The Stolen Princess

by Kristen Gupton

  She laughed and shook her head. “I’ll admit, it’s rather mild compared to the weather back home.”

  The bottles were brought over to the table, Kanan handing their server a few coins for the trouble. “A little ale to help warm us up, so we can get down to business.”

  Kayla picked up one of the bottles and sipped. The bitterness of the rustic drink was a far cry from anything she’d had since living with the Nahli. Her nose wrinkled as she set the bottle back down.

  “Not to your liking?” Keiran asked.

  “Just different.” She smiled and leaned forward. “The Nahli do enjoy alcohol, but it is not the same. Have you come up with any ideas, Keir?”

  “Perhaps.” He pulled a out a folded document, smoothing it out onto the table. “This is as good a place as any to start, I think. We’ll have to go to the Alerians, first.”

  “Despite their misgivings toward you?” Kayla asked. “You have nerves, I’ll admit.”

  Shrugging, he forced a smile. “I have to deal with them come spring, anyway. If I can prove to them I wasn’t the one who killed Adira, and I can get through to Theryn, it may work. They really are needed. If I can convince them to join us in going after Athan, since he did kill their last queen, the rest might not be so bad.”

  “You think you really have a chance?” she asked. “Being accused of assassination is no small charge. You were in their country and had apparent motive immediately before it happened. Athan’s involvement will probably be something of a shock to them, don’t you think?”

  “I don’t know. The more I’ve discussed things with my courier and Garhan, they assure me the new Alerian queen isn’t completely unreasonable.” Keiran turned his attention down to his notes. “Even if it requires me going to Aleria myself next year to do this, so be it. Perhaps it would be better for me to show up in person, anyway.”

  “Absolutely not!” Kanan slapped one of his heavy hands onto the table. “You are not stepping foot back in that country! None of us are! If Mari is willing to take the risk to do so, that’s on her. You’re the king, Keiran, you can’t chance it.”

  “Old man’s right,” Jerris added. He didn’t have any desire to ever see Aleria again.

  Keiran had expected his guards to disagree with his decision, but they weren’t in a position to actually stop him. “I understand your dissent to it, but you know it’s the best way to show her who I am. As Mari has said, Theryn is not Adira.”

  “God, Keir, you aren’t going to be happy until you get all of us killed,” Jerris groaned, shaking his head.

  “We have the rest of the winter to debate it, but if it seems like the best way to get this done, so be it,” he said, tuning them out and looking at his sister. “You would have no idea I was the king of this country, would you?”

  She gave an awkward shrug, not wanting to get in the middle of it. “It is their job to worry, I suppose.”

  Keiran scoffed. “Regardless, if I can gain their favor, it would give us the maritime support needed.”

  “And the manpower,” Kayla added. “I’m assuming their military is still quite large?”

  “Aye,” he said. “And, I had another thought. “I think it’s also possible to get the Weslanese to throw in with us, too. I may not have ties with them directly, but you, Kayla, are the daughter of one of their royals. That has to account for something with the Veller family.”

  “I hadn’t given them much thought, honestly.” She drummed her fingers against her bottle. “They tend to be rather insular, but it is certainly worth trying.”

  “We need to pursue every possible avenue we can think—” Keiran abruptly stopped and turned toward the door.

  Something was happening outside.

  * * *

  Since he’d not left the castle before, Garhan didn’t have any real appreciation for how anything outside of its walls was lain out. When he rounded the bend revealing the tavern, he gave a sigh of relief to see Keiran’s horse tied out front with the others. If they’d gone further into town, he might not have found them at all.

  With the building nearing, Garhan pulled the reins and stopped Quinrah. The mist-like figure he’d seen before manifested again, heading toward the tavern’s door.

  Garhan hastily dismounted and ran forward, pulling his sword out. Whatever this was, he was absolutely certain it was following his brother.

  The closer Baden moved toward the building, the more solid he grew, until he appeared as real as anyone else. Baden stared down at his hands, confused with his sudden visibility. He stood there and summoned all of his strength to vanish again, but it didn’t work.

  “Who are you?” Garhan asked, reaching out to forcibly spin the stranger around to face him.

  Baden reacted on instinct, swinging his right fist as he turned, connecting with Garhan’s temple.

  Garhan reeled from the blow, bringing up a hand to the side of his head. He slowly straightened back up, eyes narrowing. “Not the answer I was looking for.”

  Baden glanced down at his hand. He’d gathered who this was during his time spying within the castle. The fact Garhan hadn’t been incapacitated by the strike surprised him, though he’d never hit another vampire before.

  “Managed to pull yourself away from your painting, did you?” he snorted. “You are in no position to challenge me, bastard brother.”

  Garhan saw the resemblance this stranger bore to both Athan and himself. That cleared up some of the mystery of what he’d felt over the previous days, but questions remained.

  “Whoever you are, you’re not going any further,” Garhan said, straightening up again.

  With a sigh, Baden reached down to his own sword’s hilt and drew it in a far more practiced and elegant motion than Garhan had managed. “I was ordered not to engage any of you fools, but if you insist…”

  Garhan didn’t have a chance to respond before Baden lashed forward with his blade. The last time Garhan had used a sword in practice had taken place months before his imprisonment. Though he managed to deflect Baden’s first attack without any grace, he knew he was in trouble.

  Baden smiled, realizing this other vampire wasn’t going to pose any serious threat. While his father’s orders to not interact with anyone rang through his mind, he didn’t have an alternative. Try as he might, his ability to disappear or shape shift to flee the scene simply wasn’t working.

  The younger man swung again, the force of their blades meeting sending Garhan back a step. Baden had an incredible amount of strength behind his blows, and Garhan grunted as he pushed forward after the strike, shoving Baden away.

  Baden slowly shook his head, giving himself a moment to plan his next attack. Garhan had stopped the previous strikes by luck alone, and it wasn’t going to hold out. He brought his sword up, feigning as though he was going to slash at Garhan again.

  The elder vampire brought up his own blade to defend, realizing Baden was changing the sword’s trajectory and angle at the last moment. Instead of slashing toward Garhan, Baden thrust the blade forward, making it through Garhan’s panicked, amateur defenses.

  Baden smirked as his blade sank deep into the left side of Garhan’s chest. “Pathetic!”

  The immediate wrenching pain caused Garhan to freeze for a second. The cold of the blade stung within him, however, it had missed his heart. With Baden close, he brought his knee up quickly, squarely nailing Baden in the testicles.

  Baden yelped and staggered back, falling to his side in the mud. He screamed out a curse in Talausian, his voice shrill in his pain. Garhan had gotten him good, the ache radiating up into his stomach and almost inducing nausea.

  Garhan’s own pain and instincts clashed within him. His gaze focused on the sword protruding from his chest. Though there was no sense in doing so, he fumbled to sheathe his own weapon before wrapping his hands around the hilt of Baden’s. He closed his eyes and grit his teeth, working up the nerve to start pulling the blade from his body.

  He gave a groan as the steel start
ed to move, unable to draw a breath until the end of the weapon was pulled free. Garhan kept the sword clenched in his right hand, his left pressing over the entry point. Though he’d never sustained such an injury, Keiran’s accounts indicated it should have started healing relatively quickly, given that Garhan fed from Mari regularly. However, the searing agony wasn’t abating, and his knees started to feel weak.

  The door to the tavern flew open, Keiran, Kanan, and Jerris racing out into the street, weapons drawn. Keiran smelled blood in the air, and saw the staining on the front of Garhan’s linen shirt, as well as the bloodied weapon in his hand.

  He ran forward and kicked Baden onto his back before kneeling down and pinning him. “Who in the hell are you?”

  Baden looked up at the Tordanian, fangs bared, but refused to answer. He struggled to break free, but Keiran was strong enough to restrain him.

  Jerris and Kanan quickly descended upon the newcomer with Keiran, the older guard pulling a pair of iron restraints from his belt. Within seconds, they had Baden’s hands secured behind his back, and dragged him to his feet.

  Keiran turned his attention to Garhan once Baden was shackled. “Good God, are you all right?”

  Garhan started to nod, but an overwhelming wave of nausea forced him to turn away and vomit. His ears rang as the shock of what he’d endured combined with his fear of being outside. He started to waver, the sword he held clattering to the ground.

  Keiran moved over and placed a hand against his brother’s back. “Garhan, vampire or not, you’re in shock.”

  “I’m all right.” He let out a shaking breath, feeling a cold tingle run over his skin. Garhan placed his head in his hands, trying to calm down. The wound still wasn’t closing, air wheezing from the injury when he tried to breathe. “I saw him follow you out of the castle. I wanted to stop him…”

  “I knew something wasn’t right,” Keiran said, turning back to his guards. He wondered if Garhan was too close to the Northern Star to heal properly. “Jerris! Help Garhan move away while I figure out what’s going on. He has to move further from Kayla’s talisman.”

  The redhead nodded and jogged over. He picked up Baden’s abandoned sword from the ground, then turned to the injured vampire. His skin crawled at the sight of Garhan’s injury, but it had to be pushed aside.

  Garhan put his arm around his shoulders, and the two slowly moved off from the group. He didn’t know how far he was going to be able to walk before he lost consciousness, but the further they went, the more his pain lessened. Before too long, the threat of passing out abated, and Garhan’s injury began to heal itself.

  Baden writhed against his single human captor, but Kanan’s grip was unrelenting. While Baden was physically strong, it wasn’t enough to break his restrains or to shake off Kanan’s hold. The old man was far stronger than any ordinary human he’d encountered, his hands large enough to grip around Baden’s upper arms with ease.

  Keiran’s eyes narrowed, and he moved to stand chest to chest with the stranger. He could see a resemblance to Athan, his anger starting to spike, causing his fangs to descend. “Once more, who are you?”

  If Baden’s mouth hadn’t been dry from his brief fight, he would have spit into Keiran’s face. He didn’t respond, his world still hazy from the ache in his groin and lower stomach.

  “Dear God, it’s Baden Vercilla.”

  Keiran spun around, seeing Kayla a short distance away. “You know him? One of Athan’s sons?”

  Kayla had tears in her eyes as she took a step forward. She hadn’t seen Baden since he’d been seven years old, when Athan had shown her the boy’s dead body. How he was now standing there before her, a grown man, she didn’t understand. Yet, she knew it was him.

  “Yes, he is our son,” she whispered, shaking her head.

  Keiran’s brows rose, she’d never mentioned him in their previous discussions.

  Baden’s jaw tensed as he stared his mother down. “Don’t pretend to have remorse after rejecting me all those years ago!”

  “Reject you?” She went closer, her hands knotting before her chest. “You were dead! Athan killed you!”

  He rolled his eyes and scoffed, looking away. “He changed me, and you refused to have me around afterward!”

  It felt like her knees would give out. The impossible relief of knowing her son wasn’t dead was in direct conflict with the horror she felt over him being taken away from her in such a cruel ruse. “I never would have shunned you!”

  Keiran could feel the emotions ramping up between the two, and he raised his hands out. “Stop! Both of you!”

  Kayla’s lower lip trembled, and she reached up to wipe her eyes. She didn’t understand what was happening, her mind swirling with confusion.

  Keiran went over to her, his expression stern. “Don’t let him get into your mind, you need to keep clear right now.”

  She shook her head, forcing her gaze away from her son and up toward Keiran. “He was dead… He was only a little boy, and Athan killed him!”

  “Then he’s either not your son, or he was simply killed to change him, Kayla.” Keiran reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Regardless, what do you want me to do with him? He’s alone. I felt someone around last night, but I knew it wasn’t Athan.”

  “I don’t know. My best plans to avoid detection have failed. I might as well already be dead,” she whimpered.

  Keiran gave her a gentle shake by the shoulder. “Kayla, he’s alone, Athan isn’t here. If he was, he would have already shown himself.”

  “Baden will tell him, though. He will escape the moment I run far enough away that my talisman doesn’t keep his powers muted! If he’s been around unseen before now, then he’s undoubtedly a shape shifter like his father. You won’t be able to restrain him.” She looked at her brother, absolute despair emanating from her.

  Keiran glanced back at the others, Baden glowering at him. His attention swung back to Kayla. “He’s powerless now. We can kill him.”

  Her eyes widened in horror. “How dare you! I can’t order the execution of my own son! Not after just learning he still lives! He’s my child, no matter how wayward he’s been driven!”

  He winced at her words, knowing it had been a callous thing to say. The reality they faced was harsh, however. “If Athan’s regime is going to be purged of those sympathetic to him, he will have to die.”

  She locked gazes with her brother, her jaw tensing visibly. “Keiran Valis Lee Sipesh!”

  The ache of remorse bit into him harder, and he turned away. Even though his son had only recently been born, he couldn’t imagine the pain of being thrust into Kayla’s situation. “I apologize.”

  “No matter how Athan fooled me into thinking he’d died, that is still my son. I can only imagine the influence his father has had over him all this time. He obviously wouldn’t mourn my death, but I will not allow his.” Kayla hung her head. “I can still pray for his redemption.”

  Keiran cursed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “We have to deliver you back to the Nahli without Athan finding out. You need that Northern Star to travel unseen, but I’ll need it here if I’m to hold Baden prisoner.”

  She looked up at him again. “A quandary.”

  He straightened to his full height, nodding to no one in particular. “Aye. We’ll have to take him with us in order to get you home.”

  She quirked a brow. “Excuse me?”

  “You put yourself at risk to seek my help, so I will help you.” Keiran offered up a faint smile. “It’s the only solution I can see. Once you’re back in the custody of the Nahli, I’ll have no choice but to let him go.”

  “Even if I survive such a thing, though, even if we all survive the trip, the moment he’s away from my talisman, he will kill you!” she said. “I cannot live with your death on my hands anymore than I could order his execution.”

  Keiran shook his head. “No, he won’t. Athan has plans for me. He always has. Surely, any son sent here on Athan’s orders would
know better than to interfere with his father’s work by killing me.”

  “You honestly think you’ll get away with such a thing without any repercussions?” Her arms crossed over her chest, mouth tensing into a thin line.

  “Deep down? Absolutely not. Athan will have something to say about it, but it is the only way to get you home,” Keiran said. “I’ve annoyed him in the past and survived.”

  Kayla turned toward the others, remaining silent.

  He waited, turning around as well.

  She reached up and pinched the bridge of her nose. “You are Goddamned insane, Keiran, just like your mother.”

  Chapter 5

  “Are you out of your mind?” Thana’s tone was cutting, enough to make Keiran step back and turn his head away after telling her what was happening.

  “I know the timing is bad, but—”

  “But what?” She stomped a foot against the floor. “You cannot be serious! You’re going to simply run off all the way to the God forsaken Northern Wastes like this? Keir, I need you here right now! We just had a child, for God’s sake!”

  While they’d had a few disagreements since being wed, Keiran had never been yelled at by her. “What choice do I have?”

  “Let Kanan go with her! Send an entire platoon of guards!” Thana closed the distance between them, jabbing the fingers of her hand into his chest with each of her following words. “This is madness!”

  Keiran retreated another step. “Thana, if I do that, the second Kayla’s out of range, all of them left behind will be killed! Me being there is the only insurance against that happening. I can’t send off an entire group of people to die like that! You’d have Kanan and all the rest lose their lives because you didn’t think I should go?”

  “There has to be another way.” She didn’t step back up to him. “You don’t know whether or not he will kill you after she goes. Maybe you have yourself convinced otherwise, but you don’t know this bastard at all! Even Athan, for all you think you know about him, is completely unpredictable.”