Way of No Return (Champions of the Crystal Book 8)

Chapter 11.2

For a little while, the only sounds in the room were sniffling and murmurs of comfort and the rolling pin against the table as Cynthia worked on the biscuits. She had cut them all out and put them in the oven before she paused. "Um. I don't know how to read these settings. Is there a timer?"

Sabrina wiped at her eyes and levered herself to her feet. "I'll get it. Thanks, Cyn." She dealt with the oven, then turned and looked at the group gathered at the table. She frowned. "Where's Lien?"

Stecklan shook his head slowly, and Sabrina raised a hand to her mouth, then sat down again and put her arms around Ford, resting her head against his. After a minute or so, she cleared her throat and said, "Stecklan, change of plans. You're going to have to be Ford's bodyguard. Reya, will you take my signet?"

Reya said, "I have no experience with leading people, nor with military maneuvers."

Ford said, "No need. Sabrina, we can't both stay up here. One of us has to go down and lead the fight. It can't be you, so it has to be me."

"But you just got here!" Sabrina said, trying not to wail.

"Yes, and I have no desire to leave," Ford admitted. "But you have too many targets here already. I can't add to the danger. And no disguise is going to make me invisible in my own principality. My face has been on every vid screen at one time or another for nearly a century now. Dying my hair isn't going to cut it."

"We don't have enough beds anyhow," Ranja said. "And it's getting harder to feed everyone as the weather gets colder. Sir, do you have any currency on you?"

"You need money?" Ford asked, stunned.

Sabrina sighed. "Ranja, don't harass Ford about money. His face is his currency. He never carries any."

"Not at home, anyway," Ford said. "What do you need?"

Ranja said, "Well, we can't grow our own fruit, and the vegetables are fading as we get closer to fall. The baby needs more nutrition. And she'll need clothes."

Ford looked nonplussed. "I'll think of something. I can get you anything you need, but not breaching security is the tricky part."

Stecklan said, "It may be time to move on regardless. We think the neighbors, at least, have a suspicion of Sabrina's real identity."

Ford gave him a sharp glance, and Sabrina gave her husband a gentle swat on the arm. "Ford, stop it. We're not using titles or last names here, for security reasons. You are not allowed to be angry when someone uses my first name."

Ford huffed. "I can't help it. Habit. This is not how I ever envisioned our married life."

Sabrina gave a choke of laughter. "Yes, here I am slaving over a hot stove, barefoot and pregnant! Oh, what a dismal princess I've turned out to be."

"You are not," Ford said firmly.

"Most certainly not," Stecklan agreed. "You made that speech on your first attempt, with no hesitation and no notes. And I wager there is not a household in Bathir this morning that is not debating how to answer your call."

Sabrina smiled wryly. "That wasn't the first time I've had to tell the people of Praxatillus that we are at war. I knew at some point I would have to send Bathir a message, but I didn't expect Baldaran to make me do the official bit."

"Perhaps he did not," Reya said. "It might be a stretch to interpret 'let the dogs out' as 'declare war.'"

"Let the dogs out?" Ford echoed.

"Oh, we're using a code based on The Simpsons. You're Milhouse, and I'm Lisa, and Scotty is Bart," Sabrina explained. "Baldaran is Mr. Burns. And Tirqwin and Mara are Homer and Marge."