“They’re all going to die,” I whispered, tears welling in my eyes. “There are children here, Navan!”
“There are so many coldbloods,” he breathed, seemingly in a world of his own as he gazed in horror at the building. “I… I didn’t think there would be this many.”
“There has to be something we can do,” I urged.
His hands balled into fists. “I want to save them, Riley. I want to save all of them. But how can we? You know what’s at stake. She knew that when she sent us here. She knew we would have to watch, even if we didn’t participate. She’s punishing us,” he said through gritted teeth, his eyes glittering with hatred.
Just then, my gaze caught a familiar face in the crowd, and I raised a hand to my mouth in abject horror. Seraphina, Navan’s fiancée, was making her way toward the side exit, which led out into the gardens, close to where we were crouched. It was a wild sort of display, with gnarled trees and sparse bushes, but there was an observation deck in the center that gave the best view of the lake. With the brutal winds battering the clifftop, nobody was out there at the moment, but Seraphina seemed to be heading straight for it.
A call to action echoed in my head: I needed to warn her. Once upon a time, she had saved my life by telling Lazar about the chip in my neck—I owed it to her to return the favor. Besides, it wasn’t only her life at stake. Seeing her served as an even more painful reminder that these were real people, with lives and families and hopes of their own. If I allowed the explosives to go off, then the blood was on my hands for not stopping it when I had the power to.
I couldn’t take it any longer.
Before Navan could pull me back, I jumped up and ran toward the observation deck, ducking behind the trunk of a twisted tree and crouching down as I lay in wait for Seraphina. Across the garden, I could see Navan’s horrified face, but he stayed where he was, evidently unsure what the heck I was doing. In truth, I wasn’t sure either. I just knew I had to do this.
She appeared a moment later, her head down, her expression thoughtful.
“Seraphina,” I whispered from behind the tree trunk, catching sight of Navan’s expression as the pieces fell into place for him.
Her head snapped up, a frightened look in her eyes. “Who’s there?” she demanded, her gaze darting around the garden. Navan ducked down before she could see him, but I poked my head out from behind the tree.
“It’s me, Riley,” I hissed.
Her face morphed into a mask of shock. “What are you doing here?! If anyone finds you, they’ll take you away, and… I don’t even want to think about what they’d do to you,” she said sharply, making sure she didn’t draw too much attention to me as she faced out toward the horizon.
“You are the one in danger, Seraphina,” I urged, knowing I was running out of time.
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“You need to listen to me very carefully,” I replied, keeping one eye on the cliff edge for any of my fellow soldiers. “The Observatory is going to explode in less than an hour. Explosives have already been set and primed to detonate. I need you to help me evacuate this place without raising any alarms about the explosives or the soldiers who have infiltrated it,” I continued, praying she wouldn’t panic and start shouting. To my relief, she didn’t, her brow furrowed in thought.
“This is an attack by Queen Brisha?” Seraphina asked.
“It’s a retaliation for the destruction Gianne caused when she brought down Brisha’s alchemy lab,” I said quickly, feeling the weight of the task ahead on my shoulders.
For a moment, Seraphina didn’t speak, her gaze set upon the distant sky. I worried she was about to out us, or raise the alarm anyway. I wouldn’t have blamed her if she did, since it was likely the quickest way to evacuate a building of this size. And then, she glanced toward me.
“I’ll figure something out, Riley,” she promised. “If anyone finds out about this counterattack, it will prompt the breakout of actual war between the sisters. We need to make the explosion look like an accident. They have been seeking a reason to shatter the treaty, but this will not be it.”
“You’re… not on Gianne’s side?” I asked, genuinely curious.
She shook her head solemnly, her glossy hair gleaming in the sunlight. “I desire peace across Vysanthe, as it was before the sisters tore it in half. My loyalty lies with neither queen. In fact, if I had my way, there would be no queen at all, but a true democracy, appointed by the people, for the people. As that seems unlikely to happen anytime soon, I will be happy with a world without bloodshed instead,” she stated firmly, though there was uncertainty in her eyes. “Are you sure there is no way to stop the explosion altogether? Even if we come up with an excuse, Gianne will suspect foul play, and this is such a beautiful building. I would hate to see it crumble into the water.”
“If the explosion doesn’t happen, then Brisha will know it had something to do with Navan and me,” I explained, wishing I had a different answer for her. “She already doubts us, and has warned that if we try anything, then we will be punished. Not just us, but our loved ones too.”
She grimaced, flashing me a look of apology. “Who does she have?”
“Two of my friends, and Bashrik,” I replied, her eyes going wide in shock.
“Then we must try to protect everyone,” Seraphina said, after a short, tense pause. “If we can save the people here without raising an alarm that would result in the deaths of others, then we must do it. I will not see a drop of blood spilled, if I can help it,” she added, with a defiant nod.
I smiled inwardly, wishing more coldbloods could be like her. Unlike Navan, Seraphina seemed to understand the potential that still resided within the heart of Vysanthe. There was good to be found in this world, if people would only open their eyes to the positives, instead of scrapping over land like dogs over a meager bone. Indeed, she seemed more queenlike to me, in her diplomacy and grace, than Gianne and Brisha put together. Where they sought war, she sought peace.
“Thank you, Seraphina,” I whispered gratefully.
“Is Navan with you?” she asked, looking around.
“He’s hiding nearby,” I replied, though I’d lost sight of him after he ducked down in panic.
Seraphina smiled wryly. “It is strange that the pair of you should come here, as I have been visiting this place every day in the hopes of finding news of Navan. I have been peering over the shoulders of security officers, hoping to catch a glimpse of something that might tell me where he went, and now here you are.” She chuckled.
“Why were you looking for him?” I asked, not unkindly.
“Queen Gianne has decreed that she is willing to pardon him if he returns. I wanted to get the news to him so he might come home without fear of retribution,” she explained, a sorrowful look on her face.
I frowned, puzzled. “Why would she do that? She was pretty mad last time we saw her,” I remarked, recalling how she tried to shoot us out of the sky.
“It’s his father. Jareth told Gianne that Navan was forced into working for the rebels, and has vouched for his character. It would seem Gianne believes her most trusted advisor, since it’s not every day that someone like her offers forgiveness to apparent traitors,” Seraphina said, though I could sense she was holding something back. There was a sadness in her eyes that didn’t make sense. Nobody had died because of Navan’s indiscretions, as far as I could tell, so what was there to be so distressed about?
“Is something else troubling you?” I asked.
She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “It’s nothing, honestly.”
“There’s something else, I can tell,” I pressed, wanting to know what could bring such despair to a woman like her.
Seraphina sighed, visibly steeling herself. “Queen Gianne has also decreed that, if Navan doesn’t return to Southern Vysanthe, then I am to be wed to her advisor, Aurelius, in two months’ time.”
My stomach sank as I recalled the hunched old skeleton that foll
owed Gianne around everywhere. I remembered the look of jealousy in his rheumy eyes when he spoke to Navan about Seraphina. I’d had an inkling about the reason behind his envy, even then, though I’d never gotten my suspicions confirmed. Now, it made sense. All this time, Aurelius had had his eye on Seraphina, desiring to have her for himself. And, if Navan didn’t come back, he would get exactly that.
I felt sick, realizing what it might mean. And yet, I didn’t know whether I had it in me to sit back and watch another woman endure that—be passed around like a prize instead of a person—especially one as good as Seraphina. Once this mission was complete, and the building had been evacuated, I knew I would have a difficult choice to make.
Right now, however, other lives mattered far more than my own.
Chapter Twenty-One
“The clock’s ticking,” I said, trying to push thoughts of Navan and Seraphina to the back of my mind. “We need to get these people out of here before it’s too late. How can we evacuate without causing a panic?”
A grin spread across Seraphina’s face. “I’ve got the perfect idea,” she whispered. “Don’t worry. You should head back before anyone misses you. Leave the evacuation to me,” she insisted. Ordinarily, I would have been wary about trusting a coldblood I barely knew, but there was an honest quality to everything Seraphina did that was hard to ignore.
“Thank you,” I whispered, eager to return to Commander Korbin and the others. Peering through the crystal exterior of the Observatory, I could pick out one or two of our comrades, but the rest seemed to have dispersed, their job done. The fact that nobody else had come up this way made me think they had finished up with the outer surfaces too, leaving this side to Navan and me.
Leaving Seraphina, I crept around the tree trunk, readying myself to dart back to the clifftop where Navan was hiding.
Then Seraphina called out to me again. “Could you do one favor for me, Riley?” she asked.
I stalled, turning to look at her. “What… What would you like me to do?” I asked, frowning.
A sheepish expression passed across her stunning features. “I hate to ask, but… would you be able to persuade Navan to return to the South, if he finds a way to come back?” she wondered, not meeting my gaze.
The underlying meaning of her words pierced my very soul. I couldn’t believe she’d actually asked it out loud, considering what it would mean for Navan and me. More to the point, she knew what it would mean for us. I pitied her for how she had been forced into an engagement with Aurelius, but to be so blunt about getting Navan to return—I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. It left a sour taste in my mouth, and a tangled web of confusion in my mind.
“If we make it back, I’ll see what I can do,” I promised. Right now, it was all I could give her.
“That means a lot, Riley. Believe me, it does,” she said, lifting her gaze to mine, a sad smile on her lips.
Why does she have to make it so difficult to hate her? I wondered silently. It would have been easier if I could look at her and despise every part of her being. But I couldn’t. She was kind and gentle, with a sharp intellect. Plus, right now, my gratitude toward her was immense. She was going to get the civilians out, without putting Navan’s or my life at risk. It was a task I couldn’t do alone, and I trusted Seraphina’s ability.
“I’d better get going,” I said, creeping back across the gardens. I was almost at the other side, when she called out again.
“One last thing,” she ventured, her hand on the door handle that led inside, and I turned back, anxious at what she might ask of me next. “I heard news that Queen Gianne is building a new weapon in the underground hangar. I believe you know the one? If the mood struck you, perhaps you might take a look?” she suggested, before pulling her coat tighter around her and stepping back into the warmth of the Observatory, disappearing from sight.
I let out a breath, relieved that it hadn’t been another request involving Navan, then turned around, expecting to find him on the other side of the row of bushes. But he was nowhere to be found. Puzzled, I lay flat on my stomach and crawled over to the edge of the cliff, my mind racing with thoughts of what Seraphina had just said. A weapon? What kind of weapon? Part of me wished she hadn’t said a word about it, knowing we would have to check it out before we left. There was no way we could ignore something that big. I was certain Navan would agree with me, once I found him.
Before I could lower myself over the cliff edge, I heard a commotion coming from the building. I lifted my head sharply and peered through the crystal surface of the Observatory, watching as the crowds streamed out in an orderly fashion. Nobody was running, nobody was screaming, though they were all covering their heads with whatever fabric they could find. I smiled, noting that the high-tech sprinklers were spraying water across the inside space, the droplets cascading down in a vigorous downpour. Lights were flashing a warning on the walls as the enormous screens that displayed the goings-on of Southern Vysanthe blinked sporadically against the damp intrusion.
A few officers sprinted around, frantically tapping several panels that were fitted into the walls in a vain attempt to get the water to stop, but nothing they did seemed to make a difference. Whatever Seraphina had done, she had made it impossible to stop. In fact, their actions seemed to make it worse. The officers shielded their eyes as the water increased in its volume, pouring down from the ceiling like a monsoon, a significant pool rising upward with each moment that passed. A few crackles and glittering sparks jetted out of one of the biggest screens, prompting the officers to give up, their eyes fearful of further explosions while they headed for the exits. With the screens out of order and the water lashing down, there was no point in them staying to try to fix it, until the water ran out.
It was simple, but perfect.
Thankful for Seraphina’s quick, skillful work, I flattened myself back down on the ground and shimmied off the edge, opening out my wings to catch myself. Navan was waiting below, his wings beating impatiently, his face looking deeply worried.
“Why did you run off like that?” he hissed, pulling me down toward him.
“There’s no time for that now,” I replied quickly.
My mind turned to the cascading water in the building above. With the crackles and sparks exploding from the screens, perhaps it would cover the cause of the imminent explosion as some sort of electrical fault. I clung to that hope as I grasped Navan’s hand and pulled him in the opposite direction to the ledge, where Commander Korbin and the others would be expecting us.
“What’s going on?” Navan demanded, as I struggled to drag him along.
I paused, letting out an exasperated sigh. “Seraphina pulled it off. She managed to get the civilians out without raising any kind of alarm. A stroke of genius!” I said, taking his hand again. “But, right now, we need to make a little side trip. Seraphina heard about something important that Queen Gianne is building in the underground hangar, and I figured we should take a good look before we head for the North. It might be just the thing to get us back in Brisha’s good books,” I explained with a wink, leaving out the part about him returning to the South fulltime. That conversation could wait.
He frowned. “What is she building, exactly?”
“That’s what we need to find out,” I said, pulling him along. This time, he didn’t resist me, allowing me to drag him along in the shadow of the slippery rockface. I paused in the darkness for a moment, casting a glance back at the ledge where the commander had dropped us. From here, I could see him yelling into the face of one of our comrades, who was trying to attach a bomb that refused to stick.
It was now or never. We needed to move before he realized we’d gone. Clinging to the shadows, allowing them to swallow us up like camouflage, we headed for the underground hangar.
* * *
My memory was a little hazy where the city layout was concerned, but Navan took the lead when I began to flounder. I took another small sip of the wing serum on the way, to keep them from fa
ding, while we kept to the outskirts for as long as possible, sticking to the shadows. On the way, I encouraged Navan to unbuckle his explosives belt, and we dropped mine and his into a deep pool of melted ice that glinted on the mountainside. I didn’t want anything to do with them now that the evacuation was underway, and it seemed Navan didn’t either.
“Was it really this far out?” I asked dubiously, following Navan past the perimeter of Regium.
“They keep it outside the city on purpose,” he said, leading us downward toward an inconspicuous-looking patch of frozen grass, the earth hard-packed beneath my feet as we touched down.
I looked around, partially recognizing the wall of stone that rose up ahead of us. Then again, I was pretty sure most mountain ranges looked the same. Turning my head this way and that, as if inspiration would suddenly come, I noticed Navan giving me a strange look.
“What are you doing?” he asked, half amused.
“Figuring out where the hangar is,” I retorted.
He chuckled. “It’s this way,” he said, gesturing toward a section of the mountainside.
“You’re in good shape, Navan, but I doubt you can tear through solid rock,” I muttered, hurrying after him. Wherever he was headed, he seemed determined.
As we neared the spot he was gesturing to, I swallowed my words. There, in the mountainside, was a crack about the size of two people standing side by side, though nature had camouflaged it with a tangled mass of vines and brambles that crisscrossed over the opening, hiding it from plain sight.
“This isn’t the way we came in when we first arrived on Vysanthe,” I said, utterly confused. Part of me wondered if Navan had hit his head while I wasn’t looking.
He smiled, a knowing look on his face. “It’s not, but I know this place well from my younger days. Me and my brothers used to sneak around these parts all the time, watching the engineers and making notes on each exploration ship that left the hangar. It’s what made me want to be an Explorer, watching those ships leave. Well, that and wanting to get the hell out of Vysanthe.” A curious smile pulled at the corners of his lips. “Over the years, I’ve discovered a few hidden treasures, where the guards don’t go. This is an old air vent, though it doesn’t look like it’s been doing much lately,” he said, chuckling to himself. He began to tear away the tangled roots and crumbled rocks that kept the opening so well hidden.