Warrior

by Lori Brighton

He was tip-toeing close to calling me an out-right traitor. Putting the idea into the heads of those in the hall. I paused for one long moment, holding back the words I truly wanted to say. “Of course I care. We were outnumbered, pure and simple.”

  “Enough with excuses!” he yelled.

  No one jumped. They were used to his outbursts. The room went quiet. The few servants working found a way to slide through the doors and hide in the halls, hoping to avoid confrontation.

  “You have always been a wastrel.” He gripped the arms of the throne, my father’s golden signet ring sparkling under the candlelight that surrounded the dais. “I thought age would make a man out of you. It hasn’t. Your father would be disgusted, your mother ashamed.”

  His words shouldn’t have hurt, but they did. I shoved my fury down deep into the dark recesses of my gut and smiled a tight smile. I couldn’t lose control. I wouldn’t. “Well, they aren’t here, are they? Mother died of illness and Father…by stray arrow. How convenient for you.”

  “Watch what you say,” he said, just loud enough for me to hear.

  Oh yes, I knew he’d had my father killed. I might not be able to prove it, but maybe someday. Someday. If I didn’t lose my temper and kill him first.

  “My lord,” Gregor said hesitantly. “The prince did wish to stay and look for the woman, but we forced him to leave. The attack was—”

  “Do you think that matters to me?” he roared.

  Gregor pressed his lips firmly together, bowed and backed away. He’d tried. He knew when to give up. And one definitely did not press my uncle. The flush to Gregor’s face made him look like a lad who had been scolded. Poor boy. He did so like to please his elders.

  “You think I don’t know that I’m a mere placeholder for when you become king?” my uncle said. “You find me a joke?”

  Up and down, high and low, the man was a slave to his own emotions. I would not be like him. Never. “Of course not,” I said. “I find you anything but a joke.”

  A delusional tyrant, a man who just might destroy our kingdom, but not a joke.

  He drummed his fingers against the arms of the chair as he studied me through narrowed eyes. “I might only be here until you turn twenty-five…”

  Unless he kills me first.

  “But while I am here, I will take my position very seriously. I will see that we retain our status as world leaders.”

  “Tell people a lie over and over, and they’ll eventually believe anything, my son.”

  My father’s comment whispered through my mind. A forgotten memory. He’d been right. People were so quick to believe, so easily manipulated. My uncle had proclaimed that we were the rightful world leader so often, even I was starting to believe it. However, when I stepped outside the castle, I saw the truth. People tired, angry, frustrated. Yet, they still worshipped him, believing his lies, thinking he would save them all.

  It was easier to blame Acadia instead of the man they had supported. After all, then they’d have to admit they’d been naïve enough to be duped by his honeyed words, his unrealistic promises.

  Eventually they’d see the truth. If my uncle wasn’t careful, he’d have an uprising on his hands. As much as I’d love to instigate an uprising, angry mobs tended to get rid of royal family members altogether, and I’d rather keep my head attached to my neck.

  “If we are the world leaders, my lord,” I said quite casually, as I drew my fingers along the smooth tabletop nearby, tracing the etchings bored soldiers had carved into the wood. “Why are you so afraid of Acadia?”

  His face turned brilliant red, the color disappearing into his beard. I’d gone too far, yet I couldn’t seem to back down. Or maybe I just didn’t want to relent. Better to make him lose control, than lose control myself.

  “I am not afraid of anyone. Not Acadia, and certainly not a seventeen-year-old brat.” His lips pulled back into a snarl as he stood. “If you cannot do your job as the general, I will see you replaced.”

  A burning bolt of hatred struck me hard. My hands curled, my nails biting into my palms. He would take away the small bit of power I had. “Eighteen, Uncle. I’m eighteen.”

  I bowed low and turned to leave the hall before I said something I actually would regret. Gregor fell into place beside me. We didn’t speak until we left the hall. There were spies in the castle. Servants. Soldiers. Even the women who so readily adored me.

  “Could he?” Gregor asked, his voice tight with strain. “Could he replace you?”

  I shrugged as we moved toward the foyer, looking for something, anything to calm my racing heart. The fury that pulsed through my body made it difficult to speak. A moment. I needed a moment. But the area only held painful, lost memories.

  It had been a welcoming entry at one time, full of flowers and tapestries. My mother had made sure of that. She’d been the one person I could go to when I’d been a child. But my memories of her were as vague as the smell of flowers in the castle. My chest grew tight, ached for the loss of those memories.

  “I suppose he could replace me. Who would stop him? I can’t. Until I turn twenty-five, he rules.”

  Gregor took in a deep breath. “I need to say something to you, but I fear it might seem treasonous.”

  I laughed. “Oh, do go on, sounds delightful.”

  We started up the wide, sweeping staircase. “Do you worry that someone might…”

  I knew what he would say, before he said the words. We paused in the hallway above. The walls were covered with paintings of past relatives, men who had ruled this kingdom. One day, if he didn’t kill me first, my portrait would hang in the great hall. “Do me in?”

  “Yes.”

  “Every day of my life.”

  He frowned. I could see the look of sympathy in his gaze. He would remember this moment…the moment when he’d realized that maybe he wouldn’t want to be royalty after all. Really, he should have understood by now that it wasn’t as grand as it seemed. Still, it was my kingdom, they were my people, and I felt honor-bound to rule.

  I slapped him on the shoulder in a companionable way. “Part of the wonder of being me.”

  We continued down the hall.

  “Surely there is something we can do.”

  It wasn’t time to act. “Not yet.”

  A maid scurried toward us, her hands full of linens. She curtsied, then hurried on. A nameless servant. I watched her go, wondering what she thought of my uncle. What went on in her pretty little head. I’d never much wondered what the servants contemplated. To me they were as useful as a cow, or horse. Something to be mastered. However, if I wanted to defeat my uncle, every person here could be useful in some way.

  We turned a corner and started down the east wing. “I was hoping…”

  “You were hoping if you captured the Acadian woman, you would gain power, respect?”

  I nodded. Could I have handed her over to my uncle? He most likely would have killed her. Would I have done it for the power of the kingdom? She flashed to mind: those blue eyes, that stubborn, pretty face… I couldn’t help but smile. Shay, she claimed her name to be.

  “I will do everything in my power to protect you,” Gregor said solemnly.

  I paused outside a wooden door, studying the carved vines and roses that wrapped around the edges of the frame. “I know.”

  “My lord,” a familiar voice whispered.

  I was better at hiding my surprise than Gregor.

  The man who called out, morphed from the shadows and bowed before us. What the hell was he doing here, near our private quarters? My gaze narrowed, my mind instantly suspicious. He straightened, his long, narrow hands smoothing down his dark robes. I hadn’t a clue how old he was. He could have been twenty, thirty or even forty years of age.

  “Yes, Basel?”

  He shuffled ever closer, his black robes brushing the floor. There was a gleam in his dark eyes that made me wary. “I heard about the Acadian woman and your unfortunate loss.”

  Lovely. Who else had heard?r />
  “If you need anything, if I can help in any way…”

  What was he implying? Was he actually offering to do magic? He hadn’t done magic in years, that I knew of. “I will let you know.”

  He bowed again. “Very good.”

  Without another word, he scurried away like a rat. I watched him disappear around the corner. Was the sorcerer actually practicing magic? “What is he doing up here?”

  Gregor shrugged. “Who knows? The man is a mystery.”

  “The man is worthless.”

  “Perhaps,” Gregor said. “However, he was the child of a sorcerer. The only one left in the realm.”

  I frowned. “He has yet to prove he’s anything other than a wastrel. He’s never once been able to do a proper spell.”

  “True, but your uncle seems to think he is worth something.”

  My uncle was an idiot.

  “Shall I see you on the fields after dinner?”

  I nodded, barely paying attention. Gregor bowed low, then turned and left me. Gregor was loyal. He drove me nuts at times, but he was always there for me. One of only a few I could trust. Unfortunately, I couldn’t defeat my uncle with only Gregor at my side. I lifted my fist and knocked.

  “Come in.”

  With a gentle nudge, I opened the door. My sister sat in her usual place, the window bench, reading a book. She was surrounded by potted plants that crawled up the walls and curtains. If I’d known better, I would have thought she had fairy blood, she was that good with vegetation. She glanced at me and smiled. The dull light of the setting sun managed to pierce the window and made her dark hair shine like onyx. “I heard you lost the girl.”

  I moved into her chamber, closing the door behind me. “Yes. Glad to know it’s gotten around the castle.”

  She set her book down. “Was he angry?”

  I picked up her book. Botany of Woodlands. My sister never ceased to surprise me. She was the smart one, the kind one. Really, she should rule this kingdom. “When is he not?”

  She tucked her legs to her chest, the skirts of her light blue gown fluttering down around her ankles. “Can you imagine having that much hatred inside you all the time? What a terrible way to live.”

  I ruffled her hair, gaining a glare. Even though she was only two years younger, she had such a pure heart I worried about her. This court was rife with angry, volatile men and women. I could practically feel the tension when I walked through the gates. She knew as well as I. After all, she’d grown up here. Yet, it didn’t stop me from wanting to protect her. She was all I had.

  She drew her fingers down a leaf. There wasn’t a plant she couldn’t grow. “If only you were twenty-five.”

  “But alas, Annika, I’m not. And it will be seven years before I am.”

  “It’s a stupid law. Just as it’s a stupid law that women can’t rule. Acadia lets women rule.”

  I grinned. “It is a stupid law. However, it was made so that some young blood wouldn’t kill the king to gain power.”

  She scoffed and stood from her window seat, her light blue gown floating down around her slippered feet. “You would never have killed Father, or even Uncle, monster that he is, to gain the kingdom.”

  I brushed aside the thick, blue velvet curtains and stared at the rolling hills in the distance. Beyond those hills were the mountains. Beyond the mountains, Acadia. She was on her land by now, tomorrow she’d be home. Out of reach. The dark clouds fat with condensation, hung low, blocking most of the mountains from view. Even nature worked in her favor. “My dear sister, you have no idea what a person would do for power.”

  She frowned, and tossed back her thick, long braid. “Not you.”

  I let the curtain fall into place. I did not deserve, nor want such high praise. “Perhaps not kill my own family, but I would abduct an innocent woman and hand her over to my evil uncle.”

  She sighed, strolling toward the marble mantel where a bright fire burned. I felt her disappointment like a punch to the gut. Thunder rumbled outside. Rain began to patter against the windows, racing down the glass.

  She stared moodily into the fire. “Sometimes I don’t understand the hatefulness and destructive nature of people.”

  I started toward her. “I know.”

  She touched the porcelain clock on her mantel. A gift Mother had given her when she’d turned ten. The last gift she’d received. “Did you ask the senate about outlawing unicorn hunting?”

  I knelt and added a log to the fire. “I did.”

  “And?”

  I stood, brushing the bark from my hands against my trousers. “And sorry, Annika, but it went as I said it would. They rejected the notion. Said hunting unicorns is a tradition that goes back hundreds of years.”

  Her upper lip curled in disgust. “Yes, well marrying off virginal girls to old men was a tradition at one time too, yet it didn’t make it right!”

  I cracked a smile. I couldn’t help myself. When she got riled it reminded me of when she was a child, throwing a fit because the kittens weren’t allowed inside. “At times I think you’re so sweet and innocent, and then you surprise me.”

  She cut me a glance as she folded her arms over her chest. “Good.”

  Exasperated, I shook my head. “You’d probably get along well with her.”

  She followed me to her small settee near the hearth. “Her?”

  I settled on the sofa. The legs creaked in protest. It was more decorative, than for comfort. “The Acadian woman. You’re about the same age, I believe.”

  She sat next to me, curling her legs under her skirts.

  “Do you still have that book of maps?”

  She nodded.

  “Good. Keep it close. Memorize it. If something happens to me—”

  “I know where the tunnels are located. You’ve been testing me since Mother died.”

  We were silent for a moment, both lost in our own thoughts, worries.

  “What was she like?”

  “The Acadian?” I shrugged, staring into the dancing flames. How funny that they were the same age. My sister seemed too young, innocent, compared to Shay. “Difficult.”

  She laughed. “Difficult? You’re saying I’m difficult? Or is it only women who don’t simper and readily agree with men, who are difficult?”

  Annoyed, I gave her a pointed look. “Calm down. I meant she was annoying.”

  “Oh, that’s better!” She huffed. “Was she annoying? Or did she not obediently follow your orders?”

  Damnation, she was good. “I liked you better when you thought I was a god.”

  She gagged as she leaned over to pick a purple grape from a tray on the nearby table. “As if I ever did. Think about it, dear brother, would you be so obedient if you’d been abducted, or would you fight?”

  “Fight,” I muttered.

  She threw the grape at me. It hit my chest and bounced across the floor. “So why shouldn’t she? And good thing she did. She won, didn’t she?”

  I picked my own grape and threw it at her. “Taking her side?”

  She ducked. The grape hit the wall. “Not that I want to see you fail, but who knew what Uncle would have done to her. I know you, Makaiden. You wouldn’t have really handed her over.”

  “Maybe not.” I stood, worried she might read the truth in my gaze. “Now, with that said, if you are done making me feel the veritable of fools, I shall take my leave, before you eviscerate me even more.”

  Her laughter followed me into the hall.

  Although a visit with my sister usually made me feel better, this time it hadn’t. If anything, she’d only made me feel guilty. Guilty, because she thought so much of me. Guilty, because I had lied to her. Shame, because soon enough she would know the truth. I was no gentleman.

  I would have handed over a woman for my kingdom. Perhaps I would do anything for my land and my people. I pushed open my bedchamber door and entered the one place where I could relax in this dark and dreary castle. They’d turned down the bed. Everything was prep
ared for me, always. But in the field… I glanced out the window. Out there with the soldiers, I could be normal. I could be myself.

  I collapsed onto the red velvet chair near the burning hearth. The same chair that had been in my parent’s bedchamber. The same rug. The same desk. Only the bed was my own. The trunk against the far wall still held a couple small toys from childhood. So many memories. It might not be under my rule at the moment, but this was my home, and I would do whatever it took to protect it.

  “My lord.”

  Catilla appeared in the doorway, curtseying. When she straightened, the welcoming grin on her beautiful face called to me. The maid could make me forget. “You look upset.”

  I smiled. “Not anymore.”

  She twirled a long blonde lock of silky hair around her finger and sucked in her lower lip in a way that drove me mad. “Is there anything I can do to help you relax?”

  “I believe I can think of something.”

  I stood, intending to forget for a while when my desk caught my attention. Something was wrong. Curious, I headed to the ornate piece of furniture. Inkwell was in the right corner. Notepad in the middle. Drawer slightly opened. I’d closed it. Hadn’t I?

  “Catilla, were you in my room while I was gone?”

  She moved closer and drew her hand down my back. “No, my lord. Of course not.”

  He was looking for something…anything to condemn me. I knew it as well as I knew that he would kill me the moment he had the chance. Determination flared hot and heavy.

  “If someone you loved was dying but could be saved by a unicorn horn, would you kill it?”

  The Acadian woman would be my unicorn.

  Capturing her would be my chance to prove to my people that I could rule. My chance to save myself, my sister, my family legacy.

  If I didn’t, my uncle would destroy us all.

  Catilla wrapped her arms around my waist and pressed her warm body up against mine. I turned into her embrace.

  I would find the woman again.

  And this time…I would win.

  Chapter Five

  Shay

  “Are you sure it’s safe to stop for camp?”