by Erica Rue
“You don’t have the power to do any of this. You are not the Regnator,” he said. “You should never become the Regnator.”
“Because of this?” she said, holding up the digital image display. She let him watch as it cycled through the pictures, but he barely looked at them. He had seen it before.
He glared at her. “Yes.”
“I agree. There need to be some changes around here, but Elijah isn’t the one to make them. I get why he wants to get rid of me, but why has he aligned himself with a pro-Farmer group, a pro-Matching group, when belief that the Farmer is a liar is the one thing that unites us?”
There was a pause, but Theo’s voice, not Asher’s, filled it. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” he said.
Asher didn’t meet her gaze, and she took that to mean that Theo was right. After she’d halted the Matching, she had alienated a portion of her people. They needed somewhere to turn, and Elijah had taken advantage of that, even if he, too, hated the Matching. It would be worth it to pretend just long enough to secure power.
“So what’s his plan? How is he going to take over?” Cora posed the question out loud, but she was almost asking herself rather than Asher, who had not been forthcoming. She would have to find a way to subvert Elijah while they found proof of his involvement with the Green Cloaks. His support made him dangerous to confront.
One of Theo’s men popped into the tent. “Colm is about to leave, but he wants to speak with you first.”
The man changed places with Cora and Theo, who met Colm at the edge of their camp.
“I wanted to thank you for helping today,” Colm said. “Victoria is not doing well, and I need to return to the Mountain Base. Thank you for finding and returning the missing guns as well. Now that we know it was the Green Cloaks who took them, I think our alliance is stable.”
“Thank you for helping us find them. It feels good to work together for a change,” Cora replied. That was one crisis averted, at least. By returning the stolen guns and proving that it was the Green Cloaks, not her uncle, who had taken them, she had eased that tension. She had foiled Elijah’s plan by disarming him, and she had also helped stabilize the alliance.
Colm left, and shortly after, she heard the gentle hum of a Flyer in the night. She stood in the open air for a few minutes and took a several deep breaths.
“We’re getting nowhere,” she said to Theo, once she’d gotten her bearings.
“We have to think like them,” he said. “How would you take over if you were Elijah?”
She didn’t want to think like Elijah. “Shoot everyone,” she replied half-heartedly. “But we took his guns.”
Theo clucked his tongue. “He’s a weasel, not a lion.”
Cora thought about what he had done so far: garnering support from those who opposed her and her uncle; stockpiling Ficaran weapons. He preferred to line up the pieces, but let someone else push them into place. “Discredit and remove the current Regnator. Challenging me at the memorial dinner was a start.”
“But you’re not the Regnator. Your uncle wields that power right now.”
Cora snapped her head to look at him. “That’s right. I’ve been thinking about this all wrong. I’m not the one in charge. Half the people won’t recognize my authority without a husband, and the other half are beginning to doubt the Farmer and my family’s right to rule anyway. Rightfully so,” she added under her breath.
“So how would you weaken Benjamin’s position?” Theo asked.
“Force him to balk at tradition. Let his niece abuse power she doesn’t have.” What else had Uncle Benjamin been complaining about? She’d been too involved in her own feelings and problems to pay much attention.
She gasped. “The guns!” She looked at Theo, eyes wide. “That was the plan. They took the guns, but maybe it wasn’t to rebel. Maybe it was to frame my uncle. The alliance with the Ficarans gets more strained, then Elijah comes in, returns the weapons, and puts the blame on my uncle by claiming he was hiding them!”
“If the Ficarans already have their guns back, or at least most of them, what is Elijah planning to do?” Theo wondered aloud. “If the guns were never for rebellion, what is he planning?”
Cora thought about her uncle’s failure to send maximutes and return her calls. She gulped, and the knots in her stomach tightened. “I think we need to ask ourselves what Elijah has already done?”
33. LITHIA
Lithia woke up in pain. This was nothing like her ankle, which had healed miraculously fast after the tea. Instead, she felt like she had run a marathon. Or at least, what she imagined she’d feel like if she ever ran a marathon. She was more of a contact sports kind of girl. It was still early, but the sheer exhaustion that had allowed her to sleep through the pain had worn off. When she read the message waiting from Dione, her good news took the edge off.
She hobbled out of her tent to find Cora already awake, speaking with Theo. More like murmuring, really. The makeshift camp was small, and it took almost no time to hobble over to her cousin.
When Cora saw her, she grinned. After such a rocky start to their relationship, Lithia found herself happy to be on such good terms with her long-lost cousin. She had gone from adversary to confidante in a short time.
“You look terrible,” Cora observed, her lips pursed in concern.
“Everything hurts. But that’s expected.” Lithia pulled the collar of her shirt, revealing a dark purple bruis, as wide as the safety restraint that had kept her from slamming into the shuttle’s console.
She recognized the guard she had spoken with the night she’d screamed herself awake from the nightmare. “Got any more of that vigo stuff?”
He chuckled and handed her a full bottle. “Keep it.”
Lithia took a long drink. Everything still hurt, but now she didn’t care as much. She felt awake and ready to take on the rest of the Green Cloaks. She stretched, then winced. Maybe not physically, but mentally, for sure.
“So what’s the plan?” she asked, carefully taking a seat.
“We know that Elijah is a Green Cloak,” Cora said. “I’ve been trying to reach Uncle Benjamin, but I can’t. I’m worried that Elijah’s up to something, and I don’t want to walk into a trap. Still, I need to return home.”
She didn’t need to accompany Cora. Lithia glanced at one of the Ficaran Flyers, unguarded and begging to be flown. She could go rescue Dione, except Dione had found her own way off the island. Apparently she’d found a ship with a jump drive. She might already be on her way back. It was hard to believe they might soon be going home themselves.
“Lithia?” Cora was looking at her expectantly.
“Sorry. Zoned out for a sec. What was your question?”
“What’s your government like?” Cora asked again. “Do you have something like a Regnator?”
Lithia sighed. She hated politics. “No Regnator, but we’ve got a council of core magistrates from the core planets. Those are the most important ones in the eyes of the Alliance. Then we’ve got planetary delegates who form the Congregate—really, it’s a complicated mess.”
“How do you choose the council?”
“Very long and annoying elections.”
“Like the Ficarans?” Cora asked.
“I guess. I don’t know how they do it, to be honest. We vote, and—”
Lithia stopped mid-sentence. Cora was frowning at her communicator.
“It’s Evy,” she said, accepting the call. “Who gave you a com—”
A young, frantic voice cut her off. “They have my mom and dad!”
At once, the banter around Cora stopped. Lithia leaned forward on the edge of her seat. “Who does?” she asked.
“They’re Green Cloaks. But they’re not wearing green.” Evy’s voice was hushed now. “But I heard them talking about the people on the farm you were going to. And how they’re all that’s left now.”
“What do they want?” Theo asked.
“I don’t know.” Evy sniffed. “They�
�re trying to find me.”
“How could the people let this happen?” Cora whispered, more to herself than anyone else.
“It’s a secret. No one knows yet. I think they got my dad yesterday because he didn’t come to dinner. Then they came here in the night. Please come back. I don’t want them to find me.” Lithia heard Evy sniff again. She was definitely crying.
“We’re going to figure this out and help you,” Cora said. “Keep hiding. Type in messages if you need me so that you can stay quiet.”
“I love you, Cora,” Evy said.
“I love you, too,” she replied.
She ended the call, and Lithia watched waves of emotion wash over Cora. She felt them, too. Evy was the bravest ten-year-old she had ever met.
Theo was already in motion, rounding up his men, speaking with the remaining Ficarans about transport. Cora was by his side, offering her opinion where appropriate.
Lithia sat, clenching and unclenching her fists. It never ends, she thought.
“What’s going on?”
The voice startled her. She turned to see Oberon, trailed by Bel and Zane.
“The Green Cloaks have Benjamin and Amelia. They’re looking for Evy, but she’s hiding. Some sort of coup,” Lithia said.
She was trying to wrap her head around the implications. Were the Green Cloaks trying to take over and somehow offer up Kepos to the Vens? No, they’d finally seemed to realize the Vens were bad.
“There’s something else,” Lithia said. “Dione found the colonizer. She says the jump drive works.”
Before the others could react, an angry shriek echoed through the camp. Cora.
Lithia hurried off to find her cousin, wincing as she moved. The others followed, along with Jai. “What happened?” she asked when she arrived at Cora’s side.
Cora showed her the message. It was from the same communicator Evy had been using: I have her. Bring me my son, and we can trade.
Lithia watched Cora’s trembling fingers tap out a response: Elijah?
A response came: Yes. Come at midday.
Cora didn’t reply. Next to her, Theo massaged his knuckles as he thought.
“What do I do?” Cora asked those around her. She sounded tired.
“Discredit Elijah publicly,” Lithia said. Her brain went straight to confrontation. “His son is a Green Cloak. People will believe you when you say he’s one, too.”
“He’s made a point of vocally siding with the Farmer’s traditions, like the Matching. Maybe this is why. He was planning this all along, and wanted people to doubt anyone who called him a Green Cloak.”
“Anticipate him then,” Bel said. “He wants to be in charge. You’re in his way. Benjamin’s in his way. Remove yourself as the enemy.”
“What are you saying?” Cora asked.
Lithia saw where Bel was headed with this. “Give up the title of Regnator,” she explained.
“But if I do, I won’t have the power to stop the Matching,” Cora said. “I have proof that our ancestors had lives on other worlds. That the Farmer lied.” She held up the storage device.
“And soon, Dione will have the colonizer,” Lithia said. “More proof. The Matching will be dealt with, but you need to catch him off guard.”
“I think I can help with that,” Zane said.
“How?” Cora asked. “I can’t exactly pass around this image device to one person at a time.” She waved the small device to emphasize her point.
“While I was working in the Graveyard before the battle, fixing up those lights and the tiller, I saw a holoprojector in there.”
“Graveyard?” Oberon asked.
“Yeah, it’s a building full of broken Artifacts. One of the guys I was working with kept asking about it, so I took a look. I think with a few minor repairs, I can get it working.”
“Are you up to it?” Bel asked. “How’s the arm?”
“Still hurts a bit. I’ll need some physical help, but I can walk someone through the repairs.”
“Then I’ll help you,” she said.
Zane nodded. “We can show everyone at the Vale Temple what you’ve got there. As long as it’s good enough to make an impression.”
“It is. This will prove I have no right to rule. If Elijah has a copy of these images,” Cora said, “ then I definitely need to beat him to the reveal. Since we found this at the farm with the Green Cloaks, I wouldn’t be surprised if he does.”
“My men and I can get you in via the secret gate. It’s guarded, but they can buy you enough time to slip in,” Theo said.
“I can guide you to the Graveyard,” Jai said. “There are some less traveled routes through the city that I know.”
“I’m going with Zane,” Bel said.
“Zane, Bel,” Oberon spoke up. “Need another pair of hands?”
They looked as surprised as Lithia felt.
“Sure,” Zane said.
Was Oberon doing this just to keep a closer eye on them? It didn’t matter. These were things Lithia had to do. She had obligations. “Cora, I’m going with you. I think Theo should come, too. Everyone else can either stay here or help Theo’s guys get Zane into the settlement.”
Oberon crossed his arms. Oh boy, Lithia thought. Here it comes.
“You’re still injured,” he said. “ I know that you’re struggling with the aftermath of the battles you’ve seen. No one expects you—”
“I’m going with Cora,” she repeated.
“You won’t do her any good in your condition. You don’t have your stun rifle,” Oberon said. “You need to rest.”
“It might be safer if you went with Zane,” Cora agreed.
“We look too alike,” Lithia said. “I’d endanger the mission. People will be looking for you, not them. As soon as she said the words, though, her wheels started turning. “I have an idea. We can give him what he wants.”
Cora folded her arms, clearly impatient to get a move on. “And what is that, exactly?”
“People who crave power love to feel like they have you right where they want you.”
“What’s your plan?”
“Submission,” Lithia replied. “Turn yourself in.”
“Seriously?”
“Kind of.”
Cora raised an eyebrow. “What exactly do you have in mind?”
“I’m glad you asked, cuz. We’re going to get him to confess.”
34. BRIAN
Brian followed as Dione led the way to the armory. She was so focused on looking for weapons and gear and supplies that she didn’t seem to notice the splendor of the ship around them.
Flyers were one thing, but they weren’t that much larger than some of the giant tillers and tractors he had seen the Aratians use. This ship, on the other hand, was huge. He struggled to wrap his head around the fact that ships like this were common. The factories that built them had to be massive.
He couldn’t wait to show his dad. Not for the first time since entering the colonizer, he doubted his decision to leave his dad outside the ship. At the time, it had seemed safer, but now he wasn’t so sure.
It was too late to change that now. They needed his father to keep an eye out. He knew the dragon song. He was hidden away from their view. He had survived on this island for three years, and Brian was going to bring him home.
They made it to the armory, but the racks were completely bare. Jameson had cleared out the guns long ago.
“It was worth a try,” Dione muttered.
“Maybe we’ll find something else we can use,” Brian said.
They went down to the second level and walked down the long starboard corridor that connected all three segments, opening a door or two at intervals, until they reached a set of much larger and thicker doors. These were airtight. When the segments separated, a hull segment would extend and cover the the area.
“This is it,” Brian said.
“The next segment is smaller,” Dione said. “The first segment had five levels, but this one only has three. We’r
e entering on the second level, which contains the med bay and mess hall.”
They crossed into the middle segment to search for protective gear. There were several closets throughout the ship that contained maintenance equipment, including some fire-resistant work coveralls.
“I don’t see any helmets,” Dione said, looking around. Brian laughed when she pulled out a suit and held it up against herself. It was way too big. “Here,” she said, tossing it to Brian. “Might fit you.”
Brian stepped in and pulled the zipper all the way up. “Like a glove,” he said.
He handed Dione the smallest suit he could find, but even that was too big. She tried it on anyway.
“I can’t wear this. I’ll trip over the loose material. Look!” She stretched her arms out in front of her, but the gloved sleeves drooped where they extended past her hands.
“Good thing you’re staying here, then,” he replied.
“I’m coming with you,” she said, poking her hand through the cuff. “Arguing will just waste time.”
He sighed, but smiled. “It was worth a try.” He inspected her coveralls closely. “There’s no time to hem it…” He looked around the closet.
“You can sew?” she asked.
“Of course I can. What kind of backwards world do you come from where people can’t hem a pair of pants?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “Give me your knife. I’ll cut away some of the excess fabric. You won’t have full body protection, but it’s better than nothing.”
Brian cut the sleeves and legs to length for her. When she tried the pants on, they still hung a bit loosely on her body. “At least I can move now. Let me see that,” she said, gesturing for the knife.
She sat on the floor with the suit remnants and carefully cut the excess material into strips. She used the strips to secure the baggy suit to her body at her hands and ankles where the cuffs had been cut off.
They both managed to find gloves that fit, and Brian found some work boots. Dione decided that her own hiking boots would be enough.
“What about this?” Brian asked, holding up a piece of gun-shaped equipment.
“A nail gun? It might distract them, but it will be about as damaging as throwing rocks at them.”