Deceitful Reign

Prologue

Outside Somosierra, Spain

Summer, 1814

I cannot wait for you to meet her, Mother. She is truly a magnificent creature, the young man said to the beautiful woman sitting next to him in the carriage. They were both dressed like commoners to hide who they were, but their status still shone through. I do apologize for taking the extreme measures, but I did not want to be one more day without Lisbetta.

That is all right, my son. We are very glad you found love. Your father and I will make arrangements for the family of the young lady you were supposed to marry, she told him, gently touching her hand to his cheek. You are our only child and our wish is to see you happy. Does she make you happy?

She does, Mother. And her family has been peers for generations, so I know she is of gentle breeding.

That does not matter to us, said the handsome gentleman to his other side. With his dark black hair and crystal blue eyes, he held an air of authority that could only come from one who is used to managing affairs of great importance. We would like to see you happy and have a large family in the future. Looking longingly at his wife, he lowered his eyes, which were tearing, and slightly bowed his head. For you know we are unable to have more children.

The young prince has found love, said the footman with a smile on his face, turning around from his perch to face the family. I look forward to meeting the lovely lady. He turned to face forward and motioned to the driver to continue his course. Having just the two of them as guards for a discreet trip made him nervous. He wanted to get to their destination as quickly as possible.

Suddenly the horses reared and the carriage veered off the road as eight large shadows came toward the now overturned carriage. Carrying what seemed to be large sticks, they approached the footman and driver. The former fought bravely with one but succumbed to his punches. The latter attempted to reach for his hidden dagger but was too late as one of the marauders pulled him up by his collar and hit him squarely in the face, breaking his nose and effectively rendering him unconscious. Another member of the robbers came and subdued the horses, letting them go soon after.

While the unconscious driver and footman were being removed from the scene and hidden in the bushes, another man held down the woman, two others held down the young prince, and the last two held down the handsome older gentleman. With darkness on the road and no one around to hear, a ninth man came out from the side of the road. He wore a long coat that barely hid his bulbous stomach and what appeared to be a very large, red stone on his pinkie. His hair was disheveled but gave signs of having been formerly slicked back with what seemed to be large amounts of grease. He wore a beard and mustache that were both messy and noticeably dirty with what appeared to be bugs crawling through them.

Lighting a small lantern, he slowly brought his arm out toward the woman. She looked at him with pleading eyes, but, with musket in hand, he wordlessly pulled the trigger and handed the firearm to his second for a reload. He slowly walked toward the younger man. With a smile bordering on insane, he took the musket from his second, raised the gun… and pulled the trigger again. Now he took his time, walking casually—almost strutting—to the last victim, he methodically wiped the musket with a silk cloth and bent down to the struggling older gentleman, who cried, How dare you! Do you know who I am?

He put the cloth in his pocket, twisted his large ruby and diamond ring, and slowly lit a thin, odd-smelling cigar. Intentionally blowing the smoke in the gentlemen’s face, he spoke with a deep, guttural voice, "Yes, but now I am king." He put the musket’s muzzle to the gentleman’s temple, smiled wryly again, and pulled the trigger.

He reached toward his latest victim’s now-limp hand and removed a ring from his index finger. Made of both silver and gold, it was obviously old, yet well taken care of and cherished. It had an embossed crest on the front and delicate filigree on the side surrounding an inset crown. With such great detail and craftsmanship, it could only have been the signet ring of the king. Stretching to stand at his full height, he addressed the men around him. Burn the carriage. Make it look like an accident—a robbery—and leave no sign of the shootings.

The eight men gathered round the carriage and five bodies mocking them and laughing at their misfortune. One of the men, still laughing, took a large bottle of what could only be rum from the smell of it, and poured it onto the outside of the carriage, throwing the remainder into the center of the destruction. While the mocking laughter continued, another man picked up the lantern and threw it onto the carriage, effectively lighting it on fire. That part finished, they gathered round the man and quietly chanted, Long live the king! Long live the king!

Chapter One

I remember learning about my family when I was young and I thought it was pretty cool. When I spoke with other kids about it, the response was understandable.

Do you have sword fights?

Is there a dungeon under your house?

Do you have a pet dragon?

Ironically, the answers would be; Yes. Probably. And, sadly, no.

In my teen years, it was a bit more difficult to talk about… You’re so full of it! was the main response; therefore, I rarely spoke about it.

January 2003

Tucking in my three-year-old, she quietly looked up at me.

Momma, tell me again the story of us.

Tucking the hair behind her ear, I responded, "Anything for you, my sweet.

Many generations ago, your Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandfather was asked by Queen Isabella of Spain to travel with Cortez in search of new land across the ocean. He went on his quest and ended up being the right-hand man for Cortez, helping in the acquisition of many new lands. When he arrived back to his home country, the queen thought it would be safer ensuring his faithfulness and allegiance to the crown, and thus gave our family a castle and land and made us peers of the realm. Generations later, his granddaughter was at court and met a young man who offered her the world. Though she never knew who he was, she ended up pregnant with his child and was sent off to the Americas to forgo any embarrassment the pregnancy might bring. Due to her status, she was sent with her lady’s maid, and they found their way to the Southern Coast of California. They soon arrived at what is now the San Francisco Bay, where, again due to her status, the King of Mexico granted her land as a gift. She settled in the California valley and raised her family. By this time, in Spain, the family had allowed the castle to go into disrepair. They left to seek, what they felt was, a better life.

By this time, my daughter was fast asleep, so I kissed her goodnight, wished her sweet dreams, and closed the door behind me.

Fast-forward to a dozen years ago, 2006, when my daughter brought up the questions of the year, Hey, Mom, why don’t you contact the king and see if they will grant us back our family home and title? Since email is the fastest means of communication, I decided to try my luck and see what would happen.

Dear Sir, my name is Katie Del Castillo, and I am the ancestor of Bernal Del Castillo, a Spanish conquistador from many generations ago. I am writing to see what it might take to be granted our title and ancestral home back in our family’s name? That was twelve years ago…

Chapter Two

Tampa, Florida, Present Time

So, did anyone else notice that car behind us? My son, Tyler, had a thing for cars, so I glanced at the nondescript black SUV a few car lengths behind us.

What? That it’s a new one or that it’s shiny? my daughter, Sadie, questioned with an elbow to his ribs.

Neither, was his response, just that it’s been with us the entire drive from the mall.

Indeed, it seemed to be the same SUV that pulled out behind us when we left the mall forty-five minutes ago. I sped up a little and passed the car in front of us only to have the SUV speed up and continue its course, following about two car lengths behind us at all times. It wasn’t until we pulled off the freeway that it finally left from behind us, and we could all breathe a collective sigh of relief.

One good thing about living in the country is that everyone knows everyone, we are all family, and new people are a rarity. So, when we got new neighbors, we made sure to welcome them to the area. They were a nice, young couple who said they wanted a change of pace and chose the country for their home to raise a family. Both in their twenties, Bianca was a tall brunette with dark brown eyes who was hired to be a new teacher in the local school and Carlos had black hair that curled at the ends with chocolate brown eyes. He was a freelance photographer who worked from home. We got along fine and realized we had a true friend when a stray dog chased our young son, Alejandro, and Carlos grabbed him before the dog could attack. He chased the dog away and called us immediately to tell us everything was all right, and that our son was safe.

A few weeks later, we invited them to their first picnic and fireworks for the Fourth of July. Though they had to turn down the invitation, they promised they would join us another time. Imagine our surprise when our kids set off an M-80 and the mini-explosion brought out our neighbors… with guns drawn!

Madrid, Spain

Lorenzo, a large, haggard-looking man, sat at his disheveled desk surrounded with piles of files and papers. His pudgy hands flexed and opened with frustration, and his short, thick fingers occasionally ran through his greased back, dark brown hair. His long mustache ticked with anxiety as he slowly and methodically twisted the large ruby and diamond ring encircling his pinky, So, I assume you saw them? he addressed the caller on the phone.

We did, was the clipped response.

…And?

We have found out the city where they live, and we know the roads they take to get there, but we noticed them acting suspiciously, so we let them go.

Lorenzo slammed his fist on the desktop, causing some of the files to fall, and growled, Make it quick!

Barcelona, Spain

The phone rang just as Valentina walked into her office. She put down her purse and answered the call. Senorita Sorento, she listened, I am so glad you phoned. How are the plans going? she asked.

Have you made sure they are covered? Valentina, petite and graceful questioned into the phone. Her perfect, light-brown chignon was coiled gracefully on the back of her head and an elegant, single-strand of pearls around her neck beautifully complimented her light olive complexion.

Wonderful! By how many groups? she asked after she heard the response. One?! Will that be enough?

The best on our team? All right… if you think that’s enough. After hanging up the phone, she sat behind the well-maintained desk and gently rubbed her temples. Please let this be resolved soon, she said out loud to no one in particular.

Tampa, Florida

So, let me get this straight… you come from a rough town and you were used to having to shoot at a moment’s notice? queried Tyler, instantly curious.

Not really, Carlos stated, wringing his hands nervously, our former jobs kept us on our toes, and our awareness is just… shrugging his shoulders, ... heightened.

Sorry to have scared you, finished Bianca.

We just want to make sure our family is safe, replied Derek, my husband, rising to walk the couple out.

Oh, they’re safe, both responded quickly.

That afternoon on the way to the store, a black SUV pulled out from behind a house and sped up to our car. Glancing in the rear-view mirror, I noted the windows were so dark that I was unable to see anyone inside. They stayed with us to the store and when I pulled in, they continued straight on. Hmm… that’s odd, I commented. But Tyler had his headphones on and didn’t hear me. I’ve got to get a grip on myself, I said to myself.

I hate starting a new school, Tyler said to his dad with a sigh, everyone is mean and treats me badly. I just wish a friend was going to be there, too.

Over-hearing the comment, Bianca cut-in, What school will you be attending?

Grant High School, but that’s not the problem, Tyler said. The problem is I’ve been homeschooled for so long, no one knows me except my mom. Thank goodness she’ll be there.

Hey! commented Carlos, coming over to refill Bianca’s water glass, "Grant High