Page 94 of Princess

“We need a night to watch their guard activity.”

No, I didn’t like it.

“The longer we stay here with this large of a force, the greater chance we’re seen,” I said.“If that happens, we won’t have surprise on our side, and Barnes will slip through our fingers again.”

“Our main force can move a few miles away,” King said stubbornly.

Why did I argue when a little bird in my head said he was right?

“Vote,” I said.

I lifted my hand in favor of his plan and King winked at me.Waiting was the hardest part and I was sick of it.

That evening, King and I took watch together.We’d found a good spot where we could see the camp and the surrounding area, so no one snuck up on us.We were too close to the enemy for speech and simply watched and waited.

It went quiet at eleven and not much stirred after that.I played scenarios in my head that would give us the best advantage but mostly I was bored.The Federation guard changed at 2 a.m., and at 3, Eagle and Nokita came to relieve us.

I slept in King’s arms.When I opened my eyes, the sun was higher than I expected.King was still out, and I lightly ran my hands over one of his braids.It wasn’t as long as when I first met him because we cut our hair in order to look like Federation soldiers when we took Mrs.Barnes.King’s hand flew up and captured mine, bringing me in close so he could kiss me.It wasn’t much of a kiss because of our fangs, but it still gave me the warm fuzzies.

“I’ll grab food,” I told him.“I have an idea to get into the tunnel.”

We ate our breakfast quickly.Nokita and Alden wandered over.

“Where’s Eagle?”I asked.

“He’s on watch.He’ll be off in another hour.”

“Okay,” I said.“We’ll meet as soon as he returns.He can sleep afterward.”I zeroed in on Nokita.“Bring Desmond with you for the meeting.”

When they left, I stretched each part of my body and then sat for ten minutes of meditation beneath a large tree.I’d used disassembling and reassembling my rifle as a way to clear my mind.Now I used Nikayla.In my head, I lay back on the bed, pillows propped behind me while she nursed.I could almost smell her.She opened her eyes and stared at me while she fed.Trust and love showed in her gaze, and I couldn’t look away.I slowly counted her fingers and toes because it’s something prewar parents did.I thought of my mother.She would have loved Nikayla.I remembered my mom’s arms around me when I scraped my knee learning to ride a bike.When I stopped crying, she told me a story about learning to ride her bike.

“My older sister would ride at breakneck speed, and I couldn’t keep up because I had training wheels.After I learned to ride without them, she snuck away so I couldn’t follow.”

“What happened to your sister?”I’d asked.

“She died many years ago.I still think about her.The pain of losing her is still bad, but life continues, and you need to take each precious step you’re given.”

Thinking about my mom was still hard.Her and my father had hidden the fact that I was Shadow.It bothered me that I couldn’t ask them why.They loved me like I love Nikayla.They had their reasons, but I would like to have answers.

“Marinah?”

My eyes snapped open.

“You need to eat before the meeting,” King said, handing me food.

Our freshly prepared meals had run out, and now we were stuck with MREs.Yum, my favorite, not!

Nokita walked up with Desmond.The young man’s entire persona was different.He no longer looked like the same angry kid he’d been two weeks before.With the children he and his sister took care of, he felt useful.Then he was thrown in with Shadow Warriors on an island that was well-run and needed little from him.But he was a born fighter, and it’s where he excelled.My question was could he remain calm and act like someone he wasn’t?We were about to find out.

After Alden and Eagle joined us, I laid out the plan.

“I can do it,” Desmond said.A creepy grin formed on his lips.

“Then we’re set.”

∞∞∞

We waited in our hiding spot while Desmond did his thing.We were still covered in mud, but we’d caked more on him.We added a few rips to his clothes, and he took off one shoe.

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