Page 126 of Falling Princess

We found her in the hallway, staring at her phone, stricken.

“It’s happened.”

“What happened?” I wailed.

“We’ve been attacked,” Raina said grimly.

“Is my dad okay?”

For the first time since I was ten, he wasn’t Father. He was my dad, and he was in trouble. Nothing else mattered.

“No one knows. All reports are preliminary. We know there was an attack on the castle and that Saskaya activated the Sentinels. That was half an hour ago.” Lorcan urged us back outside, north past the library, in the direction of the faculty administration building. Scarlett trailed us, with tears streaming down her cheeks.

Kenton joined up with us right outside.

Raina’s gone even paler than usual.

Cata came down before we could talk our way past the administrative assistant at the desk.

“Where’s Bash?”

“Texting him now,” Lorcan said. “Okay, he’s back at the suite getting shit packed up.”

“Great. Take it all.”

She means the weapons. Neither of them cares about anything else.

Behind us, Kenton and Scarlett were saying tearful goodbyes. Cata rolled her eyes.

“Get your tongue out of your girlfriend’s throat and let’s move.”

I’ll never forget how we left her standing there, forlorn, as we rushed back to the dormitory. Ten minutes later, we’d packed as much as we could carry.

Now, I understand why Bashir was necessary to our mission. Not only is he the only other person licensed to drive, he can haul a crazy amount of stuff.

I overheard Cata and Lorcan talking together in low tones.

“The princesses should stay here, where it’s safer,” Lorcan said.

“We can’t spare you to guard them,” Cata replied. “It’ll take us a full day to get there. We might be able to put this down quickly. But we can’t do it without you, Lorcan.”

“I want to go.” I came out of my room and dropped my belongings on the couch. “It won’t look right if I’m cowering in safety while my people fight.”

I also need to know my father is all right. Despite the distance between us, I love him. I’m worried about him. I’m still his daughter.

Lorcan didn’t like it, but he grimly nodded assent.

I took two minutes to rip my plants out by the roots and tie them in a garbage bag. Better a quick death than a slow one. I left my meticulous notes on the desk. My life as a researcher is over. I’ll never earn my degree. A pang of sorrow pierced the fog of fear.

One thing I did take with me was the picture of mossy frogs that Lorcan gave me for my birthday. I slipped it out of the frame, folded it with shaking hands, and put it in the pocket of my shirt.

Please let my dad be okay.

He’s my only living relative, and despite everything, I love him. I never wanted him to be hurt.

I squeezed into the back seat of Cata’s car with Raina. Lorcan took the front. We drove out into the countryside, away from Edinburgh. Kenton and Bashir followed behind with the luggage. I’ve never seen the car Bash is driving, but I accept that I am not meant to understand the ins and outs of how these plans are made.

We tumbled out of the car into the cool May night. Lorcan, Bashir and Cata loaded mysterious bundles into the hold of a small plane. Kenton disappeared into the low-slung building.

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