Winter felt a flush of dread. “Where are the others?”
“The sector was attacked,” said Thorne. “They took Wolf and Cinder and they … they killed Maha.”
Scarlet wrapped her arms tighter around the back of the chair. “We can’t stay here. We moved the bodies of that guard and thaumaturge into the back bedroom, but I bet someone will come for them.”
“The guard who helped us,” said Iko, “told me to take Her Highness into hiding. I know he meant to take her out of this sector, but where else can we go? I’ve been reviewing the maps of Luna and the only places that seem like they might offer more security are underground. At least we would be away from people, and surveillance isn’t as strict in the tunnels and mines, but it doesn’t seem like a perfect solution, either.”
“There is no perfect solution,” said Winter, sinking against the sofa’s lumpy cushion. “The queen will find me anywhere I go. She finds me even in my dreams.”
“You’re not the only one having nightmares,” Thorne muttered. “But there’s still a chance that a lot of angry civilians are going to show up in Artemisia four days from now, demanding a new regime. Is there any chance Cinder will still be alive by then?”
They traded glances, but there was not much optimism.
“Official executions take place in Artemisia Palace,” said Winter. “That’s where they’ll take her.”
“Why not just kill her here?” asked Scarlet. “Why go through the trouble?”
Thorne shook his head. “Levana wants to execute her in a way that will show the futility of this uprising.”
“You think she plans on broadcasting it?” said Iko.
“I guarantee she does,” said Winter. “The queen is fond of public executions. They are an effective way to break the will of any citizens who might be feeling rebellious.”
Thorne rubbed his brow. “She’ll kill her soon, then. Tonight, maybe, or tomorrow. Nothing like an execution on your wedding day.”
Winter drew her knees to her chest, squeezing them tight. The day had started so hopeful for her companions. The broadcast had gone as planned, the people had been answering her call. But now it was over. Levana was still the queen, dear Selene would soon be dead, and Jacin too, if he wasn’t already.
“Stop it.”
She lifted her head—not so much at Thorne’s command, but at the hardened tone beneath it. Scarlet and Iko, too, looked up.
“Stop acting discouraged, all of you. We don’t have time for it.”
“You are not discouraged?” Winter asked.
“It’s not in my vocabulary.” Thorne pushed himself off the door. “Iko, did we break into that guardhouse and broadcast Cinder’s message across all of Luna?”
“Yes, Captain.”
“And, Scarlet, did I rescue you and Wolf when the entire city of Paris was under siege?”
She raised an eyebrow at him. “Actually, I’m pretty sure Cinder—”
“Yes, I did.” He pointed at Iko. “Did I rescue you and Cinder from that prison cell and fly us all to safety aboard the Rampion?”
“Well, at the time, I wasn’t exactly—”
“Aces, Iko, just answer the question.”
Scarlet drummed her fingers. “What’s your point?”
“My point is that I am going to figure this out, like I always do. First, we’re going to find a way to get into Artemisia. We’re going to find Cress and rescue Cinder and Wolf. We’re going to overthrow Levana, and by the stars above, we are going to make Cinder a queen so she can pay us a lot of money from her royal coffers and we can all retire very rich and very alive, got it?”
Winter started to clap. “Brilliant speech. Such gumption and bravado.”
“And yet strangely lacking in any sort of actual strategy,” said Scarlet.
“Oh, good, I’m glad you noticed that too,” said Iko. “I was worried my processor might be glitching.” She felt for the back of her head.
“I’m working on that part,” Thorne growled. “For now, we need to get out of this sector. I’ll think better once I’m not worried about more thaumaturges surrounding us. Besides, if we’re going by maglev tunnel, it’s a long walk back to Artemisia.”
“One flaw in this not-really-a-plan?” said Scarlet, jutting her thumb toward Winter. “We’re not taking her back there. That’s the opposite of keeping her hidden.”
Winter untied the towel around her head. There was a spot of blood, but not much. She wondered if her headache would ever ease. “You’re right. I will go underground, as Scarlet suggested.”
“You’re not a mole,” said Scarlet. “You can’t just go underground. Where will you go? What will you do? Are there people down there? Do you need to take supplies? What if—”
“Ryu was in my dream too.” Winter folded the towel on her knee. “He was trying to protect me from the queen. I think he’s forgiven me for what happened.”
Scarlet guffawed, a harsh and delirious sound. “Are you even listening? Don’t you get it? Cinder and Wolf are gone! Levana has them. She’s going to torture them and kill them and…” Sobbing, Scarlet lowered her head between her trembling shoulders. “No one cares about your stupid dreams and your stupid delusions. They’re gone.” She wiped her nose with the back of her hand. She was not pretty when she cried, and Winter liked this about her.
Tipping forward, she rested her hand on Scarlet’s shoulder. Scarlet didn’t shake her away.
“I do understand,” she said. “It would not be safe for me to return to Artemisia, but that doesn’t mean I can’t help Selene and my people. I, too, have a not-really-a-plan.”
Scarlet peered up at her with bloodshot eyes. “I’m afraid to ask.”
“Thorne and Iko will go to Artemisia and try to save Selene and Wolf and Jacin and Cress, while you and I disappear underground, into the lava tubes and the shadows, and there we shall raise an army of our own.”
“Oh, we’re going to go underground and raise an army, are we?” Scarlet sniffed and threw her hands into the air. “Why do I even bother talking to you? You are not helping. You are the capital U of Unhelpful.”
“I am serious. There are killers and there are animals and there are predators yearning to be free. You know this, Scarlet-friend. You have already freed one.” Winter stood and placed a hand on the wall for balance, then skirted around the small table.
Scarlet rolled her eyes, but it was Iko who spoke. “The barracks,” she said. “The barracks where Levana keeps her soldiers are in the lava tubes.”
Thorne’s gaze swiveled from Iko to Winter. “Her soldiers? You mean, her mutant wolf soldiers? Are you insane?”
Winter started to giggle. “I might as well be,” she said, placing a hand on Thorne’s cheek. “For everyone tells me so.”
Forty-Four
“The queen’s on edge,” Jacin said as he strapped his gun holster on over his uniform. “She’s keeping quiet about it, trying to pretend like nothing’s happening so the families won’t panic. But you can tell something’s changed.”