Page 70 of Betraying Korth

“Here?” I asked him incredulously. I could think of many places that would be much more secure. There weren’t even guards stationed around it. Curdy shifted his weight from one foot to the other, eyes darting from side to side, and my suspicion grew.

“Yeah. Your father told the king he would take him somewhere safe, then brought him here, away from the other guards, while the rebels took the palace. Look and you’ll see.”

I hung back, nervously shifting my weight from foot to foot while scanning the surroundings for any sign of accomplices. It felt uncomfortably silent.

“I’ll go in first if you want,” Curdy offered. He knocked softly on the door and breathed, “Benedict? Are you in there?”

A slight scuffling came from inside the ramshackle hut before the door was flung open.

“Father!” I threw myself at him, sobbing in relief. He wrapped his arms around me for a quick hug and kissed my hair, but then with a hurried look around, pulled me inside while Curdy snapped the door closed.

The safehouse was small and dimly lit, with shadows dancing across the rough stone walls as candles placed on a dusty table flickered and danced. A single, dust-covered window allowed a sliver of moonlight to seep through and cast an eerie glow over the scene.

As my eyes adjusted to the dim interior, I saw King Raquel, gag stuffed into his mouth and arms bound to a chair, sitting in the center of the empty room. I caught my breath. We’d done it. We had won. With Raquel as a bargaining chip, his followers would crumble. The moment stretched longer, surreal as the taste of victory settled over me. Curdy crossed his arms, a clearI-told-you-soexpression on his face.

A piercing squeal came from outside, which was quickly stifled. Father opened the door, then beamed. “Garrik! I wondered when you’d get here.”

“I saw Dahlia skulking off with that traitor, but it took me time to follow; I’d just snatched this one”—he shook his load as he ducked under the doorframe—“as she was deboarding. In all the chaos on the docks right now, it was easy.”

He held Odette, who was wriggling and squirming, a venomous expression on her face. At the sight of his daughter, Raquel stiffened in his chair, trying to work the gag out of his mouth by thrashing his head from side to side. Garrik tossed Odette to the dusty wooden floor, where she scrambled backward to hide behind Curdy.

“Well done,” Father congratulated Garrik. “Both of them at once; this is better than I’d hoped for.”

Odette tried to paw her way upright using Curdy to steady herself, but he shrugged her off and crossed to stand behind Garrik instead.

Odette’s eyes darted around the room, taking in each of us in turn. “Let me go, and you can have all the money you want.”

“We don’t want your blood money,” I spat. “We want new leadership.”

“I can offer you positions of power.”

“Funny thing,” Garrik growled. “If we dethrone you, we can assign all the positions of power. You can’t offer anything we don’t already have.”

Odette fixed her gaze on Curdy. “I told you I would give you anything you wanted. I still mean it. All you need to do is alert my guard.”

Curdy’s expression remained impassive, but his fists clenched at his sides.

“He’s not stupid enough to fall for that trick,” I snapped. “See if she has any weapons.”

Curdy strode across the room and pulled Odette’s dagger from her before retreating behind Garrik again. He then jerked his head at Raquel. “Looks like this one is dying to say something.”

Father pulled the gag down. Raquel spat several times, running his tongue back and forth on his teeth to try and rid it of the gag’s taste. After swallowing several times, he looked at his daughter. “Are they coming?”

She nodded, and I exchanged looks with Father and Garrik. Werewhocoming?

“What are you—” I began, but before I could get any further, Curdy struck. Using the dagger he’d taken from Odette, he plunged it into Garrik’s back.

I screamed as Garrik dropped to his knees and fell face down to the ground. Curdy wrenched the door open and sprinted out into the night, shouting, “Help! Help! The king is under attack!”

CHAPTER 31

“Hold them, Dahlia!” Father cried, leaping after Curdy and drawing his own weapon. “Don’t let them get away!”

With a terrified look down at Garrik’s prone figure, I snatched Odette’s wrist, kneed her in the stomach, then slammed her hand repeatedly against the table until she dropped the stone she’d picked up during my momentary distraction. While she was doubled over, gasping for breath, I pulled out the dagger I’d taken from Curdy. Panting, I straightened and pulled Odette’s arms behind her back, knife to her throat.

She tried to jerk out of my grasp and nearly succeeded. Her time tending the geese had made her stronger, but I had years of servant’s work on my side. I held her fast and pressed the blade more firmly against her neck.

“Don’t move,” I snarled, then raised my voice, panic tightening my chest. “Garrik, can you hear me?”

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