“I’d say that’s your fault, but you’re only partially to blame. I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest my back’s a mess.”
“Geoff?”
“A German RPS agent rammed the car into the lake. The impact with the water did something. He’s at a significantly impaired range of motion, and I’m not sure what sort of damage has been done.”
“Ambulance?” she asked, her brows furrowing.
“He’s made it this long without needing one. I think we can get him to the RPS clinic without issue. A hospital won’t be as secure, and care would be delayed. The RPS clinic is likely best for his short and long term recovery.”
“RPS clinic it is,” she announced. “Can you even walk, Pat?”
“I walked all the way here. It was just a slow, painful walk. How’d you convince them to bring you?”
“I threatened to electrocute them all if they didn’t bring me.”
She would. “I’d probably be intimidated by that threat.”
“Pat!”
“What? After seeing what Geoff can do, one of my goals in life is to never have you or him have any excuses to use your talent on me. I’ve learned two important lessons today. One, do not anger you or Geoff. Two, maybe don’t get into a car with Geoff again. I’d accept a truck grudgingly.”
Geoff sighed. “We were rammed off the bridge. The culprit’s body may or may not still be on one of the support pillars. If he had accomplices, they’ve probably claimed his body, but I’ve memorized his RPS badge number and name.”
“He was an RPS agent?” Jessica shrieked.
“Not one of ours. Germany’s. Unknown if a supplement or full member. I’ll run his number once we’re at the vehicles.”
Jessica growled curses and offered her hands to me. “Don’t faint again, Pat. Please.”
With her help, I got to my feet, but it hurt like hell and I wanted to swear against standing or walking ever again. “If I was going to faint, I think I would’ve when I had a crash course in swimming today.”
Everyone stared at me, and Geoff bowed his head with a gusty sigh.
“What?”
“Crash course in swimming?” Geoff muttered. “That’s just terrible, sir.”
I blinked, and it took me several moments to comprehend what I’d said. “That was accidental.” I grimaced and joined him in sighing and bowing my head. “I’m sorry. I’m going to stop talking now.”
Jessica lifted my chin with her hand. “That was terrible, but I’ll forgive you this time. I can’t say I wouldn’t have said the same without realizing it. But that was really terrible.”
“Please tell me you’re not parked too far away.”
“It’s a short hike, but we’ll take it at your speed, or I’ll have Geoff knock you out so you don’t realize you’re being carried.”
My eyes widened. “Please don’t.”
“I had to kill someone with my talent to protect him, so perhaps it’s wisest to let him walk if possible. If he can’t, we can bring in a stretcher.”
Jessica hovered, and she jumped at shadows, which annoyed her RPS agents, although they didn’t say anything. I caught them shooting their future monarch glares whenever she couldn’t catch them looking, though. Each time I caught them glaring, I grinned.
It made the walk to their vehicles bearable. More RPS agents guarded the SUVs, and without missing a beat, Jessica directed me to the nearest one, holding the door open and waving until I climbed inside. I took the nearest seat with a low groan. Jessica climbed over me, and she slapped my hands when I reached for the buckle. “I’ll do it. Might as well not pull anything else in your back.”
Before she could reach over me for the seatbelt, Geoff grabbed the buckle and handed it over before getting into the SUV behind us. Another agent handed Geoff a firearm and holster.
“Mark, drive carefully and if it costs us twenty minutes because you’re dodging potholes, do it,” Geoff ordered while checking over the weapon. “Watch the speed bumps.”
“I’ll take it easy,” the driver promised. “Don’t make me have Her Royal Highness zap you for getting feisty.”
“I rather like Geoff right now, Mark,” Jessica replied with an exaggerated sniff.
“I rather like him, too. Thanks, Geoff.”
“You’re welcome, sir.”
It didn’t take long for the convoy of SUVs to get on the move, and Jessica twisted in her seat to stare at Geoff. “Start talking. What happened? Take it from the top, and don’t leave anything out.”
“I was briefing him on what it is like to have a detail. The drive was quiet. The truck that rammed us was driving slow, like someone with a load, so I didn’t think anything of it. I was doing a good speed, so few were passing me. Traffic slowed a little on the bridge, and he rammed us where the guardrail was lowest over the lake. The spot had obviously been scouted. He managed to get the car over the side. Luck alone kept it from flipping. Since it was a personal vehicle and not an RPS one, I shot the windshield and kicked it out. I gave him instructions and got him to the surface after the car settled. With the windshield out, it sank fast. The agent was an airweaver, and walked on the water for a chat. He offered to take us both as hostages. I gave him the same offer, and when he rejected it, I eliminated him for being a direct threat to my principal. I wasn’t taking any chances. The agent’s phone survived long enough for me to make an emergency call on his phone. I informed the German RPS they would be wise to leave the kingdom, and that I would file an attempted regicide claim against their kingdom.”
“Well, that’s going to make my evening entertaining. What justification did you use for the attempted regicide claim? I’m going to have to make preparations.”
“He’s your bond. That qualifies him. We’ve sufficient medical records to support the claim.” Geoff lifted his hand and pointed at the rainy sky. “If you keep flaring so much, we’re going to have to put you in timeout, Your Highness.”
Jessica scowled, faced the front of the vehicle, and crossed her arms over her chest. “That’s not fair, Geoff.”
“It’s plenty fair. Your health matters, and it is our job to ensure your health. Simmer down, Your Highness. Turn off the waterworks and cool your temper. Remember what I coached you about empathic feedback loops?”
“Yes, Geoff,” she mumbled.
“Now is the time to apply what I told you.”
“You should’ve left the bastard alive,” she complained.
“That would’ve been too risky, Your Highness. I wasn’t giving him any opportunities. Airweavers are often underestimated, and strong ones can suffocate someone easily. It wasn’t worth the risk.”
Jessica huffed but didn’t argue.
“Anyway, after I eliminated the threat, I got him to shore and to the rendezvous point. He’s been responsive, and while painful for him, he’s been able to walk. My initial guess is that it was a one-man job.”
“Supplementary agent in league with a local faction?” the agent seated in the front passenger seat asked.
“That’s my guess. We’ll need to do a profile to find out what his local connections are.”
“And an attempted regicide charge? How likely is it to succeed?” Jessica asked.
“I think we have a strong case. That crash alone could’ve easily been fatal. We got lucky.”
Her expression darkened. “If Germany was an active participant in this, I want to be involved.”
“Planning on crushing His Highness beneath your heel?” Geoff asked in a mild tone.
“I’ll enjoy it. Immensely. I think it’s time I showed the world I will not tolerate anyone interfering with me and Pat. I plan on using violence as needed. I’ll spare the little cretin if he begs sufficiently. To Pat.”
Moving hurt, but I grabbed Jessica’s hand and kissed her knuckles. “It’ll be more satisfying if you crush him through diplomacy. Reserve the violence if he does something particularly stupid.”
She squeezed my hand. “What counts a
s particularly stupid?”
“Raising a hand to you is particularly stupid.”
“And what if he raises a hand to you?”
“I suspect Geoff will beat you to the chase, honestly.”
Geoff snorted. “You learned that quickly, sir.”
“Consider me motivated to learn quickly.”
It took an hour to reach the RPS clinic, and upon arrival, Jessica was herded one way while Geoff and I were herded the other. The first twenty minutes of testing went by in a blur, but the nature of the examination changed when the doctor, an older man with a serious expression, tested my left shoulder.
The next thing I knew, I was trying to piece together how I’d gotten into a surgical recovery room, something I’d only heard about as I did my best to avoid requiring surgery for anything. The doctor’s name escaped me, and when he caught me staring at him, he rubbed his hands together.
Doctors weren’t supposed to look so eager. My first attempt to speak was aborted by a dry mouth, which the doctor resolved with a straw and some water. “As you probably don’t remember our introduction, I’m Dr. Durkes. Do you remember what happened?”
“You fiddled with my arm, and apparently, your fiddling put me here. I think you might worry me almost as much as Geoff.”
Somewhere outside of my view, Geoff snickered. “Hardly, sir.”
“Hey, Geoff. They haven’t given you a break yet?”
“I escaped with minor bumps and bruising. You were in the operating room for three hours, and it’s been four hours since they brought you into recovery. Someone else was on shift until twenty minutes ago; he was needed elsewhere and I volunteered to stand in for him.”
“What happened?”
“I was checking your range of movement, and I aggravated an undiagnosed fracture in your shoulder. I’ll spare you the details, but it was severe enough we operated to stabilize your shoulder until we can call in someone to fuse the bones properly. Your back was a mess of torn and strained muscles, but I have the right talent to treat those injuries. You’ll be sore, and you won’t be riding any horses or participating in heavy exercise for two weeks, but you won’t suffer any impairment. I’ve already drawn up the paperwork for you to register your medical leave. It’ll likely be two weeks before your shoulder can be fully healed. From what we can tell, you had a hairline fracture prior to the full fracture.”
“So I broke it riding my horse, and the crash just made it worse?”
“Precisely. Between adrenaline and a stronger source of pain in your back, the injury was missed. The fracture wasn’t severe enough to disable your arm, but it would’ve been a matter of time.” The doctor picked up a clipboard and flipped through the papers. “The operation will let you get away with a sling rather than a cast, but you’re going to have to wear it until your next surgery to properly fuse the bones.”
It took me a moment to figure out my left shoulder was the culprit. “It’s a good thing I’m not left handed, then.”
“Exactly. You’ll be kept overnight for observation, and you’ll be released in the morning, where you’ll be taken to the palace for the rest of your recovery. Her Royal Highness will be waiting for you at the palace, as she’s handling matters there tonight.”
“Geoff?”
“She’s dealing with the German delegation, sir.”
“I take it they didn’t accept your suggestion to quietly leave?”
“Of course not. That would be too sensible and easy. His Highness is not a wise young man. His Royal Majesty of Germany is on route to help settle the matter personally—and attempt to salvage negotiations. I suspect you’ll be needed to help smooth feathers.”
“I’m not sure what you think I can do, Geoff.”
“Play nice with His Royal Majesty of Germany and look down your nose at the young prince. I think you’ll have no difficulties with this. Treat the young prince like a wayward child incapable of cleaning out his trash can.”
I sighed. “Has everyone heard about the trash cans?”
“The palace staff will enjoy working for tidier royalty, at least. Her Royal Highness has insisted everyone in the palace act in standards even the lowest of castes can meet without issue. She loves using you as an example to bring others in line. Obviously, if you can do it, they should at least be able to rise to your level.”
“She’s lost her mind. Maybe she should be in here for observation, too.”
Dr. Durkes chuckled. “Hardly, Mr. Laycal. She simply celebrates your strengths and uses them to your advantage.”
“Simply?”
Geoff laughed. “For Her Royal Highness, yes. For tonight, I’ll be on shift for another two hours, and then another agent will be on guard. In the morning, I’ll be back to take you to the palace.”
I located Geoff standing by the door and glowered at the RPS agent. “In a truck?”
“An armored SUV, and there are no bridges on the way.”
“I guess that’ll do. Maybe.”
“I’ll request an escort just to make you feel a little better.”
“I’m not sure that’ll actually make me feel any better, Geoff.”
“Don’t worry, sir. You’ll get used to it.”
Dr. Durkes cheated. He used a sedative to make sure I did what he wanted, which involved sleeping through the night without interrupting his observations. When I was evicted from the RPS clinic, I was so lethargic I napped in the SUV on the way to the palace, and it took Geoff ten minutes to rouse me enough so I could walk myself inside from the underground parking garage.
“While I’d let you sleep here all day if the choice was mine, it’s not,” Geoff said, snapping his fingers in my face. “Her Highness is waiting for you. She spent most of the night convincing His Majesty that the only suitable place for you was in her suite.”
That got my attention. “She did what?”
“She convinced the king you would be staying in her rooms for the duration of your stay. Also, she personally went to visit your parents at their workplaces and invited them to the palace this morning. By invite, she brought palace staff with her to cover their work and brought them here. It was Her Majesty’s idea, as it would keep her busy until your arrival. Do you drink coffee or tea?”
“Coffee might help. Maybe. I don’t know what Dr. Durkes gave me, but I feel like I’m going to fall asleep on my feet.”
“It’s a safety measure, sir. Her Highness needs to function today, and that means you need to be calm and relatively happy. Dr. Durkes decided drugged into a stupor would suffice. As the drugs wear off, she’ll be able to adapt to your pain levels. He suspects you’re far more resilient to her moods than she is to yours. This isn’t uncommon, especially when you’re being overwhelmed on multiple fronts.”
“You mean my horses?”
“Yes. You’re filtering emotions from three individuals, and your talent functions better in close range, where she’s receptive, so she’s picking up from you even when you’re far away from her. She’s being monitored. But we know that you have a minimum of a sixty mile projection range.” Geoff held the door open for me. “Take your time. Walking around will help you metabolize the drugs. I just wanted to give you warning that your parents are in the palace and you’ll be expected to see them. Her Highness is suffering from a guilty conscience, and she doesn’t want her future in-laws upset with her.”
“This is going to be a disaster, isn’t it?”
“Only if His Highness of Germany visits the palace today as scheduled. His Royal Majesty of Germany arrived this morning. Once inside the palace, your temporary detail will consist of a mix of agents from the entire royal family. For the interim, until a team can be trained specifically for your detail, I’ll be leading your detail per Her Highness’s request.”
“This is a fight I can’t win, isn’t it?”
“It is, but I think you’ll find you’ll be close to Her Highness most of the time. My first priority is to you, but I’ll be keeping an eye on her as well.�
��
Careful of my sling, I slid out of the SUV, relieved when my back and legs didn’t protest the motion much. “Anything else I should know?”
“His Royal Majesty of Germany will seek an audience with you to resolve the issue involving the German RPS agent. Her Highness’s instructions were simple: do with him as you please. His Majesty gave his nod of approval.”
My brows rose. “Are they trying to end the negotiations?”
“No, I don’t think so. I think they’re expecting you to be practical about the situation, something neither one of them is capable of doing at this point in time.”
Somehow, I had become the last bastion of sanity in a world gone mad.
Chapter Twenty-Five
As expected, the palace was overly elegant with a splash of indulgent. After escaping the marble entry with its gold leafing and oppressively refined decor, things took a more rustic—and Texan—turn, something I could get used to given time to be numbed to the reality of being surrounded by wealth. I appreciated the paintings of the horses decorating the walls deeper within the palace, and had I had my way, I would’ve spent the entire day admiring them.
Geoff had other plans for me, which involved being delivered to Jessica, who was keeping company with my parents. The three played a heated game of cards, and my mother took the top spot as lead aggressor. She’d always gotten competitive during cards, but I found her willingness to face off against the princess promising.
I would’ve been content to watch them play, but Geoff cleared his throat and brought the game to an abrupt halt. “Your Highness.”
Jessica bounced to her feet and kissed my cheek. “You’re looking better, although it seems you’re trapped in a sling.”
“For the next two weeks,” I reported, eyeing the dratted device meant to keep my shoulder stable and preventing me from using my arm. “At least it’s not my right shoulder. That’s something, right?”
“Geoff? Why is he trapped in a sling for the next two weeks?”
“He needs a specialist to fuse the bones and remove the pins, and Dr. Durkes thought it wise to give him a chance to settle before exposing him to even more magic. His back could use the chance to recover, too. It also makes for an excellent excuse to keep him at the palace until further notice.”
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