Page 94 of Storm to Victory
The guard grabbed her upper arm, right where she’d been wounded. She cried out as he dragged her to her feet.
Empress Bella’s gaze sharpened, and the crown prince took a step forward, his eyes narrowing. “Mother, wasn’t one of the spies shot?”
“Yes.” Empress Bella stepped forward as Pip was hauled from the cell. The empress’s gaze swept over Pip, her mouth twisting, before she reached out and yanked up Pip’s sleeve, revealing the bandage around her upper arm. “Two spies broke into the War Office. And here are two spies in my dungeon. One with a bullet wound.”
“The use of elven magic must have been him.” The crown prince jabbed a hand at Prince Edmund. “One of those infernal elf heart bonds.”
Pip swallowed, avoiding the empress’s gaze and instead meeting Prince Edmund’s. Seeking what, she didn’t know. It wasn’t like he could reassure her that their carefully constructed mining tunnel of deception wasn’t about to come crashing down on their heads.
Prince Edmund’s eyes were wide—at least as wide as they would go with his face swelling—before he schooled his expression back into that more languid neutral.
“Search their cells. I want to know how they got out and where they’ve hidden the paperwork they stole. I want guards stationed here at all times. They are never to be out of sight.” Empress Bella swept one last glance over Pip, her gaze dismissive, before she turned to Prince Edmund. “Regardless of what we find, enjoy your final night alive. You and your spy will be executed by firing squad in the morning.”
With that, Empress Bella spun on a heel and swept down the corridor with all the speed of the ninety-year-old grandmother that she was. At the stairs, she had to lean on her son’s arm to climb upward.
Pip’s legs were shaking, her heart pounding, as she tried to take in those wordsexecuted by firing squad.
The words didn’t have time to settle before she was hustled off to a new cell, this time on the side of the passageway without windows. A maid was called—not Jayna—who thoroughly searched Pip to make sure she didn’t have anything hidden on her person.
Prince Edmund was moved to a new cell as well next to her instead of across the way as before. He, too, was searched, and they found some wire and a lockpick he had on him.
Then guards turned the dungeon inside out, including searching the rooms around the corner. They found the medical supplies she had stashed under the bed, as well as a few other things Jayna had fetched for them.
At least the guards assumed that Prince Edmund and Pip had gotten out with his lockpicks and that the two of them had been the ones sneaking out somehow and taking those items. Thankfully, the guards didn’t seem to suspect that they’d had someone else inside the castle helping them.
But they still could get suspicious. Especially since they didn’t find any papers in the dungeon. After all, Jayna had stashed those somewhere, and not even Prince Edmund knew where.
At last, the bulk of the guards left with only two soldiers remaining behind, one staring into each of their cells. It seemed the empress had been very literal about Pip and Prince Edmund never being out of sight.
Pip pulled the rather musty blanket of this new cell around her shoulders and tried to ignore the weight of the guard’s stare on her. She wouldn’t sleep that night while under constant watch like this.
Would the guards allow them to talk? She had to swallow several times before she could get her dry mouth and constricting throat to work. When she finally spoke, she used dwarvish so that the guards couldn’t understand. “Is this the time to escape?”
The guard outside of her cell kicked his boot against the metal bars. “No talking. Especially not that jibberish.”
“Not yet.” Prince Edmund also spoke in dwarvish. He lay on his cot where the guards had dumped him. “We might as well enjoy Mongavaria’s hospitality for one more night.”
The guard in front of his cell kicked his door. “As he said. No talking.”
“But…tomorrow…” She couldn’t even say it out loud.
Prince Edmund tilted his head toward her, raising his eyebrows as much as he could with all the cuts and bruises on his face. “They can’t actually execute you by firing squad. You can shield yourself. And hopefully me, if it comes to that.”
He really shouldn’t sound so cavalier about execution. Yes, she could shield herself from bullets. They would be nothing after the bombs and crashing airships and everything else she’d shielded herself from throughout this war.
But she still couldn’t stop the words from echoing in her head anyway. She couldn’t be quite so unworried aboutexecutionas he was.
“And if they have one of those magic-stealing machines?” Pip could barely get the words out past the fear squeezing her throat and chest.
“Then we hope our rescue arrives in time.” Prince Edmund settled back as if getting more comfortable on his cot. “And hope my daughter has enough sense to stay away tonight.”
“That’s it. Don’t make me come in there.” The guard before Prince Edmund’s cell brandished his rifle, as if he was prepared to beat Prince Edmund with it if he said another word.
Pip swallowed and forced herself to lie down with her back to the guard. Her fingers shook as she clutched the blanket around her.
She wanted to get out of here. Away from dungeons and executions and danger.
Was Fieran on his way? Would he arrive tomorrow morning as planned? Or were she and Prince Edmund on their own?
