She nodded slowly. "Yes, sir. I'll try to adapt."
"Try very hard." He turned abruptly and walked off. "Aaron and Ethel, if you have a moment, I'd like a word with you."
Aaron and Ethel followed the legate to a quiet corner of the room.
"What is it, sir?" Ethel said.
He shook his head. "Please don't call me sir. Technically, I work for you now, ma'am. My name is Charles."
"Charles?" She furrowed her brow. "That doesn't feel right."
"It feels even stranger to me." He looked around, obviously making sure nobody could overhear. "I intend to run my team as an independent entity. We will travel to random destinations and depend on nobody. Between Carlos, Yvonne, Atalanta, and myself, I think we can handle almost anything."
"I would hope so, s... Charles. That is an extremely talented group."
"However—" He leaned forward slightly. "—there will be times when we need help. This is the secret reason I appointed you as legate. I trust you implicitly. If we're in trouble, I'll call you first and expect immediate support. The vast resources of the Gray Spear Society are now at your disposal. You can protect Wesley if my team fails."
"I understand," Ethel said. "I appreciate the vote of confidence."
"Don't underestimate this obligation, and don't tell anybody else. It's safest if our relationship remains confidential." Charles turned to Aaron. "If I'm plan A, and Ethel is plan B, then you're plan C. Do you understand? If I call you, it's because I'm desperate. Drop everything and help me."
"Yes, sir," Aaron said. "I won't hesitate."
"Good man." Charles patted him on the shoulder. "Unfortunately, you're in a lot of trouble."
Aaron's heart skipped a beat. "How, sir?"
"Ah." Aaron grimaced.
"But it gets worse," Charles said. "While you're rebuilding your team, you'll also be rebuilding your headquarters. That's an enormous project by itself, which will take years to complete. Meanwhile, the enemies of God won't rest for your sake. If they sense weakness in Chicago, they will strike at Chicago. You have to maintain operational effectiveness, but I honestly don't know how you'll do it."
Aaron had a sick feeling. "You're right, sir. I am in a lot of trouble."
Ethel chuckled and patted him on the shoulder. "Calm down. You'll get through it. Of course you can call me anytime if you need advice or emergency assistance. Chicago is my home town. I won't let it fall apart."
He looked across the room at Marina, Norbert, Smythe, Jack, Kamal, and Nancy. They had gathered together and were speaking softly to each other. The anxiety on their faces was plain to see. Norbert in particular looked completely bewildered. My team, Aaron thought, with all its considerable strengths and weaknesses.
"I think we'll be OK," he said. "We're the Gray Spear Society after all. We always win."
Ethel nodded. "Write that down on a piece of paper and keep it in your pocket. You'll need to remind yourself later. Your life is about to get a lot more interesting."
THE END
Table of Contents
Title
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six