Orson

by David Delaney

  When we were back in Pasadena and off the freeway, Mr. Kelly turned in his seat again to talk.

  "Orson, I think you should stay with us for the rest of the weekend. Your aunt isn't expecting you back for another two days, and we can continue to brainstorm ideas. What do you think?"

  "That'd be great. Thanks." The mention of Aunt Tina reminded me I should have sent her a text hours ago. "I forgot to text her earlier today. Let me check in with her real quick." I pulled out my phone and sent her quick message. She didn't immediately respond, but that wasn't weird. She was probably in the middle of doing something. Hopefully, she was out on date. I was always telling her she should go out more.

  Mr. Kelly continued, "Also, we'll need to think more long range. You may have to get out of L.A. for a while."

  Mr. Kelly held up a hand to stop Elyse, who bristled at that idea. "Elyse, he's hot as hot can be right now. The blood mage attack proves that there are those that want Orson eliminated, no questions asked. On top of that, the Society itself will demand an official investigation and want immediate action taken to ensure the status quo. Things are going to move quickly. We need to prepare ourselves and stay ahead of any knee-jerk reactions."

  "Where would I go and what about Aunt Tina?" I asked.

  "I'm thinking the compound that Katie and I used to run up North. It's remote and easily defended. As to your aunt, I'm still thinking about that," Mr. Kelly answered.

  "The compound?" Elyse sounded surprised. "Is that possible? Would the council allow it?"

  "I know it seems surprising to you, but your old dad still has a lot pull with the council," Mr. Kelly teased his daughter.

  Elyse stuck her tongue out at her dad, and he winked back at her. I was glad the Kellys thought so highly of the compound, but to me it sounded like a prison and I was about to be sentenced to an indeterminate sentence and my only crime - being born.

  Mrs. Kelly navigated through the winding streets to their house, but she rolled to a stop at the bottom of their driveway. I looked up from checking my email and saw the problem. We had a welcoming party waiting for us.

  "What is going on here?" Mrs. Kelly asked rhetorically.

  "Maybe you should just keep driving," said Mr. Kelly

  That sounded like a great idea, but just as soon as he made that suggestion, two cars raced up, blocking the street in both directions. We were trapped.

  I growled.

  "Orson, please try to stay calm," Mr. Kelly said, pulling out his cellphone. He pressed a number on his speed dial. Thanks to super-shifter hearing, everyone in the car could listen to both sides of the conversation.

  "Hello, Richard." It was Tommy, his voice as clear as if he was sitting in the car with us.

  "Hi Thomas, is there a reason why you have a small army standing in my driveway?" Mr. Kelly asked.

  "You took the boy up to the cabin, and now the mountain is on fire. Richard, if the boy is being hunted by blood mages, that changes the situation. We think it prudent the boy―"

  "His name is Orson," Mr. Kelly cut Tommy off.

  "Fine. We think it's prudent that Orson be taken into protective custody." Tommy must have put his hand over the phone, because his next words were unintelligible, but the two cars boxing us in backed up. They were still close enough to cause trouble, but it was obvious Tommy was trying to get us to trust him.

  Fat chance, dickhead.

  Mr. Kelly hung up on Tommy and spoke in low tones, wary of all the shifter ears around. "I think we need to see how this plays out."

  "Dad! No way."

  "It's either get out and try to talk this through, or a car chase through the streets of Pasadena. I vote for the more sane option." And then Mr. Kelly earned a ton points in my book, when he added, "But I'll leave the decision to you, Orson."

  I so didn't want to get out of the car. I respected the Kellys, but they were too trusting of Tommy, the Shifter Council, and the Society. They were basing all of their decisions on past experience; they probably truly believed that we had a chance of talking through this and cooler heads prevailing. I, on the other hand, knew that this would only end one way — in blood. Maybe it was another Ollphiest ability, but I could almost smell the carnage to come.

  Bring it.

  Hey, no comments from the corporeal challenged.

  You waste time debating.

  Yeah, it's called logical reasoning.

  We must . . .

  I said 'no comments,' so shut up.

  "Although a Fast and Furious style car chase sounds cool and all, I think we should go with your gut feeling."

  Mrs. Kelly relaxed, probably happy that she would not have to engage in a car chase. Elyse sighed and snuggled a little closer.

  "Good." Mr. Kelly looked relieved, and I felt bad that I was about to crap all over his good mood.

  "But there is one thing that isn't up for debate." I locked eyes with Mr. Kelly, willing him to see my resolve. "I will not be taken into custody by Tommy or anyone else."

  A quiet stillness settled over the inside of the car. Mr. Kelly and I stared at each other for a moment. I opened up my magical sight, and Mr. Kelly's energy pulsed a bright blue. I would need to figure out what all the stupid colors meant, because his just being blue wasn't helpful.

  Mr. Kelly reached out and grasped my knee. "I understand. And if it comes to that, I'll stand with you."

  "We all will," amended Mrs. Kelly.

  "Damn straight," Elyse added.

  "Elyse."

  "Sorry, mom."

  Mr. Kelly called Tommy back. "We're coming up, but nothing happens until we talk. Understand."

  "Sure."

  "I'm serious, Thomas. This is a tense situation and everyone needs to relax. We don't want an incident. My neighbors are nice people, but they will not hesitate in calling the police."

  "I got it."

  Mrs. Kelly slowly drove the Range Rover up the driveway to the front of the house. I counted a total of seven people standing in the Kellys' driveway and front yard: Tommy, his son Kyle, and five other henchmen types. I reached out through the magical spectrum; four of the henchmen — well two henchmen and two henchwomen — were shifters. That was to be expected; they were probably all members of the local Shifter Council. The fifth person was a surprise. She didn't emit the telltale red-black oily energy of a blood mage, but she was definitely some kind of spell slinger. Her aura was like a mini-sun, bright and churning with power. I knew there were other kinds of mages, the Kellys had alluded to as much, but I had yet to encounter one. I think that was about to change. Lucky me.

  I pointed to the small group, "Those four are shifters," Mr. Kelly nodded. "The last one, the woman in leather, she's a mage right? But not a blood mage?"

  "Correct. She's a battle mage, and she's bad news," Mr. Kelly answered, exasperated. "Thomas, what were you thinking?"

  Tommy stiffened at the mention of his name. He glanced at the battle mage and then turned his attention to Mr. Kelly, stone-faced and unapologetic.

  Mrs. Kelly moved to turn off the car, hesitated, and then left it running. Good choice. A faster getaway, but somehow I didn't think we'd be leaving in the Range Rover. The four of us sat in silence for a moment.

  "Okay, everybody exit out the passenger side, and stay close together," Mr. Kelly said, feeling no need to whisper when everybody could hear us anyway.

  We piled out the passenger side doors. Mr. Kelly and I stood in between Mrs. Kelly and Elyse. I stretched my sight out further, checking for any surprises. There was nobody hiding in the house or behind the house. The only other shifters were the two guys waiting in the cars down on the street.

  I scanned the seven people spread out before us. I sensed no conventional weapons. Of course, each of them individually was more deadly than a truck full of bazookas. I paid particular attention to the battle mage. She was medium height, short black hair, and dark piercing eyes. She was dressed in head to toe black leather; maybe she was a fan of the Underworld movies. The energy c
oming off of her was intense. It was gold with purple streaks, and it swirled around her like a tornado. The mage's eyes narrowed, a frown forming on her lips.

  "I thought I was the only mage you called," the battle mage said to Tommy.

  "Yes, that's right, but that's not important right now," Tommy hissed.

  "Something's wrong. There is magic here I can't account for," the mage persisted.

  "Richard?" Tommy questioned.

  Mr. Kelly spread his hands wide. "Nobody here but us."

  "I'm telling you, something's wrong." The mage reached behind her and pulled two really long, nasty looking daggers from sheaths that must have been secured to her back. I couldn't help it; the gamer in me was in nerd heaven. The blades were double edged and had runes etched in the steel. The handles were some kind of polished wood and fit the mage's hands as if crafted specifically for her. Oh, and they also glowed with an eerie light in the magic spectrum. They were wicked-cool. Unfortunately, they were pointed in my direction.

  "Lucy, stop being ridiculous and put those away," Tommy demanded.

  "No, I don't think I will." The mage, Lucy, had her dark eyes locked on me. "There's something odd with this one."

  "So this is how it is, huh Thomas?" Mr. Kelly said to Tommy, but never taking his eyes off Lucy. "You show up with a Society battle mage and let her start making threats."

  Lucy's eyes flicked from me to Mr. Kelly. "Nobody lets me do anything. I decide when and if I need to take action. And I'm telling you, there is something off here."

  Things were spinning out of control fast. I was trying to watch everyone at the same time. Tommy, Kyle, and Lucy the angry battle mage were standing toe to toe with us. The two shifter henchwomen and one of the shifter henchmen took up positions behind Tommy, spreading out in a menacing manner. The fourth shifter crony was creeping around to the left of where we were standing. We looked like two rival gangs ready for an old fashioned rumble.

  I didn't know how Mr. Kelly was going to talk us out of this one. Lucy, in particular, looked like she wanted to bash skulls, starting with mine. I was shocked when it was Tommy who tried to diffuse the situation.

  "Lucy," Tommy spoke out of the side of his mouth, "Orson only shifted for the first time earlier today. That must be what you're sensing."

  Lucy didn't sheath her daggers, but the tension in her shoulders relaxed a bit. "Okay. I'll play along. Why would that matter? Shifter magic is shifter magic."

  "Yes, but when a person shifts for the first time, it plays havoc with the magic spectrum. Granted, it's probably not on the level as Orson here, because our kind begin shifting at a much younger age."

  I watched Lucy process this information. Tommy's explanation must have made sense, because her daggers disappeared in blur of motion. She folded her arms, but never stopped staring at me, her dark eyes seeming to see right through me. With my super senses, I could see that her skin was flawless. In any other situation, I would have grouped her in the totally hot category, but with the murder glare she was giving me, not so much.

  Elyse moved closer to me and wrapped her hand in mine, matching Lucy glare for glare. Lucy smirked in response. I felt Elyse tense up, and I gave her hand a tug. I appreciated the sentiment, but we didn't need things to escalate. Elyse squeezed my hand in acknowledgement.

  "Tommy, I'm curious as to why you thought that this rather large homecoming party was necessary?" asked Mrs. Kelly.

  Tommy snorted. "He set a mountain on fire."

  "No, the blood mages set the mountain on fire," Mrs. Kelly corrected. "In fact, if it wasn't for Orson, we all may have ended up in a bad situation."

  "Now, Katie you know―" Tommy began, but he was cut off by Lucy.

  "Blood mages? Nobody mentioned anything about blood mages." Lucy turned, redirecting her murder stare toward Tommy. It was much cooler when focused on someone else.

  Tommy held up his hands, "There was an altercation up at the cabin. But . . ."

  "An altercation?" Mr. Kelly tried to keep his voice calm, but the stress of the day was getting the best of him. "It was an ambush. They were waiting for us, Thomas. Three powerful blood mages — three - tossing around death magic like it was nothing."

  "That is unfortunate, but the fact still remains―" Tommy wasn't interested in facts – man, he was a dick.

  This time I cut him off. "Hey, Tommy, how did they know we would be there? Or even about the cabin at all?" I asked, in a quiet but threatening tone. All eyes turned in my direction. Oh yeah, I had their attention now. Yesterday, I wouldn't have even thought it possible that I could sound threatening. What a difference a day makes. Letting my inner Ollphiest peek out and play was a definite party stopper.

  "Orson." Mr. Kelly conveyed the 'shut the hell up' with just my name.

  Nope, sorry Mr. Kelly, Tommy's attitude was pissing me off. Plus, the jerk had shown up with henchmen, actual henchmen, and a very twitchy battle mage.

  Do they really think they can stand against me?

  Really? Dude, you need to calm down, we want to get their attention not start a war.

  Strength is all their kind understands. And we are the strongest of all.

  Just stop. Let me handle this, and if it doesn't work . . . well, then, maybe we can try it your way.

  The only response I received was a chuckle. If you've never had the voice inside your head chuckle at you, just know that it's totally creepy.

  "Sorry, Mr. Kelly, but I think Tommy needs to answer the question. He was the only one who knew where we were going."

  "Is that right, Tommy?" Lucy asked, taking a single step backward. It was a small gesture, but it was clear she wanted him to answer.

  "This is ridiculous." Tommy was getting flustered, but his eyes betrayed him when they quickly darted toward Kyle and then just as quickly snapped back to Lucy. "I don't answer to him or you," he snapped at Lucy.

  Why had Tommy given Kyle the side-eye stink? Was Kyle the one who had sent the blood mages? If so, it seemed to be news to his dad. Well, this was an unexpected turn of events.

  Lucy wasn't missing any of the unspoken shenanigans. She took another step backward. I had just met the lady, but even I knew that Tommy's snapping at her had been a huge mistake. My magical senses started tingling again. I reached out, letting my awareness flow around the driveway and front yard. Lucy's aura was buzzing; the rivers of magic were to be pouring into her.

  She was powering up.

  I could also sense that Tommy's henchmen down on the street had vacated their cars and were shifting into animal form — giant wolves. The three behind Tommy and the guy who had been moving to our left weren't shifting, but in the magical spectrum, I could see their energy pulsing. They were prepped and ready for a fight. Even if they didn't shift, with their enhanced speed and strength, they could cause a whole bunch of damage.

  I wish I could say I was surprised when it was Kyle who spoke up, but some clichés only exist because they're true. "This ends now. I'm sorry, Dad." Kyle nodded toward the henchman on the left.

  The muscle-bound tough guy didn't shift, but moved with lightning speed straight for me in an NFL lineman tackle position. Elyse was standing on my left, and the idiot made a huge mistake when he put his hands on her to shove her out of the way. Elyse was fast, stepping back and striking out with her fist, smashing the guy's nose. His face exploded in a shower of blood, as he stumbled into me. I used his own momentum, adding a substantial boost from my own strength, and tossed him head first into what I assumed was Tommy's car, a shiny cobalt-blue BMW. The front end of the car crumpled like tinfoil, the sickening crunch of the guy's skull fracturing sounded like a gunshot. Even with his shifter healing, he was going to feel that in the morning.

  The two wolves from the street came scrambling up the driveway, taking up positions on either side of us. The Kellys and I all dropped into defensive stances. Nobody else shifted.

  "Kyle, what's going on?" Tommy demanded.

  "He," Kyle pointed a long finger at me, "is
being taken into custody. Now."

  "I don't think so," I growled.

  "Kyle, why are you doing this?" Elyse implored.

  "He's dangerous. How can you and your parents be so blind?" Kyle shouted. Then, his focus never leaving us, he spoke to Lucy, "The Society has seen the evidence and made their decree. Now do your job."

  Lucy let out a sigh. "That was before I heard about blood mages starting forest fires."

  "That is a separate matter that can be discussed at later time. Right now, you have a shifter standing in front of you that wasn't born but made. Something unheard of for centuries. Take him, or I will."

  "Kyle, please." Mrs. Kelly tried using her best mom voice, but Kyle just shook his head.

  Lucy huffed again and pulled what looked like a dog collar from her pocket, a silver dog collar, a silver dog collar that lit up the magical spectrum like a flashlight. Magic handcuffs, or would that be neckcuff? Lucy held the magic dog collar casually in one hand, as she assessed my neck, probably trying to figure out if the stupid thing would fit.

  Oh, hell no.

  "He's right. I've got to take you in, and we'll sort everything else out later," Lucy said, moving toward me as if I would actually let her put a dog collar on me.

  "Thomas, you need to stop this now." Mr. Kelly stepped in front of me. "Orson, please remain calm."

  Lucy stopped. A perplexed look on her face, she was surprised that Mr. Kelly would try to stop her. "Richard, you know me. I've got a legal decree from the Society. I'm taking him."

  Ok. This had gone on long enough. Tommy looked constipated, staring from Kyle to Lucy, not sure how he'd lost control of the situation. Kyle had a look of pure hatred on his face, and it was quickly becoming obvious to me that he was a couple sandwiches short of a picnic. Daddy issues? Unrequited love for Elyse? Both? It didn't really matter. It didn't seem like a far leap of logic that he had sent the blood mages and that meant he was my enemy.

  Destroy him.

  Yeah, this time I think you might be right.

  But first, I had to deal with Lucy the battle mage. What did that mean — battle mage? If her power was similar to the blood mages, she shouldn't be too much trouble. It appeared, however, that she was some kind of cop or enforcer for the Paragon Society and that was problematic.