Winter

By the time he had finished speaking, Kai felt like he would have ripped out his own tongue if given the chance.

Levana started again, “Of course, if ever there was found to be any truth to the rumors that my dear niece, Selene, had survived all those years ago, I would joyfully welcome her into my heart and home and place Luna’s crown myself upon her head. Sadly, it is not to be. Selene lies with the stars, and I alone must maintain the security and livelihoods of our people. I know times are difficult. It is with great sadness that I watch our food production diminish year after year, and our limited resources fail to meet the needs of our growing populace. Which is why it has been the topmost priority of my regime to secure this alliance with Earth, so that our future might be brighter and our people taken care of for generations to come. This, my people, is the future that I alone can offer you. Not this cyborg, this impostor, this fraud.” As her tone dipped toward resentment, Levana paused and regathered herself. Her voice carried a smile again as she finished, “I am your queen and you are my people. It is my great privilege to guide us all into a bright new future.”

The technician stopped the recording and Kai’s body throbbed as control was returned to him. He bolted to his feet and rounded on Levana. “I am not a brainless instrument to be used for your propaganda.”

Levana removed the crown and veil and passed them to Aimery. “Be calm, my beloved. You spoke so eloquently. No doubt the people were impressed.”

“Cinder will know it was fake. She’ll know you were controlling me.”

Levana’s eyes flashed. “What do I care what Cinder thinks? Her opinion, like yours, means nothing.” She snapped her fingers at the guard. “I am finished with him. You may take him back.”

Thirty-Eight

As soon as the emperor had been led away by the contingent of guards, Levana swept out of the studio into the control room. “Have that video edited and set to play in all sectors where the cyborg’s message went out. Monitor those feeds carefully. I want hourly reports on how each broadcast is being received. What is the current status of the outer sectors?”

“We are seeing minor upheavals in thirty-one sectors,” said a woman. “Mostly civilians have been refusing to respect curfew laws, and there have been some attacks on sector guards.”

A man added, “We’re also seeing an increase of thefts in two agricultural sectors. Laborers returned to the fields and have been harvesting food rations for their own use. Guards have been incapacitated in both sectors.”

Levana huffed. “Send added security to all sectors showing signs of insurgence. We must quell this immediately. And find that cyborg!”

She stood watching the flicker of surveillance videos for a moment, though her thoughts were far away. As her blood boiled, she found herself back in New Beijing, watching the girl rush past her in that tawdry silver ball gown. She saw her trip on the ballroom steps and tumble down toward the gardens. Her hideous metal foot snapped off at the ankle and the full force of her glamour surged over her, crackling like electricity, rolling off her body like heat waves in the desert.

In her unpracticed state, the girl had done nothing more than call up an exaggeratedly beautiful version of herself, and in so doing, she had turned herself into Channary. Her mother. Levana’s tormentor.

Levana could still see her like a photograph imprinted forever in her memory. Hatred she had not felt in years surged through her veins. Fury sparked in her vision, white and blinding.

Selene. She was meant to die thirteen years ago, yet here she was, disastrously alive. And just as Levana had feared back then, she would take everything from her. Everything that Levana had worked so hard for.

It made her sick. Why couldn’t Selene have died, easily, mercifully, the way she’d planned? When she had coaxed that young nanny into setting fire to the princess’s playhouse, it should have ended it all. No niece. No princess. No future queen.

But she’d been tricked. Selene was alive and attempting to take her throne from her.

Her attention refocused on the screens. “These are my people,” she whispered. “My blood and my soul. I am their queen.”

Aimery appeared at her side. “Of course you are, Your Majesty. The cyborg has no idea what it is to be queen. What choices one must live with. What sacrifices must be made. When she is gone, the people will recognize that you have always been the one to rightly sit upon our throne.”

“‘When she is gone,’” Levana repeated, grasping at the words. “But how will I ever know that she is gone if I cannot find her?”

It was infuriating. She had known the cyborg was a threat from the moment she recognized her on Earth. But for her to attempt to turn Levana’s citizens against her was a blow she couldn’t fathom. The thought of their love turning to biased hatred stole the air from her lungs and left her feeling hollowed out to her core.

That was the cyborg’s plan too. To turn as many people’s minds against Levana as she could, knowing that large numbers would be her greatest advantage. Levana could control hundreds, perhaps thousands of her citizens when she had a need to do it. With her thaumaturges behind her, they could control entire sectors, entire cities.

But even she had limits.

She shook her head. It mattered not. The people would not revolt against her. The people loved her.

She rubbed two fingers against her brow. “What will I do?”

“My Queen,” said Aimery, “perhaps I can offer a bit of good news.”

Releasing her breath, she turned to the thaumaturge. “Good news would be very welcome indeed.”

“I received an interesting report from your laboratories this morning, but had not had a chance to share their discoveries in the wake of the cyborg’s broadcast. However, it has been confirmed that we are capable of duplicating the mutated letumosis microbes that were recovered from the body of Dr. Sage Darnel on Earth, and that our immunity to the original disease has in fact been compromised by this mutation.”

It took Levana a moment to change the direction of her thoughts. “And the antidote?”

“Still effective, though there is a much shorter window in which it can be used.”

Levana tapped her fingers against her lower lip. “That is interesting.”

Years ago, Levana had unleashed this plague on Earth, and she would soon embrace the results. Earth was weak and desperate. Desperate to cure the plague. Desperate to end the war.

When she gave them the antidote, they would be unspeakably grateful to their new empress.

She had never expected her lab-created disease to mutate in the wild, though. Now, no one was immune, not even her own people. What a strange, miraculous thing.

“Thank you, Aimery. This could be the answer I’ve been seeking. If the people do not see their errors and come crawling back to my good graces, I may have to employ new means of persuasion. It would break my heart to see my people suffering, but that is one of those difficult decisions a queen finds herself making from time to time.”

Her heart fluttered as she imagined the people filling up the courtyard beyond the palace walls and kneeling before her, tears on their faces. They would worship her for having saved them. She would save them all with her goodness and charity.

Oh, how they would adore her, their savior, their rightful queen.