"I should probably start way back, hundreds of years before anyone in this car was around. This will certainly be a long story. There first began Six Great Houses, each representing a different group of people and way of life. Three were led by women, and three by men. They were equal in stature, as humanity was intended to be." He paused for a quick scoff and head shake. Well, good to know Pops isn't an old guy who ignores the gender pay gap... "They carried their own gifts and their own cultures. As is so common throughout human history, a power struggle quickly developed. To account for this, they each took up a style of fighting. Of course, the style of fighting differed between Houses, but it all revolved around humanity's most elegant and cherished weapon: the sword. Each House has a special magical power that they have developed that complements their fighting style. Two Houses in particular emerged more powerful than the rest because their magic was stronger and more suited than any of the other Houses. Those two were the House of Jager, led by the women of the Jager family, and the House of Kahana, led by the men of the Kahana family."

"Peace remained for a time. Unfortunately, men fall victim to their own ambition all too easily. Slowly, powers of the House of Jager waned, and their status was diminishing. Once the Jagers were unable to retain their positions of leadership, the Kahana House assumed the role of the most powerful House. Within just a few years, the House of Jager was nothing more than a mark in the history books. While the Kahana House still had superior power, the other Houses were not content to let the Kahana House assume the role of leader. The inner turmoil was reaching a breaking point. Not wanting war, the Kahanas helped put into place the system that has remained for all these hundreds of years.

"Every ten years, the head of each house competes in The Tournament of Houses, a special competition designed to display the fighting prowess of each House. The results of the tournament determine the standings of power of each House. Over the past centuries, the Kahanas have been toppled a few times. However, they always end up back on top within just a few cycles, as their warriors and magic users have always been far superior. The other Houses have never really had fixed positions and trade standings almost every single tournament. While there have been patches of instability, this system has led to relative peace for many lifetimes."

"Until, as you may have guessed, relatively recently. You are a smart girl, and have probably already discerned from my story that Kaz is connected to this. His last name is Kahana, after all. Kaz happens to be in the direct line to assume leadership of the House of Kahana when he comes of age." He glanced at Kaz, who's face had remained neutral for most of the story, but turned turned to apprehension at the mention of his role. Kaz slumped in his seat and took another bite of the granola bar he had snatched from the glove compartment. He didn't even bother with any sarcastic comments, which was the sole indicator to me of his foul mood. After his brief pause, Pops continued the rest of his story.

"As Kaz has told you, his father died when he was four years old. That was no accident, nor a heart attack as we so often tell the general public. It was an assassination. The desire for the power of the Kahana House is the sole factor the others have in common, and they so often conspire to achieve it. Kaz's stepfather, Devon, has since assumed the role of House head. Unfortunately, he does not possess Kaz's family gifts, and ten years ago, he lost the Tournament." Kaz's jaw clenched at the mention of his stepfather's failure.

I should probably back up a bit. Being Kaz's best friend, of course I knew that his father had died and that he'd be raised by his grandpa. I knew he has an ugly relationship with his stepfather, and it was for that reason he isn't able to see his mother very often. He has two sisters who live with his mom that I've only met a couple times. Usually, when I try to talk about Kaz's family, he starts to immediately change the subject. I should make clear that this information was obviously a lot to process. In fact, I think I was actually less shocked by the news because it was so crazy; it was as if the second wave of shock hadn't hit me yet. It's like standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon. My mom and I went there once in fifth grade. When you're there, at the edge, everything is really amazing. However, you just sorta look for a bit, then go, "Huh. Well, I saw it." Later, in the car, you actually start to process what you saw and think, "Wait a second, I saw that!?"

As of right now, all I could think was, That's so much that Kaz's been carrying around! I couldn't even find the words to speak up. What do you say when you're friend is secretly head of an ancient, magical, sword-wielding family?

"Mads, I..." Kaz trailed off. He clearly didn't really know what to say either.

"Look, Kaz. This is pretty crazy. But those guys chose to attack the both of us, and don't think for a second I'm gonna let them assassinate my best friend—" Kaz smiled softly at that comment— "But don't think for ONE SECOND that you aren't gonna teach me how to wield a sword," I added, smirking. Kaz let out a sigh of relief; he had clearly worried I would be upset at his big secret. Maybe, deep down, I was. But the reality remains: we were in a car driving to Palm Springs after being jumped in an alley by sword-wielding psychopaths who wanted to kill Kaz because his family runs a secret House that also has other, sword-wielding crazy people, led by his stepdad because his dad died when he was young. There wasn't really time to be hurt. The only option is to do whatever I can to support my best friend because I know he would do the same.

"Okay, that was a cool story, but I have a couple questions," I said after a time. Pops rolled his eyes.

"As I knew you would. Children must always ask so many questions. Do you ever give your elders a break?" Pops complained, although it was clear he would still answer my questions.

"First thing's first: how is there some kind of ancient sword society, and I've never heard of it? If you hold some giant tournament every 10 years, why has there never been any news reports?"

"Keeping the Houses a secret has been an ongoing issue. With the internet, things have gotten harder, but so far we've been successful. Yes, a few leaks here and there, or that one livestream incedent" -- he gave a particularly large eye roll there -- "but they are usually dismissed as conspiracy theories. The short answer is that it is a very complicated subject. We are a worldwide network, and if there's a major organization that could pose a threat to our existence, you can bet we have a person on the inside. That being said, it's important to note that each House is in charge of their own surveillance. Should one House's mistake jeopardize the others, there is usually a cooperative recovery effort, but generally we agree to stay out of each other's business. Also, I did mention before that we have certain magic on our side, did I not?"

"So... you guys are like wizards or something?" I asked. Pops grimaced at the mention of wizards.

"No, not really. The Houses don't trifle with... wizards. They aren't reliable and frankly, not worth it. There are some in this world who dedicate themselves to the practice of magic alone, but we see them as more of a way to augment what we already have." Something occurred to me.

"Kaz... can you...?" I didn't even need to finish my question because he instantly cut me off.

"NO! Er, sorry, no. Magic is sort of its own thing. While the House has people that do our magic, barriers and all that, I've never learned it."

"Yes," Pops continued, "Non-magical means normally suffice for most everything we do."

"But why stay secret in the first place?" I asked. Pops chuckled at the second question, as if he'd had to hear the same one from Kaz many times.

"Well," he explained, "that is, in fact, a long-running debate amongst the people of the Houses. There are many people, especially... younger ones," he looked at Kaz for that comment, "who believe we should make ourselves known to the world. Most people object however, because it would disrupt our way of life."

"And that is...?" I queried.

"There are many aspects people wish to preserve. The most obvious is the money. I'm sure you were going to ask me about that next. Most of the Houses make their livelihood by, shall we say, 'disguising' other businesses. For example, the Kahana Family Compound, which we are currently driving to, is known to the outside world as a grape and melon farm. The Kahana family alone also owns two wineries and a peanut processing plant," Pops chuckled at the mention of the plant, "that was a recent development. Kaz's stepfather was reluctant, but turns out the peanut industry is booming. Anyways, if the world found out they were actually just covers for secret family operations, they might not like it."

"Isn't that... kind of like the mafia?" I joked. Kaz choked on his granola bar at that one. I guess he shared the same opinion. Pops, on the other hand, did not, and scowled into the rear-view mirror.

"Stupid child, there is nothing in common with the mafia!" he protested. Kaz couldn't help it at this point.

"I mean..." he started, "We're an ancient family from another country that came here and started covering our actual intent with fake businesses. We frequently go into contact with other families of the same kind and sometimes even assassinate each other." I was laughing so hard at this point it was starting to hurt.

"Kaz, do I need to" another giggle escaped my lips, "kiss your ring?" Kaz let out another laugh then added,

"Maybe you should be calling me..." (another burst) "the Godfather!" We both just completely lost it now, and laughed for several minutes. Pops was upset, but I think he knew it was good for us to laugh away some of the tension. After all, it had been a very stressful and crazy night.

Too bad it wouldn't last, because we were just about to enter Palm Springs.