"With the sheer number of lycans I represent, I can almost guarantee there will be resistance." Meesei answered honestly. "There is simply no way to please everyone, as anyone who works in leadership knows. There will be those who will not accept anything other than complete independence, and unlike the Empire or Dominion, I cannot require them to remain under my command. As with anyone else, they can simply leave their clans. However, I do not expect any large scale resistance. If I survive this war, and we emerge victorious, then there will be no question of my right to rule. Some clan leaders may want to challenge me regardless, but fortunately for you, we have traditions regarding such disputes. If they wish to challenge my decisions, then they must challenge me: a trial by combat to determine who truly has the right to lead. It may sound far from humble, but I do not know of any clan alphas who would be capable of besting me. I am the Champion for a reason." 

Meesei had more to say to Marod and Lunise, though she was mentally debating on how to go about it. There was a particular question she wanted to ask Marod privately, without drawing attention to it. Fortunately, she knew a particular spell that would help in that regard, something she had learned in Apocrypha of the Psijics. For now, however, she wanted to learn what, if anything, Lunise already knew. "Now, I too have questions for you." Meesei continued. "Lunise, have you heard any reports of recent events in High Rock, near Evermore? Vile's followers there have come into open conflict with Thalmor Justicars. Do you know what Vile's followers have been doing there?"

---

Ahnasha gave Fendros a curious look. "What smell?" She asked, which also neatly answered his question. 

As Ahnasha was clearing out a space in the center of the room, her skeletal servants began to carry out the tasks she gave them, all without any verbal instructions. One picked up a wooden crate from the corner of the room, while the other collected a strange crystal in a modified soul gem stand. 

Ahnasha opened up the crate, which contained all of the soul gems she had been collecting over the last few years. All, apart from a few grand soul gems, contained the mortal souls of the people they had killed for her research. One by one, Ahnasha carefully started to pull out each gem and place them side by side in front of her. It would be the first time that Fendros would have seen them all collected together in one place.