“Okay, since everyone is here let’s get our meeting started.”

  Jaelle’s voice brought Rori out of his reverie and back to the present. The meeting was of the leadership of the clan and all five of the leaders were sitting in the back of one of the wagons. The space was a little cramped, but it wasn’t too bad. This particular wagon had a bench along one wall that three people could sit on. Rori was using a crate near the door as a seat and Logan was sitting on a similar crate at the back of the wagon.

  They had tried to hold similar meetings before and had to move them elsewhere. But right now, the small space was just fine. In part because the cool weather kept the temperature in the close quarters tolerable and it also helped that the wagon wasn’t moving. In fact, if you listened closely, you could hear the sound of the clan going about their daily routines just outside.

  Besides Jaelle and himself there were three other leaders of the clan. The first was Sara, who was sitting at the end of the bench, leaning against the wall and, as was often the case, she looked like she was half asleep. Rori had enough experience with Sara to realize that her eyes may have been closed, but her ears were wide open. Sara was currently the oldest person in the Cunāe clan and that was largely why she’d been chosen to be one of the co-leaders. There wasn’t much that she hadn’t seen and lived through and her advice on the ways in which the Cunāe had handled things in the past was often invaluable.

  Another of the leaders was Oman. He was just about the complete opposite of Sara. He was young and probably a little too inexperienced to normally be a leader of a Cunāe clan. But when the clan had changed leadership after the death of Yoska, they had needed to make sure everyone felt included and represented. Sara’s presence as one of the co-leaders let everyone know that things would largely continue on the same and made the older members of the clan happy. Oman’s presence said that this clan was not just about old traditions but that the opinions of the young clan members were just as important.

  The last of the leaders was Logan. His age sat neatly between Sara’s and Oman’s. He was also one of the clan’s warriors. If the other two leaders’ presence said all was safe and things were going to carry on, Logan’s presence as a leader said that you also didn’t have to worry if something on the outside threatened that safety.

  “I’d like to start this meeting with an apology,” said Jaelle. “I was quite rude to Rori and Nolan a few days ago. Despite Rori and Nolan’s assurances that Rori would be back in only a few days, I had my doubts, and I let those doubts color my emotions. I apologize for my behavior, and I would like to thank Rori for holding true to his word. I thought for sure he would get embroiled in some plot or scheme, and it would be months before we saw him again.”

  “An apology isn’t necessary. I can see how you would have drawn that assumption. As I said before, while I take my obligations to this clan seriously, I must admit that I owe Dade and Nolan a huge debt and that carries its own set of duties.”

  Rori decided this was not the time to mention the assassin, Senator Ulbricht, Brand’s uncle or any of the other things that had gone on while he was away.

  “Nevertheless, I offer my apology anyway. But having given it, let’s move on to other important matters. It is my understanding that we have some big issues in front of us and some important decisions to make for this clan.”

  As the other leaders nodded their agreement, Rori quit slouching and sat up to better pay attention. He’d assumed this would be one of their standard meetings in which the rather mundane affairs of the clan were discussed. They often tended to be nothing but an airing of the current gossip circling the clan and Rori had hoped he’d manage to miss a meeting while he was away. But it sounded like there might be some real issues at hand.

  “If there are issues, then by all means let’s move towards solving them. Also, I have something I’d like to discuss as well. But that can wait,” said Rori. “What are the problems?”

  “I believe the one we need to handle first revolves around deciding which direction the clan should head. We have several pressing needs and the solution to at least two of them lie in opposite directions. I believe Oman has most of the details, so he should probably speak about them.”

  Oman had started his role as co-leader of the clan with a lot of self-doubt. But Rori and Jaelle had been convinced that his practical nature would be an asset if Oman could ever be convinced to step up and shed his fears. Time had proven them right and though he was still young and learning, it was easy to see that one day he would be an exceptional asset to the clan.

  “The problem is that we have two wagons each with a different issue. The red wagon that Selena usually drives has a fault in the tongue that connects the horse harness to the wagon. It’s hard to say if it was made improperly or if it is just the result of metal fatigue or even low-quality metal. Anyway, it will need to be repaired or replaced soon. If nothing is done it will eventually fail, though it is hard to say for sure when that will be.”

  “The wagon usually driven by Malinda has a bad wheel. It also needs repairs but instead of metal being the issue, this time it is the wood. The wheel will have to be rebuilt.”

  “I hate to interrupt,” said Rori sounding frustrated. It seemed this meeting wasn’t going to be different after all. “But how are these problems? We know how to rebuild wheels, and I thought the new blacksmith said he could make anything we needed?”

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  “Oh, I’m sorry, I just thought . . .” said Oman and Rori could hear the beginnings of doubt creep into Oman’s voice. Rori mentally chided himself and started over, this time keeping himself calm and even tempered.

  “No, I’m the one who should be sorry. Let me try again. I understand the importance of these two issues, but what I don’t understand is why they are issues. Oman, would you be so kind as to help me see what it is that I am missing?”

  “The issue only arises because the clan is beginning to run low on a lot of supplies and our wagons are all long overdue for a lot of maintenance,” said Oman starting tentatively but then warming up to the discussion. “Len, the new blacksmith, did say he could make whatever we might need, but as I understand it, this particular piece requires some delicate work. It is something he could do at a normal forge, but not something he can do well enough out on the road with the makeshift travelling forge we normally use. So, we need to either head to a town big enough for us to buy the piece or one that has a forge Len can use to make it himself.”

  “As for the wagon wheel, we do normally have the supplies and know-how to repair a wheel. It is just that we are out of any wood hard enough to be of use as a wheel. Thus, we need to go to the forests by the mountains to restock our supplies.”

  “Lastly, we have a problem with Erick and Pru. They both have come down with an illness that requires a certain herb. Jaelle said that herb isn’t found in the mountains but in the other direction. At least I think that’s what she said.”

  “It’s a common enough plant, but it grows in swamps and marshes,” said Jaelle, “and the nearest one is to the east. There is a possibility that they could shake off the illness on their own, but it is also possible things could get worse without treatment.”

  “Can’t we go to the nearest town and buy all three things?” asked Rori.

  “Sure,” said Jaelle. “Only we don’t have the money. Our cache of gold and silver is essentially gone. The truth is that while none of us would condone the actions and methods Yoska used to employ, they did keep a steady stream of money coming in. In the time since Yoska’s death there has been a steady use of that money with nothing being done to refill it.”

  “What about another clan? Surely, we could trade for this stuff?”

  “Almost assuredly,” answered Logan, “but unless you can say for certain in which direction the closest clan is located, we risk finding ourselves stranded with broken wagons and sick clansmen.”

  “Also,” added Jaelle, “as I already said, we don’t have much to trade for what we need even if we did find another clan. And you mentioned you had something to discuss as well, so unless that issue coincides with one of these other problems, we will then have a fourth direction to travel.”

  Rori scanned the faces in the room. It would have been easy to dismiss the group’s problems as less important than his own, but that would have been careless and selfish. They might seem less daunting than a bounty on your own head and assassins trying to collect that bounty, but to the people in this clan they were serious issues.

  Rori stood up and moved to the door at the back of the wagon. He put his hand on the door to open it, but first he turned back to the room. “Is that it? Or are there more issues?”

  “Isn’t that enough?” said Sara from behind half-lidded eyes.

  Rori opened the door and looked out into the late afternoon sun. The comparative brightness of the outdoors made him squint, but his eyes quickly adjusted. He spotted who he was looking for almost immediately.

  “Trill? Can you come here for a moment?”

  “Sure,” replied the druid veering his path towards the wagon. When he got to the doorway Rori stepped to the side so that those inside could see him standing outside.

  “I believe everyone knows Trill, but if you don’t, he’s a druid who works with the Lorenthian Army. Trill, we have two people sick in that wagon over there,” said Rori pointing across the campsite. “Could you go look on them and see if you can handle it?”

  “Surely,” said Trill. “Would be my pleasure. Why didn’t someone say something sooner?”

  “Also, can you repair a wagon wheel?”

  “Possibly. Which wagon?”

  “The blue and green one over there,” said Rori pointing at another wagon. “Thanks Trill.”

  Rori shut the door and sat back down. “Even if Trill can fix the wheel, let’s still head to town and we’ll buy everything we need. I’ve got plenty of gold to cover the cost.”

  “That’s very generous,” said Jaelle, “but surely you can see that it doesn’t solve the overall problem?”

  “And that is?” asked Rori.

  “That we are out of most of our supplies and that we don’t have money coming into the clan, so we need to make a plan to restock our supplies, the clan’s coffers or both.”

  “We do have money coming in. I’ve made plenty helping Dade, and what is mine is the clan’s. That’s the Cunāe way. Is it not?”

  “And what about when Trill is not here?” asked Oman. “What about when you are not here?”

  “But we are here now!” said Rori in frustration.

  “Okay,” said Jaelle. “Let’s not begin to argue now. We can work this out over time. Perhaps we should discuss Rori’s issue.”

  “It’s not so much an issue as it is a need for information on how to go about doing something.”

  “And what is that?” asked Jaelle.

  “I’d like to have a conclave.”

  “A conclave? What for?”

  “In truth, it isn’t for me. It’s for Dade. He needs info about the conspiracy, and we don’t have the time to chase Cunāe across the countryside. A conclave would be an ideal place to gather the information.”

  “A conclave doesn’t work like that,” said Jaelle. Rori could sense just a hint of either anger or frustration creeping up in her voice, but he didn’t understand why.

  “How does it work? That’s why I’m asking.”

  “Actually,” said Sara. “A conclave might solve a lot of our other problems as well.”

  “Why?” asked Oman.

  “Because there could be a lot of clans in one place, which means lots of people to trade with. And if we are one of the clans to host it, it’s tradition for the other clans to give us gifts.”

  “There you go!” said Rori triumphantly. “Problems solved!”

  “Really?!” said Jaelle no longer trying to hide her feelings. “I don’t think so. You’ve only succeeded in changing them to new problems. Because you need at least three clans to be pomoshinav or host of a conclave and as previously discussed we currently know of the location of none. Also, the reason other clans are supposed to give gifts to the hosting clans is because it is incredibly expensive to host a conclave. So, we have actually solved nothing!”

  Rori started to reply but held back. Instead, he stood back up and reopened the door.

  “Where are you going?” asked Oman.

  “To talk to Trill and to see if he can locate any nearby clans or at least tell us which direction to head. Then I’m going to get my money and give it to you. If it isn’t enough to buy what we need right now and to host a conclave, Dade will give us more.”

  “Dilchor,” said Jaelle barely under her breath. But Rori never heard it, he was already out the door and walking away.