Secrets In Savannah (Phantom Knights) (36 page)

“You are too late, Harvey. Rose
took them.”

“Rose took most, but not all.
There are two missing, and I believe you know where they are to be found,” he
said. “Unless there is a reason that you would wish to keep them secret.”

“None whatsoever,” I lied.

“I wonder if you would be so
evasive if your sister were brought in to take your place,” Harvey mused,
seeing through my lie. “It is what she has always wanted, to be like her dear
sister.”

He did not refer to my place on
the council. He was threatening my sister’s existence, her future, her safety.
“Do you hate me so much that you would use my own sister as a threat against
me?” I asked, but knew the truth. Harvey neither hated me nor cared for me. I
was a tool, and if I failed to do my job, he would find a replacement.

“I do not hate you, Guinevere. All
that I have done has been for you, to train you for your future.” A future of
servitude? Even my sister, whom I was not close with, would not demand such
from me. Harvey’s vast ideas were a far cry from the truth, which he would soon
discover when he joined my sister in
Lutania
. If he
thought he would be the one pulling the strings, he had never come upon Rose
when she was angry.

Harvey went on with his
disparaging of my character. “Serving a monarch requires strength, unwavering
devotion, and an ability to follow rules. All things that you have shown
yourself lacking, until this day. Do not destroy my faith before it is firmly
set.”

“Your beliefs on what a monarch is
differs significantly from my sister’s, of that you may be certain,” I said
with conviction. Once Rose discovered what a problem Harvey was, it would not
take her long to have him removed. If I allowed him to get that far.

My sister may have said she did
not need me, but that did not mean that I would stop protecting her interests.
Harvey was proving himself to be a threat, one which I had created. It was my
duty to remove him.

“Your sister will not be the Queen,”
Harvey said, and all of my senses stood at attention. “All it takes is for the
family lines to be cut off, and the artifacts placed in one’s hands to be made
King.”

He had done it. He had finally
gone too far.

“You will
never
be King,” I
spat with every ounce of fire that I had within me.

“My small minded girl, I never
said
I
would
be King. No, I have someone much better in mind.” Whoever it was, Harvey was
pleased with them, but he would never see it come to fruition.

“You will never win against my
sister. She has the Phantoms on her side.” I met Harvey’s icy gaze. “Jack
knows,” I said, and was rewarded with a flicker of panic in Harvey’s eyes. “He
knows who you are, and he is coming for you.” Slowly meeting the gaze of each
of the lords, I added, “He is coming for all of you, and you may be sure that
he will not stop until he has destroyed every layer of the Order.”

All eyes turned to Harvey,
searching for his reaction, waiting for his order.

“I do believe that Jack Martin has
outworn my patience.”

With each spoken word from the
moment that he threatened my sister, my fury rose. There was no panic left
within me, for Harvey had stripped it from me, replacing it with a vengeance
that only his death could quench. He had not only threatened the lives of my
sisters, but that of my husband, and that was something that I would never
tolerate.

Harvey’s eyes glanced around to
each of the lords, before settling on me. Our gazes locked in a battle for
supremacy.

“The time has come.” Harvey rose
and stepped off the dais to stand in the center of the room. “By the power
granted to me as the high lord of the Holy Order of
Levitas
,
I do declare us at war against all those who call themselves Phantoms.”

He could not be in earnest. He
could not...

“Guinevere,” Harvey said with a
hint of a smile, “bring us your husband.”

Thank
you Lord for blessing me beyond my comprehension.

To
Boss, Doc, and Spy, Mommy loves you to the moon and back. Thank you for all of
the cheers, stories and pictures.

To
the Fear Slayers, thank you for all of the support and excitement over my
stories. I truly cannot say enough good things about you all.

Annetta
, Eric, Sherry, and Sonya, it may have been two years ago,
but I have not forgotten your suggestions for weapons. Thank you for allowing
me to use your names in my story.

John,
you have always been the best part of my heart. Thank you for your unwavering
support.

To
all of you awesome readers, there are not enough words to express my gratitude,
but I will try. During the months of illness that put this story behind
schedule, it was the notes and excitement expressed by you that helped me get
better. My determination to get better grew with each message of ‘I can’t wait
for Book 3!’ Y’all rock!

Amalie Vantana wrote her first story at age seven. When her
friends were dreaming about being princesses, Amalie was dreaming about being a
musketeer. When she’s not writing adventures, she spends her time with her
family, exploring historical locations, and searching for adventures to be had.
Amalie makes her home in West Virginia with her husband.

Connect with Amalie:

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Mommyauthor

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/AuthorAVantana

Website:

http://www.mommyauthor.com/

Also by Amalie Vantana

PHANTOM KNIGHTS SERIES

Phantoms
In
Philadelphia

The Charleston Chase

Writing as K. A. Vantana

REALM OF DREAMS SERIES

Realm of Dreams

Realm of Fire (Summer 2014)