Chapter Sixty-Seven

 

The wall of the council room had a faint outline where the strange painting had hung in her grandfather's time. Like a lot of things related to him, she wished she knew the real story behind it. Despite being related, Dominion was an enigma. Whatever grand plans he had for his life and the realms, he kept his council close.

Pandora straightened the jeweled jacket. It was one of the gifts from Hylakane as part of her Lady Saha disguise and she'd found she enjoyed wearing it in the privacy of the Nest. A reminder of the expectations of her position as clan leader. When she'd come to the Undercity, it was the last thing she wanted, but now that it was hers, the weight felt comfortable.

The double doors opened revealing almost all the members of her leadership team. Kuma took the place on her right, and then it was Camina, Yara, Adrenalynne, Elani, Vasilisa, Choo-Choo, and Navos. The final chair remained empty. Only Kuma knew the identity of the last member because he'd been the one she'd contacted.

"May the shadows keep you safe," she told them.

"And the light blind your enemies," they replied.

The rattle of ice water being poured had her waiting. She wished she had Kuma's amber to read their auras, but decided that knowledge would be too distracting. The time for concern was over. No one had contested her leadership of the new clan, so she shouldn't be worried that they didn't think she belonged, even as she was the only one of them not born in the Undercity.

"Come in," she said after the knock on the door.

Striding into the room in a navy blue shape-fitting dress was Gabrielle Au, the former mage of Razor clan. Noises of surprise traveled through the room as everyone looked up.

"It's wonderful to see you all alive," she said, taking the empty spot between Navos and Kuma.

Kuma cleared his throat. "When Pandora asked me to find a clan mage, I was pleased to find out that Gabrielle was still alive."

"I wasn't at the Pajot when Titus Cabone showed up. I was in the city on business for Daraja. After everything that happened, I laid low until I heard about the rebellion. I hope you will accept me into the clan after being absent for so many years."

The uneasy expressions brought concern for Pandora. Gabrielle hadn't been a part of the fight to take the Undercity back from her grandfather.

"I have the utmost faith in Gabrielle," said Kuma. "She was an important part of my father's team. It'll be good to have someone from before around to help with the problems we've little experience dealing with."

"Welcome to the team," said Choo-Choo.

The others followed his lead and Pandora let herself relax.

"Thank you, everyone," she began. "I know these last two months have been chaotic, trying to stave off the many problems we were left with in the aftermath. I'm proud of how this team has handled those issues. I've spoken with you each individually about your new positions and the struggles that remain, but now is the time to formally begin as a clan. You might notice we have a much larger clan leadership structure than the simple ones the old clans used in the past, but I believe the scope of our operations requires it."

Pandora checked their faces for disagreement, then forged ahead.

"As we just discussed, Gabrielle will assume the role of the clan mage as she did before for Razor and as an assistant to Luscious Gaunt in Drops. But I want her to do more than she did previously. We're no longer the backwaters of the city. No longer overlooked by the mages above, except by those who want to hide their deeds in the shadows. The city, and the Hundred Halls, has taken an interest in our world. We need outreach, and Gabrielle, as an alumnus, is the perfect person to make those connections.

"This leads to the next position, which goes hand in hand with Gabrielle's. Kuma will lead the general fixer position. But this will be more than the clan used previously. He will be our connection to the non-mages of the city, namely the gangs and legitimate businesses which we might deal with, but also as our spymaster. We need to have eyes and ears in the city to ensure that we're not caught off guard by future problems.

"The Academy will be split in two. With a large influx of new members, we don't have the room in a single facility. Camina will take the newer recruits at the space near here, while Yara will instruct the older ones at the old Razor Academy." She smiled towards Kuma. "Which will require a small presence in the Machi, once certain security issues like the old Crow elevator have been dealt with."

The entire table chuckled lightly, leaving her to relax. She'd been worried about the meeting all day, but she shouldn't have been. Most of what she was going over, they knew about already, but this was a chance for everyone to hear about it at the same time and acknowledge each other's roles.

"On the security side, Adrenalynne will keep the three tourist locations, Big Dave's, Lazona, and the Terreno, safe and functioning smoothly, as well as the passages between."

"I'm here for you, boss," said the green-haired Adrenalynne, adding a wink for good measure.

"I've named Choo-Choo as the warleader with Navos as his assistant."

Gabrielle tapped on the table. "Excuse me if this has already been discussed, but with no rival clans, is the warleader position necessary?"

"A valid question," said Pandora. "The position has two roles. The first is to ensure that no gangs from the light decide to mess with our business, the second is to prepare the clan for the remote chance that my grandfather ever returns. And if not him, then the realms are full of other threats. I don't think we need a reminder as to the state of the Undercity eight years ago during the infernal invasion."

"Thank you, clan leader," said Gabrielle.

"This leaves our two remaining members of the leadership team. Elani will head the mining operations and all maintenance and construction for new endeavors, while Vasilisa will lead our logistics operations, keeping the flow of goods and equipment, which includes the harvesting operations in the old Pajot. Dominion had let it fall by the wayside, but we can't afford to lose those profits given the clan's financial position. Though we will not grow the illicit drugs, but instead focus on the common reagents used in elixir making. The profits will be less, but it will keep us in better standing in the community and make distribution easier."

"What is the situation?" asked Yara, frowning.

"The increased taxes from the local businesses have helped, but as I said, we need to revive the harvesting operations along with the faez crystal mining. In addition, we'll continue the regular arena fights, which will keep the tourism high. But as we appear more legit, our expenses will grow. We've already had inquiries from the city police. They were content to stay out of the Undercity when there was nothing to be gained, but now that things are happening, they're expecting to be compensated not to interfere."

"A bribe," said Elani, shaking her head.

"Invictus PD has political heft in the city which we can't avoid. In due time, we might be able to blunt their influence with some of our own, but for now, we need to stay off their radar. Especially as we expand into the city."

The last comment brought many chins up.

"Into the city?" asked Camina.

"All the clans had interests in the light before. But without the regular rivalries and wars, we can devote more time and energy into enlarging our business footprint," said Pandora.

Many parts of her plans had brought second-guessing, but not this part. She wasn't sure if she could truly call herself an alloy as Hylakane had wanted her to become, but the political maneuvering she'd seen her grandfather employ in the aphena of the Eternal City had been instructive. Like him, she knew that to stop moving was to invite challengers. If she didn't extend her influence into the city, they'd crush the new clan in its infancy.

Besides, the years of training in the clans had taught her that challenge brought new skills. It was why Duro had constantly invented new ways to train, because the old ones were becoming less effective. By forcing the clan to grow and adapt, she'd make them better at their jobs—or replace them with someone who could.

"I intend for the clan to become the largest legitimate and illegitimate business center in the city. Only by making ourselves stronger can we protect ourselves from future threats. But there are certain things we will not do. We will not murder for hire. Nor will we steal from the everyday citizens, or grow and sell drugs as we used to, which amounts to the same thing. Finally, we will teach our new recruits honor as was expected before, but was lost in the ascendancy of the Alliance. Do we all agree?"

Pandora checked with each member, waiting for them to nod or express their agreement. After she'd gone around the room, she laid her hands flat on the table.

"Are there any questions before I ask each of you to give an update into your responsibilities at the current moment?"

"Yeah," said Vasilisa, glancing around as if everyone had the same question. "What is the new clan called?"

A slow smile spread across her lips. Rather than answering directly, she reached into the silk pouch at her side, removing the item she'd brought back from the Eternal City. Cool black mist radiated from the edges, a surge of energy passing through her as she donned the wraithhawk mask.

 

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