Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 128061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
“Elaborate on them not wanting to be led by her,” Austin said.
“Well, to put it simply, she’ll need to prove herself. They’ll want to know she can lead, and that she can protect both her people and theirs.”
“Even if she proves herself,” Nathanial said, “large cairn leaders are used to giving orders, not taking them. It will take a lot for that to change. I think for now we want to make a good impression, prove our territory is more than capable, and try to attract a host of guardians. That’ll help us with the battle in Kingsley’s territory, and we can work on our overall status in due time.”
“Yes, fantastic point, Nathanial.” Patty beamed. “But let’s keep our status in mind, yes? We want to show well so that our status rises in the gargoyle community. The large cairn leaders will help with that. A lot to think about. Baby steps. Step one…here, Jessie, open the first gift.”
TWO
Jessie
“Oh, wait.” Patty held up a hand, stopping Jasper from picking up the package she’d indicated. “Let me just quickly go over how everything is organized.”
“She did it again!” Nessa slapped her thighs, laughing. “Are we ever going to be able to open anything?”
Patty laughed also, clearly enjoying Nessa’s lightheartedness. “We can open while I explain,” she relented, motioning to Jasper and Nathanial. “Grab a few boxes from just over here, boys.”
“Finally,” Nessa said, her eyes hungry.
“This is the collection of gifts from some lower-status and rather poor cairns,” Patty said, watching Jasper lift a medium-sized, pale pink box.
“Is there space on that spreadsheet that lists cairn size?” Austin asked. “Battle power, strongest members, things like that? We’ll need location, as well. They might not get invited for a visit, but if we are traveling for other reasons, we can always stop in to meet them.”
“I have a very rough estimate,” Patty responded, “but unfortunately, a lot of that information is kept private. Cairns tend to keep their poker hands close to the chest, as it were.”
“They must keep that information somewhere, though, right?” Nessa asked. “Surely large cairns keep records of their people. Even just payroll.”
“Well, I know ours has a very robust network, yes,” Patty said slowly. “But it has a lot of cybersecurity, and none of those in the know are at all prone to gossip. I have tried until I’m blue in the face. But I do have a lot of anecdotal information—”
“Nessa, here…grab…” Sebastian held his hand out toward Ulric and opened and closed his fingers.
“Words, Sebastian,” I said. “Use your words.”
Nathanial knelt beside me with a smallish white box wrapped in a pink bow, leaving Jasper to wait for a moment.
“Miss,” he said softly, a smile lightly curling his lips. “This is just the beginning. I can’t wait to witness your continued climb to greatness.”
“That’s a little much,” I murmured, but couldn’t help my grin as I took the box. I felt like royalty.
“I got it.” Nessa hopped up, grabbing the laptop out of Ulric’s lap. “I’ll just take over here, if you don’t mind.”
She bounded back to Sebastian, sitting and holding the computer out a little so they could both see.
“Here, Ulric,” Niamh called. “Go get me Mr. Tom’s laptop, would ya? It’s the cleanest in the house. He doesn’t seem to know porn exists. Nessa, slap that spreadsheet onto Google Drive so we can all access it.”
“Uh…yup, okay.” Ulric bounced up and jogged from the room.
Patty looked around at everyone with raised eyebrows.
“She already knows what we’re thinking, Sabby,” Nessa murmured, pointing at something on the screen. “Very clever, our Irishwoman.”
“Well, it’s no great mystery,” Niamh replied. “Any great fool knows that network security is only as good as the people who set it up. A few taps, and we’ll have all the information we please. Jasper, text that scruffy lad in town with the spiky hair and missing pinky. The ferret. I don’t think there is a system he can’t hack into. We’ll lift up these cairns’ kilts and give their balls a wee tickle.”
“Pay?” Jasper asked, looking down at his phone.
“Ye really ought to recruit that gobshite into yer pack, Austin Steele,” Niamh grumbled. “Then I wouldn’t have to haggle with the bollocks. Tell him I’ll sort him out, Jasper. We might as well set up a fortified network here while we have him, I suppose. We don’t want those cairns to return the favor and pull down our knickers.”
“Lots of metaphors involving private parts in cybersecurity, it seems,” Nessa murmured.
Patty nodded. “Yes, that sounds great. Let’s give our team a round of applause.” Everyone looked around in confusion this time. “Now, Jessie, each cairn name is written on the bottom of the box or package. Go ahead and open it, have a genuine reaction, and then we can check out the name of the cairn.”