“Where's Loreina?” Kieran called to Doon. “If we can find and capture her, maybe we can end this war!”
“I don't know, but I imagine she'll be well-guarded,” Doon answered casually as he shot an incoming officer between the eyes. “You focus on finding the queen. I have... other business.”
Before Kieran could ask what he meant, Doon turned down a random hallway and fought his way to the dungeon. To his disappointment, it wasn't a well-guarded corridor—he faced only four opponents as he made his way forward. They gave him no trouble, but the door to the dungeon did. It was a thick, iron door: locked, barred and immovable. He wanted to get to Kitt by any means necessary, so he tried everything he could. He tried to pry it open, kick it, punch it, and even shoot it—but the door wouldn't budge. “Damn...” he hissed to himself. “I wish Miles was here.” Picking locks was part of Miles' skill set, not his. But since Miles was getting on in years, Doon had asked him to stay behind and avoid the fighting.
Doon checked the pockets of the guards he recently killed, but none of them had a key. He ran back to the door and threw his entire weight against it, but it wouldn't open. After several minutes of trying to pry his way in, he had no choice but to abandon the door and search for Loreina.
Back in the main hallway where the fighting took place, Tobias continued to count how many people he killed—which he hated to do, but he couldn't stop himself. Including the eleven lives he took during the Black Wings raid, he was now up to sixteen. It was a number that would likely haunt him for the rest of his life. Lyneah stood at his side, taking shots whenever she could. Behind her, she could hear Carol's message reverberating the walls.
I AM PRINCESS LYNEAH, RIGHTFUL RULER OF THIS NATION.
In the corner of her eye, Lyneah saw a handful of soldiers lower their weapons and kneel to her. At least some of them were wise enough to choose the correct side.
Francis Doon fought his way to another hallway: the hall that led to Loreina's bedchamber. It seemed unlikely that she would be hiding in her room, which would be the most obvious place to find her. And yet, the hallway was heavily guarded, and a giant knight encased in silver-white armor stood at her door. Doon fought his way forward, never hesitating to kill anyone in his path. For all he knew, a few of them might have been loyal to Lyneah, but he didn't stop to think about it. He had only one thought in his head: get to Loreina, get to Kitt.
By the time he reached the silver knight, Doon had slaughtered many, which had him feeling confident in his abilities—maybe too confident. He anticipated the same level of challenge from the knight at Loreina's door, which was a mistake. Doon swung his blade, which the knight blocked with one of his swords. When the knight brought down his second sword, he knocked Doon's weapon to the ground, temporarily disarming the pirate's right hand. Doon tried firing his pistol at the knight, but the bullet bounced right off the man's thick, radiant armor. Doon fired a few more times, but his opponent was impervious, or so it seemed.
A fist sailed forward, bashing Doon in the side of the head. One of the knight's swords whistled through the air as it spiraled downward. Doon narrowly evaded the attack, rolled across the ground, and retrieved his sword. As his heart raced, Doon holstered his gun and freed his second sword. With two swords in his hands, he expected it to be an even fight, or perhaps to have the upper hand, but he was wrong. The knight blocked Doon's attacks too easily, and his counterattack was equally adept—so much so that Doon didn't see it coming. One of the knight's blades grazed Doon's already-injured arm, which had him reeling backward.
Doon heard a pistol firing behind him. He hopped aside with just enough time to dodge an incoming bullet, which was fortunately a poorly aimed shot. Doon tried to lower his sword and grab his gun, but the white knight suddenly shoved his head against the wall.
The situation was bleak, and he might have lost if the door to Loreina's room hadn't opened at that very moment. Someone carried Loreina, kicking and screaming, into the hall. When Doon saw Kieran behind her, holding a blade to her throat, he breathed a sigh of relief.
“Everyone lower your weapons, or I'll kill her on the spot!” Kieran roared. The soldier with the gun immediately dropped to his knees and cast his weapon aside. However, the white knight didn't drop his swords. He turned and fled, leaving Loreina behind. Doon fired at him as he ran, but every bullet bounced off of his armor. Doon's gun might as well have been firing thimbles at him, and it would have been just as effective.
“Don't struggle so much, Your Highness,” Kieran whispered to Loreina, who was flailing and punching as he held her. “Your thrashing isn't going to make me any gentler.” When one of the queen's frantic fists struck his shoulder, he held her a little tighter and pressed his blade a bit harder against her neck. “Stop.”
“Let go of me, your stupid brute!” When she tried to bite him, Kieran lifted a hand and squeezed her cheeks.
“While you were keeping the big guard entertained, I snuck behind him and found the queen,” Kieran explained as he attempted to carry Loreina down the hall—but she didn't come easily. She kicked his shins several times. “She's not very friendly, is she?”
“I'm glad you came when you did,” Doon said. “I was in a tight spot. I suppose I should thank you.”
“Don't bother.” When they reached the hallway where both sides were battling it out, Kieran yelled again, “I have Queen Loreina! Everyone lower your weapons if you don't want to see her dead!”
“Damn you, Doon!” Loreina hissed at her privateer, who marched at Kieran's side. “Damn you! Why? Why turn traitor? Did I not pay you well enough? I made you a rich man and a duke, you ungrateful bastard!”
“Some things are more important than money, love,” Doon answered with a sly smile. “Not many things, mind, but... a few.”
When they reached Princess Lyneah, she looked surprised to see Kieran carrying her mother. “Oh my god!” the princess gasped. “Does this mean... it's over?”
“It means you have the upper hand... for the moment.” Loreina's eyes narrowed as she studied her daughter's face. “Someone will come for me, and when they do--”
“Lock her up!” Lyneah commanded. “Find the keys to the dungeon and throw her in the darkest pit. It's no less than she deserves!”
Most—if not all—of the fighting died down when Loreina's soldiers realized their queen was at the enemy's mercy. No more bullets were fired. No more clanging swords echoed through the hall. For a moment, everything went silent.
Finally, someone spoke. “What should we do about the impostor, Your Highness?” The question was asked by one of the knights who had defected to Lyneah's side. “The girl who was pretending to be you? What should we do with her?”
“Leave her in the dungeon for now.” Lyneah's answer came easily. “Just until I've decided what to do with her.”
Tobias was standing behind her. Had she turned around, she would have seen the crushing disappointment in his eyes.
Twenty Nine
“I know you enjoyed having my arms around you, Your Highness... but this is where we part ways, I'm afraid,” Kieran said to Loreina as he shoved her into one of the empty cells. As it happened, the queen's new cell was right next to Mad Petey, who was across from Kitt. And when Kitt realized the queen was joining her in the dungeon, her eyes practically tripled in size.
Loreina turned around and spat in Kieran's direction. “You wish I enjoyed it, you big fool! When I get out, you're the first person I'm going to take down.”
“Ooh. Threaten me again, Your Majesty. I can't stop shuddering,” with a snort, Kieran added, “in my loins.” Kieran's eyes briefly flickered over Kitt's shocked countenance, but it was dark in the dungeon, so he didn't recognize her as Lyneah's doppelganger. After the knights locked Loreina in her cell, Kieran turned around, cheerfully whistling as he strutted down the hall.
“Queen Loreina?” Kitt, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor, crawled closer to the bars. “You're in the dungeon? Does that mean...?”
When the queen realized who was speaking to her, she bellowed a long-lasting groan. “If you're anything like my daughter, you must be happy to see me here.”
“Has Lyneah taken the castle?” Kitt asked. “Am I going to be released?”
“Why would I know that and why would I care about you?” Loreina crossed her arms and pouted in Kitt's direction. “And that little bitch might think she's won, but I have a contingency plan in place. As soon as I get out of here, I'll crush her.”
“If you're in the dungeon, you don't look like you're in a position to do much crushing,” Kitt noted.
“Believe me, I know where I am, girl.” When Loreina sunk to the ground, her arms were still folded over her chest. “But I also know I'll get out. It's just a matter of time, really.”
“I thought I'd get out in a matter of time, too,” Kitt said with a shrug. “It's been days now.”
“Are you a queen, or are you a little brat who was pretending to be the princess? I daresay there's a reason I'll get out and you won't! I'm important and you're not!”
“I wouldn't be so sure about that,” a masculine voice answered.
When Kitt looked up and saw Francis Doon, she nearly gasped. Though she was thrilled to see his face after such a long time, she tried not to show her excitement. She sucked her lips into her mouth and fought back a smile.
Doon looked even more handsome than she remembered. His brown hair was pulled back in a tiny ponytail, and his top hat was velvety black. He wore a dark blue waistcoat over a white poet's shirt, and his breeches fit snugly on his thighs. As she watched him swagger toward her, Kitt's breath was caught in her throat. He made her forget how to breathe.
Doon stuck his fingers through the bars, as if he wanted to touch her. “I'll get you out of here, Kitt,” he vowed. “I don't think it'll be much longer. With me, Tobias and Roddy all wanting you out, I don't think Lyneah will keep you in here.”
“So Lyneah didn't free your impostor? Aww...” Loreina heckled him. “Is my daughter not the angel you expected her to be? Ha! No surprise there!”
Kitt crept to the bars and lightly brushed Doon's fingers. Though it eased her heart to touch him in some way, she would have hugged him if she could. “It's... good to see you again, Doon,” she reluctantly said.
“And it's good to see you, Kitten.” The smile that appeared on his lips was achingly cute. “And I'll get you out of here. I promise.”
“What about me?” Loreina shrilled. “Don't you have any loyalty to me whatsoever? Will you not help your queen as well?”
“You're not my queen,” Doon sputtered an answer in Loreina's direction. “Sorry.”
“Well, I don't give a toss what you think!” the queen whined at him. “I don't need you. Marius will come for me!”
Doon sighed heavily. He tried to keep his attention on Kitt, even though Loreina's squawking was terribly distracting. It wasn't exactly the reunion he had imagined in his mind. “Kitt... do you hate me?” He asked the question quietly so Loreina wouldn't hear.
“No! God, no.” Kitt lightly stroked his hand as she gave her answer. “I could never hate you. I couldn't hate you, even if I tried.” With a weak smile, she added, “And believe me... I did try to hate you!”
“You've been trying to hate me?” Doon's hands playfully flew to his hips. “Are you trying to hurt my feelings, Kitten?”
“No. But I'm not lying!” Kitt said. “There were times when I really did try to hate you! If I could just stop caring about you, my life would be so much easier... but I can't.” She solemnly shook her head. “I just can't.”
“I'm too charming and lovable for you to handle,” Doon remarked, which had her sneering. “Why the sour expression? I worked hard for you, you know. I assisted Princess Lyneah, thinking that would be the easiest way to end all this. It's disappointing that I couldn't get you out of here as soon as we arrived. But I'll get her to come around. Or someone will. She seems to like your friend, Tobias.”
“Tobias is here?” Kitt's eyes were lit by the thought. “Can I see him?”
“I'd bring him here, but it's damned hard to get into the dungeon right now. In the aftermath of the battle, the knights are being careful about who they let in. It took me over an hour to get clearance. Even now, those bastards are watching my every move!” Doon pointed at the hallway's end, where a cluster of soldiers watched and waited. He lowered his voice and added, “If it comes down to it, I'll nick the keyring from one of those twats. But for now... I'm hoping Lyneah will come to her senses and be reasonable. She owes me. She owes me a lot.”
“Doon...” Kitt suddenly sounded morose. “You're bleeding.”
“Oh. Damn.” When he rolled up his sleeve, he realized that some of his stitches were gaping open.
“Doon!” Kitt was shrieking now. “That is a horrible cut!”
“I know. I had a little run-in with my father, you see, and--”
“Wait... your father?” Kitt's eyebrows shot straight to the center of her forehead. “I thought he was dead?”
“Uh... no. Not exactly. You incorrectly made that assumption. I was keeping him in my gaol, but he somehow managed to get out, and...” Doon hesitated when he saw her mouth hanging open. “You know what? It's a long story. I'll tell you the rest when you're out of here.”
“He hurt you again? Your father hurt you?”
Doon rolled down his sleeves with a shrug.”You could say that. But it's nothing I won't recover from.”
“How can you act so... so relaxed about all this?” Kitt asked. “How do you manage to sound so relaxed about everything? When something bad happens, I'm a distraught mess, but you always look so... calm.”
“It's a guise,” he confessed. “When my father had me on the ground, I wasn't calm, believe me.”
“But... are you alright?” When she tried to touch his hand again, his fingers retreated through the bars. “Not just physically, but... emotionally?”
“You're the one in the prison, Kitten. Let's stop worrying about me, shall we?” He shoved a hand into one of his pockets and briefly paced the floor. His father was clearly a distressing topic. When he stopped pacing, he said, “I need to focus my attention on getting you out of here.”
Someone suddenly whistled sharply. When Doon looked up, he saw Kieran at the end of the hall, trying to motion for him to come over.
“What's going on?” Kitt asked.
“I think my... comrade wants to speak to me.” He wasn't sure how to refer to Kieran, but comrade seemed appropriate enough. Kieran certainly wasn't a friend. “I'll come back to you as soon as I'm able.”
“It really was good to see you again,” Kitt told him, but he was already rushing away before the last word was out of her mouth.
When Doon approached his companion, he didn't look happy. “Kieran.” He greeted him rather coldly. “Is there something you wanted to discuss with me? I was in the middle of something important.”
“Well, you're about to be in the middle of something more important,” Kieran said with a smirk. “I believe you owe me a duel, Captain Doon.”
Thirty
“So you're still longing for a duel with Francis Doon? I thought you would have given up on that particular dream by now.” As Doon exited the dungeon, Kieran followed him out. “And here I thought we were getting along so well!”
“We were getting along because we were on the same side,” Kieran replied. “Now that Lyneah's got her castle, my job's done, and I don't have to pretend to like you anymore.”
“Your words...” Doon clasped a hand over his heart, feigning pain. “Oh, how they hurt me. You might hate me, but I really don't hate you, McCray. It'd be such a shame to see you skewered on the end of my sword. Do you really want to die that badly? Wouldn't you like a chance to enjoy some of that mercenary money that will inevitably be thrown your way?”
“You're too confident. You think you're so bloody invincible!” Kieran snorted as he followed Doon into a lush courtyard. “B
ut I've seen you vulnerable more than once. Maybe you're not as good as you think you are.”
“If I'm not as good as I think I am, it's because I'm better than I think I am.” Doon turned in Kieran's direction and grinned. “Although, to be fair, you're not finding me at my best. Those cuts on my arms? They sting like bloody hell!”
“Will that be your excuse when I inevitably defeat you?”
“No. But it should make you feel even worse when you inevitably lose.” Doon yawned, as if he had grown tired of the conversation. “So... what happens when one of us loses? Is this a fight to the death? I doubt Lyneah will approve of us bleeding all over her nice, green grass.”
“That's entirely up to you. If you win, feel free to take my life, because I know I intend to take yours.”
“That isn't very nice, is it?” Doon chuckled. “To be honest, this seems rather pointless. I know Rory was your brother, but he was a bit of a twat, you know. He tortured and humiliated me. Did you expect me to cuddle him after that? No? I had a chance to take his life, and I took it.”
“So if I have a chance to take yours, should I not do the same?”
He heard Kieran drawing one of his swords, so Doon's hand moved to the hilt of his. “You know, I really thought we were bonding! I guess I was wrong to think you actually had a brain in that head of yours.”
Kieran was walking beside him, so Doon could see him in the corner of his eye. When he saw Kieran's blade whizzing toward him, he leapt aside and unsheathed his sword. He wanted to try to avoid the duel, but the mercenary wasn't going to give him a choice. Kieran's swings were fast and powerful—but predictable. After several seconds of blocking, Doon was bored. When he finally countered, Kieran wasn't expecting it, and Doon nearly split his stomach wide open. His sword came so close, he sliced a hole in Kieran's shirt.
Kieran hopped backward and freed his second sword from its sheath. When he looked down at the hole in his shirt, he sighed. “Are you trying to kill me, or are you trying to slice off my clothes, Captain Doon? Because if it's the latter, I should probably let you know... I don't fancy men.” He swung both of his swords in a fury, but Doon still managed to block, even with a single blade in his hand. “And if I did fancy men, I sure as hell wouldn't fancy you.”
Sky Pirate (Belles & Bullets Book 3) Page 19
