The Holders (9 page)

“I don’t know. I guess I should head home soon. Mom is alone now, and…” I stopped at the sound of Chloe’s sigh.

“You’re missing the point,” she smiled. “I don’t want to hear what you think you should do, I want to know what you want to do. Your Mum is a grown woman. I think she can handle herself. And I think what she wants most of all is for both her children to be happy. Both of her children.” She squeezed my hands again. “Not only Ryland. Now, stop worrying about everyone else for a minute and tell me what you want.”

I took a breath and thought for a second. What did I want? College? A real job? That’s what normal girls my age had, so is that what I should want?

“I don’t know,” I answered honestly.

“That’s all right,” she grinned. “The first step is thinking about it.”

As she gave me a warm smile and stood, gathering up the rest of the hair paraphernalia and putting them back into her dresser. I tried to wrap my mind around the idea of doing something only for myself, and while it was a pleasant thought it was also oddly terrifying and more than I was ready to ponder for the moment, so I looked for a new topic of conversation.

“Do you think they are done with their meeting yet?” I asked, eyeing the clock on the wall and realizing how late it had become.

“The Order? Hard to say. From what I heard, there was a lot to go over. They’ll discuss Ryland of course, which could take a while, plus Min’s guards have been tampered with and they need to decide what do to about that…”

She continued, but for some reason my mind hung on the “guards” comment. “Wait.” I stopped her. “Min’s what?”

“Hmm?” She stopped, thrown off a bit. “Oh, the guards?”

“Yeah, what is that? Min is the older lady you were telling me about, right?”

“That’s her. Her ability allows her to cast spells and charms, one of which is a guard charm she can place around places to protect them. She always keeps several around the school for the safety of the students.”

“And someone has been tampering with them?” I asked. “Like, trying to get in?”

“Oh, no, I’m sure that’s not it,” Chloe said, obviously seeing that I was anxious. “Besides, Min knows the moment something interferes with any of the charms she casts, and can fix or reinforce them almost instantly. Not to worry,” she assured me with a smile. “Whatever it was, it’ll have been resolved by now.”

“Sure,” I said, letting my anxiety loosen just a bit. It was good to know that they had special security in place, though the idea that someone was messing with it was bothersome. Regardless, supernatural Holder protection had to be better than the security most schools used, so I figured I couldn’t really complain.

Still, I couldn’t help but wonder why someone would want to break in…

“So what now?” Chloe asked with a sigh, glancing around her room for a new activity.

“Actually, I should probably get to bed. It’s late and I’m supposed to meet Alex in the morning.”

“Where are you two going?”

“I don’t know; I’m meeting him in the rotunda at the end of the main hall.”

“The Inner Chamber!” She bounced off the bed wringing her hands together in excitement, “He’s taking you to the Inner Chamber! Oh, just wait till you see it, it’s amazing!”

“The what?” I asked, pulling on my shoes.

“They call it the Inner Chamber, it’s where the Order meets and where they store all the artifacts, and books, and of course, the Iris.”

“What’s that?”

“Alex will tell you all about it,” she said, shooing me out of the room, “Now go get some sleep!”

“OK, see you tomorrow,” I laughed.

“Have fun!” she called after me.

I waved over my shoulder before turning down the hall to my room, wondering what this chamber had that could possibly be so great. I had no idea, but whatever it was, if a girl who could literally see the future thought it was awesome, I figured it must be pretty cool.

 

10

 

The next morning, I had made it all the way down to the main entryway – without getting lost, I might add – on my way to meet Alex, when I heard someone calling my name.

“Becca, lass!”

I looked over toward the lounge area adjacent to the main foyer, to find Mr Anderson waving to me.

“We don’t need a second opinion! You lost, take it like a man!” a second voice chided.

“We need a second opinion because you’re a rotten cheat, and I don’t trust you far as I can throw you!”

I entered the lounge area, where Mr Anderson and the bald-headed man from the office eavesdropping incident yesterday were standing side by side in the corner of the room, looking down and pointing at the floor.

“Here now, lass,” Mr Anderson said seeing me. “Come over here, and tell us which is closer.”

I stepped up to see what they were hovering over, to find several square-shaped folded pieces of paper scattered across the floor. Two of which seemed to be almost exactly the same distance away from a small red dot taped to the floor.

“Bocci?” I asked, remembering a similar game we played in gym.

“In Italy it’s bocci, in Ireland it’s bowls,” the bald man said, extending his hand toward me. “Duncan Reid, Miss Ingle, it’s a pleasure.”

“Becca, please,” I said, shaking his hand. He had large hands though he was very skinny, and had a slight accent that I couldn’t quite place.

“Now,” he said, mockingly apologetic, “if you could do us a favor and put this poor, blind fool out of his misery and inform him that he’s lost–”

“No you don’t!” Mr Anderson yelled, pushing Mr Reid away from me. “She’ll do it on her own, with no help from the likes of a cheat!”

“I am not a cheat! You are a sore loser, sir!”

“Well,” I mused, looking it over, “the corner of the one on the right is a tiny bit closer.”

“Ha ha!” Mr Reid laughed, clearly the owner of the right square.

“That’s because you moved it!” Mr Anderson insisted.

“You want to see me move it,” Mr Reid said, exacerbated. “I’ll move it!”

At that moment all the paper squares came flying up off the floor and straight into Mr Anderson’s face like a flock of attacking seagulls. They then started to hover around him, slapping him in the face, poking him on the nose, ruffling at his hair. I gave a yelp, and looked up to Mr Reid, expecting him to go to his friend’s aid, but he simply stood there watching and chuckling, looking vastly amused.

Then it dawned on me. “Are you doing that?” I asked, as Mr Anderson began swatting at the flying papers as he would a swarm of bees, cursing under his breath.

Mr Reid nodded. “It’s what I do. Did no one tell you? I’m a Kinetic, I can move objects without touching them.”

“Oh, so that’s why he thinks you cheated?” I asked, watching the assault on Mr Anderson, with wonder. “Can you move anything, or does it have to be something light?”

“Anything,” he said. “Here, have a seat.”

No sooner had he finished the sentence than a large upholstered armchair slid across the room, stopping just behind me.

“You’re not worried he’ll retaliate?” I asked, taking a seat while trying not to laugh at Mr Anderson, who was becoming winded.

“Him? No, he’s good as useless,” said Mr Reid clearly enjoying the show. “He’s an Imparter. All he can do is put words in people’s heads. Talk to them without physically talking. No real threat in that.”

“I’ll show you a threat!” Mr Anderson panted, still trying to fight off the attack.

Mr Reid was silent, but his eyebrows rose a few seconds later, looking mockingly scandalized. “Well,” he said, obviously having just received an imparted message from Mr Anderson, “that wasn’t very nice. There is a lady present, you know.”

“Aye, and you’re lucky for that!”

“What did I tell you two about dragging innocent bystanders into your nonsense?”

The flying papers fell to the floor and we all looked over to see Alex in the doorway, thumbs hooked in his pockets, shaking his head.

“Reid cheated!” Mr Anderson said, hunched over, catching his breath.

“Of course. As always, you lost, so I must have cheated!”

Alex caught my eye and motioned for me to follow him as he turned to go. I walked past Mr Anderson and Mr Reid, carefully stepping around the strewn paper squares, leaving the men to their argument. It sounded as though they might be squabbling until dinner, which was why I was shocked when, just as Alex and I turned the corner, I heard Mr Reid ask, “Do you want to go again?” to which Mr Anderson replied, “Of course, why not?” Alex chuckled under his breath, shaking his head.

“Are they always like that?” I asked.

“Are you kidding? You should see them on Scrabble night,” Alex laughed. After a moment, he continued more soberly. “I’m glad you came down. I was worried that, after yesterday…” He grimaced, looking guilty.

“It’s fine,” I assured him. “Really. No big deal. I made it back in one piece, and last night I hung out with Chloe.”

As we approached the rotunda he pulled a set of keys out of his pocket and began flipping through them. “I hope she isn’t bothering you,” he said glancing up at me.

“Chloe? No, not at all. Why?”

“She’s a wonderful person,” he said, singling out one of the keys on the ring. “I only ask, because I know how excited she is to have another girl around, and I don’t want her to overwhelm you. I love her like a sister, but she can be a little overzealous at times.”

“No, she’s great,” I assured him. “I can definitely see what you mean, but honestly, I like it,” I told him a bit sheepishly as we arrived at the only door in the rotunda. “I sort of missed out on all the typical girlfriend stuff when I was growing up.”

“Well, in that case you’re in luck. If there is anyone on earth who can get you caught up on all things girly, it’s Chloe.”

“I believe it.”

“All right,” he said, sliding the key he’d selected into the large lock on the door. “You ready?”

“Um, sure, I guess. What are we doing?”

“Remember on the plane when I told you there were some things I wanted you to see?” he asked with a smile as he held the door open for me.

I stepped into a large circular room with an antique marble floor and a high-domed ceiling. There were tapestries on the walls that I could tell were very old, as well as shelves filled with books and artifacts, each one looking far too valuable to even as much as breathe near, much less touch. Everything in the room felt as though it was from a different era. Even the metal lighting sconces on the walls looked like they had at one time held torches and had since been wired for modern lights. The whole thing was like stepping into another world; all we needed was a round table and some knights, and we could be in Camelot.

“This is incredible,” I breathed, tilting my head back and admiring the domed ceiling.

“We call it the Inner Chamber, and only a few people have access. It’s where all the sacred artifacts are housed, and where we hold meetings of the Order – or we used to anyway. Lately we’ve been going to Jocelyn’s office so we don’t have to stand the whole time,” he said, gesturing to the lack of chairs.

“Chloe mentioned that, what is it?”

“The Order? A small group of Holders all dedicated to… Well, let’s just say a common goal. Jocelyn is in charge, and then there’s myself, Mr Anderson, Mr Reid, Taron, and a woman named Min Stetz, who will actually be joining us here in a minute. There are a few others who help us on occasion, but they don’t reside here year round like the rest of us.”

“And what does this ‘Super Human Squad’ do?”

“This what?” he laughed.

“Come on, ‘Order’ is a bit stuffy, don’t you think?”

“Yes, and Super Human Squad sounds like a really bad cartoon,” he teased, as we began to slowly walk around the parameter of the room.

I nodded, giving him that. “So, what does the Order do?”

“Long ago, Holders used their abilities for the good of everyone. They were often peace keepers, or healers, always using their powers either discreetly or not at all. But,” he paused, taking a breath and growing serious, “over the last few centuries or so, with our numbers dwindling, and the world growing, it became more about keeping our secrets, and putting an end to our only enemy; a man named Failghe Darragh.”

“Who is that?”

“Darragh is an extremely powerful Holder. A Holder who believes that we are an advanced race, superior to average humans.”

“Aren’t you?”

“Maybe, maybe not. It depends on how you define ‘superior’. It’s arguable that the lion is superior to the field mouse in most respects, but doesn’t mean that all the field mice should be removed to make room for more lions.”

“Wait.” I stopped, turning to face him. “He wants to remove all the humans?”

“He wants the human race to be as he believes it should be: under Holder control. And if we let him, he could do it. Very, very easily.”

“So, this Darragh really believes that he can somehow snap his fingers and run the world? I can’t see how that would even be possible. People aren’t stupid, they’d wouldn’t just surrender and let him take over.”

“No, people wouldn’t. If, that is, they had any idea what was happening to them,” he said, as we resumed our slow pace around the room. “Darragh is a smart man. He knows how to bide his time and work discreetly. He has multiple abilities, one of which is reading and controlling the thoughts and minds of others.”

“Like Jocelyn?”

“Yes, except that Jocelyn is a good man. He would never use his ability to manipulate others, or force his way. He doesn’t even read minds unless it is absolutely necessary. To be able to manipulate the thoughts and actions of others is one of the most powerful abilities a Holder can have, and isn’t something that should be taken lightly.”

“So, he really could take over if he wanted to? If you all let him?”

Alex nodded. “All he would need is access to one or two world leaders, or even simply to a large group of average individuals, to start a chain reaction that would be almost impossible to stop.”

“Has he ever tried?”

“He’s attempted things on a smaller scale here and there over the years, but we keep a close watch and have been able to control the situations. Though it’s been a long time since he’s made any sort of move, which leads us to believe he is waiting for…” he paused, glancing at me then quickly away. “That he is planning something.”

“You told me on the flight here that Holders only have one ability each, but now you say that Darragh has multiple?”

“Yes. Darragh is the only exception. He is more than seven hundred years old, and over the centuries has learned ways of increasing his power. One of which is stealing and merging the abilities of other Holders to his own.”

“And that’s bad?” I asked, hearing the disdain in his voice as he explained.

“It’s unnatural,” a female voice said from behind us.

I turned to see a short woman standing at the door. I recognized her as the woman from yesterday in the hall, though now that I wasn’t trying to hide I was able to get a better look at her. She was sporting the same frizzy hair, but now most of it was tied up in a scarf. She had a long blue dress on, with bracelets and rings all over her wrists and hands. Something about her reminded me of those Russian Matryoshka dolls that all fit inside one another.

“Becca, this is Min Stetz,” Alex said smiling as he walked over to her, placing a hand on her back. “I asked her to come and share her wisdom.”

“Bah, wisdom,” Min said, waving her hand dismissively.

“Min is our máthair ghlac,” he said, bending down and giving her a kiss on the head. Then, looking up at me with a smile, translated, “Surrogate mother. And she’s very modest. She knows more about our histories and artifacts,” he motioned around the room, “than anyone.”

Min reached up and grabbed his chin and shook it, then gave his cheek a gentle slap, like an affectionate grandmother might do to her grandson.

“She is also our resident sorceress. Her ability is called Alchemy, meaning she can cast charms and spells, and mix potions. She is also the one who forges and charms our Sciaths.”

“Yes, and I also read saols,” she said, giving Alex a wry look.

“What’s a saol?” I asked.

“A person’s life energy; their aura,” Min replied, still looking at Alex. “Is there something you neglected to tell me?” she asked him, slyly.

The color in his face seemed to pale just a bit. “No,” he answered, shooting her a look full of meaning that I couldn’t decipher.

“All right then,” she said, with a “we’ll discuss this later” look.

He cleared his throat. “I was telling her about Darragh,” he told Min, a little louder than needed.

Min shook her head sadly. “Unnatural,” she said again. “No one should have more than one gift. That is not the way it was meant to be. Would you steal the head of another because you wished to be smarter? Would you take the legs of a man because you wished to be faster? Darragh was gifted with an ability as the rest of us were, but that was not enough for him. He could not see his gift for the blessing that it was, he only saw power. And he wanted more. Even if it meant he had to take it.”

“How does he do that?” I asked.

“We don’t know for sure,” Alex said, “but we do know that the Holder he takes from doesn’t survive.”

“He kills them?” I whispered.

“He has to, there is no other way,” Min said. “In order to take the ability of another, you must take their life force. The two cannot be separated.”

My stomach turned when I thought about how cold a man like that would have to be. If that was the way he treated others of his own race, what would he do to the hundreds of thousands of humans he felt were beneath him?

“If he has every ability there is, how do you stop him?” I asked, wondering if they were fighting a lost cause.