Chapter 29

Kol stood on Kessa’s balcony looking over his great city. It was a beautiful sight.

Beth interrupted his thoughts; “she is asleep my king. Would you like for me to wake her?”

“No. Thank you.”

She bowed her head and left.

Kol found her asleep. She was his angel. How she looked the part at this very moment. He was lost in thought and didn’t notice that she was awake.

“What brings you my way?” Her eyes were sparkling with a mischievous twinkle.

“Will I ever be able to surprise you?”

“You surprise me all the time.” She sat up in bed; “but I’m guessing not in the ways you wish to.”

He sat at her feet on the bed. Those feet that jumped, climbed, and ran looked so sweet. “I should have done this a long time ago.” He caressed her foot.

Did he have any idea just how good that felt? Kessa could have bit a hole in her lip. She really wanted to know what he ‘should have done a long time ago’ but was enjoying this moment to much to ask. He produced a gold chain from his pocket and put it on her ankle. He took her breath away when he leaned down and kissed the top of her foot. “Kessa, will you be my queen?” He kissed her. Did he kiss her? And she kissed him back. It felt amazing. She was amazing.

He woke screaming. His hands were shaking. Frego ran into the room, “dad are you okay?”

He gasped for breath, “no.”

“Dad,” he asked softly.

Chapter 28

Court days were always grueling. At this moment, he would rather be going over military accounts. Since the kingdom was growing, he now had two court days every 30 days. Two! He was working with Frego to take on the second day.

People bickering all the time, usually over petty issues. Kol said a silent prayer thanking God that every day wasn’t a court day. However; this event wasn’t petty or normal. Two women; the biological mother and another woman that Kol was having a difficult time connecting the two of them together, were fighting over a baby. They were screaming. The baby was screaming. Kol’s head was busting. Then like an angel, she walked across the floor. She made not a sound as she seemed to glide toward the bickering women. Normally court was never this unruly. Kol let it go on trying to get to the root of the issue.

His attention was pulled back to his angel. The gown that she wore was glowing a bright white. He knew it was all in his head but she was an angel. His angel. The most beautiful creature in the room. In Mecca, for sure. Perhaps on the planet. She bent over and picked the bundle up that was the screaming child. The women bemoaned its removal. It didn’t take long for the child to stop crying.

Kol was finally able to speak, “the greatest gift God gives us is the ability to be parents. Why are you fighting over this child?”

“It’s mine.” One lady hissed.

“You are?”

“Carol, sire.”

“Your relationship to this child?”

“He is the son of my heart.”

“And you?” His question was directed at the other woman.

“Benthal, sire. I am the child’s mother. I gave birth to him.” She sobbed.

“How do you know Carol?”

“We are neighbors, sire. Nothing more.”

“The child is mine.” Carol screamed. “God gave him to me in a dream.”

Kol’s attention was pulled back to his glowing angel. She giggled as a stream of pee escaped the child. Max rushed over to her, offering his cloak to wrap the baby with. Kol just noticed the coverings the baby had been wrapped in were laying in the floor. Another Bejhar (Kol hadn’t learned his name yet) cleaned up the pee. Max took the bundle the baby had been wrapped in away. Court was silent as he watched her pace by the window humming softly to a cooing baby. After several minutes, the silence was broken by a bone breaking explosion. The two women began wrestling on the floor. Luke, a third Bejhar, ran into the room. His angel nodded her head at him.

“Arrest these two.” Luke instructed the guards.

The two women were dragged out of the court room kicking and screaming.

Kol walked over to the window. “Ever thought about being a mother?” He stroked the babies cheek with his thumb. His voice was soft and full of compassion.

“No my king,” came a sweet reply. “God has never placed that on my heart.”

A few days later, Kessa found Kol in the garden. “My king.” She bowed her head.

“Kes,” he smiled.

“Dad is still working on trying to figure out what kind of explosives were in the babies bundle. Whatever it was, as soon as the baby peed wetting the substance, it would explode.”

The look on Kol’s face was of shock and disgust. “Someone was willing to sacrifice a child for what?”

“The only thing I can think of is to scare or hurt you.”

He sat on a bench and motioned for her to join him. “What made you suspicious?”

“He never stopped screaming. From the time they entered the court room, that child never stopped screaming. It was killing my head. And I knew it was killing yours. My original purpose for picking the child up off the floor was an attempt to calm him down. He was too heavy.”

“What we are dealing with is heavy and reacts to getting wet?”

“Yes.”

“What of the women?”

“Pai was their guard. He was unable to learn anything from their behavior. The birth mother has the child now. Pai goes once a month for a visit to check. The baby is growing well. And the neighbor hasn’t been bothering them.”

Kol rubbed his face with his hands. “First Mordecai now this. Am I the target?”

“You’re always a target because of your position.”

“Thank you.”

“You are welcome as always, my king.”

“Kes.” His voice was a little stern.

“Sorry, Kol.” she blushed.