27)

Martin- Experiencing a virtual homecoming.

I leaned back in my chair as I heard voices on the other side of the mirror asking for identification to get past the front gate before taking the drive up to the main house. Then there was the sound of people getting out of the car. Shortly thereafter the mirror was tilted up to reveal Agent Varrow looking in at me.

I gave her a gentle nod. Behind her, I could make out a bit of the house. Evidently, she had pulled up in the front drive.

My great-grandmother’s roses were in bloom. I could see the wealth of the various shades of pale blue flowers that could only thrive in the few places with enough enriched mana such as the estate my grandfather had built to relocate the family a few hundred years before. A botanical symbol of wealth and power.

I had always thought they did a pretty good job of just being flowers, but for my family, either you served a purpose or you were no longer necessary.

The agent looked to the side as a half remembered voice informed her "Please, allow me, mademoiselle."

Planchet, one of the family retainers stepped up and gave me an almost bow. "Welcome home Master Martin.”

I gave him a nod in return. “Not quite here in the flesh, but thank you Planchet.”

The somewhat roundish man gripped the frame of the mirror and turned it around to hold it in front of him as his fellow retainer Grimaud grunted and led the way to the front doors and within the entrance hall.

Planchet turned as he made his way within to allow me a view of the rest of the party. Agent Varrow, a man in his late middle age in an oversized untucked shirt, and... that guy. The one who had shot me, blinking as a hood was pulled from his head.

As his vision cleared, he saw me and flinched.

Yeah, as a matter of fact, I am not happy to see you.

My aunt joined us.

"All righty then, the gang's all here, and you must be... Cassy, why is there an elder being in my vampire? I don't remember asking you to invite one of the powers, do I need to specify that in the future?"

The agent sputtered before the older man stepped forward. “My apologies, but I’m afraid I invited myself along so Cassandra didn’t have much choice in the matter.”

“It turns out I have something to sort out with your family about the young man in the looking glass being allowed to go around putting holes through the firmament and putting all of reality in danger due to the shameful lack of training on your family's part."

I did what now?

Natalie smiled. "Oh, this is going to be good."

She ran up to grab hold of the older man by the hand and began to tug him along behind her. "For once daddy dearest is going to have to deal with someone he has to answer to, and I get to watch. Best. Day. Ever."

She nearly dragged the mildly surprised man along with her as she went down the hall to my grandfather's office, the rest of us trailing along. "Maybe turn down the unearthly presence a bit, I would like you to be a delightful surprise for them.”

Donovan- Way out of his depth at the Thibedeau manor house.

We got to wherever the hell we were going, my mask got pulled off, and of course, the first thing I see

is the little guy from the store glaring out at me from a mirror held up in front of some chubby guy in a gray suit.

Neither of them were looking all that happy to see me.

In fact, the little guy, Martin, looked ready to reach out and choke me with both hands.

Hey, he has both hands. He must have got the one I cut off fixed. No harm, no foul, right?

The shorty who had kicked me back to hell came flouncing in and started talking, and pointed over to my uncle, who in turn started talking about a hole or something and I recognized his voice from the car.

That is not my uncle’s voice.

Then we headed off through the richy rich looking house into some fancy office. Big desk, huge windows, a stone fireplace, and a couch set out with some short fat guy with the same gray hair as mirror boy sitting on one end looking like he really didn't want to be here. Another white haired older guy was sitting behind the big desk who looked the unhappiest of us all.

There is a big painting over the fireplace. Desk guy, a woman close to his age with white streaked dark hair, the fat guy looking younger and thinner, and the short dark haired woman when she must have been ten or something.

Great, family drama on top of everything else.

The old guy behind the desk closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Before we begin, I will summarize what I know so far.”

“Late last night, Donovan Riggs” he twitched his hand at me. "Entered my grandson's place of employment and shot him. When Martin attempted to cast a spell beyond his ability to save himself, his miscast spell somehow interacted with the elaborate warding on the store meant to protect those who worked there. He somehow turned the entire building into an artifact which lodged itself in the middle of the Gyre between the Realms that form a separate layer of reality between Hell and the True world, as well as a projection of itself down in Hell.”

He twitched his fingers at the short babe this time. “Natalie?”

“Well dad, it turns out the idiot,” She jerked her head over at me, “Just didn’t decide on his own to go and rob a store, he was compelled to go to the Party-mart and to kill your dear grandson. Only he was so focused on the excuse his mind came up with to go there in the first place, robbing it, that he left Martin bleeding out on the floor after grabbing some cash.’

Shit, I left all that cash under the dumpster. Well, I sure as hell ain't going back there to get it.

“The person who compelled him was his uncle. Tarnell Riggs.” She circled around my uncle, brushing her hand along his shoulders.

“Tarnell here was one of Grimaud’s inside guys on the police force for when Grimmy had to cover things up for our family. So Tarnell, why don't you go ahead and tell us all who ordered you to kill Martin?."

My uncle went stiff for a moment before his real voice, at least it sounded like his real one, but thin and sounding far away, sounded off. "Grimaud... Grimaud told me to find the boy at that store and kill him."

The short woman, Natalie, nodded. "I think Tarnell here might have done a better job on his own, but he tagged his nephew Donny here instead. I don't know if he was worried about some backlash for killing a member of our family, or if he was just plain lazy."

"Question is daddy. Who told Grimaud to kill Martin, since as far as I know, you're the only one in the family that Grimmy obeys? Should we ask him?"

Cassy- Not in a place she really wants to be.

Miles Thibedeau. Head of one the families that rule the world behind layers of governments made to corral people into rituals like filling out tax forms, paying parking tickets, and even getting a license just to get married. All just to refine the little bits of raw chaos that make their way up here from hell into ordered mana by way of all those rituals. Mana that they can then use for their ends.

Plus his son Kevin, heir to his throne, his daughter, my boss, and the Devil, ruler of hell.

I am in so over my head that I can hardly breathe. And now my boss is accusing her father of being behind this whole mess.

This is the sort of deal where inconvenient witnesses, like me, tend to disappear. Never to be seen again.

Hell, even the dipshit, Donovan, seems to have a clue he may not be walking out of this room.

That’s when Natalie's brother stands up. "I don't think there is any purpose in continuing this conversation father. It would be best to just let me handle cleaning up Nat's mess."

He spread his hands out from his sides. “Let me make this all go away.”

The old man stood up and leaned forward onto his fists pressed down on the desk in front of him and stared coldly at his son. Shoot, he's barely taller than his daughter.

"I allowed you to decide what to do with your son since he is your son.”

“I gave you the service of Grimaud to allow you to take over some of the family responsibilities.”

“But I don’t recall ever giving you, or anyone else, the right to harm a member of this family.”

“Regardless of who you are to him, he is still a Thibedeau, and as long as I live, no one is permitted to hurt one of mine.”

The Patriarch's son crossed his arms. "I cast him out father. Flawed goods. He is no longer one of us.”

This entire time, neither one had even bothered to glance at the mirror. I turned to look only to see Martin holding up a hand to the side and shaking his head no at someone standing out of view. Yeah, best stay out of this Kinkade, it's a bit of a delicate situation, to say the least.

The old man beat a fist on the table and hissed. "Not your call Kevin. You had the right to cast him away as his father, but he still belongs to the family. I alone make the calls as to who is under my protection, a fact you should remember."

Kevin took a step back, hands held up almost defensibly, or perhaps pleadingly. “But...”

The Patriarch held up a hand to silence him, before finally looking over to Martin.

"You've been of age for four years Martin, you could have come to see me at any time and asked for my help. For your rightful place in the family.”

Martin whispered one last “Stop.” to the side before turning to his grandfather with a grin.

"Well about that. Let us talk about just how that would have worked out.”