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.