Winter Read online

  It took a heroic amount of effort for Kai to pretend like he wasn’t sick with nerves. The ship settled with a thud that made him jump. Torin’s presence beside him, at least, was stabilizing, and he could hear the anxious whispers of the Commonwealth ambassadors as they waited to debark the ship’s common room. He could sense five stowaways hidden aboard the ship—even though he didn’t know where, so there was no chance he could give their location away with a stray glance.

  If anyone was going to draw suspicion, it would be him. Only he and Torin knew about Cinder and her allies, and Torin’s expression was as unperturbed as ever. The ship’s crew was too busy with their arrival procedures to question the disappearance of America’s secretary of defense, and none of the other passengers knew they’d taken guests aboard in the first place.

  Whereas Kai couldn’t stop thinking about these people—his friends—and what he was helping them do. Invade Luna. Start a rebellion. End a war.

  He also couldn’t stop counting the thousands of things that could go wrong.

  He needed to focus. This would only work if Levana believed Kai was determined to finalize their marriage alliance, once and for all. He had to make her think she had won.

  The ramp started to descend. Kai took in a deep breath and held it, trying to clear his mind. Trying to convince himself he wanted this marriage and this alliance to succeed.

  Artemisia’s royal port was glowing up from the floor in a way that immediately made him disconcerted. The walls themselves were rocky and black, but lit with thousands of tiny lights like a starry night sky. The port contained dozens of ships in various sizes, mostly Lunar ships that glimmered uniformly white, painted with unfamiliar runes and displaying the royal seal. Kai also recognized Earthen emblems among the ships—some Earthen guests had already begun to arrive. Seeing them gathered together filled him with dread.

  Movement drew his gaze and Kai spotted Levana herself gliding along the wide platform that circled the docks. She was surrounded by her entourage: the ever-smug Head Thaumaturge Aimery Park stood to her right and a girl in a pale blue dress followed behind the queen, her head lowered and her face obstructed by an abundance of curly black hair. There were five additional thaumaturges and at least a dozen more guards. It made for an impressive amount of security—overkill, in Kai’s opinion.

  Was Levana expecting something to go wrong? Or was this a show of intimidation?

  Bracing himself, Kai descended the ramp to meet the queen. His own entourage, including ten of his own guards, followed behind.

  “Your Majesty,” said Kai, accepting Levana’s proffered hand. He bowed to kiss it.

  “Always so formal,” Levana said in that cloying voice that made his skin crawl. “We cannot refer to each other in such droll terms forever. Perhaps I shall henceforth call you My Beloved, and you shall call me your Sweet.”

  Kai hovered over her hand, hatred blistering his skin where it touched hers. After a drawn-out moment, he released her and straightened. “Your Majesty,” he started again, “it is an honor to be welcomed to Luna. My ancestors would have been filled with pride to witness such an occasion.”

  “The pleasure is my own.” Levana’s gaze slinked over the ambassadors gathered on the ship’s ramp. “I hope you will find our hospitality agreeable. If you need for anything, please let one of the servants know and they will see that you are well taken care of.”

  “Thank you,” said Kai. “We’re all curious about the famed luxuries of the white city.”

  “I’ve no doubt of it. I’ll have some servants brought to unload your belongings and have them taken to your rooms.”

  “That won’t be necessary. Our crew is already unloading the ship.” He gestured over his shoulder. A second loading ramp had been lowered out of the cargo bay. He had made sure to tell the captain he wanted the crew to make this a top priority. He wanted to be sure the ship was emptied of both people and cargo as soon as possible, so Cinder and the others wouldn’t be trapped in the docks for too long.

  “How efficient,” Levana said. “In that case, your ambassadors may follow Thaumaturge Lindwurm to our guest suites.” She indicated a black-coated man. “I’m sure they would like to rest from such a long journey.”

  Within moments, Kai’s following of nervous companions were being led to a set of enormous arched doors that glittered with a depiction of a crescent moon over Earth. Though the presence of his Earthen companions had offered no security at all, Kai still felt abandoned as he, Torin, and his guards remained behind.

  “I hope you won’t think it rude that I didn’t offer full introductions to your guests,” said Levana. “My stepdaughter is easily distressed, and too many new faces could unnerve her.” She floated a hand out to her side, like she was conducting a symphony. “But do allow me to introduce you, at least, to my stepdaughter, Princess Winter Hayle-Blackburn of Luna.”

  “Of course. I’ve heard so much … about … you.”

  Kai trailed off as the princess lifted her head and peered at him through a fringe of thick lashes. It was a brief look, barely a glance, but that was all it took for a rush of heat to climb up Kai’s neck and into his ears. He had heard of the princess’s legendary beauty. Beauty that was not created by a glamour, they said, unlike Levana’s. The rumors weren’t exaggerated.

  Clearing his throat, Kai forced a composed smile. “I’m honored to meet you, Your Highness.”

  The princess’s eyes were teasing as she stepped beside the queen and lowered into a curtsy with the grace of a dancer. When she rose again, Kai noticed her scars for the first time. Three uniform scars cut down her right cheek. These, too, were legendary, along with the tale of how out of envy Levana had forced the princess to mutilate her own face.

  The sight twisted his stomach.

  Princess Winter offered him a docile, close-lipped smile. “The honor is mine, Your Imperial Majesty.” Drifting closer, she pressed a light kiss to Kai’s bruised cheek. His insides turned to goo. He had the presence of mind to be grateful Cinder wasn’t witnessing this exchange, because something told him he’d never hear the end of it.

  The princess stepped back and he was able to breathe again. “With our introductions complete, I feel it is safe for us to drop any future formalities. After all, with your upcoming nuptials, you’re practically my father.”

  Kai reeled back, his jaw dropping open.

  Silent laughter glimmered in the princess’s gaze as she took her spot behind her stepmother again. She seemed neither distressed nor unnerved.

  The queen gave her stepdaughter an annoyed look, before gesturing to the man on her other side. “You will of course remember my head thaumaturge, Aimery Park.”

  Snapping his mouth shut, Kai inclined his head, though the thaumaturge offered only his signature smugness in return. “Welcome to Luna,” he drawled.

  Scanning the rest of the entourage, Kai recognized two of the guards too. Seeing the queen’s captain of the guard was no surprise, but his teeth clenched when he spotted the blond guard who had been like a shadow to Sybil Mira when she’d been a guest in New Beijing.

  Distrust twisted his insides. Cinder had thought this guard was an ally, but she now suspected he’d betrayed them to Sybil when they were trying to make their escape from the palace. His presence here, in uniform again, confirmed her suspicions.

  No matter, he thought. Cinder had succeeded, despite his betrayal.

  Levana grinned, like she detected the rebelliousness of Kai’s thoughts, despite all his attempts to appear complacent. “I believe that leaves only one matter of business to tend to before we show you to your rooms.” She snapped her fingers, and two of her thaumaturges and six guards snapped to attention. “Search their ship.”

  Despite all his attempts at normalcy, Kai couldn’t keep away the panic that flared in his chest. “Excuse me?” he said, swiveling his head as the entourage marched past him. “What are you doing?”

  “My dear beloved, you didn’t think I would blindly tr
ust your word after you’ve shown so much sympathy to my enemies, did you?” She laced her fingers together. They might have been discussing the weather. “In monitoring your fleet, we noted that you took aboard some passengers from the American Republic, but it seems they’re too shy to show themselves.”

  Kai’s stomach sank as one of her guards pulled him and Torin behind the queen, and he was left to watch helplessly as Levana’s men boarded his ship. If his own guards thought to offer any protection, they were already under Lunar control.

  Kai tightened his fists. “This is absurd. The Americans were with that group you just sent away. There’s nothing on that ship but luggage and wedding gifts.”

  The queen’s face hardened. “For your sake, Emperor Kaito, I hope that’s true. Because if you came here to betray me, I’m afraid this will be a remarkably unpleasant visit.”

  Twenty

  Cinder was pressed into the corner of a storage closet, her heart pounding in the darkness. Faint strips of light spilled through the slots in the door, allowing her to make out the profiles and bright eyes of her companions. She could hear the shuffling and thumping as the cargo bay was unloaded beneath their feet.

  She tried to think of this like a homecoming. She had been born here—this moon, this city. Here, her birth had been celebrated. Here, she would have been raised to be a queen.

  But no matter how she tried to think of it, she did not feel like she was home. She was hiding in a closet with the very real possibility that she would be killed the moment someone recognized her.

  She glanced at her companions. Wolf was beside her, jaw tense and brow set in concentration. Against the opposite wall, Iko was crouched down with both hands over her mouth, like the need to be quiet was torture. In the hollow silence, Cinder could detect a subtle hum coming from the android, a hint at the machinery beneath her synthetic skin. Her neck was fixed now—Kai had brought exactly what Cinder needed.

  Standing beside Iko, Thorne had one arm draped around Cress’s shoulders, his free hand scratching at his jaw. Tucked against him, Cress seemed paler than usual, her anxiety evident even in the darkness.

  They were a ragtag group in the drab clothing Kai had brought them, including a black knit hat to cover Iko’s blue hair and heavy gloves for Cinder’s cyborg hand. Putting them on had dredged up a number of memories. There had been a time when she wore gloves everywhere, when she’d been so ashamed of being cyborg she refused to let her prostheses show. She couldn’t recall when that had changed, but now the gloves felt like a lie.

  A blue glow drew her attention back to Cress, who had turned on a portscreen and was pulling up a diagram of Artemisia’s royal port. “We’re in good position,” she whispered, tilting the screen to show them. There were three exits from the port—one that led into the palace above them, one that connected to the city’s public spaceship docks, and one that led down to the maglev tunnels, which was their destination. The maglev tunnels made up a complex underground transit system, linking all of Luna’s sectors together. Cinder had studied the system so many times she would have had it memorized even without having the map downloaded to her brain-machine interface. To her, the system resembled a spiderweb and the capital city of Artemisia was the spider.

  Cress was right. The pilots had settled the ship close to the exit that would take them down to the maglev tunnels. It was the best they could have hoped for.

  Yet she couldn’t deny how tempting it was to abandon the plan, to forget patience, to try to end it here, now. She was at Levana’s doorstep. She was so close. Her body was wound up tight, ready to storm the palace—an army of one.

  She glanced at Wolf. His fists flexed, in and out, in and out. There was murder in his eyes. He would have stormed the palace with her, she knew, in hopes that Scarlet was there. But they didn’t even know whether Scarlet was still alive.

  But it was desperation goading her, not confidence. Even if she got past Levana’s security and somehow managed to kill her, she would end up dead as well. Then some other Lunar would step in to take the throne and Luna would be no better off than it had been before.

  She shoved the temptation down into the pit of her stomach. This wasn’t about assassinating Levana. This was about giving the citizens of Luna a voice and ensuring it was heard.

  She tried to distract herself by going over their plan again in her head. This was the most dangerous part, but she hoped Levana and her security team would be so busy with the arriving Earthen guests they wouldn’t notice a handful of dockworkers slipping out of the royal port. Their goal was to make it to Sector RM-9 where they hoped to find Wolf’s parents and be offered temporary shelter from which to start the next phase of their plan—informing the people of Luna that their true queen had returned.

  If they could make it there undetected, Cinder knew they had a chance.

  The clomp of feet startled her. It was too loud—like someone was on the same level as they were, not down below in the cargo bay. She traded frowns with her companions. A distant door was slammed shut and she heard someone yelling orders. More scuffling followed.

  “Is it just me,” whispered Thorne, “or does it sound like someone is searching the ship?”

  His words mirrored her thoughts exactly. Comprehension turned fast into horror. “She knows we’re here. They’re looking for us.”

  She looked around at her companions, their expressions ranging from terrified to eager and all of them, she realized with a start, looking back at her. Awaiting instruction.

  Outside their confined closet, the voices grew louder. Something crashed against the floor.

  Cinder tightened her gloved fists. “Wolf, Thorne, the second a thaumaturge sees either of you they’ll try to control you.” She licked her lips. “Do I have permission to take control of you first? Just your bodies, not your minds.”

  “I’ve been waiting for you to admit you wanted my body,” said Thorne. He laid a hand on the gun at his waist. “Be my guest.”

  Wolf looked less enthusiastic, but he gave her a sharp nod.

  Cinder slipped her will into Thorne as easily as slicing through a block of tofu. Wolf’s energy was more chaotic, but she’d spent so much time training with him aboard the Rampion that his energy, too, offered little resistance. Cinder felt their limbs as if they were an extension of her own. Though she knew she was doing it for their own protection, keeping them from being turned into weapons for the enemy, she couldn’t help feeling like manipulating them was a betrayal of their trust. It was an unfair balance of power—their safety was now her responsibility.

  She thought of Levana, forcing her guard to take a bullet for her at the royal ball, and wondered if she would ever make that same decision with one of her friends.

  She hoped she would never have to.

  A voice echoed in the nearby corridor: “Nothing in the engine room. You—split up. Search these corridors and report back.”

  They were close, and if there was a thaumaturge, she knew it wouldn’t be long before he or she was near enough to detect the bioelectricity coming from this storage closet. She pictured the ship’s layout and tried to formulate a plan, but there was little hope now of slipping away without announcing their presence.

  They would have to fight their way out of the ship. They would have to fight all the way to the maglev shuttles.

  “Cinder,” Thorne whispered. His body was statue still, waiting for Cinder’s command. “Send me out there.”

  Cress’s head snapped up, but he didn’t return the look.

  Cinder frowned. “What?”

  “Send me as a decoy, out the main ramp and away from the maglev doors. I’ll draw them off long enough for you to get out through the cargo bay.”

  “Thorne…”

  “Do it.” His eyes flashed. He still wouldn’t look at Cress. “We made it to Luna. You don’t need a pilot here, or a captain.”

  Her pulse thundered. “You don’t have to—”

  Outside someone called, “Press roo
m is clear!”

  “Stop wasting time,” Thorne said through his teeth. “I’ll lead them away and circle back to you.”

  She knew he was being overconfident, but Cinder found herself nodding at the same time Cress started shaking her head.

  “My control of you will be intermittent inside the ship, but if I can find you, I’ll reclaim you as soon as we’re all outside.” If they don’t claim you first, she thought, unwilling to speak it out loud. Controlling an Earthen like Thorne was easy, but wresting control away from a thaumaturge was significantly more difficult.

  “Got it.” Thorne’s jaw tensed.

  “Be careful,” Cress said, more a squeak than a whisper, and Thorne’s attention alighted on her for the briefest of moments …

  Before Cinder kicked open the door and sent Thorne bolting into the corridor. He collided with the wall, but pushed himself off and careened to the left. His arms and legs pumped as he raced toward the main deck. It wasn’t long before he was out of her reach. Too much steel divided them. Cinder lost control, and Thorne was on his own.

  Seconds after her grasp on him had snapped, they heard a crash. Thorne had broken something.

  Cinder hoped it wasn’t some priceless Commonwealth artifact.

  In the next chamber, a stampede of feet raced after him. When Cinder reached out with her thoughts, she couldn’t feel any bioelectricity other than Wolf’s. This side of the ship had been cleared.

  She tipped her head into the corridor. No sign of anyone aboard. On the other side of the ship, she heard yelling.

  Cinder ran in the opposite direction she’d sent Thorne. The others hurried after her—down two levels on a narrow, spiraling stairwell, through an industrial galley that made the kitchen on the Rampion feel like a child’s play set, and along a utilitarian corridor dividing the podship docks. They paused above the hatch that would drop them into the cargo bay. Cinder could still hear shuffling and the crank of machinery below, but she had no way of knowing if it was the Earthen workers unloading the cargo, or Lunars inspecting it.