Savenek wondered how much time he’d be spending with Neco now that he was going to be the prince. And he vaguely wondered if he liked that idea, or if the mere thought of it scared him.
“If anything happens to me,” Darmik said, “you will take my place as the commander of the army. You will need Neco by your side in order to be brought up to speed with the inner workings and intricacies of the mainland.”
Savenek knew plenty—Nathenek had made sure his students were well educated with politics.
“There is so much I need to tell you,” Darmik said, almost to himself. “I still don’t know whether your mother and I did the right thing by giving you up.”
The turn of topics surprised Savenek. It was what he’d been wanting to ask, but he had been afraid to.
“After Rema decided we had to preserve the royal line and handed you over to Nathenek, she wasn’t the same. It took months until she seemed even halfway back to normal. However, not a day has gone by where she hasn’t thought about you. Every night before we went to sleep, we always imagined where you were and what you were doing.”
They rounded the abandoned military compound and started heading south, back toward the palace.
Darmik said, “I’m telling you this because I’m leaving later today. I’m concerned about your mother. I don’t know what Allyssa’s death will do to her. Normally, she is the pillar of strength. She makes the decisions, and she’s always steadfast in her purpose and goals. Now, I’m not so sure.” His focus remained on the dirt road in front of them. “I need you to help fill Allyssa’s void. I need you to be there for Rema while I’m gone.”
Neco had basically said as much last night when they’d briefly spoken. “You plan to leave me here to babysit Rema while you’re off fighting Russek?” The brief hope Savenek felt earlier was gone. He didn’t know why he’d expected things to be any different now. He would always be coddled and protected. Because he was a prince.
Darmik glanced over his shoulder at his soldiers. “We’ll discuss what you’ll be doing later. I have plans for you.” His voice was deep and filled with determination.
“You’re not going to lock me in the palace? Make sure I’m safe?”
They ran in silence for several minutes. Perhaps Savenek shouldn’t have said that. It had probably been too harsh.
“I limited what Allyssa could do with the intention of keeping her safe,” Darmik replied. “And she’s dead.”
A whisper of fear shot through Savenek. He couldn’t pinpoint what the emotion was based on, but it was there nonetheless.
“On the other hand, Rema has always run headfirst into danger and succeeded in all she’s done. I’m going to have a little more faith with you than I did with your sister, especially given your background. To the world, you will appear as a doting son and prince. You will be carefree, easygoing, and you will be nonthreatening. In reality, you will be the dagger no one sees coming. You will be my arrow. We will make everyone pay for what they’ve done to Allyssa.” Darmik finally raised determined eyes to Savenek. “That is…if you agree to this plan.”
Savenek’s heart pounded. “You mean I’m not going to be stuck sitting on some throne looking pretty?”
Darmik smiled. “That will be the appearance. But no, I intend to put you in the thick of things. We are family. And there’s no one else I trust more—or who deserves to be involved more—than you.”
Savenek couldn’t contain his smile. Finally, he was going to be a part of something. He was going to fight for Emperion. “Then I agree. I’ll be whatever weapon you need me to be.”
Savenek stood outside the closed doors, wondering what awaited him. The darn cape was so heavy it pulled against his neck, practically choking him. He tugged it away, but it didn’t help much.
The clothes he had on also bothered him. The seamstress had been waiting for him when he returned from his run. She’d pounced on him, measuring and cutting fabric to get his outfit ready for the ceremony.
The doors swung open, and trumpets sounded. This was it then. Savenek stepped forward, the heavy cape trailing behind him as he walked down the center aisle.
There were a ton of people present. He hadn’t expected so many to be there on such short notice. Everyone stood and watched him as he passed by. He tried not to focus on the people. Most were dressed in army uniforms. They had probably been close, and that was why they attended the ceremony.
When Savenek reached the dais, he knelt. Rema and Darmik stood side by side, both wearing capes similar to his. Each also wore a golden crown with rubies.
An elderly gentleman stepped forward, standing before Savenek. He started his speech about tradition and sacrifice. He spoke about how great the kingdom of Emperion was.
Kneeling, Savenek realized he would never take the oath and enter the Brotherhood. He’d trained his entire life for that, but now everything had changed.
Sweat dripped down the back of his neck. The elderly man kept droning on and on about duty and sacrifice. Finally, he lifted a gold crown encrusted with rubies and placed it upon Savenek’s head. The thing was heavy. Hopefully, he wouldn’t have to wear it often.
Rema motioned for Savenek to stand. He complied.
“Repeat after me,” the man said. “I, Savenek, do hereby promise to uphold the laws and values of our great kingdom Emperion.”
Savenek repeated the words, not really paying attention to what he was saying. The realization he was being crowned—crowned—was almost too great to comprehend. When he was finished saying his oath, one he never in his wildest dreams envisioned saying, he was given a longsword. He took it, strapping it to his waist. It vaguely matched his crown.
Rema stepped forward. “I now present to you, Crown Prince Savenek of Emperion, my son.”
Savenek turned to face the crowd. Everyone dropped to one knee, bowing their heads.
“Rise,” Rema commanded.
As one, they stood, smiling and clapping. Rema and Darmik moved to stand on either side of Savenek.
“Let’s go,” Darmik said. “The three of us can’t afford to be seen in public together. With Russek scheming to take over Emperion, we must be extra vigilant and assume assassins are always nearby.”
With that enlightening thought, they headed down the aisle and out of the hall. Savenek reached up, feeling the crown atop his head. As he walked between the emperor and empress, his cape dragged on the ground behind him. Blasted. He was a prince. And not just any prince. But the prince of Emperion.
“We are going to introduce you to the city,” Rema said. “Once that is done, we will go to the funeral for Allyssa.” Her voice cracked, and tears welled in her eyes. “We must bring closure to this tragic event so we can move forward.”
The only reason Savenek had been officially crowned was because his sister had been killed. He couldn’t celebrate his position knowing what it cost Rema and Darmik. “Am I supposed to attend the funeral?” It seemed strange to go to a funeral for someone he’d never met—even if that someone was his twin sister.
“Yes,” Darmik replied. “You won’t need to say anything, but you should be there to show solidarity.”
Savenek’s entire body began sweating from the cape. The thing had to weigh fifty pounds. He unlatched it and tossed it to one of the guards, who deftly caught it. He felt like he could breathe again. Thankfully, neither Darmik nor Rema commented or chided him for removing the cape.
They continued to the entrance of the palace where a carriage waited for them. Savenek climbed inside, sitting across from Rema and Darmik. Mounted soldiers surrounded the carriage and they took off, leaving the palace grounds and entering the main part of Emperor’s City.
While Savenek had known the royal family spoke to the citizens, he’d never attended one of their speeches. As a result, he wasn’t sure what to expect. The carriage stopped before a tall building. The door swung open, and they exited. Savenek had seen this building before—it was one of the tallest ones in the city. He thought it u
sed to be some sort of prison back in the day.
The soldiers ushered them inside. There weren’t any visible windows. Only one torch had been lit, casting the room in a dark glow.
“I always hate coming here,” Rema mumbled.
“I know,” Darmik replied. Placing his hand on her lower back, he escorted her to a narrow staircase. They started climbing. Savenek followed them, smelling the dank air of the building.
After five flights, they came to an open floor with several windows, the sun spilling through. There was a single closed door on the west wall. Savenek assumed the balcony was on the other side. A dozen sentries stood guard on this floor, half watching outside, the other half focused inside the room. These sentries were different from the ones Savenek had seen throughout the palace. They were a little more muscular, their faces stern. Focusing on their uniforms, Savenek noticed a black stripe down the left arm of each man. General sentries wore black pants and red tunics with the royal crest embroidered on the front, while members of the royal guard wore solid red pants and a black tunic with the royal crest on the back. “Are these men part of an elite squad?” Savenek asked. City Guards wore solid black.
“These are men from my army who handle high-risk situations,” Darmik answered. “I sent them here last night to prepare for today.”
“Your Majesties,” a soldier said, bowing. “Everyone is in position.”
“Let’s proceed,” Darmik said.
The soldier opened the door. “Empress Rema and Emperor Darmik.”
The crowd exploded in a roar of applause.
“Wait here,” Rema instructed Savenek before stepping onto the balcony with Darmik at her side.
The door remained open so Savenek could see the crowded courtyard below. He couldn’t believe how many people were crammed in there to hear the empress speak. Considering the princess was murdered and the kingdom about to go to war, he could understand why.
Rema raised her arms, and everyone quieted down. “My fellow Emperions,” she bellowed, “these are troubling times. As you heard in the announcement yesterday, Princess Allyssa,” Rema’s voice wobbled, “my daughter, was murdered by King Drenton of Russek.” An eerie silence descended over the courtyard. “Sixteen years ago, I gave birth to twins. When someone tried to kill my babies in their cribs, I took my son and hid him. To protect him and ensure the royal line would carry on, I told everyone he was dead. Now that the princess of Emperion has been viciously murdered, I have brought my son back to assume his place at my side.”
The crowd murmured. Turning, Rema waved Savenek forward.
Darmik addressed the people, “We want to introduce you to Prince Savenek.”
Savenek stepped onto the balcony between Rema and Darmik. The crowd responded with applause, probably not sure what to think of this startling news. Knowing it was imperative the crowd accept him as the heir, Savenek raised his right arm and waved. Rema and Darmik each placed a hand on Savenek’s shoulders, linking the three of them. Savenek bowed his head and held his right fist over his heart, sealing his promise to protect the people of Emperion. The crowd erupted in cheers.
Darmik raised his right arm, and everyone became silent once more. “As the commander of the Emperion army, I am ready to lead our mighty soldiers into Russek and wage war against the murderous king. We must avenge Princess Allyssa’s death.”
Everyone screamed in agreement.
“Let’s go,” Darmik said under his breath.
They quickly left the balcony.
“That was brief,” Rema said once they were inside the room and the door was firmly closed. “You didn’t care to say anything else?”
“No. I didn’t want to risk being out there any longer,” Darmik replied. “Even with tight security, the balcony is too exposed.”
“He’s right,” Savenek added. “I found a ship from Russek docked in the harbor a couple of months back. It was filled with poison from Apethaga.” Nathenek had managed to sink the ship, thus destroying the poison. “I’m sure more Russeks have gotten past our spies.”
Blinking, Rema swiveled her gaze from Savenek to Darmik and back again. “You two are so alike.” She shook her head before descending the staircase.
Darmik patted Savenek’s back. “Let’s go, son. We have a funeral to attend.”
Back at the palace, Rema, Darmik, and Savenek were led to a room in the east wing. Since Allyssa’s body hadn’t been recovered from Russek, Rema had arranged dozens of flowers on a table that stood at the end of a long room filled with people. Unlike the last hall where hundreds of uniformed soldiers had been present, this room contained mostly people dressed in fancy clothing. They had to be courtiers then.
The royal family headed slowly down the aisle, approaching the table together. Now that Savenek was closer, he could see two daggers and a crown had been placed in the middle, resting atop a bouquet. He didn’t know what he was supposed to feel. While Rema had tears streaming down her cheeks, she kept her head high and her shoulders back, managing to seem regal and a bit intimidating in the process. Darmik, on the other hand, had a stern face with dark eyes. Savenek shivered. If he’d met his father at a tavern, he would think Darmik was an assassin. But maybe that was what Darmik had on his mind—killing those responsible for murdering his daughter. Savenek hadn’t even known the princess, and he wanted revenge for what Russek did.
No one said a word. After several minutes, Rema took Savenek’s hand and they turned, exiting the room.
Once they were back in the Royal Chambers, Rema’s shoulders dropped and Darmik finally blinked, showing slightly more emotion than before.
“Do you know how she died?” Savenek asked before thinking the question through.
Darmik’s fingers curled into fists, his knuckles turning white. “Russek kidnapped her. They sent a ransom note telling Rema to abdicate the throne. When she refused, they sent us Allyssa’s fingernails and a detailed note on how each one was removed. King Drenton made sure to tell us about the pain she suffered.” He took a deep breath. “Then they sent another note stating it was the last time they’d ask. We could either hand over Emperion or Allyssa would die.”
“Did you think about handing the throne over?”
“No,” Rema responded. She sat on the sofa, folding her hands on her lap. “Russek would have destroyed the citizens of Emperion. I couldn’t do that to my people.” She focused on Darmik, her chin wobbling, her eyes red.
“They would have killed her no matter what we did,” Darmik said. “Jana wanted revenge. Killing our child and making us suffer is the best form of punishment she could have inflicted upon us.” He turned away from Savenek and Rema, going over to the window and staring outside.
Savenek ran his hands through his hair. Being a ruler was filled with tough choices. His life was no longer about what he wanted but what was best for his kingdom. “What’s the plan?” He recalled Darmik saying he was leaving today.
“Neco and I are heading for the frontlines. When we get there, we’ll attack Russek.”
Savenek wanted to ask details such as how many men were at the frontlines, where would the attack take place, and how did Darmik intend to reach King Drenton? However, with Rema sitting on the sofa, tears streaming down her cheeks, Savenek didn’t think it was the proper time to discuss battle strategies. Instead, he asked, “When are you leaving?”
“Now.”
“Right this minute?” Savenek asked.
“Yes.” Darmik squatted in front of Rema, taking her hands and holding them between his own. “I promise I’ll be back. And I will extract revenge on King Drenton and Prince Kerdan. I swear to you I won’t return until they’re dead.”
Rema threw her arms around Darmik’s neck. “I can’t lose you, too.”
“You won’t. And Savenek will be here in my place.”
Rema and Darmik turned to Savenek. He still couldn’t think of them as his parents. He couldn’t even imagine ruling this kingdom. It was all too much. “I’ll help in any w
ay I can.”
“Good.” Darmik stood. “While I’m gone, you will do what we discussed earlier. You will appear to be a carefree prince. Rich, entitled, nonthreatening. Understood?”
“Yes.”
“Your father’s right,” Rema added. “The other kingdoms all have spies here. We want those spies to see you out and about. You will be happy and laid-back. No one can suspect you were trained with the Brotherhood. No one can find out there is more to you than what they see.”
“While I’m gone fighting Russek, you and Rema will be in charge of the Brotherhood.”
Savenek couldn’t believe what he was hearing. In charge of the Brotherhood? That was an honor he hadn’t expected, and it was a challenge he would gladly take.
“Make sure Apethaga doesn’t sell poison to the other kingdoms. If you can, see that production ceases.”
Savenek nodded. He could do that, especially since he’d been to Apethaga and knew firsthand how potent the poison was, as well as where one of the mines was located.
“You will also be in charge of monitoring our borders. And watching the sea. No ships from other kingdoms are permitted to dock in our port until this war is over.”
“Yes, sir.” Nathenek had sheltered Savenek for so long he found it hard to believe he was not only involved in the kingdom’s politics and the upcoming war, but that he was also being given such huge responsibilities. He wouldn’t disappoint Darmik. And maybe in the process, he’d impress Neco.
Darmik smiled. “And remember, you are the crown prince of Emperion. You don’t answer to anyone. They answer to you.”
Savenek
After Darmik said goodbye to Rema, he came over to Savenek. “Come with me. There’s something I want to show you before I leave.”
The pair exited the Royal Chambers, making their way to the first floor of the palace. “While I’m gone, this belongs to you.” Darmik reached in his pocket, then pulled out a thin skeleton key. “It unlocks my office.”
Oath of Destruction: Reign of Secrets, Book 5 Page 3
