4 - The Order

I sighed, leaning against Grant’s shoulder as we watched the magnificent sunset from the porch swing. Time passes but it hardly seems noticeable sometimes. So much happened but nothing really seemed to change. Kiera, who preferred to be called ‘Samavias’ these days, still spent much of her time home though she officially watched over the larger city nearby. It had been ten years since she became what the Sidhe quickly took to calling a ‘Darkling’. She had no real suggestions other than that so it stuck.

It seemed that the Darklings had a similar lifestyle to the Entaent – they were only complete as a couple... but there were so few that those who existed were still alone. She had been devastated when she turned her boyfriend and his personality had changed drastically almost overnight. He had gone from being very caring and attentive to... well... he fit in with Luke and his crew of Vampires. The boy had been quite sheltered in life and the freedom of being a Darkling was too much for him to deny.

He kept his priorities straight, though. Seph had a couple of guys he trusted watching very carefully and had thus far avoided any ’I told you so’s. Sama had turned six others as well – devoting over a year to each, training them to protect themselves and others. She never set them loose without being absolutely sure she could trust them. Seph always arranged for each one to have a few Vampires they could trust as assistants. The Grandmaster would send them to cities in need of a proper guardian.

A few of the Darklings did have matches within the Entaent trees, though none were single. Two of the women volunteered to help discover whether they really were compatible with the Entaent and whether there were limitations to the number of children they could have.

Unfortunately Sama remained alone. There were still no strong matches for her in the book. She had insisted upon seeing for herself so she now knew that she was considered somewhat compatible with her brother. It didn’t upset her, though. She saw it as proof that she would get along well with him when he rejoined us.

There was still no word from him, though. I was forbidden to even attempt to contact him. As much as I wanted to defy that order... after what happened the last time, I had chosen to obey. As much as I hated it, even Sama has insisted I just be patient. We had considered having our other child but we had a very long life ahead of us and it was still early. It was hard not to be bitter... to have such a rare piece of life stolen from me, but ultimately it was my own fault.

The Grandmaster still hadn’t quite forgiven me for it, either. Not entirely. He would speak with me but it was always tense and he kept it professional. Grant was still angry with him about that but I understood the grudge. In a way he carried it for both of us. That attitude annoyed Grant but it allowed me to be passively angry with myself and not let it eat at me too much.

I smiled to myself as Sama stumbled outside, yawning. “Morning.”

“Up late again?” Grant chuckled.

“Yeah... Julie needed someone to talk to.” She said. “I swear I’m going to have Jade find her a Vampire friend who loves chatting. She’s mostly just lonely.”

“That’s understandable.” Grant nodded. “I hope she finds someone. It’s not an easy life to live alone.”

She nodded and sighed. “Well, off to patrol. I’ll see you guys in the morning.”

“Alright. Have fun.” I smiled, turning to Grant after she disappeared. “Well, shall we do the same?”

“Sounds good.” He smiled. After a short debate, we decided to walk rather than drive, teleporting to an alley and strolling along. We had started to get the hang of the rhythm of things. There was something of a pattern to the trouble we saw. Sidhe had seasonal pranks and games that sometimes bled over into the cities. They were most active in the summer but insisted on breaking up the dreariness of winter sometimes. We were working on convincing them that it was just as much fun to do nice things that left people in awe and wonder... but it still mostly came down to hiding patches of ice and laughing as people fell. It may sound harmless but they love putting ice in dangerous places and fatalities were more frequent than I liked. Of course police blamed accidents, bad luck, and teenagers with a bad sense of humor but I still felt terrible every time we missed something.

Vampires were mostly under control. Once in a while one would go a little crazy and we tried to let Seph handle it. Usually the problem was with very new Vampires or those who had just arrived from somewhere else. Many of the Master Vampires had begun listening to Seph as the Entaent listened to me and the number of truces and alliances were growing. Trouble making Vampires were getting more rare but there would always be some who hated the Entaent just as there would always be Entaent who couldn’t forgive the Vampires.

In the end humans became our biggest problem. Always trying to glimpse a world they didn’t understand, calling down dangerous things in a desperate attempt to believe that there was anything more to life than the world they see. Of course there were still Vampires petitioning to come out of the shadows. Of course the Sidhe rail against the decision. Of course the Vampires ignore them. In some of the larger cities a few Vampires have told the truth. Not that most people believe them. Still, there are many human imitators so the few who believe are happy and the majority who don’t ignore them. Just more goth kids playing their games. Acceptable as long as they stay in their clubs and don’t run around biting random people on the street.

Still, they were carefully watched by both the Vampires in hiding and the Entaent wanting to make sure the Sidhe didn’t get serious. Sama had helped us identify most of the active witches in the city and they were now being watched just in case we had to deal with another problem... I didn’t like that they had ways of hiding their activity from us but there was not much we could do.

We were strolling by the lovely downtown shops when a man fell in step beside us. “Mrs. Selwood, Mr. Burkhard, I apologize for bothering you but I was wondering if we might be able to have a private chat somewhere.”

I tensed, silently appraising him. He was certainly human – his scent mostly sweet. Average. Plain brown hair, clean shaven, simple wire-framed glasses.... average. He had no particularly distinguishing features. If anything, he looked like an accountant in his rather bland gray suit. I looked over at Grant. ~What do you think?~

~I think it’s worrisome that he knows our names. Everything here is in your name – he shouldn’t know who I am without having been watching us. We better find out what this is about.~ He thought back as he regarded the man warily. “Do you have a place in mind?”

“Ah, yes, I do.” He said with a tense smile. “I hope you are not offended that I would prefer we remain somewhere public but under the circumstances it seems most wise. There is a safe location not far from here.”

“What are the circumstances?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I have information for you.” He said, leading us down a side street.

“For or about?” Though I tried, I couldn’t keep the suspicion out of my voice.

“We will get to that soon enough.” He promised.

That did not serve to comfort me. His insistence on a public place and refusal to clarify implied he knew enough to worry about being alone. I really hoped he was just going to ask about our wings.

We followed him to a small diner – the one I remembered Seph telling us Jasper took Kiera to for dinner back when he was still human. The man led us to a booth near the back and motioned for us to sit across from him. Once settled he smiled. “We may speak freely here. This booth has enchantments on it that will prevent others from hearing our true conversation.”

“Are you one of those witches?” I asked, trying not to be annoyed. Our experiences with the witches had generally not been good.

“Straight to the point.” He chuckled. “The answer is ‘not quite’. I know of them and I know much about what they do – but I do not take part in their workings.”

“So what is this about and how do you know who we are?” Grant asked, not bothering to mask his irritation. We paused as a waitress showed up, leaving with an order of three coffees.

“There are some things that have been kept from you.” He said carefully after a moment. “The time for that has ended, though. I was chosen to speak with you and since you both seem to prefer direct answers that is what I will do my best to provide. Of course I will answer any questions you have to the best of my ability.”

He paused again, thanking the waitress as she dropped off the coffees. I gestured for him to continue, knowing if I said anything it would most likely be rude and he had been very polite thus far. Still, I hated waiting.

“I am a member of the Order of the Iron Shield.” He said as he added sugar and cream to his coffee. “We have been watching the other races since the dark ages, working in the shadows on behalf of humanity. We are not just cattle to serve as food for the near-immortals. Not just pests to be picked off by the Sidhe. The Order was created to protect the cities from the Sidhe who lashed out against humans but ever since someone noticed the Entaent protecting us we have done our best to offer our aid without being seen. It was clear that efforts were made to hide from us, to conceal the truth from humanity as a whole. That is wise and we have endeavored to keep the truth safely hidden in Fairy tales and movies as obvious fantasy.”

“How much does your Order know?” I asked, frowning. There were humans spying on us?! The Grandmaster wouldn’t be happy...

“It’s hard to say, really.” He said with a small smile. “How do we measure the size of the gap in our knowledge when we are unaware of what we do not know? We know that the Entaent are always found in pairs, that you have always stood between humanity and that which would harm them, that there has always been rivalry between Entaent and Vampire – though that has changed in the last decade. We suspect that the Entaent are half-angelic... but there is no proof of this, only what we see. We do know that the Dark Entaent have appeared at last.”

“Dark Entaent?” Grant frowned – I could feel his anger rising. This man was implying our daughter was evil!

“Our Prophets have long spoken of them.” He nodded, blinking as he noted the increasingly open anger from both of us. “Oh, no... Please don’t think of the term as an insult. Light and dark refer only to the auras, not the intention. ‘Light’ and ‘dark’ are not the same as ‘good’ and ‘evil’ by any means. People fear the dark and that has given rise to the opinion that it is bad but no... the Dark Entaent are most certainly a good thing. They will be the salvation of humanity.”

“Why are you telling us all of this?” Grant asked, suspicious and not entirely sure what to think of the man anymore.

“It is time for you to know.” He said, sipping his coffee. “To each generation a Prophet is born. They are able to glimpse the future and guide us down the correct path. There are three still alive at the moment and all agreed it was time to speak to you. Specifically you two for this is where everything will change. For better or worse.”

“What is going to happen?” I demanded, frustrated with this vague form of clarity. Typical prophecy frustration.

“I am not sure.” He admitted. “I am not one of the Prophets. I simply follow orders. I was chosen to speak to you. Even the prophets are unsure how this meeting will end... whether you will choose to believe me or not. I do hope you will understand and that we may leave here as friends. More than anything I need for you to understand that we are not your enemies. The Prophets do not see what the grand plan is, only our role in it... and sometimes our role appears... questionable. We must have faith and follow the instructions we are given regardless of our own personal misgivings.”

“Misgivings?” Grant prompted, uneasy. “What instructions have caused misgivings?”

“Well, to be honest,” He said after a moment. “Being told to approach two people who view my species as a food source and admitting that I know a great deal that they have put effort into concealing creates a few. I understand that you may not be willing to let me leave here – I knew the risk when accepting the orders. Still, some things must be done.”

~I don’t like this.~ Grant thought, looking into his coffee. ~He’s not a bad person but the fact that he’s admitting that they will most likely do bad things is unnerving.~

~He gets bonus points for honesty but I don’t like it, either...~ I frowned while watching the nervous man. “So what is it that you may end up doing that would involve us?”

“That is unknown.” He said apologetically. “A good example, I suppose, is that it was one of our people who returned that enchanted box to the shop you worked at. The one that spurred your awakening.”

“That was your doing?” I blinked, surprised.

“Not me personally.” He said quickly. “But the Prophet said you would be important and insisted that the box be handed to you and no one else. We were not sure what would happen.”

“Have you done anything else to interfere with us?” Grant asked. He had mixed feelings about them triggering my Entaent side.

He quickly broke his gaze away, staring into his empty cup. “We have had more of a hand than some of us are happy about. As I said... we can only have faith that we serve the greater good.”

“How can you be sure the Prophets aren’t corrupted and just using you for their own purposes?” I asked.

“Every member has the Sight. Strong enough to see auras. It is how we are able to identify the Entaent, Vampires, and Sidhe... but it also allows us to keep track of each other. If any fall from the path of honesty and good intent, we can see that reflected and deal with them.”

“What has you so worried?” Grant asked – though phrased as a question it was certainly not. “If we are going to trust you we need to know what it is that upsets you. Tell us what you would rather us not know. As long as you are hiding the truth from us we will question your intentions.”

He was silent for a few minutes as he weighed his words, giving the waitress a faint distracted smile as she refilled our cups. “There are a couple more things I need to tell you first. I do not expect you to make your decision today... I will return here in one week at the same time. If you are willing to accept that we are trying to help I will show you the symbol that you can use to identify us. If you know what to look for you will see it. In this manner you will be able to identify our members and perhaps spare them if you come upon them carrying out orders.”

“What did you do?” I asked, increasingly tense.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Fifteen years ago we were ordered to summon a Demon on Halloween.”

Every trace of warmth disappeared and it took all of my strength not to lash out at the man. It was his fault... that Order’s fault that my son was taken... I felt Grant’s fury – rivaled only by his fear for me. I stood and stalked out of the diner – needing to be away from that man before I killed him. They had set the trap... they had known we would come. Known we would walk into it... known that the Demon would have the advantage... They stole twenty years of my life as a human and one hundred years from my son...

I barely remembered walking through the door. Tears quickly blinded me as I stumbled on a crack in the old sidewalk but Grant was there to catch me before I fell, pulling me into a tight hug and half carrying me as I cried. It wasn’t long before we were surrounded by the familiar smell of our house. Only then did he give in to his own anger and pain, clinging to me as I did to him.

Samavias yawned, smiling up at the sky. It was a quiet night and she loved this city. It was a lot bigger than the one her parents looked after but not nearly as active. The Sidhe didn’t like to be too far from nature so she mostly had to worry about suburbs, parks and the neighborhoods a mile or so away from each. Beyond that the Vampires got territorial and ran the Sidhe off. They weren’t as much fun as the Vampires loyal to Seph – way more old fashioned. She had an uneasy truce with them rather than an alliance on the level her parents maintained.

They grudgingly accepted her authority though it did require Seph having a talk with them... then a bit of a brawl later. That part stayed within the city limits, though. Seph would have a fit if he knew about it. Still, she had gained enough just enough respect that they left her alone and let her handle a lot of the trouble. There were a few areas of the city that were considered off limits even to her unless she had a Vampire escort and it was understood that unless something seriously wrong was going on, she stayed out of it. They didn’t seem to believe that she honestly liked Vampires.

Rather than be upset about it, she just dealt with it. Her Demon half thought of Vampires as little more than Entaent shadows. Vermin to be tolerated grudgingly. They argued about that more than anything else.

Smiling at the stars, she pulled out the little mirror compact she had been carrying for years. It was a lovely antique – a simple round brass container with intricate lines etched into it. Half of it once had powder or something but that part was emptied long ago. The other side was a perfect little mirror. She opened it, glancing briefly before looking back up – that was all it took to speak to Ma. They had begun to think of her as Sa and the Demon as Ma.

They didn’t really need the mirror but had agreed that Ma would keep quiet unless the gesture was made or she had something important to point out.

“Thinking about what I said again?” Ma asked.

“Yeah.” She sighed happily. “I think it’s about time.”

“Good. Grab a paper and we’ll start looking. It may take a while to find somewhere we can defend properly.”

She nodded, rolling off the bench and strolling down the path that wound around the park. “Help me keep an eye open for signs while we’re out, though.”

Ma had been trying to talk her into moving to the city for a few years. Her parents took a lot of comfort in her being home, though. Still, she had lived there for longer than most kids stay home these days. It was time for her to get her own place and moving to the city would strengthen her bond with it. Spending only half the day there meant she didn’t get warnings as clearly as the average Entaent.

The Vampires wouldn’t be happy about her actually living there, though. The Sidhe wouldn’t be overjoyed, either. Her best bet would be something in the city itself – not the nicer suburbs. Something with an accessible roof, she thought to herself. There weren’t as many stars as there were at her parent’s place but there was something about that... it made the sight of them that much more precious. She even liked the city glow. After spending the first half of her life in New York she could appreciate this happy medium.

“Why do you talk to yourself all the time?”

She jumped a little, not having heard anyone approach. She glanced over at the Vampire as he fell in step beside her. Telling age was impossible with them – he appeared to be in his mid-20′s. His hair was shorter than most of the others though it was dyed black and spiked in the usual gothic manner. Still, he seemed genuinely curious. Too bad.

Sama shrugged. The sad truth was if she didn’t the only ones who would talk to her would be those she turned. She felt less isolated talking to Ma out loud. “I don’t all the time. You should try it, though. It helps with clear thinking.”

“It also improves the chances of people thinking you’re insane.” He pointed out.

She laughed. “Why should I care what other people think?”

“You’ve made it pretty clear you don’t.” He gave her a wry look, just the faintest smile. “It’s hard to tell how to take you.”

“Face value works. I don’t see any point to playing games or beating around the bush. I’ve been perfectly honest and up front with you guys. I’m here to help whether you expect it or not. As long as no one is holding people captive or killing off innocents, I won’t mess with you.” She smiled. “I’m here at the request of and with the blessings of the Entaent. Keeping the peace – nothing more.”

“But you’re alone.” He pointed out, raising an eyebrow. “Don’t Entaent usually travel in pairs?”

“Yeah... well...” Her smile faded and she gave a small shrug. “Not everyone has a soul mate. Besides, I’m not a true Entaent. More like a cousin.”

“If what I heard about the beat down was true, I’d wager you’re more like a sister than a cousin.” He laughed.

“New here, then?” She relaxed a bit – no wonder he was more laid back.

“Yeah. I got here last week. The first thing they did was tell me where Vampire territory was and warned me to stay the hell away from you.” He shook his head. “You look familiar, though. I haven’t been able to shake it so I figured I’d take a chance and talk to you.”

“Travel a lot, do you?” She asked, smiling.

“I never have found anywhere worth sticking around. Figure I’ll just see the world and make some use of this immortality.”

“Well, I used to go by the name Kiera. When I was a kid I was the ‘pet human’ of Seph’s clan.” She laughed at the dumbstruck expression on his face.

“What happened?!” He gave a stunned bark of a laugh. “Yeah, I remember you now. You were at The Pit when I visited once. We even danced! How did you get to be a ‘cousin of the Entaent’?”

“A ritual gone wrong, I’m afraid.” Sama said with a wistful smile. “It was supposed to make me a true Entaent but they made a miscalculation of sorts. If I had been patient for a couple more years I’d be a Vampire but, well... the chance to be like my parents came up and I couldn’t turn it down.”

“So do these guys not know who you are or what? I mean, the way they talk you hate Vampires.” He shook his head, baffled.

She shrugged. “I don’t know what their problem is. Seph tried to talk to them but I think they suspect he’s gone soft or we’re blackmailing him or something. They refuse to believe I would befriend them if I could. It’s like they keep expecting a full-scale war.”

“From what I’ve gathered they do.” He sighed. “I’ll see if I can talk to them. If nothing else, maybe we can hang out for a while one of these evenings.”

“Sure.” She smiled. “I’m afraid I don’t remember dancing with you back then so you better refresh my memory before you wander off again.”

“You got it.” He chuckled, waving and heading off down one of the paths leading toward the Vampire territory.

“Ugh.... really, Sa?” Ma said when she caught sight of herself in the window of a parked car at the edge of the park.

Oh shut up. She rolled her eyes. Get over it – it’s been forever since I got to hang out with a Vampire.

“You told him to take you out dancing.” Ma accused with her usual irritated tone. “That’s not ‘hanging out’, that’s a date.”

Fine. She thought sourly. I’m going on one date with a Vampire who won’t be sticking around. Stop complaining – it’s not like you have to put up with him for long.

Torn between annoyance and cheerfulness, she wandered the neutral ground of the city looking for houses or buildings for sale... or just abandoned. They picked up a paper and discussed a few possibilities, comparing options before narrowing it down to three. One house, an old store that went out of business years ago and a small abandoned office building.

The house was near the park and that was its primary attraction for Sa. Ma didn’t like the proximity to Sidhe grounds but did like that the ‘yard’ consisted mostly of pavement and a single tree planted in the only open section. At a glance Sama was pretty sure at least two houses were used by Vampires but in this neighborhood they wouldn’t bother her. Aside from that the house was small and fairly rundown. Fixing it would give her something to do, though.

The old store looked like one of those buildings that had been everything at one point or another. Somewhere in there it had a paranoid owner that put bars on the windows. Wrought iron. That would completely prevent Sidhe from trying to get in. It was in a business district on neutral ground so it should be pretty quiet most of the time. It would take a bit of effort but should be easy enough to convert into a residence.

The last one she liked the most. A three story office building that had been boarded up long enough for the graffiti to fade. It was near the middle of the city. Ma thought it a bit too close to one of the Vampire territories but Sa wasn’t worried. She was still certain they would eventually come around and accept her as a friend. The thought of having three floors to set up and decorate as she saw fit was delightful and she knew her parents would buy the place for her if it were at all possible.

As the sun began to rise they headed back home – she went to find her parents but one of the women on staff hurried over, shaking her head.

“Best leave them alone a while.” She whispered.

Sama froze. “Why? What’s wrong?”

“No one knows... they went out on rounds and came back early – both upset. I haven’t seen your mom this upset since...” She trailed off, troubled.

Sighing, she nodded. Since her brother was taken... it was the only event no one dared speak of aloud. Both of her parents got depressed and spent the day in isolation every time the anniversary rolled around. Sometimes she’d smell those Sidhe herbs when it was really bad. To be that upset again – the wound had to be reopened. She teleported out to the tree and sat in the throne shaped rock pile as she pulled out her cell and dialed Seph.

“Hello.” He answered tersely. She winced as she always did at the short, formal greeting – she missed the old days when he sounded happy to hear from her.

“Hey, Seph...” She tried to smile but failed. “Any word on what happened to Mom and Dad tonight? I’m sure you’ve still got someone watching over them.”

“They went to that diner.” He said with a weary sigh. “Sat in that booth with some guy no one recognized. They talked a while then Miranda and Grant left. They said the two were really upset.”

“Who is the guy?” She asked, starting to get angry.

“We don’t know.” He admitted. “He managed to ditch his tail somehow.”

“Let me know if you find anything out, alright?”

“Okay.” He was silent a moment, started to say something more but hung up.

She wasn’t in the mood for small talk anyway. Even though the sun was barely peeking up over the horizon it was painfully bright out so Sama returned directly to her room, dropping on the bed and staring at the ceiling.

“I wonder what it was about.” Ma mused, reclining in the chair on her side of the mirror. Sa had left one positioned properly for the purpose. “If he told them that the boy is dead he is lying.”

“What, you’ve been by to check and didn’t tell me?” Sa asked, her attempt at humor falling flat. She looked over at the mirror, deciding not to point out that permission to speak freely was not given until then.

“Of course not. You know I can’t get back without taking you with me and both of us staying permanently.” Ma rolled her eyes. “It would violate the contract and that won’t happen. I don’t know what the plans are but the terms were very clear. It had to be something else.”

“You place a lot of faith in the honesty of Demons.” She said sourly.

“Why do you hold so tightly to the human notions of Demons?” She glared back. “After all these years of knowing me haven’t you figured it out? We may look down on some of the lesser beings but when our word is given it is good as law. We defend it to the death. It’s humans that can’t be trusted. They will go to extremes to come out on top – even if it means cheating.”

“After all these years, why do you still insist on calling everyone on this side of a summoning circle a ‘lesser being’? Some may be worthless but there are some really great people, too.” She argued.

“Not enough to count.” Ma said snarkily, crossing her arms.

Sa rolled her eyes, picking up a book to end the conversation. Ma happily got quiet, she loved this author. Any author skilled in graphic depictions of carnage, really.

.

Late the next afternoon she woke and made her way downstairs, relieved to see her parents sitting on the couch watching a movie with no real interest. They both looked terrible – it was hard to imagine they got any rest.

She squeezed between them, wrapping an arm around each of them. “Are you guys okay?”

Her Mom nodded but didn’t look okay. Her Dad sighed, slowly shaking his head. Sama fell a little to one side as her mom disappeared. He cursed softly and his head fell back against the couch. “Yesterday we met one of the people responsible for summoning that Demon... the one who took Steven.”

“Who is he?” She asked, reining in her sudden flare of temper. “Did he explain why he did it?”

“He’s in some kind of cult. A prophet ordered them to do it.” He said wearily. “They claim it was for the greater good. Everything they do is for the greater good... He’s hoping we can look past that and whatever else they plan to do. Just accept that they act with a higher authority and look the other way.”

“Sounds shady.” She frowned.

“Yeah... it does.” He agreed, rubbing his temples. “But he’s sincere. His balance is mostly good. They honestly believe what they are doing is for the best.”

“So... do you think Mom will be able to do it?” She asked. “Will you?”

“I don’t know.” He admitted. “I really don’t.”

“Are they expecting a response soon?” She asked. “Got a phone number or address?”

“They’re giving us a week to calm down and decide. We’re supposed to meet him again with our answer. If we agree they will let us know who they are so we will be able to identify what is done with purpose and what isn’t.” He sighed.

“Well, tell them yes, find out who they are and take them out!” She suggested.

He almost smiled, hugging her. “It’s a nice thought but they all have the Sight. They would know if we lied. Besides... we have to entertain the possibility that at least some of it may be done with good reason. They have seers... they are the ones who triggered your Mom’s early awakening. They knew she would be needed and they were right about that. If she hadn’t been there we wouldn’t have been able to stop that war. The Vampires would still be fighting us... I would probably be dead. You wouldn’t be here, either... It’s just hard to let go of the fact that they were involved with that Demon.”

She hugged him tightly. “Alright... I want to be there when you meet up with the guy again, alright? I want to see his aura.”

“Alright. We’ll call you before we go.” He nodded. “I have to go check on Miranda... we’ll see you later, alright?”

“Okay.” She forced a smile and sat back on the couch as he disappeared. I’ll tell them about moving out later... this isn’t a good time.