The Almost King

by Lucy Saxon

  The grey sunlight made him squint as he went outside, and it took him a few moments to notice he was being pushed towards a carriage. This one was solid steel, more heavy-duty than the one he’d arrived in, and it made him wonder; this was usually the type of carriage they used to cart off dangerous killers and people they thought would break out of the wooden ones. Did they really think that highly of him?

  ‘Get in,’ Shulga grunted, swinging the door open. There was a bench on the wall of this carriage, and Aleks settled on it, feet planted firmly on the floor and leaning forward slightly so as not to crush his hands. The door was slammed shut, and after a few moments they were on the move.

  They definitely weren’t releasing him, but as far as he knew there was no other jail in the city. His pulse quickened; were they taking him back down to Rensav already?

  He straightened up when the carriage came to a halt, wishing there was a window for him to look out of to know where he was. He’d just have to wait for the doors to open. He didn’t have to wait long, and tried not to look like a startled rabbit when Shulga came to retrieve him, wrestling him out of the back of the carriage. He looked around, confusion growing. They were parked in front of a nondescript grey building, somewhere in the city centre by the look of things.

  The guard shoved him forward, another one going ahead to open the door, and Aleks tried not to show his shock once he was inside. For all its plain appearance on the outside, the building was lavishly decorated inside, making Aleks feel sorely out of place in his dirty jacket and trousers. He hadn’t even been given the chance to wash that morning. They ended up in a reception room, painted light blue with dark wood furnishings and portraits on the walls, each of a different king or queen of Siberene. A tall, wiry man was sitting behind a desk, dressed in a sharp suit and eyeing him warily. ‘Is this him?’ he asked, and Shulga nodded.

  ‘Where should we take him?’ The tall man pointed towards a door on the left, a frown on his face.

  ‘Through there – they’re waiting for him. Don’t leave him alone with them,’ he warned, making Shulga raise an eyebrow.

  ‘Do I look like I’m stupid?’ he retorted, shoving Aleks by the shoulder. ‘Come on, you’re wasting time.’

  Aleks didn’t know whether to be scared or excited at this abrupt turn of events. Stomach churning, he walked with his guard escort towards the door in question. The guard in front unlocked the door, which had an absurdly complicated mechanism. Aleks suddenly wondered if he was in some sort of psychiatric hospital, but quickly put that thought aside; even the nicest hospitals weren’t this well-decorated.

  Door open, Aleks felt two hands gripping his shoulders to stop him from doing anything other than walk forward. He froze in his tracks as soon as he saw who else was in the room. Sitting on a plush velvet armchair with a politely interested expression on his face was none other than King Andrei Rudavin himself. On either side of him in chairs of their own, making no attempt to disguise their boredom, were his sons, Toma and Erik. Aleks tried not to gape, belatedly dropping into a bow, and was unable to stifle the hiss of pain as the movement tugged on his already sore shoulders. ‘Your Majesties,’ he murmured, trying to regain his composure. What in the name of the gods were they doing here?

  ‘Please, sit,’ the king requested, gesturing to the free chair opposite him. Aleks wondered exactly what he’d got himself into now.

  41

  ‘I’ve wanted to meet you for a while,’ the king remarked, lips curling in what was almost amusement. ‘Oh gentlemen, don’t be ridiculous – he’s a deserter, not a murderer. Cuff him at the front so the poor brat can sit down without dislocating something.’ Shulga hastened to obey, though he didn’t look too happy about it. Aleks was shoved unceremoniously into the chair opposite the king, and he tried to appear calm. Inside, he was screaming: what on Tellus had Luka done now?

  With a guard either side of his chair and another standing halfway between him and the royal family, it truly did look like he was some sort of murderer. ‘Good, now we can get down to business,’ the king declared, clasping his ring-adorned hands under his chin. ‘You’ve caused quite a stir recently, Aleksandr. You and your merry band of adventurers.’

  ‘I’m sorry, Your Majesty –’ Aleks cut himself off; there wasn’t really much he could say to explain himself. He shook his head, and the man chuckled.

  ‘Don’t, don’t. I’m rather impressed, to be honest. You’ve got guts,’ he replied. ‘How did you do it?’

  ‘It wasn’t anything to do with my skills,’ Aleks insisted. ‘It was all Luka’s ship. We wouldn’t have been able to make it without him.’ The king nodded, looking thoughtful.

  ‘Yes, I’ve heard of this famed ship. Like nothing else anyone’s ever seen, so I’m told – though since you landed no one has actually seen it,’ he remarked.

  Aleks shrugged, leaning back in his chair a little, his shoulders aching. ‘Luka is very protective towards his inventions.’

  The king raised an eyebrow, and even Prince Erik smirked a little.

  ‘Not just his inventions, by the look of things. I don’t know if you know, but a man was caught attempting to destroy your enlistment papers and arrest warrant, shortly after you returned from your expedition. He claimed to be doing it on your employer’s orders. He was, of course . . . dealt with.’ Aleks flinched; that didn’t sound good.

  ‘Was that really necessary?’ he asked.

  ‘Oh, absolutely. I can’t have men in such a sensitive department willing to do favours for friends. Besides, you caused quite some trouble down in Rensav. Tell me, Aleksandr, was my cadet training not to your liking?’ Aleks looked the man in the eye and shivered. The king knew exactly what happened in Rensav. Suddenly, Aleks started to question everything he’d heard about the king, everything he’d thought to be true – he was supposed to be loving and just, striving to make this country the best it could be. He was the one who had gained them independence, freed them from Anglya’s iron fist. How much of that persona was a lie?

  ‘No, sire,’ he replied simply, ‘the training seems to be an acquired taste.’ Toma snorted softly and Erik’s blue eyes flickered in amusement.

  ‘Evidently. I suppose not everyone has the strength to handle such rigorous training.’

  ‘Rigorous training?’ Aleks scoffed, ignoring the way all three of his guards growled at him for interrupting the king. ‘Torture is more like it! It’s hideous, what the commanders get away with down there. You should be ashamed of yourself! The military is supposed to be a noble institution, and all you’ve done is debase and belittle everything it stands for by allowing your men to act in such a way.’

  Shulga reached out, backhanding Aleks across the face, and while both princes flinched and gasped, Aleks merely looked his attacker in the eye. ‘You can do better than that,’ he taunted, feeling reckless. Aleks was in front of the king, he was probably set for death, anyway. ‘We both know it.’ He was tempted to tell the king about the journal Shulga had stolen, but he had the feeling the man would be interested in it for all the wrong reasons. Perhaps it would be better to let the matter lie. The thing was at the bottom of the ocean now.

  ‘You insult me by questioning my practices,’ King Andrei snapped. ‘The base in Rensav is necessary for this country’s good fortune. Without it, we would have far more criminals on the streets and in our prisons, and a far smaller army. The . . . corrective treatment is a small price to pay.’

  ‘Corrective, my arse,’ Aleks muttered, and Shulga raised his fist in warning.

  ‘Father, what’s he talking about?’ Prince Erik asked quietly, earning a sharp look for speaking out of turn.

  ‘Enough,’ the king hissed, losing all his earlier false warmth. ‘Your opinion of the Rensav base matters little, Mr Vasin. With the recent increase in tourism, the base is being moved to the island of Ropastal. Everything shall continue as it always has.’ Aleks grimaced, disgusted, and even the two princes looked unsettled, despite clearly having no idea wha
t was being discussed. Still, at least if the base was situated on an island, no one would accidentally walk into it like Aleks had. Though it would make escaping near impossible.

  ‘We’ve gone off track,’ King Andrei said eventually, lips twitching in a brief smile as he calmed down. ‘This Luka of yours, Mr Vasin, has offered his skyship in return for your release. It will be taken to the Academy to be studied and replicated, should you decide to sign the papers.’ Aleks gaped; Luka had done what?

  ‘But . . . I’m not worth that ship!’ he protested, earning a raised eyebrow from Erik.

  ‘He obviously thinks you are,’ the prince retorted. He was barely a year older than Aleks, but he already looked every part the future king, a confidence on his face that was just the right side of arrogance.

  ‘That doesn’t settle everything, however,’ King Andrei interrupted, giving his son a mild chiding look. Aleks wondered why he’d brought them if he didn’t expect them to talk. Intimidation, maybe? ‘The point still stands – you owe me four years’ service. The old mechanic said nothing about negating that charge when he made the deal for your release.’

  ‘Please, Your Majesty,’ Aleks blurted out. ‘I’ll do anything to free myself of the commitment. I’m getting married and . . . I don’t want to make her wait four years for me.’ While he hadn’t actually proposed to Saria yet, he was feeling fairly confident that he’d get to it sooner or later, and wasn’t above using it to tug on the king’s heartstrings. If he had any.

  ‘Married? Who to? The newscasts never mentioned a bride?’ Erik asked curiously. Aleks smiled just thinking about Saria.

  ‘The daughter of the owner of the jewellery shop in the fountain courtyard,’ he replied. ‘I never gave them any reason to mention her – she doesn’t need to be in the spotlight.’

  ‘A jeweller’s daughter?’ The king gave Aleks a look that held a measure of respect. ‘You’re marrying up.’ Aleks laughed, a wry twist to his lips.

  ‘Believe me, sire, I know,’ he assured him. ‘But I mean it. I don’t want to serve and, well, I’d hate to be interviewed about my discovery and accidentally let slip how things really are in Rensav. That would defeat the purpose of you moving that base, don’t you think?’ His voice was almost innocent, and the king’s eyes narrowed.

  ‘You play a dangerous game, boy. Rest assured I could have your throat slit before you could utter one word of the truth about Rensav. Any time, anywhere. I am king, after all. My people are everywhere, and this is not Anglya. I am not so foolish as to let a rebellion happen right under my nose.’ He smiled cruelly, and Aleks was reminded that the man in front of him was the one who had declared war on Anglya, and had fought for his country’s independence with every resource available to him. King Andrei was a king for wartime, but Aleks was beginning to doubt his ability to be a king for peace. Rensav was proof of that.

  ‘They’re calling you the Common King, have you heard?’ King Andrei asked, surprising Aleks with the abrupt change in conversation. ‘Some suggest that being the first captain to land on that nice country of yours gives you the same measure of power as myself!’ He sounded mildly scandalised at the notion. ‘Ridiculous, really. But the people are all about the underdog, and they love a good story of turning rags to riches.’

  ‘Hardly riches,’ Aleks argued, but the king shook his head.

  ‘Not yet, lad, but give them time. I don’t doubt you’ve heard but a fraction of what people are wishing for you. If the public had their way, you’d have a throne next to mine and your own court of lords before the turn of the season.’ Aleks’s eyebrows shot up incredulously at the news. He didn’t want any of that! ‘Now, of course, I can hardly have a young upstart like you jeopardising my rule,’ the king continued. ‘Especially when your land consists of merely trees, sand and animals. However, the newscasts are ignorant of one vital piece of information. You are, technically, still a cadet of the Siberene military. Everything you own, every title you have, belongs to your commanding officers until the time you graduate from cadet training.’ He paused, smiling wolfishly. ‘And, as the king, everything belonging to your commanding officers belongs to me. I believe you’ll find that makes your land and title mine.’ Even his sons looked surprised, Toma actually letting his jaw drop a fraction, and Aleks was hard pressed not to do the same. He opened his mouth to protest, then shut it again; he was sure that if he read his enlistment contract, it would only prove the king correct. And he couldn’t tell him that the land wasn’t even his; if he said a word about Kara, there would be expedition ships out there based on Luka’s design, ready to invade the peaceful forest village.

  ‘Why are you telling me this?’ he asked.

  ‘I’m a kind man, Aleksandr,’ the king told him, his words contradicting the cold smile on his face, ‘and a fair ruler. But, more importantly, I’m not an idiot. I know there would be a revolt if I were to claim your land from you, even if it is rightfully mine. However, should it be reported that, upon your release from prison due to my gracious intervention, you were so overcome with gratitude and patriotism that you offered me your land and title as a gesture of fealty – why, people would be celebrating in the streets at the increased power of their country and their kingdom.’

  ‘You want Karana?’ Aleks clarified. ‘In exchange for a complete discharge from the military?’ King Andrei nodded once.

  ‘Exactly that, lad. You have no use for the land, and if I have the old mechanic’s ship, it’ll only be a matter of time before I have a fleet of identical ships to command as I please. You have nothing with which to make that country worth something. Give me fifteen years and it will be as prosperous as Siberene itself,’ he boasted, sending unease through Aleks’s stomach. Would he really be able to do so? If he had Luka’s ship . . . but Aleks didn’t have much of a choice. Kara would have to defend her own people, if it came down to it.

  ‘I’ll give you the country,’ he agreed reluctantly. ‘But I warn you, sire, that land is not meant to be ruined through colonisation. It is so beautiful, so incredible in its development away from civilisation. To alter that would be to take away the last piece of true Goddess-owned land this world has left.’ He eyed the king intently as he spoke, long past caring if he was offending the man. It had to be said, and the worst the king could do was scold him; he wouldn’t put Aleks back in prison or he’d lose Luka’s ship. ‘My crewmate died, not because of an animal attack, but because the dead zone was so harsh it blew our propeller while he was in the engine room. Karana is not meant for us.’ Maybe Zhora would still be alive if they’d realised that earlier.

  ‘How dare you!’ King Andrei said angrily. ‘How dare you presume to tell me what I can and can’t do! You know nothing of the Goddess’s purpose, nor the building of a colony – the beauty of nature can be sacrificed for the good of the people. If I didn’t believe that, I’d never get anywhere.’

  ‘Is Siberene itself not enough?’ Aleks argued earnestly. ‘Siberene has prospered plenty without the knowledge of land beyond the Stormlands, and to believe we cannot thrive without it would reflect rather poorly on your ability as king, sire.’ He knew he had overstepped the mark when the king’s dark brows furrowed and his eyes became icy as he stared at the boy in front of him.

  ‘Our deal still stands,’ he snapped. ‘You will have your freedom, both from my prison and my military, and in return I will have the ship and your country. Do not dare to lecture me on my ability as king when you have nothing of worth to your name.’ Aleks stood, and Shulga took a half-step forward.

  ‘There was no lecturing involved, sire, and no offence meant,’ Aleks insisted. ‘Merely a warning, and perhaps a word of advice. Nothing good will come of staining the beauty of that land, and you’re likely to lose more than you gain in attempting to do so.’

  King Andrei glared at him and Aleks bowed low, the position more comfortable now his hands weren’t cuffed behind his back. As he rose, he caught Prince Erik’s eye. When he noticed Aleks staring, he froze, then no
dded once, slowly, where his father couldn’t see. Surprised, Aleks nodded back; hopefully that meant at least one member of the royal family had been listening to his words. Perhaps the future of Siberene was in better hands than the present.

  ‘It was a pleasure to meet you all,’ he said politely. ‘Though forgive me if I say I shan’t make a habit of it.’ Erik smiled before he could hide it, while King Andrei’s glare merely darkened.

  ‘See that you don’t,’ he replied sharply. Aleks glanced at a furious-looking Shulga, wondering if he was free to leave, and began backing up towards the door, keeping his face directed at his monarch. It was rude to turn your back on a king.

  ‘My condolences on the loss of your crewmate,’ Erik said just as Aleks reached the door. ‘He was a brave man to undertake such an adventure.’ The king turned to glare at his son, but Erik didn’t flinch. Seeing them together, Aleks could only hope that King Andrei wasn’t given a further fifteen years on the throne in which to implement his plan.

  ‘Thank you, Your Highness,’ Aleks murmured sincerely. ‘I shall pass your kindness on to his brother.’ Erik smiled, nodding towards him, and Aleks ignored Shulga’s icy glare as he was led from the room, hoping vehemently that he never crossed paths with King Andrei Rudavin again. It had turned out well enough for him this time, but he had the feeling that should there be a next time, he wouldn’t be nearly so lucky.

  42

  Aleks could hardly believe what had happened. His handcuffs were removed as soon as the door was shut behind him. All three of his guards were scowling, clearly annoyed by his freedom, and he grinned at them smugly, giving Shulga in particular a sarcastic little wave. The tall man behind the desk in the reception room raised his eyebrows at them, and the faintest smile flickered across his lips when he saw Aleks being released. ‘He accepted the offer, then?’ he presumed, and Aleks stepped forward, resisting the urge to roll his eyes when his guards all tensed, prepared to restrain him.