Ryne's Stone Heart

Something about the look on his face reminded Ryne of the time Patience had held him up to a wall and said, “Gimme a reason not to beat the shit out of you.” Ryne could barely squeak, “Because you’re bigger than me.” When Patience was bigger than me, he could do whatever he wanted. Now that I’m bigger, he’s gonna hide behind my dad. He paused and looked at his uncle. He looked back at the crowd, grabbed the crown from the dignitary, and placed it on his own head. With the confidence of a true ruler, he said, “Sorry, y’all. This is bullshit.”
Patience had a red face of rage, and that was just perfect. He turned and ran back through the hall.
The ceremonies hall exploded in chatter as the door shut.
Ryne spoke over his shoulder to Seth as he walked. “I need you to grab Jade and Jasmine from my harem. And find Leoratar, and the four of y’all meet me in the garage.”
Seth grabbed Ryne by the shoulder and whipped him around. “Your Majesty, what you’re doing is illegal.”
“My word is law, Seth, by birthright, is it not?”
“As I said this morning, my allegiance is with the emperor.”
“That trumps any of my father’s wishes. Get the girls in the garage—now!”
“Yes, your Majesty.” Seth bowed his head.
I’ll take his pension. He ran back to his chamber, grabbed a few things, a bag of coins, and some clothes, and put them in a black backpack. He looked around his modest room. He looked out the sliding glass door that led to the maze and his garden. There was a lone palm tree at the edge of the palace grounds. He often fell asleep looking at that palm tree.
It was on odd feeling to see a life ending and wondering what parts to take. I don’t have room for everything. He opened the top drawer of his dresser and lifted out a long, heavy chain. Hanging from the chain was a purple stone that was supposed to replace his father’s red one in the crown. They had planned to use his uncle’s green one for the ceremony. There was no precedent for what he had done. As far as he was concerned, his word was law by birthright. Until his stone was placed in the crown, this chain was the crown. He hung it around his neck. He decided to grab the bag and then ran to the garage in the palace basement.
The garage was the size and shape of the palace’s footprint. The heavy door slammed and echoed throughout, and he felt his rage bubble when he didn’t see Seth or the girls. He decided to give them some time and wondered what he would do if Seth failed him. It seemed like every car ever made was in there. He looked around for a few minutes. He knew which car he wanted. He’d wanted it since the first time he saw it so long ago. They moved it sometimes, and he always had to walk around and look for it. He walked down line after line of cars, but he couldn’t find it anywhere. He went to the security office to ask where the car was. Crap. That’ll teach me to go out on my own. In the office, an overweight man who desperately needed a shave was staring at a screen.
Ryne walked up behind him and put his knife to his throat.
The man froze.
“You are my security, huh? Seth trusts you with my life. I hope y’all are good friends.” He shrugged. “Anyway, I need you to find the keys to that black car.”
“Yes, Your Majesty, but might I suggest the red one.”
“Well, you are right. I like the red one, but the black one has four seats and is a convertible.”
“Then take the yellow one. It’s faster and has a beer cooler.”
Ryne pointed his knife at the man. “Offer me another fuckin’ car.” He was really getting tired of people not taking him seriously. As far as he knew, his dad had never had that problem. No one ever talked back to his dad or questioned his authority.
“Yes, Your Majesty.” The man grabbed a set of keys from the metal box and left the office.
A roar filled the garage and made Ryne jump. He knew it was his car. The engine was so loud he couldn’t hear the sound of the screen. Ryne stepped through the door as the man was pulling the car around. The chrome bumper caught a glimmer of overhead light and blinded him briefly. The guard’s ass was hanging out of his pants as he got out of the car.
Ryne walked around it and took in the vibrations with his whole body. Next to a beautiful woman screaming in ecstasy, there was no better sound. It was shiny, and his reflection in the black paint was distorted by its curves. The chrome was a sharp contrast. He touched thickly treaded, flat, wide tire, and the white letters were accented perfectly.
“Your Majesty, I got a long car for us,” Seth said.
Ryne pointed to the girls and then pointed to the little black car the security guard was wiping off. Leoratar held the back door open for Jade and Jasmine and then sat in the front.
Ryne got in the driver’s seat and put on his seat belt.
Seth said, “Where shall I sit, Your Majesty?”
“Looks like you’ll miss this one, Seth. Sorry.”
The convertible top rolled down.
“Your Majesty, the people of the empire won’t recognize you without the royal crest on the side of your car.”
“It’ll be all right, Seth—and that man needs a shave.” He pointed to the dumpy-looking guard.
“Your Majesty, you’ll need this.” He dug in his pocket, pulled out his billfold, and held up a little gold card with the royal crest on it.
“What’s that for?” Ryne asked.
“I know what that is!” Leoratar grabbed it.
Ryne squealed the tires as he tore out of the garage.
The echoes from the roaring engine could be heard in the garage long after they were gone. The palace gates opened, and his heart was ready to explode as they got ready to run.
Seth felt a little foolish as the new emperor left the garage, but he lacked the authority to stop him. He looked at the guard and barked, “Go home and shave your face!”
He ran back to the ceremonies hall and was amazed. There had never been such an uproar in there. Not that he could remember. The cloud talker was trying to calm everyone, but no one was listening. He considered firing a shot into the ceiling when Father Tyme caught his eye.