When everyone had calmed down a little from the baby news, I continued my speech. “So basically that brings everyone up-to-date, or at least up to the past few days. When we got back from Alaska, we had Vinnie, who if you haven’t had opportunity to meet him is a robot who followed us home from Montana a few months ago, start scanning the news for any indications of warlock-type activity.
“What he found led us to New Bedford, Massachusetts, and the newest addition to our family, Elan,” I said, holding my hand out to him. “As I’m sure you all know, he’s a Kapre, and because of the way uniques have treated his kind in the past he was led astray by the warlocks. They told him we planned to kill him, and in fear he helped them by creating havoc around town to get our attention.
“Once he knew what was really happening, he confessed to me and came up with a plan to help defeat the warlocks who were in town. His plan worked great and another batch of warlocks have been disposed of. He came back with us to help even more, and I’m happy to say he has agreed to be our secret weapon in the war.”
“So there’s no way to prevent the war from happening?” a man asked as I took a breath.
I really wished they’d get nametags that had their names and what they were on them. Even if I had my memories, there were enough of them that I’d likely get them mixed up, and I was sure that wasn’t a smart move.
“He’s Brad, the wolverine leader,” Nate told me mentally, before switching to speaking out loud. “I don’t think so. This lead warlock has seen the prophecy, and is sure Avery is going to be the end of his kind. The only way for it to be stopped is for either him or Avery to die, and I can tell you right now, I won’t allow her to be killed.”
Nate was off to my side, so I couldn’t see his eyes, but I imagined they ignited with fire. Strong emotions always brought out the phoenix in him.
The man held his hands up. “I wasn’t suggesting that. To suggest such a thing would be pretty much sacrilege. She’s our leader and no one here wishes her harm. I was just trying to confirm there wasn’t a peaceful option available before committing my people to the cause.”
“We’ll always try to find a way not to kill anybody, but the way I see it is, if they raise their hands against my sister, their lives are forfeit, and I will take joy ripping them into pieces,” Rick said in an authoritative voice. He was obsessed with seeing warlocks in pieces.
“Great, so how soon before I can get into one of the training sessions?” the wolverine asked. Thinking back, I knew I hadn’t mentioned those yet, so I stared at the guy. “Sorry, you would have forgotten that I’m telepathic too. I knew where this meeting was headed yesterday when I came for a visit.”
“Thanks for the explanation. I was starting to think my brother had been running his big mouth,” I said with a smile. “The training brings us back to Elan. We were planning on starting training sessions with the local wolves this week, since we have their leader living here.
“The training is going to be a lot better with Elan providing real-life simulations for us, that way our people can get used to fighting against warlocks and not actually be hurt in the process. Anyone who wants the training is welcome to come stay with us for a couple weeks and go through the process, even if you’re not planning to help fight.
“It will start out with one of us going over self-defense and the basics of fighting. We also have portions that will teach how to avoid being hit by flying energy balls and basic weaponry. We’ve started to stockpile some meatier ammunition that will hopefully never have to be used, but we’re good boy scouts and want to be prepared.
“The other service Elan is going to provide is that of a spy. The next time we find a group of warlocks, we’ll grab one of them and send Elan in that persons place. We’ll be able to find out more of their plans and be in a better position to fight against them.”
“Is there a sign up for the training?”
“Of course we’ll fight with you.”
“I definitely want in the first open training session.”
“What other plans are in the works?”
Everyone started shouting things at once. Nate raised his hands and that calmed people down. It was a little scary how quickly the room went dead silent.
“We can create a sign up if the interest is that great, which I’m glad to see seems to be the case. We have a lot of room here, so we could probably handle fifty people per class,” he said. “As much as we thank everyone for their support against the warlocks and helping us protect Avery, there is, however, one other reason for us calling you here today and it will probably change your lives more than any war. Avery, you’ve been doing so well so far, do you want to continue?”
“Sure, since it was kind of my idea,” I said. Maybe it wasn’t the right time to admit that, but facts were facts. “So, when I heard about the magical things happening in New Bedford, I got to thinking that maybe part of the head warlock’s plan would be to expose uniques to humans.
“He couldn’t really say ‘here they are’, but maybe he could cause enough doubts in humans’ minds that they would start wondering if everyone they know is really a unique. If you think about it, that could turn into a huge issue. There’d be tons of fighting and confusion. In a way, we’d end up fighting a battle on two fronts, and I was trying to come up with solutions to prevent that.
“My initial idea was for us to reveal ourselves in a way that will make it less likely for people to be afraid of us. We thought we could start with a government official. Since Nate and I are in the FBI, we thought going to the director would be a good place to start. Based on some quick research, it seems he’d be understanding of the unknown.
“When we found out that it was just a plot to get us there, the thought of a reveal didn’t seem as urgent, but with the prophecy indicating it will happen, I ask myself ‘why not now?’. I know it’s a big decision, and if we do it, I really believe everyone needs to be behind it. There’ll be no more hiding what we’re able to do.”
“My worry is that people won’t understand and start trying to kill us. What will they think when they find out that isn’t possible?” a women asked.
“Alana is a cobra,” Nate informed me telepathically, picking up on the fact that I wanted to know those kinds of things.
“That’s a fair question. I think education is a big part of this. I personally think it’s a good idea to set up seminars in all the major cities, where we can teach humans what it means to be a unique. My son, Charles,” I said, nodding towards him, “is an expert in this field and I think he’ll be an asset in developing literature to help them understand.”
“Once you tell the director about what we are, where do you plan to go from there?” Ben asked.
I’d met the polar bear master when I spent a little time in Alaska, so I knew his voice without having to see him. Not that I couldn’t see him. It was hard to miss the large man.
“I don’t want to just go out in public and change in front of everyone. I’m open to suggestions on how you guys think it should be carried out,” I said.
“We have a deer who has her own news show that’s shot in D.C.,” a voice from the phone said. With all the people around me, I’d forgotten there were still others listening. “You and Nate could be on her show. You’re both very likable, and if need be, someone changing into a deer isn’t that threatening.”
“I like that idea,” another among the group said. I got that it was male, but not who it was.
“Greg, lion,” came Nate’s quick message.
More people vocalized their agreement as well, some just nodded. I was kind of surprised that everyone seemed to be on the same page. In fact, they’d all broken apart into groups and were discussing their new way of life, like the discussion was already over.
I didn’t understand how they could be so calm about everything. There were only a couple questions and once I answered them, everyone was just okay with moving forward. We were talking about changing centuries’ worth of tradition.
“You’ve taken your place as their leader, Avery,” Rick said telepathically. “They trust you won’t lead them off course. You handled this extremely well, and I have to tell you I’m proud to have shared a womb with you, my little shero.”
“Oh no, now you’re getting all mushy,” I replied back to him. “Stop, or you’ll make Mom cry.” He laughed out loud, and then turned to start a discussion with the man next to him.
“So, did everything turn out the way you wanted?” I asked Eva.
“Of course,” she replied. “You took your place and have put into motion a great many events. Remember this moment, Avery, because it’s going to be talked about for years.”
When she was done talking, she disappeared. There was no change in the atmosphere or noise to alert her leaving. She was just there one second and gone the next.
“Dang it, I wanted to yell at her some more,” I said to no one in particular.
“I have a feeling she’ll be back before too long,” Nate replied. “She’s going to want to keep an eye on you.”
I didn’t want another babysitter, and I had a feeling that was what Nate meant by his statement. I’d already helped Eva to accomplish her goals, so I didn’t think she’d be paying really close attention.
“Hopefully, next time she’ll call ahead, so we can conveniently take a vacation. I need to figure out where she can’t go and make you buy me a vacation home there.”
“I don’t think there’s anywhere you’ll be safe from her, but once we get through all the stuff already on our plate, we can try to find somewhere.”
I liked that Nate didn’t tell me it was impossible. I knew it was, unless I could figure out a way to hide in a pocket of time somewhere.
“For now I guess I’ll just have to dream about it.”
My eyes floated around the room and tried to find anyone who didn’t look happy. I didn’t know if they were good actors, or if they were honestly relieved about being able to come out from the shadows. The next steps of the plan left my stomach in knots, but everyone else looked like the weight of the world had vanished.
“So, how long before you’re ready to go meet the director in D.C.?” Nate asked.
“Don’t we have to make an appointment or something? I imagine the man is pretty busy, and we’ll have to find some free time in between his meetings.”
“No, we have a way to see him anytime we want,” he replied, using the cocky voice that drove me crazy. “It helps when his secretary is a unique.”
“Okay, I guess you have that all worked out, which is good, since I think I know his name and not much more. I suppose the next question would be how are we going to get there?” I chanted teleport over and over in my head, just in case he didn’t hear it the first time.
“You’re the sorceress, can’t you just wish us there?” he inquired, with a sly smile spreading across his face.
“Hey, if that’s the way you want to travel, I’m all for it.” The jumping up and down in my head was probably something those telepathic in the room wished they could unsee.
“Good, let’s let everyone continue having their fun while we go get this taken care of, so maybe we can relax too,” he replied. “First though, you might want to charm our clothes for the rest of the day. I have a feeling at least one of us will need to change for him and I prefer neither of us end up naked.”
“Your wish is my command,” I said.
I took out a knife and cut my finger quickly. Not having a bowl handy, I let it trickle to the floor, I knew it wasn’t dirt, but it was hardwood. Once that was done, I murmured a spell that covered everything and landed us in the Director of the FBI’s front office. I almost started jumping up and down for real, when I realized I’d never need to take an airplane again.