*
“Are you all right, Vandoraa?” Tavron asked tenderly as soon as they were alone.
Vandoraa nodded tiredly. “I am. I’m just... scared.”
Tavron placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “I am too. I have no idea what’s going to happen now. But I believe in my heart both of us did the right thing.”
“Tavron,” Vandoraa said, taking a deep breath. “I’ve joined with Ted as an officer aboard the December.”
“The choice is yours, but I think it is the right one. You will represent Dreve well and you will be safer on the December.”
Vandoraa’s heart sank. He knew what his brother meant. Undoubtedly there would be extremists who wanted him killed for his role in the perceived downfall of the Drevi empire, even if the majority of the Drevi people now believed their Queen was not only engaged in illegal activities but also mad.
Tavron’s expression told Vandoraa that his older brother was thinking the same thing. But he said, “Everything’s going to be all right, pochak. The majority will see you as a hero, and you will be able to come home someday.”
“Oh, Tavron,” Vandoraa said, tears coming to his eyes. He let his brother hold him and he cried for a long time.
December Page 50
