Obsidian Ridge - Jess Lebow [36]
"But things have changed, Matron," said a dark-skinned man near her end of the table. He spoke respectfully, but loud enough for the others to hear. "There is more at stake now. The Obsidian Ridge threatens all of Erlkazar. It threatens all of our businesses and our lives."
"He is right," agreed another man at the far end of the table. "If Erlkazar is destroyed, who will we sell to? Surely we must change our course."
The Matron balled her hands into fists and took a deep breath. She glared at the collection of underworld figures, daring them with her eyes to challenge her again. When no one spoke, she continued.
"The appearance of the black citadel has only strengthened our ploy," she explained. "Not only do we have something the king dearly wants back, but now he has further pressure to negotiate with us in a timely fashion."
"But Matron," said the dark-skinned man, "you said the princess is outside of our reach. How can we negotiate with the king if we no longer have what he wants?"
The Matron smiled. "But we do have what he wants. We tell him that we have his daughter. That the only way he will get her back and save his entire kingdom is for him to grant our businesses protection above the law. We will tell him he will get his daughter back when he has not only given us his blessing but also his good name as endorsement to our Elixir."
"This is preposterous." The spider woman stood up again. "First you tell us the princess is not in our possession, then you tell us she is. You keep talking in circles. But even if you do have her, what's stopping the king from going back on his word once he has what he wants? There is only one way to keep the seat of power in line-fear. We must assassinate the king, turn his daughter over to the master of the Obsidian Ridge, and reap the benefits of the panic that ensues."
This brought grumbles of agreement around the table.
"Yes, she is right," said an elderly man sitting next to her. "The king and his line must be taught a lesson. The damage they have done to our Elixir operations cannot go unpunished."
"The king is useful to us alive," said the Matron. "We know him, and we know how to manipulate him. If we kill King Korox, another man will sit on that throne, and we will know nothing of him. We will not waste the valuable knowledge we have now simply because it gives us a shortsighted gain."
"We cannot sit here and do nothing," replied the spider woman. "At the very least the Magistrates and their nightly raids must be stopped."
The Matron shook her head. "The Magistrates we can handle. It's the Claw we need to worry about."
Simply mentioning the Claw inside this chamber seemed blasphemous.
The spider woman slammed her fist against the table. "But surely we must do something about the-"
The Matron cut her off. "Do not cross me," she said. She pointed her finger at the woman. "Up until this point I have been lenient with all of you, but my patience is beginning to fray." She pressed her chair away, the legs grinding across the floor as she forced it back. "You do not need to know everything at this moment. For now, it is enough that you are aware of my wishes." She shook her finger, a mother warning her children. "The king is not to be harmed unless I give the word. We will use him and his daughter the way I have intended. Is that understood?"
The figures around the room nodded their understanding.
Gathering her purple robes around her, the Matron walked up the steps. "This meeting is over." Turning as she got to the edge of her private study, she looked down upon the prominent underworld figures. "You shall be summoned when I wish to tell you more."
With the wave of her hand, the doors of her study slammed closed, and the locks on the heavy doors that led out of the room dropped open.
Chapter Eleven
Quinn watched the king pace back and forth across