Way of No Return (Champions of the Crystal Book 8)

Chapter 23: Reunion

One of the priorities of reconstructing the palace was installing a new secure console to replace the one that had been destroyed; Ford had declined an offer to install it at the Academy temporarily, wanting to make it difficult for Sabrina to do any surreptitious work once she began to recover. He figured it was good to check in on the palace every day anyway and let Cynthia begin to get to know her fellow staff.

The entire palace was a construction zone; many of the walls had to be torn out and rebuilt, and nearly all the artwork was being carefully packed to be shipped to treatment centers to repair the damage the moisture had done. Ford made a mental note to delegate the decorating to Sabrina when reconstruction was advanced enough; that would be a nice low-stress project to keep her mind occupied, he hoped. "Housekeeper Sheza," he called out in greeting.

The Housekeeper turned from where she was supervising two other staff in protective gear carefully removing a large, mold-covered painting from the wall. "Welcome home, your royal highness. I have good news."

"Oh, I'd like some of that!" Ford said, grinning at her. "Everybody else gives me bad news. Don't keep me in suspense!"

"As you asked, I put out a call for applicants for the little princess' temporary household. Many qualified people responded, and I have put together a list of my recommendations."

Ford sighed in relief. "That is good news indeed, Housekeeper. Thank you. Please give the list to Doctor Grayson, and we will go over it with the princess tonight."

"And the Deputy Chamberlain has reported in," Sheza continued.

"Miah be praised!" and "Thank God," Ford and Cynthia said in unison, then grinned at each other a little sheepishly. "Where is he?" Ford continued.

"Helping go through the Chamberlain's office, deciding what can be salvaged," Sheza replied.

"Cynthia, come on, let me introduce you to the gentleman who is going to make your life so much easier," Ford said.

"One more thing, sir," Sheza said. "There's a lady here with two children she says she was told to bring to you or the princess. I've talked to the children, and they do seem to know you, but they won't tell me their names or those of their parents."

Ford frowned, perplexed. "All right, I'll see them. Where?"

"We've finished in the front hall, sir. It's not terribly private, but it'll be quiet at least."

"Thank you, Housekeeper," Ford said formally, nodding to her before leading Cynthia through the corridors to the front hall. The huge main doors to the palace were closed against the stench from the lakebed, and the place smelled strongly of disinfectant, but Cynthia could see how grand it must be when not stripped of its furnishings and decorations.

Ford's eye fell first on the woman standing in the doorway to the parlor, peering curiously into the room. As she turned, he was disappointed not to recognize her. "Can I help you?" he asked politely.

"Prince! Prince!" two voices shouted, and the children who had been looking out the window turned and ran to throw their arms around him.

"Corbin! Neralla!" Ford exclaimed, bending to draw them into a hug. He looked up at the woman who had brought them. "Thank you for bringing them home. You are?"

"Sura Menchees, your royal highness." She curtsied awkwardly.

"Have you been taking care of them? I cannot thank you enough," Ford said.

"Yes, sir. Their father was working with the militia. He told me if he did not return, I should find you or the princess, that you would take care of the children."

Ford stood with a child in each arm, horrified realization dawning on his face. "Ah. Yes. Yes, I will. Certainly."

"He would not tell anyone his name," Sura continued, "for he was afraid someone might betray him and the children. We all suspected he must be connected to the royal household somehow, but he wasn't Bathiran."

"Yes," Ford said. He turned to Cynthia and said, "See that Citizen Menchees is given compensation for the care she showed these children, whom I officially take into my custody as royal wards."

Cynthia nodded, making notes on her datapad.

"I need no reward, sir. I'm glad to see them safely reunited with someone they know. I'm only sorry I have brought you sad news as well," Sura said.

"Where's Mama?" Neralla asked.

"She is in the hospital right now," Ford said. "I'll take you to her in a minute. And then you can see Sabrina and go to a lovely house near the ocean with her. All right?"

"Yes, sir," Corbin said. "And you'll look for Papa?"

"Yes, we most certainly will," Ford said with a heavy heart. He set the children down, keeping hold of their hands. "Corbin, Neralla, this is Cynthia. She is helping me, and she knows your mother. Will you go with her for a moment while I finish talking to Citizen Menchees?"

Neralla put her thumb in her mouth and shook her head tearfully, but Corbin said, "C'mon, Nera," and held his hand out to Cynthia, who mouthed, Who are they? to Ford.

Ranja, he mouthed in return, and she nodded, then led the children toward the interior door, saying cheerfully, "Did you live here? I bet it looked different then."

"We were born on Marna'amat," Corbin said. "But we lived here for a little while before the bad guys came."

"Tell me about Marna'amat," Cynthia invited, pausing in the doorway and keeping an eye on Ford, who was speaking quietly with Sura. It was a short conversation, and then he laid a hand on her shoulder, saying something that made her blush and curtsy. He smiled at her, then strode across the hall to Cynthia and the children.

Corbin interrupted his description to ask, "Sir, where are Bennie and Trixie?"

"At the hospital with Sabrina," Ford said. "You can see them soon. They'll go to the beach with you. That will be fun, won't it?"

Cynthia looked closely at him, recognizing all too well the signs of suppressed grief. She gathered that both Ranja and her husband had been a big part of Sabrina and Ford's life; Ford had called her Ranja more than once over the past few days as he was giving instructions. And he obviously knew her children well. More bad news he has to break to Sabrina, she thought. "And," she said brightly, "you can meet the little princess."

"She's here?" Corbin demanded, his face lighting with excitement. "Can she play with us?"

"Not quite yet," Cynthia smiled. "But eventually. Come on. Let's go look at the flyer until the prince is ready to go. Would you like that?"

"Yeah, cool!" Corbin exclaimed.

"Thank you," Ford said to Cynthia as she handed him her datapad.

"You take your time," she said. Then she laid a hand on his upper arm, just for a moment. "I'm sorry."

Ford grimaced and looked away, and Cynthia hurried the children off, knowing he wouldn't want them to see his grief.