Chương 47: The Head of the Table

Enzo came downstairs to an empty kitchen. He stood in the archway, leaning on his cane, and listened. Nothing. He'd told Val to gather everyone for a meeting. They needed to sit down and discuss what was going on. She'd said she'd handle it and left. He'd figured roughly half an hour of buffer was plenty of time for people to trickle in. Nobody had trickled. He scratched the back of his head and turned back to the living room. The front door opened. Kenzo filled the frame, one eyebrow raised.

"Bro. Seriously? Everyone's waiting on you."

"I thought we were meeting here." Kenzo shook his head slowly, the way he did when Enzo had missed something obvious.

"Come on. We're next door." Enzo followed him out. The house beside theirs had been empty since they arrived. A two-story with a covered porch he passed every day and barely registered. Kenzo pushed the front door open. Inside, a young woman sat behind a desk that had been set up in the entryway. Enzo recognized her. She lived a block over. He didn't know her name.

"Mr. Locke," she said, straightening.

"Everyone's in the meeting room." She nodded to Kenzo.

"Mr. Yamamoto." Enzo looked at Kenzo. Kenzo grinned and kept walking. He followed.

"What was that?"

"No idea what you're talking about, bro."

"Is this some sort of 'et tu, Brute' moment?"

"Fratri meo fidelis," Kenzo intoned.

"But damn if this won't be funny." Kenzo stepped into a room at the end of the hall. The meeting room was a living room. Or it had been. Half a dozen tables were pushed together in the center, forming one long makeshift table, surrounded by an assortment of dining chairs. Water jugs and glasses sat on a side table next to a plate of crackers and cheese. Three whiteboards stood at the end of the table, already marked with lists and schedules in different handwriting.

Candles burned on the mantelpiece, over the unlit fireplace. More burned in the overhead chandelier, which had been stripped of its lightbulbs, the fittings instead used as candleholders. A stepladder leaned against the wall. Kenzo took a seat. Everyone turned to look at Enzo. Val was one of them. She sat at the far end of the table and met his eyes with a look that said she'd been waiting for this moment.

"Enzo," she drawled.

"I'm glad you found the meeting room. I gathered everyone, like you asked." Enzo swept his gaze across the room. He recognized most of them. Val held out a hand, gesturing to the other side of the room.

"Your seat. Allow me to formally introduce everyone before we begin." Enzo nodded and made his way to the only empty seat. He suspected it was no mistake that it was at the head of the table. Val turned toward the back wall.

"Robert and Mary Stone. They're both mages who just joined us along with several new families. They'll be representing that group while everyone settles in, and they'll be talking with each of you after this meeting to see where they and their people might best help." Robert gave a stiff nod. Mary smiled. Val turned back to the table.

"Most of you know me. I've been handling the day-to-day since we started. Going forward, my title is Director of Operations." She said it without hesitation, as if she'd been rehearsing.

"I run the administrative team." Enzo settled into his chair and rested the cane against the table's edge. His eyes narrowed slightly. Kenzo, two seats down, could barely contain himself. Val was absolutely up to something.

"Dominic. Hunt Master. He oversees all hunting operations, threat assessment beyond the perimeter, and training for anyone heading outside the walls." Dom nodded once. If the title surprised him, it didn't show.

"Lauren. Head of Agriculture. She manages the gardens, foraging operations, and coordinates with Ruth on food production." His mother straightened in her chair, looking pleased. Enzo blinked. That was the first time he'd heard anyone refer to the gardening club as 'agriculture.'

"Ruth. Livestock Manager. Chickens, goats, rabbits, and anything else we manage to bring in." Ruth, visibly pregnant and wedged carefully into her chair, raised a hand in a small wave. She glanced sideways at Lauren, who patted her arm.

"Frank. Watch Commander. Perimeter security, guard rotations, and defense coordination." Frank leaned back in his chair and gave the room a lazy salute. He'd clearly known about the title already.

"Matt. Scout Leader. External reconnaissance, intelligence on the Riders, and monitoring movement beyond our territory." Matt, seated beside Signe, dipped his chin.

"Doctor Hadley. Head of Medical." Doc Hadley peered over her glasses.

"Just Doc is fine, dear."

"Jackie. Quartermaster. She goes by Jack, and she manages our food stores, water rationing, and supply inventory." Jack sat with her arms crossed, buzz cut catching the candlelight. She gave no reaction at all.

"Nate. He's our foreman, in charge of construction and repairs." Nate looked up from the table like a student who'd just been called on unexpectedly.

"Oh. Uh. Yeah. That's me." He glanced around.

"Hi." A few people smiled. Frank reached over and clapped him on the shoulder. Val continued without pausing.

"Sumi, Signe, and Kenzo do not have official roles, though I expect that will change shortly." This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Sumi nodded from her seat, her wrapped arm resting carefully in its sling. Signe gave a two-fingered wave from beside Matt.

"Yo," Kenzo said. Val set the paper down and looked at Enzo. The room followed her gaze.

"And Lorenzo Locke. Though he spends most of his time in the workshop, my brother is our lead mage, and the reason most of us are sitting in this room." She let the silence hold for exactly one beat. Her eyes met Enzo's with a grin.

"With that, I turn this meeting over to you." Enzo held back a sigh. This wasn't a meeting. It was an ambush, with an organizational chart and candles. He looked around the room, reconsidering his plan. His priority remained dealing with the Steel Soul Riders, but what Val had built over the past few weeks far surpassed his expectations. Early on, he'd been worried about Frank accruing power through the Watch, but the man was solid. There was no ambition or pursuit of power there. Still.

He'd buried himself in his workshop, failed to pay attention, and Val had built something without him noticing. Now he had to protect his people's place inside it. Enzo let the silence drag for a moment longer. What he was about to say carried risks, and he needed to be clear.

"Thank you for coming." He glanced around the table.

"Val has done an incredible job of organizing things, and it's good to see people are stepping up to help where they can. With everything that's happened, everyone has had to adapt and pitch in wherever they can." There were nods all around the table.

"I called this meeting to discuss the Steel Soul Riders and the growing threat they pose," Enzo said.

"But I see now that there is something equally important that needs to be addressed before we continue." He took a breath.

"What Val has built here is good. I can see the value in it, in the people here, and I'm sure it will expand further as our community grows." Everyone watched him in silence.

"I need to make something clear. My goal is the protection of my family and friends. I don't have a problem with that protection extending to include our local neighborhood and the people who live within it. I believe we can all help each other, and that we'll be better off if we do." Enzo paused for a heartbeat.

"But this isn't a democracy." The reactions around the room were mixed. Val's expression hadn't changed. Pops watched him calmly, though there was an intensity in his old man's eyes. Mom's mouth opened, then closed. Jack's eyes had narrowed, not quite becoming a glare. Doc Hadley removed her glasses and cleaned them on her sleeve. Nate stared at Enzo like he'd missed the first half of the conversation and was waiting for Enzo to fill him in. Enzo continued.

"We will listen to people's concerns and work together. We'll continue to provide magical solutions and share our expertise, which is going to be crucial to everyone's survival. The world is changing fast. Eaters. Beasts. And now, dangerous mages with bad intentions." Everyone waited.

"The condition is simple," Enzo said.

"My family and our group of mages are in charge. If that is not acceptable to everyone, then we will leave." The silence stretched. Frank looked at Jack. Jack looked at Doc Hadley. Doc Hadley put her glasses back on and folded her hands on the table.

"And when someone disagrees with a decision you make?" she asked.

"What then?" Enzo smiled.

"I don't know. But it's a great starting place for us to figure out how to make this work for everyone." Frank raised a couple of fingers.

"Are you saying we're going to be a, uh…" He hesitated.

"A magocracy? Is that the word?" Enzo shook his head.

"My priority is making sure my people are safe, but I believe what Val has put together here is great. We need people who know what they're doing in charge of our resources and making sure things get done." He frowned.

"When it comes to mages, we need a balance. We have responsibilities to the community, especially around magic, but we can't be worked to the bone for everyone else's benefit." Jack uncrossed her arms.

"That sounds nice. But I'm going to ask the ugly question. What happens when supplies get low?" Enzo looked at her. Jack shifted, but her voice stayed level.

"I'm Quartermaster, apparently. That means I'm the one people come yell at when they think someone else got more than them. So if the mages are in charge, do they eat first? Do they get extra water? Extra medicine? Do I hand over whatever you ask for because you need it for magic?" Enzo appreciated the question more than he liked hearing it.

"No. Rations stay fair. Supplies continue to be tracked. If we need something for magic, we go through you or Val unless it's an emergency." Jack stared.

"And who decides what counts as an emergency?"

"We do." That landed badly. He saw it on a few of the faces around the table. Enzo tapped one finger against the head of his cane.

"But we explain afterward. To this room. To the people responsible for keeping things running. If we're asking people to accept that kind of authority, then we don't get to hide behind it."

"That is accountability, dear," Doc Hadley said.

"Not oversight."

"I know." Enzo looked at her.

"I'm not pretending otherwise." A few people shifted. Nobody was comfortable. But nobody was angry either. Yet. Enzo sighed.

"Look. Val is better at organizing things than I am. You all know your jobs better than we do. But when it comes to rifts, magic, enchantments, mages, Eaters, Beasts, and people like Gus?" Enzo shook his head.

"Those decisions have to go through us. Not just because we're the ones who have magic, but because when something goes wrong, we're the ones who will have to stand in front of it." Frank shrugged.

"That's basically what we've all been expecting, anyway. None of the Watch are looking forward to facing more Eaters. Most of 'em had to deal with at least one or two the first few days, and them shield rings of yours have been pretty damn good for morale." Pops nodded.

"They've already saved a few of the hunters. Creatures out there are growing more dangerous by the day."

"Exactly," Frank said.

"You been looking out for us since the first day you lot arrived. I don't think anyone here is confused about who holds the power." He met Enzo's eyes.

"So long as people's concerns are heard, I ain't got any problem with things continuing as they have been."

"I'm just happy to have a job," Nate said, glancing around the table.

"I ran out of food before the rain even ended. All I had were two ramen packets. I had to eat them raw…" A few of the others nodded. Val leaned back in her chair.

"Good. Then we should make it official." Enzo frowned.

"Make what official?" Val ignored him.

"Department heads retain authority over their areas. I run day-to-day operations." She glanced at him with a flicker of amusement.

"Major strategic decisions, magical infrastructure, external threats, and final authority rest with Lorenzo Locke and the mages."

"Val," Enzo said slowly. Kenzo made a strangled sound from his seat. She smiled.

"You said it needed to be clear."

"It is. You're in charge."

"I am," she said.

"Of operations." Kenzo lost the fight and started laughing under his breath. Val looked around the table.

"All in favor?" Enzo stared at her.

"Wait." Frank raised his hand first.

"Aye." More hands went up. Enzo's parents. Signe. Sumi. Kenzo, still fighting back laughter. Matt hesitated, but lifted his hand. Ruth followed. Mary and Robert raised their hands next.

"Not sure if we're meant to vote," Robert huffed.

"But it's good for someone to be in charge." Doc Hadley raised her hand.

"With the understanding that people are allowed to complain about any foolish decisions." Nate raised his hand tentatively.

"Maybe people can vote for a representative?" Doc Hadley raised an eyebrow.

"That's a very good idea, Nathan." Nate blushed. Jack raised her hand last. Val looked around the room. Then she set her hands on the table and looked at Enzo, far too pleased with herself.

"It's unanimous. Motion carried." Ruth leaned forward.

"Um, excuse me, Mr. Locke," she said. Enzo turned to her with a frown. That was his father's name. Ruth continued.

"Now that you're in charge of magical issues, can we please discuss the chickens and the goats? They're getting bigger."

"We need to talk too," Jack added.

"Our food stores are running low, and with the new families here, we've only got about a month before things get tight." Enzo blinked.

"What does that have to do with magic?"

"I need a mage to examine the meat the hunters are bringing back." Jack glanced at Pops.

"We think Beast meat is more nutritious the more evolved it is. Could be a solution." Pops nodded. Mom turned to him.

"Oh, we should talk about the gardening club too, sweetie." She smiled.

"The plants are growing very quickly, but I was wondering if you might magic them up a bit faster." Mary raised her hand again.

"I was also wondering if we could get a shower for our new house? I was told to ask you." Enzo sighed. This was backwards. Val was supposed to free him from responsibilities so he could focus on his work. And he hadn't even gotten around to discussing the Steel Soul Riders yet.