The Twelve Tables Ch. 22

Surprised by that disclosure, Josh looked over to where his father sat with the remainder of his uncles. Seeing them all prepare to join them at the table.

"That little mama, Peri," Vincenzo came to the table as he began to speak, "Was treated badly by this family on numerous occasions and in one instance almost lost her life to one of our own. Yet, she forgives and doesn't hold grudges and loves us all because we are her family now as much as Josh's."

"I wanted to travel and be in Europe and enjoy all the game playing that happens there in the heart of the shadow. I think it's what Jules wants too, would you keep him here to satisfy your need for power?" Constantino asked.

"Ben and Emily have always put the family first. They both understand that the outcome here is what is best for the family. You saw his relief when he was told he would not be that chair. That's not you, and it wasn't me," Charles joined the conversation. "It took me some time and a few beatings from Christo to put the family's needs before what I wanted and I did want the chair once."

"They were all fucking morons," Manuel said, "but as long as I was there to piss on their parade how bad could it get? That will be your role amongst your brothers. You will play the devil's advocate and question their integrity."

"Romeo, tell me you understand and will withdraw the challenge. The decision has been made but if you insist we can stay here, and you can debate the leadership with your brothers and cousins. We six will not change our minds, though," Joseph said in a conversational tone. "Or we can bring the others up, and this can be all over before breakfast," Joseph said without any recriminations and checking his watch. "I would very much like to play Santa without this hanging over our heads."

"What role will I have if not chair?" Romey asked not quite ready to give in.

"Mine," Charles said. "It takes on a little from each of the other roles but could mostly be described as human resources. It has held many titles, over many tables, Grand Master or High Lord come to mind," he chuckled.

"I guess I could live with that," Romey nodded. "Let's go with High Lord for this table," he said to Josh. "I'll support you. No hard feelings?" He said held out his hand. The stiff smile he gave didn't translate at all to the rest of his face or features, and Josh could see that this was a hard pill to swallow for his brother.

*****

"Yeah, I'm right behind you, dumbass," Ang said into his phone.

"Well, you're the dumbass who answered," Dante said turning around to see his brother exiting the house and walking towards him. "Has anyone taken bets yet?"

"Nah but I was wondering if we should let the seconds know we're all here and somethings going down upstairs," Carlo looked at Ben, who shrugged.

"You alright mate?" Ang plonked himself into a chair beside Ben.

"Relieved more than anything," Ben admitted. "It's weird ya know?"

"Yeah, I imagine it would be now that you turned it down," Angelo said softly placing a meaty hand on his brother's shoulder. They'd talked about it over the last few months, and Angelo had shared his philosophy about the table being only a small part of their family dynamics and the benefits of being part of that leadership without having all the public drama of being the chair.

"Alright let's get this show on the road," Lorenzo said walking toward them with the four other men who would make up the table.

"It's a waiting game right now," Carlo said looking at them. "They called you?" He looked up at the building.

"Yeah, six-thirty on the dot. We're waiting out here for what?" Dom asked, they all knew why they were here now just not the details.

"To see who comes out alive I guess," Pete said doing a quick scan of the brothers and noting Josh and Romey absence.

"So Prague?" Dante murmured to Jules as they all moved around to make room for their cousins.

"Sounds good, but I guess we'll see what happens next," Jules said. "I tried talking to him you know, to avoid all this."

"And Ang talked to Ben and Carlo talked to Josh and I just sat and watched you all wishing Lio was here to see everything. He'd have had it all sorted out by the end of the concert, you know he would," Dante laughed sadly.

"So Josh huh?" Jules said.

"Surprised?" Dante countered.

"Not as much as Romey was when he realised," Jules laughed unable to help himself. "Ang, Arianna was great last night in that duet with Josh," Jules said suddenly remembering exactly when it was that Romey had become certain who his competition was.

"I bawled like a baby with her singing and that bloody family montage thing. Who put that together?" Ang asked the men sitting around him.

"Josh gave you all the photos didn't he?" Carlo asked CJ.

"Had me almost in tears too," Ben admitted. "Nice job laughing in the middle of it to lighten the mood." He looked at Carlo and CJ.

"Not my fault," CJ shook his head beginning to laugh again. Ben looked at Carlo then narrow his eyes.

"It wasn't me," Carlo looked around innocently. "Tell them it wasn't me," he nudged CJ.

"As if Carlo is ever that funny," CJ said still laughing slightly. "It was one of those moments where you had to be there to find it funny, but Peri is hilarious at times. I laughed most of the time she sat with me. She even commiserated that I had Mr. Perfect here for a brother."

"She called me Mr. Perfect?" Pete asked raising an eyebrow.

"Maybe not those words but close enough," CJ said.

"You should get her to tell you the story about how she and Josh met," Dante chimed in. "I've never laughed so hard or seen Ben laugh that much at a family lunch."

"Yeah, she tells a good story," Ben joined the laughter. "She convinced Dante that she only wore boots because she had stumpy legs and everyone knew boots made women's legs look longer like an optical illusion."

A young man carrying a large tray of coffee walked toward the Athenaeum followed by a young woman. As if by magic the door opened and they disappeared inside. Minutes later they left again with the young man stopping and nodding to the assembled men in deference.

"You may go in now, except Dante, could you follow me please, Sir?" he bowed his head again and walked away. Dante frowned but did as the young man asked looking back over his shoulder as the others all filed inside and up the stairs.

*****

"Gentlemen welcome if you could take your places on the other side of the table," Joseph welcomed them and the nine who entered went to stand beside Josh and Romey facing the six remaining men of the current table.

"It's a momentous time as we prepare to retire the current table in a few short years and you each have much to learn. We have watched you all of your lives, however, and we know some of you better than you know yourselves. We know your strengths and your weaknesses, and we have deliberated over how the next table should be assembled," Joseph said formally. "More than anything we are family and as such we love each of you and know that in time we will leave the table in capable, loyal and loving hands."

"If now that your suspicions are confirmed any of you don't wish to be here or join this table now is the time to speak," Joseph said looking at them all for long minutes.

"Alright, I'll speak, where's D.?" Angelo said in a demanding tone. "Did he opt out? If so why are there only eleven of us?"

"Dante will be part of the table but he is attending to something else right now," Joseph said sternly. "We weren't this bad surely?" he looked at his brothers.

"Fucking morons," Manuel shook his head but winked across the table to his son.

"Let's get on with this before I hit Manuel. He's getting on my last nerve right now," Constantine said.

"I'll take if from here," Andreas said in a deep, resonant voice that commanded everyone's attention. He went and stood behind the chair at the end of the table.

"Dino welcome to the family. You are our warrior. This will be your seat," he said inviting Dino to sit at the tail end of the table.

"Dominic our Herald," he indicated the first seat on the far side and placed his hand on the first seat on the near side. "Peter our man of Medicine. CJ our technical wizard and Lorenzo our mechanical wizard," he began filling the seats two at a time. Carlo will be our Engineer, who will work closely with the two wizards. Jules our ambassador and Romey the High Lord." He stopped and smiled at the remaining three men. "Ben our Watchman and Angelo our Chamberlain, Josh will hold the chair," Andreas said looking at them all. "Questions?"

"I've looked at our history in some detail, and I haven't heard of a herald or wizard on any table before," it was Dominic who spoke.

"The men at arms often took on the role Herald when needed. We believe in these days of peace that having a wordsmith position to deal with media and the like was a far better use of resources than simply men at arms, so we changed the title for this, the next table. In the last fifty years, technology has taken on a life of its own and deserves its own magician or wizard don't you think?" Andreas explained. The table nodded silently all of their eyes looking to the two vacant chairs that sat at the head of the table next to Josh.

"Between now and the epiphany you will spend time with your mentors, as and when needed, set up your schedules with them sometime before you leave the festivities. CJ, Lorenzo, and Carlo you'll be with Manuel. Pete and Dom, you will join Ben with Vincenzo. Jules and Romeo with Constantino and Charles. Josh with Joseph and Angelo as well as Dante with me. These arrangements will change as time goes on," he explained further.

He stopped talking as Antonia came from the hidden office alcove then and walked toward the table standing beside him. She smiled at her sons and her nephews as they stared at her with differing expressions.

"They're here," she said quietly and continued towards the stairs where Dante and Peri came into view.

"Dante is our Oracle," he held out the chair for him indicating that he should take it and leave Peri with Antonia. "Christo was our Oracle, and he held us all together in the beginning when egos set to explode in the early days," Andreas looked meaningfully at Romey. "Josh has the chair and will be the public face of our family, but he has no more power than any of you. Not one of you is greater than the other individually except maybe the Oracle and that will become clear as time goes on."

"The power of this table comes from the family. The old ways become lost with second and third cousins, but those that remain loyal do so because they know they are valued members of the Donati family. How do they know this?" Andreas asked the men at the table.

"Ben, you've met Darius, the young man who took over Peri's team once the triplets were born, what relation is he to you?" Andreas asked driving his point home. "Dante?" he asked when Ben couldn't answer.

"Third cousin, the whole team are Donati's. Lio wanted to keep as many family members as he could in the company hiring them over others if they had the skills necessary," he explained.

"It's always been about the family, you all get to watch over them, make life better for them and protect them with your wealth, power and influence but if you and they aren't all held together by a lynchpin, you will have nothing. We do not rule by threats and intimidation we rule because our family allows us that hereditary right, like royalty. We give far more to the family than we ever receive, and we do it without expectation," Andreas smiled.

"The lynchpin for us and currently the most powerful person in this room is the Mother of the table," he announced. Antonia walked slowly to the head of the table with Peri as her role was announced and Peri took her seat feeling like she was in the middle of a big prank.

Peri listened as Antonia spoke briefly of her love for each of the men of the table and her love for the family. Peri felt awkward sitting at the head of the table between Dante and Josh facing all these men. She felt them both take one of her hands each and squeeze it. Antonia stopped speaking, and Joseph went and put his arm around his wife lovingly.

"To anyone outside of this room, you are the table. There is no need to mention anyone else or their roles except Josh, who for better or worse is now the public face of you all and the family. Don't take this lightly we have reasons for secrecy in our family and those reasons will come to light as you begin to work with your mentors," Joseph said.

"Thank fuck for that," Manuel said. "I'm starving, let's go you lot," he indicated the men at the end of the table that he would mentor.

"All that manoeuvring last night and it didn't matter at all," Josh said quietly to Dante and Peri. "I'll explain later. Thank you, you are the most amazing woman," he whispered and kissed her.

"Stay," Joseph placed his hands on Josh and Dante's shoulders as the other men left the room. Romey looked as if he was about to stay but Charles wrapped an arm around his shoulder and guided him out talking quietly. "You may go Perinique," Joseph grinned at using her full name. Then he walked his sons into the hidden alcove that served as his office.

"That shit about the sharing of power was bullshit. You need the others like a general needs his officers. You can't be everywhere at once, and while they will share in all the triumphs and the good times, believe me when the shit hits the fan it will rest on your shoulders. Both of you. That gives you the right to pull rank, its all in how you handle it. Just like Andreas and I chose to let your mother handle your brother's challenge." Joseph spoke quickly. "Be careful, Romey will sting for a while yet especially once he has had to deal with Carmen and her obsession with becoming the mother. Keep Peri close and let Charles handle him as best you can."

"He seemed to take it okay in the end," Josh said considering what his father said.

"Time will tell, but Peri will need a tracker, CJ will get one on her phone, and you can give her this for Christmas," he passed a ring box to Dante. Josh watched as the box opened to display three rings set with deep purple amethyst and diamonds. While the male rings had smaller stones that glinted in opposite corners, the ring for Peri was spectacular in its delicate design despite the considerable size of the stones.

"We'll talk more after lunch, playing with the children on Christmas day is the best gift of all," he smiled, and they walked together down to where all of the families had gathered for breakfast in the big dining hall.

*****