Page 24 of Undertow
I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t hide my shock but was glad when it worked and the other elders scurried off as well.
“We will not break thousands of years of tradition on our watch, and we are united in this and who will be the future of this nation,” Aunt Maple added. She was the youngest sibling of my father and Maple wasn’t her actual name. It was a very hard to pronounce family name that she hated.
So if she wanted to be called Maple instead because it sounded like it… Sure. Whatever people wanted.
“Forgive me, I lost my head,” Hardin bit out.
“You keep doing that while saying it’s Sagan who is out of sorts,” Maple pushed, not letting it go. “I suggest you stop both practices before the royal family enacts another tradition and ousts you. I already think we should.”
Uncle Fraser snorted. “I think we just handle him.”
Hardin left fast, and I wasn’t surprised when both of them turned to Darren and me immediately after.
“Don’t blame her, I agreed,” Darren said quietly as he partially moved in front of me.
“But we deserve answers,” Fraser chuffed.
“Once everyone here gives their royal vow and seriously means it because some like posting royal rumors a bit too much,” I countered, staring down two of my spoiled cousins. Both of whom huffed at me.
Thank you for proving my point.
“Give it,” several of my relatives snapped, shocking them, but then they seemed to realize it was serious. Only two of my cousins were younger than me and they weren’t kids.
I mean we all were in the eyes of most dragons, but they were in college or working on a master’s so not little kids who didn’t know how to keep their mouths shut.
I nodded once they all gave vows. “I’m not saying there was foul play. I’m not being paranoid or assuming it was an assassination. I just—”
“She was suspiciously shut down when she asked questions and I have been since,” Darren took over, nodding when people flinched. He focused on Fraser. “I was only the queen’s brother, even though I’m now Sagan’s advisor. That part of everything is normally handled by the elders and King’s Guard, which apparently they have a few too many loyal to them.”
Fraser swallowed loudly. “You think something is fishy though?”
I shared a look with Darren. “I think something could have been neglected or funding cut—someone not fully trained as the pilot they don’t want to have a finger pointed at. I don’t—something is wrong. Why not let me look? Why in the world do they not want extra investigations when the king and queen died?”
“I thought it weird too but assumed you ordered it so people didn’t try to delay your coronation,” Maple hedged.
I met her gaze. “It wasn’t me and I was shut down. Too hard.”
She studied me. “And you’ve done what about it? You and Darren were both nervous that Hardin tried to insert himself into the entombment.”
“Wait, I want to exhaust other ideas first,” my older cousin, Kyros, interjected. He was Fraser’s son, and some mighthave seen him as a threat to me then… Except he was a bastard. An indiscretion Fraser had when he was young and he was decent enough to acknowledge his child unlike other members of the royal family in our long history.
But the laws were clear. Bastards did not ever come into power unless they were the absolute last option. And they never had.
It sounded harsh, but it also kept random bastards from showing up with supposed claims. Also, Kyros didn’t want this life. I was one of the few who I believed when he said that.
I held up my hand to the others and nodded for him to go ahead.
“I’m not trying to poke at you or say you’re wrong. I’d be panicked if it was our—I am scared to fly too and they’re not our planes,” he said gently. He scrubbed the back of his neck roughly when I nodded. “They’re shutting you down at every turn. It can also just be another way to smack you into place in their eyes.”
“You’re not wrong, and maybe that’s the goal of some,” Fraser muttered.
“But they would also jump at the chance for me to be distracted,” I countered, seriously considering what Kyros said. “It was instant. Why not let me investigate and they could attempt another coup? I couldn’t have gotten to the Alphas or used my connections to have other royals here that we’re not friends with, but I am. That made me look good.”
“You’re not wrong,” Kyros quickly said. “I’m just—I just want to look at this from all sides.”
“I appreciate that,” I told him firmly. “I do. I hope you will continue to and speak freely with me. There are no wrong answers unless wehavethe answer. It just…”
Darren and I shared a look and he finished my thought. “It was too suspicious to ignore.”
