Page 72 of The Queen's Crown
“I’m not climbing down that.” And there was no way the dog could make her way down either.
He chuckled. “Not that way.” He nodded his head away from the cliff. “Over here.” He led her twenty feet to a group of black rocks. He moved one of them aside, revealing a hole in the ground. “It’s sloped,” he assured her.
At this point, as long as she didn’t encounter any more steps, she could handle it. She climbed inside and made her way down the muddy path to a cave filled with water. A boat was tied to a wooden post.
Rainer stepped around her, getting into the boat.
“Where are we taking that?” Because if he intended on rowing that small thing out into the ocean, there’s no way they’d survive. Not with the cliff and rocks right there. The waves and current would be too ferocious.
“Have a little faith,” he chided her. “The cave won’t dump us in a dangerous part. I promise.” He whistled, and Harta jumped into the boat.
Sabine remembered hearing a whistle right before being attacked. That’s when Harta had left her. She’d mentioned it to Rainer, but he hadn’t said anything. There had to be a way to find out who knew the dog’s commands. She shivered, realizing it had to be someone inside the palace.
“Give me your hand,” Rainer said, extending his arm to help her.
Reaching out, she noticed her palm had smeared blood on it.
“Did you hurt yourself during the altercation?” Rainer asked, noticing the blood.
“Not that I’m aware of.” She glanced down at her pants and saw blood there as well. “When we came down the steps, I felt something on the railing. I remember thinking it was just water, so I rubbed my palm on my pants.”
His eyes widened. “Get in,” he said, a hint of urgency to his voice.
She did as he said, fearful the assassin would jump out at them at any moment.
He quickly untied the boat and grabbed hold of the oars, allowing the boat to drift deeper into the dark cave. The only way Rainer could steer the boat was by allowing the current to push them along. He had to use the oars to make sure they didn’t hit the sides of the cave. After about five minutes, the air around them started to lighten.
“There’s an alcove ahead,” Rainer explained. “It’s protected so the boat can easily exit there.” He started rowing. Bright light inundated them as they left the cave and went into the open water.
“Are we going there?” She pointed to the island not far away. It looked as if it had grown straight up out of the water since cliffs surrounded it.
“We are.”
“Where will we be docking?” There was probably another set of stairs leading to the top. The thought of climbing more steps made her want to cry.
“There’s a cave on the west side.” He steered them that way, the open water becoming choppy from the wind.
Sabine held onto the sides tightly while Harta laid on the bottom, whining.
They neared the rocky island. The strong current made it difficult for Rainer to do much. However, the water shoved them right toward the cave and the boat flew inside, hitting something with a jolt.
“It’s just a landing area,” he said as he jumped out and grabbed the front of the boat, yanking it half out of the water.
Sabine and Harta got out.
After Rainer tied the boat up, he went over to the side and opened a wooden door built right into the rocks.
Sabine groaned, not having the strength to climb up a single set of stairs.
“Hurry up,” Rainer said, waving her over to the door.
The thought of an assassin pursuing them was enough for her to run through the doorway. She skidded to a halt, finding herself in a three-foot by three-foot room. Rainer and the dog joined her, making the space a tight fit.
A cord hung next to the door. Rainer grabbed it, pulling it hard three times before closing the door. The three of them stood there in darkness.
“Is something supposed to happen?” she whispered, reaching down and petting Harta’s head.
“Yes. In a minute. Have a little patience.”
