Page 106 of The Traitor Queen (The Bridge Kingdom 2)

Lara didn’t hesitate.

Flipping the hook over the rope, she jumped.

Wind and rain lashed against her face as she slid downward, the sea rising up to meet her with threatening speed. The line tightened and slackened as the ship rose and fell on the swells, causing Lara to bounce violently, her shoulders screaming with each jerk, her hands clenching the hook’s handle.

On the ship, soldiers were pulling on the bolt, several of them pointing at her.Not yet,she silently pleaded, terror racing through her veins.Only a few more seconds.

Then one of them gave up on trying to pull the bolt loose. Lifting his blade, he sliced the line.

Lara dropped.

She screamed, then her heels hit the deck, her injured leg giving out. Instinctively she rolled, coming up on her feet, knife in hand.

All around, soldiers and sailors were staring at her in shock, several of them muttering, “It’s the goddamned princess. The king’s daughter.”

“I’d like a word with my father.”

The soldiers parted, and her father, the King of Maridrina, strolled down the deck toward her. His silver hair was soaked with rain, his clothing equally sodden, and he had a livid bruise across one cheek. None of which made him any less regal as he stopped a dozen paces away to eye her. “Lara, darling. How good of you to join us.”

“I’m not here for conversation,” she retorted. “You need to set sail. That storm’s going to rip this fleet apart, and thousands of your soldiers will drown.”

Someone yelled, “The gate’s coming loose! Get ready to attack.”

Her father lifted one eyebrow. “It seems I’ll have my victorybeforethe storm arrives.”

Lara risked a glance toward the cavern, but the chain was still taut, the gate still holding.

“Why are you doing this?” she demanded. “What do you have to gain? Taking Eranahl and slaughtering innocents won’t change the fact that the bridge will never be yours. Even if you kill every last Ithicanian, Harendell and Valcotta will never let you have control. You’velost.”

Her father laughed. “Harendell is soon to be too occupied with their own troubles to wage war with us, and as for Valcotta . . . Let’s just say your brother has finally proven his worth.” He smiled, and it was all teeth. “Ithicana has lost, and so, Daughter, have you.”

He turned away, gesturing to his soldiers. “Kill her.”

“I challenge you. Here and now. You choose the weapon.”

Her father froze, then he looked her up and down. “You’re hardly fit for a duel, Lara. From where I stand, you’ve already almost bled to death. It would be no fight.”

“Then you have no reason to fear accepting.”

He snorted. “I’m not in the practice of fighting women.”

“Just murdering them.” A wave of dizziness passed over her, but Lara shoved it away. “Like you murdered my mother. Like you tried to murder my sisters. Like you’ll do to me.” She laughed. “Or, like you’ll have your soldiers do to me, because apparently you haven’t the balls to do it yourself.”

The soldiers all shifted, interest chasing away their fear of the coming storm. If her father didn’t accept, he’d be labeled a coward, and a mutiny would follow suit. And if he did and lost . . .

Her father saw the way they were looking at him. Knew that if he didn’t fight her, he was done.

“As you like.” He unsheathed his sword. “Have it your way. Maybe if you’re lucky, you’ll live long enough to watch your kingdom fall.”

Lara pulled her sword free from its scabbard, then gestured with her knife for him to step forward. “Enough chatter, old man. Let’s do this.”

The soldiers pulled back to make space, and Lara held her ground as she watched her father circle.

Her words were bluster, and both of them knew it. He was a skilled swordsman, with years of experience, and while Lara was likely a match for him in skill, her body was failing her. The stitches on her thigh had completely torn open, blood running down to pool in her boot, her leg barely holding her weight. Dizziness and exhaustion rolled over her in waves, and even keeping her balance on the rocking deck was pushing Lara to her limits.

But she had to keep going. For the sake of everyone in Eranahl, she had to keep fighting.

He lunged, lightning flashing off his blade, but Lara anticipated the attack. She parried, her arm shuddering from the impact as he attacked again and again, driving her backward across the deck, attempting to wear her down.

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