by Jody Hedlund
“I have both good and bad news, Your Majesty.” Theobald’s severe expression remained unchanged. If my words bothered him, he was adept at hiding his feelings.
I rolled the key over and over in my hands, praying somehow the key itself would speak to me and reveal whatever I was meant to know. I might be obsessed, but Sister Katherine’s words from many years ago still haunted me, the words she’d spoken to me the day I’d captured and imprisoned her in the tower. The princesses will have Solomon’s treasure to aid them, and there will be nothing you can do to stop them.
Princess Constance wouldn’t have access to the treasure now that I had her key. But neither would I be able to get the treasure until I had the other two keys.
Curse the person who had divided the keys among the princesses. They were supposed to stay together and had remained together for centuries. In fact, when King Alfred the Peacemaker had divided the kingdom between his twin daughters, he’d kept the keys together. Of course, he should have given them to his oldest daughter, Queen Margery, my grandmother. Instead, he’d allowed the younger twin, Queen Leandra, to become the keeper of the keys.
As the younger twin, Leandra shouldn’t have been given anything, neither land nor keys. I’d spent my years on the throne accomplishing what others in my family hadn’t been able to do. I’d restored the order of birthright, regained Mercia, and united the kingdom. Now my last task was to bring the keys back together. They belonged to my lineage.
I placed the key into the leather pouch at my side and closed it tight. I would find the other keys. And once I did, I would finally begin the quest to unearth Solomon’s treasure. It was something I’d dreamed about my entire life, something I’d longed to do ever since I’d first learned about the ancient wealth.
It didn’t matter that throughout the ages many other kings had searched for the treasure and hadn’t located it. At least none had ever recorded finding anything. And it didn’t matter that an old prophecy foretold a young wise ruler who would use the treasure to rid the land of evil. At forty-seven, I was still young and determined enough. Eventually, I would become the most powerful king in the world since King Solomon.
I gestured impatiently at Theobald. “Well, get on with it. What is your news?”
The jagged scar on the captain’s cheek twitched, the only sign of his discomfort. “The Princess Constance is married.”
I slammed my hand on my writing table, irritation flaring to life and causing my head to pound with the beginning of an all-too-familiar ache. “You were not able to prevent this?”
“I sent my secret guards just as soon as we received news of her betrothal, but she married the Earl of Langley within a week, and the men were too late to stop the ceremony.” The captain stared straight ahead.
I mulled over the news of the princess’s marriage, steepling my fingers against my beard. If she was married, then she would be of no use to me anymore. A union with the Earl of Langley posed no threat. He may have made a name for himself as a skilled warrior in Norland and had King Draybane’s ear, but he was insignificant in the greater scheme of things.
In fact, the princess had aligned herself with a nobody when she could have formed a marriage alliance with the Franks—her mother’s relatives. Instead, she was in Norland with King Draybane, who was a weak man with no ambition. If not for the Highlands along the northern border, I would have conquered Norland long ago.
I’d resorted to raiding Norland ships and coastal cities, until King Draybane had hired mercenaries to protect his towns. Only recently I’d learned Christopher Langley was one of those mercenaries. If I’d discovered that earlier, I might have questioned the Earl of Langley and his wife more carefully. As it was, I’d presumed the earl was a loyal and trusted advisor when really he’d been hiding the oldest princess all these years.
I seethed every time I thought about the earl’s betrayal. With anger stirring in my gut, I stood and stalked to the antechamber’s only window, the one that overlooked the training ground for the elite guards. Ethelrex was in the middle of a sword drill. His tall, strong, and fierce stature stood out from the rest.
I watched him easily deflect the blows of the men fighting around him, and my chest swelled with pride. In the few months he’d been in Delsworth, he had proven himself to be dedicated to the kingdom and loyal to me. During his infrequent visits over the years, I’d feared that perhaps he’d be too soft, like his mother, and that Magnus would be a better heir.
But now I’d put my concerns to rest, especially with his willingness to obey me in everything I asked of him, even in marrying the enemy.
He was the solution to the growing unrest among the people. His marriage to one of the lost princesses would surely placate the people. How could they complain if one of their own was back on the throne and in line to become the next queen?
“We need to find another lost princess for the crown prince to marry.”
“We shall, Your Majesty,” Theobald responded. “The good news is that our tracking dogs have finally picked up Sister Katherine’s scent again.”
“Do you think she will lead you to one of the other princesses?”
“It’s what we’re hoping for.”
We’d hoped Princess Constance would lead us to her sisters. At the very least, I’d expected Lord Mitchell would release information on their whereabouts of his own volition. As it turned out, he hadn’t divulged anything helpful, even when Theobald had used his most persuasive methods for extracting secrets. Either Lord Mitchell hadn’t known any more details about the princesses, or he’d been stronger than I’d assumed. Not many could withstand the captain’s torture.
Sister Katherine had been one of the few to do so.
“Do not lose the nun’s trail,” I cautioned the captain.
“We won’t.”
“Shall I remind you of all that is at stake if you fail?”
The captain opened his mouth to respond but then closed it tightly. He knew as well as I did that we could not fail to track down the other lost princesses. We must find them. No matter the cost.
Jody Hedlund is the best-selling author of over twenty historicals for both adults and teens and is the winner of numerous awards including the Christy, Carol, and Christian Book Award. She lives in central Michigan with her husband, five busy teens, and five spoiled cats. Learn more at JodyHedlund.com
Young Adult Fiction from Jody Hedlund
The Lost Princesses
Always: Prequel Novella
On the verge of dying after giving birth to twins, the queen of Mercia pleads with Lady Felicia to save her infant daughters. With the castle overrun by King Ethelwulf’s invading army, Lady Felicia vows to do whatever she can to take the newborn princesses and their three-year old sister to safety, even though it means sacrificing everything she holds dear, possibly her own life.
Evermore
Raised by a noble family, Lady Adelaide has always known she’s an orphan. Little does she realize she’s one of the lost princesses and the true heir to Mercia’s throne . . . until a visitor arrives at her family estate, reveals her birthright as queen, and thrusts her into a quest for the throne whether she’s ready or not.
Foremost and Hereafter coming soon . . .
The Noble Knights
The Vow
Young Rosemarie finds herself drawn to Thomas, the son of the nearby baron. But just as her feelings begin to grow, a man carrying the Plague interrupts their hunting party. While in forced isolation, Rosemarie begins to contemplate her future—could it include Thomas? Could he be the perfect man to one day rule beside her and oversee her parents’ lands?
An Uncertain Choice
Due to her parents’ promise at her birth, Lady Rosemarie has been prepared to become a nun on the day she turns eighteen. Then, shortly before her birthday, a friend of her father’s enters the kingdom and proclaims her parents’ will left a second choice—if Rosemarie can marry before the eve of her eighteenth year, she will be exempt fro
m the ancient vow.
A Daring Sacrifice
In a reverse twist on the Robin Hood story, a young medieval maiden stands up for the rights of the mistreated, stealing from the rich to give to the poor. All the while, she fights against her cruel uncle who has taken over the land that is rightfully hers.
For Love & Honor
Lady Sabine is harboring a skin blemish, one, that if revealed, could cause her to be branded as a witch, put her life in danger, and damage her chances of making a good marriage. After all, what nobleman would want to marry a woman so flawed?
A Loyal Heart
When Lady Olivia’s castle is besieged, she and her sister are taken captive and held for ransom by her father’s enemy, Lord Pitt. Loyalty to family means everything to Olivia. She’ll save her sister at any cost and do whatever her father asks—even if that means obeying his order to steal a sacred relic from her captor.
A Worthy Rebel
While fleeing an arranged betrothal to a heartless lord, Lady Isabelle becomes injured and lost. Rescued by a young peasant man, she hides her identity as a noblewoman for fear of reprisal from the peasants who are bitter and angry toward the nobility.
A complete list of my novels can be found at jodyhedlund.com.
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