“Good things, I hope,” Zach said, almost by rote. What else could you really say to that?
With a mischievous smile, Bhati shrugged. “A gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell.”
Zach chuckled, along with the majority of the people in the room, but he did note that one man in particular remained stony-faced.
“Of course it’s only been good things,” Kensington assured Zach before continuing. “This is Alistair Cavendish from Alberta.” He gestured to the man sitting at the end of the table. He looked relatively young for the position he held, with straight blond hair that fell across his eyes, and lips that were red from chewing nervously on them. “Alastair has one of the strongest natural talents in recent history, and I believe he and our Drew will have much to talk about once they’re introduced.”
Cavendish didn’t offer his hand to shake but gave Zach a shy wave. Zach gave him a polite smile in return.
“Next to Alistair is his associate and mentor, Marcus Tremblay,” Kensington said, nodding at the man who hadn’t laughed earlier. Zach wondered if he had a sense of humour at all, or if it was shoved up his ass along with the stick he clearly had inserted. Everything about the man screameddouchebag, from his arrogant sneer, his slicked-back hair, and hispristine grey suit. Unlike with the others, Kensington didn’t elaborate on Tremblay’s skills or provide any background information. In fact, he didn’t even pause long enough for Zach to shake the man’s hand. Not that he particularlywanted to, nor did he think Tremblay would offer, but it was interesting to see the Grand Master’s reaction to him. He wondered if he was the reason Kensington was so out of sorts.
“Finally, we have Felice Van de Laar from Oregon. She is the Collective’s most powerful seer, a fount of knowledge, and also a strategic genius.”
The final person at the table, a tiny older lady with rainbow-coloured hair, chunky plastic jewellery, and a bright patchwork dress, stood up. Instead of shaking Zach’s hand, she reached up to tug on his shirt until he bent down to her level, then she planted a kiss on each of his cheeks. “Hello, dear,” she said. “Aren’t you a handsome fellow?”
Tremblay snorted. “That’s how demons work. They seduce you with their looks and their charms until you’re willing to do whatever they say.”
Zach looked at him coolly. “You appear to be misinformed, Mr. Tremblay. I am no demon.”
Waving his hand in dismissal, Tremblay said, “Fallen angel, whatever. It’s all the same.”
“It really isn’t,” Zach stated, then threw Kensington a“Who the fuck is this idiot?”look.
“Please, have a seat,” Kensington told Zach, after giving a minute shake of his head, which Zach took to mean he’d explain later in private. “Hasan has only just arrived, so we haven’t yet begun our official discussions.”
“I believe you’d call the past hour quiterobustdiscussions,” Tremblay disagreed.
“And I believe this meeting was for chapter leaders, not their lackeys,” Kensington said in a dangerous voice. “I have been magnanimous in allowing you to remain after you arrived here uninvited, given you are Alistair’s mentor, but do not think I won’t remove you from this room if you test me, Marcus.”
Tremblay’s expression became pinched, and he shot the Grand Master a sour look, but he kept his mouth shut. Next to him, Cavendish looked mortified, and Zach got the distinct impression he was hoping the floor would open up and swallow him whole so he could avoid the secondhand embarrassment of his mentor. The dynamic between them intrigued Zach, and he really wanted to understand what the fuck was happening, but more importantly, he wanted to know if this group could help him and Kensington traverse the realms to Hell so they could get Drew back.
“You said you had an update for me,” Zach said to Kensington.
“Yes, though I need to warn you from the start that no decision has been made thus far.” Kensington gave Zach a sympathetic smile. “It was more to keep you up to date with what’s happening and give everyone the opportunity to speak to you directly so you can answer any questions.”
“I see.” It was about what Zach had expected, but he couldn’t pretend to be disappointed. He wanted toact, not just sit around a room talking about what they should do.
“Since I became Drew’s mentor, I have kept the Collective at large informed of his progress, since not only is it rare for someone so powerful to be unknown to us, but also for it to be unknown tothemthey have the ability. There has been much interest in his journey.”
“Indeed,” Zeng agreed. “It’s exciting to discover someone brimming with an abundance of talent.” She tilted her head towards Cavendish. “Besides our Alistair here, there have been so few of late.”
Cavendish blushed and ducked his head at the compliment, but didn’t say anything.
“Mr. Phillips is a descendant of Magdalene Fitzpatrick,” Van de Laar said, her wrinkled face lighting up with a smile. “I’ve been dying to meet the boy.”
“Yet he’s untrained,” Tremblay interjected. “Is no one else concerned about this? It certainly sounds like he’s regularly causing trouble becauseof it. Maybe his powers should be constrained until he’s learned more control?”
Fury welled in Zach at the thought of shackling Drew’s magic, but before he could speak up, Kensington did. “That would be akin to trying to stopper a volcano,” he said. “Better he learns to master the entirety of his power than risk it building up and releasing with explosive force.”
“And really, Tremblay,” Van de Laar chided. “He’s under the tutelage of the Grand Master himself. Kensington knows what he’s doing, and it’s not for us to question his methods.”
“The boy is currently gallivanting around Hell unsupervised!” Tremblay argued. “No one knows what trouble he’s causing. We could end up with a diplomatic nightmare on our hands and a horde of demons invading!”
“That’s a tad dramatic, don’t you think?” Bhati mused. “From what I’ve heard about the young man, he’s not irresponsible, just unlucky. I highly doubt he’s running around Hell with nefarious intent.”
“What do they say about good intentions?” Tremblay asked snidely. “Oh yes, the road toHellis paved with them! Whether or not he means to, the boy could be doing irreparable damage!”
“He’s not aboy!” Zach snapped. “Drew is a fully grown adult. You don’t know the first thing about him, so I would ask that you stop catastrophizing. It’s not helping anyone.”
