THE LAST SECRET KEEPER Secret Keeper series books 1-4

CHAPTER 2

Lanecea quickly reread the letter she had just written for the umpteenth time, just to make sure it was absolutely perfect, before placing just as many butterfly-soft kisses on the lined paper.

"My Dearest King,

I am greatly longing for your return. I hope and pray all is well and you will be able to find me as soon as possible. In the meantime, I am doing my best to make you proud of me and reflect well. In all honesty, being patient is still a great struggle and I fear it remains my Achilles heel but I am determined to become more patient. The thought of my impatience being the reason why you haven't rescued me yet utterly breaks my heart. I promise I will do everything in my power to always be your good girl.

I hope when you receive my letter you will feel my great love and worship. I need you, My King - desperately!

With all my love,

Queen Lanecea"

Scrutinizing her letter for signs of impatience - which would defeat the whole purpose - and of course, the quality of her penmanship, Lanecea carefully folded the letter before tucking it out of sight beneath her long, gauzy sleeve.

Her younger sisters barely looked up from their Barbies as Lanecea passed them on the creaky patio before reaching for her cattail scepter. It was a common occurrence that didn't warrant any interest as Lanecea headed toward the ravine with the letter in her left hand while gripping her makeshift scepter in her right.

Placing her scepter carefully on the grass, Lanecea fashioned the letter into a boat, placed it gently on the rapidly flowing water, watched it until she could no longer see her letter-boat and was assured it was well on its way to her king before she crossed her arms across her still-flat chest to end the daily ceremony.

"...Your Queen of Camelot," Lanecea whispered with her eyes still closed as the warm sunlight kissed her upturned, hopeful features.

Freya bit back laughter, not wishing to interrupt Lanecea's ceremonial prayer to her king or bother to point out that Camelot wasn't located in Canada, so her prayer may not get any further than the surrounding trees. Lanecea already struggled with being misunderstood, constantly picked on by her younger sister and even children from church who should have known better.

"What are you doing?" Freya asked the obvious as she finally stepped forward.

"Praying to my king," Lanecea sighed straight to her bare toes but still kept her eyes closed, her face tilted toward the brass heavens. "Perhaps today will be the day he finds me."

"Perhaps, although you shouldn't be hurt if he doesn't. Your king, like all kings, will move heaven and earth to find his secret keeper, but he must prove himself worthy first."

Lanecea finally opened her eyes, giving Freya her full attention.

"Really? Like a knight on a quest to find the Holy Grail? Is that what's taking him so long? I thought perhaps he was like God..." Lanecea lowered her voice to a whisper before glancing furtively back up at the sky. "...God wouldn't want to step foot near this place either."

Freya's heart squeezed painfully, not for the first time regretting their decision to place the baby secret keeper with this couple but the damage had already been done.

"Nothing will stop him when the time is right. He's more of a beast than a worthy king right now, but when the time comes, he will be completely devoted to you, and no one will be able to stand in his way."

Lanecea shivered, her green eyes sparkling.

"You've seen him? I like the idea of him being a beast too, then even my nightmares will be afraid of my king. If he loves me..." Lanecea's voice grew so wistful that it could barely be heard, "...I'll never be afraid of anything ever again."

Before Freya could respond, Sheila's gratingly shrill voice shattered the moment.

"Lanecea get in here right now and do these dishes! I'm giving you to the count of three. One! Two!" Sheila didn't bother to pause for a breath as she slammed the screen door closed after each number she called out.

"I'm coming, Mom!" Lanecea forgot her scepter as she ran up the hill, clutching her gown, then turned just before she reached the clearing. "Please tell my king that I'm waiting - patiently." Winking at Freya, Lanecea disappeared through the opening in the forest, dishes awaiting the queen.

Tucking a strand of satiny hair behind her ear, Freya picked up Lanecea's forgotten scepter, clutching the cattail reed in her hand until she laid it beneath Storm's bed. Tonight, once again, Lanecea's king would dream of his very patient queen.

"Dream of greatness, Prince. Your queen needs you," Freya whispered in the darkness, smiling as she watched the centaur prince grow restless in his sleep before she disappeared without being spotted, leaving the scepter and water-ruined letters behind, hidden in the shadows.

****

Lanecea's whisper was laced with panic as she searched Freya's eyes within her darkened bedroom. The goddess approached the bed where the young girl hugged herself, her slender body trembling.

"Please help me, Freya, I'm burning up. I think God's trying to warn me that I'm going to Hell. See how hot I am? It's more intense than a fever - my body is on fire! And look," Lanecea tore her glassy eyes away from Freya just long enough to point to her nectar-glossy inner thighs before whispering in pitiful desperation, "my body is melting now too!"

"Oh Sweetheart, it's not a warning from God and you most certainly are not melting! Hasn't Sheila - your mom - told you this would happen? Of course she didn't," Freya answered her own question, "that woman is as cold as a fish! There's nothing to fear, trust me. Your body is simply telling you that you need to worship. Your king will feel the intensity of your worship no matter where he is or what he's doing... This, what you are experiencing, is how you connect with him."

Freya bit back laughter watching  Lanecea forget completely to be a graceful, regal queen as she tumbled out of bed, already kneeling on the rough carpet, her forehead pressed onto the floor. Lanecea was past the point of feeling any discomfort as she worshipped, her soul poured out like fragrant oil. Her body quivered harder, trembling with Lanecea's intensity as electrical currents washed over the girl kneeling in the darkness surrounded by bushels of apples. The soft breeze wafting through the lacy curtains did nothing to cool her feverish skin as Lanecea prayed to her king, pouring her heart, mind, body and soul out to him as a pure, never-ending offering - a gift from the last of the secret keepers.

Freya turned to her brother as he materialized within the tiny bedroom, summoned by the secret keeper's siren call.

"They will hunt her down now and Storm is not yet ready. We are out of time."

"The vow stands," Freya reminded her brother although it wasn't necessary.

Storm and Lanecea were sealed for eternity and nothing would change that but in the meantime she desperately needed protection. The immortal siblings had run out of time to undo their error, concern reflected in their matching blue eyes. Lanecea was unaware Frey had entered her bedroom as she prayed her heart out to the only man who could save her until the last of the stars disappeared from the sky and the dieties had once again vanished.

Dew kissed her bare toes as Lanecea made her way down to the creek as the darkness was chased away.

"Please find me, My King. I'm right here," Lanecea begged, her whispered plea drowned out by the chorus of birds chirping within the trees' leafy canopy.

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