Edna stands at the doorway, her face a mask, lightly made up, her pink glossed lips curved as they always were, pulled back revealing white teeth and a dazzling slightly predatory smile.

“Oh Uncle, how nice it is to have you for dinner.”

Brutus Maddoc feels more than a little uneasy, the waif he knew is gone. The girl he’d once considered ‘playing’ with, has now grown up. In her place now stands a radiant and devilish queen.

Golden haired, golden eyed, her every movement possessing an eerie and irresistible charm. The power that sat in her aura, washing over him and his entire entourage in the same way the high-tide would wash over a low shore.

Eroding not only the sand and sand castles, but eventually taking the shore itself and the land and mountains beyond.

Brutus spent, a painful half second, unsure how to respond, finding himself suddenly nervous. Suddenly wondering if he was right to have the Maddoc womenfolk make this little dinner happen.

He quickly recovered, his unfaltering pride and the crested ring of the Maddoc head on his finger, helping him to find himself again.

“Ah...why yes, and I’m just glad you were able to find time to host us, the way your Aunt’s tell it, you’ve barely any free time at all.” said Brutus.

“Well, I’m glad to. I needed a break.” the girl laughs.

Edna smiles, its bright and fake, and just as dazzling as before.

She wasn’t lying when she said her days were generally almost overwhelming busy. To be sure, the army of Billys helped, and the company’s inner mechanisms had gained a level of precision that bordered on the unnerving.

Unfortunately for Edna, her parents had raised a hard worker, so having her work made easier just generally meant that she did more of it. Expanding the business and investing in new interests and pursuits. Slowly building a greater and greater control of the entire EITC merchant’s guild itself.

Pleasantries were exchanged as the Maddoc clan met up within a grand hall that was wider than your average city thoroughfare.

The careful eye would notice that despite all the overtures and claims of familiarity, no one actually touched. There were no hugs, no pats on the back, and the handshakes were kept brief.

Whether consciously or unconsciously Edna was keeping her distance and as if sensing it the Maddoc clansmen did so as well.The moment saved from awkwardness by the Maddoc clans noble bearing and Edna’s experience as a company rep.

She smiled, they smiled, both parties eyes starkly clear of mirth, warmth or any such genuine feelings.

Then there was a soft chime, the sound of a doorbell echoed through the hall and a humanoid shade in a gray waistcoat and jacket, strode past. Heading towards the door, that lay at the back of the Maddocs. The door was opened and in walked yet another entourage.  One that was twice as large as the Maddoc’s.

“Oh...” said one of the newcomers. Eyes narrowing mouth pressing into a thin curved line as he almost immediately understood what was happened.

“You!” said Brutus. Eyes widening, his shock soon replaced with chagrin as comprehension reached him.

“Us.” said a second newcomer, smiling like he’d just been gifted something precious.

Edna simply watched on smiling her perfect plastic smile, her pearly whites gleaming. Her look bordering beatific. Playing the part of the perfect host she stepped forwards.

“Uncle Tybalt, Uncle Basir. I’m so glad you could come.”

“Oh, perish the thought. Of course we’d come, dear.” said Basir. The cold eyed man’s smile looking more like a sneer, as he took the girl’s hands in his.

“Naturally.” said Tybalt, not even bothering to disguise his amusement with the situation.

Brutus  chuckled, the sound coming out more like a growl. He strode toward the crowd of newcomers glaring at the Agrona and Batbayar clansmen.

Tybalt and Basir glared back with all three men wearing expressions that were murderous, despite their overt amicability. However in that room there was no one’s whose smile was frightening than the host.

She lightly tittered and took charge of the situation, standing between the two groups like an invincible wall, her lean form emanating an aura that was both charming and unassailable.

“Well...color me surprised to see you two here.” said Brutus. Recovering from the moment of awkwardness and rocking back on his heels.

Tybalt shrugged.

“Neither did I, but about a week ago, the young miss here sent a call, asking if we were free for this evening.”

Brutus gave the girl a sharp look, there was a time where such a look, would have had her shivering, shrinking into herself.  This was not that time. That was then, this was now. And now, she simply smiled, spreading  her palms, and shrugging. With a look of false chagrin tossed in for good measure.

“Well, as Uncle Brutus was just saying, my schedule has tended towards over-saturation in the past, and considering that today was the only time I really had open for this month, I figured, I’d have the ‘whole’ family over, plus a few others, and make this a proper banquet. I hope it’s okay…” said Edna.  

It was all utter horseshite of course, but it was technically accurate horseshite, as one would expect the most powerful families in any area, tended to ‘mingle’ amongst themselves.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Intermarrying every generation or so, for every reason one could imagine them doing so. Profit, propiety, alliances, etc...Garland was no different. The Maddocs, the Agrona, and the Batbayar were all related by blood and by marriage. Their branch families being closely related, while the main families were distantly so.

Brutus ground his teeth and swallowed whatever complaints were building up inside of him. Nodding. The senior Maddoc’s behind him, making a variety of expressions as they watched the farce go on.

“Ah, perish the though, dear. Of course it’s fine.”

“Oh that’s great, well since everyone’s here, let me lead you to the dining room.” said Edna.

*****

Basir and his clansmen followed at the back of the group, their sharp eyes, looking around, at the mansion as they passed through it. For the most part it was just a lot of locked doors and branching paths. There was some kind of field that blocked off his ability to see through the walls.

So there wasn’t much else for him to look at. By his reckoning the house was a less a house and more a city that had had roof built over it, with tasteful decor placed on the side the walkways.

He’d see structures that were strikingly like streetlamps and occasionally they’d pass a robed figure or some manner of strange lumbering creature. Honestly he wished that he’d thought to bring few extra, invisible followers to have them give the place of a proper look.

Unfortunately his involvement in the girl’s farce, had been short notice. On the other hand, maybe it was for the best, he sensed strange magic in this place, magics that might catch any spies he sent.

Moreover, while she, his hostess, ‘was’ a Maddoc, that didn’t mean that he and she were actually at odds.

He couldn’t help smiling as his gaze moved over to Brutus, his posture tight, his shoulders slumped. His look uncomfortable. Basir smiled. Content to simply see how the evening played out and whether he could profit from it. Even if nothing else came of it, the day wasn’t a waste.

*****

They came to the dining room, or rather they came to a dining room, as far as Edna knew the ever expanding house had thousands of them by now.  The house grew at such a pace, that if it weren’t for the spells and the shades, she suspected that having a few squatters both human and inhuman could have been a real concern. It’s scale having reached a point that she was seriously considering, adding free lodging to the company’s benefits package.

Just for the sake of having someone living all the unused rooms. Big enough that if she went through with it, she was fine with giving away ten to twenty rooms per person.

The dining room was brightly lit, most of its space was taken up by tables.

 On the edges of the room were statues and art pieces. The bound bodies of colossal god-monsters. As well as posters and models of artifacts that would soon join the Bone Tree Company’s product line.

The room buzzed with the conversations of the few hundred trusted employees who’d been invited to the banquet. Since this wasn’t a formal affair, they were already eating. Near the center of the room, on a small dais was an extremely long, round table where the executives and their friends and family would sit.

Jermaine, Matthew, Cindy,and a few others amongst the senior staff were already seated on one side of the table. On the other side sat Ell, Tam, Alessa and  Isodel. Next to Alessa, sat old Alma, who’d been invited, because she’d happened to be around, staying in the manse as a guest, while her people settled down in the new kingdom.

Which had lead to Edna’s deciding to invite other key, influential figures, the lords and ladies of the other kingdoms that they’d conquered. Somehow the farcical banquet became a real one. A semi-formal event for the hardworking people of the Bone Tree Company and the Thousand Ghosts to let their hair down.  As well as a way of showing off some their power and wealth to their future partners.

Party favors that would count as legendary clan saving treasures, ingredients that would be counted as miraculous medicines. Considering that these were features that were present at the company’s functions even before she considered letting outsiders in, it just made sense to show off  a little.

Edna had a shade seat the heads of the houses of Garland on another end, moving to go sit beside Ell.

As she sat down, her smile wavered a bit. Growing stiffer.

“Are you sure about this, Ell?” she said. Speaking in a whisper that only Ell could here.

Elena just shrugged.

“He said he was fine with it…”

Edna sat, feeling a little guilty. Elena had filled her in on Billy had said, which was a relief in some ways and concerning in others.

For the sake of protecting her old family she’d gone to the trouble staying close and making open overtures to remind the world of their former ties. To protect her current family it’d take a little more finesse.

Part of it was bringing in the Agrona and the Batbayar as way of readjusting her own readjustments, to avoid having the Maddocs grow arrogant and troublesome. The second part would be deciding now. On the last and final end of the table was a single chair. Separated from the rest, just a little higher from the rest.

Feeling some last minute misgivings, Edna considered getting up and taking the seat herself, bearing the full brunt and consequence of the situation, herself. Sure things would be a bit ‘delicate’ for a while but she was sure she could handle it.

Most important it meant that she wouldn’t pushing that troublesome seat onto someone else. Along with being hard work, Edna was also one who believed in cleaning her own messes.

She made up her mind to deal with this herself but just as she was about to rise she felt a pair of hands sit on her shoulder. She looked up and saw Billy standing there, he bent down and his lips met hers.

“Hi.” said Billy.

“...Hey.” said Edna.

Not to be left out, Elena got up and stole a kiss of her own, then as Billy made his way to seat, Tam pulled him to her for a kiss as well. A chair scraped and out stepped the little girl,  he looked at Edna, who was still unsure of whether she was entirely okay with was happened, but had already accepted that it was going to happen.

He looked to Elena, who just shrugged. Then he bent down and gave the little girl, a peck on the forehead. Then ruffled the girl’s hair.

As Edna stopped worrying about having Billy deal with her issues with the family for her she turned her attention to the girl’s actions.

She didn’t quite approve of it, but she understood it. The descendants of conquered factions could only ever be dead, slaves, or family, those were only options. The only safe options. Now here in front of an audience of thousands, the girl had more or less cemented her place.

An uncanny move from someone who was only twelve or so. It was jumping ahead by more than a bit, but it wasn’t like Edna didn’t understand. Not having a set place, was an anxious feeling.

She knew because she’d been there, going from being her father’s daughter, to being invalid, to being an injured relative,to being househelp, slowly finding her path sliding towards the path of a bed warmer. Edna decided that she’d have to pay more attention to the girl for several reasons.

The girl didn’t look entirely satisfied with her kiss. The girl was generally quiet but Edna suddenly suspected that she might be just be little troublingly precocious. Enough to warrant paying extra attention to.

There was another scrape of a chair, though this was followed by a whumpf and a small shocked cry. Alessa lay on the ground looking at the old woman with a look of disbelief. Old Alma had the grace to look away suddenly very interested in the table’s centerpieces.

Alessa hurriedly stood righting her chair. Billy stopped in front of her and after another look towards a shrugging Elena and thumbs up from Tamra, he gave Alessa a kiss on the forehead.

Edna and Ell shared a chuckle as they watched the bronze skinned amazon turn bright red. Billy shook Alma’s hand and she pulled him into a hug, that he returned after a moment’s hesitation.

Then finally he made it to his seat, at the head of the table, at the head of the company and the entire banquet’s proceedings. His place at the table, making clear an ambiguities might have laid in the company’s and the kingdom’s power structure. Making clear who was to be blamed, feared, or thanked for anything that happened from here on out.

He flopped down into his seat with a lazy nonchalance. With all the indolence, magnanimity and arrogance of an emperor. His cold gaze sweeping over the table and moving across the entire room. Electrifying all those it fell on, like lightning during a thunderstorm.

Edna couldn’t help smiling just a little bit wider, questioning whether her Billy really was playing the part of pawn, or whether he really was the king that he was pretending to be. His courtly air, making even those who were in on the scheme to sit just a little bit straighter.

Then he raised his glass, his voice carrying throughout the entire dining hall.

“Soups, on guys.”

And with that their army of shade servants began bringing out the main meal. As the food was brought out Billy turned and he met Brutus’s eye. Brutus spoke first.

“William.” said Brutus. His posture stiff, as he felt an odd wistfulness rise up within him.

“....Uncle.” said Billy. His gaze cold, his expression as empty as ever.

No other words were said, no other words were needed.