3

Ian

"Something is wrong," I grumbled. "She's not here yet."

"It's fine," Gerald muttered. "These things happen and—"

"You are not hearing me," I hissed. "Not to her. She is always early. She would not risk embarrassing you or adding tension by waltzing in even right on time. Something is wrong."

He glanced at the clock and worry flashed in his eyes before he leaned in. "Sneak out and go look. I will wait until she should have arrived and then send—"

"Andre," I muttered, nodding when he hesitated. "Give him my authority with my knights. He knows, Gerald." I waited until he looked at me. "He knows." I ignored the annoyance in his eyes. "Trust me as I have you. Please."

"Go." He quickly called over to someone—and loudly—to get the attention of most people there, and I quickly slipped out of the reception room. The moment I did, I found a window and opened it, hopping out and closing it before shifting and taking to the air.

I flew to Mabel's house with my ability, so I was there in an instant. I picked up her scent and followed it… And it did not head towards the palace. Something was definitely wrong.

I shifted back and sent up an emergency flare so Andre would know the change of direction before changing forms again and following her scent. It took me longer than my heart could take to catch up to her. They were still in the royal carriage, but something was off. They were traveling too fast, for one.

And Mabel was unconscious.

I stayed in my hawk form and dove at the guard at the back, knocking him off of his horse. When he fell, I saw that his uniform did not fit right. The jacket was too big, and when he landed it flipped up… To reveal an emblem of the Holy Empire.

They are abducting Mabel.

I went for the next knight at the back, mentally apologizing to the horse as I spooked it, but it sent the man flying, and now there were two less to worry about. It was dangerous, but I needed the carriage to stop before it reached where it was going. Clearly, the plan was not to drive out of the kingdom this way. They weren't even heading to the nearest border checkpoint.

So there were others they were meeting up with.

I handled the other two knights on horseback escorting the carriage before shifting to a man on top of the carriage and jumping down to the driver's seat. I snapped the neck of the driver and took the reins, quickly pulling them to slow the horses as I kicked the other knight out.

It took a few moments to slow the horses, and I set off another flare to give the exact location. Then I jumped down and practically ripped open the door to the carriage… Only to have a sword at my throat.

"Your Grace?" Whitney gasped, lowering her sword.

"It's me," I confirmed.

"Thank the goddess," she whispered, reaching up and rubbing her head. "I always thought your training about letting yourself be hit when you realized too late you were in a trap was silly, but it saved my head tonight."

"How?" I asked.

"The countess caught something," she muttered. "She went on guard and started to turn to me. That was it. I felt movement and realized the knight behind me was going to knock me out, so I moved with the blow like you taught us. It still hurt."

"That it does." I went for Mabel and moved her out of the carriage so I could see in the moonlight. I winced at the dried blood and welt she had on the back of her head, but her breathing and heart sounded find. "Help is coming."

"They let me come with her, so I did not think—I hope the others are okay," Whitney whispered.

"You did well," I told her.

"This is insanity," she mumbled, still rubbing her head. She was scared, and that shocked me maybe more than someone trying to take Mabel.

I checked her head, thinking she'd taken too bad of a hit, but it was fine. I was distracted when the knight I'd thrown off had landed well enough to get back up… And fixed my mistake by killing him.

I heard horses approaching, but I stopped Whitney from worrying and moving into position. "It's Andre and our knights."

She did not ask me if I was sure, knowing to trust me. "There is more to this than just that they wanted the countess. There is—"

Andre raced over to us, the others slowing down, but he barely did before jumping off his horse. His knee was not strong enough, but I caught him, and he mumbled a thanks before hurrying to the carriage and checking on Mabel. He let out a muffled whimper when he saw she was okay, the adrenaline not having anywhere to go.

"They are Holy Empire knights who were dressed as royal guards, and they were meeting someone," I told my people and then winced. I should have kept one alive.

"The royal guards are dead," Whitney whispered, nodding when I could not hide my shock. "It was not an abduction, Your Grace. The high priest wants the countess dead. The pope wants her to become his wife!"

Now I understood her panic. This was huge.

"Are there more Holy Empire knights?" I checked.

"Yes, they are at the location of the accident where the countess was to die in a staged event," she told me. She gave the location and we knew it.

More of my knights showed up, and I asked them to handle securing the scene and the Holy Empire knights. I was going back with Mabel and would send royal guards to handle their dead and everything.

"I do not know I can ride a horse alone," Whitney admitted when someone offered her one of them. She looked a bit sheepish. "I feel ready to vomit. My head still hurts, and the carriage was—"

"You did well, Whitney," I said gently, patting her shoulder. "Andre, can you—"

"Of course. You hold Mabel." I saw in his eyes that he was dying to, but he knew I was strong and could protect her better. We could not ride fast, but we needed to get to the security of the palace and have her treated.

I hopped up on the unfamiliar horse and made sure it was comfortable with me before he passed her up to me. I settled her against me, but after a moment asked for what I needed to secure her better. People seemed surprised, but she was unconscious. It was not like riding with someone awake and who would move with the horse.

But of course, Andre fully understood and was all over the situation.

Then he hopped up with Whitney. He flagged me about halfway to the palace to let me know she'd passed out as well. Probably the adrenaline of her waking after being hit and worrying how to get herself and Mabel free wearing off.

I hoped so. She was such a wonderful person that my heart would hurt if she was hurt badly from this. Mabel would never forgive herself.

Guards came out to meet us and escorted us in. I told a captain that I recognized where he needed to go meet up with my people and made it clear that I trusted him to be on the scene and handle the situation. He nodded that he understood and would handle it.

Then I had another that I knew well help me with Mabel and then gathered men to arrest the Holy Empire knights after I took her back. It was not going to be a problem since they were disarmed, but the high priest would be a problem.

More a diplomatic nightmare than a fight. He might have vast holy power, but that was not anything useful offensively.

He must have been desperate to be so stupid.

The queen saw us first as we entered and yelled for someone to call the healers.

"I will heal the saint and—" High Priest Kiernan cut in.

"You mean kill her while you still have a chance," I bit out. "Not a chance."

"What insanity are you speaking? I would—"

"Save it," Andre snapped, right behind me carrying Whitney. "We already heard what happened before the grand duke's knight passed out."

I nodded to Gerald that I was not kidding. He did not hesitate, ordering that the high priest and the knights be arrested and taken to the dungeon. The high priest kicked up a fuss but again… His power could not help him.

"What the bloody hell happened?" he hissed at me.

"Whiney said the high priest wanted Mabel dead because the pope wanted to marry her," I said quietly. "That's all I know. That, and the royal guards you sent to pick up Mabel are dead. I am very sorry."

Rage filled Gerald's eyes and he had to walk away. He let out a shout of fury and threw a chair in the corner of the reception room, shattering it against the wall.

I met Andre's shocked gaze. "Caring was never his problem. How to balance it all with his pride is."

He nodded but wisely kept his mouth shut. He'd never be friends with my cousin after what had been done to him, and I did not blame him. I simply needed him to understand that I hadn't been a complete fool to have trusted Gerald.

The healers came and they focused on Mabel first.

"The knight woke but then passed out again," I told them, worried that might mean she was in worse condition. "The countess never did from my understanding."

"It's common with concussions, Your Grace," the healer assured me. "It's understandable with the stress of the situation. If she wakes and does not remember what she said to you, that is when we have to worry. Or if she is slurring her words."

I nodded, thinking I'd heard that before. My own stress made me forget things when it was people I cared about.

We moved to a guest room with two beds so they could be together, and the healers kept close to them. They assured us that the concussions weren't severe, but they would keep a close watch over both women.

"I know," I whispered when Gerald gave me a look that we needed answers.

Unfortunately, the only answers received were from the royal guards and my knights. The seven royal guards that Gerald had sent to escort Mabel were dead. It looked like there was something staged, but the whole thing did not make sense because it was out away from the palace.

"They were going to blame you, Your Majesty," Andre surmised, he nodded when we all looked at him. "An accident when you tried to sneak the saint out of the capital or away from view—anything to start problems for you."

"Of course, they would not just kill her, they would have to start trouble with you as well," I muttered. "I really hate the pope." I patted Gerald's shoulder. "I am sorry for your loss."

"They were good men," he bit out. "I wanted them to have an easy assignment. Picking her up and guarding her while at the palace should have been a break for them." He let out several choice words. "I have to go speak to their families."

"She's waking," one of the healers said.

Andre and I bumped into each other hurrying to get to Mabel, but it was Whitney. We could not hide our disappointment, but I was still glad my trusted knight was recovering as well.

"Do not crowd her, and give the woman something to drink," the queen commanded. "Two more minutes for her to get her bearings will change nothing."

"Yes, of course," Gerald agreed.

I stayed close so Whitney did not worry, giving her a comforting smile and nodding. "You fainted on the ride back. The healers say you are okay as long as you remember that you spoke to me."

She accepted the water someone handed her and took a sip. "Yes, but I was—what I said was a bit of a blur. I was panicking. When I woke, I knew I had to get information to you and protect Mabel as best as I could." She took another sip.

"You had your mission still," I said gently. "The goal was clear and you focused. The situation was an emergency. The moment you stopped moving and were safe, it all hit you."

"Yes, Your Grace," she whispered, her hand shaking. "And it sounds too crazy, but I heard what I heard. I swear it to you."

"Ian trusts you, and you have been loyal to him for many years, Whitney," Louisa said gently. "We will believe you as well."

Whitney nodded. Opening her mouth to tell us but then doing a double take. "The countess? She's alive and—"

"Mabel's alive. You protected her. She's still unconscious. We are at the palace, and healers checked on you both. We secured everyone. All we need is what you know."

She nodded. "Holy Empire knights loyal to High Priest Kiernan followed after the envoy group. They killed the royal guards and took their uniforms."

"You heard them say this?" I cut in.

"Yes, I did not pass out originally," she explained. "I faked it. They were pleased this part of the plan went well." She did a double take again. "The others at the countess's house. Are they okay? They must have knocked out—"

"They are fine," Andre said. "I sent officers to check. They had no idea that you or Mabel were knocked out or anything was wrong. They had horses move to block the view of the others while you entered the other side. So when you faked your injury, they did not know."

"No," she whispered in horror.

"You still did the right thing," I said firmly. "If you made scene right then, they might have killed everyone to keep witnesses quiet. And they had Mabel already. They got through the line."

She nodded but then winced, her head clearly hurting. "They were happy this part of the plan went well and the high priest would reward them. The one said that was good because the pope's plan to marry the saint and have a child with her was crazy." She swallowed loudly when everyone froze. "I swear that's what he said. The pope wants Mabel to have his child."

"He wants to be king," Louisa chuckled darkly. "If he has an heir with a saint, that now makes him a sovereign, not pope." She looked at Gerald. "And that's why the high priest would want her dead. He could never be pope then."

"Yes, that was what I understood from what the knights said," Whitney agreed. "The knights with the high priest are loyal to the pope and did not know the high priest's plan. They thought this a mission to pick up the saint and bring her back. But they did know the pope's plan and that the countess would not have a choice to marry the pope."

"This is a huge mess," Gerald whispered, rubbing his hands over his face. "I have been yelling at the top of my lungs for years that the pope and Holy Empire are dangerous being so unchecked, but no one listens to me."

"Most agree with you, Gerald," I sighed. "They just have too much on their plates as well and their own countries to constantly worry about as you do."

He nodded as if to say that was fair. "What else did you learn, Whitney?"

"That the plan was to make it seem like there was a carriage accident that the countess and the guards died in because you tried to have her taken out of the capital and hidden, Your Majesty. There was no good spot on the way to the palace to stage the accident, so they were taking the opportunity to undermine you.

"They wanted to make it all your fault that you did not turn over the saint when you should have. The high priest thought it would get him the military the pope's been wanting and he could take over as pope then. He planned to make it like the pope's failing as well because he's let the other kingdoms control the Holy Empire too much and he could take over."

"Well, he is an ambitious one," Lousia drawled, rubbing her forehead. "The monstrous ones always are." She looked at Whitney. "If you need to rest, please say so, but I do want to know what happened earlier and how the high priest spoke to Mabel."

"It was very unnerving, Your Majesty. The countess seemed to tune most of it out, but the rest of us could not, and it was unsettling. The way he spoke to her and of her was—I speak of rats more respectfully. They might be vicious, but they have feelings and brains. He treated the countess like she had neither and was nothing but a tool to wield."

"I heard James say that he had more respect for his sword than the high priest showed for Mabel," I muttered, pissed off again when Whitney nodded.

Whitney said the light was hurting her eyes, and the healers checked her out and wanted her to take some medicine. We turned down the lights a bit, and everyone agreed we could hear more about it the morning later.

Gerald and I shared a look and were in complete agreement about what came next.

We had a meeting in the dungeon… And it would probably get bloody.

"I suggest we send word to the pope that his right hand was planning to usurp him and kill Mabel to do it," I muttered.

"Yes, but I want to use the knights loyal to the pope to do it," Gerald replied.

"Smart, Your Majesty," Andre agreed.

Gerald stopped so fast, I had to catch myself to not trip over him. "This is as far as you go, Marquis."

"Gerald," I sighed.

Andre did not even bat an eyelash though, instead glancing around and making sure we were alone in the corridor before looking at me. I nodded that we were out of earshot of anyone.

"No, I am sorry, Your Majesty. I love Ian. I always have, and I understand you are uncomfortable that I know too much, but I would never betray him and never have. I also love Mabel. More than that, I am useful in this matter. I have the most interrogation experience of the three of us. It's my damn job. So forgive me, but no, I am not sitting this out when it involves them."

Gerald searched his eyes a moment and then sighed. "You really do love him. You just risked all the goodwill you have with me pushing this, plus your title and position." He looked at me and opened his mouth before closing it and shaking his head.

"No, we will not be going public. We will figure out…"

"I am sorry the world is so harsh, but it is, and I have to protect Louisa and the children we will have as well," Gerald muttered as he continued on the path. "So I am glad to hear that. Hopefully, it's a secret better kept than Mabel's."

I swallowed a snort. That was funny coming from the man who had wanted to out her. Then again it hadn't come from him or the people who had learned about it.

Right before he entered the dungeon, Andre cleared his throat to get our attention. He extended his hand and showed us that he was holding a truth stone. "You both might be able to tell who is lying, but the rest of us cannot, and we need these knights to understand we are not the enemy even if we will not let the pope take Mabel."

"I see why you keep him around," Gerald muttered and nodded it was smart.

Asshole. He was always such a damn asshole even when he was supportive.

He went in first and nodded to the guards, letting them direct us to who we wanted. He stopped in front of the cell. "Take High Priest Kiernan to an interrogation room. I want to speak with him privately."

"Yes, Your Majesty," the guard said.

"Hold your tongue and keep your head or you will lose it," Gerald warned the high priest when he opened his mouth to blast him. "You are but one high priest, and I am king of a nation that could easily crush the Holy Empire, and we both know it."

The high priest was not as stupid as he seemed because he dipped his head and let himself be led off.

Gerald waited a few minutes and nodded to Andre who held out the truth stone. "Do you men know what this is?"

"I believe it's a truth stone, Your Majesty," one answered after the others shook their heads. "We do not have them in the Holy Empire."

I snorted. "I cannot imagine why."

"Not helping, Ian," Gerald drawled but clearly agreed with me. "It is a truth stone. If you say something true and then a lie you can see for yourselves that it works."

The man was clearly the highest-ranked of the knights. He stood and moved closer. "I hate my wife." The stone turned red. "I had nothing to do with trying to hurt the countess." He frowned when the stone did not turn either color.

I chuckled darkly. "Because you know the pope wants to force Mabel to marry him and that would hurt her. You do not see it that way, but some part of you knows it's wrong."

He met my gaze and nodded. "It's not some part of me, Your Grace. I know it's wrong. It's not my decision, but I have a family to protect. I had nothing to do with the high priest's plan to hurt the countess."

A bright, clear light emitted from the stone.

"We need to confirm it's the truth with all of you before we can discuss what really happened," I told them. They all agreed, realizing more was going on than they knew.

They passed, knowing the pope wanted to marry Mabel and have a child with her, thinking it was her duty as the saint. A few clearly agreed with the pope, and the rest agreed with the first but could not go against the pope.

"High Priest Kiernan wants to be the pope, and that could not happen if the sitting pope married the countess and they had an heir who would take over one day," I told them, nodding to the stone when it emitted a clear light. "So he tried to kill her. He had other Holy Empire knights follow you, they killed seven of our royal guards and we stopped the plot."

"Is the saint okay?" the first guard whispered, fear thick in his eyes.

"Yes, but she is not going back with you, and the pope will not get what he wants," I told him firmly. I shook my head when he tried to argue. "I am in love with her. It's not going to happen. I will die before I let her be carried off and forced to marry and bear his child. That is insane. That is not why the goddess blessed her."

"All of that aside, Holy Empire knights broke the treaty and killed our citizens. You did not behave as a peaceful envoy," Gerald cut in.

"The high priest changed the plan and ordered us to go directly to the countess," the knight admitted. "He said the pope gave him direct orders on the side, but now I believe that to be a lie."

"Clearly," Gerald drawled. "I will release you knights to go with my actual peaceful envoy and explain to the pope what happened. I will even allow you to bring back the bodies of the knights who were killed in the pursuit of the countess. That should be all the evidence needed as they were not allowed in my kingdom. They snuck in."

"You will keep the high priest in custody?"

"And the other ten knights we arrested," I drawled, nodding when they were all shocked. "He snuck in seventeen extra knights. The pope has a huge problem with factions not loyal to him right under his nose. He might want to handle that instead of trying to force women to marry him which is against the temple's own laws."

"Depending on the pope's next move, I will allow him to come and be party to the punishment of the high priest or I will rip up the treaty between the Holy Empire and kick out the temples. I am a reasonable man, but I am not a king to be fucked with. Tell your leader that and make it clear you saw the truth." Gerald nodded to the stone, and the knights absolutely believed him.

Good, glad to see they weren't idiots.