Chapter 5

We went into "The Hamilton's" dining room. It had quite a few customers. I had to admit, "The Hamilton's" had very good food. I usually didn't eat here, as it was a bit over -priced in my opinion. I looked at Marcus sitting across from me as he read a menu.

He was a very distinguished looking man. His hair had gotten more gray. There was almost a sheen to it. His eyes were still piercing. He had a firm jaw. Woman found him handsome when I had been living with him, as a child, and it seemed as though nothing had changed. I saw the covert and out right looks he was getting from the woman... and from at least one guy.

"How about the fish? They serve a very good Salmon here," Markus asked me.

"Sounds good. I haven't had Salmon in ages," I replied.

We ordered and I tried a couple times to get the conversation going. He wasn't having any of it, though. He looked at me, and told me we should eat first, then talk business. I raised my eyebrows at this. Business?

He considered this business?

So I sat there and fumed in my chair. We were seated towards the back of the room, giving us a good view of the door to the dining room. I was keeping an eye out for the mysterious lady who was beginning to annoy me to distraction. While we waited for our meal, Markus made small talk of anything and everything, except why we were meeting.

Finally our meal arrived. Actually, it was quite good. The salmon was done superbly. The whole meal was excellent. It had been a while since I had eaten like this.

"An outstanding meal," Markus said to the waiter. "Please bring us some coffee."

"Allright! You phoned with a request for a meeting. I am here, we have met, and I still have no idea what you want," I said to Markus with a look.

"I think we both know what this is about. I felt you change the spell on your safe. I realized fully well what that meant. I am not the enemy, Paul," he said earnestly.

"Funny you should say that... You break into my home. You supply governmental employees with information concerning me, you supply them with a way to test that information, and you are not the enemy? You know what they did to me?" I asked, mor than just a bit outraged.

"Your attitude is very understandable," he said. He hesitated, then went on.

"Exactly how much do you know?"

I choked on the coffee I was drinking. The nerve of the man!

"Know about what?" I asked him.

He waved his hand at me in a dismissive gesture. "Come now. I am asking how much of whats going on do you truly understand?"

"Do you deny breaking into my house? Do you deny providing my documentation to this NSA spin off organization? Do you deny providing them information that let them drug me? Do you deny providing them with a way to test the information you supplied to them? Finally, do you deny tampering with my memories?"

The final question carried a lot of anger as with each question asked, my anger kept rising.

That was not a good thing, and I willed myself to calmness, as he sat and considered me. He was looking at me like he did when I was a child who had made a mistake. He had a way of making you feel small. Only now, I was a grown man, and I recognized what he was doing. I just stared back.

"It is hard to known where to begin. Let me take the questions as you asked them. No, I do not deny breaking into your house, and your safe.

No I don't deny providing, Deputy Director Lauder, with information about you. I told them how to drug you or persons like you, and how to make the test.

"As for your memories... You're here because your parents wanted you safe.

After we came through the gate from Morwon, I did what I thought was necessary to ensure your safety and happiness. I raised you, trained you, had you educated, and provided for you. Yes. I tampered with your memories. I did so to allow you grow up happy," he finished, with a sad sound in his voice.

"Please," I said, rolling my eyes, "You'll have me in tears, in a moment."

"During the 60's, the United States government, as well as a few other governments, did research into what they call 'psychic abilities'. You're familiar with that, right?" he asked me.

I nodded.

"Good. I became involved with a group in the CIA back then. I came forward, and let them think I had some minor talent in that area. They became very excited. It is laughable, really. They assumed I had no idea of how I was doing what I did. There were several of us being, 'trained', by the CIA.

"They actually found a few people with abilities. It is much more common than they think. The ability I came forward with was a little exotic, even for them. But I proved beyond a doubt I had it, and that I could do it. Far seeing, or scrying. The problem is, give someone a new toy, they want to play with it. They used me, us.

"The Soviet Union had similar groups, as did the Chinese. We were sort of a 'psychic black ops' group that did a clandestine war behind the scenes. I met and fell in love with a woman there. Don't look so surprised. I do have feelings you know.

"Anyway, she was a natural witch. She connected to earth, air, fire, and water elements, easily. I subtly directed her to a better ability.

She was magnificent. The government was very excited over her. She was able to use sympathetic magic; crudely, but effectively. We married and had a child. My wife died during an operation against a Soviet operational group that the Soviet's had snuck into the US.

"I felt her death.

"I went a little mad, I think. I reacted.

"I killed the

Soviet team, and I killed all our immediate supervisors who let this happen. I had warned them that something was coming. They chose either to not believe me, or ignore my warnings. I still, to this day, don't know why.

"I took over the group. There was a rocky period of where the US government tried to kill me, us, but I eventually made my point by countering everything that the government did. They finally appointed me director of special operations of the group. My section is designated as: The Bell Tower," he paused, lost in thought.

I signaled the waiter for another two cups of coffee. After we were served, Markus continued.

"I kept a closer watch over you than you realize. Believe it or not, I took my oath to your parents very seriously. I am sorry you're angry about your memories; but I believed then, as I do now, that it's for the better.

You have nothing to go back to, believe me.

"As for the government finding out about you? That too is my fault, though indirectly. Lauder was an appointee that I was stuck with. I'm sorry you have been revealed. I was collecting the information on you for myself, really. However, he got into my files. Rather, he was helped into my files.

"My daughter, in her zeal (and I admit, in a little jealousy), gave Lauder the key to your file. Let me assure you that if I had known what was happening, I would have taken steps. However, now that they know about you, you should really work with us. I can intercede for you, if you would like?" Markus looked hopeful.

I shook my head.

"To many things have come to my attention, Markus. The tampering with my memories is the worst. Betraying me to the government takes a close second. I understand everything your telling me, and I hope you understand my position. Someone I trusted betrayed me, from the beginning.

"Breaking into my house does not fill me with confidence of your intentions. Breaking and entering into someones home is the mark of a criminal, not someone who has the best of intentions for the victim, especially since my history is now property of the US Government.

"You want to regain my trust? Send me though the gate back home. Let me see for myself what happened there. Let my family there tell me what happened..." Markus was already shaking his head no.

"I am sorry. I can't do that. I destroyed the gate we came through. It was to dangerous to leave it, even closed. No, it's just not possible, I'm sorry, Paul," he said regretfully.

"Then teach me how to make a gate, and I will do it myself," I said to him.

"No," he stated with finality.

"That's ok. I will find a way to do it myself. I trained myself in magic after you stopped teaching me, you know. What did you do to my memories, and how do I reverse it, or cancel it?" I asked

"I don't think now is a good time to be doing this. You're in a very stressful state. It would be just adding to it if I did that," h e told me flatly.

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P I and Magic — Book 1

Volentrin

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