Page 56 of A Mastery of Monsters

Adam’s music is set on low volume and doesn’t have any words to it.

But it’s not classical either. It sounds more like lo-fi beats.

The sort of thing you find on YouTube and play in the background while you study, and the screen is an anime girl sitting in front of a window with a cat, and it’s raining or something.

I don’t think I’ve ever been in a Jeep before, but it’s nice. Black leather seats and enough space to be comfortable. It’s too cold for the top and sides to be off, so I don’t get the full effect of the vehicle, but it’s nice.

“You passed,” Adam says, peeling out of the corn maze parking lot.

People clearly know that this is his car, because everyone yields and makes space so he’s not waiting in line.

“Yup.”

“And almost started a fight.”

I wince. “You saw that?”

He shrugs and smiles at me. “Henry learned about it, and I happened to be there when he was learning.”

I sink into my seat. “Great.”

“I know Henry is very much into the whole ‘public persona’ and ‘reputation’ thing, but I want to tell you that I think it matters significantly less than he assumes.” That makes me look over at him.

“I don’t want you to feel weighed down by this pressure that your competition standing has the potential to set off all these things.

If your performance is what makes someone vote or not vote for me, then I’ve not done my job. ”

Something releases from my shoulders. “Everyone acts like it’s going to be this stain on your reputation.”

Adam rolls his eyes. “It’s not. People do care, of course they do.

And sure, maybe some will question my judgment in choosing you depending on how you do in the candidacy, and perhaps that will make them think I’m not good at making choices.

But that’s such a small part of my campaign.

Henry is a details person, so he thinks that every tiny piece counts.

Like that single voter who swings away because of you will mean the difference in a win.

But to me, it’s not worth you struggling under that pressure.

Trust me, I know a thing or two about the weight of expectations. ”

“Like being expected to fight for leadership basically from the time you were born?” I’m not trying to be mouthy, it’s the truth. He’s a Shaw. One of them was always going to be the Doctorate at some point.

“Yeah.” The corner of his lip twitches. “I used to hope that my dad would live a long life, and by the time it could be any of us, we’d be too old, and it would skip to the next generation. James’s daughter. Or that maybe one of my brothers would step up and become someone who I could fall behind.”

“Too bad.” James isn’t exactly the sort of person to support in this.

But what Adam said does make things confusing when it comes to his older brother.

I thought James wanted me to lose because it would mess with Adam’s reputation and make it easier for him to win.

But if even Adam doesn’t think that matters much, then what is James’s issue with me?

Adam says, “I hear you didn’t want to go to Queen’s?”

“You hear a lot of things.”

He laughs. “I do, that’s true. But I relate in some ways.

University isn’t the only means of education.

When I was your age, I wanted to be a sort of traveling scholar.

Go around the world and learn from different people and experiences.

It felt very much within the teachings of Dr. Weiss to be devoted to knowledge in that way. I was sure that was my calling.”

“But you didn’t.”

“No. By then I’d already shown signs of having the gift. My purpose was set.”

“How do you show signs?” I ask. “Like, you wake up one day and subconsciously control a monster or something?”

Adam laughs again. “No, no. Dad would take us down to the Pen every year on our birthdays and throw us into a cage.”

“With a monster?!”

“Yes. He’d have control and he’d let it slip and slide, always saving us before anything happened.

But the fear was fresh every time. And eventually, it was strong enough to push the gift out.

Unfortunately, that’s the way of monsters and Masters and Doctorates.

Strength can only be gained through hardship, and suffering, and fear.

” He winks at me. “Or I suppose that’s all we’ve tried. ”

“That’s kind of fucked up.” Maybe I should be more formal with a Doctorate candidate, but I get the feeling Adam doesn’t want me to be.

“It is, isn’t it? He always said there was a reason for his methods that he would explain at the right time to the chosen heir. Though the time never came. That’s why I want to change things. Create a different sort of leadership with different priorities.”

“That’s why you’re the candidate we like.”

“I suppose so.”

I look out the window at the wind turbines slowly going round and round in circles. “I didn’t know your dad was like that.”

“Cruel?” Adam asks.

I turn to him. I didn’t expect him to say it outright.

He shrugs. “When he wanted a result, he did what was necessary to get it. In some ways, I understand. The rate of spontaneously born monsters suddenly shot up during his term too. He felt that the apocalypse was just around the corner. That’s a lot of weight on one person to save the world.

I think that’s why he had multiple children in defiance of the rules.

Dr. Weiss only ever mentioned one Doctorate when he spoke of the savior.

But Dad knew how to spin things. Henry is like him in that way.

I think that’s why he was so willing to take Henry in and make him part of the family.

I’m sure Dad often wished that Henry was his son instead of me. ”

I shift in place. What am I even supposed to say to that?

Adam pushes out another laugh. “It’s okay, I’m fine with it.

Especially since I know I’m not the only one who thought it.

Henry was right there at Dad’s bedside with the rest of us.

Before the three of us were let in, Henry went in by himself at Dad’s request. They had their own private conversation.

” The corner of Adam’s lip twitches. “He requested no such thing with us. And as he died, Henry held his hand. And the other one, Dad held like this.” He raises his right hand in a fist. “Whether on purpose or not, only Henry got that moment. Made for an awkward winter holiday, I can tell you that much.”

“Winter holiday?” That makes no sense. Hadn’t the Doctorate just died?

“Ah yes, I suppose Henry thinks that’s more need-to-know information.

It’s more well-known among the senior members of the society.

Dad died in November of last year. We didn’t publicize the information until this year to give us more time to plan for the election.

He didn’t let us know that was his intention until shortly before his death, thinking he would hold on longer.

There was also the issue of succession and setting things up to work in the interim so my brothers and I could split duties until one leader was decided upon. ”

November. He died in November. That means that if whoever is behind this stuff with Jules knew about it, they had more than enough time to prepare. Adam said senior members of the society knew. That’s also in line with our theory that we’re looking for a Master of some level of renown and status.

“And so,” Adam continues, “James hates Henry, and Carrigan hates Henry too, but likes to pretend he doesn’t care enough to hate him. And I… well, I love Henry. Like a brother. The one brother who I never have to be in competition with because he can’t even participate.”

I’ve been so involved with the “we love Henry” people, it hadn’t occurred to me that other people might actively hate him.

I think about the moment in his office when Adam essentially said the same thing in different words.

That Henry is the best man for the job, but he doesn’t have the birthright, so it doesn’t matter.

What must it have been like for Henry to grow up like that?

And why is Adam telling this stuff to me, of all people?

Though the answer comes quickly. I’m on Henry’s side, but I’m not devoted like the others.

And I’m indebted to Adam. I’m naturally on his side.

And I’m an outsider. I don’t know proper protocol of how I’m supposed to speak to him.

I treat him like a regular person. If I were him, raised in his position, I would want that from someone.

“You don’t want to hate Henry too?” I ask.

“No,” Adam says. “Rather, I suppose I look up to him. Maybe a little silly since we’re the same age.

But I know he was the blueprint. He was what Dad wanted me to be.

And I spent a lot of time trying to be like him, and then one day Henry said, ‘You don’t need to be like me when you can just use me. ’?”

“Sounds like him.” The hard-edged bluntness of it.

Adam nods, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. “I didn’t like that word. Use . Like he was a tool. Then I got older, and I realized that everyone is using someone. That the best I could do was use someone kindly, with consent and respect. And so that’s what I do. In return, he uses me too.”

Like how Adam is using me now to vent and trauma dump. I wonder if he’s self-aware enough to realize that. “Like getting you to nominate me.”

“Henry is invested in you and Virgil. He cares, truly. Besides that, he doesn’t like to lose, and he’s chosen you now, so you’re a valuable chess piece.”

“What you’re saying is that he’s using me too?”

“He uses everyone. You have to understand, losing his family changed Henry. Life has to be a game. It can never be too real. For him, he would rather think of the Bachelor candidacy as a challenge to win instead of a high stakes situation in which he may lose the precious son of his friends. Virgil’s parents, once upon a time, were very committed to Henry, and to me through him.

We all wanted to change things. We just…

We didn’t think they would choose something as extreme as trying to kill my dad. ”

I shake my head, compelled to ask the same things I asked of Virgil. “Why would they even attempt it? They must have known he would just control them.”

“The Doctorate is not as invulnerable as we make them out to be. Even Dad had his fears. I think they thought they had something over him, though I don’t know what.

They failed anyway. But what made them so loathsome, such villains to the society, is not just the people they killed.

” He looks over at me. “It’s the fact that they nearly succeeded.

They achieved more than any monster before.

The chains of a Master are supposed to render monsters safe and harmless.

They showed that even beasts in bondage can bite.

The rebellion followed soon after. Some even say it was incited by what they did. ”

Of course, it’s that simple. That’s the way this entire society works.

They use each other and they keep the monsters at the bottom.

That sort of reminder, that monsters have the real power, would be hated by them.

“And you’re the candidate who wants to give monsters more freedom, so does that mean they hate you? ”

“Some of them, but not all. There are others who can vote and who have influence.”

“Like the Wilds.”

Adam grimaces. “Yes, well.”

“Would it be so bad to let them do their own thing?” Especially now that I know how the society treated them. “Don’t you think they’re owed that?”

“They are. I’m under no illusion that what my dad and ancestors did was wrong.

Everything they ask for is what we took from them.

” He smiles at me. “I appreciate you keeping me in check on that. Too many students are unwilling to see fault in the society. The struggle with the Wilds is that it’s no longer enough for them to just be free. They want power.”

“Power keeps you safe.”

“It does, doesn’t it? But I have to give it to them in the right way. You must understand that when you give one group power, the ones who’ve had power all along begin to feel threatened. They don’t see it as bringing the scales to balance. They see it as an attack that hasn’t happened yet.”

We lapse into silence. Thankfully, we’re in time to get onto the ferry, and Adam is able to drive on without any issues. They blow the horn, and the ferry takes off.

I glance at Adam. I know that Henry and probably everyone else would not want me taking things directly to Adam. But he’s the one who offered me the ride, and I’m not going to miss a chance to help Jules. Adam’s right. We all use each other. “You know about the stuff with my brother, right?”

“I do. Henry wasn’t particularly forthcoming about it, to be honest, but he eventually shared the details with me. I wish I could devote resources to helping, but the election—”

“Yeah, I get that. What I wanted to ask about is that I think this person manipulating my brother is looking for an object. An artifact. Like what Joseph Lawrence took with him when he left. Do you have any idea what would be worth looking for?”

Adam shakes his head. “Our records from Dr. Weiss are a bit scattered because of the lending of his journals, and those would be where you might find answers. Or otherwise, from Lawrence’s organization directly, though I know they don’t much care for us. Reasonably so.”

“Okay. Thanks anyway.”

Useless. Another dead end. If the man whose ancestor knew about this stuff doesn’t even know what it is, how am I supposed to figure it out? But I guess I don’t need to. What matters is finding who’s behind this.

The rest of the drive, Adam asks me about my classes and what sorts of things I like to do. It’s kind of like having a conversation with a relative who you don’t know well. They have to ask you a bunch of basic things, and you give basic answers.

When we stop in front of Victoria Hall, Adam says, “I’m aware that you’re stocked up with mentors, but please know that if you need to, you can come to me for help or advice.”

“Aren’t you a little busy for that?”

“I can make time.” The look he gives me is intense.

I wait for the creeper feeling. Like, why is he interested in me at all?

But I don’t get those vibes. I do just think he’s desperate for someone who treats him like a normal person.

And I’m cool to be that for him if it gives me any sort of power in this society. For Jules’s sake.

I thank him and leave.

He waits until I’m safely inside to drive away.