The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea - Kerrelyn Sparks Page 0,110
so his back would be to Brody. “Apparently, you don’t know who I am. I am Princess Maeve, heir to the throne, and I command you to—”
Clonk. The guard crumpled to the floor.
Brody slid his knife back into his belt. “Princess Maeve?”
She gave him a wry look. “Prince Brodgar?”
He shrugged. “I prefer being Brody. But I’ll take the title if I can be your prince.”
She smiled. “Then I’ll be your princess.”
Ruth shook her head. “I can’t believe they’re flirting right now.” She retrieved the key from the guard’s pocket and unlocked the door. “Gabby?”
“Yes?” The young woman ran up to the door. “Oh, my!” She stepped aside while Brody dragged the unconscious guard into her room.
“Are you all right, Gabby?” Maeve asked as she closed the door.
“I’m fine. Thank you for getting me out of the dungeon.” Gabby frowned as Brody tied and gagged the guard. “How can such an old man move so quickly?”
“He’s a shifter like your brother,” Ruth explained.
Brody bowed his head. “I’m Brody from the Isle of Moon.”
“Prince Brodgar,” Ruth whispered.
Gabby’s mouth fell open.
“Do you know where Gavin is?” Maeve asked, and Gabby shook her head.
“He sneaked out last night to terrorize the guards,” she confessed. “He must be hiding somewhere now, probably taking a nap.”
Brody snorted. “I don’t know how a little cat can terrorize anybody, but I’m grateful for his help.” As he strode toward a window, Maeve noticed Ruth and Gabby exchanging an odd look.
“I wonder how much progress Nevis has made.” Brody peered out the window.
Maeve joined him. “Look!” She pointed at two guards who were slowly marching around the castle.
Gabby and Ruth gathered at the second window.
“I wish we could get rid of them,” Maeve muttered. “Maybe you could fly at them as an eagle—”
Suddenly, one of the guards tripped, then the second one. As they sat up, dazed, a flock of birds flew straight at them.
“Ack!” They ducked down, covering their heads as the birds pooped all over them.
Gabby laughed. “It must be Bettina! She told the birds to do that.”
Nevis and his Spiders emerged from the nearby woods. They ran to the guards, knocked them out, then dragged them back into the forest.
“Excellent.” Brody opened the window and waved.
After a moment, Nevis stepped from behind a tree and waved back. He showed his hands, his fingers splayed.
“Seventeen?” Maeve asked.
“That’s how many guards they’ve taken.” Brody raised his hand, displaying the number three.
Nevis responded with a thumbs-up, then disappeared once again into the woods.
“I have an idea!” Gabby darted over to her worktable and grabbed a handful of gold coins. When the next two guards came marching around the castle, she tossed a few coins out the window.
“Is that gold?” one of the guards shouted, and they both sprinted over to retrieve the coins.
“Woo-hoo!” Gabby shouted and flung more coins out the window.
The guards scrambled about on the grass, frantically picking up coins. Meanwhile, Nevis sneaked up behind them and clobbered them both on the head. As the Spiders dragged the guards into the woods, he flashed the number nineteen at Brody.
“Hell, no.” Brody thumped his chest, then raised a hand to show the number five.
Nevis responded with one finger, and Brody snorted.
Maeve gave him an incredulous look. “Are you arguing over who gets credit for those two?”
“Gabby should get credit,” Ruth announced.
“I agree,” Maeve said.
Gabby grinned. “What do we do now?”
“We take out the guards at the throne room,” Brody announced as he strode to the door.
Maeve winced, recalling the dream that had revealed Brody getting injured in the throne room. That was the last place she wanted to go.
* * *
With no more guards walking the perimeter of the castle, Nevis and his Spiders were able to dash across the garden at the back of the castle. They arrived at the base of a giant hedge clipped into the shape of a dolphin.
“Blindfold her,” Nevis told Bettina, and she quickly wrapped a linen strip around Catriona’s head.
He retrieved the dark canvas bag that Ruth had left for them beneath the hedge. “Let’s get closer to the door.”
The Spiders moved slowly toward the door that led into the castle’s dungeon with Bettina leading the blindfolded Catriona. Once they were close enough, they all hid behind a hedge. Between the branches, he spotted the two guards and the dog they used to frighten the children into working.
The dog could apparently sense their presence for he started barking. Peter, Kurt, and Hannah cringed.