He nodded in agreement, wiping tears and snot off of his face with the back of his sleeve. I tried not to gag or wince.
“Carry on, then.”
Shaking off the awkwardness that was Gervais, I ran through the double-doored entrance of the castle. Polished marble floors greeted me, and the smell of pine overwhelmed my senses. Painted cathedral ceilings depicting battles of long ago, lined the generous foyer with a delicate crystal chandelier hanging in the centre. It was an odd décor and every time I looked up, I wondered why no one had ever thought to repaint that dreadful mural.
Taking the left side of the polished double staircase, leading to the royal chambers, I ascended the steps two at a time, yelling for my father. A maid named Jane stopped me just as I was about to enter the king’s chamber.
“Princess, the king is indisposed at the moment—oh, your face!” She clutched by elbow, dragging me down the hall. “We must get you taken care of straight away.”
Peeling my elbow from her grip, I gritted my teeth and took a deep breath, then exhaled sharply. “And I don’t give a shit, Jane. Lucy was kidnapped by dragons, and it seems everyone in this godforsaken place is dead set on stopping me from notifying the king. I don’t care if he’s shagging the cook on the side of his desk, I’m talking to my father, now!”
Okay, maybe I went a bit too far, but whatever. Jane’s face went three shades of purple, then red. She bowed. “My apologies, my lady. I pray we find the young princess soon.”
“Thank you, Jane.” I felt like a heel for being so nasty, but I really needed my father.
I knocked on his chamber door and then entered. He was sitting behind his cherry wood desk—not indisposed—writing a letter and fully clothed, I might add—his salt-and-pepper hair was tied neatly at the base of his neck. Dammit, Jane.
“Hey, Daddy.” I walked toward his desk with my hands clasped behind my back. “I have some bad news, and I need you to listen to me first without asking questions.”
He stopped writing and slowly turned toward me. When he went to speak, his eyes bulged. “Your face!”
“Yes, yes, I know… there’s blood.” I made a motion to the side with my right hand, trying really hard not to roll my eyes at the king. “But Daddy, there are more important matters at hand. Lucy’s gone—it was a trap. I killed one and while I was fighting him, the other one lured Lucy out. I couldn’t get to her in time.” I choked on a sob after blurting all that out way too fast. Now I was crying again. Dammit! “She’s been kidnapped.” And I fell on my knees in a heap onto the floor. I was done playing tough girl for at least a minute; my sister needed me, and I felt helpless. “What are we going to do?”
“What? Lucy’s been kidnapped, and you killed whom? I’m missing something here, Catherine. Who kidnapped her?” He leaned down, pulling up my trembling chin so I would look him in the eye.
“Dragons. I thought I said dragons. I told you I killed one—weren’t you listening?” I looked up into his questioning grey gaze. “What? Why are you looking at me like that? I know it’s my fault and I should have protected her.” I hiccupped. “I tried…”
“No, dear. Dragons. You never mentioned dragons. You sort of skipped over that part.”
Was everyone daft around here? Lucy had been kidnapped, and so what if I was covered in blood? I was certain I’d said dragons, but whatever. “Okay.” I pulled myself together and then stood before the king. “Yes, I killed a dragon and then another dragon kidnapped Lucy.” I took a measured breath. “I would like to speak with General Halton and come up with a plan to rescue her before it’s too late. We cannot be like the Northern Kingdom and fall victim to their”—I had to the think of an appropriate word without cursing—“way of life, so to speak. We sacrifice no one to those savages.”
The king cleared his throat, his eyes shining with a bit of mirth. “Yes, dear. You are correct. This is why you will make such an excellent queen when I am gone. Your strength knows no bounds, my darling daughter.” He stood from his desk and coughed into a handkerchief. When I saw blood, I cringed. “We shall retrieve Lucy as soon as possible. I do not want her in the hands of the Drakins. If I was strong enough, I would rescue her myself.”
“I know, father. But you have me, and I’ll do everything within my power to get her back. I’ve already put the castle on lockdown. Shall I go and speak with General Halton now, or would you like to be present as well?”
“No. I may be ill, but I am still the king. I’m coming with you. Lead the way, Catherine.”
I knew he’d say that. Daddy was sick, but he still had plenty of life left in him.
General Halton’s chamber was located on the east wing of the castle. Since father had become ill, he’d ordered his closest royal guards to be housed inside the castle on the lower level for our protection against an invasion. The general had an office suite to accommodate his command if the need arose.
“Just a bit further, father.” I held onto his arm gently as we walked along the dimly-lit corridor. The red-carpeted floor was highlighted by painted cream-coulored walls; every few feet, gold-framed pictures of kings and queens of old decorated the otherwise barren landscape.
“I’m sick, not an invalid, dear child. I can walk. But thank you for your concern.” His clipped tone told me to drop his arm and allow him to walk on his own.
I nodded and continued walking until we reached a large wooden door to our left. Knocking twice, we waited. General Halton opened the door, wearing his red-and-blue tailored uniform with a scabbard hanging from his waist. He had short, dark brown hair, eyes the color of emeralds framed by thick lashes, resting above a thin nose and full lips. However, his hardened expression gave way to what could have been a very handsome face if the situation weren’t so dire.
“General, we have some unsettling news,” I began as he opened the door wide for my father and I to enter.
“Your majesty, Princess Catherine,” the general greeted us as we walked into his chamber. “I was just speaking with Gervais and he mentioned the castle was on lockdown. Is it true Princess Lucy has gone missing?”
I huffed out a frustrated sigh. Gervais could be such a wanker. “No, she’s not missing, she was kidnapped by dragon shifters while we were in the forest. I killed one and another snatched her while I was distracted.”
“What my daughter meant to say is, the Drakin Clan has struck our kingdom in the worst possible way,” the king interjected. “We must spread the word far and wide of Lucy’s kidnapping and enlist the help of our allies.”
“My lord, if I may,” General Halton began, “the Northern Kingdom may not be of much assistance as they pay a ransom to the shifters in return for their so-called protection.”
What the general was really saying was that the Drakin Clan forced the Northern Kingdom’s hand into sacrificing their own in order to keep said dragon shifters from invading their land. It was a lose-lose situation, and King Vincent of the Northern Kingdom was too much of a pansy to stand up and fight for his people. But I was keeping that last little tidbit to myself. It wasn’t polite to speak ill of royalty or, so my sister would always say.
My sister. I wondered if she was all right. I was so tired of talking, all I wanted to do was run to her rescue, killing every damn dragon shifter in sight, even though I knew it was a fool-hearted plan. I just needed an entourage to back me up. We had wasted too much time already.
“—that sounds like a good plan, General. What do you think, Catherine?” the king enquired, interrupting my thoughts. Shit. I hadn’t heard a thing they’d said. I was daydreaming of murder and mayhem, starring me, causing Drakin dragon shifters to go extinct.
“Pardon? Which part?” I looked between my father and Halton.
Taking a seat on the plush royal blue sofa near the far wall, my father sighed. “General Halton will gather his army and put together a scouting and rescue team of his finest warriors. They leave at sundown and will attempt to cross the borders of the Eastern Lands by midnight once the a
ll-clear is given.”
Sounded like an excellent plan indeed. “I’ll ready my battle gear and prepare to leave at nightfall.” I stood to bid my goodbyes but was stopped by my father.
“No, Catherine, not this time. I already have one daughter in danger. I will not have you going into battle before we know what we’re dealing with. Allow the general and his men to scout the borders first, then we shall see.”
He couldn’t possibly be leaving me out of this rescue mission. He may be the king, but I was still a princess, and I was going after my sister; the king’s orders be damned. I opened my mouth to respond, but considering the fire spreading in my veins, I decided to close it instead for fear of what I might say. It wasn’t polite or in good form to back talk the king, especially in front of his general.
I stood still as a statue while my father and Halton went over their plans for tonight’s mission. Inside, I was seething and was certain the king knew it. I could never hide my emotions; they were written all over my face. A loud knock at the door stopped me from an internal rant.
“While I’m resting, I’ll just see who’s at the door.” Yanking it open with much more force than was necessary, I must have startled Fredrick, Daddy’s First Lieutenant.
“Princess.” He bowed before me. “I have an urgent message: Princess Lucy has gone missing.”
I lowered my head to my chest and rolled my eyes. What the hell did Gervais tell everyone? How in the king’s name did that man ever become head of security? “We’re aware. Please come in and speak with General Halton.” I turned to my father. “I’ll be in my chambers if anyone needs me.”
“Fine, fine, dear. I’ll fill you in on the details at dinner.” King Harold, my father, had just ‘shooed’ me out of the room like a child.
I raised at brow at that and then walked out of the door, fuming. And this was why I never wanted to become queen. Too much talking, pomp and circumstance. I was a doer, a fighter ‘til the bitter end. And a fighter I would be—after the king fell asleep.
Chapter 3
Lying on my overly-huge bed in my pompous-looking chamber, I stared at the ceiling, knowing the general’s plan was a no-go. There was no way they could get close enough to the border without nearly everyone being charred to a crisp or eaten alive by a dragon. The operation required stealth and few people, not an entire army. I attempted to relay my thoughts to the king during dinner, but he wasn’t hearing any of it. I mean, if he wanted his royal army extra crispy and mostly dead, then that was on his head.
I was shocked the general had gone along or even come up with this ridiculous plan. He was supposed to be on my side anyway. Hell, he’d trained me in sword fighting since I was old enough to hold a wooden practice sword. We’d been on countless missions together, protecting the kingdom from invasion, killing Drakins side-by-side. Regardless of how many we’d killed, the bastards seemed to multiply as the years went by. It made me wonder what was really going on in the Eastern Lands. I was guessing they were using their concubines to increase their numbers.
I realised I needed to speak to Halton alone. Maybe I could convince him to take another course of action. I left my chamber in a rush and made my way toward the east wing. Just as I was about to knock on his door, it opened while my hand was still in midair.
I dropped my hand to my side. “Halton, I’m sorry to disturb you but I want to discuss tonight’s mission.”
He gave me an amused expression and held the door open for me to enter. “I knew you couldn’t stay away; I was expecting you,” he said, taking a seat behind his desk.
“Good, then you know why I’m here.” I sat down in a red velvet chair situated in front of his desk; it was quite comfortable. After I rescued Lucy, I might acquire one for my own chamber.
“Yes, and before you say anything”—he steepled his hands together with a sly grin—“I agree that you should come along.”
I raised my hand to interrupt.
“—but, things will not be going off as planned,” he said, not allowing me to get a word in. “It’s too dangerous to crossover into the Eastern Lands at this time without some kind of leverage. One of my scouts returned after dinner and he’d barely escaped with his life.”
“This is exactly what I was trying to tell—Never mind.” I was not going to undermine the king in front of his general. “We need a smaller, stronger team of warriors; one that can go in undetected.”
Halton nodded his agreement. “I believe that will be our best course of action but not tonight, my lady. They’ve already been made aware of our presence. We’ll have to wait and take them by surprise.”
I was smiling and nodding. Finally, someone was listening to me. My sister was running out of time. Wait. What? “Okay, maybe we’re not on the same page here,” I said. “I realise it’s dangerous, and maybe our position was compromised, but we’re talking about my sister here, not prized livestock. Why is there no sense of urgency, and why am I the only one who’s ready to leave right the hell now?”
“Catherine—”
“Don’t you Catherine me, buddy.” I stood from my—his comfortable chair—I was stealing that chair. If I could have shot fire from my eyeballs, he would have been set ablaze. “I am done waiting around. Lucy was taken right in front of me and I couldn’t save her. I won’t let her down again. If you’re unwilling to take a risk, then so be it.”
“Princess, wait!”
I turned on my heel and stormed out of his chamber, slamming the door behind me. I was so over this day. I couldn’t understand why we weren’t out there looking for her. What must Lucy be thinking? Out there with those savages, all alone. God only knew what they could be doing to her while we sat with our thumbs up our arses making plans. I shuddered at the thought and my heart broke just a bit more.
Returning to my chamber, I closed the door behind me and looked around. Sure, it was girly and pompous, but Lucy had picked out all of the furnishings. From my four-poster king-sized bed to the dramatic mauve-coulored drapes covering my floor-to-ceiling windows. She knew how much I hated the sunlight burning my eyes first thing in the morning. My coverlet was handmade; plush, silky and perfect—also designed by my sweet Lucy. Hardwood floors were covered in matching designer rugs, leading to my bathroom because my baby sister knew how much I hated my feet to touch the cold floor. All of this—I walked around my chamber, touching everything—reminded me of her. She was in this room. She designed it to make me feel comfortable because that was the type of person she was: loving, kind and always putting others before herself. Perfect.
Squaring my shoulders, I pushed my emotions aside. I decided If no one was going after her tonight, I was going it alone, saving my sister; consequences be damned. She needed me, and I needed her. I would never take her teasing or chiding for granted again. I may even wear a dress just for her homecoming—that was pushing it, but it was on the list of possibilities if I could bring Lucy home alive.
I walked to my closet and readied my gear; it was nearing ten p.m. I pulled my fiery red hair into a high ponytail after dressing in a fitted black fighting suit. It felt like butter against my skin, made of leather with a breathable liner, making it much easier to move in. Strapping my weapons belt around my waist, I placed my throwing knives and shuriken’s in their allotted spaces, adjusting it for comfort.
Lacing my knee-high black leather boots, I added a few more knives just to be safe. One could never have too many knives. And last but certainly not least, I adjusted the strap over my shoulders, securing my sheath and slid my sword between my shoulder blades.
If Lucy could see me now, she would scoff, saying I looked indecent. I had to laugh, hearing her voice inside my head. “I’m coming, Sis,” I said aloud as I walked toward my door.
I opened it slowly, and the damn thing creaked louder than old man Winkler’s knees when he stood from his perch at the butcher’s shop in town. I cringed, hoping no one had heard it, giving myself a mental reminder to oil that thing later.
Peeking left and then right, the coast was clear. I slid outside of my chamber door, closing it silently behind me. Creeping down the corridor like a stalker, I kept my pace slow and steady so as to not wake anyone. I rounded the corner just before the landing to the main staircase and a floorboard creaked. Dammit! I threw my body against the wall with my hands splayed flush against it, like a thief in the night. I was leaving this damn castle.
“Catherine, I can hear you breathing,” my father called from the foyer. “Step away from the corner.”
I was well and truly screwed. Damn the luck. I didn’t even make it down the stairs. I decided to mark becoming a thief off my list of future employment opportunities. I sucked at sneaking around and made entirely too much noise. I walked around the corner smiling, with my hands raised in mock surrender. “Hi, Daddy.”
Chapter 4
“What in God’s name are you wearing?” he enquired after making me follow behind him to his throne room. It was a shorter distance than walking to his chamber.
“Flexible fighting gear?” I answered, innocently lifting a shoulder with my hands clasped behind my back.
The king threw his hands in the air, and I thought he might lose his crown; it was tipped sideways. I decided not to tell him; it honestly wasn’t the best time.
“Catherine, we’ve been over this. It is too dangerous for you”—he paused, blowing out a severely frustrated sigh—“Why do I even bother? You’re just like your mother was: fiery hot temper and ready to do battle at a moment’s notice.”
I hung my head at the mention of my mother, Queen Isabelle. She had been the most gracious of us all, but father was right: I definitely had her temperament and looked just like her. Mum had died from spotted fever seven years ago. It was said this strange fever was caused by the dragons, but there was never any proof to back up such a claim. And I wasn’t exactly sure how that could even be possible, if I were being honest. The Drakins were right pieces of shit, but I refused to place blame where it didn’t belong. Mum died because she was sick, and I missed her terribly. What would she think of my behaviour? Would she blame me for Lucy’s kidnapping?