“My feelings don’t matter,” he said into the darkness. “Thirty-one years after the fact, my father is finally ready to admit I exist.” He shook his head. “It’s too late. I won’t receive him.”
“You have to,” she said urgently. “Kardal, please listen to me. You have to see him, because if you refuse, everyone is going to know the rejection still hurts and you don’t want that. Your people will assume you’re sulking. That is not the measure of a good leader. Face him because you don’t have a choice. Don’t let him see that he still matters.”
He turned on her. “He doesn’t matter. He never mattered.”
She held her ground and met his furious gaze. “He matters a lot and that’s what makes you so angry. Whatever you tell yourself, he’s still your father.”
He continued to glare at her. Eventually some of the heat left his gaze. “You are not as I imagined,” he said.
Despite the tension in the air, she couldn’t help chuckling. “I know what you thought of me before so that’s hardly a compliment.”
“I mean it as one.” He touched his fingers to her face. “I have much to consider. Your counsel is most wise. I will not dismiss it simply because you’re a woman.”
“Thank you,” she murmured, knowing he was actually being sincere. The man might have gone to school in the west, but desert sand flowed through his veins. He made her crazy.
Worse, she wasn’t sure she would change even one thing about him.
Chapter Eight
The next morning Kardal’s assistant, Bilal, knocked on his door, then stepped inside to announce that Princess Cala was here to see him. Kardal hesitated. For the first time in his life, he didn’t want to see his mother. He’d spent most of the last night and this morning trying to forget what she’d told him. That King Givon was coming to the city.
He nodded at Bilal and told the young man to show her in.
Cala swept into the office. She wore jeans and a T-shirt, and looked more like a western teenager than a nearly fifty-year-old mother. Her long hair hung in a braid down her back.
“I thought you might refuse to see me,” she said as she plopped down in the seat across from his. “You were in quite the snit last night.”
“Snit?”
She shrugged. “You were obviously upset with both the situation and with me.”
“Upset?”
“Do you plan to repeat everything I say?”
“No.” He placed his hands on his desk. How could he explain what he was feeling? Why did he have to? Shouldn’t his mother understand?
Cala crossed one leg over the other and smiled at him. “I liked Sabrina. She’s very nice.”
It took him a second to catch up with the subject change. “Yes. I was surprised as well, although I’m not sure I would use the word ‘nice’ to describe her.”
“What word would you use?”
“Spirited. Intelligent.”
He thought of her advice the previous evening. That he couldn’t refuse the king’s visit because then he would be showing that Givon mattered to him. Not that he did. Kardal had stopped caring about his father a long time ago.
“I had suspected you two had much in common. I’m pleased that’s true,” Cala told him. “Have you decided what to do about the betrothal?”
“No.” Although the thought of being married to Sabrina was less distressing than it had been. “She is willful and still has much to learn.”
“And you can be a real idiot sometimes. I tried to raise you to believe women are the equal of men.”
Kardal raised his eyebrows. “I do not recall that lesson.”
“Of course you don’t.” Cala put both feet on the floor and leaned toward him. She drew in a breath. “Kardal, I’m sorry you’re upset about Givon’s visit. I had hoped that you would be willing to listen and understand now that you’re older.”
He sprang to his feet. “I have nothing to say on the subject.”
His mother’s dark eyes pleaded with him. “What about what I have to say?”
“It is not important.”
She stood and glared at him. “I hate it when you get this way. You talk about Sabrina being stubborn, but you’re the worst in that respect. You didn’t even ask me why.”
“Why what?”
“Why King Givon is coming for a visit. Why after all this time he’s finally making an appearance.”
Kardal didn’t want to know, but he also wasn’t about to admit that to his mother. Instead he inclined his head, indicating she could tell him.
“I asked him,” she said simply. “He stayed away because I told him he wasn’t welcome in the city. Last month I sent him a message requesting his presence here.”
He could not have been more shocked if she’d slapped him. “You invited him?” The sense of betrayal left a bitter taste on his tongue. Cala? “After what he did to you?”
She took a step toward him. “I’ve told you dozens of times, Kardal. There’s more to the story than you know. I invited him because it’s time we laid the past to rest.”
“Never,” he announced. “I will never forgive him.”
“You have to. It’s not all his fault. If you’d just let me explain.”
He turned to his computer and touched several keys. “Please excuse me, Mother. I have much work to do.”
She hesitated for a minute or two, then left his office. Kardal continued to stare unseeingly at the computer screen. Finally he swore, stood and left the room as well.
Sabrina consulted the dictionary on her lap, then returned her attention to the ancient text on the small table in front of her. Old Bahanian was a difficult language in the best of circumstances. When written in a curvy script and seven-hundred-year-old ink, it was practically impossible.
Picking up a magnifying glass, she brushed away some dust with her gloved fingers. Was that an r or a t, she wondered. Did the—
The door to her quarters flew open and Kardal stalked into the room. She stared at him thinking that he never walked or stood like a normal person. He was forever looming and pacing and sweeping around. Even as she watched, he unfastened his cloak and tossed it on the bed, then moved to stand next to her.
“What are you doing?” he demanded.
She set down the magnifying glass, then pulled off her gloves. “Trying to read this text. Unsuccessfully,” she added. “It’s something about camels, but I can’t figure out if it’s a bill of sale or instructions for care.”
He looked at the paper. “Why does it matter which?”
“Because it’s an old document related to a way of life that is lost to us. We’ll discover the truth about that time through the mundane. Which, by the way, is not why you came to see me. What’s wrong?”
He threw up his hands and paced to the window in her room. Once there, he stared out into the desert. “My mother invited him. That’s why he’s coming. She actually wrote him. What was she thinking?”
Energy poured from him, filling the room and making Sabrina wish there was something she could do to ease his suffering. Kardal was a strong man. From what she’d heard on her walks through the castle, he was well respected and honored as a wise ruler. But in this matter of his father, he was as confused as anyone else would be.
She put the dictionary on the table and went to stand next to him. “Which bothers you more?” she asked. “That he’s coming or that your mother invited him?”
He turned his dark eyes on her. His mouth twisted. “I don’t know. It’s been thirty-one years. I’ve never met him. What am I supposed to do now?”
“Pretend he is just another visiting dignitary. Have a state dinner with fabulous food and wine. Talk about world events and don’t let him see that you care.”
“I don’t care.”
He spoke forcefully, but she saw his pain and confusion. A part of her wanted to reach out to him. After all, they had a version of this circumstance in common. But she didn’t know him well enough to predict how he would react to an offe
r of comfort. And the thought of being physically close to him made her nervous.
Instead she crossed to her desk and pulled out a drawer. Taking a modern pen and paper out, she pushed aside the text and dictionary, then sat.
“We need a plan,” she said firmly. “I’m serious about the state dinner. What else do you want to do while he’s here? What about a tour of the castle? It’s been thirty-one years, right? I’m sure there have been changes.”
“We’ve modernized,” Kardal admitted, moving toward the table.
She glanced around at her room, her gaze lingering on the lanterns and the lack of running water. “Obviously the remodeling didn’t get this far,” she said dryly. “Okay, item one, the dinner.” She wrote. “Item two, tour of the castle and that security stuff that Rafe is in charge of.”
Kardal pulled out a chair and sat next to her. He wore a loose linen shirt and dark trousers. Even casually dressed, he appeared powerful and just a little scary. At least that’s what Sabrina told herself to explain the rapid beating of her heart. It couldn’t possibly be because he was sitting close to her, could it?
“The air force,” Kardal said.
Sabrina opened her mouth, then closed it. “Excuse me?”
“The air force,” he repeated. “That is why Rafe is here. He’s working with another American in Bahania. In the past few years it has become apparent that nomadic tribes and electronic surveillance isn’t enough to keep the desert safe. We need airplanes to patrol the area. Rafe and Jason Templeton, who is Rafe’s counterpart in Bahania, both have military experience. Your father and I hired them to get our air force up and running.”
“You’re kidding,” she said, still in shock. “You’re going to have a military presence here in the City of Thieves? And my father is doing the same?”
“We have valuable resources to protect. Not just the oil. Minerals are being mined. When tensions run high, we are vulnerable. My grandfather was a wise man in many ways, but he resisted technology. I don’t share his view.”
“I guess not.”
Sabrina supposed that when she thought about it, some way of protecting the country made sense. Bahania, like El Bahar, had remained neutral as much as possible throughout the past several hundred years. But situations arose that forced action. Or at least protection.
“What about El Bahar? Will they participate?”
Kardal frowned. “Hassan wants to invite Givon, but I have resisted. With my father coming here, I may not have a choice in the matter.”
“At the risk of starting trouble, wouldn’t everyone be safer if the three of you presented a united front?”
“Perhaps.” He looked at her. “Yes, of course. But for now I would rather be stubborn.”
“Just so you’re willing to admit it.”
They were sitting closer than she’d realized. She could see the flecks of gold in Kardal’s irises and the dark line where his whiskers began on his cheeks. Her gaze drifted to his mouth and she remembered what it had felt like against her own. He hadn’t tried to kiss her again. Was that because he hadn’t been pleased with what had happened before? Was he angry because she’d pushed his hands away?
She wasn’t going to get any answers to her questions, she told herself. There was no way she was going to ask them and he wasn’t likely to volunteer the information. Time to return to the subject at hand.
“Do you think the air force is the reason Cala invited Givon here? So that you would have to include him?”
“Perhaps. My mother rarely interferes with issues of state, but she understands the ways of the world. I frequently seek her counsel.”
“But not in this matter.”
“No. We disagree about King Givon.” He tapped the table. “You are right about the state dinner, however. It is necessary to act as if this visit is no different from any other. Would you plan that for me?”
His request surprised her. Her father rarely let her plan more than her own wardrobe. “Yes. Of course.”
“I’ll instruct the household staff to consult with you on every detail.”
She nodded, more pleased than she could say. “I’ll put together a menu, then discuss it with you.” A thought struck her. “If you like, I could find some El Baharian treasures in the vault and use them to decorate the dining room and the king’s rooms.”
Kardal grinned. “Tweaking Givon’s nose?”
“Just a little. Do you mind?”
He smiled at her. “Not at all, although I’m beginning to see that while it’s very pleasant to have you on my side, I would not want you for an enemy.”
She made a few more notes, then set down her pen. “Kardal, you have to really be prepared for this. Seeing your father is going to be a bigger deal than you imagine. If you don’t get ready, you won’t be able to do more than react when you see him.”
He stared into the distance. “I know. But how does one prepare for such an event? I can imagine it, as I have dozens of times in my life. I see him in my mind’s eye, but he doesn’t speak. After all this time, what is there to say?”
“I wish I knew.” Sabrina thought about her own father whose greetings to her usually consisted of an absent, “Oh, you’ve returned.”
“What do you want to say to him?” she asked.
Kardal leaned back in his chair. “I don’t know. I have many questions, but I’m not sure I still care about the answers. It was different when I was younger. However, I will consider your advice.”
She wanted to point out that considering and taking were two different things. She also thought he was wrong. He might be older, but she doubted his feelings for his father had changed very much over the years.
“Will King Givon come alone or bring his sons with him?”
“My mother didn’t say and I have not clarified that with her.” Tension filled his body. “I will speak with her today and let you know so that you may plan accordingly.”
“Thanks. I’ll make sure the appropriate number of rooms are ready.”
Kardal shook his head. “His sons,” he repeated slowly. “My half brothers. I have never met them. They are married, they have children. Nieces and nephews.”
“I know,” she told him. “It’s weird. I have four half brothers. Of course most of them are only half brothers to each other. My father wasn’t like yours. He didn’t see the need to stay loyal to one woman.”
She stopped and pressed her fingers to her mouth. “Sorry,” she said quickly. “I didn’t mean…” Because King Givon hadn’t been faithful to one woman and Kardal was the result of that indiscretion.
“I know what you mean,” he said.
Sabrina shuffled her papers. “Are you sure about this?” she asked. “About me? Isn’t there someone better qualified to handle these arrangements?”
“You do not want the job?”
“No. I’m happy to help. I just don’t want to make any mistakes.”
He touched her arm. She felt the contact all the way to her thighs. It was as if fire flickered inside of her.
“You are the one I want,” he said.
She knew how he meant the words. She was the one he wanted to prepare for King Givon’s visit. But for one heartbeat, she took his statement a different way. A more personal way. Her chest tightened, as did her throat. In that split second, she wondered what it would be like to hear those words from Kardal and having the meaning be romantic. What would it be like to be wanted by this man?
But she would never know. She was betrothed to another. It was her duty to guard her innocence to present to her husband on their wedding night. Oddly enough, she’d never been tempted before. She’d never thought about being with a man. Why did Kardal change all that?
A knock on her bedroom door made them both look up.
“Come,” Kardal called.
Rafe stepped into the room. He nodded at Sabrina, then turned his attention to his employer. “It’s nearly time for the conference call.”
Kardal nodded. “Ordering a d
ozen jets is not as simple as one might imagine,” he told Sabrina as he rose. “Thank you for your assistance.”
Then, in an act that surprised her more than anything since her capture, he bent down and lightly brushed her mouth with his. He was gone before she could do more than open her eyes and wonder if the kiss had even occurred.
Why had he done that? she wondered when she could finally drag herself out of her chair. Did it mean anything? She knew it was possible he’d reacted without thinking, but for some reason, she wanted the brief kiss to be significant. She wanted it to matter.
Feeling both silly and unexplainably happy, she put away the text she’d been reading when Kardal had arrived. She would spend the afternoon planning the king’s visit. She would need to tour the guest rooms and pick one for King Givon. She would also have to find out how many were in his party. Which would probably mean speaking with Princess Cala.
Sabrina wondered why Kardal’s mother had invited Givon to the City of Thieves after all this time. What did she think about the man who had seduced her when she’d been barely eighteen? Tradition might demand that he do his duty, but Cala had been five years younger than Sabrina was today. She didn’t think she would be very happy about sleeping with a stranger.
And what about King Givon? He’d been married at the time, with two sons of his own. She frowned as she tried to remember the age of his youngest. Was it possible his wife had been pregnant while he’d been staying in the City of Thieves? Why would he have agreed to such a thing?
Still mulling over the question, Sabrina picked up Kardal’s cloak from the bed and walked over to her closet. She would keep it here until she next saw him and could return it.
As she walked, something banged against her leg. Something small and square. Curious, she put her hand in the pocket and drew out a cellular telephone. What on earth? She stared at the flip phone, running her fingers along the cover. What was he doing with one of these out here in the middle of the desert? It couldn’t possibly work…could it?
She hung the cloak, then turned her attention to the cell phone. Her fingers trembled as she opened it and pressed the on button. The phone screen lit and beeped softly. The screen flashed several messages, including the name of the service provider and the cell phone’s telephone number. She blinked. There was a small D in the upper left corner indicating there was digital phone service, and the lit bars showed she had full reception. How was that possible?
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