Under the cypher were some additional symbols that Adria didn’t recognize.
She stared at the inscription for a while until, eventually, all the families had arrived.
“Dri, I heard the auction went well. I trust my son is in excellent hands,” Callen said when she sat next to him.
She wanted to say,better hands than yours.
But instead, she said, “They will be well taken care of.”
The smile he hit her with had her shifting in her seat uncomfortably. Her gaze swept across the table, taking in the families. Alessandro sat at the head, Sean and then Helen. Callen sat on her right, and Ram Singh sat to her left. Beside Ram were Lin Sun and then Finley Lovetts and her heir Ayden. Ayden was celebrating her nineteenth year of life in this Opposition, and Adria admired the strength she exuded. No doubt her mother’s doing. The woman was terrifying. Where Helen’s power came from a quiet calm, Finley’s power simmered around her like boiling water.
When Andres Zuma and his heir took their seats, the table was complete, and Alessandro addressed the Nine.
“Welcome to this year’s summit. It is with great pleasure that I welcome each of you back into the fold.”
Alessandro was head of the Triune, meaning he sat in the number one seat. He also happened to be the only family at the table that was one of the originals. One of the nine families that had founded the Nine.
“Masters of the Veil, Keepers of the Hidden Order, and Seekers of the Balance, we gather here tonight, not just as individuals, but as the living embodiment of a legacy that spans hundreds of years. Over five hundred cycles of silence, of shadows, of wisdom, have been passed down through whispered words and unseen deeds. We are the ones who have walked in the dark so that others may never know its true power. We are the guardians of a delicate balance—a balance that ensures the scales of power tip neither too far in favor of the light nor the dark, but remains always in equilibrium.”
Alessandro’s Right Hand carried a large tome to the table, and Alessandro flipped to the opening passage.
“In the Year of the Hidden Eclipse, the first of the Nine found this ancient site. Under the watchful eye of the Sun and upon the sentinel of Mars, we gather here as keepers of the veil. We are the Silent Ones, the Watchers of the Balance, the Hidden Order who, from the first dawn of our covenant, have vowed to guard against the rise of unchecked power.
“It is known to us that power is a mighty force, as old as the Earth and as fleeting as the stars. It is a thing of great temptation, one that drives men to madness, to betrayal, to the unraveling of all that is just and true. For when power is unbalanced, when it rests too long in the hands of the few or the one, it brings ruin to all. And so, we were called, the first of our Order, to keep the scales steady, to ensure that no hand, no kingdom, no soul would hold dominion over the wheel of fate for too long.”
Adria had heard the benediction so many times she practically could have recited it alongside Alessandro. Everyone in attendance knew the legends. Everyone understood the rules. The Nine stood against imbalance, and the Triune decided what needed pruning and what needed watering.
Helen stood next. “Years ago, in the shadow of sun, we bound ourselves in an oath—written in blood, sealed in silence—that the Balance would never falter, and that in all things, we would remain unseen. In the shadows, we move; in the quiet, we strike; in the darkness, we are the hand that holds the scales.
“Tonight, as the stars align and the eternal fire of our ancestors’ wisdom flickers in the darkness, we renew our pact. We stand together, united by an unseen force, each of us a thread woven into the grand tapestry of the world. Let the world believe what it will, let the kings and queens, the rich and powerful, continue to believe they rule unchallenged—but we know the truth: we are the ones who shape the fate of empires.
“We are the unseen power that stands between order and chaos, between light and dark, between those who would seize all and those who would seek peace. And we, the Keepers of the Balance, are entrusted with the ancient power to decide when the scales tip, and when they must be restored.
“This book, dear Nine, is the record of our covenant. The words within it are etched not upon paper, but upon the very fabric of the world itself. They are the whispers of those who walked before us and those who shall walk after us. The ink is the blood of the first, the binding is the eternal chain that will never break.
“In this hour, you are sworn to the ancient task. You shall wear the veil of secrecy, and within you shall burn the flame of eternal vigilance. The Balance shall remain, for you are its guardians, its stewards, its heirs.
“May the shadows guide your steps, may the unseen hand steady your course, and may the Balance never falter beneath your watch.
“We are the Balance. We are the Watchers. We are the Fear.”
“We are the fear,” the group said in unison.
Sean stood next. “As balance is our ultimate goal we, as a collective, have agreed to reward those that keep it. We understand that our place is impermanent. Being a member of the Nine alone does not guarantee your place at the table. Members are subject to the same forces and tides as the rest of the world. No one is untouchable. That is why our ancestors created the Triune.”
Adria forced her hands to stay relaxed. Around her, the table took a collective breath. This was the moment when the Triune named if a family head would move up or down at the table. The impermanence was meant to protect, but it better served as a way to divide. A cautionary tale not to align oneself too closely to another family lest they take your place at the table.
“Mr. Zuma, would you please stand,” Sean said.
The Zuma family from South Africa had sat on the ninth seat for the past five years. There was no tenth seat. If they were demoted today, both Andres and their heir would be killed. It was a harsh reality that hung over every Mars opposition. The brutal whip that moved each of them forward every year.
Bring something to the table or die.
“Mrs. Lovetts, please stand,” Sean said next.
Adria didn’t look at the two family heads; instead, her gaze alternated between their heirs. Ayden and Luan, both respectable children. Each of them too young, too protected, to hold the amount of fear that should be placed upon their faces. Adria couldn’t decide if that was a good or bad thing.
As she herself had never been shielded as a child, Adria wondered what that amount of naïvety felt like.
