Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 126030 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 630(@200wpm)___ 504(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126030 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 630(@200wpm)___ 504(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
“Did it work?” Tristan asked.
Evan smiled. “Not with me, but I will say that I’m surprised I didn’t have to fire a few more advisors.”
“And why are you so open-minded about so much change?” Austin asked. “You could lose status for this. Your people might want this now, but what about down the road? This isn’t a slam dunk for you.”
“A what?” Evan asked. Apparently they didn’t have basketball. We’d already realized they didn’t have TVs.
“This isn’t a home run—” Austin cut off. Evan probably wouldn’t know that one, either.
“It’s not a guarantee,” Sue helped. I pointed at Sue, nodding.
Evan put out his hands. “Gerard hasn’t lost an iota of status from joining your convocation. He’s actually gained Guardians and garhettes. No one talks about the garhettes, but they are essential to keep a community thriving. If they are happy, we are all happy. If they aren’t happy, life is a living hell I wouldn’t wish on anyone.”
He and Tristan both laughed. Apparently it was funny because it was true.
“His cairn is thriving and expanding,” Evan went on, “which means he’ll be able to pick up another production cairn or two and bring in more money. My advisors didn’t see the correlation.”
“They didn’t want to see it,” Tristan said. “Nelson in Gimerel has similar advisors, and they definitely do not like change.”
“And they will get left behind because of it. In answer to your question, Austin, I do think this is a slam run.” He’d gotten close. “I think we’ll grow. I think we’ll stop caring so much about status in a stagnant community and start caring more about stepping into the twenty-first century. I mean to escort us into the future. Ambitious, I know. Pompous even. But I trust in my gut, and that is what it’s saying.”
He’d chosen the side of winners, and he wasn’t looking back. Excitement and pride in my people filled me. Austin lowered his arm from the back of the couch to my shoulders, feeling it through the bonds.
Evan looked between us, drumming his fingers on his thighs. “Are you sufficiently bolstered? Because this is the part where I ask for the world.”
“You’re either going to be really well liked in the gargoyle community,” Tristan said, “or torn from your position and made an outcast.”
“Well liked, obviously. I can’t make such grand claims as I just did and not think the world of myself.” Evan laughed. “In order for this to work, we need to be able to easily integrate into your fliers at a moment’s notice. Gerard said you had ample time to train for the last battle. For the next battle, we might not have any time at all. We will need to show up and know how to work together.”
I nodded, because that was entirely true. Evan was proving to be incredibly intelligent and forward thinking, with his eyes on the future.
“I would like to send my lead enforcer and another couple of my best Guardians to train with you. I ask that you teach them how to integrate into your team, and that you instruct them on how to teach others. We have good fighters, but not necessarily good teachers.”
“Done,” Austin said, “with the condition that they answer to our authority. They will not be equal to Tristan or Jess. They will be led by them. In town, they will follow the rules or answer to Sue or myself. They shouldn’t bother turning up unless this is understood. We’ll make them suffer for it and send them back.”
“Absolutely.” Evan nodded. “The other humble request is that you don’t take all my Guardians and garhettes. Tristan, I’m sure, has told you that our community robs personnel from each other. Gimerel has been torn to shreds with the amount of people leaving.”
I glanced at Austin. Patty had mentioned an influx of new people into our territory, but said we’d go over details after we were done here. Obviously, the influx she was referring to were gargoyles and garhettes. It was starting to feel like we’d been away too long.
“Obviously, if people really want to go, I will not stop them,” Evan went on. “I just ask that you don’t actively recruit.”
“We won’t,” I assured him.
“Shifters look down on that practice,” Austin said. “It’s nothing to extend the courtesy here. Get to something I want to say no to.”
Evan laughed and twisted a little button on the lamp beside him on an end table. “Don’t worry, that’ll come when we talk about the business of the production cairns.”
“There’s one issue, though.” I paused as someone came in with a pitcher of water and a tray of fruit. Apparently, we’d covered the hard-hitting stuff and were getting into the more relaxed portion of the meeting. “We will be on the road for the discernible future. Austin needs to—“