"Just one problem," I said. "How is a Raven plane going to get into Kylaen airspace without getting blown out of the sky?"
"We've got a code—all the radar operators know what it is, just not what it's for. It'll get us a landing clearance."
"But that'll...Grieg will know what we've been up to, won't he?"
"Something tells me he always knew."
I didn't want to think about what that meant. Instead, I busied myself with making Kader comfortable. I found some blankets and helped Kader get comfortable, knowing that this part of our escape was up to me. So while he recovered, I sat upstairs in the bedroom and considered our options over a map of Rave.
The obvious choice, to me, was to take a plane from Vinolas. Being a forward operating base, it would be less secure because most resources were focused on defending Rave from Kylae. Besides that, it had been my home for nearly a decade. I knew where the fences were broken, which hangers held which planes. Lanis and I had stolen a two-seater plane before, and there were at least two more available.
Or, at least, I hoped there were. My information was six months old—and, in the case of the fence—even older. But Kader needed medical attention, and he certainly wasn't going to get it in Rave.
When night fell, I helped him get into the backseat of the car, and we set off for Vinolas. I'd flown a plane since I was twelve, but driving a car took a bit of adjusting. To boot, the dark roads made it difficult to know if I was even going in the right direction. Just after midnight, I spotted the lights, and the shape of the air control tower looming over them.
I turned off the headlights and pulled over. Kader was fast asleep in the back of the car, so I left him while I searched for a way in. I walked the length of the barbed wire fence, kicking it every few feet until I found a hole. Most of them had been put here by the new pilots, hopeful they could run away and escape the grim realities of war. But eventually, they all returned when they realized food wasn't as plentiful off base.
I squeezed through the opening without much trouble, and I made my way to the hangar. I knew this place in my sleep; at this hour, the staff would be light. Perhaps a mechanic or two. I crept around the dark perimeter until I found a stack of old wooden crates that I could climb to peer into the windows.
I searched the hangar for the two-seaters and found a pair of two-seater planes parked in the back. They were slower than the one-seaters, but we'd have the benefit of a head start. It would take them a few minutes to scramble after us, but they'd eventually catch up. Then I'd just have to hope I remembered enough of what kept had me alive for seven years.
I climbed down the crates and made my way back to the car. Kader was awake, and looking a bit more alert. "What's the plan?"
"We're going to sneak onto one of the two-seater planes," I explained, and told him the layout of the hangar. "So we'll either need to be discreet or create a diversion."
He grunted. "Diversion would be better. Give us more time to escape. Set fire to the fuel lines, maybe. It'll distract them and prevent them from coming after us right away."
My chest seized out of instinct more than fear. "You want me to blow the fuel lines? B-but that would...then the planes would be..."
He raised an eyebrow.
"Rave would be defenseless!" I gasped. "I can't possibly—"
"Theo, it's one fuel line in one hangar."
"But it..." The thought of disabling that many planes was horrifying. Especially knowing how little Bayard cared for the base itself. They might not get money to repair it for months, leaving the pilots at risk. And if Grieg found out...
But the night was slipping away fast, so whatever we were going to do, we needed to do it quickly. I half-carried Kader to the fence, then helped to protect his wounded shoulder as he slid under the hole. When we reached the hangar, I left him against the wall on the ground and climbed back onto the crates, peering inside.
My gaze kept drifting to the fuel lines. It would do what I wanted—but at what cost?
I jumped down and nodded to Kader. "Can you walk?"
"Enough," he said, pushing himself to his feet and leaning against the wall.
"Do you know what a two-seater Raven plane looks like?" I asked then added, "I mean, the difference between—"
"Yes, Theo."
"They're in the back, behind the fighter planes. As soon as I..." I swallowed. "I'll join you. I just hope they've been maintained."
He squeezed my shoulder and handed me a lighter and his knife. "It'll be fine."
I nodded and wished I believed him. "Get ready to move."
A thousand angry voices screamed in my head as I crept closer to the bright hangar opening. Fifty planes, the same model as my girl, sat in the center of the room. There were twenty fuel lines from the main tank in the center, about half were already connected to planes.
Oh my God, what am I doing?
I snuck into the hangar, keeping out of sight of the two mechanics talking with each other as they worked. Luckily for me, they weren't expecting a traitorous former Raven major to be skulking around, so I crawled along the oil-stained floor to one of the unattached fuel lines.
"Just a shame, you know? Do you think it's true?"
"She was a bit screwy after her time in Mael. Bet they brainwashed her."
I froze. They were talking about me. I swallowed all the questions I had and listened for the sound of their wrenches to start moving again. I clicked the fuel line into place and waited for them to notice.
"Kallistrate's too smart for that. Bet she got a nice retirement, too. Too bad she has to bed the princeling. Can you imagine?"
Glancing to their shadows on the ground, I quietly scurried to the next plane with a fuel line nearby and waited. The two mechanics continued discussing their wild theories about why I might've done this horrible thing I had no idea about and I was able to connect three more planes.
"Hey!"
I craned my neck to the source of the sound, and my heart dropped. They'd spotted Kader on the other side of the hangar. He met my gaze under the plane and then ran for the two-seater as the mechanics called for security.
"Shit," I hissed. There were only a few connected, but it would have to do. Begging forgiveness from my country and the planes I was about to destroy, I sliced the nearby fuel line and let the liquid gold spew out onto the ground. Backing out from under the plane, I clicked the lighter, threw it, and ran like hell.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The attack alarm began to squeal, and I had flashbacks to my younger years, hearing and dreading that sound as it had meant the Kylaens were attacking. Only this time, the enemy was me.
"Fire! Fire! Get the hose!"
"No, stop them!"
I ignored the voices and jumped onto the wing of the two-seater. Kader was already in the backseat, his gaze on the visage behind me. I slid into the pilot's seat and my breath caught as I took in the destruction I'd caused. Large, yellow-orange flames danced to the ceiling of the hangar, and a thick billow of black smoke was filling the room.
"Theo, we need to go before—"
"I know," I said, rushing through my ingrained flight checklist as fast as my brain would work. The twin-propellers began to turn, and the sound and smell of a plane brought me small comfort. I released the brake and we rolled forward, cutting through the smoke and fire and exiting the hangar into the dark night of the runway. I saw pilots scrambling from the dormitory building, and I knew if we didn't get out of there soon, we'd be done for.
Without looking back at the destruction I'd caused, I punched it, and we took off into the dark sky.
I watched the sun rise over the Madion Sea, and let quiet tears fall down my face. Kader and I were safe, for now, but larger questions remained. What would we do about Anson? How would we possibly get Rave to peace with Kylae if even the rebels wouldn't listen? And who had told him about me and Galian?
The plane glided easily through the air, reminding me of a time when this was all I knew. Flying
and defending my nation. I knew who was right, who was wrong, and what I needed to do to survive. And now, I didn't know which side was right, or if I was on it. I'd destroyed a hangar full of Raven planes. I'd attacked my own people, my own 'neechais and 'niichais.
And for what? My own self-preservation? Saving Kader's life?
"Incoming aircraft, identify yourself."
I jumped; I hadn't realized how close we'd come to Kylae already. But before I could answer, Kader's gruff, but weak, voice came through the microphone, "This is S.O. Nine-Twenty-Seven."
There was a too-long pause then a new voice came on the radio.
"Kader? Thank God, are you together?"
"Rhys?" I said.
"We were so worried about you. You're cleared to land. We've got...a lot to talk about. I'll wait until you get here to fill you in."
Gone was the jovial prince who'd poked me into revealing my deepest secrets. The voice on the other end of the radio was tense. Something truly horrible had occurred, so bad that I almost wanted to turn the plane around. But I didn't have enough fuel for that, and Kader needed medical attention.
Conscious of my injured passenger, I landed the plane as gently as I could onto the airfield, amazed at how much nicer it was than those in Rave. As soon as I taxied off the runway, two Kylaen guards were waiting for me, directing me to wheel my plane into a large hangar.
My heart thudded against my ribcage. The guards motioned for me to stop in the middle of the hangar, and I shut off the engines, unstrapping quickly and climbing on top of my seat to help Kader out of his restraints. He was pale, but lucid, and smacked my hands away when I tried to unhook him.
"I'm injured, not dead," he barked, although he allowed me to help him out of the plane.
"Theo!" Galian's voice drew my attention, but the smile died on my face when I saw who stood next to him. Rhys, their father...
...and President Bayard.
THIRTEEN
Theo
It seemed a dream, a nightmare. Maybe I'd fallen asleep piloting the plane. Maybe I was dead. That seemed more logical than seeing the president of my country standing next to the king of its mortal enemy.
Kader, still standing inside the plane with his arm over my shoulder, made a noise. Against all my better judgement, I helped him out of the plane and toward the impending disaster waiting for us.
"Welcome back, Major," Grieg said, and my skin crawled as he spoke to me. "I'm glad you and Sergeant Kader arrived safely. Or, as safe as can be expected." His gaze landed on Kader, and presumably, the red blotch on his shirt.
"W...what's going on here?" I said, finally finding my voice. "And what the hell are you doing here, Bayard?"
"Manners, Major. I'm still your commander-in-chief," he said, with a smugness that sent my pulse into overdrive.
"Like hell you are," I snarled. "You put me into a bomb, if you'll remember. You were going to hang me for treason, you son of a bitch."
"And I still might," he said lightly. "But as it stands, I have good news for us all. Or, rather, Your Majesty, I'll allow you the honors."
"We've agreed to an immediate ceasefire between our countries," Grieg said with the sort of smile that said he was a man who'd just gotten everything he wanted.
Bile rose in my throat. I knew what was coming next, but like this whole scene, I didn't want to believe it was actually happening. "Under what conditions?"
"After long last, Rave is returning home to Kylaen rule," Bayard said.
It took everything in me not to vomit all over the floor. I couldn't believe this. I just couldn't. Not after being pulled from an orphanage. Not after the years of flight training, never knowing if I'd make it home. Not after parroting lies about Rave and independence and sacrifices. Not after looking at hundreds of scarred, maimed soldiers who had given up their bodies and souls to a cause that was bigger than they were.
Bayard had thrown it all away out of desperation.
"We'll be signing the treaty in three months," Grieg said and then, when I couldn't possibly have thought myself horrified at anything else, he added, "At your wedding."
The air left my chest. "W-wedding?"
"It will be perfect," Grieg said. "The two of you as a symbol for the reunification of the Kingdom of Kylae. Kylae's third son and Rave's daughter."
I took a step back, covering my mouth to keep the contents of my stomach from spewing out.
"I thought you'd be happy, Theo," Bayard said, crossing his arms over his chest. "You were so concerned with brokering peace between Kylae and Rave. Now you have it, and you can be with your amichai."
The room was spinning and I realized I wasn't breathing. But how could I? The world was moving too fast, this made no sense, and yet it made complete sense, and how could we not have seen this coming and how could Bayard do this to our country, and...
"Tend to your fiancée, Galian. She's about to faint."
I turned to my left and saw him standing next to his brother, his face white and Kylaen, and I hated everything about him in that moment.
Galian
When I'd heard from Rhys that Theo had radioed in, I'd had mixed feelings of relief and horror. Selfishly, I'd wanted her out of Kylae, away from this mess. It might've even been better for her if she'd died, rather than hear what was to become of her country. And if she was returning to Kylae, she clearly had no idea what was waiting for her here.
I'd watched my father's gleeful delivery of the news, powerless to stop it. Then she'd looked at me as she had the first day on the island, when she'd hated me, and my heart broke.
"You fucking asshole!" she screamed, her voice echoing in the room. "You—you're going along with this?"
"Theo, no," I said, rushing over to her.
"Don't touch me," she snarled, backing up. "Don't you ever touch me again."
"Come, Tedwin," Grieg said, as if Theo hadn't just exploded at me. "Let's let our two lovers hash out their quarrel. I'd like to continue our discussion on the barethium mines."
"As you wish, Your Majesty," Bayard said, following my father out of the hangar like the little lapdog he was.
"Kader, we need to get you to a hospital," Rhys said, speaking up for the first time.
Kader, to his credit, agreed, and hung his good arm around Rhys. Together, they slowly limped toward the doors my father and Bayard had left through.
Then, it was just me and Theo.
"How could you do this to me?" Theo whispered, her gaze faraway. "How could you..."
I stepped forward, even as she backed away from me. "I had nothing to do with this—"
"Then why are you here?" she screamed. "How could you sit here with the rest of them and just...say nothing—"
"Oh, trust me, I said plenty," I snapped back. "But I was more concerned about you and—"
"Galian," she sank to the floor, a tear running down her face, "what've they done? Why did this happen? Why didn't anyone stop it?"
I knelt in front of her, wiping away her tears. "I don't know, Theo. I found out at that stupid party. Grieg made the announcement in front of everyone and introduced Bayard and... God, Theo, it was all I could do not to be sick."
"But you...." She shook her head. "But you're here now?"
"Because we hadn't heard from Kader in days," I said, finally letting some of the fear creep into my voice. "Because the news broke that you and I were...and you were supposed to be meeting with the rebels...and, God, Theo, I didn't know what to think. I'm just so thankful you're all right."
She stared at me like I had two heads. "I'm not all right, Galian. This...this treaty..." Her breath came in short puffs, and I placed a hand on her back as she buried her head in her hands and cried. "W-what happened? How did we not know?"
"Mom's still trying to figure it all out," I said. "But I want you to know, I...I need you to know I wasn't a part of this. I don't..." I swallowed the ache. "I don't want to be a part of this wedding. I don't want to be a pawn in their media game."
Her so
bs came harder now, and I couldn't help myself as I pulled her close to me. Relief washed over me as she let me comfort her. There was a new wedge between us, but she wasn't unreachable yet.
"We have a problem." Rhys came running into the room.
"Is it Kader?" I asked, lifting my head.
"No, it's..." He sighed. "Father's tipped off the media. There's hundreds of photographers out there. They saw Father leaving with Bayard, but they...they want a photo of you and Theo."
Theo hiccupped against my chest, her red eyes wide with shock, and didn't seem to be in the room anymore.
"No fucking way," I snarled, holding her tighter. "Bring the car around here."
He closed his eyes. "Father's ordered—"
"Fuck him. Hasn't he ruined enough today?" I said, wishing I could magically transport Theo and myself far away.
Rhys shrugged off his coat and tossed it at me. "That's the best I can do right now. We just need to get back to the castle and...and try to figure out where to go from here."
As expected, the crowd outside the hangar was ten people deep. I shielded us with Rhys's coat as best I could, following Johar's footsteps and keeping Theo pressed tightly to me. She still wore the stunned expression, as if she'd mentally clocked out, but sat down in the car, moving to the other side as Rhys and I climbed in behind her.
Once the door was shut, she pulled her knees to her chest and buried her head in them, saying nothing.
I stared at her for a moment before wrenching my gaze to Rhys, who ran a hand through his mussed hair. "Fucking animals."
"What do you expect? They haven't had a story this juicy in ages," I said.
"Don't blame me," he snapped back. "This wasn't my fault—"
"I'm having a hard time believing that. How the hell could something like this have happened without us knowing about it?"
"Enough, both of you," Kader barked from the front seat. "We knew Grieg was getting better at covering his tracks. And your mother wouldn't have kept this from you if she'd known."
The Complete Madion War Trilogy Page 55
