Pawn of the Crown

by Cheryl Oblon

  I smiled. “Right. Or wine.”

  “No wine, just in case,” she reminded me.

  “Should I tell…?” I stopped the question.

  “Not until you’re sure. Safer to keep that under wraps until we get you checked out in Lazrel. Could be a stomach bug or some reaction to whatever drug they slipped you.”

  “Thanks. Your clear head is helping.” I finished my tea and set the mug aside. “Remmy.”

  “Change, breakfast, and then you go after Remmy.” She helped me out of my nightgown.

  It took half an hour, but Johey, Nemal, and I were ready to face the king. We tried the main dining hall, but it was a bust. I tuned into his anger, and we found him in his private chamber. The guards let us in, but the queen’s face and fears said we should’ve waited.

  “Your Majesty, I’m sorry there was some upset. Some confusion. We’re happy to escort Prince Remmy home.” I kept it short and formal.

  “Confusion?” the king roared.

  “Faldar and Remmy have become good friends. Whatever mistake happened, we understand it has upset you, and we want to remove the problem as soon as possible.”

  “He corrupted my son,” the queen accused.

  “Did Remmy hurt Faldar in any way?” Johey asked.

  “Depends on your definition,” the king grumbled.

  “No crime was committed, at least no crime by Lazrel law. Would you please release Remmy from holding and let us take him home? If it’s this upsetting to you, getting rid of us is problem solved.” I remained calm and hoped the king would jump on the offer.

  “All of you?” He shook his head. “I let my son stay in your country because he had a chance of getting married. There was an engagement. A bride to give me grandsons. That’s the only reason I permitted this, and I find out he’s spending more time with a prince than a princess.”

  Nemal put a hand on the small of my back. “I understand your country’s views on same-sex relationships differ from Lazrel’s. My brother wouldn’t hurt anyone or corrupt anyone. He’s very discreet about his personal life.”

  “So, the engagement was a lie?” the king demanded.

  “LeFawn loves her brother. She’s young and probably thought it might help,” Johey replied.

  “Obviously, she had no idea how serious the situation would become,” I added.

  “My son is the crowned prince. He needs sons and a wife, not romping around other countries being told his rebellious nonsense is acceptable,” the king said.

  “I’m going to sit with Tantil. He doesn’t need to know anything is wrong,” the queen said.

  She left, and the king flopped into a throne kept in his private rooms. I couldn’t believe his ego, but pushed my feelings down. Once everyone was safe and back in Lazrel, I could hate him all I wanted from a nice distance. Now, I needed him to cooperate.

  “Why can’t my sons simply fall in line? Get married, produce children, and do their jobs?”

  I tried flattery. “There is a lot of pressure on them. You’re a lot to live up to.”

  He straightened his spine. “That’s true. But I can’t just let this go.”

  “You want a public trial? You want all of your subjects to know what your son did with our prince? We’re not ashamed,” Johey said.

  “Your country is run by women. Of course, they’ll let a prince throw himself away in such a relationship. But don’t think you can fool me. Your prince Remmy tempted my eldest son and heir into your ways. Kept him there as much as you could to change his allegiance. He’s my son. It won’t work.” The king shook his head.

  “Your son wasn’t hurt, he wasn’t locked up ever, and he wasn’t seduced. They found each other, and if you’d talk to your son, you’d know all of this,” I said.

  “None of it matters. Your country saw the advantage and took it. I need to conduct further interviews with my son and your prince to make sure there are no plots or secrets going on.” The king looked at us like we were servants.

  Faldar emerged from the back. “Father, please, let him go.”

  “I let you out of your room to speak to you. Not for you to advocate for them. If you’re not willing to take on your duties and accept your fate, then we’ll have to take other steps.” The king’s threatening tone sent a chill through the room.

  “If you’ll let Remmy go, I’ll marry whoever you want. Do whatever you want.” Faldar stared at his feet.

  I dipped into his mind, and he was terrified. There had been medical people in his room all night doing tests and taking samples. He’d be medically reconditioned if he didn’t cooperate.

  “Excellent,” the king said.

  “We can go. Great!” Nemal clapped his hands together.

  “Not just yet. We need a wife for my son. One who understands his circumstances? And one who is powerful enough to keep him in line, handle this country, and avoid a war with Lazrel if we want to avoid it.” The king stared at me.

  “No,” I said.

  “Her?” Nemal paled.

  “Definitely not,” Johey said.

  Faldar didn’t say a word.

  “What woman doesn’t want to be a queen? Your powers could be useful to my grandson.” The king expected me to cave.

  “I don’t want to be queen. Certainly not of this country. I want to return home as soon as possible with all of our citizens. If you don’t allow that, you’ll be risking the queen’s wrath.” I crossed my arms.

  “We can cut off your communication. Don’t threaten me,” he said.

  “I can mentally communicate with members of my family—even over these long distances. They can give my queen a message and let them know what you’re doing. You can marry him off to any woman here, and she’ll be thrilled to be queen. This isn’t worth starting a war over.”

  “She’s right, Father. Kimess would never be happy here. Their queen will never let you keep their seer. A visit is one thing, but the queen won’t approve Kimess marrying me, and she’d have to. The Lazrel people never stopped me from coming back if I wanted to,” Faldar said.

  The king stood and stalked up to me. “You know nothing about being royal if you don’t see this opportunity. Maybe your queen would make you see it?”

  “You’re welcome to suggest the match to her yourself. She won’t agree. Does this mean we can go without issue?” I asked.

  “All but Remmy. He used my son and some of my subjects do know about it. He’ll confess to drugging and using my son to them. So they know. So they won’t say anything.”

  “You can intimidate them into that,” Nemal said.

  “Or just kill them the way you did the doctor you had drug me,” I added.

  Had I really just suggested he kill people over knowledge? This country had pushed me to my limits, and I’d lost my sense of direction. Right and wrong were relative to my goals. But in some ways, we were prisoners. He’d threatened to cut off communication. He could cut off the relocators, as well.

  “You may see him, but he stays in the cell until I feel sure the situation is under control,” the king said.

  Faldar lifted his head enough to nod at me.

  “Thank you.” I turned on my heel and left before things went bad again.

  Nemal and Johey followed me.

  “That’s it?” Nemal demanded.

  “We’ll see him. Tonight, we’ll get him out with or without the king’s approval,” I said.

  Waiting was the hardest part, but worth it. Fewer guards and servants running around gave us better odds for success. As soon as it was safe, we headed straight for the dungeon. They let us in, but locked the door behind us. I mentally confused the guards outside. They were awake, but couldn’t understand anything we’d say in the cell. All that practice seemed to be paying off.

  “I don’t like that,” Johey said.

  “We can get out,” I said.

  The cell had padded walls and a drain in the center. Remmy just laid there
on the mattress on the floor. I spotted a jug of water and a bucket.

  “They’re making it look like he’s crazy,” I said.

  Nemal kneeled by his brother. “You okay?”

  Remmy rolled from his stomach to his side. He had a black eye and swollen lip. Naked from the waist up, there were scratches and dirt. Johey brought over the jug of water.

  “If your mother sees him like this, she will lose it,” I said. How did I not wake up when this was happening? I knew he wasn’t hurt when he was first captured, but at some point, some of the guards took advantage.

  Remmy took a drink of water. “I’m okay. The guards just…They caught us.”

  “We know. The king is going to try to make you confess to drugging or seducing or doing something to Faldar. One way or another, we’ll get you out of here.” I stroked his hair.

  “We can’t leave him. Please, we have to take him, too,” Remmy said.

  Nemal and I shared a look.

  “We’ll do everything we can. He’s not locked up, anymore, as far as I know. But they may be watching him, so we have to get you safe first. Trust me, it’ll all happen. We sent Marel back last night,” I said.

  Remmy drank more water. “Okay. I shouldn’t have come here. We just can’t leave him.”

  “We need to get you home and to some medical care. Real food, too. We all need to go home.” I wanted to tell him Faldar was cooperating with his father, but this wasn’t the time to break Remmy’s heart.

  “The king will hurt Faldar. We can’t leave him here too long.” Remmy sat up and rubbed his eyes.

  “Easy there, you got a bruise forming,” Johey warned.

  Nemal glared at his uncle. “The king is trying to get Faldar to marry Kimess. He’s desperate, so let’s get you and Kimess home. I don’t think Faldar is in danger right this second. We’ll come back.”

  “Kimess? The powers,” Remmy said. “She won’t do it. Unless they’re trying to blackmail her.”

  “Not possible. But we can’t hope to accomplish everything without the king locking things down. So, please, whatever we do tonight—go along with it. Be quiet, do the best you can, and we’ll get home.” I looked over his back to be sure he wasn’t too injured.

  “They’ll shut down the relocators. Zoma will have to override or hijack their system.” Johey frowned.

  “Don’t panic or overreact. It’ll only make them suspicious,” I said.

  “I’ll be right outside guarding my nephew. Just in case they decide to change tactics.”

  There was no arguing with Johey on this. I actually felt a bit relieved that someone would be watching over Remmy. I needed to visit Tantil and the queen. Faldar was trying to stay out of medical reconditioning, so talking to him was pointless. He’d go along with whatever his father wanted.

  “We’ll see you later,” Nemal said to his brother.

  “Don’t fight them, Remmy. Just make it through the day,” I said.

  “Why don’t we just go?” Johey asked.

  I turned to him. “You can. Go ahead. Take Remmy and Zoma, go. I’m not going back without my father. He’s not going to make me look like a traitor.”

  Nemal shook his head. “In the middle of the day without her help, we’ll never make it. Too many guards and other people roaming around. You know it, Johey. I know it. But tonight, we go. With or without the traitor.”

  “Agreed.” I’d come back for my father or Faldar—one had to face the queen, and the other had a lot of explaining to do. “Please have Zoma pack our things, Nemal. Make sure your attendants pack up for Johey and Remmy. Be discreet, but we have to be ready. I need to check on Tantil.”

  “Is that wise?” I asked.

  “If anyone cares about Faldar’s feelings, it’ll be his mother.” I knocked on the door, and it opened without hesitation.

  Chapter 22

  My head spun. I couldn’t trust anyone outside my small circle. Faldar had some nerve bringing Remmy here if Faldar was going to fall back in line with his father. He should’ve known Remmy wouldn’t handle it well. But they couldn’t keep their hands off each other either. They were bound to get caught.

  On guard for anyone walking up behind me, I entered the medical area and touched my arm. I wanted to talk to the queen. All reports were she was still here with her son. The private section in back was sparsely attended, and I spotted the queen seated with her back to me.

  “I thought he’d be all healed by now and back to normal,” I said.

  As I rounded to what I expected to be the end of his bed, I saw Tantil locked down to the table at his wrists and ankles. He was naked, and a mirror above reflected his body image to him. The most disturbing part was the clear hard helmet style cap they had on him. Red beams from it bounced and moved across Tantil’s shaved head.

  “Did he hit his head when he fell after the accident?” I played along with their story. This was denial and crazy you didn’t want to mess with…just get away from.

  The queen sat silently as tears rolled down her face.

  “Is he in pain?” I was afraid to delve into his mind, but I reached for his foot.

  “No, don’t touch him. That’s the worst part. I can’t even hold his hand.” She looked at her son with love.

  “What is this procedure?”

  She looked at me. “If you can read his mind, you know what he wanted.”

  “He believes he was born a woman and he was altered. Is that true?”

  “You don’t know if he’s lying?” she shot back.

  The queen was a raw bundle of nerves, but she saw me as an ally. “I know he believes it. But small children can make up ideas to blame others. It may be just how he is. I wouldn’t jump to blame anyone. That’d be a lot medical work on a child.”

  She didn’t answer. Her mind said she felt no guilt.

  I kept talking because staring at Tantil like that in silence only made it harder. “We have people whose minds say one thing and their bodies come out another. It’s a chemistry and hormone mismatch. I’m not educated in that area, but the doctors adjust the physical to match the mental attachment. You seem to be trying the opposite approach.”

  “Shouldn’t the wiring in the brain be easier to fix?”

  “I don’t know. Brains are complicated, and memories last a long time. Have you tried it before?” I asked.

  “Never works. Never lasts.”

  “Why not change his body?”

  “Then everyone would know. Men are proud creatures. The Lazrel have stripped men of that, but we won’t.”

  I’d struck a nerve. “I’m sorry he has to go through anything. Our men do have their pride. Admitting there is a problem or that you’re sick or in love isn’t weakness to us. Male or female. We all make mistakes. We have things we’re good and not good at.”

  “And you have filthy princes who seduce others.”

  I bit my tongue for a moment. She needed to lash out at someone. “I’m surprised you’re not doing this with Faldar. Seems like he’d be the priority, being eldest and preferring men. Tantil could be dressed as a warrior even if he were physically female.”

  The queen sighed. “You don’t understand us. You’ve tried, I admit that. My husband looked into Tantil’s eyes and saw a warrior from birth. We gave our children everything. Faldar had his fun, and he can fix this without medical intervention or shame.”

  “That’s impressive.” I didn’t believe it, but he was scared. He’d try anything, and seeing this procedure, I couldn’t blame him.

  “He’s a prince. He’s strong. He’ll be a great king someday. You’re a fool not to marry him,” she said.

  “Maybe. I love someone else, and that’s out of my control. Faldar is handsome and a prince. He’ll have his pick of women.”

  “Tantil will, too. I’m glad you understand this problem, Lady Kimess. His brain chemistry needs a little correction to match his body. We may go about a problem differently, but we’re
really after the same goal.” The queen gestured to me.

  “That is nice to hear.” I let myself into Tantil’s brain for a split second and nearly screamed. Catching myself on a stool, I took a deep breath. “They could give him something for the pain.”

  “It doesn’t hurt. They’d done brain surgery on people. The mind feels nothing.” She smiled.

  I shook my head and knew he felt all this. “Amazing. Well, I’d better see to my arrangements for home. Thank you for your hospitality. I never intended for Remmy to come along or to cause you any upset.”

  “You’re a good girl. Solid. Smart. Too smart to live here, but you know that. My daughter had to learn to hide her intelligence.”

  “Why? She could be a doctor. Medical facilities have women working. I saw it.”

  “They do. But that’s no place for a princess. This is a monarchy. We’re born to roles. You understand that?”

  “Absolutely. My role is at home.”

  She stood and came to me. Out of nowhere, she hugged me tight. “I know you’ll be back.”

  “It’s possible.”

  “I know you’re pregnant,” she whispered.

  “I don’t know anything about it.”

  The queen looked me in the eye. “You’re welcome.”

  My jaw dropped, but she put a finger to her lips. She took my hand and led me to Tantil’s bedside. She pointed to a big blue button. I read her thoughts. The blue button releases him from all of it.

  I nodded. The queen didn’t push it. She wanted me to free him? I couldn’t take a tortured and weak man on the trip with me as well. I acknowledged her and turned. This time, I made it out the door. How could I set him free without alerting the entire castle?

  I walked toward my room, and as the other distractions fell away, I sensed my target. He was good at hiding, but he was staking me out this time. Spotting him in the hall, I mentally grabbed him and shoved him into my quarters.

  “Nice way to treat your father.”

  Zoma stared at him. “He cleans up okay.”

  “Get Nemal,” I said.

  He smirked. “No, don’t bother him. Is this a friend of yours?” He shook Zoma’s hand.