by Rebecca Rode
The man looked like he had more to say, but he looked away and grumbled something that sounded like agreement.
“For now, take a break,” I said. “Most of you haven’t seen daylight in days. Go take a walk, see your families, and get some fresh food. I’ll bring the circle in to see your device tomorrow. Then we’ll get started on the next phase of the plan. I’ll post some guards to keep the lab safe until you return.”
The men exhaled in relief, but Coltrane shook his head. “We don’t have time for a break. We need to run more tests and then organize some drills.”
“Give it a rest, boy,” the outspoken man said as he and his companions walked away.
Coltrane just glared at the floor. His expression reminded me so much of Mills, his dead father. Ju-Long, an ECA official, had executed Mills during the battle, and Coltrane’s mother had died sometime before that. The kid refused to set up a hut for himself outside, instead spending his weeks here in the lab. Whenever I visited, he asked how Treena was doing. His feelings for her were painfully obvious.
He and I had more in common than I wanted to admit.
“Guess I’ll work on my next project, then,” he muttered, heading for a pile of junk higher than his head in the corner. A blanket covered the top.
“What’s that?” I asked. “I thought the EMP was taking up all your time.”
“It is. I mean, it did. This is just something to keep my mind fresh. I’ll explain my idea if it pans out.”
Strange kid. “Any word on the water situation?”
Coltrane sighed. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen a lake do this before. It’s like something is sucking the water right out of the ground, but that’s not possible. Higher temperatures increase evaporation rates, but we’re getting into autumn temperatures now. And the climate hasn’t changed much since last year, right?”
“From what I hear, no.”
“Hmm. Well, Turner is studying the water table down there. He’s a geologist, so if anyone can solve this, he can.” He pulled a metal pot with a warped handle off the pile and examined it. “Have you talked to Treena recently? Is she all right?”
I ignored the irritation that welled up inside. First Ruby and now Coltrane. “Treena’s fine.”
“Are you sure? Because she didn’t sound very happy when I talked to her a couple of weeks ago. She was kind of discouraged—”
“Let me know what Turner says about the water,” I cut in. “Let’s move that to the top of the priority list.”
Coltrane shrugged. “I don’t think we’ll know anytime soon. We should probably look at other alternatives. Any other water sources around here in case the water table gets too low? Because I’m getting kind of worried. Wells only work for so long—”
I strode toward the tunnel. “Thanks for your hard work. You may have saved a lot of people.”
“Guess we’ll see,” he muttered, turning back to the junk pile. “And I didn’t do it for you.”
I didn’t go to Dresden’s quarters. Instead, I stalked to my own apartment and slammed the door, cutting off Precious’s insistence I go and see His Highness right away. I smirked at the door between me and that dreadful guard. Let Dresden stew for a few minutes while I prepared my argument. Besides, I couldn’t wait to change out of this horrid councilwoman uniform. It pulled too tightly at the shoulders and required constant tugging.
My wing in the Council Building was a slightly smaller and much more feminine version of Dresden’s. Normally the emperor stayed at the palace, but since it was still being repaired, Dresden insisted we stay here. The front room held several ornate sofas of different sizes, none of which I used. I leaned down and, from underneath one of the smaller couches, tore away a small package attached there. A handheld like they’d had in the old days, my only means of direct communication with my network since I had no techband. Jasper had rigged it to connect to his own handheld, but even more importantly, I’d figured out how to hack into Mills’s old comms with it. That meant I could talk to Vance without asking permission to use Dresden’s communicator.
I went into the washroom, the one room without any cameras to monitor my conversation, then hesitated. My finger hovered over the keypad. There was nothing I wanted more than to call Vance right now. I needed him. He would understand the frustration of being smothered by a council of grumpy aristocrats. He would say everything was all right and tell me I was noble for trying at all. And most important, he would assure me we would be together again soon.
None of it was true.
Vance led a settlement now. It wasn’t like he had time to spare for a girl who just wanted to talk. He had two younger sisters to raise and a clan to guide and a battle to prepare for. Hopefully he was doing a better job than I was. With a sigh, I dropped my hand.
The keypad flashed, and a beep sounded from the screen. A call. Hope swelled inside as I stabbed at the button.
My father’s face filled the screen. His eyes were somber, and he looked tired. “Hi there.”
I swallowed my disappointment and forced a smile. Of course it wouldn’t be Vance. “You aren’t supposed to contact me unless it’s an emergency.”
“It is. I heard my girl had a huge disappointment today. I just wanted to check on her.”
Jasper, my biological father, had left my mother and me for the woman who eventually became empress of NORA. My mom had remarried Konnor Dowell, but it had been a loveless marriage. Konnor endured our presence more than anything. He never saw me as a daughter in my sixteen years of living at his house. He’d used the word more in the past ten weeks than ever before, as if it meant he had some kind of hold on me because I’d grown up under his roof. Not a chance.
But Jasper? Our relationship was complicated. Jasper had an interesting past—the Academy, a new wife and baby, an affair with the empress, then a decade in prison when she was done with him. He’d paid a terrible price for leaving us.
Knowing why he’d left didn’t mean my resentment was gone. Every time I felt close to him, I remembered all those years with Konnor and my mom’s silent misery, and it all came flooding back.
Now he spent most of his time recruiting followers, gathering expired supplies and nutrition pills, and overseeing the secret underground tunnel construction outside the walls—all projects Dresden and the council should have done on their own. Without constant communication with Jasper, this place would feel like a prison.
Be more grateful, I chided myself. He’s trying to make up for his absence. Let him.
Jasper nodded at my silence. “That bad, huh? Sorry it didn’t go so well.”
Worst understatement ever. “Let’s talk about something else. Any luck with Mom?”
He sighed. “That woman is exasperating. Whenever I see her, she turns and leaves the room. I can’t apologize if she refuses to even look at me.”
“She just needs some time.”
“Unfortunately, time is something we’re running short on, which brings me back to the council’s decision. I know it’s not what you want to discuss right now, but our friends need to know the next step. Is it finally time to overthrow a certain arrogant dictator?”
I gritted my teeth. Jasper was far too trusting. This line was supposed to be secure, but I wasn’t willing to bet both our lives on it. “I don’t want to take Dresden’s place. I’ve told you that twenty times already. Not yet. There are other things to try.”
“And if the ECA president orders the attack before the Nations for Peace convention? It’s two months from now, Treena. We have to plan for that possibility. Your tunnels outside the walls were a good idea, but they’re far from a permanent solution.”
I plopped myself down on the hard tile floor and groaned.
Jasper chuckled, raising an eyebrow in a look that meant a fatherly lecture was coming. “It’s lonely at the top, isn’t it?”
“I honestly don’t know what to do. I can’t fix this.”
“You know what? This is the first time in a while you’ve soun
ded like a true leader.”
“Right.”
“No, really. You’ve tried all the obvious things, and they didn’t work. Now you get to explore more creative avenues.” He lowered his voice. “Even the ones you haven’t let yourself consider yet.”
A pounding at the main door pulled me out of my thoughts. I cursed. “Gotta go.”
I shut off the screen and shoved it into a drawer. Only one person would dare bang on my door like that. Of all the arrogant, self-possessed—
I’d just slipped out of the washroom when the door slammed open and Dresden strode in. As always, four guards shoved their way inside behind him. Only one of them managed to look sheepish at forcing his way into a councilwoman’s quarters.
I folded my arms and glared at Dres. “I thought we discussed the barging-into-my-room thing.”
“I’m not waiting all day, and I certainly won’t ask permission to visit you. Everything in this building is mine anyway.”
I raised a meaningful eyebrow. “Not everything.”
Dresden sat down on a sofa and stretched his long body across all three cushions. “We need to discuss your ridiculous proposal today, but first I have some news. Our formal convention invitation arrived a few minutes ago.”
I’d expected one of our usual arguments about the oncoming war. But this? Nervousness swelled within me. It all suddenly felt real. I was leaving. Two months from now I’d stand in front of the world’s most powerful leaders and beg for help. I was representing five million people in what had to be the most desperate plan ever conceived.
Was my father right? Could we even wait that long?
He held out the invitation, keeping it just high enough that I’d have to stretch to grab it. I resisted the temptation. “I didn’t think they’d actually send it,” he muttered. “Peak’s Remote Communication Act kept us in the dark about international politics for decades. I mean, I know he thought we’d be safer if we kept to ourselves, but it also means we’re completely unprepared with basically nothing of value to offer.”
That wasn’t true. Our society wasn’t huge compared to other countries, but it was valuable simply because it existed. We’d built a thriving civilization out of the ashes of war amidst a war-torn land. Even if they’d invited us out of sheer curiosity, it was enough.
I swiped the invitation out of his hand and scanned it. “All right. Sounds like I have some work to do, then. I’ll need to gather a team—”
“I’ve already taken care of your security.”
I bit back a retort. I’d planned on hiring my own people, but I didn’t feel like arguing about that right now. “I also need to arrange transportation and housing for everyone.”
“I’ve already taken care of that.”
I flexed and then straightened my fingers. It was all I could do to keep from strangling the guy. Must he control every aspect of my life? “I need the details so I can approve them. And I want you to remove my team’s Ratings.”
Dresden blinked and sat up. “What?”
It was the reaction I expected, but I kept my voice even. “They won’t take us seriously with numbers glowing in our foreheads, Dres. We need to look the part.”
“I don’t know what part you think you’ll be playing, but our numbers are what make us who we are. They’ll be impressed with our system. I wouldn’t be surprised if other countries have copied it.”
It was extremely hard not to roll my eyes. “They’ll wonder why I don’t have a number and everyone else does.”
“Then let us put your score back in. Seriously, Treena. I don’t know why you’re being so stubborn about this. They’ll recognize you instantly for who you are.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Then I can’t make an exception for your travel party. The council is angry enough that I exempted you without their permission.”
“Take their implants out for this trip,” I found myself saying, “and you can reimplant all of us when we get back.”
He stood slowly, his gaze locked on me. I had to raise my head to look at him. “Even you?”
“Even me.”
His eyes, usually a bright blue, seemed muddier than usual. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking behind that blank expression. Reading Dresden was harder than ever these days. Leadership changed some people for the better, but so far it had only accentuated Dresden’s most annoying traits—his hunger for control and his quick temper.
He finally nodded. “Deal. But I want it in writing. I’ll send a form down for you to sign.”
That was so typically Dresden—a politician in every way. “One more thing. I want to borrow Richard Peak’s diary from the historical museum. Just for a couple of weeks.”
A pause. His eyes glittered with suspicion. “You want to read it?”
“I thought it would give me some ideas,” I said, feeling the defensiveness flare up again. “You know, help me with foreign-relations stuff. Just tell the curator I need it for a while.”
He glowered at me. “What are you playing at, Treena? Is this another one of your games? If this has anything to do with another stupid proposal to undermine me, I won’t stand for it. You humiliated me in there.”
The anger I’d held in check finally snapped, and the words spilled out. “I humiliated you? You asked me to come back here—begged me—so we could prepare for this attack. And then you turn around and lie to the council about there being a threat at all!”
His voice turned deadly. “Don’t raise your voice to me, Councilwoman.”
“Well, forgive me for pointing out the truth. You’re the one who’s trying to take back his testimony of Ju-Long’s warning, Dresden Wynn. Pretending to be more worried about country-wide panic than the biggest military force in the world? Acting like I’m being unreasonable for following through with the plan we both agreed on?”
“We never agreed to evacuate everyone, Treena. That was all you. And it was the stupidest plan you’ve ever come up with.”
“At least I’m trying! What have you done in the past two months besides march around in your fancy clothes and block my attempts right and left? You wanted me to come and help, and that’s what I’m trying to do.”
“You have no idea what we’re dealing with here.”
“Oh, and you do? Because I saw the threat firsthand, Dres. You showed up after the fighting was over when everything was safe. If anyone understands what we’re really up against, it’s me.” I waved the invitation at the door. “Leave. And don’t barge into my room like that again.”
The four guards gaped at me, then watched Dresden for a reaction. I’d just insulted the emperor in front of his own guards.
He just stared at me, expressionless. In his face were five years of history—hours spent practicing khel and studying together, giggling under the plastic oak tree at school. All the time we’d wasted kissing and whispering empty promises in one another’s arms. The times I’d caught him longingly gazing at me, as if I were a long-distance train headed exactly where he wanted to go. That longing wasn’t for me but for what I would bring him. I knew that now.
“I am the emperor,” he said quietly. “Don’t forget that again. You can scuttle around behind my back, but in the end, I choose how we protect these people. If you have a problem with that, I’ll cancel your little trip and decline the invitation. Do you understand?”
Fear swept through me as I realized he was serious. What would he gain by preventing me from getting us help? And what did Dresden know? I grabbed my stone necklace and twisted it nonchalantly, smoothing my face to reveal little of the turmoil within. If he already suspected I was gathering followers and making preparations without the council’s approval, it wouldn’t take him long to get to the truth of it.
Any power I had in this place was bestowed by Dresden, and he could take it away just as easily. Even worse, it was power that was rightfully mine, which made him even more dangerous.
Arresting me—or killing me—would solve his immediate problem,
but it would also cause more unrest among my followers, citizens who resisted his claim to the throne and the Rating system. Maybe civil war was on the horizon regardless of what either of us did.
That was the last thing we needed right now.
My insides churned. “My sincerest apologies, Your Highness.”
I detected something new in his eyes—a knowing satisfaction. The glint of a predator that had just cornered its prey. He nodded as if I’d just confirmed something in his mind, then turned back to the door. “By the way, you may want to make your preparations quickly. They’ve moved the convention date up. You leave in two days.”
After my sisters fell asleep that night, I shoved a small receiver into my pocket and headed down toward the lake. The desert sky above darkened by the minute, revealing thousands of glittering diamond-like stars. A reddish-brown moon peered over the valley walls as if to light my way.
Treena’s plan to present the Nations for Peace with evidence of the coming war hung heavily on getting a confession from Ju-Long, but the man refused to talk. After six unsuccessful visits, we decided to let the guy enjoy solitary confinement for a while. That was three weeks ago. Hopefully this time he was ready to talk.
The square jail structure had been built near the bottom of our bowl-shaped valley, near the lake. The rotten swamp smell had been nearly unbearable during my own confinement. It was far better now that we’d tackled the water-quality issue, although we still had a long way to go before the stench was completely gone.
The building appeared quiet. A guard—a younger boy of about seventeen—stood with bleary-eyed sheepishness at the door. I’d probably awakened him from a nap at his perch. I’d have a word with the new training captain.
“Report,” I told him.
“Still sleeping a lot, sir. Doesn’t say much. I think he’s in decent health.”
“He hasn’t tried to escape?” The EMP a few weeks ago had destroyed everything electronic in our valley, the sleek digital jail locks no exception. We’d finally settled for six old-fashioned chains and padlocks attached all around his door. Nothing fancy, but Ju-Long was still here.