BOOM!
Cassian was startled out of his sleep. What the hell was that? Was it some part of the Prima Day celebration? Cassian wouldn’t know. He opted out of going to the ball. It didn’t feel right to him to be enjoying himself when he’d caused so many problems for his family. Although Cade had forgiven him, he found it hard to be in the same room as him with his whirling guilt. Even as Cassian thought of his father, shame overrode his senses. What would his father think of him now?
Cassian didn’t want to care, but he did. It wasn’t easy to hate the man that had raised him despite his shortcomings. Throwing back the covers, he swung his legs over the side of the bed when the lights flicked to red. Okay, maybe not fireworks. Lockdown procedure.
Cassian was sure that he had given the Queen all the right information, so how could this have…
The informant. Cassian only spoke to the Queen about his intel. Whoever the mole was, they had to be close to her. With his information, it should’ve been impossible to infiltrate the Dome, let alone the palace. They changed their plans. They were tipped off.
Lockdown procedure stated that he should go to the arena but that didn’t seem like a good idea anymore. Besides, if they were in the palace, there was no way he could get out unscathed. He wasn’t gifted like everyone else.
Cassian took a moment to think. Eulalia still hadn’t checked in with him. Maybe she was still out. As much as he didn’t like the thought of her being alone, outside was probably safer at that moment. She just needed to stay wherever she was. Cade didn’t come back last night either. Cassian assumed he was with the Queen; those two weren’t subtle. If they were together, they’d have no trouble getting out.
He paced around his room as he ran through the structure of the palace in his head. He just needed a weapon and a way out but he doubted that he could get up to the training room without being noticed.
Cassian threw on a shirt and a pair of boots before striding over to his door. Opening it, he looked both ways and when he saw no one, he jogged down the hall to the room that he hoped would still be occupied.
First, a weapon. He knocked and waited. No answer. Bouncing from heel to heel, he knocked again. Come on… Still no answer. Taking a chance, he pressed on the handle and it opened. He sighed with relief but almost pulled it back shut as he saw Devin standing right behind the door, his hand pulled back and ready to fire.
“Oh, it’s you,” Devin said as he looked Cassian up and down.
“Yeah, it’s me, so put your freaking hand down before you hurt somebody,” Cassian hissed, covering his face.
“Oh, sure.” Devin lowered his hand.
A thought occurred to Cassian. “Wait, were you just going to stay in here the whole time?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.
Devin cocked his head to the side. “The door opens from the outside and the room dampens my gifts, smartass.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, oh. What do you want?”
“I think the palace is under attack but I can’t get out of here alone.”
Devin finally seemed to show a sense of urgency as he looked out into the hall. “Shit. Are you sure?”
“Yes, and I need your help to get out.”
Devin paused for a moment. “One condition.”
“Are you serious right now? You’re in danger too, you know.”
“Do you want my help or not?” Devin shot back, crossing his arms.
Oh my Gods. “Fine.” Cassian seethed.
He responded immediately. “We go to the staff quarters first.”
“Why…? Actually, I don’t care as long as you’re quick. Let’s go.”
“Sweet.” He grinned. “Now, get out of my way.”
Cassian rolled his eyes, allowing Devin to pass by and they set out into the hallway, keeping their footsteps light. Well, Cassian kept his footsteps light. Devin didn’t seem to have a care in the world as he strolled down the halls behind him.
The quickest way to the ground floor would be through the main stairs in the guest wing but Cassian was quickly stopped when trying to enter the service stairwell.
“Hey,” Devin called quietly from behind him.
Cassian turned with his hand on the pull bar.
Devin shook his head vehemently. “We can’t take those stairs.”
“Why?” he asked, his brows creased.
“I can hear something.” He started to walk backward. “We gotta go. Like, right now,” he urged.
“Go where?” Cassian argued, stepping back from the door. “The east stairs don’t stop on the ground floor.” He knew the palace’s plans like the back of his hand.
Devin was growing more skittish. “Then we go through the sub-level but-”
The door to the stairwell burst open, enforcers spilling out of it.
Cassian leaped to the left and just about made it out of the line of fire, covering his head before they started shooting. Before he could even take his next breath, the shooting abruptly stopped. Carefully removing his arm from his face, he looked up to see Devin standing front and center, eyes closed, murmuring quietly. The rest were frozen in place. Simultaneously, all the guns lowered and the enforcers began clutching their throats, gasping for breath. Cassian watched with wide eyes as they dropped to the floor and began seizing violently before slowing to a stop. He turned his eyes to Devin who still stood, unmoved.
“Devin?”
Devin opened his eyes and pinned Cassian with a smug look.
“Now, will you listen to me?”
Cassian was still in shock. It was a good thing he went back for Devin.
“Let’s go.”
“Wait,” Cassian called. “Grab a gun.”
Lia
“Sometimes, she’d stay,” Lia said with a nostalgic smile. “She’d sit with me and we’d talk about absolutely everything.”
Grace hung onto her every word. Lia giggled as she remembered.
“At one point, she was convinced that I had a crush on Cade. She would make googly eyes at me whenever he was around.” She snorted. “She couldn’t have been more wrong.” Lia quieted for a moment. “I just wished I’d told her why. I knew at the back of my mind that it wouldn’t change how she saw me, but there was already so much that set me apart. People were already shying away from her because of how much time she spent with me and I guess I didn’t want to make her look bad.” Lia shrugged. “If I’d known about you guys…”
BOOM!
Lia’s head spun in the direction of the closest window. She couldn’t see the palace from the room she was in, but she could make out the smoke rising from the center of the city.
“It’s started,” Grace whispered.
Lia turned back to her mother. “What’s started?” At her mother’s silence, Lia grew suspicious. “What’s started?” she repeated.
Grace turned to look out of the window. “I tried to warn them. Just like I told them that you were in danger, but it was no use. I’m in here after all. Nobody listens to the mad.”
As much as Lia wanted to cry for her, she didn’t have time for tears. Cade and Cassian were still inside the palace.
“I need to go. My friends are there.” Lia said, getting to her feet. “I promise, I’ll come back.”
To her surprise, Grace didn’t try to stop her. “I’ll be here.” she nodded solemnly. Lia started for the door when she called. “Eulalia.”
She turned back to her mother.
“Don’t tell her.”
Huh? “Don’t tell who what?”
“Just don’t tell her.” She didn’t explain further.
Lia nodded but in truth, she had no idea what Grace was talking about. Who was she talking about and what did Lia have to tell? Taking the stairs three at a time, she made her way out of the building without looking back.
It was much darker now than when she’d left but thanks to her great sense of direction, it didn’t take much longer to reach the palace. Lia was approaching the corner leading to the main entrance when she heard him.
“They’re in lockdown. Jude says this is the only exit available so if she’s inside, we’ll flush her out through here. All of them. First group, with me!”
Lia almost tripped over her feet as she skidded to a halt. She knew that voice. Hated that voice. Drake Alden. Leaning around the corner, she spotted him. Just the sight of him was enough to make her blood run cold, but it was his clothes that had her pausing the most.
Why was he dressed like an enforcer? They all were. Hundreds of them. Dressed in full gear, from a helmet and goggles down to their boots. If she hadn’t heard his voice, she wouldn’t have thought to stay back.
That’s the point, she concluded.
All the information that she and Cassian had given to the Queen was null and void. With Jude on their side, all they needed to do was alter their plans. They didn’t need to attack at the ball if they could just initiate a lockdown and let the Queen come to them.
Lia needed to get in and warn them. Warn them of what exactly?
She was torn. It wasn’t like there was any other way out. There were fake enforcers inside so they’d need to come out either way. She needed a diversion. A way inside without drawing attention.
She scanned her surroundings and it only took her a second to find it. Digging the knife out of her boot and palming it, Lia checked to make sure that no one was watching as she approached the ‘enforcer’ that stood alone by a truck, facing away from her.
The lack of daylight came in handy. As swiftly and quietly as she could, she brought the knife to his throat from behind him.
She spoke quietly into his ear.
“Breathe too loud and I will cut you from ear to ear. Nod if you understand.”
The truth was, Lia had never killed anyone before and she wasn’t sure if she even had it in her right now, so she just held her breath and prayed that he wouldn’t call her bluff. After a few seconds of angst, he nodded. An easy smile fell over Lia’s face as she walked him back into the shadows. She kept her hold on him, even when they were completely out of view.
“Give me your gun.”
He didn’t even try to fight. Just pulled the strap off his shoulder and passed it behind him. Lia could feel him shaking and she almost felt bad. He must have been young. Untrained. She could tell that he didn’t know what he was getting himself into.
Carefully putting her knife away and holding up his gun she stepped back. As he turned, she raised an eyebrow at him, daring him to run. Once sure he’d stay put, she cocked the gun and said one word.
“Strip.”
