Chapter 812: City

Selene turned the three requests so he could see them.

"I need someone here who can speak to the local suppliers and claimants while I deal with reception. The officers can answer guard questions. The bank can decide what it is authorized to return. Neither has time to put these people together."

Beatrice’s shoulders tightened.

"I still have the shop."

"And your father," Alex said.

"Yes."

Selene drew up another chair instead of dismissing either concern.

"Then tell me how much time you can give."

Beatrice lowered herself carefully into the chair, easing the weight off her injured leg. Her shoulders relaxed once she was seated.

"Two hours after I see him in the morning. We can talk about an afternoon shift once I know what the shop needs. I need someone else here when I leave."

The bank clerk looked up.

"I can keep the requests together. People have been asking me where to find you since you brought the supplier letters." She glanced at Selene. "But I can’t settle military requisitions."

"You won’t," Selene said. "Send those to me."

"And if the soldiers ignore us?" Beatrice asked.

"Give me the name of the person who refused."

She studied Selene for a moment, then looked at Alex.

"Am I allowed to say your people made a mistake?"

"If they did, I’d prefer hearing before you throw something at them."

"I was thinking of sending the bill."

"That works too."

The brief smile faded when Beatrice looked at the blue case beneath her chair.

"People came here because their papers finally meant something. If I help with the supplies, their claims still need to be heard."

"The bank manager stays on those," Selene said. "You can bring him papers. You don’t decide claims, including your father’s."

The clerk pulled a second chair to the desk. A local attendant who had been carrying the unanswered messages asked to learn the contacts while Beatrice made the next round of calls.

Beatrice agreed to the two-hour shift. Alex authorized its pay and gave the guards the same instruction Selene had: answer the person at this desk instead of sending every request to him.

"Even when I’m standing here," he added as the nearest guard turned toward him again.

The man faced Beatrice and asked where the bedding should go.

The first objection came before Alex could leave.

An older vampire who had supplied fighters for Dorian stood in the doorway with a bundle of cloth over one shoulder.

"Our people are still sleeping beside humans who fear them," he said to Selene. "Now a human decides what they receive?"

Beatrice stopped sorting the requests.

Selene held out her hand for the bundle.

"Where did that come from?"

"One of our stores."

"Did you bring it for the wounded?"

"For ours."

"Then label it for them. Don’t stand in the doorway holding it while they go cold."

Selene pointed to the chair beside Beatrice. "Put it there. We keep your group’s gifts separate from the shared stores."

The old man did not hand it over.

"And when she decides we have enough?"

Beatrice looked at him directly.

"I ask the attendants what is missing. If you think they are wrong, come here and tell us which room. I won’t guess because you look strong enough to carry that."

His gaze dropped to her bandaged leg.

"You were at the eastern crossing."

"Yes."

"One of your men refused to leave a bed. He kept blocking our way."

"My father was on one of those beds."

The vampire looked toward Selene. She did not rescue him from the answer.

He lowered the bundle onto the nearest chair.

"Keep this for the old survivors. They came out with nothing."

"I’ll tell the attendants," Beatrice said.

The man still looked unhappy, but he asked which building held the survivors and left to check on them himself. Beatrice returned to the requests.

***

Alex found Mingyue beside the garden pool when he returned to Edonia.

Luna had arranged several smooth stones along the edge. One lay apart from the rest, and she was explaining something about it with great seriousness.

Mingyue looked up.

"The city collapsed again?"

"Several people wanted me to settle an argument about a cart."

"Did the cart survive?"

"It has a paying job now."

Luna turned toward him.

"Can it buy things?"

"The woman who owns it can."

"Then she should buy it something."

"New wheels might make it happy."

Mingyue gave him a look, but Luna was already considering whether a cart would prefer two new wheels or all of them.

Alex sat beside her and asked about the stone lying on its own. She moved it closer before explaining. When he reached toward it, she caught his hand and showed him where it belonged. He left it there and listened.

Alex stretched his left arm along the back of the seat. His shoulder had healed; for once, he was not using it to carry something or brace another formation.

Mingyue rested her hand briefly on his wrist.

"The far room has bedding now," she said.

He looked toward the path.

"I’m telling you it’s done."

"I wasn’t going to check."

"Good."

She returned to Luna’s explanation. Alex left his arm where it was.

Vesa contacted him after they had been sitting together long enough for the stones to change places twice.

Alex’s first thought was that the quartermaster had found a new reason to complain.

"The service-yard watch has changed," Vesa said. "The containment is stable."

The green smoke still had to be dealt with. He acknowledged the report and told Vesa to keep the yard closed.

"There is something else," Vesa said.

Mingyue looked toward him.

"The surviving civic station has received an Imperial transmission. It names both of you as the people required to answer."

Alex straightened.

"From the emergency commander?"

"No. A different command authorization. The station staff checked it against their Imperial records."

Luna watched their expressions change. Alex put a hand beside the stones before standing.

"I need to hear a message," he told her. "Your mother is staying here."

"Will you come back?"

"Yes. I’ll tell you if it takes longer than we expect."

Mingyue nodded to him. She could hear the message through their connection without moving Luna into a room full of frightened adults.

Alex reached the receiving office as Vesa opened the transmitted image.

An Imperial emblem filled the display. Beneath it stood a uniformed envoy with a sealed order beside his hand.

"This communication concerns the armed vampire authority established within Imperial territory," the man said. "You will acknowledge receipt before the terms are read."

The staff fell silent around Alex as the envoy waited for his answer.

He stepped into view.

"I’m listening."