T
he Guardian Maidens bristled. Their ranks were outnumbered two to one. Swan lifted an arm, and the anxious women stood still.
Prince Lewis dismounted. His black cape stirred in the morning breeze. He had a smug look of satisfaction on his face. Abraham followed him over to the smoldering bonfire.
Prince Lewis held his gloved hands over the coals. “Nothing like a dying fire during the morning chill, eh Abraham?”
“If you say so.”
He looked back at the mounted King’s Guardians. Pratt had taken his helmet off. The big man no longer wore the badge on his armor that signified him as the Guardian Commander. That badge, birds’ claws holding golden maple leaves, was sewn into Lewis’s leather armor.
“I see you got a promotion.”
“Yes, I have my station back, now that I am no longer tarnished by the brand of the Henchmen.”
“Are you going to try to kill your father again?”
“Heavens, no. My father and I have mended our fences. I realized that I have erred in my judgment. But I was youthful and, well, poisoned by the Sect and Raschel.” Lewis looked Abraham dead in the eye. “I hate to admit it, but I believe I have your intervention to thank for that.”
Abraham’s skin crawled as Lewis spoke with a serpent’s tongue, with words full of guile. “What brings you here? You aren’t going to try and burn it down again, are you?”
“Pfft… of course not. As I’ve said, I’m a changed man.”
The queen and the princess came out of Stronghold’s front door. Shock and distrust were on their frowning faces.
“Hello, Clarice,” Prince Lewis said to his former sister. He tipped his chin at Clarann. “My queen. Father sends word. He would like you to return to the House of Steel immediately.”
Clarann had a blanket drawn over her shoulders and said, “I’ll return when I am ready.”
Prince Lewis rocked his head from side to side. “That wouldn’t be wise. Not that it matters to me. You can live here for all that I care. I’ve always thought that you were more fit for farming and the outdoor life rather than the majestic setting of a royal courtyard. However, for your own safety and for the sake of the crown, it’s best that you come home.”
“All of a sudden, my husband cares,” the queen said.
“Only the Elders know why, but yes.” He reached underneath his cloak and pulled out a white handkerchief. Wildflowers were sewn into the fabric. “He offers this. I imagine it has some sentimental value.”
Queen Clarann stepped forward and took the handkerchief. Her eyes watered. She glanced at Abraham then back to Lewis and said, “I made this for him.”
“Good. Perhaps you can make him another. You should have plenty of time to practice your embroidery inside the walls of the House of Steel.” Lewis smirked. “It’s time to return, either of your own free will or by force. Please don’t make it by force. My men and I have a long journey ahead. We’d rather not scuffle with your personal guard.” He glanced at Swan. “They are vastly outnumbered.”
“Did you come here to start a fight,” Abraham asked, “or is there another purpose?”
“As a matter of fact, there is.” Lewis produced a scroll that had the burgundy wax seal with the king’s mark. “I have your orders. And he also told me to give you this.” He handed Abraham the Rubik’s Cube. It had been solved. “He said that he was disappointed.”
Abraham blankly looked at the cube in his hand. It was his son Jake’s. His neck tightened. He’d given so little thought to his wife and son. He hadn’t even been sleeping with the backpack at his side. An awful feeling sank in: guilt and something else. The thought that King Hector had solved it unveiled a new intelligence.
“Are you going to play with your little puzzle, or are you going to read your orders?” Lewis asked.
Abraham broke open the seal and read the scroll. The written words were as clear as English to him. He read in silence, but his lips moved. He looked up at Lewis and said, “We are going to the Wall? To the border of South Tiotan. To engage the enemy.”
Lewis smugly replied, “Yes. After all, you are the most qualified person to carry on the fight. It appears that those iron chariots have appeared outside of our walls. Envoys from South Tiotan’s officials, along with the prestigious elite of Hancha, demand our surrender. They are quite emboldened by their new foreign allies. My father wants you to take those iron chariots out or die trying.”
Abraham swallowed. His fingertips turned numb. “What about the last stones? We should set out on a mission to retrieve them.”
Lewis rubbed his hands together and said, “Viceroy Leodor and Melris are working on that. King Hector has put his trust in them rather than the man that impregnated his wife and deceived him for over a decade.”
“But the king gave his word!” Abraham said as his plans crumbled. “We need the stones to control the portal. The king gave his word!”
“I witnessed it, and so did you, Lewis,” Clarann stated. “The king would never go back on his word.” She snatched the letter out of Abraham’s hand. Her eyes scanned the parchment. “It is his signature.”
“Of course it is,” Lewis said. “His contract with this man was broken the moment he learned the truth of his bastard daughter. It’s nice to be right. It gives me such a warm and fuzzy feeling. And if you read the letter in its entirety, he also mentions that if you travel between this world and the other, tell them he won’t surrender. Ever.”
