I opened my mouth to say that Tristan picked it out when I noticed the very subtle shake of his head, an action the gargoyles would surely miss. Training to read body language had its perks.
Instead, I said, “I have the bowl sculpture you sent on display, as well. Naomi, Austin’s grandmother, is remodeling our home, and she had hoped it came from a new production cairn we’d acquired.”
His smile was appreciative. He inclined his head in thanks. “That production cairn has yielded some great artistry. It is something of a risk, of course.”
“Why is that?” Austin asked, following him as he moved on.
Light flickered from sconces on the walls, decorative bulbs made to look like small flames that resembled torches. He stopped in front of two wood paneled doors and his gargoyles stepped forward to push them open.
“Our kind typically look for practical items over those that are decorative.” He led the way into the drawing room. “If they spend money, it’s often on nice fabric for clothes or jewelry, or on furniture made to last. The glass coming out of that production cairn is mostly decorative. We can make wine and drinking glasses, bowls and plates, vases—but all of it will be higher priced than the usual fare. It’s made to impress, not to exist. Then, of course, we make the sculptures, chandeliers, things like that. I’m not sure the gargoyle culture is going to buy on a large enough scale to earn real income. I’m coming up with ways to pivot if we need to.”
I marveled at the study. It had the same gothic feel as the rest of the house, with a high ceiling and tall, mullioned windows. Heavy velvet curtains in a deep mustard color swept to either side, allowing in muted lighting. A large stone hearth on one wall with paintings caught Tristan’s eye, and he went to investigate. Plush, burnt-red velvet sofas sat atop a patterned rug that somehow brought the room together. Lights made to look like candles glowed on the walls. It was absolutely gorgeous. Mimi couldn’t have designed this room better.
“And why do you plan to only sell to your kind?” Austin asked, taking a seat on one of the sofas. After I sat next to him, he laid his arm across the back behind me. “Why do gargoyles keep all their products in-house?”
Evan sat facing us, and Gerard took the other couch. A tray housed snacks on the coffee table between us similar to those that had been offered on the plane, and a stand of drinks were kept on a rolling cart off to the side. The moment we were comfortable, a woman in a white coat and black slacks came in to fill our plates and offer us drinks.
“Because…” Evan blinked at him for a silent moment. “That’s our market.”
Gerard accepted a plate of cheeses and grapes before asking for a vodka soda with two limes. “Austin brought this up to me, too.” He leaned against a pillow and threw an ankle over his knee, getting comfortable. “After I stuttered for a bit, I realized the answer was that we don’t know how to sell to anyone else. We’ve cut ourselves off from Dicks and Janes, we don’t do much with shifters, and mages are too dangerous. Who else are we going to sell to?”
Austin passed on the snacks, having eaten his fill on the plane, but accepted a glass of sparkling water. He didn’t immediately comment.
Gerard went on, cheese stuffed in his cheek. “Even if we could sell to Dicks…” He pushed up a little more, swallowed and went on. “My cairn isn’t setup to get large shipments of product to them, and we certainly aren’t set up to ship direct to customer. We’re not as removed as this cairn, but we’re also high up in a mountain. Most of our production cairns are, as well. It isn’t feasible.”
Evan hadn’t looked away from Austin. “What Gerard says is true of most cairns,” he said. “We have the airstrip right there, though. Withor had his faults, but he did have a logistical mind. Regular shipments in private jets would be pricy, however. I doubt parcel carriers would come all the way out here. It wouldn’t be worth their while. And then there is how to sell in the Dick world. I wouldn’t have the first clue. Shifters, either.”
“Then sell to me,” Austin finally said. “Give me wholesale prices and I will give you sales in bulk. Not all your products, most likely, but I definitely want those glass products. We make money, you make money.”
Evan ran his thumb along the top of his glass. “This is the carrot to join the convocation, I assume?”
“No,” Austin replied. “This is business. Some of these cairns have excellent products, but they are wasted in the smallamount of trade you do within the gargoyle community. I see an opportunity. Our production cairns are filling warehouses as we speak. We have salespeople already making deals. If you won’t take this opportunity, I will be happy to.”
I put my hand on Austin’s thigh, pride welling up. He was one helluva businessman, as ambitious as he was tenacious.
He took a sip of his drink. “Food for thought.”
“I’ll say.” Gerard scratched his chin.
“About this convocation,” Evan said. His eyes sparkled with intelligence, and his gaze was focused. He was curious, and that was good. He didn’t plan to shut us down right away. “Gerard has spoken a bit about it, and Patty has no end of information, it seems. I’m curious about your territory specifically, though, not the organization at large. Not yet. I wondered if you could field some questions?”
“Sure.” I gestured him on.
His questions were direct and intelligent, and his follow-up questions were insightful. He wanted to know how much money Austin had pumped into it and how much it had grown. How much Ivy House did, and our plans for the future. Our goals of more housing and more production cairns widened his eyes, as did the current house prices, the rate at which businesses were being proposed to the city council, and how many people were currently a part of the territory.
Things started looking grim when he tried to break down our various duties, however. I could feel myself shrinking before his eyes. When it was all laid out, I didn’t do much. Austin led the shifters, created their fighting plans, and protected the borders. Tristan managed the gargoyles. I looked after the Ivy House crew, which was only comprised of a dozen or less people and they didn’t follow orders unless we were in a battle. I did magic, sure, but I didn’t use it to protect the territory or in the day-to-day. I didn’t even control the basajaunak, since Dave or his mom led them. Hell, Ivy House could handle her own grounds.
It finally boiled down to his needing clarification.
“And so, what is it that…” Evan squinted, choosing his words carefully. “What would you say is the chief item you bring to the table within your territory, Jessie?” He put out his hand. “I know you are an outstanding asset in battle. I saw the footage from the raid against Gimerel. As shaky as the camera people were on their phones, your prowess with magic is exemplary. You are a huge asset in battle, no question. But when it comes to daily life in a territory, what would you say?—“
“She’s the glue,” Tristan said, cutting in from his place by the wall. “She’s the backbone. She’s the person who is deeply in touch with the well-being of the people.”
“She’s the heart,” Sue said, anger lining his tone. He was feeling protective. “She’s the reason Alpha Steele can push so hard, and demand so much. People go above and beyondfor her.To protect her.To please her. Because they know she does it for them. She accomplishes the intangible part of being a leader, which is such a struggle for so many, and that is creating a community. Creating a family. She has bonded our territory better than any alpha or cairn leader I’ve seen. She’s brought everyone together and keeps them unified.”
Tristan cut in. “She’s only been magical for a year or so. She’s only been in this position for the same amount of time, and she has had no grace period, no time to get her bearings, like you are doing. She had no training, like Austin, Sue, and I have had. Suddenly, she must create and lead a territory, create and lead an army, learn magic and unite the magical world…all at the same time. While she does that, she buys businesses, learns how to run them, learns how to fly, and manages an obscene amount of power. I realize you are asking about stability, and so I say this to you—you come into this cairn after someone has set it all upfor you. It’s a prosperous cairn that is running smoothly, and you hope to take over and gradually make your mark. She has built her cairn from the ground up, and thankfully she has someone knowledgeable to help her do that, just like you’ve had someone knowledgeable help you. What makes you so different from her? Neither of you have any past experience leading. Why should you get handed status because of the cairn someone else setup, and she should not?”
Evan’s eyebrows rose. My heart swelled to twice the normal size. I wiped away a tear at all their kind words.
