"Why won't King Ludaigh just give us the princess?" Taisce asked me. Taisce is only eleven and has yet grasped the severity of our situation or even what the princess could really mean. Freedom. We Ro'Tan aren't enslaved by any means, but we have been under the attack of the Hecatians for the last ten years. No one understands why, though I have a few theories.
"Maybe," I begin, stepping toward my younger brother, "he just wants to keep her for himself!" I finish, pulling Taisce into a headlock. I'm bigger and stronger, but he's still so slight, he wiggles himself free. I smile at the triumphant grin he flashes and ruffle his hair. It's gotten so long. He'll have to cut it soon. I hear the faint cry of Shelagh, Taisce's mother. My stepmother. Even after all these years, I still cannot get over the fact. My mother is dead. There is only Shelagh.
"Come on, Tai. Mother's calling us for dinner. And you know she hates to be kept waiting," I tell him, but he's already running down the dune and I cannot help but laugh at him. He's always so eager, so thrilled to please. He and Shelagh have a very strong bond that sometimes makes me jealous. I know she does not mean to leave me out, but she often does. It makes me miss my mother that much more. I was eight when I watched a Hecatian warrior, one very young, pierce my mother's heart with a ball of fire so hot, it was blue.
"Are you coming, Kee?" Taisce's voice snaps me back to the present and I nod before sprinting down the dune past him. It isn't long before he's beaten me to the little hut we call home. He's much faster than most of us Ro'Tan.
"Did you boys not hear me calling?" Shelagh asks, her voice cloaked with teasing.
"No, Mum. We did not hear you 't all. We were having too much fun playing with the wild coyotes and picking Nightshade," Taisce said, calmly and seriously as only he could manage. I almost laugh at him because of how serious he looks.
Shelagh lightly taps Tai over the head and practically screeches, "Boy, don't you lie to me about that!" I can't help but laugh then and her attention is turned to me. "Keegan, your father wants to see you. I believe he said he would be at the stables. Taisce, you can help set the table. Go wash."
Tai starts to object but Shelagh gives him a stern look and I shake my head. Whatever Father wants must be big...and classified. I walk back out and down the worn path to our stables. They only hold two horses and a cow expected to birth soon. Father is with Beatrice, the cow. He isn't alone - Balgaire is with him. He's in the army under my father's command.
"Father? Shelagh said you wished to see me," I start, standing straight with my hands behind my back. He looks up at me, his face serious.
"Keegan, what do you know about Ludaigh's castle?" Father asks. I just stare at him, then turn to Balgaire before finally looking back at Father.
"I don't know any more than anyone else, I suppose. Why do you ask?" I'm not curious; I'm confused.
Father looks back at Balgaire who just shrugs his shoulders. I cannot tell whether he is satisfied with my answer and ready to go or whether he is suggesting that Father press me harder.
"Son, I'm going to need you to be honest. You once told me about a dream. You were in a place you had never seen before. Do you remember?" Father asks and I am reminded of the dream, of a place that looked much too fancy to be anywhere in our village. I shake my head, lying about any recognition and not even sure why. I have never lied to Father - I have never felt the need to, not like I do right now.
He looks at me, suspicion in his eyes, but does not say anything. Turning to Balgaire, he sighs and runs his fingers through his hair.
"I told you it would be a waste of time to ask him. Keegan, go on to eat and tell Shelagh that I will be there in a bit. Oh, and please inform her that another place needs to be set for Balgaire."
I nod and head back up the path to the house, still trying to figure out what Father and Balgaire are getting at - why they assume I know something about Ludaigh and Hecatia. I haven't had the dreams in at least six years. When I was having them, only Shelagh took me seriously.
"What did Father want?" Tai asks as soon as I am inside. I shake my head - now is not the time.
"Shelagh, Father asked me to set another place. Captain Balgaire will be joining us for supper tonight."
"Balgaire? Well, that is odd. Nevermind. Tai, can you please get another place set while I finish these rolls? Thanks. Keegan, you go wash up. You're a mess!" She teases, a smile lighting her face. She is not worried about anything - maybe I shouldn't be either. Father and Balgaire are entering the main hall as I head to the dining area. They are conversing in hushed tones until Balgaire sees me. They pass me, heading to the washroom and I could swear Balgaire gives me a dirty look. I have to shake it off, putting the best smile I can on as I enter the dining area. Tai is already seated and the table is completely set. A ham sits in the center with peas and what appears to be zuchinni. There is a large bowl of mashed potatoes and a rich peppered gravy in the gravy boat - all of Father's favorite things.
I take my seat next to Tai, reserving the opposite side of the table for Balgaire and nudge my him with my elbow. He grins at me and nods his head as Shelagh appears with the rolls. Father and Balgaire enter just as she places the rolls on the table and I can tell they seem agitated. Father shakes his head and gives Blagaire a warning look.
"Captain Balgaire, it is nice to see you again. Would you mind saying the blessing? You do have such a way with words," Shelagh says with a smile and I roll my eyes. Balgaire hardly says anything - especially not without malice lacing his voice. Oddly, Balgaire agrees and says grace.
I ignore most of the conversation throughout supper. It's mostly Shelagh trying to lighten the mood. She can always sense tension and she hates it. She'd love it if it were always rainbows and unicorns...not that I've had the luxury of seeing a unicorn. They only live in Hecatia. I allow my thoughts to drift away, dreaming about the possibility of seeing the magic that happens in the rolling green of Hecatia. That is, until Balgaire, Shelagh and Father arguing brings me back.
"Keegan does know something and I think Shelagh is covering it up for him! For you, Major!" Balgaire is shouting and Shelagh gives Tai one look - go to your room and stay there. We both know it. Clearly, I have to stay, but I nudge Tai to encourage him to leave. Grudgingly, he does.
"Keegan cannot know anything about a place he, nor anyone in the village, has been! Captain Balgaire, I do not understand why you are so adamant on the matter. Keegan has never shown any behaviour that suggests these treasonous acts. He has even enlisted in the army! Your men have trained him," Shelagh says, her voice firm. The same voice she uses when she's scolding Taisce and me.
"It is because my men trained him that we were able to pick up on things. He talks in his sleep. Kid is always mumbling about not turning the corner, the Ro'Tan are coming. Why would he say such things if he were not a traitor?" Balgaire shoots back and I can see it now - the mistake I made enlisting. I had wanted to prove my worth so much that it is now costing me everything. Father and Shelagh are silent. Even I cannot deny what I must have said. No one could make that up - no one would dare challenge Father and accuse him or his family of treason without evidence. There's nothing we can do now.
