his chair and templed his hands for a moment before he spoke. Finally, after taking a deep breath, he turned to Sean. “As you know, from the very beginning of our existence in the human race there has been a need for opposition in all things,” he said.
“Father, with all due respect,” Sean interrupted, “can we have the condensed version of the stor
y?”
A slight smile appeared on Aengus’ lips. “Ah, it seems he has already begun to understand you, Jack.”
Father Jack nodded. “Yes, it appears he has,” he said. “The short version, Detective O’Reilly, is that when there is an organization for good, there generally is an opposing organization for bad. Such is the case in this instance.”
“You mean there are people out there who want to let the jailed up fairies go free?” Sean asked. “Doesn’t seem like such a bad idea to me. I’m all about emancipation.”
“Are you?” Aengus interrupted, turning to Sean. “Would you let the animals in the zoo go free?”
“Well, not in the middle of the city,” Sean replied with a shrug. “But, back in the wilds where they came from, hell yeah.”
“You are not alone in your thinking,” Aengus said, standing and pacing across the room. “We had some earlier members of the Order who felt the same way. Not only did they feel the Unseelies should have been freed, but they thought they would have been a superior weapon when we were fighting against the unspeakable atrocities of World War II.”
Sean nodded. “Yeah, I can see that,” he said. “An army of immortal, magical guys on your side. I can’t see a downside.”
Aengus turned towards him quickly. “You cannot?” he asked. “What if those who control them decided they didn’t feel democracy was the correct way to organize a nation? What if they felt they had advanced intelligence and, for the betterment of the entire world, forced their way of thinking on all? All, of course, in the name of improving humanity. What if they, like Hitler, decided there ought to be a super race, and they were the ones who decided which characteristics, beliefs, or cultures were superior?”
Sean considered Aengus’ response, images of creatures like those he’d seen in the past few months escaping from an underground lair flashing through his mind. But then, other images, more poignant and real took their place: images of emaciated prisoners standing near the fences of the concentration camps, hollowed out trenches for mass graves, and long, stockade buildings that held gas chambers. He shook his head. Which set of monsters were worse?
“Okay. Okay, I can see a downside,” he said. “But, by freeing those Unseelies, what if you could have prevented some of the carnage that occurred. Did you think of that?”
Aengus shook his head. “When we made our decision, we didn’t understand all that was occurring in the enemy camp. And had we known of the horrors we would find in the following months, perhaps we would have changed our minds,” he said with a tightening of his jaw. “But we, as a council, agreed the risk of releasing them was far too great, and we denied the request.”
“So, you guys nixed the plan to open the gates and let out the Unseelies,” Sean said. “Where does this other group, the bad guys, come in?”
“They were those in the Order who did not agree with that decision,” Aengus replied. “They thought we were wrong. They thought they would be able to control the fae, and they wanted the power that would come with it.”
“Okay, crazy, egotistical, angry guys,” Sean said, nodding his head. “And they’re what, about a hundred years old now? Are they coming after us in their walkers?”
“Not all of them were human,” Aengus explained.
Sean studied the tall faerie for a moment and then nodded slowly. “So some of your kind jumped ship on you,” he said.
“Yes,” Aengus replied shortly, “Some of my kind and some others. And those who were human and had a shorter lifespan passed their hate and their legacy on to their family members.”
“So, this is a family business,” Sean said. “And I’m guessing they are big, rich, important families.”
“Exactly,” Father Jack said. “Rich, important, wealthy and ruthless. They do not play by the same rules we play by, and they don’t care who they step on to get there.”
“Are they as widespread as members of the Order?” Sean asked.
“Yes,” Aengus replied. “They are all over the world.”
“What kind of advantage do they have over us?” Sean asked.
“They know who we are,” Father Jack answered. “But we are not sure who all of their members are.”
“And they have no problem manipulating humans to do their bidding,” Aengus added. “Which often leads our inquiries into a dead end.”
“Manipulating?” Sean repeated.
“Yes, the fae have the ability to use humans to do their work for them and then, if necessary, they have them forget,” Aengus said.
“So what happened to the fae can’t lie rule?” Sean asked.
“Generally, the relationship starts with a desire hidden in the subconscious of the human,” Aengus explained. “The fae merely gives the human access to that desire. But, if it’s more convenient for them to encourage the human to forget they were involved, they can suggest the humans have a lapse in memory.”
“Like hypnosis,” Ian inserted, “Power of suggestion.”
Aengus nodded. “Exactly,” he said, “With an emphasis on power.”
Chapter Forty-six
There was silence in the room for a long moment as everyone considered what had just been spoken. Sean rubbed the back of his neck, wondering when it was that the whole world turned upside down and brought him with it. He let his gaze wander around the room, mentally sorting between the people he could trust and those he wouldn’t turn his back on. The room was about evenly divided at this point.
“And these guys want Chicago?” he finally asked.
Aengus shrugged. “Chicago. New York. Los Angeles,” he said. “They want control, and Chicago is the first step.”
“Why here?” Sean asked.
“It’s the ley lines, isn’t it?” Ian inserted. “They have more power here.”
Aengus nodded, a look of surprise on his face. “Yes. Exactly,” he admitted. “Chicago has more energy than the other places.”
“And the ley lines are linked back to where all this started,” Ian added. “The monastery in Ireland.”
Aengus’ eyes widened. “Yes, they are,” he said, studying Ian for a moment longer and then added with an arched eyebrow. “Is there anything else you’d like to add?”
Ian bit back a smile when he heard Sean’s soft chuckle but never lost eye contact with Aengus. “Actually, yes, but first I have a question,” he replied. “This all seemed to escalate suddenly when we got involved with Jamal. Why is he so important?”
“Jamal?” Aengus asked, confused.
“The boy who witnessed the Wild Hunt,” Father Jack interjected.
Aengus nodded slowly. “Ah, yes, the survivor,” he said. “It would seem the answer would be obvious.”
“It would be obvious, except we now have at least a dozen more survivors from last night,” Sean added. “So, why the attack this morning?”
“There were no survivors from last night,” Aengus replied coolly. “At least according to my sources.”
“But, I…” Sean began, but Pete’s hand on his arm stopped him. Sean turned to see a warning in Pete’s eyes and a barely noticeable shake of his head. Sean swallowed his words and took a slow breath.
“You were going to say?” Aengus asked.
“If you don’t mind, I’d prefer to hear what your sources told you,” Pete said. “As it specifically pertains to the well-being of my client.”
Aengus shrugged. “Very well,” he said. “There were a large number of casualties who were obviously victims of the hunt. But there were also a smaller number, perhaps a few dozen, who had been shot.”
“Shot?” Sean choked. “But the Hunt doesn’t use guns.”
“No. They don’t,” Aengus replied. “One must assume that the gang war had started before the Hunt appeared, and those deaths occurred first.”
Before Sean could speak, Pete tightened his hold on Sean’s arm and then turned his attention to Aengus. “Well, that makes sense,” Pete said calmly. “So, there are no survivors except for Jamal.”
“Come again?” Sean asked.
“If the Hunt’s direction was to kill all of the humans, why didn’t they start with Jamal?” Aengus asked.
“Because the whispers were protecting him,” Mrs. Gage said, her voice firm with faith as she stepped into the room from Father’s Jack study on the other side of the room.
“The whispers,” Caer chuckled. “Really?”
“Those too stupid to comprehend often mock,” Em inserted as she followed Mrs. Gage into the room. Then she turned to Father Jack. “I apologize; she slipped out before I could stop her.”
Caer stood up and glared at Em, then turned to Father Jack. “What is she doing here?” she demanded. “She is not fit to be in my presence.”
“You can leave,” Sean said, directing his comment at Caer with a casual shrug.
Caer turned and looked at Sean with astonishment. “What did you say?” she asked, incredulous.
Sean stepped sideways and opened the door. “I said, you can leave,” Sean replied evenly. “Em is a valuable member of this team, and I won’t have her insulted in any way.”
“You know what she is, don’t you?” Caer asked with contempt.
Sean nodded, his eyes never leaving Caer’s. “Yes, I do,” he said. “She’s the best damn warrior I’ve ever met.”
Aengus took hold of his wife’s arm and guided her firmly back into her chair. “Sit down, Caer,” he said quietly, with a tone that brooked no argument. “We have far too much at stake here to let petty annoyances distract us.”
Caer hissed softly, pulled her arm out of Aengus’ grasp and sat down with a huff.
Sean decided that it was best to continue as if nothing had happened. “Mrs. Gage,” he said, “I don’t know if it’s a good idea for you to be here.”
