Kiera hung her head back as she soaked her body in the bath. She had already spent minutes mulling over Bryan's words. Kiera felt the same as her First Captain. As if they were standing on the precipice of an incoming storm.
The worst part was that she knew she was missing vital information that could help them understand how a Deranged Beast managed to go by undetected.
She closed her eyes angrily as her thoughts shifted to Prince Sam.
He knew more than what he was letting on, that much she knew. Her King would have also known this, for he had made her divulge information about the Beasts. She admitted Prince Sam was more resourceful than she had thought, but to align themselves with him was a strategy she couldn't understand. What was her king planning?
Politics and strategy were never her strong suit. She knew how to swing a blade and that was the only discernible talent she possessed. Kiera had no choice but to place her faith entirely in King William's hands and blindly follow his orders.
She would be his sword, until the day he no longer thought her useful.
She opened her eyes and stood up from the bath. This was her second bath since yesterday when she visited Prince Sam. Each bath, she made sure to scrub her skin, fearing when she presents herself to her King she would still smell of the prince. Now all she could smell on her skin was the strong overbearing scent of rose from the soap she had rubbed all over her body.
Kiera slipped into her loose-fitting white blouse, and pulled her riding pants over, tucking the bottom of her shirt into her pants. She fastened her leather belt with her empty sheath to her side. After pulling her damp hair into one long braid, she left her room and started walking toward King William's room.
She stood in front of the King's doors for a moment, she steeled herself, and then knocked on the grand wooden doors.
"Kiera Blackwater, requesting an audience Your Majesty."
"Come in." From inside she heard her King's authoritative voice call her in. She opened the door and bowed her head as soon as she entered the room.
Kiera knew he would be there, but that still didn't stop her heart from stuttering when her eyes saw the brilliant golden glow of the prince's hair. He sat on the seat across from her King. As she had bowed her head she could not see his face, nor what kind of smile he had on his lips.
When she lifted her head she saw the prince showed not a hint of a smile on his lips.
"I extend my greetings to Solomon's Third Prince." She deadpanned and gave a respectful bow of her head toward him.
King William watched their exchange, his amber eyes going from Beast General to the prince. Then he cleared his throat.
"Kiera, Prince Sam has agreed to join our investigation. The information he has provided has proved invaluable to our efforts of understanding what occurred at the palace the night of the attack."
"Going forward, you two will work together. Sam will provide us with the information we need to know and Kiera, you will continue your investigation. You know what to do should your investigation lead you to a Deranged Beast."
She nodded her head.
"It shall be done."
King William turned to the prince.
"Prince Sam, this investigation has to be done quietly and quickly. Kiera will be in charge of dispatching the Deranged and making sure you are safe. The Deranged are far stronger than the average Beast and so it's imperative that you stay by her side."
"Thank you for the kindness you have shown me." Sam rose from his seat and bowed his head to the King, his hand over his chest. "I feel safer knowing the General will be watching over me."
She looked away, embarrassed by the prince's words in front of the King.
"Please excuse me King William." He dismissed himself in front of the King. Then she heard him approach and she realized he was waiting for her.
"Then," she bowed her head to the King, "I will be leaving as well Your Majesty."
"Very well. I wish luck to the both of you."
"I suppose we should start right away." Prince Sam said as soon as they stood outside the King of Beast's room. She gave a small nod.
"The sooner we can follow up on clues the better chance we have of finding the culprit."
"Then we should head to Vicksburg. I have an informant waiting for me there."
"Will it just be us two Your Highness?"
His green eyes flicked to her.
"Yes. We don't want to draw attention to ourselves. First, we will get horses from the stables and ride them to where the carriage waits."
They walked in silence to the stables, passing by the armory so that they could pick up their swords. At the stables, Kiera went to Lassie and gave her a quick pet before saddling her. To her surprise, she saw the prince work swiftly as he saddled his horse, a spotted grey and white mare who seemed well tempered.
The prince readied his horse and sat mounted his horse before Kiera. He waited wordlessly as she swung her leg over the side of her horse.
He gave a nod and then they set off.
Prince Sam led her to a secluded place. It was just as he had said, a drab-looking carriage awaited them. The prince got off his horse and gave the reins over to the man that waited next to the carriage.
"Take our horses to the stables in Seena. Leave them there, I will send for someone to bring them back tomorrow."
The man bowed his head, "Right away Your Highness."
Kiera got off Lassie and gave the mysterious man the reins to her horse. As soon as she was done, she was handed a cloak from the prince. She did not hesitate to don the cloak as the prince was already adjusting the cloak over his clothing.
Then they entered the carriage. Like the day she and the prince went into the capital, the prince only needed to knock on the side of the carriage and they took off.
Kiera did not know what to do with herself as silence descended upon them both. She did not know how long the carriage ride would last and she did not know the prince's thoughts as he looked straight ahead. She couldn't stare out the carriage window for the curtains were drawn so they would remain anonymous. She decided she would rather face the problem head-on rather than the both of them staring at each other in complete silence.
"Your Highness." She began, but she was not sure what to say first. The prince only continued to stare at her.
She was beginning to miss the usual smile he had on his face. Without it, he looked less approachable, like the royal prince he was.
She tried again.
"Sam."
The prince shifted in his seat, and finally procuring some kind of response from him, Kiera decided to press on.
"About yesterday," she forced herself to look directly into his eyes as she spoke, "I want to clear the air between us."
"There's no easy way to say this. Yesterday was a mistake on my part and I sincerely apologize for it."
The prince blinked his emerald green eyes but kept silent.
"I got carried away." It was driving her crazy the lack of response she was getting from the prince. "I shouldn't have kissed you." She continued.
"I don't want you to mislead you. Our kisses yesterday did not mean-"
She was stopped by a finger than pressed down on her lips.
"I know." Sam had leaned over to her to reach out his hand. Then he removed his hand and settled back in his seat. "You don't have to say it out loud. I understand you can't accept me as your Mate. Not while you are investigating an attack that could have been caused by a Deranged Beast."
It was her turn to blink her eyes. She nodded her head mutely. Kiera did not know what to expect but she thought the prince would express some sort of anger toward her. The lack of emotion drove a wedge into her chest.
"Thank you for understanding."
He nodded and crossed his arms.
"Now, if you don't mind me asking, I have a couple of questions about the Deranged."
"Ask away Your Highness."
"First, what exactly are the Deranged? The story you told yesterday only said the Beasts would transform into animals every full moon. Are the Deranged inflicted with an illness tied to the curse?"
"Yes. One of the last things the Giantess said was the minds of the Beasts would rot away, until there's not a shred of humanity left."
"And the Deranged are brought forth because of that part of the curse?"
She answered him with another nod of her head.
"Have you ever seen a rabid animal Your Highness?" He thought about it for a while before he slightly dipped his head.
"It's similar to that. The Deranged often look crazed, with reddened eyes and foaming mouths. They also excessively sweat and can't think straight because they are desperately searching for anything to eat."
"And do they always present these symptoms?"
She shook her head.
"There were more than a few times that I encountered some Beasts that only showed signs of extreme hunger. Other times the Beasts do not think of eating and are only focused on killing anything and everything in their path." As he looked at her, Kiera saw a flicker of emotion pass through the prince's eyes.
"If you could put a number to the times you have fought a Deranged Beast, what number would that be?"
She was stumped by his question. It had never occurred to her to keep track.
Kiera opened and closed her mouth, thinking hard about the prince's question. Her eyes went to the side.
"Easily hundreds Your Highness. I'm sorry I can't give you an exact number."
She looked back at him in time to see him shake his head.
"Don't apologize. I was merely asking out of curiosity."
Kiera knew he probably wasn't lying, but she still felt like she inadequately answered his question.
"I assure you that out of all of the Beast Generals, I am the most experienced in fighting the Deranged. If you remember, my village was attacked by a pack of Deranged Beasts. Ever since then, I have made it my mission to get rid of as many as I can. No other General has killed as many of the Deranged as I. Therefore you have nothing to fear when you are with me Your Highness."
His stare went hard for a reason Kiera could not even begin to comprehend.
"Since when have you fought the Deranged?"
"Let's see, the first time I fought and killed a Deranged. It would have been when I was ten. Or nine. The orphanage I lived in for some time was attacked by a single Deranged Beast. It was a Panther Beast." She had rammed a fireplace poker into the back of its head as it was too preoccupied with eating the orphanage director.
"Gods, Kiera." Sam rubbed a hand over his face before he ran his hand through his hair.
"It wasn't all that bad, as it changed my life for the better. The incident was reported to the seventh Beast General, who recommended me to the Academy. I was able to receive an education and a chance to fight the Deranged."
"That does not make your struggle any less painful." It was the first time she had seen such a forlorn look on the prince's face. She felt guilty for being the cause of such a look on the usually bright man.
"Even when you believe you have accepted the events of the past, the pain that you endured is still there in your mind, like a scar." Kiera thought he showed his wisdom somewhat like her first Captain.
"You're right. There are times when I stay awake at night and think about everything I have done." She didn't know why she disclosed this to him. Perhaps his words made her believe she was with her first Captain, whom she had always felt comfortable speaking about her feelings with. Ever since she became the twelfth General and Bryan became her first Captain, tasked with helping the newly appointed General with getting acclimated to the new role, Bryan had always been a close confidant. Then came Jade, and afterward Cody. Her Captains were all still young like her, but she couldn't have asked for better people.
"I am doing a lot better than I did before." She said with a smile. "Now that I have my own people in my battalion. Every one of them has told me how much they look up to me, and how my story of struggle has inspired them to walk the path of a warrior. They have all suffered because of the Deranged and they want to make a change in the Forest. Their sentiment alone is enough for me to believe all the events that took place in my life were for a greater purpose, that maybe I was meant to become the person I am today."
A smile so sweet blossomed on his lips. Even though to her, a sorrowful gaze appeared within his jeweled emerald eyes.