Reluctant Hero (The Dunamis Covenant Book 1)

by Ron Francis

  "That is what this conversation will determine, Hunter. I agree to meet you one-on-one in a battle to the death. I suppose in a way, our fight will determine the fate of all Ethereals. I reject your terms of bringing twenty people in with us as backup. I am increasing that to one hundred with the stipulation that no other Ethereals set foot anywhere in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Any more than that, and it will be all out war."

  "That stipulation is acceptable to us. We have access to satellites in geo-synchronous orbit positioned above the mountains. We'll know if you intend to break your word. We will also have several powerful Mages in the area alert for any displays of Ethereal power that might be strong enough to mask people from our satellites. Any sign of treachery will result in our immediate withdrawal."

  "There will be no treachery. My goal is to kill you. Your precious council will crumble when they see how easily I dispatch their champion. Five days from today, we will settle our fate once and for all, and you, Thomas Hunter, will not live through it."

  "Not so fast, Devlin, I have one more stipulation."

  "What is it," he replied in an annoyed voice. Lucas sat there taking in the whole conversation. He couldn't believe how different Thomas seemed to him. Gone was the cautious kid who didn't want to go to Cancun for spring break and in his place stood a man who was willing to take the responsibility to literally save the world. He wasn't sure he liked the change. At the very least, he wished Thomas was more like this in college.

  "My last stipulation is that you call back all of your assassins. I will not spend the next five days fighting for my life or my family's lives before I meet you in battle. It was stupid of you to send the eight Zdrada after Abby and me. Even worse was them opening fire in a public park where people were filming the entire confrontation on their camera phones. We cannot have any more stupidity that threatens to expose us before our final meeting."

  "Fine, I will call them back. Anything else?" He asked with malice in his voice.

  "No, that about covers it, see you in five days. And Devlin, you should complete your bucket list before then." He looked at Lucas and said, "Lucas, it's good to see you again. I don't know where we stand, or if our friendship was ever real for you, but it was for me. Out of respect for that relationship, I'm apologizing ahead of time for the death of your father. I really do wish there was another way."

  "So do I, Thomas," Lucas replied, and then took a step forward. "But, it's family first. If you raise your hand against my father, you raise your hand against me." He stepped back, and hoped that line would placate his father.

  "I'm sorry you feel that way, I guess I have my answer then." Thomas' countenance fell and Lucas knew he was hurting. The video conference ended and the screen went black as silence filled the Shadow Assembly hall.

  After a long moment, Darcy spoke up, "Who will be accompanying you into the mountains?"

  "I will discuss that decision with Antonio, but don't worry; you and Lucas will both be there. And, Lucas," He looked over to his son and paused. Then a smile crept across his face and he said. "Well done. I'm proud of you, son!" He stopped for a moment and then addressed the group, "One more thing, I was not alerted to the fact that an attempt had been made against Thomas." Lucas could tell he was not pleased. "Someone is going to have some explaining to do. We needed the world to be in disarray before they find out about us, not the other way around. Whoever ordered the misguided hit should let Antonio know before we meet again." He turned and abruptly left the room.

  Once again, Lucas was the last to leave the hall. Did I just threaten my best friend? He has no more choice in this than I do, if he does kill my father, it would be to save himself and preserve the peace, a peace that I want. As he sat there, he checked his watch. He had been alone for just about fifteen minutes. Darcy should be on her way in soon. He knew she would not miss an opportunity to play the caring wife in an effort to get him to be the man she needed him to be to attain power. She had to be loving the fact that he threatened Thomas. Right on cue, Darcy came strolling in, a look of concern in her eyes. She sat down opposite him and took his hand in hers.

  "Are you all right, Lucas? Having to choose between your best friend and your father couldn't have been easy. I'm sorry you had to make that choice. None of this has been fair to you." He could see the faux sincerity in her eyes as she waited for his response. He wondered if she cared at all, he wondered what percentage of this conversation would be actual feelings as opposed to manipulation.

  "It wasn't easy, but I made the right decision." He replied without looking up. He knew she was manipulating him, but she was good at it and it made the nights better. He very much preferred this Darcy to the one that had slapped him back in Dallas, even if this one was a fake. He would have to make a choice here soon, as well. To stay with Darcy would mean giving himself over to his dark nature and his father's vision. To leave her would be tantamount to leaving his father and he would be hunted down and shown no mercy. If he stayed, he would have to become something he was not, but if he left he would have to plan it very well if he hoped to survive. He looked up into Darcy's blue eyes and decided that at least for now, he might as well enjoy his situation. He let her lead him back to their temporary quarters as his mind swirled with indecision.

  Chapter twenty-nine

  When the transmission ended, Thomas breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad that part was over.

  "Well done, Thomas," Jonathan said, and the rest of the council nodded their agreement. Would you care to pick out the rest of the team joining you in the mountains?"

  "No, that's all right. I've picked the ones I know, I'll trust the council to fill in the remaining slots. I also trust that you'll devise a way to have a much larger force nearby that Devlin and Antonio will not detect."

  "Don't worry; we'll be ready for whatever he throws at you." Jonathan emphasized his statement with a confident wink, and then Thomas turned and left the room. He needed to go find Abby. In five days, things would be settled one way or another, and they needed to start making their plans for what they wanted to do when it was over.

  He arrived at the Fitzpatrick family safe house to an unexpected sight. Just when he didn't think he could be any more surprised, he saw Kendra and William outside the house speaking to Kendra's parents. He knew it had been almost six years since they had spoken and wondered what brought about the change. Abby greeted him with a hug and a short kiss as she pulled him aside to reveal the news.

  "William made Kendra call her parents and before they could hang up on her, he announced his intention to marry her. Kendra's parents jumped at the opportunity to have their daughter marry into the most powerful family in the clan, and drove right over to meet William and get reacquainted with their daughter."

  "What? Married? It's only been like three days. How...?"

  "It just clicked, TJ, I knew the moment I saw you, and William says he feels the same way."

  "How is she doing with all of this? You know, with her parents and everything?"

  "She's not thrilled. She knows that they have only accepted her because of our family and she's having trouble getting past that. William has been playing mediator the whole time. She won't even let them in the house yet, and Trevor hasn't brought Sarah out to meet them either."

  Just then Kendra stormed off into the house. Thomas could hear William playing diplomat.

  "It might take her a little time to get over the hurt," William said.

  Thomas turned to his love and said, "Abby, do you mind if I go talk to Kendra?"

  "No, not at all. I'll go back up my brother, maybe bring some drinks out for his future in-laws."

  He kissed her, barely touching her perfect lips and studied her eyes. He glanced back at her twice while he walked towards the house and he saw her smile. When he entered the house, the first thing he noticed was Kendra sitting on the couch, sobbing. He sat down and put his arm around his friend, and she leaned into him.

  "This should be the happiest day of m
y life, Thomas. I can't... I just can't—"

  "I know, Kendra, they shut you out for the last six years because of me. Forgiveness might take some time, but they're here now, that's a start, right?" He wrapped his arms around his friend and she accepted his comfort.

  "I don't know!" came the angry reply. "They weren't there when I got engaged to Sarah's father, and they weren't there when I found out he had died. Now, all of a sudden, the Fitzpatricks call and they come running. They don't care about me, Thomas. They only care about the fact that if I marry William, they'll have a better position in the clan."

  "Speaking of that, Kendra, marriage? You've only known him for three days, are you sure?"

  She leaned back, dried her eyes and looked him right in the eyes and said, "Thomas, I've never been more sure of anything. From the moment he opened the door the other day, I felt it. He's the one I've been searching for. Maybe it's the instant Ethereal connection I've heard about, or love at first sight. Call it what you want, but it's real and I am completely in love with him. He loves Sarah and she loves him, too. Thomas, I know it's very quick, but I know—"

  "Kendra, I'm happy for you. William is an outstanding man, and my future brother-in-law, which would make me Sarah's uncle legitimately." He hugged her and they both stood. "I'm here for you, whatever you need. If you want your parents gone, fine. If you want to try to work it out, then that's even better. Just let me know what you need."

  "Thanks, Thomas," she turned and then paused before turning back. "What would you do in this situation?"

  She understood the ramifications of what she had asked him before he even began to answer, but he just took her hand and replied, "I honestly don't know what I would do in this situation, Kendra, but I do know that I would give anything to talk to my parents one more time. You have that opportunity waiting right outside. And maybe they were never against you. Maybe they were just scared of what Asa would do. They know they have nothing to fear now." He turned and walked into the kitchen. Abby had somehow made it past him without him seeing, and she was fussing over the baby.

  Thomas watched Kendra slowly make her way back outside. She began to cry again, and she embraced her mother for the first time in almost six years. Moments later, William was at the entrance to the kitchen while Thomas and Abby were speaking to an agitated Trevor. They all looked up at William and saw how happy he was.

  "I don't know what you said to her, Tommy, but thank you. They are getting reacquainted and Kendra sent me in to fetch Sarah." He was so happy when Abby handed him the precious, little girl. Thomas could see that Abby loved watching Sarah's little arms reaching towards William.

  "I just told her the same thing I'm about to tell Trevor; whatever you decide, I'll back you up, but I would give anything to be able to speak to my parents again."

  William nodded his understanding, and he exited the room with a happy Sarah in his arms. Moments later, they could hear Kendra's mom squeal in delight when she held her granddaughter for the first time.

  Trevor was still sitting in the kitchen with a contemplative look on his face when he looked over to Thomas and said, "I don't know if it's gonna be that easy for me."

  "I understand, Trev, and trust me; it wasn't easy for your sister, either. There was a good deal of sobbing involved and there will probably be a good deal more in the future."

  "It's just that my whole life, they told me to look out for my sister. She wasn't blessed with the abilities I have. Then, all of a sudden, it's the complete opposite. They told me not to have any contact with my sister. She did one thing they didn't like by choosing not to go with you to UT, and all of a sudden, she's out. Then, I choose not to end the relationship with my sister that they always told me to have, and then I'm out, too. They wouldn't even pick up the phone, Thomas. Now I'm supposed to forgive them like nothing ever happened? Who's to say they even want me back, I can't marry any of the Fitzpatricks." Trevor was seething and Thomas was unsure what he needed to hear.

  "I don't know what to tell you, Trev, I think you should at least hear them out. What if they were under orders from Asa to cut Kendra off? What if Asa was still strong arming them and told them he would kill you and Kendra if they didn't do what he wanted? It may have been none of that, but don't you at least think you owe it to yourself to find out?"

  "Maybe, but not today." He stood up and exited through the back door.

  "Keep an eye on that one, Thomas," Grams warned when she entered the room. "He is very angry. He still looks up to you, so you may be the one person that keeps him in line. It's going to take him and Kendra a little while to heal, but they're part of the family now and we need them clearheaded for what's to come."

  "I will, Grams, where is everyone else? We have to start planning soon. I meet Devlin in five days."

  "Well, it would seem we have an impromptu engagement celebration getting ready to begin at McRory's, which means that you will have to make your plans tomorrow. You better get down there. They wouldn't want to start the fun without you."

  "We're on our way, Grams. Are you coming with us?" Abby inquired while she was putting on her jacket. "TJ and I would love to walk down with you."

  "No, I get to watch the little one, and you know there's nothing else I'd rather be doing." She began laying out the supplies she would need to watch a nine month old girl for the night. She smiled and Thomas thought for a second he was looking at an older version of Abby. They waved their goodbyes and were out the door.

  Thomas was happy to get even a few minutes alone with Abby while they walked to the pub her family loved so much. "So, what do you think of all of this, Abby?"

  She looked up at him and he could see her mind churning. "I love my brothers more than anything, except you. Kendra makes William happier than I've ever seen him, so I'm thrilled. And, it will be nice to have a little girl around the family. My brothers won't stop going on about their new little niece. Kendra may be just what we need to break the chain of boys. Even my brothers and cousins that have kids have all boys. I've never seen anything like it. That's why I've always been treated like such a princess. Now, Sarah will get the same treatment."

  "That's gonna be so great for her. I'm excited, too. Kendra is a catch, and William is lucky to have found her. I'm also really happy for her because no matter what happens with her parents, she'll always have family around her now. Sarah will grow up with a ton of uncles that will protect her and Trevor can really begin to learn what it's like to be part of something, too." He put his arm around her while they walked and added, "Now, enough about them. Let's talk about where we are going on our honeymoon as soon as this business with Devlin is settled."

  "My favorite topic." Abby slid her hand around his waist, and they talked Caribbean destinations all the way to McRory's.

  When they entered McRory's, Abby's family had already just about taken over the pub. The men had William on the hot seat and the women were gathered around Kendra telling her what she should expect from William and the rest of the Fitzpatrick men. A rock version of some Irish folk music was playing in the background and as soon as Conner saw his little sister, he swept her away from Thomas and began doing an old Irish folk dance with her. They were both smiling and laughing and Thomas watched with an amused look, thankful he didn't have to dance in front of everyone. Conner's wife, Inga, walked over and stood next to Thomas.

  "She's his favorite person in the world, you know." Inga said, and then she handed Thomas a drink.

  "And he's hers. I'm glad she has such a close family. I've never had any family except Uncle Pete and Aunt Laura."

  "Well, you have one now, and it's a big one at that. They will always love you for what you did for Dyson." They looked over and Dyson was dancing the same folk dance with his wife Claire. His grin told them all they needed to know. He was still riding high from the manifestation of his powers.

  "Dyson always had it within him. I guess I just helped him find it."

  "Don't be so modest, Thomas," Kendra said, an
d gave her friend a hug. "No one else seems to think he would have found his powers without you." Inga nodded, then the music died down, and Connor and Abby made their way back to where Thomas was standing. It was time for William to get up and give a toast in front of the assembled guests.

  Chapter thirty

  The following morning, John woke Thomas up and brought him out to the dining room to discuss the coming showdown with Devlin. There was a large oak table with eight oak chairs around it and a matching china cabinet along the wall. Seated around the table were Gunter, Tor Stevenson, Jonathan, Uncle Pete and Connor. John and Thomas took their seats and John looked to his father to kick the meeting off. Jonathan stood up and looked around the room. He took a deep breath and began, "I never would have thought we would be having a meeting like this, and in my own home no less. Devlin has left us no choice but to send Thomas to face him. We can't do anything about that, but we can make sure he has all the support we can get him." He patted Thomas back with a rueful look in his eye.

  "To that end," John cut in. "we have Pete Archer leading Thomas' personal six-man team which will include Connor, Abby, Liam, Trevor and Tor's son, Jan. He's a powerful Shifter and that will give Thomas two Paladins, two Mages and two Shifters specifically watching over him. They will have no other duties for the duration. They will be there to keep any of Devlin's thugs that want to take a shot at Tommy off his back. I will lead the rest of the entourage, a hundred of our best warriors. I will position them in strategic formation to make sure Devlin's forces cannot intervene. Tor will be ready with another thousand to twelve hundred of our best just a few minutes out, including several dozen of Gunter's snipers positioned on several of the ridges."

  Tor stood and began his portion of the briefing after John sat back down. "Our assault force has been taken from among the six clans and in as even a manner as possible from among each of the families of each of the clans. If it comes to full scale battle, we do not want any one family to lose too many of their people. Every one of our men and women have volunteered for this, and every family in all of the clans understand what is at stake. If Thomas does not stop Devlin, we take him out. If he goes through with his plan, it will be the end of Ethereals living in peace alongside normal humans no matter what side of the conflict they were on." He looked around the table before he continued.