Chapter 21

Chamber of the Tree, House of Fourteen, Santa Monica, California, United States

"What the hell is wrong with Los Angeles?" Freek Kolman complained loudly as Gen stepped through the Door of Reflection, into the Chamber of the Tree. Thankfully as a Rogue Rider, she didn't have to experience the door which served up warriors' and councilors' worst fears, preparing them for the proceedings of each meeting. It was amazing all the ways that the House of Fourteen had evolved over the centuries though and she continued to marvel at the changes.

Liv raised her hand, waving it around wildly. "Is it traffic jams that last hours and are caused by brake-happy idiots or rubbernecks who have never seen bent up metal?"

"No," Armando Rosario chimed, shaking his head at the disruptive warrior. "We're referring to the current climate?—"

"Oh, I know," Liv interrupted the councilor. "It's that the weather of Los Angeles is so good that people complain about having to wear a light sweater."

Hester DeVries and Raina Ludwig, as well as many of the warriors on the floor snickered with suppressed laughter, only feeding into Liv's bad behavior.

"Oh, I know what the problem with LA is," Liv continued, sighing loudly. "It's that not everyone drives a solar-powered car and it's impossible for a hippie to find a place to meditate with helicopters buzzing around."

Haro Takahashi held up a hand, cutting through the growing laughter in the Chamber of the Tree. "Although Warrior Beaufont has insightful and humorous views on the City of Los Angeles, what Freek was referring to is the rise in crime throughout the city."

Gen tensed, paying close attention. This was the third time she was hearing of this. Lee had stated that there was an insurgence of shady cops in the area, making her have to take matters into her own hands. Then at Spellbound Pages Bookshop, Walter was putting bars on his windows because police presence was startlingly absent. And now, there was an increase in crime. Something was definitely going on and Gen's instinct told her it had to do with this new Commissioner business and something stemming from the change or a result of it.

"Yes, it's very strange, indeed," Clark Beaufont stated, reviewing a report he held in his hands. "Apparently, most of the patrols in the city have been moved to the north end of the city."

"Where they aren't needed," Seraphine Galopin pointed out. "The north side is relatively safe with mostly just robbery and white-collar crimes. But downtown and East Los Angeles, as well as other unsafe areas, have a total absence of police presence."

"I'm sure that this is just due to changes in organization of forces," Haro offered. "We often see an increase in activity before there's a clamp down on it. I think that we should simply keep an eye on it for now and not overreact."

"That's easy for us to say since we're magicians with portal magic," Liv cut in, never afraid to express her opinion during the proceedings, even if the matters didn't fall under jurisdiction. "It's the mortals of Los Angeles that are being harmed the most by this lack of law enforcement. They can't get away from it and business owners are afraid to open their doors and mothers are worried to let their children out to play. I think this problem is bigger than you all want to admit."

"I think that your job is to be dealing with the ogre rebellions in Greenland," Freek stated, his nostrils flaring with annoyance. "We'll want your full report soon, so why don't you get together your key points for when we call on you, Warrior Beaufont."

"I'm ready," Liv sang. "Greenland is cold and ogres are ugly."

"Save it," Armando said through clenched teeth, turning his attention to Gen. His long, curly brown hair fell over his shoulder, making him look quite feminine, if it wasn't for his masculine facial features. "Ms. Genevieve Beaufont, it is good to see that you accepted our invitation to attend a council meeting."

"Call me Gen," she replied, matter-of-factly.

For some reason, Gen didn't entirely trust Armando Rosario. She didn't think that he was a bad guy, but much like Freek Kolman, he was a self-serving politician. Actually, her instinct told her that Freek was a coward, which although it didn't seem like a traitorous quality, it could be leveraged by a bad guy looking to gain an advantage. She simply made a point to keep an eye on those two.

Haro Takahashi was a member of a Founding family, which didn't assure that he was purely good. However, from what Gen had heard from Liv, Clark and Sophia, Haro was mostly neutral, not being swayed by his emotions or greed. He was usually a tie vote on the council.

Seraphine was also a wild card and Gen hadn't gotten a full read on her. She believed that she was mostly good, but maybe easily swayed or bullied depending on the issue. It was complicated business for the councilors and they were subject to outside influences.

Hester DeVries and Raina Ludwig were without a doubt, full of goodness, but that also meant that they may not use objectivity in their judgement. The council's job, as the Founders intended it, was to make judgements that would serve the greater good. They were meant to be impartial judges, unpersuaded by anything that could cloud their reasoning in matters of magic and balance.

"The reason that the council wanted to meet with you," Clark began, a diplomatic tone to his voice, "is to establish a series of communications about the history and undocumented records regarding the foundation of the House of Fourteen."

Hester nodded. "You see, for as excellent a job as the Founders, meaning you and the others, did in creating this organization, much has gotten lost over the years, creating confusion for the present generation."

"Not to mention that what you did record was in a language few can translate well," Freek said, criticism heavy in his tone.

"That was to protect our secrets from outside races or those seeking to abuse the system we created," Gen answered sternly.

"Yes, that makes sense," Raina stated, nodding thoughtfully. "But unfortunately, our attempts to translate the Founders' language often lead to confusion and discrepancies between interpretations."

Clark leaned forward. "The only reliable translations we had were from London Carraway and my daughter, Rose. As both half-mortals and half-magicians, they were considered demi-gods and could read the language without issue."

"But the pair gave up their status and now can no longer read the Founde''s language," Haro offered. "But they did this for an important reason, in order to create an antidote to separateness, allowing for a way for all races to interbreed in the future."

"It's a very exciting time for the House of Fourteen," Hester cheered. "And the future will definitely yield a new future for all."

"Or a massive war," Freek muttered.

Seraphine shook her head at the other councilor, obviously irritated by his negativity. "The point we're getting to is that we don't have a reliable interpreter of the Founders' language, but also if you'll consult with us, then we don't really need one."

"You want me to tell you the secrets of the Founders?" Gen questioned, trying to figure out what they were asking.

Clark shook his head, looking down at her from the high bench. "We just want clarification on laws and the organization of the House of Fourteen as the Founders intended, when questions arise."

"We've never had a resource like you before," Haro added. "And we think that with your input we can stop making assumptions about what you all intended and know."

"You and your father and the other Founders were visionaries," Hester said in a much louder voice than she usually used, her confidence coming through. "What you built, lasted. And not only that, but the magic that you imbued in the House of Fourteen was so powerful that it still holds the Chamber of the Tree together and protects in ways we've been unable to replicate."

"We want to know how you did it," Raina said plainly.

Gen thought about this for a moment. In one way, these were her people and there shouldn't be any question in trusting them. But back six hundred years ago, things were very different. The world was facing an evolution. And seven magician families came together to create something to usher magic forward in a time when it was facing extinction.

The Founders took an oath to protect and guard their secrets. That's why they created a language that only they could read and left behind little ways of it being translated. That magic kept six of the Founding families alive in the Land of Chimera of now, watching over the world and making appointments.

Gen knew the secrets, but they weren't meant for all to know. They weren't even meant for the current council of the House of Fourteen to know. The reason that the organization stood was that the way to break it was known by no one but her and those in another realm.

It wasn't so much that Gen didn't fully trust the people around her in the Chamber of the Tree. It was that secrets spread and fell into the wrong hands. She'd been proud that what she'd started all those centuries before was still standing, but if she shared the mysteries that held the House of Fourteen together, then it may crumble and that would all be her fault.

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, I can't help you."

Looks of shock covered all of the councilors' faces. No one looked more disappointed than Gen's relative, Clark Beaufont. He leaned forward, like he hadn't heard her right.

"But Gen, if we know?—"

She held up her hand, halting him. "If you know how this place was put together and is incredibly protected, then others will find out and it will meet its demise. I know what my father would tell me to do if he were here, even if I can't hear him anymore. I took an oath to protect our secrets and I must do that—no matter what."

"But we are your people," Freek argued. "We are magicians. We are the House of Fourteen."

"Then you will trust me when I tell you that knowing where the cornerstone of this place is, will only lead to someone destroying it," Gen stated. "We created the House of Fourteen during war and we knew that the only way to ensure it was never destroyed was for no one but us to know how it was put together. I've made my decision. I will not share the secrets of the Founders. They belong to us. We guard them to protect you."