Chapter 199: When the Matriach speaks.
As the crowd settled, Sienna noticed several beast women crying silently. Their hands trembled, their eyes hollow. She softened her tone, seeming more understanding of their circumstances.
"You are scared," she said gently, "You left behind your homes, belongings, friends, and for some, even family. But you have not lost your lives, so there is no need to despair just yet. Until we get an official explanation on what is going on, I urge you not to panic. This could be a simple flu, a strain that is new. Stay here, stay calm. If medicine is given out, take yours. Do not put the lives of others at risk. If you feel any symptom, report immediately, don’t hide out of fear or selfishness.
Let’s work together to put this nightmare to a rest much quickly. It is not going to be easy being crammed into this place. Here, you will not be as comfortable as you would be in your homes. But know this, we are going to try our best to give you a life as normal as possible for the time being.
Here, you will be fed, protected and occasionally scolded. But scolding is also a form of care."
The refugees chuckled through their tears. Sienna’s words could be tough and absurd, but they were undeniably warm. At least, she made them feel warmer, compared to the elders and guards that were glaring at them.
Just as Sienna thought she had calmed them, one older man stepped out from the crowd. Even in the mix of refugees, he appeared to be more distinguished. Those that looked at him certainly had some reverence in their eyes. "Matriarch," he raised his voice. "Why must we follow your rules? Shouldn’t the doctors be the ones to decide what we should do? If they think we should go home, then why must we be squeezed here. Those of us who are not infected will end up being infected by the sick ones."
Timothy leaned forward, whispering rapidly, "That is Benrick, the priest’s uncle."
Sienna gave him a secret thumbs up, signalling that she got the message he was trying to send. This man was a troublemaker, who relied on his relationship with the priest to get his way. In a cold voice she replied, "Did you have this issue when you were squeezing in with everyone on the ships that I sent to bring you home? Why didn’t you stay back and fly back alone to avoid being infected? I am the matriarch, not you. When I give orders, you don’t question them. Especially not in these circumstances."
Benrick’s face turned red from embarrassment.
Sienna heard chuckles coming from behind her. Meanwhile, she moved on. "Some of you in this crowd have financial means, so you look down on these arrangements. It is understandable. So, in anticipation of this, I had a VIP area arranged. It is nothing special, just tents. If you want to lodge there while waiting to be treated or cleared, it will be five thousand to ten thousand beast coins daily."
Outrage immediately broke out in the refugees. Some thought it was discriminatory, others thought the price was too steep. She was charging standard hotel room fees for tents!
"The money we collect is not going into my pocket, it is going to be used to feed the people here and pay the workers that will striving to make your stay comfortable." Sienna added, ignoring the noise. "The tribe is covering forty percent of the expenses, Elias and I are covering twenty percent and the rest is coming from the VIP’s and donations from the clan elders."
Before she even finished, elder Tomlin was already marching over, in the company of the elders who appeared unhappy.
Sienna held her hand out to them, commanding them to stop. Three fox guards blocked them immediately.
"Now! Line up. Men to the left, women to the right, cubs in the middle. You are going to be registered so that we can know your number and reach out to your families, for those who have no means to contact them.
If you are confused about which line to join, just ask the guards or nurses. If you have trembling hands or obvious symptoms, head to the large tent with the red cross sign. The doctors will attend to you immediately.
If you are part of the VIP’s head to the tent with the green cross for special registration. No need to squeeze into the long lines." She stopped for a moment to catch her breath. It felt as if she had been talking forever, because her tongue felt dry. "If you are above 70 years, just go directly into the hospital. We have a different ward prepared for seniors. Congratulations, your age comes with perks."
She stepped back, stumbling slightly, but Linera caught her. The falcon beast woman frowned at Sienna. Her niece looked haggard, the weight of this position clinging to her face like shadows. Her usually bright eyes were dulled, her posture was slacking, and not just because she had a cub strapped to her back. Even her voice was carrying a faint rasp. "You need to give it a rest Sienna, you have done enough."
Timothy cut in, pulling Sienna from Linera’s arms. "No, she hasn’t."
Linera moved forward, her sharp falcon gaze focused on Timothy. But the rabbit beast man did not show fear. Elias had conditioned him to be immune to all threats, except his. "My lady cannot leave now." Timothy asserted. "These people have to be settled and fed. We need statistics and a budget. We need them to surrender their clothes and whatever they are carrying for disinfection or disposal. As long as Sienna is here, they will fold and behave, because she carries the authority of the matriarch. If she leaves, Benrick will stir trouble, the elders will declare themselves in charge and everything will fall apart."
"Can’t you see that she is exhausted?" Mrs. Miller asked.
Timothy pointed to a flying ship that was hovering over the hospital. "She can take a nap. As long as her face is seen around here four hours later. That is how long I think it will take to install proper order around here. If not, she can just sit in a chair right here, faking the look of concern like Lady Cadelaria used to do in all uncomfortable situations like this one."
Sienna groaned, looking ahead at a woman that was leading the elders of the council in her direction. "Speak of the devil," she muttered.
Linera unleashed her claws, saying fiercely. "I will stop them."
