Pawn of the Crown

  Pawn of the Crown

  All the Queen’s Heirs, Book 2

  Cheryl Oblon

  Published: 2016

  ISBN: 978-1-62210-420-8

  Published by Blue Swan Publishing. Copyright © 2016, Cheryl Oblon.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

  This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.

  Manufactured in the USA

  Email support@blueswanpublishing.com with questions, or inquiries about Blue Swan Publishing or Ten West Publishing.

  Blurb

  Life at court isn’t full of peace or quiet for Royal Seer Kimess as she serves the Lazrel queen. With a royal engagement propping up the peace treaty, Kimess and Prince Nemal head to Bachal as guests of their king. The harsh culture isn’t easy, but being up close with charming unicorn and fierce dragon shifters is a new experience. Kimess and Nemal hope to find some private time, but are surrounded by security droids plus their own entourage. The queen’s directives are many: spy, make friends, don’t trigger a war, and capture a traitor—dead or alive. Kimess and her friends are balancing their delicate mission fairly well until a couple of royal visitors arrive—revealing secrets that ignites chaos.

  Chapter 1

  Earth 2450

  In the month since the Bachal Royal Family had left, things had been blissfully quiet. There were perks to being the Royal Seer, but I did my best not to flaunt the power and the jewels. I’d much rather have my mother back. I’d rather live on my own estate than here in the queen’s castle, but I was only sixteen. Ruler of the fifth family or not, the queen had taken responsibility for me.

  I leaned on the ledge of the second story of the castle and observed the Bachal troops, under command of the Lazrel per the treaty, being put through their paces. Nemal and other members of the Queen’s Guard trained the new additions. I couldn’t see the prince, but I could feel his strength and how seriously he took his work. He was busy while I was idle, but that was my luck. When things were quiet in the castle, I didn’t have much to do.

  “Kimess!” LeFawn called as she ran up.

  The youngest princess and I had been friends since we were little. I hugged her. “Hi! You seem happy.”

  “You’d know.” She looked down at the training.

  The powers of the fifth family were all locked in our brains. Telekinesis and telepathy were impressive powers, and mine had only grown stronger.

  “I thought you were supposed to be arranging the right match for Minnette,” LeFawn said.

  “True, your mother tasked me with that, and I’m working on it. On the plus side, Remmy and Faldar are quite happy.” I had risked a lot to keep Faldar, the crowned prince of the Bachal, here with Remmy. The Bachal would never approve of the relationship so they thought Faldar was engaged to LeFawn. She’d volunteered for that ruse.

  She rolled her eyes. “Remmy and Faldar are so happy it’s annoying.”

  “Jealous?” I tucked my long blonde hair behind my ears as the wind whipped up.

  “It’d be nice to be in love like that.” LeFawn pouted.

  We were the same age, but she was the youngest child of the queen and protected, even overprotected, by her siblings and family. Meanwhile, I was an only child without a mother or a father now. I had too much power and responsibility, but that was how our system worked. LeFawn would never be queen, but I’d always known that, someday, I’d be ruler and seer. Her carefree view of the world balanced my rather serious approach.

  “In good time, I’m sure. Have a fun romance while you can. My job is finding the right spouse, not to arrange passionate love affairs. And Remmy is older than you.” I smiled.

  “Minnette should be your priority. She’s older than Remmy and not thrilled to be single.”

  “Remmy’s love found him. I can’t take credit for it. You made it possible for Faldar to stay. His father is a beast.” I shuddered at the memory of the brutish and male-dominated Bachal.

  “I guess you’re not worried about finding love for Nemal,” LeFawn said teasingly.

  Refusing to take the bait, I kept silent. Nemal and I tangled in kisses and verbal sparring. The attraction pulled at me, but the queen, and certainly Minnette, the crown princess, would not approve. Nemal and I had known each other so long that guessing how people would react was hard to judge. I avoided reading their minds to find out their opinions. And our dating wasn’t exactly public knowledge.

  “No reply? You’re learning the court games well, but we’re still friends first. He’s my brother. Why would he want a petite, pretty, blonde wife like you, with so many powers and in such a position?” LeFawn mocked.

  “My priority is Minnette, as you said.” I smiled.

  “I’m always last.” She sighed.

  “Consider it a chance to enjoy romance and fun before settling down. You have a freedom Minnette can’t have. Dagot Cody is always very attentive to you.” I nudged her toward the forbidden attraction. He was a shifter whose mother had fled the Bachal and had found safety here. He was loyal to Lazrel, yet different from all the magical people and humans. He’d be a good solution for LeFawn’s rebellious streak.

  She rolled her eyes. “Faldar is a shifter, too. Remmy already has one.”

  “It’s not a competition. It’s what makes you happy. But there are plenty of other men out there.” I fished for my mini tablet in the pocket of my pale blue gown. “I have an appointment. I’ll see you later.”

  “Bye. Wait.” She turned as I walked away.

  “What?”

  “You know that Nemal would do anything for you. He’d defy Mother for you,” she said.

  I felt her curiosity. It was a test. I’d stumbled onto these a lot since my father was convicted of rebellion against the realm.

  I shook my head. “No, he’d never defy the queen. Neither would I. Whatever we do is young, romantic exploration, for now. When the time comes, we’d never disobey. The queen’s approval means a lot to me. She’s his mother, LeFawn.”

  “Minn is the one you need to win over. She trusts you to advise as seer, but to become family…”

  “I’m not in a rush to wed anyone. I promise, it’s not my priority at all.” I needed to go to the tower for tea with my great aunt. “Excuse me, I’ll be late.” I’d been rushed into my job as seer and ruler of my family. And though I couldn’t fight my feelings for Nemal, I wasn’t rushing into any other formal lifelong roles.

  After tea, I headed to my large set of rooms. A group of four of the Queen’s Guard stood between me and my privacy.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “The queen needs to see you,” Nemal said.

  I dipped into his mind. It was bad. I tried to find details, but he was still shocked at the turn of events. Emotion could mangle my telepathy, but only my parents could truly block my efforts to read minds.

  “It takes four of you to fetch me?” I asked.

  “Not the time for your jokes,” he said.

  We walked toward the queen’s chamber. This was serious, whatever it was. I kept getting father from Nemal’s mind. My father? Had he died serving his sentence of hard labor? Had he gotten into a fight with others? The man could lie to your face while working two angles at the same time.

  Truly, he was nothing but trouble. He’d married my mother to spy on the royals. He wanted men to be able to rule. I su
spected he wanted more than that. He wanted all-out rebellion. Elections. The monarchy had worked so well for Lazrel since the ugly times of the global war that had left so many dead or infected.

  Bioweapons and nuclear bombs had devastated the planet, but in time, some areas had recovered with the right goals and efforts. Lazrel had fared among the best with magical families ruling and protecting the population, which included humans, who were safe to live and work in the nation without fear or discrimination.

  The more I knew of the world and dangers outside Lazrel, the more I loved my country. War could happen again. We may have to defend ourselves. All the history of wars on Earth had some factor of male ego fueling the fires. We didn’t tell other countries how to rule their people, and no one told us. It seemed a reasonable live-and-let-live policy.

  I curtsied to the queen, and she pointed to a chair. Standing in front of the chair, I watched her pace. Fury pulsed from her. The woman was tall with dark red hair and pale skin. Minnette glowered at me from beside her mother’s chair. Minnette was also pale, but with dark brown hair and the same tall, thin form. I felt so short around them. Normally, Minnette was the only unfriendly face in a private meeting with the queen, but I felt the ripples of unease. At least Nemal was in the room. One friendly face helped, but he was concerned.

  “What can I do for you, Your Majesty?” I asked.

  “Where is your father?” she demanded.

  “What? Serving out his sentence. Did he escape?” My mouth went dry.

  Minnette looked down her nose at me. “That rebel. Traitor.”

  “I had no idea he was missing. My father can block my mind-reading powers or have a conversation with me telepathically. I’ve been working on strengthening my telepathy, but there is a distance limit, even with willing people. If he came close, if he were in the castle, for example, then I’d be able to sense his presence, whether he liked it or not. He hasn’t been here to see me.” I wanted to sit, but you didn’t sit while the queen stood.

  “We know he wasn’t in the castle. Apparently, he never made it to the labor camp. He and other prisoners were transported the day the Bachal left. It seems he escaped somehow,” Nemal said.

  “I had nothing to do with it.” Under suspicion again. I was used to it by now.

  Minnette crossed her arms. “Really? Your little stunt with your friend and the relocators? Keeping Faldar here would be a perfect cover to let your father relocate somewhere. Security was completely distracted.”

  “Then you should see about your security properly staying on their respective tasks.” I refused to let Minnette bait me.

  The queen spun and stared at me. “Kimess, this is not a time to pick a quarrel over the details. Did you know anything about this?”

  “No. I’d never help him escape. He’s a rebel, and maybe he is a traitor. I don’t know. But you had him in the dungeon for weeks, and I didn’t help him escape. Why would I do it when things were finally falling into place?”

  “Because you had your position. Your tiara. You knew you were safe so you could help him avoid hard labor. Maybe you thought he’d run home to his sister?” Nemal asked. He was walking through the logic, so I didn’t overreact.

  “No. I didn’t do anything. I didn’t help him. Zoma was in charge of the relocator trick, and she wouldn’t help my father, even if I asked her to. She’s loyal. I’m loyal. I thought I’d proven that to you.” I rubbed my eyes and tried to sense my father. Reading his mind was hard. He could block that. However, with him having been in the dungeon for so long, I’d improved my ability to sense his location. Distance was an issue, but he couldn’t shield his location from me if I were close enough.

  “I thought you had, as well. I don’t believe you set him free. Did he contact you?” The queen sat.

  I eased into my chair. “No, he hasn’t. If he were near the castle, I’d sense him, so he’s probably staying far away. He’s not a young man. Maybe he saw an opportunity and took it? Ran to friends to hide out?”

  Minnette scoffed.

  The queen sighed. “Run away to stay alive? He’s a fool to believe we won’t recapture him.”

  I wanted to believe it. “Five years of hard labor would likely kill him. Anyone would look for an escape and take the chance at freedom.”

  “It’s hard to turn on our parents, even when they disappoint or betray us.” The queen nodded. “But in this case, we believe he had help, and he is headed to the border.”

  He’s run to avoid the authorities before. “I have every confidence that the Queen’s Guard will capture him and any helpers.”

  “He’ll be executed if they do,” Minnette warned.

  Nemal shot his sister a look and moved to stand near me. “Really, Minn?”

  I touched his arm. “I understand. If he is rebelling and siding with our enemies, the queen must do what is best for the country. If the sentence of hard labor was for my benefit, I appreciate it. But I don’t think he’ll ever stop trying to escape or change his views. Not that it matters, but part of me hopes he’ll change his ways.”

  “Very well. A group of guards is out hunting him down now. He’ll be brought back alive, if practical. But the possibilities of where he may be headed make it hard to locate him,” the queen said.

  “I’d start with his sister. If he’s not there, odds are she knows what he’s up to. She probably helped him escape.” No doubt they’d already thought of it, but it was the only lead I had to offer. All his other helpers that I knew of had been executed.

  “You’re quite right. She’s being brought in for questioning as well. You will be interviewed by the head of the guard after he has interviewed those on the work detail traveling with your father. We need to make sure we’ve covered everywhere he might be headed or everyone he might go to for help. You may be of some help if they get any leads or clues from that. If you connect with your father’s location, let the head of the guard know immediately.” The queen pointed at me. “If you think of anything, I want you to tell him.”

  “Of course, I’ll cooperate fully.” I held on to the arms of the chair to keep from running out of the room. I wanted peace and quiet, not more shame thanks to my father’s poor choices and bad connections. The queen had shown me kindness, at times, since my mother had died. I dipped into the queen’s mind and found she didn’t fully trust herself to question me.

  “Then go. Don’t speak of this to anyone. I am sorry your father seems determined to drag you down with him. A real man would take his punishment and let you move on.” The queen waved at me in dismissal.

  I stood, bowed, and exited quickly. My reputation was always under attack in some way. My mother was nearly declared crazy, which would’ve had bad consequences for me. Then, my father turned rebel or traitor…Either way, I needed to stay on the right side of the queen.

  Nemal kept pace with me and followed as I entered my quarters.

  “What’s the problem?” Marel asked.

  My attendant was fully aware of all the palace gossip.

  “Nothing. Can we have a minute?” Nemal asked.

  Marel slipped into one of the other rooms. Nemal had recommended Marel as an attendant. She was shy and overweight, but also his cousin and very trustworthy. She’d shed a little weight and had gained confidence, but her nervous nature remained.

  “I trust Marel,” I said.

  “You’re not supposed to discuss it. Don’t drag others into your situation until you must.” Nemal ran his fingers through his thick brown hair.

  “She probably already knows. Her mother attends your mother.” I flopped onto a soft blue sofa. “Why can’t my father just admit defeat?”

  Nemal sat next to me. “Men rarely do.”

  “A flaw in your sex.” I smirked at him. “The Queen’s Guard captured him once. They’ll do it again. Now, I really need to find Minnette the right man so she’ll hate me less, and the queen will see I’m trying to do what she wants.”


  “Love isn’t something you can push into being,” he replied.

  “True. Remmy and Faldar found each other. But Minnette never lets her guard down. She’s very hard to approach for people who know her. Introducing her to new men is like sending them to war.” I had my work cut out for me there.

  Nemal laughed. “She will be queen. Any man that marries her will have to be strong-willed and thick-skinned.”

  “Too bad she’s not like Remmy and could find her own true love. But I’m sure the right man will turn up.” I allowed my mind to wander on options for Minnette’s romance.

  “You don’t want to talk about your father more?” Nemal asked.

  “What’s to talk about? I’ll be questioned. I know nothing. He’ll be captured and executed.” I leaned my head on Nemal’s shoulder.

  “I’m sorry.” He wrapped an arm around me. “You shouldn’t have to see that. I’ll speak to my mother.”

  I shook my head. “No, I must witness it, if only to prove my loyalty. He made his choices, and I’ve made mine. I won’t change allegiance on account of him, and the country and court must know that.”

  He kissed my forehead, and some of the stress eased.

  Marel peeked from the other room. “Want something for dinner?”

  “Will you be staying?” I asked Nemal.

  He smiled and looked at Marel. “I will. You’re under guard until they question you.”

  “How romantic.” I pulled away and went to the dining area. “Yes, Marel. Dinner, please. I’m starving. Thank you.”

  “Better Nemal than anyone else,” Marel said softly.

  “I know. I just want to be trusted, as well as feared and respected. My father is apparently determined to sabotage me in any way he can.” I knew who the enemy was, but it didn’t mean I had to like Nemal babysitting me.

  “You two need more time alone. Isn’t that what you want?” she asked.

  “Of course, but under the circumstances…You know about my father, don’t you?” I asked.

  She lifted a shoulder. “My mother told me so I could be ready and help you better. It’s not something we’re spreading around. I’m so sorry.”