Charlie smiled. “Not unless you have five mugs of some drink with super powers.”
“No. But I do have hot chocolate.”
Despite everything that was going on, they shared a snicker. A few seconds later, they pulled up in front of the Sullivan house and Charlie crawled out. “Thanks for the ride, Tavern.”
“Not a problem. And Charlie?”
Charlie held the door open, waiting.
“Good luck tomorrow.”
He nodded, pushed the door closed, and watched Tavern drive off into the night. Above the street, Charlie could see Hunter’s Key’s tallest tower lit up, looking down from above, and feeling from it a sense of foreboding, warning.
He opened the door, walking in to a quiet house. In the kitchen he found a sticky note that read, Dinner in the Fridge. Love you. Dad.
Charlie went to bed on an empty stomach.
Chapter 17
Sunday morning had arrived.
Separately, they made their way to the Key early, and it was quiet without Darcy there to snippily prepare them for the day. There were no texts from her either. She was probably under her mother’s vengeful watch. The morning dew was peaceful and still visibly gracing Hunter’s Grove. It was the only peaceful thing in their world this morning.
“Nice morning for a stroll?”
Charlie heard a voice call out to him as his tired legs reached the iron gate. He looked up to see Nash, Lisa, and Liev all waiting on him.
“What are you guys doing?” he asked.
“Waiting for our fearless leader, of course,” Liev said. “Or are you just sleepless?”
Charlie grunted. “Ask me again in two hours.”
“If they haven’t beheaded us all by then, I will. Here,” he said, handing Charlie a steaming cup with a cardboard sleeve. Everyone else had one of their own. “Tavern made sure to give these to me this morning. He said something about it being hot chocolate with superpowers or something.”
Charlie smiled and silently thanked Tavern for the reminder of what they were really fighting for.
It was unusual, seeing so many cars lined up in front of the Key. Elizabeth’s car was there, too. Lisa flipped her phone open and sent Darcy a text to find out where she was in the Key. The phone buzzed seconds later.
“Darcy is up in Loch’s room,” she told the group as they reached the front door. “So is Blondie.”
They snuck through the Main Lobby—hoping desperately to avoid the council members, wherever they might be—and up the stairs. Darcy stood at Loch’s door, apparently watching for foot traffic in the hallway. She waved quietly at the others, looking dead tired. She moved inside, letting them in the door.
“Morning,” Nash said quietly.
Darcy smiled at him. “Good morning.”
“Another healing session?” Charlie asked, seeing Aisling and the two faoladh on either side of Loch’s bed. Quinn’s face was wolfish—in a very literal sense—and he was tearing at the unseen strands of magic above Loch.
“This is our third. We did one last night, as well.”
“He looks better,” Charlie said, hopeful. “Have you tried waking him up?”
Aisling nodded sadly. “He isn’t strong enough yet.”
“Guys,” said Darcy from the door. She held her phone up. “It’s time.”
“We really gonna do this?” Nash asked Charlie.
Charlie looked at Loch, still asleep, letting go of last-minute hopes and wishes. “I don’t think we have a better option.”
Darcy looked at everyone else, seeing the grim look in their eyes. “What are we doing?”
“With your mom under the influence of dark magic,” Charlie explained, “the council’s majority is going to vote against us. At least, I believe they will. At that point, they’ll move to kill Liev, and we won’t be recognized as hunters anymore. I can’t accept that.”
“In other words, we’re going to fight,” Lisa said.
Charlie looked at her, surprised at the steeled tone in her voice. She looked at him, with the old, fiery Lisa present in her eyes. He was glad—when Lisa determined she was going to do something, it took an army to stop her.
He hoped the council members weren’t more powerful than that army.
The war room seemed colder as they entered that morning. Darker. It was a room the five hunters had spent months in, building many fond memories of friendship, planning, and hard training. Right now, it felt like they were marching to their own funeral, charged for the very things that gave them so much life.
“Second meeting,” Elizabeth Witherington stated matter-of-factly from the table as they came in and took their seats. Elizabeth continued, “Exclusion of these five individuals as Monster Hunters of Hunter’s Grove, the existence of the faoladh in our midst, including the former alleged hunter Liev Vadiknov.” Her voice was raspy. Darcy’s mother seemed much less human in her display, and more of a hex-cast instrument of pre-ordained sentencing. Her hair was astray and unkempt, and black-stained circles now seized her eyes. She slumped over a sheaf of papers like she was drunk from a vile of poisoned wine, fingers gripping her place at the table, curled like talons. Wotan Gregory made no attempt to diminish or camouflage his pleasure at her robotic tone.
Darcy could hardly look at her mother, and nearly everyone else in the room was troubled by it as well—the once stately, confident, and radiant, Elizabeth Witherington was being smothered under the effect of hateful incantations.
If the council seemed a motley collection of warriors before, now it was an even more distorted image than yesterday. The gargoyles sat much closer, as if prepared, anticipating, for some attack to take place. At the table, Aisling had been replaced by the still-battered Priest, who now sat next to a staid and solemn Bartholome. Elizabeth Witherington sat like a zombie next to Wotan, who was impeccably dressed for a Sunday morning and wholly disinterested in the group before him.
Kepi Naifeh idly admired a piece of her jewelry, a sneer curling her lip. Ashikaga stood out on the end, looking confused and somewhat on edge, eyes flitting here and there. Charlie almost felt bad for him, a powerful monster hunter and council member who was clearly recognizing something had gone wrong within the last twenty-four hours.
Almost felt bad.
Perhaps there was a way they could sway Ashikaga to their side.
Wotan cleared his throat, folding his reading glasses and tucking them away. “Are there any questions before we begin?”
“Only one,” Naifeh said from a few seats away. “Must the dogs be allowed to sit at the table?” She looked up from her nails, eyes like daggers pointing at Liev, Connor, and Quinn. They sat stoic, still.
Elizabeth chuckled, by no control of her own inflections.
“This is madness,” Priest muttered. The other council members ignored him.
“Then let us begin again.”
“Have any of us devised a way to stop the Ancients?” Priest asked.
He was simply buying time, everyone knew.
Naifeh stopped. “Are the old things even stirring in their sleep?”
“Beyond the Dark Prince’s attempts to wake them up and the meddling of a few witches, I have seen no proof that the Ancients are actually a threat at this moment,” Wotan said. “Has anyone else experienced anything terribly out of place at their own portals?”
“There has been increased traffic of creatures in the areas surrounding Matsue,” Ashikaga said.
Gregory waved his hand through the air, dismissing his colleague’s statement. “No doubt a repercussion of the actions of these five young people before us.”
“You’re blaming us for there being more monsters in a place we’ve never been?” Lisa asked, angered.
“When you put the Dark Prince in that neat little dimension, you absolved countless magical contracts and sent all of his army back to their old haunts. Therefore, yes. I can say it is a result of your actions.”
“We did what we had to do to save Hunter’s Grove,” Nash s
aid.
“An honorable effort. Of course, had there been a team of properly trained hunters, the army would have been disposed of before taking out the Dark Prince.”
“There was no way!” Lisa said, leaning forward. “There were thousands.”
“Another miscalculation on Loch’s part,” Naifeh said. “He should have waited for trained and worthy monster hunters to arrive and deal with the infestation.”
Charlie could see Lisa was near to crossing the distance of the table between them and start the fight early. He pulled at her elbow, nudging his head for her to take her seat. The council members wanted this to get out of hand, but so did he, on his terms. He would play their game until the end.
“So.” Wotan leaned forward to look beyond an impotent Elizabeth. “To answer your question, Priest, no. I don’t think any action needs to be taken on the account of old beings that are, in all likelihood, still in the middle of a long nap.”
“You and I both know that isn’t the case,” Priest growled.
“The problem is that I don’t know, and so far you haven’t brought anything to me other than paranoia. If I didn’t know better, I would say you were still stuck in a state of panic from your captivity under the Dark Prince. Such a case wouldn’t be meddling with your ability to make rational decisions on this council, would it?”
“No. There’s no such case, as you put it.”
“Good to hear. With that matter settled, I can say this. We will put out word for hunters around the world to keep an eye out for increased monster activity. Other than that, I don’t think there is any need to worry about them. Now, back to—”
“And what about Chen?” Priest asked, interrupting him.
Wotan took a deep breath. “Chen?”
“Aye, Chen. Our friend and fellow member who was kidnapped several days ago by a demon and a fool of a local boy. Chen is, like me, a council member from older times.”
“I know of him,” said Ashikaga. “The one who wields the dragon’s tongue. He is a legend in the society of hunters in Matsue.”
“His abduction, as you propose, is a shame,” Wotan said with an annoyed tone. “We can send out a team to search for him, although I can’t promise anything. If it really is a demon, as you say, there might not be anything left of your friend.”
“He’s still alive,” Priest said. “I saw him last night. It’s of interest to me that the demon was keeping him alive and, furthermore, that he put Chen on a plane and flew off. And are you aware of whose plane it was?”
“No doubt you are going to tell me.”
“Emmanuel’s.”
The other members looked at Bartholome with questions brewing in their eyes.
“I learned of this last night as well,” the strange man said, turning his top hat around on the table. They were the first words that fell from his tongue this morning. “From my informateurs. The plane was used without my permission, if that is what you are thinking,” he added, turning to Priest.
“I was thinking very little, other than what benefit they would have in taking your plane,” Priest said quietly.
Bartholome leaned over, whispering something to Priest.
“Something to say, Bartholome?” Naifeh inquired. “I would like to hear any juicy secrets.”
“Nothing to cut your teeth on, Queenie. I was merely stating that whoever decided to take my aircraft, of all the ones available, they made a horrible choice.”
“All very interesting, but irrelevant to the topic at hand,” Wotan said. “Priest, we will call in a team to work with you and Elizabeth and you can search for Chen in any way you see fit. That is more of a simple hunter’s job than a worry for this council. Now, here is where we really need to focus. Elizabeth?”
Elizabeth twitched in her seat. “There is another matter that has come to my attention,” she said. “Charlie, let me see your backpack.”
Charlie’s blood ran cold. “My backpack?” he asked, knowing in his heart what she was after.
Neither of them moved. Elizabeth reached out her hand, snapping her fingers. Charlie knew they were in trouble now. He reached behind his seat, and threw the backpack across the table. In his paranoia, he had not wished to let the Dark Prince’s diary out of his sight, especially not at home with his parents, and had since taken to carrying it wherever he went. Now it would be their downfall.
As his teammates looked at him with blazing concern in their eyes, Elizabeth reached into his backpack. Her curled fingers drew out the diary, a fiery victory in her eyes.
“Three nights ago, I noticed this book, the diary of the varcolac royal, the Dark Prince, in front of Charlie Sullivan and his friends. It is my understanding that he snuck up to Hunter’s Key’s top tower, a forbidden place in the Key, and removed the diary after breaking numerous magical wards. Is there any other evidence needed that this group is reckless and ill-suited to be the next generation of hunters?”
She passed the diary to Wotan, who tucked it into his coat pocket, and then continued.
“As individuals and as a group we have reconsidered the situation surrounding the group of the Monster Hunters of Hunter’s Grove. I have proposed that Darcy Witherington, although having acted in disobedience, will be trained in our society’s ways. She is the next in a long line of hunters and will one day inherit Hunter’s Key, and as such it is natural for her to be trained in our ways. Charlie Sullivan, Nash Stormstepper, and Lisa Vadiknov will all be released from responsibilities and thanked for their actions to help defend Hunter’s Grove from monsterkind.”
“Mom, that’s ridiculous. I wouldn’t be a hunter without the others—”
“Liev Vadiknov’s cursed life will be ended,” Elizabeth continued, overriding Darcy and causing her daughter’s jaw to drop. The others shifted uncomfortably, and Lisa started to stand. Charlie put his hand on hers, pulling her back down.
“Wait,” he whispered. Just then, a voice murmured inside his mind. Be ready, it said.
Ready for what? was all Charlie could think, and to his surprise, he received an answer.
You’ll know when it’s time. And when that time does come, secure Elizabeth Witherington.
Across the table, Bartholome caught Charlie’s eye, winked, and gave a knowing smirk. Charlie didn’t dare use the Sight, but he felt a chill in the air. Something unnatural.
Darcy’s mother continued. “As for Aisling McCarthy, being Maurie McCarthy’s granddaughter, you will also be trained properly as a hunter, and when the time comes you may rejoin the council. Your two faoladh companions are an affront to our society and will not be allowed to continue living. This is one proposal of the presiding council. Are there any others?”
“Yes,” Priest said, his voice booming throughout the empty space of the war room. He slammed his hand on the table for emphasis. “I propose that you all come to your senses and stop this madness! In their short time together, this group of young hunters has already experienced what most only hear rumors of in a lifetime, and they have accomplished great things with great character. To ignore that would be blindness, foolishness, on your part. Furthermore, Liev, as well as Connor and Quinn, are very much not undead creatures, as you have described them, and should be treated with the respect of living beings. We will treat them with the same basic rights as we do each other, as they have helped carry out our business, to the threat of their lives, on multiple occasions. They are our allies, friends, and guardians, for God’s sake!”
“All in favor of Priest’s proposal?” Elizabeth asked, cutting him off.
“Aye,” Priest said loudly, glaring at her.
“Aye,” said Bartholome.
A sickly smile crept over her face, eyebrows raising in delirium. “All in favor of my proposal?”
The remaining four members gave a single “Aye,” but for Ashikaga, who whispered the word, seconds in delay.
“Then it’s settled,” said Wotan. “This council has made its decision.”
With these words, displease
d whispers streamed a warning from the hallways beyond the room. A sudden rise in temperature warmed the room. Elizabeth hunched forward as though a devil was recoiling from within her. She hissed, striking fear in Darcy and the other young hunters. All three of the faoladh rose to defensive postures instinctively, sniffing the air around them. Liev looked at the other two and gave them assurance that all was as it should be.
Two gargoyles descended from the heights of the ceiling and flanked the hidden door leading to the Library, which swung open on its heavy hinges. A commanding voice claimed the attention of everyone in the room.
From the hidden door bellowed a gruff voice. “Fools be damned! You lot of idiots. Your reason is warped and your decision invalid. Your vile and contorted bias is cause for removing each of you from your seats of influence.” Reaching deep into the very soul of Wotan Gregory, that voice declared, “Your position tainted by the illusions of demons has caused you to go blind and you will be struck down. You have no place here! Go, and do what you feel you must do, but you will not touch so much as a hair on the head of any living being in my house!”
Already on his feet, Charlie spun on his heels. Between the two sentinel gargoyles stood his mentor and friend.
Loch was awake!
Chapter 18
“What are you doing awake?” asked Elizabeth Witherington, her voice dripping.
Loch stood in the doorway to the war room, Fish and Dink supporting him on either side. He limped forward, pushing off from them. “Good to see you, too, Elizabeth.” He winced as the dim rays of light from the room’s small windows hit his face. He held a hand over his right eye, pressing firmly, as if it were causing him pain.
“I denounce your decision. It’s folly, plain and simple. These are my students. You will honor my decision to train them, and you will not murder Liev.” He looked at the white twin with a fatherly expression. “Hello, boy. It’s been a while. How was your trip to Ireland?”
“The hotels were horrible,” Liev said, a big grin slathered over his face. “But I made some good friends.”
Charlie Sullivan and the Monster Hunters: Council of the Hunters Page 15
