They hadn’t needed much convincing. Kate was Erra’s beloved niece and a princess of Shinar, whether she saw herself as such or not. Also, everyone pretty much knew that if they tried to keep me from protecting the woman who raised me as her own daughter, I’d abdicate on the spot.

“I had to stand before twenty people and present the best-and worst-case scenarios. They deliberated and voted. They had the power to prevent me from going.”

Nick threw his hands in the air. “I don’t understand you. You grew up in a democracy.”

“No, I grew up in a federal republic. In a true democracy, the vote of majority is absolute and has the power to override the interests of minority. In a republic, the individual rights of a citizen are absolute, and the vote of majority cannot infringe upon them.”

He stared at me.

“In terms of individual rights, the Old Shinar wasn’t that different from the current system. It had its problems, but it guaranteed citizen freedoms. It offered a path of advancement based on merit. Anyone could run for office after the required period of military or civil service. The man in Stella’s office was born a commoner. He begged on the streets until he was ten years old. Before Shinar fell, he had become a High Sakkan, the highest level of minister one could attain.”

Nick held up his hand. “It’s still a monarchy.”

“So is the United Kingdom.”

“Look at this picture. You’re wearing gold. People are bowing to you. Does that make you happy? Is that how you see yourself?”

I sighed. “Before the magic Shift, major world powers had nuclear weapons. Everybody understood that as long as these bombs existed, another world war was out of the question or life on the planet would end. Thousands of years ago, before the technology Shift when magic reigned supreme, one didn’t become a king or a general, unless they possessed great magic power. As the Heir of Shinar, I’m my people’s sword and shield. If a threat arises, I will be the first and sometimes the only one to respond to it. I am their atomic bomb. It is my duty to put myself between the kingdom and its enemies. When I wear gold at a formal function, it’s because I’m signaling to others that Shinar is prosperous and strong enough to keep its wealth. When the council members wear identical green and white robes, it’s because their uniform signals that all of them are equal. Appearances matter.”

“Roland was a tyrant.”

“And the council of New Shinar passed an official resolution stripping him of his Shinar citizenship. If he ever gets out of his prison, the New Shinar will put him back in.”

Nick laughed.

“This federal republic that you so love is unraveling at the seams,” I told him. “It worked before the Shift. It doesn’t now. Yesterday in this republic, a man broke a child’s bones and dragged him on a chain in plain view through the streets and not one person did anything about it.”

Nick’s face darkened. “That’s a punch below the belt. Any of the knights from this chapter would have stepped in. Any PAD officer would have intervened.”

“But they didn’t. The law enforcement is too few and stretched too thin. Jasper wasn’t being covert about it. He felt sure that his act would go unpunished. The system failed. It failed two decades ago when I became a street kid. I know exactly how ugly those streets are. It wasn’t the republic that saved me. It was Kate.”

He grimaced. “Fair enough.”

“The old system will collapse eventually, and sooner rather than later. LA is practically a city-state. So is Atlanta. I don’t want to live in a time when the strongest rise to the top and carve the country into tiny fiefdoms. I want to build a new nation where people are safe.”

“By claiming land and imposing your rule on others.”

He was like a dog with a bone. “The territory of New Shinar currently includes San Diego. Do you know why?”

“I’m sure you’ll tell me.”

“Because San Diego held a referendum within its borders and their citizens voted to join us. We don’t tell the city how to govern itself. We respect its lawfully elected municipal government.”

“No, you just expect them to bow and scrape.” He tapped the photograph with the businesspeople. “Just like this.”

“That’s La Mesa’s Chamber of Commerce. Nobody asked them to bow. They came to meet with us because they had a death cult stealing children for human sacrifices and they had already tried a couple of other powers in the area and they thought scraping was expected.” I dug through the file. “I remember when this happened. I bet there is another picture… Here it is.”

I pulled it out and put it in front of him. On it, I, still dressed in the same getup, was helping an older businesswoman up the steps while the other businesspeople hovered nearby, not sure what to do with themselves.

“The New Shinar isn’t a tyranny, Uncle. No matter how much you want it to be. But since we’re on the subject, were you elected to your current position? How about Desandra? Was she elected to be the alpha of the Wolf Clan?”

“That’s different and you know it.”

“No, it’s exactly the same. Desandra could’ve left Atlanta and gone to Kentucky, where shapeshifter packs are outlawed, and raised her kids quietly. Instead she carved her way to the top with her claws.”