Shadows

by Terry Schott

  "You make it sound like we're race horses or show dogs," Dawn said.

  Harry shrugged. "That's a topic for a different family discussion, but in effect you are. Wolves that breed with puppy dogs make babies that are no longer wolves. Our ancestors understood this and have always been very selective about whom we mix with. Royalty with royalty, success with success."

  "Does that mean Mom was from a powerful Family too?" Dawn asked.

  "Yes," Harry pursed his lips tightly together. "Before we got married, your mom's name was Desdemona Hearthkin."

  Dawn's heart skipped a beat and a faint flush appeared on her face. "A Hearthkin?" she said. " We're related to Vector and Logan?"

  Harry was too distracted to notice Dawn's unease. "Well, yes. Technically, you are."

  "Is that a problem?" Sam looked first at Dawn and then his father, sensing something amiss.

  Harry shook his head. "You are both Thorne children. That is your Family above all others."

  "I have no problem with that, since the Thorne Family is ancient and powerful," Sam tilted his head as he smiled at his father. "Unless the Hearthkin Family is also powerful and ancient?"

  Harry's face turned a deeper shade of red.

  "Oh wow, Dad!" Sam laughed. "Did you do something wrong by hooking up with Mom? Is this some kind of Romeo and Juliet thing?"

  "Of course not!" Harry snapped, reaching for his water bottle.

  "It totally is!" Sam exclaimed. "The Hearthkin boys came here and started shearing our territory, and then took over all of City Three. They even tried to kidnap Dawn. They are definitely not on our side when it comes to SHEPHERDS, and I would bet my inheritance—which I wasn't aware I might even have until a few minutes ago—that they aren't new adversaries. How long have Thornes and Hearthkins been enemies?"

  Harry calmly screwed the lid onto his water bottle and set it down on the floor before nodding. "Okay, fine. You're correct. We have been enemies with the Hearthkins for centuries."

  "Yes!" Sam stood up and did a small victory dance. "I knew it! So what did you do? Kidnap her and fall in love? Or maybe she was sent to kill you and couldn't do it once she saw those bright sexy eyes of yours up close, huh?"

  Harry gave in, breaking into a grin of youthful mischief. "My Dad, getting into trouble with his own parents over a girl!" said Dawn.

  "It's a long story, and I'm sure you're getting tired of me talking, so I won't bore you."

  "That's okay, Daddy," Dawn said. "This is the most interesting family discussion we've had in a long time. Please don't hold back."

  Harry sighed. "Your mother and I met and we fell in love. My father told me that it was forbidden. Her father said the same thing to her. We ignored them and eloped."

  "Did they cut you off?" Sam asked. "Banish you from the Family? Is that why we're all alone out here without ever having met our cousins or aunts or uncles? Do we have a grandmother out there who ought to be baking us cookies, and a grandfather that would take us to baseball games and buy us bicycles for our birthdays?"

  "Trust me," Harry growled, "if your grandmother ever offers you a cookie, have someone else taste it first in case it's been poisoned. And if your grandfather ever shows up claiming to have a present for you, the best thing to do is fall down and pretend you're having a seizure."

  "They sound delightful," Dawn said, frowning.

  "They are..." Harry's frown turned into a grudging smile, "Family. To answer your question, yes, both Families cast us out. At first. A few years after your birth, Dawn, my Family asked me to come back."

  "Because of your skills," Dawn guessed.

  Harry turned his head slowly and looked at her, panther-like. "What skills would that be?"

  "I don't know, but when Vector and Logan tried to keep me as their guest—"

  "Hostage," Sam corrected.

  "—both of them said that there was no way they would ever hurt me. They said it would be smarter to kill a baby bear in front of its mother than to get you angry, Daddy."

  Harry looked at her blankly.

  "I am assuming you know how to do some pretty dangerous things, Dad," said Sam.

  "Both Families have militant branches," Harry said. "From a very young age, I was groomed to serve in that capacity. To help further Family interests."

  "You an assassin, Dad?" Sam asked jokingly.

  His father turned his head to meet Sam's eyes. "That's actually a mild word for the kinds of things I can do, son. But yes, I've killed some people in my life."

  Sam wasn't smiling anymore. "Mom knew that about you?" Dawn wondered.

  "She did. Your mom was in the same line of work for her Family."

  "Oh wow," Sam said. "I was just joking earlier. Is that really how you met? Did she try to kill you?"

  Harry laughed. "No, we met at a convention."

  "Assassins have conventions?" Dawn asked, incredulous.

  "No!" Harry laughed, then paused. "Well, they kind of do, but we didn't meet at an assassins' convention. It's boring, trust me."

  "Come on," Sam was curious. "What kind of convention was it?"

  Harry mumbled something. Both children leaned forward in an attempt to hear him.

  "A what?" Dawn asked.

  "A comic book convention," Harry said a bit more loudly.

  Dawn laughed. Sam shook his head and smiled. "That sounds too ridiculous to be true. You're telling me you and Mom were both assassins who collected comics in your spare time and you met at a comic book convention?"

  "We weren't assassins when we met at the comic convention," Harry said. "We were young. You asked where we met, and I told you."

  "I'm confused," Dawn said.

  "That's because I'm letting you ask me all sorts of questions, and I'm answering them," Harry said.

  "Okay, sorry," Sam held up his hand and started to tick facts off on his fingers. "So, to recap. We belong to a powerful Family named Thorne. Mom belonged to the Hearthkin Family." He held up a third finger. "The two Families hate each other?"

  Harry shrugged and nodded. "For simplicity's sake, the answer to that is yes. Most of the time."

  Sam held up another finger. "You and Mom fell in love, got married, and had us despite both Families not wanting that to happen."

  "Correct."

  "Got it," Sam said. The corners of his mouth jumped upwards to form a smile. "And reading comics as a kid made you so angry you grew up to become an assassin."

  Harry laughed and shook his head. "Yeah, something like that."

  Dawn frowned and looked out the window. "This does answer a few questions, but it also raises even more new ones. We might be here for days, and I have a feeling that each answer will just make us more confused."

  "It is a lot to process," Harry admitted. "When we are alone, you can ask me anything you want. If one of you learns something from me while the other isn't around, then feel free to bring them up to speed when you see them next. Make certain that you do so only when alone and protected from surveillance."

  "Okay, then," Sam slapped his hands together as if washing them, "let's call it a session and eat. Who's hungry for pizza?"

  30

  "Want a ride?"

  Dawn resisted the urge to run. She bent down in order to see the driver of the car more clearly. The sleek black sports car continued to match pace with her, its occupant grinned as they made eye contact.

  "You've got some nerve," Dawn said.

  Logan laughed. "Why do you say that?"

  She stood straight and kept moving. "I thought my dad sent you scurrying back under your rock in Los Angeles."

  "No. We completed our objectives, so it was time to leave."

  "Sure. Whatever you want to tell yourself, buddy."

  "Come on, hop in." He said it in such a friendly, casual way that Dawn stopped to stare at him.

  "You have got to be kidding me."

  Logan leaned toward her, his elbow resting on the passenger seat as he looked out the window. "I'm not kidding. Why do you sound
so surprised? I thought we had a great time with each other the last time we hung out."

  Dawn stalked over to the passenger door, leaned in and hissed: "Last time we 'hung out,' you tried to kidnap me, you idiot! I never want to see you again, do you understand? Now get out of here before my dad suddenly appears."

  Logan looked hurt. "Okay, I guess I had that coming. I forget that you're new to all this stuff, which is part of your charm." She remained silent, glaring. "Honestly, Dawn, we weren't going to hurt you. Both of us were surprised at how little your dad had shared with you. I can't believe you made it to this age without being drawn in. Your old man really did an excellent job of sheltering you."

  Dawn crossed her arms and continued to glare.

  "Anyway," he smiled and shook his head, "City Three happened months ago. It's time to bury the hatchet and keep plodding along with the games our forefathers began for us, don't you think?"

  "What about..."

  Logan waited for Dawn to finish her question, but she did not. "What about what?" he asked.

  She leaned in and grabbed the edge of the door frame with both hands. "We kissed, you idiot," she said in a snarled whisper. "I wouldn't have done that if I'd known we were related!"

  Logan stared at her for a moment, then laughed. Dawn felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. She pushed herself away from the car and started walking.

  Logan's car rolled up beside her.

  "First of all, it was just a kiss."

  Dawn ignored him.

  "Secondly," he continued, "if we are related at all, which we may not be, then it would be extremely distant and nothing to worry about."

  "How do you know that?" she asked through gritted teeth.

  "I know all about my Family history, which includes your Family too," he said. "My father didn't shelter us like yours did. Plus, it was just a kiss or two. It's not like we were rolling around in the sheets or planning marriage, although I'm guessing from your reaction that such thoughts had occurred to you. That's cute. I'm flattered."

  "Why are you back in my city?" asked Dawn, coldly.

  "I feel bad for how things were left between us," Logan said. "I wanted to apologize and see if it might be possible to spend some more time with you."

  Dawn stopped walking. "You tricked me into spending time with you. You hacked my ansible—it took me a week to get a new one, by the way. Then you sheared an entire city using my property, which cost my Family millions of dollars in profits!"

  "I kidnapped you, too," he smiled innocently.

  "You tried to kidnap me," she snapped, "which led to a whole different load of trouble, including my father coming after the both of you and almost starting a war."

  "I think both of us can admit that we both learned valuable lessons from that exercise," Logan admitted with a serious nod. "Is that it?"

  Dawn opened her mouth, closed it, and nodded curtly.

  "There was one more thing," Logan offered. "We did have a grand adventure with some pretty tense moments. I think it's safe to say that the two of us can get into a serious amount of trouble together, wouldn't you agree?"

  "You are insane!" She strode to the corner and turned without bothering to see if he was following her.

  Logan did not reappear beside her. At first, Dawn was glad to be rid of him, but as she approached the next intersection she frowned, disappointed that he had given up so easily. As she rounded the next corner, she saw that he hadn't. Logan's car was parked beside the curb, with him leaning against the passenger door. Dawn couldn't help but laugh.

  "That's more like it," he said. "You have to keep things in perspective, Dawn, especially the most important fact about all of this."

  "Which is what?" She stopped a few feet from him, smiling.

  "This is all just a game. What we do is just fun."

  "It's more than a game. I saw you put someone to sleep on the train with your ansible."

  Logan shrugged.

  "There's a lot of money involved too," she said. "How can we get paid to play a computer game on our smartphones that pays us millions of dollars just for holding imaginary targets and shearing non-playing people?"

  Logan looked at her and shook his head. "Your dad still hasn't told you that much, has he?"

  "About your Family and mine? No."

  "What about the rest of it? It doesn't sound like he's told you anything about SHEPHERDS."

  "He's told me lots about SHEPHERDS," Dawn said. "If he hadn't taught me all about it, how do you think I would have advanced to such a high rank and level?"

  Logan chuckled and shook his head. "Trust me, if you think I'm talking about just the game part, then you better head home and ask Harry about the rest of it."

  "What do you mean?"

  Logan walked around to the driver's side of the car and opened the door. "Go home and tell Harry he'd better tell you about the rest of the game, and he'd better do it now. It's heating up all over the grid, Dawn, and if you aren't prepared, it could get very messy for you."

  "That's it? You're just going to ask a few stupid questions, make a few cryptic remarks, and then drive off?"

  Logan stared at her and then shook his head. "I'd tell you more, but it's not my place, and you wouldn't believe me anyway. Talk to Harry. I'll find you after, and we can go on another little field trip."

  "To where?"

  Logan grinned. "Wallaceton."

  31

  Harry arrived at the coffee shop early, as was his habit. Life had taught him that being early and prepared gave you advantages. And there are both my kids, also early and presumably prepared, he thought with a smile. That wasn't easy for Sam when he was younger, but it sank in. "Hello, you two," Harry slid into his spot in the booth, where an untouched cup of hot coffee awaited, and thanked them for it.

  "How was your morning, Dad?" Sam asked. "Anything exciting?"

  Harry nodded. "The Hearthkin boys are back in town. Have either of you been contacted by them?"

  "No," Sam shook his head.

  "Yes," Dawn replied, looking at her father over the rim of her coffee cup.

  Harry sighed. He'd been lucky with his teenagers so far. Neither of them had gone through the rebellious phase. I'm lucky so far. When that stage does come, I hope I can do a better job than my parents did with me. "Please tell me that you learned your lesson in City Three and were going to mention this to me."

  "Absolutely," Dawn smiled. "I'm learning how dangerous this game can be."

  "My darling girl, you have no idea how dangerous this game can be. And that is entirely my fault."

  "We're young," Sam said. "I'm sure there is still lots of time to learn."

  "Maybe," Harry's expression did not look confident, "but I think it's time to step your education up a notch or two."

  "I'm too young for University," Dawn said, "and you agreed to let Sam just start his own business."

  "I would say that was a good choice, considering I'm making more cash than 90% of the educated population," said Sam in a smug tone.

  "The Thorne Family realizes that traditional education primarily trains regular people to be obedient, non-aggressive citizens. Our Family actually helped develop that system. I mean that it's time to teach you more about our Family and the other powerful houses that affect us." Harry took another drink from his coffee cup before finishing his thought. "It's time for you to be introduced to the Long Game, as well as meet more of your Family. It's time that I took you to meet your grandparents."

  "Sounds exciting," Sam said.

  "It will be interesting, that's for sure," Harry said.

  "When will we leave?" Dawn asked. "Will we be flying? Where do they live?"

  "We can go now," Harry stood up. "As for flying, there's no need. We can be there by car in less than an hour."

  "What are you talking about?" Dawn asked. "How can we be so close to people that we haven't met once in our entire lives?"

  "In a heavy snowstorm, a person can get so disoriented that they freeze to d
eath only a few feet away from their homes." Harry said. "It doesn't take much distance to separate people, the same as being halfway across the world doesn't stop interaction if you have an Internet connection and a smartphone."

  "Where do they live?" Dawn asked.

  Understanding registered in Sam's eyes. "They live in Wallaceton, don't they?"

  The corner of Harry's mouth turned upwards slightly as he nodded.

  ***

  "Asking questions runs in the Family."

  Dawn watched the horizon, her eyes straining to see Wallaceton. "Yeah," she mumbled, to let him know she was listening.

  "So bear it in mind," Harry said. "I want the two of you to speak very little when we get separated. It's no one's business what you've been up to or what your life has been like, so please help me out and don't answer any questions."

  "When we get separated?" Sam asked. "How do you know that's going to happen?"

  Harry kept his eyes on the road. "Trust me, it will happen. I will have to spend some alone time with your grandfather, and the two of you will get snapped up by cousins. You kids are celebrities around here, and they will be excited to get to know the both of you."

  "Celebrities? I thought we were exiled from the rest of them?"

  "You were," Harry said, "which makes you celebrities. Most exiles over the years have been stricken from the Family records and forgotten. You two are different; you're returning."

  "It's because of you, right, Daddy?" Dawn asked.

  "Yes, it's because of me. I was too valuable an asset for the Family to lose. If your mother had lived, that might have changed things, but she didn't." After a pause, Harry went on: "Events transpired, we were able to come back, and I've never given them cause to regret their decision." Harry looked at his children in the rear view mirror. "That brings up another good point. Don't listen to what they say about me. Half of it will be lies, and the tricky part is figuring out which those are. It would be best if you just ignore what they tell you, or better yet, tell them you're not interested in hearing any stories about me at all."

  "Does that mean you will tell us all the good stories yourself?" Dawn asked. "The true ones?"

  Harry chuckled. "No, Kitten, it doesn't mean that."