by Nina Walker
Finally, Mastin nodded.
Jose pushed the general forward, spinning his gun on Richard.
I gasped, hope spreading. Richard balked, stepping back, confusion flashing across his face, followed by a wave of pure fury.
“You!” he growled. “You will die for this, you traitor.”
“Shut up,” Jose replied, shoving the gun closer. “I’d like nothing more in this moment than to kill you.”
“You’ll die too,” Richard snapped. He nodded toward his people who’d also raised their guns. “They’ll kill you the second you pull that trigger.”
“It would be my pleasure to die if it meant taking you with me,” Jose growled. “Unfortunately, we made a deal to turn you over to West America alive.”
Richard glared. “A deal?”
“That’s right. As soon as the battle started we reached out to General Scott.”
He pointed toward Sasha, who had now walked over to join the group. “Sasha was able to set everything up for us and make the proper introductions. It was her idea, you know. You always did underestimate the young ones.”
“You’re under arrest,” Scott snapped at Richard as he stood. He brushed himself off and glared triumphantly at the crowd. Sasha sidled up next to him, her arms crossed, as she sneered at Richard.
“That’s right, old man. The Resistance and West America joined forces. Bet you didn’t see that one coming, did you?”
Richard barked a laugh. “You’re pathetic.”
Sasha cocked her head. “And you’re the one under arrest.”
There were still plenty of guns pointed in all directions, but it was clear West America now had the upper hand. And they also had Richard right where they needed him. I met Lucas’s gaze and saw a flash of peace there.
“You okay?” I whispered.
“It needed to happen,” he whispered back.
“Please, if you don’t surrender this very minute,” Lily stepped forward, her voice as sweet as chimes blowing in the wind, “you will die. I’ve seen it myself.”
Lily was the King’s personal oracle, and he was used to taking her word as gold. His eyes flitted up to her, resignation filling them. He still didn’t know she was Resistance too, though he probably had his suspicions now.
“You saw it?”
She nodded, her ethereal voice high as she continued to speak, “If you don’t surrender, you won’t make it off this field alive. Please, Your Highness.”
He fumed, but ever so slowly, he sank to his knees, raising his hands in surrender.
“Give me those,” Sasha said to one of the Royal Officers. The man handed her a pair of gleaming silver handcuffs.
Satisfied, she slapped them over the King’s wrists, squeezing them as tight as possible.
19
Sasha
During my early teenage years, whenever I’d gotten extra grumpy, Hank had always told me to count my blessings. I’d found that notion ridiculously annoying and immature. But now, I didn’t think so. Here I was, rattling off blessings one by one, trying desperately to feel better. Because tonight? Oh, tonight I was extra grumpy and surrounded with blessings.
Blessing number one: my family was reunited again. Or at least, we would be soon. I was assured Jessa would be released within the hour. Lacey had been returned the moment we’d come back to our base, because what did they have to question a six-year-old for, anyway?
Blessing number two: after Mastin had found out I’d been keeping Branson’s email address from the General, he’d made me turn it in. I hadn’t thought much about it until the morning we’d left for battle. I had gone straight to General Scott and told him my plan. I didn’t know every member of the Resistance but he was able to fill in the gaps. And it was how he’d been able to join forces with Lily and Jose, pulling off the incredible stunt that had led to Richard’s capture. I found Lily’s role in it particularly amusing.
Which led me to blessing number three: the capture itself. That was enough to keep me happy for the rest of my life. Richard would be behind bars for war crimes and I would never have to deal with his level of evil again. It’s what all of this had been for in the first place.
So why did I still feel so angry?
I trudged across the hill overlooking the little town that had become our base, my favorite spot so far out of all the places I’d stayed since joining the West American cause. The town was quaint and secluded, the sweeping views calming. But I didn’t find myself calm today. Not in the slightest.
I’d been pacing back and forth along the top of the hill for nearly an hour, thinking of all the things I was going to say to Mastin. Like, how dare he keep Weapon X from me like that. And where did he get off allowing her to use that blasted black magic on me? It wasn’t what friends did to each other, let alone what you did to someone you cared about on a deeper level.
The betrayal burned deeper than I cared to admit.
“I thought I might find you up here,” his voice called out gruffly. He stalked up the hill, boots smacking against the dewy grass. He had his tough-guy attitude on but his face said it all; the man knew he was in big trouble.
The second our eyes met, my anger drained away.
And was replaced by hurt.
And sadness so much bigger than I’d expected. How could he?
I dropped my head, tears prickling. Maybe I didn’t want to talk to him, after all. I wasn’t ready for this.
“Look,” he said, sighing, stopping in front of me. “I’m really sorry about what happened. I was ordered not to say a word to you.”
I turned on him, studying him, looking for a crack in his story. He was as beautiful as ever, with his flaxen hair and striking green eyes, with his high cheekbones and perfect bow lips. None of those things pulled me in as they usually did. They were a lie, an elaborate set-up to break my heart and win his war.
“Let me ask you this,” I said. “Did you fight your father on those orders?”
His face fell. “No.”
Because he probably agreed with it. The betrayal multiplied, but I held it in. “And if you hadn’t gotten those orders, if you’d been allowed to tell me the truth ahead of time, would you have told me about her?”
Her. The wonderful, thoughtful, spit-fire president who’d gained my trust only to turn it against me. Her. The weapon who’d come between us.
He glanced away, face grim as he took in the sunset. “Probably not,” he finally relented. “You wouldn’t have understood. We had to do it; it needed to be perfect. This has been a military secret for so long, we couldn’t just tell anyone.”
“Why the kids though?” I challenged. “That doesn’t make sense to me.”
“That part I was never okay with,” he said. “But we never actually expected them to fight and we knew Richard’s people would try to keep them for him. So that’s why they were ordered as soon as we landed. The idea was that Madame President needed to subdue as much alchemy as possible. She needed to get everyone in one swoop before the surprise was lost. It was the best advantage we could think of to win this war in the long run.”
I huffed, disbelieving the level of their secrecy and awed at the brilliance of their plan. Had I not stayed in their home? Shared their meals? Is this what they thought of me? I was just a flame in need of snuffing out.
“How long does it last?” I asked.
“Not forever,” he said. “But…a while.”
“How long?”
His eyes shot back toward mine. “Sometimes a few days, sometimes a few months. Or…years.”
My jaw dropped, and for once I was speechless.
“Look, if we were going to win this war, we needed to take alchemy out of the equation.”
That was so backwards from everything I believed! I’d been fighting for alchemist rights from day one and he knew it. “And what else can you tell me about black alchemy?”
“That’s classified,” he said, visibly shutting down, mouth flattening to a thin line and eyes growing vag
ue.
I struck out, shoving him in the chest and pushing him to the ground. He didn’t fight me. “Just tell me!” I shouted. I had wanted to punch him before, and now that feeling was back ten-fold!
“We’ve had her for a while, okay? Why do you think we didn’t really need alchemist prisons before we got out here? There was no need for all that gray nonsense when we had her.”
I stomped my foot and stalked across the hill for a minute, catching my breath and glaring out at the happy fuchsia sky. Then I hiked back, plopping down on the ground beside him. So many emotions spun within that I was dizzy with them. I couldn’t keep up. My fingers dug into the grass.
“I still can’t believe you did that to me,” I said, defeated.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “It was the only way. I did it for your own good. I did it because I care about you and I want you to be safe.”
He didn’t get it, but there was nothing I could do. What was done was done.
“We have to break up,” he said, tormented. I glowered back. “I mean, if we’re even together, if that’s what you think we are, we can’t be that anymore.”
“After everything you did behind my back, you have the nerve to break up with me? Oh, no, buddy.” I laughed, my own voice bitter in my mouth. “It’s the other way around. I’m breaking up with you. And also, we weren’t ever officially anything. So whatever.”
He winced. “I’m not breaking up with you because of what happened out there. I’m breaking up with you because you’re in love with Tristan.”
I stilled, blood rushing to my cheeks.
He sighed and laid back on his elbows, gazing up into the darkening sky. “I always knew it, but I thought maybe you could get over him once we were together. Clearly, that never happened.”
I chewed my lip, wanting to disagree. I couldn’t. I’d said it to myself a thousand times, hadn’t I? Tristan was home. What was love, if not that?
He sat up. “Truth time. You need to stop lying to yourself about Tristan. What you and I have, or had, it was special too. Don’t get me wrong. But I think it was physical attraction more than anything else. And with the war, we never really could get it off the ground. You and Tristan however…” He trailed off. “Are you really going to make me do this?”
I frowned at him. The words wouldn’t come to my lips, they were caught in my throat with all the emotions. I dropped my head into my hands, breathing in the smell of grass and sunset and life-changing realizations.
“There’s love between you two,” he relented, “Real love. I don’t know what all of it means or if it’s physical, or attraction, or really just an incredible friendship. But it’s more than we ever had and there’s no use in competing with it anymore.”
“You’re chatty all of a sudden,” I sighed. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard so many words come out of you before tonight.”
He was right. I knew it. But I wasn’t ready to do anything about it.
I stood, brushing off my pants. “Good luck with your life, Mastin,” I said, the anger lost from my voice. “I mean it.”
I did want him to have a good life, even if I was no longer willing to be a part of it. I turned away and walked down the hill.
Mastin was a soldier, through and through. His first love, his only love, it wasn’t me. It never had been. It had always been war, the strategy, the thrill of the fight and impressing his General of a father. And he’d gotten his dream, after all.
But Tristan? What did he love?
Me.
And it went both ways. He was my comfort. I loved him, too, more than I could ever put into words. But did that mean Tristan and I were suddenly supposed to fall into each other’s arms and ride off into that stupid pink sunset?
I wasn’t ready for that.
I needed to lick my wounds.
Because the truth was, Mastin had hurt me. Deeply. What he’d done had stung more than I cared to admit. I wasn’t sure how long it would take to heal that. And what if, in the end, Tristan did the same thing?
I couldn’t take that kind of pain. Not when it came to him.
Besides, Tristan deserved better than to heal my wounds, the way he always did. He deserved better than to be a rebound or second choice. Maybe one day it would be him and I together, but for now, we needed to stay friends.
Best friends.
So why did that thought make me cry?
I wiped away the tears, growling at myself. I would focus on lobbying for alchemists’ rights. With Richard and Lucas in custody, there was about to be a lot of change for everyone, and I wanted nothing but positive change for my people. That was more important than a boyfriend. My heart could wait.
I strode toward the small town hall building, more determined than I’d ever been. Inside, General Scott was meeting with his advisors and the president. After the stunt these people had pulled today, after what they’d done to alchemists—my alchemists—security had better let me in. West America had better be prepared to give in to my demands.
I wasn’t in the mood to negotiate.
I strode into the building with all the confidence I could muster, every step echoing determination. Holding tight to the knowledge that if I wasn’t going to stand up for alchemists, maybe nobody was, kept me moving forward.
I never expected to be let right in, but I was.
I glanced around, hungrily seeking out someone important to yell at, or I don’t know, something…
“They’re just through here,” one of the stoic soliders said, pointing to a set of closed doors. “They’re expecting you.”
“Oh-kay,” I said, drawing it out.
I straightened my rumpled black outfit and ran my fingers through my limp hair, then took a deep breath and opened the door. The room fell into silence, everyone turning in my direction.
“There she is,” the president’s calm voice sparked through the space. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you, specifically, Sasha.”
I raised an eyebrow, because if that were the case, why wait until now? Taking a deep breath, I considered the room. We were in some kind of city office building, with thick maroon carpet, wood trim, and cream walls. This room had a large round table in the middle, with leather chairs and couches strategically placed throughout. Everyone sat around the table, the seating giving the appearance of equal footing. But given who was here, equality probably wasn’t first on their minds.
Next to the president sat General Scott, and next to him another man, the one from my time on the base out West. The guy who’d wanted to make the children go to war. I glared at him. The sicko had gotten his way, after all.
Beside him were a few faces I didn’t recognize. I scanned the group, coming around the other side of the table until I found Hank and Tristan, and next to him was that Royal Officer, Jose. A woman smiled up at him, the purple alchemist teacher, Lily. And then my eyes landed on Jessa.
And Prince Lucas.
And a very perturbed-looking King Richard!
I doubled back.
“What in the blazes is he doing here?” The question fell from my mouth. “He should be locked up!”
“Have a seat.” The president motioned to the empty chair in front of me.
Okay, this was beyond weird. But I kept my mouth shut and sat down in the closest chair, which happened to be on the other side of my sister. There wasn’t a mess of papers littering the table, maps on the walls, or anything about this meeting that resembled the many I’d attended over the last couple of months. The war was over. Richard surrendered. West America should be making their demands, and maybe that’s what this was about.
“I always thought if we could all just sit down and have a conversation together, we could talk this whole mess out and nobody would have to die,” the president said, eyes running across the group and landing firmly on Richard. “Of course, that is assuming we are all reasonable people. After everything I’ve seen over the last few months, I know now that’s not the case.”
Richar
d glared. “After what your people did to my alchemists, I would hardly call you reasonable, either.”
The president paused, her expression soft. “In any event, blood has been spilled, and we need to talk about what’s next.”
As Richard leaned forward, I noticed that his arms and legs were restrained in his chair. The sight of him this way sent a thrill down my body. Everything I’d been through had been worth it to get to see this.
“Death is a necessary evil of war,” he spat.
General Scott’s face turned red and he glowered. “A war that you started for no good reason!”
Richard growled. “You sent someone to kill my wife.”
“Father, you know that isn’t true,” Lucas interjected.
Richard rounded on his son. “How dare you interrupt me!”
The president cleared her throat. “That’s enough of that. It’s time we talk about what’s next.”
Richard’s laugh was crazed, the result of the world’s most egotistical man not getting his way. Or maybe it was something more delusional. “Like you aren’t going to execute my family the second this farce is over? I’d rather not play games with the likes of you.”
She raised her eyebrows and the white bob framing her diplomatic face twitched with a hint of annoyance. “If it comes to that, have no doubt, we will execute you. The way I see it, Richard Heart, you now have two choices. You can die by lethal injection, or you can live in one of our maximum security prisons, that is assuming you’ll even cooperate with me, which would be a requirement to your survival.”
“I’d rather die,” he spat out.
“Can’t say I didn’t try.” She peered at Lucas. “And what of you? Are you going to join your father?”
“Lucas had nothing to do with this!” Richard ground out. “He is innocent.”
“It’s true,” Jessa’s small voice squeaked. Steeling her shoulders, she looked at each person in the room, courage growing. “He’s only ever tried to do the right thing. He’s a good man.”
“He’s an alchemist,” the other General interrupted.
“What?” Richard sputtered, “That’s a lie!”