Jake's Justice, Book Three of Wizards Read Online Free Page A

Jenny asked.
    “The royal family will not starve,” Queen Janti said and put a hand on Jenny’s shoulder. “Our people would not allow it.”
    Jenny looked incredulous. “We eat what we want while outside the Palace, others, including children, starve?”
    “It will not be easy for them or us.” The King sighed. “I shall try and eat as little as possible. The scraps from the royal table are distributed to the poor at the Palace gates.”
    “It will not happen,” I said and left the group, striding towards the door. “I shall find a way to stop it.”

4.            Needs
     
    A wizard without power is a pretty pathetic creature. Magic trickled into me and slowly built up my reserves, but I would be able to do little more than hop for a day or two. The logical thing was to take to my bed and do nothing. However, I wasn’t noted for being logical.
    Jenny found me pacing our apartments. I ignored her and she went to brew some tea. We had servants for that sort of thing, but Jenny kept them at arms length. She much preferred to do such things herself.
    She set the tea tray on a table and sat down.
    “Jake, are you having some?”
    I sat at the other side of the table and she smiled. She hadn’t smiled at me like that since the wedding.
    “Am I forgiven then?”
    Jenny poured a little milk in my tea and then put in three spoons of sugar, just the way I like it.
    “Esmeralda was more mad at you than I was, and the King brought it home to me today. You did what you did to save our lives. We should be grateful.”
    I put my hand on hers and squeezed it gently.
    “The baby’s been kicking a lot today.”
    Moving my chair around the table I placed my hand on her swollen tummy. There was a little kick that sent butterflies through me. This was my child inside her.
    “Probably a bit disturbed by all the dragons shouting at him.”
    “What if the baby’s a girl?”
    “Then she’s bound to be pretty, given her mother’s looks.”
    “She could take after you, Jake.”
    I smiled. “There’s always plastic surgery.”
    Jenny gently pushed me away from her. “I want to have our baby in Wales , Jake, in a proper NHS hospital with surgeons and midwives and things. Not here where they have an old woman for a midwife and you’re expected to squat when you give birth.”
    “You have to squat?”
    “That’s what Esmeralda told me.”
    This brought up something that had been bothering me since the wedding. The King and everybody else in Salice assumed that we would all move into the Palace apartments permanently. But all Jenny’s family and friends were back on Earth, as were my parents. We could hardly live in Mam and Dad’s house. My room was barely big enough for me, but on the other hand I couldn’t keep Jenny from the people and things she was familiar with.
    “What about Esmeralda? You’re both due about the same time. Will she come with us?”
    Jenny’s eyes went wide. “You think Princess Esmeralda would allow the heir to the throne of Salice to be born on another planet? She’d rather die in childbirth. Besides which, how would that look to her people? Running away to somewhere safer?”
    I saw the logic, but I also made a decision that would undoubtedly hurt Esmeralda. “You and I are moving back to Wales . I’ll find a way to buy a house. Somewhere nice and normal in the suburbs.”
    Jenny took my hand. “Jake you’ve got no money, a part-time job, and no qualifications.”
    “I’m also a wizard. I’ll find a way.”
    Jenny’s face broke out in the happiest smile I’d seen from her in months. Then she sobered. “You can’t abandon Esmeralda and your other child.”
    “I won’t, but Esmeralda and Salice don’t own me.”
    Jenny slid her arms around me and we got up to embrace.
    “Let’s go to bed, Jake. I’ve missed you.”
    “What if Esmeralda walks in?” There are some things frightening enough to put me off sex.
    Jenny smiled slyly as her hand moved south and found me