Huntress Read online

  Meredith took over, and with a single nod of her head evicted my wife from the gymnasium. “Your Highness, this is Agent Barclave and Agent Ithaca. They’ll be your primary detail. They have the best talents and skillset among the new recruits. While I’m briefing you on how scenarios will work, Agent Evangeline will be preparing to take a principal role so the teams will get used to protecting two people at once.”

  Agent Barclave looked me over, his dark eyes narrowing as he took me in, his gaze locking on my open collar with no tie. Something about the man put me on edge, and I assumed it had something to do with the challenge in his gaze.

  Agent Ithaca flashed me a grin before resuming his stoic pose.

  “Agent Barclave will be functioning as the head of your detail for the current exercises. Expect him to be with you at all times. Agent Ithaca is the footman of the pairing. Should your agents need to separate, Agent Barclave will stay with you while Agent Ithaca will be more mobile. The other agents assigned to your detail will be operating as actors in the scenario. After you’re accustomed to how scenarios work, you will rotate through agents daily. This will give everyone a chance to work with you.”

  “Gentlemen,” I greeted. “I expect we all have a lot to learn here.”

  With narrowed eyes, Agent Barclave looked me over, and I wondered what he was thinking. His expression led me to believe nothing good.

  “His Highness’s health condition made it difficult, at best, to undergo the training other principals enjoy. Now that his health is improving, he’s ready to begin with relocation scenarios and learn the general ropes. He’ll also be learning basic self-defense, as this was unfortunately neglected. This will make your jobs more difficult for the foreseeable future. While Agent Evangeline will be working with him on self-defense, you will need to do what he can’t.”

  Both men saluted Meredith.

  “All right. Your Highness, to begin this session, we’re going to go over the cues you’ll need to follow. Cues will be used for most physical interactions for the first few days. As you become more adept at self-defense, we’ll remove cues for most things, requiring you to be handled rather roughly. Some cues—for dangerous maneuvers that could lead to substantial injury—will be used until the end of training. For example, should a would-be kidnapper attempt to hit you on the back of the head with a bat, we will use a hard swat to indicate you’ve been hit.”

  I winced at the thought of someone taking a bat to my head. “Is that even survivable?”

  “Surprisingly, yes. It depends on how hard you’re hit, if you receive medical attention immediately, and the talents of your agents at the time you’re struck. Agent Barclave has a minor healing talent, which makes him ideal for this line of work. While he can’t save you from catastrophic injury, he can buy you a few minutes for additional help to arrive. A severe blow to the head would test his abilities, but he’s talented enough he can buy you time for proper medical care.”

  “Well, that’s reassuring.”

  While grim, Agent Barclave smiled.

  He reminded me of a shark on the hunt for his next meal. The prey instincts that kept me alive during the spring flared to full life, but in true turkey fashion, I stood my ground. I blamed my overactive imagination, the deluge of concern I’d meet an untimely end due to my lack of training, and my battered trust in the RPS for my hesitancy. Later, I’d need to ask Meredith about him.

  “All right, Your Highness. The first cue will be the swat to the head. Any strike to your face or head essentially means the same thing. You’ll drop to the floor and wait. How long you wait will depend on where you’re hit. A strike to the face, for example, will only stun you for a few moments. You’ll count to five. In this case, you don’t have to necessarily fall to the floor. To a knee is fine.” Meredith stepped to me, and with startling force, she slapped me. I staggered, blinking as the realization she’d hit me sank in.

  When I didn’t drop to a knee, she helped me along with a kick to the back of the knee. “I forgot to mention that if you don’t drop on your own, you’ll be helped down.”

  As my knee colliding with the hardwood floor hurt, I hoped I’d learn that lesson faster than the others. “I’m going to emerge from this holding bags of frozen peas to my face, aren’t I?”

  “Ice packs, probably. Why waste good peas?” Meredith replied. “If you’re lucky, I’m sure Dr. Hampford would be pleased to help lessen some of the swelling should we do any damage to your pretty face.”

  Agent Ithaca coughed to hide his bemusement while Agent Barclave’s smile widened.

  One I liked, the other grated my nerves the wrong way. I’d learned from an early age there’d always be an agent I wouldn’t like; my personal feelings about my detail were to be put aside if they did their job. Fortunately, part of my job was to pretend they didn’t exist unless something was wrong.

  What separated me from my parents and the rest of my family was knowledge. They knew what to do if something went wrong.

  I didn’t.

  “So, standing shocked I just got hit in the face isn’t a reasonable response? Because honestly, that’s probably exactly what I’d do in a live situation.” I held my hands up in surrender. “Unless I got hit so hard my ears rang, then I’d probably fall down without any help.”

  Meredith chuckled. “Assume that anyone who lands a hit on your face is trying to take you down, Your Highness. I just used enough force to catch your attention.”

  “Consider my attention caught.”

  “Again, but remember your job is to drop to the floor this time.”

  I got to my feet, braced to have the sense slapped out of me, and when Meredith cracked her palm against my cheek, I went down, careful to keep my knee from slamming into the hardwood floor. The blow stung, but I ignored the discomfort.

  “Better. The agents will try to be gentler than that, but expect to get smacked around. In the midst of a scenario, everyone tends to get overly excited, so agents and principals alike tend to get roughed up. When you’re in a struggle with one of the agents, put in your best effort. Obviously, we don’t want anyone to get hurt, but our goal is to give you the skills you need to escape dangerous situations.”

  “What am I supposed to do after I count to the right number?”

  “Escape. You’re going to get taken out the first few times. You need more training, but this’ll at least let you see how we work. It’ll also let you be aware of ways someone might try to relocate you without your permission. By the time we’re done, you’ll have been manhandled so many times you’ll go where we want you to go, learn how to escape dangerous situations and regroup with your agents, and work with your agents.”

  Any one of those things sounded like a challenge, and I was at a loss of how I’d accomplish any of them.

  “For today’s starting session, I’m going to be your assailant. Agent Barclave will be responsible for extracting you from the situation. Agent Ithaca will be assisting either side as the scenario requires. For our first run, we’re going to go with the baseball bat assault. This is one of the more dangerous versions, as without the right talent, it’s more likely to lead to death.”

  “Dying is definitely not on my schedule,” I muttered.

  “Good. Cue number one, a hit to the back or side of the head. You’ll drop the floor, go limp, and count to five hundred. Take your time counting, and try not to react to anything. With a blow like that, it’s probable you’ll be unconscious long term, and if Agent Barclave and Agent Ithaca haven’t recovered you by the count of five hundred, you’re likely in progress of being relocated. The scenario ends, and your agents lose. In this case, a loss could be either relocation or death.”

  “Again, definitely not on my schedule,” I replied wryly. “In application, couldn’t a blow to the head stun rather than knock out?”

  “Yes. It’s possible. In live situations, you’ll be expected to do what you can. For training purposes, we work with the worst-case scenarios.”

&nbs
p; “If you train me to handle the worst-case scenario, I should be able to handle everything else?”

  “Exactly. Today, we’ll give you a taste of them. Tomorrow, outside of the four hours you’re in your office working, we’ll be in full scenario mode. Anything goes, day or night. As soon as you’re sufficiently caught up on work, we’ll shift you to twenty-four hours.”

  I considered the head of my detail. “Is there a reason you can’t shift me to twenty-four hours now? Because honestly, dealing with four hours of working uninterrupted on briefing documentations is not my idea of a good time. I’d view interruptions as rescue.”

  She chuckled. “I don’t think you appreciate the respite I was offering, Your Highness.”

  “I don’t need a respite. I need training. I understand that. The sooner I’m shifted to twenty-four hours, the faster I’ll learn. I’ll probably curse you every step of the way, but I see no reason to delay. Once I return to the castle, there’s no such thing as a conveniently scheduled respite. I’m already used to that. I’m just not used to people actually taking advantage of the lackluster security. So, let’s fix that.”

  “It’s ultimately your choice. We’ll try not to disrupt your work too much.”

  I doubted her definition of too much matched mine, but I remembered what she’d said. Within two weeks, if I wasn’t trying my best to escape from my agents, I’d be surprised.

  It would do.

  The next time Meredith offered me a respite, I would listen. Not only would I listen, I would be grateful for her mercy. I’d even consider kissing her feet. She’d told the truth when she warned me I hadn’t appreciated her offer.

  When she said twenty-four hours, she meant it. I lost track of the days. I missed sleep. I missed Eva. She’d been assigned as a principal, but no one had told me I wouldn’t see her often. The agents she worked with kept her busy, and unlike me, she put up a fight when they tried to relocate her.

  I’d gotten a chance to watch once, and it had taken four agents to finally take her down. The demonstration left me conflicted.

  I loved watching her. I loved how she defied four men stronger and bigger than her, holding her own for longer than I managed. However, the instant they put their hands on her and caught her, I wanted to tear them away from her.

  It’d taken a few whispered words from Meredith to remind me it was nothing more than a scenario.

  I still wanted to get involved, but I’d stood still and quiet, seething while they did their work and Eva played dead like she was supposed to. I’d never been the jealous type with Gail, but every day separated from Eva put me on edge. I suspected Meredith knew; I caught her smirking in my general direction, waiting for the moment I snapped.

  All I wanted in life was a few minutes alone with Eva. A single kiss would work wonders for my mood. Hell, I’d forgo the kiss just to hear her grace the world with her colorful vocabulary. When playing the part of a principal, she’d used language royalty would approve of, which grated me almost as much as other men touching her.

  It took a week for me to start plotting a relocation of my own with Eva as my target. Every time they started another scenario, I watched. Calculated. Wondered how they bypassed security while observing the way they moved to get behind me for the strike to the back of my head.

  Meredith liked going for the back of my head, and I believed Agent Barclave let her get away with it more often than not.

  I found that interesting, but I kept my misgivings to myself. I had no reason not to trust the man. Furtive looks didn’t mean anything. Allowing Meredith to get close and whack the back of my head didn’t mean anything, either. Together, they meant something to me, but I didn’t understand what enough to ask Meredith about it.

  Something about him grated, something that only manifested in the quieter moments before a scenario began. I’d learn to anticipate the scenarios from his reactions.

  His expression always changed, growing colder than the façade he presented to his fellow agents. If looks could lie, his did.

  I hadn’t realized something as simple as a glance could tell truths or lie.

  Two weeks and three days into the torture labeled as training, Agent Ithaca worked as my primary agent, supported by Agent Greene, a second-round pick, replacing one of the younger agents who’d discovered he didn’t have a taste for disrupted hours, a stressful job, and the risk of putting up with me for extended periods of time. I liked the older man replacing the washed-out agent.

  He reminded me a little of my great-grandpa, refusing to deal with unnecessary bullshit.

  The morning went about as well as I expected. Every time I started to get somewhere with work, Meredith or one of the other agents would barge into the office, triggering mayhem. Meredith enjoyed it best when I got into a groove, sinking into the routine of work to the exclusion of all else.

  The door banging open did a good job of notifying me I had company.

  The first week I’d launched out of my chair.

  I was too tired to launch anywhere, although I did raise a brow and glance up from my paperwork. Meredith had made it two steps into my office before Agent Greene had gone after her like a wolverine after lunch, and the two squabbled on the floor, vying for position. Of my agents, Greene enjoyed the sport of trying to best Meredith the most, and it would take them ten or twenty minutes of wrestling on the floor for one of them to win.

  Agent Ithaca sighed, moved so he could get between me and Meredith as needed, and called in the scenario start on his earpiece, his tone resigned.

  I returned to work with a shake of my head, filtering out the thumps, the occasional giggle Green evoked whenever he landed a hit on Meredith’s ribs, and their grunts. Had the paperwork in question been important, I might’ve cared more, although I did need to fax the damned thing to my father.

  My first edict as king would be to ban fax machines and buy good scanners so we had better digital records of paperwork moving through the government offices. Armed with the ten other sheets I needed to fax, I got up, stepped around the pair on the floor, and headed down the hall.

  “That’s the first time you’ve tolerated them doing that without doing more than looking eternally disappointed at the interruption,” Ithaca murmured, keeping close. “I’m pretty sure you’re breaking at least a few rules just wandering off.”

  “Agent Greene looks like he has the primary intruder in hand, and if she has friends, I’m sure you can take care of the rest. You did the call in for backup, so a little movement on my part isn’t going to make much difference. I need to fax these.”

  Ithaca called in my destination, all of twenty feet away from my office.

  One of my agents turned torturers made a run at me from behind the photocopier.

  After two weeks of being slapped around, bonked in the back of the head, tossed over shoulders, dragged by my feet, and otherwise moved in humiliating fashions, I thought whacking him in the face with my paperwork was appropriate. “Hollacks,” I greeted.

  Like me, they had to play by set rules, and my agent went down to a knee, and I took the time to roll up my papers and whack the back of his head with them.

  He played dead, although unconscious victims weren’t supposed to laugh.

  “It’s a little like smacking unruly dogs when they won’t stop bothering me,” I observed, resuming my hike to the fax machine.

  “In real situations, I’d be the one dealing with him,” Ithaca replied.

  “Well, you have time. You can take a turn with him if you want. Honestly, I just want to fax these papers and then take a walk. I’m not going to get much more done if Meredith put Hollacks onto the assault team. He’s the one she sends in for extra bodies. Do you think Greene managed to subdue Meredith?”

  “He’ll keep her busy. Should I just notify the others you’re about done with this for today?”

  “And ruin their careful planning to make me snap so you can see what I’ll do? That would be inconsiderate of me.”

 
Maybe if I got lucky, my walk could expose where Eva hid during the days so I could at least say hello.

  When I got back to the castle, I’d have to ask my father how often he actually saw my mother during the day. If the rest of my life involved struggling to get five minutes alone with my wife, I really would snap. After I finished snapping, I’d rewrite the rules to mandate a minimum amount of time I got to spend with her.

  I contemplated my options while I faxed papers to my father. By car, the castle was only five minutes away. After being run around the RPS compound most days, I could handle the hike there. I glanced at Ithaca. “Nothing in the rules says I can’t just wander off if I take you with me, right?”

  “It’s technically not an escape attempt if you’re accompanied by your active agents. Agents. That’s plural.”

  “We’ll have to rescue Greene, then.”

  “Yes.”

  I rolled up my newly faxed papers and marched to my office. Meredith still wrestled with Greene, and I waited for a good opportunity to beat her with my papers. “I’m going on a walk, and the rules say I have to take Greene with me, so you can’t play with him right now.”

  Meredith sighed. “Please take the scenarios seriously, Your Highness.”

  “I’ve disabled two goons. I thought I was doing a good job.” I offered Greene my hand. “I want to walk, and it seems I need to take you with me, so let’s dump the body in a closet somewhere or something.”

  “How about under your desk?”

  “Can we tie her up first?”

  “That would waste time,” he replied, accepting my help to get to his feet. “Rolled up papers are now your weapon of choice?”

  “I’m thinking I need to invest in a spray bottle.”

  “You’re in a mood today,” he observed, grabbing Meredith’s hands and dragging her around my desk. I pretended I didn’t notice her helping him with shoves of her feet.

  “I need a breath of fresh air. This paperwork has gotten on my last nerve.”