Dominion 4 - Ascendance (14 page)

Did I? How long was I going to stay here? “Let’s cover them for now. We can always change it later.” The idea that someone might be watching me through the windows made me shudder. The garden obviously had more eyes than most private yards might.

The doorbell rang. I got up slowly, breakfast becoming a lump of coal in my stomach, and went to the door, expecting to meet my aunt and possible future boss. Timothy followed closely behind, not seeming worried at all. But he had no aspirations to be anything other than a construction worker. I admired his freedom.

I swung the door open and stared at one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen. This was my aunt? She didn’t look old enough. Her dark hair was a mass of curls that fell to her waist, eyes bright sapphire like mine, complexion pale, and perfect like a model might be. She was dressed in a white button-up and a gray pencil skirt that accentuated her curves, long legs in black tights and ending in sparkling-blue heels.

Everything she wore was probably top designer brands, but instead of smelling like money and confidence, her scent was of lilac and clover, earth. I blinked at her a few times, taking in the sight over again. At first glance she could have been in her early thirties, or an older woman who took very good care of herself. The fact that she was probably closer to sixty floored me. I hoped I looked so good when I was her age.

Her smile grew to a hundred watts while she waited for me to respond. Odd how much that gesture mirrored mine. Finally I cleared through the fog and said, “Hello, you must be Lily.” I held my hand out to her.

She took it, but instead of shaking it, she pulled me to her and hugged me fiercely. Unlike the rare hug my mother often bestowed on me, nothing about this one was awkward, just strong and warm. Her whole body moved with the hug, rocking back and forth, head bowed to press her cheek to mine. Even without the heels, she was probably three or four inches taller than me, but nothing about her towered.

“You’re so handsome, Seiran. I’ve seen you in pictures but was beginning to think I’d never get to meet you in person.” Her grip tightened almost painfully for a moment before she let go and stepped back to look me over. “Filled with earth too. Some Pillars never gain the acceptance from the earth that you have.” She shivered, but smiled while doing so. “Touching you is like being at total peace.” She suddenly looked a little sad. “And like looking at my little brother again. I can see his strength and fire in your eyes. He would have been so proud of you.”

I didn’t know what to say. My eyes blurred a little, stupid tears. I’d never even met my dad, so why could the thought of him make me cry at the drop of a hat? I blinked them away, stepped back inside the house, and said, “Lily, would you like to come in?”

“Love to, sweetheart.” She stepped inside, welcomed by the house.

“I have breakfast if you’re hungry.” I headed back toward the kitchen, allowing myself the time to get back in control. Lily and Timothy followed. I heard her ruffle his hair and comment on the moppy mess it was, teasingly. His reply was a warning not to touch, but his tone was happy.

In the kitchen, I pulled another plate down and dished up some of the casserole for my aunt. Funny how odd that term felt in my head. I’d never really had family other than my mom. Now I had a brother, an aunt, a cousin, and memories of a father who made me want to know more and more.

Lily sat at the counter and made no girly fuss about not eating or having already eaten. She dug in, taking large bites like Timothy had, even talking with her mouth full. “Amazing. Your dad used to love to cook too. This is so good. If I cooked at all, I’d ask for the recipe. Maybe I can get it from you and give it to my personal chef.” She plowed through the whole piece and was up piling on more while I sat in stunned silence, wondering how she stayed so fit eating so much. My mother ate like a bird most days and claimed the food I made would only make her fat.

When Lily was finished, she set the plate aside, composed herself, and suddenly looked very much like a Dominion witch with power. “Now, Seiran, I received your résumé for the position in MI. I have to tell you that I can’t favor you over the other candidates just because you’re family. I will, however, ensure that you will get the same chance any other witch will. The position is entry level. It’s hard work, lots of research, reports, and analysis. The data from the field is substantial, and it will be your job to sort it, report on it, and file it for future use. Most witches do the job for several years before moving into the field. Some don’t last a month because the amount of information coming in is too great for them to handle. Is this still something you’re interested in?”

“Yes,” I replied without hesitation.

“Good. I’ll be setting up interviews next week. My base is here in California, so if you’re still here next week we’ll do it then, if not, let me know and I’ll schedule yours early. No reason for either of us to fly elsewhere when we’re already in one place. Your mother assures me that you’ll be a good fit for the job, however, I’d like to see examples of your research and analysis.” She looked over me like somehow my skills were apparent in the way I dressed. “You just finished school. Do you have any recent reports?”

“I have a copy of the final analysis of the class I taught on Counter Hexes, Curses, and Magic Nullification. It includes a copy of all the lesson plans, students’ final papers, my grading of them, and the report of the class results.” I didn’t tell her I’d been asked to offer the Curses class as a regular seminar at least once a semester. Being paid for it was the only reason I’d accepted. Since the class would be on every other Saturday for four hours, it wouldn’t interfere with any other job I had. At least I hoped it wouldn’t. Kelly had already signed up for the spring semester, which would be much more detailed than the original class had been.

“How soon can you get me a copy of that?”

 

There was a copy on Gabe’s laptop, which was up in our room. “As soon as you want.”

She pulled a card out of her purse. “E-mail it to me as soon as possible, then. Also, if you have any recommendation letters from your professors, that will help. I’m disregarding the ones from your mother and Hanna Browan, as they may have biased views of you.” Her eyes scrunched up in a happy smile. “Can’t wait to see those babies, though.”

I didn’t know Hanna had written me a recommendation letter. The idea made me smile. More and more she began to feel like family rather than just the mother of my children. Maybe she and Ally would spend Solstice with us. Of course, that meant I’d have to go home and actually be there for the holiday. With Jamie’s help, I could make a pretty mean spread.

“I will ask a few of my professors.” Professor Wrig would for sure; she’d already offered. I knew of a few I wouldn’t ask, but had at least two or three who could probably write a decent letter for me.

“Good. Now”—she went back to Aunt Lily mode—“are we ready for the will reading?”

 

“As ready as ever.” Timothy sighed.

Lily smacked him on the back of the head. “Be happy for whatever you get, child. And if your father left anything to that awful Ascendance, we’ll be disputing that in court. That murderous organization needs to be put to an end.”

“But your dad began it,” I pointed out, fearing that her views really were so Dominion-tainted that she couldn’t see the value of male witches.

“My father created an organization to give young male witches a voice. His goal was to have them incorporated seamlessly into the Dominion. Full equality. The Ascendance of today has lost that focus. They are building an army. They want to slaughter the Dominion and all its supporters so they can take control with the unnatural power they have stolen from others.” She patted Timothy’s wrist. “And they abuse children by forcing power on them they will never be able to control.” She shook her head, lips drawn tight in rage. “How many young men have taken their own lives because of what was done to them? How many others became monsters or are tormented?”

“But the ring is still functioning,” I muttered, wondering if she even knew about it.

“Yes. Well, my department is researching that. We did get the report from Hanna, but have been working on it for years. I’ve had seven field workers disappear while investigating the ring on this property. All are assumed dead. I will send no more to their doom.”

“Gabe, my boyfriend, suggested a null-bomb.” “Tried it.” Lily shook her head. “We’ve tried everything. Even physically destroying it. Nothing works.”

Well, crap. That was not good news. I put the dishes in the washer and wrapped up the casserole, then followed them to the door. Outside, the lawn was somewhat manageable again. Caleb was planting masses of flowers, ivy, and herbs in the garden that ran along the side of the house. The scent of fresh dirt and new greens made me giddy. Good thing I was leaving for a bit, or I’d be tempted to shift and roll in the dirt.

Without any debate, I sat in back, texting Jamie on my phone as we headed for the law office. He replied that he’d gotten a letter too, but would be attending the meeting by phone. It made me feel better to know he’d be there in some form.

The office was located in a nondescript one-level strip mall. Inside it actually looked very lawyerish: brown carpets, tan walls, expensive molding. Mr. Odagiri showed us into his office, which had a large, flat desk and several officiallooking documents hanging on the wall. A young man rose from one of the chairs, his brown hair and eyes vaguely familiar. He, like Timothy, could have been a model. What was it that made these California people so beautiful? The sunshine?

“This is Luca Depacio. He’s sitting in for Maxwell Hart,” Odagiri stated.

Lily looked him over somewhat harshly. “We’ve already stated that we will dispute anything going to the Ascendance.”

“Mr. Hart is of agreement with you, Ms. Castage. His own funding and support to the Ascendance hinges on the results of this meeting. He is hoping for positive changes to the organization.” Luca actually sounded like he was from Europe or something, his accent a soft edge that made him sound older than he appeared.

“Everyone sit, please. I’d like to keep this as informal as possible. Mr. Rou, Mr. Browan said you could call him and put him on speakerphone when we were ready.” Jonathon moved behind his desk and sat down, sorting through a stack of paperwork.

I dialed Jamie, said hello, put him on speaker, then set the phone on the edge of the desk. “Whenever you’re ready,” I told everyone. I felt a bit like an outsider sitting in on something private. The house had never even been Charles’s, yet he was giving it to me? How did that make sense?

Mr. Odagiri began, “I’m just going to read through the distributions. Please save any questions until the end.” “Okay,” we all replied.

“To Lily Castage goes the estate in Europe, and with it the business in Italy. This includes all stocks, revenue, and property outside the US.”

Lily just nodded like she had expected that.

 

“To Jamie Browan, a lump sum of four-point-eight million dollars and all the American stocks.”

 

Jamie didn’t say a word, but my jaw dropped. He’d just been given nearly five million dollars!

“To Timothy Merth, the beach house in Washington and a lump sum of two million dollars, which shall remain his as long as he maintains the home. Should he lose the beach house to foreclosure, all monies shall then be donated to designated charities.”

Timothy blinked and seemed to be in shock.
“To Seiran Rou, as awarded in his father’s will, the Los Angeles house, property, and all monies involved with maintaining the estate. Also to Seiran Rou goes the title and partial ownership of the corporation called Ascendance, including the twenty million dollars put in trust to further equality for male witches. Any and all spending of said monies must be approved by Mr. Rou from this day forth. As a requirement, Mr. Rou must take up a seat on the council of the Ascendance, else all monies are forfeit, returned to the general fund within the group for council use.”

Lily gripped my hand. My world spun. Twenty million dollars? A role in the Ascendance? And if I turned it down, all the money would go to continue messing up young witches and killing people? How was that fair?

“To Maxwell Hart, I leave the properties of the Ascendance, including the offices in California, Minnesota, New York, and Florida. The businesses within shall also go to Mr. Hart for full management and direction.” Mr. Odagiri put the pages down. “Questions?”

“What does it mean?” Jamie spoke up. “That Seiran has to take a seat on the council?” I was glad he was asking the questions, because I was pretty sure anything I tried to say at that moment would come out sounding like gibberish.

Luca spoke up. “The council of the Ascendance is much like the Dominion. They vote on policies and procedures, discuss changes, and make major decisions for the group. By taking Charles’s seat, you’ll actually have two votes, since he had his own vote and Dorien’s. You could appoint someone to take Charles’s place and remain on the council in Dorien’s place. There are twelve total seats.”

“This would be your chance to change the organization for the better,” Lily pointed out.

“Or be corrupted by it, like my father was,” Timothy said. He glared at the window behind the desk, staring at nothing.

“Seiran is stronger than that,” Jamie said.

My heart pounded. I thought I was just getting the house that had been my father’s. Now I had to be part of an organization that produced monsters like Brock Southerton and Andrew Roman. How could I change the entire scope of a group that believed in killing people just to spread the power out to others? Were they really creating an army? Did they truly plan to slaughter the Dominion? How would that create equality for anyone?

“Does anyone reject the terms set forth for them in this will?” Mr. Odagiri asked.

 

Everyone said, “I accept,” but me.

I wanted to reject it. Everyone looked at me. I could feel their eyes waiting, expecting. Everyone in the room wanted the Ascendance to change, and they were willing to dump the responsibility on my shoulders. My own thoughts ran around in a rush of panic. I opened the bond between Gabe and me and suddenly felt him awake and comforting. He knew instantly my hesitation, my fear, and reassured me that no matter what happened, he would not let me be corrupted by the mistakes of others in the past. He suggested I knew another very smart and powerful male witch who might help me make decisions for the Ascendance. Gabe pointed out this was the opportunity to make my grandfather’s vision a reality, to correct the errors made in the past and create equality among witches. Wow, that was a lot of responsibility.