At least he didn’t remember opening it. A vision of her assailed him, beat at him, reminded him that he’d failed.
Oh, man. He was in trouble. He pushed away from the wall.
Images of his target taunted him.
He shoved a chair aside and tore through the pictures scattered across the table in a desperate search for salvation. There. He pulled the shot from the mess but found only condemnation. The long blond hair flowing behind her in the snapshot had not been visible to him, but there was no mistaking the deep blue of her eyes.
The pounding of a fist against the heavy wood door released him from whatever spell she’d cast.
“Jackson.” Another loud thud punctuated his name.
He struggled to get his bearings, tried to slow the racing of his heart. “Yeah, one minute.”
“Now. Your father wants to see you, immediately.”
Kai, his father’s most trusted warrior. He was in more trouble than he’d originally thought. Was it possible the king would sentence him to death for ignoring a direct order? Surely not without offering him a fair trial, or at least granting him the opportunity to explain. But what could he say? What explanation could there be for failing to deliver the girl? None.
“I won’t knock again.” The warrior would soon break down the door and drag him before the throne.
He crumpled the offending photo, the evidence of his disgrace, into a ball. Instead of tossing it in the trash as he’d intended, he shoved it into the small leather satchel he wore at his waist. With a deep breath, he released the latch and pulled open the door.
“Come.” Kai turned his back on him and strode purposefully down the corridor, their footfalls echoing through the silence of accusation.
The thought of escape taunted him, but he would never make it out of the castle. He had only recently completed his warrior training under Kai’s watch and would be no match for the seasoned soldier. Besides, Kai was a stickler for the rules. If he tried to run, the warrior would surely take him down, protégé or not.
Two guards stood sentinel, one on either side of double doors. When Kai reached the entrance, they each grabbed a large iron ring and pulled the heavy wooden doors open before Jackson formulated an even halfway plausible excuse.
He nodded to each of them as he entered the throne room.
They stared straight ahead, stone-faced.
Uh…oh.
Kai stepped to the side and faced him, leaving Jackson alone to approach his father.
King Maynard rose to his full height, close to seven feet. An intimidating man by nature, made even more so by the deep scowl lining his face.
“Your Majesty, sir.” Jackson lowered to one knee, folded his hands over the other knee, and bowed his head in the traditional greeting for the king.
“Stand.”
Jackson stood. He would offer no explanation before one was demanded of him. He would show no weakness. A bead of sweat ran down his back. Well, there was nothing he could do about that. At least it wasn’t visible to the other two men. He would show no outward signs of distress.
“Explain,” the king bellowed.
Jackson jumped. So much for not showing weakness. “Sir.” Damn, damn, damn. Oh well, when in doubt go with honesty. “I have no excuse, sir.” He forced his head to remain high, his gaze to hold the king’s.
The king’s scowl deepened. “Were you unable to find the girl?” His father’s gaze flicked to Kai before he returned his full scrutiny to his disobedient son.
“No, sir. I found her.” Jackson finally gave in and swallowed the lump of fear. It was either that or gag on it.
“Then where is she?”
“I don’t know, sir.”
“Are you being purposefully evasive?” Weaker men had wilted under the stare the old man pinned him with.
Jackson held tight. He wasn’t sure exactly what was going on, but he had always trusted his instincts, and he would do so again now. He pulled his back even straighter, lifted his chin a little in defiance. “No, sir.” He met Kai’s frown of disapproval while he addressed his father. “Permission to speak with you in private, King Maynard?”
“You know that’s not possible.”
He still had to try. Acquiring the girl had been his final task before he would replace Kai as his father’s second in command. Since he would now be first in line to take over the throne, everything he did was monitored. “Yes, sir.” He took a deep breath. How to explain this. Okay. “I found the girl, sir, but I encountered a slight problem.”
“What was that?” The king shifted, pacing the platform where two thrones sat side by side. The clink of his sword handle against the chainmail covering his tunic echoed in the high, domed ceiling.
“I couldn’t take her, sir.”
“Obviously, but why not.” He stopped and stilled the swinging sword. “Spit it out already, boy.”
“I don’t exactly know, Your Majesty.” He finally lowered his gaze to the floor. “I saw her. She was cloaked in shadow and smoke, sheltering a younger child. Her eyes met mine, and they spoke to me. I can’t explain it, sir, but I don’t think this is the way.” How could he possibly explain the wave of feeling that surged over him at the sight of her to men who’d been without emotions for hundreds of years?
“Permission to speak, sir.” Kai interrupted King Maynard’s silent contemplation.
“Yes, Kai.”
“With all due respect, Your Majesty, Jackson has proven himself not only to be weak, but disloyal as well. He was given a direct order, and he disobeyed it. It’s not as if something prevented him from completing his assigned task, he simply chose to ignore the directive of this kingdom. Unfortunately, his actions warrant the most severe penalty. It is my suggestion that he be condemned to death.” Kai clutched his staff in a two fisted grip.
Ouch. Jackson flinched. That was a bit harsh, but not completely out of line. The punishment for disobeying a direct order was execution.
“You will have to explain yourself further, Jackson.”
“Sir.” Kai spat the word. “There is no excuse for disobedience. The ability to follow orders is one of the most fundamental qualities in a soldier. Without obedience he is useless to us. And what of loyalty? Has he none?”
Jackson spared the warrior a glare, but what could he say? Kai was right. Their laws were quite clearly defined. Jackson disobeyed a direct order from the King. The penalty for his crime was exile or execution. There was no grey area. How was he going to worm his way out of this?
“I understand that, Kai, and will take your argument into consideration, but one of the most fundamental qualities in a future king is the ability to make decisions. I would like to understand Jackson’s reasoning before condemning him.”
