Dahlia gestured at the other side of the table where I stood in front of Pax and Olympia and my smile faded somewhat. She was not on our side, but she wasn’t on his either.
“Our people–” he started to argue.
“There is noour people,” Dahlia snapped. “Not with them preying on us all the time and you trying to take advantage of any show of strength we manage to pull together.”
“I didn’t come here to argue with you, Dahlia.”
“Fine,” she barked and folded her arms as she collapsed back in her seat with a glare. “Go on, then. Argue with the Heir.”
Wolf’s jaw hardened and he glared at Dahlia for a moment longer before turning his attention back to me.
“As I was saying, the way the system was set up was just proven wrong,” he informed me. “As Third Ringers, we demand consideration for the same treatment your people have received for generations. Now that we’ve proven ourselves worthy–”
“Adrian Bexley proved herself worthy,” I clarified. “She and her family were granted a home in the Second Ring as promised in the bylaws of the Trials themselves. As for a rise to the First, I’m afraid you’re lacking in your historical understanding of the nature of the rings of Sanctuary. You see, the gods did not choose the inhabitants of the First Ring. Victors, as determined by the Trials, were always given space in the Second Ring. You may know of them as Valin, Chasina, Alosia, Harlowe, and Rainier, among other lesser known heroes. The First, however, has always been reserved for the descendents of the leaders of the Three Houses which helped to Found Sanctuary in the first place. So, you see, there is no way to ‘earn’ access to the First. Only the Second, which Adrian did.”
Wolf settled back in his seat, entirely unperturbed by my categorically pulling apart the very fabric of his argument.
“What matters here,” he began easily, “is what peoplethinkis fair, rich boy. Not whatisorwas.Not how it began or how it might end but what itis.And what it is, is not fair.”
“Fair is relative. I could argue it would be entirely unfair of you to demand I give you what I’ve grown up helping to build up here in the First. Sure, I was privileged in being granted it early and being born into a family with more to speak of. But would it befairof you to take it from me now?”
Wolf frowned.
“I’m not against sharing, Wolf,” I said then. “I’ve already taken more steps to open my House up to those below the First than any Heir or leader ever has and that will only continue in my reign unless, of course, you give me reason to shut my doors again.”
“You only have those doors because of the work we do in serving them, maintaining them–”
“You and I both know that isn’t true. Though it’s a pretty picture to paint for your angry citizens down there, I’m sure. In reality, when was the last time anyone from the First requested service from anyone on the Third or the Deck? We serve ourselves up here, or we rely on those of the Faith. And why is that, Wolf? Why is it we don’t need your carpenters or repairmen up here fixing our broken homes?”
His jaw clenched again and I knew I had him.
“You don’t know where it comes from,” I whispered, leaning over the desk as I pinned him to his chair with my stare. “The wood, the nails, the hinges, the knobs. You don’t have the slightest idea where we get it. That’s why you repurpose everything you have down on the Third. You don’t know where it comes from. Do you?”
Dahlia was sitting up a bit now, glancing from me to Wolf, wide-eyed. Pax shifted uncomfortably in the corner as if fearingI was moments away from handing over one of the best kept secrets of this city.
“I invited you here to negotiate but I’ll remind you which of us truly has more to lose here,” I told him, letting the authority ooze into my tone. I didn’t like speaking down to him like this, didn’t like feeling that superiority I’d had bred into me and had since been trying to forget, but he’d threatened this city, my city, and left me no choice. “You have access to very many angry people who may or may not be willing to die for your cause of equality, but I have the resources, the knowledge, and, frankly, the high ground. A violent assault would only end badly for your people. So let’s do this the right way. Let me show you how seriously I value a partnership with the lower rings and how dedicated I am to improving the standard of living down on the Third and the Deck. Give me the time I need to do so or I turn off the tap, literally.”
Wolf’s eyes narrowed and that fire burned brighter behind them but I knew he understood my threat for what it was.
“And how are you going to prove you’re willing to work with us?” he bit out angrily a moment later. “How are we supposed to believe you actually see yourselves on the same level as us after centuries of your superiority complexes?”
I couldn't help my gaze drifting to Olympia.
“I’m working on that,” I muttered and my cousin stiffened.
Wolf mumbled something that sounded a lot like a curse before rising to his feet.
“You have a week, rich boy,” he spat. “After that, all the threats in the world won’t matter. I won’t be able to stop them from tearing down your gates even if I used my own body to do so.”
I watched him for a moment, caught off guard by the admission that he might not be as in control of this rebellion as he wanted to seem, but then reached out and shook hishand. Dahlia watched us, bored expression back in place, before standing and glancing at Olympia.
“I assume you want me to take him back now?” she droned indifferently.
“Do you want company?” my cousin asked from the shadows.
“No,” Dahlia replied, shaking her head. “I’m not afraid of him.”
Wolf hissed out another curse but followed after Dahlia when she turned to make her way to the door. I wanted to call out to her then, needed to know where she stood in all this and why she seemed to hate the man called Wolf nearly more than I did, but I couldn’t while he was around. So I let her go and made a mental note to reach out to her again as soon as I could or at least send Olympia to do so.
