Royal Reckoning by Stephanie St. Klaire

7

Before he could goto her, Eli had a loose end to tie up. Once in the open corridor just outside the king's quarters, he grabbed his sister and pulled her into an embrace, catching her off guard.

“I’m so sorry, sister,” he said loud enough for those around them to hear, keeping his eye on Archer and anyone else who might be near. He dropped his voice to a whisper. “I need you to go straight to your room. There will be a team inside waiting for you with a bag already packed. Go with them. You can trust them, but you can’t trust anyone else, do you understand?”

“Eli, I…” Penelope tried to reply, but he held her tighter, causing her to stall.

“Not here, Pen. Go alone. I’ll meet you at the plane,” he whispered.

Penelope gasped in surprise. She began to speak and caught herself as Archer had moved closer. She whispered back, “You’re scaring me, Eli, but I trust you.”

She stepped away from him and wiped away a faux tear that wasn’t there. “I’m so glad you’re here, both of my brothers. Archer, I am going to retire to my room for a spell and get myself together. Would you mind waiting for me in the library? Eli and Carter will meet us there shortly so we can catch up, go over matters concerning Father, and have a nice drink to go along with it.”

Archer looked back and forth between Eli and Penelope, then answered, “Sure, Penelope dear. Of course. Take all the time you need. I’ll wait for you.”

She smiled. “Thank you, Archer. I won’t be long.”

Eli nodded at the man but didn’t say a word to him. He walked off with his sister and Carter at his side, and his team only a step behind. “Good job. Go straight to your quarters. They know you’re on your way. I’ll meet up with you shortly.”

“I don’t know what you are doing, but please be careful. Both of you.” She squeezed both of their hands before turning down a long hall while Eli and Carter continued.

“She’s sweet,” Carter said. “I don’t know how she’s related to you.”

“Touché. She’s your sister too, you know,” Eli jabbed. “Cally is safe and on her way to the plane, but we’re going to take a quick tour of the place you’re lucky you didn’t have to grow up in.”

“You poor rich bastard, it must have been rough,” Carter continued. “Do you find anything odd right now?”

“You mean the fact that Archer is still standing where we left him, and I can feel his stare on my back?”

“Bingo,” Carter said. “What do we know about the guy?”

“Only that he’s a spoiled, privileged aristocratic type with old money and liked to tail the monarchy. His family had deep dealings with the king and made a lot more money being acquainted.”

“Is he a threat?”

“Only to Pen’s happiness. From what I could gather, he’s a dunce. Only went on to university because it was expected of him and barely passed classes with financial bribery. I don’t think he knows how to do much more than be a spoiled rich kid.”

“Poor Penelope,” Carter said. “Then it should be easy to keep him off her trail while we put this thing to bed.”

“I’ll keep eyes on him, but don’t anticipate much trouble. His family, maybe. With the king in poor health and the couple not yet married, we could run into pressure we don’t want to deal with,” Eli admitted. “I have eyes on them too.”

Carter looked around as they made their way through hall after long hall. “This place is massive. I can’t believe you grew up here.”

“Neither can I,” Eli said.

He too was taking in the scene around him. It was like a nostalgic tour down memory lane as traces of his childhood and upbringing were in every corner. Growing up there wasn’t all bad. There were good times while his mother was alive, but they were all soured by a man who couldn’t stand anyone to have more than him, including happiness, and he robbed them of that. Eli couldn’t imagine being jealous of his own child’s happiness and wanting to consume it like it was the air he needed to breathe. Perhaps that was a sign he’d be a good father – or maybe it meant he hadn’t a clue what to be for his child. It didn’t matter. He was breaking the cycle, and even imperfect, he’d be better than the example he had.

The walls around him felt smaller, tighter. He was growing claustrophobic within its means despite the expansive nature. There were good memories and bad all around him with every step he took closer to where Cally had been held and rescued. They were mostly bad memories, with the exception of one place. The only place he ever felt himself and free of constant scrutiny and high demands. That was where Cally had been, and now the only fond memory he carried had been tarnished like everything else in this place.

He didn’t miss a thing. He had zero desire to ever return and knew he wouldn’t. Especially now. No one was left. His sister was the exception, but she was going with them even though she didn't quite understand why yet.

“This place. It’s like a museum,” Eli said. “This is the wing I grew up in and spent most of my time, and if it’s leading to where I believe they found Cally, then I don’t know what to believe.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means our father was able to corrupt even the few good things that were left in this place.” Eli pulled back a woven wall hanging with the family crest on it and exposed a hidden door behind it.

Carter stood still and looked at him in disbelief. “This stuff is real? I thought secret passages in gloomy castles was the shit made for movies.”

“It’s very real. We go underground for the rest of the walk. I don’t want anyone to see us beyond this point.” After Carter passed through, Eli looked once more down both sides of the corridor before stepping through the doorway and dropping the wall hanging behind him.

“This space leads all over the castle. It’s rarely used in modern times, but it was how the staff and security moved about earlier. Visitors of the castle who weren’t dignitaries and only here on business like to sell a lamb or deliver flour would use these passages as well since they weren’t allowed up top. It was like an entire underground world moving about.”

“This is some strange crap, Eli. It’s like a trip back in time. Odd to think things like this still exist.”

“I concur. This way…” he said, veering to the right down another dimly lit corridor. “We’re almost there. These hallways on each side branch off to the living quarters of the monarch's highest level staff. They all live in cottage-like homes that line the grounds, so they’re always nearby and at the king's disposal.”

“And that was where Cally was found. Odd she wasn’t in the castle where there’s more security.”

“Precisely my concern as well. Why out here? Why unprotected? They had to know anyone coming for her would have greater access out here.”

“You’re still going to have to breach the perimeter and get past security, though – not an easy task. Maybe they didn’t anticipate this level of rescue.”

“Or they knew exactly who was coming and how easy it would be to pass through the guards. I’m still the heir and have full access. If the team came without me, it would have been a different story.”

“Good point. Do you think we’ve walked right into a trap?” Carter questioned, looking over his shoulder.

“I don’t know what we’ve walked into, but we’re about to find out.” Eli stopped and faced an unremarkable wood door. It was crumbling at the corners, showing its age, and the decorative black iron hardware was loose and some sagging, ready to fall completely off. “We’re here.”

Carter drew his weapon, following Eli’s lead. Past the door, they entered a small vacant space, dimly lit, cobwebs from corner to corner, cobblestone-like walls, again…unremarkable. They made their way up the dilapidated wood steps, where they were met with another old door. Eli looked behind them to ensure they hadn’t been followed before proceeding through the space. Coy gave him the all-clear signal from below, alerting them it was safe to proceed.

Eli pushed through the heavy old door and into a familiar space. It looked exactly as he remembered it, even smelled the same. The door opened to the kitchen pantry, and he was quick to maneuver through, remembering the layout clearly. Some things never changed. He’d spent much of his childhood in this very kitchen and the living space just beyond. He’d slowed to nearly standing still while the rest of the team he brought with him cleared the remainder of the home.

It was odd being there. A place full of the only good memories he really had. Now they were all tainted with something dark and sinister that reeked of his father and deep menacing. If he didn’t already lack any kind of desire to stay connected with this place, learning this was where Cally was held captive would have sealed the deal.

Eli felt a sense of betrayal. Knowing his father was battling for his life should have hurt, but it didn’t. Knowing someone he deeply respected was a part of his father’s game hurt much worse.

“Are you okay?” Ryla asked, coming in from the same passage they’d traveled.

“I must admit I’m a bit shocked. I can’t believe this is where she was held. Why? Why here? Why take every last thing away from me that was worth remembering fondly?”

Ryla shrugged her shoulders as she stood next to Eli, scanning the space around them as he was, reliving moments of their childhood. “I was as surprised as you are. I already did a sweep, and nothing’s here.”

“Why aren’t you with Cally?” Eli said, looking on, his mind somewhere distant.

“She’s safe and quite lovely. She seems to be just fine. She’s strong, Eli,” Ryla said. “You, on the other hand, I thought could use my help. This has to be a blow.”

“It is.”

“Then we face it together and get the hell out of here. I have already made arrangements to deal with this once we go. He won’t get away with it. There will be justice.”

Carter interrupted. “I’m not trying to pry, but I think the rest of us are a little lost. The residence has been cleared, there isn’t anything to collect, and we know who resides here. Why are we just standing around? Shouldn’t we get the hell out of here before someone notices Cally is gone?”

“No,” Eli said, taking a seat on the couch, facing the entry door. “We wait. This isn’t over, not yet. There isn’t anything here because I’m supposed to wait. I want to hear for myself…why?”

“Then we wait,” Ryla said, taking the seat next to him.

“Okay…” Carter nodded to the rest of the team, and they all spread out, watching every entrance while receiving bits of intel from Killion, who was still watching from every angle so they’d still have a clear path out of there.

“We have one on the move coming straight for you,” Killion said through the comms. “No other movement to report. Oddly, it’s rather calm.”

Eli leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees, a narrowed glare on the door as he waited for someone to walk through. “Thanks, Killion. We won’t be much longer. He’s coming for me.”