With Kataline sleeping somewhat peacefully, I leave her locked in our room and go to talk to my father. We have limited time to figure out what can be done.

The days have passed, and we are but one day out from Euthenia. In the courtroom, I see Bet setting out a decanter of fresh spirits. Safe to drink I hope since Father hasn’t been around to spike them.

“Hello, Bet. Nice to see you here.”

“How is she doing, Sire?” Bet asks. Her eyes are dark and drooping. Her face so worn and worried.

“We have a plan for when we get back on Euthenia to have her scanned and then we’ll know what can be done to help her. The poor thing is under attack in her mind. It’s pretty awful, but I have her sleeping now.” I pour myself a drink and go and sit, looking out the window until my father decides to join me.

The soft sounds of his feet padding across the floor have me looking back, and he’s there, wearing a white robe and looking as tired as a man with the weight of the universe on his shoulders.

“Kerr, what has you out of your room?” he asks.

“You and what we should do to save you.” I take a sip and find my hand is shaking a little. I take another sip to try and steady my nerves.

“I think I’ve come to a conclusion, Kerr.” He pours himself a drink and takes a seat on the overstuffed chair he likes so much more than the others for some odd reason.

“I hope it’s something I can agree with, Father.”

He nods and looks up at the ceiling. “I think I will take what I have coming to me.”

My heart stops. “No. Father, your death will settle nothing. Whoever this new ruler is cannot be allowed to take over and kill you. That’s just not acceptable.”

“Kerr, I am no innocent man.” His words do not surprise me.

My father is a secretive man. I had no idea he even had a brother until I was ten years old. His bloodline was not a thing to be talked about as if just not speaking of it made him one hundred percent Euthenian.

Not that it even matters to me or my mother and we should’ve been the only to care. It was more of a thing he wanted to hide away from everyone. For no good reason, save he doesn’t like to be looked down on for any reason.

“So what have you done that is so awful you deserve to die for it?” I take another drink and look at my father who is looking everywhere but me.

“I’d rather you never know, Son. It’s best for you just to not know. No matter who it is who has taken over my reign, they must know what I’ve done, and that’s so awful. The fact they have not told everyone as of yet tells me they may never tell and that would be best.” He gets up and stands in front of the large window.

I sigh and go to stand beside him. Placing my hand on his shoulder, I say, “I cannot let you die just because of something you did. No matter what it was. There is nothing you have done which is so heinous you should die for it.”

He turns to me and sorrow fills his eyes. “I have done something that heinous, Son. I will accept my punishment like a man. I will not hide behind you. If you learn anything from this, learn no bad deed goes unpunished.”

I shake my head. “No. I won’t let you just take what one cares to dish out. I simply won’t, Father.”

“You must. I will have it no other way.” His hand claps on my shoulder. “Bet told me the news a little while ago. You impregnated the Earth woman. Do you think that was wise, Kerr?”

“She is my wife. What would be unwise about such a wonderful thing?” I walk away from him as I truly hate this part of him.

“She is going mad, Son. Her genetics are faulty. You know we don’t breed people who have faulty genetics. It’s not how we got to be the people we are today.” He follows me and presses his hand to my back. “You could end it before she gets too far along. You know that, right?”

“Do not suggest that again, Father.” I walk away from him again and go sit down. “I don’t think there is any real problem with Kataline’s genetics. I think she’s been implanted by her people with something they activated inside her to perform these great feats.”

He sits again and looks me over. “And why would you think that?”

“The way she acts. When we’re off the ship, she’s fine. I think there may be something planted on the ship that is communicating with her through perhaps a chip inside her. She hears voices, and when she sleeps, she speaks out loud.” I stop myself as he’s frowning at me.

“She says she wants to kill me in these voices.” He smiles. “She would’ve killed me the other day if you hadn’t stepped in. Is that how I am to die? At the hands of a damn woman? An Earthling at that? What an ironic thing, don’t you agree?”

His laughter fills the room, and it turns into a fit of laughter until he coughs and sputters and finally he stops. His cheeks are red from his little fit, and I find he looks a little insane.

“Father, I will not let her kill you. When she’s awake, she never says she wants to kill you. I won’t let that happen to either of you. Kataline is not a killer. Something inside her may be. But she is not. I do not want any death on her innocent hands.”

Just as I glance out the window, I see one of our moons setting in the lower part of the pane. We are growing much closer to Euthenia. We are running out of time.

“How are you to stop her, Kerr? Please enlighten me.” His eyes also travel to the moon.

“When I hold her, she becomes quiet and controlled. I somehow overrule the voices inside her. I will continue to use that to keep her from harming you. Once I have the medic scan her, this will all be dealt with, and she will no longer be a threat to you.”

“Except, you will not get the chance to do that. You see, I overheard you talking, and I know you are to lock me away in the ship and leave me in here alone and the ship will be destroyed by some secret weapon. She must be their secret weapon, Kerr.”

I stop and think about what he’s saying. If that’s the case, then what am I to do?

Allow my wife to use her powers to kill my father and stand idly by because of what someone who has taken over what is ours has said so?

My head hurts from my troubles, and I have no idea what to do. I have no want for my father or my wife to die, yet it seems if what he’s thinking is true, I will have to choose.

I was told not to defend my father. If I kill my wife and choose him, I will surely die as well. If Kataline is their weapon, she will not be all they depend on to get the job done.

I overheard the lead voice come out of her sleeping mouth say that if she did not kill the King, then it had the power to destroy her.

I guessed that meant that the device surely planted in her would cause her death. Another thing I cannot let happen.

If there was a way for me to find that thing in her and get it out of her, then so much could be avoided. Even if it means the entire Armada goes to another planet to live out our days.

But if my wife is destroyed with that action I would never be able to live with myself.

I turn to my father. “I need to know the worst thing you’ve done. So I can justify things, Father. I have to know. What was the worst thing you’ve done in your entire life?”

“Hurt you, Son.” His face goes ashen.

My brows furrow. “Hurt me? Father, you have never hurt me. I mean, you’ve pissed me off with your hatred of my wife. But you have never hurt me.”

“I have. You just didn’t realize it was me who hurt you.” He gets up, and his shoulders are more slumped. “Let this old man die, Kerr. Take your new bride and live a happy life. Hopefully, the new ruler will see fit to allow you to maintain your rightful place in the hierarchy.”

I watch my father walk away with the death sentence dangling over his head like a hangman’s noose. My heart is filled with dread, and it aches deeper than I knew possible.

After tossing back the remainder of my drink, I notice Bet has come back in. She looks timid, and I wonder if she wants to tell me something.

“Bet, would you like my permission to speak freely with me?”

She nods. I hesitate for a moment. Not sure I want to hear what she has to say with all of the other things straining my brain, but my curiosity wins out. “Go ahead.”

Bet steps closer and looks down the corridor to make sure my father is gone, I’m sure. “You cannot let your father die. Your mother would never forgive you, Kerr.”

I nod. “I know that. She loved the man more than life itself. I have no idea what I should do.”

She sits down next to me and places three, little, brown pills in my hand. “These will keep your wife in a deep sleep. If you can keep her asleep until we arrive and you can get her scanned, then there is hope she’ll not be able to kill your father. If it’s true that she is programmed to kill him like he thinks.”

I take the pills and place them in my pocket. “But whatever is inside her could destroy her if she doesn’t complete the task of killing him.”

“I know I’m just a genetically damaged woman, Prince. But what if the two of you took the small emergency shuttle and got to Euthenia before the Armada? It has a cloaking device, and you could get in undetected. Get her to the medic and get the thing out of her before we even land. That would keep her and your father safe. Then your father will have a chance to plead his case.”

The little woman is on to something. “Or perhaps I could sneak into the palace and find out who our enemy is and stop him once and for all. The reign would revert immediately with their death, and the Armada could land safely. All passengers, including my father, would stay alive.”

I pat her on the back, and she smiles. “Glad to be of help, Sire. As your sweet mother’s handmaiden, I still have a deep loyalty to the woman. To stand by and watch the love of her life be struck down is not a thing I can do. Not without trying everything I can think of to stop it.”

With a pretty good plan now, I feel a hell of a lot better about the outcome. I kiss Bet on the cheek, making her blush and giggle.

“You are one smart woman!”

Nearly bounding out of the room to go back to my room I find Kataline sitting up on the bed, holding her head.

Taking the pink drink to her, I sit down and hold the glass up. She downs it quickly and looks at me. Her eyes are red-rimmed, and she looks more than tired.

“Kerr, it’s getting worse. So much worse. Do not leave me alone again. I had to fight myself not to go find the King. I managed, but I don’t know how much longer I can stop. By the looks of things with the moon now in the window I know it won’t be long now.”

Her body is shaking, and I pull her to me. “I have a plan, thanks to Bet. You and I will be leaving this ship soon and getting to Euthenia before the rest of them. We’ll get whatever has been placed in you removed, and everything will be okay. You’ll be safe, and I’ll get into the palace as I know an underground entrance only the Kings and Queens have ever known about. I will end the person who has taken over, and we will all live happily ever after.”

Her body tenses. “You know that sounds a lot like a fairy tale, Kerr. They seldom go as planned.”

Heat fills her body, and she pushes back out of my hold. Her face is contorted, and her eyes roll up. I jump on her, holding her tight to me.

She thrashes in my arms, but I refuse to let go. “Come back to me, Kataline. Don’t let them overtake you!”

Though she’s moving like a wild animal in my arms, I hold on like her life depends on it. Finally, she stops moving and starts crying.

I kiss the top of her head and ease my grip. “You okay, baby?”

“No! No, I am not!” Her arms wrap around me as she cries into my chest. “Kerr, I will not be able to stop. This will take me over, and I will be helpless.”

“Bet gave me some pills to put you into a deep sleep. If you get so bad I fear I won’t be able to help you regain yourself, I will make you take them. You’ll sleep until I get you help.” Her body shakes in my arms as she cries.

Her hands move to hold my arms, and she looks at me. “Kerr, I am more afraid than I have ever been. This thing inside me is pulling at my mind. Bending it to think things which are not true. At least from what I’ve heard about your mother, they can’t be true.”

“My mother? Why is she on your mind?” I ask in complete confusion.

Her blue eyes are shiny from crying, and it breaks my heart. “The sinister voice keeps telling me that the King has to pay for what he did to her.”

With a shake of my head, I say, “My father did nothing but love her. It’s a trick to make you hate him. This has to be the work of whoever has taken over. Hell, for all I know I may get back to find the monster has done something to the guards we left behind and even to Caleb to make them believe something that isn’t true.”

“How can you be sure your father didn’t have something to do with her death, Kerr?”

“He was with me when she left the palace. He couldn’t have had anything to do with that. And if you could’ve seen his face when he found she was missing. Well, it was awful. When they found her body torn up the way it was he was sick for a long time.” I shake my head and know he had nothing to do with it.

“It’s just that the voice is screaming at me. It’s so damn loud. Telling me over and over how the King is not the man he seems to be. He’s not to be trusted. He is only to be killed.” Her face is so calm as she says these horrible things.

“It’s not real, Kataline. I can vouch for him. I was there. He loved my mother. He did, and she loved him.” I pull her to me again as I cannot stand to look into those eyes any longer.

Her eyes are telling me she is beginning to believe the lies her mind is telling her. If I lose Kataline to the device that is trying to control her, I will have lost everything.

“Don’t give in to it, Kataline. Whatever you do, place your faith in me. Not something your mind has conjured up from the things they are putting in your head. Listen to me. Trust me. Believe me.”

She nods and sighs. “I will, Kerr. For as long as I can, I will believe in you and not the voices in my head.”

“Good, baby. Stay with me. Don’t let me go. No matter what, don’t let me go.”

I have to move this along a lot faster. Time is running out, and somehow I have to get us ready and down to the emergency shuttle before this thing takes her over.

We have to gather the things we’ll need to take with us. I think we should leave as soon as we possibly can. But we’ll need food, drinks, clothes.

“I have to get Bet to gather the things we’ll need. I know this sounds horrible, but I don’t know how else to keep you from harming my father while I’m gone the few minutes it will take to get to her.”

I take her to the hook on the wall and take the cord and bind her hands. Then I run the cord over the hook, holding her up.

She looks at me with understanding, and I hate I have to do this to her. “I am sorry.”

“Don’t be. I’m okay. Go get her started, and I should be able to control myself for a few minutes, anyway.”

The fact she’s helping me keep the sinister thing inside her away from my father makes me love her even more.

Running my hand behind her neck, I press my lips to hers, and she eagerly accepts my kiss. “Thank you for being more than I ever expected, Kataline.”

Her smile is sweet. “You’re more than I ever expected too, Kerr. Hope never seems to leave you. No matter the odds or how crazy it all gets, you have hope.”

“Without hope what do you have?”

I hurry to go get Bet start preparing everything.

Things are looking up!