The Prince of Warwood and The War of Kings

by Clinton, J. Noel

  Xavier moved even closer to her so that their hips touched, and he snaked his arm around her back, resting it on her opposite hip. Her heat radiated through his body, setting it afire with a sweet aching feeling. He needed to kiss her! He nuzzled against her neck, kissing it lightly and feeling her shiver before she giggled.

  “Xavier!” she hissed, pushing him lightly. “Stop! That tickles!”

  Xavier grinned up at her before grabbing her by the hips, pulling her back against him, and nuzzling into her neck again. She squirmed in his hold, giggling. Xavier kissed a trail from her neck up to her earlobe.

  “Ahhh! Xavier! Stop… I… I can’t… can’t breathe!”

  He released her, grinning triumphantly. Then the pair looked at their friends to find them snogging. Xavier’s grin grew, and he pulled Robbie against him and nodded at Erica and Court before whispering, “If they were snogging any more than that, I’d be worried they’d swallow each other’s face!”

  Robbie giggled hysterically at his joke, and he felt his confidence soar.

  “Shut it before I have to embarrass you in front of your girlfriend, tadpole,” came Court’s muffled voice behind Erica’s lips.

  “Hey, I’m bigger than you now, pipsqueak!” Xavier refuted, throwing a pebble at his mate.

  “Yeah? Well, I can still kick your butt!” Court challenged jovially.

  “Oh, yeah? Well, big man, I’m ready when you are!” Xavier remarked, standing.

  Court mirrored his actions, “Let’s do this, but there’s one rule: no powers!”

  “Deal,” Xavier responded, holding out his hand to shake on their agreement.

  Court shook his hand before immediately yanking him towards him, throwing him off balance and tackling him to the ground.

  Caught by surprise, Xavier tried to buck the other boy off him, as he was attempting to put him in a headlock. With his adrenaline pounding in his head, Xavier rolled suddenly to his left, knocking Court off him and jumping to his feet.

  “Cheat!” Xavier spat.

  Court gave him a devil-may-care smile. “All is fair in love and war.”

  “Right. Which is why you don’t want me using my powers because you know I’d kick your ass.”

  Court mocked a shocked, disgusted expression. “Prince Wells! Is that the kind of language becoming of our future king?”

  Xavier snickered, shaking his head. He should have never told Court about his father’s reprimand, but at the time, he really needed to vent. He didn’t think it was fair that his father reprimanded him about his language when he had overheard worse from him!

  Court suddenly lunged at Xavier’s legs, trying to take him to the ground, but Xavier was ready and simply jumped over his friend, who went sprawling past. Robbie’s loud giggling made his smile broaden at his friend.

  “Want to try that again?” he teased.

  Court got to his feet and dusted himself off. His face was flushed, and he glanced at Erica, who rolled on the ground, laughing. Xavier felt Court’s embarrassment and humiliation. He had looked like a fool in front of his girlfriend. Sighing, Xavier’s grin dropped, and he beckoned Court with a wave of his hand.

  “Come on, mate. Bring it!” he encouraged, knowing Court couldn’t turn down a direct challenge, but he felt his friend’s hesitation. Then he barreled towards Xavier, and Xavier spun to avoid being tackled, or so it would appear to Court and those watching. It wasn’t a fair fight. Xavier knew that it wasn’t just because he was now taller than Court; height really didn’t make much of a difference. What made it an unfair fight was that Xavier was trained in hand-to-hand combat whereas Court was not. Even without his potent powers, Xavier was superior. So, as a result of timing his spin a second too late, he felt Court’s shoulder burrow into his rib cage, his feet flip out from under him, and Court’s body slam him to the rocky ground. It hurt. It hurt a lot, and it knocked the breath from him.

  Wheezing for breath, he held his hands up in surrender as Court sat up and gave him a surprised but triumphant look.

  “Okay, mate. You won. Could you get off me?”

  Court stood and helped Xavier to his feet. “You all right?”

  “Yeah, just got the breath knocked out of me.”

  Court walked a little taller back to Erica and grinned down at her. “Yeah? What do you think of me now? You didn’t think I’d win, huh?”

  Erica batted her eyes coyly before punching him in the gut and running. Court tore off after her fleeing, giggling figure spouting words of revenge.

  Xavier shook his head, chuckling as he sat next to Robbie and poked at the fire with a stick.

  “You let him win.”

  Xavier looked at her quickly. “What do you mean?”

  Robbie glanced over her shoulder at where Court had Erica cornered, backing her towards the rolling tide, thrashing against the pebbled shore before giving him a knowing look. “You let Courtney win.”

  Xavier shrugged. “Maybe not. It’s possible I misjudged the timing of his attack.”

  “No,” Robbie cooed as she snuggled against him, entwining her arm with his and taking his hand. “You didn’t misjudge, but I’m very proud to be your girlfriend. You knew you had the advantage because of all the training you had at the mountain, but you let him keep his pride in front of Erica, who would have teased him to no end if he lost. You’re a good friend.” She kissed him on the cheek.

  “Wait. I do a good deed for a friend, and all I get is a measly kiss on the cheek?”

  She grinned and gave him a proper kiss that made his heart race in his chest. The couple leaned against one another, enjoying the time alone together.

  Chapter 18

  It was nearly an hour later when Erica and Court returned.

  “Where’ve you two been?” Xavier asked, smirking at his best mate.

  Court swelled as he boasted, “A gentleman never speaks of such matters. Hasn’t the king taught you that?”

  Erica guffawed. “What matters? That you fell asleep in the grass?”

  Robbie and Xavier tried to hide their snickers.

  “Only after I snogged you into oblivion!”

  Erica laughed loudly. “Into oblivion? How do you figure that? I think it was the other way around since you were the one who fell asleep!”

  Robbie and Xavier couldn’t help but laugh at their friends’ antics. One thing was certain; Court would never have a dull moment with Erica as a girlfriend.

  “We’d better start back,” Robbie announced, standing and gathering her belongings.

  “Yeah, it’s getting close to curfew time,” Xavier responded as he stood, summoned a ball of water and dumped it on the fire to extinguish it.

  The group made their way back to the car, teasing one another and laughing.

  “Oh, crikey!” Court exclaimed, ducking and gesturing the others to do the same.

  Xavier slowly rose to peer above the rocky outcrop that hid their presence. A man in police uniform slowly got out of a patrol car, staring intently at their car.

  Straightening his tie, the officer walked slowly up to the car, examining it appreciatively as he approached the driver’s side door. Leaning toward the car, he peered inside before trying the door.

  “Man! What are we going to do?” Court whispered.

  “We need a distraction. I’ll go back towards the shore and see if I can get him away from the car. As soon as he clears the area, you guys get to the car. Then I’ll teleport into the car.” Xavier pulled out the keys to the car. “Do you think you can start it?” he asked Courtney.

  “Yeah, of course, but how are you going to get him away from the car?”

  Xavier glanced above the rocks again before answering. “Don’t worry about that. Leave it to me.”

  The officer strolled back to his patrol car to radio in the issue. Xavier disappeared from his friends and reappeared behind the officer.

  “Dispatch, this is Sergeant Mullens. I’m off Bay Road and came across a 2016 Ashton Martin…”

&nbs
p; “Hey! What are you doing to my car? You’d better not scratch it!”

  The officer turned. “Your car? Aren’t you a little young to drive, young man? What’s your name, son?”

  “Well, it’s my dad’s car. We came to the shore to do a little fishing. I just came back to get my tackle box. My dad’s on the beach. Do you need to talk to him?” Please, please say no and go away, Xavier thought.

  The officer replaced his radio in the console of the patrol car, straightened, and closed the car door. “I think that would be best.”

  Just great! Xavier forced a smile and turned to lead the officer away from the car toward the beach. “He’s just up the beach a ways,” he commented throwing the officer an innocent look over his shoulder. He guided the officer past a large rock before descending down a rocky embankment toward the shore. The vehicles were out of sight and Xavier reached out to his friends to find that they were already piled in the car. “Court, you need to drive. Start the car. I’ll be there in seconds.”

  “But, I don’t know how to drive!”

  “Court! Just do it! Leave the passenger seat free for me.”

  “The beach is empty kid. Time to tell me what’s really going on. Did you steal that car?”

  Xavier turned to face the officer. “No, sir. It really is my dad’s car. Sorry, but I have to go, or I’ll be late for my curfew.”

  “Son, you have a lot more to worry about right now than being late for your curfew. I think you should come with me.”

  “Ah, well, I was afraid you might say that. That’s a problem, Officer, because I can’t go with you.”

  “Can’t?” the officer repeated stonily.

  “Right, I mean, I won’t go with you. Have a good day, sir!”

  The last image Xavier had of the officer was a gaping, shocked expression as he teleported from the beach to join his friends in the car.

  “Let’s get out of here! Now!” Xavier barked at Court.

  Court slammed the car into drive and fishtailed as he tried to turn around, slamming the rear fender of the car into the patrol car.

  “Shit!” he exclaimed as he righted the car and accelerated down Shore Road. Xavier looked over his shoulder to see the officer racing up the embankment and towards his patrol car.

  “Faster, he’s getting into his car. We’ve got to lose him!”

  “What about the dent in the car. The king will kill me!”

  “I can fix it, Court. Just drive!”

  Sirens erupted from behind them, and the group turned to look at the patrol car, which was now in pursuit of them.

  “He’s gaining on us!” Erica shouted. “Grow a pair, Hardcastle, and floor it!”

  Court accepted his girlfriend’s challenge and pressed the accelerator to the floor. The car growled as it leaped forward, accelerating to nearly a hundred miles per hour.

  “He’s still gaining on us! What are we going to do?” Robbie shouted.

  Xavier glanced over his shoulder. What kind of engine does he have in that car! “Don’t worry. We’ll lose him. Everyone sit tight and stay quiet. I need to concentrate!”

  He closed his eyes and meditated. Hoping his teleporting power didn’t fail him when he needed it most. He pictured the car disappearing and reappearing in front of the palace gates. What he didn’t take into consideration was the fact that the car and the people in it were traveling at speeds in excess of one hundred miles per hour. In the next second, Xavier opened his eyes to screams. The gatehouse loomed in front of them and the car was barreling toward it like a missile. With no time to think, let alone meditate, Xavier teleported all of them out of the car. They hit the ground violently at a hundred miles per hour. Instinctively, he extended his powers to slow the group to a gentler stop as the car collided with the palace gate in a thunderous crash.

  The beautiful car was mangled beyond recognition. Xavier immediately looked around for Robbie. She lay twenty feet or so away from him, not moving.

  “Robbie!” he crawled toward her, his heart thumping loudly in his ears. “Robbie? Are you okay?” he asked as he reached her and gently rolled her over.

  She blinked and inhaled a shuddering breath. “I… I don’t know. I… I think so.”

  “Can you sit up?” he asked, helping her to sit up.

  Slowly she rose, blinked and looked down at her torn and battered jacket. Gingerly she began to move her arms and legs before looking at him. “I’m okay. I’m okay.” Her eyes widened as she looked down at his left arm. “You’re not! Oh my God, Xavier! Your arm!”

  Xavier looked down at his arm, which had taken the brunt of the initial impact. It appeared to be dislocated at the elbow. Funny, it didn’t hurt at all!

  “It’ll be okay. I’ll heal it after I check to make sure the others are okay.” He glanced around and found Erica slowly getting to her feet.

  “All right?” he asked.

  Erica looked at him with a stunned, shocked expression and slowly nodded.

  “Where’s Court?”

  “Here!” Court’s voice called from the side of the road. “I’m here. I think my leg’s broken. Is Erica okay?”

  “Yeah, she’s fine!” Xavier reported, staggering to his feet and going to his friend. Sure enough, his leg was indeed broken. The tibia protruded just beneath the skin in a compound fracture.

  “Mate! Your arm! That’s sick!”

  “You’re the one to talk. You have two knees, dude,” Xavier responded before both boys burst out laughing.

  Robbie and Erica rolled their eyes. “Boys,” they muttered together.

  “Prince Wells? What in the hell are you doing out here? Are you responsible for the attack on the front gate?” a harsh voice shouted behind them.

  The group turned and saw Henrick Davies and a couple dozen royal guards behind him, all combat ready. Xavier slowly stood and faced the lieutenant. The reprieve from pain ended at that moment, and Xavier clutched his broken arm with a hiss.

  “Move!” the king’s hard voice ordered as he jostled through the ranks of soldiers. Jeremiah stomped toward Xavier, his eyes hard and unforgiving. He looked at each child in turn before turning to Ephraim and Loren. “Loren, take the girls home since they are uninjured.”

  “My pleasure, sire,” he muttered, glancing furiously at Court and Xavier. Crap! Last time he saw Loren this pissed, heads rolled. Well, maybe not heads, but definitely butts burned.

  “Ephraim, get the boys to medical. I’ll be there as soon as I check the integrity of the gate and speak to the men on duty.”

  Ephraim nodded and went to his son, lifted him like he weighed nothing more than a feather and looked pointedly at Xavier. “Prince Wells? Can you teleport?”

  Xavier had an urge to laugh at the question. If only they knew how well he could teleport. “Yes, sir.”

  Without a word, the king turned and marched back toward the gatehouse while dread gnawed into Xavier’s gut. He was in so much trouble!

  “I can set my own arm, you know,” Xavier growled as the healer prodded and positioned his arm for the healing.

  “I’m well aware you have healing capabilities, sire, but a healer should never heal himself if he has the option of another healer,” the slight man intoned nasally.

  Xavier rolled his eyes just as his father entered the examine room.

  “Sire, if you would please not move!”

  “I didn’t!” he protested, hissing past the nauseating pain as the healer repositioned his arm.

  “Prince Wells,” the healer sighed impatiently, “you tensed your muscles, which moved your arm. As a healer, you should know how important it is to remain still during the process.”

  The king briskly stepped forward. “Here, allow me,” he announced hoarsely as he firmly grasped Xavier’s arm to hold it in place.

  Xavier yelped at the sudden pressure as pain raced up his arm. “Ow! Watch it, Dad. That hurts like a mother!”

  Jeremiah gave his son a quick hard glance before nodding to the healer to perform the proc
edure. The healer’s power lit up the room, and Xavier felt the heat seep into his arm. The power was soothing at first, but then suddenly there was a small cracking sound and a flash of pain in his arm as the power set the bone in place. Xavier yelped before clamping his eyes shut against the pain. The bones broken at the mountain didn’t hurt like this when healed. Maybe the healer was doing it wrong!

  “No, he’s doing his job correctly, son. At the mountain, Ephraim administered apothecary.”

  He wanted to ask why he didn’t get apothecary in the hospital but bit back the words. He was already in enough trouble; he didn’t need to add whining to it. Five minutes later, the healer straightened.

  “That should do it, sire. Don’t lift anything heavy for 48 hours while the healing is still fresh.”

  Xavier nodded as he stood and rolled down his sleeve. “Thanks, Healer Thomas.”

  “Yes, thank you, Paul,” Jeremiah said, shaking the healer’s hand before placing it on Xavier shoulder, turning him, and leading him out of the hospital.

  “Dad…” Xavier started, but the king squeezed his shoulder, silencing him.

  “We’ll talk about this when we get home. I don’t think it’s a good idea to have it out about your poor choices in public. Do you, son?”

  Xavier’s throat constricted and he could only shake his head.

  When they entered the palace, Loren was on duty at the residence door. The general’s eyes narrowed on Xavier. “You are either the stupidest boy alive or you have a death wish! What in the hell were you thinking, stealing your father’s car and joyriding across the moor?”

  Xavier felt his legs stiffen as a sudden desire to run from the general entered his brain, but his father’s constant guidance prevented the thought from becoming reality.

  “You not only endangered yourself, my daughter, Robbie, and Courtney, you endangered your destiny and all hope of defeating the Dark King! Damn it, kid. Use your head for something other than snogging Robbie!”

  When Xavier reached the threshold, Loren loomed over him, and his eyes flashed angrily down at him. Xavier couldn’t meet the man’s eyes, and he stared at Loren’s shoes, feeling overwhelmed with shame and guilt.