The Key (4 page)

“If something happens to your aunt or me,
I need to know you’re taken care of,” he said.

Aunt Maya and Uncle Kar were always kind to Rema, treating her well, and she was never forced to do anything she didn’t want to—until now. Rema turned away from him, unable to bear the pain on his face.

Her aunt and uncle were getting old. They were beyond their childbearing years when they took her in after her parents died in the takeover. Uncle Kar’s hair was gray, along with his beard. He was tall and rather strong for his age. Rema assumed it was from lifting bales of hay, buckets of water, and working with horses on a daily basis. But Uncle Kar also had several scars on his arms above the tattoo on his wrist, and she wondered if he had ever been a soldier. When Rema asked him about it once, he told her that it was a long time ago, and he didn’t want to talk about
before
.

Rema thought of Prince Darmik. When he had reached out to her on the riverbank, she noticed a
scar starting at his knuckles and running up under his tunic. Next to his lips was another one. The commander of a lethal army was bound to be covered with battle wounds.

“I can take care of myself,” she declared.

“No doubt. But there are other factors that need to be considered. Things you couldn’t possibly understand.”

“Because I’m a girl or because I’m too young?”
she asked.

“You’re not too young.
You’re of marriageable age. If you don’t marry soon, people will start to wonder. We can’t attract the attention, especially with the way you look.” His eyes focused on the dirt road in front of them, carefully avoiding her.

Well, she couldn’t help the way she looked
. Everyone on Greenwood Island had golden, tanned skin, dark hair, and brown eyes—even her aunt and uncle. Rema never came across anyone with pale coloring and blonde hair like her own. When Rema asked Aunt Maya about it once, Aunt Maya told Rema not to worry. Then Maya got up and left the room, ending their conversation on the matter.

Glancing
at Uncle Kar, Rema wondered what
people
he was referring to anyway? The town near their land was small. She never came into contact with anyone. If anything, her aunt and uncle prevented her from interacting with others. The only reason she was friends with Bren was because his father’s land was next to theirs.

Rema didn’t say anything else because there was nothing
else to say, no way out of her predicament. If only she felt the need to settle down, marry, and be a farmer’s wife. But it didn’t feel right to her. She longed to run away and see the kingdom—to experience all that it had to offer.

Uncle Kar
reached over and patted her shoulder. His hand was sun-browned and leathery, like the horse reins he held.

“I’m sorry
,” he said. “This isn’t what any of us planned. But it’s the best we can do, given the circumstances.”

Rema didn’t even try to understand him.
The wagon trudged on. The beautiful horse they were delivering whinnied behind them. The irony wasn’t lost on her.

Darmik

“
Commander, your horse has arrived,” the steward announced.

Darmik nodded
, dismissing him.

After scanning
the rest of the report from Lord Lemar, the governor of Telan, Darmik was glad he was leaving Jarko today. The situation in Telan was worse than he had originally thought, and he needed to see firsthand what was going on there.

His new horse better be fast. Darmik’s previous horse went lame,
forcing him to leave it with a horse healer back in Mullen. In his haste to see what his brother was up to in Jarko, Darmik took a spare horse from his cavalry, but it was too small and slow for his liking. Over dinner yesterday, Lord Filmar spoke highly of a local horse breeder, stating that he was exceptional at producing warhorses. An order for the fastest horse on hand was delivered last night.

Walking down the corridor
, he glanced outside. The land on the south side of Greenwood Island was beautiful, especially here, where the hills were covered with trees, and the ground was coated with rich, green grass. Lord Filmar, however, had cleared the area surrounding his castle to avoid being taken by surprise. He was wise to be extra vigilant, as it did offer excellent views of the surrounding area—and an excellent view of a midnight-black horse thundering across the land.

Darmik froze, captivated by the sight before him.
Chasing the wild horse was a girl with blonde hair. Even though she wore a plain, brown dress, the girl stood out, like the horse—both wild and untamed. It had to be Tabitha, the girl from yesterday. Her coloring was so rare on Greenwood Island.

T
abitha stopped running and held her body perfectly still, like the stem of a rose, while her hair danced in the wind like its leaves. The horse ran and bucked until he realized he no longer had a pursuer. Stopping, the stallion searched until he found her. Then he ran full speed toward Tabitha, his ears back. She never flinched. The horse stopped three feet away and snorted. She held out her hand, revealing a red apple on her palm. The stallion’s nostrils flared, smelling the air. It cautiously moved closer until it was only inches from her hand.

Darmik
saw Tabitha’s mouth move as she scratched the horse between his eyes. Then she took a couple of bites of the apple and spit them onto her palm. The horse ate the pieces while Darmik watched her grin from her victory. As she started inching her way toward the stables, the stallion followed, eating from her hand.

Darmik
had to talk to her again. He ran to the back of the stables, hoping to catch her alone. He rounded the corner, slamming into her, knocking her to the ground. Big, round sapphire eyes looked up at him.

“I’m sorry,” Darmik stammered, reaching down to help her up. “I didn’t realize you were there.”

“Prince Darmik.” She politely nodded, getting to her feet on her own. Her eyes quickly scanned him from head to toe, lingering on his royal markings, which covered his neck and shoulders. The black stallion whinnied and ran away from them. Tabitha sighed, exasperated. “What are you doing here?”

“Um
.” He wasn’t usually at a loss of words, but there was something about her piercing gaze that made him forget what he was doing. She cleared her throat and brushed the dirt from her dress.

“Sorry about that
.” He pointed to her, indicating the collision. Her eyes darted behind him. Darmik glanced back, but no one was there. “Are you looking for someone?” he asked.

“My uncle. He’s waiting for me. We just came to deliver th
is horse.” She waved her hand toward the black stallion grazing nearby.

T
abitha certainly was bold, and far more interesting than any of the nobles Darmik had ever met. But then again, she wasn’t from the noble class—she was from the merchant class. Still, she stood out as if she didn’t belong to anyone or anything.

“
Tabitha?” He took a step toward her, wanting to get closer.

“
That’s not my name,” she stated.

“Excuse me?” He remembered her band: Tabitha, seventeen
years old, niece of Kar and Maya, not yet married or engaged.

“
Aren’t you the commander of the King’s Army?” she asked. Darmik nodded. “Don’t you have an army to run? Or do you only hunt and mosey about, pretending to be of use to the kingdom? I thought King Barjon would manage to keep you busier.”

Was she serious?
Nobody had ever spoken to him in such a manner.

“Well,” he began to answer
, but she started laughing.

“
I go by Rema.” She held out her hand in greeting.

Darmik never shook hands with anyone. Even though he was
the commander of the army, he was also a prince, and his men addressed him as such. Shaking hands was for commoners. Her pale hand remained suspended in air, waiting for him.

His hand slid into hers. “Prince Darmik,” he responded, shaking her
warm hand, eager for the chance to touch her again.

“I got that part
.” Rema smiled. Her breath smelled sweet, like apples. She tried pulling her hand from his, but he refused to release her.

“Let me escort you inside the stables.” Darmik put her hand on his arm.
She seemed reluctant at first, but he pulled her along toward the front of the stables, not giving her a chance to refuse. “Do you live nearby?” he asked.

“Yes.”

When she didn’t elaborate, he forged on. “I haven’t seen blonde hair very often. Does your mother have the same coloring?” As soon as he asked the question, he knew he’d made an error. Her body tensed. He looked down at her, remembering her band said she lived with her aunt and uncle. Rema shook her head, refusing to answer.

Afraid he’d offended her, he continued. “I’ve traveled to
Emperion. Almost everyone there has blonde hair and blue eyes.”

“You’ve been to
Emperion?” she asked, squeezing his arm.

“Yes. For training.”

Rema’s eyes widened. “Tell me about it,” she demanded. Darmik smiled in response to her excitement.

“Rema!” a stable
hand yelled.

“I forgot about my uncle
,” Rema said. “He’s waiting for me. I have to go.” She jerked her hand away from Darmik’s arm and spun around, heading back the way they came. Rema glanced over her shoulder and smiled at him. Then she rounded the corner and disappeared.

Not ready for her to go, Darmik jogged after her. Nearing the corner, he heard the
boy say, “We’ll miss seeing you, Rema.” Darmik turned the corner and saw the stable hand holding a pitchfork, his face bright red. “You have such a way with the horses,” the boy stammered.

“I’m getting married, not dying.
” She smiled mischievously. “You’ll see me again.”

“Rema,” Darmik couldn’t help himself. “You
’re engaged?”

The stable
hand dropped to one knee and bowed his head.

Rema’s
smile vanished. Standing just behind her, next to the stables, was an older man. The elderly man’s eyes moved from Darmik to Rema and back again. His face lost all color as he knelt on the ground. Darmik assumed this was Rema’s uncle.

Rema’s eyes
bore into Darmik’s. “Yes, Prince Darmik,” she answered, kneeling before him. “I am engaged,” she replied softly. “The signed contract was delivered to Lord Filmar today. My band is going to be marked tomorrow.”

Darmik was
about to reply when a flicker to his left caught his attention. His brother, Prince Lennek, stood just inside the stables with a devious smile. Darmik prayed he hadn’t drawn any attention to Rema. Lennek leaned against the wall, watching.

“
You’re dismissed,” Darmik said, trying to sound nonchalant. He moved past Rema, into the stables. Seconds later, Darmik heard the sound of a wagon pulled by horses, and Rema was gone.

Lennek sauntered
over to him. “She was beautiful, in a wild sort of way,” he mused. “She looks like a bit of a challenge.” He cocked an eyebrow. “Might be fun though. And you know how much I love a challenge.”

Darmik had the urge to punch
that smirk off his brother’s face. Lennek always knew which buttons to push. Anytime Darmik was interested in something, Lennek had to have it, whether he wanted it or not, just to prove he was better.

Darmik drew in a deep breath
, smelling horse sweat and sweet hay. He couldn’t dismiss Rema—Lennek was too smart and perceptive. “Blonde hair is so rare that I found her appearance interesting. Not my type though. Not only is she a commoner, but she’s engaged.”

Lennek’s eyes sparkled.
“Definitely a challenge.”

“Laws are laws, Lenn
ek. Some not even
you
can break.”

“No,
” he laughed, “but there are always ways around them.” Lennek strolled out of the stables.

Darmik’s hands
curled into fists, and he forced himself to keep his feet rooted in place. This was typical of Lennek, pushing Darmik’s buttons just for fun. Darmik needed to be rational. It wasn’t like Lennek would go after Rema just to get to him. That would require too much work, something Lennek wouldn’t do unless instant gratification was involved.

Once Lennek was out of sight, Darmik
left and found the stallion. He was beautiful, and Darmik remembered his father having one similar to it when they first arrived on Greenwood Island. Darmik was just two years old when his father invaded and took over the kingdom. His mother had died in childbirth, and his father was always busy. It was natural for Darmik to turn to his brother, who was only three years older. But Darmik physically excelled in all that he did, and everything between the brothers became a contest. Who was the better swordsman, the fastest runner, the stronger fighter? And when Darmik started consistently beating his older brother at everything, Lennek refused to compete physically, and instead, found other ways to prove his worth.

When Darmik was ten, the king explained that Lennek was born to lead and was the heir to the kingdom that they controlled, and it was Darmik’s duty to protect his father and his brother, no matter what.

At thirteen, Darmik began his training as a soldier. At sixteen, he became an officer. By eighteen, he led the entire army. The position of commander was of great prestige and importance where they came from. Usually someone much older held the position, someone who earned it and worked his way up. However, the king wanted to ensure loyalty from his army, and what better way than to put his son at the head of it?

****

The black stallion was exceptionally fast. Darmik rode it hard for three days, and the horse showed no signs of fatigue. The only problem with the animal was that it reminded him of Rema. Darmik pictured her jumping from the cliff into the river below, holding her soft hand on his arm, and Lennek ruining it all with the way he mocked the laws, saying, “There are always ways around them.” So now, even Darmik’s memories of Rema were tainted by Lennek. Did he have to destroy everything?

“Commander,” the
corporal said. “The city is in sight.”

“Thank you. Ready your men.”

The corporal nodded and gave the order for his men to stop and dismount. They set up camp while Darmik and three of the soldiers changed into plain, merchant clothes, hiding their weapons and uniforms in their saddlebags.

“Listen up!” Darmik
yelled. All twenty soldiers turned to him. “I’m going in with three men to assess the situation in Telan. The governor said that things are becoming violent. We will not take any action today. Understood?” Everyone nodded. “Good. I’ll be back here tomorrow before sunrise. Be ready to move out.”

Darmik and three soldiers
mounted and rode toward the city, choosing to enter from the western side.

Maintaining control in the region of Telan was vital. Telan was in the
center of the kingdom, extending from the base of the Middle Mountains all the way to the Great Bay. The governor resided in Usavo, the largest city in Telan.

After the invasion of
Greenwood Island seventeen years ago, there had been great civil unrest. The people had fought the invading army valiantly, for not only were they insanely loyal to the royal family, but they loved and respected them. And Darmik’s father had killed them all. The king, queen, two princes, one princess, and every single relative had been murdered. The royal bloodline was extinct.