King of Blades (Blades #2)

Chapter 11

Wildas sent out an official royal summons to all the guild leaders the day he learned of Caolan's proclamation, and the meeting took place three days later. Servants had arranged a large table in the center of the Great Hall, with chairs enough for each leader and Wildas. He waited in a hidden doorway with Coulta and Shelton as each guild leader was escorted into the room with their advisers.

The Artisans' Guild arrived first and seemed surprised to not find enough chairs for all of them. The leader had brought a dozen members of the Guild, all dressed differently from each other. From across the Hall Wildas couldn't tell which smaller guild each member represented, or who the leader was. He only knew it was the Artisans' Guild because it was the largest.

The Pleasure Guild arrived next. There were three women dressed in red gowns and two men in red robes. There was no way to tell which member represented which preference from so far away, either.

"Ah, I wondered when this day would come," one of the red-dressed women declared, leaning a hip against the table as she ran an assessing eye over the other guild's members. "A meeting of the guilds in preparation for war."

"You're not a guild," a male voice from the Artisans' Guild growled.

The woman didn't even stop leaning against the table as she spread her arms. "Yet here we are, just like you."

"Get your pox-ridden corpses away from people who do honest work!" ordered another voice from the Artisans' Guild.

All but the leader of the Pleasure Guild stiffened at that, and Wildas almost expected someone to leap across the table, but they restrained themselves.

"What are they arguing about?" Coulta asked softly beside him.

"The Artisans don't consider the Pleasure Guild to be a true guild," Wildas explained. "Or a respectable profession."

"Courtesans are always the most hated yet the most sought after members of society," Shelton commented.

One of the red-robed men took a step forward. "I have to say I recognize a few faces among your members here. I do hope they've been to a healer recently."

That caused even more of a stir among the Artisans' Guild. They responded angrily and two members had to be physically restrained from attacking the Pleasure Guild.

"Now what happened?" Coulta asked, looking a little concerned.

When Wildas repeated the exchange, both Shelton and Coulta chuckled. Wildas had to smile at the sound of Coulta's amusement. Whenever he caught Coulta smiling or laughing, it reminded him just how much he loved his soul-partner.

The confrontation in the Hall ended with the arrival of what could only be the Merchants' Guild. Several well-dressed men and women entered the Hall, escorted by their own guards, which had the Guardsmen in the Hall on obvious alert. They were followed by another, slightly smaller group that was less well-dressed and could only be the Farmers' Guild.

"Should I be concerned for my safety and that of my guild?" the Merchant Guild leader demanded.

That somehow stopped the argument for the moment. Clearly the guild with the most money was the guild with the most power.

Shelton turned to Wildas. "You both wait until I announce you. I'll make sure they all respect each other and that everyone is here." He stepped out into the Hall and raised his voice to carry to their guests. "I certainly hope that no one is planning to do violence in the Great Hall. That would be most unwise."

The Hall went silent and everyone bowed to Shelton.

"Of course not, My Lord," the Artisans' Guild leader quickly replied.