Should You Choose To Accept It

We ate in relative silence, which I think disappointed our waiter, who waited expectantly to see how we liked the food. It was jaw-droppingly good, of course, the hallmark of authenticity, but I was too disturbed to spend much time verbally praising orange chicken. Lee, as well, seemed lost in thought, chewing mechanically.

            Finally I spoke up, although not before nearly cleaning my plate. “You were right, it’s good here.”

            “Mm. We’ll have to come again sometime. If I still can, after today.”

            I raised an eyebrow. “Is that really possible? That they’ll boot you from Conclave?”

            “There’s not a huge amount of precedent for this, actually. In essence, they’re trying to decide what to do about me, seeing as I’m the first Reader in ages to actually involve myself in the problems we’re supposedly fighting against.” She shrugged. “For all I know, they’ll kill me. Of course that would involve getting off their asses and addressing an issue, so who knows?”

            “Kill you!”

            “I’m just being dramatic. I’m an approved member of Conclave, even if I’m not unanimously approved of. I’ll be fine.”

            I eyed her suspiciously. There was something I wasn’t being told, I was sure of it. But Lee was up front with me about everything. Why should I distrust her now, when she actually needed my help?

            “If you say so. So, what’re we up to now?”

            Lee clicked her chopsticks and looked me up and down.

            “Now,” she said, rising from her chair, “We make you look a little more like a Reader.”

*

I looked at myself in a floor-to-ceiling mirror, and for the first time in my life, I was impressed. A billowing black shirt and pants, made of some soft but durable cloth, draped my frightfully thin new body in a way that made my sunken face and slim limbs seem somehow intimidating instead of sickly.

A wide belt, soft black leather, cinched the shirt at my waist and included a holder for my matching Text, which was nice. I’d been carrying the book around since losing my coat, and it had been making me nervous.

“What do you think?” Lee asked, standing behind me and smirking. “Feel Conclavy?”

“I look like a library ninja,” I groaned, although to be honest I was pretty pleased. I just hoped I wouldn’t have to dress like this forever, as raggedy as my jeans were I was rather attached to them.

“Works for me.”

“What about all the cool stuff?” I asked, indicating Lee’s ensemble of trinkets. She wore her shield bracer on her left hand, polished and shiny, and her array of necklaces, not to mention the big pistol holstered at her hip, the multiple pouches attached to her belt, and of course the silver chain that held her ancient-looking Text. “You’re like Batman over there, and I’ve just got pajamas.”

“Hey, I bought all this cool stuff, freeloader. You’re welcome to pimp yourself out to whatever extent you like. But not much of it is standard-issue.”

I rolled my eyes. “Great. Just one more thing I can’t-“

Oh.

I’d forgotten for a moment that I was foolishly wealthy now. It’s really amazing how a thing like that skips your mind. I looked at Lee and grinned. “Cool.”

“You don’t even know. Now! We have somewhere to be.”

She led me out of the supply room and into the Conclave lobby, overlooking the seaside of St. Lucia. A saltwater breeze ruffled my new outfit pleasantly, and I grinned. “It’s still really weird that we can bounce around like this,” I said, walking behind the empty reception desk and leaning on the balcony rail. “But it’s very cool. Where is everyone?”

“Who knows? It’s not as though Daphne takes her job all that seriously. She’s probably supposed to be here right now.” She glanced at a clock. “I guess it’s about time. You ready?”

“I doubt it.”

She nodded. “That’ll do. Just don’t say anything unless I specifically ask you to, okay?”

“No promises.”

“Are you going to make me regret bringing you?”

I just smiled. Lee shook her head and led me down one of the hallways, checking the labels on various doors. Finally we stopped in front of a room with “Interference” painted on the frosted glass.

Lee took a deep breath, sighed it out, and opened the door.

Instantly, a flash of red light blinded us both, and I found myself being grabbed by multiple hands and very thoroughly patted down. My Text was pulled from my belt, and I was too disoriented to do much about it.

“What the F**K,” I snarled, groping around in the lights, and when my vision began to clear, I glared at the assembled people as threateningly as I could.

At least twenty Conclave members, all in black silks, sat around a long table, not unlike some kind of boardroom. A few others stood close to Lee and I, Texts in hand, and our own books were on the table out of reach.

Lee looked a dagger at me, imploring me to be silent. I grumbled. She peered around at the variety of people in the room and finally settled on one, a tall woman of no obvious age, sitting at the far end of the table.

“This isn’t exactly standard treatment,” she scowled, brushing past our guards and approaching the table. Someone moved our Texts further away from her. I noticed one of the guards had Lee’s gun as well.

“You’re well aware of the standard treatment for renegade Readers,” the tall woman said, leaning forward and folding her fingers together. “Does that appeal to you more than a bit of roughhousing?” Her voice was resonant and matriarchal, as though she was used to getting precisely what she wanted and was therefore not too shy to demand it.

“I’m no renegade,” Lee growled, but the tall woman went on.

“You, boy, you’re the McAllister I’ve heard about?” I nodded. “Good to meet you. I’m Grand Master Ellen Ramage, and I’m always pleased to meet a new Reader. I understand you’re interested in joining Conclave?”

“I understood I already had,” I replied, ignoring Lee’s glare and holding up the back of my branded hand. “It’s been lovely.”

“You have not been fully approved yet, mr. McAllister. We will let you know when you are.”

“You sent me a paycheck!”

“Money isn’t our concern. What matters is determining if you are equal to the responsibility of being Conclave.” She rose from her chair and gestured to our guards, who stood away from us. “I can’t have my people starting all-out gun battles in public, I can’t have child-raping thugs gaining access to the Nexus because of Conclave members, and I can’t have high level crime lords getting shot in the throat by my people in front of hundreds of witnesses.”

“Well I can’t-“ Lee started, but Ramage shouted her down. “Conclave is not about murdering bad guys, miss Weon! For the past several days, this office has been buried underneath memos and emails and letters and even a post card, all asking just what the hell kind of organization I am running here! Half the Nexus believes we’re some kind of Assassin’s Guild!”

I frowned. “Is anybody asking why Lee got involved? I mean, those guys were-“

“It doesn’t matter to anyone why things happen. Just that they do. We’re supposed to be philanthropists, not gunfighters. Do you have any idea how uncomfortable it makes people that you wear a gun, Leah?”

“Cops wear guns,” she replied, as though that explained everything.

“You’re not a cop! You’re a twenty six year old girl with a Text and a completely misplaced sense of vigilantism! And I don’t know what to do with you, that’s the plain truth.”

I looked back and forth from Lee to Ramage. I got the distinct impression of a mother-daughter antagonism, as though they’d had this conversation a hundred times. I was also surprised that Lee was twenty six. She looked younger.

“So what are you going to do with me, then?” Lee said, folding her arms. I could see that she wanted her Text back, she barely looked away from it.

For a long moment, nobody spoke. Finally, the Grand Master made a gesture. “Everyone out. Weon, McAllister, stay.” We stood in silence as the room emptied, and when the door closed, Lee stepped forward confidently and swept up her Text, clipping it to her silver chain in one near-instant motion.

Ramage looked at us and shook her head, eyes closed. “The truth is, I’m at the very end of what I can do with you. People are asking that you be dismissed, or suspended. Or considered Renegade. I don’t want to do any of that, obviously.

“So here’s how it is. I have, as it turns out, a situation that requires your unique skill set. Another girl your age, actually. Perhaps younger. She’s got her hands on something that she shouldn’t have, and she’s causing no end of trouble.”

The Grand Master leaned forward and spoke slowly. “I need you to recover the item. Take McAllister with you. This person is dangerous, and you shouldn’t go alone, but nobody else in Conclave is willing to get involved.”

I was baffled by this exchange, but I kept it to myself. Ramage continued gravely.

“Consider this your trial. If you can do something of worth for Conclave, maybe they’ll see that you do have a place among us. If not, well, I’ve already listed the other options.

“That’s how it is. Daphne will have a file for you. Go.”

And she stood up, briskly strode to the door, and left us. I took my own Text from the table and hesitated before facing Lee. “Did she just put us on a hit?”

Lee avoided my eyes. “Seems so.”

“What?!”

“Yeah. She just told me to grease some girl.” She looked pale.

“After telling you off, we’re not an Assassin Guild, she goes and tells you to kill someone?! Is this how Conclave works?”

“I need to think, Tyler.”

“You’re not honestly going to go through with this?”

She sighed heavily and sat down in the Grand Master’s chair, still pointedly not looking me in the eye. I sat on the edge of the table, running a hand over my Text’s leather cover.

I pressed the issue. “Has this kind of thing happened before? Have they had you kill people that bothered them?”

After a minute, Lee sighed again and ruined my whole day.

“Honestly, Trick? They told me to kill you.”

Reviews

[UponATyme]

Ohhhh, what a curveball. That was the shittiest trial ever. Not that you wrote it shittily. But you, know, the lack of trial. THE CONCLAVE ARE A******S. That's what I'm trying to say.
I REALLY like how you hinted at so many relationships without outwardly admitting to them. It gave so many characters so much depth all in on chapter.

[Ness]

Ahhhh!! Love the ending and that makes so much sense! I'm very curious about what will happen...should make for an interesting morality issue. Also, i like how "foolishly wealthy" Trick is and therefore I think he should buy more things :P.