Double-Edged Words

CHAPTER THIRTY

Reggie dropped her gaze to the papers on her lap with lips pinched in annoyance.

Calim leveled the stack beside him. "Our best option is to kidnap the king."

"Again, how are you planning to do that, Calim?" I asked.

"The king doesn't know about this new band of rebels yet. We can help them get inside the capital, and once there, they can infiltrate the palace."

"How? They have no experience in stealth or battle, and it's not like we have hundreds of men at our disposal."

"We can train them."

"For how long? Two or three days? That is not enough, Calim. They will surely get killed as soon as they step into that palace without proper clearance."

"Do we have another option? Did you think of something else?"

"No."

"This is the quickest way to get the council to listen to you, Iskander. If the king is out of commission, you are the kingdom's designated interim ruler."

Leyla pulled away in surprise. "Wait. What?"

"The king doesn't have heirs or blood-related kin, and the law requires him to have a backup ruler. Just in case he falls ill, dies, or in some very, very rare cases-if he loses favor with the citizens. That designated interim ruler is the highest-ranking official in the kingdom's militia. Which in this case is..." Calim completed his sentence with a point in my direction.

"So that's why you're so persistent with this kidnapping the king thing..." Reggie realized.

"Yes."

I shook my head. "But how are we going to do that?" A faded thought stirred at the back of my mind. Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something?

"I don't know. That's why we're going to sit here and brainstorm for the night." Reggie let out an exasperated groan. "I'm not joking, and no excuses. We're not going to sleep until we come up with something."

After eating our rustic-looking dinner, we sat around the smoldering bonfire wracking our brains.

"My eyes are burning," Reggie complained hours later. "Can we call it a night?"

Calim frowned. "Do you have an idea?"

"No."

"Then no."

Before Reggie's next choice of words could detonate another fiery argument between the two. Leyla leaned forward on our makeshift log bench and placed her head in her hands. "I can't think of anything. The household depends on me, and I can't think of anything to save their lives." Her voice shook with tears.

Calim's annoyed countenance morphed into unease. "Don't be so hard on yourself."

"We'll think of something, Leyla. Don't worry."

"You keep saying that, but we haven't thought of anything in the last couple of days. How are you so sure that we will come up with a plan in time?" She sobbed.

"Trust me, we will," Calim assured.

With each of Leyla's sobs, my heart squeezed with sadness tighter and tighter. Prompting the words to spill through my lips without thinking. "Yes, we will. For example, Calim, how about we dress up some men as farmers and bring in a wagon full of crates with produce? We can hide under there."

"Where are we going to get a wagon full of produce in such a short time? Plus, your mountainous frame is not as inconspicuous as you think." He smirked. "What if we dress up as dessert lady dancers and say we are part of a traveling rhythmic arts group visiting the capital?"