Air Touched - A Dragon Tribe Origin

Chapter Twelve - Sun

Only two people called Sun on his cellphone: Jae and his cousin Ki. Everyone else used the landline in his bedroom. His father liked telephone wires and "solid" technology. Which was one of the reasons the cellphone ended up being more secure than the hardwired phone in his quarters of the castle. Hyun would not dream of the need to listen in on conversations held on "inferior" machines. There was a reason those types of phones were so easy to hack, after all. No one in their right mind would actually talk about anything important on one.

Naturally, that's where Sun and Ki conducted most of their business. On the rare chances his cousin took the time to call himself, that is. Most of the time, he sent Luin to be his mouthpiece.

"Ki, always good to hear from you," Sun said. Outwardly, he maintained convincing pleasantries while on the inside he cringed. "To what do I owe the pleasure today?" Seriously, why? I'd rather talk to Luin about whatever stupid errand you want me to run next.

His cousin laughed, also good at faking politeness. One reason of many for why he made a dangerous politician. He was almost impossible to read. All Sun knew was that he didn't call just to chat. Ki was always about business, and above all else, self-gain. "I wanted to talk to you about your family."

Ah, the one topic he will discuss himself. Why did I even wonder? Sun swallowed. "Yes?"

"You have eleven brothers, if I'm not mistaken."

"Yes." Sun rolled his eyes, so glad he was on the phone so he could do so for a change. Using all of his energy on being kind was starting to take its toll.

Ki let out a soft "mmhmm" before continuing. "One lives in the castle with you, and I was able to track down four of the others. That's a total of six if I include you which leaves half of your family unaccounted for. Why are six of your brothers in hiding, Sun?"

"They're not in hiding," he said stiffly. "They are keeping a low profile. I've told you, they want to be as far away from my father as possible. Tracking them down will not be an impossible task. It's only slightly more difficult because my father won't bother to use the right resources to find them."

"Do you by chance have addresses or even a general idea of where they live?" Ki pressed.

Sun laughed. "All of my brothers think I'm our father's lap dog. I'd be the last person they told."

"What about Jae? Would they tell him?"

"Doubtful. He's so much younger. There's been no effort to create a relationship with him."

A heavy sigh came through the phone. "You see what my problem is with this scenario, right?"

"Yes."

"As much as I want to trust your word that your older brothers have no interest in claiming the throne, it's important I know where they all are in the off chance one of them has a change of heart simply because of nostalgia. Or if one of our other cousins or uncles gets the bright idea to push one of your brothers into the position."

Slowly, Sun closed his eyes, knowing full well what type of retaliation would become any family member who tried to fight Ki. One of the many reasons Sun himself had to play his cards cautiously. "A legitimate concern."

"Ideally, I would like resistance to be minimal so no one has to die or be imprisoned," Ki continued. "That was our agreement. Your father, mother, brothers, nephews, and so on would be spared harm in exchange for their cooperation. Given the delicacy of my mission, I've only been able to provide details to our other kin. Cousins and uncles."

"I congratulate you on your recent alliances," Sun said. Kiss his butt. Make him happy. Keep him happy.

He imagined Ki nodding and smiling in that smug way he did whenever he made advancements in his plot. "Thank you, cousin. There is one more family I hope to persuade and then everything will go into motion. If they refuse, your father will be catching wind of my mutiny a tad bit sooner than ideal. It's a hiccup I'm planning for. So you see, it's in your brothers' best interest I know where they are so we can have a conversation after the fact. Just like with you, I've prepared rewards for their loyalty. Very generous ones at that."

"I'm sure they are," Sun agreed. There was no denying Ki knew exactly what to offer a guy to convince him betraying his family was a good idea. A pardon from the priesthood, the ability to marry, a chance for Sun to get back all of the things his father took away from him simply because he disagreed. They enticed him into listening. Ki's ideas weren't all too insane. Or they weren't at first. The more Ki shared, the more Sun wished he'd never helped.

"Jae is still the hardest one. I can't quite figure out what he wants," Ki continued.

"He's in courtship. His favorite hobby is—"

"Flying, I know."

"A good adventure and something that gives him control of his life will make him happy," Sun explained – again. "Those are the things he doesn't have."

Ki laughed. "I'd feel secure in this answer if I hadn't heard how much your little brother enjoys playing King with your father."

"Control. Believe me, he wants nothing to do with my father's future for Aero any more than most of us." The future which kept the country in the past. No one wanted that but Hyun.

"Noted."

"I'm confident you'll know what to do for him."

"Yes." Ki was quiet for a long time. "Get me the addresses of your missing brothers. Someone has to have them."

Swallowing, Sun squeezed his eyes shut. "Of course."

"Sooner is better. I'm not going to wait to make my move."

The phone went silent.