Cabal

by David Delaney

  "Shouldn't we knock?" asked Wyatt.

  "I never knock. Now shush."

  Elyse pushed the door open and walked inside. We followed close on her heels and were greeted with silence.

  Oh boy.

  Mrs. Kelly was seated on a couch surrounded by her family. There were stacks of photo albums sitting in front of her. We had clearly interrupted her family’s attempt to help fill in the thirty-year gap she suddenly had in her memory.

  "Orson!" Kevin, Elyse's little brother, popped up from the floor in front of his mom and ran over to give me a fist-bump. "Mom's back, isn't it awesome?"

  That the kid was treating me like he always had put a lump in my throat. I smiled down at him and said, "It's beyond super-awesome."

  Mr. Kelly said to his assembled children, "I think that we need some time with Elyse and her friends, alone."

  A few of the Kelly kids that I didn't recognize didn't like that idea. They felt that whatever we wanted to discuss involved them all and they should be allowed to stay. Mr. Kelly agreed that everyone would meet together as a family council, but the initial conversation needed to be smaller. We waited as each of the children stopped to kiss or touch their mom before leaving the room. When it was just the five of us and Mr. and Mrs. Kelly, we took seats around the room and waited.

  Mr. Kelly began, "First, I want to thank you all for bringing my Katie back. I know that it wasn't planned, that it was a shock to everyone, but still I'm grateful."

  "How are you doing, Mom?" Elyse asked.

  Mrs. Kelly patted her daughter's knee. "I'm not going to lie, it's very disorienting. To have no memories of you and Kevin, Sean and Jennifer, it makes me sad."

  Elyse snuggled closer to her mom and I could sense the comfort it provided Mrs. Kelly.

  "I also want to thank all of you for bringing me back to my family," said Mrs. Kelly. Then she turned her focus to me. "It's Orson, correct?"

  "Yes, ma'am."

  Mrs. Kelly smiled at me. "I understand that you are very important to my daughter, and that makes you important to me also."

  "Thank you, Mrs. Kelly. I sure missed you," I said.

  Elyse sat up straighter. "Dad, we have to present ourselves to the council soon. We're worried about what Uncle Tommy might do."

  Mrs. Kelly frowned at her husband. "Why should they be worried about Thomas?"

  Mr. Kelly blew out a long breath before answering. "It's complicated. Tommy has strong feelings about Orson."

  Mr. Kelly wouldn't look at me. I couldn't tell if he was embarrassed about the way he had treated me, or if he was still angry with me. I switched on my sight. Mr. Kelly's aura was all over the place. He was excited, agitated, and confused.

  "It's because Orson is the Ollphiest," said Elyse.

  "The Ollphiest?" Mrs. Kelly laughed and looked over at me. "That's ridiculous, those are just stories."

  I looked at my feet. I was going to keep out of this one. Mr. Kelly and Elyse could take the lead in explaining that I was indeed the boogeyman come to life.

  "Richard, honestly, the Ollphiest?" Mrs. Kelly sounded incredulous. "Where did Thomas get a silly idea like that?"

  "It's the truth," Mr. Kelly said simply.

  I listened as Elyse and Mr. Kelly explained how I became what I am, and I have to admit that if I hadn't lived through it, I wouldn't have believed it. They also explained about Kyle, Tommy's son, and how he attempted to kill me, twice, and how the last attempt had ultimately led to Mrs. Kelly being killed. When they were done Mrs. Kelly sat silently, scrutinizing me.

  "Well," Mrs. Kelly said. "We'll just have to explain to Thomas that Orson being the Ollphiest doesn't mean what he thinks it means."

  Have I mentioned how cool Mrs. Kelly is? She truly is one of the best people I know.

  Mr. Kelly squirmed in his seat. "Katie, the thing is that Orson, and his abilities, are a game-changer. He tilts the balance of power and not in the Society's favor. If they find out what he is, they'll do everything in their power to kill him."

  "But you said Thomas tried to tell them and they didn't believe him," said Mrs. Kelly.

  Lucy held up her hand. Wyatt snorted and Maddie's eyebrows shot up. I had to bite my tongue not to laugh. Watching Lucy be deferential was surprising.

  "Yes, dear?" said Mrs. Kelly.

  "I know you don't remember me, Katherine," said Lucy. "All of our interactions were after 1988. But we respected one another and had built up a mutual trust. The only reason Tommy wasn't successful in outing Orson is because I was able to lie in the council chamber after making the Oath of Truth."

  "But that's impossible," said Mrs. Kelly. "You would have been struck dead on the spot."

  "Normally, yes. But Orson is the Ollphiest and his aura negates magic. It's the craziest thing I've ever seen. And that night I used that ability to my advantage, borrowing his aura to protect me."

  "Well, that certainly changes things, doesn't it?" said Mrs. Kelly. "We need a plan, Richard. Call the other children back in, we'll figure this out as a family."

  For somebody who just found out she had been dead for over a month and then was somehow accidentally whammied out of a memory, Mrs. Kelly didn't seem as freaked out as I would have been. She was jumping right back in and taking charge, making sure that I was protected. It reminded me why I thought so highly of her. Not only was I a total stranger to her, but she didn't even have any memories of Elyse—and none of that mattered. Mrs. Kelly was fierce in a fight, but she was even more fierce when it came to protecting her own, and she had decided that my friends and I were part of the family.

  It was decided that, to avoid causing too much drama with the council, only Mr. and Mrs. Kelly would attend the meeting with us. Their other kids would stand at the ready, because if the council made any stupid decisions, like trying to put us in shifter jail—and yeah, that's a thing—they would step in and help us escape the compound.

  "Remember, stay calm," said Mr. Kelly. "And please keep any sarcastic comments to yourself," he added, eyeing Wyatt.

  "What? I'm cool," the kid protested.

  "Of course you are," said Mrs. Kelly, reaching to smooth out some wrinkles in Wyatt's shirt.

  The town hall was a large one-room building. It had enough seating for what looked like two hundred people or more, and every seat was filled. All eyes turned to us as we entered. There were no murmurs or whispers, because it would be impossible not to be overheard in a room full of shape-shifters. The Kellys led us to the front of the room where we were seated at a long table. The seven council members were seated on a raised dais that faced the chamber. There were no microphones or any other type of sound system, because it wasn't needed.

  Daniel and Roxanne Crane sat next to one another in the middle seats. I made no attempt at pretending I wasn't checking out the other council members. The three to Daniel's left were two men and one woman. The woman looked kind of familiar—there was something about the shape of her jaw and her eyes. The two dudes just looked grumpy, and I hoped it was because they were hungry and not because they had already made up their minds about me. The two council members to Roxanne's right were both women and while they didn't look as grumpy as the guys at the other end, they didn't exactly look happy.

  They fear us.

  I was wondering when you were going to chime in. Why do you think they fear us? And don't say because we are Ollphiest, I'm looking for more concrete information.

  They know the legends. They know what we are and what our destiny is.

  I was afraid to ask, but I had to know.

  And what exactly do you think our destiny is?

  To rule them all.

  Of course.

  I let out a sigh.

  Elyse caught my eye, she knew something was up. I smiled and silently mouthed later.

  Roxanne started the proceedings. "I guess we shouldn't be surprised at the turnout this evening. I just wish that we received as much interest when discussing sewer upgrades."

  A rumbling chuc
kle filled the room. It helped ratchet down the tension a bit and I felt my shoulders relax.

  Roxanne continued. "We all know why we're here tonight. Katherine Kelly," Roxanne paused and smiled at Mrs. Kelly. "Is back among us. Her appearance, while unprecedented, is a happy occurrence."

  Okay, that was one way to describe a person coming back from the dead. I switched on my sight and without turning around reached out with my super-senses to try and get a vibe on the room. I could feel curiosity, wariness, some anxiety, but no anger, at least not yet.

  "Katherine arrived in an unconventional manner," said Roxanne. "And she arrived with her daughter Elyse and four other companions. These companions consist of one shifter and three other Society members. I think it best that Elyse Kelly explain the circumstances of how all of this occurred." Roxanne gestured to Elyse.

  I gave Elyse's hand a squeeze as she stood up and approached a small rostrum that faced the seven-member council.

  "Thank you for the opportunity to speak this evening," Elyse began. "You all know me, I've been coming to the compound my entire life and for several years my parents even held the position currently filled by the Cranes. The events of how we all arrived here started a week ago at Stanford University."

  Elyse gave a detailed, but succinct account of what went down at Stanford and the events of the past week. She started to get emotional when she got to the part about the memory construct and us running into her parents. Elyse concluded with how we inexplicably ended up in the woods and how both a dead Marcus and a living Marcus arrived with us.

  The council member I thought looked familiar spoke up. "You expect us to believe that your mother was pulled out of a memory? That no other illegal magic was used?" The woman scoffed. "I find that preposterous."

  Mrs. Kelly spoke up. "It sounds fantastical, I know. I don't think any of us in this room have ever heard of such a thing occurring, and our combined experience is vast. But Elyse is telling the truth. My memories end on the night that Elyse described. Richard and I were a part of the raid on Marcus Horn's mansion, and I know it sounds impossible, but in my memory of events, my daughter and these other four were there with us."

  "Richard, does that match your memory of the night in question?” asked Daniel.

  Mr. Kelly didn't respond immediately, clearly wanting to choose his words carefully. "Katie and I were at the mansion, but in my memory the only one of these four that was present was Lucy."

  "You see," said the annoying councilwoman. "Even her husband says it didn't happen."

  "Excuse me," interrupted Elyse. "But that's not what my dad said. He gave an account of what happened in the actual timeline. What I'm describing happened inside of Lucy's memory construct, so only those of us within that construct experienced the events I related."

  One of the grumpy council dudes spoke up. "Roxanne, you have the most experience with Society magic-users, is something like this even possible?"

  Interesting, Roxanne had experience with magic-users. I wondered where and when she'd gained that particular knowledge.

  Roxanne sat quietly, looking at each of us in turn. "In my experience, where magic is concerned, anything is possible. But a memory construct isn't something that I've personally heard of."

  "That's because it's rare," said Elyse. "Even Cynthia was surprised at the detail of the construct and the power displayed."

  A stir of emotions hit my aura like a hammer. The gathered shifters were not fans of Cynthia. That wasn't a big surprise. She was the lead councilwoman of the Society, which made her the embodiment of all the perceived wrongs the shifters had endured over the centuries.

  "My mom, sitting right there,” Elyse said, smiling at her mother. "Proves that what I'm telling you is true. I know there are many present who have seen centuries, and so I ask, have any of you ever heard even rumors of a spell that was capable of resurrecting the dead?”

  Chatter filled the assembly hall and from the snippets of conversation I was able to isolate, the consensus seemed to be one hundred percent that resurrection wasn't a thing.

  "Order, please," said Roxanne sternly.

  Everyone settled down.

  "Thank you," said Roxanne. "So, we are faced with something unprecedented. In my experience there is no spell that would result in the facts before us. Does anyone present have anything to add?"

  "I do."

  Damn. I'd scanned the room when we'd first entered and when I didn't see him, I thought that maybe he had run off to sulk somewhere. But that had been wishful thinking. Tommy strode up the center aisle of the hall, looking like the giant butthead that he was.

  "I demand to be heard," said Tommy.

  "Do you have information pertaining to a spell that has the ability to resurrect a person?" asked Daniel.

  Elyse returned to her seat, ignoring Tommy's attempt at a friendly greeting. Tommy stared after her, his face stone-hard.

  Tommy turned back to the council. "I have an alternate theory about Katie's miraculous return that everyone should hear."

  The council members leaned into a huddle. They didn't even try to whisper, Roxanne just asked for a quick vote on whether Tommy should be allowed to speak. It was unanimous the jerk would be given his soapbox.

  I settled into my chair, arms crossed. I knew Tommy was about to go after me. He would do his best to discredit me and win people over to his side. I needed to remain cool. I glanced at Lucy and Wyatt. They looked like I felt—trapped.

  Roxanne waved for Tommy to begin. I noticed the familiar-looking councilwoman had a menacing grin on her face, odd.

  "We sit in the presence of legend," Tommy pronounced with a flourish.

  Oh boy, here we go.

  "A being of untold power. A creature with the ability to negate magic, to shrug off any spell used against it."

  Geez, talk about a drama queen, Tommy was laying it on thick. Maybe too thick, he risked overselling his case.

  Tommy continued, dramatically pacing around in front of the dais, making sure to play not only to the council but also to the gathered shifters. "A beast that is by all accounts a force of nature, that is so unstoppable, so uncontrollable, so driven in its lust for power that our ancestors joined with the Society to eradicate it from the face of the earth."

  Really? If that was true, it was news to me. Of course, the only information I had to go on was what Mr. Kelly had originally shared when I first shifted, and the stuff gleaned from the books Lucy gave me. Nothing I had read in them spoke about the Ollphiest or any extermination campaign.

  He speaks truth.

  What? Seriously?

  It is why they fear us. Our vengeance will be complete.

  This time I didn't have a response for the crazy that shared my head. If it was true, then I had willingly walked into a room full of shape-shifters that could decide on a better-safe-than-sorry approach. I didn't think our little band would stand a chance, if the crowd turned on us. My train of thought was interrupted when Tommy stopped in front of me.

  "I give you the Ollphiest," Tommy said, jabbing a finger in my face.

  I growled.

  I didn't do it on purpose. It just kind of slipped out.

  And apparently growling is a no-no during council meetings. The room erupted into pandemonium.

  Chapter Three

  Tommy jumped backwards, landing in a crouch, ready for an attack. I wasn't planning on attacking, I just didn't like having fingers jammed in my face. Several members of the council were shouting at the Cranes and demanding I be reprimanded. Wyatt had grabbed Elyse's arm, who had placed a hand on my thigh. Lucy had a hand on Maddie, who had a hand on Wyatt. If needed the kid could blink us all out of there in an instant.

  "Don't do it," said Mrs. Kelly. She had witnessed Wyatt's teleportation firsthand. "If you run, it will only be worse."

  "Order!" Roxanne roared. It was so loud, my chair vibrated.

  The affect was immediate, everyone shut up. The council members took their seats, and those spectators
who had jumped up also quickly and quietly seated themselves.

  Roxanne peered down at Tommy, who hadn't moved from his attack crouch. "Thomas, if you please."

  "I don't trust him," said Tommy. "He could attack me at any moment."

  "Don't be ridiculous," said Daniel. "He only growled, and while against decorum, I think we're all quite safe."

  Grudgingly Tommy rose, but he never took his eyes off me. Tommy was a total douche, but he wasn't stupid. One of these days he and I were going to have a serious conversation that may or may not end with me ripping his stupid face off.

  When everyone was settled, Roxanne said, "Invoking the legend of the Ollphiest, while dramatic, has no bearing on what we were discussing, which was the return of Katherine."

  "But it does," insisted Tommy. "We have no idea what the Ollphiest is capable of. What hidden powers he may have. That's what makes him so dangerous and why we must ensure he isn't unleashed on the world."

  One of the other council dudes snorted. "You're seriously suggesting that not only is this young man the Ollphiest, but that he has the power to resurrect people? I'm sorry, but I don't believe in fairytales."

  The councilwoman I was sure I knew from somewhere indicated she would like to speak.

  "Carmen," said Roxanne.

  Carmen gave a single nod to Roxanne and then locked eyes with me when she began talking. "While the return of Katherine is . . . wonderful, the concerns voiced by Thomas need to be considered and not just dismissed out of hand. This boy has been involved in some interesting altercations."

  Boy? What happened to young man? I was definitely not a fan of whoever this lady was.

  I was surprised when it was Mr. Kelly who spoke up in my defense. "Carmen, don't you think your opinion may be . . . clouded due to the events involving your son?"

  Who was Carmen's son? I really hoped he wasn't one of the shifters I beat up in the Kelly's driveway, because they had totally started it by listening to Kyle—