Chapter Fifteen
Toralyn hated walking with her head bowed, murmuring apologies to anyone who bumped into her. But her flowing brown dress and temporary tattoo on her forehead meant nothing if she didn’t act the part of a Barren, which meant living as if she were invisible.
Not to mention the fact that if she were caught impersonating a Barren, she’d face a prison sentence.
She reached the palace door used exclusively for the Barren to come and go. According to her brother, it was the only real weak point in the palace’s security. As a guard barely looked at her and waved her onward, she agreed.
It also meant her biological parents didn’t know she was gone yet.
Even though she’d only known her brother for four years, Kelzal hadn’t hesitated in helping her escape. However, the promise she’d made to her brother echoed inside her head: I promise to find out what I can about the antimonarchists or any threats to the palace.
While she still couldn’t accept her father was a prince—making her a princess, of all things—Kelzal was determined to protect their birth mother, Azalyn.
The female had seemed interesting enough, but Toralyn had a mother, a life, and a purpose. A DNA test wasn’t going to make her give it up.
Yes, the prince would send that bastard guard to look for her. But now that she knew about him, she would be more careful. Her first order of business would be changing her appearance.
The thought of cutting and dyeing her golden hair made her stomach flip, but Toralyn would get over it. Her freedom meant more than having pretty hair.
When she was at a safe enough distance from the palace, she ducked into a side street and began weaving her way toward one of the safe spaces she and her cousins used in case of emergencies. Not even her mother, let alone Ulrick Sulani, knew about the existence of said places.
She owed Ulrick much in life, but like many members of the Sulani family, she didn’t fully trust him.
And the revelation from her brother about how Ulrick had deliberately taken her from Azalyn on the day of their birth, without telling her, still didn’t settle well with Toralyn. Until he proved otherwise, Ulrick was on her “must watch” list.
She only hoped her adopted mother wasn’t another one she’d have to add.
No. Dolvia Sulani had loved Toralyn every step of the way. There was no way she would hurt her daughter, even if Ulrick ordered it. She wouldn’t allow doubt to cloud her judgment about every person she cared for.
Arriving at the abandoned house, she ducked behind a few tall shrubs and pressed herself against a wall. From her vantage point, she could just make out the sidewalk and the tops of the surrounding buildings. Unlike back on the main thoroughfare, she had no feeling of being watched.
Inching her way along the wall, she came to the hidden catch, pressed it, and a door opened a fraction inward. She slowly pushed it open, glad that the well-oiled hinges didn’t make a sound, and entered the room.
With the door closed, the room was pitch-black. But after years of memorizing the layout, Toralyn moved to a wall and felt her way along to the small light. Pressing the round surface, a gentle glow illuminated the room.
Not wasting time, she went instantly to her emergency supply bag and riffled through it. Finding the black hair dye and a pair of scissors, she went to the small sink and mirror and went to work. She had a new mission to fulfill before reaching out to her mother—visiting some of the taverns reputed to be meeting places for the antimonarchists. Over the years she’d heard about them inside the merchant shops, but had stayed clear. She’d learned that they were usually filled with dangerous and backstabbing clientele. She would have to be more careful than ever before when scouting them out.
Especially as Prince Keltor had easily deflected her attack and pinned her to the floor. If nothing else, she admired his defense skills.
That settled it. When not visiting the taverns, she would increase her training practices tenfold. Even without a live trainer, she could mimic what she saw in training vids and possibly in a recreation room, if she could ever get the faulty one inside the safe house working again.
As she applied the dye to her hair, she ran through which location to visit first. After all, she couldn’t start thinking of how to get to Jasvar until she fulfilled her promise to her brother. Even more than her promise, the prince would hunt for her as long as she remained on Keldera. Her only chance at a future of her making would be to leave everything she knew behind.
Her heart constricted at never seeing her cousins, mother, or brother again, but she pushed the feeling away. No matter what it took, she’d at least find a way to get her mother to Jasvar, too. Maybe even a few of her cousins could go someday as well. However, she wasn’t as hopeful about Kelzal, but she would try her best. Their birth parents had given them up twenty-two years ago. As harsh as it may be, they needed to accept that. Neither she nor Kelzal were theirs to claim.
The tricky part would be in convincing her brother of that, too.
~~~
Keltor reached the room where Toralyn had been held previously. Inside Azalyn was fussing over Ervan as Kelzal sat in a chair in the corner, playing with some kind of electrical device.
Since Ervan had been his guard for years, he didn’t hesitate to demand, “What happened?”
Azalyn looked up from whatever she was doing to Ervan’s head. “She’s gone, Keltor. Yelling isn’t going to help.”
Keltor opened his mouth, but Kelzal’s voice beat him to it. “I helped her escape.”
He swung his head to Kelzal. “What? Why?”
His son finally stopped working on the device in his hands and met his gaze. “Because she asked me to.”
“Do you not realize how dangerous it is for her, Kelzal?” Keltor took a step toward his son. “I understand wanting to protect your sister, but there are mercenaries for hire who will beat her, or worse, before bringing her in for their bounty. What happened to Azalyn could end up happening to our Toralyn.”
Kelzal’s voice was slightly less confident when he said, “Toralyn is more prepared and is aware she will be targeted.”
Keltor somehow managed to keep from yelling. “If one of my guards can find her, others will, too. She is ill prepared. Make no mistake, someone will discover her identity soon enough and will pay a hefty price to possess her.”
Kelzal glanced back to his hands. “I didn’t do it without a condition.”
Azalyn’s gentle voice cut in. “You promised to tell me the reason once Keltor got here. He’s here, so tell us.”
Shrugging one shoulder, Kelzal answered, “She is going to find out what she can about the antimonarchists and any threats to the palace. And before you yell some more, your highness, just know that she will do her best to fulfill that promise. It will also be one less thing you must rely on the Sulanis for.”
“Kelzal,” Azalyn began.
Their son shook his head. “It’s the best option. Once she has information for you, then send her to Jasvar for her protection. That’s what she wants, at any rate, to go to Jasvar and train with the warrior women there. Although I didn’t mention how she would probably be under our aunt and uncle’s care once she arrived on the other planet.”
For the first time, Keltor started to see his son as an adult with potential and a knack for long-term planning instead of a reluctant young man out to defy his father. “While I respect your intentions and will concede the plan isn’t horrible, there’s still the matter of Toralyn’s safety.”
“She has her cousins to help her,” Kelzal stated. “By all accounts, they’re more like sisters than cousins. They won’t share her location unless she wants it known.”
“And when she reappears and contacts her adopted mother? What then?” Keltor prodded.
“By then I expect you to have things sorted with the Sulanis, your highness.”
Keltor resisted the urge to demand more information. He would need Kelzal on his side in order to keep Toralyn safe. “Even if everything plays out as you expect, she will need extra protection.” He glanced at Ervan. “Although I’m starting to wonder about my guards.”
Ervan grunted, but Azalyn spoke first. “Kelzal drugged him. Not even you would’ve expected him to do that. It seems the pair of them hatched quite the plan.”
Looking back to his son, Keltor took a few steps closer to him. “You seem to appreciate logic. If your sister has extra guards and backup, then there is less room for her to be taken. If you know where she went, then you need to let us know.”
“And Jasvar? Will you allow her to go there?” Kelzal asked.
Keltor grunted. “We shall see. I can’t make blanket promises right now, Kelzal. But even if it’s for a short while, I will try to make it happen.”
He could feel Azalyn’s eyes on him, but Keltor focused on his son. As much as he wanted to have his two children and his female together, working on trying to be a family, it was an unlikely scenario. At least, for the foreseeable future. However, sending Toralyn to Jasvar would gain some of her trust, and maybe one day, she would consider coming back and getting to know them.
It would also allow his brother, Kason, to keep an eye on her. If there was one thing his brother did well, it was to follow through on an assignment.
Kelzal finally spoke again. “I will hold you to that. As for where she went, she should soon be on her way to Bakren.”
Keltor cursed. Bakren was the main hotspot for the antimonarchists. More than that, the extremists mostly lived there.
Azalyn’s voice garnered his attention. “What aren’t you telling me about Bakren?”
Moving his gaze to his female, he answered, “It has the highest concentration of extremists, which makes it dangerous. Many of them care little for lives lost or property destroyed. All that matters is their goal. While they’ve laid low for years, rumor has it that they’re planning to strike in the next year, and in a big way.”
Ervan, who rarely said anything, jumped in. “I know a few undercover law enforcers there. If you allow me and a team the honor of protecting your daughter, I can go there and most likely find a way into the thick of the dangerous areas.”
He stared at his most loyal guard and decided to be blunt. “Can you handle this assignment? Because if you’re distracted by my daughter’s pretty face or form, then you should stay behind.”
“I wish nothing more than to regain the trust and honor for my duties. I underestimated her for being female, just as I underestimated your son because of his personality. It will not happen again.”
Part of him wanted to say no, and that Ervan had lost all trust.
And yet, Ervan had been protecting him for nearly ten years, since he was barely a soldier of twenty. Keltor had seen potential in the male, and still did.
He was also loyal to a fault, willing to die in the line of duty. He’d shown as much when Ervan had warded off a potential knife attack and had ended up being stabbed himself.
Keltor nodded. “I will give you a final chance to redeem yourself. You may go, but I want regular updates and for you to take Xerlig’s sister with you.”
Ervan blinked. “What?”
He moved his gaze to Azalyn. “I didn’t lie before when I said we didn’t have any trained spies. However, we do have a few trained female assassins who are only used for the most highly sensitive incidents.”
Azalyn frowned. “Pardon?”
“I don’t order assassinations for pleasure, zyla. But sometimes when it comes to war and protecting Keldera, we have need of one. The palace has long used females for the job.”
“Because if they show a little skin and get someone alone, they can get the job done,” she stated.
“Yes. But while I don’t wish to assassinate anyone this time, she has the skills to infiltrate areas not even an undercover law enforcer could get into. I haven’t suggested her before because once she does something so public, she will have to resign her position as assassin, which means her decades of training will be lost to the palace as a resource.”
Even so, Keltor had plans for her forced retirement, but only once his family was safe.
When Ervan and Azalyn merely stared at him, he focused back on Ervan. “The question is—are you willing to work under the command of a female? Because she will be in charge of the mission.”
To his credit, Ervan saluted and answered, “I am, your highness.”
“Good. Then gather a handful of other guards you wish to take, have them sign the necessary paperwork, and Xerla will find you within the hour. Be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.”
Ervan deepened his bow and left.
Once the door locked and Keltor engaged the security protocols, he spoke again. “I think it’s time we had a family meeting.”
~~~
Azalyn had barely digested Keltor’s news about female assassins when Ervan left and he said he wanted a meeting.
Closing the distance between them, Azalyn asked, “What else don’t I know about? I can’t help you, Keltor, unless you start letting me know about all the tools at your disposal.”
“I know, Aza. But what with everything going on, plus my vow to the king, I couldn’t say everything I wanted.”
She searched his eyes. “Then what changed?”
“I signed the document. I’m the king now.” He looked to Kelzal. “And you’re the crown prince.”
Rubbing her forehead, she sighed. “So what does that mean? Everything is changing so fast.”
Keltor placed a hand on her lower back and rubbed. She leaned into his caress as he murmured, “I know, zyla. But things are only going to happen faster. If all of this is too much for you, then you are under no obligation to stay by my side.”
She instantly met his eyes with her own. “Don’t even think of pushing me away, Keltor tro el Vallen. If you wish to protect me, then share information. That way I can help protect our family and our future.”
He smiled. “Maybe I should make you part of my council.”
She eyed him askance. “Are you being honest about the suggestion or are you merely trying to placate me?”
“I wouldn’t belittle you by placating you. You are clever, with a deep understanding of the merchant class on Keldera. You would be a valuable asset to have.”
“But Keltor, you know having a female council member simply isn’t done. Not only that, if I do become queen, there are expectations.”
He grunted. “I’m aware of expectations and standard practice. However, those practices drove my sister to stowaway on a ship, the love of my life to be ripped from my side, and our children to be separated from us. I was powerless to do much of anything under my father. But I am king now, Aza. And I think it’s time to start changing how things are done.”
Kelzal’s voice drifted from the corner of the room. “I concur that change is necessary for survival. However, doing so may provoke war.”
“Then we’ll just have to ensure that doesn’t happen.” Keltor squeezed her side. “We must seal our deal with the Sulanis now. With their support, contacts, and financial assistance, the extremists will think twice about attacking. Especially if Xerla and Ervan infiltrate and manage to find some of the key players before things escalate.”
“But that wasn’t the assignment you gave them.”
“I will send a message asking Xerla to bring any of the main leaders to me alive. Even if interrogation fails, taking away some of the heads of an operation usually leads to a quick demise. Just be aware that this will take time. Weeks, even months. And if Toralyn is in the thick of it, she will possibly need to remain so as to not draw unnecessary attention.”
She placed a hand on Keltor’s chest. “But can she handle it? We saw how easily you disarmed her.”
“I know, zyla. But if it’s necessary for Toralyn to remain in place, Xerla will find a way to protect her. You’ll just have to trust my judgment on this.”
“I do, but it doesn’t mean I won’t worry.”
“Of course. But just know that I will do everything in my power to ensure her safety, even if it means utilizing what few other female assassins I have at my disposal.”
Kelzal jumped in. “Unless another powerful enemy steps in.”
Keltor glanced to their son. “That is a possibility. But I intend to place many trusted individuals undercover, on top of Xerla and Ervan. They should keep me informed of what is going on, with regard to threats to Toralyn and to the royal family in general.”
Azalyn spoke up again. “All of that is fine and well, but if we don’t have a successful public relations campaign, to convince the general population that having a monarchy is in their best interest, then all of your hard work and plans will mean nothing. Both need to work together.”
Keltor frowned. “Public relations has never been one of my strengths.”
“Then let me help with that. My main job with the Sulanis had been as acquisitions partner, but that also included strategies to advertise the new products I commissioned.”
“Then what do you suggest?”
She tapped her chin. The average Kelderan citizen wouldn’t care about diplomatic treaties or how the Kelderan king oversaw the military. No, they needed something they could relate to in their everyday lives.
An idea finally hit her. “We could use Jasvar.”
Keltor’s brows drew together. “I’m not sure I follow.”
“Well, you and your brother were instrumental in securing the alliance. The first wave of colonists may have left already, but more will be expected to follow. Have the Jasvarian leader record a message that we can use and play on the public billboards. Almost everyone on the planet feels the strain of our ever-growing population. The promise of more relief via more colonists will stoke many a dream. Not only that, but if the message is clear that all negotiations must be made through the king and his staff, it will give many people pause. In their eyes, the monarchy will start to seem essential, if they want to achieve those dreams.”
“And what about those who have no desire to leave the planet?” Keltor asked.
She waved a hand. “There’s an angle for that as well. We mention how restrictions on resources will lessen as the population decreases. There may even be a chance for everyone to own property. Maybe not right now, but for their children or grandchildren. In other words, give everyone a reason to want to keep you in power. Some of your larger goals will have to wait a little while, though. We need to take one change at a time.”
As she waited for Keltor’s response, Azalyn resisted shifting her feet. She was all but asking Keltor to destroy the sacred image of the Kelderan monarchy, which had been around for hundreds of years, if not longer. Would he throw it all away to protect his newfound family?
He finally leaned down and gave her a gentle brush of his lips against hers. The contact made her sigh in relief.
Keltor’s breath was hot against her lips as he said, “More than ever, I think you need to be a part of my council. I would be a fool to overlook such a clever female.”
The corner of her mouth kicked up. “I hope you want more than my brain.”
His eyes turned fierce. “I want all of you, zyla.”
With those words, Azalyn fell in love with the king of Keldera for the second time.
Not that she could tell him just yet. Ensuring their daughter’s safety and the future of the planet was far more important than one person’s feelings. “Good, because I’m rather fond of all of you, too, zylar.”
Keltor leaned in as to kiss her, but Kelzal’s voice halted the action. “I would suggest giving Xerla her orders before you two waste time kissing.”
She dared a glance at Kelzal. He wasn’t looking directly at them, but he twirled an electrical component in his fingers. If he wasn’t working on something, it usually meant he was upset.
Her son was about to lose his sister to Jasvar and probably also thought he’d lose her to Keltor and governing Keldera.
In other words, he needed her.
Patting Keltor’s chest, she moved to stand in front of Kelzal and squatted to be more on his level. “Kelzal.” He finally looked at her. “You’re going to be vital in helping us, too.”
He shook his head. “I don’t want any of it. I only want to stay so I can get to know you better, Mother.”
She dared to take his hand. When he didn’t pull away or tense under her fingers, she squeezed gently. “We have plenty of time to think about the future. Until then, won’t you help us in the present?”
He paused a few beats before replying, “I will help, but there’s something you should know. It may help with the future.” She raised her eyebrows in question, and he continued, “Toralyn is the elder sibling by a matter of minutes. She should be next in line.”
Azalyn tucked away that piece of information for later. “As much as I think a queen can do just as good a job as a king, making Toralyn the next in line would require a lot of work with regard to changing the succession laws. Not to mention changing too much too quickly will throw Keldera into disarray.”
Kelzal looked away again. “But you just said we had plenty of time. So at least consider it. She would be better suited to it than I.”
She wasn’t going to lie to her son, but she needed to placate him for a little while. “Perhaps. But for now, just work with us. We might need your help. You probably wish to keep Toralyn safer than any of us.”
Silence stretched and Azalyn sent a silent thank you to Keltor for giving their son time to decide for himself.
There may be hope for them yet.
Nodding, Kelzal said, “For now. And I would start by allowing me to improve the security of the palace.”
Keltor spoke again. “Considering you helped Toralyn escape, I think that wise. You may go and begin on that, Kelzal. We will seek you out later to hear your suggestions.”
Before her son could stand, Azalyn leaned forward and engulfed him in a hug.
At first, he merely sat there. But slowly he brought his arms up and hugged her back.
It’d taken decades, but she finally held her son in her arms.
Tears prickled her eyes, but Azalyn forced them back. Crying would only make Kelzal uncomfortable and possibly ruin the moment.
After a few more seconds, she released him and stood. “Go, Kelzal. We’ll keep you updated on Toralyn’s progress and whereabouts.”
He nodded and moved toward the door. Right before he reached it, Keltor said, “Contact me at any time, Kelzal. I value your help and input.”
Only a brief nod acknowledged he’d heard, and then Kelzal was gone.
With a sigh, Azalyn faced Keltor. “At some point, I hope things become easier.”
Taking her hand, Keltor replied, “Me, too. Now, as much as I’d love nothing more than to hold you close and nibble the side of your neck, I must reach out to Xerla. While I do, you need to contact Jasvar.”
She blinked. “Me? Shouldn’t you do it?”
“As much as I’ve started to admire my brother’s bride, I have a feeling she’d be more at ease discussing issues with the future queen of Keldera, especially since Kason and I have only begun to patch relations between us. Besides, it will be a good way to strengthen ties. After all, you will be in charge of the Jasvarian-related campaign. Taryn getting familiar with you will only make that easier.”
If she hadn’t already fallen in love with him, his faith in her and his unflinching belief she could handle things would’ve done it.
What she wouldn’t give for an hour alone with her future lord.
Because, yes, she was going to find a way to keep him.
“I’ll do it.” She lowered her voice. “And keep including me and treating me as an equal, and I may just have to reward you, your majesty.”
Smiling, he placed a possessive hand on her rear. “I look forward to it, your future majesty.”
Tempting as it was to pull Keltor down for a kiss, she resisted. “Now, go. Because if you stay here much longer, it’s going to be hard for me to concentrate on my tasks.”
“As you wish, zyla.”
Keltor exited the room, and Azalyn let out a huge sigh. If she ever wanted her male, she’d better get to work.