Her knife seemed only to rub against the fibers. Her chest grew tighter and tighter as she frantically worked the blade. With her lungs burning, she kicked her way up. As she broke through the surface, she wanted to sob, but that would take time and energy that she could not afford to waste.
She dived back down and attacked Thorfinn’s bindings with all her strength. More water rushed inside the cave, slamming her against the rock. Her knife nicked her arm, and blood swirled in the water. She could feel Thorfinn’s body straining against his bindings.
He was still fighting.
For both of them.
Rose’s forearms protested as she again swam for more air. This time when she was topside, she could see only Thorfinn’s nostrils and lips. Desperation fueled her now. Ignoring her aching body, she punched through the eddies and once again reached the rope.
Finally the knife sliced a hunk of fibers. She sawed again and again and again until she had nothing left in her lungs.
When Rose surfaced, she could not see any part of Thorfinn.
She transformed the rush of horror into motion. Fighting her way back to the rock, she wildly attacked the rope. She realized that shewas just hitting stone only when pain shot up her fingers and through her arm.
Something brushed against her body, and she realized it was Thorfinn kicking toward the surface. Utter joy blasted through her exhaustion, giving her the strength to make her own way up out of the darkness.
Together, she and Thorfinn managed to swim to the boat. Myrtle, who’d been making sure that the vessel didn’t smash into the walls of the cave, helped haul Thorfinn on board as Rose pushed from below.
He sprawled on the leather cushions, sucking in air as Myrtle threw a blanket around him. Rose clambered in and knelt beside him as her warm tears mixed with the cold rivulets of seawater dripping down her face. Sobs echoed from her as her entire frame shook with the intensity of her relief. Frantically, she ran her hands over Thorfinn, trying to both warm him and check all his injuries. Dimly, Rose noticed Myrtle laying a wool blanket over her shoulders as well.
“Are ... are you wearing a peignoir?” Thorfinn asked, rather incongruously through chattering teeth.
Rose kissed his scarred cheek as she handed him his eye patch. A tremulous laugh escaped her chilled lips, and the sound felt good. It was not always wrong to use wit as a shield or a balm. Strength came from many sources.
Stroking Thorfinn’s temples, she smiled at him. “I’m sorry, but I didn’t have time to dress for your rescue. You gave us all a terrible fright. And when Perseus finally arrives, Andromeda doesn’t get to complain about what he, or in this case she, is wearing!”
Bemusement crossed Thorfinn’s face, quickly followed by a half smile and then a look of deadly seriousness. “A contingent of spies are going to attack the British supply depot on Minnstray. They need an explosion to divert the Royal Navy’s attention while the Germans send a relief vessel filled with soldiers to man the interned ships. They’re trying to free the German fleet and restart the war.”
Muscles Rose had thought would not move for weeks tensed and prepared for action. There was no time for respite.
They had a mission.
“Hold on tight!” Rose shouted to Thorfinn and Myrtle as she jumped back into the pilot’s seat. Gingerly, she guided the boat out of the cave, but as soon as she cleared the jagged rocks, Rose jammed the throttle forward.
She spotted Percy’s craft just beyond the breakers. Swinging by the sleek speedboat, she shouted, “Percy! Young Thomas! Follow us. We’re going to Minnstray. We have a peace to save!”
Chapter 17
The golden stage of twilight had darkened into layers. Most of the sky had turned a deep blue green with a yellow glowing band near the horizon. It was possible to travel the sea under such conditions, but with the tricky current of Scapa Flow, Rose normally wouldn’t have attempted to take a speedboat out.
Luckily, Thorfinn proved an adept navigator. His mind was a virtual encyclopedia of each skerry, shoal, and sounding along the course, allowing them to tear through the inky waves.
Whenever Thorfinn wasn’t barking out instructions, he told Myrtle and Rose as much as he could about the spies. It was hard to hear him over the roar ofThe Briar’s engine, but Rose understood enough to confirm that it had indeed been Sigurd who was meeting with the spies, not Astrid. Relief over her friend’s innocence burst through her, but it was tempered with concern for the Flett children. But Rose didn’t have long to dwell on the revelation—not with the low light and Scapa Flow’s hidden dangers.
“Mind the crosscurrent here!” Thorfinn warned. “The sandbar off to port has been protecting us.”
Keeping the vessel steady through the rough bumps, Rose sacrificed no time as they blazed toward the small outcropping straight ahead. Minnstray was more of a glorified rock heap than an island, but it had served as a naturally fortified location to store fuel oil for the BritishGrand Fleet. With truce declared and the German vessels moored within sight, the small post was undermanned, and anyone could easily approach the tiny lump without the sailors stationed there noticing. But one single spark near the oil reserves could ignite the entire islet into an inferno that would draw the attention of the British guard boats, allowing the German relief ship to swoop in.
The dark forms of the conspirators’ boats were tied to the rocks, well away from the main dock and guard post, bobbing up and down like ominous water beetles. It meant that the men were already scurrying around on the island, planting their bombs. It wasn’t the first time Rose had dashed toward a potential explosion. But this time she wasn’t stopping at a poste de secours but heading into the very fray. Nerves and fear bounced inside her—refusing to settle.
“Are you ready?” Thorfinn asked as he jumped onto the dock and Percy pulled up his boat to the shore.
“Areyouready?” Rose questioned, tossing him the rope to tie up the boat. He was the one who was covered in bruises and who had nearly drowned less than an hour before. She worried that he wasn’t up to the fight ahead of them.
“I’m eager to return this favor.” Thorfinn pointed to his swollen nose, and his confident grin made Rose feel a bit more steady.
As if Myrtle had been leading charges her whole life, she lifted another of her rifles from the boat’s storage area. Turning, she held it out to Thorfinn. “I assume you know how to use this piece.”
