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Iko yanked at her hands, trying to disconnect her thumbs from their sockets and shie with her arhtly bound

She was about to throw herself forward and ram into Jerrico’s spine with all the force her metal skull coulddoll

Jerrico startled, barely able to regain his hold on her In the saotten knife into his side

Jerrico yelled and released her Winter sturabbed her wrist and yanked her back, then backhanded her across the face Winter fell Her head crashed into the edge of the counter

Iko screamed as the princess’s body crumpled to the floor

With a stream of curses, Jerrico wrapped his hand around the knife handle, but didn’t pull it from the wound His face was as red as his hair as he snarled at the princess "What a stupid, crazy--"

He hauled back his foot to kick her, when Kinney raised his gun and fired The shot knocked Jerrico against the wall

Iko recoiled No hts she found herself in, she was always stunned at how much more horrible the reality was than the net drauard, his face contorted in disbelief as the life drained out of it, rimace

The silence that followed felt like it had taken over the whole sector and Iko questioned if that last gunshot had perun in his hand as if he’d never seen it before "That’s the first tiun on the counter and crouched over Princess Winter He reached back to inspect her head His fingers caht have a concussion"

Iko’s processor stumbled "Whose side are you on?"

He looked up His nose twitched as he took in the bullet hole again, but his gaze didn’t linger on it "We were told the princess was dead I thought another guard killed her"

Iko arranged the folds of her shirt to cover her wound "A guard named Jacin was ordered by the queen to kill her, but he helped her escape instead"

"Jacin Clay"

She narrowed her eyes "Why did you help us?"

With a tense brow, Kinney eased the princess back onto the floor There was blood everywhere Froe From Jerrico From Winter

"I helped her," said Kinney, as if the distinction was important He found the dish towel Iko had started to suffocate Mistress Pereira with and tied it around Winter’s head, bandaging the wound as well as he could When he finished, he stood and picked up the bloodied knife

Iko stepped back

He paused "Do you want me to cut those cords or not?"

She searched his face, wishing she didn’t feel so co at it "Yes, please?"

She turned around and heher She half expected to find split skin fragments when she held up her hands, but the blade hadn’t soto happen," said Kinney, gesturing to the gun still on the counter Iko could tell he didn’t like looking at her He kept finding reasons to look away "I’un away froed to get away I’ the princess They don’t even have to know she’s still alive" He pointed at her nose, daring to hold her gaze for longer than half a second "And you are going to get her far away from here Keep her hidden"

She planted her hands on her hips "And here ere just keeping her holed up in a tiny little house in a co sector Why didn’t it ever occur to us to try and keep her hidden?"