Page 1 of Stolen Princess's Secret

PROLOGUE

‘I’M GOING TO be a falconer when I grow up,’ said Claudia, as she watched Tomas offered a sliver of meat to the fierce-eyed peregrine falcon perched on a stand in front of them. ‘Just like you.’

‘No, you’re not,’ he corrected, as he curled a soft leather strap around one of the falcon’s narrow legs—its metatarsus, his father called it. The falcon, Lolo, was Tomas’s first imprint, hand raised by him, and he tended her with every care. His father—the King’s Falconer—made sure of it. Tomas gave his second bit of meat to Claudia—positioning it in her little leather-gloved hand just so and making sure she held her arm out properly so that Lolo could take it from her with ease. ‘You’re not allowed.’

‘Because I’m a girl?’

‘Because you’re a princess. Princesses don’t get to be falconers.’ His eleven-year-old soul was sure of it.

‘They do too!’

If he turned, he would see eyes as fierce as any falcon’s glaring at him, golden for the most part with a wide rim of dark green around the edges. Those eyes would be accusing, so he kept his attention on Lolo. First, he fastened the anklets and then the jesses—crafted from a soft brown leather that he’d chosen from the pile and cut into shape beneath his father’s watchful gaze. The points were as perfect as he could make them, the greased leather as soft as could possibly be. ‘Maybe some of the time you can do falconry,’ he allowed. ‘In between the princessing.’

‘Will you be my falconer?’ she asked.

‘That’s the plan.’ Both his father and grandfather had been falconers to the royal family of Byzenmaach. ‘If I’m good enough.’

‘You will be.’

She had a lot of confidence for a little kid. Maybe that was why the birds liked her. She wasn’t afraid of their sharp beaks or claws or the fact that above all they were hunters. But she was still careful in their presence—doing exactly what she was told or shown to do, no matter if it was Tomas doing the telling or his father. She looked to him for guidance, and that made him feel big and strong and smart.

Maybe that was why he liked it so much when the little princess gave her tutors the slip and came to visit the falcons.

‘There. All done,’ he told Lolo. ‘Look at you with your new jesses.’ She was strong and swift and bred for racing. ‘Maybe one day I’ll take you to Saudi Arabia to compete in the time trials and you’ll win a fine fortune.’

‘Can I come too?’ Claudia asked. ‘What will you do with a fine fortune?’

‘Nothing, because it won’t be mine.’

‘You are correct,’ said the gravelly voice of his father from behind them. ‘As much as any bird can be owned, these ones belong to the Crown, along with any prize money they may win.’ His gaze fell to Claudia. ‘Your governess is looking for you. Again.’

‘I guess that means she’s awake,’ Claudia muttered, her golden eyes downcast. She didn’t see the fleeting amusement that crossed his father’s face, but Tomas did. His father was a stern man, no point thinking otherwise. But he was fair and never cruel, and there was none better when it came to gaining the trust of wounded animals. He had the touch.

Tomas badly wanted to have the touch too.

‘I will escort you into her care,’ his father rumbled. ‘Tomas, prep enclosure three for incoming when you’ve finished here.’

Enclosure three was one of their bigger aviaries. ‘What are we getting?’

‘A mated pair of Steppe eagles.’

‘Oh, wow! They’re really rare.’

‘Indeed.’ His father favoured them with one of his rare smiles. ‘So put Lolo away and get to work.’

‘Yes, Father. Bye, Cl—’ His father’s quick frown stopped him mid-name. He’d had that lecture about knowing his place and not taking liberties with the young princess’s friendship way too many times to want to hear it again. ‘Bye, Princess.’

‘Are the Steppe eagles coming today?’ she asked. ‘Do they have names? What do they look like?’

‘You will see them tomorrow if your father wills it.’ His father spared a meaningful glance for Tomas. ‘King Leonidas and his hunting party arrive this evening. I’ve let the stable master know.’

Tomas nodded and secured Lolo to her stand. King Leonidas was a cruel man with a vicious temper and a swift arm—especially when he held a riding crop in hand. There were a dozen brood mares grazing the lower valley that would need to go into hiding in the mountains, because what the King did not see he could not ruin. The mares would stay hidden until the King departed, and then Tomas and his father would fly falcons with trailing green ribbon tied to their right legs to signal the all-clear for the stable hands staying with the mares to bring them back down.

Tomas hoped the King and his hunting party didn’t stay long.

The light in the little princess’s eyes had dimmed at the mention of her father. She too would be kept out of sight during his visit. ‘Bye, Tomas, bye, Lolo.’ The little girl gave a stiff wave, no bravery left in her, just fear.

His father always told him to make sure an animal felt safe, not scared. It was the biggest rule of all, so how come it never seemed to apply to this little girl?

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