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POLITICS. Adric Adrastos despised politics and all who engaged in the act. He was a warrior first—and a politician never. That was a vocation he would never take up willingly. But as Dhar of his people, he had little choice now.
War came to the world they now occupied. It was just a matter of time before it was more than what it had already been.
That meant meetings and planning and different Houses jockeying for position. There were forty-four Dardaptoan tribes now, each one having two representatives, usually the Dhar and Dahn, the mated ruling pair. Some tribes—such as his—had unmated leaders, as well. Each tribe was made up of dominant Houses. Those Houses had a ruling pair that was tasked with providing for and governing their people. Most Houses were represented by their ruling pairs—the Equan. Each House had an equal say, regardless of their House numbers. More than a thousand Dardaptoans were in the ruling hall with him today, representing more than five hundred houses. Five hundred families. Each one had an equal say—as their Goddess had long ago decreed.
There were a few who did not like that.
His asshole of a father and maternal grandfather were some of the loudest voices this day. The original Adrik demanded everyone’s attention from where he sat. Unfortunately because of alphabetical seating, that meant the problem was immediately at Adric’s right and his older brother Aodhan’s left. The crowd of representatives were expecting him and Aodhan to contain their sire. Neither he nor his brother—nor the other twelve brothers and two sisters he had in the room—wanted to do a damned thing with their father. None of them gave a damn about the bastard who'd treated them all as offal once he realized they were not his precious heir, destined by the Goddess of their people to rule his supposedly noble house when he was ready to step down.
His father had an heir, he just refused to acknowledge her. He smiled at his youngest sister; she wasn't a Dahn or an Equa yet, but had found her way to the meeting as an assistant to his brother Marcos’s Rajni—his goddess-ordained mate—Lana, who ruled the large House of Amyenka. It always made him smile to see them next to one another. Lana was the smallest full grown female he had ever seen within their Kind, and one of only a few truly redheaded. His sister Nora also boasted dark red hair, but she kept it cut short—and died with blue and purple stripes. She stood out. His father despised her.
Adric thought the girl—she was very young at thirty—was a damned credit to her raising. His brother Rion had done a fine job with the girl child who'd been dropped off on him and abandoned years ago.
His brother Rion was in the room with his timid half Dardaptoan/half Lupoiux mate Mara.
The Adrastos name was represented more than any other House. Combined, they oversaw more than 130,000 of the original Gaian Dardaptoans.
Their votes counted for something. Whether their sire thought so or not.
Adric nodded at the moderators of this little summit. His cousin Nalik and his sister Aureliana were extremely powerful beings known as Laquazzeana, they outranked all of the gods and goddesses their Kind had worshiped for the five thousand years of their existence. Their father was a fool to challenge the both of them.
His sister nodded at him. Adric stood. He waited until the room quieted again after their father’s last outburst. Adric was not a politician—but he was a leader. He had been since the prick on his right had banished him from his House over five hundred fifty years ago.
How The Fates could turn things around.
He held up his hand. "I am Adric the Younger. I lead the Switzerland house of Adrastos. My sire–he speaks not for me or the House I lead. My House is in full support of the work of the Laquazzeana. In fact, I do not understand how any can be against it. We have so few numbers now. More than seven million demons populate this realm. Hundreds of thousands of Lupoiux have been judged. Their numbers are as decimated as ours. The Druid and Witch kinds are twining themselves together rapidly, but if all of us do not work together we will have no hope to defeat this dark enemy. Why are the needs of but a few houses so more important than all of the others? That speaks only of self-serving ways. That will gain us no foothold in this war."
"We merely ask better accommodations for our larger House," his father said. “Closer to the Demon King’s castle.”
Adric's cousin Nalik stood and stared hard at the uncle Adric knew he hated to claim. “You are one of the ones responsible for condemning a vulnerable widow and her young to an inhabitable shack. A widow you were obligated to protect. One whose daughter is the Rajni of your very own son. Yet you wish the best accommodations for your House over any other? The lands closeST to the demon’s castle have long been taken by the Dardanos Houses who were instrumental in securing relations with this world to ensure the safety of all of our Kind. They are settled there and will not be relocating on your whim. Request denied."
Adric knew the story–the widow’s eldest daughter was Rion's mate. She'd been half starved when his brother had rescued her family. The timid little Mara sat next to his brother a few tables down; they were the ruling pair of the Australian Adrastos. This world had been a great shock for the young female—who’d been raised thinking she was human.
No one argued with Nalik. His disgust was hard to miss. Adric took a moment to study the Dardaptoans surrounding him. Royal white clothing dominated, of course. All Equan, Dhar, and Dahn were allowed to wear that color, but there were quite a few who’d chosen to wear their House colors instead.
That concerned him.
If they were to survive this upcoming war, they would need to pull together as one Kind. Not a bunch of divided Houses. And the masses would be looking to those in this hall to lead them as one.
His father and grandfather were the biggest thorns in that unity’s side.
He knew they’d be causing trouble again soon. He would be ready.