“Yes, but—”
“No buts, you were there when I needed you, and I know you would do it again if I asked. If I need help, my kids are the first in line to answer the call. You have also lost much, and I know your struggles are not insignificant.”
“I thought if I went back things might return to normal. I thought—I could set it all aside, maybe even forget.”
“Oh, honey. It's hard to know the dark secrets of the world and still live in it like everyone else."
“How do you do it, Mom? How did you deal with things like this, then still act like a normal mom to create a great life for us?"
“Normal is relative, and create is about the best word you could choose. When you were in first grade we had a witch go missing. In all the chaos of trying to help find her, Jenny and I forgot about your birthday. When I finally remembered, Jenny rushed to make a cake and I conjured a few decorations and a stuffed tiger. I wouldn't say that's normal, but you didn't come home to frazzled parents who forgot your special day."
"You cut your hair that day! You told me it made your neck hot so you cut it short, but you used it in the spell, didn't you? It was something of yourself, a sacrifice for love," Tracy said looking at her mother in surprise.
"It was worth it to see how happy that tiger made you. My children's happiness is worth far more than a hideous haircut."
Tracy smiled, and her eyes glistened. Her heart was full of gratitude. "Thanks for always being there."
Cynda pulled her chair closer to her daughter’s and kissed Tracy’s head before sitting down next to her. "You're welcome."
"Still, I'm sorry I left you hanging."
"You didn't. We all deal with problems in different ways. Distance can help us find perspective. There was nothing more you could have done here. Even Uncle Cade needed to get away. There is no fault or blame from me.”
“I quit my job,” Tracy admitted.
“What?” Cynda asked surprised.
“I’m not sure if I’ll go back, or even if I could go back to the city. It feels different now. Everything—” Tracy waved her hand as if leaving the life she’d established didn’t matter. “When I quit, my boss informed me they were planning to let me go anyway. Since they deal with clients worldwide, the drug lord thing was too hard to overlook.”
“How did they find out?”
“A detective called,” she explained.
“Hall?”
“I figured you would know.”
Cynda’s eyes turned flinty. “And here I thought I liked him.”
Tracy smiled. “At first I was mad too. Then I was sad. But I realized I'm not happy there anymore. I just kept pretending I was.”
“I’m sorry our cover story caused you so many problems, but I am glad you’re home.” Cynda combed her fingers through Tracy's hair as she had done countless times before. The familiar gesture comforted them both. "What will you do now? What are your plans?"
Shaking her head, Tracy tried to explain, “There’s something…” She paused because she couldn’t find the words.
“That feels unfinished?”
“Yes, exactly.”
“I feel it too," Cynda admitted. “I’ve been trying so hard to put it aside, but I can’t. I need closure or something. I need–”
“More—” Tracy offered.
“Answers,” Cynda completed their sentence. “So far, all I found regarding Niall, which is the name Jarrett called him, is a vague reference to a Viking chieftain. This war chief was overthrown by his brother, but the story is vague, and I am unsure if there is a connection. It's not like he’s the only person ever named Niall.”
“What book?"
“That’s the strange part. It was one of your dad's history books. I found it on the floor in the den after we came home, and it was opened to that page. I don't believe in coincidences. It felt like a sign, but I've found nothing else since to confirm the information.
“Plus, I remember Collett’s armor. I keep seeing it in my mind. There were markings on the breastplate. I wasn’t close enough to see them, not really, and she was moving so fast… Still, I can remember what it looked like. I tried to find a reference to it or something similar, but I came up empty."
Tracy processed the revelation while rubbing her thumb over Jenny’s hand. “Let me do it,” she said.
“Do what?”
“Let me do the research. I’ve studied ancient art and historic civilizations. I have training, degrees, and thanks to my old job, I also have contacts who can be discreet. A big part of my job was authenticating pieces. Show me what you have so far, then let me see what I can find.” A tingle of excitement settled in her as the idea took root. This project was exactly what she needed to keep busy until she decided what to do next. She felt the uncertainty in her chest lift.
Her mother considered her briefly then smiled. “See, you’re always here when I need you.”
“So are you,” Tracy said, leaning over to rest her head on her mother’s shoulder.
Chapter 7
Rederrick Williams sat with Cody at the mental health recovery center for people dealing with PTSD and survivor's guilt. The patients consisted of mostly veterans, and Cody was one of the few admitted as a victim of violent crimes. He was transferred here after being released from the hospital.
Cody’s physical recovery was going well thanks to Cynda’s constant care and herbal concoctions. He was walking again, but still wore boots on both legs, and he attended physical therapy twice a week for his shoulders and hands to regain their strength. His fingers had been broken and his left pinky removed. Cody had also been stretched in some form of medieval torture. His shoulders, elbows, ankles, and hips had all been dislocated. Even his skull had been cracked from repeated blows to head, and shallow cuts once covered his body. Three surgeries and more than a hundred conjured tonics later, Cody’s body was finally on the mend.
However, Niall had broken this young boy in more ways than one, and no amount of modern medicine or magical aide could cure a person’s state of mind. Cody’s real recovery would be the restoration of his psyche, and that would take time.
Watching Cody move his black knight on the chessboard, Rederrick thought about how far the younger man had come. He then evaluated the pieces and moved his rook. "Check," Rederrick said and sat back to await Cody’s next move. He found himself grateful Doctor Stevens, a member of The Brotherhood, could transfer here to help.
Like Rederrick, the doctor was a non-magical member. He helped rescued survivors cope with residual effects of traumatic events. Cade and Rederrick had met the doctor a decade ago while working on a case with a little girl who, because of the smallest fraction of demon blood in her system, had an uncanny ability to light things on fire.
Cade had nearly given the doctor a heart attack that day. When Doctor Stevens, being a man of science, refused to accept supernatural possibilities, Cade offered him proof by changing right in front of him. To this day, Rederrick still remembered the doctor's horrified expression before he passed out. Because of Cade's courage and trust, The Brotherhood gained an invaluable asset.
Thinking on the memory, Rederrick’s thoughts centered on Cade. His dear friend had dedicated his perpetual existence to helping people who found themselves trapped or coerced by The Faction, even partial demons like the little girl. If there was any way to help someone, Cade never gave up on anyone.
The centuries old werewolf had rescued more people from trouble than anyone knew, including himself. Cade didn’t keep a running tally of every individual he saved. He protected them because it was the right thing to do. Rederrick hypothesized the number of people Cade helped directly was easily in the hundreds, and so his friend’s influence had reached the thousands.
Rederrick’s own children were part of those indirect chains. Without Cade's interference, Cynda and Rederrick may have never been married. Wanting to repay the favor and help Cade with his endeavors, Rederrick applied his logical and analytical skills
to create an efficient organization to aid as many people as possible.
Rederrick also wanted to give Cade a family, something that would endure beyond the short-lived mortals he helped. Thus, inspired by Shakespeare, Rederrick had named the organization, The Brotherhood. “From this day to the ending of the world, But we in it shall be remembered— We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother. . .”
There was much truth in the prophetic words from the famous playwright. Rederrick reached out to those Cade had previously rescued, and all of them jumped at the chance to join in the cause. Today, because of Cade’s selfless behavior, The Brotherhood had a network of people, both magical and non-magical. It blanketed the United States, and was even spreading across the world.
Using his healthy inheritance and the connections he created as a charismatic lawyer, Rederrick invested everything into The Brotherhood. Over time, they recruited many with financial means who continued to fund the group, and even more helped it grow through investments and shadow corporations that kept up the legitimate front. Today The Brotherhood rivaled mercenary corporations, kidnapping recovery groups, and even some minor foreign militaries.
Rederrick considered the recent circumstances and how they affected Cade. He believed if anything might repair the man he viewed as a brother, it was family. He wanted to bring Cade home. Not for the first time, Rederrick also wondered if Cade should talk to Doctor Stevens.
“I dreamed of her,” Cody blurted as he moved his queen to steal the offending rook.
Pulled from his thoughts, Rederrick concentrated on Cody once more. “Who?”
“Collett. I can see her. There was this light when she came. I was surrounded by the dark again. It’s not dark like a bedroom at night. It’s always thick and heavy around me. The darkness seems to whisper, and it suffocates me as if it were a living thing.” Cody shrugged as if the fear and loneliness didn’t matter.
“I think sometimes I try to dream of her on purpose. It’s better than the alternatives I relive in in my nightmares. I saw her long blond hair, her eyes so soft. She looked…I don’t know, real, I guess... Not like a ghost, you know?” Cody hesitated. “It’s dumb.”
"It's not dumb," Rederrick insisted, but he scowled. He couldn’t picture Collett clearly in his mind. Did she have blond hair? Yes, that’s right, blond. “What did she say?” he asked absently.
Cody shrugged again, this time embarrassed. “She said nothing at first, but instead sat quietly with me and kept the darkness away. It's warm when Collett’s there. Even when she visited me in that dungeon for real, she made me warm again. I wanted to stay there. I mean, I didn't want to wake up. I used to think it would be easier to suffocate than to keep going back to the dark over and over again. Then she was there…” Cody’s rambling trailed off.
Rederrick worried over the confession. “None of it’s real, Cody. The dark, it can’t hurt you."
“It's real enough to me, and I always wonder if maybe this time I won’t come back. Maybe it will finally end. Then I hear her in my head again,” Cody paused and considered. “Or maybe she's…I am not sure. It's not the same as hearing something with your ears. If feels like she said it out loud, but not, ya know?"
“What do you hear?” Rederrick coaxed.
Cody shook his head and looked at his feet. “Don’t give up. Collett tells me I am worth the sacrifice and that I have more to offer.” He sniffed as emotion rose up. “Then, when the darkness comes back, I’m reminded it’s only a dream.”
Silence ensued for a time as Rederrick contemplated Cody’s despair. While they sat together, Rederrick tried to imagine a darkness so bleak a person would prefer death. He said his next words carefully. “You can’t let the darkness win, Cody. Don’t give into it. She’s not wrong when she says you have more to offer.”
Cody looked down at his feet, and Rederrick tried again to picture Collett.
“The doctor says…” Cody trailed off. Glancing up he considered Rederrick’s pensive expression. “What’s wrong? Did I do something weird again?”
“What? Oh… Oh no, not at all. I was just thinking. She…? Nevermind, what did the doctor say?”
“Uh, he says that I may be safe to leave here soon. I can tell he’s lying.”
“Maybe he’s not lying. Maybe he’s afraid to say a date to avoid getting your hopes up.”
“No, I can tell.”
Rederrick didn’t argue. Cody had proven adept at sensing lies. As far as Rederrick or Cynda could tell, Cody wielded a form of telepathy or some altered form of empathy—it was undecided which. Either way, Cody needed training after he was healed up, and The Brotherhood would be there to help.
The talent to sense lies allowed Cody to more easily understand people’s motivations and manipulate them. He developed that skill while surviving in an abusive home and being a runaway in his teens. Cody’s view of others was skewed as a result. He only understood lies and half-truths, and watched for them every waking minute, but he didn’t fully understand how his ability worked.
“Do you want to leave?” Rederrick questioned.
“No. Sometimes,” he admitted. “I can still see him too. Niall comes when I’m asleep. I wake up with this need to run. I want to get out, escape, but I can’t. I feel trapped with no possible hope to get away.”
“This is a voluntary facility, Cody,” Rederrick reminded him. “There’s no rush to leave, but this is not a prison.”
“After what I did, it should be.”
“So you’re punishing yourself now? Are you going to be the judge and jury of your own mistakes?”
“Who else will? Everyone keeps saying it’s not my fault. It is though. If I’d not gone back…” His words faded as he flexed his tortured fingers awkwardly.
“Do you think Niall wouldn’t have used someone else?”
“Does it matter? I betrayed you from the beginning,” Cody countered. “They talk about choice here a lot. Doc Stevens talks about how even bad choices can eventually shape a good future. I don’t see it that way. My decision affected theirs! Do you think Collett and Jeffery would have chosen what happened to them? Now they have no future. What about Jenny? She didn’t choose. Because of my cowardly confessions about your security, Jenny didn't even get the chance to fight back.”
“No, Cody. You made some mistakes, but you did not wield either weapon that killed them or attacked Jenny. You did not incite everything that went wrong. Niall used you. This fight has been going on for a long time. Ask Cade when you see him next.”
“If I were Cade, I would avoid me at all costs.”
“Cade’s a better man than that. He understands who is truly at fault, and because of you, that man won’t be able to hurt anyone else. This war against The Faction started before any of us were born, and the list of casualties is much longer than two or three people. But you were able to help us cut the head off the snake.
“You were a pawn in Niall’s wicked game, and the losses do not fall solely on you. We made the choice to come. Jeffery made the choice to leave The Faction, and…Cade’s wife,” Rederrick paused and his brow drew in before he continued, “Cade’s wife made the choice to protect the only family she had. She would have come no matter who was in your place. Honestly, if it had been a perfect stranger lying tortured on that table, not one of us would have ignored the summons.”
Cody stared at Rederrick with a serious expression. “Collett.”
“Yes, Collett,” Rederrick replied.
“Cade’s wife,” Cody clarified, noting the older man’s body language. His own problems faded to the background.
“Yes, that’s right,” Rederrick replied, feigning relief. “Collett would have come even without help. We wanted to come. No one deserves to be tortured as you were.”
“Cade’s wife, Collett,” Cody repeated as he sensed his friend’s deceptive behavior.
“Yes, Cody. Cade’s wife was Collett.”
“With
blond hair and blue eyes.”
“She did have blue eyes, didn’t she?” Rederrick said with another puzzled expression.
“How could you forget?” Cody accused.
Rederrick looked astonished as if he made some sort of monumental discovery. “I am forgetting.” His eyes widened. “The pilot, the others, I’m forgetting like them.” Rederrick’s mind clicked back to when they met Collett.
“What are you talking about?” Cody asked with genuine concern. “Are you okay? Because if you’re going crazy too, I’m not sure who I’ll talk to. Selena only gives me riddles, and the doctor only asks questions."
“No, not crazy. Collett, when we first met her and I checked her background, we couldn't find any traces of her. People always forgot her, what she looked like, and how she acted. If they did vaguely remember her, they wouldn’t remember more than her name.” Rederrick stood to pace. “I’m forgetting. I can’t visualize her anymore.”
“I can.”
“Easily? How clearly?”
“Easy enough, I guess. I saw her in my dream.”
“How about now? Can you picture Collett when you're awake?” Rederrick urged, curious about this new development.
Cody pondered Rederrick’s question. He even closed his eyes and tried to see Collett. He remembered her voice in the dark. He could still see her sympathetic, crystal eyes staring at him as she begged him to tell her where to meet Niall. The images returned, and Cody immediately regretted trying because of the guilt that followed. He had known Niall meant to kill Collett. Cody had sensed his deceitful intentions and hatred of her. “I can see her,” he replied solemnly.
Rederrick strained to form an image of Collett in his mind.
"What is the last thing you remember about Collett?” Cody questioned, trying to push her sad eyes back out of his mind.
Rederrick squinted in concentration. “I can’t see her face. I can remember events, like teaching her our security systems, the wedding, and the battle at Patrick’s Point. But I can’t fully see her.”
“Or remember her name,” Cody pointed out.
The Truth of Victory: A Powers of Influence Novel Page 7