Woman King

CHAPTER 14

The next evening as we left my house for the park, we stepped into a dense wall of wet fog. The humid mist on my face jogged my memory.

“I forgot to ask you last night about the fog,” I said, as we pulled our collars up around our necks.

San Francisco’s fog is legendary. Summer in San Francisco means never seeing the sun, at least in my neighborhood. Sometimes the fog rolls in gently, bringing a quiet, sultry climate to the city. Other nights, the fog rides the heels of a wicked wind that bends trees and howls through the narrow alleys between the row houses.

“The fog is a tool of the Council’s,” Elsa said as we walked. “San Francisco is enchanted; a coven of witches created a spell to summon the fog in order to protect our kind from prying eyes. When the fog is present, its easier for the Council to operate and for magical creatures to move about the city.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously,” she said. “It’s the perfect device for maintaining a curtain between our worlds. It can be summoned at any time, especially if the Council has called a general meeting at its headquarters.”

What Elsa said made sense. Things that look odd in the shadows are probably easily explained away to humans. The fog obscures light. It muffles sound. I remembered my peyote-induced trek through Golden Gate Park, and how foggy that evening had been. Perfect for hiding a half-dressed woman running toward the sea.

“Huh, it’s a brand new world,” I said, only half-aware of how true my words were.

Before I knew it we were standing at the foot of the Music Concourse, gazing up at the tower of the de Young Museum. By day, it’s the fifth-most visited museum in the country. By night, it is the headquarters of the Council. We looked across the plaza at the building sheathed in copper, gleaming in the evening light. According to Elsa, the fog was not quite thick enough to use the portal so we walked to the side of the museum, passing Pan’s Island and lily pond, where I’d spent the night. We continued to walk, bypassing the normal side entrance reserved for museum members. Instead we made our way along a sidewalk partially obscured by ferns. Almost immediately we were facing what looked to be a solid wall of copper. Elsa placed her hand on the door. The area beneath her palm began to glow.

“Fingerprint recognition,” Elsa explained matter-of-factly, as the outline of a door appeared, then clicked open slightly to let us pass. Once inside, Elsa turned left toward a bank of elevators. “We’re going to the top of the tower,” she said, as she pressed the button on the wall.

I scanned the surroundings as we entered; the museum’s lobby looked exactly the same as it did in the daylight. The elevator, which was taking us up twelve floors to the observation tower, also looked the same. I wondered whether the museum’s iconic top-floor viewing deck would also be unchanged. I was, I realized, slightly disappointed. I’m not sure what I expected. Maybe I’d watched too many Star Trek episodes, but in my mind I had conjured up a different world. I’d imagined a series of rooms with glowing flat panel screens featuring rotating, three-dimensional orbs that depicted far-away destinations and tactical information.

When we arrived at the top of the tower, however, my imagination was rewarded by the sight of a room full of several flat screens mounted to the walls. A dozen men and women were seated at desks, hunched over laptops and iPads, their mobile phones within arm’s reach. At first glance, it could be an office anywhere in the world. Except it wasn’t.

I looked up to see Gabriel walking across the room toward us.

“Bonsoir, Elsa, Olivia,” he said as he grasped my hand to shake it.

“It looks so normal,” I said, gesturing at the scene before me.

Gabriel nodded. “Modern technology almost makes witchcraft unnecessary at times. We can track people and issues far easier than our predecessors.”

“How is this possible? Do you pack up at the end of every evening?” I asked.

Gabriel smiled. “There is not much to put away, and what is on the walls is enchanted. Humans cannot see the panels as they stroll through the deck during the day. The rest is portable. Thanks to wireless technology, our offices transport easily and, for the most part, are paperless.”

“Is the museum aware of your presence?” I asked, imagining rumors floating through the city about the de Young’s haunted galleries. “What happens when people here work late?”

Elsa and Gabriel exchanged a knowing glance. This is where they begin to bind you with their secrets, I thought to myself, the way they fold you in.

“They know,” Elsa said. “The museum knows we are here.”

“It’s true,” Gabriel said, seeing my raised eyebrows. “The museum spent a fortune to build this magnificent copper building. Copper, as you may know, is an ancient metal dating back to the Romans. It is a very important metal in the supernatural world. You are standing inside a building that has the ability to conduct energy back and forth between individuals and the spirit world. It acts as an amplifier for our thoughts, for sending and receiving psychic communications. Can you imagine? No better building could be constructed for our purposes.”

“When we learned of the plans to build the museum, we contacted their executive director,” Gabriel continued, “Although human, she is quite the diva and has a reputation as a bit of a sorceress herself. She was only too happy to accommodate our request in exchange for a sizable donation.”

I nodded. “It all makes frighteningly good sense.”

“But,” Gabriel said, his head cocked to one side. “There is something on your mind.”

“It’s nothing. I’m amazed at the business-like way in which this all operates. You have a state-of-the art building, wireless technology. It all seems, well…routine.”

“Did you expect us to fly around on broomsticks and play quidditch?” Elsa asked sharply. “That is a children’s fantasy.”

“What Elsa means,” Gabriel interjected diplomatically, “Is that we’ve adopted today’s standards like the rest of the world. We cannot survive if we fail to adapt to our surroundings. But I will take credit for the business-like way in which things run. In my other life, I’m the CEO of a computer graphics firm that makes 3-D images for movies. Our offices are near Marseille. I started my career in the mid 70’s at Industrial Light and Magic in Marin.”

Before I could think too much about what he’d said, Gabriel grabbed my arm and led me away.

“It’s time for your grand tour,” he said.

Elsa said she would stay behind in the main arena, as it was called, and monitor things.

Although I remained wary, there was something very comfortable and familiar about Gabriel. I found myself easily being led by him, and before I knew it, we were back in the elevator. We went down one floor and stepped out into what looked like ordinary office space filled with cubicles—complete with more young workers seated, heads down at their desks.

“We use most floors of this tower,” he said, gesturing toward the desks. “A director and one deputy manage the Council. Our positions rotate every five years. You’ll meet my deputy, Aidan Burke, in a few minutes; he keeps his office on the floor below. A crafty Irish shape-shifter, he and I have been friends for years. We’re in the fourth year of our term; next year the deputies for central and eastern Europe will take control.”

“You’re not very excited about that,” I remarked, feeling a deep sense of ambivalence coming from him.

“Very good, Olivia,” he said. “Your skills are becoming second nature to you. But to answer your question, yes, I have reservations. Zoran Mikić is a werewolf. By day, he is the governor of the Croatian National Bank. His deputy, Nikola Pajovic, is a vampire, as well as a wealthy Serbian developer who builds casinos on the Adriatic coast. They have a unique partnership, with Nikola acting as more of the leader. I worry, at times, about their commitment to the mission of the Council.”

I could almost say the same thing, feeling at a loss myself to understand what the Council’s purpose was. Why did it need deputies and rotating staffs to monitor humans?

“Gabriel, I hope you don’t mind my asking, but why is all of this necessary? What exactly is it that you, we, do?”

Gabriel nodded. “Yes. Let me explain. As I mentioned, the Council is divided by region, with directors holding positions for North America and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, western Europe, eastern Europe, Asia, and finally, Africa and the Middle East. Each sector monitors elections and shifts in government. We try, when possible, to intervene in elections to ensure moderate candidates take seats in government.

“Why not every time?”

“That would be a little too obvious,” Gabriel said. “We’re a clandestine organization, looking to protect the interests of our kind. If we influenced every election, it would draw too much attention to ourselves.”

“And why is this necessary?”

Gabriel walked over to a desk and asked for one of the iPads. He quickly called up a news article and walked over to me.

“Read the headline,” he said, gesturing to the text on the screen.

Presidential Candidate Holds Prayer Rally

Oklahoma City (AP)—Thousands of evangelical Christians flocked to the state’s capital today to participate in a prayer rally at the invitation of Governor Bob Ferry. Ferry, a devout Christian known for handing Bible verses to his aides, is preparing to run for president.

“This guy is a joke,” I said, shaking my head. “Why should you worry about him?”

“It is easy to laugh at him here in San Francisco. He seems very remote from your life. But do you remember the story of the Trojan horse, Olivia? The people of Troy believed the horse to be a gift and therefore let it into their village, only to be destroyed by the Greeks hiding inside. Ferry is a man who prays for rain, and who bans books from his state’s libraries because they promote witchcraft. One man like this may be a joke, but when you elect an entire Congress full of them.”

“Are you telling me that men like Ferry are a threat?”

“Exactement. He carries in his heart the same vision as other zealots: to turn us into true believers. The civilized world is a mile wide and an inch deep. If you create the right settings, religious fanatics could control this country. Already in Europe we see the beginnings of nationalism and xenophobia. Here in the U.S., a congresswoman is shot in the head at point blank range; in Norway, government buildings blown up…Extremism is everywhere. A witch burning doesn’t seem so implausible when laws and justice are meted out in God’s name.”

“Do you really think that the country could be hijacked by people like this?”

Gabriel looked out through the open windows at the darkened sky beyond. “I would rather ensure that it doesn’t happen.”

“And how do you see me in all of this, again?” I asked.

“I see you running a campaign. Levi Barnes, your old boss, is running for congress. It’s a new seat created by the latest redistricting process, so it’s wide open, no incumbent. He’s declared, but hasn’t picked his campaign staff yet.”

“And he’s going to hire me…because you asked him to? It’s been a decade since we’ve worked together.”

Gabriel smiled. “I know him well because of my work with technology. He invented an application that essentially turns a smart phone into an encrypted credit card. He sold the technology for an enormous sum…an amazing man, really.”

“I’m not surprised,” I said, “but you still haven’t answered my question. Why is he going to hire me?”

“Because you’re the best person for the job,” Gabriel said. “And because I will strongly suggest that he does.”

“Suggest,” I repeated. “You mean a spell?”

“If that is what it takes to get him on board, yes.”

“Why would you go to the trouble to gain one congressional seat in Silicon Valley?”

Gabriel smiled as he walked us back toward the elevator. “What makes you think it’s one seat? I told you it’s about the total number of seats held. Our job is to ensure rational, moderate people win seats.”

“I should think the hardest part would be to get rational, moderate people to even run for office.”

Gabriel nodded. “It is increasingly difficult.”

We descended one more floor, walked out of the elevator and stopped outside an office with its door closed. Gabriel knocked and the door was quickly opened by a tall, slim man with dark black hair and bright blue eyes.

“Hello, Aidan,” Gabriel said warmly. “This is Olivia, the empath I told you about.”

Aidan, whose handsome, dark features were slightly distracting, even for a man easily a decade older than me, gave me more scrutiny than I would have expected. He seemed to be examining me closely, although I could not detect an ounce of emotion coming from him.

“Hello, Olivia,” he said cordially, a hint of an Irish accent coming though. “Welcome to the Council. Gabriel has high hopes for you inside this organization.”

“You can check out, but you can never leave,” I said with a smile. “Oops, I said that out loud, didn’t I?”

Aidan tossed back his head and laughed. Now I could feel his warmth bubbling up. “Yes, something like that, I’m afraid. In fact, we need to get you set up for your work. I told Gabriel I would manage that task so he could see to other business.”

I said goodbye to Gabriel as Aidan shut the door to his office. For a moment we sat in silence, but then Aidan began to speak, fixing his blue eyes on me.

“I’m a shape-shifter,” he said. “In my village in Ireland, every other year one boy is born with the skill to shift. It’s considered good luck to be the family whose child is born with the talent. My parents however, were not as thrilled as others might have been. I didn’t stay at home for long. I met Gabriel one evening outside Aix-en-Provence. He was walking in the hills under the glow of a full moon and we…ran into each other.”

“Is it painful to shift?” I asked, knowing it must sound so utterly human.

“At first, when we’re young, yes, but not now.”

I could feel genuine friendship coming off of Aidan in waves. I felt a sense of loyalty and duty from him. I wondered why he’d taken such an instant liking to me.

“Why did you volunteer to help me?” I asked. “Don’t you have an HR department like all global bureaucracies?”

“Because I wanted to meet you myself,” Aidan said. “It’s unprecedented for a human to work for the Council. Gabriel is impressed with your skills and hopes you will be able to increase our chances of winning elections.”

“I hope I can live up to everyone’s expectations,” I said. “What happens to people who lose elections?”

Aidan’s eyes twinkled. “We send them out with the werewolves.”

“I see, my fate will rest with Zoran,” I said jokingly.

Aidan’s smile disappeared, and I detected a momentary sense of loathing. “Oh, I do hope that is never the case, my dear, I do hope it is never the case,” he said. Then quickly he changed the subject by opening a drawer in his desk and pulling out a small device that I did not recognize.

“Is this going to hurt?” I asked.

“No, but it will be weird,” Aidan said. “I am going to embed a tracking device in your skin. No matter where you are, in this time or another, we will be able to find you.”

“Did you say ‘in this time?’ ”

Aidan smiled. “I did. You know about the portals. It’s possible that you will use them to go back in time one day. We all wear them. Well, most of us do, anyway.”

I held out my arm as instructed and Aidan used the device to stamp the skin on the underside of my arm, near my wrist. I felt pressure and heard the pop of air, but there was no blood, only a tiny blue dot where the device now sat under my skin. I glanced at my arm and then back at Aidan.

Aidan nodded, seeming to understand my thoughts. “It’s semi-permanent, but it can be deactivated if necessary. And it will convert to a homing beacon if you’re in trouble.”

“How can I get in trouble running an election for a congressional seat?”

“Olivia, you should know better than anybody that politics is a dangerous business.”