The Queen Maker Page 4

  “Just take her out and let her go,” he said, doing his best to maintain his calm air. “I believe her brother is here. See to it she leaves with him, please.”

  The others were very much interested in the drama taking place, but they remained silent. Such outbursts around King Turis Lee would have sent him into a rage, the ultimate outcome of which was usually execution or torture. Keiran still seemed placid outwardly, and they wondered what would happen to Sorna. The crowd saw the show was over and started to file out.

  Thana watched on as her mother was escorted away. Corina stood beside the young woman with an arm around her. Keiran moved away from the throne and neared them.

  Thana’s eyes were teary, and she brought them up to meet Keiran. “Part of me is relieved. The other half thinks she truly thought she was in the right on all of this.”

  He took a deep breath. “Perhaps when she calms down and comes to her senses a bit, things can improve. Thana, you know I will never hold you here against your will, so anytime you wish to go see her, understand that I will have no misgivings about it.”

  She managed a smile for him. “I know, and I think she does need some time to do just that.”

  “Sorna has been on high alert about everything since Quig died all those years ago,” Corina added, letting her arm fall away from Thana. “I feel for her.”

  Keiran quirked a brow upward. “It would seem there is more than a little tension between you and Sorna. I thought you were likely to put her on the ground twice today. I thought old women were supposed to be gentle.”

  “Old women are still women, Keiran,” Corina replied with a faint smile. “For better or worse, I do have some maternal instincts over you and Thana here.”

  Corina had never been one for physical altercations. Slapping Sorna earlier had been the first time she’d ever struck another person in all her life.

  “Thank you for standing up for me,” Thana said, switching her gaze between the two of them. “It is appreciated. I’m worn out from all this drama. May I have a cup of wine before I turn in?”

  “Aye, of course.” Keiran nodded and motioned for the door. He was ready to call it a day, too.

  “I’ll get you taken care of, Thana. Keiran, I’ll stop by your room in a while and get you a drink for the evening.” Corina took Thana’s hand and the two of them headed out.

  Keiran began the walk up to his room, hoping he’d done the right thing. His emotions and those of the people around him, made objectivity difficult to maintain. There had to be a way to retain logical thought even when tempers flared.

  ***

  The sentries marched Sorna out into the courtyard. Her elderly brother was there, waiting on his simple flatbed wagon. She stormed away from the guards and climbed up onto the cart, still furious.

  “That wretched boy-king of ours just took away my parental rights over Thana! He’s keeping her here and throwing me out!” she said.

  Jessup, her brother, raised his brows and looked over at the guards. “So, are we just leaving here?”

  “I think it best we take our leave before that vampire decides to have us killed,” she clipped back, sitting heavily beside him.

  Having known Keiran’s father, Sorna was starting to develop a small spark of fear she may have gone too far. For now, there was nothing she could do and getting away to think things over was best.

  Farin, one of the sentries who escorted Sorna out, stepped forward and placed a hand against the cart. Next to Kanan, he was the oldest guard in the castle. As such, he knew Sorna and had been a colleague of her late husband, Quig.

  He was also the one who’d spotted Thana and Keiran coming out of the locked dining hall earlier. After what he’d witnessed in the throne room, Farin realized the young woman and Keiran had conspired on this. There was obviously something going on between them.

  He was a large man, nearly as tall as Keiran but considerably heavier. His stomach lapped over his sword belt, the leather of which strained to hold his gut back. His hair had gone from brown to a dark, dull gray with age, and he kept it closely cropped. This was somewhat out of fashion for Tordanian men, but Farin had never liked the trouble of keeping up his outward appearance. He possessed beautiful hazel eyes, however, his face was always so pinched up due to his weight and piggish expression that no one ever saw them. As was often the case, he’d not shaved in several days, and his patchy stubble had broken out on his chin and pockmarked cheeks.

  Sorna noticed his presence and glared down at him. “Farin, is there something further, or may we depart?”

  His mind was working, and it reflected in his expression. The events of the day weren’t setting well for him. He’d never been married as his lusts ran toward much younger women. To have Keiran going to great lengths to keep Thana around in an illegal relationship rubbed him the wrong way. It didn’t quite seem fair to him for royalty to grab what he couldn’t obtain.

  A small, inner echo of conscience urged him to say something toward Sorna in regards to her situation. There was no real sympathy within him, however. What he was sticking on mentally was how much better Thana would be in his bed than Keiran’s. At least laws wouldn’t be broken, and it would be acceptably within the limits of class division.

  Words failed him, however, and he continued to stand next to the cart, looking up at the old woman.

  Sorna continued to stare down at him, impatience mounting. “Farin, step back if we may leave! Have you gone deaf?”

  He shook himself out of his thoughts and moved away from the cart just enough to not have his feet run over by the wheels if they moved. Farin managed to utter something for Sorna’s sake, not wanting to give up what he really was starting to fixate on.

  “I simply wish to express my sympathies for how difficult things have been. I know if Quig still lived, you would have more support,” he said.

  Her expression melted from anger to sadness at the mention of her late husband. Afraid she would break down and begin crying, she nodded toward Farin then signaled her brother to get them underway. She’d been humiliated enough for the day without losing what was left of her composure before the sentry.

  Chapter 2

  The day before, Keiran thought settling the issue with Thana’s mother would help clear his mind and allow him to focus on the Sadori issue. This turned out to not be the case, however. While he was relieved no one was going to take the object of his affection out of his reach, the young woman was firmly claiming center stage in his mind.

  As the day’s string of military men and advisors continued before him, he kept growing distracted. Angry for letting his mind wander off task, he excused himself for a brief while to walk out into the courtyard.

  It had snowed throughout the night, and where traffic hadn’t trampled the snow, it was halfway to his knees. Though it was cold out, it wasn’t so bitterly frigid as to keep the snow from melting into the fabric of his pants. Not having a cloak or coat on, the small breeze blowing quickly stripped the warmth from his body. He jogged the short distance to the guardhouse, not wanting to linger outside.

  When he opened the door, he didn’t find Jerris inside as he’d hoped. Only Kanan sat at the table within, slowly drawing one of his prized knives over a whetting stone. He didn’t miss a beat with the rhythmic pass of the steel blade upon the stone, his eyes flicking up to meet the vampire.

  “And to what do I owe the honor of this visit?”

  “I was looking for Jerris.”

  “Of course you were,” he sighed, setting down the stone and picking up a rag to wipe the blade clean before placing it on the table. “I can’t rightly remember the last time you and I were able to talk alone.”

  Kanan had a point, and Keiran realized it had been several weeks since they’d been alone. It might have been the day Turis Lee died. A corner of his mouth tugged down into a frown, and he slowly moved to sit across from the head of the Royal Guard.

  “My apologies, it has been a while, you’re correct,” Keiran sa
id.

  “Aye.” Kanan’s large hands ran over the table’s surface, and he leaned forward a bit. “That was quite a trick the other day, setting the indentured servants free and severing parental rights.”

  Keiran was sitting before one of the few people who would give him their honest opinion, no matter how crudely it might be expressed. He needed to hear what Kanan thought, knowing it might help to keep him on the right track in the future if it had been wrong.

  “What are your thoughts on it? Was I right to do it the way I did? I couldn’t announce that adults couldn’t be kept as property if it didn’t apply to everyone we actually consider adults.”

  “Well,” Kanan said, “it’s not for me to say how you should go about ruling. Since you’re asking my opinion, though, I’ll play along. Honestly, My Lord, letting the servants have their freedom was the right thing to do. It’s been ages since private citizens were able to hold slaves, and call it what you will, that’s exactly what those servants really were. Your father might have called it otherwise to make an exception for himself, but it didn’t make it right. So, for that, aye, I think you acted wisely.”

  Keiran’s head cocked to the side, eyes narrowing. He knew the other man well enough to pick up what hadn’t been said, opting to pursue it. “Yet, that wasn’t the entirety of the decree. What about granting autonomy to twenty-year-old citizens?”

  He leaned back, reaching up to tug at his goatee. “Again, it isn’t my job to rule. I have no real experience in politics. Yet, I don’t rightly see a problem with it. It’s not as though I’ve tried to dominate Jerris’ life outside of work since I deemed him a grown man. At his age he still does a number of immature things, but do I take issue with not having a legal right to tell him what to do? No. I know people feel differently about their daughters than they do their sons, though. While I think most are all right with the notion of young adults being legally liberated, there are some taken aback by it. I don’t think it’s damning, however. Most can handle it. The way it came out of the blue is why some are shocked.”

  “So it’s something I should have put out for debate?” Keiran asked, though he knew the circumstance he’d been facing wouldn’t have given him the luxury of doing so.

  “Perhaps. Maybe folks would have acclimated to the idea a little, first.” Kanan shrugged before meeting Keiran’s eyes, his expression changing. “I know why you did it, though. I wasn’t there, but I’ve heard all the rumors I need to about Sorna’s behavior, and I’ve had my suspicions about Thana for a time. It was a selfish reason spurring you into making the decree you did, but I don’t find the decree itself unjust. You need to fight the temptation of toying with the laws for personal reasons, though. Just look at the mess Turis Lee made of this country because of his poor political decisions.”

  “Aye.” Keiran offered up a smile, taking it all in stride.

  He’d already agonized over it, but he felt nearly powerless when it came to anything involving Thana. Kanan’s mention of her by name, though, did make him want to deflect his suspicions about a possible relationship.

  “Nothing untoward has happened between us. Her mother definitely has some ill will for me, and I didn’t want Thana to suffer because of it. I care about the girl deeply, and I want what is best for her,” Keiran said.

  Kanan continued to stare at him for several moments. The old man was one of the Church Knights, a secret society charged with ensuring the laws regulating the behavior of royalty were followed. He had every reason to suspect Keiran was just as oblivious to his membership in the group as his own son, Jerris. He knew it was a conflict of interest to be a Church Knight given the extremely close and personal relationship he had with the new monarch. While Kanan wouldn’t have it in his heart to ever act against Keiran or Thana that didn’t mean others wouldn’t.

  Keiran could see something brewing in the back of the other man’s mind, and he leaned forward, sensing something strange in the air between them. “What is it?”

  Kanan quickly rose and went to the door of the guard shack. He locked it before returning to his seat. The conversation he and Keiran needed to have might prove dangerous if overheard.

  He leaned heavily onto the table. “I want to discuss something serious with you, but I need you to understand first that in doing so, I’m breaking a significant rule.”

  Keiran’s curiosity was instantly stirred, and he quickly nodded. There was something very interesting in the emotions coming off of Kanan. “I’ve been known to bend rules now and again, Kanan. You know me well enough to realize I’d never betray what you tell me in confidence.”

  “Fair enough, then.” The elder guard’s voice went uncharacteristically quiet. “There are Church Knights in the castle, Keiran.”

  The vampire knit his brows and drew a long breath. It was hardly a shock to hear such a thing. He’d always known there were Church Knights in the Royal Guard, there had to be. How else would they be able to police the activity of royalty?

  “Kanan, I’m aware of that. I just don’t know who they are,” Keiran replied.

  Kanan huffed and rolled his eyes. Keiran still had a good amount of naivety rattling around in his head. “Aye, of course, but what I mean to tell you is I am one of them.”

  That was enough to give Keiran pause. If Kanan was a Church Knight, and he already knew of his relationship with Thana, it very well could mean there were others who were savvy.

  “I had no idea. Jerris never said anything about it.”

  “That, Keiran, is because Jerris doesn’t know. The boy has a tendency to run his mouth without thinking, especially when drunk. I trust you won’t tell him, either,” he replied, repeatedly giving nervous glances toward the window of the building.

  He shook his head. Though it wasn’t like Keiran and Jerris to keep secrets, this would have to be one of the rare exceptions. If he let Jerris know, there was a strong possibility it would come out if the younger guard confronted his father about it. It was something Keiran absolutely didn’t need.

  “No, of course I won’t tell him,” Keiran said. “Again, though, I need you to believe that nothing inappropriate has happened between Thana and I.”

  The way Keiran’s cheeks flushed red with his last statement made Kanan suspect something minor, at the very least, had transpired between the two. After all, Keiran was a young male, and it would be stranger if he’d not pursued someone he’d taken an interest in. He knew the vampire wasn’t as promiscuous as Jerris, and for that he was glad. The task of keeping track of him if he had would have been a nightmare.

  “I don’t need to know the details. I’ll leave that to you and the girl. Keiran, though I’m not going to follow my Church Knight obligations to the letter and intervene into your love life, it doesn’t mean another won’t. I need to implore you to be careful.”

  The king’s heart rate doubled, and he leaned even further onto the table. Putting Thana in danger with the Knights hadn’t rightly crossed his mind until that point. “Kanan, have any of the others noticed? Who are the other Church Knights in the castle?”

  “My answer isn’t going to comfort you, Keiran. First, the Church Knights don’t speak to one another on a daily basis. We have meetings a few times a year, but none have been called as of late. Therefore, I can’t honestly tell you if any of the others have noticed. Secondly, I won’t tell you who the other members are. That is a line I’m not willing to cross.” Kanan tapped a finger against the table with his last statement, indicating he wouldn’t break on the subject.

  Keiran looked away and drew a long breath, frowning deeply. While he knew no one had seen the few kisses he’d shared with Thana, there was no way for him to know what private suspicions were being held. Inwardly, he chastised himself for not giving more thought to the Church Knights who were around, but they’d been relatively inactive during his father’s reign. Keiran hadn’t had much exposure to them.

  “I don’t want anything to happen to Thana. Do you think it would have been better
if I had let her mother take her out of here?” he asked.

  “Keiran, I know you. Even if she’d been removed, I have to think you would have crept out of this castle with Jerris just like you always have. Now, while it might have been harder for other Church Knights to figure out your dealings, it’s no guarantee they wouldn’t have caught on. At least here in the castle, I can help to try and look after the both of you. If one of the Knights decided to act, there would have to be a meeting held first. I would be able to warn the both of you. So, worry not on that right now. The Sadoris are what need our attention.”

  Keiran literally groaned and slumped down into his chair, closing his eyes. Once again, he’d let himself get distracted from their invasion. He was starting to doubt if he was really cut out for leadership.

  “Aye, and they should be my focus.”

  “Indeed they should. About you choosing to go with the war party,” Kanan stated, lacing his fingers together, “it is the honorable thing to do, and your grandfather would be most proud. However, are you certain you are up to it?”

  That immediately dented Keiran’s pride. “Of course I am! I can handle myself, Kanan. I just took out Peirte by myself a few weeks ago.”

  The guard reached up and ran his hands through his hair in frustration. He knew his days of being able to lay into Keiran about the dumb things he did were limited at best. Still, he thought of the vampire much like his own son and didn’t want him in danger.

  The guard quirked a brow. “One elderly man alone in the forest isn’t the same as an army, Keiran.”

  “With the army, I won’t be alone, either. For the record, he wasn’t just some old man, he was an old man with demons,” Keiran replied.

  Kanan knew Keiran wasn’t completely helpless, but the vampire had never yet bested him in training. They hadn’t so much as sparred since the day of Turis Lee’s death. He had a habit of getting careless in combat, something Kanan had been trying to break him of his entire life.