Grip of the Shadow Plague

"Estelle Smith," the elderly woman said.

"Gavin Rose," the teenager said.

"Kendra Sorenson," Kendra said.

"Warren and I go way back," Dougan said.

"Since before you were a Lieutenant." Warren lowered his voice slightly. "Since we last spoke, you’ve seen the Captain without his mask. Just between the five of us, who is he?"

"You sure it’s a he?" Dougan asked.

"Ninety percent. Manly build, manly walk."

"You’ve been out of touch for a while," Dougan said. "I thought you’d abandoned the cause."

"I’m still around," Warren said, not elaborating that he had spent the previous few years as a catatonic albino. "Kendra, you’ve met Dougan’s brother."

"His brother?" Kendra asked. Then she realized why Dougan looked familiar. "Oh, Maddox! That’s right, his last name was Fisk."

Dougan nodded. "He’s not officially a Knight, hears his own drum beating too loudly for that, though he’s helped us out on occasion."

"But here we are, monopolizing the conversation!" Warren apologized. "Gavin Rose, you say? Any relation to Chuck Rose?"

"M-m-my father." "No joke? I never knew Chuck had a kid. He’s one of our best guys. Why isn’t he here with you?"

"He died seven months ago," Gavin said. "Christmas day, in the Himalayas. One of the Seven Sanctuaries."

Warren’s smile vanished. "I’m sorry to hear that. I’ve been out of the loop."

"P-p-p-people wonder why I want to follow in his footsteps," Gavin said, looking at the floor. "I never knew Mom. I have no siblings. Dad kept me a secret from all of you because he didn’t want me to get involved, at least not until I was eighteen. But he shared what he did with me, taught me a lot. I have some natural aptitude for it."

"There’s an understatement," Dougan chuckled. "Chuck’s best friend, Arlin Santos, brought Gavin to our attention. You remember Arlin, don’t you, Warren? He’s here tonight. We had been hearing rumors for years that Chuck was secretly raising a child. Little did we know how much he took after his old man, and then some. We actually have assignments for Gavin and Kendra immediately following the gathering."

"An assignment she can do here?" Warren asked.

Dougan shook his head. "Going someplace. Tomorrow morning."

Warren scowled. "Not without me, and not unless I sign off. Dougan, she’s fourteen."

"I’ll fill you in," Dougan promised. "It’s important. We’ll keep her safe."

There was a knock at the door. "Masks," Dougan said, covering his face. "Enter," he called, once the others had done likewise.

A figure in a silver mask peered in. "Time for the gathering," a nasally male voice announced.

"Thank you," Dougan nodded at the speaker. "Off we go, then."

Chapter Five

First Assignment

Dougan and Warren led the way down the lavish main hall. As Kendra passed a suit of armor, she glimpsed her warped reflection in the breastplate, an anonymous silver mask under a hood. Gavin fell into step beside her.

"Nice how we got to know each other so well," he said bitterly.

"They didn’t leave us much time," Kendra agreed.

"I don’t always stutter, you know. It gets worse when I’m uncomfortable. I hate it. Once I get going, I focus on my words too much, and the problem snowballs."

"It isn’t a big deal."

They advanced down the hall in silence. Eyes aimed downward, Gavin rubbed the sleeve of his robe between his fingers. The quietness became awkward. "Kind of a cool castle," Kendra said.

"Not bad," he replied. "It’s funny, I thought for sure I’d be the youngest Knight, and then pretty much the first person I meet has me beat by two years. Maybe it will turn out that the Captain is really just a freakishly tall third-grader."

Kendra smiled. "I turn fifteen in October."

"Eighteen months younger, then. You must have quite a talent."

"I guess somebody thinks so."

"Don’t feel any pressure to talk about it. I can’t really share mine either." They were almost to the end of the hall. Gavin rubbed the side of his mask. "These masks are the worst. Instant claustrophobia. I’m still not sold on the idea. It seems to me like masks would make it easier for traitors to hide. But I guess these guys have been at it longer than I have. The system must have some benefits. You know what the assembly is about?"

"No. You?"

"A little. D-d-d-dougan mentioned they’re concerned about the Society and tightening security."

At the end of the hall they passed through a grand doorway into an airy ballroom. Strands of tiny white lights illuminated the room, the glossy wood floor gently reflecting the mellow luminance. Twenty round tables stood around the ballroom, positioned to make every seat as close as possible to a lectern on a stage. Each table had six chairs, and most were occupied by Knights. Kendra estimated there were now at least a hundred present.

Only the tables farthest from the stage had vacant chairs. Warren and Dougan claimed the last two seats at a table toward the middle of the room. Kendra, Gavin, and Estelle crossed to the rear table farthest from the entrance, filling in the remaining three seats. Kendra had scarcely scooted her chair forward when the Knights arose together. The Captain, spotlighted, strode to the lectern, golden mask flashing. The Knights burst into applause.

The Captain motioned for the Knights to be seated. The clapping subsided and the Knights sank back into their chairs.

"Thank you all for assembling on such short notice," the Captain said into a microphone, his voice now a dignified male with a clipped English accent. "We try to keep united gatherings to a minimum, but I felt recent circumstances warranted a special convocation. Not all eligible Knights were able to attend. Seven were unreachable, two were hospitalized, and twelve were engaged in activities that I granted priority over today’s gathering."

"You know I do not relish wasting words. Over the past five years, the Society has become more active than during any other period in history. If preserves keep falling at the present rate, none will be functional within two decades. Furthermore, we know that our brotherhood has been infiltrated by members of the Society. I am not referring to leaked information-I am referring to full-fledged members of the Society wearing masks and robes among us."

This last remark caused a stir as Knights throughout the room murmured to each other. Kendra heard more than one exclamation of outrage. The Captain raised his hands. "The confirmed traitor has been apprehended, and the worst damage she intended to do was curtailed. Some of you may have noticed old friends who are not present tonight. Some of those may be among the twenty-one Knights unable to attend for legitimate reasons. Others may be among the seventeen Knights I have discharged over the past two months."