Page 109 of The Stolen Princess
Myka shook her head. Skunkman had killed her mother?
Stoddard’s expression melted to fake pity. “Oh, did you not know about that? Jarvis stabbed your mother in the chest before her carriage even made it to the front gates of Tolsten House. But I can’t take credit for that.” Stoddard shrugged. “That was your father’s idea. She was stupid to think that she could warn the Council about the weapons. You’re just as foolish.”
Her mother was dead.
That’s why she’d never come back for her.
Her father had her killed.
Myka brought her hands up to her ears, trying to block out Stoddard’s ruthlessness and Rommel’s wails, but it didn’t work. She closed her eyes, wishing she could go back, wishing she’d never brought Rommel and Joett to Tolsten House with her.
The door to the living room swung open, and three guards rushed inside.
“Is everything all right, Commander?”
“No!” Myka shouted through her tears. “The commander shot her!” She pointed to Joett’s lifeless body. “Seize him!”
Stoddard shook his head at his men. “The princess needs to be taken down to the prisoner holding cells. She has committed treason against Tolsten, just like her father. She was consorting with the king about the illegal weapons and is hiding the location.”
“What?” Myka’s mouth dropped. “He’s lying!”
The guards came to her side and grabbed her from Stoddard.
“See, what you didn’t know,” Stoddard said, “is that the High Rulers already met together. They’ve already learned about you and your father’s secret weapons. They think you’re the bad guy.”
Myka’s heart dropped. This couldn’t be happening.
Stoddard stepped forward, getting right in front of Myka’s face. “There’s no way you can beat me. I’ll get those weapons from you one way or another.” He glanced over his shoulder at Rommel. “Take the man, too,” Stoddard said, motioning to Rommel’s crying body. “He’s the engineer. We might need him later.”
The other guards pulled Rommel off of Joett’s body. He did his best to push them away, getting blood all over the guards’ clothes.
Myka tried to reach for Joett, but the guards pulled her back. She didn’t deserve to die like that. She didn’t deserve to be left alone.
“Tomorrow, we’ll start torturing you until you tell me where the weapons are,” Stoddard said.
“I’ll never tell you,” she screamed as they dragged her out of the room.
“Then you’ll die,” he said behind her.
As long as the weapons died with her. That was all Myka cared about now.
30
Myka
Myka and Rommel were led down a narrow stone staircase to the basement of Tolsten House. Rommel’s whimpers behind her ripped her heart to shreds.
“I’m so sorry, Rommel,” she said, trying to turn over her shoulder as the guards pushed her forward.
“Joett’s gone,” he wailed. “She’s gone.” His shoulders slumped in, and his body shook as the absence of his wife took over his entire soul.
“It’s all my fault,” she sobbed, as she turned back to look at the steps in front of her. Why had she thought that her plan would work? She’d been stupid, thinking that she could waltz into Tolsten House and start demanding things and people would listen. Her ill-conceived plan had killed Joett and put her and Rommel in danger. She’d never forgive herself. The loss of Joett tore through her body. It was too much. How was she going to live in a world without Joett’s kind smile? Her heart had been beaten to black and blue, and Myka didn’t know how much more she could take.
“No, it’s my fault,” Rommel said, behind her. “This is what I get for designing those weapons all those years ago. If I had never created them, then Joett would still be alive.”
Myka’s tears dripped down her face, wetting her neck.
At the end of the stairs, the guard pushed her forward to a gray metal door with a small square window in the middle and knocked. Officer Bayler, an older guard with a bald head, peeked through the glass. His eyes widened when he saw Myka detained. The door opened.
