Page 118 of The Last Kingdom

“For what?” he asked.

“For you to cease all your efforts. For me to take charge. I promised Father on his deathbed that I would succeed, where all others failed, and bring Bavaria back to the family. I have been patiently waiting and waiting for the world to change.”

A curious statement.

“That deed Ludwig II managed to obtain, one that granted him ownership of the obscure Hawaiian Islands, was meaningless in 1881. Those islands lay thousands of kilometers away in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, only important to the United States and Great Britain. Bavaria and Germany were more concerned with European domination, and tried twice to conquer the entire continent. But they failed, and the deed was nearly forgotten.”

“Not by our family,” Stefan declared.

“True. Our great-grandfather Ludwig III seemed quite interested in it. But our grandfather and father always thought it was an interest coupled only with a desire to preserve our legacy past the ruins of the First World War. He wanted the family to survive. He wanted our memory to be preserved. Revolution had taken over. People wanted to erase the past. So he secluded away the remains of Ludwig II, and his brother, Otto, along with much of our family’s heritage. What that may include is hard to say. Father always thought the deed was there, waiting for us. Officially, we say that most everything the Wittelsbachs had disappeared when the kingdom fell in 1918. Stolen or plundered. But that is a lie. Much was deliberately hidden away.”

“By who?”

“The Guglmänner accomplished the task.”

That shocked him. “They were involved?”

“They have always been loyal to Bavaria and to us so, yes, they were definitely involved. They carried out Ludwig III’s express wishes, and in the chaos of the Great War and Revolution that followed, it was easy for them to accomplish the job. But the secret ofwheredied with the precious few who knew the location. That happens when secrets are actually respected. Through the decades only bits and pieces of where to look survived. We knew some. The black hoods knew some. Others knew some. But no one knew it all, so no one could seriously search.”

“Until the Nazis,” he said.

“Quite correct. They tried but, along with everything else they attempted, failed. The Americans tried for a time too. But they also failed. Much of that is thanks to our grandfather, who would not allow the secret to be discovered. Eventually, Hawaii became the fiftieth state of America, and nobody gave that deed a thought until I learned something quite by accident.”

Stefan knew. “Rare earths?”

“That’s right,” Albert said. “The Chinese want control of those nodules lying off the coast of Hawaii. And they’re willing to seriously bargain to get them. They were our leverage with the Germans. But Herr Rife, here, offered me a quicker, faster way to results. The Chinese prefer to deal with him. So we are adjusting matters.”

“The Chinese set me up?”

“No, Stefan. Your arrogance and pride set you up. We all simply took advantage of those. Thankfully, the Germans need the Chinese and we need the Germans. In the end, the Bavarian people will decide if they want their country and king back. But I am certain they do.”

As was he.

“You, though,” Albert said, pointing, “will remain a prince. Never to be a king. That honor will be mine. It was granted to me at birth.”

This couldn’t be happening. He’d been used. Worse, he’d grossly underestimated his brother, who’d cleverly manipulated him.

“What if I do not want to remain a prince?” he asked.

Albert shrugged. “You have no choice.”

He stared across the night at Neuschwanstein. Dammit. He’d come so close. Still. “You should step aside and allow me to take the throne.”

“And if I don’t?”

“I can make you. I’ll go to the press and expose all of this.”

Albert shook his head. “Sadly, I knew that would be your position. I was hoping perhaps we could come to a different understanding.”

“Never.”

And he meant it.

“Forgive me, Stefan.”

Albert motioned.

Everything exploded into a star-shot burst of pain as the heel of Rife’s hand drove into his nose. A spray of warm blood shot out into the air as the breath left his lungs. He’d never been struck in the face before. The sensation was both painful and surprising. Then he was grabbed at the waist and swung around, off balance, an arm vised around his neck cutting off air. His nose quickly swelled, blocking breathing even further. He was yanked back as Knight grabbed both ankles. He tried to resist, jerking his legs, but was unable to break free.