“Sorry,” Tobias apologized. “I lost myself.”
“It's alright. You were angry, and he was an arse. He probably deserved it.” Lyneah lifted her head and brought her lips close to his, hoping he'd kiss her. But he didn't, so she closed the gap herself. Lyneah's kiss was light, but her heart leapt when she felt Tobey's mouth on hers. When their kiss ended all too soon, she kept her face close, hoping he'd kiss her again, but he opted to kiss her forehead instead. Lyneah was frustrated. She didn't know if he didn't want to kiss her, or if it simply wasn't the right time. After all, she'd only recently been attacked.
“Tobey... you're the best part of my life.” Lyneah's heart raced as she whispered the words. “I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you. Even if I never claimed the castle, I think I could be perfectly happy, as long as I had you.”
“You're the b-b-best part of my life too,” Tobias said, silently cursing himself for stuttering. “I'd do anything for you, Lyneah. Anything. And... when you do take the castle, I hope you don't forget about me.”
“What? No!” Lyneah sounded offended by the thought. “I'd never forget about you! Never! Whether I'm a wandering princess or a crowned queen, you'll always be the most important person in the world to me.”
“I don't know why.” Tobey chuckled. “I'm nothing. I'm a nobody.”
“You're everything,” Lyneah quietly corrected him as her head returned to his shoulder.
At long last, Lyneah acknowledged the truth she had been neglecting for so long.
She had never loved anyone more than Tobias, and her heart ached from wanting him so much.
Twenty Three
“Have you heard about this yet?” Aislainn, who was breaking her fast with Roderick, raised the newspaper and summarized. “Apparently, the princess in the castle isn't Lyneah, but an impostor princess pretending to be her. But that just seems too outlandish to be true. Are they making up stories to sell papers now?”
“Kitt...” Roderick whispered the name, which made Aislainn glance up from the page.
“Pardon?”
“The name of the impostor princess is Kitt,” he explained. “She's been there for weeks now. Francis Doon dropped her off several times, repeatedly claiming a reward for doing so. She's such an amazing doppelganger that even I didn't spot the difference right away.”
Aislainn folded the paper, dropped it on the table, and gasped. “Wait... so this is true? And you knew about it?”
“Yes...” Roderick almost sounded repentant. “I even got her out of the castle once, but Doon found her and took her back again... the bastard.”
“So the woman I've been spending time with lately... is actually a girl named Kitt?”
Roderick nodded solemnly.
“And the person who's been imprisoned is Kitt, not Lyneah?”
“Wait... imprisoned?” Roderick snatched the newspaper from the table and quickly scanned the article. His eyes frantically danced across the page as he soaked in the words. “So they somehow uncovered Kitt's real identity, she's been imprisoned... and the date for her execution is pending? How horrible.”
Aislainn looked distraught. “We have to help her!”
“Wait... this article says that Lyneah, the real Lyneah, is in Sheepsgate conspiring against her mother.” Roderick excitedly prodded the page with his finger. “The writer of this article thinks it's only a matter of time before Queen Loreina publicly declares war against her daughter.”
“Roderick, we have to help her!” Aislainn repeated. “We have to help Kitt. She's only ever been kind to me, maybe even kinder than Princess Lyneah. If she's really going to be executed, we have to help her somehow!”
“And how would we do that?” Roderick leaned back in his chair, propped his foot against the table, and crossed his arms. “We're only two people. If I was still a knight, I might have been able to think of something, but I'm not even allowed in the castle right now. And you definitely shouldn't be anywhere near the castle, Miss Cumberland!”
“Even if we can't free her, we have to visit her. We have to do something!” Aislainn was adamant. “She needs to know she's not alone right now. I can only imagine how broken her spirits must be. I'm sure she'd like to know there's someone on her side.”
Aislainn's persistence had Roderick shaking his head. Every time a woman asked for a favor, he hated to let them down. All too often, he was powerless in the face of their looming disappointment. “I... still have friends in the castle,” he began. “If I dress like a knight, I'm sure they could sneak me in, and if I'm lucky, no one will pay attention to my face.”
“That could work. It seems risky, though.”
“You're asking me to sneak into the castle where I've been suspended... where I've been barred from entering. Of course there's going to be a risk.” Roderick shrugged. “But Kitt's been a good friend, and it's a risk I'd be willing to take for her.”
“Do you think... I could go?” Aislainn seemed reluctant to ask the question.
“No.” Roderick's answer was so resolute, she knew she wouldn't get him to bend. “Every time I think about Roen laying his hands on you, I want to strangle the man. If he found you again, I wouldn't be able to stand it. If you'd like, write a letter to Kitt, and I'll deliver it to her when I get there.”
Aislainn was at least a bit appeased by Roderick's idea. She immediately rose to fetch a quill and paper. “It doesn't seem right, though. You shouldn't be the one who's taking the risk. Sneaking into the castle was something I wanted to do. What if you get in trouble because of me?”
Roderick chuckled to himself. He was always getting into trouble because of women—nothing ever changed. “I'd rather take the risk than let you put yourself in harm's way. And this isn't up for debate.”
Roderick spent the next few minutes getting prepared. He donned his knight's uniform, which was already starting to gather dust. He tried to soak his hair and comb it back, because his dark curls were too recognizable. When he was ready, Aislainn handed him a letter and sent him on his way.
As he approached the castle, Roderick tried to be as discreet as possible. While hiding behind a small stable, he signaled one of the guards in front of the castle. The man was a friend of a friend, so he was confident his message would be delivered without too much trouble. After nearly twenty minutes of waiting, the mighty castle doors were flung open, and Roderick's friend smuggled him into the foyer.
Getting into the castle was easy enough, but getting to Kitt's side required a bit more work. The dungeon was usually crawling with guards, but the interior was dark, so they likely wouldn't recognize him once he was inside. Getting into the dungeon was the challenging part. The entrance to the gaol was always guarded. Roderick's friend had to recommend a new guard for the post—a guard who had only worked for a week, who wouldn't recognize Roderick when he saw him. Once the new guard was in place, Roderick sailed past him and slipped into the dungeon.
Roderick's search for Kitt led him to the end of the corridor, where Prince Lysander's cell used to be. When he arrived, a cloaked figure was already talking to her, so he approached with caution.
“I'm so sorry, my lady, this is horrible!”
Though the person tried to whisper, sound carried well in the dungeon. He recognized the voice immediately. “Aislainn?”
The handmaiden lowered her hood and turned in his direction. “Yes... I'm sorry, Roderick. I know how you feel, but I had to come.”
“How did you get in?”
“I... have friends in the castle as well,” Aislainn confessed, then she turned her attention back to Kitt. “Are you alright? How long have you been in here? Is there anything I can do?”
“It's been almost twenty-four hours,” Kitt tackled Aislainn's questions with a sigh. “I'm not alright, and... there's really nothing that can be done.”
“This is Doon's fault!” Roderick growled as he approached the bars. “I wish you would have let me take you home, Kitt! If we'd gone to Lundun instead of Dovyr, none
of this would have happened! You wouldn't be in this situation right now!”
“It was my idea to go to Dovyr, Roderick. The fault lies with me.” Kitt, who was standing beside the bars, tried to wiggle her ankle, which was bound by an incredibly tight manacle. It was so tight, her toes were starting to tingle. “Besides, I'd rather not think about what I could have done. It's useless to think of such things. What's done is done.”
“Doon said he wanted to help you. He told me that several days ago, in a pub,” Roderick said. “He's going to find Lyneah and help her take the throne. If he's serious, he'd better move quickly. I don't know how much time we have.”
“Doon doesn't want to help me.” Kitt turned away from the bars and crossed her arms. “He's forgotten all about me, I'm sure.”
“It's true that he's not very reliable, but he sounded serious.” Roderick couldn't believe he was trying to convince her that Francis Doon, a man he hated, wasn't entirely awful.
“Working with Lyneah means he would have to stand against Loreina, and I doubt he'd do that. Besides...” Kitt sighed. “I don't care what Doon does. I'd rather talk about you, Roderick. It's been ages since I've seen you. How have you been? Are you alright?”
“To be honest, I've seen better days myself... although it's nothing compared to what you're going through.” He turned to Aislainn, who was studying him with an indiscernible expression. “Your handmaiden has seen me at my worst, I'm afraid.”
“What does that mean?” Kitt directed the question at Aislainn, not Roderick.
“Roderick... spent several days... in a pub,” Aislainn reluctantly gave her answer.
“She's putting it mildly. I was a drunken arse. But Aislainn got me out of there.” To Kitt, he added, “And now I can repay the favor by getting you out of here. There has to be some way to free you.”
“You shouldn't even be here, Roderick. You'll get in big trouble if you're found!” Kitt lowered her voice, because Mad Petey was watching across the way. The maniac was in the cell across from Kitt, and when he wasn't flashing his bum at her, he babbled nonsensically. The presence of Roderick and Aislainn had miraculously quieted him.
“But I can't do nothing, especially if they plan to execute you.” Roderick stuck his fingers through the bars, as far as they would go, wishing he could touch her. “I... care about you, Kitt.”
“I don't want you to do anything too risky, but if you really want to help me... there's something you could do.” When Roderick's eyes were lit with anticipation, Kitt felt a bit silly for what she was about to ask. “Do you think you could rescue my dog, Barnabus? I don't know if anyone's taking care of him right now and... he might be lonely.”
“I suppose I could do that. But it doesn't help you,” Roderick said. “I'd rather work toward getting you out of here, Kitt.”
“Roderick,” Aislainn whispered his name and tugged on his sleeve. “Roderick, I think there's someone coming.”
“Then we should probably go. But Kitt...” Roderick lowered his eyes. The fact that he was unable to help her made him ashamed. “I'll find some way to get you out of here, alright? I won't give up on you.”
“I appreciate that, Roderick,” whispered Kitt. “Now go.”
Aislainn pulled up her hood and Roderick kept his head down. As they headed out of the dungeon, their predicament got worse. Queen Loreina herself was walking toward them, followed by a massive knight in silver-white armor. As they passed the queen, Aislainn's stomach was twisted in knots. Roderick looked away, hoping the queen wouldn't recognize him—and though she did glance in their direction, she barely took note of them. She was more interested in talking to the girl who impersonated her daughter.
Kitt stood at the edge of her cell, watching Roderick and Aislainn as long as she could. When they breezed past Loreina, she breathed a sigh of relief on behalf of her friends. However, she felt considerably less relieved about her own situation. When Loreina reached Kitt's cell, the queen's eyes were brimming with disgust.
“Open the cell door, Ewan,” Loreina commanded the knight at her side. The massive silver knight, who must have been almost seven feet tall, fumbled with a keyring as he stepped forward. Kitt's cell door opened with a groan, and both the queen and her bodyguard stepped inside. Kitt's body tensed when Loreina came toward her.
“What is your name, girl?” Loreina asked. “Tell me your name!”
“Catherine.” She gave an honest answer. She didn't know if being palatable would benefit her in any way, but she didn't see any harm in giving the queen a name. “Although... I'm mostly called Kitt, for short.”
“Well then... tell me, Catherine, why were you pretending to be my daughter? Did Lyneah put you up to it? When she escaped from the castle, did she plan to leave a double in her place?”
Kitt slowly shook her head.
“Hmm. Yes. Perhaps that would be too clever of her.” A wicked smile tugged at Loreina's lips as she stalked around the cell. She was, without question, enjoying the interrogation. “If it wasn't Lyneah, did Doon put you up to it? It did seem rather suspicious when he kept saving you and saving you and reaping a reward.”
Kitt shook her head again. Even though it was Doon's fault, she didn't want to get him in trouble.
“I don't think you're being entirely honest with me, Catherine... dear...” Loreina suddenly grabbed Kitt's face and squeezed her cheeks, as roughly as she could. “I don't like it when people lie to me.”
Kitt tried to shake her head again, even as Loreina gripped her face. “I'm not... lying.”
“Then you'll have to give me an answer that makes sense!” Loreina roared at her. “And you'll have to give me an answer quickly, because I'm a very impatient woman.”
Kitt kept her silence. She didn't want to incriminate Francis Doon, even at the expense of her own safety.
“You're such a little bitch, aren't you?” Loreina patted Kitt's cheek a few times, and a few seconds later, she slapped her as hard as she could. It was such a brutal slap, Kitt nearly toppled to the floor from the force of it. “Now... I'll ask you again. Is Francis Doon responsible for this?”
Kitt didn't say a word. She simply stared at the queen, silently and defiantly—which earned her another mighty slap. The second blow had Kitt's cheek burning.
“I like Francis, you know,” Loreina said. “I've always fancied him a bit, to tell you the truth. I appreciate that he's a bit of a rebel. So if you tell me the truth about him, I'll be lenient with him.... more lenient than I'd be on you, I daresay.”
Kitt kept her silence. She started flinching even before Loreina hit her again. After the third slap, Kitt's face was on fire. Across the way, Mad Petey was laughing and pointing at her. Apparently, he was highly amused by the sight of her stinging cheek.
“I'll be back here every day until you tell me the truth,” Loreina cautioned her. “And next time, I'll do more than slap you, dear. Maybe I'll let you get raped by dogs! You made such a fool of me, it'd be no less than you deserve! Honestly, King Roen may never trust me again. Because of me, his son is married to a common whore!”
“I'm not a whore,” Kitt spoke up for herself. “Far from it, actually.”
“Ah... now she speaks!” Loreina hit her again, harder than ever. The slap was so severe, it echoed throughout the entire corridor. “If I was you, I'd consider my words more carefully from now on... especially if you don't want to die.” When Loreina turned in the direction of her huge armor-clad bodyguard, she chuckled cruelly. “Actually... I shouldn't lie. This girl is going to die, whether she talks to me or not!”
“Are you ready to go, Your Majesty?” asked the silver knight.
“Yes, Ewan! God, you're so impatient...” When Loreina shuffled out of the cell, Ewan closed the door behind her. Before she left the gaol, she had some final words for Kitt. “When my daughter comes for me, and I kill her too, I'll decorate my room with your matching heads! That should be quite a sight to see, don't you think?”
Twenty Four
&nb
sp; Doon was in the middle of training with Tobias when Bryce came rushing toward him, wide-eyed and sputtering. “Cap'n! Ohhh cap'n cap'n cap'n!” He shoved a spyglass into Doon's hand and pointed beyond the radio tower. “Something real bad is comin'!”
Doon turned in the direction of the radio tower and raised the spyglass, peering into the distance. It didn't take him long to spot the reason for Bryce's babbling. “I... see.”
“What is it?” asked Tobias.
“There are two Royal Black Wing ships heading in our direction. Apparently, Loreina's decided to take the fight to us before we take it to her.” As he studied the incoming airships through the spyglass, Doon gave Tobias a little shove. “Go fetch the princess. We need to discuss how to handle this.”
After Tobias rushed away, Bryce had some encouraging words for his captain. “You can do it. You can take 'em both. I know you can, Cap'n. I seen you do it before.”
“Yes... I have taken on two ships and emerged victorious.” Plans raced through Doon's head as the airships drifted toward them, like two black phantoms—twin harbingers of death. “But never were they heavily outfitted military vessels.”
“I believe in you, though,” Bryce offered meager encouragement. “I do. I really really do.”
When Tobias returned with the princess, Doon handed her the spyglass and pointed toward the incoming ships. A moment later, she whispered, “Oh, damn...”
“What do we do, Princess?” Doon asked. “This is your show, not mine. Give us a plan.”
“You're going to follow my orders?” When Doon nodded, Lyneah looked surprised. “Um... uh... well... you're the one with the airship, Doon. What do you propose?”
“If it was up to me, I'd fight back.” There was a hint of amusement in Doon's eyes that made her think he was actually anticipating a battle. “Get as many people onto the airship as you can, and the rest can take cover in the radio tower until this is over.”
Sky Pirate (Belles & Bullets Book 3) Page 14
