“My king,” Ezra said then gritted his teeth, “she’s escaped.”
“Escaped,” Cavel parroted.
“She had help,” Ezra supplied. “Word has it that Slade Storm had a ship waiting for her at the docks.”
“Horrid pirate,” Cavel said then sighed. “You give a man as many slaves as he wants to run his ship and he goes ahead and betrays you. No matter,” he continued, his mood brightening. “You’ll have little time to prepare your men so you can go after her.”
“But my king,” Ezra said in a mild protest, “she must be long gone by now and very deep within the Siren Sea.”
“I want her found, Thorn,” Cavel said, ignoring Ezra’s observations. “There are no exceptions.”
“Yes, my lord,” Ezra said through gritted teeth.
He bowed and walked out of the room. He dismissed the guards that stood at the door and waited.
As soon as Ezra shut the door behind him, Cavel burst into laughter.
“Did you see his face, Wort, when I asked him to kiss my ring?” he asked. “I don’t know if that was jealousy or maybe just plain anger. But it doesn’t matter now anyway. I’m his king.”
“My king, may I ask what will become of the girl?” Wort asked. “Now that you’ve framed her for the king’s death, you’ll no longer need her. You don’t need to bother about the late king’s decree that you take a bride by the blue spring moon. The throne is yours. Thorn will never sit on it as your father intended.”
Ezra heard every word of what Wort said. And he was rendered breathless by shock and fury. He wanted so much to pull out his sword and run Cavel through, but he resisted the urge. For the sake of the late King Alvert. Even though he’d been killed by his son, he wouldn’t want Ezra to kill him.
“Oh, I don’t care, Wort. Now that the kingdom believes she killed their beloved king, they’ll be looking towards her being brought to justice.”
“So you’ll have Thorn return her so she can hang before your people?” Wort asked.
“It’s what a king would do,” Cavel replied. “It’s time to go. I’ve got visitors tonight. You’ve done a very good job. I’ll have a gift, a personal show of gratitude, sent to your chamber. It is still my wedding, after all. Why shouldn’t we celebrate?”
Cavel and Wort laughed before Wort walked out through the throne room’s private entrance.
Ezra was heartbroken after hearing his cousin’s words. He was going to be mandated by the decree of the king to bring an innocent Ressa to the gallows. Remembering her note, he pulled it out and tore it open. It read:
My dearest Thorn,
I pray this note reaches you in time. You’re the target of some sick act, which is Cavel’s doing. Your father decreed that I be married to Cavel in the hopes that he would change his ways and do right by the kingdom. King Alvert spoke very highly of you. Sometimes I felt he saw in you the son he never had in Cavel.
I pray you get this letter in time to protect yourself. I’d never come to terms with myself if I’d left the castle without warning you and you were killed.
It may be a bit preemptive to say this, but you’re in my heart.
May the saints watch over your soul tonight and always.
Ressa Gabriella Rose
***
Ressa sat at the brig of Storm’s ship with her father’s head in her lap. Her hands ran tenderly through his hair as her she thought of the times they’d missed. Her father only had enough strength to open his eyes and glance at her. He didn’t have enough strength to speak above a whisper, and even that he did in few words.
“My little girl,” he said.
“Shhh,” Resha cautioned. “You rest, Father. You get back to sleep.”
She patted his head, lulling him back to sleep.
“I promise you I’ll still be here when you wake,” she whispered.
Her words seemed to have just the effect she wanted. They calmed her father, and with a massive heave of his shoulders, he went to sleep.
Ressa could tell that he’d been sick for some time now. However, she held hopes that, now they were reunited, he would get better. Stronger. Her only goal now was to nurse him back to health.
When you’re back to normal, we’ll escape this place, she thought.
She didn’t know how they were going to escape or how long it would take them to do so. But she knew they were going to.
She leaned back and let out a sigh of relief. Though their current predicament and surroundings were saddening, she was glad that her father was safe. Now that they were reunited, no one was going to separate them. Ever again. Ressa was sure she would keep them together with all the fight she had in her.
She stared at the sky through a porthole and watched clouds glide carelessly over the moon. She thought of Ezra and wondered if he’d received her letter. Her heart ached deeply for him. But she knew that the chances of them ever meeting again were slim. It was a fact she had to accept.
Her faithful protector was long gone, but she knew her heart would always ache for him.
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Rose and Thorn: Possession of The King (Book 1) (A Collection of Roses) Page 12