Page 137 of Fall of a Kingdom

“I need you to be brave for me,” I said. “Can you do that?”

He nodded.

“Good,” I murmured. “Now, I want you both to go to my bedroom and sit on the bed and wait for me. Okay?”

Noah grasped his twin’s hand and hauled him toward the master bedroom. I went to Piper’s nursery and found Hawk with his own flashlight, standing at Piper’s crib, singing her a lullaby.

He stopped when he realized I was in the room.

“That was sweet of you to come to Piper so she wouldn’t be afraid.” I placed my hand on his shoulder. “I’ve asked so much of you, Hawk. But I need you to do something else for me. I need you to be strong for your brothers and sister. I don’t want you to tell them what we talked about earlier, okay?”

“Okay, Mam.” He wrapped his arms around my waist and hugged me tight. Betty had made herself comfortable in the rocking chair.

“I’m here,” Julie said in the doorway, a sense of urgency in her tone.

“Iain and Noah are in my bedroom. Will you go to them?” I asked, looking down at Hawk. “We’ll bring Piper in a moment.”

Nodding, Hawk released me and then headed for the door. Betty jumped down from the rocking chair and trotted after him. Julie ran her hand across his head before he disappeared into the hallway.

“Piper’s going to be hungry, but we don’t have a lot of time.” I gently stuck a pacifier into her mouth, praying it would soothe her for the time being.

“How are we supposed to get the children to safety?” Julie asked.

“There’s a secret tunnel,” I explained as I rushed from the nursery toward my bedroom.

“A secret tunnel?” Julie repeated as she followed me.

“It’ll take us underground beneath the castle.”

“I didn’t know you had a secret tunnel.”

“That’s why it’s called a secret.” I entered the room and looked around. The boys were huddled together, looking terrified and gruesome in the illumination of their flashlights.

“Open the chest at the foot of the bed. You’ll have to use the wool blankets to keep you warm.”

While Bella and Suze went to the chest, I trekked into the walk-in closet and rushed to the back wall where there was a heavy wooden armoire. I opened the doors and pushed aside the gowns I’d once worn to galas and charity events. I reached my hand up to the interior shelf, searching for the hidden button. When I found it, I pushed it, and the back door of the armoire slid open to reveal a staircase built into the wall.

“Cool!” Iain called out. “It’s like the wardrobe leading into Narnia!”

“Hush,” Bella said, wrapping Iain in a Campbell tartan blanket. “We have to be quiet. Like we’re playing a game. Can you do that?”

He nodded, his young face eager. He thought this was an adventure. He had no idea of the danger. Good.

I shoved my feet into a pair of boots and grabbed one of Flynn’s coats that hung in the closet.

“Can we take Betty?” Hawk asked, his finger sifting through her wool.

“I’m sorry, love, but we can’t. She might make a noise,” I said to him.

“Piper cries,” Hawk pointed out. “She’s loud. So why can’t we take Betty?”

I shooed the boys toward the open doorway that led into the tunnel. “Betty can come as long as you promise to keep her quiet. Okay? Let’s move.”

Bella went in first, followed by Hawk and Betty who stayed by his side. Julie went next. The twins held hands and descended. Thankfully, there was enough light from the flashlights to brighten the way.

An explosion boomed in the distance.

“Hurry,” I urged. Suze jumped forward and I trailed behind her.