"Aeloros," Xaro boomed as soon as he reached Jon. "All these people have been eager to meet you."
"Everyone, this is Aeloros," Xaro said, his voice echoing through the entire garden, "my friend and new business partner, the one who will be supplying me with the drinks. All this has been possible only because of him. The man of the moment."
Jon gave an awkward smile, acknowledging everyone as they greeted him. Many faces that had previously shown disdain now wore expressions of flattery. Clearly, they would want to build a good relationship with him now.
A few people even approached him and shook his hand, but nothing more. Though Jon acted normal, inwardly he was feeling more and more uneasy.
Xaro's behavior did not seem normal to him. He was acting more open, more confident, as if he had shed his insecurity of losing his position and power.
And such behavior only came from absolute assurances. Jon could feel it in his intuition, the presence of more warlocks inside the manor, Xaro's sudden confidence, the connection was becoming clearer. Although he did not know of the details, he was certain in his assumptions.
The banquet continued for another couple of hours before the guests began to depart. Jon too was about to leave along with Melisandre when Xaro approached him once again.
"Aeloros," he said. "Leaving already?"
"Yes," Jon nodded.
"Do not leave immediately," Xaro whispered. "Wait for half an hour more. I have something special planned for a few special people."
"Ok," Jon nodded, though hesitant. Inwardly, his mind was running at full speed. He was certain that Xaro was going to attempt something but what, he was not sure.
As Jon continued to wait, he could feel the eyes of Xaro's guards on him. They were probably making sure he did not leave the banquet early.
"Melisandre," he whispered. "Stay alert. Something is about to happen."
"I am," she responded. "I can feel it too."
"You did not see something in the flame?" Jon asked in amusement.
"The flames guided us here," she shook her head. "It does show us every detail."
Jon shrugged.
Around half an hour later, most of the guests had departed. Counting himself and Melisandre, Jon could see a total of fifteen people remaining behind in the garden. All the council members who had attended the banquet were still present. The remaining six were some of the wealthiest merchants of Qarth, whose influence and status was almost on par to that of the council members.
"Everyone," Xaro said, taking the centre stage once again. "Thank you for waiting another half hour. As I said, I have prepared something special for my special guests. Please, follow me."
The council members and merchants exchanged glances among themselves, then ultimately followed behind Xaro. Jon too followed the group at the back, along with Melisandre.
Xaro led them inside the manor to a significantly larger hall. In the centre of the hall stood a massive oval shaped table with sixteen chairs arranged around it.
Xaro took his seat at one end of the table.
"Everyone, please take a seat," he said, gesturing to the occupants of the hall to take their seats.
Jon could sense that the council members were beginning to grow tense and nervous. Their movements were hesitant and eyes were constantly darting to each other searching for answers. There was an uneasiness in the air, and they could feel it too.
Jon was the first one to move. He took a deep breath and sat directly opposite Xaro. Melisandre sat to his right, while the rest of the guests, taking his cue, slowly filled the other chairs.
"Lord Xaro," one of the council members finally spoke up.
"What is all this?" He questioned. "I had thought there were some special arrangements for us. What are we supposed to do sitting in this hall? This looks like some kind of formal meeting rather than some special arrangement."
"Have some patience, Spice King," Xaro said with a smile. "There are special arrangements. A little bit of patience would not kill someone."
"My friends," Xaro beckoned, shifting his eyes from the Spice King. "Today is a great day for me. A day which is probably going to be the most memorable day of my life."
"It has not been hidden from you how I began my life," he continued. "How I lived the initial part of my life in abject poverty when even a proper meal was considered a luxury. Where, not starving in the night, was me being rich."
"From there I rose to reach this status, a member of the Council of Thirteen of one of the greatest cities, perhaps the greatest city of Essos, or even of the entire Planetos."
"I know that many of you still do not consider my status equivalent to yours," he said. "That many of you still view me as an inferior being who was granted this rank merely because of certain external circumstances. But none of that changes the fact of the achievement I have made in my life."
"You cannot discount me on that front," he added with a faint chuckle and amusement dancing on his lips.
The council members exchanged awkward, uneasy glances.
"Lord Xaro…" one of them tried to interrupt, but Xaro continued, undisturbed.
"Aeloros," he said, gesturing toward Jon. "I also owe you a great deal. Thanks to your partnership, it seems I will get out of my misery and misfortune and it is likely to be true.
"You know, to reach this position I have worked hard. Very hard. I scraped and bled to come this far. And to be honest, I have used a great deal of cunning, a great deal of treachery, of backstabbing my own allies, deceit, to make it here."
"Aeloros," he beckoned once again. "That day when you suggested that by partnering with you I could become the alcohol king of the city something stirred within me. You know, that fire that had died after all these years of struggle."
"I realized that a nobody like you," his tone suddenly turned harsh, "was making me an offer to become the alcohol king. In that moment, everything I had achieved started to feel like nothing. Xaro Xhoan Daxos needing an ant to come out of his misery?"
"But then once again," he laughed, "Why only the alcohol king? Why not the king of the entire city?"
He laughed madly, and none of the people sitting in the room knew how to react. Jon narrowed his eyes, his senses sharpening, every instinct on full alert.
"And with that fire burning in my heart came a stroke of fortune knocking at my door," Xaro declared, spreading his arms wide.
At that exact moment, the gates of the hall were pushed open, and seven figures stepped inside. All of them were warlocks, including the two Xaro had introduced to Jon earlier in the garden.
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