A tear rolled down Caoimhe's cheek, and she brushed it away.What her father was doing to her was absolutely terrifying.And she was going to have to retaliate in the only language that her father would possibly understand.
"What is it?What is the matter?"Bahran asked."You have been especially cryptic, and now you have the water coming out of your eyes."
"Tears," she said."They're called tears.Do you not cry?"she asked as she blotted her eyes with a handkerchief.
"No.We do not."
"Well, I envy you, then," she said."I don't often, but when I am in a challenging position, I do."
"How can I help?"
"You just have to be there."
"Where, exactly?"
"In the stars.Escorting my ship."
"Why are you so adamant that I'm there?"
"Because I need to know I have an ally in the stars with me when I blow up the ship."
Caoimhe stood,her headdress caught on a hook.
The ship swayed back and forth, the explosions rocking the ship's hull.
They weren't large ones, but they were enough to cripple it.Enough to damage it and make a giant fireball.
And enough to make sure that any cloaked ships were revealed.
She had planned this and arranged it, but she had not imagined she would feel this level of terror as she made her way to the escape pods.
But now came the hard part--getting them off the ship, safely.
It should have been easy, but nothing is ever easy when a ship is torquing left and right, and headdresses get hooked on debris.
Veta and Freya worked to get her free from the headpiece.
Damn, Diado.Did he have to put it on so well?
“Stupid thing,” Veta muttered and yanked the piece.
Pain shot through Caoimhe's head as the unit came off and took a chunk of her dark brown hair with it.The piece flew across the hallway from Veta's yank, and she rubbed her head.
She glared at Veta.And was about to snap at her about ripping her hair out.
“It’s just a headpiece,” Veta replied.
Caoimhe blinked, and she pulled herself together.“Yes.We must get to safety.”There was so much at stake here, beyond her and the others.The pod was nearby.She glanced at her fellow ambassadors -- Bianca, Freya, Eleanor, and Veta.Each one had a piece of jewelry on, chunks of the necklace that she'd had commissioned from her mother's crown.She pulled at her skirts, tugging at the white fabric as she made her way through the debris.
The ship was falling apart around them, and Caoimhe hoped the escape pods were still accessible.They would be in serious trouble if the escape pods weren't accessible.
Weren't they just saying how well I think through everything?I sure didn't think through this very well.This is a nightmare.It's worse than I imagined.
She took a deep breath and tried to keep herself calm.Fear, however, was doing its best to make her crazy.She knew to expect this.She really had no excuse to get worked up.
Stay calm.
Stay focused.
