Loyalty Oath

by Edmund Hughes

“My sweet Jack,” said Mira. “Did you and she ever…?”

  “No,” said Jack, quickly. “We’re just friends.”

  He looked over at Mira, who looked skeptical, and then at Ryoko, who was frowning at him slightly. He let out a sigh and just shook his head.

  CHAPTER 27

  The mayor’s mansion had fared as well as any building could have during the storm, but it had still become a bare-bones operation in the time since. There was usually a secretary downstairs in the lobby, but her desk was currently empty.

  Jack took that as an invitation to continue deeper into the estate. He followed the sound of voices to a meeting room just up the stairs to the second floor. The door was open, and Dave Stinson, Margaret, Katie, and three other members of the Order of Chaldea were sitting around a table.

  Dave was the first one to react openly to Jack’s appearance. He gave him a nod and a smile and seemed to be in good spirits.

  “The younger Masterson returns,” said Dave. “It’s good to see you again, Jack.”

  He seemed confident, which was reassuring. The last time Jack had seen him had been during the chaos of the storm itself. Dave had all but broken down under pressure, and Sheriff Jessie had been the de facto leader of the island for a time.

  “Likewise,” said Jack. “I wish it were under more normal circumstances. I’m not sure if I’ll be staying for very long.”

  “The island isn’t going anywhere,” said Dave. “Take your time coming back. Anyway, I’m just here to keep my guests company. Margaret’s asked to speak with you privately, and given the generous donation she made to the town’s coffers, I feel obliged to let her.”

  He stood up from his seat at the table and nodded to Margaret. Jack felt the tension increase tenfold as he left the meeting room, closing the door behind him on the way out. The room was large enough for them all to stand or sit comfortably, but it would be extremely confining if a fight broke out.

  “Have a seat, Jack,” said Margaret.

  He remained standing. “Don’t waste my time. What do you want, Margaret?”

  “I want your help,” she said. “The circumstances have changed since you escaped. Execution would no longer be on the table, provided that you cooperate with us fully.”

  Her tone of voice was cold and serious, and it set Jack on edge.

  “The attack in Arc City really must have shaken the Order up,” he said.

  “We don’t lose people like that,” said Margaret. “Not in this type of situation. Not without knowing what’s going on.”

  “I told you already,” said Jack. “Mezolak is making incarnates. Mezolak, the ancient, evil demon. Not James Farmoore.”

  “You’ve explained that much already, but the information on its own isn’t useful,” said Margaret. “Your direct connection to the perpetrator, however, certainly could be. We want you to come with us and get in touch with Mezolak to set up a predetermined meeting point.”

  “You think he’d fall for that?” asked Jack. “It’s the oldest trick in the book. Especially since I’ve already been out of contact with him for days, and I’d already started to rebel against him before that.”

  It wasn’t the only reason why Jack thought it was a stupid plan, though he chose not to speak the others out loud. His loyalty oath to Mezolak was still affecting him. Opening a direct line of communication with the demon was asking to be ordered back over to his side.

  “It could work,” said Margaret. “Also, it isn’t up to you. This is clemency we’re offering you, Jack. A chance to avoid the Order’s ire moving forward.”

  “That sounds a little like a threat,” said Jack.

  “That’s precisely what it is,” said Margaret. “You’re a wanted man. You have no power in this situation.”

  “Margaret…” said Katie, in a worried tone.

  “Forget it,” said Jack. “It was nice chatting with you, Margaret, but I’m not about to surrender to you.”

  “Brookes, Peterson, get the door,” said Margaret.

  Everyone in the room moved at the same time. There were no windows letting in sunlight, and Jack was able to summon his Spectral Sword with ease. Ryoko took a step forward, one of her arms wavering between its physical form and flowing liquid. Mira just smiled, emitting an aura of intimidation that required nothing further.

  The agents of the Order that Margaret had brought with her all pulled out their wands and found their targets. Including Katie. Except her target was someone on her own side. She had the tip of her wand pressed into the side of Margaret’s temple.

  “Katherine White,” said Margaret, through tightly clenched teeth. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

  “You promised me that I was only bringing Jack here so you could talk to him,” said Katie.

  “We were talking,” said Margaret. “Our conversation led to the fact that he’s still a wanted man. Which is something the Order of Chaldea has a policy of acting on, if you recall.”

  “Fuck you,” said Katie. “I’m so sick of this stupid, holier-than-thou bullshit. This isn’t how you conduct yourself when you need someone’s help, even if they might have once been an enemy. Even if they’re dangerous.”

  Katie shot a conflicted look at Jack. He flashed a smile back at her.

  “From this moment forth, you are suspended from the Order, pending review!” shouted Margaret.

  “Do you think that makes me less likely to do something stupid?” asked Katie, dragging her wand in a small circle across Margaret’s skin.

  “She must not know you very well,” said Jack.

  “You’re going to let Jack and my friends walk out of here without trying anything else,” said Katie. “Are we clear?”

  “You’ve sealed your fate, you little bitch!” shouted Margaret. “There’ll be a trial over this. You’ll be imprisoned for insubordination, treason, and misuse of—”

  “She’s coming with me,” said Jack. “If you want to charge her with a bunch of nonsense over being loyal to someone she cares about, you’ll have to go through me, first.”

  “You aren’t invincible!” said Margaret. “This isn’t over!”

  “Of that, I have no doubt,” said Jack. “Feel free to set up one of these meetings again, anytime you please.”

  He nodded to Katie. She made her way around to his side of the table, keeping her wand pointed at Margaret. Jack stayed by the door, making sure all of the girls were out first before slipping out himself.

  He still had his Spectral Sword in hand, and he saw the way a few of the mages were looking at it. He was dangerous, and they were scared of him. It was the essence of the reason why Margaret wouldn’t cooperate unless he placed himself in their power.

  Outside the mayor’s mansion, Jack walked in between Ryoko, Mira, and Katie. Nobody said anything at first. It was a gorgeous day outside, and the weather was nice enough to be a distraction in its own right.

  “Thanks,” said Jack. “You didn’t have to do that.”

  Katie scowled at him and flicked her ponytail off her shoulder. “I didn’t do it for you, Jack. Don’t let it go to your fucking head.”

  He grinned at her. “I promise, I won’t. But come on, Katie. You just threatened to blow your boss’s head off with a spell to keep me from being captured. It was at least a little bit for me.”

  “That’s not what I meant,” said Katie. “I… joined the Order because I thought I’d be doing the right thing. I thought it would give me a little more certainty about my choices. But really, all I was doing was giving over my own decision-making power. Trusting that they’d always be able to tell what the right thing was and then obeying a simple order to carry it out.”

  “If only it were that simple,” said Jack. “Are you going to be okay?”

  Katie rolled her eyes at him. “I’m not a child, Jack. I doubt that Margaret will actually try anything to punish me for this, given how much I helped her out in my time as an apprentice.”

  “Yeah, but…” Jack scr
atched the back of his head, choosing his words carefully. “I guess what I’m asking is if there’s anything I can do. You stuck your neck out for me, Katie, even if it was for your own reasons.”

  “You could finally start calling me Katherine, like everybody else who can respect basic social cues has managed to,” she said.

  “Anything besides that?” he asked. “You’ll always be Katie to me. Non-negotiable.”

  Katie gave him an exaggerated scowl.

  “I’ll be fine,” she said. “I don’t have a place to stay lined up, so I guess I’ll be crashing at the mansion for a while. Probably see if I can help with the repairs around town.”

  “We aren’t going to be staying here for long, Katie,” he said. “I have a plan to break Mezolak’s hold over me. If you’re interested, we could use your help.”

  He explained the basics of it as they continued their walk back. Katie listened and nodded her head once he’d finished.

  “We can take Peter’s old boat,” she said. “It’ll still be a long trip if this Dinosaur Island is where you say it is.”

  “Raptoran Island,” corrected Jack. “And I think Ryoko can help us get there faster.”

  “Of course, sir,” said Ryoko. “That’s no trouble.”

  They spent a while gathering supplies once they were back at the mansion. Jack headed down into the workshop and grabbed his duster and his grandfather’s staff. He held the staff in his hands for several seconds before focusing on the essence inside and reaching out to Peter’s imprint.

  “Don’t do that,” said the ghost, immediately after appearing.

  “Don’t do what?” asked Jack.

  “Summon me frivolously,” said the ghost.

  “I just wanted to let you know that we’re getting ready to set out,” said Jack. “Is there anything else I should know?”

  “Just that it’s extremely important for you to preserve the magical essence contained within the staff,” said the ghost. “It will likely be needed for breaking the loyalty oath you’re under.”

  “Fair enough,” said Jack. “I’ll be traveling with people you knew when you were alive. Katie, Ryoko, and Mira. You could see them, if you wanted.”

  The ghost looked visibly surprised, but he reeled the emotion in after a moment, shaking his head.

  “Would that I could,” said the ghost. “It would be a waste of the staff’s magical essence. It would be for the best if you kept my existence to yourself.”

  Jack nodded, but he couldn’t stop himself from frowning a little. It seemed like such a waste. It felt profound and comforting to be able to speak with his grandfather’s imprint, and he had no doubt that it would have meant as much or more to the girls, especially Katie and Mira.

  “Thanks,” said Jack. “When you first appeared to me, I was basically at the end of the line. Your help has already been invaluable. I wish there was more I could do for you.”

  The ghost smiled.

  “Hearing you say that is more than enough in return,” he said. “I am genuinely glad to be of service to you, Jack.”

  Jack stared at the ghost as it faded from existence. He folded his grandfather’s leather duster over the staff and brought both upstairs to pack away with the rest of the supplies.

  CHAPTER 28

  Ryoko made them a frozen pizza for lunch, and they set out immediately after they finished eating. Jack found himself wishing they could have stayed at the mansion for longer, but it was taking a risk. Mezolak would find him there eventually, and all it would take was a single sentence from him or Reese to place Jack back under his control.

  This time, they did take the BMW into town, given how cumbersome it would have been to carry their supplies on foot. Jack drove slowly, veering to avoid the spots where the road had been damaged or obstacles still remained from the storm.

  He parked at the marina and the four of them climbed out. The marina was on the island’s far coast, which was the only reason the boats anchored there had survived the water nymph’s supernatural storm, which had never traveled the full distance of the island.

  “Is there anything else we need that we’re forgetting?” asked Jack.

  “We have food,” said Mira. “We have camping supplies. Sunblock. A thrall to feed off. Weapons…”

  Katie was in the middle of pulling her own bag, along with her old black crossbow, out of the back of the car. She glared at Mira and jabbed a finger in her direction.

  “A thrall to feed off?” shouted Katie. “Are you fucking serious?”

  Mira flinched backward, looking surprisingly chastened.

  “That… came out wrong,” she said. “All that I meant was, well… perhaps it’s better if Jack is the one to address this in conversation?”

  She shot Jack a pleading look and he nodded slowly. He’d been trying not to think about how he and Mira would maintain their blood essence reserves during the trip. It seemed unlikely that they could make it to Raptoran Island and Xepher and back within a day, and putting off feeding for much longer than that would be a dangerous gamble.

  “Katie,” he said. “Mira and I will both have to feed off someone. It’s just a fact. If it’s an issue for you, we might be able to figure something else out, but we need to know now so we can work around it.”

  He doubted the words even as he spoke them. How the hell would he and Mira be able to find someone else, given how deserted Lestaron Island was in its current state? Luckily, Katie’s expression softened slightly, and she gave a small nod.

  “I’ll do it,” she said.

  “Are you sure you’re okay with it?” asked Jack.

  Katie shrugged. “It’s inconvenient, especially if you’ll both be feeding off me. But it’s nothing I haven’t done before. Besides, I’d rather be here with all of you than back with the Order. Fucking hypocrites.”

  “Thank you,” said Jack. “I appreciate it.”

  “As do I,” said Mira.

  Katie gave Mira a level look, holding up a single finger in warning.

  “If you try anything while you have your fangs in me,” she said, “I will fucking kill you.”

  “Try anything?” Mira flashed a coy smile. “Just what do you mean by that, exactly?”

  She stepped in a little closer to Katie, entering her personal space. It was a move that she’d used on Jack many times before, and he felt an odd prickle of excitement as he watched the intensity between the two women.

  “I’m serious,” said Katie. “No kissing. No caressing. Absolutely no saying weird things. I’m giving you permission to drink my blood on my terms, not seduce me.”

  “Relax, I’m just teasing you,” said Mira. “I will be respectful and controlled. You have my word.”

  Katie nodded and relaxed a little, loosening her grip on her crossbow. Jack picked up a bag of their supplies and started toward the boathouse.

  “We should get moving,” he said. “We’re wasting daylight.”

  The speedboat Jack had inherited from his grandfather was a small, rather unassuming vessel. It still had plenty of gas in it from his last adventure out onto the water, though he suspected that they’d have been fine even if it had been running on empty, given Ryoko’s powers.

  There wasn’t much extra room left on the small craft once Jack, Katie, and Mira had loaded themselves and their supplies onto it. Ryoko pulled off her dress, revealing the bikini underneath, and lowered herself down into the water.

  “Be careful,” he said. “And don’t get too close to the boat’s engine, once it’s running.”

  Ryoko rolled her eyes and grinned at him. “Of course, sir.”

  She moved through the water with supernatural speed and litheness, and Jack carefully steered the speedboat out of the boathouse in her wake.

  “She’s come a long way,” said Katie. She sat next to Jack next to the rudder, while Mira stood at the front of the boat, enjoying the breeze.

  “We all have,” said Jack. “But yeah, her especially. She used to be so guarded.�
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  “She loves you, you know,” said Katie. She looked Jack straight in the eyes, with an unreadable expression on her face. The tan she’d gotten while in the employ of the Order had made her freckles slightly less prominent, but they were still there, and still ridiculously cute.

  “And I love her,” said Jack. “And you. And Mira.”

  He pulled Katie into a hug before she could object, and then gave her a soft kiss on the lips. She sighed within his embrace and pulled back slightly.

  “Can it really be that simple?” she asked.

  “Oh, I’m sure it’ll eventually get complicated,” said Jack. “But until it does, I’m just going to keep loving and protecting all of you.”

  Katie tried and failed to stifle a smile. She was blushing, and the redness extended all the way from her cheeks to her ears. She looked over at Mira, who was still doing her own thing, and Ryoko, who was keeping pace alongside the boat. Then, she kissed him, cupping his cheek and letting her lips press against his for a lingering moment.

  Jack waited until Lestaron Island was almost out of sight before calling out to Ryoko to use her water powers. It was probably an unnecessary precaution, given how few people were out on the island’s beaches, but he took it as much on Ryoko’s behalf as on his own.

  “Are you ready?” called Ryoko. “You all might want to hold onto something.”

  Jack let out a small chuckle and nodded. Katie and Mira were sitting on either side of him, gripping the side of the boat and the bench. He wrapped an arm around each of them and nodded to Ryoko.

  “Ready,” he said.

  Ryoko disappeared under the water’s surface, and the boat slowly began to accelerate. Jack had turned the engine off, figuring that it would be pointless if Ryoko could match its maximum speed.

  She could, and then some.

  It was hard to tell how fast the boat was moving, but the strength of the wind was at least a couple of times as intense as the rushing air outside a car traveling on the highway. Jack, Katie, and Mira eventually had to lean forward and stretch out across the inside of the boat, as much to keep from being blown off as to reduce its drag profile.