Council of Peacocks (21 page)

Travis punched Josh in the chest.

“
I take that as a ‘no.’ Are you sure you
don’t want to head back?”

Travis his put hands in the back pockets of
his shorts and looked around. “Sure. I’ll head back. When you can
point out exactly where the way back is. I’m completely lost. Hell,
I can’t even use the sun to find east or west.” He pointed to the
sky and then looked into the woods. “Where the sun is now, if that
way is east it would be about 9:00 in the morning. If that way is
west it’s closer to 7:00 p.m. So unless we’ve pulled a Superman and
ran back in time….”

“
Or we’ve been running for six hours. I
get you. Neither one makes much sense. What time do you have? What
does your watch say?”

Travis looked at his watch, then brought his
wrist up to his ear. “Broken. Yours, too, eh?”

Josh nodded. “You wouldn’t happen to have a
cell phone, would you?”

“
It’s back on the picnic table. But even
if I did, I’m guessing it wouldn’t work, either. Maybe we should
just find this guy and find out what’s happening.”

They started walking after that. Josh saw no
sense running when their quarry was obviously not trying to escape.
The underbrush grew thicker the further they went, as did the mist.
He only caught occasional glimpses of the thing they were
following, but it was going in a straight line now. It seemed to be
moving slower as well, although Josh could still not make out any
features except for the fact it was in the shape of a man.

“
Do you hear that?”

Josh stopped and held his breath so he could
hear more clearly. He heard a hushed rumble that sounded somehow
familiar and yet inexplicable. “What is that?”

Travis went visibly pale. “It sounds like
flippin’ Niagara Falls.”

Josh listened again and nodded. “Yep. That’s
definitely a waterfall. So I think we can safely say we’re no
longer in Windsor. Come on. Let’s get this over with.”

They walked through the strange woods for
another ten minutes before they reached the banks of a river. It
was easily as large as the Detroit River, several kilometers wide.
Unlike the river that ran between Windsor and Detroit, this one
glistened a translucent blue. It reminded him of the waters along
the beachfront in Bermuda. It smelled salty, too.

“
Over there,” Travis said.

Josh glanced at him and then turned toward
the waterfall.

“
Whoa.”

For a moment, he found it hard to breathe.
It was one thing to come to grips with his situation mentally.
Actually seeing the waterfall and everything around it was an
altogether different matter. It was easily one of the most imposing
physical landmarks he’d ever seen. Before him, an escarpment
covered with foliage shot up over five hundred feet. A section of
the greenery gave way to rocks and grassland, as if the forest
there had burned to the ground years ago and was only slowly coming
back to life. Above the escarpment, birds with large, green beaks
and leathery wings circled above the trees. The fact he could make
out their wings and beaks from such a distance suggested they were
as big as elephants.

The waterfall ran like a slash of blue and
white down the face of the cliff. It slammed into the river below,
hiding the base of the escarpment behind a roar of mist and noise.
The only thing he could compare it to was Niagara Falls, but he’d
never stood in the shadow of anything like this.

“
Dude, where the hell are we? Is this
Africa?”

Josh blinked. “Africa? Are you on drugs?
Does this look like Africa?”

“
Well, kinda.”

“
No! This is not Africa. This isn’t
anywhere on Earth.”

Travis punched Josh in the chest again. “Now
who’s the one on drugs? If we’re not on Earth, where are we?”

“
Maghe Sihre.”

The cousins turned as one at the voice,
their hands clenched into identical fists. At the edge of the woods
stood a strange-looking figure. He was a tall man with braided gray
hair that hung down to the middle of his back. He was pale, with a
complexion that could pass for Caucasian until you noticed the
green tinge to his flesh. Ridges along his neck reminded Josh of
vestigial gills, like he’d seen on aliens in
Star Wars
. His
fingers also seemed unnaturally long and slender, but these things
were only noticeable if you were watching closely. At first glance,
he was just a man standing at the edge of the woods, dressed in
green leather and a thick black traveler’s robe.

“
Is that the guy you saw?” He asked Travis
the question over his shoulder; he kept his eyes on the
stranger.

“
How should I know? It was dark,
remember?”

The stranger took a step forward. Travis
flinched. Josh did not. “I’m afraid there won’t be time for
introductions. Not today. You are here because I made a promise,
Joshua. Your father is a very powerful creature and he’s worried
about you. He’s concerned about the way you slaughtered his
employees.”

“
What the hell are you talking about?” Now
it was Josh’s turn to step forward. “My father isn’t a powerful man
and he definitely doesn’t have Edimmu as bodyguards.”

“
Who exactly do you think your father
is?”

The stranger was smiling now. He crossed his
arms over his chest, giving Josh the first clear sight of the
source of light they’d been following. A simple gold ring on the
man’s left hand shone brightly even in plain daylight.

“
I know exactly who my father is. You have
one minute to explain who you are and why you’ve brought us
here.”

“
And how,” Travis added abruptly. “Tell us
how you’ve brought us here.”

“
Or what?” The man laughed with what
sounded like genuine humor. “Oh my, Joshua. You are so much like
your father. Always throwing around meaningless threats. Tell me,
do you actually believe I’d let you get close enough to lay a
finger on me?”

Thorny vines shot out from the darkness of
the woods and wrapped around Josh’s and Travis’ wrists. Before
either of them could react, the vines lifted them off the ground.
Pain seared through Josh’s confidence. He couldn’t see Travis but
he could hear him screaming. Blood dripped down his forearms. He
felt completely helpless.

“
Ah, silence.” The stranger walked away
from the edge of the woods and stood below them. Only then did he
realize how far up in the air he was. His knees were level with the
stranger’s head. “Not even a whimper from the demon son. So tell
me, Josh, what do you know about your father? What do you
remember?”

Josh tried to answer but the pain from his
wrists made it hard to concentrate. He saw a flash of light from
the gold ring and his mind went blank.

The stranger smiled. “Just as I thought. You
know nothing. We have big plans for you but you’re a little too,
shall we say, unpredictable. That nonsense you pulled killing all
those Edimmu, well, we just can’t have that. The alliance is far
too new for in-killing. Unfortunately, we need you. Killing you
isn’t an option. For either side. Fortunately, I have an
alternative. With this ring I slip into that pretty little brain of
yours. I can repress all memories related to the Edimmu, your
powers, and who your real father is. As an extra bonus, I’m going
to make you forget about me, too. When the time is right, and only
when the time is right, I’ll make you remember. By then, it will be
too late for you to stop what’s coming.”

There was a flash of light and a sensation
of falling backwards. Then Josh woke up in darkness. It took his
eyes some time to adjust. He realized he was in a forest lit by
moonlight. His shoulders ached as if they’d nearly been pulled out
their sockets. His wrists were mangled and bruised, covered in
still-wet blood. He stood and looked around. His cousin Travis lay
crumpled in a fetal position nearby. Nothing else looked
familiar.

“
What the hell happened?”

***

Josh woke up in his room. Garnet stood beside
his bed.

“What the hell happened?” She asked as she
chewed the fingernail on her right baby finger. “Did all the stress
finally catch up with you?”

Josh sat up quickly and grunted as hot
searing pain shot through his head. He fell back to the bed and
looked at his wrists to confirm that they were still in perfect
shape. Then he sat up again, slowly this time. “There was a man. I
have to speak to Wisdom. There was a man in the building. He has to
know.”

Garnet stared down at him, her face slowly
fading from condescension to fear. “You’re telling the truth. I can
feel it. How did he get past security?”

“Forget that.” Josh gripped her by the
wrists. “What I want to know is how he got past Wisdom.”

Chapter Fifteen

Wisdom stared out the window and watched the
light from the sunset bounce and beam off the pillars of glass and
steel. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he should be doing
something. Since heading back in time, these were the hardest
times. Nothing he did now mattered. Going through these days the
first time, he’d believed, like most, that our every action is
vital, that every choice could fundamentally alter our reality.

Now he knew better.

Nothing he did in the next two days would
have any bearing on whether or not Propates won. Nothing he could
do would help keep Echo alive or reduce the chance that the Council
of Peacocks would subvert his students. He knew this based on the
evidence he’d collected. Hard facts. But he still didn’t like
it.

The intercom buzzed.

“Yes, Shirley. What is it?”

“Sorry, sir, but you have some messages. Is
it safe to come in?”

Wisdom groaned. “Yes, yes. I’m not going to
hit you. That was one time, like five years ago. Let it go.”

The intercom clicked off and Shirley opened
the door to his office. “One time, you say. But you hit bloody
hard. I lost two teeth!”

“Which I grew back for you. This may surprise
you, Shirley, but I’m not always in control of my temper.”

“You don’t say. You received twenty messages
this morning. Shall I go through them alphabetically or by phone
number?”

“Neither. Just tell me the important
ones.”

“Very well.” Shirley sat down in one of the
chairs facing Wisdom’s desk. “That reporter, the one from People,
called again for the tenth time. Her deadline has been moved up and
she wants to reschedule. What should I tell her?”

“Tell her too bad. I’m a busy man and she
either makes the appointment or not. Next.”

“Your broker called. He’s got those stocks
you were asking about. Are you sure about Livedore, sir? Last night
I saw this documentary on them and…”

“I’m sure. I’m going to make a mint. Trust
me. Any word on that other matter? The three men I asked you
about?”

Shirley shook her head. “Not yet, but you did
get a fruit basket from David Cameron. Shall I send it in?”

Wisdom rolled his eyes. “No. I don’t want a
bloody fruit basket from the bloody Prime Minister. And who sends
fruit baskets anyway? Why not send me a car or a watch? No, I get a
fruit basket. Maybe I should kill him. That
could
possibly
alter the fabric of time enough.”

“I’m sorry, sir,” Shirley said. “But you’re
raving again. Should I get you some Turtles?”

“No. Wait! Yes. Get me a platter of several
types of chocolates, but mostly Turtles. And you may as well send
in the chocolate oranges from the bloody fruit basket.”

“How did you know?”

Wisdom smirked. “Come on, Shirley. How long
have you worked for me? I
know
things. It's the reason David
bloody Cameron tries to be nice to me. He should try a little
harder, if you ask me. And get me that detective from New York on
the phone. I need to track down those men.”

Shirley nodded and left. When the door opened
seconds later, he expected to see his chocolate. Instead, he was
surprised to see Garnet and a rather pale-looking Josh.

“What are you doing here?” Wisdom had always
been sensitive to the vibrations of time. He could instinctively
sense important fluctuations in history – times when something
significant and rare was about to happen. It had helped him stay
alive and remain a person of power for thousands of years. He
sensed it now, in a moment experience had taught him should be
completely free of importance.

“We have a security issue.” Garnet turned
back to shut the door. Shirley tried to walk in with a tray filled
with Turtles and chocolate oranges. Garnet took the tray and shooed
her away. She handed the tray to Josh, then closed and locked the
door. “Josh has a story to tell you.”

They sat around Wisdom’s desk while Josh told
the story of the mysterious stranger with the gold ring and the
trip to another world. In the course of the telling, Wisdom ate the
majority of the Turtles with alarming speed. Only when Josh
finished did Wisdom stop reaching for the treats.

“Did you sense anyone in the building?”

Wisdom focused on Garnet as he answered her
question. “No. I didn’t. Up until right now, this moment, I
believed I’d encountered just about everything you could experience
on this world. Once again I have proof that I’ve just been stupid.
I don’t know how, but something has changed. This was not supposed
to happen. Garnet, I need you to contact the head of security and
bring him here. I have some arrangements to make.”

“So you believe me?” Josh reached for the
tray of Turtles. Wisdom raised an eyebrow and Josh withdrew his
hand.

“Yes, I believe you. This flash of light you
saw, the glow of the ring, I’ve seen it before. Not here, but in
Niagara Falls. Long story and I have no intentions of telling it.
But yes, I believe you... Now I just have to find out what it
means.”