Iren folded up the adoption certificate and handed it back to Dirio. “Not interested.”
Dirio gaped. “What?”
“I’ve had enough of empires. I’ve seen what they do to people like Melwar, and even to those like my father. I don’t want that.”
“But when word gets out—”
“Rip up the certificate. Then there will be no proof, right?”
Dirio shook his head. “Enough other people know about it that destroying the evidence would only make me look guilty. My advisors would turn on me. Whatever the result, I have to face this problem directly.”
“There’s no other way?”
“None that I can think of.”
Iren scowled. He folded his arms and stared down at the table.
Kaede tugged on her father’s sleeve. “Daddy?”
“Daddy’s busy right now,” Iren said.
“I have an idea, Daddy.”
Iren lifted an eyebrow. “You do?”
The girl’s head bobbed up and down. “Yep!”
“What is it?”
“It’s a secret.”
Iren’s eyes crinkled. “All right, whisper it in my ear.” He leaned down and let her say it to him.
When Kaede finished, Iren sat back. He looked smug. Dirio took that as a bad sign.
“I’ve decided to do what’s right for Lodia,” Iren said. “To preserve peace, I will become its king.”
Dirio’s jaw dropped again. How had an eight-year-old convinced Iren to change his mind in a matter of seconds?
“In the presence of these witnesses,” Iren said, gesturing around the table and to the bodyguards standing watch, “I hereby accept my place as rightful king of Lodia. You are officially deposed. However, though you reigned more than a decade in violation of Lodian law, you did so in the best interest of this country. It would be wrong of me not to recognize that experience and use it to my advantage. Accordingly, as my first official act, I name you, Dirio Cyneric, as my chief advisor.”
The smug expression deepened. Iren paused for a breath, then continued, “For my second official act, I abdicate the throne. As I have no legitimate son, and as Lodia’s misguided laws do not permit my highly capable daughter to follow me, I’m afraid there’s no choice but for my chief advisor to take over the position. Congratulations, Dirio Cyneric, you are now king of Lodia.”
Dirio didn’t think his jaw could fall any lower. He’d been wrong. “Iren, you can’t be serious.”
Iren shrugged. “Now it doesn’t matter what people say. Whether they acknowledge my adoption or not, you’re Lodia’s rightful king.”
Dirio looked at Kaede. She had a toothy grin that took up more than half her face. Combined with her green eyes, it made the resemblance that much stronger.
“She really does take after her grandmother,” Dirio said. “Who other than Rondel could come up with a loophole that absurd that quickly?”
Minawë and Iren laughed. “Scary, isn’t it?” Minawë asked.
Dirio sat there a moment. He ran a hand over his bald head. Then he joined in their laughter. Twelve years later, and despite where their paths had led them, Iren and Minawë were still the friends he would rather spend time with than anyone else on Raa.
“You know what?” Dirio said. “Maybe I’ll have a crab or two after all.”
“That’s the spirit!” Iren cried. “We’ll order another round. Daichi, put down that sword and join us. Dirio, your men can sit too. The booth’s plenty big. We’ll eat, drink, and laugh until dawn!”
And they did.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Josh VanBrakle is the author of the perfectly logical combination—to him anyway—of epic fantasy novels and nature non-fiction. His fantasy novels include the award-winning Dragoon Saga trilogy, and his debut nature book is Your Woodland: A Hands-on Guide to Doing Right by the Land You Love.
When he isn’t writing, Josh works as an education forester at an environmental non-profit promoting rural land conservation. Originally from Hershey, Chocolatetown USA, Josh now lives in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York with his wife Christine and two ill-behaved cats.
Writing the Dragoon Saga has been Josh’s dream since high school. It’s his first book series, so please let him and other readers know what you thought of it by reviewing this book wherever you purchased it. Josh appreciates these reviews and uses them to grow as an author and improve future books.
To stay up to date with the latest news about Josh and his upcoming titles, please visit www.joshvanbrakle.com or follow Josh on Twitter @joshvanbrakle.
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