Page 417 -- XLVIII.

David had to refrain from grimacing. His brother was possessed of a deeper hatred than he had ever realized. “The Crown is an institution. Even if you destroy both of the royal houses, this will not change. New houses will simply take our places.”

“That is precisely why I am requesting your help, David. I am hoping you have an elegant solution to this problem.”

“What if I don’t?”

“Then I will crush any other houses which assume the throne. By whatever means necessary.”

So many pieces were already in motion, and now Luther wanted to present him with a new one--one which could not be ignored, unfortunately.

David offered the man a nod. “Rest assured, then. I will give the matter due thought.”


Chapter Forty-Eight: ‘Thy diverging ways...’
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In their own strange way, the next few days were surprisingly restful. Stephanie and Thomas required near constant attention, leaving Hector little time to actually sleep, but he didn’t find it so terrible. Certainly, compared to fighting for his life, it was a much welcomed change of pace. And whenever he did manage to get some sleep, Garovel was there to watch over the children for him.

Colt’s death made the news. They didn’t show him actually getting shot and killed, of course, but it wasn’t long before Bohwanox briefly returned to the bunker to confirm that nothing had gone wrong--which was incredibly nice to hear, for once. These days, it seemed like everything and everyone was out to either kill them or get in their way. It was good news, or at least, halfway decent news.

So he had three days with the kids, which meant following the directions that the doctor had originally meant for Colt. Stimulating their minds was the idea. At first, Hector just tried to turn anything and everything into a game, but that didn’t go over so well. The kids would just kind of stare at him, apparently unaware that he wanted them to participate.