Pimpernel_Royal Ball

by Sheralyn Pratt

  “So why champion Claire?” she asked, still piecing things together in her mind. “Why fight your dad on shutting her out?”

  A sad smile tugged at his lips. “Because there is more to life than just work. It is good to have purpose, but love makes it even better.”

  “Even if it kills you?” she asked.

  He nodded. “I’m certain of it. But remember that you were the linchpin in all this from the beginning. If you hadn’t come then Claire would have failed her test. My father would have had his way, and Jack would have been safe. Miserable and bitter, but safe … and a good pimpernel, all his days.”

  “So you had your bases covered either way,” she said, and it wasn’t a question. He’d played his hand very well. She was impressed. Kali had seen her fair share of schemes in her day, but Malachi was next level in execution.

  But he was hiding something. She could tell in the way he kept holding his breath before speaking.

  Kali took a step farther out into the void until she was able to look up and see the highlight of the peak rising above her. She could see why Malachi liked coming to this spot. It was a perfect spot to do a gut check on what was important.

  If the glass were to dissolve under their feet, leaving them to plummet to the ground, what would matter?

  Kali knew her answer, and she was certain a man like Malachi did too.

  “Why Claire?” she said, turning to face him again. “I get the Jack angle, but for you to risk so much, she must matter to you as well. Why?”

  “You’re very astute.” The way he said it, it didn’t sound entirely like a compliment.

  “I’m also waiting for an answer,” she said. “You want me to trust you while pledging to stay by Jack’s side until I save him when you could have just skipped it all by cutting Claire out of the equation today. You’re rolling the dice. Why? And don’t say love. That’s a good enough reason for Jack to take such a reckless risk. But not you. Your heart is not on the line, so what’s your angle?”

  He didn’t need to say anything for Kali to know her read on the situation was right. His eyes looked out to horizon without seeming to see it as his thumb pressed worried strokes into his ring.

  Kali waited.

  “A year from now, I will have a nephew,” he began, before looking her the eye. “Margot’s son.”

  “Or daughter,” Kali offered.

  He shook his head. “It will be a boy, and his name will be Enoch. He will have greatness in him, along with ample opportunities to squander it.”

  He was telling the truth—or, at least, his truth. There was no way for him to know any of what he was saying, but she could tell he believed it nonetheless.

  “The choice of what to do with his life will be his, of course, just as we all get to choose our own destinies. But the people around us as we grow make a difference—both to the mother and the child.”

  Ah. There it is, Kali thought, knowing that Malachi didn’t want her to point out what he’d tacked on there at the end.

  Claire mattered because Margot mattered, and Margot needed Claire.

  It had been a while since Kali dealt with that ice queen. Margot had never warmed up to her. Kali got the sense that Margot didn’t warm up to many people at all. But in the short time she’d worked with Jack last year, she’d picked up on Margot’s soft spot for Claire.

  So, yes, Jack might be in love with Claire, and that was all well and good. But tonight, Malachi had acted based on Margot and the future nephew he thought he’d have.

  And hidden underneath all that was the small little detail that he was in love with Margot. He hadn’t said that—not with words—but everything in his phrasing talked around it.

  Claire was important to Malachi because Claire was important to Margot.

  End of story. And, really, that’s all Kali needed to know. She would have saved Jack’s life anyway. Fair was fair. But this would definitely make things more interesting.

  When he looked at her next, Kali saw genuine fear in Malachi’s eyes. “I would consider it a great service if you never repeated any of this.”

  Kali nodded. “I can do that.”

  “Thank you,” he whispered.

  “You’re welcome,” she replied.

  Then they both stood in silence and took in the view.

  Chapter 29

  Claire

  Time had disappeared all too quickly. Claire was more than happy to be back in regular clothes, but she was less ready to return to the real world. In defiance of her will, jets were starting their engines and the queue for departures was posted.

  Margot’s jet was seventh on the list and Queen Anila’s was tenth.

  This was it.

  Jack was really going to get on one plane, and she was going to get on another so she could go train to be an oracle. It was like a dream … which would also explain how good Jack’s lips felt on hers right then.

  Yes, they’d kissed innumerable times before, but there was something different about tonight … something different about being able to whisper I love you as they caught their breath, and the look he got in his eye when she called him Jachin.

  He liked it.

  She liked it.

  Claire knew the two of them must look like those annoying kids who made out in the hall back in her school days. But, just like them, she didn’t care what anyone thought. All she could think of was how much they were holding back before, without realizing it.

  Not anymore.

  She never wanted to hold back anything again.

  When he pulled away from their kiss, she tried to keep the contact, but he pressed his forehead to hers and used the leverage to separate them until he was looking her in the eye.

  His hand came up and traced her cheek. “I’m going to miss you.”

  “Same,” she whispered back.

  “You’re going to be an amazing oracle.”

  For once, none of her inner voices heckled the thought and she smiled. “I’ve got to be to keep up with you.”

  “Just be you,” he said, pressing a quick kiss to her lips. “That’s all I need.”

  She smiled. “So cheesy.”

  “Yeah. You do that to me.”

  “Uh-huh,” she said, putting some distance between them. “Just make sure no one else makes you wax cheesy while I’m gone.”

  “Never,” he promised, eyes twinkling.

  Claire let herself capture the moment. His face. His eyes. His smile. His lips.

  Scratch that. She definitely shouldn’t be looking at his lips. They both seemed to lean in a bit whenever she did that.

  As if reading each other’s thoughts, they both took a step back at the same time. It was just in time to spot Margot coming up behind him with a man on her arm, and Ren following three steps behind.

  The husband. Finally, Claire would get to meet him.

  He’d felt like such an urban legend throughout the night. Claire knew his name was Osment and that he was Malachi’s twin, but she hadn’t realized how much of twins they were.

  Osment’s suit was full gold—his jacket similar to the one Malachi had been wearing when they arrived. The older twin looked identical to Malachi, minus the beard and plus a pair of blue eyes. Despite being predisposed not to like him, Claire was slightly overwhelmed by what a handsome couple they made. From their immaculate wardrobe to the chill in their eyes, Margot and Osment looked like two intimidating birds of a feather.

  Instinct had Claire slipping her hand into Jack’s as they finished their approach.

  “Lord Osment,” Jack said, with a tip of his head.

  “Jachin,” Osment replied, saying Jack’s full name like he was spitting on it.

  Yeah. Claire definitely didn’t like him, and she would have communicated as much if the man had looked at her.

  He didn’t.

  It reminded Claire of her brief introduction to his mother.

  “I trust you can take Margot from here,” Osment said.

  “On the c
ontrary,” Jack replied. “I think she’s the one taking me.”

  “Touché,” Osment said, removing Margot’s arm from his and giving her a lazy bow. “Until next time.”

  “Until November,” Margot corrected.

  “Of course,” he said, before turning and walking into the hangar.

  Seriously? That was Margot’s husband? What a—

  “I’m ready to get out of here,” Margot said, looking at Jack. “Are you ready?”

  Jack rubbed his thumb over the back of Claire’s hand as he replied. “We’re wheels up in about fifteen. It’s time to board.”

  Margot nodded, looking around. “What about Kali? Do we know what’s happening with her yet?”

  “I’m going with you,” Kali said, her rust coat seeming to materialize out of the shadows.

  Claire jumped at her sudden appearance, and even Jack and Margot seemed surprised. Ren looked angry.

  “Where did you come from?” he asked.

  “The elevator,” Kali said as if that was answer enough.

  Margot’s eyes searched behind Kali, jaw clenching when she didn’t find what she was looking for. “Did you and Malachi get everything sorted?”

  “We got a thing sorted,” she replied, before looking at Jack. “I owe Jack a life-debt. It’s time I repaid it. So I’m with you guys until I do Jack a solid.”

  Claire didn’t know she was holding her breath until Kali’s words let it escape.

  She hadn’t wanted to say anything, but she’d been so worried about something happening to Jack while she was gone.

  But if Kali was with him…?

  In her mind, Claire could still replay the ease and fluidity with which Kali had laid out those four knights. No force, all physics, and boom. They were out.

  “Thank you,” she said, throwing her arms around the other woman.

  What is her jacket made of? It feels amazing.

  Wrong time to ask.

  Claire pulled away. “You have no idea how much that means to me.”

  Kali smiled, her eyes kind when she said. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep him safe until you get back.”

  And Claire believed her. She, the queen of worst-case-scenarios, actually believed Jack would be safe for the six months she was gone.

  “Yeah,” Margot said, her tone a little put out. “I was planning on that, as well.”

  “Of course,” Claire said, hugging her, too, before adding, “I never had a doubt about you.”

  She knew the words meant something when Margot relaxed a little in her arms and lightly hugged her back.

  “And thank you for your support,” Claire whispered. “I couldn’t have done what I did tonight without you. Being with Malachi alone would have been scary.”

  “My pleasure,” Margot whispered back before they both stepped out of the hug.

  For the first time ever, Claire looked at the people around her and was filled with the overwhelming sense that everything was going to be okay.

  Jack. Margot. Ren. Kali…she’d miss them, but they were going to be okay. She was going to be okay.

  “It’s time to board,” Ren said, oblivious to the little epiphany she had going.

  Yes. It was time to go. Claire would never be ready to go separate ways with the four people standing around her, so there was nothing to do but rip off the metaphorical Bandaid.

  Queen Anila was waiting.

  A queen.

  The prince’s mother.

  Claire was going to get on a plane with them and not come back for six months.

  Don’t think about it. Just get on the plane, one of her nicer voices urged, and she listened.

  She turned to Jack. “I shouldn’t be the last one on Queen Anila’s plane. That’s rude.”

  He nodded. “Can I walk you there?”

  “Be quick,” Ren said. “We’ll shut the door in five.”

  “If I miss you, I’ll just go with Claire,” he said, slipping his hand in hers and urging her to follow.

  The blush in her cheeks made her feel twelve, but it fit the mood of Jack’s playful pull away from the group. She felt like they were running away to make out under the bleachers somewhere, rather than saying goodbye. The mood lasted until Claire saw which jet they were walking to.

  Whoa.

  It looked like a hotel tipped on its side, easily three times the size of Margot’s plane. Exactly how rich were these people? And, come to think of it, where were they taking her?

  “Your coach, m’lady,” Jack said, gesturing to the stairway.

  Your strength is adapting to the moment, Margot’s voice said in her mind. Lean into your strengths, not your fears.

  Okay, that last part sounded more like Malachi. It didn’t matter who planted the thought, though.

  They were right.

  For all the tiny things that could go wrong at any given moment, there was a bigger picture pushing to unfold. If she kept her eyes on that big picture, most of the details would take care of themselves.

  She believed that now.

  Claire was pretty sure Malachi had been trying to teach her more than that during their time, but she’d definitely picked up that much. That was the one and only reason she was able to look up at the large stairway and feel a jolt of excitement.

  She had a place. She had a purpose. She had a role. And she had Jack.

  “Hey, Jachin,” she said, waiting for him to look up before she winked. “Try not to miss me.”

  The look in his eyes made it clear he wanted to come in for one last kiss, which was why Claire rushed out of his reach and up the stairs.

  “Hold that thought,” she said, quick-stepping up.

  “Count on it!” he called after her, and Claire was still smiling when she pushed through the doorway and came face-to-face with a flight attendant.

  “Welcome aboard, Miss Ramsey,” he said with a tip of his head. “My name is Elvin, and I will be at your service throughout the flight.”

  “Good to meet you, Elvin,” she said, not knowing if she should shake his hand, or if he would kiss it if she held it out.

  Claire was about to find out when Queen Anila appeared. “Ah, you found us. I’ll take it from here, Elvin.”

  “Yes, Your Grace,” he said with a bow and was out of sight within the next breath. Disappearing and reappearing seemed to be a thing in this world she was walking into. Might as well get used to it.

  The queen gestured into the main area of the plane. “Come. I’ll show you to a private area where you can rest.”

  Rest? Her adrenaline was still too high for that, but Claire kept that to herself as she moved into the main body of the plane, finding a large lounge. In that lounge lay a twelve-year-old boy, sleeping on a couch in a t-shirt and pajama pants.

  “He tried to stay up for you,” Queen Anila said, her tone gentle and maternal. “He’s so excited you’re coming with us and has about a hundred questions. I hope you don’t mind.”

  Mind? First Claire had to wrap her mind around the fact that she was looking at the boy who had spent the night holding his own with kings.

  Looking at him now, he looked innocent… childlike. Probably because that’s exactly what he was. A child.

  “Of course,” Claire said, feeling a soft spot develop without knowing why. “He can ask me anything.”

  Queen Anila laughed. “Be careful with that promise. He knows you spent the evening with Malachi, and he all but worships that man.” Her eyes were soft as she looked at her sleeping son. “Bundle up Batman, Superman, and Iron Man, and that’s how cool my son thinks Malachi is. Between the two of us, he could have made modern history tonight if he’d gone undefeated, but I think he’s more excited to have Malachi as his mentor.”

  Claire found herself nodding. “I can see that. I can say from experience that Malachi’s an excellent teacher.”

  The queen’s eyes narrowed a bit. “The reference to sixteen … how was that a clue for you?”

  Part of Claire hesitated to share the secret
, but then she remembered the woman was to be her mentor. Sharing information went two ways.

  “I tripped an alarm before coming to the ball tonight,” she admitted. “I never knew what it was connected to, but the code I memorized was sixteen digits. Malachi answered for me when Margot and Jack asked about the alarm earlier. When he mentioned sixteen, I thought of the code. If it was relevant to the missile, the code was somehow connected to The Fours, and Jack has only one connection with them. Kali. I’m still not sure how I ended up being right. It was the only guess that accounted for all the details.”

  “Ah,” Queen Anila said with a smile. “Abed will be very excited to hear that. He was frustrated he couldn’t figure out how you guessed.”

  Claire looked back at the kid. “He really was amazing tonight. I didn’t spend much time with him, obviously, but ... it’s an understatement to say he’s a smart kid.”

  “Terrifyingly so,” the queen agreed as they watched the slow rise and fall of his chest as he slept. “I’m certain he will surpass both his father and me in intelligence and wit. It was his idea to use the straight-flush play tonight, with himself as the high card. Nearly everyone chooses to go with three-of-a-kind for a full house.”

  “Full house?” Claire asked, not understanding anything the queen had just said.

  “With the advisers,” the queen clarified, looking at Claire as if reassessing what she thought she knew. “Most children choose Royals from every banner to advise them, like a full house in cards ... with mom and dad up the sleeve,” she added with a wink. “But Abed wanted to test how strong his house is, from the bottom up. Eight, Nine, Ten, Prince. No mom. No dad.” She sent her son another thoughtful look. “He chose wisely. Even I had my doubts, but it would seem that the talent pool of our allies is very strong. I think that was good for all of us to see tonight.”

  Was she saying that the Royals didn’t know how good Jack was until tonight? If so, then yes. Claire was definitely glad Abed had chosen him. Because Jack was amazing.

  “But enough business talk,” Queen Anila said. “Let’s show you to your private quarters, and get you set up.”

  When the queen stepped forward, Claire followed. And, for the first time in her adult life, stepped into something new with a full inner-chorus of excitement.