Elena understood, but promised to stick close to home for a few days. Should I change my mind, I only needed to call. I don't think she knew how much I appreciated that.
Before I signed off, I put Savannah on and returned to the kitchen.
"Do you take anything in your tea?" Cortez asked.
"No, black's fine." I took the mug from him. "Thank you."
"Perhaps you should call Robert. I'll feel better--"
A moan from the basement cut him off. Morton was awake. Or, I should say, I hoped it was Morton but, considering the events of the last few days, I wouldn't have been surprised to pop open the basement door and find a decomposing zombie tramping up the stairs. Neither of us moved as footsteps sounded. When there was a bang at the door, even Cortez hesitated before responding.
Any hopes that Morton would awake and beat a hasty retreat vanished as he continued to pound and shout. He was in the house and, damn it, he wasn't leaving without a fight. Cortez gave it to him. Not a literal fight, of course. No offense, but I couldn't picture Cortez rolling up his sleeves and cold-cocking anyone. His strength was in words and, after going a few rounds with him, Morton beat that hasty retreat trailing apologies, convinced he really had fallen through the hatch.
CHAPTER 23
THE ORIGINAL CABAL
After Morton was gone, I heard Savannah say good-bye to Elena. She wasn't even out of the bedroom when the phone rang again. It rang once, then Savannah's animated voice floated down the hallway. Hearing only the lilt in her tone, and none of the conversation, I knew who was calling.
"No way," she said as she walked into the kitchen, phone to her ear. "Yeah, right. Like we'd need you." She snorted. "Oh, sure. You can, like, incinerate them. Dream on."
She paused, listening, then stifled a giggle. There was only one person Savannah giggled for, though she'd sooner die than admit it--and would probably kill anyone who had the nerve to mention it.
"It's for you," she said, holding out the phone. "Adam. He thinks he's going to help us. As if."
"Hello," I said.
"It's about time. Do you know how many times I've called there since this afternoon? Dad gave up hours ago. Either it's busy or we get your machine. Where have you been?"
"You don't want to know."
"I bet I can guess. My mom was watching the satellite news earlier, some show from out there, and guess whose picture she saw?"
"Mine. Lemme guess. It said I was a Satanist, right?"
"Hell, no. It said you were a witch. You're a Satanist now, too? Cool. If you see the big guy, can you ask him to pass along a message for my father? Tell him he's way behind in his child support payments."
" Ha-ha."
"So what's going--" Adam stopped and sighed. "You'll have to tell me later. Dad's here, tapping his foot and making faces. You'd better talk to him. Then get back to me, okay?"
The phone crackled as Adam passed it to Robert.
"Paige." Robert's warm voice rushed down the line. "You should have tracked me down at the conference. This sounds absolutely horrible."
"You don't know the half of it," I said, heading back into my room.
"Tell me then."
I did.
"How can I help?" he asked when I finished.
I could have cried. I feel foolish admitting it, but those four words meant so much.
"The stuff on Leah is great," I said. "But I also need some information on Cabals." I hesitated, almost afraid to go on. "Have you heard of the Cortez Cabal?"
"Certainly." He paused. "Is that who's after Savannah?"
"No."
"I'm glad to hear that. The Cortezes are the most dangerous of a dangerous lot. The original Cabal."
"The first one, you mean?"
"Yes. Hold on. I'm in my study. Let me pull up the file." A stream of keystroke clicks followed, then, "Here it is. The Cortez Cabal was founded during the Spanish Inquisition. They precipitated the Break."
My breath caught. "The break between witches and sorcerers. They were the ones who handed us over."
"Exactly. After doing so, the Cortez family formed a group originally based on the witch concept of a coven, though it quickly took on an entirely different focus. The name 'cabal' came later, after they relocated to the New World. It's a play on words, a mingling of truth and irony. You know what the word means, I assume."
"A secret society formed to conspire against something, usually the government."
"That's the joke, of course. A joke at the expense of the Illuminati myth. The only thing a sorcerer Cabal conspires to do is make money. The name also derives from 'cabala,' linking it to sorcery and mysticism. Finally, there's the allusion to 'caballero,' meaning a Spanish gentleman, which, of course, they were."
"About the Cortez Cabal ..."
"Oh, yes. I'm sorry." He chuckled. "I suppose etymology doesn't help you much, does it? Was there anything in particular you wanted to know about them? If they aren't behind the attack on Savannah--"
"It's related. I need to know about the family. The main family."
"The Cortez Cabal is headed by Benicio Cortez and his sons. I believe there's a brother or two, plus assorted nephews and cousins."
"The sons ... Do you know their names?"
"Let me see. There's Hector, then ... I'm not certain of the middle two brothers, but the youngest, of course, is Lucas."
"Of course?"
"Outside the Cabals, Lucas Cortez is the best-known of the four brothers. He has quite a reputation--" Robert stopped, then laughed. "I think I see where this is leading. Dare I presume you've met young Cortez?"
"You could say that."
"Let me guess. He wants to help you protect Savannah from this other Cabal."
"I'm guessing he does this kind of thing a lot, huh? What's your take on this ... crusade of his?"
"Well, let's see. The most unflattering view of the situation is that it is nothing more than youthful hell-raising. A spoiled delinquent protected by a blindly doting father. The middle ground, and the view most widely subscribed to, is that this is simply a developmental stage. The prodigal son rebelling against his family, a moral revolt that will last only until he realizes poverty isn't much fun, whereupon he'll return to the fold. The most optimistic view, of course, is that he truly is committed to what he's doing."
"Saving the world from the evil Cabals."
"He's around your age, isn't he? The age of idealism. The time to join protests and causes. To enlist in the Peace Corps. To fight evil Cabals. To put your life on hold to raise a thirteen-year-old stranger."
"Hmmm."
"If Lucas Cortez is offering to help, don't turn him away. No matter what people in the Cabal world say about him, no one denies the honesty of his intentions. For your situation with Savannah, I'd say the boy is perfectly suited to help. No one knows more about the Cabal world, and he can operate in it with impunity."
"About the Cabals," I said. "They seem much more ... important than I thought. Than my mother thought."
Silence hummed down the line. "Your mother and I had different views on some subjects concerning the council and its mandate."
"She chose to ignore the Cabals."
"She ..." He paused, as if choosing his words with care. "She thought our efforts were better directed. I wanted to investigate Cabals more, if only to further our understanding of them. Your mother disagreed."
"So you left the council."
"I--" He inhaled. "I felt I was no longer the right person for the job. My interests lay elsewhere." He paused. "Your mother and I were getting older, getting tired and discouraged. I thought we should pass on the torch to the younger generation, to you and Adam. She wasn't ready for that."
Maybe because she thought I wasn't ready.
"I ... I should go," I said. "Can I call you back? If I have more questions?"
"Even if you don't, I'd appreciate an update when you get time, and I'm sure Adam would like to speak to you. I'll stave off his questions for now, b
ut call him when you have a chance."
I promised I would, then signed off.
I found Cortez alone at the table, reading a week-old copy of the Boston Globe.
"Where's Savannah?" I asked.
He folded the paper and laid it aside. "In her room, if the music is any indication. You were speaking to Robert?"
I nodded. "He confirmed everything you said. I'm sorry I gave you a hard time."
"Perfectly understandable. If I'd expected you to trust me, I'd have told you the truth from the start. You have every reason to be wary, both of sorcerers and of anyone connected to Cabals. A wariness I would suggest you maintain. In nearly all cases, your mistrust will be well founded."
I stood in the middle of the kitchen and looked around, not sure what I was looking for.
"Is there something else?" he asked.
I shook my head. "I'm just feeling ..." I shrugged. "Out of sorts, as my mother would say."
As I mentioned my mother, I thought about what Robert had said, about my mother's reluctance to give me a bigger role in the council. She'd always made me feel like there was nothing I couldn't do, no challenge I wasn't strong enough to meet. Had that just been motherly support?
Victoria's words replayed in my head: "God knows I wouldn't trust a parakeet to your care ... a girl so incompetent she manages to turn a simple custody challenge into an all-out witch-hunt."
"Paige?"
I realized Cortez was watching me.
"It's going to get rougher, isn't it?" I said. "This is only the beginning."
"You're doing fine."
I turned, suddenly uncomfortable, and put my teacup in the microwave. I reheated it, keeping my face to the micro wave until it was done. When I turned around, I forced a smile.
"I'm the world's lousiest hostess, aren't I? Letting my guest make me tea. What can I get you? Coffee? Soda? Beer? Something stronger?"
"Tempting, but I'd better forgo anything harder than coffee tonight. I don't want to sleep too soundly with that crowd out there. You, on the other hand, have more than earned a few shots of anything you can dredge up."
"If you're keeping sober for guard duty, so am I." I sipped my tea, made a face, and dumped it. "I'll make that coffee for two."
Savannah burst into the kitchen, startling us both.
"Good, you're off the phone finally," she said. "Lucas and I wanted to talk to you."
"No, we didn't," Cortez said, shooting a look at Savannah. "Tomorrow, I said. Tonight we all need our rest."
"Tomorrow? I can't wait until tomorrow! They're driving me crazy now!"
"Who's driving you crazy?" I said.
"Them!" She waved her arm toward the living room. When I didn't respond, she whirled on Cortez. "See? I told you she's in denial."
"She means the crowd outside," Cortez said. "We are not in denial, Savannah. We are ignoring them, which, as I explained, is the best course of action under the circumstances. Now, perhaps tomorrow--"
"They're bugging me now!"
"Have they done something?" I asked, looking from Savannah to Cortez.
"They're there! Isn't that bad enough? We need to do something."
"Like what?"
Cortez shot Savannah a warning look, but she ignored him.
"You know," she said. "Magic. I was thinking hail."
"Hail? Are you serious, Savannah? Do you have any idea how much trouble I'm in already?"
"We've already discussed this," Cortez said. "I've explained to Savannah that, as useful as magic might be, in some cases, such as this, it would be far more detrimental than beneficial."
"What's wrong with hail?" she asked. "It's normal weather stuff."
"Not when the temperature hasn't dropped below sixty in a week," I said. I turned to Cortez. "Don't worry about it. She doesn't know how to make hail."
"No, but you do," Savannah said.
Cortez turned to me. "Really? I've heard of such spells, but I've never encountered one."
"That's 'cause it's witch magic," Savannah said. "Special witch magic. Paige has these really cool grimoires she's working on, and--"
"And we're not conjuring up a hailstorm," I cut in. "Or using any other kind of magic to get rid of those people. They'll leave on their own."
"Denial," Savannah whispered loudly to Cortez.
"Bedtime," I said. "It's nearly eleven."
"So? It's not like I'm going to school ever again."
"You're going as soon as this mess calms down. Until then, you should keep to your normal routine. It's already past your bedtime. Now go."
She stomped off.
CHAPTER 24
PARTY GAMES
I pulled the coffee bean bag from the cupboard. "I don't suppose you'd let me see that hailstorm spell," Cortez said.
"Hailstorm is an exaggeration. I can conjure up a handful of nearly frozen ice pellets. More like a slush shower. How bad is it out there, anyway?"
"Let's just say, if the temperature plummets tonight, I'd recommend testing out that hail spell."
I walked into the living room and parted the curtains to see a solid mass of people, even more than had been there when we'd got here. Though it was eleven at night, all the flashlights and camping lanterns lit up the yard bright enough for a ball game.
Camera vans lined the road, their windows rolled down, crews waiting inside, sipping coffee and talking, like cops on a stakeout. While the media stuck to the road, strangers covered nearly every square inch of my yard. Strangers on lawn chairs drinking soda. Strangers with camcorders filming everything in sight. Strangers huddled in circles clutching Bibles. Strangers carrying placards reading "Satan Lives Here" and "Thou Shalt Not Suffer a Witch to Live."
Cortez walked up behind me.
Still holding the curtain, I half-turned and looked up at him. "This afternoon, when we got here, you thought we should go to a motel. Do you think ... That is ..." I shook my head and smiled wryly. "I'm not good at this. Asking for advice."
"You want to know if I still think we should leave?"
"Yes. Thank you."
"I don't. My initial concern pertained to the dangers and difficulties of getting past the crowd. Having done that, I believe, as I told Savannah, that we are best to stay here and ignore them."
He gently plucked the curtain from my hand, then let it fall closed.
"The mob mentality is, naturally, a concern. However, the presence of media should counteract any urge to violence, and the size of the crowd itself makes it unlikely that any rogue element could take control."
"But I know what Savannah means." I glanced at the closed curtain and shivered. "I feel ... under siege."
"True, but think of it instead as an insulating buffer. No Cabal would act with such a crowd of witnesses. You are much safer here than you would be in an isolated motel."
"But if they won't act in front of witnesses ... what was that at the funeral parlor? Not exactly a private demonstration."
"No, and I can promise you whoever came up with that scheme is in line for a serious reprimand. Someone acted without proper authorization, and will be duly punished. I've already reported the incident. It will be handled by an intra-Cabal judiciary review."
" Uh-huh. And that, I'd guess, is a bad thing."
His lips curved in the barest smile. "I won't bore you with an explanation but, yes, it's a bad thing. From herein you can expect Gabriel Sandford's team to act in accordance with standard Cabal rules of engagement."
"They have rules for ... ?" I shook my head. "Let me get that coffee going before I do need something stronger."
I walked into the kitchen, then turned around. "How about a snack? I don't think either of us ate our burgers this afternoon."
"If you're having something, then I'll join you, but don't--"
"How about cookies? Do you like chocolate chip?"
He nodded. After turning on the oven, I took a sheet from underneath the stove, and grabbed a Tupperware container from the freezer. I pulled off the l
id, then tipped the box to show Cortez the tiny balls of cookie dough within.
"Instant fresh cookies," I said.
"Good idea."
"My mom's, not mine. Mothers know all the tricks, don't they?"
"Cooking was never my mother's forte. We tried cookies once. The dog wouldn't touch them."
I paused in transferring the cookie dough to the sheets. Had he lived with his mother, then? Obviously. Mother and father? Did sorcerers leave their sons with their mothers? Or did they marry? I wanted to ask, to compare stories. I was always curious to see how other races did things. It was like learning baking tricks from my mother--other races were bound to have learned tactics for living in the human world, tactics that I might be able to apply to the Coven and make our lives easier, less furtive. I thought of asking, but it seemed too much like prying.
Once the cookies were in the oven, I loaded up the coffeemaker, then excused myself to use the bathroom. When I returned, Cortez was pouring brewed coffee into mugs.
"Black?" he said.
"Black for tea, cream for coffee," I said, opening the fridge. "Strange, I know, but black coffee's just too strong. That's how you take yours, right?"
He nodded. "A taste acquired in college. Spend enough late nights poring over law texts and you learn to take caffeine hits strong and black."
"So you really are a lawyer. I'll admit, when you said you misrepresented yourself in the beginning, I was hoping you didn't mean that part wasn't true."
"No need to worry. I passed the bar last year."
"Pretty young, isn't it?" I said. "You must have fast-tracked your way through school." I turned on the oven light and crouched to check the cookies.
"I condensed my studies," he said. "As I believe you did."
I smiled up at him as I stood. "Did your homework, huh, Counselor?"
"A degree in computer science, completed nearly three years ago. From Harvard no less."
"Not nearly as impressive as it sounds. There are far better schools for computer science, but I wanted to stick close to home. My mother was getting older. I was worried." I laughed. "Wow, I've gotten so used to saying that I can almost convince myself. Truth is, my mom was fine. I wasn't ready to leave the nest. Mom ran a successful business, and we always lived simply, so she'd put aside enough for me to have my pick of schools. I got a partial scholarship, and we decided Harvard made sense. And, of course, it looks great on a resume." I took two small plates from the cupboard. "So where'd you go to school? No, wait. I bet I can guess."