Children of Sun (Oracle's Legacy)

by R. B. Holbrook

  "Arthur, we found them. Turn on the TV." Elliot's voice came in loud and clear.

  "What channel?" Arthur said, trying to shake off the sleep.

  "It doesn't matter." Elliot sounded grim.

  Leaving the bedroom, Arthur went down the hallway to his sitting room. He turned on the big-screen TV, and the first thing he saw was an aerial view of a gas station.

  "What's this?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

  "Keep watching."

  Arthur recognized the men on the television as his agents assigned under Elliot. Their task was to find out some information on Fire Eye. Once they found her, they were to make contact and have her brought in. But it seemed they found trouble along the way. If he had known it was this deadly trying to contact her, he would have sent better agents.

  The news release stated that the four men had been found dead at a gas station near an airport. It seemed one of the men had turned on the other three, but no one had heard or seen anything. Even video footage from inside the gas station showed nothing. One moment they were pumping gas, and the next they were all dead. No witnesses. No sound of gunfire. Near one of the busiest intersections in Atlanta.

  "No way!" Arthur yelled, before covering his mouth, realizing how loud he was.

  "We lost contact with them after they said they found a lead and were following up on it."

  "So you have no idea how far they got." Arthur collapsed in his chair, running his hands though his hair. How could this happen?

  "I can tell you this," Elliot said. "The only name I received is Greg Hooser."

  "Isn't that …"

  "Yeah, Hooser's boy."

  Hooser was no lightweight; he dealt with people on a day-to-day basis with his international export and import business. Arthur had to tread lightly with such information. Gregory Hooser was a world-class screw-up, but his father would kill for him. And although Arthur could handle his own, he had to keep his eyes on all House movement.

  "Elliot, find out what you can. But don't scare the boy. Find another way …"

  "I hear he responds well to money," Elliot suggested.

  "Use it."

  ()()()

  Silver Spring, Maryland

  Ollie jerked awake, breathing heavily, fighting back the stink of her nightmares. Awake, she had no problem with her memories. But in her sleep, those memories tried to control her and break her. That would never happen, but it never stopped those pests from disrupting her sleep.

  Clearing her head, Ollie perked up to the smell of bacon, eggs, grits, toast, and … Ellis was awake. She popped upright. How the hell had he awakened before her? She looked over at the clock. Eleven in the morning. Ollie was the morning bird, and Ellis was the late riser, and here she was waking up close to lunchtime. Scooting out of bed, rubbing her eyes, she looked around the room, trying to figure out why she had overslept. And yesterday she had been overly exhausted. This couldn't still be tied to her powers. She pulled on some socks to cover her feet and the dark tattoo-like markings of the seal. She waltzed into the kitchen to see everyone minus Mama already up and talking. Uh-oh. And Geo was looking dead at her, suspiciously. He, Ric, and Troy were in Ollie's living room, watching ESPN. Bones was on the floor with Scott. Sunny and O-no were sitting on barstools at the counter, looking into the kitchen as Ellis cooked one of his masterpieces. Actually, everything the man cooked was a masterpiece. She cringed at the thought, knowing why.

  "Ollie, what did you do last night that has you waking up so late?" O-no asked, grinning.

  Without answering, she rubbed her hand over his curly hair before going into the kitchen, where Ellis looked at her, puzzled.

  "Come on, you had some hot date, didn't you?" O-no teased.

  "She's tired because she used a lot of her power," Bones said without thinking. Ollie stopped cold. Her little brother's power could pick up almost everything. That meant his mind could pick up things few people knew and few people wanted him to know.

  "I knew it." Ellis dropped his hands to his side, as he squeezed his eyes shut.

  Geo got up from the couch and crossed into the kitchen to confront her. The Grand Exalted One was going to grind her ass into fine powder.

  Bones's head popped up and his eyes widened. He looked at her apologetically.

  "That's okay, Bones. They'd have figured it out eventually."

  O-no looked at Ollie, shocked. "Why'd you do that?" O-no feared for her and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. He wasn't strong enough to get between her and Geo, but she could tell he wanted to. O-no was her charge; she had raised him, because his crack-head mother wasn't fit. So he had a bond with Ollie that was deeper than her connection to most of her brothers and sisters. Ellis was the only one with whom she shared a deeper bond. She guessed being twins did that.

  Ollie stood her ground, leaning against the counter nonchalantly, preparing for anything. Troy and Ric stood up, following Geo. They were going to make sure Geo didn't get too rough. Bless their hearts, because she'd antagonize the eldest. It was her specialty.

  "Ollie?" Sunny and O-no both sounded worried as Geo approached. This might hurt, but it didn't matter; the deed was done, and her family was safe. As far as the consequences, she was more than willing to accept her punishment.

  Ellis stepped up beside her, preparing to fight alongside her. She proceeded to push him back.

  "Breakfast smells delicious." Everyone turned to the hallway to see Mama shuffling in with her sunflower housedress and pink fuzzy slippers on. Her long silver hair was hanging in two braids as she smiled at Ollie with a twinkle in her eye.

  She brushed past her overbearing brothers to help her mother. "I thought I bought you some yellow slippers to go with that dress," Ollie told the old woman as she took her arm.

  "You did," she said. "But you know, I think I prefer these." She laughed.

  "Well, you look ridiculous," Ric chuckled, pulling out a chair for her.

  She smiled up at him. "It's all a matter of outlook," she said as Ollie helped her into the chair. "Now, where is my plate?"

  Ollie was glad about one thing: Mama could settle a room. Now that the inquisition was over, she could fade into the background.

  She dodged Geo and Ellis for most of the day as she stayed close to Mama, hoping they would lay off her. Of course, Mama knew they were poised, ready to dig into her, but she wasn't going to intervene directly.

  O-no pulled Ollie into his room later that afternoon. He looked frantic.

  "Ollie, I got a lot of e-mail about requests for jobs. I mean a crapload." He showed her the computer screen of his high-tech setup. The screen showed over two hundred messages.

  It wouldn't be long, but it was coming. Smiling at her brother, she wrapped her arm around his shoulder to comfort him.

  Bones came in, looking at her wide-eyed. "What's going on, Ollie?" Bones said, scared.

  "Nothing you two need to worry about. But I'd like it if you wouldn't worry anyone with this information. I don't want problems, okay?" She bent over and wrapped her arms around Bones. "As long as you're fine, I'm fine."

  O-no looked frazzled. "And no matter what, you belong to us."

  He feared.

  He wondered what would happen to him if something happened to her. He was eighteen and fully capable of taking care of himself. He already made more money than most people by working odd computer-related jobs here and there, so money wouldn't be an issue. And if something did happen to Ollie, it didn't mean that the others would forget about him. He had been with them for ten years. He was a permanent fixture in their dysfunctional family.

  He had been the first one of two she ever helped bring into the family by herself. No aid from Geo, Ric, or Mama. She did it all on her own. She was eighteen at the time and he was eight, but with the mother's signature, it was all legal. Though the situation wasn't the happiest, Ollie did her best to make the kid feel at home. And since she had been an influence in his life, albeit a bad influence, neither she nor the rest of t
he family would trade the kid for anything in the world. She left them and walked back to the living room, clearing her head. It was time to make a move.

  Ollie noticed that the front door was opening. A seven-year-old girl with a missing tooth and pigtails walked through it. She had large eyes and a grin that mirrored Bones's. If the two hadn't been born of two different women, and Bones hadn't been a year older, Ollie would have sworn they were twins. This was the second one Ollie legally guarded, the other to receive her bad influence: Miko.

  "Marco!" Ollie cried.

  "Polo!" the girl replied before she ran over to Ollie and hugged her so hard that Ollie fell back. As always, it was a bear hug.

  Miko was five when Ollie had found her in a Brazilian orphanage. According to the locals, Miko's mother was seeing a man who had ties to drugs. It was never confirmed. The four-year-old had walked in on the slaying of her mother and the boyfriend. Luckily, the child was spared. She spent a year in the orphanage before Ollie had found her. By looking at the girl now, no one would ever be able to tell that the girl had been through hell. Mama said it was because Ollie worked so hard to help her through it. Ollie didn't think so. The kid was just tough.

  "Troy!" She jumped off of Ollie and ran for Troy.

  "Hey, Miko … Whoa," the man said as he hugged her. "Girl, you just don't ease up." He laughed. "How are you, Miko?"

  "Great!" She ran to the back to greet the others.

  Ollie grinned. If Miko was home, then Cee and Wolfe weren't too far behind. Ollie looked down at Troy.

  "What's goin' on, Ollie?" Troy frowned.

  Ollie tried to hold her excitement.

  "Why're you--?"

  "Hey, Miko!" The loud male voice with a thick southern backcountry accent carried through the building. "Come git yer bags. That damn girl."

  Troy let out a heartwarming laugh.

  In the doorway, a big-boned, fair-skinned man stood, carrying a load of luggage. He had short, brown hair covered with a red baseball cap. His pudgy nose and lazy brown eyes barely showed because the bill of the cap was so low. He had freckles all over his skin, and they seemed to darken whenever he got red with frustration. "Miko!" he yelled, like he was on a farm. Jonathan Wolfe--or Wolfe, as he called himself--was the reddest redneck son of a bitch you'd ever find, in his own words. Though the son of a bitch was the most cursing, contradicting man Ollie had ever met, he was also the most lovable. That was why Troy embraced him so readily as a business partner and best friend. And why their sister Cee had fallen so hard in love with him and he with her.

  "Ollie," he huffed, dropping the bags. "Yer sister's the most--awww hell!" he shouted with a big grin, after spotting Troy. "Why in hell didn't you lousy heifers warn me that smoke-fer-brains was sniffin' 'round?" He laughed, walking over to Troy.

  "Who you talkin' to?" Troy immediately stood from the table. They shook hands before embracing, patting each other on the back in a manly hug.

  "If ya had the damn sense that God gave a moose, you'da realized I ain't talkin' to ya, but 'bout ya. Like I said. Smoke. Fer. Brains." The two had such a unique relationship.

  Troy laughed as the two went to the bar to clean the rest of the alcohol out of the building. Ollie stepped in front of Wolfe, stopping him.

  "Naw … what? What's that look?" He cocked his head to the side, trying to figure her out.

  Ollie just grinned.

  "Damn it all, fine." Wolfe opened his arms, and Ollie went in for a hug.

  "I don't see why you insist on pettin' the rattler." Troy smirked.

  "You just jealous 'cause I likes her better'n you," Wolfe chuckled.

  "Here we go again," Troy said, pouring them both drinks.

  "Look at 'im. That ho done made the poor bastard look like hell," Wolfe said of Troy's ex. Troy gave Wolfe a nasty look. That was one subject Ollie didn't want to hear.

  "Wolfe." Cee's gentle voice came through the door. Cee walked in, a thin woman with gentle brown eyes and dark-brown, curly hair that came to her shoulders. She had simple beauty. Nothing over the top. And her voice was always calm and lilting. She was the force that kept Wolfe's mouth closed … most of the time.

  Troy handed Wolfe a glass of scotch.

  "Troy, how are you?" Cee asked, coming over to hug him.

  "To hear them two tell it, I look like crap. How're you, Cee?" Troy downed the scotch, arm draped around Cee's shoulders.

  "I'm good. I apologize for his behavior."

  "Don't apologize," Wolfe whined.

  "Sweetie." Cee touched his arm and he melted. Cee was the calming force behind Wolfe. He was a kind man on the inside, but on the outside, he was rough and raw. Three years after first meeting the family, Wolfe and Troy became best friends and business partners. Once Troy moved to Atlanta with Wolfe to grow their business, Ollie visited the pair off and on in order to check on her brother as well as to do some business with them. Years later, Ollie decided to visit the pair, taking Cee with her. Mostly because that nervous Nelly of a brother Ellis insisted that she take someone with her, since he was in college and couldn't go with her; he wanted her to have company. The chemistry between Cee and Wolfe was instant. Though it was three years before they got married, it seemed like they had been together forever.

  Ollie approached her sister. Cee hugged her. "So, where is everyone?" she asked. Ollie began to tell her.

  With the arrival of Cee and Wolfe, it was time. Ollie held in her concerns, knowing that she didn't have time to second-guess anything. Life was about to change for all of them.

  ()()()

  Atlanta, Georgia

  Granger had just got off the phone when it rang again. This was getting real old, fast.

  "Granger," he said, flipping open his phone.

  "Yo, G, you got any news for me?"

  "No, Joc. Let me call you back,"

  "Uh-oh. Yeah, you do that." Joc hung up, clearly understanding his frame of mind.

  Granger was tired. All day he had been getting calls from people, mostly associates, reporting on activity. Low-level trackers, seekers, seers, and prophets, all requesting information about Ollie. Her presence was going to be trouble; he just had no idea how much. When he talked to Geo, he was clear on how bad it could get. And now this.

  Damn phone.

  He answered its irritating ring. "Granger."

  "Boss, we got some company. Trackers looking around." Granger closed his cell, shot up from his chair, and looked out onto the dance floor. Trackers meant trouble if it got back to anyone that they came to him. Even if they didn't say his name, Granger didn't like being the reason anyone was found unless he was doing the finding. He scanned the crowd. Whoever they were, they hid well. Granger's mind shifted, and his eyes reached below the surface, chipping away at each and every individual in the club that was not staff. Sliding from consciousness to emotions to energy signatures, he found the two trackers, both female and both decked out in their club finest. Being from Flame, they were trackers of emotion, using emotional traces unique to each individual to track their prey.

  And they knew that if he found out, they would be in trouble. They were right. Who did they work for? He dug deeper. House of Flame, Urn faction. The most powerful faction in Flame. Time to call Arthur.

  Granger took in every ounce of information that both trackers possessed, absorbing it like a sponge until the only thing left was to claim them. Slowly eating away at their resolve, he could tell they were fighting it. But it was useless. That luminescent uniqueness that they valued so much was his. Though he hated taking claim of a person's individuality, it was the one safeguard he could count on. Now that he completely had them, all of their information was his. And they were looking for Ollie.

  The woman had made herself one of the most valuable tools to the Structure, an agent that could find anything. And when the whole Structure decides they want her, she's nowhere to be found. The prices they were willing to pay … damn, she must be good. Though Granger had no use for her, he could see her poten
tial from the moment they first met.

  It was that focus. Such a threat.

  Granger opened his phone and began to dial.

  "Hello, this is Arthur."

  "Arthur. Granger. You've got some serious explaining to do." There was a long pause. "Don't make me come visit you, Arthur."

  "Granger, I'm not sure what I did to earn this call, but I assure you that I would not do anything to encourage a visit." Panic pitched his voice.

  "Two of your trackers came to my club, on business." The curse came through so clearly that he smiled. Arthur had no idea that their path had led straight to the man's doorstep. Granger just needed confirmation.

  "Granger, you have my most sincere apology. As you probably already know, I'm looking for a certain free agent that I believe can help me with a situation."

  "Does this have anything to do with the Oracle situation?" The silence answered his question. "I'm not interested in that mess. But listen carefully and spread it--if anyone crosses my path for information without coming to me directly, I will retaliate." Granger could almost feel the shaking coming from the other end of the phone. Annoyed by the man's fear, Granger hung up.

  Arthur was a smart man, but slippery, and he would try again. So it was best to keep track of the House by using their own. Granger sent a message to his new recruits to follow Flame's activity. From now on, any information they gained would come to him, when and if he needed it. He tugged at their souls to let them know their choices were limited. They were clearly annoyed but there was no escape. Every move they made, every breath, every thought now belonged to him. Fear would keep them in check, and when that subsided, the only thing left would be absolute obedience.

  His skin began to crawl as they left. He really needed a warning sign outside his organization, saying Unwanted Individuals Will Be Possessed. Maybe stuff like this wouldn't happen. And it was her fault.

  Ollie was a problem.

  He understood her position in regards to the Oracle situation. If she took one assignment over another, she could be a target. If she played into any political power struggle of any magnitude, she could ruin her reputation. However, from what he saw in her, she wasn't a hider. She preferred to fight fire with everything she had. So why was she hiding now, especially when there was plenty of action to satisfy her hunger?