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  Stealing the sani truck was easy. Driving it wasn’t. I scared other drivers. I even scared myself.

  Time to find a few crowds...

  A huge bunch of people was gathered in some sort of park across town. Strange electricity hung in the air.

  I pretended to be gathering garbage from the bins along the edge. The words execution day were used repeatedly.

  When I got close, I saw a domed stage that looked like thick, red plastic. There were three people tethered to metal poles that stuck up through the stage floor. They’d been out in the elements for a while. Their skin was red, blistered, and peeling in layers. Their hair was filthy and matted to their heads.

  One was a short, hefty, older man. The other two were young, healthy guys. The guy in the middle never looked up. But when the third looked into the crowd, I stumbled. I almost fell on my face.

  Zander freaking Preston.

  He didn’t see me. But I melted into the crowd, stealing peeks at him from behind the shoulders of men much taller than me.

  Weaving into the center of the mayhem was easy. Smashing the vial was easy. Hearing the soldiers approach almost gave me a heart attack. They marched through the crowd.

  They were marching toward me.

  Did they know?

  I stepped aside when the people around me did.

  Blend. Please, let me blend.

  Thankfully, the row of gun-wielding soldiers didn’t even spare a glance as they passed.

  They marched forward, positioned the stocks of their guns against their shoulders, took aim, and fired.

  Shots rang out as one.

  And the three men died as one.

  Zander Preston had finally gotten his comeuppance.

  I wasn’t a hateful man. I wasn’t spiteful or vengeful, but when karma paid someone a visit, she was mean.

  Ducking my head, I faded into the noise of the excited Greaters. The Vesuvians loved a good bloodbath. That was a fact we were too familiar with. I just hoped it wouldn’t be me tethered to that post, staring down the barrel of those rifles.

  It hit me as I walked out of the chaos: That day, not only was I helping karma, I was karma. Regardless of what happened to me, the Greaters were going to get theirs.

  The sanitation truck was left to rot on the corner of that square. Let someone else clean up the blood and the bodies. It wasn’t going to be me.

  I’d smash the other vials along the way. My comm’s alarm was getting ready to sound. I had to move it. Fast.

  I had a train to catch.

  WE’D DISAPPEARED INTO THE LESSER section after ditching the transport vehicle in a strange metal building and were hiding out in a small house on the outskirts of town. I wondered who owned it. Boy were they in for a surprise if they came home early.

  Asher, whose real name was Phoenix, I’d learned, said it wasn’t safe to stay in the city. I wholeheartedly agreed with him. Leaving downtown was great. Putting as much space between us and the palace was even better. But we needed to make a quick stop. We needed to change clothes, gather supplies for the trip home, and make our way to the Lesser train station. Quickly.

  Vivian, Kaia, and I headed into a back bedroom.

  From somewhere in the home, Vivian used suspenders and some sort of thick Velcro fabric to fashion a makeshift brace that used my shoulders to support my ever-expanding stomach and aching back. The relief on my right side was immediate. I’d smiled at her and hugged her, surprising both of us.

  She’d smiled and said, “Don’t thank me yet.” That was just before she pulled out step two of the wardrobe change. Another red dress. It was satiny and looked more like the things I’d been made to wear for dinner with the Prestons or Coles.

  “I couldn’t find a maternity jumpsuit that would accommodate your abdomen. I apologize, but this should fit with some minor adjustments.”

  Fast-forward twenty minutes. The minor adjustments had turned into major ones. The gown was strapless and way too big on top. We wound up hiking it up and pinning it in place, giving my little bean plenty of breathing room.

  But wardrobe changes were the least of my worries. We still had to make it on the train and out of the city.

  There was no way someone hadn’t noticed something by that point.

  Every time I looked at the clock, it felt like the knot of a noose was cinching tighter around my neck.

  Julia was already clad in her red Vesuvian gear, as was my mother. So, I was surprised when Kaia slid into the room holding another dress that looked bigger than the one we’d just won the battle with.

  “What’s that for?”

  Marian Cole poked her head into the room. “Me.”

  Oh, no. It wasn’t that I wasn’t glad she was out of the palace. Well, part of me wished she would’ve stayed.

  But, honestly, we were in deep trouble. Someone was bound to notice both of us were gone.

  The noose tightened again. The coarse fibers cut more deeply into my skin.

  “Where’s Gretchen?”

  Marian shook her head. “She was transferred to Coal two days ago, or so they said.”

  I wasn’t sure how to feel about that. But at least she was safe for the time being—if it was true. I wondered how the Greaters who were still working in the villages would react to the news that we’d escaped, that Abigail Kelley wanted no part in saving their sorry hind ends. And if I had my way, they’d learn about Queen Lillith and her manipulative lies.

  We could worry about that on the way home. I pushed my shoulders back and smiled. “Let’s get you dressed and get out of here.”

  Marian smiled. “That is the best plan I have heard all day, but first I need help with a little something.” She held up a small pocketknife.

  “What’s that for?”

  “This,” she answered, holding out her forearm, exposing the underside. Her tracker. “I cannot do it myself. I need you to help me get it out.”

  Clenching my teeth, I opened the knife.

  Marian looked away. One slice later, I reached beneath her skin to remove the small device.

  “It’s done.”

  Marian held a cloth to her arm to stop the bleeding. I’d tried not to go too deep, but it was going to bleed no matter what.

  Vivian came back into the room, saw the wound, and began griping and wrapping it up. I guess we could have asked her to do it in the first place, but hadn’t thought about it. Her harping was fading into the background as I started helping Marian dress.

  Her outfit took a lot of adjusting, too. But when Phoenix said we should move out, we did. Leaving the house behind, the seven of us walked in groups of two and three, fading into a sea of red jumpsuits, dresses, and sport coats—all the way to the Lesser train station.

  A train whistle blew as we walked quickly into the crowd, the wind from the approach plastering my gown’s skirt to the sides of my legs. We watched as the train slowly stopped at the platform, and what looked like an entire army of Vesuvian troops, spilt from the container and passenger cars.

  “What’s going on?” My body trembled.

  Adam must have sensed my fear. He eased toward me and lowered his voice, saying, “It’s part of the plan, Abby. Our plan. Don’t worry.”

  Julia and Kaia nodded politely to a few of the soldiers that walked past.

  Gray and Phoenix stood with Vivian, forming their own small group. I didn’t miss the glances Gray shot my way.

  Don’t worry, Adam had said. Easier said than done.

  No one had noticed us. They seemed to be on a mission.

  What in the world is going on?

  My eyes pleaded with Adam to expand on his statement, but the slight shake of his head shut me down.

  I exhaled a slight huff. I just couldn’t hold it in.

  Adam’s brows drew so close together they touched. It was then I could see how the skin around his eyes wrinkled much like Lulu’s had. Their lips were shaped similarly, too. Thick and proud. Slightly bowed. I wondered if mine looked like his or Kai
a’s.

  Kaia smiled from my right side. My lips were definitely like my mom’s. I was built like her, too. A fit build, but not too thin—not then anyway. Little bean kicked happily. She was definitely fit.

  Phoenix glanced at his comm. “Time to go.”

  He led us across a metal bridge that scared the crap out of me to walk on. It was steel mesh, and I could see everything beneath my feet. Basically, I could see what I was going to hit as I plummeted to my death. That. That was worse than elevators. That was the only thing worse than elevators thus far.

  I gripped the rail every few feet to keep hold of something, and almost danced when my feet descended a staircase on the other side of the train that had just pulled in. It looked like the last few soldiers were making their way out of it. That was a lot of people, mostly men. And it could have been my imagination, but I thought a few looked familiar, and I wondered if they’d been in Orchard at one time.

  Our train stretched along the next platform. When the engineer sounded the horn from far up the track, I started to panic. So many people, some recognizable. I worried we’d be caught there. It was broad daylight!

  Vivian looked at me and mouthed the word “calm.”

  I couldn’t breathe. Calm sucked.

  Gray stopped her approach with his own. He wrapped his arms around me and held me tightly. “Shh.”

  The stubble on his cheek against mine. His smell. It helped.

  Even little bean kicked happily. “It’s all right. Adam and Phoenix have it under control.”

  “Isn’t control an illusion, though, Gray?” I pulled back. “You once told me that the present was an illusion.”

  He smiled, so I continued. “It’s just what we call the split second that the past collides with the future.”

  “Yeah. Something like that.”

  “So how do we know it’s actually under control and that there isn’t some big cage about to drop on us?”

  He pulled me close again. “We don’t. But believe me, Abby. If that happens, if a cage descends, I will die fighting to free us—just like we’re all doing now.”

  “We aren’t fighting. Not really.”

  He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “We aren’t. Kyan is.” He admitted, wincing as if he’d said too much.

  “What’s he doing, and where is he?”

  “It’s better if you don’t know. He should meet up with us soon if the plan works.”

  I gripped the back of his shirt in my fists. “If it works?”

  “It’ll work. You’ll see. Besides, I don’t think anything could keep him from Julia. He’s got it bad.”

  I giggled a little. “Yeah. He does.”

  Phoenix motioned us forward. “Toward the engine this time.” His eyes darted around nervously before he added, “Just in case.”

  We walked quickly down the platform, ducking into an empty car just a few back from the train’s engine. There weren’t that many cars coupled to it anyway, maybe ten. It was the shortest I’d ever seen.

  IT WAS TIME TO CHECK on Abigail. I wanted to personally deliver the news that we would be taking her child in twelve hours. Perhaps the stress would stimulate labor, and she would deliver naturally before the scheduled surgery. Not that we would not be cutting her open and harvesting her healthy eggs anyway.

  The carpet lining the hallway cushioned my heels. A stealthy arrival was always important. One must always use the element of surprise to her advantage when approaching an enemy.

  The locking mechanisms were anything but quiet, unfortunately.

  I stepped into her room. Eerie silence filled my ears. I wondered if she was planning to attack.

  Scanning the bed, I saw it was in disarray. Tables and chairs were overturned. Someone had been digging around for something. I was curious if they had found it.

  The restroom door was closed, but no light escaped the seam.

  Abigail Kelley was nowhere to be found. I eased across the room. She had to be here. I had ordered it. No one defied a direct order.

  Flinging the bathroom door open, I found that room empty as well. Nothing. She was nowhere. She had not vanished. Abigail was no ghost. Someone helped her. And I knew how to reel her in.

  Outside the room, I yelled for a guard. One ran toward me a moment later. “Retrieve Marian Cole and have her sent to the security office immediately.”

  The echo of the tips of my heels across the glossy, black floor was the only noise filling my ears.

  Security’s door was locked. I had to pass through several screening devices before granted access to the hub of the palace. Actually, it was the eye of Vesuvius.

  Mortin approached me, his face wrinkled in concern. “My Queen.” He bowed his head.

  “Abigail Kelley is missing. I want her found. Now.”

  His eyes widened. “Yes, Queen Lillith.” Mortin’s second chin quivered as he barked orders at his team, scattered around the room at desks and in front of various screens. His already-ruddy cheeks turned scarlet.

  One shouted, “Her monitors were switched off remotely some-

  how.”

  Another chimed in. “The cameras along the hallway have been wiped.”

  I tapped my foot and crossed my arms. There had to be something. “Check her guard. He served in Orchard before coming here. Maybe she got to him somehow.”

  Mortin interrupted. “With all due respect, Queen, we have been watching his every move. He never gave any indication of treasonous activity.”

  “Well, someone has released her. This girl harbors a terrible secret. If you thought the virus Cole unleashed was hellish, believe me, it was nothing compared to the damage this singular girl can do. She is dangerous. She will kill us all.”

  “We’ll find her.”

  The team pressed on. It seemed like every trace of her had been erased. It was as if she had never stepped foot in Vesuvius.

  Forty minutes later, a guard entered the room, panting from exertion. “Sir.” He addressed Mortin.

  “Yes?”

  “It’s Marian Cole. She’s nowhere to be found.”

  That was it, the last straw.

  Grabbing the nearest chair, I launched it toward the center of the room, its leg impaling a computer screen. “You are supposed to be exceptional at what you do! How can a Lesser, of all people, evade you? Activate Cole’s tracking device. Find them both. And lock down the city. Nothing comes in. Nothing goes out.”

  “Yes, Queen. Consider it done.”

  The sounds of computer keys being tortured echoed out the door as I left, slamming it behind me.

  I would find Abigail and Marian. And they would pay for my embarrassment. They would pay dearly.

  THE TRAIN’S WHISTLE CALLED OUT, screaming to all of Vesuvius we were making a run for it. Gray steadied me as the vehicle lurched forward. It started rolling, slowly... Way too slowly, or maybe it was too fast.

  “Kyan isn’t here! We can’t just leave him.”

  Julia steeled her face. “I’ll go find him.”

  She started toward the door when my dad’s hand caught her shoulder. “No. You can’t. You’re a Greater. But I can. I can find him, and I can get us home. Phoenix, can you make sure they get to Orchard?”

  Emotions battled for position on Phoenix’s face. “Adam, I don’t think this is a good idea.”

  “No one else can do it. It has to be a Lesser.”

  “Why does it have to be a Lesser?” I asked. I was met with silence and eyes that darted in every direction but mine. My temper rose as I wondered what they weren’t telling me.

  A Lesser? That disqualified Gray, Julia, Phoenix, Vivian, Marian, and my mother. It also excluded me. I’d grown to hate the tiny golden rings crowning my irises.

  They’d been both my curse and my salvation. It was funny how something you loathed could be your only saving grace.

  The train chugged forward, faster. Adam clapped Phoenix on the shoulder and hugged my mother. He nodded to Marian, Julia, and Vivian. Then he gav
e a stiff nod to Gray. “Take care of her.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “This isn’t goodbye, Adam... Dad.” The words felt so hollow. But it might have been goodbye.

  “Of course not, Abby. I’ll find Kyan and get him out of the city. It may take some time, but we’ll find a way.”

  I hugged him tightly and nodded against his shoulder. “Please, be careful.”

  Gray helped tug the door open, and Adam watched the ground, pacing his leap from the car perfectly. He waved from the train yard and turned, walking back toward the platforms beyond.

  The train picked up speed. We just had to get through the gate, right? Then we’d be free.

  The first sign of trouble was when the tires squealed. The engineer was braking, fast.

  Phoenix looked flustered and frantically pecked at his comm.

  “Come on... Come on.” He urged.

  The other ladies looked frightened, especially Vivian. “They know! They must know, Abigail,” she shrieked. “They’ll kill us all!”

  “Shh,” Kaia hugged her friend, calming her down. She needed to take her own advice and steady her breaths or whatever.

  The braking stopped, but the train didn’t. It was still creeping forward. Julia climbed a small metal ladder welded to the inside of the boxcar.

  “What do you see?” I asked.

  “The gate! It’s ahead of us.”

  She smiled, looking down on us. When she turned back around, the smile faded from her face. “Oh, no.”

  Julia ducked her head slightly, but kept looking ahead. A sense of dread crawled up my spine.

  “What is it?” Gray asked as he jumped up beside her, using a rung to support his weight. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  “What?” Frustrating freaking people.

  “Guards. A lot of them,” Gray answered. He turned to Phoenix. “Can you send a comm for me?”

  Phoenix looked confused but agreed.

  “You all line up against the wall, sit down, arms behind your back.”

  We did as Gray instructed. The rusted metal bit into the delicate flesh of my shoulders.

  “Send a comm to the gatekeeper. We’re transporting these Lessers to the villages. Send work orders.”

  Phoenix nodded. “That might work.”