Chapter 98: Before the Interim council.
Sienna reached out and ruffled her daughter’s hair. "I have learned. Thank you so much for your teaching, teacher Ali. I cannot believe that you have learned this already. I am impressed."
Ali grinned. She thumped her chest proudly, "I am your best baby, mama. I know everything. I will teach you everything slowly."
Sienna’s hear swelled with pride. "Then I will rely on you not to make a fool of myself when I meet the priest someday. You will have to whisper proper greetings in my ear and help me choose a gift."
Ali giggled. "Did you hear papa? I am mama’s teacher and assistant. I am Uncle Timothy."
Elias smiled. "Good for you. You better ask for a salary like the one uncle Timothy earns."
Ali gasped and turned her eyes to Sienna, wide and expectant. Meanwhile, Sienna turned her eyes to Elias, glaring at him. Would it have killed him not to say anything? "Thanks for the suggestion." she said sarcastically.
"You are welcome." Her responded, with an amused smile.
***
The next morning, Sienna met with the Interim council of Ladies from the fox tribe. She didn’t make the journey on a ship, but on the back of her bee. When it landed in front of the grand business building where fox beast men handled business, it attracted a lot of attention.
Sienna met the Ladies in the grand hall. Twenty middle aged and elderly women who had made some complaints about her.
The leader of the council, Madam Benita, was a four tailed black fox with silver-streaked hair and eyes sharp enough to burn. Rumor had it that she had once been considered for the position of priestess but lost to the current priest, leaving her bitter and ambitious.
Sienna entered the hall with her usual swagger, frying pan tucked in her bag safely. The fox beast women whispered, ears twitching and tails flicking with disdain.
"I have never met her before, but she is really human."
"She seems to be smaller than they make her appear in the movies."
"She looks so weak."
"She may not be a fox but she sure looks like one. How else could she have schemed her way into the Lord fox’s bed?"
"I just know she has that pan somewhere on her."
"What did Elias ever see in her?"
"She is so disgusting, how much does she weigh?"
"Our fox tribe needs a better matriarch. We should teach her a lesson today."
As she took her seat, at the very front, across Madam Benita, Sienna heard their whispers, noticed their disdain.
Sienna smirked. "I have very good hearing and here is my response. Too bad for you, I am Lady Veythar. I may not be perfect but at least I didn’t spend my years hoping the fox lord would marry one of my daughters. Old women, don’t think of bullying me just because I am human and younger. Show some respect for me, if not for anything--for the position I hold. Don’t be pathetic and sour."
Gasps filled the hall. Madam Benita’s lips curled. "You dare speak brazenly before this council?"
Sienna leaned forward, her voice cold. "Last I checked, I am supposed to be the leader of this council. The position was only given to another because I have no fox beast gene. I don’t bow to mobs, so none of you should dream on ganging up on me. You want to test me? Fine. But I won’t play by your ethics. I’ll play by mine."
The council members bristled. Some were notable: Lady Saren, thin and jeweled, who had schemed for her daughter to become Elias’s bride by pushing her into Elias’s bed at a the birth rite of Ali and Eli. She had failed and her husband lost his position on the council of elders. For this, she blamed Sienna and resented her.
Mistress Koka, tall as a pine tree, famous for her height, sharp tongue and sharper claws. She wanted to battle Sienna verbally and force her into obedience.
Elder Madrine, stooped but cunning, who whispered poison into ears at every opportunity. One of her favorite things to do was spoil Sienna’s name. A thing that had not needed much effort in the past.
Lady Cadelaria sat among the ladies of the council. To everyone’s shock, she rose. "Enough. Sienna may be human, but she is my daughter-in-law. Whispering about her is not very lady like. If you wish to sneer and poke at her appearance or things like that, do so in the privacy of your own homes. As my son explained, she did not scheme against him. Their relationship was formed naturally. If you insult her, you insult me."
The hall fell silent. Sienna’s eyes narrowed, but she gave a nod of respect. "Thank you, Mother." She understood the etiquette needed in public. Despite their dislike for each other, when in public, their family came first. At all times, they had to be united.
Elder Madrine slammed her staff against the floor. "With all due respect Lady Cadelaria, this council will not be swayed by sentiment. Lady Sienna must prove herself and explain her inappropriate actions. Otherwise, we will never accept her."
Sienna’s grin was feral. "Prove myself? I already have. I have survived your fox lord’s temper, your tribal politics, solved some of your economic problems and suffered your endless gossip. Your council cannot make any demands of me. I don’t fear you. I will handle you the way I handle anyone that tries to corner me--like a mobster. No mercy."
The fox ladies recoiled. Sienna’s aura was sharp, dangerous, unyielding. She moved from her seat and walked slowly behind the women, following the circular formation of their positioning. She met each gaze without flinching. "You think I am weak because I am human? You think I am embarrassing because I fight with a pan? That pan broke the skull of a beast woman twice stronger than me. If you want to challenge my strength or that of the pan, step forward. Otherwise, shut up, get to the point and stop wasting my time."
Didn’t they want to teach her a lesson? Well--she would show them never to underestimate her. Today, she was the teacher and her lessons would be remembered.