“But that was twenty-seven years ago!” Trinity repeated.
“I was there twenty-seven years ago,” Captain Turaya added, his jaw tense, voice grim. “I saw what happened. Saw the king stabbed with my own eyes. Your mother in anguish over that, her escape. I was there for all of it. While I would have liked to question those clerics from Corseran, if they were involved all those years ago, I am not saddened by their loss.”
Destiny’s leg was wiggling under the table, nervous energy pouring off her in waves. I wanted to wrap her in my arms, carry her off, and work off some of that energy, but based on the way this conversation was going, I might not get her naked for quite some time.
Destiny looked to Captain Turaya. “How old were the dead guys? Old enough to have been in on the murder attempt on our mom?”
“Of the eight, they were not all males. And no. Some of them weren’t even alive at the time of the coup.”
“So much for that theory.” Faith blew out a huff and leaned into Thor, who’d remained silent the entire time. But I wasn’t fooled. He was a politician and a businessman with interests all over the planet. He was thinking, and I was glad he was on our side.
Destiny bolted out of her chair like a spooked zebcat and paced on the opposite side of the table from the captain. Two leashed hunters, impatient to be set on their target.
The room remained quiet for several long minutes as we all contemplated possibilities. I, for one, had trouble concentrating with Destiny’s Ardor calling me like a moth to a flame.
Thor was the first to break the silence. “Assuming our enemies are trying to cover their tracks, that does not bode well for the queen.”
All three princesses froze and stared at him in horror.
“Explain,” Trinity ordered.
“They took your mother, yet kept her alive, all this time. Which means they want something from her. Her specifically.” He spoke slowly, forming thoughts as he went. “However, the lighting of three additional spires was probably not part of their plan.”
“Still not getting it, Thor,” Trinity said.
“They found your mother and kidnapped her from Earth. They had no idea the three of you existed. Obviously, they’d been searching for her all this time. She was the plan all along. And then three new spires lit. Meaning the royal lineage didn’t stop with the queen as everyone thought. They have tried to kill you, Trinity, more than once. They tried to kill Faith. They failed. And they have no idea who the third princess is or where to begin their hunt.” Thor looked up at Captain Turaya for confirmation. The older male took up where Thor left off.
“And now, we have eight dead in two days, knowledge of a prisoner being leaked to people in positions of power. They are either setting the stage for a new plot, or they are cutting their losses and starting over.”
“Oh, shit. Are you saying that since they haven’t been able to kill us, they’re just going to go ahead and kill our mom?” Faith asked.
Thor raised her hand to his lips and kissed her folded fingers. “I don’t know. But whoever planned the coup almost thirty years ago didn’t get what they wanted. Sure, the king is dead, but he wasn’t the one holding true power. It was the queen who was supposed to die. Instead, she got away. Hid. That mastermind hasn’t given up, he’s been searching. But she was found and then the plans were all fucked up because of the three of you. If I were planning a final royal coup decades in the making, and I had not one, but four female heirs in the way, a change in strategy would be in order.”
I looked at Thor, thinking. Aloud, I said, “What do you believe they wanted from the queen, when they took her from Earth?”
Trinity answered. “We thought it was the royal jewels. Mom always said they were important and that the people wouldn’t accept a new ruler without them.”
Thor shook his head. “That has already been proven false. Before your arrival, your cousin, Radella, was the reigning royal. She was accepted and respected in that role, and the royal jewels haven’t been seen since your mother disappeared. And with your return and no jewels about your neck…”
“Shit. They are eating you up like their favorite new dessert, Trin. Jewels or no jewels.” Destiny picked up the pace behind me, moving silently, like a predator. Everything about her made me hard and hungry for more. The fact that she was so dangerous had my cock roaring to be set free. “So, if they didn’t bring Mom back to get the jewels, what do they want?”
3
Destiny
I felt like I was coming out of my skin. Like I wanted to climb the walls for some ludicrous reason. I wanted to toss furniture, rip my hair out. Scream.
“Holy shit, Dest, you need to chill out,” Faith said.
I was back at the table and looming over her before she could even blink. No, I didn’t have speed as the superpower the citadel had magically given me, but I was worried, for the first time since we’d arrived on Alera and seen Mom’s spire was still lit. I was worried they might actually kill her. But I didn’t handle worry well, so I channeled the emotion into anger, and being furious gave me lots of energy. I was pissed at my mother for absolutely no reason, the mystery mastermind who was fucking up all of our lives, at Crayden and every other person who had gotten themselves killed. Yeah, it wasn’t their fault they’d been shot, had their throat slit or some other horrible ending, but I was pissed they were all dead.
And for what? Why had so many people been killed?
We still had no idea.
Faith held up her hand and stood to face me across the table. “You need to slow your roll, woman.”
I leaned forward and used my scary voice, the one I saved for extra special, I’m-about-to-kick-your-ass moments. “Okay, then stop getting up in my grill.”