Freeholding Lord

"One wonders," Murphy said, "why Marcone agreed to help."
I settled back on the couch and rubbed at the back of my neck Tilth one hand, closing my eyes. "I bribed him."
"With what?" Murphy asked.
"A seat at the table," I said quietly.
"Huh?"
"I offered Marcone a chance to sign on to the Unseelie Accords as a freeholding lord."
Murphy was quiet for a moment, and then she said, "He wants to keep expanding his power." She thought about it a minute more and said, "Or he thinks his power might be threatened from someone on that end."
"Someone like the vampires," I said. "The Red Court had defacto control of prostitution in Chicago until Bianca's place burned down. And an agent of the White Court has just shown up and killed one of his prostitutes."
"Are we sure it was Madrigal?"
"I am," I said. "No way to prove it, but he was the Raith involved in this mess."
"That was more or less an accident," Murphy said. "Taking out one of Marcone's people, I mean."
"She's just as dead," I replied. "And Marcone won't stand by when someone - anyone - kills one of his own."
"How does becoming a... what was it? And how does it help?"
"Freeholding lord," I said. "It means he's entitled to rights under the Accords - like rights of challenge when someone kills his employees. It means that if a supernatural power tries to move in on him, he'll have an opportunity to fight it and actually win."
"Are there many of these lords?"
"Nope," I said. "I had Bob look into it. Maybe twenty on the whole planet. Two dragons, Drakul - the original, not baby Vlad - the Archive, the CEO of Monoc Securities, some kind of semi-immortal shapeshifter guru in the Ukraine, people like that. The Accords let them sign on as individuals. They have the same rights and obligations. Most people who consider the idea aren't willing to agree to be a good, traditional host for, let's say, a group of Black Court vampires, and don't want to get caught up as a mediator in a dispute between the major powers. They don't want to make themselves the targets of possible challenges, either, so not many of them even try it." I rubbed at my jaw. "And no one who is just a vanilla human being has tried it. Marcone is breaking new ground."
Murphy shook her head. "And you were able to set him up for it?"
"You have to have three current members of the Accords vouch for you to sign on," I said. "I told him I'd be one of them."
"You can speak for the Council in this?"
"When it comes to defending and protecting my area of responsibility as a Warden, I damned well can. If the Council doesn't like it, they shouldn't have dragooned me into the job."
Murphy chewed on some Cheerios, scrunched up her nose in thought, and then gave me a shrewd look. "You're using Marcone."
I nodded. "It's only a matter of time before someone like Lara Raith tries to push for more power in Chicago. Sooner or later they'll swamp me in numbers, and we both know SI will always have their hands tied by red tape and politics. If Marcone signs the Accords, he'll have a strong motivation to oppose any incursion - and the means to do so."
"But he's going to use his new means to secure his position here even more firmly," Murphy said quietly. "Make new allies, probably. Gain new resources."
"Yeah. He's using me, too." I shook my head. "It isn't a perfect solution."
"No," Murphy said. "It isn't"
"But he's the devil we know."
Neither of us said anything for several minutes.
"Yes," Murphy admitted. "He is."

White Night Chapter 43, page 468-470


I got to the last page of the contract and found spaces for three signatures. Two of them were already filled.
"Donar Vadderung?" I asked Marcone.
"Current CEO of Monoc Securities," Marcone replied. "Oslo."
"And Lara Raith," I murmured.
"Signing on behalf of her father, the White King, who is obviously in charge of the White Court." There was a trace of irony in Marcone's voice. He hadn't been fooled by the puppet show.
I looked at the third open line.
Then I signed it, and left without another word.
It isn't a perfect world. I'm doing the best I can.

White Night Chapter 43, Page 480