Prisoner of the Crown

by Cheryl Oblon

  A body floated facedown as the jets kept pulsing heated water. It was the dress my mother had had on this morning. The housekeeper set off the medical alarm as I struggled to pull Mother to the edge and turn her over.

  The housekeeper put one hand on my mother’s neck, then gently lifted her body from the water. Feet pounded up the stairs. A healer pushed me out of the way, and I leaned against the wall to keep from clawing my way back to my mother’s side to hold her hand. The healers were powerful.

  “I’ll get the medical kit,” I said.

  The security droids in the doorway had escaped my notice until they blocked my path. I had to do something.

  “Move,” I ordered.

  “She’s gone, Kimess. I’m sorry,” the healer replied.

  “No!” I shoved Housekeeper aside and knelt next to the dripping wet form that had been my mother. The water! It hit me that what I’d felt in class wasn’t some mischievous spell from a classmate. I’d felt her drowning. I’d done nothing when she was fighting to breathe. “Help her!”

  “We must report this and take her to the castle for analysis.” The healer put a hand on my shoulder.

  Shock washed over me. I wanted to scream and cry.

  “You must come as well. Everyone with access to the house will be interviewed,” the security droid said.

  Interviewed. Crime was rare among or against the five families. It had to be an accident. She slipped and fell while filling the tub and arranging things. It was the only answer. She hadn’t even taken her clothes off.

  “I don’t want to leave her.” Shaking my head, I reached for her. I gripped the purple and silver necklace made of rozalite, a rare gem that had become the symbol of our family. The security droids gripped my arms and pulled me back. The silver clasp gave, and I had the necklace. A little something to hold onto as they led me away.

  The droid addressed my housekeeper. “We must secure the estate. Nothing must be touched. No one allowed in. We need all medications she was taking. Herbal and otherwise.”

  “You can’t scare my little cousin,” I insisted.

  The droids had no reaction. I had no authority over them. They belonged to the queen and responded to emergencies without prejudice or compassion. I had no one to turn to now, either. They hustled me onto the relocator pad, and in a quick pulse of light, I was back at the queen’s castle. Only not in the school rooms in the rear turret on the lush grounds; now, I was in the dungeon.

  “I’m the heiress of the fifth family. You can’t hold me here. I need to see my mother!” I snapped at the droids.

  “You are the ruler of the fifth family now, it would seem.” Cragna was the keeper of the dungeons. I’d heard terrifying tales about him. Short and scarred, he wasn’t physically intimidating, but rumors of his creative punishments fueled nightmares.

  “I don’t belong here.” I lifted my chin. He was right. It hadn’t sunk in yet, but, if my mother couldn’t be saved by the castle’s medical staff, I was in charge now.

  “You need to be scanned. That’s all. Then you’ll be interviewed by the Queen’s Guard.” Cragna picked up a metal device and pointed it at me.

  A warm orange light projected and looped around me from head to toe.

  “No weapons or poisons.” Cragna nodded to the droid.

  They thought I did something?

  How could they?

  “I was at school here until ten minutes ago.”

  Cragna smiled. “The droids will retrace your steps. Yours and everyone who had access to the estate. Even the droids will be tested for reprogramming or defects.”

  “It had to be an accident,” I insisted.

  A member of the Queen’s Guard descended the filthy stairs. His gleaming white uniform with gold belt didn’t fit in in the dungeons. But the array of weapons unnerved me for the first time. I’d been around the Queen’s Guard all my life but never under suspicion.

  “Don’t be alarmed, Lady Kimess. I’m sorry for your loss. This is standard protocol for an unnatural death. Your mother was far too young. I am Seelon, of the Queen’s Guard. I will interview you. Please, follow me.” He wasn’t overly young, almost fatherly when he spoke to me.

  “Is she really gone?” I asked.

  “The medical staff is with her. If there is anything they can do, they will. The monarch has been informed.” Seelon waved for me to come.

  I followed him through winding halls. The lovely stone of the castle felt safe, but I’d never been to this area before. The dark and cold dungeon would haunt me. I passed through halls that looked familiar, but I could be anywhere. The hall was empty. Seelon opened a door, and I entered a stark white room every bit as eerie as the dungeon. They called it an interview, but the vibes were all about interrogation.

  My gifts couldn’t be turned off, only controlled. The shock of the situation had short-circuited most of my brain but slowly, things came back. I had a family to protect. Seelon was nervous. He wondered how to best a mind reader.

  There was no point in lying or fighting. “I didn’t do anything wrong. I have nothing to hide.”

  “This is protocol.” He sat across from me at the sleek metal table. I took my seat, hard and cold—so unlike the normal castle accommodations.

  I shrugged and did what I always did in a new situation. Sat like a lady, back straight, ankles crossed, and hands in my lap—like my mother had taught me. My expression should be neutral with a slight smile so I didn’t look disapproving or sullen. Now, I couldn’t hide the frown. The pain, loss, and confusion were too extreme to brush aside.

  “Your cousin, Julianne, and her daughter have been located and are being brought here. The droids are being checked out. Your father is being sought. Anyone else have access to the manor house or your estate?” he asked.

  “The managers of the mines and farms. The estate is large. Lots of droids must be managed. My mother has some friends, and there are many family members that live on the estate or in the village nearby. I don’t believe my mother restricted entry to anyone.” There had been so little trouble in my life until my parents’ marriage fell apart that I had to bite the inside of my cheek to be sure it wasn’t a horrible nightmare.

  The pain was real. My stomach churned, and my head pounded with stress. This was all too real.

  “We’ll check the house system as well. Is there anyone besides your father who might have a reason to hurt your mother?” He took out a tablet and made notes.

  “No. I don’t think my father would hurt her.” I’d heard them fight and felt him disconnect from the family, but he’d never been violent.

  “Marriages rarely end in the royal families, and it probably made it hard for him to make a new life. Death of a spouse is easier,” Seelon replied.

  “He’s the one who left.” I shoved aside a wisp of blonde hair that had escaped my braid.

  Seelon nodded. “That would be hard on an only child. Puts a gloom over your family. Plenty of people wouldn’t like the stigma of a divorce. Your mother is reported to have been reclusive and depressed lately. Maybe some people would rather have you ruling the house?”

  “I’m sixteen. No one would hurt my mother to put me in power. That’s insane. I haven’t been mentored yet.” I bit my lower lip. Seelon believed what he’d said.

  “People might want someone inexperienced so they can influence you. Some will even think it’s you.” He stared me straight in the eyes.

  “Never.” Tears welled up, and I tried to fight them. “It had to be an accident.”

  “An accident, but your droids heard nothing. The medical report will tell us more.” He tapped his tablet. “Your alibi is confirmed. You were at school.”

  “I can go?” I wanted to crawl into bed and start the day over.

  “No, your estate is under the queen’s control until the issue is resolved. You’ll stay here as a guest of the crown. Anything you need will be supplied. Wait here, and I’ll have someone take you to
your chambers.” Seelon stood.

  “Wait, when will I hear about the medical results? When can I see my mother?” I asked.

  “The appropriate people will speak to you when we have more information.” He frowned at me before leaving the room.

  The second the door closed, I slapped the table, and my tears rolled freely. At home, I could be myself, but here, in the queen’s castle, I had to be an heiress. Now, I was a ruler. The errant strand of hair fell in my face again. I twisted it tightly around my finger, and it felt good. A bit of the heartbreak eased for a few seconds.

  The door opened without a knock and it wasn’t Seelon. Nemal slipped inside the room. He looked concerned.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “My mother is…Is she really dead? They think someone hurt her. What’s going on?” I trusted him more than a random guard.

  “They were working on her, but I don’t think it looks good. The examiners are trying to find out what killed her.” Nemal wiped my tears away. “You found her?”

  I nodded. “It had to be an accident.”

  “Rulers of families always have enemies. People who want their station and power. Someone may have harmed her.” Nemal tucked my hair behind my ears.

  I stood and paced the small room. “To make me ruler?”

  “Or you came home early and interrupted the plot. Maybe they were lying in wait for you or planned to be. Both of you out of the way would leave a few people fighting for power.” Nemal leaned on the wall and watched me closely.

  I sensed his suspicion.

  “My family loves each other. We are the lowest ranking of all the five.” It made no sense. “Besides, if someone wanted to hurt me or my mother, I’d have felt it. Read it in their minds.”

  “That’s why it’s likely a family member—you can block your thoughts and feelings from each other,” Nemal replied.

  “I can’t believe it was murder.” I folded my arms and stood there in the harshly lit room.

  Nemal crossed to me and rubbed my upper arms. “You’re the grieving daughter, but don’t make it worse on yourself.”

  “What do you mean? How long is your mother going to hold me here?”

  “Until she’s sure you’re safe and knows what happened. You need to cooperate.” He sighed.

  His sister had probably made him come and check on me. A future Queen’s Guard, Nemal had access. He was already in active training in addition to school.

  “I don’t have a choice but to cooperate. There’s nothing worse that could happen.” I rested my head on his strong shoulder.

  “There is. Trust me. Don’t argue or try to prove it was an accident. Let them investigate. You grieve.” Nemal hugged me.

  His embrace momentarily relieved my pain, but I had more questions. “Why?” I whispered.

  Footsteps outside pulled me from the safe feeling. Nemal stepped back, and I found my balance.

  “You’ll be fine. Be strong,” he said.

  The door opened, and my chance to get answers from him was gone. His mind was disciplined while I was a wreck. I couldn’t figure out what he knew that could be worse.

  “Prince Nemal, I see you’ve volunteered to show Lady Kimess to her chambers. Be sure to key code the door so she’s safe. Needless to say, you are not to discuss things until we’ve come to a determination.” Seelon glared at us like we’d been caught doing something inappropriate.

  “Of course, sir.” Nemal put his hand on the small of my back.

  I went, feeling safer with him. I smoothed my hair, then my skirts. Being seen disheveled would never do, even if I was grieving.

  Walking down the hall, I shook my head. No one hated my mother. My father wouldn’t take her from me. He hadn’t seen me in months but kill my mother? He’d been struggling with issues in the past few years, but he’d never be that cruel to me.

  “Be strong, Kimess.” Nemal put a hand on my shoulder.

  “It had to be an accident,” I said more to myself than him.

  Fury flashed in Nemal as he pushed me against the cold stone wall. “Don’t say that.”

  The anger disappeared, and his concern shone through. He was worried for me. He cared. Not because of LeFawn. He’d never been mean to me but never as kind as Remmy. Nothing in my life made sense anymore. I pushed into his mind in search of a deeper danger.

  He seemed to be able to block me to an extent. The more I was around Nemal alone, the more he frustrated me.

  “Why?” I whispered.

  Chapter 3

  He checked to make sure we were alone. “You know what happened to some of your ancestors. Your great aunt? The women of the fifth family can serve as Royal Seer. They must be stable, or it’s a danger to the whole society.”

  “My mother wasn’t crazy. She could’ve slipped and fell.” As the words left my mouth, I understood his fear. If she accidentally took too much of the sleeping herbs and drowned in the tub. “They’ll call it suicide?”

  Nemal let go of my arms. “That will be the hardest thing to disprove. You can’t save your mother, but you can save yourself. If someone else gave her something or slipped it in her drink, then she’s a victim and you will be spared. You must believe it was murder.”

  “But the crown hasn’t put anyone to death for years. Not for mental instability.” If they did, it would only be my mother’s line. Only me. At least my cousins would be safe, but they would be watched closely.

  He took my arm and led me to the room. “I’m trying to make you think. The grief is overwhelming you. I understand, but you have to protect yourself. You must be certain that if she didn’t slip and fall, then someone did this to her. She was resting up for the big diplomatic visit. She was ashamed of the divorce but not depressed. Not unstable.”

  I nodded. He was right.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  Nemal punched in a code on the access panel by the door. “You’ll make it. We’ll get to the bottom of this.”

  I stepped inside, unsure if I would make it through the day. I’d never lived anywhere but my estate. The room was comfortable but not dripping with luxury. There was a large bed, a desk and chair, plus a washroom attached. A well-appointed holding cell.

  “There is some tea there to help you sleep. Some fruit, cheese, and bread are available from the computer, as well as beverages. LeFawn will bring you some clothes. The investigators can release that much from your closet. The queen will see you tomorrow.” Nemal stayed in the doorway.

  “Thank you, but I won’t be drinking any of that tea. I won’t touch anything that could look like I’m self-medicating. Depression and mental illness are treated so normally for everyone else.” There was no stigma for others.

  “Everyone else can’t kill with their mind. You’ll be fine.” Nemal gave me a weak smile, then handed me a small electronic pad.

  “And this?” I examined the four buttons.

  “It’ll let you communicate. Push white to get a guard. Blue for medical emergency. Red for danger or other emergency, even in a vision.”

  “What about green?” I asked.

  “That’ll call me. If anyone mistreats you, tries to force you to confess to anything, push it.”

  I hugged him. Thank you just wasn’t enough anymore. He believed I was innocent. That was worth so much.

  He patted my back. “I’m sorry about your mother. I wish you could grieve in peace, but if there is a killer, we need to find him.”

  Pulling back, I nodded. “And if I’m a danger…”

  “Don’t think like that. You have to be strong and willing to serve.”

  “My mother is most likely dead.” Pain and loss clashed with the raw reality. Her life had been hard because of the expectations. I’d seen it but never had the pressure on my shoulders before.

  “You’re not. You have others to think about. If you’re not up to ruling the fifth family, they won’t let you. Be a leader, grieve privately when we’re
sure.” Nemal reached for my hand.

  In one hand, I had his communicator; in the other, I still had my mother’s necklace clutched tightly. He pried the necklace from my hand.

  “Please, let me keep it. I pulled it off when I was trying to get her out of the tub,” I said softly.

  He smiled. “They were looking for this. Let me photograph it and put it into evidence. You should’ve told them before, but the shock hit you. I’ll have LeFawn bring it back with some clothes.”

  “Fit for mourning,” I said. I had to do the job and lead, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t remind everyone every second that I was mourning. I’d lost someone. Functioning well and working hard for my queen while mourning, they couldn’t say I was crazy or cursed by my mental gift, then.

  Nemal locked eyes with me as though he believed I’d make it. “I’ll let her know.”

  “Thank you, again.” I sat at the desk and pushed away the mug of tea.

  “Don’t thank me. Minnette needs a Royal Seer, and we know you’re not cursed.” He left.

  Cursed was a code word for a crazy member of the fifth family. They might believe I was sane, but I couldn’t think about the future. Minnette had never been a fan of mine, anyway. My mother had been a happy force of nature all her life until things had gone badly with my father. Someone would argue that I could snap at any moment with the right trigger. Hopefully, the queen reserved judgment.

  I rummaged through the desk. A tablet where I could write letters. Other functions were turned off. Even news feeds. I found some paper and a pencil. Was that for a confession? I supposed if I wanted to make notes, better putting it there than into a tablet where it would be downloaded and read by security as I input it.

  After fetching water and some cheese and crackers to quiet my uneasy stomach, I wrote my story. Every detail I remembered of those brief moments before it was gone. It was for me, so they couldn’t rattle me.

  Then I went back further, to when I first noticed the changes in my parents’ relationship. No one would confuse me or trick me. I practiced pushing down my grief and thought about my six-year-old little cousin. The family needed protection and leadership. The best way to honor my mother now was to stay alive and run my family. Secretly, I hoped they’d find a way to bring her back, but I couldn’t keep reaching out to feel her or I would go mad.