Daniel’s heart sank at the sight. He hadn’t realized until now just how much her absence had been suffered. He felt very much like they were all children whose mother had passed away, and now they were trying to find their way on their own, without her infinite wisdom and care to guide them.
He glanced around the table and saw that similar emotions were written on Lisa’s and Alex’s faces. Payton’s expression was impossible to read, while Ethan, Tucker, and the old man—none of whom had ever met Morgan—stretched around to see the video without realizing the true significance of what they were taking part in.
Daniel placed his hand over the keyboard and paused there, reverentially, before finally clicking the cursor’s button to select Play.
Morgan’s image snapped to life. Daniel’s free hand was soon covered by Lisa’s, under the table. She squeezed tight.
“To whoever is watching this video,” Morgan said in her gentle British clip, “and I hope that it is Julie, or perhaps Alex—the fact that you are watching this means that two things have probably occurred. First of all, I am most likely dead. If that is the case, I would ask that you do not grieve for me, please. I am sure it happened as it did for a reason, as I believe everything does. Though I do hope I went in the night while sleeping. Or better yet,
reading.
“The second thing that has probably occurred is that something drastic and terrible has happened to my friend Grant Borrows. I would be very surprised if he is with you, listening to me now. You see, I have suspected for quite some time now that the Secretum’s designs for Grant involved
altering
him in some fundamental way—remaking him once again, this time to serve their purposes.
“I pray that I am incorrect about this, and only
my
death has prompted the viewing of this video. In that case, then my greatest fears have been unfounded, and perhaps the events I fear the most will never play out. Grant, if you are there, watching this now, then I owe you an apology for keeping what I know to myself.
“Please allow me a moment to explain myself, and in time you may come to understand why I did not believe that anyone else was ready to know what I know. You see, it is my belief that whatever has happened to Grant—it was unavoidable. I believe that the Secretum’s designs for Grant would eventually lead him down a very dark road—one that he could not turn away from, even with the very great power that he commands.”
She cleared her throat and sat up straighter in her seat. Around the table as they were watching these last words from their friend, no one dared utter a sound. Lisa leaned into Daniel a little farther, her expression taut. He squeezed her hand back.
“If Grant is indeed dead,” Morgan said, “then I suspect he has been replaced by someone or some
thing
of terrible, ferocious power. And I fully expect that this has been the work of the Secretum, playing itself out. Again, please allow me to emphasize that no matter how much willpower Grant possesses—and we all know he possesses a great deal of willpower—there was no way for him to avoid this fate. Invisible forces have been at work, bending him toward this purpose, since long before any of us were born.
“The day I first met Grant, I visited an old woman living in my facility named Marta. Marta had the peculiar ability to see eventualities, making her the closest thing to a prophet the world has seen in centuries. That day, she told me that Grant was, to use her words, ‘part of something greater than all of us. Vast and powerful, it reaches back through the fabric of history to the very beginning of time. Those like him have been with us since it all began, in one form or another.’
“Some time later came the day of the firestorm over Los Angeles. It was that fateful day, when Grant squared off against his grandfather, that I believe we first got a glimpse of the true power of the Bringer. We all watched what happened as Grant lost himself to his grief over Hannah’s death: The skies boiled and fire threatened to rain down upon us. While all of this was happening, Grant’s grandfather kept goading him, pushing him to ‘unleash the whirlwind,’ as it were. It was on that day that I realized the Secretum wanted more than just Grant—much more. I came to believe, over time, that what we saw that day was merely the first stage of something much larger. If Grant is dead and he’s been replaced, as I suspect, then you have probably seen that firestorm blossom into something much worse, something big and terrible enough to consume the whole world.
“I took my suspicions about the events of that day with me as I began a journey of learning all I could about the Secretum of Six, most especially its prophecies and plans. Since that time, I have become consumed and obsessed with discovering the secrets of the Secretum in the hopes of seeing if there is any way of undoing what would one day be done to Grant. I confess I cannot provide an answer to this question with any degree of certainty. But I have a theory that may be of help to you now.
“In my research and investigations, I found it very difficult to turn up any information about the Secretum of Six in historical records. I eventually realized that any references to their existence, their activities, their prophecies—all would be shrouded behind references to other peoples throughout history, other groups and organizations. It was a kind of code used by those few historians who knew that an organization like the Secretum existed, but had no name for them or proof of their existence.
“Looked at in this light, my research began to come together at last. Blessed as I am with perfect memory, all I had to do was cross-reference various records in my mind, and I came up with some answers, which I shall now share with you.
“I have discovered that there are precisely 299 Rings of Dominion, not counting the Seal of Dominion, the most powerful of the Rings that’s currently worn by Grant Borrows. It’s my belief that if used in concert, by 299 Ringwearers, the combined might of all of the Rings of Dominion
could
be enough to overcome Grant—or rather, whatever Grant has become.
“So as I’m sure you’re coming to realize, the question facing you now is: How many of the Rings of Dominion are currently in use? I believe that all of them are. Well . . .
almost
all of them. My belief is that Grant was the last person to be given a Ring, so the other 299 were given out first. I know this conflicts with the sudden appearance of the Ringwearers in London who are calling themselves the Upholders of the Crown. They seemed to emerge after Grant was given the Seal of Dominion, and I have no explanation for this. But to the best of my knowledge, there are no missing or unused Rings. Or as I said before . . .
almost
none.
“You see, I may not be there with you, able to help you in what must now be done, but I do not leave you empty-handed. Hidden in the spine of the same book in which you found this disc, you will find a key to a safe-deposit box at the First National Bank branch in downtown Los Angeles—the one not far from Chinatown. Retrieve that box. Inside it you’ll find nineteen unworn Rings of Dominion. If you think about it, you will remember when and how these Rings came to be in my possession.
“Before you face whatever it is that Grant has become— and I believe you
must
face him, for whatever the Secretum has brought forth this being to do, I am certain it is meant to undermine life as we know it—you must unite all 299. All outstanding Ringwearers must be found, and nineteen civilian souls must be willing to wear the remaining Rings. I leave this in your care—as my final gift to you.”
Daniel sat back in his seat, the reality of Morgan’s words sinking in. He was overwhelmed at the task that was now set before them.
“It is not my wish to leave you in despair or overwhelmed at the task that now faces you. And again I pray that my words are unnecessary, that Grant is listening to this recording now, and my fears are unfounded. I apologize for not revealing this information to you sooner, but I have my reasons for believing that none of you were yet ready to know all that I know. It’s my intention, at the time of this recording, to reveal this information to Grant myself, over time. But I have decided to leave this recording in case anything should happen to me before then. It would be irresponsible of me to die on you without some record of this knowledge outlasting me.
“If Grant is gone, and you now face this enormous task without him, please take heart, my friends. There is light at the end of this road. If you were there, you may recall that I came to Grant around the same time I was undertaking this research into the Secretum, and I conveyed to him my belief that I’d ‘figured everything out.’ I was not exaggerating when I uttered these words.
“Whatever has happened to you, whatever has happened to the world—it is not the grand orchestrated masterpiece that the Secretum wants you to believe it is. Please hear me, my friends. I have read and studied nearly every word written by the hand of man, and I am absolutely convinced that there is meaning to this existence, that we are not here by chance. This conspiracy is but one volley in a war that has been waged for countless ages. The events unfolding around you are no work of prophetic genius, no matter what they tell you. It is a cheap imitation of truth. A pathetic fake.
“Stay true to one another, remember my words, and you will discover this for yourselves. The purpose for our lives is all around you, waiting for you to see it. We all have a part to play in the outcome of this struggle, and I trust every one of you will discover the part you are meant to play.”
Daniel blinked when the video went black. That was an odd note to go out on. She didn’t wish them luck, or even say good-bye.
Another thought occurred to him. “Morgan was a Ringwearer too,” he said to no one in particular. “We’ll have to find her Ring, and someone to wear it.”
“That makes twenty,” Alex said, and there was a quaver to her voice. “Twenty Rings in need of wearers.”
Daniel looked up and saw that both Alex’s and Lisa’s cheeks were wet. Lisa squeezed out of the round booth and walked away, a single hand covering her mouth.
Neither Alex nor Lisa could be coaxed into talking right away. So the choice was made to take one more pause before deciding what to do next. Each took the opportunity to get some additional rest, and then the group gathered one last time around the circular bench to finally begin formulating their plan.
The first thing decided—or rather, dictated—was that Alex would be joining the mission. And she would entertain no arguments against this. Her mind was made up, she was coming, and that was all there was to it. Anyone who wanted to try to stop her would find out what it feels like to cry uncontrollably for hours on end.
“So where
did
Morgan get those remaining unworn Rings?” Ethan asked, changing the subject.
Alex and Payton exchanged a look.
“The fire,” he said.
Alex nodded in response, then turned to Ethan. “Morgan used to own some private property where Ringwearers could go to stay in safety. This was long before most of us knew much about the Rings or the Bringer, before Grant was Shifted and given his Ring. An enemy of the Loci set fire to the place. Most of the Ringwearers got out, but nineteen of them died in the blaze. Morgan gathered the Rings from their bodies, for safekeeping.”
“So we’ll find those at the bank,” Daniel said. “We have two further tasks to overcome. Find wearers for the Rings and then intercept Oblivion’s group to free as many Ringwearers as we possibly can. Obviously our end goal is to take Oblivion down before he can enact his endgame, but I think we’re all agreed that these two tasks have to come first.”
Everyone around the table nodded.
“So the question is,” Daniel continued, “do we leave now for the Middle East and try to reach Oblivion’s group before they reach their destination? Or do we head for Los Angeles first to get the extra Rings? Which is more important?”
“Oblivion.”
“The Rings.”
Payton and Alex had spoken simultaneously.
“The more Ringwearers we have going into this, the better our chances,” Alex argued.
“If we don’t get to Oblivion before he arrives at wherever he’s going, then all of this is for naught,” Payton countered.
“And just exactly what are
two
superpowered people supposed to do against the all-powerful Oblivion and his army of supers?” Alex shot back.
Payton withdrew his sword and threw it across the wide open training area behind him. It pierced the head of a fighting dummy, pinning it against the far wall.
“Use your imagination, love,” Payton replied.
Alex’s mouth was already open with a ready retort when Ethan jumped to his feet. “Let’s make this simple!” he announced. “Billions of people’s lives are on the line; we don’t have the luxury of arguing. Personally, I agree with Alex, because . . . well, what if we get over there and realize there’s no time to come all the way back for the Rings before we have to take Oblivion on? So . . . raise your hand if you think we should go get the Rings first?”
Everyone around the table raised their hands, except for Payton and Tucker.
“And if you think we should go after Oblivion
now
?”
No one raised their hands. Payton didn’t have to; everyone knew where he stood. When Ethan looked curiously at Tucker, he said something under his breath about being unsure if his opinion counted.
“Los Angeles first, then,” Daniel stated. “But who’s going to wear the extra twenty Rings?”
There was silence at the table for a moment, then Ethan said, “I’ll wear one.”
The old man still had his right hand—his left was the missing one—but no one attempted to suggest that he should wear a Ring. He’d been through enough.
When no one else spoke, Daniel said that they would need to find some volunteers, as Morgan suggested, though none of them knew where said volunteers might be found. He ended the meeting with, “We should probably get going.”
With that, everyone at the table began to rise.
“Wait,” Tucker said. “What about weapons? We need to be armed.”
“We do?” asked Lisa, uncertain.