Protecting the Princess

Without another word he scooped her into his arms, cradling her like an infant in her evening gown, and clambered up the path, carrying her as though she didn’t weigh a thing.

She tried not to think too much about how being in his arms made her feel, but there was that warmth she’d felt a moment ago. Kirk was so strong and capable—one of the strongest members of the royal guard, with a promising future ahead of him before he’d tarnished his reputation with a murder trial.

Still, he was winsome and charismatic. It would be all too easy to trust him. And after everything that had happened, she knew she was emotionally vulnerable. Surely the sudden yearning she felt to place her head on his shoulder had nothing to do with any real feelings between them. It was merely a result of the monumentally trying events of the evening.

Kirk traveled easily up the path, and moments later a limestone tower loomed ahead, cast in a golden glow by the light of the sinking sun. Without hesitating, Kirk swept her over the threshold, through an arched doorway into a wide stone room.

THREE

The last of the sunlight blocked by four walls and a ceiling, Stasi blinked against the darkness and tightened her grip on Kirk’s shoulders. “Where are we?”

“Through here is the queen’s chamber. Thad and I found it all on the map. There are stairs up to the tower—it’s got a glorious view all the way to Sardis. But right now I’m taking you to where Thaddeus stayed.”

At the mention of her brother’s name, Stasi was reminded of all the unanswered questions regarding his disappearance. “When did Thad stay here?”

“Six years ago.” Kirk carried her into a smaller room and stopped.

“Before he—?” She let the question linger, unsure how to phrase what had happened.

Kirk settled her onto a stone bench before turning his back to her. “Before he left, yes. He was actually situated here until shortly before the trial. At that point we decided it would be best if he stayed far enough away that, no matter what they did to me, he wouldn’t be tempted to return.” Kirk fumbled with something in the darkness, and a moment later Stasi saw the light of a small flame in his hands.

When he turned back toward her, his face was lit by the warm glow of a candle. “This room isn’t visible from the sea, so you’re safe to use a light in here. But we don’t want anyone to see the light and come investigate, so don’t take any flame with you if you decide to explore further.”

Stasi had little interest in exploring the spooky ruins, but she was eager to hear more about her brother. “Why was it so important that he not return?”

To her surprise, Kirk brought the candle over to the stone bench and sat down beside her. The glow of that tiny fire enveloped them in a small circle of light, and Stasi had to fight the urge to lean closer to him. She watched his face carefully as he spoke.

“Your brother doesn’t want to be found. He and your parents had a disagreement.”

Stasi tried to accept what Kirk told her, but it didn’t make any sense. “I disagree with my parents all the time. I don’t hide from everyone I love because of it.”

Kirk leaned back against the stone wall behind them and closed his eyes. In the flickering light of the candle his face looked older than his almost-thirty years, and weary. “It’s his story to tell. I can’t share it with you any more than I could have told anyone else.”

She placed a tentative hand on his arm. “But everyone thinks you killed him. If he’s not dead, why doesn’t he show his face to prove them all wrong?” She couldn’t stand that Kirk had been willing to let her believe he was a murderer all this time if he really wasn’t.

With a sigh, Kirk opened his eyes and looked at her directly. “If your father knew where your brother was, he’d do everything in his power to bring him back. Thad couldn’t risk that. I’ve told everyone as much of the truth as he wanted me to tell. The rest I promised to keep secret. From everyone, including you.”

Stasi struggled to absorb the news. Granted, Thaddeus was the oldest and she the youngest child in their family, so in spite of being close to her siblings, there had always been that seven-year distance between them. She’d been only seventeen when he’d disappeared, and she’d taken the news very hard—not only the loss of her brother, but the loss of Kirk as a dear family friend.

She wanted very much to believe Thad was still alive, and that Kirk hadn’t ever done anything to hurt him. But she had to steel herself against one inescapable reality: Kirk was keeping secrets from her. However well intentioned those secrets might be, the simple fact was he hadn’t told her the whole truth. Beyond his obscure reassurances, she knew nothing of what had become of her brother. Until the gaps in his story were filled, she didn’t dare trust Kirk. Not completely.

Hoping to push Kirk to reveal her brother’s whereabouts, she met his eyes. “If the rest of my family was killed in today’s ambush, Thaddeus may be the only living relative I have left.”

Kirk bowed his head over the candle. When he looked her in the face again, she was surprised to see wetness twinkling in his eyes. His voice was rough when he spoke. “If I learn that the rest of your family has been killed, I will take you to him.”

She felt a spiral of fear swirl through her stomach. If Kirk had killed her brother, then his words indicated he would kill her, too. But everything about him, from the pain on his face to the way he’d protected her that day, indicated he had only the purest of intentions. Her heart rammed inside her chest, still reeling from the many shocks of the evening, wavering furiously between believing one reality or the other.

Kirk stood. “Thaddeus had a sleeping bag here, as well as some stores of food.”

“Food that was left here six years ago?” Stasi rose to stand beside him.

“Canned food stays good for a long time. You should be able to find something edible. There are wild strawberries on the north side of the island, and excellent fishing in the inlet. Your brother’s fishing pole was in the box where I found this candle. And there’s a freshwater well in the courtyard.”

The way he spoke made it sound as though she’d be on her own to fend for herself—possibly for some time. “Where are you going to be?”

“I’m going back to the mainland.”

“You’re going to leave me?” She didn’t want to be abandoned on the treacherous island.

“We’ve got to learn what happened to your family. I can’t do that from here.”

“But isn’t it dangerous? Surely people saw you leave the palace with me. If they’re looking for me, they’ll come after you.”

The grin Kirk returned her was unsettlingly confident. “If I’m the only one who knows where you are, then I’ll be the safest man in Sardis. Anyone who’s looking for you won’t dare kill me. That would sever their last link to you.”

The meaning of his words sank in. “Is that why my parents declared you untouchable? They believe you know where Thad is?”

“Your father knows why Thad left.” Kirk sighed. “He never honestly thought I killed him. The entire trial was his attempt to compel me to betray your brother—to reveal where he was hiding, or possibly to force your brother to come out of hiding to save me. The king has kept me on in the royal guard in part so he can keep an eye on me. He hates me for not telling him where Thad is.”

Stasi felt alarmed by Kirk’s words. Though they seemed to explain parts of her brother’s case that had always bothered her, in some ways, they raised more questions than they answered. “I don’t understand. Why would you go on trial and endure my father’s hatred—and the scorn of the Lydian people—if you didn’t have to?”

“But I did have to.”

“Thaddeus could have returned.”

“No, Stasi, he couldn’t. I’m sorry I can’t share more details. What your father did—” Kirk’s voice grew rough, and his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, betraying emotion. “It was bad, Stasi. Bad enough for Thaddeus to go away forever.”

Much as she couldn’t fathom her father doing anything that wasn’t pure, noble, right and blameless, Kirk’s statements had the reinforcement of six years’ history to back them up. A chill of fear prickled goose bumps down her arms. “Do you think it has anything to do with today’s attack?”

Kirk froze, and Stasi thought she spotted a glimmer of fear in his usually fearless eyes. “If it does—” he swallowed, and seemed to need a few breaths before he could continue “—then God help us.”

Stasi didn’t understand all that was going on—Kirk was still withholding information—but she knew enough to know that whatever they were up against, Kirk was scared of it. He’d once stared down a murder trial without blinking. If Kirk was afraid, then she had reason to be afraid, too.

And it also occurred to her that she’d hated and avoided him for six years, when perhaps he’d been acting in a nobler manner than the king. Moved by the thought of what Kirk had been through on her brother’s behalf, Stasi reached for his arm. “I’m sorry.”

He looked down at her, and suddenly she realized how close they were standing, and how strong the arm under her hand felt, and how much she’d missed spending time with him.

“Don’t be.” He leaned a little closer. “I took a vow to protect your family when I joined the royal guard. That meant standing by your brother when his own father tried to betray him. That means doing whatever I can to keep you safe.”

Stasi considered the face so close to hers, his eyes so familiar to the laughing boy she’d known throughout her childhood. Freckles she’d all but forgotten now reappeared like old friends, but on a face matured by time and trials. Had her father really done something so awful her brother saw no other option but to run away? She hated to think it was true. And yet, she’d seen the shadows that had haunted her father’s eyes since the time her brother had disappeared. What had King Philip done? And why?

Whatever it was, Kirk had stood by her brother, and now he’d kept her from danger, too. “You went beyond the call of duty. I wouldn’t ask you to do that for me.”

“It’s not up to you.” He stood, and her hand fell away from his arm. “I need to be going.”

“Must you?” Stasi blushed when she heard her impulsive words. She only meant that she didn’t want to be left alone on the island, especially if he was taking the only boat for an undetermined period of time. She’d be stuck, practically marooned.

A smile flickered at the corner of his mouth. “I promise to return quickly.”

“What if you can’t?”

He tipped his head thoughtfully, as though her words had prompted him for the first time to consider that he wasn’t immortal. For some time he stood still, apparently mulling over a decision.

Stasi studied his handsome face, his sandy-brown hair and the broad sweep of his shoulders. As a child she’d absolutely adored him. For the last six years, she’d hated him.

His deep voice sounded reluctant when he finally spoke. “You make an excellent point. It would be irresponsible for me to leave you here without anyone to protect you, but I can’t take you with me. And yet, there isn’t anyone in the royal guard or in the military who I know for certain we can trust. Not under the circumstances.”

“Then what?”

Finally, Kirk made a resigned face and pulled out his phone. “Ah, good. The cell phone towers in Sardis still cover this island. I’m going to call Thad.” Kirk’s eyes hardened, his expression fiercely solemn. “We must keep the conversation brief. We have no guarantees that this line is secure. Your brother already knows the rules. Everyone has a code name. You must not say anything that would give away who you are, where you are, or who he is. It would endanger you both. Understand?”

The fear she’d felt throughout the evening was crystallized in his request. She’d seen the explosions. She understood the danger of the situation, even if she didn’t know who was behind the attacks or why they’d occurred. “I promise.”

Kirk nodded, then dialed and held the phone to his ear.

“Thank God you called. I’ve been worried sick.” The voice that carried through the phone was just loud enough for Stasi to make out the words. “I’ve seen the news. Tell me they’re not all dead.”

“Not all. I’ve got Juliet with me right now.”

“Praise the Lord.”

Stasi’s skin prickled with goose bumps at the sound of her brother’s voice, and she stepped closer to Kirk, straining to hear more of the voice she’d long thought she might never hear again.

“Keep her safe,” the distant voice insisted. “What about everyone else?”

“I don’t know,” Kirk answered. “I’ve got her holed up in your old hiding place. I’m heading back to town to learn what I can. I hope to have good news for you.”

“Bless you.”

Kirk looked thoughtful as he spoke. “If you don’t hear from me in three days, send someone for Juliet. Don’t come yourself.”

There was a pause. “It’s that bad, then?”

“I’ll do everything I can, but I don’t know what we’re up against. I can’t leave her here indefinitely.”

Stasi suspected he might be close to ending the call. She reached for the phone, eager to speak with her brother.

“Juliet wants to talk to you.” Kirk handed over the phone, warning her, “Remember.”

She nodded solemnly and held the phone to her ear before realizing she didn’t know what to say, especially if she wasn’t to give away her brother’s identity. “Are you—” She swallowed back the rest of her question.

“I am.”

It was her brother’s voice. Her heart leaped inside of her.

“Don’t give my friend any trouble.” Thaddeus didn’t use Kirk’s name. Then, as though he suspected she might have her doubts, Thad assured her, “You can trust him completely. Right now, he might be the only person you can trust.”

“What’s going on?” Stasi asked, knowing that if her brother had heard a report on the news, he might have more information than they did.

“All I know is that there’s been an uprising. No one has claimed responsibility as of yet.”

Stasi hesitated. There was so much she wanted to ask him, but she wasn’t sure what she could say without giving away important details if their conversation wasn’t private.

“Take care. I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Stasi couldn’t fight back her tears. She handed the closed phone back to Kirk with a trembling hand.

Kirk lifted the lid on another of the compartments that blended in seamlessly with the stone walls—secret enclosures she wouldn’t have guessed were there had she not watched him open them. He fished out a sleeping bag and handed her the candle.

“I need to get going. Try to get some rest. I’ll be back for you as soon as I’m able.” He pressed the phone into her other hand, closing her trembling fingers securely over it. “I can’t allow this to fall into the wrong hands now that I’ve used it to call your brother. But please, don’t use it unless there’s an emergency. If I’m not back in three days, your brother will send someone for you.”

Fear whipped up a froth of questions in her mind. “But how will I know—”

“Just trust me.” The tips of his fingers hovered an inch from her lips, silencing her questions without touching her royal mouth. “I have no intention of being gone more than a few hours, but it would be irresponsible of me not to provide a backup plan given the circumstances.”

Kirk bent his head close to hers in the flickering candlelight. “I just don’t want you to worry.” He took a step back and spread his arms wide. “Enjoy this beautiful island. Your brother loved this place. Your ancestors did, too.”

He looked down at her.

She tried to raise a smile to her lips, but sorrow and fear wouldn’t let her. “My code name is Juliet?” There were too many details for her to keep track of them all, but she figured that one might be important if she had to contact her brother again. “What is Thad’s code name?”

“Regis.”

“And yours?”

Kirk turned his back to her, pulling a pillow from the storage space that had looked so much like the rest of the stone wall before he’d lifted its secret lid. “You don’t need to know mine.”

“But what if—”

He gently tipped up her chin with the tips of his fingers. “It will all come out all right.”

Looking into his eyes, which were earnest and sincere, Stasi wished she could believe him. “How do you know?”

“God is in charge. And God is good.”

She took a shaky breath. “How could God let a thing like this happen?”

“Your Highness—” He spoke her title slowly, sweetly. She liked the sound of it on his lips. “It is night now, but the sun will shine again. Have faith.” He dropped her chin and walked away through the darkness.

As she watched him go, she clutched her little candle. Her heart twisted out a desperate prayer that everything would come out all right, somehow—though she couldn’t imagine how.

The moon was high when Kirk docked his boat and resolutely stepped onto the pier. He’d formed a plan in his mind as he’d sailed into Sardis, and now he headed for his parents’ place, a small cottage behind the palace. Albert and Theresa Covington both held high positions in the royal household. If there was any news, they would know it. And he needed them to see that he was all right. After all that had happened, he knew they would be worrying.

He carried his duffel bag back to the Jeep, which was parked, undisturbed, where he’d left it. A good sign. It meant that, however coordinated the attack on the royal family might have been, whoever was behind it had not yet gotten around to making an organized search for the Jeep. That much made sense. They’d probably have much more urgent priorities.

The sound of the lapping sea faded as Kirk started the vehicle. It was after midnight and no one appeared to be anywhere around. Kirk drove toward the palace and parked along a side street a couple of blocks away, pulling out his personal items from where he’d stashed them, tossing them into the duffel bag, then walking the rest of the distance.

Skirting the rear gate of the royal grounds, Kirk decided to scale the wall instead of using his thumbprint to gain entry. Granted, the print would be easier, but his entrance would be recorded in the security computer. He couldn’t risk giving away his location—not with the likelihood that someone might soon get around to looking for him.

Fortunately, he’d had plenty of practice scaling the castle walls with Thaddeus when they were growing up. He made it over without any trouble and found his way to the cottage.

There was still a light on in the kitchen. Kirk tried the door and found it locked, but he knocked and his mother answered, pulling him into a tight hug, and then, a moment later, shaking him by his shoulders.

“They said you’d been killed at the marina,” Theresa Covington accused her son.

His father, Albert, rose from his seat at the table. “Folks saw you driving Princess Stasi in a Jeep. It was on the news. There’s a rumor that the two of you were killed and your bodies thrown into the sea.”

“Did you believe it?” Kirk asked, looking back and forth from one parent to the other. He wasn’t at all surprised that someone might report him dead, and Princess Stasi killed, too. But he thought his parents had more faith in him than to believe such an obviously false report.

“We don’t know what to believe.” His mother wore a wary expression. “They’re reporting the whole royal family has been killed in an ambush.”

“And yet—” his father leaned in and spoke quietly “—from what I’ve heard, there aren’t any bodies—not that fit the royal family, anyway. Two drivers and a guard were killed in the blasts. I knew all three of them.” As the longtime head butler and estate manager at the palace, Kirk’s father knew everyone who worked there—even those who worked outside of the main castle.

Kirk felt the sting of loss that innocent people had died. But at the same time, his father’s words buoyed his hope. If the bodies of the royal family hadn’t been found, then they still were alive. Somewhere. “Stasi will be glad to hear it.”

“She’s alive, then?” Theresa Covington finally let go of her son’s shoulders.

“Alive and safe, for now,” Kirk assured them both. “I don’t know who barricaded her in her room, but thank God they did—that’s why she missed her ride in the limousine. She was with me in the Jeep when the first blast hit. But that’s where the truth of that rumor ends. I got her out of Sardis as quickly as I could.”

“But now what will you do?” his father asked.

“I was hoping to learn what’s happened to the rest of her family—she’s desperate for news of them. I’d like to believe they’ve survived. If we can locate any of them, I’ll take Stasi to them. Otherwise, I’ll take her to Thaddeus. In the meantime, though, I may have to hide her. I’ll need supplies.”

His parents tensed when he mentioned the name of the presumed-dead heir to the Lydian throne. Though Kirk had assured them long ago that Thaddeus was alive and well, he knew they, like the rest of the Lydian population, still sometimes wondered if he hadn’t possibly committed the crime he’d been accused of. His folks had stood by him, but he hadn’t given them any more reason to believe him than he’d granted anyone else. He’d promised Thad. And he was a man of his word.

Kirk had many questions for his parents. “Who was behind the attacks? And what do they want?”

“I’ve not heard a motive, and no one has claimed responsibility yet.” Albert pointed to a small television set in the corner of the kitchen that was broadcasting news updates with the volume turned low. “I don’t know what will happen, or what will become of the Royal House of Lydia.”

“What about the two of you? Headed back to the U.S.?” Kirk’s parents were both American citizens. His mother had been best friends with Queen Elaine when they were both girls, growing up in a small town near Atlanta, Georgia. When Elaine had married then-Prince Philip, Albert and Theresa had come to Lydia to work for her. They’d remained close friends with the royal family, and Theresa was still best friends with Queen Elaine. But given the circumstances and their known allegiance to the royal family, they would likely be safer back in America.

At his suggestion, his parents exchanged worried looks.

“We’ve talked about it,” Albert admitted.

But Theresa shook her head. “There’s no threat to our lives. As long as the royal family remains unaccounted for, I feel we have to stay. What if one of them tries to contact us? I came to Lydia to help my best friend. I can’t run out on her in her time of need.”

Kirk appreciated his parents’ devotion. He felt the same way. “Still, I think you should keep a low profile. Everyone knows how close you are to the king and queen.”

“Many people are loyal to the king and queen. If the insurgents go after all of them, there will be no one left in Lydia,” Albert predicted.

“Good point.” Kirk appreciated his father’s attitude. He stood and paced the room nervously. Much as he would have loved to learn more about what was going on, he’d promised Stasi he’d be back. And no one else knew where she was. If anything happened to him, she’d be on her own.

“I should get back to Stasi. We’ll need food for a few days. And, Mother—” he looked up at the woman who, as the household manager for the entire palace, had access to nearly every room in the castle “—I don’t suppose there would be any way you could discreetly pack a bag for Stasi? Some of her own clothes and shoes? She’s in an evening gown right now.”

Theresa’s eyes twinkled. “I always keep bags packed and waiting for every member of the royal family—for various occasions and seasons, no less. Give me five minutes.”

While she was gone, Kirk and his father put together a bag of food supplies, a radio and plenty of batteries. Kirk was familiar with what Thad had left stowed on the island, which left more room for essentials.