Page 203 of Nine-Tenths

"No," the queen denies him. "I find I don't much trust you to have the best interests of my empire at heart."

"Ma'am, with so many missteps to Niagara’s credit, with histemper—" Simcoe tries.

"Whattemper, you toxic little snob?" I snap.

Dav hangs his head. "I do—"

"Youdon't," I insist. "You understand that he's gaslighting you, right? Classic tactics. He’s trying to control you."

Dav blinks, stunned. "Dr. Chen suggested it, but I never thought—"

"Quiet!" Simcoe shrills, getting closer to unhinged the more he's shut down.

This is not gonna be good.

"You have no idea what you're—" Simcoe tries to backtrack, but that's it.

Laura-goddamned-war-hero-Secord has fuckinghad it.

She slams her hands, palm-down, on the bench. The sound claps around the stone room, dragging all eyes to her when she shoots to her feet.

"Of course he's made missteps!" she hisses at Simcoe. "Your father gave him responsibilities and territory he was unprepared for! And you haven't guided him because youwanthim to fail! Just the same way you lied to Hino'Hohawank, you lied tothe Onguiaahra, and you drove them off the landthousandsof them died protecting! Your father promised we'd respect their sovereignty, and youdidn't!"

"Laura," Simcoe says dangerously. His expression tells me that this is very old, very dirty laundry she's airing. "Now is not the time."

"No.I have been silent too long. You've never loved, never treasured me for who I am. You only wanted to control what Alva coveted. The march! Me! And I agreed to it because I thought I could steer you… what a fool I was! Well, no more! I have watched both Upper Canada and thisman suffer for your greedenough," Laura says, moving into the aisle, so they can meet eye-to-eye. "This is all on you, Frank. Everythinghe has mishandled was because he wastoo youngto be given territory, and the only dragon in this room who doesn't know it ishim!"

Dav blows a harsh breath out of his nose, and smoke curls up to the ceiling. "I was fifty-six, fully of age—"

"Justbarely, Alva, dear,"Laura says miserably. "One year out of your majority, that’s so little for a dragon. They askedtoo much of you, too soon. And the moment you secured the march for Canada, thisscoundrelbegan his campaign to steal it from you. That you continue tostayas a matter of honor, to protect the sovereignty of Onatah's territory, shows that you areten timesthe man that Frank ever was."

A furious growl rips out of Simcoe, but Laura is uncowed.

Dav's spine, if possible, gets even stiffer. His chin wobbles but I don't think anyone but me is close enough to see.

Laura throws her arms wide, and lifts her face to accuse the gallery: "You sent hundreds of dragons out into the world, into war after war, for what? To collect a few measly acres of land into a vast empire? A grain of sand on a beach? A drop of water in an ocean?Meaningless. And when Alva fights to find meaning in it,you shut him down, shut him up, shut him away. You punish a child for being achild."

"Silence!" Simcoe snarls.

Laura flashes him a glare hard enough to cut diamond. "Everything good and humane happening among Alva’s hoard, between Alva and his neighbors, is due to Alva's honesty and Alva's integrity. Not yours!"

Simcoe leaps up the few steps separating them.

"Enough, woman!" he growls, grabbing her arm so hard she gasps in pain. "You besilent, or I'll—"

"You'llwhat," I challenge, drawing his ire away from Laura on purpose. I've only ever met her once before, but that's humanity for you. We'll pack-bond with anyone if you give us a reason to. "You hurt her and I'll—"

"I rescind my token!" Laura shouts, yanking the black ribbon from around her neck. She throws the cameo into the middle of the pit, where it ricochets off the flagstone with an ominousping.

Chapter Fifty-Two

So apparently therearetaksie-backsies.

Simcoe's expression catches in a rictus of fury. "You don'tdare—youcan't—"

"I'd rather die than spend another moment attached to you!" she confesses, heaving like she is bringing up black sludge with the words.

"Laura," Dav gasps, stricken.