Diligo Est Amicitia

Chapter 2: Archos

Jamie's POV

The car sped along the road, sweetly smooth. I rested my hand gently on the driver's wheel, my right foot tapping in rhythm to the soft jazzy beat of the music emitting from the radio. Fin and Lils were making short conversation about how Ipswich was and how not many things had changed since our brief time here three years ago. I was grateful for the lack of speech for it gave me peace to run through my thoughts.

"Oh, and hey, what dya think about those four guys back at Nicky's?" Lils suddenly gushed from the back. Me and my big mouth, I thought wryly. "Cute, huh?"

"Totally." Fin nodded, her auburn hair bobbing up and down. "Especially that blue-eyed one… whatshisname?"

"Tyler Sims." I supplied, deciding to speak. "Dark-haired. Shy and cute?" Fin nodded again, her brown eyes wide with excitement.

"You think he's cute too?" She asked in a shy, hushed voice.

I laughed. Among the three of us, Fin was the youngest, though we were all eighteen. She'd been the last to come into our Pack, introduced when she was fifteen. Lilith had arrived when she was fourteen and I when I was a mere thirteen year-old. I don't complain about it though; the sooner I left my old life, the better. Since I had been with the Pack longer than the others, I had had time to learn about the ancient Archos, and to learn of the being I was to become when I finally Ascended. When that would be, I don't know… the only thing William told me – with an air of cryptic-ism, may I add – was that the three of us would Ascend together when we finally reached Enlightenment. Yeah, I know… it sounds very Buddhist though William told me that this Enlightenment meant something a whole lot different and that to achieve it quicker, would be for the best. How we were to do it, he did not tell us.

"Ask anyone around. Those four might have been the best-looking ones in the crowd tonight." I humored her.

"Ooh…" She swayed from the right to the left, happy with my answer. "Whom do you like, Jamie?"

I frowned. This was really not the direction I hoped to steer the conversation into. My love life was non-existent. Hell, I didn't even want it to exist. "No one." I said after a pause.

Fin sighed. "Oh, come on, Jamie… during these last three years I haven't seen you even flirt with anyone… at all."

"I'd rather not, Fin. You know ties with anyone else is strictly frowned upon by William." I said, a gentle warning tone in my voice.

"Oh, drop it, Fin." Lilith drawled in her Boston twang. "You know Jamie… boring, a-sexual…"

Fin giggled, as did I. Even when Lilith was most sarcastic, I couldn't help but love the girl she had become. Lilith might be too straightforward in her words but that was probably the only negative aspect about her. All in all, she was pretty much a lovable person once you really got to know her and earned her trust. A fierce and extremely loyal friend, Lils wouldn't have abandoned Fin or me for anything in the world or beyond.

We talked more of the night's events as I drove towards Manor Aurelius. When we arrived, we were escorted through the double doors of the great mansion, which had been owned by previous Archos, used as a sanctuary. I eyed the portraits hanging off the walls, some of them depicting portrayals of wars, terrifying and vicious, some illustrating beauty. Nothing had changed in the mansion; the bright orange lights giving off a homely atmosphere and bouncing off the polished marble flooring that we walked on. I was slightly amazed that the house had been kept in tip-top condition before remembering that William had ordered his servants to go two days ahead of schedule to prepare the grand manor for our arrival.

Our ushers led us through the ballroom doors where I supposed William had set up his temporary throne room since Castle Rector of Ipswich was still being decontaminated. We stopped three feet away from his throne before going down on one knee; our heads bowed to show respect. Out of the four Archos chosen, William was the only one whom had Ascended though it was expected of him. He was, after all, Chosen directly by Phasma or Phasmatis Lycan and had been in power longer than any of us. The rest of us had been Chosen after our own respective Phasma had died, a tradition that had been broken for usually, a Phasma would choose his heir before his mortal body died. William Lycan was a hundred and six years old though he looked no older than forty. I expect it was part of the blessing and curse, whichever way we saw it.

"Rise." He said warmly. We rose, our eyes never lifted off the ground until we stood completely straight. He sat on his throne, his eyes sparkling with youth and excitement though his face was kept neutral. It was obvious that among all of the sanctuaries that the Archos had in the world, Ipswich was his favourite. For one, it was one of the oldest places the ancient Archos had chosen. It also had a history of witchcraft, families who had fled here and still lived though which we do not know, adding to the mystique of the Pack. The Pack referred to the group we traveled in which mainly consisted of William, his son Peter, the three of us and the numerous lycan bodyguards he had at his command.

"How did you find Ipswich?" He asked.

"Nothing much has changed, My Lord." I replied. "The surroundings are still delightful."

"Plus we got to meet a couple of hot guys." Lils added under her breath so that only Fin and me could hear it. I fought to hold back a smile.

William nodded, pleased and satisfied with our answer, thankfully not hearing what Lilith had said. Or perhaps he preferred not to. "Excellent, excellent." He looked around sharply and with a sudden snap of his fingers, ordered out everyone else. "I would like to have a private conversation with my daughters." He said. The three of us shared knowing smiles. Though William was to be a sort of colleague of ours when we finally Ascended, he chose to think of us as the next generation of Archos instead, for we were a good eighty-eight years younger than him and appeared as old as Peter, thus referring us as his 'daughters'. We didn't mind one bit; he was ten times better than any of our biological fathers added together. Once the guards had reluctantly left the throne room, he eagerly stepped down to give us a fatherly embrace, an act that we had not received for many months due to the disapproving eye of the court ministers.

"So, are my dear daughters ready for school tomorrow?" He asked.

Oh, God, I forgot about that. I realized in alarm. Lilith groaned. "Sir, could we not go?" She begged.

William raised an eyebrow. "But why not? Eighteen-year-olds are meant for school, not lounging around."

"You brought us here for learning about the protocol of a proper Archos." I protested indignantly, my two 'sisters' on either side to support my argument. "I don't understand why we need to attend a school."

"Yes, well, you can't be cooped up in Castle Rector or this house for the rest of the time we'll be spending here, can you? Why don't you head out into Ipswich? Socialize or whatever it is you teenagers like to do." We grinned at this. "Act your age and don't worry about court etiquette. It will come naturally and anyway, who gives a damn about what the court ministers think?" The four of us laughed.

"Act your age?" Fin echoed once she had caught her breath. "That seems a bit funny coming from a hundred year old-something werewolf, isn't it?"

William Lycan laughed at the young Phasma. Suddenly, he stopped laughing, his face serious. "And while you're mingling with the mortals, the same rules apply, girls." He reminded them.

"No bonds spiritual, emotional or physical." The four of us recited.

"But wh--" Fin started to ask but the werewolf master stopped her with a finger.

"A question that must not be asked and which I cannot answer. Just know that the consequences will be too great for the Four to bear should one of us make that mistake." He said.

The door suddenly burst open and in stalked young Master Lycan. At sixty-five, he was impeccable in every sense of the word and looking no older than nineteen. Dark spiky hair, a light complexion and amber orbs, he was certainly easy on the eyes though neither me nor Lils or Fin would or could ever think of him as anything else than a confidante, a big brother and a very good friend. "Hey, what did I miss?" He asked.

"Nothing much." I replied. "Just a few words of wisdom from your ol' dad."

William frowned. "Now, if you do not appreciate my advice, I can---"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." I held up my hands in surrender. "Didn't mean it that way, old man… but still it would be nice to have a little freedom."

He gazed at us levelly. After an pause, he said, "You are allowed out on weekends…and on school nights though you must be back in your dorms by midnight." We nodded. "No beer is allowed the night before school and… my guards will be checking up once in a while to see that you are doing alright. I will have no time to inspect you on your studies so I will trust you to do the best you can."

"What, are you busy or something?" Lilith asked.

"Yes, Castle Rector needs much attending to." At our startled looks, he added, "I am planning for the inauguration would happen here in Ipswich."

"B-but what if we don't Ascend until like…eighty years or something?" Fin stuttered.

He fixed her with a stare that seemed to look right through her. "Then we will wait. Whatever it is, we will wait. The Pack is weary with our travels and they will be relieved to know that we will finally settle down." He moved off towards the door, leaving us with our thoughts. "And oh, yes, I will be staying in Manor Aurelius for the night. It has been confirmed that Castle Rector will be ready for my moving in by tomorrow." He exited the ballroom and until Peter suggested that we head for bed, we stood there in silence, our fatigue forgotten as the excitement tomorrow promised settled in.
A/N: I hope that this wasn't too boring or something... the secret of the girls is not really meant to be a secret to the readers, more to the Covenant. I hope you understood the Latin words:

Archos means Ruler
Rector means Ruler
Phasma/Phamatis means Spirit

At first I was at a dilemma as to whether explain the girls from Jamie's point of view or to go on to the next day at Spencer's before I decided on the former. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review! Criticism is welcome.

Crickes