The Wicked House of Caroline

The stone door moved back into place, leaving the two of them in the large storage vault. The light pearls along the ceiling kept the space well-lit and were bright, but not as bright as the gold bars shining into her eyes. Eight hundred chests of gold.

Beks extended her arm and held on to the wall to keep herself steady. She’d seen money and the number of gold bars written down on paper. After all, the budget for the entire kingdom passed through her hands, but she’d never seen this much gold in person. Just a few of those chests could gild the Gilded Palace all over again.

Laz’s brows furrowed and his lips tightened. He studied her pale face and distraught expression. He lowered the lid.

“Is that not enough?” He abandoned the chest and walked across the room to the wall that separated his vault from Lucian’s. “Wait a moment.”

He raised his hands and placed his palms over the wall, moving them along as if searching for something. He stopped when he almost neared the corner closest to the door and placed his hands into rectangular grooves in the wall at waist height.

Beks squinted. They reminded her of the niches where they placed tablets to read in Gurani Island. They had similar stonework around them, but when Laz placed his hands in, a glow came from within. Before Beks could theorize what it was, she heard the low rumbling she’d heard outside.

Laz stepped back, removing his hands from the grooves. The rumbling was replaced by low grinding. Pieces of stone and dust were knocked out of place as the wall between the two vaults sank into the floor.

Beks took a step forward, fascinated by the sight. The stone wall was made of numerous large panels that reached the ceiling and were two paces wide. The first panel that lowered was beside what was a stationary panel with the grooves. When it had lowered a quarter of the way, the panel next to it also began to lower.

Lucian was revealed, standing on the other side, also watching the panels sink into the floor.

“Three should be enough.” Laz spoke loudly over the grinding stone and Lucian nodded. Just as the third panel began to move, the two went back to the grooves and placed their hands in.

The third panel reached a quarter of the way down, but the fourth panel didn’t start to move.

Beks moved closer, examining the first panel as it became flush with the floor. What mechanical device was beneath them that could move such large panels? Did every vault have something similar? She looked up. The ceiling was arched, but she couldn’t help but wonder what was above them as well.

“Do all the panels open?” Beks asked as she walked over the space where the wall was.

“Just five,” Lucian replied. “Adah said that dual vaults like this are few. Most vaults have solid, immovable walls.”

Beks nodded her head and looked into Lucian’s side of the vault. She knew that Uncle Timur would always try to be fair to his sons, giving them equal shares, but she didn’t expect Lucian’s vault to almost mirror Laz’s directly.

“Lucian, we may not have enough.” Beks was pulled from her observations at once at Laz’s disappointed voice. She turned around to the identical twins standing beside each other, on either side of the divide, themselves appearing like they were looking into a mirror.

Lucian frowned and his brows became contemplative. “I’m unfamiliar with the price of goods and services. Are they that expensive? I thought we’d have at least enough to perhaps secure a mercenary army.”

Beks crinkled her eyes and moved towards them. “I didn’t say it wasn’t enough! I’m just overwhelmed!” She stopped and held out her arms, motioning to the piles of gold and jewelry and random artifacts that would make any royal family jealous. “I’ve never seen so much gold in front of me in my life.”

Lucian cocked his head to the side. “But the entire palace is almost covered with gold.”

She shook her head. “Gilding doesn’t require as much gold as you think. The layer is extremely thin.”

Laz gave her a concerned look. “Then, what’s wrong? You seemed upset for a moment.”

“I wasn’t, I’m just....” Beks turned around and looked at the rows of piled chests. She took a deep breath and exhaled, slumping her shoulders. “I spent months agonizing over where we’d get the money to support Brother Laurence’s return. Unless we have it, we basically have no resources.

“The money I could get was funneled elsewhere and is tied up in work back in Kadmium to try to reduce Luther’s influence. Brother Laurence and Lady Eleanor have money we can use, but if they try to get it, it will reveal that they’re alive, giving away one of our few advantages and may cause Luther and his father to become offensive and try to stop us before we can proceed with any of our plans. My family’s wealth is tied to Sagittate, so they can’t afford to fund the worst-case scenario cost, which would be an extended war.” She let out a heavy sigh and turned around to look back at the twins. “But this.... If I use it right, we can have everything ready to proceed by late summer, perhaps even earlier.”

The two princes drew their heads back. They looked at each other with relief before turning back to Beks. “Then, we do have enough?” Laz asked.

Beks nodded. “If we are able to regain the throne in a single sweep, we won’t touch anything more than the gold bars.”

Laz closed his eyes and took a deep breath as Lucian pressed his hand against his chest and nodded. “Finally, the gods are listening....”

Beks opened the lid of the chest of gold that Laz had opened for her first and took out one of the bars. She narrowed her eyes. “Arranging everything will take time, even with enough money. I have to be careful about where I purchase our supplies, then I have to arrange their transport.” She looked over the gold and met their gazes. “We’ll need to reach out to suppliers along the major trade cities and beyond. I don’t think we’ll go back to the island for a while.”

“That’s fine,” Lucian said.

“Brother Laurence assumed that it would take some time,” Laz added. “Aside from checking to see if we have enough, sourcing and arranging transport can’t be done overnight.”

“Regardless, I’m relieved that we not only have enough, but we may only need to use the gold bars,” Lucian told them.

Beks nodded and placed the bar back into the chest. “As am I. Jewelry and artifacts would require being appraised before they are sold. Finding buyers won’t be easy, as we’d have to sell at different locations to prevent being traced to one place and possibly leading back to us.” She walked across Laz’s fault and picked up a gilded box on a fancy lacquered table with mother of pearl inlaid designs on its top. She opened the box and let out a low hiss as she was blinded by the glistening gold and beaded gemstones of a piece of jewelry. “Uncle Timur left these to you. Gold we can always get back, but the rest of these are rare items that we may not be able to replace.”

She closed the lid of the box and placed it back on the table. She walked into Lucian’s mirroring side. While the chests all matched and the placement of the large objects was the same, some of the items differed. Large pieces of expensive furniture seemed identical, but where one brother had a large vase with a flower design, the other had a similar vase with a pastoral scene.

This only emphasized that some of the items couldn’t be replicated, as they were one-of-a-kind. Uncle Timur must’ve gone to great lengths to ensure that his sons had equal inheritance.

“There is a list of everything each vault contains,” Lucian said as he opened a small box on a shelf by the entrance and took out a folio. Laz went to the shelf on his side and fetched an identical leather folio.

“Look it over and decide what we should use first,” Laz said, handing her the folio as if passing her something precious.

Beks nodded and took his and Lucian’s. She cleared one of the tables and placed both folios’ down, opening them up to the first page. She leaned over the table, comparing the two lists.

The list started with the smallest items, jewelry, and small goods, before moving on to precious artwork, furniture, and then the amount of gold.

Curiosity got the better of her and she hardly noticed the twins moving around their vaults.

“What do you think of this?” She turned her head and saw Laz holding open a box lined with a soft red fabric. Nestled inside was a small filigree gold crown. She gave him a nod and returned to the list.

“It’s very delicate.”

“What about this one?” She looked up and Lucian held out a flatter box containing a thick necklace embedded with pearls and blue and green gems. The pattern was intricate and she leaned closer. “That’s beautiful...there is engraving in the metal...Langsher calligraphy?”

Lucian nodded. “Do you like it?”

“Of course, it’s gorgeous.”

Satisfied, he closed the box and moved it elsewhere. Laz returned with another box. “What about this?”

This time, it was a beaded gold headpiece with pearl drops and blood-colored gemstones. Beks complimented it and touched the delicate gold. When she withdrew her hand, Laz closed the box and placed it on a table that Lucian had cleared.

She tilted her head to the side. “What are you doing?”

“The items here aren’t what you’d see in Kadmus,” Laz replied. “So, you’ve never worn them.”

“We don’t know what pieces you’d like,” Lucian told her as he gave her a sheepish expression. “Since we’re here, we wanted to show you some.”

“Once we have an idea of what you like, we can sort through them ourselves.” Laz picked up a box, opened it, and turned around. “What about this ceremonial dagger?”

Beks gave them a strange look. “Why are you sorting pieces that I’d like?”

The two paused, appearing taken aback by her question. They spoke at once and the answer made her heart slam against her chest. “They are for our wedding.”

Laz closed the lid of the box containing the dagger and gave her a beseeching look. “Lucian and I have been away from Kadmium for years. We never dabbled in any businesses and all we have is the allowance Mother and Brother had allotted us.”

“We haven’t prepared the physical gifts for you,” Lucian said, lowering his eyes, almost embarrassed. “The groom is supposed to prepare gifts for the bride. We don’t know how long it will take for Brother to regain his throne, but it will take time to acquire all the gifts we want to present to you for our engagement and wedding, so we wanted to start now.”

“Is it all right to use what we have here?” Laz asked. “If you want new customized items, we can do that, too, it will just take some time.”

She stared at the eager looks on their handsome faces and felt her heart ache. She swallowed hard. “How long have you been thinking about this?”

“About where to get the gifts or marrying you?” Laz asked.

The question struck her. Now that she thought about it, when did they decide that they wanted to marry her? On the island? They’d brought it up as a natural progression after breaking her engagement with Luther. Who else could she marry to ensure her position in the court but them?

However, when they asked Laurence for permission, they said they were sincere. They wanted to marry her because they desired to, but would not force her.

And they hadn’t tried to coerce her. They simply moved forward as if their marriage was the natural course of things and she didn’t question it because it felt as if it were the natural course. If she were honest, she wasn’t sure if it felt so natural in her head because it was what needed to be done or if it felt natural because she wanted to be with them.

Those were her own thoughts that she was still grappling with, and frankly, was running away from and ignoring; however, she wondered when the two had considered marriage with her. She was their younger brother’s fiancée for over two decades, after all. Who would consider such a chance when it was so out of reach?

She drew her lips inward. “Marrying me.”

The two brothers looked at each other for a moment. Lucian lowered his eyes and knit his brows.

“For me, it was the night before I had to take the Water of the Covenant. I’d read your latest letter; you were exhausting yourself trying to create a program to support orphans and widows of soldiers. At the time, Brother had also sent a letter and complained that Luther had left the city yet again to go somewhere with his father, leaving his studies behind. You were working so hard for the kingdom, and Luther was gods only knew where,” Lucian said as he narrowed his eyes. He grit his teeth for a moment and then looked at her. “The thought crossed my mind that if I were engaged to you instead of Luther, I would be at your side, helping you with that policy. I thought, why couldn’t it have been me? Why couldn’t I have been the one you were engaged to?”

Beks felt pressure on the bridge of her nose as she took a deep breath. That long ago? She hadn’t seen him for years at that point and all they had were letters. Her eyes moved to Laz.

He gave her a wry smile. He lifted his hands and began to untie the front of his robes with his only remaining hand. Lucian said nothing as Beks watched as his rough, long fingers slid between the folds and exposed his pale chest marred with old scars.

He placed his hand over a small, narrow wound below his left pectoral. “When I was still a Lieutenant, we seized a human trafficking caravan trying to sneak across the border. To get away, some of the traffickers hide amongst the victims. I had lowered my guard, and one got me. I lost a lot of blood and was losing consciousness. I told myself to stay awake. I hadn’t sent you the blanket I bought for your birthday or replied to your letter.”

Hot tears rimmed her eyes. She remembered that.

“The Sekra Govi blanket.” She’d read about the rare textile from a nomadic tribe, and had mentioned it in a letter to Laz. She didn’t think he’d manage to get one for her, and had been so excited when she received it, she immediately had it displayed in the Old Tower where she could look at it often.

Laz’s face softened as he smiled. “Do you remember what else you mentioned in that letter? About your birthday.”

She lowered her head and wracked her memories. Her eyes dilated for a moment before she shut them. “Luther wasn’t going to be there. His friends invited him on a hunt and he’d forgotten that the dinner to celebrate my birthday was that day.” She let out a small, bitter laugh. “He apologized and said he’d get me a deer for my birthday. When he returned, he didn’t shoot a deer, but only managed a pheasant, which he gave to his friend as thanks for inviting him.”

Laz nodded slowly. “I laid there bleeding and all I could think about was that I couldn’t disappoint you like he did. I wished Mother had engaged you to me, so at least you’d be spared the constant disappointment that Luther gave you.”

As a foster daughter with her entire life planned, she didn’t have much time to consider what it would have been like if she were engaged to one of the twins. Certainly, if the far too short period of childhood with them was any indication, they would be like Laurence and Lady Eleanor.

“Heh....” She sniffled and kept her eyes shut as helplessness and guilt gripped her. “You two have always thought of me. I....” Despite her eyes clenched shut, the tears slipped through and slid down her cheeks before she could wipe them away.

Both men frowned and came closer. “Beks?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Do you really want to marry me?” she asked.

Laz put a hand on her shoulder and lowered his head to study hers. “Yes.”

“A thousand times over,” Lucian added. “Now that we have the opportunity, we will take it.”

Beks kept her eyes down, staring at the space between them. Laz’s comforting expression began to falter. “Beks...do you...do you not want to marry us?”

At that, Lucian’s face paled. He looked at her with pleading eyes, as if silently begging her to refute that.

The longer she was silent, the more panicked the two became.

A breathy voice came from her lips. “It’s not fair....”

“What?” Laz leaned forward.

Beks wiped at her eyes. “It’s not fair. I want to marry you. I want to be with you both. I want to wake up with you on either side of me.” Her red eyes trembled as she gave them a sad smile. “I want to eat Laz’s food and be carried off to bed to rest when I’m too focused on my work by Lucian. I want to be treated with care and not as an accessory to be used in your role, forgotten so easily when something else comes up.” Her heart ached as searched their eyes. “I want to marry you because I love you, but I hate that even though I do, and I know I do, there is this nagging sense of duty that makes me question my motives; that tells me that I am not sincereenough. And the more I think about it, the more frightened I get that I will disappoint you.”

She could almost see the heartbreak in their faces as Laz stepped forward and cupped the side of her face. Lucian closed the gap between them and wrapped his arms around her waist as he pressed his head against the side of hers.

“Beks, that is good enough.” Her eyes widened at Laz’s reassurance.

“If you love us and want to marry us, the fact that it is also politically beneficial is merely a bonus,” Lucian told her, almost sounding amused.

“It is not the main, let alone the only, reason,” Laz said as his thumb wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes. She still couldn’t meet his warm gaze. “You knew that you had to marry Luther when you were a child for duty. Tell us: do you feel the same with us as you did with him?”

She almost jumped back in protest. “No!” The very idea of it feeling the same was out of the question.

Lucian let out a relieved breath and Laz’s gaze became satisfied. He gave her a small nod. “Then, that’s your answer, isn’t it?”

He continued to stroke her face and Beks leaned into his hot palm. “I kept telling everyone it wasn’t for duty, but I hate that it still feels that way.”

“Doesn’t this only show your commitment to the kingdom?” Laz told her. “If you didn’t have that, where would we be right now?”

She nodded, but kept her eyes downcast, ashamed that she couldn’t be as clear as they were. Her thoughts were still measured and hyper focused elsewhere. She clenched her jaw with frustration. Why could she not be as affectionate to them as they were to her? Clearly, she was affectionate to her family and Snowflake. Was she restrained because she felt, like Luther, their affection for her was conditional?

She couldn’t allow herself to think that way. Laz and Lucian were not and never would be Luther.

“I...I am still learning to allow myself to feel strong emotions,” she said. “If I seem cold or unmoved-”

“You don’t have to explain,” Lucian told her. “We’ve been with you long enough to know your situation. Since you were a child, you were trained to stay calm and minimize any intense feelings, forced to rationalize everything first so you didn’t get a flare up.”

“And you’re adjusting well,” Laz replied. “You are more unrestrained than several months ago, Beks. That’s good. You deserve it.”

Her brows furrowed as she thought about everything she’d been through in the last year. When she left Kadmus, she was still restraining herself, preventing any unnecessary outbursts. Even her last, hateful words to Luther were measured.

Now, she just cried in front of the two men. Her lips curled up a bit and she let out a small laugh. Twenty-four years old, and she cried.

“It feels good,” she said.

“Good,” Laz said as his intent look held hers. “Then, Rebecca of Caroline....” He knelt down in front of her, holding one hand while Lucian knelt beside him holding the other. “We will ask you once more....”

Lucian’s smiling face looked up at her with longing. “Will you marry us?”

A wide smile filled her face and she laughed as she looked at them. These two men who brought her comfort and gave her a home when she needed it most. No matter what her head said, every fiber of her being knew what she wanted.

“Yes.”

The two shot up and wrapped their arms around her, pinning her between them as they kissed her cheeks and the sides of her head. Beks laughed and raised her arms, holding them against her as she closed her eyes and relished the warmth of their embrace.

“We were worried for a bit,” Laz admitted.

“You hadn’t brought it up for some time or tried to convince Brother Laurence,” Lucian told her. “We thought you didn’t want to marry us anymore.” As he said it, he squeezed her harder, as if afraid she’d vanish.

“It’s not the right time to,” Beks replied. “There is so much else I’m thinking about; Brother Laurence’s crown, what we needed, how we’d get it. And when I did think about it, I questioned myself. Now, I still have much to occupy my thoughts...not to mention, my parents.” She let out a heavy sigh. She could convince her siblings, she was sure, as long as she made it clear that the twins were sincere to her. Her parents, however, required a proper discussion. She’d need to think of how to address it and convince them.

“Don’t overthink it,” Laz said. She turned to look at him with a questioning look.

How did he know? She’d already begun rehearsing what to tell her parents.

Laz raised a brow. “Of course, I know. You realized there was an obstacle and you immediately began to think of a way to overcome it.” She gasped and drew her head back in surprise. “Beks, this is a habit of yours everyone knows.”

She pursed her lips. “I didn’t realize I was so predictable.”

“You don’t waste energy on unnecessary actions,” Lucian said with a slight chuckle. “There is another obstacle regarding our marriage that you’ve brought up before, but we haven’t had the chance to discuss it. Laz and I have made a decision, but we want your thoughts before we commit to it.”

It sounded rather serious and Beks wasn’t sure what they were talking about for a moment. She opened her mouth to ask what that obstacle was, but inhaled sharply. Her eyes widened and there was a hint of panic in them.

“Kadmus does not allow for more than one spouse at a time with the exception of the spouses of choice and convenience for the reigning monarch.” Beks silently swore. Idiot. How can you marry two men at the same time when the law won’t allow it?

The twins nodded and led her to sit down. They knelt down on either side of her, each still holding her hand in an effort to keep her calm.

Lucian gave her a helpless smile. “Laz and I discussed it. Because I’m a priest and I’ve taken the Water of the Covenant, I can’t have children.”

Her heart sank at once. She’d forgotten that. Drinking the Water of the Covenant meant that a priest would dedicate their lives to the Temple, forgoing creating a family of their own. They drank it at a certain age when they took their final rites. Once the Water of the Covenant was consumed, there was no turning back, as it would make it impossible for the priest to have children of their own.

Lucian cannot have children of his own.

Lucian seemed to read her thoughts and gave her a small, bittersweet nod as her hand squeezed his tight. “At the time, I didn’t think there would be a chance to marry you, and I didn’t consider marrying anyone else.”

She closed her eyes and nodded. “I understand.”

“Laz will be the one who formally marries you, as if you have children, they will not be questioned,” Lucian said with some disappointment in his eyes.

Laz reached across and placed his arm on his brother’s shoulder. “It is only a legality, Lucian.”

His brother kept the smile on his face, but it was clear he was still disappointed. “Perhaps it is for the best,” he said. “With this, the decision is made out of practicality. I don’t want Beks to have to make the decision nor fight with you about it.”

Laz nodded. He looked up at Beks. “Is this acceptable?”

“It is only a legal matter,” she said.

“Yes, when we make the vows, it will be all three of us,” Laz assured her. He kissed her hand. “And we will be on either side of you, just as you wish.” Lucian kissed her other hand and she nodded.

“Thank you,” she said as she pulled them closer. “As long as you will have me, I will have you.”

“Then, since you’ve formally agreed. We should give you the first gift.” He stood up and pulled Beks to her feet. She gave him a curious look as he and Lucian walked to their respective vaults. On the shelf, in the center, was a dark red lacquered box.

They brought their matching boxes to her and lifted the lid to reveal golden cloth and a single object resting in each box.

“Adah prepared everything here for us, as there was always a chance that we would leave Kadmus as adults. At the very least, as adult members of the royal family, we would have to leave the Gilded Palace and set up our own households,” Lucian said. “That isn’t to say that he didn’t trust Brother to send us off properly, but at that time, Kadmus wasn’t in the soundest financial situation.”

Laz nodded. “If there was little money in the treasury, what could be given to two royal sons? Brother’s priority would have to be the kingdom. Adah didn’t want us to be lacking, so everything was prepared. That is why there are so many household items here; furniture, artwork, even jewelry and cloth.”

Beks raised her eyes. “Then the jewelry here is for your wives?” She had raised her hand to touch the items in the box, but retracted it.

Lucian chuckled. “These are our engagement gifts to you.” Beks looked down at the boxes.

The two long, slender silver pins had faint engravings and each end was topped with a series of pearls meant to look like flowers on the branch of a tree. The identical pieces were different in one way. Lucian’s had luminescent white pearls that had a bit of a pink-silver sheen while Laz’s pearls were luminescent black with purple, green, and blue sheens when they hit the light.

“Adah prepared these for our future wife in the tradition of his people,” Laz told her as she reached out to touch one of the pins. “Ornamental hairpins are presented to one spouse from the proposing spouse.”

“These are similar to rings in Kadmus.” Lucian watched her fingers move over the pins. “In Langshe, the head is sacred. To carry a memento of your spouse in your hair is to acknowledge the sacredness of your covenant to each other.”

“You don’t have to wear them now, of course,” Laz said. “When we have the ceremony, we will place these in your hair.”

Lucian chuckled. “Adah would be so happy to know that they are going to you. That everything he had prepared for us once we left the palace would be shared with you.”

“Then...I will need to get you hair ornaments, as well.” They should match. And men’s hair ornaments were different from women’s, so she’d need to find a plate and pin. Her mother could put her in contact with a suitable silversmith, but she’d need to procure pearls. And not just ordinary pearls, but something of similar luster and size as the ones on her engagement ornaments.

Her face must’ve reflected her planning, as the two men began to laugh. “Beks, there is no hurry.”

“Now that we are in agreement, we can rest assured and take our time. A proper engagement period should be had,” Laz said as his brother nodded.

“Good, then I can take my time to search for a suitable gift,” she replied, still a bit distracted. She closed the lids on both boxes and then brought her thick satchel in front of her. She took each box and slid it into her satchel with care.

“Then, decide on how you want to take out the gold. We can only bring out so much at once as it wouldn’t be good to carry around large amounts,” Lucian told her.

“It says there are some gold coins here, which can be used immediately. Do you know where they are? We should use those up first.”

“They may be further back,” Laz said.

“Let’s go check.” The twins left Beks at the front of the vault while she calculated her first batch of items. She should go with the most difficult items first, which were horses and weapons. They’d have to be made outside of Kadmus and transported in, somehow. She needed to contact Nexus to prepare a storage point. Green Meadows was ideal.

“Beks, can you check the chests by the front?” she heard Laz shout behind her.

“All right!” She walked towards the shelves against the wall, but they were mostly small boxes of jewelry and artwork. Still, she opened each one in case there were some coins.

One box had a palm sized iron figurine of a tiger, but the body was made of white mother of pearl inlaid in between the iron. Beks drew her head back with surprise.

Instead of pearls, mother of pearl as enamel may look good on a hair ornament plate. Her eyes brightened. That was an excellent idea. She filed the thought away for later and moved to Laz’s side. She opened another box and blinked. Another palm sized iron figurine of a tiger, but instead of mother of pearl, its ‘stripes’ were dark. From the similar luster and shine, it was likely a dark mother of pearl. She didn’t know it existed and couldn’t help but feel excited.

Laz’s hair ornament could have the black mother of pearl and Lucian’s could have the white mother of pearl, which would correspond with her hair ornaments. Excited, she went back and got the other box with the tiger. Forgetting the search for coins for a moment, Beks picked up both heavy iron pieces and cocked her head.

They were missing one side.

The tigers mirrored each other, but the half that laid in the cloth was gone. Instead of a full tiger, it was as if it were cut in half and the back half had awkward pieces and holes jutting out, which was strange for a figurine.

As she held them together she squinted. “Wait....” She adjusted the two tiger halves against each other and pushed. A small click was heard as the two pieces locked together, and the mother of pearl from inside the tiger were pushed out, revealing more mother of pearl, and making the iron tiger appear to be covered in it. The white tiger had white mother of pearl fur with black mother of pearl stripes, and blue gemstone eyes.

“What’s that?” Laz asked as he climbed over some boxes.

“Did you find it?” Lucian peeked in from behind the wall.

“No, but I found this tiger figurine,” Beks said. She lifted it up. “It gave me a good idea for your hair ornaments.”

The two men craned their necks to look at it and nodded. “Adah put some of his own treasures here. It must’ve been one of his.”

“One side was on Laz’s shelf and the other was in Lucian’s,” Beks replied. “But it fits together.” She moved it in her palm. “But it’s cleverly made. I love the way it's colored.”

“If you want it, it’s yours,” Laz told her.

“Or you can give it to Wrath as a gift from us,” Lucian suggested. Laz’s brows shot up and he nodded in agreement. They still needed to win the little girl over and Wrath still held a grudge for that one time they were on the bed when it was her naptime.

Beks nodded. “It does look like something she likes, though she’s more interested in legendary beasts.”

The twins returned to their search and Beks fiddled with the iron and mother of pearl tiger to try to split it apart and place each side back in its respective box. However, no matter how she pressed and twisted, the tiger was locked in place. She furrowed her brows and lifted the figurine up, trying to find any button or latch, but couldn’t find one.

The paw pads of the tiger were iron and had protruding metal shaped like Langsher characters, but she didn’t understand them. She wrinkled her nose. It seemed she needed to review her Langhser.

Since she couldn’t split the tiger back in two, she placed it in one of the boxes and closed the lid, then stuffed both boxes next to her hairpins in the satchel. As she secured the flaps so they wouldn’t fall out, Laz shouted that he had found the coins and told Laz where he found them so he could get some.

Beks decided on four fist sized boxes of coins, two from each vault.

“I think this will be enough to at least get us started. Once we contact suitable suppliers and come to an agreement, we’ll come back for the payment,” Beks said. “It’s safer here than with us.”

The two men nodded. Since her satchel was stuffed, they split the four boxes between them and hid them in their robes. They closed the panels between the two vaults and then used similar niches on the stone doors to reopen them.

“We have some time until we meet Gerard at the square,” Laz said. “Are you hungry?” They stepped out of the vault and Laz turned around to stick his hand into a niche in the thick stone doorway. This caused the door to stop opening and begin closing.

Dual grinding sounds filled the hall as Lucian stood in front of his vault, watching to make sure it closed properly.

“There were many places to eat at the plaza. Let’s find something to eat there and wait for Gerard,” she replied.

Laz nodded, and once the stone doors were sealed and gears were heard locking them in place, he looked at his brother. “Lunch at the plaza and we’ll wait for Gerard.”

“All right.” Lucian caught up with them. “Second mate Trisanto said that the house isn’t far from the plaza, so they may already be there.”

The trio turned and headed up the hall, back to the main corridor that led out of the mountain. The hall was still well illuminated and as she turned her head, Beks noticed that one of the vaults deeper in the hall was open. She didn’t pay any attention, as there were plenty of other people there.

However, she made it two steps when a voice rang out, nearly filling the hall.

“Gan!” The hoarse male voice echoed around them and even if they weren't the ones being called, they turned around to see who was yelling. “Jargal!”

She stiffened. Those are Laz and Lucian’s Langsher names-

Before she could make sense of why a bearded man dressed in torn, stained clothing and half leaning out of a vault was calling their names, the tension in the air became palatable, and Laz and Lucian cried out.

It took her a moment to register what they said as Laz told Lucian to stay with her before he ran towards the man hobbling out, crying out their names with tears in his eyes.

Beks’ brows shot up.

Laz and Lucian had called for Geel Zhan. Geel was an honorific applied to elder males of the same generation, on their father’sside.

Beks stood frozen in place as she watched Laz embrace the older man, who appeared both shaken and relieved, with disbelief. Geel was the honorific and Zhan was the man’s name, which meant one thing.

What was the Crown Prince of Langshe doing in a vault on the other side of the continent?

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“I’m sorry, we have yet to settle into the house and the food and drink is lacking.” Beks placed a freshly washed cup with a local tea they’d just bought on the table. They didn’t even have a proper teapot; she’d boiled water in a metal pot.

Her face reddened with embarrassment. Beks had her share of lessons on how to be a proper hostess, not just to citizens of Kadmus, but to visiting dignitaries, and rule number one was to make the guest feel comfortable.

The second rule was to provide them with food and drink.

The furniture of the narrow, four-story house two blocks away from the port’s main plaza was still half covered with sheets and the building was musty from disuse. Windows were open to air it out, but it would take time. They also hadn’t bought food yet. Gerard had only brought back some water from the shared inner courtyard well.

Beks didn’t even want to sit down with her discomfort. She was serving tea poorly filtered with water boiled from a pot to the Crown Prince of the largest empire on the continent during their first meeting. Even if she understood their situation, that didn’t mean she wasn’t ashamed of how her hospitality was lacking.

Despite it, the man with the ragged black beard smiled broadly at her and accepted the cup with both hands, as if he’d been poured the finest tea available.

“Thank you, Amrei.” He brought the cup to his lips and took a long sip. Beks felt even more distressed. Did the tea even taste good? She wasn’t familiar with the dried flower tea they were able to find. Perhaps she didn’t steep it long enough? Or worse, steeped it too long. The Crown Prince lowered the cup. Half the tea was gone and he showed no sign of displeasure. “It is good tea. Thank you, Amrei.”

Beks gave him a small bow of her head. Amrei was the title he’d hurriedly called her when the twins introduced her as their fiancée. It was the title of the wife of a male cousin of the same generation, on one’s mother’s side. Surprisingly, the Crown Prince didn’t question why both his younger cousins were marrying the same woman. The older man, who was older than Brother Laurence, hastily patted down his clothes and sleeves before pulling out a gold bangle off his own wrist to give to her as a meeting gift.

Beks refused at first. The Crown Prince didn’t seem to have traveled there smoothly and with news that Prince Tarkhan had taken over, Beks could only assume the worst. That gold bangle might’ve been all he had left. Still, he shoved it in her hands and told her to accept it with his apologies.

It was their first meeting and all he could give her was a single bracelet. He felt lacking that it was all he could give her. She felt lacking in that she could only welcome him with poorly brewed tea. In most cases, this would make for a terrible first impression between future in-laws, but in this case, neither seemed to take it to heart.

“Amrei, sit down.” Despite his poverty-stricken appearance, his speech and movements urging her to take a seat with his cousins across the table were elegant. “You have worked hard.”

She shook her head and took a seat next to Lucian. Laz sat across while the Crown Prince sat at the head of the table.

When they came out of the vault, all of them had questions, but they were not in a place to speak. A single glance at the Crown Prince made it clear that he’d escaped and been in hiding. Speaking about his ordeal out in the open was too dangerous, so they agreed to wait until they got to the house.

They ran into Gerard in the main plaza down the street and he took them to the house that they were preparing. The ground floor was an unassuming tailor’s shop, but the upper three floors were a private residence. Upon entering the store, Beks noticed the kraken logos subtly hidden by the doorway and along the shop’s crown molding. Despite knowing they were a symbol of a pirate fleet, the sight of them calmed Beks.

Gerard went out to get food after he let them in and helped Beks boil water. Now, with a leviathan’s scale to keep their conversation private, Laz asked his cousin what happened.

The Crown Prince let out a small, bitter laugh. “What do you think, Gan? Why am I here instead of the Summer Palace?”

The twins let out a heavy breath. “Geel Zhan, we have heard that Prince Tarkhan is taking the throne.”

The Crown Prince’s face darkened. “I should’ve known he was planning something when he didn’t arrive at the Equinox Palace with the rest of the court.”

“We heard you were enroute to return when Auntie was deathly ill, but you disappeared,” Laz said.

Beks could see the older man’s eyes glaze over as his hands around the cup shook. “My entourage was traveling in secret so as not to alert Tarkhan’s people. We were close to the Summer Palace, but before we could reach the summit, my entourage were attacked.” He let out a cold laugh. “In broad daylight. Can you believe it?”

“Were you going up the main road? How could an attack happen in the middle of the day and be unnoticed?” Lucian asked with a frown.

The Crown Prince shook his head. “We went through the old pass. It’s steeper and no longer used except on rare occasions, but it is a faster route. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.”

“Do you know if it was Prince Tarkhan’s men who attacked you?” Laz asked in a low voice.

The Crown Prince grit his teeth. “They were foreigners.”

“Foreigners?” Laz and Lucian frowned at once. “Foreigners rarely travel to the summer palace.”

“With the exception of political and merchant envoys,” Lucian told him. “But I remember the security around all the palaces, especially when the monarch is in residence, is extremely strict.”

“It was stricter as my mother was dying,” the Crown Prince said in a strained voice. He lowered his eyes. “I didn’t suspect them. What country would be foolish enough to involve themselves in Langshe’s internal affairs?”

“Do you know where they were from?” Laz asked. “Any particular clothing or features? Did you hear them speak?”

“I couldn’t tell. They were dressed all in black, black pants, tunic, belt. Everything except their weapons were black. Nor did they speak. My men tried to ask them who they were and where they were from, but they didn’t respond.”

The twins and Beks exchanged glances. “Is it possible that Prince Tarkhan hired a mercenary group?” she asked.

“That’s possible,” Laz said in a low voice. “There are plenty on the continent.”

“Geel.” Beks turned her attention to the older man. The honorific felt strange to use, but he insisted she call him that. “How did you escape?”

“My men took me to the nearest port. We were chased the entire way and I lost men, one by one....” The Crown Prince’s eyes filled with remorse as he stared ahead of him. “It wasn’t just those foreigners attacking. Langshe people who are likely under Tarkhan’s control attacked us in droves. By the time we reached the port, I only had three men left. One stayed behind to lure them away so we could sail off, another acted as a decoy on another ship.”

“Where is your last one?” Lucian asked. Beks could feel her stomach twisting with dread. There was no one with the Crown Prince when they found him.

The man shut his eyes tight and shook his head. “Somehow, we were found in Paraxes. He paid someone to take me on their ship and hide me while he diverted their attention. He said that he would come back....” He let out a heavy breath. “I waited on that ship for five days. The woman captain sent someone to look for him and found his body in one of the district’s morgues.” His eyes reddened. “He had multiple cuts and stab wounds, but what ended him was a slit throat.”

The table was silent for a moment. “I’m sorry, Geel,” Lucian whispered, his voice tight. The Crown Prince reached across the table and squeezed Lucian’s forearm.

“My men knew that they would give their lives for me, but....” He let out a trembling breath. “I don’t want to see them die in vain.”

“It isn’t in vain if you’re alive,” Beks told him as she raised her eyes. “He did what he could to ensure your survival and you are alive.”

His face softened and he gave her an acknowledging nod. “I suppose you are right, Amrei.”

“That ship took you here?” Laz asked.

“Yes, I asked if they could take me here. Mother transferred a small vault to me. I thought I would hide there and try to hear news of you,” he said. “I hoped that you would come, as Uncle Timur had a dual vault set up for you after your last visit to Langshe.” He gave them a wry smile. “My gamble and prayers paid off.”

“Did you have enough to pay for the ship?” Lucian asked. “If they are still here, we can pay for you.”

The Crown Prince shook his head. “I have money in the vault, my cousin, and the ship left a week ago. Also, Captain Lyone would not accept my money.”

Beks’ head snapped up. “Did you say Captain Lyone?” The man nodded. “Tall older woman, dark skin, hazel eyes?”

“Yes, she is from the West Islands, I believe.”

“Did her ship have a kraken symbol on the sails?” Laz asked carefully.

Once more, the Crown Prince nodded and looked at them curiously. “Do you know of it? The ship was called-”

“Kraken’s Whip.” The three others at the table spoke at once. Beks sighed and lifted her hand to her chest. “Geel, Captain Lyone is my great aunt.”

The man’s brows shot up. He slapped the table and laughed. His voice sounded triumphant. “Then it was fate! Fate!”

“Great Aunt is heading north now then. I wonder if she found what she was looking for,” Beks said, speaking more to herself than the others. “I wish we didn’t miss her.”

“We’ll cross paths with her again soon, I am certain,” Lucian assured her as he raised his hand and stroked the back of her head. He looked back at his cousin. “Geel, what are your plans to retake your throne?”

Laz sat up straight. “You are going to retake it, aren’t you? That throne is yours!”

The Crown Prince held up his hands to calm them. “Of course, I want to retake it, but Tarkhan is in a better position, both strategically and literally. Nothing short of laying siege and killing him will give me back my throne, but right now, I have no guard. My contacts are limited, and he has control over Langshe's military forces.”

“I thought Langshe’s forces were split amongst the marquis and general families of the empire,” Beks said with confusion. Had she misunderstood? Langshe didn’t have one cohesive army. The military power was split to particular noble and aristocratic lines that were loyal to the throne and those families were in charge of feeding, training, and providing resources for their armies in return for controlling them on behalf of the Emperor or Empress.

They could also lose control of an army if the monarch lost trust in them, their abilities, or simply found another family more suitable. As a result, it became competitive to keep up an army, which was also why Langshe’s military force was so strong.

“It is, Amrei, but those families are loyal to the Emperor,” the Crown Prince told her gently. “The families that are loyal to me could lose their power at any moment and be replaced by a family that supports Tarkhan.”

“Then, you need to act quickly. The transition will take some time, so you have a chance to get to your supporters before they can lose their military strength,” Beks said.

Lucian sighed, helpless. “But at the moment, he has no way back and no one to guard him.”

“And the political climate of Langshe has always been tricky,” Laz told them. “We don’t know if those who support him will turn.”

“They will seek their own benefits first, if only to protect their families. I understand this,” the Crown Prince told them. “If I am to gain their support, I must show that I not only have a good chance of regaining the throne, but that I will likely win. They are gambling with their lives and their families.”

Beks lowered her eyes. Family was important in Langshe.

“If Adah were alive, he would back you,” Lucian said with a small shake of his head. “If only the Red Iron Cavalry hadn’t disbanded.”

The Crown Prince took a deep breath. “That is what I wanted to speak to you about.” The twins looked towards him. “This was a secret between him and my mother. The Red Iron Cavalry was never disbanded. He had hidden it away in case it was needed to support my rule.” His eyes reddened as he said it. “Uncle was a strategist at heart; always planning for the worst-case scenario while hoping for the best. My mother said that if Tarkhan tried to take what was mine, to find my cousins and ask for their help to find and utilize the Red Iron Cavalry.”

Laz and Lucian looked at a loss. They met each other’s eyes from across the table, as if silently asking if the other knew. Finally, Laz looked back at the Crown Prince.

“Geel, Adah didn’t tell us anything about the Red Iron Cavalry. He told us it was disbanded.”

The Crown Prince shook his head. “They can only be ordered by the Red Iron Cavalry’s military talisman, which he would’ve passed to you.”

Their faces paled. “Geel, we can’t enter Kadmus at the moment. You should’ve heard about Brother Laurence and the Fourth Prince.”

The Crown Prince scowled. “Don’t get me started on that little waste of a prince! He’s sided with Tarkhan!”

Laz nearly hit the table. He leaned back and took a deep breath to calm himself. Lucian narrowed his eyes. “He’s trying to cut us off. He thinks we’re missing and in order to keep his legitimacy if we return, he wants to weaken our backing.”

“I can’t believe this! That ridiculous turnip! How dare he? After everything Auntie and you have done to continue to support the kingdom even after we were sent away!” Laz raged some more and Beks stared at the tabletop.

She tapped her fingers on the stone top and then looked up. “Geel,” she asked. “Perhaps Uncle Timur left the talisman in their vault. If the late Empress transferred her vault to you, should something happen, you would go to your vault, right?”

The Crown Prince looked at her and gave her a small nod. “Yes...when we left Langshe, I wanted to come here.”

Beks nodded. “And you said Uncle Timur was a strategist. If you came here and his sons had vaults to provide for them in Kadmus could not, then he would put that talisman-”

“In Laz and Lucian’s vault!” The Crown Prince’s face lit up. “Yes! That makes sense!”

“We will be here for some time and they can look for it. Do you two know what it looks like?” She looked at the two younger princes.

The twins shook their heads. “The Red Iron Calvary was supposed to have been disbanded when Adah married. We assumed he returned or destroyed the talisman, nor did he speak of it.”

“Then, Geel, do you know how it looks like?”

The Crown Prince nodded. “I’ve only seen it once. It’s a beautiful piece that could easily be mistaken as a statue. It’s not large, the size of one’s hand, at most, and embedded with two different kinds of shomu.”

Beks didn’t know what that translated to in Jasper. “What’s that?”

“Mother of pearl,” the twins answered.

The Crown Prince nodded. “Two different colors of it make the tiger’s skin and stripes.”

Beks tensed. Her eyes darted to her satchel at the far end of the table. “Tiger?”

“Yes,” the Crown Prince said. “The talisman for the Red Iron Calvary is an iron tiger embedded with white and black mother of pearl.”