A Lost Princess (Belles & Bullets Book 2)

by Caylen McQueen

  “Good luck, mate,” Doon said, tipping his hat to Heigal as he was hauled away, sobbing and kicking. Because he had been forced to spend time with the odd fellow, Heigal's was the first match Doon actually bothered to watch. Perhaps unsurprisingly, he didn't last long. Within seconds, the scientist was gripping his slashed throat, hopelessly trying to quell the flow of blood.

  At long last, it was Doon's turn. When they called his name, a sly grin flickered on his lips, and a mad glimmer lit his eyes. With his sword propped against his shoulder, Doon swaggered out of the holding area and into the arena, where he was met with a cacophony of boos. Strangely enough, Doon seemed to thrive on their jeers. He raised his arm and wagged his hand, encouraging them to boo him more.

  After four previous matches, Sir Bowen didn't look the least bit tired, and Doon respected him for that. The trumpets blared, letting them know their match had begun. Doon hung back for a bit, watching the crowd, waiting for the old man to make the first move. When Bowen finally swung at him, Doon easily blocked. He let Bowen attack him again and again, giving the retired knight a chance to feel confident. For the longest time, Doon didn't fight back, he only blocked the man's blows. In fact, Doon's defensive stance lasted so long, the crowd's booing intensified.

  After a minute or so, Doon finally launched a counterattack against old Bowen. Doon swung three times, catching the man off guard with three unpredictable blows of extraordinary power. In only three strikes, Bowen was not only disarmed, he was on the ground. A hush fell over the crowd when they saw how quickly the knight was at Doon's mercy.

  But Doon didn't kill the man. He shuffled over to Bowen's lost sword and casually kicked it back at him. “Sorry, old man. Go on, have another go,” Doon encouraged him. “I'm not here to embarrass you at all.”

  Even though Doon was being sincere, Bowen felt patronized. As he collected himself from the ground, he spit in Doon's direction. “Go to hell, son,” the old knight murmured.

  “Ah, well that's not very nice, is it?” Doon rubbed his chin as he watched his opponent, waiting for him to try again. To his surprise, Bowen charged at him. Doon hopped to the side and easily blocked with his sword. When the knight struck again, there was desperation behind his swings, but as he blocked each one, Doon simply looked bored. When he finally had enough, Doon easily disarmed the man again—only this time, he didn't retrieve Bowen's weapon.

  “Sorry, Sir Bowen,” Doon apologized as he drove his sword into the older man's chest. “I'm not enjoying this any more than you are, I can promise you that.”

  As she watched the pirate wrest his bloody sword from the old man's body, Lyneah slowly turned in Rory's direction. If the line between her fiance's eyes was any indication, he was thinking the same thing as she was. “Well... now are you worried?” she asked him.

  Though clearly rattled, Rory shook his head and whispered, “hush.”

  Doon picked up Bowen's sword, claiming a second weapon for his left hand. With a broadsword in each arm, he calmly waited for his next opponent to arrive. This time, he was fighting a man named Noah Rogan, whose offense against Rory was unspecified. Noah was hiding behind an immense shield as he waddled to the arena. When he saw the size of the thing, Doon wanted to laugh.

  “Good god, that's enough shield for two men, isn't it?” Doon asked as he swaggered closer to Noah. The trumpets hadn't even sounded yet, but Noah already looked panicked. “Damn, mate, don't look so afraid. I won't hit you 'til I'm supposed to, I promise.” A moment later, the trumpets blared again, at which time Doon chuckled. “Well... I guess now you should be afraid.”

  As Doon walked toward Noah, the smaller man shielded his body and backed away. He looked so afraid of Doon that the pirate decided to have a bit of fun with him. Doon knew it was wrong to toy with the man, but he couldn't resist. He suddenly leapt forward and barked at Noah, which was so effective, it made the poor man shriek and flee to the opposite side of the arena, and he almost dropped his giant shield as he ran. As Doon watched him go, he shook his head and chuckled. He decided not to frighten the man again, if only because walking to the other side of the arena required more effort than Doon wanted to put forth.

  When Doon finally reached Noah, he was still cowering behind his shield, looking terrified. Doon struck the shield with one of his swords, sighing. “Is that thing heavy?” he asked his opponent. “It looks heavy. That bloody thing is more trouble than it's worth, if you ask me.” He casually struck the shield again. “Do you even know how to use a sword, or are you planning on hiding behind that shield the whole time?”

  Doon hit Noah's shield again and again, and every time he did, the poor man looked like he wanted to cry. Doon, growing weary of the whole thing, suddenly grabbed the shield and ripped it from Noah's hands. As soon as he did, he tossed it aside and plunged a sword into Noah's neck.

  When Doon easily felled his second opponent, the crowd was suddenly cheering for him. Rory looked disturbed by the applause—and he was even more disturbed when he looked down and saw Doon pointing his sword at him. The pirate playfully winked at Rory as he headed back to the center of the arena.

  “Send them both out!” Rory suddenly barked an order at his men. “The last two contenders... send them out at the same time! Let them both fight Doon at once.”

  Doon's final two opponents were Galen and Garrett, twin bandits who had been accused of stealing from Rory. When Doon saw them both coming toward him at once, he chuckled. “Only two? I don't know if that's fair. Three might have made it fair.” His cocksure confidence made the crowd go wild with applause, which had Doon looking rather pleased with himself.

  When the trumpets blared, Doon pointed a sword at each of his opponents and slowly moved toward them. As soon as he was within striking distance, Doon swung both swords at once. Garrett, the huskier brother, was barely able to block the first blow. Galen tried to strike back at Doon, but he was too fast, and the pirate's quick counterattack had him leaping backward.

  Doon rained a flurry of blows on both of them, and each blow had them backing away. When Galen and Garrett were finally able to strike back, Doon easily blocked them, as if he was able to predict their movements before they made them. The lazy smile on the pirate's face did nothing to bolster their confidence. Even as a team, they were no match for him.

  Doon was able to disarm Garrett, who ran to retrieve his sword. While he focused on Galen, Doon saw Garrett reaching into his coat, presumably in search of a weapon. If the one of the brothers was going to resort to hurling knives, Doon had to act fast. He suddenly leapt to the side of Galen. Catching him off guard, he severed the man's sword hand, then he pulled Galen in front of him, using him as a shield. His brother's knife hit him just below the throat.

  As Galen's body slipped from his hands, Doon took a step in Garrett's direction. While Garrett was stunned, Doon hopped forward and lunged, almost gracefully. He plowed his sword through Garrett's chest, giving him a quick death.

  When it was all over, Doon threw his swords to the ground, turned in Rory's direction, and waited for him to speak.

  What Rory said was a surprise to everyone.

  “Take him back to his cell!” As McCray's men closed in on Doon, Rory relished the sight of Doon's eyes narrowing. “I'll decide what to do with him tomorrow.”

  22

  Lyneah swam in circles around Tobias, like a shark circling its pray. A huge smile parted Tobey's lips as he watched her paddle on all sides of him.

  At her request, they had returned to the Onyx Cliffs for a second swim, and this time, she was smart enough to wear a bathing dress. The garment, made from thick, modest flannel, was a bit cumbersome to move in, but at least her clothes would stay dry.

  “Why are you circling me like that?” Tobey asked with a chuckle. “You look sneaky... like you're plotting something.”

  “Maybe I am,” she teased him.

  “Well then, I had better be on my g-guard.” When she came closer to him, he lightly splashed her. Even though it
was a gentle splash, it was enough to trigger a counterattack from Lyneah. She suddenly pounced on him, dunking him underwater.

  “Ah!” When Tobias emerged from the water, he pretended to be affronted. “My p-p-poor hair! I never intended to get it wet.”

  “Don't be such a spoilsport!” Lyneah said, sticking out her tongue as she continued to swim in circles around him. “Besides, I like your hair when it's wet. It looks cute.”

  “Cute? You think I'm cute?” Tobey was never sure how to feel about that word. Many women used that word to describe him, as well as “adorable” and even “precious.” He sometimes wondered if he would ever be considered handsome one day. It seemed doubtful. Tobey had to accept that he was just cute, not unlike a puppy, or something similarly fuzzy.

  “So let me get this straight,” Tobey changed the subject before Lyneah could reply. “Francis Doon won the tournament, and Rory was supposed to free him... but he didn't?”

  “He didn't. I think Rory's afraid that Doon will end up killing him, and I don't blame him. After watching Doon fight, I'd be afraid of him too.” Lyneah stopped swimming and let herself drift closer to Tobey. “He's making him fight again, you know. Tomorrow. I know what Rory's thinking. If he throws enough opponents at Doon, one of them will take him out eventually. That's what he's hoping, anyway.”

  “All that k-killing...” Tobias sighed. “It seems a bit unnecessary, doesn't it?”

  “I don't like it either, but I'm in no place to stand up to Rory. To be honest, he... frightens me a bit.” Lyneah's brow furrowed at the thought of her fiance. “I wish you'd come with me tomorrow, Tobey. Come to the tournament with me! Last time, I was stuck between Rory and Kieran. Do you know how uncomfortable that is?”

  “K-Kieran is a decent man, though.”

  Lyneah's eyes swelled a bit. She was surprised to hear him come to Kieran's defense. “You think so?”

  “Sure. Kieran even offered to take me back to Lundun, if and when I'm ready to go.” Tobey chewed his lip as he waited for her reaction, but she didn't say a word. “So... I might be leaving in a couple of days.”

  “Oh, Tobey... you can't wait to leave me, can you?”

  “I-I-It's not that!” Tobey defended himself. “I need my job! I'm not that great of a bartender. I can't dither about for days and days and expect to still be employed when I get back! Lucky gave me a few days' leave... but if I stay gone much longer, he'll surely sack me.”

  Lyneah's expression was pained. She desperately wanted to keep him with her, but she was running out of reasons to claim him. The more she begged him to stay, the guiltier and needier she felt. Maybe it was time to let him go?

  “Don't be upset, Lyneah!” Tobey tried to cheer her up when he saw her expression shift to sadness. “Even if we part ways, that doesn't mean I won't see you again. You can visit me anytime.”

  “I... suppose.” With a sigh, Lyneah started swimming toward the shore. She didn't want to talk about losing him, she just wanted to enjoy the time they had. Tobias followed her out of the water and grabbed a towel, which he used to dry his sopping hair. As soon as he lowered the towel, Lyneah hopped up beside him and encouraged him to hold it up.

  “I'm going to change into my dry clothes. Use that towel to block me.”

  “Why?” Tobey did as she asked, but his brow was knit with confusion. “There's n-n-no one else around! I could just t-turn around.”

  “You can never be too careful, and you never know who might be watching.” When she started to peel the bathing dress away from her shoulders, Tobias quickly averted his gaze. “No peeking!” Even though she told him not to look, Lyneah secretly hoped he would peek. She even undressed slowly, giving him an extended opportunity to succumb to temptation. And when she was fully naked, she hesitated even longer. She stood right in front of him, close to the towel, as close as she could get without touching him, but he never once glanced in her direction. Tobey even turned his head skyward, putting more of a barrier between Lyneah's body and his eyes. With a sigh, Lyneah collected her clothes from the ground and dolefully donned them.

  “Alright,” she dejectedly announced. “I've finished.” Tobey opened his eyes, lowered the towel and smiled at her. It was such a cute smile that Lyneah felt tempted to run her fingers through his hair, but she wasn't sure how he'd react. A part of her was afraid he would reject her, so Lyneah kept her hands to herself. Besides, she didn't want to ruin their camaraderie by forcing unwanted affection on him. “You really are the nicest person I've ever met, Tobey. Truly.”

  Tobias' nose adorably crinkled at the thought. “Really?”

  “Truly,” Lyneah repeated, sounding almost disappointed. “There's really no question of that.”

  Meanwhile, while Lyneah was busy with Tobey, Kitt seized the opportunity to sneak into the shed. When the guard let her in, Kitt was surprised to see Captain Doon unchained and fully dressed. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, and he barely even glanced her way when she entered the room.

  “I've brought some things for you,” Kitt told him as soon as she entered the shed.

  “Getting right down to business, are you?” Doon asked with a smirk. “It's good to see you too, Kitten.”

  “Look.” First, she pulled a wrapped sandwich from the pocket of her dress. “I'm not sure how well they're feeding you here, and you need to keep your strength up, so I brought this for you. I have an apple too. I even sliced the apple into wedges and put the wedges in a bag, because Miles said you like it that way.”

  “Oh, Miles,” Doon chuckled loudly. “I can always rely on him to make me sound like a big, damn baby. Did he tell you I like my ravioli cut into little, tiny bits as well?”

  “No!” Kitt snickered at the thought. “Do you really?”

  “No... but I certainly wouldn't mind.” Doon's eyes widened when he saw Kitt extract a folded knife from her cleavage. “Oh... and what do we have there?” He snatched it out of her hand and unfolded it. “Why, I do believe this is the breast knife I've ever seen!”

  “Dooooon,” she groaned his name. “You're quite literally on the verge of death, and yet you're still making jokes.”

  “I'm not so literally on the verge of death, I hope,” Doon casually countered. “I might live, I might die. I'd rather live, I suppose, but whatever will be will be.”

  “You talk about death so casually. Do you really not care if you live?” Kitt asked with a pout. Even though the topic was dreadfully serious, Doon was grinning and eating an apple wedge. “If you won't try to live for yourself, can't you try to live for me?”

  “Hm...” He took less than a second to consider her question. “I've only ever lived for myself, actually. And I prefer it that way.”

  “You're infuriating.”

  “I know.” Doon tried to give her his best smile, but Kitt's lips were frozen in a pout. “So, what's the little knife for, Kitten? Is it so I can cut my own apple wedges next time?”

  “No, you idiot. I thought you could use it to escape!”

  “You mean chisel my way out of here?” Doon lightly poked the wall with the tip of the blade. “I don't know. I think that might take longer than a day.”

  “Not chisel out!” Kitt realized she was raising her voice at him, so when she spoke again, she tried to speak more evenly. “I thought you could use it to... to stab a guard or something. The next time someone comes to fetch you, you stab a guard in the throat, and then you escape from here.”

  “I like the way you think... but I'm not so sure.” As he considered her plan, Doon was sucking air through clenched teeth. “I think I might be better off taking my chances in The Pit. At least The Pit is fun.”

  “The Pit is fun? Are you serious?” Kitt dragged her hands through her hair in frustration. “I'm sitting in the stands trying not to have a heart attack... and you're having fun?”

  “Ehhh.” Doon shrugged. “I can think of worse ways to spend my time. I appreciate the knife, though. It's a very thoughtful gift. And since I
know it was buried between your breasts, I'll treasure it even more.”

  Kitt glared at him. “You're teasing me.”

  “Am I?” Doon brought the knife to his lips and kissed it, then he slipped it in the pocket of his coat. “Face it, Kitten, you're fun to tease.”

  Fun to tease. Kitt said the same thing to Tobey once—now she was the one being teased. Perhaps it was karma at work, giving her what she deserved. Doon was so frustrating sometimes, he almost felt like a karmic punishment.

  When Kitt's mind wandered to Tobey, she got quiet. She hadn't seen him since their initial encounter, but she was glad to know he was alright.

  Kitt didn't speak for some time, so Doon made an attempt at small talk. “So, how's Roddy Rick? Is he as righteous and boring as ever?”

  “He's not boring!” Kitt defended him. “But he is rather righteous, I suppose. And he didn't react well to Lyneah's engagement to Rory, as I'm sure you can imagine.” Kitt thought he looked a bit confused, so she explained, “Before she fled from the castle, Roderick and Lyneah were lovers. That's why he's upset. He's jealous.”

  “They were lovers? Really?” Doon's eyes danced with amusement. “Ha! I never knew. That makes his fascination with you even stranger than it was, but who am I to judge?”

  “Roderick's been very helpful!” Kitt defended him again. “If not for him, I wouldn't have gotten to Dovyr, and I wouldn't be standing here talking to you!”

  “And I wouldn't have these apple wedges,” Doon added with a wink, then he tossed another one into his mouth.

  23

  “Let me remind you why this man, Francis Doon, is not a man you should cheer for!” Rory sententiously speechified to the waiting masses. “This man is a thief, a murderer, a brigand and a rogue. He is a child-killer, a sadist, a maker of widows.. and worst of all, he's Queen Loreina's loyal puppet. This man is everything we do not stand for.”