The Patriarch’s garden was remarkably different in the daylight. Instead of perfumed mystery, it seemed to invite wonder. While only the hardiest plants were starting to bud outside, the seasons in the Patriarch’s garden answered to him alone. He wished for his garden to be full of spring blossoms, and so it was. He sat at a little table with two stools, quietly enjoying the view. Xiatoktok came next to the table and waited silently to be acknowledged. Eventually, the Patriarch stirred himself from his reverie and indicated that Xiatoktok should sit.

“Thank you for agreeing to meet with me, Patriarch.”

“Mmm. You do seem to have a way of landing yourself in the thick of things, don’t you. Often the best place for a Xia to be, of course. How have you come along in the Clan Legacy?”

“I’m still rough at feeding, but I can manage it.”

“Good, good. It comes with practice.” The Patriarch nodded. The quiet descended again. The Patriarch was content to watch his flowers sway for a minute before speaking again. “I know why I wanted this meeting. Why did you want it?”

Xiatoktok felt his cheek twitch, and immediately suppressed the wry grin that was fighting its way out. “The Clan is at a point where it requires rebalancing. Of course, I cannot make such a decision myself, so I can only petition you.”

“Oh? Elaborate.”

“If the Patriarch will permit a bit of rhetoric, what is the point of money? Of businesses, interests, capital, corporations, all those things? It is merely a way to manage resources. To ensure that time is converted into life with as high a degree of efficiency and satisfaction as possible. The Clan becomes the mechanism by which that transformation occurs, giving us both power, time and comfort.”

The Patriarch nodded. Not actually agreeing, Xiatoktok, just encouraging him to continue.

“We arrange things so, because it is our duty to ensure the wellbeing of humanity between the apocalypses, and to ensure our own prosperity. Enlightened self interest, and all that. Except that we know, better than most, that nothing sabotages “enlightened self interest” like a short term mindset. Chasing private petty gains and cheap vanities while losing sight of what actually matters.”

“The prosperity of the Clan?” The Patriarch asked mildly.

“The prosperity of the species. Which to my way of thinking, yes, does require a prosperous and strong Xia Clan. But they are not precisely the same thing.”

“Mmm. So?”

“The Business Council has become a problem. They are putting their own petty needs ahead of the Clan as a whole, and as a result, they also harm our development in the North West. This would be a bad thing at any time, but with the Nacon coming from the East and the Sea Folk coming from the West, it is simply disastrous.”

“And yet, they generate a great deal of prosperity for the Clan.” The Patriarch’s tone remained mild, indifferent.”

“Do they? I would be happy to leave our economic evaluation of the net impact the Business Council has had on Clan revenues. What should be an administrative committee has become a cartel, inhibiting the growth of their Clan siblings. Reducing the overall prosperity. Reducing the amount of time we can collect. Threatening the Clan by weakening our clanless protectors.”

“Ah. Do leave that report. It will be interesting to see how it compares to the evaluation produced by my clerks.”

“I am certain the Patriarch is aware of what is happening in Colmbe.”

“I am. I am also quite aware of how Xiatamrou found himself in that position. The blade orders were an excessive touch.”

“I absolutely agree.” Xiatoktok said fervently.

“Haah. So troublesome. I grew up with those Business Council kids, you know? I have business dealings with some that exceed a century.”

Xiatoktok admired a daffodil, trumpeting boldly at the sky. He had nothing further to say.

The Patriarch ruminated a while. Xiatoktok knew that hours or days could be passing in the frozen mind of the Patriarch. Every angle considered. The Patriarch’s own desires determined to a fine degree.

“I have a price.” The Patriarch said. “First, you may only pay the Blade Orders out of their holdings. The rest goes to me for distribution. All of it.”

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“Naturally, Patriarch. Thank you for your generosity.”

“Second, the people of the Council are likewise mine, save one. You, personally, are to deal with Xiatamrou.”

Xiatoktok wanted to hesitate, to question… but that wasn’t happening, was it? “As the Patriarch instructs.”

“Lastly, your concubine, Xia Gentian, takes the credit.”

This time he had to ask. “Pardon? You require Xia Gentian to take credit for suppressing Xiatokrou and taking charge of Colmbe?”

“I require Xiatokrou to be a great deal more than just “suppressed,” as you know perfectly well. And yes. I expect her to ride into Colmbe, spear proudly in the air, tiara on her head, and declare that such evils that had plagued that place shall no longer be tolerated.” The Patriarch looked over at Xiatoktok. He had eyes like a shark- dead, but seeing everything. And hungry. “See it done.”

“At your command.”

Xiatoktok barely noticed the walk back to the carriage. Barely noticed being in his carriage. It all went very smoothly. The Patriarch had required almost no persuasion, and demanded almost nothing he was not willing to give. The Patriarch had never officially become a patron of his, but Xiatoktok had always positioned himself as a man in the Patriarch’s camp. The Patriarch accepted his one-sided fealty and used him to balance other forces and interest groups in the Clan. It was a very satisfactory arrangement for the both of them.

And now he had to kill the Patriarch. He didn’t want to. It might not actually be possible. But he had to do it anyway. The Patriarch was fattening up Gentian for the slaughter. He had no idea how long Gentian had. Presumably there was still a good bit of time. The accumulation of influence and time had barely begun to form around her. As she was now, there wasn’t enough of her to even stick between his teeth.

The Patriarch wanted her out there- a beautiful woman, young, rich. Aristocratic in her crown, martial with her spear. Desirable to as many as possible. Righteous and pious. Not just supporting those at the top, but leading the way herself. Attracting the faith and devotion of thousands. Then hundreds of thousands. One day, perhaps, millions across the North West would know of Lady Gentian and watch her every move. And then the Patriarch would collect the spear he loaned, along with the accumulated interest.

Xiatoktok started to shake. Gentian was his. His. HIS HIS HIS HIS HIS! She belonged to him! He loved her! He wouldn’t give her away. He would never let another touch her! She was his! His! He started to laugh, more than a touch of madness in his voice. She was his. And like everything else in the Clan, it came down to the power principle. If he wanted to keep her, he had to be strong enough. Strong enough to kill the Patriarch. Who certainly knew he would be coming.

The next day, the City boiled over with news that the Xia were making a big move on Colmbe. The Grand Leech himself was raising up a company of soldiers. Disputes raged as to the whys and wherefores, with rumors flying madly. “The Law of Sevens has been broken. The vampire is thirsty!” or “It is well known that The Condottiere has a harem of nine beauties, each with nine gems. Now, the beauties he can dispense with…” “It’s all about position. See, he already controls the caravans. What will happen when he controls the voyageurs? Are the Sky Runners next?”

The Xia, of course, knew better. “There are armored wagons with the procession. My husband’s cousin’s wife’s nephew’s sister in law’s hairdresser says they were loading chests of rads into them from the bank. He’s going to make good on the Blade Orders.” “The Business Council has been squeezing the Bank hard. Maybe he thinks he can pick off ’Rou if he gets him alone.” “It is well known that The Condottiere has a harem of nine beauties, each with nine gems. Now, the gems he can dispense with…”

Whatever he was doing, the City agreed he was going in force. A full company of mercenaries, stiffened with a heavy mix of First Class Xia guards. Armored wagons, pulled by heavy teams of aurochs. The Landau, in all its obscene glory. And though the City couldn’t spare her- Xia Gentian led the way forward. She made no public speech, but in a private meeting, strictly confidential, with a small group of twenty five leading figures in the City, Gentian did let some things slip.

“It’s strictly business for the Xia. For those of you who don’t know, Blade Orders are about the heaviest contracts the Xia have, and the Xia believe you can contract a soul into eternal servitude. Blade Orders must be paid. No matter anything else, they must be paid! Even if Xiatamrou lost his damn mind and burned the entire town to the ground, the contracts would be honored.” That got some alarmed murmurs.

“However.” Gentian smiled grimly. “That’s just the Blade Orders. Once they’re paid… well. Then it becomes time to consider other things. Like, is his behavior helping or hurting the Clan’s interests? And I think you can guess how that discussion is going to go.” That got some light chuckles.

“Now, I won’t say none of that matters to me or affects me, because it does. But it’s not what’s getting me out there.” She looked around the room. “It's just not right. It’s not right what he’s doing. Yes, Colmbe is basically all criminals and ne'er-do-wells. I have neither sympathy nor tolerance for those who aid the GNUF either.” The attendees could feel the air turn bitter cold for a moment. Then spring came and thawed them with her smile.

“Going after those who aren’t involved? Who just are trying to get by? That doesn't sit right with me. Cold Garden needs to accept some responsibility here. They aren’t part of the city, but they are within our sphere of influence. We let Colmbe get that bad because it was always too much of a chore to do something about it. Well, now we can have the Xia do something about it. And I’m going to make sure they do it right.”

The rumors of the talk swirled through the City like a spring breeze. It was met with general approval. The notion of a Banker riding off with a mercenary army might inspire… mixed feelings. But Lady Gentian going to supervise and make sure the notorious Colmbe was straightened out? That made complete sense. Indeed. Only someone as exceptional as Lady Gentian could be trusted with such an important job. That day, even more wagons and more businesses hung their flags from spears.