Winter

Thinking it, Kai shut his eyes and bit his tongue against a smirk, knowing the fantasy was petty. But oh, how he would love to see their faces if—when—Cinder became queen and informed the families that their indulgent way of life was coming to an end.

A throat cleared behind Kai, drawing his attention over his shoulder. Torin stood in a formal tuxedo, already dressed for the coronation though it was hours away.

“His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Rikan,” Torin said. It was a code they had devised with the rest of the Earthen guests—to begin each meeting by mentioning some other person who had been present when they had first formally met. It had been Kai’s idea, so they could always make sure they were speaking to the person they believed they were speaking to, rather than a Lunar using a tricky glamour.

Kai smiled at the mention of his father. He didn’t remember meeting Torin, who had been a permanent fixture in the palace since before Kai’s birth.

“My mother,” he said, by way of reply.

Torin’s gaze dropped down to Kai’s bare feet and rolled-up slacks, but didn’t linger. “Any news?”

“Nothing. You?”

“I spoke briefly with President Vargas earlier. He and the other American representatives feel threatened. They feel we’re all being held hostage.”

“Smart man.” A wave crashed into Kai, and he swayed with it, curling his toes into the wet sand. “Levana believes she has us right where she wants us.”

“Is she wrong?”

Kai frowned, and didn’t respond. His silence was followed by a sigh.

Glancing back, Kai saw Torin untying his dress shoes and removing his socks. He rolled up his pant hems before coming to stand beside Kai in the surf.

“I told President Vargas that once Levana has the title of empress, she will feel less defensive and we’ll be able to set rational boundaries around a new Earthen-Lunar alliance.” He hesitated, before adding, “I didn’t say anything about Princess Selene. I felt he would see any hope placed in her as nothing more than a fairy tale.”

Kai bit the inside of his cheek and hoped that wasn’t the case. He had been putting his faith in Princess Selene even before he’d found her. Even before he’d known she was the most capable, resourceful, determined person he’d ever met. Even before he’d started having fantasies of a royal Earthen-Lunar marriage that didn’t involve Levana at all.

“Your Majesty,” said Torin, with a tone that said he was about to broach a subject Kai wasn’t going to like. Kai braced himself accordingly. “Have you given thought to what your next move will be should our hoped-for outcome not come to pass?”

“You mean if Cinder is dead and the people don’t rebel and tomorrow morning I find myself stuck with an empress who wants to kill me and take control of my military and wage war on my allies until they all succumb to her will?”

Torin made a derisive sound in the back of his throat. “I suppose you have been thinking about it.”

“It’s crossed my mind a time or two.” He peered at Torin from the corner of his eye, surprised to find that looking at his adviser felt like looking at an older, wiser version of himself. Not that they looked much alike—Torin had neat, gray-flecked hair, a longer nose, and thin, stern lips. But standing barefoot in the water, each with their hands in their pockets and their faces turned toward the lake, Kai thought it wouldn’t be a bad thing to grow up to be as stable and capable as Konn Torin. Or as thoughtful and intelligent as Kai’s father had been.

He checked that the Lunar guards were out of earshot before asking, “What’s the status of the bombs that could weaken these biodomes?”

“I’m told we have a dozen built and ready for deployment, but it will be weeks before a second batch is complete. The most we could hope for at this point is to weaken them, but I don’t think it would be enough to deter Levana completely.”

“Unless we target the dome that she’s in,” said Kai.

Torin’s lips twitched downward. “That is also the dome that we are in.”

“I know.” With a sigh, Kai curled his toes into the silt. “Prepare the fleet. I want a regiment of armed ships positioned in neutral space, as close to Luna as they can get without warranting concern. After the coronation, if Levana doesn’t allow the other leaders to leave, we might be able to threaten her into consenting. I’d like everyone else off this moon as soon as possible.”

“Everyone else? What about you?”

Kai shook his head. “I have to make sure Levana gives up the letumosis antidote. I don’t know where she’s keeping it, but if it’s here in Artemisia, we can’t risk it being destroyed. I need to make sure we retrieve it and get it to Earth as quickly as possible. I have to succeed at that, if nothing else.”

“And once the antidote is secured,” Torin said, “our priority must be your own safety. If she does mean to have you killed so she can assume control of the Commonwealth, we need to take steps to make sure it doesn’t happen. We will have increased security around you at all times. And physical separation from the queen will be mandatory. I will not have her brainwashing you into committing self-harm.”

Kai smiled, heartened somewhat by the protectiveness in Torin’s voice. “All sound suggestions, Torin, but it won’t be necessary.”

Torin turned toward him, but Kai was looking at the horizon, where black water met black sky. Sunlight was glinting off some of the domes in the far distance, but the change from night to day had been so gradual Kai barely noticed. Lunar sunrises were an agonizingly slow affair.

“I almost killed her at the wedding. I was so close. I could have ended it all, but I failed.”

Torin gave a frustrated snort. “You are not a murderer. I find it difficult to think of that as a personality flaw.”

Kai opened his mouth, but Torin continued, “And if you had managed to kill her, it would have brought down the wrath of every thaumaturge and guard in that room. You would have gotten yourself killed, and no doubt every Earthen guest as well. I understand where the impulse came from, but I am glad you failed.”

“You’re right. Even so, it won’t happen next time.” Kai tucked his hands into his pockets and found the medallion there. The one Iko and Cress had given him aboard the Rampion, forever claiming him as a member of their crew, no matter what happened. He tightened his fist around it. “I’m not leaving Luna with this unresolved. She can’t be allowed to rule Earth. If Cinder … if Princess Selene fails, I won’t.”

“What are you saying?”

Kai faced Torin, though it was difficult to pull his feet from the sucking sand. “I can make myself useful to her long enough to obtain the antidote. She won’t kill me right away, not if I can convince her I have information she wants—knowledge about our military procedures, resources … Then, when the antidote has been safely relocated, I will order our military to bomb Artemisia.”

Torin stepped back. “With you in it?”

He nodded. “It’s the only way I can be sure Levana will be here when the attack happens. She won’t be suspicious. As long as I’m here, she’ll think she has control over us. With a single attack, we can remove her, the thaumaturges, and the most powerful members of her court. They won’t be able to stop it. No brainwashing. No manipulation. There will be a lot of casualties, but we can try to keep the destruction to the central sectors, and once Luna is in disarray, Earth can offer assistance for reconstruction.”