The prince gathered some understanding of what Tashi was showing the Council members and screamed, letting out a stream of curse words. He headed for the girl, his hands curled into claws. Toth lunged out of instinct, trying to get between Tashi and Diruk, but his guards and the chains jerked him to a stop.
"Detain him!" Balroc barked.
Two Nychts from the Royal Guard grabbed the prince as though they had been waiting for years for just such an order.
"Bryc as well! Seize him!"
The mountainous Nycht was already halfway to the door when guards dashed after him. Bryc turned and punched one of them in the face. There was a brief scuffle as more Royal Guards stepped forward to execute the order, all of them Nychts. There were cries of terror and bodies dashing for cover as the sounds of steel being drawn and the thuds of fists against flesh filled the room. Guards were flung as Bryc did what he was good at. He made for the door, with more guards in pursuit. He slashed at them with his dewclaws before exiting the room.
There was the sound of a pair of massive wings opening out and taking to the air as Bryc took to the skies outside.
Linlett was at the door in a flash. He was out and through it before those hiding under the table and behind furniture even realized the Light Elf had followed Bryc out.
Sounds of a scuffle and yelling voices drifted in through the doorway before all went quiet again. A moment later, Linlett reappeared.
"He's been neutralized," the Light Elf said with a grin. "Even a brute that big can't face odds like that and come out ahead." Linlett gave Toth an admiring look. "You've got some very impassioned soldiers there, if I might say so. Especially the woman with the teeth." The Light Elf bared his own teeth and pointed to his incisors. "Very intimidating."
Jordan thought she heard Eohne snort deep in her throat at this comical display.
Balroc looked pale. "They didn't kill him?"
"No, no." Linlett patted the air in a ‘don't worry’ gesture. "He's on his knees, though."
Tashi was allowed to continue, and in less than ten minutes, the remaining Council members were shown the memory. Now that the prince's betrayal was known, the Council members came out of the memory without surprise, only a grim resignation.
Jordan, Sol, Ashley, and the others in the room were each given their turn.
It took some persuasion from Toth, but Tashi gave the prince the memory while the guards held him still. While Prince Diruk was ensconced inside the blue orb, the Council talked among themselves. When the blue orb disappeared and Tashi stepped back, a pin could have been heard hitting the floor. Everyone watched as Diruk returned to the present after seeing what they'd already seen––irrefutable evidence of the utter betrayal of his people and his country.
Prince Diruk looked completely gray, like a man who was watching the construction of his own coffin.
"Prince Diruk of Rodania, son of King Konig, you are under arrest for treason," said Balroc. His tone was weary but satisfied. "Take the manacles off them," he gestured to where Jordan, Sol and Toth stood. "They do not deserve another moment in those restraints."
Their chains were removed.
Jordan flew toward Sol and Toth and wrapped her arms around both of them. Her heart pounded with relief and her legs felt like they were made of jelly. Another set of arms wrapped around them, and in her periphery, Jordan caught a flash of brunette hair.
"Thank you," she whispered to her Elven friend.
"Don't mention it," Eohne whispered back.
At the sound of little footsteps, the party broke apart just in time to see the little girl leap into Toth's arms and wrap both her arms and legs around him, clinging like a monkey. She planted her face in his neck, her red hair spilling down over her shoulders.
Sol and Jordan shared a shiny-eyed look at the sweetness of the moment.
"You did good, Tashi," Toth whispered in her ear as he held her tight. His expression was dazed and full of joy. "You did so good."
***
Prince Diruk was removed from the room and taken to the cells beneath the palace to await his sentence. The room was loud with astonished conversation. Some Council members sat in their seats, pale with shock and unable to speak. Others remarked to one another in hushed and excited tones. It was not difficult to tell which of the Council members had backed Diruk, and which were ready for a regime change.
Balroc crossed the floor to where Toth, Jordan and Sol stood. Toth set Tashi down on her own feet.
"My deepest apologies will never be enough, I'm afraid," Balroc began. "Even I had not imagined the depth of evil in Diruk's nature."
"Thanks to this little one," Toth replied, a hand resting on Tashi's shoulder, "things are finally about to change for the better."
"But where did you come from?" Balroc asked as he smiled down at Tashi, a bemused expression on his face. "Your presence here seems near miraculous."
Toth looked around the room. "My sister is not far away, I'd wager."
"And you'd win." A strong, confident female voice penetrated the room. "I brought the girl." Mareya materialized from the back of the crowd. "I know this palace better than anyone. There is a secret entrance behind that tapestry. When she wriggled away from me and disappeared in the crowd, I almost had a panic attack. Now I understand why you ran away," Mareya touched Tashi's cheek. But her gaze shifted to Jordan, where the Arpak was staring in pure astonishment. "Hello, you."
"Maria!" Jordan put a hand on her old nanny's arm and squeezed, just to make sure she was actual flesh and blood and not a figment of her imagination. She looked no different than the last time Jordan had seen her in the driveway of the plantation home outside of Richmond.
Except that Maria had big, dark Nycht wings folded up behind her, with dewclaws framing her face.
"You're a Nycht?" Jordan's wonderment went to the very soles of her feet.
Mareya nodded. "I am. Hello, Jordy."
"How?" Jordan pulled back, keeping her hands on Mareya's shoulders for fear she might vaporize. Then she looked around, eyeballing the room for Allan. "Dad?"
Allan shoved his way through the crowd. "Maria!" he croaked, putting his hands on her shoulders too, making sure for himself she was real. "Is it really you?"
"Hello, Allan. I'm sorry I couldn't come see you before now. You'll understand everything soon, I promise." She gave him a hug, still chuckling at the dazed expression on his face.
Toth looked at Sol, a question on his face. "Maria?"
"Jordan's old nanny, from Earth," Sol whispered back, amazed. "She's your sister?"
Toth shrugged. "I guess. I had no idea. No one in my family tells me anything."
Mareya laughed. "I couldn't tell anyone! While on Earth, I took a more common name, one I knew I could still answer to, but would draw no attention to me when I emigrated."
"Emigrated…" Jordan echoed. Her mind felt as though it had choked to a stall and was incapable of starting up again, possibly for good.
But Mareya had something else on her mind. Members of the Council were milling about, and Mareya raised her voice."While Council members are still here, there is an urgent matter I've come to address with you."
"It's been a harrowing day," replied Marli. "Are you certain this can't wait?"
"It concerns the proof you require in order for Jordan and Ashley Kacy's recent claim to the throne to be upheld."
"We didn't actually make a claim," Jordan mumbled, but pressed her lips closed with a sheepish smile at a look from Sol. Jordan had forgotten Ashley in all the excitement, and looked around for him. She spotted him behind Linlett and shot him a smile. He smiled back and gave her a nod.
A murmur went through the room. Mareya's words had gotten the Council's attention. They returned to their places at the table.
"You all know who I am," Mareya addressed them. "I was in the employ of King Konig for the last twenty-eight years. I began work at the palace as a chambermaid, and became a nanny and a nurse as needed. Some of you have been on The Cou
ncil for as long as I served the king. You know that King Konig trusted me. You'll also remember a span of thirteen years where I was largely absent from palace life, only visiting for a few weeks out of the year. I doubt any of you had enough curiosity or awareness to inquire after the absence of one of the king's more trusted servants.
"Twenty-five years ago," she went on, "Rodania was visited by a travelling merchant named Torpizar. You'll remember him because he visited us once a season for twelve years. He once brought a beautiful human slave with him, before King Konig had banned merchants and traders who kept slaves. This human woman had fallen through a portal, was snatched up by gypsies, and sold to the highest bidder––Torpizar. But when King Konig saw her, he fell in love. King Konig bought her freedom and gave her a room in the palace. Her name was Jaclyn Kacy."
Mention of the name 'Kacy' sent a ripple through the room. Some Council members shared looks of growing concern, while others seemed to be eager for Mareya to continue.
Jordan listened, still feeling breathless and amazed to have set eyes on her nanny once again.
"When Jaclyn became pregnant, she became demanding. Understanding that even illegitimate children could be recognized by the crown and made legitimate if the king wished it, she put pressure on King Konig to recognize her baby while still in the womb. King Konig grew worried for Jaclyn and the unborn babe’s life, since the queen was also pregnant with Prince Diruk at this time."
Mareya paused. Not even the rustle of feathers was audible in the room, so still had the audience become.
Jordan could hardly believe what she was hearing, but all the pieces fit. The room seemed to disappear. The Council members faded into the background. Only what Mareya was saying mattered in that moment. She felt movement beside her, and Sol's warm hand slipped into her own and squeezed it. She flashed him an amazed smile.
"Jaclyn became insistent that King Konig acknowledge her baby, and was becoming increasingly difficult to silence. King Konig loved Jaclyn, you have to understand, and he also loved the unborn baby. But the queen…" Mareya took a long breath. "She'd have none of it. Afraid for Jaclyn, and understanding that the queen had resources at her disposal, and would not hesitate to kill to protect her own child's inheritance, King Konig sent the pregnant Jaclyn back to Earth against her will."
Jordan looked for her father and spotted him just behind her. He had one hand thoughtfully crooked over his mouth, and he smiled at Jordan. It was a sad smile, and Jordan thought she knew why.
When she’d returned to Allan, Jaclyn was in a sorry state. He'd always thought it had been because of her ordeal, but the real reason she'd been so upset was finally clear.
"When Jaclyn's pregnancy had come close to term," Mareya continued, "King Konig sent me to Earth to check on her. I was able to report that Jaclyn had actually given birth to twins, a boy and a girl, and that the girl was born first."
At this, Sol squeezed Jordan's hand again. Mareya had just answered another big question, which had been on both their minds. Jordan was the eldest.
"Unfortunately, I also had to report that Jaclyn was depressed and unstable. Out of concern, King Konig sent me more frequently. When Jaclyn disappeared and took her son, leaving two-year old Jordan and a bereft human husband behind, he bade me go back for the long-term. When Allan, Jordan's Earthly father, put a posting for a nanny to help him raise Jordan, it was the perfect opportunity to ensure that King Konig's daughter was well looked after. I applied for the job, offering the name of Maria, and Allan hired me, believing me to be human.
"I stayed with the Kacys and became the only mother Jordan ever had," Mareya's eyes crinkled at Jordan as she walked about the room. "Not until Jordan was thirteen and old enough for me to leave her, did I come home to Oriceran to live permanently. Neither Jordan nor her father Allan ever knew my true Nycht nature, until today.
"When I returned to Oriceran, I reported to King Konig, as I had been doing every year since I left Rodania. He gave me back my station at the palace and no one questioned it. The queen had died, and Prince Diruk was Heir Apparent."
"Did the king have any intentions of ever bringing Jordan back from Earth?" someone from the Council called out to Mareya.
"Not initially, no. I reported that Jordan had a good life with Allan, that she was well looked after and lived as well as any Earthling could hope to. To bring her to Oriceran, give her wings for the first time, and integrate her into life here would have been disruptive and shocking. King Konig didn't want that for his daughter.
"But after the harpy battle, everyone in Rodania knew about the dragons and the woman who seemed to control them. I learned that Jordan had found her way to her true home, against all odds."
There were not just whispers but full-voice discussions that sprang forward at this.
Someone yelled, "Why didn't you come forward with this information as soon as you knew the king had died?"
Mareya turned toward the voice. "I wanted to wait until the Strix warriors returned, most importantly my brother, Toth. I wasn't sure if there would be trouble with Prince Diruk," she answered boldly and without shame, "and wanted some security. When I learned that my brother had been arrested, I came to the palace as quickly as I could, bringing this young lady," she gestured to where Tashi stood next to Toth, "with me."
Mareya then retrieved a small black leather bag from the belt at her waist.
"King Konig gave me these." She upended the bag into her palm, and out tumbled two rings and a clear sphere.
Mareya held the sphere up between a thumb and a forefinger so all could see. "This is an Elven nephogram. What it is about to play back to you is a true residual which cannot be manufactured, as I'm sure Linlett here will corroborate."
Mareya set the nephogram on the floor and stepped back. She invoked it with her voice, and a stream of light shot from the orb, projecting an image of King Konig sitting up in his bed. The recording had clearly been taken not that long ago, as the King was slender and pale, but he still had his powers of speech.
"I officially recognize Jordan Kacy as a legitimate heir, and Ashley Kacy as next in line to the throne." The words boomed and echoed around the room, startling everyone with their power and resonance.
The image blinked, and King Konig repeated the sentence again. Mareya let it play several times over before closing the vision off with a command.
The room fell silent.
Jordan closed her eyes for a moment, letting what had just happened sink in. When she opened them, she looked over at Ashley. He was looking at her, his expression serious but relaxed. He gave her a slow respectful nod of acknowledgment, and she could almost hear him saying, ‘My Queen’.
It was done then.
Mareya turned her shoulders toward Jordan and extended her hands out. "Ladies and gentlemen of the court and Council, I present to you, your Heir Apparent and future queen."
Jordan watched, speechless and in utter astonishment, as Mareya bent her head in deference, and the rest of the room followed.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
"Highly unusual, this is highly unusual," Darber was saying.
"But it's not necessary for the coronation to have passed for my votes to count as two, you already said so," Jordan replied, taking a seat at the head of the table. "Are we all here?"
"We're still waiting for Ninfa, Pasco, and Banerai, Your Majesty," said Balroc cheerfully as he slid into his chair. "Excellent directive, if I may say so, to call the vote before business calls some of us away from Rodania again."
Darber was spluttering in disagreement but seemed unable to refute Jordan's calling of the vote in any reasonable way.
"After all," Balroc continued, "the date for the vote has already passed, what with all the drama of the king's death and the ugly business with Prince Diruk. Best to get it over with."
"My thoughts exactly," said Jordan. She glanced at the clock on the wall and noted that it was seven minutes to midnight. "I do hope the rest of the Council arrives in t
ime, I would very much like the vote to be taken at midnight. Wouldn't that be just perfect?"
Three sleepy-eyed Arpaks wandered into the meeting room, one woman and two men, each in various states of disarray. Ninfa was cinching a tie around the waist of her lavender robe. Jordan suspected it was a nightdress which could pass as a gown in a pinch. Ninfa's face, though sleep-wrinkled and drowsy, looked pleased as she slid into her chair.
"Capitol decision, Your Majesty," she said with a yawn. "You don't waste time."
"This is highly unorthodox," growled Banerai. He hadn't cracked a smile since Prince Diruk had been dragged away to the prison at the base the tower.
Jordan was getting a very good sense of whose loyalties lay where since the galactic upset of the monarchy. Banerai had been in Diruk's pocket, as had Pasco, a portly Arpak with droopy yet broad wings.
"Darber already said that," Jordan replied as she watched Banerai and Pasco take a seat. "I do regret having to drag you all out of bed after such a harrowing day. I can imagine your minds are still spinning. I assure you, mine still is." There were chuckles from a few in the group, and glowers from others.
The division among the Council was so crystal-clear to Jordan that she found herself mentally assigning them to teams––the green team and the red team. The reds were against the Nychts ever having any power in Rodania, while the green team was all for it. If she was right, there were six Arpaks at the table who were against the Nychts, and one who had given no indication of attitude either way—–a man named Naste.
Jordan had no idea where his vote would fall. Perhaps he was undecided.
As the impromptu session proceeded, Jordan color-coded the Council members in her head.
She turned to the blue-winged Arpak beside her, the man who had recruited Toth and forever changed the course of Rodanian history. "Balroc?" Definitely green.
"Majesty?"
"I wonder if you might check and see if Eohne is on her way? I invited her as well."
"Eohne!" Piaget—–definitely red team—–an Arpak male with green plumage, straightened from his near comatose slump over the goblet in front of him. "The Elf? What would an Elf have to do with a Council proceeding as important as this one?"
Transcendent: The Revelations of Oriceran (The Kacy Chronicles Book 4) Page 20