“No, Kit. Enough.”
I jump at Hale’s stern tone.
“We can’t just sit here and let her die!” Kit snaps back. I can tell this is an argument they’ve already gone over countless times.
“And what good is there to be had by you running in there and getting yourself killed too?” Hale barks. His expression is thunderous, but I can see the cracks running through it. He’s a man too close to breaking.
“We can’t do anything now, Kit,” Una says, her voice catching. She reaches for her son’s hand, but he snatches it back.
“Please,” she begs, and I have to look away to keep my own heart from shattering. “Please Kit, I cannot lose both my children.”
Kit turns to me, his eyes bright with desperation.
“You’re meant to be queen—can’t you do something? Call a stop to this? Surely the cleavers have to follow your orders?”
“I’m sorry, Kit,” I say. “My title means nothing while they still believe I had something to do with my parents’ murders.”
He nods, his jaw clenched with disappointment.
“But what about the rest of the village?” I ask. “Haven’t any of them offered to help you? Surely there are some people who aren’t ready to just roll over and accept this? There’s barely a person who doesn’t drink in this tavern or buy your food. Your family is the heart of this village.”
Una’s face sags, like my suggestions are just piling more weight on her back.
“They’re frightened, my dear,” she says. “They don’t want to become targets. I wouldn’t let them help—not if it means more families getting swept up in this evil.”
“Alright,” I say. If it’s just Kit and me on our own, it will be much harder. But we have to try.
“Alright?” Kit asks.
“I’ll find a way to get her out,” I say.
“I’ve been thinking about it for hours,” he says. “All I can come up with is some kind of distraction.”
“Neither of you will be doing anything,” Hale says. I can tell he’s trying so hard to be strong, to hold the remains of his family together.
“I’m sorry Mr. Holms,” I say, lowering my eyes respectfully. “I understand you’re afraid. But your daughter is simply too precious for me to let her die. She saved my life in a hundred different ways over in that manor, and now it’s time to repay my debt.”
Una lets out a sob as I turn to Kit. “I’m going to go back to the sanctuary. If we’re going to create a distraction, we need to know exactly how many guards there are. I’ll scout it out and come back.”
“I’ll come with you,” he says. “You can’t go on your own. You don’t know what they’re like. When they came to take Tira, it was awful. Those cleavers…” He shakes his head, unable to find the words for a moment. “It’s like they’re not even human.”
“Believe it not, I’ve actually had a run-in with the cleavers before,” I say grimly.
He gapes at me. “What? How?”
“A lot has changed, Kit.I’vechanged. So just trust me. Stay with your parents for now,” I say. “Keepthemsafe. I’ll be back soon.”
The Holmses don’t argue, but Una gives my hand a tight squeeze as I leave the tavern.
It’s getting dark again as I steal back through the streets. It makes it easier to move past Otscold’s houses and shops unseen, but I’m conscious that every passing moment brings us closer to Tira’s execution. We need to come up with a working plan fast.
I stop, thinking I hear footsteps in the alley ahead of me, and dart down another side street. But there’s sudden movement in the shadows here too. I reach under my cloak for the knife at my belt?—
Only to relax when I see it’s only a black cat darting around the corner.
“Those are bad luck you know,” says a voice in the gloom. Then a pair of large hands grabs me.
Chapter29
