Page 124

‘Turn the page, please,’ said Garovel.

He did so. “How much do you know about the Queen, anyway?”

‘Not much. I know she’s quite young for a functional monarch. Still in her early thirties, I believe. And I know it was a big deal when she was appointed by her father.’

“Oh yeah, I remember that. It was only like four years ago, wasn’t it?”

‘Yeah. She’s the youngest of eight direct descendants, and all seven of her siblings are male. The King broke Atreyan royal tradition in a big way by choosing her.’

“That’s right... I remember ‘cause everyone thought she’d rule in name only or just... have her power taken away as soon as her father died... but he died like a year later, and nothing’s changed. Well... until now, I guess...”

‘I wonder if one of those siblings is responsible for the attempt on her life.’

Hector’s brow receded. “One of her own brothers...? That’d be so fucked up...”

‘Well, when you have that kind of power within your reach, and you’re raised to believe it’s your destiny or some stupid shit like that, only to see it given to someone else... I mean, who knows if that’s really the case? But it’s not hard to imagine, given what a huge fuss was made over her appointment initially.’

“Geez...”

‘Shouldn’t you be focusing on your math, by the way?’

Hector sighed. “I should be meditating...”

‘You meditate way too deeply, you freak. I need you to turn the pages for me right now.’

“Maybe I can just... hang the pages from the ceiling, and you can float around them or something...”

‘Just do your damn homework. You can meditate later.’