King's Throne(72)

Mitch outlined some of his ideas for reestablishing the Clan’s business interests, much to the surprise of many of those gathered in the small audience chamber. He could see that the Guards hadn’t had a clue about his business background, but they seemed to approve of his forward-thinking plans. The support staff was beaming. They’d been more involved in the day-to-day running of the Clan and they were in a better position to understand what Mitch had in mind.
He invited comments and suggestions and with Frederick, Candis and Gina’s help—along with those support staff most impacted—they ironed out a preliminary plan to get the expenses under control. That was the first step. Gisli had spent the Clan into near bankruptcy with his extravagant and foolish ways. Mitch would put a stop to that right away and then begin a regimen that would hopefully bring the finances back into the black over time.
He left the specifics of that part of the plan for later. This meeting was all about putting people to work right away to stop the bleeding Gisli had caused. After they got through with the business side of things, Mitch invited Harold and Helga to outline their plans for the Royal Guard. They’d spent time coming up with a well-thought-out plan that Mitch approved of whole-heartedly. The Old Guard was going to start training those that had been in residence at the stronghold. Any of those who wanted to retire to village life would be allowed to do so and the interested youngsters who had Guard tendencies would be put into a more rigorous training regimen.#p#分页标题#e#
Harold was proving his worth and Mitch thought in time he’d be an excellent choice for Captain of the Guard. The Captain oversaw all the Guards of the Clan—a position of great power and authority. Helga, on the other hand, showed herself to be thoughtful and fully capable of taking charge of any given situation. Mitch could use someone like her—if she continued to prove her loyalty—to oversee Gina’s safety when Mitch couldn’t be by her side.
Gina needed her own contingent of Guards dedicated to her alone. Most of them would be female, naturally, so they could easily go everywhere Gina might go. Mitch would probably have to have his own group too, but he saw them as more of a formality. He didn’t necessarily want a group of guys following him around wherever he went, but he understood the necessity. He’d go along with it, if only to make sure Gina did the same. Mitch thought Paul Miller would be a good choice to lead his own personal Guard, if he was agreeable, but he’d take that up with Paul in private.
The meeting lasted more than two hours. At that point, Mitch broke it up with a promise to meet again the next day. He took a much smaller group that included Gina and her parents as well as a few of their friends from America to another chamber where snacks had been set up for them. Paul checked over all the food without even being asked, already falling into the role of Royal Guard without being formally appointed. Mitch silently approved.
Everyone seemed happy with the change in leadership, but Mitch knew they couldn’t be too careful. He’d already been poisoned once. He didn’t want to repeat the experience.
They shared a more relaxed atmosphere, talking about the events of the past week. Mitch felt more at ease with this group of friends and was almost able to forget all the crazy shit that had happened to him in the past day or two.
“I still don’t understand why or how Gisli turned golden during the battle,” Paul said as he reached for another serving of mutton stew.
“I think I have an answer for that one,” Harry said from the other end of the table. “I was talking to Amma Hilda—your great-grandmother, they said—” Harry nodded toward Mitch. “She told us she’d had her suspicions about Gisli’s color for a long time. She thinks his pet mage was keeping him white magically and that’s why the color was kind of sickly. When the mage disappeared, the color went with him.” Harry bit into a drumstick as if he hadn’t just dropped a bombshell into the conversation.
“Well, that would explain a lot,” Frederick said finally after a moment of silence in which everyone seemed to think about the old woman’s theory. “I could never figure why he remained blanche when it was so clear he’d strayed well off the path of the Lady. Being blanche isn’t just an hereditary thing. It’s a magical, sacred thing—as you well know, Mitch.” Frederick nodded toward him and then returned his attention to his glass. “I mourned Gisli’s loss back when he turned from the path of Light. I am sad at his death, but I know it was the only way to save our people—to save our Clan. I’m only sorry he didn’t redeem himself in some way before the end.”