Page 37 of Immortal Sentry

“Yes, and believe me, I’d have spared our dear princess such a fate had it been possible. I’m told she is well, loves hersons dearly, and threatened to unman her husband if he ever attempts to touch her again.”

Kerric couldn’t resist a smile. “She’s always been feisty.” He recalled the shock of many soldiers when she told one of them off for underestimating her, usually after besting them on the archery range. The smile fell when he considered what Lessa might have endured as Selin’s wife.

“Yes, her mother hailed from Aaox.” Miisov stared off at nothing for a moment, possibly reliving some special memory.

“Aaox.” Kerric recalled tales from his youth of warrior queens of old from Aaox. “No wonder the princess has a backbone of steel. Her mother insisted she learn to fight, as I recall. She used to spar with your daughter, did she not?”

A shadow crossed Miisov’s face. He didn’t meet Kerric’s eyes, though he otherwise hid what appeared to be sorrow.

Had some tragedy befallen Elzabai? She’d been fierce herself and very attached to Princess Lessa and Prince Dafron.

“Quite true,” Miisov finally answered, “However, Bain has made a deal with our light-fingered guest.”

“Oh?” This should prove interesting. Kerric would have to ask about Elzabai later.

“In exchange for his life, Prince Eron, or rather, the villain he portrays, is to kill Lessa and her sons. Bain doesn’t know that one of King Lothan’s sons survived and believes that the prophesied threat comes from Lessa.”

Prince Eron lived. That sweet little boy who always wanted to look out over the kingdom lived. That knowledge alone made Kerric’s curse easier to bear. “But doesn’t Bain know his own kin?” If so, Kerric needed to get the man far from here. “Eron won’t—”

Miisov held up a staying hand. “The enchanted stone Prince Eron carries guarantees that any who mean him harm won’t see him as he truly is. This includes even Bain. Prince Eron’s exactwords to the king regarding Lessa and her offspring were, ‘I can’t wait to meet them.’ Which Bain, in his arrogance, took for agreement.”

Kerric squirmed in his seat. Every fiber of his being demanded he stop dawdling and act. He’d been inactive for too long while Bain enjoyed ill-gotten gains. “How is Prince Eron supposed to fulfill the duty stuck in a cell?”

“He’s posing as another honored guest, an Estian noble. At this very moment, he’s in his room enjoying a bath, after which he’ll be swathed in the latest Estian fashions. I must admit, his Estian is flawless. A spell or two will help him.”

Kerric shot to his feet. “What? How do you know he won’t simply leave?” Kerric would at the first opportunity.

“Calm yourself, Captain Kerric. While Prince Eron might not have all his memories, his integrity is intact, I assure you. Besides, I have a tracking spell on him, and Bain isn’t about to let him take a single footstep from his rooms without guards.”

Of course, a suspicious ass like Miisov used a tracking spell. “Even though most think him but a lovely thief, is there a danger for him here?”

Miisov shrugged. “The only people who know anything about a resident highwayman are myself, King Bain, Duke Crau, you, and the king's personal guards, who are too loyal to the old fool to speak out. The duke is the one I’d be leery of. While Bain’s mind is easy to manipulate, Crau’s is far keener. Sometimes he slips free of my…suggestions. That’s why Prince Eron has you and your men.”

“But I’m only human at night.” If Kerric could just break free of the curse altogether, he’d be of more help. Right now, helplessness weighed him down. He’d always been a man of action. Waiting? Not so much.

“That’s when unscrupulous predators like Crau slink out of the shadows. Under cover of darkness. While I made the original curse, I’m having a bit of difficulty changing it as needed.”

“What was the original curse?”

“That you’d awaken when one of Lothan’s heirs returned to power, though I can’t recall my exact wording. Cast curses in a hurry, worry at your leisure. I’m normally more controlled.”

“Hasn’t Lessa come occasionally?” Just because Kerric hadn’t seen her didn’t mean she hadn’t visited.

“She has not.”

“But Eron is here, and only I awakened.”

“As I said before, I made the curse in haste, and I might have thought of Eron becoming king at the wrong moment, which would provide a different timeline.” Determination gleamed in Miisov’s eyes. “But I will succeed in waking them. Anyway, tomorrow, Eron will be introduced as Viscount Edry. “

“Won’t Princess Lessa recognize him?”

“Even with his talisman, she’d feel the bond of their kinship. As she means him no harm, she’ll see his true likeness.QueenLessa is not without her own devices. If Eron was an actual assassin bent on murdering her and her sons, I doubt he’d be successful. Bain’s previous attempts to have her removed have all failed.” Miisov gave a knowing smile. “Even without her guards, she can defend herself. She and my daughter were friends, after all, and sparred together. Queen Lessa excelled with a knife and a sword.”

“Why couldn’t you use her in your schemes to depose Bain?”

“Because Prince Eron will be king. It’s his destiny.” Miisov nibbled a slice of apple. “You know that Hisar, of all of Ala’s kingdoms, won’t accept a queen.”

“Yet other countries have had them in the past. Queen Lessa’s namesake, for one. Several queendoms exist in Ala to this day. Quite successfully, if I remember correctly. Unfortunately, dueto a meddling mage who shall go unnamed”—Kerric glared at Miisov—“all my information is about twelve summers out of date.” Miisov’s apple appeared too tempting. Kerric helped himself to one, bit in, and moaned as the sweet juice hit his tongue. “Good apple, but I’m still not forgiving you.”

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