Council of Peacocks (2 page)

“Nuts?” Propates smiled at Wolf and winked at
the camera. He was darkly handsome with an olive complexion and
short-cropped black hair. His eyes were a shade of bluish-green
that hinted of the ocean: the color of peacock feathers. “I’ll tell
you what's nuts, Wolf. It's completely insane for people to see
what me and the other Council members are capable of doing and
continue to delude themselves.”

Wisdom clenched his fists, tearing at the
sheets. His concentration flickered. Blood leaked from his
wounds.

Propates turned back to Wolf. “There are
hundreds of Council members around the world. Thirteen of us walked
into Athens. We tore the city apart. Thirteen. I believe it was
your network that showed the first images. And then there are my
angels, the Edimmu. You can probably see some of them flying behind
us right now. We have tens of thousands. This war is already won.
To pretend it's not, that, my friend, is truly insane.”

Wolf swallowed visibly, his complexion pale
despite the heavy makeup. “We have reports today, as I’m sure
you’ve heard, from the Vatican.”

“Oh, yes. I’ve heard.”

“They declared you are Satan and that the
Last Days are here.”

“I suppose I should be flattered.” Propates
turned to the camera again. “But I'm not. Whether you call him
Argus or Melek Taus, Christians have vilified my God for centuries.
They're right about one thing. These definitely are the last days
of the old regime. Big changes are coming. If the Pope has anything
else to say, I'd be more than happy to pop on over to Rome for a
private conversation.”

Wisdom shook his head. “Propates, what the
hell are you doing?”

“Well, well, well.” On the screen, Propates
slowly sat back in his chair and looked fully into the camera.
“Wolf, I'm afraid I have to leave. I just got a message from an old
friend.”

With a burst of bright light, the camera
flickered and the TV screen filled with static.

Wisdom jumped out of bed. He waved his hand,
calling up the thin threads of his power. White sheets leapt off
the bed and coiled around his body. They twisted and mutated around
from their original form into a blood-red three-piece suit. Fear
threatened to overwhelm him. He thought of running but shook the
thought away. He couldn't let Propates see how weak he was.

Darkness dripped like syrup down the walls,
filling the room like a pool. Within moments the hotel room was
flooded with shadow. He saw the face first. It surfaced from the
murk, eyes and smile bright sparks. Then Propates stepped forward
and he was fully in the hotel room. Behind him, there were hints of
movement in the shadows. Propates had not come alone.

“Well, Wisdom, I was beginning to wonder when
your father would tire of torturing you.”

Momentary doubt crossed Wisdom’s mind. He
shook it away. “Your ignorance is tiring. Once again, you prove how
little you know, Propates. My father didn't torture me. He wanted
to drag me back to the Kaz. We fought. Then I killed him.”

“Really? Shame. Considering the deal we
worked out.”

Doubt returned and settled firmly in Wisdom’s
mind.

“You see, Wisdom, you're the arrogant one.
That’s not an insult. It’s just the truth. You think you're so
smart, but you've never been able to see the 'Big Picture.’ You
always focus on the individual pieces, not how they mingle
together. Did you wonder
why
your father chose now to come
get you? Of course not. That would require forethought. Or maybe
you just underestimated me. I'm not the Roman peasant I used to be.
I outplayed you. This is check and mate. Concede.”

“Send all the Edimmu after me you want.”
Wisdom took a step forward. He hid how much his knees trembled, but
just barely.

Propates sneered and looked over his
shoulder. “I didn't bring Edimmu. These are your precious
Anomalies. You still don’t get it, do you? Echo did, in the end.
And I’m afraid I do mean it was the end for her. You see, unlike
you, she was an intellectual threat. So I tossed her into a
volcano.”

Wisdom took another step forward. This time
his knees didn’t tremble in the least.

“Relax, Wisdom.” The movement from the
shadows behind Propates increased. “I'm not here to fight. The
Council has big plans for this planet. You could still be part of
it. You and I working together just like old times. Don't you see
what we've already accomplished?”

“Spell it out for me.” Wisdom’s head pounded,
his face flush with anger. “After all, I’m too stupid to see the
big picture, right?”

Propates walked over to a burgundy chair by
the window and, with a quiet chuckle, sat down. “I really have you
to thank. What you did to me and Echo was the inspiration for the
project. We perfected the process of Eyeness. It took longer than
expected, but the results are remarkable. Just imagine the forced
evolution of the human race, the things we could be capable of. So
much untapped power. We used your Anomalies, but I'm afraid you may
not recognize them anymore. The process does put the body through a
few changes.”

Wisdom held his hand up. With a grunt, he
pushed the shadows away. They retreated like soiled water flowing
down the drain. The strain opened up several of his old wounds but
he felt little of the pain. He was alone with Propates.

“Congratulations.” Wisdom wiped blood from
his lip. “You’ve won. Touché and all that. I can’t believe I didn’t
see this coming. Really, I can’t. I guess you're right. I did
underestimate you. Fortunately for me, you’ve made two
mistakes.”

“Really? And what would they be?” Propates
beamed, the smile on his face showing no trace of fear.

“First, never make deals with my father.
Djinn can’t be trusted. You see, if he really wanted you to
succeed, he would have let you in on a little secret. Your second
mistake. Remember the portals I can make? The ones that let me
travel around the world? The ones I taught you and Echo how to make
so long ago?” Wisdom leaned forward and lowered his voice. Now it
was his turn to smile. “I didn’t teach you everything.”

“What are you getting at, Wisdom?” Doubt
flickered across Propates’ face.

“Come now. You pride yourself on how smart
you are. I could give you a hint, but from the look on your face, I
think you’ve worked it out.”

Propates was on his feet moving toward
Wisdom.

Wisdom’s eyes flashed bright orange. With a
flick of the wrist he sent Propates flying; he crashed through the
reinforced windows and fell to the streets below.

“See you soon,” Wisdom said. Then he opened a
portal and traveled back through time.

Chapter Two

July 30
^th

Driving down the dirt road, Josh removed his
sunglasses when the sun dropped below the tall pines. They had left
Ottawa only two hours ago but this felt like an alien world:
pristine and pure. Beside him, his girlfriend, Jan, admired the
tree-covered mountains of the Laurentians. The six of them were
going to the cabin Jan’s parents owned on Lac Manitou. The SUV was
filled with enough food and alcohol to tide them over for the three
weeks they planned to spend in the woods. Jan’s parents had paid
for all of it. Money was no object as long as Jan spent it
somewhere else.

“Jesus! You drive like an old woman. We
should have been there, like, five hours ago.”

“What are you? Twelve?” Josh glanced in the
rearview mirror at his best friend. Brian was a thick-necked brute
with hazel eyes and short brown hair. On a good day, he verged on
charming. Today was not one of those days. “Just chill and have
another drink?”

“Way ahead of you.” Brian smiled and sipped
vodka from a Tim Hortons' cup. “It’s not the same, though. These
cups make the vodka taste like ass.”

Josh shook his head. “And yet you still drink
it. Says volumes about you. Since I’m an old lady, did you wanna
drive for a bit? Oh wait. You can't. Someone lost their license
because they were stupid enough to drive drunk.”

“Correction.” Rebecca, Brian's girlfriend
since 10
^th
grade, looked up from her cell phone. Her
long, curly brown hair was pulled away from her face to deal with
the heat. She sat directly behind Jan. “Someone was stupid enough
to get
caught
drinking and driving. I'm sure he's learned
his lesson. Does anyone else have service? My phone just died.”

“Maybe it's a sign to put your phone away.”
Matt stopped making out with his new girlfriend, Tonia, and leaned
forward from the back row of seats. “And for the record, Brian’s
not really the learning type. Anyone know exactly how many times
he’s smashed his car into the garage? Anyone? 'Cause, you know, I
can’t.”

“Twice.” Brian turned around in his seat and
faced Matt. “I did that twice. And it’s not like I broke the
garage. Bunch of puritans, that’s what you are.”

Josh reached over and squeezed Jan’s hand.
She smiled and squeezed back. Then his smile slipped as he
remembered the problems back home. For the last six months, his
parents' fighting was on a whole new level. Mom accused Dad of
having an affair. Dad claimed it was only work that took him away
from home. Considering what Dad did, it was feasible.

“You’re doing it again.” Jan put a hand on
his neck and massaged the tension away. She was nearly the physical
antithesis of Josh. Every feature on her face hinted at prestige
and class. Josh’s features were soft and boyish, almost feminine.
She kept her black hair in a short bob; his was a thick, blond
tangle. The only attribute they shared in common was their light
blue eyes. “We agreed no wallowing until we return to civilization,
remember?”

Josh turned to her and smiled. “Sorry. Thanks
for noticing.”

“Not like you’re hard to read, Mr.
Wilkinson.” She released his hand and checked her cell. “You’re
easily the worst liar I’ve ever met, which is just fine by me. I
have no signal either, Becka. Must be a dead zone.”

“Is there coverage at the cabin?” Tonia said
as she checked her phone. “My parents will freak if they can’t
contact me.”

“Unfortunately, there is.” Jan put her phone
away. “We’re supposed to be getting away from all this crap.
Otherwise, what’s the point in camping?”

Moments later, Josh reached down and turned
up the music.

“Hey, what’s up?” Jan asked. “Don’t like my
singing?”

“Were you singing?” He pretended to wince as
Jan slapped him.

“You know I was. You always do that – turn up
the music when I’m singing.”

“Really? Must be a coincidence. I just love
this song.”

Brian kicked the back of Josh’s chair. “Since
when do you like One Direction, man? Just tell her the truth. No?
Fine, then I will. Every time you sing, Josh gets so blinded by his
love for you that he just can’t drive straight. That’s why he’s
turning up the music.”

“Oh please.” Matt threw a book at Brian’s
head. It missed and hit Josh.

“Come on guys! Trying to drive here.” Josh
yelled into the rear-view mirror. The horseplay wouldn’t normally
bother him. Maybe Jan was right. Maybe he was letting things back
home get to him.

“Oh yeah,” Rebecca said as she grabbed
Brian’s cup. “All this traffic makes it really dangerous. What do
you think you’d hit? A moose?”

“Either that or a tree.” Josh brushed his
sweat-damp hair from his forehead. “I’m not trying to be a buzz
kill. Just stop the flying shrapnel, okay?”

Josh turned off onto a road marked with a
hand-painted sign. On one side of the road, he caught glimpses of
the lake. The trees pushed in further on the road, blocking out
even more light.

“Do people actually live up here?” Tonia
pushed her glasses back into place and stared out the windows at
tall pine trees on either side of the road. “We haven’t seen a car
or house since we left that creepy gas station.”

“What’s the matter?” Matt put his arm around
Tonia and passed her a wine cooler. “Afraid this is going to turn
out to be a little Québécois
Chainsaw Massacre
thing? Of
course people live here. And not the crazy hillbilly type. The guy
in the cottage next to ours has a helicopter pad. Tons of
celebrities and millionaires buy places out here. You couldn’t ask
for a safer place. Or maybe,” he said leaning forward, fingers
curled into claws. “Maybe there are cannibal fur traders just
waiting in the woods to…”

The front two tires blew out. With a loud
hiss and pop, the SUV swerved off the road.

A sudden rush of adrenaline negated Josh’s
exhaustion. He fought with the steering wheel to get the SUV back
on the asphalt. He knew it was a losing battle even before they hit
the tree. Luckily, everyone was wearing their seatbelts. Aside from
the burn of the seatbelts against their chests, there were no
injuries. The vehicle, however, was totaled. The front end was
wrapped firmly around an evergreen.

“Damn.” Matt’s voice was quiet.

The engine sputtered and died. The wind blew
through the trees; birds called out from unseen places. Josh turned
off the ignition. He looked over his shoulder at Brian and Matt.
Without a word, the men got out of the vehicle to inspect the
damage.

“This can't be happening,” Matt held his head
with both hands. He looked up and down the street. There was still
no sign of other cars.

“Your dad is so going to kill you.” Brian
walked to the front of the SUV and stared at the crunched metal.
Slowly and repeatedly, he shook his head.

“How bad is it?” Jan got out of the vehicle,
rubbing her chest where the seatbelt had hit.

“Get back in the car,” Josh said. He inhaled
deeply and knelt to inspect the tires. When he stood, he held two
foot-long shards of metal. They were black and tapered, shaped like
long feathers. On the wide end was an etching of a peacock.