Reshner's Royal Ranger

by Julie C. Gilbert

  A quick check confirmed the room as one of the nicer prisons below the estate. Kiata had never actually visited that level but knew of them from her mission research. Questions crowded her head, but she pushed them aside to concentrate on freeing Reia. Thoughts of her own escape were buried beneath improvised plans. Kiata regretted the worry Todd would feel then whipped her mind into sharp focus and attacked the problem with single-minded determination.

  ALLEI (AUGUST) 17, 1538

  Seventeen days after Prince Terosh’s Kireshana journey

  Meetcher Estate, City of Meritab

  After making several arrangements, Taly went to the Meetcher Estate. A man ushered him into a comfortable, tastefully decorated room. Lady Meralla Meetcher stood in the far corner looking out the window. Before Taly had taken three steps into the room, she faced him. Her stiff posture was offset by a hesitant smile, and her eyes radiated misery that gave Taly hope.

  “Thank you, Kiner, you may go.” Her tone made it an order. She motioned Taly to take a seat and waited for the man to leave before tapping a code into a control panel located on a picture frame. When the task was done, she studied Taly.

  He counted to fifteen to give the sound damper time to take full effect.

  “Lady Restler sends greetings, news, and an important request.” Taly swallowed.

  If I’ve misjudged you, I’m dead.

  “How is Lady Restler?” Lady Meetcher inquired.

  “She is worried,” Taly answered. “But she sent me to tell you that your daughter is safe.”

  Lady Meetcher gasped.

  “How do you know about that?”

  “She was brought to the Restler mansion yesterday morning.” Taly’s gray eyes were gentle, but he spoke urgently. He wanted to continue but stopped to consider the wisdom of it one last time.

  “I didn’t pursue her because I didn’t know where to find her,” said Lady Meetcher.

  Taly had always been good at reading people, and Lady Meetcher wasn’t trying to hide her emotions. As she spoke of her daughter, her gaze became distant, then unfocused, and finally, her expression darkened with desperation.

  She’s hiding something, but what?

  “My Lady wishes to help you,” Taly blurted.

  Lady Meetcher laughed bitterly.

  “Sometimes I think I am beyond help.”

  “My Lady also wishes to avoid your fate.” Taly figured the whole truth couldn’t hurt.

  “Lady Restler is pregnant?”

  “Yes, ma’am. She wishes to go someplace she can raise the child without fear.”

  Taly endured an uncomfortable silence as the lady searched him for signs of deception. He knew she had shared some meals with Merisia and liked her well enough.

  “What does Lady Restler really seek?” Lady Meetcher asked. “You may speak freely.”

  “Your aid,” Taly answered. “You have the supplies, contacts, and authority to send her somewhere her husband will never find her.”

  “Where would she like to go?”

  “The decision is yours, ma’am, but I think it best if we don’t know the destination.”

  “We?” Her voice held disapproval.

  Taly reddened.

  “It’s not what you think. The—”

  “Speak plainly, Talyon Keldor. No formalities. Do you love her?”

  Whatever he had expected, that wasn’t it. Taly gulped and measured his words.

  “I do. She has been my friend for as long as I can remember, and her safety and happiness are my highest priorities, though her honor closely follows.”

  Lady Meetcher pressed a hand to her temple and considered his words.

  “I will help you, but you must help me.”

  “We will take your daughter with us,” Tally assured her.

  The lady shook her head.

  “No. Yes, please take Kia with you, but I have another favor to ask.” She paused as if questioning her own sanity. “There is a Ranger being held here. I want you to take her with you.”

  Taly’s eyes widened but he agreed.

  I’ll take every man, woman, and child in Meritab if you’ll help us.

  They spent the next ten minutes outlining a plan. While Lady Meetcher arranged for the hov and freed the Ranger, Taly would return to Merisia and free Kia. They agreed the rescue should take place that evening while Donovan met with Master Erik Restler and Lady Vera Tarpon. It couldn’t be earlier because the storms on the Kevil Plains had changed direction, and the prince would be brought in sometime during the day. The meeting with the prince and the meeting he would demand with the Ranger would likely last until evening.

  ARIMAN KELDOR FROWNED down at his infopad, rereading the text:

  Keep Meetcher in line and aid Prince Terosh’s escape with the Ranger.

  The instructions were clear, but the Lady’s purpose eluded him. He found that disturbing.

  Chapter 38:

  Proposals

  ALLEI (AUGUST) 17, 1538

  Same Day

  Meetcher Estate, City of Meritab

  When a hov had finally picked them up, Prince Terosh Minstel submitted to stuncuffs, grateful to finally go somewhere. He couldn’t stop worrying about Reia. His captors didn’t drug him, but they didn’t answer his questions either. They arrived in Meritab and entered an underground hov lot. The anotechs confirmed the location as the Meetcher estate.

  After exiting the hov, they traveled up several floors and down several hallways, arriving at an impressive door. The thick carpet sank under Terosh’s feet, giving him a clue as to the sort of person he would soon meet.

  Terosh and his three captors—Herik, Alden, and Einer—stepped into the large office. Six strangers—five men and one woman—stood before him. Four men wore black uniforms, which bore no symbols, and one wore an outfit designed to imitate a uniform without being as austere. Two young men flanked a middle-aged man with graying brown hair. Next, a man in his mid-thirties stood slightly to the right and a step behind the dark-haired man in the black half-cape. The woman wore a long-sleeved, blue satin gown, which flowed from her shoulders down to a pair of silver slippers. A lightweight cape graced her shoulders.

  “Welcome, Prince Terosh,” said the man in the half-cape. “My name is Donovan Meetcher. We have business to discuss.”

  The man flanked by uniformed men gestured, and Terosh sensed his guards standing down.

  So, you’re the one in charge.

  Ignoring the man who had greeted him, Terosh watched the woman. The set to her shoulders and furious glares she fired at the half-caped man told him they were well-acquainted. Whenever her pale blue eyes flicked toward Terosh, they softened. He didn’t know how to take that but filed the information away.

  “Get on with it, Donovan. This isn’t a social call.” The woman’s golden hair looked ready to cast off the clips trying to subdue it.

  Meetcher frowned at the woman before speaking.

  “My Prince, I have reliable word that the king and elder prince will not return from Mitra.”

  Terosh froze. He had spent the night preparing to see Reia. This was the last news he expected.

  “Taytron’s staying to avert the Blood Harvest, but why would my father not return?”

  “The king will not return alive, but the Alliance and my patron believe House Minstel should stand. We will protect you until you can claim your throne. When that happens—”

  “No.” Anger gave Terosh a moment of euphoric defiance. “I will not be your puppet king.”

  “You forget that we hold one you love,” Meetcher reminded, motioning to the wall to Terosh’s right.

  One of the pastoral paintings shimmered and melted into a far less peaceful scene that made Terosh sick and furious. The picture changed every few seconds, showing the scene from four different angles. It took two cycles for Terosh to understand what he was seeing.

  Reia lay unconscious, suspended from the ceiling of a room barely larger than a hov. She wore dark brown pants and a light bei
ge shirt, but today, she also wore a blue band around each of her upper arms. Ropes bound her hands in front so that they rested below her body, and a thick strap of camrood leather secured her feet. Strong metal chains surrounded by more leather straps formed larger bands, which supported her forehead, shoulders, stomach, waist, and four spots along her legs.

  About a quarter meter above the floor a web of thick, blue beams cast everything in eerie light. The beams arranged themselves into square grids with six smaller beams inside each box.

  Terosh felt Donovan Meetcher measuring his reaction. The message was simple. Reia’s life literally hung in Meetcher’s hands. Terosh didn’t know who Meetcher answered to, but it mattered little now.

  Picking up an infopad, Meetcher switched to a live feed.

  “Lower her a meter,” he instructed.

  “Yes, sir,” answered the controller.

  Terosh couldn’t tear his attention from the screen. His breath jammed in his throat as Reia sank the prescribed distance, coming to a stop a meter off the floor.

  “Sizer beams deliver minor shocks, but they’re strong enough to wake her from the criessa,” said Meetcher. “The bands around her arms will prevent any shocks from going beyond that point, but—”

  “Stop!” The lady’s cry contained horror, disbelief, and loathing.

  Meetcher shot her an impatient look.

  “Why don’t you—”

  “Who are you?” the woman demanded, cutting Meetcher off. She fumbled for her comm, keyed in a code, and tried to master her emotions. “Controller, this is the Lady Meralla Meetcher. Turn off those beams and lower the girl to the ground. I’m coming to collect her.” She turned off the comm before the man could protest.

  “Meralla, I—”

  “Master Keldor, please release the prince and see him to a guest room. I’ll take care of the Ranger and have her in sublevel one, prison room three as soon as possible.” Without waiting for an answer, the woman stalked from the room.

  Dazed, Terosh allowed himself to be led from the room.

  The wait turned out to be an excruciating hour and a half, but as soon as he set eyes upon Reia, Terosh forgot everything but his love for her.

  Lady Meetcher had briefed him on her plan several times, patiently trying to break through the fog surrounding his mind.

  “She’ll be awake soon, but she might not be able to talk right away,” said Lady Meetcher. “This room is safe. I’ll have a meal sent in around two. If you need anything, ask one of Master Keldor’s men. Wait for my signal. It should come around seven tonight, but if it comes before, you must be ready to move immediately.”

  “Why are you doing this?” Terosh wondered.

  “For my daughter,” Lady Meetcher answered. “And for myself.”

  Terosh nodded thanks but couldn’t conjure proper words. He wanted to warn his father and brother of the danger, but his brain was thick with grief and worry.

  Smiling with understanding, Lady Meetcher slipped out of the room.

  The scent of iras and fenria clung to the air, coming from Reia’s neatly brushed hair. Terosh sat on the low but comfortable sleep pallet and picked up her right hand. Her skin felt like she had spent a month in the Frozen North, the poorly named southern continent. She shivered.

  Criessa. Don’t those idiots know too much criessa could kill her?

  Terosh tried to think of what he should say when Reia awakened. He could speed up the process if he could warm her. The thin blankets might help, but they weren’t fast enough for him.

  Can you warm her? Terosh asked the anotechs.

  No. Too warm, too fast with criessa very bad. You warm.

  Finding no fault with the idea, Terosh picked Reia up and slid her over. Then, he tucked his arms around her and pulled her across his chest so his body heat could drive off the cold. It reminded him of the day they had run into the graveground and the flashflood. That got him thinking about the Kireshana, and he remembered teaching her “Leparnisu.” He kissed the top of Reia’s head.

  I’m sorry, Reia. I’m so sorry. The world is definitely you, he thought, resting a cheek against her sweet-smelling hair.

  They sat like that for a long time, shivering as the drug delivered waves of fresh cold. Finally, the chills ceased and Terosh felt Reia’s hands warm beneath his own. Her head moved slightly.

  “Reia?” Terosh asked, squeezing her hands. “Are you awake?”

  CONSCIOUSNESS RETURNED slowly to Reia Antellio. She first noticed the unrelenting sensation of ice flowing where warm blood had once traveled. Then memories played for her. Lady Meralla Meetcher had spent hours gently washing away the dirt and hurt of the last few days.

  This morning, Meetcher and his men had come with painful instruments and questions they knew she couldn’t answer.

  When they finished their interrogation, two of Meetcher’s men had carried her down the hall to a tiny room and pinned her arms against the wall. Reia had just enough time to register the camrood straps and chains littering the floor when the criessa injector pressed against her neck. A hissing noise had preceded the injector’s cold kiss. Unconsciousness came as a relief until the cold returned in vicious cycles.

  During a light part of the sleeping cycle, Reia imagined hearing Terosh call her name, but she ignored it. Thinking of him would hurt. He couldn’t be here because she was a captive and being here would only make him a captive as well. She would never wish that on anyone, especially him.

  “Reia, wake up!”

  Reia shook her head, figuring that if she ignored the cry long enough it would go away.

  Wake! Wake! Wake! the anotechs added.

  I’m not talking to you.

  Fine, ignore the prince. He’s been here over an hour. Let him wait forever.

  Reia awakened with her heart pounding enough to rattle her head. Her hands were restrained by something warm. It took her a second to recognize the warm thing as a pair of hands attached to arms wrapped tightly around her. She tensed to throw off the arms.

  “Wait, Reia! It’s me!”

  “Terosh?” Reia asked, hoping she’d heard wrong. Her voice was weak from disuse. “You came for me.”

  It was not a compliment.

  “Of course, I came for you, I—”

  “You came here,” she said, as warm tears flowed. “You big idiot. Go away! Don’t you—”

  “Hey, hey.” Terosh kissed her neck. “Is that any way to treat the man who came to rescue you?”

  Reia continued crying softly. The tears were surprisingly refreshing.

  “Only when he plays the honorable fool.” She worked a hand loose and patted his left forearm. “But for what it’s worth, I’m glad you came.”

  “I’m glad I came, too,” Terosh whispered. He cleared his throat. “Now, before I forget, I must ask: will you to marry me, flaws and royal strings and all?”

  Reia licked her dry lips to buy time. Had he asked the question two days ago she would have shouted yes, but so much had happened.

  “Before you answer, you need to know that the royal strings are a lot more complicated.” Terosh brought her up to date on his brother going to Mitra and what that meant for him. Still holding her tightly, he finished, “I—I’ll understand if you’re afraid. My family doesn’t exactly have a peaceful history, but I love you.” He shrugged, squeezing her tighter. “I guess I’ll always love you, so I had to ask.”

  “I am afraid,” Reia admitted, “but not of following you wherever life may lead.” She paused as her throat constricted. “I’m afraid to lose you. Do you know how many times I’ve pictured you hurt or dying? Do you know what losing you would do to me?” Reia twisted her head up to look at him.

  “Don’t lose me then,” Terosh answered, kissing her lips. He pulled away slightly. “You’ve a better chance of safeguarding me if you marry me.” He didn’t wait for an answer. Instead, he kissed her again.

  Each warm kiss loosened some of the icy fear. After the sixth or so kiss, Reia pulled away long
enough to speak.

  “Yes.”

  “What?” Terosh asked, feigning confusion.

  Reia sat up straighter.

  “You know very well which question I just answered.”

  “Remind me,” Terosh murmured with a grin.

  She did so with a kiss.

  Chapter 39:

  Strange Allies

  ALLEI (AUGUST) 17, 1538

  Same Day

  Meetcher Estate, City of Meritab

  Kiata Wellum never liked sneaking around, but her job required an awful lot of it. Truthfully, she would rather face down a pack of ninety korvers than have to rescue Reia.

  Isn’t she supposed to have the boring life?

  Hours passed and still Lady Meralla Meetcher had not returned to her chambers. Kiata’s legs began cramping as she waited by the door. As soon as the lady entered, Kiata would need to move fast. She tested the dagger’s weight in her hands again, passing the weapon from one hand to the other. The dagger had been with her almost as long as her banistick. She had nearly lost it twice and used it to win back her life more times than she cared to count.

  The door swung open, and Lady Meetcher entered. Kiata tucked the dagger into her sleeve sheath and nudged the door so it would close faster yet hopefully not slam. Then, she reached up and grabbed Lady Meetcher from behind, one hand closing around the older woman’s mouth and the other pressing hard on the back of her neck. She didn’t give the woman time to scream. As the woman went limp from the pressure applied to her neck, Kiata whipped her into the side wall, drew her dagger, and pressed the blade to her neck.

  “Take me to the Ranger,” Kiata ordered. Her silver-blue eyes promised that anything other than instant compliance would result in death. She slid the blade back enough to let the woman speak.