Deathstalker 07 - Deathstalker Return

bad enough, but there were hints too; hints that William was glad of an excuse to replace James with a new son. Hints that James—perfect and honorable James—had become too independent, too much his own man and a power in his own right; that William had become jealous of a son who threatened to be a much greater King than he ever had been. Apparently, William had determined that his new son would be more carefully guided, and controlled.Douglas was to be a model son and a credit to his father, and nothing more.
    And so it might have gone, but a few weeks back Finn Durandal had been contacted secretly by one of the guards responsible for watching over James in his cell deep under House Campbell. And this guard told Finn that James had in fact made a full physical and mental recovery years ago, but that William had chosen to still keep him prisoner, rather than have his favored son Douglas deposed. Indeed, William had decided that James was no longer needed, with Douglas due to be married and produce heirs of his own, and so William had determined to have his first son killed, rather than risk having the truth come out after his death. This was too much for the guard, who'd grown fond of James, and he'd contacted the only man he felt he could still trust: the Imperial Champion.
    Finn immediately raised a small army of his own people—all utterly loyal to him, of course—and led them in a raid on House Campbell. The guard lowered the House's defenses at just the right moment, and Finn caught William and his people entirely by surprise. The good guys stormed House Campbell, and got to James just in time. Finn brought him blinking out into the daylight, for the first time in years, and Finn and all his people cheered James's return from the dead. William was currently under house arrest at House Campbell, awaiting trial, and not available for comment at this time.
    Douglasdidn't know what to think. Not about Finn's story—that was obviously bullshit from beginning to end.Douglas had been brought up at House Campbell, and had roamed all over it as a child, having paid special attention to all the places he was supposed to keep out of. There was no way a hidden room could have been kept secret from him. And besides, he'd seen footage of the original accident scene. It ran for ages on all the news and gossip shows, until William bought up all the rights, to protect Niamh from having to see it again and again. The recording showed James dead on the spot, his brilliant brains spattered all over the front of the car that hit him. But if his elder brother really was dead, who was this?
    It certainly looked like James. And what did Finn have to gain from making up such a story? He couldn't expect to get away with putting forward a look-alike, could he? One of the older reporters present raised the subject of the old footage, and Finn smiled easily in reply.
    "My people are investigating that even now. I'm pretty sure we'll discover the footage was faked, to help cover William and Niamh's tracks."
    "That's enough!"Douglas was up out of his throne and on his feet before he even realized he was doing it.
    All eyes and cameras immediately turned on him, and the court was suddenly silent, the air heavy with expectation.Douglas looked slowly around him, and knew that this was why he'd been brought here.
    He'd been told nothing, kept in the dark, just so he could be brought here unsuspecting, to make all his
    reactions in public, with all the worlds watching. They weren't his friends anymore, Finn and Anne. They had transferred their allegiance to this James, or whoever he really was. He was on his own now. And he felt more alive than he had in ages. He walked slowly forward to the edge of the dais, keeping a distance between him and Finn and James.
    "I cannot believe my father was a party to this; or my mother. They were devoted to James—his death nearly destroyed them too. I demand to speak to my father."
    "Of course," said Finn. "Arrangements shall be made, Your Majesty. But for the moment your father is under armed guard, for his own protection. Once news of James's return gets out, and the details of his past imprisonment… well, we don't want aggrieved citizens taking matters into their own hands, do we?
    William is safer where he is. I know this must be hard for you to accept,Douglas . It hit me hard too, that the man I served so faithfully for so many years should prove to be unworthy of the trust we all placed in him.