Undorn: The Beginning

Part Two

Orgon Aldrich, The Fort

"And the artillery? The recruits? The men stationed in Moore?"

The Warden certainly had an agenda today, Orgon thought. He usually gave his sons at least a minute to sit down before he was bombarding them with questions and begging for updates about their assigned posts. Usually, and today was no different, Orgon's brother Kurtz was the first person subject to their father's daily attack. Kurtz was the Patriarch's Officer of Defense. He controlled Undorn's military unit, The Enforcers, and the nation's artillery.

Kurtz smoothed down the tail of his jacket as he sat at his designated seat in the Warden's Office. All of the Aldrich brothers had a seat at the impressively large round table. Well, almost all of them.

"Everything is in order, Warden. The men arrived in Moore last night and have successfully delayed any inklings of rebellion. Each commanding officer of each recruit unit has reported to me. We are all set on my front."

The Warden nodded at him appreciatively. Orgon didn't miss the sick, twisted, fraction of a smirk Kurtz flashed as he spoke about the killings in Moore last night. Kurtz had always been disgustingly cruel, and his hollowed out cheekbones and mop of black untidy hair only added to his menacing aura.

"And Dorian," his father looked at his eldest brother next. "I trust you handled matters with Belarus accordingly?"

Dorian, the only one of his brothers that Orgon could actually stand to look at, beamed over at his father. "Of course. I spoke to Klaus last night. The misunderstanding was solved. Jakob is being sent back to us at first light tomorrow."

Orgon's father shook his head with a smile. "Perfect." Dorian bit his lip to keep from smiling. In addition to being the Officer of Foreign Affairs, Dorian was next in line as Warden, and being in his father's good graces was number one on his priority list.

The Warden's smile transformed into an indifferent line of chapped lips. "And the treasury?"

Orgon fought the urge to roll his eyes. "Everything is fine." Orgon knew his father didn't care to hear much more than that. Budgets, taxes, and business bored his father. However, the treasury was the only reason Orgon hadn't jumped off the side of the Fort by now. He loved working with numbers and currency and trying to better his nation on the global front economically. Even if the Patriarch, in Orgon's opinion, was the complete wrong system of government, Undorn was at the top of the list of prospering global markets all because of him.

"Excellent," his father said, clapping his hands in front of him. The three of his four sons stood instantly, waiting for their father to excuse them.

Orgon's eyes shifted as his father took his time announcing their dismissal. Both of his brothers hand their hands clasped in front of them, as did Orgon himself. The Warden was a stickler for order and uniformity, which is why the entire room they stood in was black. It was a uniform black marble from the floor to a seamless transition to the ceiling. Even the gigantic table they sat at was black marble. The only thing that stood out from the marble was the low hanging wrought-iron chandelier that held 105 large, bright, illuminating candles. Orgon had counted those candles what felt like thousands of times during business meetings and officer reports.

"I'll see you all at five, then."

All three of them nodded, saluted their father, then headed for the door. Once it was closed, Orgon sighed. In fact, all three of them did. Kurtz loosened his tie, cracking his neck. Orgon even saw Dorian's tight shoulders relax, and that rarely happened. The three of them walked in simultaneous strides down the hallway that led away from the Warden's Office. Not even Kurtz had begun to brag about his latest repulsive victory in Moore, a city in Eastern Lufe that had been recently put under rebellion watch, where his men slaughtered every citizen who dared to go within a meter of an Enforcer.