by Lincoln Cole
Abigail shrugged. “Keep looking and let me know if you find anything.”
She slipped out through the doorway before he could respond, and then headed toward her car. She would need to book a flight back to Lausanne.
Hopefully, Colton and his team wouldn’t be anywhere nearby. Abigail might be willing to turn herself in to the Council and face their judgment, but she had no intention of letting her pursuers get anywhere near her.
Chapter 15
Haatim rested in his room, reading a book. A knock sounded at the door. He assumed it must be Dominick, coming to spar some more, and didn’t feel in the mood. Not after everything that had happened earlier in the day.
He considered just hiding in the dark and pretending like he wasn’t inside at the moment, but then dismissed that idea. Dominick was nothing if not persistent, and Haatim had no doubt that he would pick his lock or something to find him.
Plus, he owed it to Dominick to try and explain what had happened before. He felt unsure how much he felt willing to talk about right now, but still wanted to talk to him.
With a sigh, Haatim got up from the chair and tried to stretch out his sore body. The knock came again.
“Hang on, I’m coming,” he said, striding across the room and opening the door.
Rather than Dominick, his father stood there. Aram carried a folder under his arm and a pair of cokes in the other hand. They stood for a moment, just staring at each other, and then Aram held up the beverages.
“A peace offering,” he said, offering one to Haatim.
He considered leaving his father out in the hall and slamming the door in his face. Right now, he didn’t want to talk to Aram about anything, much less accept a peace offering from the man. He remained furious about everything.
Haatim decided not to, though. His father had betrayed his trust, and maybe done worse than that, but was still Haatim’s father. He’d reached out, and it wouldn’t be fair of Haatim to refuse to hear him out.
He stepped aside, unsure if he would regret this decision, and gestured for his father to come in.
“All right,” he said, accepting the beverage. “We can talk.”
Aram crossed the threshold, and Haatim cleared dirty clothes and trash from the two chairs next to the table. They took seats, facing each other in silence. The only sound came from each of them taking sips from their cans.
Finally, Aram said, “I wanted to apologize for lying for all these years. I couldn’t speak about this life, but I should have brought you into it sooner.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Too afraid of losing you,” Aram said. “I felt that if I told you about this part of my life, then it would put you at risk.”
“Clearly, it put me at risk anyhow,” Haatim said.
Aram frowned and nodded. “Yes. I got it wrong and nearly lost you.”
“What happened?”
“I attempted to make a deal with the Ninth Circle. At the last minute, I got cold feet and tried to back out. When the Ninth Circle found out that I had betrayed them, they grew furious. They went after you to get back at me.”
“What was the deal?”
“Something I’d planned to build a long-term peace,” Aram said.
“I thought the Council refused to make deals with demons?”
“We don’t,” Aram said. “These are desperate times. Our numbers have dwindled, and we don’t have many of us left. We need a chance to catch our breath and rebuild before we’re ready to confront the Ninth Circle again.”
“So, when you went to Arizona, you weren’t there working for the Council?”
Aram hesitated. “No. I went of my own accord, and it proved a tremendous mistake. I never imagined that something like that might happen to you, though. You have to understand, Haatim, that every single choice I’ve made, I did to protect you and your sister. You must know that I would do anything to keep the two of you safe.”
“The Council doesn’t know?”
“They don’t know any of this,” Aram said. “I’ve worked to remedy my mistake, and I believe things are over with. But, you must understand, if they find out what I tried to do, they will kill me.”
“What you did … you are a hypocrite.”
“I know,” Aram said, bowing his head. “But I’ve only made decisions for the benefit of my family and the Council.”
“I’m the only person who knows?”
Aram nodded. “You hold my life in your hands.”
Haatim rubbed his face in his hands and shook his head, unsure what to do.
“I will protect your secret,” Haatim said after a while. He remained furious, but a part of him could understand his father’s motivations. To make peace—even with the devil—to save lives couldn’t be such a terrible thing, right? “But, I do want something in return.”
“Anything,” Aram said, visibly relieved.
“I still think you have it wrong about Abigail. I spent a lot of time with her, and she never struck me as the kind of person you seem to think she is. She saved my life.”
“And I owe her for that,” Aram said. “However, I’ve seen the truth of what she is.”
“She isn’t a murderer,” Haatim said.
Aram handed Haatim the envelope he’d left on the table. Haatim set his drink down and opened the manila sleeve.
He closed it quickly, seeing the gruesome images from a crime scene. Body parts lay strewn about, and blood covered everything. He hesitated a second, steadied himself, and then opened it again.
Dozens of images that showed multiple body parts cut to pieces. He recognized two of the victims as Colton and Anong, the Hunters assigned to execute Abigail by the Council. Anong’s eyes had been removed and her throat cut, and the expression on Colton’s face … a mixture of terror and agony that made Haatim sick to his stomach.
“Why are you showing me this?”
“Those were taken two days ago,” Aram said. “Three Hunters went after Abigail to bring her back, and she murdered them all.”
“They were trying to kill her. She only defended herself.”
“Does this look like self-defense?” Aram asked.
Haatim glanced again at the images and couldn’t help but admit how horrible they looked. He could hardly believe Abigail would do something like this, even to protect herself.
“Why are you showing me this?” he said.
“Because I want you to understand,” Aram said. “When Abigail was a child, something happened to her. The Cult she’s been trying so hard to destroy did terrible things and changed her. I believe that she tries to do good, but an evil lives inside her that she will never escape.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do,” Aram said. “When we first found her, as a little girl, the Council voted to execute her because of what she might grow into. Only narrowly did we decide that she be allowed to live, and even then, only because Frieda and Arthur blackmailed and coerced the Council to vote in their favor. I will never condone such actions.”
“Why tell me any of this?”
“I want you to understand the truth,” Aram said. “I want you to help me fix all these problems. I have made mistakes, I admit, but everything I’ve done was in service to the Council. Abigail is dangerous, but she trusts you. I want you to help me bring her in safely and without further incident.”
Haatim hesitated, trying to sort through what his father had told him. If true, it changed everything. He couldn’t detect any hint of a lie from his father.
The images in his hand felt compelling. “You’re certain that Abigail did this?”
“Colton called me and said he was on her trail, and then this happened. I don’t know what other conclusions to draw from this.”
“I’ll need some time to think about it,” Haatim said.
“I’ve lied to you in the past,” Aram said. “And put you at risk, but never again. I want Abigail to be brought in safely.”
“So you can execute her.”
“Look at the people she’s murdered, Haatim, and tell me their lives are worth less than hers?”
Haatim couldn’t think of a good reply. Those images had burned into his memory now and made him sick to his stomach. If Abigail had caused them—and that remained a huge if—then no way could he trust her again.
However, he couldn’t take things at Aram’s word, either. The truth would lay somewhere in the middle, and it would be up to him to find it.
“I’ll think about it,” Haatim said. “But, I won’t be a part of her execution.”
“I promise you that she will receive full consideration and justice for everything that has happened. If we find her guilty, we will punish her, and if we find her innocent, we will find the truth. That’s the best I can offer. Is justice enough?”
Haatim nodded. “All right,” he said. “No more lies.”
“Never again,” Aram said. “I have suspended the hunt for Abigail until after Frieda’s trial. We’ve recalled all our resources until after we decide everything regarding Frieda.”
“This trial is a terrible idea,” Haatim said.
“She’s a loose cannon prone to rash actions and acting against the best interests of the Council. But, even then, I do have great respect for her. No one lives above our laws, and sometimes, people simply need reminding of that.”
“Like you,” Haatim said. “You’ve broken far worse rules than anything she did, and yet you want me to give you a second chance. Shouldn’t she get the same?”
Aram stayed silent for a moment, head bowed, and then he nodded. “You are right. What do you want from me?”
“Give her that second chance.”
“I can’t call off the trial,” Aram said. “Too many things are already in motion.”
“But, you’re the one pressing for her punishment. Just back off.”
“I can request a lower reprimand. Perhaps, simple removal of her position as head of the Hunters.”
“Temporarily,” Haatim said. “I’ve seen her interacting with many of them, and she does an excellent job.”
“Is that what you think fair? I can ask that she be placed on probation for a few years. It would be little more than a slap on the wrist, but would still serve to send a strong message to the other members of the Council.”
Haatim thought about it, and then nodded. “Yes, that seems reasonable.”
“Very well,” Aram said. “That is what will happen, then.”
He checked his watch and finished off the last dregs of his coke.
“I’m late for a meeting. Thank you for seeing me.” His father stood.
“Will you allow me to visit Frieda?”
“It is not my decision that keeps you away. Only the Council can make such a ruling. I will bring it up with them, however. You will be able to speak to her within the week. I promise.”
“All right,” Haatim said, standing too.
He felt like a huge weight had lifted from his shoulders. Even though they hadn’t decided a lot, at least it provided an opening of a dialogue between him and his father, and it felt good getting filled in about what had gone on. They could move forward now and overcome the separation between them.
“I will keep your secret,” Haatim said.
“Thank you,” Aram said. “Once all of this is over, I am hoping that we will be able to spend more time together. Things have been rather hectic these last few months with everything going on with Abigail and now Frieda, but I would like for the chance to reacquaint myself with my son.”
“Me too,” Haatim said. “Everything has just been so … crazy.”
“It is nearly over. Things will go back to normal soon.”
Haatim chuckled. “What is normal?”
Aram smiled, and it was the first time Haatim had seen his father smile in a long time. It looked good on him, transforming him into a completely different person.
“I suppose we can make a new normal. Together.”
“I’d like that.”
“I’m so glad that you’re here now. With you here, we can make the Council great again.”
“And no more lies?”
“Never again,” Aram said.
Haatim held out his hand so that they could shake, but Aram stepped in and gave him a hug instead. “I missed you, my son,” he said. “I love you.”
Then he left, leaving Haatim standing in the center of the room, more conflicted but also happier than he had been in weeks.
Chapter 16
Haatim noticed that the external security grid seemed to ramp up around the hotel each time another Council member showed up. Eleven such members resided here now, counting Frieda, which meant that only two more were on their way before deliberations could begin in Frieda Gotlieb’s trial.
Haatim grew used to seeing the armed guards parked at every entrance. It felt like a prison state, and they and the electric fence had become a part of the scenery.
It had to be insanely expensive paying for all this security, which explained why they rarely gathered in one location. It seemed like even more of a waste because of the conversation he’d had with his father the night before. Now that the trial would only be a formality, it seemed like a complete waste of money.
Dominick stayed busy more often than not now, often driving or flying in Council members, depending on the weather. Haatim hadn’t spoken to him since their last meeting and knew Dominick remained annoyed with him. They had trained this morning, but neither of them had spoken more than a handful of words.
Haatim didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t tell Dominick the secret that his father had told him, and he couldn’t think of a good lie to explain why he’d blown Dominick off.
Instead of talking, Dominick put his emotions into the fight and beat the crap out of Haatim, leaving him bruised.
Still, in the grand scheme of things, he felt healthy and happy with how things went. Haatim worried almost constantly about Abigail and how she’d gotten on. Also, he worried about whether or not his father had told him the truth. The more he thought about it, the less sure he felt. No way could the kind-hearted girl he’d met do something like that.
He didn’t know where she’d gone, if she remained safe, or what she might do, but at least his father had called off the hunt for her for now. After the trial finished, Haatim would try to find her and prove her innocence.
But, for now, he grew bored. Barely after noon, he had nothing else to do with his day. The trial hadn’t started, Dominick wasn’t around, and he had a lot of pent up energy and nothing to spend it on.
Luckily, the Council traveled with an extensive library of books, and Haatim pored over them with a voracious appetite. Many of them covered the history of the Council of Chaldea or the Order of Hunters. Some of them spoke about the cults and creatures they’d battled throughout the years, and all of them proved interesting.
The records seemed rudimentary and incomplete. By his best guess, the Council had formed around the twelfth century with a group of four men and a woman, all peasants, in response to the times. They had expanded in the ensuing years and branched out, becoming a multi-faith and multicultural organization dealing with otherworldly threats.
Now, Haatim relaxed in his room, engrossed in an account from the sixteenth century about the life of a renowned Hunter. His phone buzzed. He slipped it out of his pocket and glanced at it.
His mother.
He’d gone to visit her a handful of times while at the Council building, but it felt exhausting. She knew nothing about this life that he shared with his father, and so it became difficult for him to speak with her at all.
Haatim didn’t like to lie to his mother, yet the situation demanded that of him. He sympathized with his father’s decisions because, as much as he wanted to tell his mom the truth, it remained in her best interest to keep it from her.
As a result, they couldn’t exchange any conversation beyond pleasantries. Still, he liked visiting her because the first remark she al
ways made was about how much healthier and stronger he looked and how proud she felt of him.
He clicked the answer button. “Hey, Mom,” he said.
“Haatim?” she said. “Can you come see me? We need to talk about something.”
“What?” he asked.
“I just need to see you. It’s important. Can you come to my apartment?”
“What is it?” he asked. “Is something wrong?”
“No,” she said. He could hear the lie in her voice. “Nothing is wrong. I just need to talk to you about something.”
He hesitated, not sure if something was off or if, maybe, she might have overreacted to something. His mom considered most things to be meltdown events, but Haatim detected a hint of fear in her voice.
Had she discovered something about the Council? Had he (accidentally) given her clues about what he and his father did?
Or something less sinister? Like, perhaps, he should have called her and had forgotten. Most probably, the list of things she’d asked him to do in the last few months that he never accomplished would be a long one. They all seemed like silly things now.
“All right,” he said. “I can come tomorrow.”
“I need you to come over now,” she said.
“I’m busy, and the weather is supposed to storm tonight,” he said.
“This is important, Haatim,” she said. “I need to see you right away.”
He sighed. “Okay, I’m on my way.”
He hung up and headed out of his room. Along the way, he grabbed his coat; they’d forecasted one hell of a storm tonight.
When he made it to the lobby, he spotted Dominick sitting in the foyer and talking to an old man, who wore orange robes. He looked to be from a Southeast Asian monastery. Probably Theravada Buddhist—something Haatim had grown familiar with in his studies.
The man rose, bowed, and smiled when Haatim approached, and he returned the gesture. Then the man headed toward the elevator. With a hint of jealousy, Haatim watched him step inside. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d ridden in one of those.
“There you are,” Dominick said, as Haatim came up to him. “I haven’t seen you all morning. Was about to come looking for you.”