Part 7 (2/2)

Uncle Mike groaned and waved off the general. ”Let her stay. If Brent's in charge of Mamie's security, it wouldn't hurt for him to be here, too.”

My brother scowled. ”Are you sure? Because yesterday you made it pretty clear I'm not necessary.”

”Brent, cut him a break,” Will said. ”We had a bad day, but now we have to work. Let it go.”

I had a feeling part of that little speech was for Uncle Mike, but Mom stepped up. ”Let it go? My children are being endangered by the Army, and they want me to leave the room. That's not going to happen.”

Now it was the general who groaned. ”You know what, everyone whose last name isn't Archer, clear the room. I think they need to have a family come-to-Jesus meeting before we can continue.”

Chairs sc.r.a.ped the floor and boots shuffled into the hall before the door shut with a firm click.

”So, who wants to go first?” Bada.s.s Aunt Julie asked. ”I think Michael's clear on my position as wielder. As in, I am one, and that's the end of it.”

Uncle Mike stood in a corner, arms crossed tight and a dejected frown on his face. ”I'm worried about you,” he said. ”That's all.”

”I understand that,” Julie said. ”But you should be worried about all of us, not me in particular. None of us has any idea what I'll be able to do after the knife-spirit latches on for the first time. I might not be able to fly like Matt, but I'll be effective, so you shouldn't worry about me more than any other wielder.”

”Fly?” Mom said, shooting me a freaked out look. ”That was true?”

I didn't have to answer because Uncle Mike interrupted. ”I worry about all the wielders, but I reserve special permission to worry about my family more.” He pointed at me. ”That means both of you.”

”Really?” I muttered. ”I got the impression yesterday that you wanted to throw me to the wolves after handing over Parker's knife.”

A ringing silence followed.

Mike let out a harsh breath. ”Matt, I needed time to get used to what happened. It had nothing to do with you.”

”Yeah, right,” I said, getting angry. ”That glare was for some other reason.”

My uncle's expression went somewhere between shocked and irate, but before he could snap back, Mamie burst out, ”Uncle Mike, I could tell something was off so I brushed your arm on the way in, to see if I could get a read on what was wrong with you. You blame Matt for bringing the knife to Aunt Julie, and wish he had kept it instead. That's completely unfair. Thing is, you know it's unfair, but you won't admit it, and that sucks.”

Given that was the strongest language in Mamie's vocabulary, Mike seemed to realize things were out of hand. He and I stared at each other. Now that I knew what he really thought-that he wished I would take on twice the risk rather than watch his wife have her shot as a wielder-I wondered how my worth to him had eroded so far. Angry tears started p.r.i.c.king the back of my eyeb.a.l.l.s, but I'd go to h.e.l.l on rollerblades before I'd let him see me cry.

”Michael,” Mom said, her voice aghast and her eyes wide. ”Is that true?”

Uncle Mike blinked rapidly and his chest rose and fell faster than normal. I wasn't the only one close to breaking. He glanced at Julie, who shook her head with a small smile. I couldn't be sure what it meant, but he sank into a chair and wouldn't meet anyone's eye.

She came up behind him and rested her hands on his shoulders. ”I think Matt and my knucklehead here need five minutes. I give everyone permission to come back if it sounds like furniture is flying, however.” She pointed at me. ”So behave, or I'll crack your skulls together.”

After they left, we sat there for a while, until the silence treatment got to me.

”You going to talk, or is it pointless?” I asked, embarra.s.sed to hear how my voice wavered. ”All I ever wanted was to be just like you. To earn your respect and prove-once and for all-that you see me as a man, an equal. Now I see that's an impossibly high goal.”

Uncle Mike sighed. He sounded so tired, but I didn't have any sympathy left. We were all down to the bone and we needed someone to take the high road, to show us how to stand tall in the last mile.

He finally looked up at me. ”My reaction yesterday was unfair. I never should've put you in the middle.”

I didn't say anything, or offer encouragement, because I didn't want to hear excuses. What I needed, what I'd always needed, was his approval. But unlike when I was younger and trying to prove myself, now I needed to know I wouldn't have to work constantly to keep it. I needed to know it was, and it would stay that way, no matter what.

”To answer your question, I've seen you as a man since Africa. It took me longer than the others to realize it, but I got there in the end.”

It took me a long moment to answer. ”Then why do you blame me about Aunt Julie? Why did you throw that on my back? I have enough nightmares to suffer through without suffering your disappointment, too.”

”Because sometimes grown men make stupid mistakes. I was angry and afraid and needed an outlet. Unfortunately, I went for the closest target, rather than venting it in the right direction, which is at a woman we're going to go see later today. Ann Smythe is the reason Parker died and the knife had to transfer. She's the reason my wife's a wielder now. She's at fault for starting all of this, and I'm going to make sure she pays.”

Now that I could get behind. ”Can we sic Mamie on her again?”

Mike clapped me on the shoulder. ”Why do you think we brought her along? I have to admit, I'm looking forward to the show. Ann's more scared of Mamie than anything and with good reason.” He sighed. ”Can you forgive me for being stupid?”

There was so much left undone, hating each other wouldn't solve anything. ”Yes. Until the next time you're an a.s.shole.”

He snorted and gave me a shove. That was so much like what Brent would do, I laughed, which was a relief in its own way.

”Can we call everyone back in?” he asked. ”Because I might get demoted if we don't start this meeting soon.”

”You have to go out there and invite them in-after begging Mom to join us first,” I said. ”That's the only way it'll work.”

”True story. Okay, I'll go.” He stood and went to the door, but stopped with his hand on the k.n.o.b. ”For what it's worth, I'm more proud of you than you can imagine. No matter what happens next, I wanted you to know that.”

I nodded. ”That's why I try so hard. Because I want to earn it.”

He smiled. ”You already have.”

Chapter Ten.

”So,” the general said, his loud voice filling the room to almost painful levels. ”We've received calls requesting a.s.sistance from fourteen countries, and we expect a few more. Captain Tannen, for now, is still acting as my intelligence officer until we find a replacement. She's been working to triage the most pressing needs.”

Aunt Julie brought up the projector and displayed a map from her laptop. Several colored dots pinpointed locations across the world. ”Right now, we're a.s.sessing where the greatest threats are. Four wielders can't be in fourteen places at once, and-”

”Five wielders, Captain,” Jorge said. ”Five.”

”Oh,” she said, shooting the general a surprised glance. ”We thought you might prefer to go back home to Peru to defend the borders there.”

”It appears from your map that the only South American country seeing any trouble is Chile. I can go there, if it's of priority. Otherwise, I'll go wherever you a.s.sign me.” He smiled at me. ”We're a team, and from now on all of us have a responsibility to do our duty.”

For good men, Tink whispered, duty isn't a choice.

”Eavesdropper,” I whispered back. I knew she'd heard every conversation I'd had since I became a wielder, but these little reminders made her sound like a creeper.

Being incorporeal doesn't afford me many opportunities for entertainment, so I have to amuse myself however I can.

”Jorge, if you're in,” Aunt Julie said, ”that's a big help. Right now, we've ranked the threats by order of criticality, both by density of population and vitality of monster. Our top five are Vancouver, Marrakech, Budapest, Taipei and Aberdeen.”

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