by Petra Landon
“But not for the GCW?”
“No” Jason acknowledged baldly.
“They don’t trust me” Raoul stated matter-of-factly.
“That may be but this is not about trust. Such an arrangement would be unprecedented and would generate headlines all over the Chosen world. Sienna is very special - the McAlister name commands the respect of all wizards. The GCW would be left with egg on its face if it was revealed that Sienna had chosen Shifters over Guardians to defend her. And not just any Shifters but one led by an Alpha known to have publicly humiliated one of their comrades.”
“I see.”
Sienna opened her mouth to respond but this time Jason beat her to it.
“It is, of course, Sienna’s decision to make. But unless we come up with a viable alternative, she’ll have no choice but to return to San Diego where the First Wizard can watch over her. You need me on this investigation, more than ever. As the Registry here has amply demonstrated, the wizards will not co-operate with you otherwise.”
“What does Bianchi want from Sienna?” Duncan asked the question.
“I’ve no idea” Jason replied frankly. “But I wouldn’t trust him with my dog.”
“He’s willing to show his hand openly” Duncan wondered aloud. “He didn’t back down easily tonight. It could mean that Sienna is important in some way to their plans. Or that he’s just getting bolder and ready to come out from the shadows.”
“I’d like to continue on your team, Alpha” Sienna spoke up, her expression frank. “Not only because I want answers to the past but also because I feel very strongly that I can contribute to this investigation.”
Raoul directed his attention to Sienna, his expression thoughtful
“I trust you to get to the truth, Alpha” she stated unambiguously. “And I don’t care if that makes the Guardians get their panties in a twist.”
Raoul contemplated her for a long moment before turning to Jason LaRue.
“Under no circumstances will I allow my Pack to co-operate with the GCW on any matter” he said clearly.
“Are you including me on that list?” Jason’s query was quite serious.
The Alpha stared at him for a moment as if weighing his words.
“No” he replied. “You and I work together on this matter as per the agreement between Faoladh and the First Wizard.”
“In that case, I give you my word” Jason’s face was grim.
“The Pack will guarantee your safety, Sienna McAlister, for the duration of this investigation” the Alpha made the pledge, the gold eyes on Sienna and his voice curiously formal.
“I thank you for the sanctuary, Alpha. I shall never forget it” Sienna responded, equally formal. She might be a wizard who had chosen to walk away from their world but she hadn’t forgotten the ways of the Chosen.
Jason heaved a silent sigh of relief. He wasn’t ready for Sienna to disappear from his life again.
“I’ve bought us some time with the Guardians but as long as we remain in Chicago, the GCW will insist on primary responsibility for Sienna.”
“One last visit to the Registry and we head back to San Francisco” the Alpha confirmed.
“The Registrar has promised me access to the archives in the morning. I’ll go alone. Sienna stays here.”
“Sienna will certainly stay here” Raoul countered. “But you should not go alone either. Duncan and Luis will accompany you.”
“I can take care of myself” Jason pointed out mildly.
“No doubt but we’re in this together now, Guardian. There’s no reason to go it alone.”
“Okay” Jason nodded after a searching glance at the Alpha who merely gazed back at him impassively in response.
“Once in San Francisco, Sienna will stay at the Lair” the Alpha continued steadily. “You would be welcome too should you decide to accept Pack accommodations, LaRue.”
“The Lair” Jason blurted out, seemingly startled by the suggestion.
“There’s no other way for the Pack to guarantee Sienna’s safety” Duncan pointed out gently.
“The Lair will be fine, thank you” Sienna said firmly. “I won’t be entirely friendless. Tasia lives at the Lair and it’ll be nice to have congenial company while I’m stuck indoors.”
Jason glanced at her. Staying at the Lair was a complication he hadn’t taken into account. The Pack taking responsibility for Sienna’s safety would be a bad enough storm to weather. But a Guardian under that roof would draw the ire of his comrades, making life very difficult for him.
“Another friendly face would be very welcome, Jason” Sienna prompted persuasively. “I don’t think any of our new Shifter friends live at the Lair.”
“That’s correct” Duncan validated her comment.
In for a penny, in for a pound, Jason thought with resignation.
“Thank you, I will avail of your invitation” he responded. The Alpha’s face reflected his shock for a moment before he brought it under control. This news would spread like wildfire among Chosen. Raoul Merceau allowing a Guardian into his Lair to work with him would be heady news indeed. But a Guardian accepting the invitation after the fiasco at the San Francisco Registry would burn up the wires.
Sienna smiled sunnily, her first one of the day since her forced tryst with the vampires.
“Their loyalty to Lady Bethesda puzzles me” Duncan remarked thoughtfully. “Regardless of what some Guardians believe about the unfair persecution of Lady Bethesda twenty-four years ago, her being alive changes the equation. Does it not? If she did walk away from the explosion unharmed, then doesn’t it point to her involvement in setting it off in the first place?”
“You would think so” Jason responded frankly. “I’ll say this. Most of the Guardians present tonight didn’t believe Bianchi. They suspect Bianchi is running around using Lady Bethesda’s name for his own nefarious purposes. There’s a reason the Registrar informed me about the involvement of a Guardian in Sienna’s kidnapping. He doesn’t believe the GCW is united on this matter.”
“This could cause a serious schism to split the wizards” Duncan noted presciently.
“Yes” Jason sighed. “Just like when the CoC was first formed. I’ve a bad feeling that history is building up to repeat itself and tear apart the wizards again.”
“That makes it more imperative that we find out what actually happened the first time around. It might help prevent our people from going down that path again” Sienna pointed out soberly.
“The First Wizard understood that before the rest of us did” Jason was grave. “I believe that’s what prompted her to approach Faoladh for his assistance on this matter.”
“If the wizards descend into chaos and turmoil before the CoC has had a chance to get onto more solid footing, any chance of future co-operation between the various Chosen factions will vanish for a long time” Duncan stated succinctly and eloquently.
That would be a shame indeed for the Chosen had remained at war for centuries. The technological advances made by humans had increased the chances of the Magicks’ very existence being detected by the general population. Trust and co-operation between Chosen was more important now than it had ever been in their entire history. Their continued existence demanded it.
“I do have a piece of news for you, Merceau” Jason reported. “My source has confirmed that it was the Lombardi Nest that Azevedo was reported to have joined after denouncing the GCW.”
Sienna’s mouth opened in a silent gasp while the two Shifters exchanged a quick look. This was too much of a coincidence! Two powerful Guardians choosing to work with the same vampire Master over their fellow Guardians within a span of five years could not be a mere coincidence.
“There’s something else you might find interesting” Jason continued. “Guess who Azevedo’s best friend in the GCW was before he walked away?”
The three Chosen remained silent but their collective gazes zeroed in on him curiously.
“Ted Anderson. The very Guardian y
ou tangled with in San Francisco. The only reason my source recalled that little tidbit was because Anderson has been in the news recently thanks to you, Merceau.”
Raoul’s mind worked furiously on the puzzle before him. He had a feeling that the pertinent bits of the jigsaw had already been made available to him. All he had to do now was to make everything fit together into a cohesive narrative, Raoul reminded himself. A picture seemed to beckon to him from the edges of his mind but he couldn’t quite grasp it yet.
“Where’s Azevedo now?” Duncan inquired as the Alpha remained silent.
“The rumor is that he had a falling out with the Master of the Lombardi Nest within a few years of working with the vampires. When Azevedo attempted to walk away from the Nest, he learnt that leaving the Undead’s employment is a much harder proposition than resigning from the GCW.”
“So he’s believed to be dead?”
“Not confirmed of course but yes, nothing has been heard of him since his last difference of opinion with the vampires.”
“I can dig a little more into Azevedo if you want, Merceau?” Jason offered, his gaze switching to the Alpha.
Raoul, immersed in deep thought, glanced at the Guardian.
“We’re in this together now, Alpha. There’s no reason to go it alone” Jason reminded him, echoing Raoul’s words to him minutes ago. “We won’t get very far if we don’t trust each other.”
“See what you can find out” Raoul acknowledged softly.
“The whole affair was surreal, Tasia. I’m not sure I can adequately describe how baffling and strange it was. The astonishment on the faces of everyone around me reflected their confusion and perplexity. Even the leeches seemed nonplussed. They had no clue how to handle the situation.”
“Yeah” Sienna, seated on a chair beside Hawk, agreed with him. “Jason says that history was made here tonight. Nothing like this has ever happened before in our world. Shifter Packs are known to come to each other’s aid against other Chosen but wizards and Shifters united together against vampires is unheard of.”
“Shifters tend to not play well with others” Hawk acknowledged. “And Guardians are too arrogant to ever work with other Chosen. They consider themselves superior to everyone else except possibly the Ancients.”
“No offense” he added hastily to Sienna as she directed an expression of mock offense at him.
Hawk rather liked Sienna. She was easy going, put on no airs and treated everyone with easy friendliness. And since the Alpha had decreed that they were going to be working together for a while longer, he didn’t want to offend her by being too frank. He’d gotten into the habit of speaking his mind before Tasia and had forgotten the other wizard’s presence when giving his scathing opinion on Guardians.
Sienna shot a mischievous look at Tasia before laughing her tinkling laugh.
“Relax, Hawk. I’m no Guardian. Why would I take offense? Besides, I happen to agree with you.”
“I’d better watch my mouth around Jason then” Hawk commented with his charming smile, glad that she hadn’t taken offense.
“Oh, Jason’s no shrinking violet. He knows what the Guardians are like. He’ll not take offense for you telling it like it is.”
“But Alph might come down on me for not being able to hold my tongue better.”
“What’s this I hear about your Alpha’s reputation for disliking wizards” Sienna asked curiously.
“That’s no secret around here” Hawk said easily.
“Tonight out there, Bianchi was taunting him about being forced to ally with Spell Casters as he called us, and the Alpha never turned a hair. I guess I was surprised because he’s always treated Jason and me very fairly.”
“It wasn’t Bianchi’s smartest move.”
“No” she agreed. “I mean, the Alpha has a wizard in his team he considers Pack and Bianchi still thinks that bringing up his aversion to wizards is a good way to taunt him. How many Packs have we ever seen accept a wizard like Tasia!”
“I’m not sure the Pack really accepts me” Tasia felt compelled to clarify. “But they do treat me well.”
“Mostly because no one wants to chance Alph’s displeasure” Hawk explained honestly. “We Shifters are not really known for our ready embrace of outsiders.”
“True but the way I look at it, that makes it doubly commendable for your Alpha to extend Pack protection to Tasia. Do you work with him a lot, Tasia?” Sienna asked curiously.
“More than she’d like” Hawk commented irrepressibly with a wicked glance at Tasia.
“What’s he like?” Sienna asked her, oblivious to the undercurrents in Hawk’s comment.
A discomfited Tasia glanced surreptitiously at Hawk for assistance. Hawk did his best not to smile.
“I didn’t mean to put you on the spot, Tasia” Sienna apologized contritely at Tasia’s obvious discomfort. “It’s just that I’m going to be staying at the San Francisco Lair for a bit, so I’m a little curious about how life in a Pack is like.”
“That’s great” Hawk exclaimed enthusiastically. “Tasia will have company” he added, obviously pleased by the prospect.
“Complicated” Tasia said abruptly. “Living in a Pack is complicated” she explained at Sienna’s inquiring look. “There are unexplained rules and pitfalls you won’t see until it’s too late.”
“I see. The consensus seems to be that Bianchi will not give up on me any time soon. And since I’d rather not be banished to San Diego to be kept in a gilded cage, it was very kind of the Alpha to extend an invitation to stay at the Lair. I’ll be safe from the vampires’ clutches. And I can continue to be part of this investigation.”
“He’s not the easiest man to deal with” Tasia admitted softly to the other wizard. “But he’s been very fair in his dealings with me.”
She could tell that Sienna was a tad nervous at the prospect of living amidst a Shifter Pack, so Tasia made an effort to put her mind at rest.
“You’re not Pack, so the other Shifters will leave you alone” she added, attempting to reassure Sienna.
“For the same reason you’re left alone, you mean?” Sienna asked. “Shifters not wanting to brave the Alpha’s displeasure.”
“Alph does not encourage any insubordination” Hawk’s voice was mild. “And we try not to get on his wrong side. But Tasia is absolutely right, he’s scrupulously fair in his dealings” the last was added more seriously. “Once he gives you his word, you can take it to the bank.”
Tasia watched Hawk banter with the older wizard with a feeling of affection for her Shifter friend. Unlike other Shifters, Hawk was at ease with everyone – Chosen, human, Shifter and non-Shifter alike, presumably a legacy of his childhood amongst the Si’ffa. It was the first thing that had struck her about him the first time they’d met. Well, at least the first time she had met him in his human form, that is.
“He has quite the reputation, your Alpha” Sienna was saying to Hawk. “Even I, separated from the Chosen world, have heard whispers of Raoul Merceau. Although I have to admit that his reputation doesn’t do him justice.”
“In what way?” Hawk inquired curiously.
“Well, they all talk of his formidable Shifter skills and his handling of Pack affairs. But what he managed tonight was far more about strategy than mere brawn.”
“What do you mean, Sienna?” a startled Tasia inquired.
“How do you think the remarkable and unlikely coalition that stood up to the vampires came together so fortuitously tonight” Sienna retorted. “Luck had nothing to do with it.”
Hawk stared at her, startled by her comment.
“You mean Alph?”
“But I thought they came together to defend you, Sienna” Tasia remarked, puzzled by the cryptic comment. She’d not been present, of course. Her news had been acquired second hand and that too, only the details that Hawk and Sienna considered pertinent.
“Yes, they did. But it was the Alpha who cobbled together a cohesive unit to stand united behind me. H
e managed Alpha Carter, who was spoiling for a fight, into gathering his Shifters together for a show of strength instead. He bought us time with Bianchi until we had enough numbers to make it an even fight. He made sure that Jason was well supported by his Shifters in my defense just in case a fight broke out. I was in shock, worried crazy about Tasia, furious and bitter at my mother and angry at the vampires. I’ve had time to calm down and reflect on the events and it’s now clear to me who was responsible for creating what Jason calls a little bit of history out there tonight.”
Sienna smiled as Hawk gaped at her incredulously while Tasia looked startled and a tad shocked by her revelations.
“She’s absolutely right” Hawk heard Duncan’s voice say clearly in his ear as one of the other Shifters in the house chuckled out aloud. His wizard companions, not blessed by his superhuman hearing, continued their conversation unaware.
“You believe what Bianchi said about your mother?” Tasia asked gingerly, picking up on what Sienna had left unsaid.
“I believe that he was acting on her orders, yes. Why else would he kidnap me? I’ve nothing to offer him.”
A scene from this evening flashed through Tasia suddenly - Rafaelo Bianchi chatting up Sienna in his silky way while his eyes kept darting to the locket she wore around her neck, as if it held some sort of pull over him. She’d been so terrified by the Blutsaugers’ presence that it had taken all of her grit to not betray any sign of her fear. But despite it all, Tasia had made note of the vampire’s strange fascination with Sienna’s little piece of colored glass.
“Sienna, the locket you wear around your neck was given to you by your Dad, correct?” she asked abruptly.
“Yes. Da gave it to me before he went to Chicago. That’s why I never take it off.”
“Does it hold any other significance for you? I mean, could it be a wizard artifact or something with power?”
“No” Sienna replied promptly, looking puzzled. “Why?”
“What is it?” she asked again, with more urgency this time as Tasia shot up from where she had been reclining on her bed.