“That is different.” Giselle is not actively seeking to murder me, as my mother and her sister Siccua were those that killed them.
“This is war,” she hisses. “The strong know what must be done in war are things that cannot be stomached by the weak in peacetime. But it is our sacrifices that bring the peace. I thought you a leader.”
Every word she says only makes my fury burn hotter. “Do not question me or my methods. I will plant my seed and I will do it soon. But it will be done my way. I value your support but do not forget it is you who supports me in this. I will be your King. Do not think to chide me like a kit.”
Silence.
Then, “Forgive me, my future King.” Ximena’s voice is all simpering falseness. She is a snake, but a useful one.
When I ascend to my rightful throne, I must always watch my back with her.
“How is the campaign on your end?” I try not to let my tiredness show in my voice.
“Every day we gather more to our side. Everyone tires of being on these coffin ships when we know a bountiful, lush planet is within our fingertips.”
I look out the front windshield of the shuttle at the planet’s landscape. Even in this desolate place where the plans barely grow, lush is the word for it compared to our beloved Draci at the end, covered in ice and bitterly cold as our sun grew dim and finally went out.
This planet is our second chance. It is wrong that my brother forces our brethren to stay in the cold barrenness of space while such bounteous wealth is to be shared. Our race is superior to the humans—we live longer, have heartier bodies, and will care better for the planet—and after all we have suffered, we deserve this Earth.
We will rule over the humans benevolently.
But we will take what we deserve.
“Soon the revolution will begin, Ximena. All the pieces are almost in place.”
Seven
GISELLE
I have to get the hell out of here. I look around the room again and rush to the brass bookend.
I could hide behind the door and try to smash him in the head with it when he comes back in. I shudder at the thought. I’m a pacifist.
Even in these circumstances?
But if your principles don’t mean anything when they’re tested, what use are they?
Instead, I lift the brass bookend above my head and drop it down as hard as I can on the chains at my feet. Again, I aim for the specific spot where the chains are welded.
The chains don’t magically break, though. So I lift the bookend and drop it. Again and again. After several more times, I have to rest. I only manage a few more sessions before I hear the swooping noise I now recognize. I hurry to put the bookends back on the shelf and sit down on the couch, shoving the chain around my waist so the part I’ve been banging away at all afternoon is hidden behind my back.
First storms into the house again, but he doesn’t look my way. He simply heads into the kitchen. I sit up straighter and looked over the back of the couch, but I can’t do anything surreptitiously. My chains clank with my every move and he looks my way.
He only stares for a moment, though, before going back to opening a can of something—beans maybe?—and upending it into his mouth. He looks away and goes back to ignoring me, not offering me any food.
What? He stole me away, completely upended my life, brought me here, and now he’s what? Just going to ignore me?
“Why are you even doing this? Why did you run away in the first place?” I don’t know all the details, just that First was exiled after he told the truth about his mother killing his and Shak’s father, the King. “It wasn’t fair that they exiled you for doing the right thing. Just talk to your brother. You could still—”
“My half-brother is a bastard and a false king,” he spits. “I am the true king. I won’t bow to him or beg him for favors.”
Men. Whether they’re from this galaxy or any other, apparently.
“So, what? You’re going to kill him? You know he could have done the same thing to you exactly for this reason, because you posed a threat to his crown. Most people in his place probably would have.”
“And they would have been smart to,” he says, throwing the can in the sink. “He was a sentimental fool. I ran because I knew he would realize his mistake sooner or later. I hear he’s now executing traitors, so I was smart to run while I could.”
I shake my head, frustrated. “That’s only people who threaten his family.”