Page 16 of The Arrival of the Dragons

“Quite feisty.” Esme nodded. “Do you know her, dear?”

“No, not at all,” Chione lied, this time much more convincingly than she had to him. “I just imagined what her parents would think.”

“Oh, yes, of course,” Esme murmured.

Valerius agreed with Chione that Tilly’s parents would not be amused hearing their daughter swear on television. But, then again, they might be more concerned that both of their children were staring down an angry mob and he wasn’t doing anything about it.

The camera cut back to the soothing anchor and framed High Reach behind him. “One wonders what Dragon King Valerius is going to do. I have to say that I expected him out here before now. But, so far, no sign of the Black Dragon Shifter.”

Valerius’ hands clenched into fists. The iPad shattered in his hands. He tossed the remnants on the floor with a clatter, prepared to get up again and go to Caden.

“I need to go?—”

“Valerius!” Chione cried. “Give Iolaire a chance to handle this. If they don’t,thenyou can go down.”

“What if something happens before then?” But he stopped himself.

“It won’t. Don’t you see how Iolaire is shielding the children with their wings? Nothing can hurt them,” Chione said.

He took in Iolaire’s behavior. It was true. The children were very safe where they were. And Iolaire could simply fly away if necessary. But still, he said, “If something happens, I will root out every member of Humans First androastthem alive.”

Esme blinked and said to her wine, “I would pay to see that.”

“They are causing you some pain, too, Esme?” Chione asked. “I thought that they were more of an American issue.”

“It is actually worse across the pond than here in some ways,” Esme admitted after a moment with an airy wave that was belied by the large swallow of wine. “They try to paint their rancid hatred towards Shifters as concern for jobs andculture, but it's speciesism pure and simple. It’s easier to talk about Shifter versus human than it is to discuss the change of the world overall. There are inequities, but many are ones that existed even before we revealed ourselves to the world. Though we speak of businesses as people, they are sociopaths. They simply do not care for the havoc they cause when they pay too little, lay people off, or simply work them to death. Other problems… are simply the changes that Shifters being out has wrought.”

“You mean how people will hire a Raven Shifter as their lawyer instead of a human one?” Chione asked.

“Now that we no longer have to hide our immortality, we can prosper even more greatly than before,” Esme explained. “More and more wealth is retained by Shifters. Positions of rank and authority are held by a majority of Shifters. Setting aside roles just for humans has been called the worst sort of affirmative action, which instead of helping humanity, many claim undermines humans’ rights to lead in any industry or politics. It makes them seemlesser.” Esme threw up her arms, nearly making it rain wine. “But if wedon’tset those places aside, less and less humans are represented in important roles, and people think that’s because theycan’tbe there.”

“Studies clearly show that when Shifters and humans work together businesses are more vibrant, communities are better run, and many, many other positive effects,” Chione offered. “Humanity has much to offer."

“Sometimes I agree with you and those studies, dear. But then I seethis.” Esme pointed towards the screen, which now showed the Humans First members chanting some anti-Shifter screed. It had the words “parasites” and “hosts” often thrown in.

“They have strengths where we are weak. For example, they think quickly and in the moment, whereas we often are thinking too many steps ahead and are paralyzed with indecision, or even think that there is plenty of time to come to one even when there is not,” Chione argued.

“I’ll give you that. The humans in my cabinet are always eager to be doingsomething,” Esme muttered. “I don’t see you praising humanity today, Valerius. What do you think?”

“Sometimes I would like to live on the top of a mountain where no one could bother me,” Valerius growled. “But that is not an option any longer for me as the two people in this very room convinced me that the only way to make peace in the world is if I ruled it.”

That had them quieting down and looking, what he thought anyway, was a little guilty into their glasses of wine.

The news anchor was back. “Despite threats and cajoling, the children still remain firmly with Iolaire. The White Dragon Shifter has made no threatening moves towards anyone, though the crowd appears to be growing more uneasy every moment. Where is Black Dragon King Valerius?”

Valerius’ hands clenched again. Luckily, there were no more iPads within reach to crush into splinters. “You see! They all want me to come! They expect me to come!”

“Yes, they do, butwhydo they?” Chione challenged, hands on her hips.

“Because Iolaire?—”

“Needs help against board-wielding idiots? No, that is not why. It is because it is Humans First. Jasper Hawes has tried to make everything between you and him, when he doesn’t represent humanity! He represents this ugly sliver of it,” Chione argued. “If Iolaire was in danger, I would go there myself and do something. But they are not. So I must counsel you tostay, Valerius. I know that this is not what you want to do, but--”

“Since I have come to rule, there has beenlittleof what I like to do open to me!” he shouted at her.

He regretted it slightly the moment he did. She was not responsible for what was happening with Iolaire and Caden now. He could leave and go there no matter what she said. He was staying here because heagreedwith her.

But this is agony.

---