Page 31 of The White Dragon Revealed

“Seems you are not alone in softening under Caden’s influence,” Chione whispered into his ear.

“I think Caden drives us all a little insane. In a good way.” Valerius’ lips were twitching suspiciously as he said it. His ill humor even with Marban could not defy Caden’s effect on him.

But he hardened his exterior as he addressed Marban quite frostily, “You are not doing this for the people of the Below. You are doing this for yourself. That is why you have written in permanent marker your name all over this good deed Caden and Rose intended.”

Marban shrugged, but he made it seem like a kingly gesture as if he were giving more than receiving. “I merely used my resources to make that gesture so much more. Did you know they weren’t even going to tip off the news beforehand? How foolish!”

“I am certain that they intended to make the people of the Below feel special, but not to make it a press event,” Valerius replied frostily.

“Yes, but, again, how wasteful! My actions will help increase the good effects of their actions! You can only do a thing once,” Marban scoffed. “A second or third visit won’t mean as much if they wish to draw attention to the poverty and desperation of our most powerless citizenry. It will encourage others to do something about that plight.”

“You are the one that keeps the status quo in the Below as it is, Marban. It is how you secure your power. If people had options, they would not choose to follow you.” Valerius tapped the arm of his throne in irritation. “You act as if you could not change the fates of those people in the Below, as if you are an observer, when we both know that you could make a positive impact in their lives.”

The Swarm Shifter’s eyes narrowed. “Idomake a positive impact, my king, but I must work within the rules. Not even I am above them.”

“What rules are you speaking of, Marban?” Chione asked, clearly interested in spite of herself.

Marban smiled again benignly. “My dear Chione, you know them well. We all know them well, though we do not name them often. The very first of these is simply this: that there must be those on top and those on the bottom.”

“And you have taken advantage of that alleged rule to be on top of those on the bottom,” Valerius replied dryly. “And you do that by keeping them desperate.”

“I have clawed my way to the top of that very modest hill, yes,” Marban admitted. “Butyou--you, dear King Valerius--are on top of the mountain that looms over my hill. Could I not say that you keep things as they are--the status quo--far more than I do?”

Valerius said nothing. Marban had a point.

Marban continued, “But I do not think it is within your power tofixthe situation in the Below even as it is not withinmine, King Valerius, because the rule holds sway. That is how it has been, is now, and always shall be.”

“That is such a grim outlook,” Chione murmured and her beautiful face was fixed in a frown.

“But you are a realist, too, Chione! You know what I say is true. In fact, I would guess that you see what I do,” Marban said.

“Which is?” she asked.

“That it is getting worse. Or rather, there used to be many more in the middle. The top is still occupied by the few, but the bottom… well, the number is growing at the bottom,” Marban pronounced.

Valerius cast a look at his Councillor. This was something they had spoken of often since Caden had come on the scene. With the exposure of Shifters, the world had changed in many ways, but perhaps the most unexpected to all of them, were how the humans were being squeezed out.

It was inevitable with the resources that Shifter had: immortal life, eternal youth, greater strength and speed, near indestructibility, wisdom of the ages, and unlimited wealth. All humanity had on its side was the ability to have children and a sense of urgency that immortality slowly stripped away.

Unless they implemented some kind of system that required a certain amount of humans in jobs, humans would be relegated to the lowest work or no work. But the political will was not there. Humans didn’t want “charity” as President Goodfellow had told him, they wanted to be “respected” for what they did bring. But what they did bring to many jobs was just not enough anymore.

Caden would argue that I am not seeing the value of human thought and other aspects of humanity,Valerius thought. Maybe he is right. But no one else is seeing it. Caden’s father would be quick to tell him how many people won’t hire human lawyers any longer when they have an option to hire a Raven Shifter. Justice. St. John would think it imprudent to have a judge who did not have several hundred years under his or her belt to decide cases. Human soldiers would be ripped apart by Werewolves before they could get a shot off. And human police officers cannot go up against Shifter criminals. It’s just too dangerous.

Marban’s words pulled him from those dark thoughts, “But Caden is the antidote to that.”

“How so?” Valerius asked, wondering what insane scheme Marban had built in his mind around the youngest of the Dragon Shifters.

Marban smiled thinly. “He gives hope.”

That word “hope” hung in the air like frost for a moment. Valerius almost laughed. Caden created delight. He caused wonder. He was a joy to be with. But hope? What did Marban mean by that? Hope seemed something that the Swarm Shifter would have little time for.

“Of course,” Chione murmured. She tapped her chin. “If you believe that becoming a Shifter means a better life--”

“It does. And even for those such as myself…” Marban looked at the swirling swarm of insects in the glass that would have terrified a farmer down to their bones. “Even for those of us not quite asluckyin terms of what type of Shifter they become, there are still advantages from simply being human. But Caden is so much more than that. He went from being--well, not the lowest--but from the middle to the top. The very, very top.”

“The people don’t know who Iolaire’s human counterpart is,” Valerius said, knowing that Caden intended to change that. “They have no idea about his background.

“Oh, but they will. How long can that be kept secret?” Marban raised a hairy eyebrow. There were longer strands of hair that stuck out from his forehead more like whiskers than eyebrows. “Too many people know. There is video evidence. It is inevitable. He will be exposed. And I do so hope you decide to manage how that information comes out.”

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