more time to get my power to finish manifesting."
Another
pause, this one long enough that I started to get uncomfortable.
Shawn literally had the fate of my friends in his hands.
"If
my dad agreed to your request it would be tantamount to declaring
that our two packs were allied against all comers."
"I
know."
"Then
you know that the only reason the Coun'hij has allowed us to get so
big is that Dad has remained steadfastly apolitical ever since the
dustup between them and your dad. If Dad throws his weight behind
you, we'll have Agony here inside of a week, and he'll bring every
spare enforcer they've got. At best we'll have a repeat of what you
just went through, but on a larger scale. At worst we'll have a
repeat of what they did to your dad."
I'd
known what Shawn's answer would be. That was part of why I'd waited
so long to make the call, but I had to ask. If we didn't get some
kind of help, we weren't going to make it very much longer.
"I
just need time, Shawn. If my power finishes manifesting we have a
very real chance of breaking the Coun'hij once and for all."
The
call quality was good enough for me to hear Shawn pacing. He'd
started about the time I'd brought up my power, but as he stopped
moving around, I knew he'd made his decision.
"I'm
sorry, Alec, but me sending down some of our people will just get a
lot of people I care about killed and it won't buy you the kind
of time you need. It would be like throwing a bucket full of ice into
hell."
I
felt my beast surge up nearly to the surface, felt my vocal cords
lengthening slightly, but I stopped the transformation before it
could go any further.
"You
can't know that, Shawn. A few days might make the difference."
"I'm
sorry, but I do know it, Alec. I know that sounds crazy to you, but
it's the truth. Even if you're right and your power isn't as
developed as it's going to get, even if it comes whenever you call
for it, you're still not going to be a match for the Coun'hij, not
with Puppeteer in the mix. You'd need something else, someone else
that could offset the army he'll bring to the table."
I
took another deep breath, trying to keep myself under control, but it
was getting harder and harder.
"That's
not the only reason. What aren't you telling me, Shawn?"
Shawn
paused for several seconds and then sighed. "Truth be told,
Alec, nobody is going to be willing to go help you, even if my dad
was willing to take the risks. Your family has always enjoyed a lot
of support among the rank and file, but after Agony's last visit
people are wondering if you sacrificed a third of your pack just so
you could keep your own skin intact. People are already doing a
compare and contrast between what you did and what your dad did.
You're not coming off very good."
My
phone creaked as my grip tightened to dangerous levels, and I had to
consciously force myself to relax at least the hand that was holding
my phone.
"So
you're not going to do a damn thing for me?"
"There
might be one thing, but I don't even know if it will work. That girl
I heard talk of a while back, is she still in the picture?"
It
was more than I could take. I retained just enough presence of mind
to cover the mic on my phone before I put my hand through another
section of the wall. I forced my hand back to normal, shrinking it
down and losing the claws, and then put my phone back up to my ear.
"No,
she left just after Agony came by."
"I'm
sorry to hear that, man. That's rough."
"It's
okay, I'll get over it."
I
could almost hear the exhaustion creeping into Shawn's voice. It made
no sense, but I could tell that he was suddenly all but dead on his
feet.
"Like
I said, I'm sorry. That might give me something to work with. I'll
see what I can do."
I
tried one last time. Even as I opened my mouth I knew it was the
wrong thing to do. Shawn wasn't going to change his mind now, but I
couldn't stop myself.
"Shawn,
I need tangible help, not some nebulous promise. I'll go to your
father directly if I have
Another
pause, this one long enough that I started to get uncomfortable.
Shawn literally had the fate of my friends in his hands.
"If
my dad agreed to your request it would be tantamount to declaring
that our two packs were allied against all comers."
"I
know."
"Then
you know that the only reason the Coun'hij has allowed us to get so
big is that Dad has remained steadfastly apolitical ever since the
dustup between them and your dad. If Dad throws his weight behind
you, we'll have Agony here inside of a week, and he'll bring every
spare enforcer they've got. At best we'll have a repeat of what you
just went through, but on a larger scale. At worst we'll have a
repeat of what they did to your dad."
I'd
known what Shawn's answer would be. That was part of why I'd waited
so long to make the call, but I had to ask. If we didn't get some
kind of help, we weren't going to make it very much longer.
"I
just need time, Shawn. If my power finishes manifesting we have a
very real chance of breaking the Coun'hij once and for all."
The
call quality was good enough for me to hear Shawn pacing. He'd
started about the time I'd brought up my power, but as he stopped
moving around, I knew he'd made his decision.
"I'm
sorry, Alec, but me sending down some of our people will just get a
lot of people I care about killed and it won't buy you the kind
of time you need. It would be like throwing a bucket full of ice into
hell."
I
felt my beast surge up nearly to the surface, felt my vocal cords
lengthening slightly, but I stopped the transformation before it
could go any further.
"You
can't know that, Shawn. A few days might make the difference."
"I'm
sorry, but I do know it, Alec. I know that sounds crazy to you, but
it's the truth. Even if you're right and your power isn't as
developed as it's going to get, even if it comes whenever you call
for it, you're still not going to be a match for the Coun'hij, not
with Puppeteer in the mix. You'd need something else, someone else
that could offset the army he'll bring to the table."
I
took another deep breath, trying to keep myself under control, but it
was getting harder and harder.
"That's
not the only reason. What aren't you telling me, Shawn?"
Shawn
paused for several seconds and then sighed. "Truth be told,
Alec, nobody is going to be willing to go help you, even if my dad
was willing to take the risks. Your family has always enjoyed a lot
of support among the rank and file, but after Agony's last visit
people are wondering if you sacrificed a third of your pack just so
you could keep your own skin intact. People are already doing a
compare and contrast between what you did and what your dad did.
You're not coming off very good."
My
phone creaked as my grip tightened to dangerous levels, and I had to
consciously force myself to relax at least the hand that was holding
my phone.
"So
you're not going to do a damn thing for me?"
"There
might be one thing, but I don't even know if it will work. That girl
I heard talk of a while back, is she still in the picture?"
It
was more than I could take. I retained just enough presence of mind
to cover the mic on my phone before I put my hand through another
section of the wall. I forced my hand back to normal, shrinking it
down and losing the claws, and then put my phone back up to my ear.
"No,
she left just after Agony came by."
"I'm
sorry to hear that, man. That's rough."
"It's
okay, I'll get over it."
I
could almost hear the exhaustion creeping into Shawn's voice. It made
no sense, but I could tell that he was suddenly all but dead on his
feet.
"Like
I said, I'm sorry. That might give me something to work with. I'll
see what I can do."
I
tried one last time. Even as I opened my mouth I knew it was the
wrong thing to do. Shawn wasn't going to change his mind now, but I
couldn't stop myself.
"Shawn,
I need tangible help, not some nebulous promise. I'll go to your
father directly if I have
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