Chapter Twelve – First Day on the Job

The following Monday morning, Dave entered what appeared to be an office building as unremarkable as any in the Atlanta area. He rode the elevator up in solitude, collecting his thoughts as he prepared for what awaited him. Soon, he arrived at one of the higher floors of the building and approached the security desk in front of him.

“Name?” asked the guard.

“Dave Brighton,” he replied. Glancing at the piece of paper in his hand, he continued, “I’m here to meet with a… Patricia Jenkins?”

“Hold on.”

Dave waited a few moments while the guard made a phone call to confirm his story was correct. A minute or two after the guard hung up, the security door behind the desk opened to reveal a short black lady with braided cornrows in her hair.

“Mr. Brighton?” she asked.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“With me, please,” she said, holding the door open for him.

As Dave walked with Patricia, he took immediate notice of her overall demeanor. She wore a business skirt and suit jacket and walked with supreme authority and confidence with every step she took. Her face, while showing no annoyance or displeasure, depicted a woman with a no-nonsense attitude. Dave surmised she had worked almost her entire life to attain the position she had. As they walked through the mess of cubicles, he took notice of the multitude of people hunched over their computer screens. He could have sworn he heard several individuals make reference to an “agency” of some sort.

“Mrs. Jenkins, may I ask what this place is specifically?” Dave asked.

Patricia gave a slight sigh at this. “I’d prefer you didn’t, but since you already have, this is a branch of the NSA.”

Dave’s eyes went wide at hearing this. “NSA?” he whispered. “Do they… know?”

“Of course not,” Patricia said, growing impatient. “As far as they know, everyone who works with me is part of a top-secret division that’s strictly on a need-to-know basis, which is pretty much the truth. Now, this way.”

Dave followed Patricia down a hallway and to yet another security desk. Dave noticed that there was no door behind the desk, yet there was the same RFID reader on the wall that they had used to first enter the floor. After speaking with the guard for a moment, Patricia again used her ID badge on the reader. This time, the reader flipped up to reveal a circular indention. When Patricia pressed her ring against it, Dave realized that it was reading her Channel. A moment later, a point of blue light appeared on the wall behind the desk and expanded into the size and shape of a doorway.

“Woah,” Dave marveled.

“Ok, in you go,” Patricia said, tapping her foot.

“Wait, what?”

Before Dave could protest further, Patricia had grabbed him by the wrist and flung him forward through the portal. A sudden chill took his breath away as he caught himself to keep from falling on his face. He then looked up, finding himself at the base of an enormous mountain.

“Holy shit…”

“Welcome to Mount Elbert, Mr. Brighton,” said Patricia, closing the portal behind her. “I’ll see you at the top.”

“At the TOP?!”

As Patricia bounded up the mountain trail at superhuman speeds, she shouted behind her, “And no teleporting!”

Dave watched her disappear into the distance and tried to make sense of all this. He came to the conclusion that he was being tested in some way, but the manner of test wasn’t immediately clear to him. As he started up the trail to get his bearings, Dave felt a shiver travel up his spine and realized how cold the air was at this elevation. He began to try and warm himself up by regulating his body temperature with sorcery, but found he had a great deal of trouble with it. After a minute or two, he finally managed to get his body back to a comfortable temperature, but now realized how exhausted he was. Dave slumped down on one knee as he felt his head go fuzzy and his vision begin to blur…

*****

“Charlie, where exactly are we going?” Mark asked, flying with Charlie Larusso across the Pacific Ocean.

“You’ll see.”

“Well, wherever we’re going, why can’t we just teleport there?”

Charlie sighed. “Iger, you’d better quell your incessant questions. I might be able to tolerate it, but my superiors are a different story. Just keep up.”

Mark grimaced at this. He hated being kept in the dark, but he bit his tongue. It was clear that whomever had secured his acquittal was far more powerful and influential than he. These Illuminati, as they claimed to be, had managed to evade attention from the Masons and even plant their people within the organization. He needed to tread with care.

“Ok, we’re going underwater,” said Charlie.

Mark continued to follow Charlie’s flight path beneath the waves. While Mark had expected to find some secret hideaway as soon as they dove below the surface, he was surprised instead to see Charlie start to plummet straight down. Mark shook his head and followed suit, traveling deeper and deeper until he would not have been able to survive the pressure without the aid of sorcery. At last, they arrived at the bottom of a deep crevasse, whereupon Charlie focused his power to open a portal hidden within the seafloor itself.

“Wait, is this Challenger Deep?” Mark asked.

“Very good, rookie. The deepest point on Earth; perfect for hiding from the Masons.”

“Incredible…”

“All right, in you go,” Charlie said, gesturing to the portal.

Mark sighed and followed Charlie’s instructions, stepping into the circle of light. A moment later, he found himself standing in a vast cavern of some sort. The only light came from a single spotlight directly above him. Several figures surrounded him in the shadows, but they seemed content not to reveal their identities at the moment.

“So, this is what we have spent our resources to acquire,” one of them said. Mark could tell that the voice was being altered with sorcery; it sounded almost robotic.

“He does not seem as impressive as I had hoped,” said another.

“Perhaps, but there is potential for great power within him,” yet another replied. “If he can but prove his worth…”

The first figure edged closer to the light, revealing his body from the waist down. “And what say you, Iger? Are you worth what we have spent to bring you here?”

Mark’s mouth went dry, but he knew there was no going back. “I am. Though my public demeanor is one of humility, rest assured that I pride myself on being one of the most powerful sorcerers in America. I would dare say that I am more than a match even for those on the Security Council.”

“If you are so powerful, why did you not resist your arrest?”

“Because I was instructed not to by, I presume, this body. Make no mistake, I am not a meek ‘yes man’ who follows any instruction without a thought, but even I am intelligent enough to know when there are forces at work beyond my full comprehension. I sensed an opportunity to join the winning side and took it.”

“Hmm… very well. Larusso? He is all yours.”

“I understand,” Charlie said from behind Mark with a sinister grin on his face.

“Mark Iger, your life is now no longer your own. Your body, your mind, and your skills all belong to us from this day forward. Your every living moment shall be given to the advancement of the Illuminati. Charlie Larusso is now your direct superior. Any refusal of his orders will be met with extreme prejudice. Is that clear?”

Mark gulped at this prospect. “Yes, it is.”

“Take him.”

*****

“GAH!”

Dave shook himself awake, trying to remember what he had been doing. The sight of the mountain in front of him reminded him that he was supposed to be following Patricia up to the summit, but he had gotten distracted somehow. He glanced down at his wrist watch and saw that he had been out of it for nearly twenty minutes.

“Shit, what the hell happened?” Dave wondered. As he again felt a labored sensation in his chest, he at last realized the problem. “Altitude sickness. It’s the only explanation.”

Dave’s mind began to grow fuzzy again, but this time, he kept his wits about him and reestablished a connection with his Channel. Through his aura, he connected with his lungs and strengthened them a bit, allowing them to function more efficiently and allow him to breathe easier in high altitudes. As he felt his body returning to normal, Dave looked around and saw a sign labeled “Black Cloud Trail.” Though his pride tempted him not to, he decided to do the sensible thing and use a lifeline.

“Maddie, you there?” Dave asked, focusing through his Channel.

“Dave! How is your first day going?” his wife replied in his head.

“Interesting, to say the least. Listen, I’ll fill you in later, but I need you to tell me anything you can look up real quick about the Black Cloud Trail of Mount Elbert.”

“Mount Elbert? Let me grab my iPad. Let’s see… it’s the highest peak in Colorado and the second highest peak in the continental United States… ah, here we are. According to Wikipedia, the Black Cloud Trail is the most difficult route to the summit, involving unevenly distributed elevation changes, steep and unstable trails, and even the ascent of a sub-peak known as South Elbert. Even experienced hikers report it to be quite the physical challenge. Dave, are they making you climb a mountain?”

“Like I said, I’ll fill you in later. Thanks, Maddie!”

At that, Dave powered up his aura and began to bound up the mountain trail as he had seen Patricia do earlier. He established a good pace at first, moving about five times faster than the fastest human sprinter, but soon found himself winded once more. Once he found a place to stop and rest, it was a simple task to regulate his lungs as he had done before, but Dave realized that this would not be enough to maintain a high level of sorcery at these altitudes.

“Got to be some way to keep this up…”

All of a sudden, the solution hit Dave like a bolt of lightning. If he couldn’t regulate his own body well enough to maintain his concentration, perhaps he could regulate the air itself. With great effort, Dave began to draw in the oxygen around him, pooling it around his mouth and nose like a mask. In this way, the air he breathed became thicker and healthier, as it would have been in lower elevations. That done, he then formed his aura around the oxygen, keeping it in place as he moved. Finally, he set up a vacuum within his aura that would draw in fresh oxygen automatically at the same rate that he consumed it. Dave now felt that he was brimming with energy and resumed his ascent, dashing and bounding up the mountain path with all haste. Over an hour later, he was still moving without any fatigue or difficulty, even as he moved to higher altitudes. Soon, he saw the peak of South Elbert ahead of him. He leapt high into the air and took flight for a few seconds before landing in front of a surprised Patricia Jenkins.

“Miss me?” Dave asked.

“Impressive, Mr. Brighton,” Patricia replied. “Last stretch before the summit. Try to keep up.”

Patricia took off once more at high speed, but this time, Dave stayed right with her the whole way. They leapt across the mountainous terrain, using each crag to propel them higher and higher until the snowy peak was within their grasp. The pair at last reached the summit together and took a moment to admire the view, one of the most spectacular in the entire country.

“This view never gets old,” Patricia said with a smile.

“Agreed,” Dave replied, peering down at Turquoise Lake below. “Still, what was the point of all that? Couldn’t we have just teleported here to start with?”

“Had to test you, and what better test that a sorcerer’s biggest weakness?”

“Weakness? Are you talking about my getting dizzy for a while there?”

“Yep,” Patricia nodded. “Altitude sickness has been trouble for a lot of sorcerers over the years. Strong as we are, anything that can cloud our minds and disrupt our concentration is a hindrance to performing sorcery. How’d you get past that problem?”

“Started out trying to strengthen my lungs, but that only lasted a few minutes. When that didn’t work, I collected denser air around my mouth and nose, held it in place with my aura.”

“Seriously? You created a breathing mask with your aura?”

“Yeah,” Dave grinned.

“Damn. I thought Secretary Carson was blowin’ smoke about you, but that’s pretty impressive. Sorcerers don’t have many inherent weaknesses, but oxygen deprivation can cripple anyone unprepared for it.”

“Huh… I guess that makes sense. If given a chance, lack of oxygen would take up so much of a sorcerer’s attention that they’d be unable to focus enough to use their Channel,” Dave reasoned.

“Exactly. That’s why we always send our new members up this route. They’ve gotta find a way to fight through their primary weakness.” After a few more silent moments to appreciate the view, she continued, “All right, enough gawking. Time to get to work.”

Patricia then pointed at the peak on which they stood and sent out a pulse of her aura energy. After a moment, a point of white light began to shine from the rock, eventually shooting up into the sky as a thin column. Without a word, Patricia stepped into the column and disappeared in a flash. Still unsure of what they were doing there, Dave shook his head and followed her lead. After being blinded for a moment, he blinked his eyes open and found himself inside a cave of some sort. Ahead of him stood both Patricia and Secretary Ben Carson.

“Welcome to Command-One, Mr. Brighton,” said Patricia.

“Woah…”

Dave looked around the immense cavern, taking note of the multitude of computers and other high-tech equipment. Most everyone there was hard at work with their faces buried in their computer screens, though a few individuals roamed the area to help coordinate.

“Where are we? What is this place?” Dave asked.

“We’re inside Mount Elbert itself. This is our base of operations for all surveillance of sorcery and other magical activity here in the continental United States,” Ben replied. “From here, we can detect any magic used by any sorcerer from Miami to Seattle.”

Patricia chimed in, “We do this by enhancing NSA equipment with our powers. Mostly, we’re only detecting surges in magical energy and deciphering what spell is being performed. If there’s nothing suspicious, we don’t inquire further, but at the first sign of trouble, we can use satellite imagery to get a closer look at the situation and, if necessary, intervene directly.”

“Impressive… and a little scary,” Dave admitted.

“Every American sorcerer knows of this place and its purpose,” Ben assured him. “We all accept that our every move is monitored for the safety of the general population. It’s part of the deal in being able to practice sorcery.”

“I know that look on your face,” Patricia said to Dave. “In principle, I agree with you: this is a massive invasion of privacy. But in practice, it’s necessary. One rogue sorcerer would be plenty strong enough to overthrow the entire government before we could do anything about it. This allows us to make sure it never comes to that.”

“In addition, we never use our base to observe ordinary citizens. Any surveillance requests on the general population must go through official channels,” Ben said. “I’ve got to get going, Dave. Just wanted to see you off as you started your first day. Patricia is our Chief of Operations here at Command-One. Listen to her. Otherwise, she’ll kick your ass.”

“I believe it,” Dave smirked.

Almost the moment Ben left, Patricia got a signal from one of her employees that they needed to show her something.

“Mr. Brighton, with me.” Dave nodded and followed as Patricia approached the desk of the employee who had signaled her. “What’ve we got?” she asked.

“Might be a chickling, Madam Chief,” said the young man working the screen. All Dave could make out was a series of commands, but he suspected there was more to it. “Got a surge of fire magic from a rough neighborhood in Detroit. No ID on the user, so it’s not one of ours.”

“Give me a visual, please.”

After a few seconds of typing, he brought up a live feed of an apartment in what looked like a housing project. As he watched, Dave’s jaw dropped at realizing this feed was actually coming from inside the apartment.

“How are you able to see in there?” he asked.

“Like I said, we enhance the NSA equipment with sorcery. Basically, we locate the nearest camera, make it invisible, and teleport it into the home we need to see into,” Patricia replied, still more interested in the image onscreen. A little black girl of about six or seven was bawling her eyes out, a boy that could have been her older brother lying on the floor in front of her. The boy appeared to have severe burns all over his body. “Uh oh, here comes Mama,” Patricia continued, seeing an adult woman enter the frame with a phone in hand. “James, intercept that call.”

“On it.” James then grabbed a headset and activated a call program on his computer screen. “911, what is your emergency?”

Dave watched in awe as the Masons set about their tasks. While James worked to calm the hysterical mother over the phone, a containment team was dispatched to their home with haste. Once there, they treated the boy’s wounds and healed him back to perfect health. The mother was obviously shocked by this, which prompted Patricia’s next action.

“Time for a house call. Mr. Brighton, you’ll accompany me, but let me do all the talking. Understand?”

“No problem,” Dave replied.

With a wave of her hand, Patricia teleported both of them to the hallway leading to the apartment they had seen onscreen. Ahead of them, the door stood open and the building echoed with the sounds of angry shouting. Dave stuck close beside Patricia as she walked calmly into the apartment, seeing her men being lit into by the mother.

“Madam Chief,” the man in charge said.

“That will be all, Mr. Matthews. I’ll take it from here,” Patricia replied. Turning to the distressed woman, she continued, “Miss Orson, my name is Patricia. I need to talk to you about the incident a few minutes ago.”

“Just who the hell are you people? G-men?” the lady asked, glaring at them.

“I don’t appreciate your tone of voice,” Patricia shot back.

“This is my home; I’ll speak in whatever tone of voice I damn well please! Now, tell me what the fuck is going on here!” she shouted. “One second, I’m gettin’ a headache from them two kids yellin’ at each other, then my son screams and falls to the ground with burns all over his body!”

Deciding not to mince words, Patricia said, “Your daughter is a sorcerer.”

“Say what? The hell are you smoking?”

“You heard me right,” Patricia replied. “She’s smart isn’t she? Smarter than every one of her friends, I’d bet.”

From there, Patricia went into the explanation of how those with genius-level intellect sometimes have the power to use sorcery. Much of it went over the mother’s head, but she understood enough when she realized that her daughter, always smarter than those around her, was more than just intelligent. It took a solid twenty minutes, but the lady finally calmed down enough to start to process everything that had happened.

“My god… you’re saying my daughter is so smart that she can use magic?!”

“That’s right,” said Patricia. “The problem is that she has no idea of this or how to control it. That’s where we come in, Miss Orson.”

“You can call me Latonya. Whatcha mean about where you come in?”

“Latonya, as you saw today, your daughter has incredible power, but without control and training, she will be a danger to herself and those around her. She needs to learn how to master this potential, and we have the necessary facilities to help her do just that.”

“You tryin’ to take my baby from me?”

“We would never do that,” Patricia replied. “Our training facilities for young sorcerers are designed for families. You and her brother would come with her. We can help you find a new job, get your son enrolled in a better school, everything you’ll ever need.”

“For real?! How can you afford all that?”

“We believe in taking care of our own, Latonya,” Patricia smiled. “Your daughter needs our help, and those of us who have been through this already want to pay it forward. And with your daughter’s powers, her family is our family, too.”

Latonya shook her head. “You a sweet lady… I think I agree with you, but I’m not gonna force my girl. If she don’t wanna go, I won’t make her.”

“Of course. Would it be ok if we talked to her for a few minutes?” Patricia asked.

“Sure. She’s in the living room on the sofa. Her name’s Tamara.”

“Thank you.”

Patricia and Dave moved into the living room, finding the sullen little girl on the sofa with her face in a pillow. She had finally stopped crying but seemed to be expecting the worst after everything that had happened. Dave followed Patricia’s lead and took a seat on the floor in front of the sofa, putting them almost eye-to-eye with the girl.

“Hi, Tamara,” said Patricia in a sweet voice that Dave had no idea she possessed. “My name is Patricia, and this is my friend, Dave. Would it be ok if we ask you a few questions, sweetie?”

“You’re gonna take me to jail, aren’t you?” the girl wailed into the pillow.

“Not a chance. Why would you think we would take you to jail?” Patricia asked.

“Because I hurt Jabar!”

“Jabar? Is that your big brother’s name?”

“Yeah…”

“Well, you don’t need to worry about him. He’s going to be just fine. Tamara, could you tell me about how Jabar got hurt?”

“We… we were fighting,” Tamara said, sitting up on the couch. “He was making fun of me for reading, said it made me a dorky nerd. I tried to ignore him like Mama says, but… then he grabbed the book and threw it across the room. I got mad and screamed at him and… and…”

“And what happened next?” Patricia asked, scooting a bit closer.

“He caught on fire!” Tamara replied, beginning to cry again. “The fire… it came from my hands, but I don’t know how!”

“Fire from your hands? Tamara, that’s amazing!” Patricia said with a grin.

“You… you’re not mad at me?”

“Of course not. Tell me, how old are you?”

“Seven.”

“And what book were you reading?”

Tamara replied, “It’s called A Wrinkle in Time.”

Dave’s eyebrows shot up at hearing this and he had to chime in. “That’s a hard book.”

Patricia gave him a sideways glance but nodded in agreement. “I agree. Where did you learn to read like that, Tamara?”

“Um, could you call me Tammy? I don’t like being called Tamara. It sounds like when I get in trouble with Mama.”

“Of course! Tammy it is. Do you read books like that all the time, Tammy?”

The girl shrugged. “When I can, but they’re hard to find. There’s not many good books in the school library, and the county library is two streets over. It’s scary to walk there.”

“A scary neighborhood?” Patricia clarified.

“Yeah. But the school librarian saw me pick that book out and asked if it might be too hard for me. I read her the first page out loud, and she gave it to me for as long as I wanted to keep it.”

“That was very nice of her! Tammy, have you noticed that you seem to be smarter than the other kids in your class? Maybe that you can read better and do math and science more easily?”

Tammy nodded. “My teacher, Mrs. Rosario, wants me to do FOCUS classes next year, but Jabar will just be meaner if I do…”

“Well, Tammy, there are lots of smart people in this world,” Patricia said, “but there are a few who are so smart that they can make things happen. They can do things that would be impossible otherwise. You’re one of those people, Tammy, just like Dave and me. We’re all sorcerers.”

“Sorcerers? You mean like in Harry Potter?”

“That’s right. Watch this.”

Patricia held out her hand in front of her and conjured a small fireball, causing Tammy’s eyes to widen in shock. The fireball grew to the size of a baseball, yet it remained firmly under Patricia’s control.

“Patricia, that’s awful dangerous indoors,” Dave said with a smirk. “I think we’d better put that out.”

Dave then pointed at the fireball and sprayed a jet of frigid water at it, freezing it into a solid chunk of ice. Patricia gave Dave a dirty look, but Tammy’s giggling seemed to make it all worth it.

“See, Tammy? Dave and I are just like you, and we want to help you. We have a special school we can send you to where you’ll learn all about your powers and how to control them. That way, you won’t ever hurt someone by accident again.”

“You’re sending me away? I wouldn’t see Mama and Jabar again?” Tamara asked with a worried look on her face.

“Oh, Mama and Jabar will come with you! You’ll have a nicer place to live in, a better school for your brother, and your Mama will have a great new job. It’ll be so much better than here in Detroit. Your Mama says it’s up to you, though. What do you think?”

As Tammy thought, a smile began to spread across her lips. “I wanna do it.”

*****

“Hell of a first day,” Dave sighed, relaxing in the break room of Command-One, really an outcropping with some chairs and tables set up.

“Oh, we’ve only scratched the surface,” Patricia said with a laugh.

“So, is that the most common way you discover new sorcerers?”

“More often than you’d think,” Patricia nodded. “Some are discovered later in their lives, like you, but of the sorcerers we uncover as children, the vast majority are like Tammy. By that, I mean she’s from a family of limited financial means and likely lives in a rough neighborhood.”

“How does that influence things?” Dave wondered.

“Consider this: what is required for a normal sorcerer to use their powers?”

“Their Channel.”

“Right. But Tammy’s power spilled out without the aid of a Channel. This is because of her situation. She’s incredibly smart, as all sorcerers are, but has virtually no outlets for this intelligence. Her mom is stretched thin, her brother makes fun of her when she does find books to read, and she experiences daily stress from the fear of where she lives. All these things caused her power to build up to critical mass within her mind, the results of which you saw today. Though I have to admit, her power seemed incredibly strong for a Chickling…”

“That makes sense,” Dave nodded. “Sort of like that children’s book, Matilda.”

“Exactly! Conversely, the more outlets a child has for their intellect and curiosity, the less likely their latent power is to spill out.”

“I wonder if that’s why the Masons never discovered me growing up?”

“Probably,” said Patricia. “You had a stable household with two loving and supportive parents, plus ample opportunity to explore and learn about the world around you. Your power never had a chance to spill out because it didn’t need to. You probably would have been found out eventually, but no way of knowing for sure.”

“That explains the chaos in Salem…”

“Definitely,” Patricia nodded. “Their Puritan society was so restrictive towards women that two little girls as smart as Abigail and Betty simply had nothing to do with their minds at all. All they were taught is how to cook, clean, and that they’d eventually have babies. Once their power spilled out, they felt they had no choice but to blame others for witchcraft to survive.”

“Yeah, and they weren’t wrong,” Dave snorted. “How long will it take to train Tammy?”

“Oh, most of her childhood, I’d wager. It’s not all about sorcery and spells, after all; she’s also got to learn as much about the world around her as she can. One can’t bend the laws of nature without first understanding what those laws are.”

“Hmm… that’s probably why it only took three months for Merlin to train me…”

“Yeah, yeah, quit showing off!” Patricia laughed. “But you’re probably right. You already had all the knowledge of the natural world you needed to understand the concepts necessary to use sorcery. For children like Tammy, their entire education going forward is going to be built around what they’ll need to perform sorcery. We’ll start them off with simple spells and scientific concepts before moving to more advanced things. Most children don’t even attempt to use aura energy until their third year of high school; a certain amount of mental and emotional maturity is needed for that sort of sorcery.”

“Really? But isn’t aura integral to almost every single advanced spell out there?”

“Yes, but you’ll find that the slow and steady education is our preference here in the modern world of sorcery. I’d bet your time under Merlin was more of a crash course.”

“You can say that again,” Dave chuckled. “So, is this the only mountain you guys have taken over?”

“Not by a long shot. Pretty much all the highest peaks across the world serve as observation points for sorcerers. You should see how China and Nepal jockey over Everest… anyway, we’ve got a smaller station set up at Mount Whitney, as well as our national defense office at Denali.”

“Why is the smaller station at Mount Whitney instead of here? Isn’t Whitney taller?”

“It is, but Elbert is more centrally located; makes it easier to keep an eye on the entire country from one location. Denali is also in prime location to keep an eye on Alaska and Hawaii while also scanning for any potential foreign threats. Between those two, Mount Whitney is just there for extra coverage if need be.”

Hearing Patricia mention foreign threats got Dave thinking once more about the results of the trial and his suspicions of foul play. “You mentioned foreign threats. Do we have any enemies?”

Patricia shrugged. “Just the usual suspects. There’s the insane turd in North Korea, plus the extremists in the Middle East, and China and Russia aren’t our friends, either.”

“True, but not what I meant,” Dave smirked. “Do the Masons have any enemies?”

Patricia replied, “Honestly, not in the sense you’re thinking of. Sorcerers around the world have gotten along quite well since World War I, mainly due to the realization of how destructive an actual sorcery war would be. There are the standard political disagreements, sure, but nothing to cause true enmity. And most of the nations that consider themselves open enemies of America are so oppressive that they don’t have sorcery at all.”

“So, the Masons have never had any enemies amongst their fellow sorcerers?”

“Not in over a century. The last organized group to challenge us was the Illuminati, a sect of sorcerers that formed soon after the end of the American Revolution. They disagreed with the ideals we had come to align with during the war and felt that sorcerers were genetically superior to the rest of mankind. They were so convinced of their own right to rule the world that they’d do anything to make it happen. Almost the moment the United States was formed, they were plotting its downfall, working with like-minded sorcerers in Britain and France to stoke the animosity between the three nations and eventually bring the Napoleonic Wars to a head. Britain’s government did the rest themselves, coning American sailors into their navy to spark the War of 1812. Even once the war was officially over, the Illuminati tried to fund Britain’s last-ditch effort to invade New Orleans.”

“But I thought the Battle of New Orleans was only fought because news of the peace treaty hadn’t reached them yet?” Dave replied.

“That’s the official story,” Patricia nodded. “But unofficially, both Britain’s government and the Illuminati had no intention of honoring the treaty. Only problem was that they severely underestimated the leadership of General Jackson and the tenacity of the Americans. We had strongly considered intervening after learning of the Illuminati’s interference, but several of our members who knew Jackson personally advised that he could handle anything the British could throw at him, even as outnumbered as he was.”

“Impressive, but what happened to the Illuminati?”

“Obviously, we had to take them as a more serious threat after the War of 1812 and began flushing out their plants within the Masons. As for the Illuminati leadership, they finally figured out that no invading force would be able to topple the American military, so they shifted their efforts to tearing the nation apart from the inside. We did the best we could to try and counter them, but by the 1850s, tensions were high between the northern and southern states. All the Illuminati had to do was throw a little fuel on the fire and those tensions exploded into a civil war.”

“The Illuminati caused the American Civil War?!” said Dave.

“Not caused; the country was headed for a civil war regardless,” Patricia replied. “What the Illuminati did do was accelerate the process. They got radicals on both sides elected to congressional seats and state legislatures. The northern ones did more than just denounce slavery; they went off the rails with the drastic sanctions against southern farmers in an attempt to ruin their economy. Conversely, the southerners they got elected were warmongers who made the first calls for secession and rebellion. By the time shots were fired at Fort Sumter, the Illuminati had created a fissure in the American political system that I’m not sure has ever fully healed.”

“So, what happened then? The Masons couldn’t just sit by and watch a rival group of sorcerers meddle with the American government, could they?”

“Not a chance,” Patricia snorted. “We had been engaged in covert operations to try and disrupt the Illuminati for years by that point, but after they helped spark the Civil War, we had no choice but to engage directly. While the non-magical part of the war was mostly fought in border states like Virginia and Tennessee, the Illuminati had to retreat out to the unexplored frontier. Around the same time as Sherman’s conquest of Atlanta, we had the Illuminati pinned down in their last stronghold in the Black Hills. They put up a helluva fight, but we managed to eliminate the last of them thanks to the backing of the local natives.”

“Native Americans were sorcerers, too?!”

“Yeah, but we’ll get to that another time. Anyway, the Battle of the Badlands was the last stand for the Illuminati, but even after their defeat, they had already set their final gambit into motion. Remember how they had been manipulating non-magical folks on both sides of the war? Well, they managed to do it with one last person: John Wilkes Booth. Their plan was for Booth to assassinate Lincoln, of course, but it wasn’t supposed to stop there. They wanted to target each member of the line of succession with the goal of getting one man into the White House: Thaddeus Stevens. He wasn’t Speaker of the House, but if they had managed to take out Speaker Colfax, Stevens would have been probable to succeed him. After that, all they’d have to do is take out President Johnson to get Stevens into the White House.”

“Hold up, hold up,” Dave said, scratching his head. “Thaddeus Stevens was a staunch abolitionist, wasn’t he? He was crucial to the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment, so why would the Illuminati have wanted him as President instead of Lincoln?”

“True, Stevens did great things in the House of Representatives, but as President, he would have been a disaster. Remember, he was known not only for his abolitionist views, but also for his demeanor; the man had all the subtlety of a jackhammer. So, while President Johnson enflamed the northern states by granting full pardons and readmittance for all the southern states, President Stevens would have treated the entire south as conquered territory, resulting in every resident therein being branded a traitor.”

“Holy shit… that would have caused another civil war in less than a generation! As bad as Johnson was as President, Stevens would have been worse!”

“Exactly,” said Patricia. “That was their goal. The Illuminati wanted to keep the United States in a constant state of civil war, creating a power vacuum when the government fell apart. They would then fill that void.”

“Good thing you got to them in time,” Dave replied, still thinking deeply about his suspicions. “How do we know the Illuminati were wiped out for good, though?”

“The turning point that allowed us to go to open war with them was when we developed the means to track uses of sorcery in greater detail. Once we had that capability, there was nowhere for the Illuminati to hide. We still keep a constant watch for trouble, but we haven’t detected any magical signatures from the Illuminati in well over a century.”

*****

“Larusso, you want to tell me exactly what the hell is going on here? Who the hell are these people?” Mark demanded.

“We’re the Illuminati, Iger. It’s that simple.”

“No, it’s not! The Illuminati were wiped out over a century ago!”

“Yes, that’s what we wanted the Masons to believe,” Charlie replied with a grin. “Sit down, Iger. It’s time for a history lesson…

“As I’m sure you’re aware, our ancestors suffered a crushing defeat in the Battle of the Badlands near the end of the American Civil War,” Charlie began. “But while the Masons believed us destroyed, a small number of our people survived.”

“How is that possible?” Mark asked. “The Civil War was the point in time when the Masons developed the means to track even the smallest amount of sorcery. That’s what led to the defeat of the Illuminati.”

“Exactly. As it became clear that defeat was imminent, the leaders of the Illuminati realized their spells were being tracked. In their final gambit, they sent out the last of their warriors to engage the Masons while the leaders escaped into the Black Hills. With the help of one of their members who had intimate knowledge of the area, they disappeared without a trace… and without sorcery.

“The surviving Illuminati knew that they could not use their power as long as the Masons could track their whereabouts. For years, they lived as the savages did, surviving by the skin of their teeth, scavenging resources from the land, but their efforts eventually paid off when they discovered the means to develop these,” Charlie said, holding up the black ring hidden underneath his Channel.

“The ring you placed on my finger the other day,” Mark nodded. “What is it?”

“This is called a Shroud. With this, we can freely use sorcery without fear of being discovered by the Masons. No matter what, they cannot track us. Moreover, we can deactivate its effects with a thought, allowing me to complete my normal duties for the Masons while I gather intel on their activities. Since the end if the Civil War, our Shrouds have allowed us to rebuild our strength in preparation for the day that we at last accomplish our goals.”

“And what is the ultimate goal of the Illuminati?”

“The same as it always has been: A World Government in which sorcerers may finally exercise their divine right to rule. While we had hoped that two world wars would have rallied more to our cause, our numbers remain too small to do anything openly… not yet, at least. Still, day-by-day, our dream comes closer to fruition.”

Mark shrugged at this. “I suppose that would be the best thing for mankind, destructive and stupid as they’re capable of being. The Masons certainly qualify…”

“I agree. And if you wish to contribute to our efforts to help humanity, there is a task you will need to complete.”

*****

Dave left the NSA office building that afternoon in great spirits, excited for everything the future held. Meeting Tammy was the highlight of his day; he couldn’t wait to tell Maddie about everything he had learned. Still, his instincts nagged at him. He knew something was not right about the Iger situation, and learning that the Masons had once fought a civil war against a group of rival sorcerers only added to those doubts. Before heading home for the day, he contacted Jerome to make sure it’d be fine if he stopped by his apartment. After receiving an affirmative, he teleported over to Jerome’s place.

“Dave! To what do I owe the pleasure, Mr. Married Man?”

“Man, we have a lot to talk about,” Dave replied.

Dave began by filling Jerome in on everything he had learned over the last few weeks about sorcerers in the modern world. Though he knew he was breaking Masonic law, Dave wasn’t worried; Jerome had his utmost confidence. Besides, Jerome already knew about Dave and Maddie being sorcerers, and nothing the Masons could do would change that. If anyone could help with Dave’s conspiracy theories, it was Jerome.

“Damn, you’re serious?!”

“Yep. The Masons basically run things here in America, at least as far as sorcery goes,” Dave replied.

“Man, I dunno about this…”

“Relax, man. They don’t have any authority to investigate non-magical matters. And I know you’re not giving me up, so we’re in the clear, right?”

“Yeah, I guess. It’s just a lot to take in.”

“I know, but I was wondering if you could help me with something.”

“What’s that?” Jerome asked.

“I need you to see what you might be able to dig up on the Illuminati.”

“The Illuminati? What’s an outdated conspiracy group got to do with all this?”

Dave replied, “Well, I learned a bit of the history of the Masons today. Back during the Civil War, America’s sorcerers had a civil war of their own. On one side was the Masons, advocating for a peaceful coexistence with America. On the other side was the Illuminati, who believed in Divine Right to Rule, specifically that sorcerers were the genetically superior people and should have dominion over non-sorcerers.”

“Shit, I hate the sound of that…”

“Yeah, so do I. According to the Masons, they completely wiped out the Illuminati at the end of the Civil War, but something is still nagging at me. I just want to be sure they are, in fact, gone for good.”

“Trust, but verify. I get it,” Jerome nodded. “Still, we’re gonna have to be uber careful with this. If I get caught-”

“You’ll be completely safe,” Dave said with a grin. “Can I see your computer for a sec?”

Placing a hand on Jerome’s computer, Dave focused his aura into the machine and began to connect to the motherboard. He had done this once before when helping Maddie get her photo ID from the DMV, so it was a relatively simple task to locate the IP address on Jerome’s network. After activating a long-term spell, Dave disconnected and turned to his friend.

“Done. Your IP address is now completely shielded from discovery. Anyone who tries to track your activities will just end up chasing their own tail.”

“You’re sure?”

“Positive, Jerome. Now, I’m trusting you with this spell. If you ever use this for any sort of unscrupulous purposes, you’ll be answering to me.”

“Word of honor, my man. I won’t abuse it.”

“Good.”

Jerome said, “One more thing. What if the Masons somehow catch wind of what I’m searching for? Won’t they be able to see through your spell?”

“Nope. If that happens, all they’ll be able to see is the fact that they’re being blocked by sorcery. They won’t be able to see anything about you. Don’t worry about it.”

*****

“Maddie, I’m home!”

“Dave!” she exclaimed in reply, leaping into his arms. “I missed you so much! How was your first day?”

“Excellent. I’ve got so much to tell you.”

“Well, sit down and tell me over dinner. I made chicken parmesan.”

“My favorite? Damn, you’re gonna spoil me…”

Dave proceeded to tell Maddie all about his experiences, from climbing Mount Elbert, to meeting Tammy, and even the extended history of the Masons he had learned. Maddie listened with great interest through it all. Like Dave, she was particularly excited that Tammy was getting the chance to better her life through sorcery. She hoped she might get the chance to meet the little girl, though she didn’t know if that would be allowed. As Dave finished his account of the day’s events, Maddie was bursting at the seams to tell him a bit of good news she had learned.

“So, there is something else that happened today,” Maddie said.

“Yeah?”

“I received a call from Secretary Carson. He said my paperwork for full citizenship is still being processed, but my application into the Masons has been accepted! I can start work with you tomorrow!”

“That’s great news!” Dave said, leaning across the table to kiss his wife. “I have to admit, the only bad part about today was being without you.”

“I quite agree,” Maddie replied, tickling Dave’s arm in the way she knew made his spine tingle. “So, I’ve been instructed to report to work with you tomorrow.”

“Man, that’s good to know…”

Sensing something in his eyes, Maddie asked, “Are you all right, Dave? You seem… distracted by something.”

“Huh? Oh, don’t worry about it. I’m cool.”

Maddie cocked an eyebrow at this. “Have I not said again and again that you are the most dreadful liar? Come now, what’s bothering you?”

“Well… it’s what I learned about the Illuminati.”

“The rival sorcerers the Masons went to war with all those years ago?”

“Yeah. I know they say that the Illuminati were wiped out, but I can’t shake this feeling that something isn’t right in all this, especially with the outcome of the trial. It’s almost too perfect, like someone engineered the trial to end that way.”

“And you think these Illuminati are involved?”

“Could be. I know it’s just a crazy conspiracy theory at this point, but I’ve asked Jerome to look into it for me.”

“Jerome? You think it wise to involve him in Masonic affairs? I am quite certain you would be punished if they found him out.”

Dave grinned. “Don’t worry, I have his computer protected. Even if someone tries to trace his research, the trail will never lead back to him.”

“David… I don’t know about this. I admit that I agree with your intuition, but we must still be careful. Involving Jerome seems an unnecessary risk.”

“Tell ya what? Let’s just see what Jerome finds out. He’s not going to be too aggressive to start with, and it may turn out to be nothing but wild goose. Ok?”

“I suppose that’s reasonable,” Maddie nodded. Standing, she continued, “Now, I cooked dinner, meaning you get to do the dishes.”

“Nag, nag, nag,” Dave joked.

Maddie eyed Dave warily and sauntered around the table, placing a sensuous kiss on his lips. “And once you do the dishes,” she purred, “I shall expect you in the bedroom so that you may do… me.”

With that, Maddie strolled down the hall towards their bedroom, the gypsy skirt around her hips swaying with every step she took. Just before closing the door, she gave a sultry look over her shoulder and winked at her husband. Dave needed no further motivation than that and sprang up to take care of the kitchen.

“The things I do for love,” he chuckled to himself.