by Noah Harris
“Ah! My little thief and soldier are here!” Earl called over the sound of the music.
The man’s voice was far younger than Johnny would have expected, but it matched the feeling he’d first had about the man. Before he or Ash could say anything, Earl leaned forward to murmur in the woman’s ear. He couldn’t hear her, but Johnny was sure she sighed in disappointment before slowly pulling away from Earl. The man took his cue from the woman, unwinding himself from around Earl to pull away.
Earl opened his arms wide in greeting. “So glad the both of you could make it, and don’t you two just look delicious?”
“Is he trying to eat us or fuck us?” Ash asked.
Earl let out a laugh. “Why not both? I’ve been told the things I can do with my mouth and tongue are nothing short of miraculous.”
“I think you’ve got enough to occupy your time, don’t you?” Ash asked with a hint of a growl in his voice.
Earl chuckled, and Johnny glanced at Ash speculatively. He wouldn’t have believed his best friend could be such a consummate actor, but he was going to give credit where it was due. The growl had carried just enough of a threat that it was believable. If Johnny hadn’t known Ash was devoting himself to the role of his mate, he might have believed the possessiveness was genuine.
“Give us the room would you? I think this one is going to be a hard sell,” Earl called to the group circled around all of them.
The group of partiers departed, albeit some of them with a lingering stare toward the trio before stepping out of the room. Earl moved over to the wall beside the doorway, pressing a button. Just as Johnny had seen in the main room, a set of doors hidden in the doorway itself slid shut. The effect was immediate. With the doors closed, there came only the dullest thump of the music’s bass from the main room.
“Damned if that doesn’t start giving you a headache after a while,” Earl complained as he yanked his mask from his face.
Earl’s hair was almost darker than Ash’s mask, sticking up in every direction as if it had never seen a comb in its life. Earl’s eyes fell on them as he turned around, and Kell noticed they were the brightest green he’d ever seen on someone, human or otherwise. Johnny could see why the man got as much attention as he did, with his sharply shaped face and a smile which was both boyish and infectious.
Earl waved at them. “You can take them off, we don’t need them in here.”
“And here I was becoming attached to mine,” Johnny said as he pulled his mask away.
Earl drew curtains to cover the windows looking into the room. “Feel free to keep them, they were the only unique ones I had besides mine.”
“You just had one swan laying around?” Ash asked once he was free of his.
Earl turned around, cocking his head. “You know, I made that comment about you two looking good for show, didn’t realize I was psychic. Oh wait, yes I did.”
Ash raised a brow but said nothing, leaving Johnny to speak. “Maya said you wanted to talk to us.”
Earl snorted. “God, it’s hard to believe that old bat is still flapping about at the top of that mountain. She’s been up there for as long as I can remember.”
“You look like you’re a college freshman,” Ash said dubiously.
“Yeah, and how old does Maya look?” Earl asked.
“Considering who she is, that shouldn’t come as a surprise,” Johnny said.
Earl grinned. “First of all, you can call her the WoodWard in here. No one can hear what we say, I’ve made sure to keep anyone from listening in here, electronically or magically. Secondly, do you really think the Wards are the only ones who are older than they appear? It’s only a hard trick when you don’t know how to do it.”
“I’ll add it to my bucket list,” Johnny quipped.
Earl slipped around a bar set along one wall, bending down with a tinkle of bottles. “Won’t need a list if there’s no bucket left for you to kick.”
Ash looked at Johnny. “What happened to shamans being weird old men who talk to spirits of the woods?”
Earl popped back up, bottles of alcohol in hand. “I still talk to spirits, and I can still see the future. I don’t need to wave a stick around in the woods and do some chants to do it. They might talk high and mighty, but in the end, it’s all the same thing. My spirits might be ones of electricity and concrete instead of lightning and rock, but they’re spirits all the same. It’s not my fault that they don’t know how to keep up with the times. The world’s been changing, I’m just ahead of the curve.”
“He’s got the weird part down at least,” Johnny said, unable to stop himself from grinning.
Earl poured out a measure of alcohol into each glass. “And just because I might be older than I look doesn’t mean I’m not old. Honestly, I would think two men who spent time with witches would know better than to take appearances as truth. What do they teach you guys nowadays?”
“Obviously not enough,” Johnny said.
Earl wagged his finger at him. “I know when I’m being humored. Now, Maya was kind enough to tell me just enough to know you two need some help. However, in true Maya style, she left a considerable amount out. Though I imagine I can take a good guess.”
“You did mention you were psychic,” Ash said as he considered the nearby couch.
Earl smirked. “I am, and I wouldn’t sit on anything unless you’re prepared for what might have happened there.”
Johnny raised a brow. “Maya gets immortality, and she spends it on a mountaintop away from everyone, playing in the woods. This guy gets it, and spends it in a nice house, getting laid all the time at the parties he throws. I feel as if he might understand how to live a little better than she does.”
Earl chuckled as he began mixing the drinks. “I assure you, she’s perfectly happy where she is, just like I am here. Also, I’m not a Ward that everyone and their grandmother would love to kill or use like a weapon. No one pays attention to the shaman who chooses to live in human cities, partying like a frat boy.”
“You say that like it’s a cover instead of just your choice of lifestyle,” Johnny said.
Ash cocked his head. “I mean, in terms of living your life, this seems a lot better than sitting up in the woods all day.”
“It’s been a couple of days since you got laid and you’re already thinking with your little head,” Johnny teased.
“Not that damn little,” Ash mumbled.
Johnny couldn’t help but grin at the quietly indignant statement. It wasn’t quiet enough however, as Ash’s protest had Earl smirking as he popped the alcohol bottles back under the counter. What Johnny didn’t like however, was the look of interest on the shaman’s face. Earl wasn’t just sleeping around and having a good time solely for the appearance of looking irresponsible, if that look and how much he had been enjoying his dance were any indication.
A flash of annoyance passed through him, and Johnny forced his expression to remain amused. Ash glanced from his consideration of the couches, frowning in Johnny’s direction. Johnny’s amused expression faltered, his brow raising as he realized his emotion had shot across their connection. He wasn’t sure if he should find it funny or exasperating that he’d been doing his best to not use their shared bond too much to intrude on Ash, while his best friend seemingly had no such qualms.
Earl walked around the bar with two glasses in hand, extending one to each of them. “Take these, you’ll probably need them for this conversation.”
“These are like, pure alcohol,” Ash said.
Earl grinned. “And I promise, you won’t even taste it.”
Dubious, Johnny sipped his drink, humming in surprise. Citrus and chocolate passed over his tongue with only the faintest bite near the end of the sip. Ash too raised his brows in surprise, taking another, larger drink from the glass in appreciation.
“Party host, philanderer, shaman, spy for the Wards, and a skilled mixologist. That’s an impressive resume,” Johnny said.
Earl chuckled as he retr
ieved his own glass. “When you have a lot of time, you find a way to occupy yourself. It’s far more impressive than those with limited lifespans achieve.”
As Johnny watched, Earl’s attention was locked on Ash as he finally decided on a place to sit. Johnny’s lip curled as he watched the shaman’s bright eyes light on Ash’s ass, drifting over his body lazily.
“Well, we lesser mortals are eternally grateful for your graciousness,” Johnny grunted.
Ash looked over his glass to Johnny, shooting him a questioning glance. Johnny shrugged, turning his back on the two men to set his mask down and hide his annoyance. He prided himself on being able to hide his emotions and keep himself in control, and it bothered him that he was still annoyed by Earl’s attention on Ash. He particularly didn’t like that Ash was built similarly to the man who had been dancing with the shaman. Earl had a type, and Ash seemed completely oblivious to his interest.
“And the mortals come to me for help,” Earl said, unruffled.
“We need more help than we currently have in dealing with the Children, and especially the Vigil. With the way things are now, we’re fighting a war on two fronts. The Children are terrified of what Kell represents, and the Vigil just want everyone dead. We’re kind of hoping you can give us some insight into getting them to lay down their arms long enough to listen,” Ash said, still watching Johnny carefully.
Earl chuckled. “Your problem is that you’re trying to go after the Children when they’re not your main problem, well, not the Children as a whole.”
Johnny frowned. “The Vigil.”
Earl shook his head. “No, there’s a far greater threat hiding within the Children proper that you need to be concerned with.”
“Are you talking about the leaders who are trying to fight change?” Ash asked.
“No, well, not exactly. It might look like the leaders are the ones responsible, but most of them are just puppets having their strings pulled,” Earl said.
“I don’t understand, there’s another group in play?” Ash asked.
Earl nodded. “Every generation, or every other generation, this group pops up within the Children. They don’t have a name, as far as I know. See, they think of themselves as the truest of the Children, while all the others are errant bastards who need to be kept in line. Of course, in case it isn’t obvious considering your ignorance of their existence, they don’t make a big show of their activities.”
“There have always been these ‘purists,’ and yes, they do make a show of trying to maintain the status quo. I would hardly call them influential,” Johnny said.
Earl chuckled. “Those are just the loudmouths that this group allows to take some of the attention away from them. The people you’re speaking of are just the ones who are noticed, and everyone knows their names and faces. The real group works more like a secret cult, operating in the shadows and manipulating quietly. They’re not going to be anyone you would recognize, some might even have public opinions which run contrary to their true beliefs.”
“Okay, so they believe themselves to be the ‘true’ Children and want to keep everyone else in line. What does this…cult, actually want?” Ash asked.
“In practical terms,” Johnny clarified.
“In much the same way that the Vigil is a strong, armed group of knowledgeable humans to enforce human supremacy, so too is this cult,” Earl said.
“So they want to exterminate humanity,” Johnny added dubiously.
Earl shook his head. “Not quite. Hopefully you know enough history to know that the Vigil as a cohesive group was formed during the days of the Inquisition. This subset of the Children, which I’ll just call the Cult from here on in, began at the same time. Just as the Vigil became dedicated to the supremacy of humanity, the Cult was the same, but for Child supremacy, albeit much more subtly.”
“So, just like the Vigil hide themselves from humanity while they supposedly fight for them, this Cult does the same but on the Children’s side,” Ash said.
Earl aimed a finger gun at him. “Bingo. And just like most humans don’t know a thing about the Vigil, the Children aren’t aware of the Cult’s existence. The Vigil decided to keep mankind ignorant of the supernatural world, allowing them to situate themselves in institutions of power and work from the shadows. The Vigil has worked to create a world where humanity is no longer focused on the spiritual, and because of that, are cynical of anything supernatural. With humanity focused on itself and on conquering the world, it’s given the Vigil more power than they’ve ever had before.”
“Does the Cult have something similar?” Johnny asked.
“In a sense. For the most part, they pop up to cause some trouble, emphasizing the differences between the Children and humanity, creating fear and xenophobia. The more the Children fear humanity, the more they hate them. I don’t have any proof of it, but I’m fairly sure the Cult work inside the Vigil, or at least capitalize on their actions,” Earl explained.
“Wouldn’t relations between the Children be better if that was true? Better yet, wouldn’t the Children be more aggressive or warlike if the Cult was making things worse?” Johnny asked.
“To answer your first question, the division between Pack and Coven works to their advantage. They firmly believe that the Children should be separate, and to mix the two weakens the bloodlines and corrupts each species. So this civil war of the Children fits into their ideology, keeping the Children separate and unwilling to mingle their blood. It also creates more distraction and holes in the defenses of the Children,” Earl said.
Ash nodded. “Ah, right, if they’re so busy focusing on one another, they’re not paying attention to someone lurking behind them.”
“Divide and conquer, on every level,” Johnny mused.
“As for your second question, that’s because the Cult isn’t quite as hidden as it would want to be. Sadly, for them anyway, the Children are far more likely to perceive hidden threats than humanity. Humans are collectively unwilling to believe in more than their modern world of science and fact, dictated by both the Children and Vigil. Children, however, know there is far more and can more attentive. Which means that just about every time the Cult has shown up, a group of Children have become aware of them. It doesn’t hurt that there are those like myself who know they exist, have seen them operate before, and anticipate their return,” Earl said.
“And are more than happy to enlist someone else to clean up the mess,” Johnny said.
Again, his comment earned him a frown from Ash. Johnny shrugged, refusing to meet his best friend’s eyes while he closed off his mind from intrusion. It wasn’t just that Earl had been paying undue attention to Ash, the willingness to use others just personally irked Johnny. He’d spent so much of his life trying not to be the pawn in someone else’s game, and now he was willingly throwing himself on the board.
Earl gestured at himself. “I’m not what you would call a fighter, never been my thing. I’m better suited to advising people. The world needs all sorts to work, and the man or woman who has helpful advice is just as important as the soldier…or the survivor.”
“I’m sure the elders of the Children would say the same thing,” Johnny said.
Earl smirked. “Probably, but unlike them I’ll be honest and tell you that I’m not going to be on the frontline of this fight. I’ve spent a great many years keeping tabs on the Children’s internal politics, watching for the Cult to emerge again. I’m not alone in this, and I consult with people like Maya.”
Ash nodded. “Every army must have its intelligence officers.”
Johnny rolled his eyes, forcing himself to sit down on the couch next to Ash and slump backward in defeat. He should have known Ash would be the one who found a thread of understanding in the discussion. Johnny normally admired the fact that Ash had served as a soldier, but at that moment he found it irritating. Ash was too resigned to the concept of being used for Johnny’s taste.
Ash grinned at him. “Sorry Johnny, but it’s t
rue. You can’t send everyone into the middle of a firefight and expect it to work.”
Johnny grunted. “Yes yes, I understand.”
But he wasn’t obligated to like it and didn’t think he ever would. His whole life had been about trying to find his own path and make his own way, he didn’t like the idea of fighting someone else’s battle. Only the fact that this latest issue complicated his desire to see the Children united in peace kept him from outright dismissing Earl.
However, he wasn’t giving up quite yet. “Please tell me what this has to do with us.”
“Maya informed me that the two of you wished for a bit more cooperation between the Pack and Coven, unless that’s changed?” Earl asked with his brow raised.
“No,” Johnny said.
“Then congratulations, you now have additional information to help you in solving that particular problem. Deal with the Cult, and you erase an entire group devoted to keeping the civil war continuing,” Earl said.
Ash frowned. “Yes, but you also made it sound as if this had something to do with the Vigil. I mean, besides the fact that this works in the Vigil’s favor and that the Cult probably has worked with them in the past.”
Earl raised a brow. “Shouldn’t it be obvious? The Cult believes in the purity of the bloodlines of werewolf and witch. They’re the reason The Choosing ever became so commonplace, and they come out of hiding anytime something or someone threatens that division.”
Johnny’s eyes widened. “Kell.”
“Oh God, the twins,” Ash whispered in horror.
Earl’s amusement disappeared as he nodded. “Kell is the first Ward in generations that the Vigil, and if my information is correct, the Cult, haven’t wiped out before they were found or hid themselves away. In the short time that he’s been on the scene, Kell has managed to create a great deal of issues for the aims of the Cult. Johnny for instance, was a barely tolerated outcast, known for breaking the laws of the Children by using magic despite having chosen the Pack.”