Sonah stared at her, caught between fear and resignation.
“The general asked you about conspirators,” Terena said. “Did he say anything else about that? Did he mention any of the royals?”
Sonah shrugged one shoulder as she leaned into the bars. “Maybe? I was mostly crying. Pleading my innocence. Fat lot of good that did.”
“Did he ask about your father at all? Did he say anything about him at all you remember?”
“Other than he wasn’t in residence when the general wrote to him of my arrest? No.”
Another silence. Sonah felt the weight of the day. The week. Her eyelids drooped.
“The duke is planning a coup.”
Sonah arched an eyebrow. “What?”
“It makes sense,” Terena muttered, and Sonah sat up straighter to focus.
“What now?”
“The duke doesn’t need to come; you said it yourself. And if he’s not in Ovenno and can’t come in time to save his daughter, the emperor executes you and now,” Terena laughed, “Now Duke Ovenno has a reason to go to war. Wait, no. No. The emperor still holds the other heirs. And their daughters. He wouldn’t risk that if they are allies.”
“Maybe he just wanted to save his daughter,” Sonah said.
“Someone knows.”
“Hmm?”
“Someone knows,” Terena said, “about you. He’s being set up. And the others won’t believe him because the duke doesn’t have a child at stake anymore. He doesn’t have an heir, and he switched his daughter with a fake. It’s not a coup, it’s a diversion.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
The silver and pink of encroaching dawn made Croak quicken his pace. He made a face, cursing as his foot slid again in the muck near the river while he made his way toward the sewer grate near the western wall of the city.
He had a small window to make it inside and up to the walkway leading out to the garment district of Metilai. From there, it was about a five minute walk to the city square, where the execution was to take place.
Croak reached the grate at last, grimacing when his hands slipped on the slimy bars. A shudder coursed through him. He wiped his hands on his breeches, laced his fingers together and flipped his wrists until his fingers cracked while he twisted his head sharply to either side and cracked his neck.
“You got this. You got this,” he whispered to himself as he wrapped his hands once more around the disgusting bars and pulled. He heaved twice more before the grate gave. He held his breath as he pulled it to the side and dropped down into the sewer.
“I swear to the gods you are the only person I’d ever do this for, Ren,” he said, striding as quickly as possible through the sludge. Hegagged. “Maybe Orry. Dunno. Might have to think on that one for a bit.”
A few minutes later, he heard sounds overhead and peered up through the grates as he passed them, trying to gauge where he was. More turns and more sludge. The contents of his stomach almost came up several times as he rushed through the sewage until he came to the bend leading up to his destination.
The stone steps appeared up ahead on the left and he ran the last few feet, climbing the steps two at a time until he reached the iron door. He shoved it open enough to look out. Once he was sure no one was about, he eased the door open, cringing as it squealed.
Not daring any more horrendous sounds leading anyone to find out what had caused it, he slipped through the narrow opening and shut the door behind him.
It was much too early for any of the shopkeepers to be out and about, which gave him enough privacy to navigate the streets and back alleys to the square. He ducked behind a building close enough to the open area and gawked at the scene.
A dais had been set up on one side of the square with a throne and chairs on either side of it. Tiered stands had been erected on the other three sides, already filled with spectators. A large area in the middle lay empty while City Watch stood as a barrier at the foot of the stands.
Croak moved closer, sticking to the side of the building. He had no idea where Rydon and Gabriol were, just that they’d meet him in the square when Terena and Sonah were brought out. He frowned, thinking back on the conversation last night when he’d casually added they’d be rescuing not one but two treasonous damsels. While Gabriol had cursed and blustered, Rydon had simply moved on to adjusting the logistics of their plan.
“What am I doing here?” he asked himself, his voice a singsong. “I’m going to get myself killed, along with my sister, that’s what I’m doing here.”
Croak dropped his chin and rubbed at his eyes with his right hand. His nose wrinkled. “Oh, for fuck’s sake,” he groaned as he sniffed hisfingers and smelled the shit on them. He wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his tunic.
He heard shouting and a commotion on the other side of the square, where a mob of spectators had formed. He moved out and got up onto his toes, hoping to see what was happening. His pulse thrummed in his ears as he saw the first of two Imperial Guard riding toward the square. More guards appeared in a procession and finally, a cart with bars and two huddled figures inside rounded a turn to stop near the dais.
