“Right after the argument in the kitchen, I found out the Sadori military invaded the mine territory again,” he replied. “They’ve probably killed nearly everyone in Edinau.”
Her expression twisted up, and she brought her hands to her chest. Her father, Quig, had been sent out several times during the previous invasion, and it had ultimately cost him his life. She’d been very young and didn’t remember anything about him.
“Makes our personal troubles seem small,” she said.
Keiran shook his head and held out his arms toward her, drawing her in for an embrace. She willingly moved to him, holding tight and closing her eyes. He nuzzled into her black hair before stepping back.
“It’s a serious matter, to be sure, but I’m very much upset about what’s going on with your mother,” he admitted. “It’s selfish for it to be my focus right now, but I can’t help it. Having some peace over this would make dealing with other matters simpler. She’s never seen anything specific happen between us. I don’t know what I ever did to make her despise me so much.”
“She’s tried to keep me distanced from you since we were children, it’s nothing new. My mother has issues with royalty. I can’t blame her to some degree, considering she was basically a slave to your father, but that wasn’t your doing. I don’t want to leave the castle.” Thana frowned and shook her head.
“Nor do I want you to go.”
She shrugged. “Ironic she can demand her freedom from this place when I can’t have mine from her. I’m not a child anymore.” Thana gestured weakly between them, not sure what else to say about it.
She also knew this wasn’t the best time to get into it, but there might not be another chance once her mother returned. Her stomach knotted up, and she forced out the question that had been eating at her for a long while. “Things need to be cleared up between us. What do you feel for me?”
He was taken by surprise to have the question thrown out, but it had been on his mind as well. If it finally meant he knew where he stood then so be it.
His anxiety spiked and his heart raced, but he managed to find his voice. “I have held deep feelings for you for a long while. I know there are class division laws, but if I had my say, Thana, I’d ask for us to be wed.”
Though Keiran was subconsciously projecting his emotions, so his nervousness compounded her own, to hear that from him threw her into elation. A wide smile broke out, and she threw herself into his arms again, twisted a hand up in his hair, and drew him into a kiss.
They lingered in it for several moments awkwardly since it was only their second time. When they parted, Keiran moved his hands up to her shoulders, looking down into her eyes.
“So, I take it you’re all right with how I feel?” he asked.
Thana gave a shy smile. “Yes. I’ve loved you all along.”
He pressed a quick kiss to her forehead, his mind spinning. “You know, the issue of children belonging to their parents until they are wed brings up a serious question.”
Her head cocked to the side. “Which is?”
Keiran’s hands fell away from her. “Well, you’re my age, and still beholden to your mother. However, if you were merely fifteen and wed, you would be on your own. I don’t believe something magical happens to the mind at marriage that suddenly denotes responsibility or maturity. While I understand the reason for children belonging to their parents until they are older, by the time someone is over twenty, what is the reason for it?”
Thana didn’t disagree, and her dark eyes narrowed in thought. “You’re going to change the law, aren’t you?”
His expression grew serious. Sorna had asked for liberation for the indentured servants out of her desire not for freedom but to keep him from Thana. Now, he saw a way to expand that liberation and turn the tables. It wasn’t the right motivation for enacting laws, but he was desperate. He tried to think of any negative consequences, but he found none in the short time he debated it.
“Aye, I think I am. I’ll quickly have it drafted up and put in as part of the decree. No capable adult should be under the forced governance of another individual. So, if you wish to stay, you will be welcome and paid to do so,” he said.
Thana tipped her head back, quietly thanking God she wasn’t going to be forced to go with her mother. When she looked at Keiran again, another question came up. “Then why not change the laws about commoners and royalty being involved?”
“Authority over those laws was given to the church. They handle the laws regarding succession to the throne and how the monarch may go about producing heirs. I intended to consult with Father Beezle about it, but with what is going on, it will have to be temporarily held off. I hope you can understand,” he said.
She gave a nod, knowing it was better to have something with him in secret than nothing at all. The young woman wasn’t fully aware of the consequences of being found out, however. For her, the relief of freedom from her mother and knowing Keiran’s feelings about her was enough.
“I should go and get my things separated from my mother’s. I don’t want to hold you up from what you need to do, either. Keir, thank you.” Thana offered him a genuine smile.
He stole one more kiss from her before tugging open the door to let her out. “No thanks are needed. Get your things in order, but I’d recommend hiding out afterward until I can present the decree. I don’t want her storming in here and dragging you out before I get the law enacted.”
Thana gave him a nod and moved out into the hallway. There was a sentry coming in their direction, and she hastily went toward the servants’ wing. Keiran headed the opposite way toward the throne room, making brief eye contact with the guard as he kept walking.
The guard gave him a sidelong glance and said nothing. He was an old-timer named Farin Edmund, and he had seen them come out from behind a door that was rarely closed. It immediately fired up speculations in his jealous mind, and he wouldn’t forget.
***
Several hours later, activity in the castle was starting to wane for the day. Many of the men present earlier had been dispatched outside of the castle, earnestly preparing for military action against the Sadoris.
Keiran was fatigued, vampire or not, from the emotional turmoil of recent events. He’d assigned one of his scholars to draft up a brief decree as per his discussion with Thana. The notion of doing so had raised a few eyebrows, but no one in his immediate council had seriously challenged its validity.
He remained on the throne after signing off on a few final orders for the day. He was getting preliminary reports the army wouldn’t be ready to move out and begin the trek southward for at least four days. It would take the first scouts as long to return with news of what they faced. It was a frustratingly slow process, especially when Keiran hoped there might still be some survivors in the region.
There was something about it weighing even heavier on his mind, however, and it was something he didn’t expect to get through without significant resistance from many. While Keiran’s own father never traveled out to join in military conflicts, doing so had been the way of Tordanian rulers for centuries. His own grandfather had taken up arms several times during his long reign, and many of those instances were against the Sadoris. Keiran wanted to be as different from his father as he could manage, so he resolved to go along.
Though he was a vampire, he wasn’t immortal and didn’t have any heirs. Not yet having appointed a grand councilor to take over if something happened made him cringe, but he wasn’t ready to choose someone. Dealing with Peirte Methaius all of his life taught him all he needed to know about bad grand councilors.
Jerris entered the room as Keiran was trying to figure out the best way to tell his friend about his intentions. The redhead looked haggard. He’d spent most of his day working closely with his father, trying to coordinate the guards with the military. He was ready to get his mind onto anything else, and he suspected Keiran needed a break, too.
Keiran forced a smile for his friend, standing u
p and stretching. “Not a huge surprise the Sadoris are trying to test me so soon. Not like them to invade in the winter, though.”
The redhead didn’t want to discuss it but knew Keiran could probably use the chance to talk about it without a formal audience. “My father isn’t well for it in the least. He’s resolved he’s going to the front when the time comes. He says that since he has experience with the Sadoris, it’s in the country’s best interest for him to do so. I, however, disagree.”
“I’m sure there are several military men in command who remember their last invasion,” Keiran replied, moving closer to his friend. “Still, Kanan is getting on in years. I doubt he’d let anything stand in his way, though. He’s strong headed. Therefore, it’s best we go as well, to keep an eye on him.”
Jerris narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. “We? You? Keir, neither you nor I have ever been to war. What if something happens to you out there? What if something happens to me out there? It’s all right and fine that you can come back from the dead, you’ve done so before, but when I’m killed, it’s much more permanent.”
The guard’s fear over going was immediately palpable to Keiran, and he met his friend’s gaze. “Jerris, I won’t force you to go, but I am going. I can’t honestly send men off to risk their own lives if it isn’t something I’m willing to put my own neck out for.”
“Quite fitting since the Sadoris do have an affinity for beheading,” he sighed back, moving past the king and dropping himself down into the throne. He wasn’t at all concerned at the major faux pas he committed by doing so.
Keiran looked back at the other man, flopped in a tired and undignified pose. “Yes, and I’m certain if such a thing happened to me, it would probably not be something I would recover from. Still, I have no right to send men out there if I won’t commit to it myself. As for experience, it is something you only get by going and doing¸ rather than sitting back and leaving it in the hands of others. I must start somewhere.”
“Therein, I have no choice but to go, Keir. I’m your personal guard, and where you go, I must go as well.”
“Your father will be along. Technically, as my father’s guard, now that I’m King, he’s in charge of my protection.” Keiran went over and sat on the edge of the platform the throne was on.
Jerris didn’t respond right away. Keiran was right, though he didn’t like it. He’d known it wasn’t yet his official title. Just because Keiran had been promoted, didn’t mean he had. To be the ruling king’s personal guard, one first had to be knighted, and Jerris most certainly hadn’t been.
“So what does that mean for me?” Jerris asked. “Like hell you’re going and I’m not. I’m the prince’s personal guard, and now there is no prince. So what? Am I unemployed? Am I just another sentry now? I’ve hardly seen my father taking my place around you, King’s Knight or not.”
Keiran grit his teeth, able to feel Jerris’ disappointment. He’d not meant to hurt his feelings, but Jerris was young and hadn’t achieved knighthood. Still, Kanan hadn’t seen it fit to change Jerris’ role yet, and he honestly hoped the older man wouldn’t.
“No, you’re not being replaced,” Keiran said. “As far as your father and I are concerned, you will continue to be my personal guard even though you don’t have the title of King’s Knight, yet. I wouldn’t want you replaced. Still, if you don’t want to go to the border with me when the time comes, it can be arranged.”
“Damn it, Keir,” Jerris huffed. He pulled himself up and moved back toward the doors, stopping just long enough to smack the vampire in the back of the head. “I’ll be going with you even if I’m just a peon. Can’t wait to see how the few advisors you didn’t fire yet are going to handle this.”
Keiran got up and started to follow Jerris. He had more to say on the issue, but he stopped short when Sorna stormed through the doors, brushing past the redhead.
She gave little attention to the guard, fixing her sights on Keiran and crossing her arms over her chest. “Where is my daughter?”
The vampire looked past her. “Jerris, alert the castle staff to come to the throne room immediately. I have something to announce.”
The guard was confused, but he moved off to do as ordered.
“I’ll ask again, where is Thana?” Sorna demanded. She was pleased something was about to happen concerning the servants but annoyed Keiran hadn’t addressed her first.
He moved back up toward the throne but didn’t sit down. Instead, he picked up a document from a small table, reading over it briefly. Satisfied, he turned to face her. “I’m sure she will be brought in with the others in just a moment.”
“It’s getting very late, and I don’t have time for games, Your Majesty,” she countered. “I returned a while ago. I’ve already cleared out my room with my brother’s help, but noticeably missing was my daughter as well as the small crate she’d packed.”
“I’m not playing games with you, Sorna. I have right here the decree that grants your freedom. Thana is still here, I’m not holding her anywhere.” His attention drifted past her toward the doorway. Servants were beginning to file in, Thana amongst them. “There she is now. You will do nothing, Sorna, until after this decree has been given. I hope you will grant me at least that much.”
Though still agitated, Sorna relaxed a little once she saw Thana. The girl didn’t move toward her mother, however. She remained close to Corina, both of them still too angry with Sorna to give her any attention.
Within a few minutes, the room was fairly crowded. Though not all of the servants in the castle had been involuntarily retained in lieu of payment for taxes, it still accounted for nearly half. Keiran looked over them, wondering how many would choose to leave. He’d grown to know all of them over the course of his life and considered many to be friends. Still, letting them choose their own futures was the right thing to do.
“Earlier today, Sorna Leoram thought to ask me to free all those brought to the castle as indentured servants,” he said. Feeling the emotions coming off of Sorna dug at his aggression, but standing before the entire staff wasn’t the time to let his fangs show. “I have agreed, and this decree was immediately drafted.”
There was a murmur from those in attendance. No one had expected such a thing. Sorna gave a self-satisfied smile, tipping her head back slightly. She allowed herself a brief moment of pride in knowing she’d made the king act. It was the first time in her life she’d wielded power over anything besides Thana. She turned and started to push through the crowd, intending to grab her daughter and leave.
Keiran saw her do this, and it was what he’d expected. “Sorna, if you would allow me to read the text of the decree. It won’t take long.”
She immediately stopped, turning her attention back to the vampire. There was something in his tone that immediately worried her.
His eyes moved down to the parchment he held, though he’d already memorized the simple law written upon it. “Henceforth, no person, aged twenty years or more, shall be owned by another individual, group, or organization. Children under this age are subject to the power of their parents, family, or legal caretakers. I’d like to add that any of you who opt to remain will begin receiving payment for your work. The pay will be retroactive to the time you arrived here under my father’s reign. Those who choose to leave will also receive compensation equal to the amount of time they have spent in service.”
The prospect of back pay excited those who’d toiled for years without anything to show for it. There would undoubtedly be several who would take their back-wages and leave, but in their depressed economy, many would stay.
Sorna was silent even though the crowd around her erupted into conversation. A new fury swept over her, dwarfing the anger she’d felt earlier in the kitchen.
Thana wasn’t smiling or celebrating. Though relieved, it was still an important moment that would potentially destroy her relationship with her mother. She turned and moved toward Sorna, donning a serious expression.
Upset, Sorna reached out and grabbed Thana’s right arm. “We should go quickly before he changes his mind.”
She shook her head and pulled away from her mother’s grasp. “I’m not going anywhere, Mother. Just like you, I have been granted my freedom. I choose to stay and to be paid for this work.”
Sorna’s eyes went wide, and she drew back her right hand to slap Thana for her impudence. Before she got the chance, however, Corina stepped forward and grabbed her arm, turning her forcibly away from the young woman.
“It would be in your best interest to leave this castle at once, Sorna,” Corina said, voice flat. “I will look after Thana, and when you have regained your better senses, you will be welcome to come for a visit.”
“Don’t touch me you old whore!” Sorna struggled against the other woman’s grip, but Corina was just as strong as she was.
When Corina did let go, Sorna took a step back, her voice shrill over the rest of the room. “I had King Turis Lee cost me my husband, and now this king takes my daughter! This vampire is just as evil as his father! He should be killed!”
“Mother, stop!” Thana pushed to get between the two women, afraid the fight was at risk of turning physical. Sorna’s belief Keiran should be put to death severed some of the girl’s remaining deference to her mother. “Don’t you say another word like that about Keiran!”
The sentries flanking the door heard this and didn’t wait for any order before acting. They rushed in and moved to stand on either side of Sorna, each with a hand on her shoulder. No one honestly suspected the old woman would make an attempt on Keiran, but there were rules in place for such outbursts.
He looked down from where he stood. Her presence in the room caused the ache over his canines to return. With a small nod, he signaled the sentries to remove Sorna from the castle. He prayed she would calm down and come to her senses for Thana’s sake before too long.
The Queen Maker Page 3
