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“Ilias?” Killian said.

“I really think you should have consulted the council before deciding to exile Pearl,” he said. “I understand it was an emotional moment for you, considering what happened, but this is what we’re here for. We support you and help you through your decisions, especially the hardest ones.”

Killian didn’t look flustered the way Twig felt. Actually, Twig was horrified by the way Ilias was talking to the king. Did he really think Killian had made his decision emotionally? Did he even know Killian at all?

“Maybe I should have consulted the council.” Killian looked at Twig. “Twig, you’re a council member, and you’re the one who was most affected by what Pearl did. What do you think of my decision to exile her?”

Twig swallowed. Everyone was looking at him again, and he wanted to scream, but he couldn’t afford to. He was pretty sure some of the people in the room were hoping he’d say something that would justify pushing him to step down as a council member, and that wasn’t what Killian wanted.

It wasn’t what Twig wanted either, in part. He might not have any idea what he was doing as a council member, but if Killian had enough faith in him to want him there, then Twig was going to give it his best.

“We couldn’t find any definitive proof that she was involved in my poisoning,” he said calmly. “Which is why she isn’t imprisoned. I understand why you decided to exile her instead, although I do wish she was behind bars right now.”

Killian nodded. “I wish the same, but unfortunately, none of our prisoners are talking, not even Alatar. We’ve told him she didn’t hesitate to give him up, and it looked like he might break, but he hasn’t so far. Without proof she was involved, this is the only thing I could do.”

“Your Majesty,” Ilias tried to interject.

Killian shook his head once, which was enough to shut the dragon up. Twig was glad. He really didn’t like Ilias’s voice.

“What’s done is done,” Killian said. “And I don’t regret exiling Pearl, even though I realize it means she’ll probably come back and cause problems again. I’ll be ready for her when she does, and in the meantime, it means my siblings and I can sleep with both eyes closed. I don’t think anyone here has ever experienced not being able to do that, but I have, and it’s damn pleasant not to have to worry about what my own half-sister is planning against me.” He smiled at Twig. “I hope you’re getting some good rest too.”

“Well, I’m still confused about why she decided to come after me, but yes. It’s a relief to know she won’t do so again.” At least for now.

Twig could feel Ilias watching him. He carefully avoided looking in the dragon’s direction, not wanting anything to do with him. He knew Ilias thought he was weak and shouldn’t be here, and right now, he didn’t give a fuck. He wasn’t the one who’d decided he should be here. That was Killian, and as far as Twig was concerned, Killian was a good king. He was definitely better than their father. He thought about people, cared about them, and made decisions for the good of the clan, not for himself. That wasn’t anything Twig had ever experienced before Killian became king, which was probably why he’d become such a hard worker for his brother. But he wasn’t going anywhere. If Killian wanted him on the council, then he’d be on the council. He’d face down Ilias every day, no matter how little he liked it. Ilias might not support Killian, but Twig did, and he knew he wasn’t the only one.

* * * *

AS ALWAYS, SINCE HE was still assigned to Twig’s protection, Taylor was at the council meeting. He was trying not to be obvious about how much he disliked Ilias, but it wasn’t easy standing close enough to hear what the dragon was saying.

Ilias had no faith in Twig and his decisions, even though Twig hadn’t been the one who’d exiled Pearl. For some reason, Ilias seemed to believe Twig could influence Killian, which was laughable. Taylor hadn’t lived in the palace long, but even he knew that. It should’ve been obvious to anyone who’d spent any length of time around Killian, especially someone who’d been on the council for as long as Ilias had.

Taylor wasn’t sure if Ilias had actually supported Pearl. He definitely hadn’t supported her the way Alatar had, which was good for him, because if he had, he’d be behind bars right now too. He definitely didn’t like Killian, though, and Taylor was pretty sure he disagreed with the king on plenty of things. If Taylor had to guess, Ilias had thought he’d be able to influence the new king when Killian took his father’s place on the throne, and he’d been bitterly disappointed. There was nothing he could do to change the king’s mind, so instead he was aiming at someone else.

Unfortunately, that someone else happened to be Twig.

Twig was unequipped to be a council member. That didn’t mean he couldn’t become a good one, but he was sensitive, and it felt like Killian had basically dropped him in the deep end and hoped he’d learn to swim. He would, eventually, but in the meantime, he had to deal with people like Ilias, and that wasn’t easy. Taylor wanted to shield him from it, but he wasn’t sure there was anything he could do. He certainly couldn’t say anything in the middle of the council meeting, so he pressed his lips together and kept glaring at Ilias, hoping the dragon would finally shut his mouth.

“I just don’t think Twig belongs here,” Ilias was murmuring to the dragon next to him. “He’s young.”

“So were you when you became a council member,” the dragon next to him said.

“But you know my parents. My mother was on the council before me. I grew up learning from her.”

“And you knew nothing of experience. You just knew his father, the late king.”

Taylor pressed his lips together. He wasn’t going to laugh, even though he was tempted. He had no idea who this dragon was, but he wanted to shake their hand. At the same time, he was wary because the dragon was sitting next to Ilias, which probably meant they were usually allies.

“But Twig didn’t grow up with his father,” Ilias insisted. “And his mother is a maid.”

“So is mine,” the other dragon said, sounding annoyed. “I agree he’s very young, and that he’s not whom I would have chosen as a council member, but we don’t make that decision here. What would you have us do?”

“Nothing,” Ilias said, leaning back in his chair. “I was just saying he’s not the best choice.”

Taylor was pretty sure Twig would agree with that, but he didn’t say so out loud. He just decided Twig needed more support, and since Taylor talked to the king regularly, he made a mental note to bring it up during their next meeting. It was nice that Killian trusted Twig enough to want him there, but he couldn’t just hope for the best, especially not with people like Ilias watching Twig’s every move as a council member.

But Taylor wasn’t going to talk to Killian today. After the meeting, Killian disappeared quickly, not stopping to talk to anyone. Since he hadn’t been ordered otherwise, Taylor followed Twig when he left the room. He wasn’t surprised when Twig waited for him. After all, they were headed in the same direction.

“Working?” Twig asked when Taylor joined him.