Her heart breaking for him and the pain she’d seen in his eyes, she led the girl outside.
As they were waiting, she allowed Drus to eat enough sweets that she was sure the girl’s father would issue a death warrant for her. But it made Drus happy and kept the girl occupied while the men conducted their business. Over and over, Drus showed her the medal. She also showed it to any and every person who came anywhere near the room. Sometimes she even chased them down whenever they passed by outside in the hallway.
It seemed like an eternity had passed before the doors opened and the girl’s father came to claim her. There was a happy light in his eyes as they took their leave.
The gerents, however, were another matter entirely. They appeared ready to slaughter someone.
Zarya went to the throne room to find Darling sitting on the throne while Ryn glared at him. Maris and Drake stood opposite of Ryn with Syn and Hauk beside him.
“The aristos are going to demand your head over this.”
Darling shrugged at Ryn’s dire prediction. “Then they should have taken care of the matter before it was brought to my attention.”
“Let them have their strokes,” Drake said drily. “I, for one, am proud of you, Darling.”
Ryn passed a look of utter contempt to his youngest brother. “And you’re a stupid little punk incapable of understanding the repercussions of one bad decision.”
Drake moved to attack Ryn, but Darling sprang from the throne to catch him before he made contact. It was actually an impressive feat.
“Settle down,” Darling said sternly as he forced his younger brother away from Ryn. “Now.”
Hauk laughed unexpectedly. “You know, Ryn, I keep thinking back to what my father used to say to me. There are two kinds of people in this world. Those like my mother who can walk into the most backwater dive hole with the worst riffraff in the universe and in ten minutes, she’ll have them baking cookies and singing love songs together. Then you have those like my father. The kind of man who could walk into an antiwar monastery and in ten minutes have the monks at each other’s throats.”
Ryn scowled at him. “What has that got to do with anything?”
Hauk jerked his chin at Darling. “Trust your brother. He’s the best peacemaker among us. If anyone can settle them down, it’s him.”
Syn nodded in agreement. “Hauk’s right. They were all about to set your clock until Darling came in.” He met Zarya’s gaze. “Great timing with the kid, by the way. You completely caught them off guard with that, and lowered their defenses.”
“Not done intentionally,” she confessed. “I wasn’t sure what to do with the girl when I found her sneaking around the hallway, looking for her father. But I’m glad it helped.”
Darling clapped Drake on his shoulder. “You need to get back to your mother.”
Zarya didn’t miss the way Darling referred to his mother or the fact that Drake didn’t think it was unusual.
“Not while I’m needed here.”
“You aren’t needed,” Darling said, not with malice, but patience.
Drake clenched his teeth. “You know, I may be emotionally stunted, but there’s nothing wrong with my mental capacity.”
Darling smirked. “Obviously there is, or you wouldn’t be arguing with me.”
Still, Drake stood his ground. “I’m not leaving. Not this time. I’m not a child anymore, Darling. It’s time you stopped treating me like one.”
Darling silently cursed at his brother’s obstinacy. Even though he wanted to choke him for it, the kid was right. Still, it was so hard to see Drake as a man when he was used to protecting him. “Fine. Stay if you must.”
Drake inclined his head to him with a respect he’d never shown Darling before.
“So what’s the next step?” Ryn asked. “You pleased a handful of plebs today, but the gerents will all have seizures when they hear that you sidestepped Derkstig, and sided with the workers over them.”
Ryn was right. They would have a tantrum to make any infant proud.
“I didn’t side with the plebs. I only did what was right and decent where they’re concerned.”
Ryn snorted. “They’re not going to see it that way.”
Again, he was right.
Darling considered his options for a few seconds. It was the last thing he wanted to do, but it was something he should have done weeks ago. If he wanted to move forward as governor he couldn’t postpone it any longer. “I need to call a meeting with the CDS.”
Ryn’s eyes widened in alarm. “You sure about that?”
No… The last thing he wanted to do was voluntarily walk into a room where he would be considered a laughingstock by everyone in it. It was why he’d been postponing it.
But he had no real choice. He’d have to meet with them and let them know that they still had their places with the new regime. That he was willing to let bygones be bygones, and to move forward without going after them for the past.