Royal Threat

by Michael Pierce

  “I told him everything I knew—our other properties; father’s friends and associates,” Johanna said with a shrug like it was no big deal.

  Now was not the time to tell her about her father. I cringed at the mere thought of him and dreaded telling any part of that story again.

  Kimera came skidding around the corner, her eyes brimming with tears.

  “What happened?” I asked.

  It took her a minute to steady her breathing enough to talk. “They don’t want to go—spouting about not doing anything rash to risk their tenure.”

  “It’s okay,” I said. “Like I said, your family should be fine to stay. All these other staff members will be going back to work in the morning. I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about.” I had no idea how much of what I was saying was true, but didn’t want to frighten her any more than she already was.

  Her body was trembling as I gave her a hug. I didn’t ask her again, but simply held her tightly, then left with Rod and Pax leading the way.

  “Wait,” Kimera called after us. She hadn’t moved from the spot where I’d left her. She let out a long breath, her hands fidgeting at her side. “Wait; I’m coming with you.”

  I stopped and waited for her to catch up while the rest of the group continued into the deserted Sub-level corridors. I took her hand and ran after the others. Prince Byron had slowed down and patted the small of my back as we passed, then kept pace behind us.

  25

  Byron

  Rod and Pax led the way through Sub-level Two, since they had the most recent experience down there from their sweeps. We took a tunnel under the palace grounds, which dumped us past the stables. Then we were trekking through the woods in the dark. I had my phone out for light, but the battery was quickly draining. I just hoped it would last long enough to get us to safety.

  Once we were on the road behind the palace grounds, I called Grant, my chief interrogator, and told him to round up all the Easteria soldiers and vacate the palace, head toward the 24th Ward, and await further directions. Then I called Tabatha, who for probably the first time ever, didn’t pick up the phone; I left her a message, giving her a brief synopsis of the situation. She was welcome to hitch a ride with my guys if she also wanted to escape.

  With all my guys gone from the palace, I didn’t know what protection would be left. There weren’t many of the Queen’s soldiers left—not freed, anyway. But since we didn’t have a good grip on the situation consuming the palace, I felt our small group was safer traveling separately.

  “Where are we going?” Johanna asked.

  “I have friends nearby. It’s a bit of a hike, but not terribly far by foot. Victoria, are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” Victoria said. She wasn’t limping, but I knew she could hide her pain well.

  “Why, what’s wrong with you?” Johanna asked, turning to her sister.

  “Stepped on some glass, that’s all.” Victoria shrugged it off like it was no big deal—just a scraped knee or a paper cut. And to her, maybe that’s all it felt like.

  My next call was to Gabriel. I told him how many people were in our party and where to meet us, so he could plan accordingly. “Don’t show up in something flashy like a limo.”

  There was a hoarse chuckle on the other end of the line. “I’ll find something slightly more inconspicuous. Later, you’ll have to tell me what’s going on.”

  “I will. Don’t stop for anyone else,” I demanded.

  He agreed and I hung up just as the low battery alert flashed in the middle of the screen. Hopefully, everything would proceed with the plan I’d put into place. I shut off the phone to save what little juice I had left in case of an emergency.

  After another twenty minutes of walking, I turned us off the road and back into the woods. Luckily, Pax’s and Rod’s phones were still working, so they lit our path through the trees. We were soon met with a chain-link fence, which we had to climb over. Pax went over first. Rod and I helped boost the girls from our side, and Pax caught them on the way down.

  “I hope you know what you’re doing,” Victoria said as I cradled her hurt foot in my cupped hands.

  “Trust me,” I said.

  She was the only one not to need much help up and over, but she didn’t deny the assistance.

  We marched on through the woods, and by the time we reached the edge of the trees, the Duncan estate was clearly visible. The spiraling grounds reaching to the estate were relatively flat, with a garden and vegetable garden on one side. There was a stable, but the Duncans no longer owned horses, so now it acted as an oversized shed.

  Lights were on inside the estate, and as we crossed the field, one of the back-sliding doors opened, and Sir Leonard Duncan stepped onto the patio carrying a rifle. He was silhouetted by the lights pouring from the open doorway, not bothering to turn on the patio lights. He was a fierce old man, a shark in his business, and I still found him intimidating in his late sixties. He didn’t seem to have any staff members backing him up; it was just him waiting for us. His wife, Delores, was a slight woman, but both were as hard as nails.

  “I’m sorry to inconvenience you like this,” I said as we drew nearer. “I know it’s a dreadful hour.”

  “Nonsense, Your Highness,” he answered in a low, gravelly voice. “I am no stranger to work at what others call dreadful hours. Business on the east coast starts early. Get in here and rest your feet.”

  I could only imagine Victoria would love the sound of that, but it was Johanna who sighed in relief. “Thank you. That would be so amazing.”

  “Is this the lot of you?” Sir Leonard asked.

  “We kept the group small for more efficient travel,” I said, offering him a hand.

  “Very smart,” he said, nearly crushing my hand in his grip, then slid the glass door closed and offered us to sit one room over from the dining room.

  There was an assortment of upholstered couches and chairs, coffee tables and end tables symmetrically placed between. A white brick hearth was built into one wall with a framed world map behind glass. The paper map itself was creased and torn at parts and looked hundreds of years old.

  I sat next to Victoria, the other girls claiming a couch across from us, and Pax dropped into an adjacent chair. Rod remained standing, refusing to relax.

  A middle-aged female staff member brought in a tray of snacks and sparkling water with various fruits floating inside the pitcher. She promptly left after setting the tray on the closest coffee table.

  Lady Duncan joined us moments later with her husband.

  “You didn’t have to do all this,” I said.

  “It was no trouble at all,” she said with a warm smile; she was always the perfect hostess.

  “I thought this place seemed familiar,” Victoria leaned in and whispered to me.

  I rose to greet Lady Duncan, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Then she turned to Victoria.

  “Princess Amelia, you look even more beautiful without the mask,” she said, taking one of Victoria’s hands in both of hers.

  “Thank you,” Victoria said, shyly. She really couldn’t take compliments.

  “You said it was an emergency,” Sir Leonard said. “You know we’re always happy to help.”

  “And you know, I always appreciate your help—as does the rest of my family.” I said, then glanced across the coffee table to the other girls, who seemed understandably perplexed. “This is Sir Leonard and Delores Duncan. Sir Leonard owns businesses that import and export a variety of goods across the continent. He’s done a lot of work with my family over the years. He’s a close family friend, which is a good thing to have on this side of the world, especially in light of all that is happening here.” I finished by introducing the girls.

  “So, do tell,” Sir Leonard said once he’d officially met the girls. “I know there’s been controversy with the Princess. If you say everything that’s circulating is shit, I’ll believe you—pardon my language. We did watch you both on television from the Foundati
on Day palace celebration. We had planned on attending, but Delores was feeling under the weather.”

  “Nothing serious, I hope.”

  “I think I was just over tired,” Lady Duncan said. “Nothing to be alarmed about. I feel fine now.”

  “It’s more complicated than a simple yes or no,” I said. “The girl sitting before you, whom you also met at your masquerade ball, is the proper Princess Amelia. She should—will be the next Queen of Westeria. But… but there are imposters. And tonight, these imposters have just taken control of the palace.”

  “They’ve imprisoned the Queen?” Lady Duncan gasped.

  “They’ve murdered the Queen.” I pushed past the shocked expressions from both Duncans—and Sir Leonard was not an easy man to shock. “I don’t know what will happen next. This has just happened within the last few hours. But it goes to show how capable these imposters are. The Princess here is in grave danger. There is a lot more to the story, but I can’t get into all that now. Right now, I simply appreciate your help in hiding us until our ride arrives, and your discretion going forward. We were never here, and you have no inside knowledge of what is happening within the royal family.”

  “We can do more than stay silent, which we most certainly will be,” Sir Leonard said. “I owe a great deal of my fortune to your family. What other assistance do you need? I can make it happen. How about safe passage back to Easteria?”

  “At some point I may take you up on that, but not today,” I said. “We are not going to flee the Kingdom and leave you to the mercy of a usurper.”

  “I will be at no one’s mercy,” Sir Leonard said with a predatory grin. “We travel between kingdoms regularly as it is. We are not tied to any one of them. And I know even these usurpers, as you call them, would not wish to lose the money I bring into this Kingdom.”

  “I expect that would be true, but I don’t yet know how rational they are.”

  Sir Leonard waved the comment off with a huff. “Money can always change opinions. It’s all a matter of how much.”

  “The Queen has lots of money,” Victoria said. “These people will be acquiring all of it. I don’t think they’ll need more.”

  “But the Queen has been financing Easteria for the better part of a year to keep them afloat while they’re at war. Yes: I know about that, Prince DuFour. She was spending a lot with the promise of a certain return on her investment from your parents—and I know they would keep their word. But despite that, she may have depleted her cash reserves significantly.”

  “And our financing has most likely dried up overnight,” I said, thinking back to the call from my parents. It had been a preemptive strike on Easteria and I hadn’t even known. The gears were already in motion, with nothing I could do to stop them.

  “What is it your Kingdom needs most?” Sir Leonard asked.

  “Supplies and food to the troops at the front line, I think,” I said. “My parents would know better. I’ve been so far removed from everything back home.”

  “From what I hear, you’ve been helping them a great deal.”

  I may have been helping from afar, but it didn’t feel the same as helping alongside my brothers on the battlefield. It didn’t feel like I was doing my part, even though everyone kept assuring me I was. But then my mind went to Victoria—as it did every time I yearned for home and my part in all this. Without this assignment, I would have never met her—and when I thought of it in those terms, it felt like enough. The problem was, I always needed the reminder—I needed her by my side to remind me.

  “I need to be careful with who we publicly show our support to in a time of war between kingdoms because I service all of them. But that doesn’t mean I can’t help. I will supply your Kingdom with extra food and supplies, but it will be up to your channels to get those supplies to the front line—at least until things can be patched up here.” Sir Leonard was a ruthless business man, but he looked concerned and sincere with his offer.

  “I don’t know what to say,” I said.

  “If we ever find ourselves on the opposite side of the road, you will be willing to return the favor,” he said with a smile. “I don’t expect that to happen, but you never know.”

  “Life is full of surprises,” I said. I’d known the Duncans for a long time, my parents knew them even longer, and they’d always been supportive of our rule—but I didn’t know if it was wise to be indebted to them. But currently, I didn’t know what choice I had.

  “That it is, Your Highness.” Sir Leonard gave me a knowing smile and reached a hand out for me to shake. A gentleman’s agreement. “I will discuss any details with the King.”

  “I know they’ll be very appreciative,” I said, taking his hand and trying not to flinch from his extraordinary grip.

  Before we could get hit by an uncomfortable lull, the doorbell rang—a charming sequence of various tonal chimes. I looked to our hosts, who did not leave to get the door. Moments later, the staff member from earlier led Gabriel and Kale into the room.

  “We got here as soon as we could,” Gabriel said.

  “Did you drive separately?” I asked.

  “Yes; we have two cars.”

  I stood and offered a hand to Victoria. She didn’t immediately notice it, wide-eyed from Kale’s arrival. I could tell she wanted to ask him a million questions, but not here in the middle of everyone.

  “Thank you again for your help and hospitality,” I said as I wished the Duncans a fond farewell.

  We headed out to the cars and had to decide who would ride with whom. I didn’t want to part from Victoria, but the look on her face told me that would most likely be the case. I needed to talk with Gabriel, and it was obvious she needed time with Kale. I didn’t fight her.

  26

  Victoria

  Prince Byron didn’t want to let go of my hand, and to be honest, I didn’t want him to either, but I needed to talk to Kale. The cars would be following each other, so it wasn’t like we were really going our separate ways. With a kiss, Prince Byron helped me into the passenger side of Kale’s sedan before running over to hop into the Jeep idling ahead of us. Pax and Kimera piled into the backseat. Johanna seemed to have bonded with the Prince and was eager to join him in the vehicle, along with Rod. Kale had told me about his and Johanna’s brief relationship during the time of my convenient memory gap, so that may have played a part in her vehicle choice as well.

  “Are you going to tell me about it?” I asked, once we were driving out of the 1st Ward.

  Kale kept his eyes on the road, our headlights shining on the back of the deep blue Jeep. His face looked fierce and haunted, his jaw clenched, his grip tight on the steering wheel.

  I didn’t want to push him. The two backseat passengers were quiet and may have fallen asleep. It was nearly dawn, after all. We were driving East and the horizon would be shades of pink, orange, and purple within the hour. I’d had many long nights, but I thought this one may have been the longest.

  After a few more minutes of silence, Kale finally decided to speak. “I don’t know what I was expecting… but I hadn’t expected that,” he said somberly.

  “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” I said.

  “I’m doubting you have any good news to share to take my mind off—off everything, I guess.”

  I thought about it for a moment. “We have each other, and that’s something,” I said.

  “Each other,” he scoffed, gripping the wheel even tighter. “All we have to do is let down our guard for a moment and everything can be taken away.”

  “I know it’s hard, but if we stick together, we can get through this. I don’t know what we’re going to do yet. But we’ll think of something—do something, and we’ll succeed.”

  “She killed everyone, Victoria,” Kale whispered, his voice strained to release the words. “Everyone. She wasn’t just there to assassinate my father—or maybe she was and took matters into her own hands. My mother was still hanging on when I got there, but j
ust barely. She was shot several times and had dragged herself behind the house to escape the line of fire. I found her sitting, propped against the outside wall, simply waiting to die. There was nothing I could do for her. I couldn’t help her. Couldn’t move her. Couldn’t do anything but sit with her until the end.” He spoke without breathing and had to finally stop to take a breath.

  “At least she had you to comfort her,” was all I could think to say.

  “She said the girl said her name was Bethany and she’d escaped the palace from terrible things the Queen had been doing. My parents could easily believe that. She’d talked about them helping you and hoped they’d do the same for her. She wanted to talk to my father—to give him inside information on what the Queen was planning. She didn’t arrive with an army; she was alone. No one saw a threat. Once my father granted her a private meeting, she suddenly attacked. I still don’t know how it was possible for her to singlehandedly take out my entire village. She was not fighting helpless women and children, but trained soldiers, fighters, mercenaries—and she killed them all—including the women and children.” His lips were trembling now. Even though he hadn’t seen the action, he’d seen the aftermath.

  “The Mackenzie estate was also nothing but a graveyard. The only one we found miraculously alive was my mother.”

  “And Mackenzie?”

  “He seemed to have escaped.”

  “That figures. My father was not so lucky. He was her first victim and she didn’t leave anything to chance with him, like she thought he was a vampire or something.” Kale let out a small, pained laugh, then shook his head. “I wish these memories could be erased like the ones you lost.”

  “I still wish they hadn’t. I would give anything to get those memories back, even the bad ones.”

  “Yeah, I know it isn’t the best comparison since I’d love for you to remember me—and us—the way we were. But I know that time’s set—done. Wrong even.”