The Key (19 page)

The prince
had an odd smell to him, like he had bathed in rosemary. Rema no longer liked rosemary. “Don’t you want our first kiss to be at our wedding? So everyone can see?” she asked.

“Hmm,” he mused. “Clever and feisty. I can’t wait to break you.”
Rema kept her face clear, even, and controlled, even though she was shaking inside. “Fine.” He backed away. “You win this round. It’ll look like I’ve conformed for you. Good.” Chuckling, he sauntered out of the room.

Darmik

“Where the
hell have you been?” King Barjon hollered, his face distorted with rage.

Darmik moved to the center of the study, keeping the desk between him and his father. “I’m sorry I didn’t make it in time. There was an altercation.”

Lennek mumbled something, stifling a laugh. He slouched on the settee off to the side, his feet resting on the low table. Lennek almost looked guilty—like he used to when he was a child and tattled on Darmik for something that wasn’t Darmik’s fault, just to get him in trouble.

The king balled his hands into fists. Darmik knew there was nothing he could say or do
to calm his father down.

“You were supposed to be out on that balcony with us. We were supposed to be a family—
united.” The king paced back and forth in front of the tall glass windows. “We had a deal.”

“I’m sorry, Father. I got here as fast as I could. I expect the remaining soldiers to return with our prisoner shortly.” He hoped the boon would help, but the king didn’t look impressed.

“Sometimes, Darmik,” he
spat, “you need to put your family and your responsibilities to us first. You are still a prince, or have you forgotten that? You need to start acting like one.”

Darmik bit back his reply
and waited for his punishment. There was no use arguing or defending himself.

“There will be a celebration feast tomorrow
, and Lennek’s fiancée will be presented to the court,” King Barjon said. “You will dance with her, publically supporting the marriage. Agreed?” Darmik nodded. “Oh, and one more thing.” The king stood before Darmik with his hands resting on his hips. “You will stay here, in King’s City, until after the wedding. You won’t be out roaming around the kingdom. Understood?” The challenge showed in his eyes.

So this was Darmik’s
punishment since his father couldn’t have him publically whipped or reprimanded. And staying here, in the city, was much worse than a beating. Darmik would have preferred the physical pain. At least then, it would’ve been over with.

****

The sun was just starting to rise when Darmik received several reports of small riots throughout the kingdom. Instead of riding to join his army and deal with the uprisings, he had to send soldiers in his place.

Storming
from the castle, Darmik headed straight toward the stables. He craved the freedom of riding and the focus of hunting to take his mind away from his father and brother and being confined within the city walls. If he didn’t calm himself down, he’d never make it through the engagement party this evening.

Luckily
, Neco had arrived late last night with good news—he managed to apprehend one of the rebels. The prisoner was inside the military’s interrogation room this very minute.

“
Brother!” Lennek called from somewhere behind him. Darmik stopped and listened to Lennek’s footsteps growing louder. Remaining calm and in control was vital. They were outside the castle’s west entrance, and anyone could see them from one of the numerous windows. Darmik counted to ten and then turned around.

“Sorry I missed the announcement yesterday,” Darmik said softly. “I’m sure it was
...interesting, to say the least.”

The corners of Lennek’s mouth turned up. “You have no idea.”

“What do you want?” Darmik crossed his arms, waiting for Lennek to mock him.

“Oh, nothing. But since you are going to be around for a while, we should spend some time together. I’d
love
for you to get to know my fiancée.” Lennek spoke slowly, with a distinct drawl. He was definitely up to something.

Despite
Darmik’s intense desire to punch Lennek’s jaw, Darmik kept his arms crossed and his hands hidden in his armpits. Glancing around, no one was about except for Lennek’s guards, twenty feet away. Regardless, Darmik kept his voice low, just in case.

“I’m the commander of an entire army. Spending leisure time with you and your future wife isn’t high on my agenda.”

Laughing, Lennek said, “Of course it isn’t. But it will be a pleasure introducing the two of you tonight. She is rather...special.”

Anyone who agreed to marry Lennek would have to be
special
.

“I have things to do,” Darmik said, wanting to get this conversation over with so he could get on his horse and ride. Neco was probably already mounted and ready to go.

“Of course,” Lennek said. “I’ll see you tonight.”

Darmik hurried to the stables.
There had to be more to Lennek’s marriage that Darmik wasn’t privy to, otherwise, Lennek wouldn’t be so smug. Something was going on, but Darmik didn’t want to get wrapped up in whatever game Lennek was playing. Lennek would do anything to win, and the stakes were often more than Darmik could afford to lose.

Entering the stables, the smell
of horse and leather greeted him, calming his nerves. Neco stood waiting, holding the reins between two horses, already saddled with a set of bows and arrows attached.

Neco raised his eyebrows in question, but Darmik shook his head.
They mounted and exited the stables. Darmik steered his horse to the gate, and they entered the city. Both Neco and Darmik wore nondescript clothing so nobody would pay attention to them as long as they kept moving. Riding side by side, they stuck to the less crowded streets. Most shops were already open, and many people were at work. When they exited the city, they went toward the only place to hunt—Greenwood Forest. Technically the king had ordered Darmik to remain within the city walls, but the forest was just a few miles away and it was good hunting territory.

Darmik urged his horse faster, pushing him to a full gallop.
The wind hit his face, clean and crisp. Clouds hung heavy in the air, a sign that rain was coming. When they reached Greenwood Forest, Darmik slowed his horse and continued for another mile.

Once they had traveled far enough, Darmik dismounted
, tied his horse to a tree, and Neco followed suit. Grabbing their quivers and slinging their bows over their shoulders, they headed west.

“Obviously
, you don’t want to talk about it,” Neco said.

“No,
I don’t.”

They found an excellent hiding spot between a rock and a bush
with a small pond in front of them. It was only a matter of time before an animal came their way.

Darmik slid next to the rock and held still while Neco c
amouflaged himself with the vegetation.

A deer
approached the pond. Its ears flickered back and forth. Not sensing any danger, the deer dropped its head to drink. Darmik nocked his arrow, steadied his arm, and released the string. His arrow struck, hitting near the heart. It was followed by another as Neco took aim and made his shot. The deer went down before it even knew what hit it.

“So,” Neco began.

“What?” Darmik asked, lowering his bow. “What do you want to know?” He voice was harsh.

Neco raised his arms in surrender. “
I don’t want to know anything. I was just going to ask for a day’s leave.”

“
Oh.” Darmik hadn’t expected that. He assumed Neco wanted to know what he was upset about. “A day’s leave?” Darmik repeated, the idea foreign to him.

“Yes. Since we never stay in
King’s City long, I’d like a day to see…”

“To see?” Darmik prompted, surprised Neco had someone he wanted to see. His family didn’t live in
King’s City.

“I met someone the last time we came here
. She works as a chambermaid in the castle,” Neco said, avoiding Darmik’s face. “I’d like to spend a day with her.”

In all the years Darmik had known Neco, he’d never asked for a day off
, nor had he ever met someone he was interested in for more than one night.

“Of course,” Darmik said. “Take a day. But it looks like we’ll be stuck
here for a few weeks.” He stood and went over to the deer.

“So that’s why you’re
in a foul mood,” Neco said. “Let’s go out drinking tonight. No one has to know. You can wear a disguise.”

“I can’t. I have other obligations at the castle.”
If only things were that simple. But tonight was the engagement party, and today there was an interrogation to attend and an endless amount of paperwork. Duty called.

Still, Darmik couldn’t help but envy Neco. How easy it was for him to find someone to be with. Darmik would never be able to love a woman without Len
nek tainting it.

His thoughts drifted to Rema. Her
fiery lips, corn-silk blonde hair...but he would never see her again. There was no use thinking about her, torturing himself with things he could never have. Lennek would never allow him that happiness.

After securing the deer to the back of Neco’s horse, they headed to the military compound. They gave the deer to the army’s cook, stabled their horses, and headed toward the interrogation room.

Now that Darmik’s mind was focused, he got back to business. “You apprehended one of the three we were following, right?”

“Yes,” Neco answered. “Not the one we fought, though.”

They passed by several soldiers, who saluted in respect.

When they reached the door, Neco stopped. “Just one thing
.” Darmik nodded for him to continue. “This one’s...different.”

“Meaning?”

“We know that these rebels are trained, that’s clear from our fight back in Telan. But, there’s something else. I don’t think these men are farmers and merchants rising against the crown. It’s almost as if they are from an army.”

Darmik’s skin prickled. More was going on here than originally thought.

“And he’s not marked.”

Th
at didn’t make any sense. Weren’t the rebels from
this
kingdom trying to restore a possible heir to the throne? It would be near impossible for a foreign army to arrive on Greenwood Island undetected, especially when the kingdom was under the protection of Emperion.

“Let’s see what we can discover
.” Darmik motioned for Neco to open the door to the interrogation room.

The
y entered the dark, gray stone building located in the center of the compound. Burning candles lined the inner walls for light since there weren’t any windows. There was a door in the floor leading to the underground tunnels where prisoners could easily and secretly be taken in and out of the city, or to the dungeon.

In the middle of the room, the prisoner sat on a chair chained to the ground. His hands and feet were bound.
The man appeared to be in his mid-twenties. His hair was pulled back, and he wore clothes similar to any commoner.

Darmik leaned
against the wall, facing the prisoner. Three of his soldiers stood against the far wall waiting for orders. The side of the prisoner’s head was swollen, like he had been hit with the hilt of a sword, but there was no blood. The man sat still, staring straight ahead at nothing.

Erikk
looked to Darmik, who nodded, letting him know it was time to begin. A tub of water sat in one corner of the room. In another corner was a table with various weapons. Darmik hoped it didn’t come to that. Most men caved before they reached the table. It was there to scare more than for actual use.

“Your name,”
Erikk said, his voice echoing off the walls.

Dead silence.

“I will ask the questions, and you will answer. Last chance, what is your name?” Erikk demanded.

The prisoner sat, giving
no indication he’d even heard the question. Any other prisoner would be shaking, crying, or begging for their life. Neco was right—this one was different. Almost as if he had been trained not to break during an interrogation.

Chek
walked to the corner of the room and picked up a wooden mallet. He moved to the prisoner, and in one swift motion, smashed his kneecap. The man’s face turned red, and his eyes bulged from the pain. But he didn’t scream.

“Who do you work for?”
Erikk asked.

Nothing
, but he blinked hard as blood trickled from the tear in his pants.