The Lost Duke

by Kristen Gupton

  Keiran reached out and placed his hands on Jerris’ shoulders. “It is insane. That’s why it’s terrifying. There’s not much you can do about it except ride it out and see what happens, I’m afraid. I wish I had more to offer, but I really don’t. Ending up with Thana was little more than luck on my part.”

  Jerris looked to the side and frowned. “Hardly. She was in the palm of your hand for a long time. You have a lot more going for you than I do, and more to offer than I have.”

  “Jerris, I think you might just be surprised.”

  * * *

  “My Lord, an envoy has arrived at the gate and is asking for an audience.”

  Keiran snapped out of his daydream and looked at the guard standing before him. He’d been waiting for a while to see if anyone else was going to seek his audience before leaving for his midday meal, and he’d drifted off into thinking about what he’d learned of his mother.

  “Who are they?” he asked.

  “They say they are from Aleria,” the guard said.

  Keiran leapt up to his feet, his eyes going wide. “Aye, of course! See them in right away!”

  The guard spun and left the room, leaving Keiran to wonder why they’d come. There had been no contact with Aleria that he’d been aware of all of his life. While he’d been thinking about sending word to the queen of the country about his interest in starting a relationship between their nations, perhaps she’d had the same idea. He wasn’t left alone long enough to get too far into his speculation.

  The guard led four people into the room. Keiran scanned over them, seeing it was three men and one woman. Their outfits were utterly foreign to him, being made up of unfamiliar pastel colors. Their heads were adorned with dark gray metal helmets, which were form fitting but left their faces exposed.

  The vampire continued to stand before the throne and offered them a wide smile. “I welcome you here. Am I to understand you are from Aleria?”

  The woman in the group stepped forward, her expression devoid of any real emotion. “That is correct. We come to offer an invitation from Queen Adira Aviatrov.”

  Keiran’s head cocked to the side. Their dialect was similar enough to Tordanian, being based from the same root language, as to not pose a barrier. Still, her accent was strange, and it took his ears a few seconds to tap into what she had said.

  “An invitation?” he asked, intrigued.

  “Yes. She would appreciate you coming to pay her a visit as you are a blood relative. She would have traveled here herself, except she is getting on in years and couldn’t make the journey,” she replied.

  The vampire tried to reach out with his senses as best he could, hoping to feel something from visitors. However, with several months having passed since he’d had a drink of blood from the source, he picked up on absolutely nothing, and it frustrated him.

  Being his aunt, Queen Adira was an older woman, so there didn’t seem to be anything amiss in her claim. The thought of meeting his only surviving blood relatives to get more information about his lineage was painfully tempting. While he was still relatively new on the throne and busy, he felt it was an opportunity he shouldn’t pass up.

  “I’m greatly interested in meeting her and getting to know your country,” he admitted. “I must say I’m relatively uneducated when it comes to Aleria as my father kept it something of a secret from me.”

  One of the men came to stand beside the woman and spoke up. “Queen Adira would be quite willing to answer any questions you might have. Perhaps trade negotiations between our two countries can be discussed.”

  Keiran nodded. “Aye… I would very much like to meet her and discuss these things.”

  “We are willing to stay until you can agree to come. We would make it much easier to travel into Aleria. Our borders are tightly restricted, you see, in the interest of our nation’s security,” the man added.

  Keiran found himself trying to reach out again, this man’s expression and tone as aloof as his female counterpart’s had been. Still, nothing came. Perhaps it was just their way. He’d been told the night before that his mother had been unreadable to Athan, and maybe it was just an Alerian trait.

  “Aye. I’ll need to make some arrangements, but I’m certain we can be underway within a matter of days,” he said, offering up another smile. “In the meanwhile, I will see that you are well cared for.”

  The four of them all bowed deeply before the woman addressed him again. “We will patiently wait. With spring upon us, the travel will be easy. Queen Adira was quite excited about this.”

  Keiran let his smile linger. “As am I.”

  Chapter 2

  “Thana, I have news,” Keiran said, jogging over toward his wife as she stood near the doors leading out into the courtyard.

  Hearing the enthusiasm in his voice made her quirk a brow as she turned to face him. “Of what?”

  “An envoy from Aleria arrived just a short while ago.”

  “Your mother’s homeland?” she asked.

  “Aye, the same. Her sister is the queen there, and she sent us an invitation to go visit her,” he said, still smiling. “It will give me a great chance to learn about that side of my family, directly from the source.”

  Though his excitement was infectious, Thana frowned a bit. “Aye, it would be good for you to go and learn.”

  Keiran saw her hesitance and immediately looked crestfallen. “What? It will be an easy trip, though a bit long.”

  “Keir, I know you want to go, and I want you to do so. However, I’ve had enough travel and excitement to keep me here for a long, long while,” she replied, lifting up her right arm between them.

  His eyes fell on the fabric of her dress’s sleeve where it draped over her truncated wrist. “This won’t be like that, though. There’s no reason it won’t be completely safe for us.”

  She placed her left hand in the middle of his chest. “I’m certain that’s true, but for now, travel is not something I’m interested in. I can stay here and help Corina. I don’t mind at all. Though, I will miss you while you’re away.”

  “I’ll miss you, too. I really wish you’d agree to go,” he said.

  “I won’t,” she replied, her smile returning. “We both have our idiosyncrasies, and I’m afraid not leaving this country is going to be one of mine for quite some time. Besides, without me there, you’ll be more able to focus on learning about your mother and family. I won’t be a distraction.”

  “I rather like your distractions,” Keiran said, his cheeks flushing. “I do wish to leave with them within the next few days, so if you do change your mind…”

  “I won’t, Keir,” Thana said, shaking her head. “This trip is for you.”

  He gave her a light kiss, not happy she was refusing but understanding her reasons well enough. “All right, then. I’m going to go talk to Jerris and Kanan about getting underway. At least I know you will be guarded this time and not have to worry about someone like Farin coming after you.”

  She laughed and shook her head, though the memory of the dead guard wasn’t humorous in the least. “Aye, I’ll be safely tucked away here. I’d fight to the death before I let someone like that run me out again.”

  * * *

  Keiran went to the guardhouse near the gate, finding Kanan standing out before it. The older man was talking with a few other guards about the visitors who’d come not too long before. Kanan dismissed them when the young king approached, already knowing what he very likely wanted to discuss.

  “So, a group of Alerians shows up just a day after learning about your mother,” Kanan said, crossing his arms over his chest.

  “The timing is curious,” Keiran replied, “but given that it would have taken a while for the news to have traveled that far, and that my coronation took place in winter, not terribly impossible.”

  “I suppose not.” Kanan leaned back against the wall, narrowing his eyes. “Now, I’d imagine they came here for a reason?”

  “Aye, they’ve extended an invita
tion for me to travel to Aleria to meet my aunt. She still rules there.”

  The old guard straightened up. “Ilana never much spoke about her sister. Why didn’t she just travel with the envoy here instead of asking you to go all the way there?”

  “I’d imagine she didn’t know how I’d respond. Why come all this way if I’d refused to see her? Besides, the representatives she sent said she’s getting on in years and not quite up to the journey.”

  Kanan considered that. “I suppose. She must be about my age, but I’m up for it.”

  The vampire smiled. “Are you saying you’d like to go along?”

  He nodded. “I’ve never been that far. Besides, I think it might be nice for someone who knew your mother to go along to meet her sister, don’t you think?”

  “As long as it means you’re agreeing that I should go, it’s completely fine with me. Now, about convincing Jerris,” Keiran said, scanning around to see if the redhead was within sight.

  Kanan raised a brow. “Why wouldn’t he be? It’s his job as King’s Knight.”

  “Aye, but I understand he’s taken a serious interest in a woman around here as of late,” he said, watching for Kanan’s reaction.

  “He’s been with plenty of girls. What makes you think his latest fling is different?” he asked.

  “Because, he wanted to discuss some of his insecurities about it with me last night.”

  Kanan shook his head. “And it’s entirely possible he wouldn’t appreciate you telling that to me.”

  “Aye.”

  The guard laughed to himself. “Well, he’ll have to let it go for a few weeks while we go on this trip. He wanted the job, and he got it. Hopefully, the poor woman in question will come to her senses in the meanwhile.”

  “One can only hope,” Keiran said. “So, if we’re in agreement about leaving for this, how soon do you think we can head out?”

  “Is Thana going as well?”

  “No, she isn’t quite up to traveling,” Keiran replied.

  “The poor girl. She’s still traumatized.” Kanan frowned. “It shouldn’t take a lot of preparation. The weather is agreeable, and the route is well established. Give me two days to work out the details, and we should be ready.”

  “Perfect,” Keiran said, his excitement returning.

  * * *

  Sabetha sat in her small room in one of Athan’s castle’s towers. She saw the Alerians arrive to visit Keiran and recognized them for who they were.

  She grew restless and began to pace around the dark halls of the building, but Athan wasn’t there to tell. It agitated and frustrated her, but there was nothing she could do for the time being.

  * * *

  Within two days, Kanan had thrown together the travel arrangements and told Keiran he could leave whenever he so desired. The group wouldn’t be huge, only a total of ten Royal Guards, the four Alerian visitors, and Keiran.

  Keiran had continued to try and convince Thana to go along with the group until the point where she’d actually grown angry about it. Never having seen her upset with him to any serious degree, Keiran had backed down at that point and not brought it up again.

  Like Thana, Jerris hadn’t been particularly thrilled about the Alerian queen’s invitation, but unlike her, Jerris was obligated to go no matter what his personal feelings on it were.

  He and Magretha had gone out the night before again, though he’d still made no real attempt to advance their relationship. The redhead felt like all of his previous bravado with the opposite sex had somehow been completely destroyed by the woman, and he was sure he didn’t like it one bit.

  When he met Keiran in the courtyard before their departure, he was moving slow and keeping his head down. His father had teased him the night before, and the young guard realized Keiran had let Kanan in on his personal drama.

  Spotting Jerris, Keiran rode over toward him, already on his horse. “I was wondering if I was going to have to come and find you.”

  Jerris stopped walking and looked up at his friend, frowning. “You’re lucky I’m going at all, bastard.”

  Keiran quirked a brow. While it wasn’t unusual for him and Jerris to call each other such things, the other man’s tone was a little too sharp.

  Jerris continued to look up at him for a minute before shaking his head and trying to physically push Porter out of the way, so he could get to his own horse. “Move it.”

  He reined his horse to the side, so Jerris could pass but followed him as he moved toward the stable. After getting Thana angry with him the day before, now having Jerris upset didn’t thrill him.

  “Is it because you have to leave your lady friend for a few weeks?” Keiran asked, letting Porter walk with his nose right against Jerris’ back.

  “That’s not helping my mental state,” Jerris said, stopping and looking around to see no one else was paying their conversation any attention before facing Keiran. He placed his hands on either side of Porter’s massive head and turned it away, not appreciating the horse’s humid breath.

  Keiran quirked a brow and waited for him to go on. In that moment, he was glad he couldn’t more acutely feel his friend’s emotions because they didn’t look pleasant.

  Jerris stepped around the horse and moved to Keiran’s left side, staring up at him. “You told my father about Magretha!”

  “Oh, well, only vaguely,” Keiran said, feeling his cheeks instantly burn. “Not by name.”

  “Perhaps not, but he’s still giving me a hard time about it, and now it’s become something of a joke amongst the other guards because some of them have noticed me spending time with her,” Jerris shot back, jabbing his index finger into Keiran’s leg to punctuate the point. “So my father put it together for himself in short order.”

  While Keiran didn’t like being called out on it, he did feel somewhat bad. “I’m sorry for mentioning it to your father, but after all your teasing and taunting about Thana for countless years, it is justice served.”

  Jerris looked to the side, clenching his jaw. Keiran had a point, and it was hypocritical of him to complain about the tables being turned. “Aye, I did. However, I was the only one who harassed you about it. I have you, my father, and the entire damn guard! No one else would dare to give you the grief I did, so it’s a bit more severe in this case. And if Magretha gets word of this while I’m gone, God only knows what it will do to my prospects with her!”

  That last comment gave Keiran pause. “I’m certain it will be fine. With eight of the guards going along with you and your father, there won’t be as many here to go gossiping.”

  “What if someone else moves in on her? You know how men are when they find out someone else has an interest in a woman! Actually, wait, I suppose you don’t know… but they do!”

  Keiran felt the corners of his mouth tug down. “Fine, and if they try?”

  “Well, I’ll be gone for who knows how long,” Jerris said, flailing his arms out to his sides.

  The vampire drew in a long breath. “Look, she’s been spending time with you and you alone lately, aye?”

  “Aye.”

  “It’s been going on for a while now, aye?”

  Jerris looked to the side and nodded.

  “If she is as interested in you as you are her, she’ll wait and it will give you the answer you’ve been looking for,” Keiran said.

  The guard’s dark-blue eyes panned up toward Keiran. “Fine, then. Let’s just get this underway.”

  Keiran nodded and moved into the center of the courtyard to wait, hoping Jerris was in the mood to forgive him in short order. He heard someone come up beside him and he looked down to see Thana and Corina there. He quickly dismounted, knowing Porter would stay put.

  “I know we already said goodbye inside, but Corina wanted to come out so I came, too,” Thana said, giving him a smile.

  Corina held a small bag out to him. “I’m certain they packed plenty of food for you already, but here’s something a little extra for you and Jerris.”

/>   Keiran took the bag and smiled before turning to tie it to the back of his saddle. “Thank you, Corina. You didn’t have to go to the trouble.”

  “Well, I wish I was going along with you to make sure you eat properly while away, but it is terribly far,” the old woman said, regret in her voice. “It will allow me to get some real work done around here, though.”

  There was something inside Keiran afraid to bring up that subject in front of Thana after her displeasure with him the day before. He decided to divert the conversation elsewhere.

  “I’m very excited to meet some of my family, finally. I can’t wait to get back to tell the both of you what I learn and see while there,” he said, forcing up a smile.

  Thana looked a bit sad and moved closer to him. “I know this should be a safe enough trip, but I can’t help but worry.”

  Again, the fear of discussing the trip with Thana reared up and Keiran looked down at the ground, not knowing what to say in response. “For what it’s worth, I worry about leaving you behind. It should have been safe enough when I left before, yet it turned out to be anything but. We’ll both be fine, I’m certain.”

  “Well, before I let anyone run her out of the castle again, they’ll have to come through me,” Corina said, reaching out and placing a hand on Thana’s shoulder.

  “I know you’ll take good care of her,” Keiran said.

  Kanan called out from near the castle gate, and Keiran turned to look over before setting his attention back on the two women. “It’s time for us to go.”

  Thana stepped forward and put her arms around him tightly. “You promise me that you’ll come back as soon as you can manage and not get into any trouble.”

  He returned her embrace and then gave her a light kiss. “I promise I’ll return as quickly as I can.”

  Corina glanced over to where Kanan sat atop his horse a good distance away before turning her sights to Keiran. “Keep an eye on the old man, too. While I’m readily able to admit I’m not up to such a journey, I don’t think that one will ever know when to stop.”