Page 1 of The King's Sword
ChapterOne
Sabine gulped down another cup of water, wanting to clear the giplig from her system. She couldn’t believe she’d been kidnapped in the middle of the masquerade ball. She handed the cup back to her captor who was sitting on a chair beside the bed. So far, she’d gathered she was on a ship but had no idea what time of day it was or how much time had passed since she’d been taken.
“You and King Rainer are married?” the man asked, his pale green eyes narrowing, as if he didn’t quite believe what she’d said.
She nodded, recognizing him. He was part of the Avoni delegation, which meant he was most likely an assassin.
He ran his hands through his hair and cursed. “Maybe I should take you back to Lynk,” he muttered.
“I think that a wise idea,” Sabine replied with false bravado. Her mother’s words came back to her:I’d rather die than be at the mercy of my enemy. I pray you never find yourself in that situation. It is a fate worse than death.She shivered. To make it through this ordeal, she’d have to be strong.
“When did the two of you marry?” he asked, resting his elbows on his thighs.
“Why does it matter to you?” she countered, shifting on the bed.
“I suppose it doesn’t.” He mumbled something unintelligible under his breath. “And you’ve probably been crowned as well.”
“I have. You can release me at the next port. I’ll return unharmed to the palace. Hopefully, my husband won’t wage a war against your kingdom for stealing me.”
“You don’t understand.” The assassin sighed.
As far as kidnappings went, she hadn’t expected him to be so passive. Not that she was complaining. “I understand perfectly. You kidnapped me to prevent the marriage from taking place.” She held up her hand revealing her wedding ring with the Lynk crest etched on it. “Just because we don’t have the League’s approval or you don’t want Lynk uniting with Bakley doesn’t give you the right to kidnap someone.” She tried to remember what he’d said on the balcony that day he’d warned her about things not being what they seem.
The man withdrew a letter and handed it to her. “Maybe this will help explain.”
Sabine took the letter, examining it. The Bakley seal was on it and intact. “Where’d you get this?” Cold fear slithered through her like a snake crossing a garden path.
“Just read it.” He stood and started pacing in the small cabin.
With shaking hands, she broke the seal and saw the familiar handwriting of her father.
Sabine—
We haven’t received any correspondence from you and are becoming quite concerned. Your mother is worried. Our spies are reporting conflicting stories. I fear Lynk may have had something to do with the missing Bakley children. Please be careful. We’re sending Otto north to try and get in contact with you. Be safe.
All my love,
Your Father
She turned it over, but nothing more had been written. She’d sent several letters to her family, and they should have received them by now. Since they hadn’t, she wondered if someone had intercepted them or if they’d never been sent. “Why do you have this?” She was no longer part of Bakley now. The fact that her father had written to her about this was very concerning. It reinforced that not all was as it seemed.
“Your brother, Otto, gave it to me to deliver to you.”
“Why are you only giving it to me now?” He’d had plenty of chances at the palace to do so. She examined the letter again. This was definitely her father’s handwriting and seal.
“Otto asked me to check on you while I was in Lynk. He said to get you out if you were in danger.” The assassin stopped pacing and turned to face her. “I’m sorry I had to go to such extreme measures to get you out of there, but you’d be dead by now if I hadn’t taken you.”
The ship rocked up and down, making odd creaking noises as it did so. Sabine closed her eyes, not feeling quite right. When she opened them again, she found the assassin watching her. “I was in danger,” she admitted. “That is one of the reasons King Rainer and I married—to try and keep me safe from theAvoniassassin trying to kill me.”
The man resumed pacing. He rubbed the back of his neck, not looking her way. He appeared to be about her age, eighteen or so, with dark red hair and penetrating light green eyes. “I thought I spotted someone…” His voice trailed off and he eyed her sidelong.
She lifted her brows, curious what he had to say about one of his fellow countrymen trying to kill her. When he looked away, she shifted her weight, trying to sit up more on the hard bed. The butterfly wings of her dress dug into her back. The layer upon layer of fabric for the skirt made it hard to tell where the edge of the bed even was.
The assassin’s head turned her way as he tracked her movements. “Are you strong enough to stand yet?”
She had no idea. A sheen of sweat broke out over her forehead and she shivered, suddenly cold. It had to be residual effects from the giplig.
He came over to her, taking hold of her elbow and helping her to her feet. “If you’re going to be ill, you need to do it over the side of the ship and not in its only cabin.” He led her out of the room and up a dark, narrow stairwell.
