The Empire and the Wolf King (Kaitlyn and the Highlander #21)

1. Chapter 1 - Lady Mairead

CHAPTER 1 - LADY MAIREAD

THE KINGDOM OF RIAGHALBANE - 2391

I was dining alone. My eyes settled on my empty wine glass, irritated, because it had not been refilled by the servants.

There was an alert.

I sighed.

This was likely more of the same trouble I couldna handle because I had nae vessel. I was trapped.

I asked the computer, “What is it?”

The computer’s voice answered, “We have just received word, there is a video message for you, from Asgall.”

“I will watch it in my office.” I pushed my plate away, grabbed the bottle of wine in one hand and a glass in the other, and shoved up out of my chair.

One of my servants said, “Lady Mairead, would you like me to bring wine up?”

“Now ye are wanting tae serve? Daena bother, I am capable of carrying it.”

In my office I slammed the wine glass down with too much force, shattering it upon the desk blotter, and then suffered, glowering, while a servant bustled around frantically cleaning it up.

The servant poured another glass, bowed out of the room, and left me in solitude.

I was grateful for that.

The solitude.

They were not performing their duties well enough, and I would lose my temper. I had nae patience for the bustling and cowering of my staff and the more I lost patience the more they cowered. Twas unsettling.

And although the solitude was needed, it accentuated my loneliness.

I sighed again.

I sipped wine and asked the room tae play the video.

First I was shown a projection of the ransom letter from Asgall that I had seen the day before. He claimed tae hae kidnapped Magnus and Kaitlyn and demanded that I step down from the throne and give it over tae him.

I had chosen not tae respond.

Instead I had contacted Liam Campbell the caretaker of Taymouth castle and had set my plan in motion.

But now there was a video, a verra large projection of Asgall, a man I had never met, with my daughter-in-law on his lap. Och nae, she looks terrified. He had his hand clamped in her hair, pullin’ her head back. I felt sick at the thought. Magnus would be furious — how dare he manhandle King Magnus’s wife?

Asgall asked how she was doing.

Her voice wavered when she answered, “Not good.”

I told the video tae freeze, I walked forward and really stared intae his eyes.

Then I asked for the video tae resume.

I leveled my gaze and watched it play out. He was demanding that I respond, requiring me tae answer.

I said, “Ye will regret the hand ye laid upon her head, Asgall.”

He forced Kaitlyn tae hold up a newspaper. Her eyes were watering with pain.

I felt a red hot hatred boiling up from my middle.

He demanded that I negotiate.

The voice in the room asked, “Would you like to dictate a response?”

“Nae. I want tae watch it again.”

I watched it a second time, feeling more outrage than shock. I asked the room, “Where is this taking place?”

It returned with, “The room where this ransom video was filmed fits the floor plan and description of a brothel in Staunton, Virginia, although we cannot be certain?—”

I said, “Show it again.”

The video played, I froze it on the date on the front of the newspaper.

June 15, 1775

I considered it while talking it through. “Tis likely that a newspaper in the colonial age would be a weekly, so twould take a few days to get tae his hands... but, he has taken pains tae show me the front page, he is using the date tae spur me tae action. Will ye check the week of June 15 for any storms or other discrepancies?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

I requested, “Play it again,” and watched it through until the moment when Asgall said, “Lady Mairead, ye see I winna take hesitation kindly. I hae yer son and yer daughter-in-law. They are at my mercy. Ye must sign the contract.”

I said, “How dare he speak directly tae me, as if I hae consented tae a conversation. How dare he?”

I began tae pace. “I will not be addressed in this manner, ever. Not by another king and definitely not by a two-bit villain in a brothel parlor who is trying tae steal a throne.”

The room asked once more: “What is your response, Your Highness?”

I stopped pacing. “What is the meaning of Asgall’s rise tae power, dost ye think? Why does anyone become villainous?”

The voice in the room said, “Any number of?—”

I interrupted, “Tis either seeking revenge; or building an empire, a quest for power; or tis sociopathic fun, he wants tae undermine Magnus, tae watch him suffer. It might be all of these things — so nae, I winna negotiate. He is losing. He lost the moment he murdered my son, Sean, and he kens he is losing because he sent me a ransom letter and now in a panic he sends a video. How dare he! Ye can tell he is weak because he has a fistful of my daughter-in-law’s hair. He has overplayed his hand, sending me this video revealing his weakness. He looks pallid and angry, there is perspiration on his brow. He wants tae strike fear intae m’heart, but he is sweaty and abusive, nae!”

I looked at the video still on his face. “Nae.”

The voice in the room asked, “No response, Your Highness?”

“I daena respond tae this nonsense.”

“He has given you a deadline.”

I took a long deep breath. “If he already has Kaitlyn, then he already has Magnus. That he daena shew Magnus in this video means Magnus is likely… might be… dead. Both of them are likely dead whether I negotiate or not. I could give up the throne tomorrow and lose every member of my family, one after another, or I can say nae, and keep the throne. I say nae. Daena respond in any way.”

I picked up my bottle and glass and left the room for my chamber.