Kate Daniels 05.5 - Magic Gifts

would have to equitable and mutually beneficial."
    And he did. I sighed. "Mark, the problem isn't that you can't run the Guild. The problem is that you think 'white collar' is a noble title."
    He blinked, obviously taken aback.
    "In your world, everyone has a price," I said. "You don't know what mine is, but you think you can afford it. It doesn't work like that. You could've gone many ways with this. You could've argued that with the Guild being in limbo, nobody is getting paid. You could've pointed out that the longer this goes on, the more talent Guild will lose, as experienced mercs move onto new jobs to feed their families. Offering to bribe me was the worst argument you could've made. My opinion isn't for sale."
    "I meant n offense," he said.
    "But you did offend and you've demonstrated that you have no idea how to relate to me. A lot of guys are like me, Mark. Yes, you make the Guild run, but you lack the elemental understanding of what makes mercs tick, probably because you never were one. If I wanted to endorse you, which I don't, I'd have to defend my position before the Guild, which I find difficult under the circumstances."
    He chewed on that for a long minute. "Fair enough. So you'll vote for the Horsemen then?"
    "I don't know yet."
    "Thank you for seeing me." Mark got up and left.
    The door barely had a chance to swing open when Bob shouldered his way in and dropped into one of my client chairs. Ivera followed, uneasy, watching me.
    Bob was the leader of the Horsemen. If our world had spawned any veteran gladiators, he would be it. He was on the other side of forty and built with that mature strength and endurance that would make him a tough opponent even for people half his age. He might not be as fast as he used to be, but he had plenty of experience and he used it. Ivera was a tall, large Hispanic woman. She was nasty in a fight and a firebug - fire mage - on top of it.
    The other two members of the Horsemen remained outside. Ken, a Hungarian mage, measured out words like they were gold and Juke, well, Juke was barely twenty and made up for the lack of experience in natural viciousness and hot temper. She was fast and she liked to talk trash. I understood the urge. I liked to talk trash too, but twenty year old me would've chewed Juke up and spat her out.
    I looked at the two veterans. "What can I do for you?"
    Bob leaned forward. The chair creaked and I almost winced. He was a big guy and the chair was none too sturdy.
    "I'll come right to the point," he said. "Solomon was one of us. A merc. A working stiff."
    "Actually Solomon only worked as a merc for the first three years of forming the Guild, and given that he's been underground for a few months, we can drop working from his description."
    Bob plowed on ahead. "All the same, he knew what it's like to be out in the field. He knew how to take care of the guys. The man had a heart, unlike that prick. He'll bleed us dry if we let him."
    "By that prick you mean Mark?"
    "Who else?"
    I nodded. "Just checking."
    Bob knocked on my desk with his scarred knuckles, making a point. "That pencil neck wants to run the Guild. Between the four of us, we'll do better. Someone's got to look out for the guys."
    I spread my arms. "Full power to you. What do you want from me?"
    Bob scooted forward. The chair groaned. "For a while Solomon, you, and Mark are the only people with any sort of official designation other than Guild member, except for the clerk and the payroll ladies. You were the first of us to make it into the Order and you did good work as a liaison. People remember that. And now you're Beast Lord's..." He groped for a word.
    "Mate," Ivera told him.
    "Yes, that. You have street cred. The mercs will never follow Mark. You know it, I know it, Ivera knows it."
    I glanced at Ivera. "What do you think?"
    "What he said," she said grimly.
    I leaned back. They wouldn't like it, but it had to be said. "Three mercs go on a gig. One bails midway through the fight, the second dies, the third loses a hand. Are they eligible for the Guild disability pay?"
    Bob thought about it. "The guy that ran off gets nothing, that's abandonment in progress. The dead guy's next of kin gets thirty percent. The guy without a hand gets disability."
    I sighed. "The first question to ask is how long any of them have been in the Guild. You have to hit the five year mark to qualify for disability and seven year to qualify for the death benefit. Until then, you die, your family gets a flat