Free Coronation: A Kid Sensation Novel (Kid Sensation #5) by Kevin Hardman Page A

“I’m a pawn in an intergalactic chess game.”
    My grandmother, looking incredibly serious, leaned forward and looked me in the eye. “Understand something: this is an attack on our immediate family. It’s an attempt not just to curb our power and influence, but to eliminate it completely over time. Moreover, it has a broad swath of support from a large percentage of royals – including many within the Third Matrilineal – as almost all of them see the changes my father would implement as a threat.”
    “So what’s he going to do?” I asked softly, afraid of what the answer might be.
    My grandmother leaned back, a cocksure grin on her face. “He’s already done it.”
    I frowned. “Done what?”
    “The unexpected. Upon receiving the threat, since that’s actually what it was, your great-grandfather immediately and irrevocably abdicated all of his hereditary positions.”
    I simply stared at her, as the implications of what she’d just said threatened to overload my brain. “But…but… If he abdicated, that would mean…”
    “Yes. Since he essentially renounced them, my father’s hereditary positions are automatically assumed by his heir apparent – in this case, his closest male descendant. Furthermore, because he stepped down before the proposed ban against you became law, it has no effect. In short, you, Prince J’h’dgo, are now – at least nominally – a member of the Mectun.”

Chapter 9
    To say I was shocked would have been a mild understatement of fact, but the irony of the situation actually made me laugh: I’d been grandfathered (or rather,
great-
grandfathered), so to speak, with respect to the proposed law. Prince Norbeo was really a wily old devil, and I said as much to my grandmother.
    “Yes,” she agreed. “But politics is in his blood. These things are second nature to him.”
    “Will I get to meet him?” I asked.
    “Not in person. As I mentioned, he’s carrying perhaps twice the workload he should due to incompetence among his fellow Mectun. At the moment, he’s away from Caeles, negotiating a trade alliance in a distant star system.”
    “Wait a minute,” I said, frowning. “I thought he abdicated his position.”
    “He did, but until you are installed he’s serving for you by proxy, which is allowed. In addition, he’s still a member of the MiPluri.”
    “Okay. So when does this installation occur?”
    A distasteful look came across my grandmother’s face. “Now we come to the heart of the matter – the reason you are here.”
    She hesitated for a moment, clearly not liking this topic.
    “Go on,” I said, encouraging her.
    Indigo let out a deep breath. “My father’s adversaries don’t like being outwitted. They’ve demanded that you be subjected to a
prexetus
– a test to determine if you have the requisite qualities to be part of the Mectun.”
    “Hold on,” I said, feeling a little agitated. “A few minutes ago you said my position in the Mectun was hereditary. Now I have to be tested to see if I fit in?”
    “Use of a
prexetus
is rare, to be honest, but not without precedent. In the past, it has been requested with respect to persons whose fealty was subject to question. And in this case…”
    She trailed off, but I could see where she was going. “I’m from Earth, so there’s doubt as to whether my first loyalty would be to Caeles.”
    “So you understand.”
    “There are some people back home who have the same notion, only in reverse,” I said in reflection. “My alien DNA makes them wonder about my allegiance to Earth. Frankly speaking, I’m starting to feel like a man without a country.”
    “Don’t,” my grandmother said. “You always have a place here, regardless of what people say or what laws get passed. You are my thrice-child – my
Sxibbo
.”
    She used a term that I had a little trouble translating, but which I loosely interpreted as meaning “beloved and adored male progeny.”
    “Thanks,” I muttered softly, smiling.