Pawn of the Crown

by Cheryl Oblon

  Remmy shook his head. “And we’d take refugees.”

  “Where are we?” I asked Zoma.

  “A section that is poorly guarded on our side,” Zoma replied.

  “Great. Any luck on a message?” I asked Remmy.

  “No, I think the Bachal are blocking communications.”

  “We also have a dome problem. It’s up, and we don’t have codes to get through it. The Bachal must be demanding Tantil’s return. Hopefully, our queen can send some guards to protect us. Maybe they’re tracking us,” Zoma said.

  “The dome isn’t a problem unless it’s in high-defense mode,” I said.

  Zoma nodded.

  “Damn. Okay. How are the shields on this thing, Tantil?” I asked.

  “Good, but your dome is better. Even if we try to blast a hole in the dome.”

  “I need real help,” Zoma said.

  “You can do it, Kimess,” Father said.

  Everyone turned.

  I marched over to him. “When did you wake up?”

  “I was napping a bit. I can get you through the dome. You can call for help.” He tried to sit up.

  “Knock him out again,” Nemal said.

  “We need to get through the dome,” Zoma said.

  “Give me the controls,” Father said.

  “No,” I replied.

  He smiled. “Come on. I’ve gotten across. Dome doesn’t matter.”

  “Show Zoma how to do it,” I said.

  “She can’t. You need to mentally tune into the current frequency they’re using. Modulate your shields, and you can slip through. It’s bumpy and hot, but this ship should hold up better than the tiny one I crossed over in.” He looked around.

  “Fine, but how do I know what it means? I don’t know shields,” I said.

  “I’ll do it.” He closed his eyes.

  “We can’t trust him,” Remmy said.

  I closed my eyes and tried to feel the dome. It was strong, and the humming had a pattern. “Two long breaks and short hum. It repeats,” I said.

  “Exactly. Adjust your shields to match strength and pattern. Slip through when it’s on the short break.”

  Zoma frowned. “Sounds easier than it is.”

  “I’ve got it.” Tantil expertly worked the Bachal vessel.

  “If you lied…” I warned my father.

  He laughed. “We’re all dead, then.”

  Nemal grabbed my father by his shirt. “You’re not worried enough about that.”

  “I’m dead anyway, but I don’t want my daughter to die here. Not like this. She has too much left to do.”

  Zoma braced herself. “I’m glad to hear that!”

  Things began to hit the outer hull.

  “We’re being fired on,” Tantil said.

  I closed my mind and mentally knocked unconscious all the Bachal guards within reach.

  “That might help,” I said.

  “Works for me. We’re approaching the dome,” Tantil said.

  All of us sat and braced ourselves. The ship shook a bit. It grew worse, and the hull rattled. I closed my eyes to keep from getting a headache as the queasiness hit.

  Nemal put an arm around me. Holding onto him, I waited for the shaking to stop. As the end of the ship made it through the dome, a force spun and flipped the ship. We hit the ground hard, and my shoulder jammed into the hull.

  “Everyone okay?” Johey asked.

  “Yes,” I said.

  The attendants for the men confirmed they were safe.

  “I’m okay,” Nemal replied.

  “Nice ride,” my father added.

  “The ship is dead, but I’m good,” Tantil said.

  “Zoma?” I called out.

  “Droids, we need light. Try to contact the castle,” Nemal ordered.

  Emergency lights glowed. Zoma was unconscious.

  I scrambled to get to her. Johey lifted her up.

  “She’s alive. Nasty gash on her head.” Johey handed her off to a droid. “We need to figure out where we are.”

  Nemal was pushing buttons on the droid’s control panel. “The castle isn’t taking messages from our droids. We’re going to need a more secure frequency. They probably think the Bachal stole and reprogrammed our droids.”

  “Triangulate the location, droids,” I ordered. We were back on our land, and their programming was much more useful here.

  “Nearest known inhabitant is your friend, Lady Kimess,” said my droid.

  “My friend?” I asked.

  “Simma,” it said.

  I sighed in relief. “Great. We can go there and make contact with the castle. Lead the way.”

  “Grab your things,” Nemal said.

  “We need to set the self-destruct on this ship,” Tantil said.

  “Show one droid how. They can catch up faster,” I said.

  One droid carried Zoma, another carried my father so he didn’t run. Their lights led the way as we walked away from the ship. Tantil kept turning and looking back.

  “It’s just a little ship,” Johey said.

  “It’s not the ship. It’s unfinished business. But I need to be here. To be safe.”

  “You’re not our prisoner. We won’t claim you as a guest. What you do is your decision, but you won’t have intimate access to the castle,” I warned him.

  Tantil smiled. “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “Treating me like an adult. My parents never really did that. They always treated me like my sister and not like an independent male warrior. I’m not a child anymore. I need to take control and responsibility.” He stood taller as he walked ahead.

  “I’m not sure about this,” Nemal whispered in my ear.

  “We can’t live in a cocoon of our little castle and world. We have to trust people and learn about them.”

  My father turned his head. “My daughter. You’d be such a good queen! Don’t you see it?”

  “I will have the droid gag you,” I said.

  “I’m not fighting.” He held up his hands as much as he could.

  “He really has gone crazy. He wasn’t this much fun last time I caught him,” Johey said.

  “I think he’s got nothing to lose. He knows it’s over,” I replied.

  Johey shook his head. “My bet is he went crazy. The dungeon can do that.”

  It took nearly half an hour of walking, but we arrived at Simma’s familiar cottage.

  I knocked on the door. She opened it and stepped back.

  “I’m sorry. I know what I must look like. We had to get out of Bachal. I need to contact the queen. We need medical help, too.”

  “Come in.”

  Simma worked on Zoma while we used Simma’s communication screen to contact the castle. Marel answered and patched us through.

  “Are they coming for you?” Simma asked.

  I turned to her. “Sort of. Emergency protocols. We’re all relocating now.”

  Simma opened her mouth to protest, but we were in the castle before any sound came out.

  We landed on a relocator pad inside the medical section of our castle. I felt like I could breathe again. People began working on Zoma immediately. Everyone had bumps and cuts.

  The queen entered, and we all did our best to bow even though she waved us off. Father bowed the lowest, but had a grin.

  “Does this one need actual medical help?” the queen asked.

  “Not enough to hold him,” replied a healer.

  “Guards, take him to the dungeon and interrogate him,” she commanded.

  Instead of looking at him, I turned and watched over Zoma as they scanned her head. Part of me expected my father to launch into another rambling monolog, but he didn’t. I’d see him again in the throne room when he faced his judgment. Now, I needed to deal with my friends and responsibilities. He was here, and the queen knew it.

  “She has internal bleeding. We have to relieve the pre
ssure and stop it.” The doctor put a helmet on her, not unlike the one Tantil had worn. A few taps on the panel next to her and the machine focused on one spot with a blue laser.

  “You brought us another prince?” the queen asked.

  “No, he fled on his own. He also isn’t male. He doesn’t believe he is. Tantil feels he was born female, and the Bachal king had her changed for succession purposes. If we can help with medical testing and a procedure, we can honestly say we don’t have any prince of Bachal, and what can the king do?”

  “Start a war, but I think we’re there, anyway.” She looked at Tantil. “What about your father?”

  “He tortured me. He’s probably torturing Faldar right now. I’m not falling back under his power. I’ll leave Lazrel if you want me to, but I’m not going back to Bachal. Please let me have some tests and the corrective procedure.”

  Nemal walked to his mother. “He flew the ship that got us out of there. He avoided his own guards and their attacks. We’d probably be dead if it weren’t for him. The king had cut off all relocators and had Remmy in a dungeon cell.

  “Fine. Tantil has limited access, restricted to medical for now.” The queen went over and checked on Remmy. “That bastard.”

  “I shouldn’t have gone. You told me not to.”

  The doctor nodded “You’ll be fine. Minor injuries.”

  “We need to get Faldar out,” Remmy said.

  “You need meds and rest,” Nemal said.

  Remmy stood, but was visibly in pain. “He loves his country and people, not his father. He has to play the game.”

  “He should’ve stayed here,” I said.

  “I know I should’ve.”

  “I meant Faldar. He could’ve said he was sick or out with his troops somewhere. Put it off.” I sat on a medical table as they scanned me.

  Tantil shook his head. “You don’t refuse the king. I learned that young.”

  The doctor finished scanning Tantil.

  “Well?” I asked.

  “Don’t be nosy, Kimess,” Nemal said.

  Tantil blushed. “It’s okay. I’ve wondered myself. I tried to get a doctor to test and show me at home. Just to prove I wasn’t crazy. Either way, I need to change.”

  The doctor said, “DNA and all brain chemistry and hormones indicate a female. They altered her physiology and have been dosing her with male hormones. We can reverse and correct the surgery that was done and stop the male hormones and introduce female ones. Her body should do the rest quickly.”

  Tantil grinned, and her hands went to her chest.

  The doctor said, “Well, we’ll have to help with those. Development was short-circuited, but it’s easy.”

  “Thank you,” Tantil said to the doctor.

  “Fine. Do whatever she needs.” The queen studied Tantil. “I’d be happy to hear whatever insight you’d like to share about your father when you’re recovered.”

  “Thank you, Your Majesty,” Tantil curtsied.

  I smiled as I was scanned. A few bumps and bruises.

  The doctor by me said, “Your Majesty, we have an issue.”

  She looked surprised.

  Tantil piped up. “That’s my mother’s fault. The Bachal queen had Kimess’ contraceptive device removed.”

  “Removed?” the queen snapped.

  “I was knocked out. It was not voluntary,” I added.

  “The nerve of that woman! Put another one in,” she said.

  “We can’t,” the doctor said.

  “What? Why?” The queen stormed over to me. “Why would she do that?”

  “Birth control is illegal there. But I believe she and the king wanted me to marry Faldar. They know he’s not traditional. And they wanted my powers.”

  She stared at me, then the doctor. “Why can’t you put the contraceptive device back in?”

  The doctor swallowed. “She’s pregnant.”

  “Told you,” Zoma said weakly.

  “You’re awake!” I ignored the crazy fact and focused on my friend.

  Zoma smiled. “Don’t worry. You’ll be a great mom.”

  “I want you to be okay. You hit your head hard. Just rest.”

  “Kimess,” the queen said.

  I turned to her.

  “You had no idea?” she asked.

  I saw Nemal headed for my defense, and I shook my head while making eye contact with him. “I’m sorry, no, I’ve never been pregnant.” I threw up my hands in confusion.

  “It appears they matured her eggs and removed some.” The doctor put a scan of my insides up on the wall. “This embryo is placed like it was purposefully implanted. It was created with male chromosome sperm. The DNA matches Faldar.”

  “They didn’t!” Tantil walked up. “Stealing reproductive pieces and making an heir?”

  “You didn’t know?” the queen asked.

  “No clue.” I sat on the table to keep from falling over.

  “I didn’t, either. In the medical ward, I heard them talking about her device. Contraception isn’t allowed in Bachal. I knew they’d done that much. But this…” Tantil studied the tiny bundle of cells. “What’s this one?”

  I felt sick.

  The doctor said, “That is another embryo.”

  “More than one? A set of male twins is asking for trouble, but they wanted to maximize their chances of stealing one from us,” the queen said.

  “No.” The doctor looked at me. “It’s not Faldar’s, and it’s not placed artificially. That is a natural conception.”

  The queen turned and looked at me.

  I took a deep breath. Fear of the queen wasn’t even an issue. I had two babies inside me? That was just impossible.

  “Who?” the queen asked.

  I opened my mouth, but nothing seemed to come out. She really had to ask who?

  “Mother, how can you ask that?” Nemal walked over to me. He looked as shocked as I felt.

  “Congratulations, Your Majesty is to be a grandmother,” the doctor confirmed the paternity.

  I put a hand on my stomach. “Please tell me it’s a girl,” I said.

  “It is. Your heiress is on the way, Lady Kimess. DNA confirms Nemal as the father. Everything looks fine. We’ll adjust your vitamins. You’re not even a week along. They’re a couple days apart, but all should develop well.” The doctor headed back to work after bowing.

  The queen glared at Nemal and me for a minute. She turned to her brother.

  “Don’t look at me. Kimess was determined to bring back her father. Even after they messed with her arm. You didn’t have that implanted in Kimess because you thought she’d taken a vow of celibacy,” Johey said.

  Remmy chuckled. “Sorry. Congratulations. I’m going to be an uncle.”

  “Me, too.” Tantil shook Remmy’s hand.

  “I think you’ll be an aunt by then,” Remmy joked.

  “Enough,” the queen snapped.

  “I’m sorry,” I said.

  Johey moved closer to his annoyed sister. “Come on. Nemal is almost eighteen. She’s nearly seventeen. Blame that damn queen for violating your seer. Now you have a granddaughter on the way.”

  “And the heir of Bachal in the same womb. This is sabotage and invasion. How do you respond to that? They’ll go to war to get that boy back.” She paced.

  Nemal looked at me. “We should’ve used something or shouldn’t have…”

  I laughed. The idea of two babies. One forced on me, and one that I'd wanted. Maybe not now, but eventually. All I could do was laugh.

  “Kimess, this is real. I know it feels like a bad dream.” Nemal hugged me.

  “We can’t let them know,” I said.

  “The Bachal? They know what they did,” the queen said.

  Tantil shrugged. “They won’t let their heir go.”

  “We can transfer them to an artificial womb,” the doctor offered.

  “Both? You can’t just transfer one?” I a
sked.

  The doctor cleared his throat. “That’s never been done. If a mother is ill or the fetus needs constant monitoring and medical aid, we bring it to an artificial womb. If it’s twins, we always bring both.”

  “These aren’t twins,” Nemal said.

  “No, but her body doesn’t know that. To it, that is the same as fraternal twins. Removing one might disrupt the flow or attachment of the other. At your age and with your position, it might be easier for you to have them contained here. They’d be medically monitored around the clock, and you could visit them whenever you want,” the doctor said.

  I glanced at the queen.

  “They’re your children. You must make that decision,” she said.

  I shook my head. “They stay with me. But we can tell the Bachal that the baby didn’t survive. In the escape, I was thrown from the ship and miscarried. How can they prove otherwise?”

  The queen looked at Tantil.

  “I’m not going back. I’m not going to say a word. If my parents get their hands on that baby, Faldar has less of a chance to break free.”

  “Fine. I’m going to see what our traitor has to say.” She walked up to me. “Take care of yourself.”

  I frowned. “Of course. I want to be there. When you sentence him and…I don’t want anyone to think I don’t support you, that I can’t stand to be there.”

  “You’re strong, but that’ll be a shock. You don’t need that in your condition.”

  “I’m going to be there,” I said. “He needs to see what side I stand on, too.”

  The queen turned to Nemal. “You better stick close to her. And if you want to schedule a royal wedding, the sooner the better.”

  I hadn’t even thought of that.

  Nemal grinned at me. “No rush.”

  I gently smacked his arm. “No? Try next week.”

  “Minnette will be so sorry she missed it,” Remmy said.

  Laughing, I hugged Nemal. I was a few years younger than I’d planned for this, but it was what I wanted, mostly. It was happening. Not having Minnette there was a huge relief.

  The doctor ushered me back on the table. “You have some small cuts and bruises. We want to make sure nothing gets infected. Those Bachal germs are bad for you.”

  “I think I’ll make it.” I smiled.

  Chapter 24

  Remmy’s pain and loss tore him up inside. For some reason, I needed to stay close to him. I felt awful, yet so relieved he was safe with us.