Page 64 of Storm to Victory
“Okay, yes, that hurt.” Fieran peeled his eyes open, working up the energy to grin. The dizziness, nausea, and pain in his chest were gone. He was still deeply exhausted in a way hehadn’t been since he’d been recovering from his crash. “But that helped. I don’t feel like I want to barf anymore.”
Dacha immediately released him, rocking back on his heels.
Pretty Face patted his shoulder once before letting go. “There’s the Capt. Laesornysh I know.”
“It’s Maj. Laesornysh now, actually.” Fieran drew in one last, deep breath and thought he might have the energy to sit up somewhat straighter. “Although it is hard to tell right now. I’m rather out of uniform.”
“I’ve missed a lot while away.” Pretty Face’s smile turned somewhat strained, his eyes going hollow again. “But before you tell me all about it, you should get some rest.”
“We should get moving. There’s no telling how long it will take the Mongavarians to notice this facility isn’t responding.” Fieran braced himself against the wall as he tried to totter to his feet.
Dacha took his arm over his shoulder and pulled him the rest of the way upright. “You need rest, sason. Nor are you the only one. We have enough time. Rest for an hour, then we can meet to discuss our plan.”
“And you…” The younger ogre woman pulled Pretty Face to his feet, pulling his arm over her shoulder. “Your back needs tending.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Pretty Face leaned against her, a gentle smile on his face that Fieran had never seen before.
Had Pretty Face…fallen for someone? Not just the surface-level flirting Fieran had seen from him before, but actual falling in love?
Now wasn’t the time to ask. But he and Pretty Face were really going to need to have a talk, either here or once they were all safe in Escarland.
Chapter
Nineteen
Fieran stood next to the table in the officer’s mess, crowded between his dacha and Pretty Face. Many of the rescued Alliance officers packed into the room as well as several ogres, including the elderly ogre woman and her granddaughter. They stood beside Pretty Face with a younger male ogre on the other side of them.
Dacha glanced around the room, swaying backward for a moment as if intimidated by so many people. Yet he was the most senior officer by far. Making decisions fell to him.
Fieran swept a glance around the room as well. It was hard to tell since all the Alliance officers now wore Mongavarian uniforms, but he might be the second highest ranked officer there. Most of those he did recognize—a few pilots from the other squadrons at Fort Defense who had gone down in Mongavaria over the past few months—were lieutenants.
With a deep breath, Dacha finally seemed to gather himself enough to speak. “Who is the senior officer among those imprisoned here?”
Pretty Face came to attention. “That would be me, sir. We had a captain here a few weeks ago, but he was shot trying to escape.”
Fieran swallowed, clenching his fists.
“How many Alliance officers were killed here?” Dacha’s tone remained low.
“I’m not sure. Several were shot trying to escape. And any captured elves or trolls were put right on the machine the moment they arrived and killed.” Pretty Face clenched and unclenched his fists at his side. “There are mass graves to the north side of the fence.”
“Before we leave, we will want to secure any records we can find that detail that information.” Dacha rested a hand on the stack of notebooks he’d set on the table, the ones he’d taken from the laboratories. “When the war ends, we will need proof of what happened here.”
Pretty Face nodded. “Yes, sir.”
Dacha spread out a map they’d found in the commander’s office onto the table, using the notebooks to hold it open. “We are here. The original plan was for Fieran and Pip to make a run for the border either in our hijacked airship or with a convoy of trucks, protecting it with their combined magic.”
“I’m not leaving Mongavaria without Pip.” Fieran crossed his arms. He didn’t want his dacha to get any ideas of sending Fieran to safety along with the former captives.
Besides, Fieran couldn’t use his magic. He wouldn’t be much help at the moment.
“Of course.” Dacha glanced over his shoulder at him. “And I am not letting you out of my sight. As long as you are with me, there will be no reason for you to use your magic.”
Oh, right. There was that too.
Pretty Face gave a slight shrug. “We will just have to make do without magic on our run to the border.”
As determined as he was to rescue Pip, Fieran’s stomach still sank at the thought of sending Pretty Face off without magicalprotection. The last time Pretty Face had tried for the border, he hadn’t made it.
