“One tried to kiss me once,” Mina said and puckered her face like she’d eaten something sour. “I slapped him!”
I laughed at her dramatics, forcing a calm and carefree demeanor. “Good! Make him earn it—well, all of them. You’ll be able to have your pick. If I was a few years younger, I’d most likely be one of them too, fighting for your hand.” I kept a smile painted on my face, but it began to hurt. My insides were in knots. I pried my eyes from Mina, fighting to retain my smile. “And who have we here?” I asked.
“Oh, that’s just Victoria,” Johanna said dismissively and hooked her arm in mine like I was already hers.
“Pleasure, just Victoria. I’m just Kale,” I said, offering my hand, knowing full well how much trouble I was in. My community—my parents—could never know what this girl was. And there was no way I could walk away now.
3
I hadn’t been back to see Abagail since I met Victoria. It was primarily due to guilt. I thought I knew what she was at that time, but I didn’t truly know until much later. Victoria and six other girls were clones of Princess Amelia—and so was Celeste.
Victoria and Constance had been taken the night of the raid on the Ramsey estate. It was the only explanation since I couldn’t find their bodies when I went back. I took comfort in the fact that they hadn’t been killed, so they were most likely being kept alive for a reason—they each had special roles to play. Or, they simply possessed sentimental value for the doctors now secretly in charge of the Kingdom.
I parked the car I’d commandeered from the Ramsey estate in front of Abagail’s cottage on the outskirts of the 24th Ward. After this, I didn’t know the next time I’d be back to this edge of the Kingdom.
It was still relatively early in the morning, but I wasn’t worried about proper calling times anymore. Before I reached the front door, I noticed her out in the field, tending to her vegetable garden. She’d already seen me—or simply saw that someone was here—but made no move to announce herself. I changed course and headed toward her.
“I thought you were gone for good,” she said as I approached, standing up and removing her gardening gloves.
“I was beginning to think I was too,” I said, stopping at the edge of the garden. “I was afraid I’d wake you when I drove up.”
“Me? No; I’m up with the sun every morning,” Abagail said. “I can’t get very much sleep anymore. Besides, there’s always a lot to do—a great many things to attend to around here. Where’s Marigold?”
“I haven’t had the luxury of riding lately. I’ve had to downgrade to automobiles.” I smiled. She gave a half-hearted laugh, but didn’t say anything else. Her smile faded as she waited for me to continue—to tell her why I was really there. “Have you heard the news yet?”
“About the Queen?”
I nodded.
“I heard it on the radio yesterday afternoon. A terrible thing. I don’t see how her poor daughter is up for the task, but I suppose with the help of that Easteria prince and the Queen’s advisors, she’ll be okay. Did you really come back after all this time just to ask me if I’d heard about the Queen’s death?”
“No,” I said, my gaze dropping to my feet. “Something else has happened, something I suspect you won’t be hearing about from the palace. And you deserve to—you deserve to hear it from someone who cares about you and your family.” I paused and rose my gaze so I was looking her in the eyes. “I’m sorry to tell you that your husband is also dead.”
The expression on her face was that of disbelief, not sorrow. “I don’t understand. How would you know this? You two never even officially met.”
“I know and I’m sorry,” I said, trying to keep my tone even. “But I now know who he is—who he was. I now know who Celeste was. It’s okay, your secret is safe with me. I’d never tell anyone. I wouldn’t do that to Celeste, or you, or Dr. Sosin.”
“What… What do you think you know?” Abagail’s eyes narrowed.
“That Celeste was a clone of Princess Amelia. It’s okay. I know. I’ve met the others.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Celeste was our miracle baby. After many years of trying, the Good Lord blessed us with the sweetest, kindest, most beautiful little girl.”
I remembered that girl all too well. I saw her whenever I saw Victoria—or any of the other six girls from my short time in the palace. I went on to explain what I assumed she already knew. “Your husband, along with other doctors at the palace, were tasked with an experiment to clone Princess Amelia due to her ailing health. Then the Queen—”
“I’ve seen the Princess on TV. I heard her on the radio yesterday,” Abagail said, almost angrily. “My husband and his team worked tirelessly to help that poor girl, and they succeeded. She now looks as healthy as any one of us. Thanks to him. The whole Kingdom owes him more than they will ever know.”
I didn’t know how to respond. “Yes… umm…”
“How do you know my husband’s dead? It’s not like you have ties to the palace. I’m sure everything that’s happened with the Queen is keeping him extremely busy—that and helping with the Princess. I have no doubt he’s fine. He’s scheduled to come home next week for a few days.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t come here to upset you. I—”
“Then why would you say that?”
“I must have received bad information, that’s all—from a friend who supposedly knows people at the palace, but he was obviously mistaken.”
“It’s okay,” Abagail said, walking out from her vegetable garden, then giving me a hug. “It’s good to see you. My sweet Celeste would be so happy to know you still think of her.”
“Of course I do. I can never forget her,” I said, feeling right at home in this lovely woman’s arms. There was a time when I’d thought she’d be my mother-in-law. If only Celeste was still alive today. If only… a great many things were different.
“Do you have anywhere else to be right now?” Abagail asked, guiding me toward the cottage.
“Not this morning,” I said. “For now, I’m all yours.”
“Beautiful, then we should visit Celeste. You can tell her all about your latest adventures since you were last here.”
“I’d like that,” I said. “Though I don’t really have many adventures to tell.”
Abagail placed her gardening gloves by the front door, along with her apron. “Nonsense,” she said. “A heathy boy your age must have countless adventures. We’d love to hear all about them.”
We continued down the driveway and along the side of the main road, toward the cemetery. I thought of everything that had transpired in my life since I was last here. She wouldn’t believe most of those stories, no matter what I said. If I hadn’t just lived through them, I’d probably have a hard time believing the stories myself. Royal sabotage. Clones. An arisen king. Malevolent doctors.
“Did I ever tell you about the time I met the Duke and Duchess of the 24th Ward?”
“You did? How absolutely exciting!”
“Yeah… it’s a pretty interesting story,” I said as we walked along the empty main road. It was quiet aside from birds prattling away in nearby trees. “But I’ll save that one for later, so Celeste can hear it too.”
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About the Author
Michael writes YA speculative fiction. He currently lives in Southern California with his wife, kids, and two blood-thirsty chiweenies.
When he's not at the computer, he enjoys spending quality time with family, practicing yoga, playing guitar behind closed doors, and listening to as many audiobooks as possible.
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Also by Michael Pierce
THE ROYAL REPLICAS SERIES
Royal Replicas (Book 1)
Royal Captives (Book 2)
Royal Threat (Book 3)
Royal Return (Book 4) - Pre-order now!
THE LORNE FAMILY VAULT SERIES
Provex City (Book 1)
SUSY Asylum (Book 2)
Doria Falls (Book 3)
Archanum Manor (Book 4)
Royal Threat Page 23
