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“Yes?” He puts his block down.
“Right, remember when your Baba lived with us for the last few months?”
“Of course.”
“And you remember when he told me about the caverns?”
There’s a tick in his neck. “There’s no caverns, just a few subfloors.”
“Right, thank you, darling. I remember you said that. Thanks for clearing that up.” Her tone is clipped and dry in a that-wasn’t-the-answer-I-wanted way. It’s also not true.
Annabelle puts her hand in mine. I can practically feel her pulse thudding through her wrist. She’s right to be afraid. The male lied to his mate. Something I wouldn’t do even for Glyden. Something I’ll never do again. I squeeze her hand. So, the caverns aren’t a secret, or at least not to some of the Braesen population.
Mercifully, traffic is light and we’re at the Maelstrom and through the airlock before the male realizes what his reaction has told us. The governor’s omada has its own space near the front entrance. It’s a vastly different atmosphere than when I was here last. Males and females are decked out wearing dome colors. At least Annabelle looks like she’s supporting Glyden, even if her promenade gown is more revealing than one would wear for a day out at the governors’ building.
I hop out and scowl at the valet who tries to take Annabelle’s hand. We stand and wait for Porcia and her Braesen mates. Porcia smiles at me, and under her breath she whispers, “None of this comes back to me or my pod.”
It’s a negotiation. “Done.”
“You need to tell him the whole truth, darling,” Porcia says to her mate as she smiles at the valet, handing him some money. “No more hiding. The world is changing. We’re all changing. We’re getting older. Don’t you want to see all your sons get mated? Don’t you want it to be possible for your grandsons to find a mate? The way we’re going, the rate we’re losing mermaids, it’s not going to happen. Annabelle here is our hope. Or one of our hopes. I know you know something.”
Her Braesen mate stares at the dock beneath our feet. “Yes, of course I want our sons to find mates, and I would have loved to have a daughter. I hope you know I never kept that from you.”
“I know you wouldn’t. But whatever your Baba kept from you, from all of us, we need to know now.”
“You’re right,” her mate says.
“Tell me. Tell us. We can bring it to the governors.” I stand firm, one hand behind my back. And that’s all I need to do. One military male to another.
He shakes his head. “I appreciate you wanting to protect me, Porcia. But this is something I should do. If the return of Poseidon says it’s time for change, then it’s time for it. And the truth. The truth is what needs to happen.”
“If that’s how you want it to go down. Let’s do it.” I hold on to Annabelle but motion for them to lead the way. I grumble in the entrance where we’re stripped of all our tech, all but the device Holter tucked into Little Krill’s corset. The scanner didn’t pick it up. I give up my block, knife, and collapsible trident for a card that will open the locker they’re stored in. Things really are changing.
16
CASTOR
How the hell did I forget it’s Veneratia? I scan the chamber, choosing not to look at the other governors. Instead, I focus on the room. The Maelstrom Sea Chamber was made to impress. Ten large panels line the walls, one for each of the domes. They have illustrated depictions of what makes each dome better than the other. It’s public relations at its most basic level, something I’ve studied long and hard. It’s how I’ve turned our company around.
As far as my role as head of Glyden Mining, I need to get back to Athens. I really shouldn’t be here. Especially on Veneratia. Nothing of consequence ever takes place on a day when you let family into the chamber. Plus, there have been plenty of sessions since Nole left on the Omicron where Glyden hasn’t had representation. No, I’m here for Annabelle. I’m doing this for her. The company can wait. But I need to get back to my responsibilities, eventually. I’m not going to be part of her pod. Nico vetoed me. That’s the reality of the situation. Do I want to help Eros’s sister? Yes. But I can only do what I can do.
The chamber echoes as sound bounces off the walls. The normal chandelier that hangs over the huge skylight at the apex of the dome is missing. Cleaning, perhaps? Or has it been moved to the new building? The chamber has been remodeled many times. But now a new Maelstrom is under construction. This might be the last time I stand in this building. It has to be better than the last time I stood here. Then, adrenaline pumped through my body and kept me from hearing much. Back when I gave a speech to save my best friend’s life.
Best friend.
It’s a weird expression because he’s not my friend. Hasn’t been in a long time. No, a friend is someone you like or you boot them out of your life. Nico is, and will always be, a brother. He’s someone I can’t help but care for, someone I can’t get rid of no matter how hard I try. And I should try harder, especially after the veto. I’m not going to lie and say I don’t want to stab him in the neck. Because fuck yeah, having him out of the way and just taking Annabelle... That’s what he would do. Right? No. I know he cares about me, and even Eros now.
Without my bleeding best friend, I can pick out the grandeur of the place. The place I was raised to lead. To change. Hell, there’s talk in Glyden that my parents put off having podlets just to make me the right age to take my place as king. It’s just a rumor, but one I wouldn’t be surprised to find out is true.
The governor of Stele, Forrest Mason, glowers at me from across the chamber. We are waiting for Atlas to appear on the king’s walk. On the balcony on the far side of the room, his throne sits empty. On a normal day, the entire balcony is the king’s to walk on. It’s a great honor to have the king come stand behind you while you speak, supporting you. But not today. Family members gather on the balcony opposite the throne.
Forrest turns, glaring around the room, either for support or for intimidation purposes. To my right stands Seolfor and to my left, Diamont. The kingship travels in the order of the podiums in the room. Diamont, Glyden, Seolfor, Braesen, Stele, Koralli, Tinom, Permula, Vitrom, Zaffiro and then it starts all over again.
Across from me, Forrest clears his throat. “How much longer are we going to wait?” The crowd in the gallery is getting antsy. We’ve taken care of the regular business, but the celebratory things for Veneratia make everything a lot more difficult. It’s hard enough to get a governor to admit anything. But with an open audience? I’m going to have to come back to the next session if I want anything to go the way I need it to.
“We wait until the king is here,” the Diamont governor says. It’s Atlas’s cousin, Elias Clearing. Unlike my mother, the families in power in Diamont didn’t have the forethought to plan for the placement of their king. Or governor.
When my family decided I should continue to run the company instead of taking my uncle’s governor seat, that Nole should step in until I took the company to the next level, my mother wrestled with it. But Nole being mated, and mated to a Glyden mermaid by birth, made for a suitable substitute. Last year at the Vividaria dinner, the one before Eros appeared with Annabelle, I asked Nole if he wanted to run for king instead of me, and he snorted Nereus Nectar out his nose. So no, it’s me. I was bred for this room, from the first four mates my mother mated. Everything she planned was for that day. The Drakos family has been and will always be about power. I only hope my sister Kai can stop the madness and let her podlets be who they want to be. But then, I’ve never thought I wanted anything different. It’s hard to rebel against your parents when in your inner core you want the same thing as them.
