Page 91 of A Slipper in the Smoke
Everyone shuffled out of the train. Snowdrop ducked under the carriage, the others following. Elena crouched on the floor, watching as they scuttled along the tracks towards the guards’ position. Another rumble overhead and they struck, grabbing the guards’ feet, dragging them onto the tracks and wrestling their weapons away from them.
“How many guards are inside the train?” Snowdrop hissed at one of them. “How many?”
The guard glared at her, but Snowdrop pushed her muzzle under her chin. “If you don’t answer, I will pull this trigger. I imagine it will serve as very good motivation for your buddy over there.”
The guard’s glare darkened, but she swallowed. “Four,” she hissed. “But if you harm the Princess—”
“It isn’t my wish to harm anyone,” Snowdrop followed, retrieving a rag from her pocket to stuff inside the guard’s mouth. “But if I have to kill one to save a thousand, so be it.”
The guards now bound and gagged, the rebels regrouped.
“Four guards inside,” Snowdrop told the others.
“Equal odds,” said Clover.
“I prefer it when they favour us. There’s the princess too, probably a maid. They may well fight back.”
“Ideas?”
“Grab the princess. Take her hostage. The rest are sure to comply then.”
“Ready?”
“Ready.”
Buttercup burst in first, knocking over two of the guards immediately. A scream went up from the corner; Princess Sofia. A bullet cracked through the air. Elena heard someone else cry out. Princess Sofia was still screaming, barely drawing breath.
Elena couldn’t bear to do nothing. She climbed up into the carriage, scurrying to the corner where Princess Sofia was cowering behind a chair.
“It’s all right,” Elena tried to assure her, “they aren’t going to hurt you—”
Sofia did not seem to believe her, and why would she? One of her guards was bleeding on the floor, her maid had gone silent with shock, and the train roof was riddled with bullet holes.
Calming her down was not an option.
Elena sighed, slipping a hand into her bag and removing one of her screwdrivers. She grabbed Sofia and placed it against her neck.
“Cease your fire!” she screamed. “Or I drive this through the Princess’ neck!”
Sofia let out a tiny whimper, but her guards stopped firing immediately.
“Drop your weapons,” Elena instructed, wondering who under the Dome could possibly be speaking. Not her, definitely not her. She’d never threatened anyone in her life.
The guards dropped their weapons. Elena pointed to one of them. “You,” she said. “See to your friend. He’s bleeding.”
The guard scuttled forward, placing a hand over the guard’s wound. It was a shot to the arm. Not fatal—or so Elena hoped.
The rebels reached into their bags for more rope, and started to bind the others.
“Why are you doing this?” Princess Sofia whimpered.
“We don’t want to,” said Snowdrop, coming forward to tie her hands together. “We’re trying to save lives here. This is just the best way to do it. We don’t have time to explain.”
“We have tried asking nicely,” Clover said, to no one in particular. “Please, your majesties, don’t let us starve. Please stop killing us and turning us into coal.Hasn’t really worked so far.”
The princess trembled. “That’s just a rumour.”
“If only it were,” said Snowdrop, directing the princess into a seat. “This will all make sense to you one day. I hope.”
