Summoned Chaos (7 page)

“Well, if it isn’t the Wonder Twins,” I said, easing out of the Ghost. “Royals of the Internet Gossip World.”

The girl beamed, her hazel eyes crinkling with amusement. “Well, if it isn’t Marcus Shifter. Master of the Magical Arts.”

I snorted. “Hardly.”

Tessa Gibbs was short and attractive with blond hair pulled into a tight ponytail. A long feather was weaved into the strands. She and her partner, a kid named Mike Yu who had sunken eyes and a nervous cough, were a pair of Normals who ran a small blog that focused on the Skilled. They and their followers were obsessed with the Skilled society and published regular articles about our world, paranormal oddities and any other bit of magical pop-culture.

I’d met them completely by accident five months earlier after a particularly nasty incident with a rift. This one had popped up near a bar in D.C. The team and I had our hands full keeping bystanders from getting too close and by the time we had shut the unnatural window, we were all exhausted. Tessa and Mike witnessed the whole thing and offered to buy me a beer. My “interview” appeared on their blog the next day, much to the chagrin of the Council.

We’d been friends and cohorts ever since.

But as much as I liked them, they rarely showed up on my doorstep. I had a sinking feeling I already knew where this was headed.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?” I asked, trying to keep my tone light.

“Don’t play dumb,” Tessa said.

Crap. “Listen, if you want to talk about cars, beekeeping or why I don’t like zombies, I’m game. Anything else and it’s ‘no comment.’”

“Oh come on.” Tessa groaned. “You have to give us something. You’re a hero. If we can be the first to interview you, it’ll really help the hits on our site!”

I turned to her in surprise. “Wait, what? A hero?”

“Absolutely! You saved the life of Ambassador Jones. People are clamoring to talk to you. If we can be the ones to break the story, especially before the big networks arrive, it’d be a huge win for us and our subscribers.”

A hole formed in my belly and my heart dropped through it. “How did my name come up in all this?”

For the first time, Tessa seemed uncomfortable. Mike, however, finally spoke up. “Dude, everyone knows.”

Feeling slightly light-headed, I reached into my gym bag and pulled out my phone. There were dozens of new mail notifications, as well as a handful more missed calls. One of those was from a number at the Council. I punched the voicemail icon.

“Good morning, Marcus,” Wizard Pell said gravely, “it’s your favorite old fart. I have good news and bad news. The good news is that the Council released their official statement on the attack last night. The bad news is that they’ve decided to make you the media darling for the Council. I’m guessing that both will be old news by the time you hear this, but still, call or come in immediately so we can work on the PR strategy with you. Until then,
do not
talk to the media. Okay?” He paused, as if about to say something, but instead just said, “Seriously, call me.”

Tessa and Mike stared at me, wide eyed as I listened to the voicemail again. The hollowness of shock was quickly replaced by the heat of anger.

The Council hadn’t bothered to ask if I even wanted to be a media tool. They’d simply used me.

Tessa tapped me on the arm. “Is everything okay?”

I gave the bloggers a wicked smile. “You know what? I
am
feeling rather chatty today. How about we give you guys that big win?”

Chapter Six

My Darling Media Darling

The HQ building was warmer than normal as the afternoon sun filtered through the boardroom window. Part of that was due to the heat still burning in my chest for being caught off-guard by the media people, but the other half was because, for once, I wasn’t getting a tongue lashing.

Although I kept my face passive, inside I was smiling big—obviously my status as a hero for the Council didn’t sit too well with some of the members.

Suck it
,
losers.

In addition to Wizard Pell and Elder Devon, the table consisted of Elder Rancin, Mick to my left, Elsa Klein to my right, Healer Thomas and a set of Mage twins, Kelly and Keri Conrad. Last, but certainly least, was my old friend and former nemesis, Jethrow Wright.

Jethrow and I had been close during our training days, but we’d lost touch after I’d walked away from the Skilled world. By the time I’d returned to continue my training, Jethrow had not only skyrocketed up the hierarchy, but had also proposed to my old girlfriend, Carrie. Losing her to him made my training more of a struggle.

The betrayal of hearts, however, paled in comparison to Jethrow’s later actions.

When the time came for my final round of Warlock testing, he was on the panel of certifying judges. He was quick to point out how poor my Skills were, but thankfully his vote to fail me and have me retread as a beginner fell flat. Instead, the rest of the panel agreed that my ability to compensate for my lack of Skill with Normal weapons was acceptable and I was allowed to graduate.

Jethrow came to my commissioning ceremony, but by then, the wall I’d built between us was thick.

But no wall, not even the great one in China, is completely impervious.

While pursuing Simeon—and subsequently me—through the Underground a few months earlier, Jethrow was well on his way to earning “enemy” status. Then his partner had stabbed him in the gut and handed all of us over to the nut-cases who’d tried to murder my family. I’d helped Jethrow escape, then had tried, and failed, to save his life. Luckily, a professional Healer was able to fix what I couldn’t. Jethrow had been on the mend ever since. In a way, so had our relationship.

We weren’t BFFs by a long shot. He’d used me to hunt down the very people I was trying to protect and that kind of betrayal would take a long time to get over. If ever.

But at least I’d stopped plotting his demise.

I considered that pretty freakin’ mature.

Jethrow caught me staring at him and offered a weak smile. I nodded back, struggling to keep my face even. Deep down, however, I was still sick with worry. His face was gaunt and his cheekbones too prominent.

But it was his movements, slow and deliberate, that alarmed me.

The gut wound had been deep and the infection terrible. He’d spent two months in a Skilled hospital recuperating and another three undergoing intense physical therapy before being cleared to return to work full time. Ever since, he’d been patrolling a desk instead of the mean streets—something that I knew ate at him.

But Jethrow was a rising star in the Skilled world, so it was only a matter of time before he was back out there, killing bad guys and furthering his case for getting elected to the Council.

Not that I’d ever vote for him, of course.

“Thank you all for coming,” Devon said, interrupting my thoughts. “It appears we’ve had more meetings than normal recently. Some of us,” he added, staring directly at me, “are almost making it a habit.”

Several people chuckled.

I didn’t.

“More to the point,” he continued, “we have a chance to put a positive spin on the tragedy that happened here last night. Without getting into too many details, someone leaked the basic information about the attack on Ambassador Jones. Thankfully, it’s a non-issue now because not only has the Delwinn Council made its official statement, but the Ambassador has been very vocal with her thanks to the Skilled community for their actions. More specifically, Warlock Shifter and Miss Klein’s actions.”

All eyes turned to us. Many of the faces spread wide with grins, like predators spotting their prey.

Suddenly I wished to be anywhere else.

“Thanks to their efforts and quick thinking, the number of Mimics that penetrated the Council chambers was less than half of the total estimated force. Miss Klein, had you not defended the entrance with such courage, the loss of life might have been significantly higher.”

Elsa dipped her head slightly.

“Warlock Shifter,” Devon continued, “not only helped defend the perimeter, but pursued the Mimics which saved the lives of myself, the Ambassador and the surviving members of her staff. And while we regret the deaths of her chief of staff, as well as her deputy, we have been presented with a rare opportunity to capitalize on the positive PR surrounding the attack. Despite the fact that
someone
engaged the media before checking with the Council first like he was asked,” he added, glaring at me.

I smiled inside.

“And what is positive about it?” Rancin asked in disgust. “Three people are dead and our headquarters damaged in the assault. It was an embarrassing and bloody breach.”

“We’ll be having a separate meeting to discuss how and why the Mimics attacked,” Devon interjected before Rancin could reply. “This meeting, however, is to determine the course of action for putting a positive spin on things. For that, I hand the matter over to our Public Relations experts, the Conrads.”

“Thank you, sir,” Keri said as the pair of pretty brunettes stood. “The good news about all this is that, for once, the majority of the heavy lifting has been accomplished for us. For those of you who didn’t see it, Ambassador Jones held a press conference this morning in which she sang the praises of Elsa Klein and Warlock Shifter. What many of you may
not
know is that she intends to honor these two during our Reformation Ball on Saturday. This is extremely significant because both a Skilled and a Normal will be publicly recognized for their bravery and teamwork, all during the very ceremony that celebrates our union.”

People murmured to one another in low voices. I couldn’t help but swell a little with pride. I was honored to be rewarded, but more important, the Elders would have to be in attendance while Ambassador Jones praised one of the guys they’d just suspended.

Now that’s karma, baby.

“What about security?” someone asked.

“We’re already planning to beef it up to deter another attack,” Devon said. “But that is a different meeting. This one is focused on PR.”

Kari nodded. “Exactly. The Delwinn Council should capitalize on this good PR with a publicity tour. We believe that by doing so, we will show the world how important it is to continue working together to reform one society.”

Mick leaned over to me. “Not to mention the Council gets the credit.”

“To kick everything off,” Kelly said, taking over from her sister, “the Ambassador is hosting Warlock Shifter, Miss Klein and several of the Elders at her home tomorrow evening. Afterward, the two will begin their media blitz.”

I stared at the large folder Kelly slid to Elsa and me. “Wait, what?”

“Our office has been fielding calls from various shows eager to interview our two heroes,” she continued, ignoring me. “It’s important to strike while the iron is hot, so we’ve already created a list of venues we’d like you to consider. Some are rather mundane like public access programs, but others take advantage of the national theater. I think you’ll both enjoy a trip to New York for the round of late-night talk shows,” she added, finally looking at us.

I flipped through the first two pages of their schedule and felt the area between my shoulder blades begin to tighten.

“Because our resources are limited,” she said, “we’ve reached out to a PR firm who will provide an onsite representative to help our new stars with their schedule. Expect to hear from them in the next day or so.

“Now then, we also have the matter of official statements from everyone involved. If you’ll please refer to the last page of the packet, you’ll see that as a whole, the Delwinn Council has no information about the attack, but we are pleased that we were able to help the Normals and will do everything we can to bring those responsible to justice. Until we get more details, that is the official standpoint of the Council for now. All we ask is that no one speak to the press outside of the controlled environments. No independent opinions and no going off the reservation.”

Kelly glared at me specifically.

I gave her a look of pure, unbridled innocence. “What?”

“As long as we maintain a united front,” Kari said, taking over for her sister, “and with the generous help from Ambassador Jones and her people, we believe we can generate some long-term positive results out of this tragedy.”

Most of the table murmured their agreements, but I noticed Rancin glaring at me.

“Thank you, ladies,” Devon said. “Your efforts are greatly appreciated. Now then, are there any questions?”

I started to raise my hand, but Jethrow beat me to the punch. “Pardon me, sir, but are we certain that a publicity tour is where the Council needs to focus its attention?”

Devon looked at the Warlock. “What do you mean?”

“It’s just that between the attacks and the issues we’re having with the rift repair teams, we need as many able-bodied people on hand as possible. I feel Warlock Shifter’s talents might be better utilized if he stayed local.”

I blinked, unable to wrap my mind around the fact that Jethrow had just brought up the point I’d wanted to make. On the one hand, I was impressed that he knew me that well. On the other, he was the last person I wanted speaking for me.

Devon’s eyebrows pinched together. “I understand your concerns, but I think the ability to utilize this opportunity to foster a better bond between the Skilled and Normals is more important. The media tends to focus too much on our differences. Now we finally have a chance to capitalize on our similarities.”

I watched their conversation with a feeling of detached horror and fascination. Here were two men who had, in some fashion, screwed me. Devon, by upholding Rancin’s decision to suspend me and Jethrow...for a lot of stuff. Yet now they were debating how best to employ me for the good of the Skilled community. It was both flattering and annoying. After all, what gave them the right to choose my fate?

Jethrow started to speak once again, but caught himself. Instead, he inclined his head. “Understood, sir.”

“Excellent. Anyone else?”

This time, I got my hand up. Devon’s eyes rested on me for a few seconds. “Yes, Warlock Shifter.”

“Hi everyone. I’m Marcus. Long-time listener, first-time caller.”

No one laughed.

The stiffs.

“Anywho, may I just say what a great job the Conrad twins did putting this packet together.” I wasn’t sure my BS job was believable, but Kelly and Keri smiled. “That said, please don’t take offense when I say, screw you.”

Their faces fell. Even Pell seemed startled.

Devon, however, darkened. “I beg your pardon?”

“I’m sorry if that sounds harsh,” I said in a calm voice, “but the fact is that no one bothered to consult us about any of this.” I turned to Elsa. “Did they?”

Her eyes darted around the room. “Not really, no.”

I eyed Devon. “See, that’s the problem. Everyone here, myself included, is in violent agreement that we have an opportunity for some much needed good PR. The issue is everyone wants to use Elsa and me like tools without checking to see if we had plans.”

Rancin’s scowl deepened. “I knew this was a bad idea.”

Devon glowered. “Are you refusing to cooperate?”

I leaned forward, pinching the bridge of my nose. “You know, just once I wish someone would actually listen to what I’m saying.”

The table was silent. Eventually, it was Jethrow who piped up. “Marcus, what
are
you saying?”

Leave it to Jethrow to come to my rescue. “Plain and simple, you can’t get into our pants without wining and dining us first. But before you can even do
that
, we deserve to be told how pretty we are. Maybe even take us dancing.”

Confused faces greeted me when I opened my eyes. Except for Pell, who was grinning from ear to ear.

“Warlock Shifter, would you and Miss Klein mind if the Council used you as publicity tools? It will involve travel, wining and dining. Maybe even hanky-panky if you two are good.”

I smiled. “Why, Wizard Pell, you dirty old man. Of
course
I’ll help the Delwinn Council. Thank you so much for asking.”

Pell’s eyes twinkled while the rest of the table—save for Rancin and Devon—relaxed.

“But I do have some stipulations,” I added.

Rancin muttered a curse.

“We’re listening,” Devon said tightly.

“Awesome. First, you reinstate Joel Arbent as leader of the rift repair teams.”

“That’s not going to ha—” Rancin started, but I cut her off.