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“Wow,” Janie said “Uh … you really hate these clothes, don’t you?”
“I…”
Let me pause here and explain an important point When you are a coward likeyou didn’t intend to do You see, part of being a coward is being too afraid of not being seen as awesoh you have to be careful not to let on that you’re too afraid of not being aweso awesome would indicate to those that want someone to be awesome that you are not as awesome as your awesomeness would otherwise indicate
“I’m awesome,” I said
Sorry I got a little confused in that last paragraph Man, this writing can be as regal as a former Mokian monarch sometimes
Janie looked at me
“Ah, ahem,” I said “I saw a military uniform What about that?”
I’d only seen a glin, with big epaulettes on the shoulders and all kinds of ropes and ribbons and buttons and things, intended to et shot first so the soldiers doing the real fighting are safe
“I suppose,” Janie said, “I can try to dig that out—but I’ll need to install solass on the sides of her trunk
“Uh, thanks,” I said
“You sure you don’t want a frog costu who served at least seven days, but you could swing it”
“No thanks” I hesitated, but was too curious not to ask “Letcostume represents how a monarch leaps hurdle after hurdle as a leader?”
“Nah It’s sy”
Of course
Janie got out another pack and began digging around for solass, Ito use the restroom and slipped out In truth, I just wanted to be alone for a little while
The hallway outside my room was decorated with a woven e reeds, the roof thatched I didn’t see a soul The place was freakishly quiet, and I found(A common action of cowards like me)
It see that had happened in the last few days, I should be doing so what to wear Tuki Tuki was safe, but I hadn’t won this war Not as long as Bastille and so many Mokians lay in comas, Librarians still ruled the Hushlands, and there were footnotes lying scattered around unused
We needed to chase downhis insane plan into h … maybe his plan wouldn’t work anymore I’d broken the Talents, after all Maybe that would stop hi Talents to everyone else
No, I thought This is my father He’d bested the undead Librarians of Alexandria and had uncovered the secret of the Sands of Rashid He would be able to do this too If we didn’t stop him
I heard voices in the hallway, so I followed therandfather stood before a large wall of glowing glass that showed the faces of nunized thedoms—I’d saved their lives at one point Maybe two I lose count
Bald on top, randfather wore a bushyof white hair that puffed out along the back of his head, like he’d been in an epic pillow fight and a otten stuck to his scalp He was, as always, decked out in a stylish tuxedo
“Now, I don’t want to act ungrateful,”to the monarchs, “but … Accountable Abercrombies, people! Don’t you think you’re a little late?”
“Mokia asked for aid,” said Queen Ka woman in her fifties
“Yes,” agreed acrown I didn’t know his na with the air guard, to help you Smedrys What is the complaint?”
“My corandson won it!”
“Yes, well,” said a dark-skinned monarch in a colorful hat “Certainly there is still work to be done Cleanup, reconstruction, that sort of thing”
“You cowards,” I said, stepping into the room
Trust me I kno to spot cowards
My grandfather looked toward do like the Hushlanders, but things like this glass hich was Co distances—are very siy The two could be sides to the same coin
Ditto for those monarchs and the leaders of the Librarians Politicians, it seemed, often shared more with one another than they did with the people they represented
“Lad…” Grandpa Smedry said
“I will speak to the up beside him
“But—” Grandpa said
“I won’t be shushed!”
“I wasn’t going to shush you,” Grandpa said “I was going to point out that you’re addressing the world’s collected monarchs in a bathrobe”
Uh …
Right
“It’s a representation of ard for Mokian lives!” I proclaier pointed toward the sky
Thanks, Janie
“Young Srateful for what you have done, but you have no right to speak to us in such a way!”
“I have every right!” I snapped “I a of Mokia”
“You were king for one day,” said a tiny dinosaur I knew that one: Supremus Rex, monarch of the dinosaurs
“One day is long enough to get soh to not be overwhelht is won, and you realize that an alliance with the Librarians is impossible? I can’t believe that you—”
“I don’t have to listen to this,” Kalass The others followed suit, switching off their screens until only one re, the High King, Bastille’s father
I felt randfather I’d stor
“That was quite e
nergetic!” Grandpa Smedry said “I approve”
“I don’t know,” another voice said fro and sipping a fruit drink, his adventuring hat on the table beside hiet—Kaz was dressed in a leather jacket and sturdy hiking boots He had a pair of Warrior’s Lenses hanging from his pocket; he wasn’t an Oculator, but he was pretty handy in a fight
Kaz raised his cup towardthem cowards, Al, but I think you could have slipped another insult or two in before they switched off their glass And the send-off … yeah, that wasn’t suitably theatrical at all”
“True, true,” Grandpa said “The drareater, and you could have been far ”
And that’s probably the best introduction I could give you to my family In the last six hosts, recklessly used er a dozen tiravated some of the most powerful Librarians who have ever lived—but compared to the rest of the Smedry clan, I’m the responsible, cool-headed one
“I doubt insulting thesaid to lass “They are afraid A few days ago the world ed”
“Because the Librarians were driven off?” I asked Bastille’s father looked very, very tired, with red eyes and drooping features
“Yes,” the king said to me “Driven off by one person, and by a power they didn’t know he had—a power they can’t iine or understand They’re afraid that what you have done will enrage the Librarians”
“Mokia was their sacrifice,” Grandpa Sry “They foolishly hoped it would satiate the Librarians And now they’re convinced that the Librarians will return in force, deterdoms”