As quick as the resolution to the captured lilith crisis was, it wasn't mirrored by the events that followed. Anxious to be about the hunt for Anna van Tallert and the traitor on the Council of the Night, Lash immediately prepared the Nighthawks to carry the twenty two liliths that wanted to leave Hunters' Fjord and travel to the various Conclaves to await their m'tada protection to gather before trying to retake their holdings. Or take shelter at those selfsame Conclaves until the situation with the slavers could be resolved.
At the same time, he continued to restrict himself to the base core, which was equipped with a small, dedicated infirmary, galley, and quarters close to the command center so he wasn't uncomfortable. He did so to ensure his presence wouldn't be any sort of a distraction to the anxious liliths. Which, of course, only made it more of a challenge for the liliths that knew he was there, to interact with him.
Prepared within the hour following Jeriko's return to Mordecai's base, Lash took a position close to the war table in the command center, waiting for Atrix to say the transports were rolling. And he waited. And waited.
Until a week had gone by with no word of the other Conclaves preparing to accept the liliths on an interim basis for their own protection. Instead of letting it be time wasted, however, he made sure to use every minute of every day to make sure his borrowed legionnaires and the Ventru operators got in as much Qos Viran training and conditioning they could fit into a single day.
Drills were non-stop, education sessions continuous, and weapons and tactics familiarity opportunities were round the clock. And he found himself satisfied as the legionnaires and the operators threw themselves into their training with determination and resolve.
Which gave him a little time to take care of the adjunct business he had with the five liliths that requested it instead of choosing to attempt a return to their home Conclaves.
"It was a bold move, Isla, to request adjunct status," he said, offering the chair in front of his desk for her to sit while he himself perched on the desk's front edge. "What did you hope to gain from it, if you don't mind me asking."
Looking far more composed than she was a day ago, Isla nodded as she sat.
"I don't mind at all," she said, looking up at him, her gaze steady and resolved. "Some of my sisters put value into gathering resources, others: possessions. Some even like to work on increasing their holdings. These things are easy to do when resources are plentiful. But you can ask any lilith, myself included, what we value most."
Lash smiled.
"Stability," he supplied and she nodded again.
"Right. Stability. With my House destroyed, and Temeura too weak to properly protect my sisters in the South Pacific, there's no stability left for the Conclave in Sydney to provide."
Isla looked down for a moment, her expression moving from resolved to sad and frustrated before becoming resigned and resolved once more.
"If I could." She looked up at him. "I would join Amylia, sorry, Mara as a lilith of Clan Ventru."
"You want stability, Isla, yet wish to join Ventru?" Lash frowned despite himself. "We're in the midst of a pogrom, mistress, if you hadn't noticed."
"And yet you remain unbowed," she quickly retorted, reaching out to put a hand on his knee. "Your resolve is unwavering, Lash, your strength unquestionable. That is the kind of stability I want. With Temuera, I have none of that. Ash me, they haven't even tried to bring me to Sydney for protection! Cassie, too. We've been left in Europe to make our own way!"
Lash glanced down at the hand she kept on his knee, before looking back at her.
"While I am Ventru, I am not Ventru, Isla," he pointed out. "I am House Lash."
"The most powerful House in your Clan!" she deftly noted, letting her hand slide under his knee and onto his upper calf. Thankfully she was only using physical contact to help her make her case, instead of breaking out the pheromones.
"As you turn, so will they. House Martin is no more. Claim me and every fiber of my being will be dedicated to keeping your House strong and capable!"
Lash returned her determined gaze with a thoughtful one of his own. He couldn't deny bringing a lilith into his House would have some very obvious benefits. And with her House gone, the laws that bound her to her Clan were weakened considerably. But was it enough to contravene the laws forbidding liliths from leaving their Clans of birth to join another? And what if their birth clan didn't want them to leave?
Perhaps it was time to actually talk to someone in Clan Temuera to find out how they felt about what was happening here.
"Hunter, open a direct comms channel to the premier House in Clan Temuera," he directed.
"Acknowledged, Lord Commander. I have opened a channel to House Robertson." The AI paused before: "You are online with High Lord Sam Robertson."
"Sam, Ingamon Lash here," he said.
"Ah, the Wolf of Frankfurt!" a strong male voice replied with a distinctive Australian accent despite speaking in vampiric. "Pleasure, mate. Heard a lot about you. What can I do for you, Wolf?"
"Your clan was recently attacked, Sam, and you lost two of your liliths. Right?"
"Straight to the point. I like that. Too right, Wolf. We lost Isla Martin and Cassie Botha. A shame, really. Clean bloodlines and good lineage. The South Pacific Queens' Conclave just contacted us about them. Said something about slavers taking them and the Qos Viran freeing them from a black market in Denmark. What about them?"
"Did your Conclave say anything about making arrangements to have them returned to you?"
"They did, mate. They wanted us to do it. But both House Martin and House Botha were completely destroyed in the attacks. To the man, Wolf. Temuera isn't one of your European or South American Clans. We just don't have the resources to keep our girls safe against the kind of violence that destroyed Martin and Botha. I reckon they're better off staying in Fortress Europe where you folks can keep 'em in one piece!"
Lash looked over at Isla, who immediately nodded in agreement.
"I think you won't find them disagreeing with you, Sam. Of course their clan affiliation makes it difficult for them to have full access to local resources to garner that protection."
"Ah, too right. I almost forgot about those damn Conclave rules. Hold up, mate. Let me look at something real quick! Be right back."
Lash fought to keep a frown off his face when Isla didn't pull her hand back while they waited for Sam to return. Instead she lightly caressed his calf even while she clearly was thinking about something else. Such absent minded physical contact spoke to a need acting below the surface. If he were a betting vampire, he'd wager there was a seasonal at play here.
Then Sam coming back online drew him out of his thoughts.
"Sorry for the wait there, Ingamon," the Temuera High Lord said. "I just remembered while you were talking there, about shearing."
"Like removing the wool from a sheep?"
"Or a vampire from their clan attachments," Sam said. "It's old, at least a couple thousand years back when clans were much more fluid in structure. But it was never struck down so, technically, it's still valid. And that law states any vampire at their request can be 'shorn' of their clan affiliation, freeing them to join a clan of their choosing. Of course there's a bunch of hoops to jump through, including the dissolution of the vampire's House, but that part has already been taken care of. As long as I do the shearing as the High Lord of Clan Temuera's premier House, we also take care of all the other protocols attached to the thankfully-short ritual."
Lash looked at Isla and before he could ask, she was nodding.
"I wish to be shorn from Clan Temuera," she said in a formal tone.
"Sanguis de sanguine," Sam immediately said in Latin, his tone also formal having obviously heard Isla speak. Speaking so quickly and without hesitation made Lash wonder if the vampire had already been prepared to go through the ritual at the first opportunity that he had.
"You are shorn from Temuera, Isla Martin. Sanguis de sanguine, Cassie Botha is shorn from Temuera. Fac viam tuam. Now you must make your own way."
Without hesitation, Isla answered.
"Inveniam viam aut faciam," she said, showing some familiarity with the ritual as well. "I will find a way, or make one!"
"Goodbye, Isla, and good luck," Sam then said, the ritual apparently over. Lash couldn't help but also notice how oddly relieved the Robertson High Lord sounded that the two Australian liliths were no longer his responsibility. "I will advise the South Pacific Conclave you have gone your own way from Temuera via the shearing ritual. If there's anything else, Ingamon, don't hesitate to ask. And with that, cheers." And the connection went dead.
Lash barely had time to absorb that they had somehow circumvented a law he thought immutable thanks to a Temuera High Lord who had obviously been searching for a way to do just that, when Isla carefully knelt in front of him. She instantly raised her hands in supplication.
"I beg you, High Lord Ingamon Lash of House Lash, foremost House of Clan Ventru. Take me into your household and clan and grant me the protection of your might and power!"
Of course he couldn't say no. How could he go against his House's long standing practice of supporting the liliths that commanded the future of their people? Yet, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was somehow being manipulated. Robertson had reacted perfectly to make the shearing ritual happen. And Isla just happened to know the correct response. Was it all planned ahead of this encounter?
Then he used force of will to push his misgivings aside to focus on the ritual that brought an unaffiliated vampire into House and Clan. A ritual known as 'The Embrace'.
"Isla Martin." He smoothly drew the combat knife he had sheathed on his waist. "As High Lord of House Lash, I embrace you, and take you into my household, granting you status as a full member of that household, able to draw completely on House Lash's resources, power, and might. Sanguis tuus in sanguine meo. Your blood to my blood. Sanguis meo in sanguine tuo. My blood to your blood."
Reaching out with his blade, he made a small cut on Isla's left hand. As blood quickly appeared, he leaned down to kiss the cut, putting her blood on his lips. As she nodded in satisfaction, her eyes wide as they drank him in, he put a small cut on his hand before extending it to her. Without hesitation Isla kissed the small wound and put his blood on her lips, which she quickly licked off. Then she was repeating Lash's words along with him as he spoke:
"Sanguis noster pro Domus Lash! Our blood for House Lash!"
As Isla smiled, her eyes bright, Lash nodded.
"It is done." He smiled as well. "Welcome to House Lash, and Clan Ventru, Isla." He looked up at the ceiling. "Hunter, make an official notification of the addition to my House and pass it to the European Queens' Conclave."
"Notation made and communication sent to update the Queens' Conclave's database," the base's AI reported as the Australian lilith quickly stood before stepping forward and throwing her arms around his neck to hug him.
"Thank you, Lash!" she whispered. Lash nodded and, sitting once more on the edge of the desk, put his hands on her hips.
"You're welcome, Isla." His smile evaporated. "I find myself hoping that I wasn't just manipulated into bringing you into my House by you and Sam Robertson."