A Master's Ring: Book 03

I thought they were being stubborn by not rubber-stamping every Michael suggestion. Instead, the sisters embroiled themselves in a series of arguments about each room making Melisa adopt the 'this is what David wants' method of getting her way.

The new sorority officers, while not of Caroline's ilk, were not willing to leave it at that. They insisted on a meeting with me to confirm what Melisa said were my choices.

The officers left fifteen minutes before Doris Alex came out to tell me the participants of my second and more important meeting had arrived.

"That had nothing to do with your choices for decorating the sorority house, did it?" I asked Melisa.

"Your choices," she corrected.

Most sisters had to have figured out that every room was being decorated exactly how Michael suggested since Melisa's system ensured it. If a majority of sisters liked Michael's idea for a room, it was decorated that way. Any other vote ended in a tie; since I had a remarkable preference for Michael's work, it was always broken in his favor.

Interestingly, the Brother room was what triggered the sorority officers to insist on a meeting. Of any room, I would have expected that one to be the least likely to incite rebellion.

It did not take long to conclude the Secretary and Treasurer only wanted to ensure they were on my radar. The two girls understood that not rocking the boat was well rewarded and wanted to illustrate how wonderfully still they could sit.

The President and Vice were a different story.

"I think those two are going to take advantage of your room's rules," Doris Alex said. "I wouldn't have pegged them for it either."

"The rules to my room?" I asked reluctantly.

"Any sister or pledge can hang out in the lounge," Melisa recited. "Setting foot in your bedroom or bathroom makes their bodies yours."

"Are you going to put a sign over my door with that?" I asked.

"It's not a bad idea," Doris Alex said thoughtfully.

"Michael made the bathroom in the Brother room very tempting," I reminded them politely. "A soak in the hot tub after a brutal exam is going to sound really nice."

"They'll have to be strong," Melisa said shrugging. "Or take the chance you'll pop in while they're enjoying the use of your property... making them your property until they are allowed to leave."

I looked towards the pool house without saying anything.

"The candidates told them what to expect if someone gets caught or walks into those rooms, David," Melisa assured me.

"If a sister is sneaking in for a soak, they want to get caught," Doris Alex said smiling. "Do you remember that bullshit logic seminar mid-term?"

I smirked.

"A hot tub would have been nice, but the hour in your bed was exactly what any doctor would have ordered," Doris Alex told me. "I forgot I took that fucking exam until he handed it back."

"I've had enough questions about our relationship to know some sisters are going to sit in that hot tub until you do catch them," Melisa snickered.

"So Sally and Bethany were here to find out if they want to take that chance?" I asked.

"No, David," Melisa answered. "They were here to decide if they want to take a chance that you won't catch them."

"That bitch!" Doris Alex exclaimed as the Brothers who asked to meet me turned the corner into the backyard.

Jeremy and Robert had male Siblings walking a pace behind them; Kiera was in her usual place behind Roderigo; unlike the other Siblings, Simon walked in front of Samantha as if to clear a path. Iane pushing Anna's wheelchair was what caused Doris Alex's reaction.

"Move your chair so that Anna can sit there," I told Melisa. "Then go inside."

"Yes, Brother," she said getting up.

She moved the chair out of the way and signaled Iane. Everyone sat down, but waited until Melisa went inside before speaking.

"Where's Leonard?" Roderigo asked Anna.

"The boy has been testing my patience lately," Anna answered. "I swear if his mother had not been so well-behaved, I would have given up on the boy months ago."

"Are you done?" Robert asked Roderigo.

"No, but we have more important business," Roderigo said looking at me with a pleased smile.

"You are aware the selection committee will not confirm Stephanie's status as a Brother," Robert stated to me.

"I gave her the ring," I replied.

"That was not within the purview of your responsibilities," Robert told me.

"David," Jeremy said reasonably. "Stephanie can't become a Brother."

"Why not?" I asked. "I have it on good authority Siblings have made the transition before."

Everyone looked at Doris Alex.

"It's been a long time since it happened," Samantha pointed out.

"The last time it happened has nothing to do with what Stephanie is today," I replied.

"David," Robert said patiently. "Even if the selection committee were to accept Stephanie, your life would be tied to hers. Like Kyle's father, you would be sanctioned if she were. There are too many Brothers that do not approve of you to ignore the 'sins of the child' doctrine."

"Stephanie is not my child," I told him.

"This is not like Leon; you gave her a ring without even consulting the selection committee," Roderigo said. "The doctrine could and should be applied"

I shrugged.

"Killing Stephanie yourself if she falters will not mitigate your sanction," Anna said softly.

I shrugged again.

"Is the Foot really that weak?" Roderigo asked frustrated with my lack of reaction. "Renard behaved like we couldn't kill him, but your disregard borders on contempt for us."

"Life is a conjunction between two infinities of non-existence; it is not the Foot I have no regard for, Brother," I told him. "But the Foot will be stronger with Stephanie, and that is important."

"You're joking," Samantha exhaled.

"Leon understands my training," I said to them. "Stephanie knows what it would take to kill me."

"Yes," Anna agreed. "If you continue to remove the Foot Brothers who cannot work with you, we will have a unit more likely to take her seriously if it becomes necessary."

"Four of the ones left will," I told her. "The others will need to be replaced, but Stephanie is a good beginning."

"She is too weak," Samantha insisted.

"Her martial arts training is going well, so is her shooting," Anna replied. "She will never be the physical equal of other Foot Brothers; but considering she survived living with David for months without being a Sibling, she will probably be the most dangerous."

"Stephanie will always think highly of David," Roderigo argued. "All of us thought she should die, she owes her life to him. We cannot expect her to kill him."

"Stephanie understands I only gave her time," I said softly. "She knows why it is suicide to hesitate against me. I will kill her if I decide to, and she understands that better than anyone."

"What's the big deal?" Roderigo asked. "I know you'll kill me."

"It is one thing to know, another to believe, and a third to have faith," I told him.

"So the thought of you killing me should be a religious experience?" Roderigo asked sarcastically.

"Deep inside, you don't really believe I can kill you," I told him. "You have faith in your intelligence and abilities. It is the same faith that makes me willing to pit myself against the entire Brotherhood. I know the best all of you can hope for is a Pyrrhic victory."

I looked away before continuing.

"Stephanie had her sense of immortality ripped out," I said. "She doesn't believe in herself yet; and even when she does, she'll be more willing to face how small her chances against me really are."

"This is the part where everyone makes believe they understand what the fuck Enforcers are talking about, and we move on," Robert said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"It doesn't matter, David," Samantha told me. "Like Robert said, the selection committee will not confirm Stephanie."

"The selection committee will not be a problem," I assured her.

Anna whistled and relaxed in her wheelchair.

"Now that I think about it, Stephanie's mother is my favorite aunt," Roderigo informed us happily. "She makes the best cookies."

"You've always been a pig about Amelia's cooking," Anna said smiling fondly.

"What are you blabbing about?" Jeremy asked.

"David's going to retire the selection committee," Robert said staring at me.

"Fuck!" Jeremy exhaled.

"Personally, I'm almost as fond of the idea as I am of my aunt's cookies," Roderigo offered.

"Have you joined the insane side of the table?" Samantha asked him.

"Did you ever call Kyle Brother?" Roderigo asked her seriously.

Samantha gritted her teeth but did not respond.

"Killing the entire selection committee is excessive," Robert said.

"I'm only going to remove the ones that voted for Kyle," I said.

"Three were pressured by Kyle's father," he answered. "Two were doing me a favor."

"And the reporter the council sanctioned, was she doing your little fish a favor?" I asked.

Robert's jaw tightened.

"They are the gatekeepers," I told him. "They failed to do their job. Reasons are irrelevant; the failure is intolerable."

Iane reached into the bag hanging from Anna's wheelchair and pulled out some folders. She placed them on the table and looked at me.

"The selection committee is composed of five Brothers and a Sibling," she told me. "Because the Sibling was an Ekaterina until the line was lost, it is one of the only places a Sibling's vote is counted. Four Brothers and the Sibling voted for Kyle."

"I asked Simone to vote for Kyle," Robert said quietly.

"Did you order the Sibling to, Robert?" Anna asked shifting in her chair.

"Put the guns away, Anna," Robert said angrily.

She smiled and put two derringers on the table.

"I want the Sibling seat on the committee until an Ekaterina can take my place," Iane said to Doris Alex.

"Why are you telling me?" the redhead replied.

"Constance is talking about giving up her seat as council adviser to force Simone out of the selection committee," Iane told her. "This changes things, but you know Constance. She may decide taking the selection seat is still the right thing to do."

"And you want my support?" Doris Alex asked.

"With David's crest only the Council Siblings truly stand higher than you," Iane answered. "Even Constance will be satisfied if Ians and Alexanders put forward the same candidate."

"My sister could do as well as you," Doris Alex replied.

"No, she could not," Iane answered looking at me pointedly.

"An Ian with brains; you are full of surprises," Doris Alex said seeming to understand Iane's meaning. "You will owe me if I do this."

Iane's eyes blazed, and she exposed the crested Sibling ring she wore on a chain around her neck.

"Let's see what the First has to say about your unwillingness to support David's intentions, bitch," Iane spat.

She turned and walked towards the house.

"I'm going to kill her!" Doris Alex whispered and headed off behind Iane.

"Can the heterosexuals tell me how Iane is a Sibling?" Robert asked annoyed.

"Siblings choose which two of them advise the council," Jeremy answered. "After the Ekaterina were lost, they chose the selection committee Sibling also."

"I know that, Jeremy," Robert said. "I meant that the girl does not behave like a proper Sibling."

"So you understand why the committee must be replaced," Anna said satisfied.

"Excuse me?" Robert asked.

"You cannot blame a child's insolent behavior on the child," Anna said to him. "Iane has been spoiled by Brothers who should have known better."

"She was well-behaved in her time with me," Roderigo said smiling widely. "She did require more punishment than Kiera though."

"Iane needs that kind of attention," Jeremy told him. "She was much easier to deal with when I borrowed some of Samantha's toys. As beautiful as she is, I prefer my Siblings to require less maintenance, and I think she knew it. I must admit that the time with her was rather pleasant."

"Dismiss your Siblings," Robert said shaking his head impatiently.

"Killing the selection committee on your own may cause a Brother war," Robert warned me after the Siblings were inside. "The council sanctioning them will not reduce the chance of that by much."

"They let a rabid dog loose among the children," Anna bit off.

"It brings every Brother this committee gave rings into question," Robert countered. "Those Brothers will wonder if they're next!"

"Not all of them need to be sanctioned," I said.

"Committee members or the Brothers they selected?" Roderigo asked.

"Both," I answered. "One committee member voted against Kyle, they should live."

"She did not like Kyle's father and told me to shove my favor," Robert said quietly. "You'll still be killing four of five committee Brothers. It is not a good ratio for the Brothers they allowed through our doors. If I were one of them, I would try to kill you."

"It can't be that many Brothers," I said.

"Even if the council sanctions the committee members, we will not stand with you to prevent a general war between Brothers from breaking out," he told me.

"Two Brothers standing together are enough for this particular exchange of hostilities," I answered.

"Two?" Samantha asked.

"Stephanie's only choices are a black ring or death," I told her. "She has a stake in standing against the selection committee and any Brothers who think I need to learn my place."

"Three," Anna said smiling. "I can't be that much help from a wheelchair, but living legends make good bait."

"Four," Roderigo said.

"This isn't funny, Roderigo," Jeremy said.

"I've always thought allowing Brothers that are too closely related by blood was a mistake," Roderigo said. "Looks like I was right; here's my cousin and grandmother getting involved in a tiff with some inadequate Brothers, and I just have to jump in on their side. To be honest though, Stephanie is Aunt Amelia's only child; I'm sure there would be no more chocolate chip cookies for me if something happened to her. If it's Brothers that should have never seen a black ring or cookies, Brothers have got to die."

"Sanction the committee members," Samantha told Robert. "Nothing's going to happen."

"You sound very sure of yourself," he said to her.

"I've had a few conversations with older Brothers," she answered. "We haven't had an exceptional Enforcer since Anna's retirement. David made the selection committee work above themselves to find the other two Enforcers."

Robert raised an eyebrow and laughed.

"Your file must have panicked them. I think the scariest part is that every psychologist thinks you're perfectly sane," Samantha told me. "But it's not like they would have denied an Ekaterina of Brother potential a black ring with the council behaving like it was your birthright."

Roderigo leaned back and laughed.

"Jesus!" Jeremy said amused. "They tried to balance David by recruiting the best Enforcers they could find for the other two small branches, in case they had to be set on him."

"With three talented Enforcers hanging over their heads, none of these assholes are going to start an open war without a significant block of Brothers on their side," Samantha concluded.

"I think it's time to release the statements made by the Siblings who had encounters with Kyle," Robert said thoughtfully.

"Wait until after David forcibly retires the selection committee," Samantha advised. "No reason to warn anyone; and we might be able to come up with a nice list for our wonderful set of Enforcers from among the loudest complainers."

"It doesn't mean the new committee will accept Stephanie," Robert told me.

"None of the Siblings that became Brothers had an easy time of it," Anna said. "Stephanie has chosen to stay in Susan's house permanently, so she can begin training with the Foot immediately. I'm sure David's little purge will afford her the opportunity to prove herself before the next committee is selected."

"She won't be isolated?" Roderigo asked curiously.

"Stephanie was a Sibling for years," Samantha told him. "There is no reason to isolate her; she knows the rules. Nancy says a college environment, especially considering Doris's plans for the sorority, is the best place for Stephanie to begin her new life."

"What does our little Alexander's plan for a Sibling factory have to do with it?" Robert asked.

"David gave Stephanie the ring, but Siblings confirmed it," Samantha told him. "She will need that until she believes in herself. A sorority of Siblings will provide constant affirmation of what she is."

"Not to mention, it will take some of the pressure off David," Jeremy joked. "I do what I can, but I don't live here; without Stephanie, David will have to meet the whole sorority's needs by himself."

"I hear Ekaterina Sibling males had nearly mythic stamina," Samantha quipped.

"You'll be too old to confirm that particular legend," Roderigo told her.

"Still young enough to watch though," Anna interrupted before Samantha could answer.

They laughed.

"Are you going to have a hard time getting the council to sanction the committee?" Anna asked Robert.

"There's going to be less debate about it than we had here," Robert snorted. "Iane's report on Kyle was bad enough, but the other Siblings' stories have council members talking about needing to make some examples."

"We're going to need the other Enforcers for this," Samantha said almost to herself.

"No, I'm not," I said.

"They have to be done close to the same time or they'll figure out what's happening. Even with three Enforcers, some are going to know it's coming," she pointed out.

"Has the committee met to talk about Stephanie yet?" I asked.

"No," Robert said slowly.

"Let me know when and where that meeting is going to take place," I told him.

"That's a rather inelegant way of doing it, isn't it?" Jeremy asked wincing.

"Quick and brutal make the best examples," Anna replied.

"The council does not tell Enforcers how to do their job," Robert said getting up. "The selection committee members who voted for Kyle will be sanctioned."

His Sibling was a pace behind him before he made the turn around the house. The other Siblings stepped onto the back porch.

A half hour later only Anna and I sat at the table.

"That went surprisingly well," Anna said relieved. "You didn't even have to blow anyone out of our circle."

I smiled and put the detonator on the table. Anna's brow furrowed, and she looked at me.

"I see only four individual switches and the master to blow them all," she said curiously.

"You said you would prefer the knife," I said showing her the three-inch blade I had palmed in the hand on her side of the table.

"I am getting old," she lamented.

"I would believe that except for the one in your hand," I told her.

"An old woman can't go around unarmed in this day and age," she said primly.

"Of course," I said ceding her point.

"It was still close, David," she said gently. "Even with these Brothers, it was too close."

"It didn't matter either way," I said.

"Why not?"

"Jason said Spartans do," I said. "Siblings put themselves in our hands. Each one of us accepts that responsibility, Anna. Whoever put them in danger by letting Kyle in is dead; I don't care how many Brothers have to die with them."

"Robert asked one of those Brothers and a Sibling to say yes," Anna pointed out. "Is he next?"

"For all of Robert's plotting, I killed Kyle and another Enforcer killed his father," I replied. "It was the committee's duty to vote against Kyle."

"Yes, it was," Anna agreed.

She reached out and opened one of folders.

"You know this is what Iane wants," she said. "She made sure the Siblings involved with Kyle told us about their experiences. The child probably has a list of Brothers she thinks her world would be a better place if they suddenly stopped breathing."