The Order of Brigid's Cross - The Wild Hunt (Book 1): The Wild Hunt (22 page)

Aengus cleared his throat lightly and looked across the
room. “Well, Father Jack, you are much more acquainted with the realms of both
hell and heaven,” he said sardonically. “Perhaps you might be the more
appropriate person to lead this conversation.”

Father Jack sat back in his chair and templed his hands for
a moment before he spoke. Finally, after taking a deep breath, he turned to
Sean. “As you know, from the very beginning of our existence in the human race
there has been a need for opposition in all things,” he said.

“Father, with all due respect,” Sean interrupted, “can we
have the condensed version of the story?”

A slight smile appeared on Aengus’ lips. “Ah, it seems he
has already begun to understand you, Jack.”

Father Jack nodded. “Yes, it appears he has,” he said. “The
short version, Detective O’Reilly, is that when there is an organization for
good, there generally is an opposing organization for bad.
 
Such is the case in this instance.”

“You mean there are people out there who want to let the
jailed up fairies go free?” Sean asked. “Doesn’t seem like such a bad idea to
me. I’m all about emancipation.”

“Are you?” Aengus interrupted, turning to Sean. “Would you
let the animals in the zoo go free?”

“Well, not in the middle of the city,” Sean replied with a
shrug. “But, back in the wilds where they came from, hell yeah.”

“You are not alone in your thinking,” Aengus said, standing
and pacing across the room. “We had some earlier members of the Order who felt
the same way.
 
Not only did they feel the
Unseelies
should have been freed, but they thought they
would have been a superior weapon when we were fighting against the unspeakable
atrocities of World War II.”

Sean nodded. “Yeah, I can see that,” he said.
“An army of immortal, magical guys on your side.
I can’t see
a downside.”

Aengus turned towards him quickly. “You cannot?” he asked.
“What if those who control them decided they didn’t feel democracy was the
correct way to organize a nation?
 
What
if they felt they had advanced intelligence and, for the betterment of the
entire world, forced their way of thinking on all?
 
All, of course, in the name
of improving humanity.
 
What if
they, like Hitler, decided there ought to be a super race, and they were the
ones who decided which characteristics, beliefs, or cultures were superior?”

Sean considered Aengus’ response, images of creatures like
those he’d seen in the past few months escaping from an underground lair
flashing through his mind.
 
But then,
other images, more poignant and real took their place: images of emaciated
prisoners standing near the fences of the concentration camps, hollowed out
trenches for mass graves, and long, stockade buildings that held gas chambers.
He shook his head. Which set of monsters were worse?

“Okay. Okay, I can see a downside,” he said. “But, by
freeing those
Unseelies
, what if you could have
prevented some of the carnage that occurred. Did you think of that?”

Aengus shook his head. “When we made our decision, we didn’t
understand all that was occurring in the enemy camp. And had we known of the
horrors we would find in the following months, perhaps we would have changed
our minds,” he said with a tightening of his jaw. “But we, as a council, agreed
the risk of releasing them was far too great, and we denied the request.”

 
“So, you guys nixed
the plan to open the gates and let out the
Unseelies
,”
Sean said. “Where does this other group, the bad guys, come in?”

“They were those in the Order who did not agree with that
decision,” Aengus replied. “They thought we were wrong. They thought they would
be able to control the fae, and they wanted the power that would come with it.”

“Okay, crazy, egotistical, angry guys,” Sean said, nodding
his head. “And they’re what, about a hundred years old now?
 
Are they coming after us in their walkers?”

“Not all of them were human,” Aengus explained.

Sean studied the tall faerie for a moment and then nodded
slowly. “So some of your kind jumped ship on you,” he said.

“Yes,” Aengus replied shortly, “Some of my kind and some
others. And those who were human and had a shorter lifespan passed their hate
and their legacy on to their family members.”

“So, this is a family business,” Sean said. “And I’m
guessing they are big, rich, important families.”

“Exactly,” Father Jack said.
“Rich,
important, wealthy and ruthless.
 
They do not play by the same rules we play by, and they don’t care who
they step on to get there.”

“Are they as widespread as members of the Order?” Sean
asked.

“Yes,” Aengus replied. “They are all over the world.”

“What kind of advantage do they have over us?” Sean asked.

“They know who we are,” Father Jack answered. “But we are
not sure who all of their members are.”

“And they have no problem manipulating humans to do their
bidding,” Aengus added. “
Which often leads our inquiries into
a dead end.
”

“Manipulating?” Sean repeated.

“Yes, the fae have the ability to use humans to do their
work for them and then, if necessary, they have them forget,” Aengus said.

“So what happened to the fae can’t
lie
rule?” Sean asked.

“Generally, the relationship starts with a desire hidden in
the subconscious of the human,” Aengus explained. “The fae merely gives the
human access to that desire.
 
But, if
it’s more convenient for them to encourage the human to forget they were
involved, they can suggest the humans have a lapse in memory.”

“Like hypnosis,” Ian inserted, “Power of suggestion.”

Aengus nodded. “Exactly,” he said, “With an emphasis on
power.”

There was silence in the room for a long moment as everyone
considered what had just been spoken.
 
Sean rubbed the back of his neck, wondering when it was that the whole
world turned upside down and brought him with it.
 
He let his gaze wander around the room,
mentally sorting between the people he could trust and those he wouldn’t turn
his back on.
 
The room was about evenly
divided at this point.

“And these guys want Chicago?” he finally asked.

Aengus shrugged. “Chicago. New York. Los Angeles,” he said.
“They want control, and Chicago is the first step.”

“Why here?” Sean asked.

“It’s the ley lines, isn’t it?” Ian inserted. “They have
more power here.”

Aengus
nodded,
a look of surprise
on his face. “Yes. Exactly,” he admitted. “Chicago has more energy than the
other places.”

“And the ley lines are linked back to where all this
started,” Ian added.
“The monastery in Ireland.”

Aengus’ eyes widened. “Yes, they are,” he said, studying Ian
for a moment longer and then added with an arched eyebrow. “Is there anything
else you’d like to add?”

Ian bit back a smile when he heard Sean’s soft chuckle but
never lost eye contact with Aengus.
 
“Actually, yes, but first I have a question,” he replied. “This all
seemed to escalate suddenly when we got involved with Jamal.
 
Why is he so important?”

“Jamal?” Aengus asked, confused.

“The boy who witnessed the Wild Hunt,” Father Jack
interjected.

Aengus nodded slowly. “Ah, yes, the survivor,” he said. “It
would seem the answer would be obvious.”

“It would be obvious, except we now have at least a dozen
more survivors from last night,” Sean added.
“So, why the attack
this morning?”

“There were no survivors from last night,” Aengus replied
coolly.
“At least according to my sources.”

“But, I…” Sean began, but Pete’s hand on his arm stopped
him. Sean turned to see a warning in Pete’s eyes and a barely noticeable shake
of his head. Sean swallowed his words and took a slow breath.

“You were going to say?” Aengus asked.

“If you don’t mind, I’d prefer to hear what your sources
told you,” Pete said.
“As it specifically pertains to the
well-being of my client.”

Aengus shrugged. “Very well,” he said. “There were a large
number of casualties who were obviously victims of the hunt.
 
But there were also a smaller number, perhaps
a few dozen, who had been shot.”

 
“Shot?”
Sean choked. “But the Hunt doesn’t use guns.”

“No. They don’t,” Aengus replied. “One must assume that the
gang war had started before the Hunt appeared, and those deaths occurred
first.”

Before Sean could speak, Pete tightened his hold on Sean’s
arm and then turned his attention to Aengus. “Well, that makes sense,” Pete
said calmly. “So, there are no survivors except for Jamal.”

Aengus nodded. “I would like to meet your client,” he said.
“I’m curious to see why the Hunt would pass him by and let him live.”

“Come again?” Sean asked.

“If the Hunt’s direction was to kill all of the humans, why
didn’t they start with Jamal?” Aengus asked.

“Because the whispers were protecting him,” Mrs. Gage
said,
her voice firm with faith as she stepped into the room
from Father’s Jack study on the other side of the room.
 

“The whispers,” Caer chuckled.
“Really?”

“Those too stupid to comprehend often mock,” Em inserted as
she followed Mrs. Gage into the room. Then she turned to Father Jack. “I apologize;
she slipped out before I could stop her.”

Caer stood up and glared at Em, then turned to Father Jack.
“What is
she
doing here?” she
demanded. “She is not fit to be in my presence.”

“You can leave,” Sean said, directing his comment at Caer
with a casual shrug.

Caer turned and looked at Sean with astonishment. “What did
you say?” she asked, incredulous.

Sean stepped sideways and opened the door. “I said, you can
leave,” Sean replied evenly. “Em is a valuable member of this team, and I won’t
have her insulted in any way.”

“You know what she is, don’t you?” Caer asked with contempt.

Sean nodded, his eyes never leaving
Caer’s
.
“Yes, I do,” he said. “She’s the best damn warrior I’ve ever met.”

Aengus took hold of his wife’s arm and guided her firmly
back into her chair. “Sit down, Caer,” he said quietly, with a tone that
brooked no argument. “We have far too much at stake here to let petty
annoyances distract us.”

Caer hissed softly, pulled her arm out of Aengus’ grasp and
sat down with a huff.

Sean decided that it was best to continue as if nothing had
happened. “Mrs. Gage,” he said, “I don’t know if it’s a good idea for you to be
here.”

“If you are talking about my Jamal, then this is the only
place I ought to be,” she replied firmly. “He’s my responsibility and has been
since he was a baby.”

“His mother?”
Aengus inquired.

“She was killed,” Mrs. Gage replied softly. “The whispers,
they told her to stay home, but she didn’t listen.
 
She thought she would be protected.
 
Thought she knew better. But she was wrong
and I’m not going to let that happen to my Jamal.”

Aengus studied her for a moment. “And what do you think of
his story?” he asked her. “The creatures he’s claimed to have seen.”

“My Jamal don’t lie to me,” she said. “And if he said he saw
those things, then he saw them.
 
The Good
Book tells us about demons and creatures. I
ain’t
got
no
reason to disbelieve my boy.”

“Well, I would like to help protect your boy,” Aengus said.
“I would ask you, as his guardian, to turn over his protection to me.”

Mrs. Gage looked slowly around the room at the faces of each
person engaged in the conversation, unknowingly mirroring Sean’s actions of
just a few minutes prior. Then she met Aengus’s eyes. “No thank you, kindly,”
she replied. “I have faith in the people in this room who have protected us so
far.
 
I don’t know you and, no offense
meant, but I don’t know why I should trust you.”

With a deferential nod in her direction, Aengus put his hand
out towards Caer. “It seems, my dear, that we are no longer needed here,” he
said, helping her from her chair. He paused for a moment and then turned back
to Mrs. Gage. “Madame, I abide by your decision, but should you ever need my
help, you need only ask.”

“Can you stop them?” she asked. “Stop them demons who killed
those children?”

“I’m afraid I cannot,” he replied. “They can only be stopped
by the one who summoned them or by his champion, and I am neither.”

“That’s the only way to stop them?” Sean asked.

Aengus turned to Sean. “I’m afraid so,” he said. “I fear
that many more are going to die before this is over.”

The sound of the door latch clicking in place after Aengus
and Caer left echoed in the quiet room. “So, these other guys, the bad guys,”
Sean said, breaking the silence. “They were there waiting for the kids on the
other side of the park with guns.”

Pete nodded. “Yeah, to make sure there were no other loose
ends to tie up,” he said, the disgust showing on his face.
“Mowed
them down in cold blood.”

“Why didn’t we hear them? Why didn’t we know?” Sean asked,
slapping his palm against the wall. “Damn it, they were frightened kids.”

“They probably used silencers,” Ian said. “And, with all the
noise from the windstorm the Hunt created, it probably would have been hard to even
hear unsilenced guns.”

“We’ve got to stop them,” Sean said, his face set.

“How?”
Gillian asked. “We don’t
know who summoned them.”

“Yeah, well we know someone who’s pretty damn close to the
situation,” Sean replied, moving towards the door. “I’m going to have a little
chat with Detective Adrian Williams.”

Pete rolled his wheelchair forward, effectively blocking
Sean from the door. “I’m going with you,” he said.

“What?” Sean asked, anger and frustration on the edge of his
voice. “You don’t think I can handle him?”

Pete shook his head. “No, I’m going there to protect Adrian,”
he replied calmly. “You’re not thinking straight right now.”

Sean turned on his friend. “Thinking straight?
 
Thinking straight?” he yelled. “How the hell
am I supposed to think? Adrian was part of the group that allowed this in my
city.
 
No one gets away with that!”

Pete took a moment and met Sean’s eyes. “You’re supposed to
remember that Adrian was probably under the power of something he doesn’t
understand,” he explained. “You’re supposed to remember the Adrian you trained,
not the one who is under the influence of the fae.”

Sean exhaled slowly and closed his eyes for a moment. “Okay,
dammit, you’re right,” he admitted.

“When have I ever been wrong, O’Reilly?”
Pete asked.

The light jest did what it was intended to do, and Sean felt
the tightness easing in his chest.

“Do you still want to go?” Sean asked.

Pete smiled at his friend. “Are you kidding?” he asked. “I
wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

A movement behind Em caught Sean’s attention as Jamal stuck
his head out from Father Jack’s study. “Can I come out now?” Jamal asked.

Sean nodded. “Yeah, the coast is clear,” he said. “How are
you doing?”

The young boy shrugged, but Sean could see the apprehension
in his eyes. “What did you hear?” Sean asked.

Jamal looked down at the floor, trying to ignore the
question. Sean moved across the room and knelt down in front of him. “Hey,
we’re all on the same side,” he said. “We’re a team. You can’t hold back from
your team.”

Lifting his head, he met Sean’s eyes. “I heard those other
kids, from last night, got shot,” Jamal replied. “The ones you saved, they died
anyway.” Taking a deep breath, he summoned his courage to ask the next
question. “Am I going to die, too?”

“No,” Sean replied resolutely. “You are not going to die. We
are going to keep you safe, and we are going to end the Wild Hunt.”

“You are?” Jamal asked, his eyes widening in admiration.

“Yes, we are,” Sean said. “Pete and I are going out to meet
with someone who knows about them. We’re going to find a way to take them
down.”

Jamal studied Sean for a moment, meeting his eyes and
reading the confidence in them. His chest didn’t feel nearly as tight as it had
a moment ago, and he let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding in.

“You okay?” Sean asked.

Jamal’s mouth curved into a small smile. “You gonna jump
from any more balconies?” he asked.

“Oh, funny kid, real funny,” Sean replied, smiling back at
the boy. “You keep this up and I’m cutting off your supply of burgers and
fries.”

“Now that would be a tragedy,” Em replied, walking over and
standing next to Jamal. “We might actually have to feed him something
nourishing, like vegetables.”

Sean and Jamal made identical faces of disgust. Then Sean
looked up and met Em’s gaze.
 
“Can you
watch over Jamal and Mrs. Gage while Pete and I meet with Adrian?” he asked.

She nodded. “Yes, they won’t leave my side,” she said.

“How do you feel about homemade chocolate chip cookies?”
Mrs. Gage asked, taking a deep breath and smiling at Em. “Maybe you, me and
Jamal could mix them up and have them waiting for everyone when they get back.”

“Well, I feel good about eating them,” she replied. “But I’m
more handy
with a sword than I am with a mixing bowl.”

“That’s okay,” Jamal inserted. “I can help mix and you can
taste test.”

Em put her arm around the boy’s shoulders. “Now that sounds
like an ideal plan to me.”

“Thanks,” Sean said, sending Em a grateful nod. “We’ll keep
in touch and let you know how things are going.”

“If it’s okay with everyone else, I’ve a project in mind that
might help us,” Ian inserted. “I’d like to spend a little more time in the lab
with Gillian, if that’s fine with you.”

“Yeah, we need any advantage we can get,” Sean said.

“And while everyone else is occupied, I’m going to see about
faery-proofing the church,” Father Jack said. “I never thought we’d need it,
but it’s obvious that we’re vulnerable here.”

“Okay, it looks like everyone has a plan,” Sean said taking
a deep breath. “Now let’s put them in action.”