from escaping?
Whatever the explanation, Bane knew one thing for certain: He didn't want to face Zannah right now. Not while he was still recovering from the toxins Serra had used to render him helpless, and certainly not without his lightsaber.
She was searching for him; he could feel her reaching out, drawing ever closer. Still, there were ways to counter her efforts: subtle manipulations of the Force could confuse and misdirect her.
Fooling Zannah while tracking Caleb's daughter at the same time was possible in theory, though few individuals had the discipline to maintain the balance between two such mentally intensive tasks. But Bane's will was as strong as his body.
If he was quick, cunning, and careful he had a chance to find his quarry while still getting out of the prison alive.
Tears of anger, shame, and frustration were streaming down the princess's face. She had held them in check as she had passed the guards, but with nobody around to see her she had finally let them go.
Her plan to avenge her father's death and free herself from the traumatic memories of her childhood had so far failed miserably. She had wanted the Sith Lord to admit he was wrong. She had wanted him to apologize and ask forgiveness for Caleb's death. She had wanted him to beg her for mercy.
She had convinced herself that if this happened it would help her deal with the senseless death of not just her father, but also her husband. She had thought it would help restore some type of meaning to a cruel and random universe. She had hoped it would bring her peace.
But nothing had gone the way she had planned. The prisoner was completely unrepentant. He had twisted everything she had done and said into some perverse justification for what he believed in. He almost made it seem that Caleb's death was right.
And he turned your best friend against you.
As much as the words of the Sith disturbed her, the actions of Lucia had upset her even more. The bodyguard had been the one who hired the Huntress to avenge Gerran's death. But now she seemed determined to oppose Serra's quest to avenge Caleb.
It made no sense to the princess. She had expected Lucia to stand by her during the confrontation, to support her as she faced the demon of her past. To shore up her strength so she could conquer her fears and triumph over his evil. Instead she had defended him.
How could you turn your back on me like that? When I needed you the most?
Serra had fled the interrogation cell to escape the madness, not even paying attention to where she was going. Moving with long, quick strides, she had rushed heedlessly down the maze of halls without any purpose or direction.
She didn't know where she was going or what she was trying to do. She just needed to think. To try to make sense of it all. To be alone.
Only she wasn't alone.
The physical exertion had helped bring her swirling emotions back under control, and after several minutes she began to regain some semblance of composure. The tears stopped and her pace slowed. It was only then she heard the footsteps of someone following a few meters behind her.
She stopped short, bringing up a hand to wipe at her eyes before turning around. She was hoping to see Lucia. Instead, she found herself face-to-face with the Iktotchi assassin.
'Why are you sneaking along behind me?' she demanded.
'If I was sneaking, you wouldn't have heard me,' the Huntress replied with her implacable calm. 'I was following you, but I made no effort to mask my presence.'
'Then why were you following me?'
'I wanted to see what you would do. I'm curious to learn how you will react to your failure.'
Serra's lip twitched, but she managed to keep the rest of her face expressionless, mirroring the other woman's emotionless demeanor.
There was no point in denying what had happened; the Iktotchi had witnessed the entire exchange. But the princess wasn't willing to admit defeat.
'I will pick myself up from failure and try again,' she declared. 'Next time I speak with him I'll be ready for his tricks.'
'There won't be a next time,' the Huntress replied. 'You had him in your power. His very life was in your hands. But you chose to let him live, and now it is too late. His fate and his future have slipped through your grasp. You are powerless once again.'
The words were spoken without spite or malice, which made them sting all the more. Serra realized there was something evil about this woman. She wasn't just a hired assassin. She used her ability to sense the future so she could spread suffering and death.
'I don't want you here anymore,' Serra told her, her voice firm. 'Your job is done and you've already been paid. So go.'
'The future is muddied right now,' the Iktotchi admitted. 'Events teeter on a knife-edge, and I cannot foresee which way they will fall. I want to stay and see what happens when the prisoner breaks free.'
'He will never break free!' Serra snapped. 'I won't let that happen!'
'You can't stop it. It's already too late,' the Huntress replied. 'Lucia has betrayed you. I saw it in her eyes when you left. She wants to save the man you want to destroy.'
Serra shook her head, but though she wanted to deny it she couldn't speak the words.
She was defending him during the interrogation. Trying to protect him.
'Why didn't you say something earlier?' she asked, perplexed. 'Why didn't you warn me?'
'As you said, I have already been paid. My job was to deliver him to you. Nothing more.'
'So why are you telling me now?'
The Iktotchi didn't answer, but the first hint of emotion played across her face as the corners of her lips curled up into the hint of a cruel smile. She feeds on the misery of others.
Serra started to say, Lucia would never betray me, but her words were cut off by the sudden clanging of the Stone Prison's alarms.
In that instant she knew everything the Huntress had told her was true. The prisoner had broken free, and Lucia had helped him.
'No!' Serra shouted, clasping her head in her hands as for the second time today her world came crashing down around her. 'No!'
The Iktotchi was grinning now, transforming the tattoos on her lower lip into fangs.
'No!' the princess shouted again, her voice rising up over the alarms.
He can't escape. Not now. Not after everything that's happened.
'No!'
Serra turned and fled down one of the nearby corridors, a last, desperate plan forming in her mind.
CHAPTER TWENTY
As soon as Lucia was out of sight of the guards watching Des, she broke into a brisk jog. She knew she didn't have much time before he escaped, and she needed to find the princess before that happened. But figuring out where Serra had gone was no easy matter.
Dozens of passages branched off from the main corridor on either side, leading to other cell blocks in the wing, or to completely new areas of the dungeon complex. Fortunately only a small section of the Stone Prison had been reopened. Most of the halls Lucia passed were still dark and deserted: she didn't think the princess would have gone down any of these.
Even so, there was a lot of area to cover. She had started with the administrative office for the maximum-
