by Rebecca Rode
“Thank you,” Ember breathed.
Her friend stepped over the bag and plopped down in front of her again. “It won’t last long without pins, but I’ll do it again tomorrow if you like. It’s nearly a month’s journey, so we’ll probably be bored out of our minds anyway.”
The evacuation. It still didn’t feel real that they were leaving it all behind—the giant waterfall, the cold tube, the tiny caverns they’d spent so many hours expanding. The cabinet chamber. The handmade sofa. Ember was expected to board another ship and fight off any Empire ships that found them. But she’d struggled with a few hundred. The vanguard was thousands of ships. She’d never be able to take them on alone. And the moment she tried . . .
Neraline’s warning returned to her mind. There were moments when Nick’s eyes would grow hard and he barely remembered who his friends were. And then he would do strange things. Horrible things.
They say you’re the universe’s answer to Ruben, Reina had said. That as evil as he is, you’re the opposite good. Stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. Ember didn’t blame Reina for staying away from her now, when she knew what a mess Ember really was.
Deep in thought, Ember dropped the mirror back into her bag. Ruben wasn’t with the vanguard returning from the far edges of the realm. Their intelligence, up until a few days before, insisted Ruben hadn’t left the second sector. Ember was inclined to believe it since he’d sent fighters to the convoy without him.
That meant two things. First, Stefan would be fine as long as he stayed far away from sector two. Second, Stefan would survive any vanguard attack—because he wouldn’t die until he and Ruben were in the same room together. Maybe that meant everyone else would survive too. Maybe Ember hadn’t botched the mission too badly after all. They had their ships and supplies. The revolutionaries would get out in time.
As for the war—it was clear that was up to her.
What was it Sa’Kahn had said? Our shared war must be fought in the city planets. The emperor will not easily release his power, so it must be forcibly and publicly taken from him.
Our glorious leader, Er’len, wishes to meet with you to discuss the future of the Empire.
The cabinet would never allow Ember to go despite their vote, especially now, when they believed she could protect them from the vanguard. Only Stefan, Mar, Reina, Brennan, and Captain Terrance knew how brittle Ember was.
Her friend sat patiently watching Ember collect her thoughts. Dear Mar. Ember had clung so desperately to Bianca she’d never seen the possibility of having another friend. While Bianca planned an elaborate betrayal, Mar had come to help. And she was here yet again, forgiving Ember’s failings in that sweet way of hers. It felt wonderful to have a friend.
Ember reached over and pulled Mar in for a hug. Mar stiffened only for a second before patting Ember awkwardly on the back.
“I didn’t think you were a hugger,” Mar said, the surprise in her voice evident. “I guess that means you like your hair. Feel better then?”
“I do. Thank you.” Ember pulled away, her path suddenly lit in her mind as if with a hundred floodlights. She knew how to protect Stefan. And in doing so she would protect Mar and everyone else as well. “I keep seeing you with Brennan. If you need your own hair braided soon, let me know.”
Mar gasped and gave Ember a playful punch on the shoulder. “I think not.” Only her pink cheeks gave her away.
“We’ll see.” Ember smiled. It was a genuine, happy smile, and it felt incredible. “Do you have a tablet, by chance? There’s something I need to do.”
Chapter 15
Ember spouted her lies in less than four minutes.
The moment they arrived, Amai had asked her to give a short, rousing speech to the workers, soldiers, and passengers waiting to board. The outcropping that hid their remaining ships was filled from end to end with anxious people. It was less than half their original fourteen thousand as the others had already left, but thanks to Ember’s “successful” mission, they had the ships and cargo to get the others out as well. Three thousand lives in exchange for seven thousand. The numbers worked on paper, but her heart said otherwise.
Ember spent those four minutes talking about freedom, loyalty, and patience. She promised them safety at their next destination and assured them their leaders would protect them. She told them to obey their leaders—there was a flicker or cabinet member assigned to nearly every vessel—and said they would get through this together.
Her chest constricted tighter with each lie she told.
Finally, it was finished and she was free. She tossed the crowd a too-confident wave, which they answered with frantic waving of their own. She descended the gangplank to the sound of cheering. They’d sent Lady Flare to steal three ships, and she’d come back with seven. She was powerful, they said. A true god, a mistress of the stars. Those were all lies too.
Ember’s usual guards escorted her to her room to fetch her belongings. It only took a moment to pack the few items from the chest—the vial of Earthen sand, an extra change of clothing, a spare pair of boots. Her black flicker jacket. A beautiful stone Stefan had found underground and given her as a gift rather than turning it over to scientists like he was supposed to.
She gave the homemade sofa a last glance, then trotted out the door. The guards still waited there.
“You may go,” she said. “I’m going to use the facilities, and then I’ll meet you there.”
“We were charged with your safety, Lady Flare,” the first said. “We’ll wait outside the door and bring you to the control room ourselves.”
She’d forgotten. These were the ones chosen especially for her. She knew exactly who had charged them with her safety. Stefan would be in the control room now, supervising their last preparations and waiting for her. She hoped he wouldn’t notice the tablet in his bag until she was already gone.
Time to initiate her plan. Wincing, she took control of the guards and sent them to the control room without her. Then she sprinted back to the outcropping, where the revolutionaries were boarding the ships that would save their lives.
Now for the hard part. Ember let her focus fade, sensing the thousands of bright lights around her. Sa’Kahn and her party were nowhere to be seen. In a second, Ember remembered why. Their lights were muted, wrapped in those impenetrable rubber-like shields. Her shoulders slumped. She would have to board every ship looking for them.
“Lady Flare,” a calm voice called.
Ember turned to find Sa’Kahn standing on the ramp of a nearby shuttle. “We sensed your search. You’re ready to go, then?”
Ember blinked. “You knew all along.”
The woman inclined her head. “We did. Your decision is critical to future events. Do you have everything you require?”
The shuttle before them hadn’t been adapted for long-distance travel. It was the spoil of a raid last month, discarded and probably stripped of parts. “Yes, but that thing won’t get us to the second sector. It won’t even make it to the fifth.”
Sa’Kahn’s lips curved slightly upward. It was the closest thing to a smile Ember had seen from her. “We have already taken care of that. Please, we must hurry before—”
“Ember!”
Stefan burst through the lines of passengers on a wild sprint toward her. He carried Mar’s tablet in his hands. Stars. He’d already seen her message and come looking for her, determined to change her mind. If she allowed him to reach her and wrap her in his arms, she knew that whatever was left of her determination would crack apart.
Sa’Kahn turned and hurried inside. Ember followed her into the dimly lit shuttle, stepping inside as the ramp began to close beneath her feet.
“Ember! Don’t you dare—”
His shout was cut off by a short explosion of air from the closing mechanism as the hatch pressurized. Ember felt as if a door had slammed closed in her heart as well. She’d done it. She’d left Stefan behind to save his life.
Sa’Kahn’s mate was already at the
controls. The ground shuddered and began to vibrate.
Pounding sounded from the hatch.
Sa’Kahn froze, then faced Ember. “Your love stands right next to the thrusters. He will be killed if he remains there while we depart. If you care for his life, you must take control of his mind and guide him away.”
Ember’s heart sank. Stefan knew exactly what he was doing. He thought she was being reckless again. He didn’t realize what was at stake. She hadn’t told him everything in her farewell message. It was an explanation he’d never understand, much less accept.
“For your own good,” she assured herself, and for the second time in a week, she took control of the man she loved. The pounding stopped, although she sensed his soul fighting against her for all he was worth. If only she could explain.
She made him walk up the next ramp and into the neighboring ship. Through his eyes, she saw him store Mar’s tablet and find a seat. It wasn’t until he’d buckled his harness that she released him. By then, her shuttle was off the ground and headed for the cavern opening. Ember came back to herself and settled into the empty chair in the cockpit.
Dozens of people standing in line outside watched the shuttle rise above them with concern. They’d seen Stefan run by screaming Ember’s name. And then he’d walked calmly away and boarded a ship. There were bound to be questions. Stefan would be crushed when he realized what she’d just done.
“You have chosen the correct course,” Sa’Kahn said. “He will come to see that in time. They all will.”
As the shuttle emerged into the fading sunlight, Ember tightly gripped her overnight bag with both hands. She wasn’t as convinced as they believed. The Albines could be loyal to the Empire, for all she knew. They could deliver her up to Ruben within days. Yet a calm reassurance spread in her chest, a feeling that this was indeed the path intended for her. Even the shadow inside her sat back and watched, as if content.
She would meet with their leader, Er’len, very soon. They would arrange for protection for her people in exchange for joining the resistance. Combined with the Albines, the revolutionaries would be unstoppable. Once Ruben was overcome and the Empire was restructured, Ember could face a future with Stefan—if he would still have her after today.
That was the least certain factor of all.
Stefan put down his notes and rubbed his throbbing temples. He’d been listening for twenty minutes, and the cafeteria worker before him was still going on about the shift situation. As if Stefan didn’t have anything more important to deal with five days into an urgent flight to safety.
“That means we get up early and retire late while the earlier shift gets to sleep in,” the balding man said, fidgeting in his chair. “They need to rework it to an hourly system rather than separating by meals. I’ve been telling them since the beginning, and still they do nothing. It’s unfair.”
“You’re right. It isn’t fair.” Stefan leaned forward, his chair creaking. He’d spent too many hours here. “You know what else isn’t fair? The late-shift hours the engineers and mechanics are putting in to keep this ship running and the round-the-clock grind for our pilots. No cabinet member has slept more than three hours at a time since we left, and yet nobody else is complaining. We’re in a desperate situation, sir. Now, allow me to ask my questions, or I will have you tied down and gagged.”
The man shut up so fast his eyes bugged out. He stuffed his hands into his armpits as if trying to prevent the waiting guard from enacting Stefan’s threat. It was almost comical.
In Stefan’s case, three hours of rest was optimistic. Every time he felt himself descending into sleep, he remembered where Ember was and panic roused him again. To keep himself busy, he’d undertaken a massive search for any other spies, asking the ship’s supervisors to submit reports about any suspicious individuals. The only problem with his brilliant plan was that supervisors had varying ideas of what “suspicious” meant.
He skimmed the worker’s file. Flagged for complaining. No kidding. “Do you enjoy your work?”
“Yes.” It came too quickly.
Stefan ran his finger down the list of coworkers. A single name stilled his breath. “Bianca was on your shift?”
“Who?”
Stefan tried to remember her face. “The, uh, gypsy. Dark, braided hair. Didn’t talk much.”
“Oh. Her.” He paused. “For the first month, yes. She got transferred to the afternoon shift shortly afterward.” He frowned, obviously unhappy he’d been passed over for that assignment.
Interesting. “Did she ever talk about leaving or say she was unhappy?”
“No. The girl hardly talked at all, and when she did, I couldn’t understand her.”
“Did she have close friends or coworkers she confided in?”
“If she did, I have no idea who. She was like a ghost—showed up for her shift, worked like mad, disappeared again.”
Stefan nodded. Ember’s friend was an outsider, a woman with no acquaintances. Little wonder she’d defected. “It says here you were on the convoy mission with us. Do you remember seeing her at all?”
“Just behind the counter when I ate lunch. She couldn’t even look me in the eye.” He snorted, leaning back in his seat. “Heard she stole a rescue pod, but I still don’t believe it. She didn’t have the backbone for something like that.”
Stefan set the tablet down on his lap, not attempting to hide his irritation. “That woman lost her entire family and her home. She was forced to take up a new career and learn a difficult language. If anyone didn’t have backbone, it was us for looking past her when she needed our help.”
He’d done the same with Ember—asked her casually how her struggle was going, hoping for the exact answer she’d given. He should have seen the truth. Now she was gone too.
The man nodded briskly. It was obvious he’d agree with anything Stefan said if it meant he could exit this interview.
With a sigh, Stefan motioned for him to leave. The guard escorted the worker out the door.
Five days. If the Albines had told the truth, Ember was nearly to the giant city planet by now, ready to meet with the resistance leader. He didn’t want to think about the consequences if they were lying. He still had so many questions. What had possessed her to run off like that? Was she angry he’d shot her, or did it have something to do with the battle casualties?
He was worried for her, but he was also angry. She’d taken over him like a child, forcing him away against his will, and run off. He knew they were having problems, but he didn’t know they were so broken.
All he had was a stupid recording, and even that said little. Just that it was getting too dangerous for her to stay, that she loved him, and that she wanted him to take charge of everyone’s safety.
Her last sentence had affected him the most. “You saved me when I was lost. I’ll do anything to save you.”
She thought this meant saving everyone. She should have discussed it with him first. He could have talked some sense into her. And if she insisted on going, she should have at least given him the option of coming along.
Should have, would have, wanted to. Wishes and plans swept away with a single decision. She’d left him behind. It was done. Time to accept it and move on.
He would move on, but he still couldn’t accept it. Not when her absence left such a gaping hole inside him.
A knock sounded on the door, and Stefan braced himself for the next miserable interview. But it was Reina who walked in. She shoved the door closed and plopped into the empty chair. “Greetings. I assume you have a sec.”
He hid his surprise. Few had seen Reina since Ember’s meltdown. He assumed he was the last person she wanted to speak with. “Sure, I can spare a minute. Is something wrong?”
“Oh, you know. Just the death-looming-overhead thing. Nothing unusual.” She grabbed hold of her loose hair and began to sweep it into a ponytail. “Just wanted to know why you’re still here.”
“Excuse me?”
“Don’t p
lay dumb with me. I know you love Ember. I want to know why you never went after her.”
He didn’t want to discuss this right now, especially with a woman who didn’t understand what was at stake. “I don’t need to defend my actions to you.”
“That’s true. I think you’d better defend yourself to Ember, though. In person would be best.”
Stefan sighed. Reina didn’t particularly like Ember, which made Reina’s behavior right now even more strange. Nobody else had asked him these questions, not after hundreds of people had witnessed his humiliating run through the landing pad for themselves.
His attraction to Ember was impossible to explain to others. How many men would return to a woman who’d nearly killed him twice? And yet, few couples had special gifts that shaped the course of history as well. Their relationship wasn’t exactly textbook.
“We’ve needed your help the past few days,” he said, changing the subject. “Strangely, you were nowhere to be found.” Stefan and Reina were the cabinet members assigned to the largest craft, the one with the highest number of evacuees. It was a large responsibility he didn’t take lightly. Apparently Reina didn’t feel the same.
She lay sideways in the chair now, legs draped over the side. It didn’t look at all comfortable. “I heard you were looking for spies. I thought I’d come and remind you that you’re a flicker. You don’t have to ask people. You just read them.”
He flinched. That went against his personal creed. He would never read someone without their permission. “Is that what you’ve been doing?”