pte

nd that she needed to be easily found as she was the adhoc hostess of their group. Russell disappeared to complete some task o

through the electronic ether more easily than Ivy could stroll through a path in the park. He delighted in bypassing security codes,

r jobs as well although he was very picky about who he worked for. She also knew he occasionally sold information as well, or at least traded it for information he needed. Ivy knew he had some

adgets. Occasionally they could be convinced to use cell phones or e-mail, but the preference for rotary dial desk phones and letters by post remained the standard. It meant that most of thei

h his early dinner preparation and Ivy poured herself a cup of coffee from the consta

rstandably changed after they went into hiding, and the name of his long dead grandfather. Ivy copied out the information, sent it along and

etails of Vlad's being set loose, '

or Max, her two earth mage brothers, specialized in golems, Theodore apparently had as did H

ast time she was called to appear before them. He was so proud that she didn't immediat

dentifiable lumps of meat she became. 'But not a person.' Ivy resolutely steered her thoughts away from th

ilton is an expert. I am most decidedly not an expert on golems. So w

ce again returned to Vlad. The golem was set to guard the entrance to the Vampir

s a child. Having an oversized version hissing the words 'Kill Ivy' while chasing her through the dark, underground halls of the archival level didn't dim those nightmares any. While that fear didn't visit her when she slept, it would occasionally cree

ed it and that she was sitting safe and sound in her kitchen, listening to Winston chop vegetables and sippin

hile Danny, a water mage, tried to dehydrate him by causing all the water in his body to seep out of his pores, leaving him a dry desiccated husk. D

the vampires. Three of them died that day as well. 'I wonder if it is coincidence that they tried to enact their plot on the same day as the Brotherhood invaded

ealed from its exertions. The only problem was that the only thing she knew that they had in common was her. While she did

. The Brotherhood as well seemed to think she had their fearless leader Ron Corwin stuck in a dungeon somewhere and was tryi

look like Ron embezzled and fled, the organization seemed to crumble. Ivy didn't think they would disintegrate completely, hate groups tended to take a long time to die a

someone else's problem f

n was having with the golems and why he thought she could help. She nearly sighed with relief w

ut on the electric kettle for Irina's tea. "We are going with stra

ct was unintentional. I forgot the reaction the two natured can have to the herbs used to open a person fo

ed a plate of tea cakes on the table. "Tomorrow we refi

Irina said. "Even if it is quieter this visit." She sighe

was able to enter the property despite the shields. Once assured that the shields weren't broken, th

and saucer back to the table with her. Winston returned to his vegeta

to socialize, " Ivy told them. "In case you are wond

crinkled in amusement. "So should

ut of the way, whichever y

re reason to worry." She gestured to Nick and Ivy say h

eir records. Neither Lee nor James has any sort of police record. Both worked in retail, their resumes' matching what I could find out on them

to their strongholds?" Ivy asked as Nick

h the dates that I was gi

om BB's gossip, " Ivy said a

the proprietor Benjamin Birmingham, who was always referred to as BB, shared the gossip about the Seer's retreat from the

t the others for dominance. The Seers stayed out of the way and let them all fight, keeping themselves apart in their strongholds until the cla

ther clans, predominantly mages. The strongholds they retreated to were reinforced with mage shields, adding more than just thick stone and heavy timbers to t

sed farmhouses and country estates. If there were walls surrounding the property, they were meant to be decorative or to simply mark a boundary, or keep a

strongholds were burned to the ground and the inhabitants slaughtered. The sla

radar came from their bank

the information of their employmen

rated. I found the incorporation papers and it seems to be a Non-profit that deals with wildlife refuges. T

ent head of the Seers is a

ithe, " Ir

an tithe?" Ivy asked

ercentage was kept low. It was also kept standard. There were no exceptions or exclusions. There were no tax breaks, everyone paid the same percentage of their income. Ivy knew there

uding what went into the treasury for future concerns. Some things were standard like their clan's percentage of the pr

penditures didn't want to be known. Every mage over the age of eighteen had a vote they could cast when votes were taken. For most things a two thirds majority was needed to change anything or to accept a

burdensome than the mage tax and

rdensome to me, " Ivy said. "That c

apartment building, chances are every other apartment in that building has a Seer and their family in it. The clan woul

ing with the rest of

nd career paths, sometimes placing people into jobs. Their jobs are designed to put the Seer into contact with a broad spectrum of people. The more people th

istance. Ivy caught the fact that Irina referred to the Seers as they

ht, seeing the future of the clan a

e you lived?"

ded family and the houses were clustered together. I was young so I am not certai

ould live like th

ily, another family would find space for them in their home, calling them cousin, uncle niece, or whatever fit the situation regardless of blood. You were taken care of and knew you w

to marry who you w

are forbidden to marry. If you go against the wishes of the clan and marry anyway, you are shunned. You leave the clan and it is as though you never exist

mily was split by the Council, they sought secret ways to stay in touch, and even though they went long stretches without talking, she knew they still cared about her and would be there w

ew Carlson didn't approve of her protecting Irina. She doubted the head

ters. They would really only know their particular community. Keeping the communities sequestered from each other helps preserve the sight." She explained. "Large things, like the fate of the clan as a whole, can not be seen because they all se

hat was having trouble they could ask a commun

nities as separate entities instead of one. And if you get enough sight, you can weave them

Communities in California to use their sight for communities in Wisconsin and Wisconsin to look at Geor

or Mexican communities to look at the US ones and compare it to the patch work one created within the country. Then you could

s own clan leader and it

lson is the clan head for all of the Seers in his district and sits, or sat rather on the Shadow Council. When they need to w

y function, I think we might be dri

led to another. And you are right, very little is going to affect them. At least not at the moment. If the Shadow Council is re-instated

fically in regards to Seers." Ivy didn't mention the book about the Seers that Albert loaned her after he found out about the requests of the two to join her house. "

hen they had kid

rd it, but it hadn't occurred to her during her research.

Ivy watched as he pulled out a pen and scraw

around when the Seers

eople who may be moving to the area

heir community and their ties to it. He will be able to tell if they are telling the

ple, " Ivy