Page 42 of The Piper's Pursuit

“Then we make it look like it was the beast.”

“And just how do you expect we do that? Are you about to grow fangs and claws?”

The guard glared. He stuck out his chest, balled up his fists, and took a step forward.

“Easy, now.” The third guard held up a hand between them. “We simply have to send someone to Hennek and wait for his orders. Nobody wants to lose their heads.”

When she glanced at Steffan, he was eyeing a sword strapped to another guard’s back. But the other guards were too close. If he stole the sword and tried to attack as he had earlier, the guards would be all over him. He’d be killed in a moment. There was no snarling beast now to distract them.

“Wait till the guards spread out,” she whispered to Steffan.

He didn’t answer, still staring at the sword.

***

Steffan especially hated the guard who kept grinning salaciously at Katerina. If he was able to get one of the guards’ swords, he’d kill that one first.

The guards were deciding who would go back to town and tell Hennek what happened. It would take a couple of hours at most, so a couple of hours might be all the time they had left to live. They would have to take a risk and attempt an escape. They might be killed, but they were definitely dead if they didn’t get away.

If he could create a distraction and then kill a couple of the guards, maybe he and Katerina could outrun the rest.

One of the guards left to report to Hennek. Now there were five. The two mine guards went back to their posts, while the other three turned sullen faces on Steffan and Katerina.

“Sit down!” one of the guards ordered.

Steffan glanced at Katerina. She was looking up at him.

“Sit down or I’ll turn you over to Ruger.”

The short guard who had been eyeing Katerina grinned and took a step toward them. Katerina quickly sat and Steffan sank down, the wall to his back, beside Katerina.

Ruger continued to stare at Katerina. The other guard didn’t move or change his expression, just kept his beefy arms folded across his massive chest.

Sitting there waiting to find out how Hennek wanted to kill them, with a crazed guard watching over them, Steffan wondered how God was going to get them out of this predicament.

He glanced around for anything he could use as a weapon. Several feet away he spotted a small pick for mining. He could use that, if he could reach it. He tried not to look directly at it so the guards wouldn’t notice.

Thirteen

Katerina shuddered inside at the disgusting guard staring down at her. But she would rather die than let him know she was afraid. Instead, she thought of everything she’d like to do to him, like punch him in the throat and knee him violently in the groin. But fantasizing about hurting the vile, lewd guard was not going to help anything.

Father God, forgive me for my violent thoughts. And help Steffan and me to get the children safely out.

She looked around for a weapon. If she could locate one, maybe she could inch toward it. The guards had been so sure they couldn’t escape, they didn’t even bother to tie their hands or feet together. They weren’t even paying them much attention, as they were engrossed in a conversation about how much Hennek was paying them.

Steffan leaned over and whispered close to her ear, “A pickaxe on the ground, to your right. When I give you the signal, go for it, and I’ll snatch a sword.”

She nodded even as she shivered. Did she shiver because of the energy flowing through her at the danger they were in? Or because of the way his breath felt in her hair?

She was surely daft, because she even noticed the warmth of his shoulder pressed against her arm. He wasn’t like that vile, villainous guard. Steffan was protective and gentle with her. Why had she mistrusted him? Probably because he came across as arrogant and flippant. But he had also been bold and brave, and at the moment, he was ready to fight his way out. And she would be right beside him.

The streak of bright red caught her eye, reminding her how the guard had slashed Steffan’s chest with his sword. In fact, his shirt was gaping open, revealing bare skin and blood. She had to tear her eyes away.

Her heart thumped and stuttered in her throat. But it was only because she wished she had something with which to tend the wound. That was the reason, surely. She had never felt an attraction to a man. Why should Steffan be any different? It was natural she should feel pity for his pain and want to tend his wound, was it not? But they had to escape first.

She leaned toward Steffan. He moved his head closer to her. She whispered, “Perhaps I could cause a distraction, something to make one of the guards turn so you could get his sword.”

Before he could answer, one of the guards yelled, “Quiet! No talking.”