Page 78 of Storm to Victory
After setting the tray on the table and letting the bag fall to the ground, Jayna sat on the edge of the bed and hugged Prince Edmund, even as he wrapped his arms around her. He held her tightly, his voice low and somewhat shaky as he said, “I missed you, sena.”
“I missed you and Macha so much,” Jayna murmured the words, her eyes squeezed closed as a single tear trickled down her cheek.
Pip looked away. She probably shouldn’t be here to witness this.
Instead, she helped herself to one of the plates of food. It seemed to be an assortment of kitchen leftovers, from a few bites of roast beef to potatoes to a jumble of vegetables. It was only lukewarm now, but it still tasted rich and savory.
After a moment, Jayna pulled out of the hug. “What are you doing here, Dacha? And like this? I would’ve expected you to come in disguise and sneak in, like you did before.”
As Pip had suspected. Prince Edmund and Jayna had seen each other at least once in the past two years. But she wasn’t going to ask for more details. The less she knew, the better.
“That was the original plan, but that plan crashed and burned rather spectacularly.” Prince Edmund was still smiling, as if an airship crash was nothing major.
He proceeded to explain what had happened, and Pip remained quiet as she polished off all the food on her plate.
It hurt, remembering how safe and content she’d been on the airship. Had that really been less than a week ago?
“In about a week, there’s a plan in place to end the war. I won’t tell either of you more now, just in case you’re questioned.” Prince Edmund glanced between them, his smile disappearing. “I’ll tell you if things are looking dire. But for right now, you’ll be safer not knowing. Still, rest assured, help is coming. And Farrendel and Fieran are on their way. We just need to hold tight until they get here.”
“I can help with that.” Jayna hopped to her feet, retrieved the second plate of food, and passed it to her father. “I can keep bringing leftovers, and I brought medical supplies.” She nudged the bag on the floor with her foot.
“I appreciate it, sena.” Prince Edmund held Jayna’s gaze for a moment, giving her a smile that quickly died. “But you will need to be careful. Very careful. With me here, the guards will be watching to see who tries to make contact with me. If they suspect you have had anything to do with me, they might realize you’re an Escarlish spy. Let’s hope they don’t already have their eye on you because of your visit this afternoon.”
“I don’t think they will.” Jayna dropped her gaze to her hands in her lap. “I just happened to be in the kitchens when the guards came, talking about prisoners. The cook volunteered me to take the tray. But I’ll do my best to avoid bringing you food from now on.”
“Good. I know it’s hard, but you need to stay safe.” Prince Edmund’s voice held the pain of a father who knew how much danger his daughter was in simply by being here, spying on the enemy. He poked at his food for a moment before he sighed, still not taking a bite. “Which is why I’m hesitant to ask this next bit. It will put you in more danger.”
“Whatever it is, I’ll do it.” Jayna straightened her shoulders. “I can handle it.”
“I know you can.” Prince Edmund’s smile was both warm and proud as he regarded his daughter. But the smile faded just as quickly as it had before. “The worst part is, I won’t be able to help you. They’re going to be watching me closely, and most likely I won’t be in any shape to be sneaking around anywhere.”
He would be too injured from torture was what he meant. Pip swallowed, the meal she’d eaten rising in her throat.
Jayna paled, but she nodded, her hands clasped in her lap.
Prince Edmund’s gaze swept from Jayna to land on Pip. “Which is why I’m hoping Pip will be willing to help you.”
“Me?” Pip straightened on the chair. Why would he want her to help? She wasn’t trained as a spy.
“Ah, so youaregoing to recruit her.” Despite her pallor, Jayna grinned, first at her dacha, then at Pip.
“Yes. Your magic will get Jayna into places she can’t access alone.” Prince Edmund held Pip’s gaze. “But I won’t ask this of you if you aren’t willing. You’ll be a lot safer if you simply remain here in the dungeons, out of sight and out of mind. If you’re caught actively spying here in Mongavaria, you’ll be in much greater danger.”
She could sit here in the dungeon, relatively safe and comfortable.
But if she did that, she’d always regret it. Right now, Fieran was crossing a country to get to her. The least she could do was step up and do what needed to be done here.
“I’ll do it. Whatever it is.” Pip sucked in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. She could handle this. She’d walked into battle before. Surely some sneaky spy stuff wouldn’t be half as bad as all that.
Prince Edmund gave her a slow nod before he turned his gaze back onto Jayna. “If this plan works and we end the war, we’ll need to know who gave what orders and when. We’ll need proof of the war crimes Mongavaria committed in Groyria. We’ll need to know which Mongavarian generals and officials are somewhat honorable and worth working with, and which ones should not be left in power. You have provided some of this information already, Jayna, but we’ll need to start collecting the official Mongavarian files to take with us once we leave here.”
Jayna nodded, as if she’d expected as much. “The empress has some of what we’ll need in her hidden study. I’ve kept an eye on it, but I haven’t stolen anything yet.”
“We can store whatever you steal in here.” Prince Edmund waved at the room. “Pip and I can keep an eye on it during the day, and it won’t be in your room where you could be caught with it.”
Jayna nodded, then bit her lip. “The rest of the information, though…it’s in the War Office. I haven’t dared try to break in there yet.”
“That’s where Pip comes in.” Prince Edmund gestured past Jayna to Pip.
