King (The Chess Chronicles Book 3)

by Riley Walker

  On that note, she turns to walk off, her nose in the air. All I can do is laugh and shake my head. That is my Mother.

  29

  Burnt Tongue

  (Winston’s POV)

  I am seated between Queen Amelia and Shelby. On the other side of her, sits Hawkeye and across from me is Franchesca, Edrik, and lastly, Rook. I sit back and take in the different conversations going on around me. They all speak to each other with such ease and familiarity. This is something I have always been missing.

  “So, Winnie, what exactly does a new King do?” Shelby asks after tapping me on the arm.

  I look down at her, not in a snobby way, but the girl is very short, and think for a moment before I can respond. “Well, I have meetings, a lot of meetings, and, well to be honest, that is about all I have done so far. There are several things that need my attention. My people’s wellbeing, the minerals that come and go out of the Kingdom, food supply, several things. Anything you need, I must make sure is available, and if it is not, I need to be able to figure out how to make sure you can receive it.”

  “So, you’re like a parent to everyone?” She nods her head, happy with the reasoning she has come up with. I never thought about ruling like that, but she does have a point.

  I look past her at Hawkeye. The secret I am being forced to keep is becoming more difficult every day. The more I get to know him, the more I can see my Mother in him. When the time comes and I tell him, I just hope he can forgive me.

  The sound of Rook’s laughter catches my attention. The Renegade leader has surprised me most. I thought he would be a hard, vicious man, but instead, I find the man of few words to be the most insightful. He also says very strange things. I need to remember to ask him just what he meant about us all still being clothed while we played poker.

  Edrik, the Knight. He trusts me least of anyone here. I see it in his eyes every time he looks at me. Does he see me as competition for the Princess? I am surprised to say I find him the most intimidating. He has been with Franchesca the longest. He took over looking after her as soon as he was Knighted. You can tell that the relationship between him and the Princess is the most solid. It must be the years and friendship they shared before discovering they were fated mates.

  “What has you in such deep thought, Winston?”

  There she is. My Beloved. “I was just thinking about our training and what we need to focus on next.”

  She cocks her head to the side and I know she can see straight through my lie. “I would like to work more with the dagger.”

  “Sword! Let's do swords, Frannie. I already have the daggers down, I need to get my hand on one of those big swords.”

  I shake my head at the little penguin. I believe most of those swords she would like to get her hands on are bigger than she is.

  “Shelby, you know what Rook said. No swords because you might cut someone's head off. That someone being me.” My Beloved starts laughing at herself over that comment. I thought I would find her laughs and little snorts annoying, but they have endeared her to me even more.

  I feel like we have gotten closer in the last few days as we train together. She has become softer, less strict with herself around me. I hope that is because she has begun to see me as a man, not just another arrogant Royal.

  After we all finish dinner, the Queen and King excuse themselves. “Let’s go out back on the patio. We can have some coffee and enjoy the night.” Franchesca stands and makes her way toward the kitchen.

  “Coffee? I have heard you speak about it, but I have not had the opportunity to try it yet.”

  Rook slaps me on the back, “Get ready to try the nastiest tasting thing ever. It’s like drinking sludge.”

  “Stop it. You know it’s not that bad.” The Princess slaps him on the arm, then gives him a grin and kiss on the cheek. Huh. I am surprised at my lack of jealousy.

  “You’ll like it, Winnie. It’s the best drink ever. It’s better than that Fey wine you all keep shoveling down your throats.”

  “I thought you like the Fey wine, Shelby?”

  “Frannie, you know what happens when I drink the stuff. I end up snort shifting and wake up the next morning naked and on the floor. No thanks. I’m going to lay off the stuff for a while.” Shelby shudders, probably at the thought of snort shifting, whatever that is.

  I feel a hand on my forearm and look over to see my Beloved smiling at me. “You want to try some, Winston?”

  For you, I would try anything, I think to myself.

  I clear my throat, “Yes, please.”

  She turns away from me and addresses the entire room. “Everyone outside. Shelby and I will get everything together and bring it out.”

  While the ladies are inside doing whatever it is they have to do to make this coffee, Rook, Edrik, Hawkeye, and I gather around a table out on the patio.

  “How is their training really going, Winston?” Rook is leaning back in his chair, one leg crossed over his other knee.

  “They both have the daggers down. I feel confident it that at least. The Princess still needs to work on her powers. When she focuses on nothing else, she can do it. Working with Queen Amelia helped that. My concern is when she is in a position where she won’t have time to concentrate. I fear they won’t come to her, she will get frustrated and that could be disastrous.”

  “I agree. We need to figure out what is blocking her from being able to use them on command like she could before.” Rook looks off in the distance. I am sure he is thinking about seeing her pale and unconscious, as am I.

  Hawkeye clears his throat, “What if Ruby is right. What if she has another fated out there and they won’t work until she finds him?”

  Before any of us can answer him, Franchesca and Shelby come out, both with a tray full of cups and bottles of a milk like substance on them. I do not know how coffee tastes, but the smell coming from it is, not very appealing.

  “Ta-da!” Shelby lays her tray down first and I get my first good look at what I am assuming is coffee. Is it supposed to be that color?

  “Don’t look so scared, Winnie. We brought sugar and creamer to put in it.” Franchesca laughs when she sees my upturned nose.

  I follow her instructions and take a mug, putting a heap of white sugar and a decent pour of creamer into it. I lift the mug up to my nose and take another sniff. Not as bad as before, but still not very appeasing. I put the mug up to my lips and take a tentative sip.

  “What the bloody piss? I can't feel my tongue! No one told me it would burn off all my taste buds.” I put the mug down and grab a glass of Fey wine, taking a heavy gulp. “That was awful. Why would anyone drink this sludge?”

  Shelby and Franchesca are both laughing, Edrik is shaking his head, a mug in his hands that I watch him take a small sip out of, the bastard. He could have given me some pointers on the correct way to drink this drivel.

  “I told you it was nasty. Next time, you should listen to me.” Rook says as he takes a drink of his own Fey wine. He seems to be the only one not drinking this undrinkable concoction. Even Hawkeye is holding a mug up to his mouth, a smirk on his lips.

  “Try it again, Winnie. This time, try to take a small sip while it is still hot.” Franchesca pushes the mug back in direction.

  I push it right back. “Thank you, Princess, but I do not believe coffee will ever be a drink of choice for me.”

  “Winnie, don’t you know, coffee will put hair on your chest.” Shelby practically yells this at me. I wonder if she added a bit of the Fey wine she was refusing earlier into her coffee mug.”

  “I assure you, Shelby, I have enough hair on my chest. I do not need anymore.”

  I lean back in my chair and take in the conversations going on around me. This. This is what I needed. A circle of friends that have become more.

  A family.

  30

  They’re So Fluffy

  We are all gathered in the library going over different maps, trying to find any place we think Armand could be
hiding. Rook and Edrik are going over maps of the Inferior camps, Winston and Hawkeye are looking at the Dark Kingdom, while Shelby and I pretend to understand the one of the Light Kingdom we have been charged with.

  A quick knock on the door is the only announcement we get before my father comes bursting in. “We just received word that Armand has been spotted at the cave we discovered the other day. We need to head out immediately.”

  After dropping that information on us, he leaves as quickly as he arrived. The tension in the room just jumped up a notch and in the next breath, the guys are rolling up their maps and rushing out of the room. I look at Shelby and she is wearing the exact look of fear I feel on my face. We knew this day would happen. Eventually someone would see him and they would have to leave. I can only hope that they return to me, safe, and in one piece.

  I turn and run from the library, stopping in the foyer where I know they will have to pass through to leave. Rook runs down the stairs first, followed by Edrik, Hawkeye, and lastly Winston. They all stop in front of me, and I see excitement, but also looks of hesitation on each of them. Their duty is to find and eliminate him, but none of them want to leave us here alone.

  “Cara, remember your training. Stay in doors and don’t go anywhere without someone with you. Keep your dagger on you at all times.” Rook leans over and kisses me long and hard. “Se Agapo”, he whispers in my ear before walking out the front door.

  Edrik grabs me under my arms and lifts me into a hug, and I feel him shudder. “You are my heart, for always, Chess.” He puts me back on my feet and kisses me on the temple before turning to leave.

  “Princess, try not to get into too much trouble while we are gone.” Hawkeye gives me a wink and turns toward Shelby, “Little penguin, save the ass slapping until we get back home, alright?” Shelby and I both giggle and watch Hawkeye join his friends at the bottom of the castle steps.

  I look over at Winston, waiting for him to tell me goodbye when he shrugs his shoulders. “Someone has to be here to make sure you do not get into any trouble. Besides, your father thinks it is not smart for both Kings to be out, looking for Armand.”

  With that said, he turns on his heels and heads back in the direction of the library. Shelby grabs my hand and leans her head on my shoulder. “They’ll be okay, Frannie. There's no one more stubborn than those three. They'll come back to us safe and sound. You just wait and see.”

  The next morning I drag myself to the kitchen. I didn’t get much sleep last night. Between Shelby hogging most of my covers and the nightmares, I was up most of the night. Something is wrong. I can feel it in my gut. We haven't heard from anyone since they left yesterday morning, not that I thought we would, but the unease I feel is starting to get to me.

  I enter the kitchen, prepared to scrounge for food. The chef we have now is only here at night so if we want breakfast and lunch, we are on our own. I find Shelby sitting at the kitchen counter, her hair is all over the place. I probably shouldn’t say anything. I don’t think I could get a brush through mine right now if I had to.

  “Frannie, I’m hungry and you know I can’t cook. Isn’t there someone here who can fix us something? I’m tired of fruit and hard boiled eggs for breakfast.” My poor best friend.

  I walk to the fridge and look inside, hoping something will stick out at me. Maybe I could scramble some eggs? I mean, it can’t be that hard, can it?

  “I was told not to let either of you anywhere near the kitchen. So, what do you think you are doing, Princess?”

  I jump at the sound of Winston’s voice. “Crap on a cracker, Winston! You scared me half to death. If you must know, I was about to make scrambled eggs for breakfast.”

  Winston cocks an eyebrow at me, shrugs, then heads over to sit by Shelby at the counter. I take the carton of eggs out and place them on the counter before looking for a bowl big enough to crack them in. Once I have it, I take the first egg and crack it open on the bowl. I watched Gretchen enough times over the years to do this right. When I attempt to open the egg over the bowl, a small piece of shell falls in. I use my fingers to try and grab it, but geez, eggs are slippery things. Eh, one small piece of shell should be okay. I continue cracking all the eggs, certainly ten is enough, and then take the whisk and begin to beat them. I see Winston, out of the side of my vision, lean up and peer into the bowl.

  “Princess, if it is all the same to you, I would rather not eat egg shells for breakfast.” He looks up at me, a smile trying to break through his serious face.

  “There are not that many shells in there.”

  “I watched you throw at least three entire shells in the bowl.”

  I put the whisk down and put my hands on my hips. “They started to crumble. What’s a little shell going to hurt anyone anyways?”

  Before I can pick up the whisk to start beating the eggs again, a hand covers mine. “Princess, let me make you and Shelby breakfast. Go sit, and I will take care of it.”

  “Winnie, you know how to cook?” Shelby is practically jumping in her chair. Traitor.

  “I had my own Gretchen growing up. I spent a lot of time in the kitchen with her, hiding from my father. She taught me enough to make sure I would never go hungry in the middle of the night.”

  I take the seat he vacated, and we stare at him as he begins to take different items out of the pantry and fridge. “Um, Winston, what exactly are you making us?” Please say pancakes, I think to myself.

  He glances up at me and smiles that ever charming smile of his. “Pancakes of course, Princess.”

  I bite my bottom lip to keep myself from squealing out. I haven’t had good pancakes since we lost Gretchen. I hope they are good.

  We sit there and watch him measure out different ingredients before mixing them all together. Once he has everything done and the skillet on the stove is sizzling, he begins to pour the batter. After a few moments, he lifts the skillet and tosses the pancake into the air, and I watch with my breath held until I see it land perfectly back into the pan. I look over at Shelby and she is staring at him with her mouth hanging open.

  “Frannie, did you just see that?” Shelby leans over and whispers in my ear.

  All I can do is nod my head. I can’t make myself look away from Winston. In the kitchen. Flipping pancakes. Who is this man and what has he done with my asshat?

  Winston once again picks the skillet off of the stove and slides the pancake effortlessly onto a plate. He places it and a jar of homemade syrup in front of Shelby. He gives her a wink, then starts the process all over again. “Frannie, I think I am in love.” I jerk my head to look at Shelby and realize she’s talking about her pancake. She licks her lips before taking a huge bite. “Oh yeah. I am definitely in love. Winnie, this is the best pancake I have ever had.”

  I glance back at him, and see his back shaking from laughter. It doesn’t take long before Winston is presenting me with my very own large pancake. It is perfect. Golden brown, steamy, and the smell. Oh it smells so good. I grab the syrup and smother it, before cutting a small piece and taking a bite. “ThisisthebestpancakeIhaveeverhad.” My words come out in a jumbled mess, probably due to the pancake I am now shoveling in my mouth. Whatever.

  Winston goes back to cooking more, smart man, and every time he flips one, Shelby and I begin clapping. When he is finished cooking the rest, he presents us with a platter piled high of big, glorious, fluffy pancakes. We clap once again, this time, Winston laughs and bows at us. Who knew he could be like this? When he turns his back to us, Shelby pinches my arm. I give her my, what the heck face, and see her wiggling her eyebrows up and down. Yeah, I know. If he will continue to cook like this for us, he is definitely a keeper.

  31

  Bloody Trail

  The next day, we finally receive some word about what is happening. It seems that Armand has been busy in the Dark Kingdom. Winston takes this news very hard, but he still refuses to leave Shelby and I here to go back home. He told us his advisors have everything under control for now, and we
are his main priority.

  From what we understand, more minerals have been disappearing from the reserves and there has been a bloody trail of bodies all over the Kingdom. We still haven’t had anything reported back to us on Rook, Edrik, or Hawkeye and my worry is at an all time high.

  I needed some time alone, so I am hiding out in my bedroom when there is a knock on my door. Winston opens the door and walks in like he owns the place. I am in no mood to deal with him or anyone else right now. “What do you want, Winston?”

  He must sense my mood because he sits beside me on the couch and takes my hand in his. This simple act comforts me and I find myself leaning against him, tears I didn’t know where there begin to fall down my face.

  “What is going on in that head of yours, Princess?”

  “Why haven’t we heard anything about them yet?” I sit up and wipe my nose on my shirt. Princess manners be damned at this point.

  I feel Winston tense up and my heart stops. This can’t be good. He lifts my chin and looks at me before wiping the tears off of my cheeks.

  “We just received word that Armand hit the Inferior camps. He took out half of the camp, including most of the Renegade area surrounding them.”

  I jump to my feet, my hands covering my face. “Not Annie and Helen!” I whirl to look at Winston, “Tell me everything you know. Every detail, no matter how insignificant it may seem to you.”

  “Please, sit down and I will tell you everything I know. It is not much, but from what I do understand, he hit them last night. Edrik, Rook, and Hawkeye are all headed there now to see what they can do. With over half of the camp gone or still on fire, they are going to try to convince the people to move here. We need to start gathering all the supplies and medicines we can before they arrive. If everything goes as planned, we should start seeing them tomorrow morning.” He takes a deep breath before continuing, “They believe Armand is now headed here, so security will get tighter. As of now, unless you are helping the Inferiors get settled, you do not go beyond the castle doors. You definitely do not go outside these walls without me. Ever.”