(Stevie is dead. But the movement she started didn't die with her. And in a world of magic "dead" does not always mean "gone". Takes place some months after "The Good, the Bad and the Alex" and is a follow-up to my story "CleanUp" . My thanks to WyldCard4 for her suggestion about Jeremy.)
(The Meeting)
The young man looked around the room. Besides the three others sitting at the table with him a number of faces seemed to float about the room. He knew that each of them was a wizard, a wizard who had either lost the family competition and had fled from the results or one who was in danger of losing his or her powers in an upcoming competition.
"Then it's agreed?" he asked rather formally. "Even with the loss we have suffered we will go ahead?"
"I don't think we have any other choice," replied one the girls seated at the table. "We've gone too far to just bow out heads and meekly submit to the Wizard Council."
"And suffered too much of a loss." this came from a black-haired young man who would have been handsome were it not for the angry look that seemed to be a permanent fixture on his face. He put his hands palm down on the table as though he was going to push himself to his feet.
The final member of the foursome reached over and covered the last speaker's right hand with her own. She squeezed gently
"It's alright Dennis. We understand. Stevie Nichols was an inspiration to all of us. Without her we never would have got this far. And we sitting here know how much she meant to you. But the best monument we, you, can build to Stevie is to continue her dream, make it a reality."
All four nodded in agreement.
"So what is the first order of business?" asked the original speaker.
"I believe that first we need to find out how compromised we are. What does this Alex Russo know about us? Us personally that is as opposed to the aim of our group to insure that all wizards get to keep their powers. Can she identify us? What, if anything, has she told the Wizard Council?"
"I'd like that assignment, Kat," Dennis all but snarled.
"No, Dennis." the other male at the table declared firmly. "And you know why. You'll be going after vengeance for Stevie's death, not what you can find out about what she might or might not know. Be patient my friend."
"That's easy for you to say Sean."
"No it's not. I cared for Stevie too. But vengeance can wait until we have done what we originally set you to accomplish. What Stevie wanted for all of us." He turned his attention to one of the floating faces.
Sean knew, as did the four members of the Inner Circle, that each of the astral projecting faces was the leader of a group of disaffected young wizards. The members of each of those groups were known only to the group itself, the leader, and of course the member of the Inner Circle. That had been set up from the beginning, when the entire movement had consisted only of Stevie and the four of them. That way if a new recruit to the movement proved to be false or an agent of the Wizard Council only that small group could be betrayed.
No one had ever imagined that Stevie herself would take a false step and enlist someone who would prove as treacherous as Alex Russo had been to the very leader of the revolution. It had almost destroyed the movement. But "almost" didn't count in this case.
"Becky? Isn't Jeremy one of your people?"
The disembodied female face Sean was addressing nodded. "Yes. He attended the same school as Alex. He couldn't get close to her but he was working to ingratiate himself with her best friend Harper. But when Stevie was testing Alex she made a hole appear in front of him as he was walking past and he toppled into it. Of course he transported himself safely away before it closed. Russo's reaction was just what Stevie, Jeremy and I thought it would be."
"Could he go back there now?"
"Certainly. He'd just have to appear a bit dazed and confused about what happened and where he had been. Which is what would be expected of a mortal who had been through the experience it seemed like he had."
"As I understand the next step was to have him start dating Harper."
"Yes." Becky sighed. "But Stevie, and I bear some of the blame too because I agreed, thought it wasn't going to be needed, that Alex was a perfect recruit to our cause."
"Do you think he'll have trouble?"
"I don't think so. She has quite a crush on Justin Russo, Alex's older brother who is almost the certain winner of that family's contest. But it's a pretty unrequited crush and according to a note Stevie left Harper was thinking Jeremy WAS going to ask her out."
The foursome exchanged looks. "Good," said Sean. "Becky, have Jeremy 'reappear' and see what he can find out. Have him be careful. Alex is erratic and whimsical as well as a stone cold betrayer."
Laura, the fourth member of the group spoke now. "I think the next thing to do is to speed up our recruitment. We only need a few more wizards to join and we will have enough to do the spell that Stevie created."
"We need to be careful though," objected Kat. "If someone recruits another Alex Russo we could all be exposed just when the prize is within our reach. I think even if the Wizard Council knows of Stevie's plan they will assume that it died with her."
"Can we afford to take that chance?" asked Sean.
"We've taken a lot of chances," Dennis pointed out. "Let's not falter this close to the end."
"Agreed," said Sean. The two young women added their assent. The foursome stood, raised their right arms and bumped fists.
"To our destiny!" They cried, a cry that was echoed by the others attending. The astral visitors winked out, leaving only the Inner Circle members. Sean snapped his fingers and the light went off for several seconds. When it came back on the room was empty.
Or almost empty. A shadow fluttered across the now vacant table. A shadow that resembled the vague outline of a human form. A shadow that shouldn't have been there because there was nothing to cast it.
(To Be Continued)