Sebastian of Mars Read Online Free

floor, as she stabbed at him
repeatedly with her toy.
    “I will have to talk to Newton about giving
you such things,” Thomas said wearily, pointing her toward the
door, where her Nanny waited. “Now go to lessons, and leave your
brother alone.”
    “Hyyyy ahhhh !” Amy shouted like a wild
cat, and jumped up on the bed again, driving the toy sword into me
one final time before jumping from the far side and scooting around
Thomas and out into the hallway.
    The door closed on the commotion ensuing out
there, and Thomas straightened his tunic and stood before me.
    “How’s your leg?” he asked.
    “Stiff, but serviceable, I think,” I
answered. As I said this I slipped from the bed and tested it. “Not
too bad.”
    “Good. Then walk with me.”
    I blinked. “But what about lessons? And my
breakfast?”
    “They can wait,” he said mysteriously.
“Follow.”
    The door opened again, and I hobbled out
after Thomas, who set, I thought, a deliberately brisk pace.
    We stopped, to my thrill, before the doors of
the Council Chamber, which I had only officially broached the day
before.
    The doors were opened by two attendants. I
limped in after Thomas.
    There was something different about the room,
which I couldn’t quite focus on . . .
    Thomas strode to the chair the regent had
presided from the previous day, and stood behind it. “Well?”
    “Well what?” I said, but even as the words
left my mouth I realized what was different in the room – the chair
itself was not the one Parum had sat in, but was the royal
throne .
    “But –”
    “There was another meeting last evening,
while Newton entertained you. He had already cast his vote.
Needless to say, it was in favor of your early ascension to the
throne.” He smiled. “There was, naturally, one nay vote.”
    “Parum,” I said, as if in a dream. I couldn’t
take my eyes off this huge symbol of power, its deeply polished red
junto wood, the cushion of royal blue, the embroidered symbols of
Martian authority – a round red circle girdled in stars – set into
its back.
    “Yes, Parum. Even Rella, who is F’rar, voted
in favor. I’m afraid Parum will try to cause trouble.”
    “We will banish him if we have to,” I said. I
had slowly made my way, still limping, to stand before the throne.
I stood staring at it with what must have been a stupid, blank look
on my face. “My mother never sat here.”
    “Yes, she did. When she was little, your
grandfather used to let her curl up on it. Xarr told me the story.
The King told her never to get used to its feel beneath her. He had
just declared the First Republic then, and had dreams of dissolving
the throne altogether. It was –”
    “I know the history books,” I interrupted,
running my hand over the cushion. “It was what doomed the First
Republic, and sent my mother into exile. It was only by accepting
her role as Queen that she was able to defeat Frane, who had stolen
power in the name of her clan, the F’rar, and establish the Second
Republic.”
    “And you now to lead it. The ceremony will be
a week from tomorrow.”
    “Very well.”
    I wanted very badly to climb up into that
chair, to curl up on its cushion like my mother had when she was a
kit.
    But I suddenly knew that my days as a kit
were over, as of that moment.
    “Put this throne back into storage,” I said
abruptly. I hardly believed that I was saying it.
    Thomas was startled. “Surely you can’t mean
that –”
    “Put it away and replace it with a chair just
like all the others. That is what I will sit in.”
    “But why?”
    I gave him what I hoped was a level stare.
“My mother never would have done anything so ostentatious, and
neither will I. If I must rule, then very well, I will rule, but I
will not sit higher than any other man.”
    A slow smile came onto Thomas’ face. “You
really have studied the constitution.”
    “I know it like I know my own self. It is all
I have of my mother, and she died giving it to me.”
    I saw a