by D P Rowell
“But I did!” Ace interjected. “And you know what else I’m doing? Quitting!” Ace stormed out of the bushes.
“Wait,” Cameron said, rushing after him.
“Ah, good riddance!” Rio yelled from behind.
Ace stomped away until he felt Cameron’s hand on his shoulder.
“Ace don’t do this,” Cameron said, turning him around to face him. “Grandpa asked you to take his place for some reason. You can’t turn your back on him.”
“You heard Rio. Grandpa made a mistake,” Ace said as he folded his arms.
“No, he didn’t,” Cameron said.
“He did, Cameron. He did. I’m the youngest, and least talented. It’s always been that way. The only reason he wanted me along was so he could save his precious granddaughters.”
“If Grandpa thought you were the least talented, he would’ve never chosen you, bro,” Cameron said.
Ace pouted, his arms crossed again. Why was Cameron so good at arguing?
“You had another dream, didn’t you?” Cameron said. Ace’s head jerked towards his older brother. Why did he persist on this subject? He knew how much he hated it. He knew how terrible it made him feel!
“Stop bringing this back to Mom. This has nothing to do with her!” Ace stomped his foot, clenching his fists next to his side. “You’re not listening to me, Cameron.”
“Actually, right now, I’m the only one who is,” Cameron said. “I have dreams too, Ace. I miss her too. But we can’t bring her back. You have to for—"
“Shut up!” Ace said, storming away. He ran to the house, up the stairs, slammed his door shut, locked it, and fell to his bed. He grabbed his pillow and threw it against the wall. He wanted to grab other things but there wasn’t much to grab. Instead he fell to the floor and squeezed his pillow with all his might, letting the rage escape him little by little.
Moments later, he heard the muted tone of the front door opening and footsteps coming inside.
“See! I told you!” Julie said, her voice muffled from outside the room door, “I told you they were sneaking out!”
“Quiet, Julie,” Marg said, “go back bed.”
“Aw, Julie,” Tamara said, laughing with her sister, “You made the poor baby cry.”
Ace threw his pillow at his bedroom door, “Shut up, you witches!” The insult had a fresh, more powerful meaning this time.
“Back to bed!” Rio yelled, “Now!”
The Peppercorns laughed as they walked to their room and shut the door. The sound of footsteps coming up the stairs was interrupted by Rio’s voice.
“Cameron, let him be alone for a little while,” the drake said. “The sofa turns into a bed. You should stay down here for the night.”
Cameron didn’t respond. Ace only heard the footsteps retreating downstairs. He clenched his fists and grit his teeth. He stood and paced the floor.
I hate them! I hate the Peppercorns! Grandpa loved them more. He never loved me. They deserve to rot! Let them rot! I won’t save them! I won’t!
The knot in his stomach loosened as he spoke these things to himself, and he plummeted back to the bed and lay on his pillow. But as he lay stared at the plain wall ahead, Cameron’s voice kept popping into his head, and he could find no strength to fight it.
I have dreams too, Ace, the knot tightened again, I miss her too, it tightened more. But we can’t bright her back, you have to for—
The knot popped and burst once again. He wept until his eyes were empty of every drop. Ace knew what Cameron was about to say, and he wouldn’t have it. Never, in a million years, would he forgive the Peppercorns for what happened.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Compromise
Ace woke to the sound of a knock on his door. Being too groggy to tell if he was dreaming or not, he rolled his feet off the side of his bed and stared at his bedroom door, listening to see if it would happen again. The door cracked open, and Rio poked his head inside.
“Good, you’re awake,” the drake said. He stepped in further, shut the door, and turned the light on. “I didn’t want to have to wake you up myself.”
Ace rubbed his eyes, “What do you want?”
“Your training begins today kid, remember?”
Ace scoffed at Rio. “I told you, I’m quitting.”
“Yeah? What are you gonna do then? Hide here with your family until the witches find you and Gathara turns to chaos?”
Ace didn’t respond. He only shook his head and looked away. Rio’s footsteps thumped against the hardwood as he stepped closer.
“Look, kid, I wanted to apologize for last night. I shouldn’t have spoken that way toward you,” Rio said.
Ace turned to face him slowly. Still said nothing.
“I have to admit, I’ve been a little shaky about you. Not knowing whether Marty made the right decision by picking you for such a task. But the more I get to know you, the more I see what your grandfather saw in you. There’s a little more to it though. Every single one of us—the elite I mean—we all thought Marty would pick us when he retired or something. But I didn’t think he’d pick me,” The drake said, now sitting on the bed beside Ace. “I knew he’d pick me. Marty and I were the closest. He taught me everything I know about hunting. We stood together side by side every day. He and I chose the elite together. Even the elite—though they hoped otherwise—thought I would end up taking Marty’s place someday. But I didn’t. You did.” Rio’s eyes glossed over like they were covered with smooth glass. “We’ve been working years for this. Fought so many battles next to Marty. He kept his family in the dark about all of it because he wanted to protect you all. We never thought this would happen in a million years. And of all his descendants, he chose you. The youngest, and least experienced. I don’t mean to be rude, it’s just simply the truth.” Ace nodded in agreement. “But,” Rio continued, “I’ve seen something in you that I haven’t seen in anyone else. Not even your brother. And especially not your cousins.” Ace smiled, and his anger slowly melted. “I see Marty in you. You learn quick. I’m not saying it doesn’t upset me that Marty didn’t choose me. Because it does. But there’s no doubt in my mind that he made the right decision. We need you, Ace. If what the Indies stand for is going to last for any amount of time, or make any difference in the world, it’s not going to happen without you.”
Ace’s mouth slanted in a half smile, but he still felt the need to contest the drake’s conclusion. “What makes you so sure, Rio? I’ve only captured one witch.”
“Capturing witches isn’t the only thing a hunter does, kid. The way you put Sebastian in his place in the meeting. Or the way you fearlessly entered the cellar without question. Not to mention how you went by yourself just to learn more about them,” Rio said. “No one your age has ever done any of those things without consequence.”
Not to mention, the council showed up to see me, Ace thought. He hadn’t truly considered what such a thing meant. Rio said warlocks aren’t ever seen, and no one knows the members of the council. They appeared to him in physical form and threatened him. They even knew about the Emerson Stone. It had to mean something. But he couldn’t tell Rio about the stone. He had better keep the information about the council appearing to himself.
“So, you really think I’m that special, huh?” Ace said, a smirk on his face.
Rio chuckled. “Don’t get cocky, now.”
“I’ll come and train with you on one condition,” Ace said. “Cameron trains as a hunter and helps protect the family.”
Rio clacked his tongue and his next words cut through the air. “Absolutely not. I’ve arranged with the elite to have hunters guard the house when Marg and I are at the recall today. They will be plenty protected.”
“Then forget it,” Ace said, falling back into his bed. He thought about his connection with his brother the previous night. Even though he didn’t appreciate Cameron constantly bringing up Mom, his brother was who he trusted most. He was tired of being alone in this journey. He already told
Cameron everything, and the older brother would make a great hunter.
“Ace, I can’t risk the safety of your family anymore. Cameron may not have the immunity to witchcraft like you do. Your grandfather picked you for a reason. He didn’t want to risk the lives of his family,” Rio said.
“I’d say their lives are already in danger as it is. You have hunters protect us every day.”
“Being a hunter and knowing about witches makes you a target. I won’t do that to your brother.”
“Then the hunters you sent to protect us are targets too,” Ace said.
Rio sighed. “It’s different, Ace.”
“How?” Ace said, sitting back up and staring eye to eye with Rio. “Cameron knows the risks. He’s talented and smart and could be a great help! It should be his choice, not Grandpa’s.”
Rio shook his head softly. “Your cousins are cursed. You’re taking over leadership of the Indies. How am I supposed to sleep knowing I let Marty’s last safe grandchild join the hunters?”
“Safe? You’re living in a fairy tale, Rio. None of us are safe. It’s only an illusion. False security. You know what I think safe is? Having the necessary training to defend yourself.” Rio stared at Ace silently for a moment. Ace sighed and spoke softly, “It’s more than that though . . . I need him. We’re Halders you know, and we—”
“Stick together,” Rio said under his breath. “You say that a lot, kid. It gets annoying sometimes.”
Ace smirked. “Deal with it.”
The drake stood from the bed, hands on his hips, facing the wall as he pondered the situation. After a moment of quiet, he turned to Ace.
“Let me tell you something,” Rio said, pointing his finger, “if I let Cameron train, and anything happens to him, you will know then it could have been avoided had we not had this conversation.”
Ace raised an eyebrow. “And if you don’t let him train and something bad happens to him, same goes for you.”
Rio chuckled. “You’re a stubborn little thing.”
Ace snickered and crossed his arms.
“Just like your grandfather,” Rio said under his breath. “Go wake your brother. Tell him he’s coming with us.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
The Simulation Room
Ace compared the training room to his hologram discs on a much larger scale. The inside walls wrapped around in the shape of a cylinder and were lined with a muddy-colored brass. Thick glass covered blaring lights on the roof and ceiling. So clear, when he glanced at his feet it looked like he was hovering above the lights. Ihana followed Ace in the room.
“Stop there,” she said. He turned around. She walked to him with a blaster rifle in her hand. It was nearly half his size. She handed it to him and pointed to the areas of the blaster as she named them.
“Barrel. Generator. Trigger (obviously). Pistol grip. Front grip. Rear sight. Front sight. Buttstock,” she stopped and looked at him, “there’s more, but that’s all for now, got it?”
Ace nodded. “What’s the generator for?”
“It holds the anti-magic and needs to be replaced when it runs out of juice.”
Ace inspected the weapon with interest.
“Know how to shoot?”
Ace nodded. “Grandpa taught me when I was seven actually.”
“Know how to shoot a hunter’s rifle?”
“Uh—is there a difference?”
“No. Just wanted to remind you that having a famous Grandpa doesn’t make you an expert on witch hunting, got it?”
Ace swallowed and nodded.
Keele’s muffled voice came over an intercom, “Why are you giving him the rifle?”
“Aren’t we running target practice? Simulation twelve?” Ihana replied to the ceiling.
“Nope. Twenty-seven,” she replied. A sly smile came over the water drake and she snatched the rifle from Ace’s hand.
“Your mission is to find the witch, capture her, and bring her to the cellar. If you can find the parcel, that’s a plus. Any questions?” the water drake said. She placed a chip on the right side of his head.
“Without a rifle?” Ace said.
“Start the program!” Ihana yelled as she walked away. “Good luck, kid. Although you shouldn’t need it. Being immune and all,” she said with a smirk. The door slammed shut behind her, and the lights dimmed until pitch darkness swallowed the room.
Pixels popped into existence by the millions. Large white columns surrounded him one by one. They stretched to a coffered ceiling of gold and dark blue. The hardwood floor reflected the warm lights surrounding the room everywhere the dark blue rug hadn’t covered. Stairs with waxed and polished railing wound on either side of him, leading to a balcony looking over the grand hall. Beam lights hung on the walls, under and above the balcony. Recess lights sank into the ceiling. Chairs surrounded large round tables draped in white tablecloths scattered across the rug, and a small stage sat in the middle of the room with a chrome podium. Above the stage hung a banner which read:
Congratulations, President Kar
Ace was in the Capitol building. In Adamsville! At the night Angus Kar won the Eveland presidential election. Years before he was even born. His eyes fixed on the banner as people popped into existence around him. Almost exclusively humans. Other than a drake here, and a jag there. All of them were frozen in place. The last person who appeared was President Kar. Dressed in a suit of shining silver, a navy blue, collared shirt underneath and a white tie. His brown hair slicked perfectly back, and a smile famous for melting hearts.
Once the room was filled with people, something like a deep click echoed in the hall, and he jumped at the sound of thunderous applause coming into virtual existence. Angus Kar waved his hand slowly to settle the crowd. Ace looked at himself in shorts and a t-shirt, completely underdressed for the occasion. He stuck out like a sore thumb. Not to mention, he was only twelve years old. Probably part of the elite’s attempt to set him up for failure. He thought back to the advice Rio gave him before Ihana took him to the simulation room. The drake had pulled him aside in the Great Hall when no one else was around.
“Listen to me,” the drake had whispered, checking around him to make sure no one was listening, “the elite are going to start you off in a difficult simulation. They don’t want you to prove what you’re made of. This won’t be like the training we had in New Eathelyn. Luckily, you’ve already had some field experience. But keep in mind, there might be thugs and gangs. We’re not policemen. We’re hunters. Often, the witches will be hiding in less likely places.”
“What should I look for?” Ace had asked.
“Power and influence. Anyone who has these things is a suspect. Most likely traveling in some kind of group with a leader. Dressed as good guys, because they’re harder to find that way.”
“Like policemen?”
“Ironically, yes.”
“But how will I know for sure whether someone is a witch or a real good guy?”
“Call out anything that looks suspicious or out of place. But casually, as if you’re just curious. If something feels off, chances are it probably is. Talk about it out loud. The group will get defensive, but the more you challenge their beliefs, the angrier the witch will get. Her disguise will begin to fade, and she will resort to magic.
“There are two types of truths a witch will lie about. Ultimate truth, and immediate truth. Ultimate truth is part of the council’s overall plan; the type every witch tries to hide. For instance, every witch wants people in Yutara to believe that witches are just fairy tales. Immediate truths are the things she’s lying about in the moment to support their lies about ultimate truth. Like, let’s say a witch is friends with the daughter of a governor. She may lie about being broken hearted over family issues while she’s venting to her friend. The immediate truth is that she’s not actually broken hearted. The ultimate truth is that she’s trying to befriend someone with power, so she can deceive them and eventually take that power for herself. As hunters, we’r
e always searching for the ultimate truth because it’s our job to defend it. However, it’s much easier to convince others of the immediate first and work your way up. Don’t try to catch a witch lying about witches being real. All Yutara believes witches are fairy tales, and this will be a far more difficult route to take. Start small. What is she lying about then and there? Get the immediate first.”
After Rio said those things, Ihana came and took Ace to the simulation. Which was unfortunate, because it confused Ace. He didn’t fully comprehend the difference between the two truths.
“Hey, what you doing?” Said a soft voice. Ace turned to his left. A female jag sat at a round table next to him. “Sit down.” She said. He realized a seat was behind him, and everyone at the table glared strangely at him. The boy took a seat, a little confused as to why no one pointed out him being a twelve-year-old boy in shorts and a t-shirt. He saw a name tag on the table in front of him.
Reserved: Senator Mage Starland
“He hasn’t even said anything yet, Senator,” said a deep voice. Ace turned his head to find a human male with dreadlocks pulled to a ponytail speaking to him. “I hardly think it’s time for a standing ovation.”
The rest of the table laughed along with the dark man. Ace chuckled back, nervously adjusting to the simulation. He looked around his table. Other than the female jag and the man with dreadlocks, he saw a red, lady drake just ahead, and two more humans, a male and female to his right and left.
“Today,” Angus Kar spoke from the podium, “the people of Eveland have spoken!”
The room erupted with cheer.
“No longer will the people be subject to the paranoid policies of the Indies!” Kar said.
First suspect, Ace thought. Had this really happened in history? Maybe it was just part of the simulation. He had no knowledge of these policies Kar stood for when he ran. He didn’t even have knowledge of the Indies at all until Rio came into his life. The council must have had parcels and witches everywhere, keeping knowledge of the Indies hidden even from children. This sent an unpleasant grumbling in Ace’s stomach. If Kar was the parcel in this simulation, how would he even get to him?