“Yes.” Anastasia smiled at Stephen.
“Stephen.” Sam paused. “I must vote no.”
The room seemed to spin. Stephen couldn’t understand what had happened. Even Anastasia appeared shocked and spoke heatedly with Sam. Council members began talking back and forth.
“Quiet,” Sam shouted. “You all know that our decisions are not to be challenged. That is why we all sit equal to one another.”
The door opened and twelve guards rushed in.
Startled, Stephen jumped to his feet.
“We are not done. Why are you interrupting?” Sam yelled.
A man in a red-hooded cloak strode into the room. Immediately, the council began murmuring. Stephen watched, still unsure as to what was taking place. He looked at Sam. The surprise on Sam’s face told Stephen that this was not expected. Stephen searched Sam’s mind.
“Who is David?” Stephen yelled.
“Not who. What.” The reply came from the man under the hood. He stood before Sam, facing the council. “You reject him, when you yourselves have forgotten protocol?”
Immediately, the council members filed out from behind the table and stood opposite their chairs facing the man. Following Anastasia’s lead, they knelt.
The man turned toward Stephen, his face hidden. “Stephen, Sam wasn’t one-hundred-percent truthful in what he told you. The council’s findings are final only when required. It was David who chose his mighty men. Today, David is a title among the Mighty, given to someone named as the most honorable of the Mighty. And the single person holding that title may choose anyone to be a member of the Mighty. The council is meant to act in his absence to alleviate the burdens of being David.”
The man stepped forward to Stephen, who also fell to one knee. David removed his hood and placed his hand on Stephen’s shoulder. Stephen looked up, amazed, recognizing a friend he least expected to see.
“Pastor Buchanan?”
“Rise, Mighty Stephen.”
Stephen stood.
“But . . .”
Pastor Buchanan shushed Stephen. “There will be time for questions but not today.” He turned to the council. “How dare you? You are charged with the care of all the Mighty. Yet, because you fear his power and don’t understand it or him, six of you chose to exclude him out of purely selfish motivations. You may tell yourselves that it was for the safety of the Mighty. That, however, would be a lie. Here”—he motioned to their seats—“you sit as equals, all twelve of you. Some of you, however, couldn’t stand the thought of someone who was not equal with you, someone more powerful than you all. What are you afraid of? Do you not trust God above yourselves? If the council cannot be trusted to bear witness, then these twelve guards will. Stephen is Mighty.”
Stephen barely heard The David’s words as he stood stunned at what had taken place. All this time, and Pastor Buchanan had been right there. He wanted to be upset, but couldn’t, realizing that the preacher had told him what he needed to know in order to make the right choice. When Pastor Buchanan finished, Stephen felt thankful, and honored.
Sam stood. “The council recognizes the decision of David as law.”
David continued. “Also, Stephen has done what this entire council has been unable to do. You have sent people to find out about this enemy in the shadows. None have returned except Stephen.”
Anastasia grabbed a piece of paper from the table and took it to each member, who signed it with a signet ring, using a wax seal. She handed it to Pastor Buchanan, who did the same. An opening appeared in the wall behind the council table after the last seal had been affixed. She walked over and placed the scroll in the opening, which then closed.
“The matter is settled. Welcome, Mighty Stephen.” She approached Stephen and hugged him. “Waltz would be very happy.”
“Thank you.”
Shannon escorted Stephen out of the room.
“Your dad doesn’t like me?” Stephen asked in a raised voice.
“Honestly, I’m not sure what that was about. He spoke very highly of you to me.”
Stephen looked over her mind. She told the truth, which made what just happened even stranger.
“So how is it that you became our escorts?” he continued.
“I asked. After hearing what Dad and Anastasia had to say about you two, I wanted to meet you.”
“Any idea why Sam voted no?”
“None. But he must have had a reason. I don’t think it’s as simple as fear. Dad’s not a selfish man.”
“Yeah, I was surprised.” Stephen stopped. “Will I have issues here, because of the mixed vote?”
“No. No one will question David’s choice, especially now that it’s recorded.”
“Who is the enemy he talked about? What do you know about him?”
Shannon shrugged. “I don’t know, exactly. We know someone has been out there evading our attempts at finding him. We’ve managed to capture a Fallen or two that know little bits, just not enough to put a complete picture together. This is the first time we’ve had someone actually confront him and come back with information. Before, we only heard unsubstantiated rumors.”
Stephen turned and ran back into the council chamber. They didn’t seem to notice him and were discussing something among themselves.
“Who is the voice in the darkness?” Stephen spoke loudly, ensuring everyone heard him.
They all looked at him and became silent. Stephen sensed they were not happy with his intrusion.
“Maybe you feel like you don’t owe me answers. But I disagree. Someone killed Waltz, is after me, and has blinded a family member of mine. Who is he?”
“We don’t know.” Pastor Buchanan approached Stephen. “We’ve only heard whispers. There have been some who came close to him a few years back, only getting to people under him. That’s how we know of him. Afterward, we sent others to gain more information. He’s powerful. Bernard was the last one we sent. None have returned.”
“But I returned.” Stephen still found it odd to be speaking with Pastor Buchanan inside of Enclave.
“Yes, you did. I believe you shocked them. They didn’t expect you to be so stubborn.” Pastor Buchanan smiled. “I know you have more questions, but now is not the time. You have answers waiting for you that are more important at the moment than this. When you’re ready, you’ll need to begin training.
Stephen knew exactly what Pastor Buchanan meant. “They have hunted my family nearly to extinction. I want to be a part of ending this threat. My life and future are at stake.” The preacher nodded. Stephen joined Shannon again to go track down Vincent. Their family troves awaited them both.
They marched to the recreation room. Vincent sat in the corner reading a book.
Stephen called to him. “You almost done reading?”
Vincent hurriedly set the book down and stood. “You had me worried. What took so long?”
“I’ll tell you on the way,” Stephen said.
“Where are we going?” Vincent asked.
“I want to see my family’s trove room. Don’t you want to see yours?”
On the way, Stephen relayed everything to Vincent as Shannon nodded occasionally in agreement. He finished as they arrived at the Chamber of Bloodlines. A large stone door stood before them.
Shannon stopped. “I’ll leave you two here. Your doors will open for you when you say ‘Blessed is the man.’”
“That’s it?” Stephen asked as he walked toward the chamber, the stone doors opening for him. There were many different doors, all carved in stone with the same insignia in the middle that rested on the shroud. The air was damp and cool, but smelled surprisingly fresh. A large chandelier hung from the ceiling overhead in the center of a dome that had been painted to show the scene at Christ’s crucifixion. One of the doors opened, and a teenage boy with purple hair wearing a blue robe came out. He had headphones on, and bobbed his head as he walked past them.
“Blessed is the man.” A door opened directly in front of Stephen. He walked
in.
On the wall opposite the door he saw the Stockton family tree, which appeared to be scorched into the stone wall and wrapped around the corner. Looking at it, he saw hundreds of names and dates as he followed it around the wall. Eventually, he came face to face with the truth he’d hoped was wrong. Stephen was indeed the last surviving member of his family’s bloodline. He saw Waltz’s name, birthdate, and the date of his death. Beside his name was a shield, the symbol for protectors. He touched Waltz’s name. Layla’s information appeared, glowing bright, next to Waltz’s. Stephen backed away from the heat and watched as his name appeared underneath them, along with his birthdate. But no emblem appeared, which confused him.
He looked around for what seemed like hours. There was a lot to digest. There were weapons, armor, cloaks, books, scrolls, paintings, musical instruments of all types, and more. He knew there would be time to discover the significance of it all later. Vincent would be waiting. As he approached the door, it opened back into the room. Only, it didn’t seem to be the same door he had entered.
He found Vincent waiting with Shannon.
“Did you look in yours?”
“Yes. It was interesting.” Vincent smiled. “I will look at more later. I know there are rules and do not want to mishandle anything.”
“Did your door . . . ?” Stephen looked back.
“Change?” Shannon asked. “Yes, they do. The doors are not tied to any specific trove. The trove is tied to the person.”
“There was no information about my mom’s family in there. Where would I find out about her side?” Stephen asked.
“That would be in her bloodline’s trove. We’ll have to find someone in that bloodline to let you in.”
“Wait.” Stephen tried not to get excited. He hadn’t considered his mother’s bloodline would be different. Could he still have family? “My mother’s bloodline?”
“Yes,” Shannon smiled. “You can only access one, and Stockton is your bloodline. However, someone from Layla’s bloodline may be willing to show you around. I’ll see who I can find. I don’t think anyone is presently at Enclave.”
Stephen hid his excitement. He had family after all, however distant they may be.
Afterward, they went to the Catacombs, where Matthew and Bernie were being held. Stephen went to both of their rooms, looking through the bars. The walls were solid stone, with only one wall being bars. Guards were posted in the center of the sector. Matthew refused to look up or talk to Stephen. Bernie remained in the state that Stephen had put him in, barely able to feed himself.
Before long, they had seen all they could see. The time had come to go home and make preparations for a longer visit. Stephen and Vincent discussed it. Both agreed they needed to learn more.
Sam took them back home the way they had come. This time it felt stranger. The tension between Sam and Stephen was apparent. Stephen tried to look into Sam’s mind to understand. However, something blocked him.
They arrived back at Fort Belle Fontaine, where Alistair waited.
“Stephen, wait a moment please.” Sam stepped in front of him.
Vincent went on ahead without them.
Sam continued. “I can’t explain everything now. Maybe one day. I want you to know I voted no because I felt it was the best way to protect you. If the Fallen learned we voted no, they might not see you as a threat any longer.”
Stephen glared at Sam. He felt the veins in his neck bulge as blood pumped through and his heart raced. “When are you people gonna learn?” He poked Sam in the chest. “I don’t need you to protect me. All I’ve ever wanted—all I still want—is family, people I can trust and who trust me.” He nodded toward Vincent and Alistair. “They are my family. Patty is family. I thought . . . It doesn’t matter.”
Stephen turned and walked away. As he reached the car where Vincent and Alistair waited, he turned around to take one more look at Sam. He saw only red mist remaining.
Chapter 24
The time came for Stephen to make a decision. They had been back a week and would soon head back to Enclave, if they decided to train. Vincent had already decided he needed to go and made plans for others to fill in for him at the company—one in legal, another to head up the nonprofit. Stephen straddled the fence up until today. He knew that returning had to be the right thing to do, though he worried about Patty. Perhaps a visit to see Waltz would help. The fresh air and sunshine couldn’t hurt either.
Birds sang in the distance as Stephen and Patty made their way up the hill. Their melody helped Stephen to realize that life continued, even for Waltz. Stephen placed a single rose on the top of the headstone upon arrival. This stone doesn’t tell the whole story, Stephen thought as he stood at the grave, Patty by his side.
“You know, there were three sides to him—father, philanthropist, and Mighty. I’m just starting to know him.”
“So, you’re going.” Patty sounded sad. He couldn’t be certain if it was because she was thinking of Waltz or about him.
“Yeah, I have to. There is so much more I don’t know, not only about him but about me.” Stephen wanted so badly to take a peek inside her head, to see what would make her feel better. But he’d promised her he’d never do it without her permission.
“How long?”
“I don’t know. I’ll be able to come back at times. I’ll still be available by phone, email, or Skype. They have some tech there that’s very impressive.”
Patty turned to Stephen. He expected to see sadness. Instead, he saw a look he had become all too familiar with. Patty looked excited in a mischievous way.
“Patty?” Stephen barely got her name out when she couldn’t hold it in any longer.
“I’m coming,” she blurted out.
“You’re what?”
“I’m coming with you.”
“Wait, you can’t. I mean, you’re not . . .” Stephen couldn’t finish a sentence without getting raised eyebrows from Patty. “What makes you think they’ll let you come?”
“Shannon doesn’t have abilities.”
“She was born into it, Patty. You can’t just—”
“I don’t care. If they won’t let me train, I’ll do something else.”
“No.” Stephen knew he had to be stern.
“I have good people in place to run the warehousing unit. I can head it up from anywhere. Plus, I can look at expanding to the East Coast while we’re there.”
“What if something happens to you?” Stephen implored.
“Really? What if something happens to me?”
Stephen realized too late the mistake he’d just made.
“You’re the man that gets so angry when people try to protect him,” Patty started. “Mr. ‘I don’t need protection’—you don’t want something to happen to me so I can’t come? Tell me, babe—when’s the last time that worked for you?”
“Well, uh . . .” Stephen realized his greatest weakness, arguing with Patty. “It’s not really my decision, I get that. But it’s not yours either.”
Patty’s face turned sour with disapproval. However, he knew she understood. The council would have to agree. She dug deep into her purse and pulled out her phone.
“What are you doing?” Stephen scoffed.
“I’m calling Anastasia.”
What Stephen thought had been a cute moment with Patty not wanting to accept reality had now turned a one-eighty and become a genuine cause for concern.
“You’re what? When did you get—”
Patty stuck her hand in the air, motioning for Stephen to be quiet.
“Anastasia? Hey, thank you for taking my call. I have a question. Am I allowed at Enclave?” Patty paused. Stephen could hear Anastasia talking, though not well enough to make out anything she said. “Right. Okay.” Patty nodded as she twirled her hair with her free hand. “I’d like to learn more about the Mighty. Stephen is very important to me. You all are. I want to help, if I can.”
“What’s she saying?” he asked.
Patt
y held her hand up again. “Okay. Thank you. Yes, thank you. See you soon.” Patty put her phone back in her purse.
Stephen waited impatiently as Patty took her time. “Alright already, what happened?”
“She’s on her way to your apartment.”
“Why?” Stephen tried to hide his skepticism.
“It’s possible for me to come. But she needs to talk to us.”
They arrived at Stephen’s apartment and waited for Anastasia to arrive. Patty seemed happy to Stephen, as she worked hard making dinner for the three of them. Why was she so happy? Did she already know something and wasn’t telling him? Reading her mind became more and more tempting. However, he resisted.
After what seemed a near eternity to Stephen, there was a knock at the door. He opened the door to find Anastasia waiting with a smile. She had showed up with near-perfect timing, as though she’d been waiting outside the door for dinner to be ready.
“Hello, Stephen,” she grinned.
“Hello,” he said. Seeing Anastasia dressed in casual attire—jeans and a T-shirt—caught him off guard. Stephen’s gaze lingered over her clothes.
Anastasia glanced down and back to Stephen. “Right. I’ve always been in more formal attire. Well, this is a visit to a friend, nothing official.”
He motioned for her to come in.
Anastasia walked toward the table. “Patty, it smells delicious.”
Patty turned off the stove and darted over to hug Anastasia.
“How are you?” Patty asked, smiling.
“I’m well. How are you?” Anastasia replied in her usual tender voice.
“Good, thank you. I’m glad you offered to come.”
“I hope I can help. Stephen,” Anastasia continued, “what is your position on this?”
“W-well.” Stephen thought fast. “I want Patty safe. I fear her helping us and coming to Enclave will endanger her.” As hard as he tried, he didn’t even convince himself.
“Let’s sit at the table.” Patty motioned to the kitchen. “Dinner is ready.”
It didn’t take long for Patty to dish out the spaghetti and garlic bread. Stephen enjoyed it when she cooked, especially when the food wasn’t burnt.
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