The Hidden Gift

by Ian Somers

  ‘He never is,’ Sterling interrupted. A far from pleasant smile widened his thin face.

  ‘His tune changed as soon as I mentioned Sudavik.’

  ‘I bet it did.’ Sterling broke into a hearty laugh. The assassins laughed with him, as did Ballentine. ‘I bet he nearly crapped himself when you dropped that bombshell on him.’

  ‘Quite possibly. He said he would give up Zalech if we stayed away from Iceland long enough for him to clear out.’

  ‘Good.’

  ‘I think we should attack his base as soon as possible,’ Ballentine argued, ‘before he gets a chance to relocate. This is a golden opportunity, Jim. One that we shouldn’t squander.’

  ‘We can talk about that at another time, Dominic.’ He turned to Mr Williams again. ‘Where is Zalech now?’

  ‘We were sent GPS coordinates of a house he’s been holed up in. It’s in Bedfordshire – a rural area. The location is very remote.’

  ‘Perfect,’ Sterling announced. ‘That will make the job a lot easier.’

  ‘There is more,’ Hunter said from the shadowy archway.

  ‘I guessed as much, judging by that bullish look on your face,’ Sterling said to him. ‘What vexes you, old friend?’

  ‘Two things have me worried for your team, Sterling. First, that it could be a trap. Second, Golding said that Zalech is under the influence of a drug that gives him incredible reserves of power.’

  ‘Ah, I was wondering how he managed to create that tsunami. Did Golding go into any detail regarding this narcotic?’

  ‘It makes him very angry apparently. Angry enough to control an ocean is angry enough to kill nine assassins.’

  ‘Hunter has a point,’ Ballentine said grudgingly. ‘We don’t know how strong this drug has made him. Perhaps more of us should join the team?’

  ‘No,’ a tall, oriental man with a shaved head said. I guessed this was the infamous Sakamoto I’d heard so much about. ‘My team is well versed and will operate as a cohesive unit. Late additions could jeopardise the mission.’

  ‘Jim?’ Ballentine said, turning to Sterling.

  ‘There is logic on both sides of this argument. But I must side with Sakamoto. His team acts as a tight unit, and a false step from a newcomer could cost lives.’

  ‘I think you’re taking a huge risk,’ Hunter added. ‘Facing Zalech in his current condition is a step into the unknown. There should be more sent. I will offer my skills, as will Dominic.’

  ‘I will,’ Ballentine confirmed proudly.

  ‘The decision has been made,’ Sterling insisted. ‘Only nine will go.’

  ‘There is even more to tell you,’ Ballentine said as he left his seat. He went to the counter and brought the long black cape that he’d taken from Irena Hofer to Sterling. ‘Bentley and I encountered another of Golding’s gifted assassins beneath the Golding Plaza hotel. She was wearing this.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘Both Bentley and I struck her with psychokinetic blows that should have killed her. Yet each time she survived, thanks to this. The fabric is woven over a very thin chain-mail type garment. It appears to deflect psychokinetic attacks – even relatively powerful ones.’

  ‘I’m pretty sure Zalech was decked out with the same stuff when I faced him in Portsmouth,’ I said. ‘I hit him damned hard and he barely flinched. I couldn’t understand it at the time, but as soon as I saw this material I realised he must have been wearing the same stuff.’

  ‘Sakamoto,’ Sterling said, staring across the table at him. ‘You will need to take this into account before you make your attack.’

  ‘I will.’ He gave a single, sharp nod. ‘We will not attack with psychokinesis alone. Zalech will face numerous gifts from expert assassins. Protective clothing will not be enough to save him.’

  The other assassins became giddy with excitement. The prospect of killing such a noted enemy of the Guild should have had us all grinning, but something about the whole situation didn’t feel right to me. Hunter felt the same, that much was obvious by glancing at his dull countenance. Mr Williams, Cathy and even Ballentine were also looking rather sober as the visitors spoke about how they would make their approach and how they would close the net on their prey, and how they would make the kill.

  My trepidation did ease somewhat as the minutes passed by and I listened to them speak of previous assaults and kills. Sakamoto spoke to me for a while about my battle with Marianne and commended me for my bravery, spirit and skill. That awful night was never an easy subject for me to speak of so I diverted the conversation and asked him about a tattoo on the back of his hand. It was very similar to the wolf head logo used by the Guild, but this one had a snake head instead.

  ‘The wolf head is used by the Guild as a mark of respect for its founder, who was a mind-switcher. He travelled with a wolf and switched his mind into the beast in times of danger. All assassins use a different emblem: the snake. You see, the first ever assassin employed by the Guild was also a mind-switcher. She placed her thoughts in the body of a snake and used it to kill those who threatened the Guild. And so we tattoo the snake on our hands in memory of her.’ He raised his hand so I could get a better look at it. ‘We all have identical tattoos. Oh, where are my manners? I never formally introduced ourselves to you. My name is Shinji Sakamoto. I am gifted in pyrokinesis, psychokinesis and pitch-shifting. Chief assassin for the Guild of the True since 1997.’

  He then introduced Wolfgang Platz and Miranda Jacobs who were sitting either side of him. Both were in their early thirties and had the gift of psychokinesis.

  Standing close by was Dylan Logan, who was very broad and spoke with an American accent. He was a precognitive and electropsych, and according to Sakamoto, was an expert in both gifts.

  Emilia Metz was in her late forties. She was quiet the whole time, and simply smiled when Sakamoto told me she was a brilliant light-tuner.

  Josef Vorn displayed his pyrokinetic skill, by creating a halo of flames around his head, when his name was mentioned. He was the youngest, and probably the cockiest of the bunch.

  Jennifer Jones was the next name to be announced, and I was surprised to hear that she was a mageleton, like Edward Zalech. ‘I don’t have his level of ability,’ she said, ‘but I know how to use what I’ve got.’

  Li Fan had three of the true gifts. He was a talented mind-switcher and was partially gifted in psychokinesis and precognition.

  That only left Linda Farrier, who I was already familiar with. Sakamoto told me she was both a psychokinetic and a siren. He also added that she was one of the most able assassins he had ever encountered.

  Zalech was immensely powerful and psychotic, but could anyone truly contend with such a vast array of gifts, wielded by experienced killers? My concerns dissipated as the night wore on. As the hour approached 3am, the tension in the room spiked once more. The team wanted to get going because it was a two-hour journey and they wanted to hit Zalech just before dawn.

  Sterling announced that he too had to get going, to London. He spoke to us before leaving the house.

  ‘Hopefully the dawn will bring this terrible chapter for you all to an abrupt end,’ he began. ‘I would like to apologise for allowing such a small group to bear such great grief and danger all too often in recent times. I am well aware that you all lost a close friend and ally in Marcus Romand only a few short months ago, and that it has been difficult for you to conquer your sense of loss. And now, unexpectedly, you have had to face a new and sinister threat in the shape of Edward Zalech. The menace he has posed is now removed from you all. Although that will come as little comfort to some of you,’ he glanced at me when he said it, ‘tomorrow you should move on with your lives. Peter, you can now return to your well-deserved retirement and I swear it will not be interrupted again, under any circumstances. Cathy, I have learned that you wish to leave England for France, so that you can be with your mother to aid her in her recovery. I must admit I had hoped you would involve yourself more deeply with the Guild, but I res
pect your needs and you should take your leave tomorrow. The Guild has already booked you on a flight to France. The flight will leave Gatwick at 10pm tomorrow.’

  She didn’t look at me even once and I felt crushed that she’d made these plans without consulting, or even informing, me.

  ‘Ross,’ Sterling continued. ‘I know you want nothing more than to travel to Ireland to visit your father’s resting place. I believe it would be wiser if you were to remain out of sight for a few months more. You should return to Scotland with Hunter. Spend the winter there, practise your skills, and then come see me in the spring. I would like to discuss your future with you at great lengths. After that, you can take some time for yourself and mourn your father properly.’

  It didn’t appear that my future was up for debate, which made me very uncomfortable. I valued my freedom and independence too much to have someone I hardly knew dictating what I should and shouldn’t do. I wanted to tell him to shove his orders, but there was something about Sterling, an assurance, a confidence, a great power behind his steely eyes that stopped me from objecting. Not even Hunter had dared question him, and I felt it best to follow his example and keep my opinions to myself.

  Sterling wished Sakamoto luck and left with Canavan, who hadn’t said a word for hours, and little Sarah Fisher, who had been napping in front of the TV the entire evening. Moments later the team left the house one by one and gathered around three dark-coloured, saloon cars that were parked at the front of the house.

  Hunter stopped Farrier as she walked to the hallway and they talked for a moment. The only words I caught were Hunters: ‘Linda, just be careful and don’t be too proud to run if it goes bad. This will not be the same Zalech we faced in Newcastle.’

  She said something to him and placed her hand on his shoulder before smiling and walking away. It pained me to see the worry in Hunter’s eyes, but I had my own drama to deal with. Cathy was due to leave within twenty-four hours and we had barely spoken in days, since our argument at the animal sanctuary. I still loved her with all my heart and didn’t want us to part on such bad terms. I waited for a quiet moment then asked her to come with me to the bench on the patio out back.

  ‘Thanks for letting me know you’re leaving the country,’ I said, sitting on the edge of the frigid wooden seat. ‘I can’t believe you’re just going, without so much as a single word.’

  ‘I decided after what happened in Portsmouth,’ she admitted. She took a seat on the other end of the bench – as far away from me as possible – and rubbed her arms to chase away the chill of the night. ‘I did tell you I’d had enough. Then a few hours later you just went off on a solo run against Zalech. Did you say a single word to me? No. You just went. You might never have come back. How do you think that made me feel, Ross?’

  ‘It was a stupid thing to do. I realise that now.’

  ‘It might have been too late to realise that. You could, and probably should, be dead right now!’

  ‘I said I was sorry.’

  ‘Sometimes sorry isn’t enough.’

  I used my psychokinesis to lift the other end of the bench and she slid along the seat into my waiting arms. She struggled for about half a second before hugging me. I didn’t blame her for wanting to escape the chaos that had besieged both our lives since that dreadful night when Marianne Dolloway found us. We’d both been in limbo ever since and in the fog of confusion we were losing one another. That true and instant love we shared was under far too much strain, and only now could I see that she’d been right all along. Our budding relationship could not survive on the battlefield that was life in the Guild of the True.

  ‘Seems we won’t be seeing much of each other for a while,’ I sighed. ‘Life just grows more and more complicated.’

  ‘It’ll keep going in that direction … For you anyway.’

  ‘Why do you say that?’

  ‘You heard what Sterling said. He wants you to visit him in the spring. That means he wants to draft you in as a fully-fledged Guild agent. You’re being set up as one of their key soldiers. You’ll be thrown into every major conflict that comes along from then on.’

  ‘That’s only if I choose to stay.’

  ‘You think they’ll give you a choice?’

  ‘I choose my own destiny, Cathy, and I want it to be with you. Being part of the Guild has already cost me my father and I’m not sure I can watch others around me die like Romand did. And,’ I glanced over my shoulder to make sure no one could hear me, ‘I get the feeling we won’t be seeing some members of Sakamoto’s team again.’

  ‘They’ll kill Zalech,’ Cathy said sombrely as she gazed at the darkness beyond the patio. ‘You don’t know how relentless they are.’

  ‘They don’t know how strong he is.’

  ‘I don’t want to think about him.’ She shook her head and grimaced as if the mere thought of Zalech caused her physical pain.

  ‘Neither do I.’ It was the truth; I didn’t want to think about him. But it was also true that I couldn’t stop myself from thinking about him. He would travel with me the rest of my days even if he were dead. That was his curse. Once you cross paths with someone as evil as Zalech or Golding or Dolloway they leave their mark on you. One that does not fade with time and cannot be washed away. ‘I’d rather look forward to a future with you than spend my life fighting for the Guild. I hope that doesn’t make me sound like a coward.’

  ‘It makes you brave.’ She kissed me on the cheek. ‘You don’t have to make your mind up now, Ross. You’ll have a lot of time on your hands when you go north. Take that time and do what you think is right. I’ll wait for you. Promise.’

  ‘I don’t even know where you’ll be. How will I contact you?’

  ‘You don’t need to know where I am, Ross. I know where you are.’ She smiled and that sparkle in her eyes that had been absent for so long returned momentarily. ‘All you need do is watch the skies for large eagles.’

  ‘I’ll do that,’ I smiled. ‘And I’ll look forward to your letters.’

  ‘Enough of the canoodling, Bentley! I’m not hanging about here. Let’s get a move on.’

  ‘Christ,’ I cursed. ‘I cannot believe I have to spend the next six months listening to my own name being shouted at me all day every day.’

  ‘Stop acting like a sissy. I’ll be out front.’

  I left Hunter waiting and spent almost half an hour kissing Cathy, without speaking. We just wanted to be close to each other now that the great pressure that had been on us was removed. The constant danger had fizzled away and we could act like human beings again. Sadly it was not to last. Our time together was short and we would spend the long winter apart. It was all too familiar. I was to leave her in the wake of a tragedy again, just like I had a few months before.

  Hunter yelled at me again and I went back to the house with Cathy by my side. I said farewell to Mr Williams then shared an embrace with Cathy before leaving. I climbed into the passenger seat of the old Mercedes that Mr Williams allowed us to borrow, and Hunter pressed the accelerator before I could close the door. All too familiar indeed!

  ‘Can’t wait to get home!’ he barked. ‘Clean air, no phones, no politics, and no problems. I’ve had a bellyful of that lot,’ he pointed over his shoulder with a thumb, ‘a right bellyful!’

  ‘I know what you mean.’

  I thought about spending a winter in that flimsy old cottage. I was destined for punishment. At least Hunter and I had buried the hatchet and had become friends, and I wouldn’t have to argue with him every day like we had during our previous period of exile. The isolation was daunting, yet even that did not keep my mind from wandering back to Edward Zalech. The team would reach him within an hour or so and then his reign of terror would be brought to a violent conclusion. It was a horrible admission, one that I would not make aloud, that I was frustrated because I couldn’t be there to see him take his final breath. Still, if I had been there I don’t know how I really would have felt or how I’d act. There was a deep fear
of him inside me. I’d hated him after I learned of my father’s murder, but once I set eyes on him in Portsmouth I was scared of his power and of how demented and homicidal he was. One good thing he had done was to turn me away from death. I’d had enough of death and fighting and murder. I doubted I could ever take another person’s life. I doubted I could ever walk into a situation like that again. Killing Ania Zalech had been a costly lesson: I was not a killer and never would be.

  ‘You all right?’ Hunter asked. ‘Very quiet over there.’

  ‘This feels like we’re running away from a fight before the final round.’

  ‘Nothing we can do about it, is there?’

  ‘I guess not. I just wish I hadn’t tried to fight him alone the other day. I should have waited for you. We should have fought him together and killed him when we had the chance.’

  ‘We blew it.’

  ‘I blew it.’

  ‘Yeah, you certainly did. The most important thing is that the Guild are about to kill Edward Zalech and he’ll never be able to hurt anyone ever again.’

  ‘I have a terrible feeling he’ll survive this assassination attempt, Hunter. I know I’m being paranoid so don’t say so. It’s just a nagging feeling in my gut.’

  ‘You’re probably just being paranoid.’

  The stillness of the night was shattered when the cell phone buzzed. Walters had saved her own number into the contacts and it was flashing onscreen.

  ‘Doctor?’ I answered.

  ‘Edward, thank God you answered.’ Her voice was trembling and her breathing loud and rapid. ‘You’re in great danger.’

  ‘This is not news to me,’ I replied. ‘I have been in danger my entire life.’

  ‘No! Pearson called me to the clinic a few moments ago. She’s ordered me to destroy all documentation relating to you. I asked her why, fearing you had been overwhelmed by the Hyper-furens and died. She said that Golding had sold you out to your enemies. He told them where you are, Edward!’

  ‘When will they come?’