Chapter Twenty
Approving the last document for the day, Keltor stood and rotated his shoulders. It was time to go home to his female.
Even though the act had become routine, he still smiled as he made his way to his quarters. Or, rather, what was fast becoming their quarters.
He had been a fool to think living alone and remaining isolated had been the best approach to being a monarch. Yes, Azalyn, Kelzal, and Toralyn had all become possible weaknesses for enemies to use against him, but having them in his life ensured that he worked harder for the best future he could make.
And since the Jasvarian campaign was doing well and public opinion was turning more for the monarchy than against it, he was toying with announcing his intended marriage to Azalyn. Especially since Ulrick Sulani had so far kept up his end of their agreement.
Granted, he still needed to ask her formally. But he had a feeling she’d say yes, especially once he told her his true feelings.
Keeping them secret had been out of necessity. Keltor would never offer a future he couldn’t guarantee. And when he told Azalyn he loved her again, it would be forever.
Not wanting to think about how his brother would call him a lovesick fool, Keltor picked up his pace and his guards matched him. After clearing the security scanners, he entered his quarters alone. The guards would only come in if invited or if there was a perceived threat.
Because of the time, he went to the kitchen area first. And sure enough, Azalyn stood over the cooker, stirring something in a pan. It would be barely edible, but he’d choke it down simply because she’d cooked it for him.
“What are you making?” he asked as he walked toward her.
She turned her head as soon as he came behind and wrapped his arms around her waist. She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “A simple stew.”
Usually Azalyn leaned back against his chest and lifted her head for a kiss when he pulled her close as she cooked. Instead, all she did was turn back to the pot, and he knew something was wrong. “What’s going on?”
Sighing, she moved the pot from the heat source, turned off the cooker, and turned in his arms to face him. “I went with Kelzal to visit your father today.”
He tensed. “What did he do?”
She shook her head. “Nothing bad.” Meeting his gaze, she continued, “But we have a potential problem.”
“Just tell me, zyla.”
“Well, Kelzal should tell you his plans, but what I can tell you is that I asked your father about any half siblings and he said they exist.”
He blinked. “They? Just how many are there?”
“Three, and all with the same female. I guess he fell in love again after your mother’s death, but didn’t think he could ever marry her. She’s a commoner.”
He frowned. “How did I not know about this?”
“Kastor was king. I’m sure he had his methods.”
Growling, he looked off to the side. “The old fool. I can’t protect someone if I don’t know of their existence.”
She touched his cheek, guiding his face to look back at her. “I know this is another level of deception between you and him. However, you should focus on the more important fact—you have two more sisters and a brother.”
Azalyn was correct, of course. “I will, of course, seek them out and ensure they are provided for.”
“I know you will, Keltor. But while one sister lives with her mother and helps runs a high-end retreat, and another sister is part of the colony on Jasvar, your half brother is the potential issue.” He raised his brows and she added, “He works with the antimonarchists. By all accounts, he hates the monarchy because Kastor never publicly acknowledged him or his mother.”
He cursed. “Does the fool not see that if he is public about his parentage, the antimonarchists will use him and possibly kill him in the end, to ensure that he can never claim the throne?”
“As far as Kastor knows, your brother—Korjal—hasn’t revealed the identity of his father.”
“Then he has a modicum of intelligence.”
Azalyn sighed. “He is young, Keltor. Barely nineteen. I’m sure you remember what it was like to be that age, what with hormones raging through your body as you reached the final stage of adulthood.”
Kelderans reached full maturity at age twenty.
Keltor had indeed rebelled during those years, and not just with his secret relationship with Azalyn. “I won’t apologize for that, but me wearing a disguise and venturing outside the palace walls is not the same as working to bring down the monarchy because of a grudge against Father.”
“Regardless, we need to tread carefully with this. Forcing Korjal’s hand may only make matters worse.”
The fact Azalyn considered it their problem instead of his only made him love her all the more. “My first instinct is to locate him and bring him to the palace. However, I’m open to hearing your suggestions.”
She tilted her head. “You aren’t going to like it, but here goes—I think we need to legitimize them in a public statement. Not straight away, but as soon as we can without disrupting our current plans. Guards can secretly watch over your half sister and her mother on Keldera, and I’m sure Kason will do the same with your half sister on Jasvar. The announcement will probably convince Korjal to at least reconsider his life choices.”
One of the good things to come out of all this would be the shock on Kason’s face when Keltor told him the news of their half siblings.
“Perhaps.” He sighed. “And here I thought I would come home and enjoy a quiet evening with my female.”
“I’m not going anywhere, zylar. And I know what I signed up for when it came to loving a prince who became king.”
At the steel in her tone, Keltor decided to briefly put aside everything else and focus on his female. Raising a hand to her cheek, he murmured, “I love you, too. I hope you know that.”
Smiling, she replied, “I do, but it’s nice to hear it. I suspect you had reasons for not voicing your feelings.”
He lightly ran his fingers down her cheek. “You know me too well, zyla.”
She arched a brow. “Care to tell me your logic? That way I can debunk it and hope to avoid you using it again in the future.”
“You almost make it sound as if I’m a computer to be deprogrammed.”
Shrugging, she said, “In a way, you are. Duty has been your sole reason for living for decades. I won’t ever try to lessen how important duty is to you, but it’s okay to have other priorities at the same time. Even if you’re male, I’m sure you can multitask.”
He nipped her lower lip. “Cheeky female.”
Her grin stole his breath away. “Of course.” She kissed him slowly and pulled away far too soon. “Has there been any news of Toralyn?”
Rubbing her lower back, he said, “Not since yesterday. By all accounts, she’ll be undercover for months to come.”
“I’m not sure I like that.”
“Look at it this way—she has a purpose, and maybe the activities will tame the last of her rebellious spirit.”
“Considering she’s my daughter, I doubt her spirit will ever be fully tamed, nor would I want it to be.”
“Well, I’ve been thinking about how we could convince Toralyn to stay on Keldera.”
Hope bloomed in Azalyn’s eyes. “I’m listening.”
What he wouldn’t give to be able to grant her desire to have their children home and part of their family. “I’m thinking of adding some female guards to the palace. If she trained with them, not only would she be better able to protect herself, she might start to believe I won’t marry her off to form an alliance. I want her to stay here, and be part of our family.”
Azalyn looked away and bit her lip. Just as he was about to press her on the reaction, the walls shook a second before the red alert alarm sounded.
Without thinking, he asked, “Computer, status report.”
“Voice print recognized and clearance granted. A section of the palace had been damaged.”
Right as the computer finished, his communicator beeped furiously. Clicking Receive, the chief of palace security’s voice came over the line, “For your safety, remain in your quarters, your majesty. The disturbance was a bomb, which detonated in the hospital wing. No further explosive materials have been detected at this time.”
“Casualties?”
“Ten so far, although many more are injured.”
Keltor resisted a growl. “Alert me immediately once you find out more.”
“I will contact you at regular intervals. End transmission.”
~~~
An hour later, Azalyn wondered how she hadn’t worn a pathway on the floor in Keltor’s office, located inside his quarters. She understood that Keltor’s quarters were some of the most defended and guarded areas of the palace, but she was anxious to see her son with her own eyes and confirm he was okay.
After telling Keltor as many details of his half siblings as she could, and doing what little research she could concentrate upon, she’d resorted to pacing so as to leave Keltor to his work.
Her male sat at his desk, studying his view screen. Never looking up, he said, “Security has sent an update.”
She moved to stand at his side. “Well?”
“The recorded surveillance shows a Barren female heading into a room, and within minutes, there was an explosion from the same room. She was the first casualty.”
An uneasiness settled in her stomach. “Why do I get the feeling the explosion wasn’t an accident?”
He met her gaze. “Because it wasn’t. The sensors recorded the individual chemicals being exposed in the room, as well as the change when mixed. We are almost positive she mixed them on purpose, to create the bomb-like explosion.”
She leaned against Keltor, and an arm went around her waist. “What else aren’t you telling me?”
“There was an electronic message delivered a few minutes afterward.” He motioned toward the screen. “Here, have a look.”
Azalyn leaned down to read the text on the screen:
This is just the beginning.
“That’s rather vague,” she murmured.
“Yes and no. I suspect she may be one of many Barren who’ve teamed up with the antimonarchists.”
“While I understand their possible hatred after better knowing what Barren go through because of my friendship with Vala, surely they would see that the antimonarchists care little for the Barren, let alone granting them greater freedom.”
“That depends. A charming, charismatic individual could do a lot of harm.” He squeezed her hip. “I need you to reach out to the Barren Mother Vala recommended but we’ve put off contacting. She may have information which could help the security team. I would do it myself, but I sense she will be more at ease with you, since you’re female.”
“Of course—”
Azalyn was prevented from saying more because a giant box appeared on the view screen, flashing an urgent message in red, before a transmission appeared.
A male concealed by a black face mask spoke. “Citizens of Keldera, you may or may not have heard that an explosion went off inside the royal palace. They are vulnerable at the moment, with security members scrambling. Now is the time to attack and release your anger at the wastefulness of the king. We need your help to end our subjugation once and for all. I repeat, now is the time to attack. Don’t let fear hold you back, as there is strength in numbers. Let us combine forces and be victorious.”
The transmission switched to an overhead view of the palace, smoke rising from the hole created by the explosion. Words soon flashed on the screen: We can destroy it together.
Keltor was on his feet and dragging Azalyn to a secret door at the rear of his office. “You need to go to the underground shelter.”
“No, I don’t want to leave you, Keltor.”
“I know, zyla, but you can better help me from the emergency bunker. Contact the Barren Mother and find out what you can.”
“What about you?”
“I need to oversee emergency protocols, ones that can’t be done from a bunker. Besides, if I cower now, it will only fuel hatred and feed into their propaganda. I must ensure everyone is safely evacuated from the palace before seeking cover myself.”
Time slowed as she stared at Keltor’s face and struggled to make a decision. Logically, she should go into the bunker and do as he asked. And yet, the thought of leaving Keltor behind made her stomach drop. She’d only just gotten him back. And now, there was a chance she could lose him forever if the masked male carried out his threat.
He cupped her cheek. “I will join you shortly, zyla. I not only need your help, but you need to protect Kelzal and look after my father. They should be following protocol as we speak, and will most likely already be waiting in the shelter.”
A loud bang sounded overhead, vibrating the room to such a degree Azalyn stumbled into Keltor’s chest. His arms immediately went around her as he shielded her head and upper body with his own.
A section of the ceiling crashed to the ground a few feet away. Dust filled the room and she choked.
Once the debris settle and she’d stopped coughing, she asked, “Are you all right?”
“Fine. But I need you safe so I can focus.”
“I will go to the bunker, but promise me you’ll join me as soon as you can, Keltor.”
“I vow it, Aza. Now, go.”
He maneuvered her into the doorway of the stairway to the bunker, kissed her quickly, and shut the door.
For a second she stood in the darkness until the lights whirred to life.
Shaking her shoulders, she turned and dashed down the stairs.