Page 9 of Tears of Tungsten
Royal Command
Brendan
“This is ridiculous, Brendan. I don’t understand your insistence in refusing the inevitable. We’d make a perfect match.”
I suppressed an exasperated sigh and wished, for the millionth time today, that I could fast-forward through sections of my life. “Lady Welton, I don’t know why you persist in this useless endeavor. I’ve told you countless times that I’m not going to marry you.”
Today, I’d been invited—or better said—ordered to come to the palace, for yet another mysterious meeting with my father. I’d known from the moment I’d received the summons that it would go poorly, and so far, my guess had been confirmed.
Penelope had intercepted me the moment I’d gotten off the shuttle and she’d clung to me like a limpet, refusing to go away. I hated being rude to women in public, and she took shameless advantage of that.
We’d ended up waiting for my father in the lounge, with her once again trying to bring back our old argument. “It’s not a useless endeavor,” she said. “Your father has already given his approval for our union.”
“Did he really? You’ll find that no matter what he might have told you, he’ll always listen to me more. I’m his heir. You’re nothing. In the big picture, you’re meaningless.”
Penelope pressed her lips together so tightly they went white. I didn’t enjoy saying such things to her, but it wasn’t as hard as it would’ve been once. Her attitude toward Selene had made me dislike her even more than I already had. And she kept making it worse, every day.
“You can’t be king if you don’t have a wife. And no offense, Your Highness, but your Terran is hardly an appropriate match. She can’t even give you children.”
My irritation with her flared into outright anger. At the back of my mind, Typhon snarled in draconic fury.“This woman is overstepping, hatchling. How much longer will you allow this disrespect?”
I didn’t answer Typhon. Instead, I glared at Penelope. “You can’t give me children either, Lady Welton. Because you know what? I’d rather chop my own dick off than stick it inside you.”
I smiled, and I knew it was a very unpleasant expression. “You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into here. You’d best be off now, before you end up accidentally depriving your family of a daughter.”
By the time I finished the final sentence, my words had turn sibilant. Penelope paled and stumbled away from me. “With your permission, Your Highness. I’ll take my leave now.”
She tripped over her own feet in her haste to escape. The sight shouldn’t have filled me with as much satisfaction as it did. Her fear didn’t really help me. She’d return, or if she didn’t, my father would try to throw someone else at me. But at least I’d gotten her off my back, for the moment.
It was better than nothing and it improved my mood.
“You should terrify these insects more often, Brendan,”Typhon advised me. “It’s very cathartic.”
“Yes, but not very conducive to my long-term goals. I actually do plan to become a king, remember?”
“You can become a kingandterrify people. I can’t believe one of my hatchlings is so obtuse.”
“I’m not being obtuse and you know it. I wish things were as simple as you claim, but they’re not. I have to be careful, or I’ll make a bigger mess than I already have on my hands.”
Chimera tamer or not, I had no desire to become a dictator. I’d try to accomplish my goals through regular methods before turning to drastic ones.
“I just think you’re fooling yourself, hatchling,”Typhon replied.“Sooner or later, you’ll have to make a choice. And the moment of reckoning is approaching.”
I knew what he meant and I didn’t blame him for mentioning it. Since the tournament, I’d been reassessing the validity of my more treasonous plans. I’d never been inclined to shy away from the idea of committing patricide, and any regret I might have felt over it had completely evaporated. My father had basically tried to kill Selene, and for that, he needed to pay.
But I had to be careful. If I didn’t, if I made a bad call, I’d be the one to fall, and my lovers would be left without my protection.
As I mused over my dilemma, the door to the lounge opened and my father walked inside. Today, he was wearing a crisp, almost simple uniform, and the only thing that identified him as the king was his metallic coronet. Studded with shards of Tartarus diamond, it was the symbol of our dynasty and of everything I hated most in the world.
“Ah, Brendan. You’ve arrived. Wonderful, wonderful.” He sat down on a low couch and crossed his legs. “Please, come sit with me.”
I shot him an unimpressed look and ignored the offer. It was rude, but I didn’t have the time and patience for his games. He’d been notified of my arrival the moment my shuttle had entered the airspace of our private asteroid. If he hadn’t come to see me at once, it was just because of one of his stupid power plays.
“You wanted to see me, Father?”
My father pursed his lips in displeasure, but nodded. “Yes. Since you’re going to be uncooperative, we might as well get down to business. It’s about the Grand Chimeras.”
That was unexpected. I’d thought that he’d intended to bring up the future of the dynasty—or worse, Selene. “What about the chimeras?”
