The regent returned Dean’s steely gaze. “Is that so?”
“It is, indeed.”
Kray lifted Dean’s arm by the wrist and examined his brand once again. “Time will tell.” He let go of Dean’s wrist and opened his arms. “Welcome to Zenhala, Dean Seaborne, for I shall call you by that name until your royal lineage is proven. You and your friends will stay here as my guests until that is done. I hope you do not find my manner inhospitable, but my minister of defense is correct. We cannot rush to judgment in a matter such as this. In one week’s time, the great storm will return and seal us all on this island for another year. Once that happens, we will test the veracity of your claim to the throne, and prove it beyond any shadow of a doubt. Until then, the lost prince remains lost in my eyes. Unless you think you can convince me otherwise.”
“No, sir. Your words are the soul of wisdom.” Dean smiled broadly. He tried to take the regent’s wariness about him in stride, but it was just for show. Underneath it all, his mind was spinning like a whirlpool. “Forgive me, Lord Kray, but I do have one question. Why wait until we’re all trapped here on the island? Not that one could ever feel trapped in such a place as this, of course …” He chuckled with nervous laughter. “I’m just curious.… Why wait for the storm?”
“Tradition,” said Kray with a smile. “I expect you saw the castle’s many fountains and fish tanks on your way in?”
Dean nodded. “I did. They seemed to be lacking water.”
“Quite lacking, but only for now. The great storm drives seawater through the tunnels below this castle, filling the aquariums and powering our fountains in a grand display. When the water flows, we will cut into the mark on your arm and let a single drop of your blood fall into the palace fountainhead. If you’re truly born of the Royal House of Aquos, the ink that stains your skin will have been taken from the flowers of our golden trees. It will also be potent enough to turn all the waters of the Aqualine Palace a rich, brilliant blue.”
Dean’s eyebrows went up as high as they could go. “To prove my blue blood … Won’t that be a sight?” He turned back to look at Ronan and Rook. They seemed to be masking the same worried thoughts beneath their smiles.
“That ceremony has preceded every coronation on this island for hundreds of years. It’s a sight that everyone here, including my daughter, has longed to see for quite some time,” Kray said. A side door opened and an entourage of young maidens filed in. “Aha. Here she comes now. I trust that Verrick has already told you that when the prince comes into his crown, my daughter, Waverly, has been promised as his queen?”
Dean started to sweat as the girls entered the room. “He did, Lord Kray. And I’m eager to meet her, but—”
“Lord Kray,” Ralian interrupted. “Again, I must advise you to follow a conservative path in this matter.”
Verrick cleared his throat. “I wasn’t aware your duties as minister of defense extended to matrimonial affairs, Lord Ralian.”
Ralian scowled at Verrick. “They do when the groom has his eyes on the golden throne.”
“Believe it or not, I’m inclined to agree with Lord Ralian,” Dean interjected.
“What?” Verrick asked.
Dean put up his hands. “I just want to put my best foot forward. Don’t you all think it would be better to introduce us after I’ve had a chance to prove that I’m the prince? It’s not that I don’t want to meet your daughter, Lord Kray. I do. I just don’t want to meet her if I can’t tell her who I really … am.…”
Dean’s words trailed off as Waverly made her entrance. It was no use trying to avoid the encounter now that she was in the room, and the point was moot anyway, as Dean realized he had already met the regent’s daughter. In a manner of speaking. Waverly Kray was the surf-riding girl that Dean had locked eyes with on his way into port. The same one who had nearly crashed into a fishing boat.
CHAPTER 14
THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT
You!” Dean said as Waverly stepped to her father’s side.
The regent’s eyebrows knotted up with confusion. His daughter’s eyes widened in alarm. “I’m sorry, do you two know each other?” asked Lord Ralian.
Waverly Kray gasped. “Lord Ralian! Of course not. How could we?”
“We don’t,” Dean blurted, anxious to avoid the appearance of impropriety. “I don’t know her. I simply noticed her surfing when I arrived this morning. That’s all.”
“Waverly,” scolded Lord Kray. “Is this true?”
Waverly flushed. “Certainly not, Father! I’ve been in the palace all morning.”
“But—” Dean began. He halted his speech when he saw the look in Waverly’s eyes. There was a message there. It was subtle, but she was shaking him off. Asking him to drop it. “Forgive me,” Dean said, trying to recover. “The fault is mine, I … was mistaken. But I’m not mistaken when I say that you, my lady, are clearly Zenhala’s greatest treasure.”
The regent’s expression relaxed, and Waverly looked away, smiling. Her cheeks took on a rosy tint. “Thank you, Your Grace. I am honored to meet you.”
Dean bowed. “The honor is mine.” And so it was, for Dean knew he was no prince. Waverly Kray, on the other hand, was a true lady. She carried herself with dignity, poise, and effortless beauty. Her hair was brown like her father’s, but it was longer and had been turned a shade lighter by the sun. Her skin had been touched by those same rays and turned a rich, golden bronze. Waverly’s perfect tan enhanced all her lovely features, her green eyes most of all. They sparkled like emerald starbursts washed up on the shore. Dean was caught off guard by the way they hypnotized him, but there was more to Waverly than just her pretty face. No one would have ever guessed, seeing her standing in the throne room, dressed in an elegant gown, that she had been cutting across the waves on a surfboard less than an hour ago. Apparently, no one knew about it except the two of them.
The regent kissed his daughter on the cheek and sat back down on the throne. “I’m pleased you could find the time to join us, my dear.”
“I’m sorry, Father. I had to make myself presentable for the prince.” Waverly curtsied before Dean. “My apologies for making you wait.”
Lord Ralian flapped his cape loudly. “We actually don’t know if he’s the prince yet, Lady Kray. You don’t have to curtsy before him, nor should you address him as Your Grace.”
“Oh? What shall I call him, then?”
“Dean Seaborne. That’s all we know for sure. Captain Verrick’s the one who believes him to be the prince.”
“Before the week is out, you’ll believe it too,” said Verrick.
“We live in hope,” said the regent. “Dean Seaborne, I present to you my daughter, the lady Kray. If you truly are who you claim to be, then the two of you were betrothed long ago in an agreement between myself and your late father. Every prince must one day grow to be a king, and every king must have his queen.”
Ralian sidled up to Kray’s ear. “I beg your pardon, my lord, but the matter is not so simple as that.”
“What is it now?” Verrick asked.
Ralian sighed impatiently. “Have you been at sea so long, Captain Verrick, that you’ve forgotten about the trials?”
A sudden realization took the wind out of Verrick’s sails. Dean worried what that meant for him. “What trials?” he asked.
Ralian put on a condescending grin. “Ah, yes. You know nothing about our customs. And yet you’ve come here to rule us. What a wonderful contradiction you are.” Ralian shook his head. “Fear not, I shall educate you. Here in Zenhala, we have three rites of passage—shall we say trials of manhood?—that are something of a tradition. Every highborn son who thinks himself worthy must pass at least one trial to inherit his father’s titles. Had you grown up on the island, you would have gone through them all by now, but your situation being what it is, they still need to be completed.”
“All three?” Waverly asked.
“That is the custom for the prince,” Ralian insisted.
“Harming the prince?” Dean cut in. “What do you mean? Harming me how? What are these trials?”
Ralian eyed Dean with contempt. “Your courage must be tested by the snapdragon. Your seamanship must be proven in a race down the Bad Falls. The strength of your mind must be measured in the labyrinth below this castle.” He huffed and turned to the regent. “If he is the prince, it would be grossly irresponsible for us not to preserve the honored traditions of this island. He’s not prepared to take the throne as he is. He doesn’t even know his own culture. Lord Kray, your daughter deserves to be courted by a true lord of Zenhala. The people of this kingdom deserve a prince who is worthy of the throne, do they not?”
“But the danger involved …” Verrick said. “Lives are spent in preparation of each trial. He’s had no training. None!”
Ralian folded his arms. “I’m sorry. On this point, there can be no argument.”
Dean didn’t like what he was hearing. Nothing about these trials sounded good. The one with the snapdragon was particularly worrisome. Dean didn’t know what that was, and he had no interest in finding out. All eyes turned to the regent as they waited for him to decide the matter. Lord Kray stroked his beard, deep in thought. After a few moments, he gave a heavy sigh and looked at Verrick with apologetic eyes. “I’m afraid Lord Ralian is correct. I am no happier about this than you are, Captain. It’s not a circumstance any one of us would wish for, but that’s been true of this affair since it first began thirteen years ago. I swore to protect this throne, and that includes making certain that only those who are worthy sit upon it. The trials must go forward.”
Verrick looked at the floor and gave a resigned nod.
“However, given Dean’s lack of readiness—a situation he finds himself in through no fault of his own—we will take measures to safeguard his life. Lord Ralian. Your sons have proven themselves champions in each trial, have they not?”
Ralian puffed up his chest. “All three boys, my lord. We accept nothing less in my family.”
“Good. We will proceed with your sons serving as Seaborne’s seconds to help him complete each test.”
Dean expected Lord Ralian to protest, but instead the man’s face lit up. “A splendid idea, Lord Kray. I never would have thought of that.” He smiled at Dean. “It will be an honor and a privilege.”
Dean grimaced. Ralian’s happiness struck him as cause for concern. This job grew more complex with each passing minute. He hid his concern behind a smile. “If I knew there were going to be so many tests, I would have studied harder,” Dean joked.
Lord Kray shifted in his seat. “I’m afraid you won’t be laughing when you face the trials, but they are hurdles you must clear. They have deep meaning for us, and for you as well. If you are who you claim to be, that is. They’re the price of your crown. Will you pay it?”
Dean squared himself up and lifted his chin. If he couldn’t convince these people that he was their prince, this job was over before it began. “I’ll pay any price to claim that which is rightfully mine, including your daughter’s hand in marriage.”
Dean flashed a smile at Waverly. She didn’t return it. He was playing the gallant young lord and hoping to impress her with bold, confident talk. It didn’t work. Dean couldn’t be sure, but it looked like she just rolled her eyes at him.
Dean’s promise seemed to have the opposite effect on the regent. “Well said,” he declared. “I hope you live up to those words. We’ll soon find out. We need to move quickly if we want to stay ahead of the storm. For now, make yourself at home. You’ve had a long journey. Rest. The trials will begin tomorrow. Lord Ralian, can I trust you to see to the details?”
Ralian stood at attention before the regent, with a hand pressed to his heart. “You can always trust me, Lord Kray.”
Dean frowned as Ralian bowed down with an exaggerated motion, holding out the hem of his cape. He never trusted anyone who talked like that, and as far as he was concerned, people wearing capes were automatically suspect. Of course, that didn’t place Lord Ralian in any kind of rare company. Growing up among pirates had made Dean suspicious of almost everybody. Something told him that before he left this island, he’d be grateful for that fact.
CHAPTER 15
SPIES LIKE US
Royal stewards showed Dean, Ronan, and Rook to their quarters and left them alone. They were given a lavish state apartment in the castle’s west wing all to themselves. It was big enough to fit half the Pirate Youth with room to spare, and helped Dean forget his looming trials for the moment. He walked from room to room, marveling at the wealth and splendor of it all. There were three bedrooms, a large drawing room, two small parlors, and a study. Once again, Dean found himself envying the life of a prince. A few days earlier, he had believed Verrick’s cabin on board the Tideturner to be the height of luxury. Now he was the guest of honor in a suite of rooms fit for a king. That’s what he was supposed to be, after all. A future king. Dean couldn’t believe how far he’d come, even if he was there under false pretenses. “I could get used to this,” he said with a smile.
Rook slammed Sisto’s cage down on a nearby table, causing the bird to squawk loudly. “Whaddaya think yer doing, Seaborne?”
Dean turned around. “What are you talking about, Rook?”
“Back there, in the throne room. You didn’t ask ’em about the orchard!”
Dean rolled his eyes. “Of course I didn’t ask them about the orchard. What do you take me for?”
Rook grabbed Dean’s arm. “I took ya to be the pirate king’s top spy! What do you mean, ‘of course not’? Did you forget why we’re here?”
“Hands off, Rook!” Dean pulled his arm away. “I know what I’m doing. You’re the one who’s out of his depth. I purposely didn’t mention the orchard because I’m not the prince here yet. I’m not going to come in here asking these people where they keep their gold. That’s what a thief would do.”
“Don’t give me that,” Rook sneered. “You coulda worked it in if ya tried. You was just too busy makin’ eyes at the regent’s daughter.”
“I was not.”
“You were, and I don’t like it.”
“Why’s that? Jealous?”
“Of what? Yer not a prince! They’ll find that out when One-Eyed Jack gets here.” Rook went to Sisto’s cage and slid up the door. “Check that desk for ink and paper. We’ll send the bird out with a note tellin’ how to get here.”
Ronan swooped in and shut the birdcage door. “Not so fast.” He stepped in front of Sisto’s cage, muscling Rook out of the way. “One-Eyed Jack sent us here to find the golden orchard. So far, I haven’t seen it.”
Rook tried his best to get past Ronan, but it was no use. “Get off it. The gold’s here somewhere. We’ll find it.”
“I didn’t realize it was so easy,” Dean said. “Weren’t you just yelling at me for not asking the regent where it was?”
Rook made a face at Dean. “We’ll find out where it is when our mates sack the island. One-Eyed Jack has ways of gettin’ information outta people.”
“I don’t want any part of that,” Ronan said. “We’re not that kind of pirates. Gentleman Jim taught us better.”
Rook let out a groan. “Not this again. You’ll follow that man right into the grave, ya will. What did his way of doin’ things ever get ’im besides lost at sea?”
Ronan got right in Rook’s face. Eyeball to eyeball. “You don’t talk about Gentleman Jim, Rook. Not ever. And if I find out you had something to do with what happened to him, you’ll pay for it. Like you wouldn’t believe. Understand?”
Rook stood his ground and stared right back at Ronan. “The only way you’d find out somethin’ like that would be if I was dumb enough to confess, which I ain’t. So I s’pose that’s that, ain’t it?”
Ronan clench
ed his fist. Another fight was brewing. Dean wasn’t going to stop this one. They were behind closed doors, which meant Rook was fair game. “We’ll see,” Ronan said, but he never threw a punch. Instead, he locked Sisto’s cage and put the key around his neck.
“What are you doing?” Dean asked.
“Gentleman Jim might be gone, but we’re still his crew. That means we steal from people who can afford it, people who deserve it, or both.”
Rook held out his arms and motioned to the luxurious apartment. “Are you daft? Look around! This lot can afford it.”
“Find me the golden orchard and we’ll know for sure,” Ronan said. “Until then, that bird stays in his cage. We’re going to honor the Gentleman’s Code. I don’t expect a scoundrel like you, or a spy like Seaborne, to understand, but it’s what we’re going to do, just the same.” Ronan tucked the key inside his collar and puffed out his chest. “Either of you got a problem with that?”
Dean studied Ronan’s unwavering gaze, then looked over at Rook, who had taken off his belt and wrapped it around his fist. “C’mon, Seaborne. He can take us one at a time but not the two of us together. Let’s get that key.”
Dean leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head. “Sorry, Rook. I’m with Ronan on this one.”
“What?” Rook and Ronan both asked at the same time.
Dean smiled. “We’re going to keep to the code.”
“What for?” Rook stomped his feet like a child throwing a tantrum. “Gentleman Jim wasn’t even your cap’n, Seaborne.”
“He was for long enough. Besides, I’m not getting One-Eyed Jack worked up about this place until I see its treasure with my own eyes. We’re here for the golden harvest. I’m not calling One-Eyed Jack in until I know it’s here.”
The Lost Prince Page 11