The two people next to the other candidate radiated power and danger.  They weren't exactly at the same level as Abel, but they were both  obvious badasses who could most likely break us in half. The only real  bit of relief I found in the situation was that Randall was still here,  and chances were good he would be able to help us counter at least one  of them. Still, it wasn't hard to figure out exactly what these two  were. They were her bodyguards. Probably a pair of loyal subordinates  that she augmented with frequent access to wishes.

Wish  was the ultimate support ability, and I imagined most people weren't  quite as determined to turn it into a combat power as I was. The two  people were radically different in appearance. One a huge redheaded  woman with broad shoulders and her hair pulled back in a tight braid,  and the other a small, dark skinned man with hazel eyes and close  cropped hair. I had no clue what their abilities might be, but I knew if  they were part of her direct entourage, they were probably strong.

Since  there was no chance she didn't know I was here, I decided to take  control of the tempo of the meeting. I stepped up, clearing my throat.  "Hello. I take it you know who I am?" I didn't give a name. She would  know the family name, and probably could have found me easily enough in  my civilian identity. I had no reason to reveal that information in  front of the Militia or any of our still living enemies. The Sanctuary  Hall people had frozen when she came in, and my own allies were hanging  back as they tried to identify what was going on, not wanting to disrupt  a situation they didn't understand.

From under the dark  hood, a set of white teeth split into a wide smile, the teeth and the  lips surrounding them the only thing visible in the blackness. The now  visible mouth chuckled. "Obviously. I wouldn't be on this backwater if I  didn't. After all, bumping the competition out of the running and  picking up some slots for the Moonsong Glade all at once is a lucky  break. I have to say, you noticing I was making moves was surprising  though I expected to be mostly done before I was ever discovered. That  was almost impressive."

I filed away the Moonsong Glade  thing, I had no clue what it was, but it seemed like it might be  important in the future. I didn't want to give away my ignorance though,  so I kept my mouth shut about it and moved on. "And what kind of  bumping out did you have in mind? Because this seems a lot like a murder  attempt. Is that how this needs to go? I don't want to kill a family  member if I don't have to. I realize that might be a bit warm and fuzzy  for you if you grew up back at the main branch, but it's just how I  feel."

I'd debated keeping that to myself so I'd have an  advantage, but I eventually decided to just come out and say it for a  few reasons. First off, things were more likely to go in a lethal  direction if she thought she was dealing with that situation from the  start. If she knew I didn't want to kill her she might hold back a bit.  Second of all she would notice that I was trying to avoid conflict soon  enough anyway, better to start out with some honesty and hopefully make a  good impression on here by sticking to my guns. I could learn a lot  from her if I could make her an ally, even a temporary one.

To  my surprise I didn't get a sneer in response, though it did warrant an  amused smile. "Well, I won't say that it's not nice to hear some of us  actually care. I suppose I can humor you. Destroying this circus was the  quickest way to get my new allies in the position we wanted, but based  on the indications I'm getting from my people, it isn't going to happen.  I have no clue where you found some of these people, but they are  absolutely terrifying. That Wendigo was supposed to be a trump card not  even MY people could deal with. I'm going to owe the Peace Lord for  letting it get killed."

From her tone she had some sort of  battlefield awareness ability or artifact. I was guessing she was  referencing Abel. An F-ranked bear was scary, but Randall was pretty  worn out after that fight. I was betting her guards could finish him off  if they really had to. Or at least that she thought they could. I  wasn't sure how close to full strength Jessie could jack the bear up. I  glanced over at Callie. "Alright then, lets talk. We have a way of  arranging a private discussion of you're amenable. You can bring your  guards and I'll bring a few of my people?"

Benny, Jessie,  Cark, and I specifically. I liked Sloane and she knew some of my  abilities, but she wasn't inner circle or anything. I was only bringing  my most trusted friends. The hooded figure of the other candidate nodded  and I gestured Callie over to us, looking around. "Any chance you can  call a halt to the attack while we meet?" I wasn't worried about the  Pavilion, but Cicero might lose a few people, and that would be a pretty  terrible thing to allow when I could prevent it.

The  other Wishmaster potential shrugged. "Sorry. We co-opted this attack,  but we don't run the show. The Peace Lord wants control, even if I  wasn't there to back him I suspect he'd push forward to try to grab the  prize. I can halt the people here though." The hood turned, and suddenly  I saw a pair of green eyes that looked a lot like mine in the darkness,  pinning everyone in the room with an icy glare. "No one moves until I  give the say so. Otherwise Katia and Reflan might be...unhappy." She  flicked her eyes to the pair of guards, who didn't have to try to look  menacing as they radiated power.

Every  single robed figure took an involuntary step back in perfect unison,  and I raised an eyebrow at that. Apparently her guards were every bit as  scary as their auras let on. I made a similar indication to my own  people who backed off without complaint, much to my surprise, though  both sides were glaring tensely at each other. With that accomplished  the other candidate stepped forward towards the center of the room  flanked by her lackeys, and my team walked to meet them in a space that  had been cleared almost unnoticeably when we were talking.

Once  we were standing there, separate from the rest, Callie raised her hands  and called a huge dome of shadows over us, resonating the stealth skill  with the darkness. I saw the shadows shift and churn in a way that  implied her costume had played a part too, and I blinked in surprise  because I hadn't been aware it could do that. With all that out of the  way though, I turned to look at the hooded figure. "So. First things  first, let's dispense with the formalities. I've been calling you 'the  other candidate' in my head, and it's a mouthful." I reached up and  removed my mask, giving her a hopeful smile. "My name is Shane Wyndham,  as you probably know. What should I call you?"

The  green eyes flashed with amusement and she reached up to push back her  hood. The girl under it was...not what I was expecting. She her green  eyes, so similar to mine, were big and guileless, she had a button nose  spattered with freckles and a wide, cheerful smile. Her hair was blonde  like mine, though more golden wheat than my own sandy color. Still, the  only thing I could say about her was that she looked like everyone's  favorite little sister. I didn't think I'd ever seen anyone so harmless  looking.

She  actually reminded me a bit of Jessie in several ways, even being similar  height. She took in my own stature and pouted lightly. "Ugh. You're one  of the giant ones. That's almost always from the other side of the  family. Whatever." She pushed her cloak aside, dipping into a...curtsy  of all things. "My name is Natalie Wyndham, daughter of Allison  Wyndham." She stood back up, smirking slightly. "In case you missed the  implication, it's polite to include the name of your blood tie to the  clan when you introduce yourself to a member of the family."

I  flushed a bit at that, not used to this weird formal way of doing  things, but she seemed like she wasn't so bad. Being willing to tell me  that on top of not trying to outright kill me was winning her brownie  points. I nodded solemnly. "Sorry. Shane Wyndham, son of Elijah Wyndham  then. If that helps put you at ease." Her eyes flew open wide at the  name, and I saw the blood actually drain from her face when I said it. I  was guessing that didn't put her at ease at all.

She  swallowed hard. "Oh. That's...oh. I wasn't aware that Elijah had a son  in this competition. I'm surprised he was still eligible, given the  change he made reaching A-rank. Still, he was one of the top three of  the last competition, so I suppose it makes sense." She bit her lip.  "Ok, I'm going to break some rules here. My mom and your dad  aren't...friends, exactly. As far as I know Janus is Elijah's only  friend, but they got along better than most. Full siblings tend to be a  bit closer, even in a family as big as ours. You should be very careful  about who you say Elijah's name to. I know I just said to introduce  yourself, but if I were you, I would lie. You can use my moms name if  you want."

My  eyes were wide, not because of all the information about my dad, but  because of what she'd let slip about her own. "Wait, are we cousins? I  didn't know my dad had any siblings. Do we have any other cousins? It's  really nice to meet you by the way." I was grinning like a loon. Despite  all the scary things going on here, I'd never had any cousins or  siblings growing up, obviously. It was kind of nerve wracking to meet  one, but also really exciting. I had to force myself to try to focus  back on the matter at hand.

She  gave me an amused but confused smile. "You...aren't what I expected  from Elijah's kid. He's kind of a boogeyman in the family. He was damn  close to managing to take the last Wishmaster spot. He only failed  because the current Wishmaster is a straight up monster who was born  with two abilities. To answer your question, yes. Your dad has twelve  siblings though only two full siblings, the others are half-brothers and  sisters. He's in the direct line of descent. Not everyone involved in  the selection is going to be a cousin obviously, there are hundreds of  us, but there will be more than a few."

"The  others are all children of various cousins from the last generation,  the family tree is complicated." She continued, not giving me a chance  to interrupt. "Like I said though, I wouldn't advertise Elijah being  your dad. He might not have won the last selection, but he definitely  made an impression. He killed a LOT of members of the family on his way  up the ladder." She paused. "Well, he mostly had Janus do it." She shook  her head as if to clear it, and I smiled at the idea that spacing out  and letting our thoughts wander was a family thing. The mile faded  though, as her expression got serious. "As nice as all this is, we ARE  still in competition here. I assume you want to negotiate. Let's begin."  Well then, time for business.