by Dee Benson
The rest of the class passed in a blur of speculation and heightening fear. Katie left as soon as they were dismissed. She called Michael a few times during the afternoon, but he didn't pick up. That was hardly surprising. The army would be training. He would be at the forefront of their activities and strategizing.
If he fights against King Darius…
Katie didn't want to contemplate the possibilities. If King Darius won, everyone who'd fought against him would be put to death. But Katie didn't want Prince Dresden's side to win. Prince Dresden had no right to be doing what he was doing. As a nation, they were in total submission to the forces. It was the forces that made them different from normal humans, Netherlings. It was the forces that made them Super.
When she got home, she was shocked to see a royal courtier standing outside the gates. She knew he was a courtier from his fancy red and black attire. He bowed as she approached the gates.
Katie curtseyed, wondering why he was here.
Prince Dresden must still want to take a wife.
The thought hit her like a hammer to the chest. To go ahead and have a selection ceremony would send a clear message: He considered himself king. Only the new king had to marry as soon as the previous king died.
"To what does my family owe this honor?" Katie asked. It was an effort to keep her voice even.
"All will be made apparent." The courtier gestured towards the house. "Shall we?"
Katie swallowed around a sudden lump in her throat. Now was not the time for Prince Dresden to seek a wife or concubines. Anyone he chose would be considered an enemy to King Darius and would be killed if King Darius won their battle.
Apart from that, she didn't want to marry Prince Dresden. She'd rather be single for the rest of her life.
The courtier walked behind her all the way to the house, although she slowed down for him to walk by her side. It must be protocol for him to walk behind her, but it just made her feel like she was being stalked.
Her fourteen-year-old brother, Gareth, opened the door to the house as she was walking up the porch steps.
"Katie—"
He didn't get to finish what he wanted to say because their father appeared and shoved him out of the way with a glare.
Then he looked at Katie. "Katie!" he exclaimed, his eyes shining with mirth. "Where have you been? I've been calling you."
"I've been at college."
"Didn't you see all my calls?"
She had, but she hadn't been in the mood to speak to him. "I had back-to-back classes today."
"Hurry," he said. "A royal delegation is here."
As if Katie hadn't already gathered that.
He eyed her critically. "Maybe you should go and change into a dress."
"She's fine as she is," the courtier said from behind Katie. "This is only an announcement. She will be dressed appropriately once she is in our custody."
Custody?
It sounded like she was going to jail.
"Very well," Lord Frankel said. "Come on, Katie. No dawdling. The royal delegates are in the living room waiting for you."
Katie entered the house and followed her father to the living room. Gareth followed, gawking at the courtier. At the door, her father stopped her.
The courtier stepped in front of them and opened the door. "Miss Katherine Frankel," he announced.
Katie found it weird that he, rather than her father, was introducing her in her own home. She entered the room. At least ten extravagantly dressed ladies were in the room. They all remained seated. The only man in the room rose to his feet and bowed his head.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Frankel."
Katie's heart constricted, but her upbringing wouldn't allow her to be anything but polite. She curtseyed. "And you, sir." She smiled at the women, hoping it didn't look too forced. "What a pleasure, my ladies."
"We are here on behalf of King Darius—"
Katie's heart stopped. "King Darius?"
"Don't interrupt him," Lord Frankel scolded her immediately.
Katie clamped her mouth shut.
"Yes, King Darius." The courtier smiled widely. "He will be holding his selection ceremony on Saturday. A car will be sent for you at six a.m. on Saturday morning. The ladies hereby present are your assistants, dressers, and stylists. They will prepare you for the ceremony when you arrive at the palace."
Katie was at a loss for words.
"At the selection ceremony, you may be chosen to be King Darius' wife and our next queen. Or, you may be chosen to be a concubine."
"So make sure you get your beauty sleep," one of the ladies piped up.
The courtier gave her a sweeping bow, and then nodded towards Lord Frankel. "Thank you for your audience."
Katie had a million questions, but she didn't dare say a word.
Already, the royal delegation was filing out of the room.
Her father followed them out, looking like he was about to burst with excitement. Katie figured she should follow too, but she remained in the living room, trying to process it all.
"Are you okay?" Gareth asked, coming over and looking down at her with concerned eyes. He was getting so tall these days. Katie had to look up at him.
She didn't look up at him now, lest he see just how upset she was. "Yes."
"You don't want to marry him, do you?"
Their father returned just then. He clapped his hands together in glee. "Isn't this just great?"
Katie felt tears rush forward. King Darius seemed much nicer than Prince Dresden, but she didn't know anything about him. She didn't want to marry him.
"What's wrong?" Her father's voice had gone flat.
Katie turned away as a tear escaped her eyes. She'd argued with her father many times about who she would marry. She knew his views on the matter, so there was no point in saying anything.
"What's wrong?" he snapped.
She exhaled. "I-I don't want to marry him."
"You have no choice," he replied, not missing a beat.
"She should have a choice," she heard Gareth say.
"Excuse us, Gareth," Dad snapped.
There were footsteps and then the door to the room thudded shut.
"If this were just a mere aristocrat," Dad said, "we could turn him down, but we cannot turn down the king."
Katie blinked and more tears fell.
"If you show any hesitancy, the king will think it's because you're on Prince Dresden's side. That would be suicide."
Katie knew that. But it didn't make this situation any easier. She didn't want to be a pawn in the power play between Prince Dresden and King Darius.
She heard her father sigh. "Why?" he asked. "There are so many girls who would kill to be in your position. Why don't you want to marry him?"
An image of Michael's deep dark eyes and roguish smile filled her mind.
She pushed it away. Don't be stupid.
"Answer me when I speak to you," Dad snapped. "I asked you a question. Why don't you want to marry him?"
Katie turned around to face him. "Because I don't know him, and I don't love him."
A deep frown settled over his face. "He will provide you with everything you could ever wish for. You will be powerful and influential—"
"By now, you should know I don't care about any of that."
"Well you should."
"Why should I? You, of all people, should know the importance of love in a marriage."
Lord Frankel seemed to freeze.
Katie immediately wished she could snatch the words from the air and stuff them back into her mouth.
Since Mom's death, Dad had refused to talk about her. Katie had been the one to comfort Gareth through his grief, and she had kept her own grief to herself, until it became unberable. Then, she'd confided in Brett since she'd known her father wasn't moved by her mother's death like she was.
An angry blush stained Dad's weathered skin. His gaze narrowed. "Love fades. Those who marry for love end up the same as those who marr
y into wealth. Only, they're poor as well as loveless."
"I don't believe that—"
"Katie."
She fell silent.
"You will attend the ceremony, and if you are selected as queen or concubine—"
"So you would be happy for your daughter to be some man's concubine?"
"The king's concubine," Dad growled.
Katie turned and ran out, blind with tears.
She knew she couldn't defy her father, or the royal courtiers. It would bring shame upon them, maybe even cost her her life, given the situation.
If only she could run away.
PRINCE DRESDEN BANGED THROUGH the door to the courthouse. It was sparsely filled with, only the interpreters of the law having been asked to attend the meeting. He was twenty minutes late, but that was on purpose. He wasn't going to be on time and sit there and watch his brother parade in with the kingly entourage.
José hurried over to show him where to sit.
"I will stand," Prince Dresden snapped.
He looked around the room. A row of seats at the very front of the room was empty. His brother had not arrived yet.
Just then, the doors at the front of the court room banged open, and a long procession of courtiers filed in. Prince Dresden watched them, seething. When his brother appeared everyone in the room rose to their feet.
It was all Prince Dresden could do to keep himself from leaping across the room and grabbing his brother by the throat.
"Please sit," Darius said. He was looking around the room, no doubt searching for Prince Dresden.
Prince Dresden remain standing when everyone else sat. His brother's gaze landed on him. Then he quickly looked away.
The door through which his brother, and his entourage had entered opened again. This time it was the judge.
"All rise," the court officer said.
Once again, everyone rose, including Darius.
The judge took his seat, and then everybody sat down again. The court officer made some preliminary comments about why they were all gathered.
When the court officer finished, the judge invited Larry to state the king's position, and any offers the king was willing to make.
Hearing Darius being referred to as 'the king' made Prince Dresden's blood boil.
Larry rose to his feet and looked at Prince Dresden, who was still standing. "Our new King will be coronated on Sunday, and therefore he must marry immediately. His selection ceremony will be tomorrow. Since you have already arranged your selection ceremony, Prince Dresden, you may proceed and take a wife tomorrow also if you wish. We understand that this is an unpleasant situation for you. It has come as a shock to our new king too. We will not add insult to injury by requiring you to cancel your selection ceremony. We hope that this is acceptable to you and that it will go some way in mending your relationship."
Prince Dresden slammed a fist into the wall. The wall cracked.
"Thank you," the judge said to Larry. He looked at Prince Dresden. "The prince may respond to the king's stated position and offers with: 'I accept' or 'I do not accept'."
"I do not accept," Prince Dresden snapped.
"Very well," the judge said. "Please state your position and any counter offers you wish to make to the king."
"I am the rightful king," Prince Dresden said. "I will be crowned on Sunday. Prince Darius is not having a selection ceremony tomorrow."
Larry stood. "The prince's position is impossible, and we cannot accept it. We have no choice but to threaten dire consequences if he does not relent."
Prince Dresden wondered why Larry was doing all the talking for Darius. Was Darius afraid? Fear was not a desirable trait in a king.
"Prince Dresden," the judge said. "Is there anything that can be done to compensate or placate you? If so, please tell us."
Prince Dresden felt like punching the wall again. "I will not be placated. I will be crowned king."
He felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket. He took it out. He had a text message from Serloyd, one of his generals.
"That is obviously out of the question," the judge said. "Is there anything else that can be done? And can you please put your phone away?"
Prince Dresden ignored him and opened the text message. He'd told Serloyd and Desmond to find out who his brother had summoned to his selection ceremony. They were going to kill every last one of them as their first act of rebellion. As he read the message, his blood ran cold:
We managed to find out who will be attending Prince Darius' selection ceremony. You won't believe it. He's summoned Katie Frankel.
Prince Dresden looked up. He glared at his brother from across the room, unable to believe it. His brother had always been such a laid-back, easy-going person. What was all this about?
Instantly, he knew. His brother didn't like Katie. He had never been interested in her. Any time Prince Dresden had talked about her, Darius had screwed up his nose and said how he preferred brunettes. He must have done this just to show him who was boss, to show his dominance, to show that he was in charge.
Prince Dresden summoned all his energy and blasted fire throughout the room. His brother vanished before the fire hit him, as did the whole kingly entourage. He hadn't had time to react with water. If not for José's teleportation power, Darius would be dead right now.
If Prince Dresden couldn't kill the king, he could kill all the lawmakers that were insisting Darius should be king. Prince Dresden blasted more fire through the room, and then ran out. He hoped they would all die.
Outside, TV cameras were waiting.
"Prince Dresden," one of the journalists shouted. "How did the meeting go?"
"Did you reach a compromise?" another journalist shouted.
"Who is to be king?" another shouted.
The shouting stopped when the smell of smoke began to fill the air, and they noticed the flames dancing in the windows of the court house.
Prince Dresden blasted out fireballs. They whipped and raced around in the night air. He approached one of the TV cameras holding out his hands. Fire crackled in his hands. All the journalists shrank back as he neared.
"All inhabitants of the Super Kingdom," Prince Dresden said, "anybody who is not with me is against me. No sitting on the fence. I demand that you all hang something orange in your windows to show that you support me. I will go throughout the kingdom, and anybody who doesn't have something orange in their windows will be counted as my enemy and will die."
The journalists gasped.
"Finally," Prince Dresden said. "I am no longer to be referred to as Prince Dresden. I am now to be addressed as The Firemaster."
Chapter 5
THE DARKNESS IN THE grounds surrounding Katie's home was thick. It must be almost midnight. Katie had no way of knowing. Her stomach was growling with hunger. It had been for the past however many hours, but she'd refused to go to dinner. She wasn't eating with her callous father. The only person he cared about was himself.
A security light flicked on as Gareth emerged from the house. Katie watched him as he looked around, obviously seeking her. When he spotted her he began to head over.
"Are you hungry?" he called as he approached.
"No," Katie called back. She just wanted to be alone.
He stopped before her. His face was shadowed by the night but Katie knew his eyes would be filled with concern.
"I'm fine," she told him.
"Why bother to lie?" he asked.
"I'll be fine. I just want to be alone for a while."
Gareth reached out and squeezed her shoulder and then turned and walked back to the house. The security light switched off a few seconds after he entered the house.
Katie exhaled. She'd been trying not to think about the selection ceremony on Saturday. If Prince Dresden managed to overpower the new king, she would be in trouble. He would consider her a traitor.
On the other hand, if Prince Dresden was overpowered by his brother, the king, it would mean a lifetime of being married to
a guy she didn't love, or chosen as his concubine.
Katie wrapped her sweater tighter around her. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She wiped them away, sick of crying. Crying wasn't going to change anything. She needed to come up with a plan.
Suddenly, light flooded the whole area.
There was no way that was the security light. It was way too bright.
Katie jumped to her feet, looking around, her heart beating into overdrive. Where was all the light coming from?
She squinted against the light, trying to work out its source, but soon she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer against the glare. She closed her eyes. But, strangely, she could still see the light. And she could feel it. It was warm. She lowered herself to the ground, unable to stand it. She bowed of her face to the ground. What is going on?
"Katie."
Katie lifted her head and opened her eyes. All the light was gone now. A man stood before her. His skin glowed brightly. So bright, she couldn't look at him for long. He must be a Super with light powers.
She looked away from him. "Who are you?"
Then she remembered that the king had light powers. Had he come personally to tell her that she was to come on Saturday?
Immediately, she jumped to her feet. "King Darius?"
"No, I'm not King Darius."
"Who are you?"
"A herald of both good and bad tidings."
Katie frowned.
"Most people want the bad news first so here it is: Prince Dresden is about to destroy this whole nation. He is going to kill anybody who does not support him. The new king will try to fight him, but he is currently no match for Prince Dresden's military might."
Katie felt her skin began to prickle as the man spoke. She'd bet she knew who he was. Aeric Regle, Ruler of the Forces.
"I am," he said, his tone slightly amused.
He'd heard her thoughts? Katie fell on her knees before him, almost frozen with fear.
"Prince Dresden must be stopped," he told her, "Or millions of lives will be lost."
Katie couldn't speak. She could only listen.
"The good news," Aeric said, "is that I have chosen somebody to fight against him, someone with all the characteristics to stop him and halt his plans."