A Master's Ring: Book 03

"Melisa's going to kill me!" she sighed. "Can I at least ask why you told Stephanie she shouldn't sleep with me?"

"You've backed off her, Nancy," I said. "I advise you not to do it again; I will not accept failure on your part. I am not asking you to carry Stephanie to the point she can put the past behind her, but you will get her to a place she can choose not to."

"What happens then?" she asked.

"Choosing not to isn't an option any of us are allowed to survive."

-----

Jeremy and Melisa were talking in my living room when I got home. My First excused herself, kissed me, and walked up the stairs.

"We have a problem," Jeremy said without preamble after I slid the living room doors closed.

"Like Samuel or Stephanie's rapists?" I asked.

"Like someone getting too close to a Sibling in a position of power," he answered.

"Isn't it easier to move a Sibling in those circumstances?" I said sitting down.

"The Sibling has a promising political career that we do not wish to cut short," he said. "He is in an arranged marriage with another Sibling. They serve the same Brother, one who has been rather careless. Our Brother will be reprimanded by one of your peers, but you are the only one ready to work with the Foot."

"Why do I need to work with Foot Brothers on this?"

"The person coming to all the right conclusions is a reporter," he answered. "She has friends that will be curious so we need to ensure the solution cannot be traced back to us. There is a plan in place, but it requires more than just you."

"It still doesn't explain why I have to meet the Foot."

"The Foot makes many things much easier, but you are as different from Renard as Enforcers are from other Brothers," Jeremy said carefully. "Foot Brothers and Enforcers traditionally have transition problems."

"Part of the reason, you don't think the other Enforcers are ready for this," I stated.

"Yes," he answered. "Robert and the council believe you will have an easier time with the transition. We will have to replace any Foot Brothers you cannot work with, but it is a manageable problem. The Foot are the easiest Brothers to recognize and recruit."

"So when will this meeting happen?" I asked.

"Would you prefer it on your ground or theirs?"

"Neutral," I replied.

"I will arrange something as soon as possible," he said standing up.

"Did the reporter stumble on to us?" I asked. "Or was she given directions?"

"She did not stumble, therefore she will not let it go," Jeremy answered sadly. "Something else Robert's little fish will have to answer for."

I sat thinking about the Foot when I heard Melisa's angry shout from upstairs. It was followed by a furious yell from Doris Alex, and then something shattered against a wall.

Nancy had told the three women at the same time.

=====Chapter 48=====

My martial arts instructor and I were given a tour of the new school site by Michael. The Sibling had interesting ideas for the space, which impressed the instructor.

"This is more than I expected, David," the instructor said when Michael finished.

"Importing wood from Japan for all the structures except the main building is excessive," I agreed looking around the tree-enclosed property. "But I trust Michael's designs will create a pleasant environment in which to teach and learn martial arts. A school like this can be a different world from the one on the other side of those trees."

"It will be beautiful," he said staring at where Michael planned to place a wooden bridge over a man-made pond. "I cannot repay you."

"I will be taking private lessons here with other instructors," I told him.

He nodded accepting it.

"There is no need to repay silence," I told him. "It is enough to maintain its creation."

"She is very beautiful," he said looking at the approaching Doris Alex.

She had prepared herself carefully putting the beauty the Brotherhood made her birthright on display. Doris Alex walked up to us and bowed to me then to the instructor respectfully.

"(Excuse me, sir,)" she said in Japanese. "David, it is time to go."

"Very respectful," the instructor commented to me. "You are a lucky man."

"(I am the one who is blessed, sir,)" Doris Alex told him.

The instructor bowed to her and walked back to Michael.

"I did not know you spoke Japanese," I said to Doris Alex as we walked to her car.

"Bloodlines may choose the Brothers on their tour," she told me. "I wanted to travel the world."

"So you chose Japan?" I asked.

"No," she said. "I chose the world."

"I do not understand?"

"Twenty-two countries in two years," she told me. "It would have been twenty-four, but my tour was shortened by two months so that I could prepare for your arrival."

"Why did you choose to learn Japanese if you were only going to be there for a month?" I asked her.

"I did not choose to learn only Japanese, David," she responded. "I learned all of them."

I froze in the process of opening the car door and looked at her.

"You can speak twenty-two languages?" I asked.

"Twenty-four," she corrected. "The native language of every Brother I planned to visit. Siblings serve Brothers and intelligent conversation can be a pleasure. It would have been rude to expect them to learn English or cause them to struggle attempting to communicate their desires. Actually, I can speak twenty-six languages if you count English and American Sign."

"Fluently?" I asked.

"Of course," she replied snappily.

"I was not questioning your competence. I've never met anyone that spoke more than three languages fluently," I said when we were in the car. "I thought there weren't that many Brothers; twenty-two countries seems like a lot."

"There were plenty of languages in Europe," she told me. "I simply picked whom I could from the rest of the world first, and then filled in the rest with European Brothers. I did not plan to visit twenty-four countries on my tour, David, only twenty-four Brothers with different native languages."

"Twenty-four languages is still a lot to learn," I said.

"Unlike my sisters, there has never been any doubt I would become a Sibling. I had years to prepare for my Brother tour so it's not like I learned each language in a month," she told me.

"How intelligent are you?" I asked setting myself for the answer.

"Not as smart as my sisters," she said shamefully.

"I thought you were the best representative of your Bloodline," I said. "Isn't that the reason you were chosen to have my children?"

"The best representative of a Bloodline generation is chosen by the Council," she answered. "They decided I was more attractive and exhibited behavior closer to the desired standard than my oldest sister or cousins."

"You said sisters," I said. "But that they decided you were more attractive than your 'oldest' sister."

"My middle sister, Jasmine, is not Sibling," she told me.

"How is that possible?" I asked.

"Don't you remember, David," she said looking at me. "Part of the reason the Ekaterina is the standard comes from every child of your Bloodline choosing the Society."

"But how could you be trained with a sister that wasn't a Sibling living in the same house."

"It was easy for our family," she answered. "Rebecca, my oldest sister, and I never let anyone outside the Society know we were as intelligent as Jasmine. We went to a normal school and had sessions with private tutors at home while Jasmine progressed as far as the school system allowed. My family is very proud of her achievements."

"I don't imagine the Brotherhood likes having Jasmine out there like that," I said staring out the window.

"Her husband was carefully selected," she said happily. "Jasmine works at a cancer research center. It wasn't difficult to parade good husband material in front of her. Her son is the cutest little boy!"

"Are all the Bloodlines as gifted?" I asked softly.

"Brothers measure the Bloodlines differently," she replied. "They measure attractiveness, adherence to the Ekaterina standard of submission and obedience, and how much of the Bloodline's gift a Sibling exhibits. Brothers also focus on individual representatives of the Bloodline as a way to advancing it. Siblings judge the Bloodlines as a whole; the Alexander Bloodline is considered more genetically gifted than the others because a high percentage of our children exhibit genius or over-genius levels of intelligence. In the Brother view, Ian gifts are more developed than the Alexander gift. While Iane is two steps higher on the eugenics ladder than even Jasmine, she is five steps higher than any other Ian. We will have to see what happens with her children before we decide how the Ian Bloodline really stands."

"That doesn't answer the question," I pointed out.

"Brothers believe the gifts are objectively comparable, David," she explained. "Siblings do not hold the same position; as talented as Iane is, her gift has limited utility. On the other hand, the Elizabeth line has so much potential that even at the beginning stages of their gift's fruition, Siblings prize their gift above all others."

"The Alexander's gift seems extraordinary, and you say two other Bloodline's may have even greater gifts," I said softly. "No wonder, all the other Bloodlines looked down at the Ekaterina,"

-----

I woke up when Doris Alex parked the car outside of a martial arts school I did not recognize.

"We're here, Brother," she said.

I nodded and opened my car door. Looking around, I did not recognize the town but shrugged the detail away. Jeremy's choice of neutral ground was far enough from my home to make it nearly impossible to trace where I lived without following us back.

Doris Alex walked around the car and brushed imaginary lint from my sweatshirt before nodding towards the back door. I followed inside feeling uncomfortably heavy in my groin. The thought had crossed my mind to take relief from Doris Alex when she showed off her idea of 'dressed to impress'. I should have gone with the instinct, if not with her then with an available Sibling that did not mind being mussed. I smiled thinking Doris Alex's slight air of disappointment probably had to do with a belief that no look could be complete without the accessorizing glow surrounding a Sibling after sex with a Brother.

Iane's eyes were polished silver.

"What is she doing here?" Doris Alex exclaimed violently.

"So that's Iane," I said.

"That bitch!" Doris Alex answered taking a step towards her rival.

"Doris Alex," I said freezing her in place.

"I notice every Brother brought a Sibling with them," I said looking around the room.

Iane dimmed the presence of every other occupant, even Doris Alex. The silver-eyed Sibling managed it while looking like she rolled out of bed late and had to run out of door in whatever clothing lay nearby.

Jeremy approached us looking annoyed.

"I did not know she would be here," Jeremy told Doris Alex bracing for the fireworks.

"She's been told then?" Doris Alex asked gritting her teeth.

"Iane did not have to be told anything," Jeremy said looking over his shoulder. "She was moving in this direction. We only had to tell her that we hoped motherhood would suit her."

"She must have taken it well," Doris Alex said with a sardonic laugh.

Jeremy stared at Doris Alex for a couple of seconds before turning to me and raising an eyebrow.

"Samantha did a very good job with Doris Alex," I told him.

"I'm sure that's it, David," Jeremy answered before turning to Doris Alex. "Robert said Iane threw the mother and father of all tantrums. He was amazed how expensive breaking everything in a four-star hotel room is. Iane didn't even get to dig her claws into him since he's gay. I think that's what pissed her off the most; she would have enjoyed taking strips off the messenger."

"Another thrower," I sighed.

Jeremy laughed at my tone of voice. The Siblings in my house were under strict instructions to keep Stephanie supplied with things to express her displeasure with. It looked like I would have to maintain those instructions for Iane.

"Leon has been working out for us?" I asked staring at the Brother that Leeann and Krista recruited during my visit to Stephanie's rapists.

"His Firsts said he was ready for a trip out of isolation," Jeremy told me.

I nodded studying the other Brothers.

"How did the asshole Iane is with ever get a black ring?" I asked.

Jeremy's smile dropped instantly. Doris Alex looked around Jeremy to see what I was talking about.

"He..." Doris Alex said, but could not complete the sentence.

"Politics, David," Jeremy answered finally.

"Does someone expect me to be gentle?" I asked.

"Accountability is your job, not mine," he told me. "Would you like me to introduce you?"

I nodded removing my shoes and stepping onto the mat. Their names blended together as they were meant to; this was the Foot and the individual pieces were interchangeable.

The asshole was the first to speak.

"Do you know which of us you would like to match up against?" he asked with measurable snide.

"I thought it best to allow volunteers," I told him.

"There's going to be no conversation," one of the two female Brothers asked.

I did not like her tone.

"You're hunting dogs," I told her. "There is no need to talk. I point, and you chase the sanction to me. I need to know you can take commands, and you need learn the consequences of choosing not to."

"In that case, I'm bitch number one," she said angrily stepping forward.

"I guess that makes me bitch number two," the other female said standing next to the first woman.

"Growl," the large black Brother said taking a step forward also.

"Uh... bowsie-wowsie," a lank Latin Brother said raising his hand.

Most of them laughed.

"Anyone else," I asked turning to look at the door I had walked in through.

Anna, Robert, Roderigo, and two other Brothers entered the school followed by Siblings. Each Sibling grabbed a chair for a Brother as Leonard placed Anna's wheelchair at the edge of the mat.

I turned back to the Foot, but no one else had stepped forward. Iane stared at the back of the asshole's head as if she was considering pushing him forward.

"Who's first?" I asked.

It did not go well.

The black Brother was selected as their first. He moved lightly relying on intimidation and size to back people up. His weight regimen must have been very good because he had a tremendous amount of applicable strength.

I gave him the wrestling lock he sought. He smiled widely and pressed me with strength that must never have failed him. His brow furrowed when he could not gain any advantage. I felt him set his feet and build towards a huge effort to topple me. He was taller, more massive, and had position advantage but could not make my body do what he wanted.

"That's not right," he said letting me go.

I shrugged.

He extended his hands towards me for the classic teenage boy test of strength. I gave him the grips, and we pressed against each other as he tried to force my wrists to bend backward.

"Are you done yet?" I asked two minutes later.

He released my hands and took a step back.

"I'm eight inches taller and outweigh you by eighty pounds," he told me.

"Closer to a hundred," I said looking him up and down.

"You're not even breathing hard!" he complained in a voice no one else could hear.

A fine sheen of sweat covered his face from the effort he had put into besting me strength for strength.

"Are you done?" I asked again with a shrug.

A nod was all the response he gave me before turning around and walking back to his Sibling. There was a loss of respect in a few of the eyes that followed him back to his position; the asshole smirked.

The Latin Brother took too much time setting me up so like his predecessor I gave him the position he wanted. We were on the ground with his legs around my arm as he attempted to lock the elbow out. It would not have worked anyway, but I was annoyed at the time it took him to exercise control.

I turned my hand in his grasp and grabbed his forearm. I squeezed and snapped my wrist up.

He grunted in pain when the bone broke. He released me to roll away cradling his arm. He turned over on his knees and bounced his forehead off the floor a couple of times to focus his pain reception away from the arm and let him adjust to it.

"It's broken," I told his Sibling. "He needs medical attention."

He rushed forward and helped the Brother stand up. The Brother turned and bowed to me before walking out the front door with his head high.

"I apologize," I said to the rest of the Foot. "He was being annoying."

"It's okay," the asshole answered. "That faggot annoys all of us."

I did not think a response was expected so I signaled the women forward.

They had promise; well balanced, worked together enough to come at me from different directions, and both were quick. The two bouts taught them enough respect that they took their time.

Like the black Brother with his strength, they relied on their speed too much. The women were fast, but Jason would have made it look like they were standing still.

Unlike the men, I tested their aggressiveness by refusing to allow contact. They exhibited patience in letting the right moment come.

Unfortunately, there was no recognition that I chose the moment.

Bitch #1 came high from my left, but Bitch #2 was a step out of position. Worse for them was the measurable hesitation in the decision to strike and the strike itself.

I stepped into the hesitation, clipping Bitch #1 perfectly on the jaw. She had not hit the ground before I sunk a chokehold deep on Bitch #2. Immediately recognizing the futility of a struggle, she tapped out.

The unconscious one's Sibling held a small tube under her nose causing her to jerk awake. The Sibling helped her up and back into position.

"Did anyone change their mind?" I asked.

"Practice knives?" one asked.

He looked as if someone defined average and created him from the template. Brown eyes, brown hair, a slight tan to his skin color; he could have faded in a crowd of two.

"You may," I said taking a couple of steps back and putting my hands behind my back.

"What about you?" he asked stepping onto the mat and pulling out a pair of plastic knives from his belt.

"Soon enough," I told him.

Average Brother did not appreciate being put down with what he brought to the match. Knives were Jason's preferred weapons; I had thought taking Jason with me one out of three times a lucky day when we practiced.

No one else stepped forward after that display. They looked questions at each other but no one volunteered to ask me.

"We're done then," I told them.

"What did you think?" Robert asked after I was done with the towel Doris Alex handed me.

I looked back at the assembled Foot Brothers; they were staring at us curiously.

"They are not killers," I said finally.

"The Hunt is not meant to be," a female Brother almost as old as Anna said smartly.

"The Hunt?" I asked.

"Each small branch has a different name for them," Robert explained.

I nodded and looked at the Foot Brothers again. Iane took a step towards me only to be stopped by the asshole grabbing her wrist. Iane spun around quickly and had some choice words with him. They got louder and louder until Iane got a grip on herself. She walked out the door followed by the Brother. She turned when they were far enough away that we could still see the action but not hear it. The argument resumed with a lot more arm waving and finger waggling. Asshole did not realize she was performing.

"Is it always that bad?" I asked Doris Alex.

"He is definitely different," Doris Alex said worriedly.

"Iane is Iane," Robert told us. "She bites, but her gift is worth all the trouble. If not for her gift, she would not have been allowed a white ring."