Chapter Five #4
“Oh, shit. That stops now, clan leader.” She beamed. “If you have me at your back and Krys agrees to participate, you have two enforcers who know what it’s like to be at the bottom of the heap. We didn’t like it.”
He smiled slightly, and they returned to the table, where Keel and Emmers were concerned over coffee. Amy slid next to her intended, and Normic gave the short version of what had happened.
Amy leaned against Emmers’s shoulder. “It’s a shit show, and now, she won’t come here again.”
Emmers asked, “Why not?”
“Well, to boil it down, she was embarrassed in front of Reynal.”
Normic’s eyes widened. “I forgot about him.”
Amy smiled. “The man who controls the finances of the city? Yeah, not going to send any more business here. He got a better steak at the wedding last night.”
Keel blinked. “Shit.”
“Yeah, so she was lied to by a server on your orders. Not a good look.”
Keel said, “I thought you had briefed everyone, Nor.”
“I forgot about the staff. They don’t attend the meetings.” Normic muttered, “Yes, I am gathering how colossally I have fucked up.”
Emmers cleared his throat softly. “So, you have made a habit of having her and her family humiliated in public. You are going to have to walk that back in public. No quiet family dinners. Figure out what you want to say, run it past her family, and then tell your entire clan. Nothing in shadows.”
Amy looked at Emmers. “Has your grandma ever dealt with something like this?”
“No, but she knows about your clan and the disaster of how they treated you and any others who were not born to power. The power arrived with the next wave, and those people gained far more than they lost when their clan banished them. They are now weak and diminished, not being able to withstand any attack, and there are other clans looking to acquire them.”
Amy blinked. “Shit. Frostclaw is going to take it over.”
“And it can because the clan weakened itself by throwing out members it didn’t deem immediately useful.”
Normic blinked. “We have weak members.”
Amy paused and said, “You have weak clan members.”
He smirked. “Yes. That.”
“So? What if their children are strong? What will a lifetime of being treated like that do to them?”
Normic was quiet.
“How many of your people are considered weak?”
“About sixty percent.”
“Ah, so if they backed Krys, they could split off and create a new clan under a new charter.”
Normic’s eyes widened in panic. “Tell me how to word this.”
Amy nodded. “You know who would be good to help with this? Krys. She’s in PR and marketing.”
He looked at her with narrowed eyes. “That was heavy-handed.”
“I know, but my skills work in counting and assessing evidence. I tend to make sure that the rules are underlined and highlighted before I make any moves to allow people near what is precious. Krys focuses on finding out what people want and packaging it in a way that they will accept.” Amy smiled.
“The wedding last night was beautiful, not because of the venue, not because of the guests, but because she listened to the bride and groom and what they wanted to present to their guests and gave it to them. She involved them in decisions and actually listened to them.”
“A temporary, tiny clan.”
“Yup. And she is a caring and generous guide. So, ask her to extend some of that generosity to you. You will need that goodwill. If Emmers and I formalize things, we will be having the wedding at the Grunwald mansion.”
Emmers grinned.
She glanced at him. “Shut up, fuzzball.”
He chuckled.
Normic looked around. “But the Glacier...”
“Is cold and formal. What Krys brings to life is love and laughter. That is what I want. You were there. You saw it.”
Keel took Normic’s hand. “It was wonderful and warm. The dancing was particularly entertaining. I hadn’t realized so many styles existed in the city.”
Amy smiled. “A lot of them came in for Azreen’s family.”
Emmers muttered, “Did you know that the Depfords hate her?”
Amy paused. “What?”
“Her aunt came to the wedding yesterday and tried to get in. Probably to demand money from Vaia or Azreen, and she faced three trained mages alone, and she blasted them across the city on currents of air. She forgot they would need to come back and get their car, and they trashed hers in the process. Did a helluva job.”
Normic swallowed. “A weather witch as well. No wonder she’s always so calm.”
Keel looked ill. “Good thing, too.”
Amy nodded. “Emmers, you talked to the security at the wedding?”
“Nope. We talked to Krys after the wedding. She and Reynal went for tacos.”
“I can’t believe she didn’t get enough to eat there.”
“She doesn’t eat. She’s the organizer.”
Keel nodded. “That’s standard.”
Amy was shocked. “But... the food was so good.”
Emmers chuckled and rubbed her back. “It hurts you when others can’t enjoy what you do, doesn’t it?”
“Of course. All good things should be available to anyone who has the need or the means.”
Normic nodded and sighed. “And I think that’s the point. Right. Help me come up with a good opener when I call my brother. I understand when it’s time for change.” He squeezed Keel’s hand.