Page 185 of Sword & Sacrifice

She could betray that trust to run away. Instead, she took a deep breath and assessed the situation. “I’m sure there are some scared people hiding in the kitchens, maybe even some who have been injured.”

No matter where she went, in a chaotic battle like this, she would still be needed.

Chapter Nineteen

All eyes turned to Emmaline and Echo as they entered the kitchen. Langley had laid Captain Dresden on one of the tables, who continued to mutter protests even as he drifted into unconsciousness. Either the pain and exhaustion had overwhelmed him, or Langley had given him a dose of Liquid Sleep to settle him down.

The guard’s eyes focused on the space behind Emmaline. “Where’s His Majesty?”

Emmaline turned to find Braden and Koen standing behind her. She craned her head, expecting Silas to be following them.

Braden shook his head. “He went to speak with General Griselda.” His hand tightened on Koen’s shoulder just as Koen shifted, as if he would run back outside to defend his brother.

The guard swore. “Does he always run headfirst into trouble?”

A strange, pained look crossed Braden’s face, and he shook his head as if he didn’t know the answer.

Not that Langley waited for one, racing past them to return to his charge.

“What’s going on?” a young woman asked, her voice high and trembling as she looked between the new arrivals. Several members of the palace staff had already gathered in the kitchen. Although the space was large, they were all huddled close together for comfort.

“We heard the warning bells,” another staff member said, “but no one’s told us what’s happening.”

“The coast is under attack,” Braden explained. Gasps rose through the crowd, and he held his hands up in a soothing gesture. “The soldiers will protect the palace. I need everyone to remain calm and shelter in here, where it’s safe. Someone will retrieve us when the coast is clear.”

Despite his attempts to calm them, distressed shouts and questions filled the room. Braden patiently answered them one at a time.

“I’ll stand guard by the door,” Koen said, raising his chin to dare anyone to argue with him.

“Do you even have a weapon?” Echo sneered.

Koen narrowed his eyes on Echo and drew a dagger from a sheath in his boot. “Do you?” he challenged, eyeing Echo up and down.

They’d discarded the dress and now stood in only their underclothes. The thin clothes didn’t leave much room to hide weapons. Echo rolled their eyes and reached toward their hip, fingers curling around nothing. Yet when they drew their hand back, a sword’s blade glimmered in the light. Smirking at Koen, they said, “Mine’s bigger.”

Emmaline shook her head at their bickering and turned her attention back to the crowd, searching for any injuries. Everyone appeared hale and whole, the only one injured the unconscious Captain Dresden.

She leaned over him and examined his bandages. As she’d feared, his attempts to join the fight had reopened some of his wounds. Since she hadn’t anticipated moving from the medic tents into the palace, she hadn’t brought any supplies with her, but luckily the kitchen had some readily available. Now that the staff members had calmed down, someone fetched her some cloth to use for bandages while someone else boiled a pot of water.

“Shit!”

Emmaline’s head jerked up at Koen’s shout from the hallway. The noise in the kitchen instantly halted as everyone turned toward the door.

“Back inside!” Echo yelled, shoving Koen through the kitchen door. They closed it together and both leaned against it.

“What is it?” Braden demanded, abandoning his conversation with the Head of Staff to check on his son. He grabbed Koen and examined him from head to toe, only releasing him when Koen batted his hands away.

“Everett’s damned crew made it into the palace,” Echo snarled through gritted teeth. “And this one”—they nodded at Koen—“just alerted them to our location.”

“I’m pretty sure the giant aiming a crossbow at me had already figured it out!” Koen snapped.

Thunk. Something heavy collided with the door.

The palace workers began to panic again. Chaos erupted inside the kitchen as people tried to stuff themselves into cabinets and cupboards. A young boy started crying while one of the maids comforted him and tucked him into a corner. Every thump at the door earned another wail of distress.

“Would you all shut it?” Echo shouted.

The wail cut off abruptly. The banging cabinet doors settled into place. A few people clamped hands over their mouths to suppress their sobs. Once the kitchens quieted, Emmaline could hear someone speaking on the other side of the door.