by Rebecca Rode
He had just turned the corner when someone shouted.
Stefan paused, getting himself rammed into from behind. He stepped out of traffic and peered around the corner.
The guard station’s door was open, and soldiers were streaming out. They lined up in crisp rows on the street. Early morning pedestrians scrambled to get out of the way.
Stefan’s heart rate picked up, alarm spreading through him. Had he missed something? Ember hadn’t tagged the Wall. It looked perfectly clear.
The soldiers were splitting up now, half jogging in the opposite direction of Stefan, their weapons drawn. The remaining soldiers looked uneasy, watching the road as if it would come to life and devour them at any moment.
Stefan didn’t stop to think. He turned midstride and began to follow the first group at a brisk pace, hoping nobody had seen his change in direction. There was only one reason so many soldiers would be ordered away from their posts.
A crowd had already gathered in an alley when he arrived several minutes later. Two workers had begun to scrub away the message scrawled across the concrete building. The remaining soldiers were pushing the crowd back, telling them to move on.
They weren’t listening. The woman next to Stefan lifted her wristband to capture the message before it was completely gone, then discreetly stepped away.
* * *
First came the flickers. Now we have two flares—Ember and the man you call emperor.
Both must fall before we can have peace again.
—Lady
* * *
The y in Lady was hurried, as if she’d run out of time. No matter. Those around Stefan knew who the author was. Some already ran away, shouting at those on the pedestrian road to come see Lady Flare’s message. He wondered for a moment if they’d be so eager if they knew what a flare was.
Ember had decided to write her message here instead of near the Wall. Maybe she was scouting out the security and thought this would be less risky. A silent thrill coursed through him. He’d finally tracked her down. Ember was somewhere in this part of the city. He could almost feel her.
He’d been staring so long he didn’t notice the second contingent of soldiers until they’d cut off his retreat.
A hand grabbed his shoulder.
His training kicked in, and he turned to throw a punch at the offender, but he noted the silver uniform at the very last second and pulled the strike. It was the guard from the Wall. She held a stunner to his chest.
“Good call,” the guard said with a smirk. “Attacking a soldier gets you killed. Cooperate during questioning as well, and you may just survive the experience.” She wrenched Stefan’s hands behind him and slid on a set of electronic cuffs. They activated with a little jolt of pain. He’d practiced arresting people in his flicker training, but he’d never worn cuffs himself. His prison sentence on the Empire ship had begun with him waking up in a cell.
Stefan’s heart galloped so wildly he could almost hear it. Did they recognize him as an escaped flicker? He hadn’t shaved in a few days and his hair was longer, but he wore no disguise. Foolish. Surely the Empire had his photograph on the network. If they made the connection and brought him in, his bold plan to help Ember was shot.
As the guard shoved him through the crowd of soldiers to a line of prisoners sitting against a wall, hope sprung into his chest. He wasn’t the only one being arrested. They had to be questioning any lingerers. They sought the message’s author, nothing more.
When he took too long to sit, the guard shoved him down and he hit the ground with a grunt.
“I saw you at the Wall,” the woman hissed. “You turned around and followed us. Tell me why.”
His mind raced. He couldn’t play dumb this time, not when she’d specifically identified him. An idea sprung to his mind. Foolish perhaps, but it was the best he could come up with.
“My apologies,” Stefan said, slurring his voice as if he’d been drinking. “You’re right—I turned back when I heard the commotion. It’s just that I saw you folks running off and thought I’d get myself a reward by catching the flare lady.”
“Lady Flare.”
“Whatever.” He lifted his head and grinned at her. “Been known to do a bit of detective work myself. I’d be happy to help for the right price. If you could tell your superior—”
The soldier’s blow came so fast his head snapped to the side. A burning pain radiated across his cheek, and for a moment his vision was spotty.
The soldier leaned forward. “You were plenty alert when I saw you earlier. You will answer my questions, or I’ll call over the flicker. Tell me why you really came.”
Stefan fought to stay focused. One of the soldiers was a flicker. He checked his shield, thinking quickly. “Happy to capture the culprit for free if you like. Just keep me in mind for future jobs.”
Another soldier, a captain, stopped next to the guard. “Must be a Gilgan. They’re always trying to make deals. Not worth your time.”
The woman glowered at Stefan in disgust, as if trying to discern whether he was, in fact, worth her time. Finally she reached around him. There was a click, then his hands were free. “If I see you again, you’ll be on the ground in seconds.”
Stefan nearly sighed in relief, but stumbled to his feet instead. He strode casually toward the street, although he didn’t have to pretend his stride was uneven. The woman knew how to throw a punch. He threw a pained glance over his shoulder and found the message already half gone.
The pedestrian road was filled with soldiers jogging toward stores and threading through the entryways of buildings. A few stopped passersby for questioning. They would continue to search buildings nearby, but Ember would be long gone by now.
It was as he’d suspected. The writing in that alley wasn’t in Ember’s hand. The first message had been slanted, the second long and narrow. This one had been in silver paint, the text careful and flowing. She’d taken control of someone, created her message, and released them. If the soldiers found that person, he or she would have a strange story to tell.
It only brought up more questions. Ember was supposed to be hiding underground with Er’len, the resistance leader. So why was she scrounging food from the market and resting in alleyways?
He arrived at the Wall a few minutes later. The soldiers who’d been left behind looked a bit calmer but were still on high alert. They watched him carefully as he made his way past. As he’d suspected, the Wall remained untouched. Ember had too much respect for the Albines to destroy something that mattered so much to them.
It had been decades since Stefan had been here as a boy. It seemed like a different lifetime now. It was funny, the things he remembered about that trip. He’d fought with his brother and gotten scolded by their father. Adam had complained about being hungry, and they’d spent far too many hours at restaurants, when Stefan simply wanted somewhere to run and play outside.
The city was the same yet felt different. Alert, wary. Waiting. Ember had brought the fight to them, and they seemed to know it.
Stefan recognized the signs. Heightened security. Empty streets. Neighborhood sweeps. Ember wasn’t just trying to educate the people about flickers and flares, nor was she simply on a recruiting mission. She intended to end the war. She wanted Ruben to know she was here.
And if Stefan knew the man at all, he’d be on his way here now.
Stefan lifted his head and looked around as he walked. Really looked. No, the city wasn’t the same at all. Doors had new locks on them, the people around him were quiet and cautious, and occasionally a passerby sported a lump suspiciously the size of the stunner in Stefan’s pocket.
The entire planet was holding its breath, waiting for the battle to start. Probably the entire realm by now as word spread.
Reina was right. The battle would take place here. He needed to find Ember, and quick. He wasn’t sure what her plan was, but that one line from her message worried him.
Both must fall before we can have peace again.
<
br /> It was time to find the resistance.
Chapter 19
Rap-rap-rap. “Hey! I know you’re in there. Open up.” Stefan waited a few seconds, then pounded again, wishing he’d insisted on getting the woman’s name.
He’d been at the spy’s workplace for ten minutes now, but the door he’d entered previously remained firmly locked. So much for her agreeing to meet him after receiving payment. He would have assumed she’d disappeared altogether if not for the fact that he sensed her inner light on the other side of the door. The Stefan of a month ago would have been horrified at how often he used his ability these days.
Stefan let his arm drop and sighed. If she wanted to speak to him, she would have opened up by now. His arm still tingled from the electronic cuffs, and his lungs burned from running all the way here. He’d taken the risk of attracting attention to get here more quickly. Now he just felt foolish. Another visit to the pub was in order. Even Albines had loose tongues when alcohol was involved. If he stayed long enough, maybe he’d get lucky and find another spy who could help him out.
Just as he was turning to leave, the door squeaked on its hinges. “Don’t ever do that again,” the woman whispered through the crack, then eased the door open and stepped aside.
Stefan pushed his way in. “Do what? We agreed to meet this morning.”
She slammed the door shut and slid the bolt into place. “Morning’s a relative term. I work all night, you know. You owe me triple for lost sleep.”
He was too excited to argue. “She posted another message this morning.”
She continued to scowl at him. “Did you get a photograph at least?”
“Of course not. But I have a new job for you. I need to find the resistance leader, Er’len.”
If the woman had been cold before, she was icy now. “Who?”
“Come on,” he urged, practically bouncing in his boots. “You know what I’m talking about. There’s a huge underground resistance here. Surely you can point me in the right direction.”
The woman hurriedly unbolted the door and tore it open. Was it his imagination, or was her hand trembling? “Enough of this foolishness. You will leave now.”
He stared at her. “If you can’t help me, just say so. Or tell me the name of someone who can.”
She pointed outside like he was a naughty canine. “Go.”
Stefan stood there, bewildered. He’d expected her to deny any knowledge of the resistance, but he hadn’t expected such a sharp dismissal. “Name your price. I have to find Er’len right away. It’s extremely important.”
“Leave. Now.”
His feet obeyed before his mind was ready to give in, and he found himself outside the door, staring at the street. And then the door slammed behind him.
Stefan rubbed the back of his head, puzzled. Had he said something offensive? Maybe he shouldn’t have used the resistance leader’s name. Perhaps the locals were sensitive about the underground movement. Maybe she was afraid Empire ears were listening. It had to be something like that.
Stefan stepped out onto the street and headed for the same pub he’d visited before, noting that traffic was slightly better than it had been on the way here. The travel shift he’d heard so much about was nearly over. He’d have to watch for enforcement soldiers. Apparently they chose pedestrians at random to determine whether they were outside at the appropriate time. It was a way of life he couldn’t fathom. Stefan had been raised on Empire stations surrounded by people, and yet he’d felt more comfortable in Ember’s mountain cavern than anywhere else.
That brought an image of her face to mind, and once again he felt a clutch of worry. Three days, three messages. The soldiers would be far more alert now, watching the area closely. It meant he had to be more careful than ever.
Stefan turned the corner to find an Empire soldier blocking his path.
Stefan froze.
The soldier looked him up and down for a moment. It seemed to confirm something in his mind. He raised a stunner at Stefan’s chest. “Hands up.” He stepped closer to Stefan, completely ignoring the crowd moving past. The pedestrians around Stefan seemed to notice the exchange. They picked up their pace, averting their eyes.
Lifting his arms slowly in surrender, Stefan looked around for an escape. He’d avoided arrest once today. Perhaps his questioner from this morning had realized who he was and put everyone on the lookout.
But this man was alone, and Stefan was armed too.
With a cry, Stefan leaped sideways, fumbling for the stunner in his pocket. His fingers had just closed around it when something heavy and invisible slammed into his chest.
The ground rose up to meet him.
When Stefan came to, he was lying on a sofa, legs sprawled. A sofa?
He lifted his head. His wrists were bound at his chest, elbows bent. The room had a low ceiling and artificial light. He was alone. The now-familiar city background noise had completely disappeared.
Panic shot through him. The soldier. The spy. She must have reported him to the Empire. His capture could have compromised the entire revolution. All it would take was tracing the key in his pocket to his flat, where his comms equipment was set up. If they’d managed to break his security codes and followed the signal . . .
Something moved in the corner across the room.
He squinted and nearly fell off the sofa. A boy sat perched on a chair, staring intently at Stefan.
The boy was entirely white. Even his hair. Like the Albine visitors from the base, there was a quiet confidence about him. If it weren’t for his wide grin, Stefan would have assumed the boy was some kind of assassin.
“I knew it was you,” the boy said. “Lady Flare never told me about you, but I snuck into her memories once. She didn’t know I was there, and I saw you. She thinks about you a lot.”
Lady Flare. Was the boy a fellow prisoner? But why were they in what looked like a living room rather than an Empire cell? “You were in the Union,” Stefan croaked, his mind still scrambling to make sense of all this.
“Still am. Well, kind of. We’re going to win the war. Is that why you’re here too?”
He grunted, struggling to sit upright. “It would help if I knew where here was.”
“I’m not supposed to talk to prisoners,” the boy said, ignoring Stefan’s question. “My aunt will be pretty mad. But I figured if you were who I thought you were, you could help us. And we don’t have a few days to wait.”
His aunt? Days? The kid was just rambling now. Stefan ignored the ache in his chest—a side effect of being stunned—and began working his bonds loose. They’d used old-fashioned rope of all things. “You said you knew Lady Flare. Have you seen her?”
“Not since my aunt turned her away. She doesn’t say so, but I think she feels bad.”
Stefan went still, finally realizing what the boy meant. The rope. The sofa. “Your aunt is Er’len.”
“I don’t feel bad at all,” a robotic voice said from the doorway. He turned and was surprised to see a woman. She glared at the Albine boy. “I was protecting lives. Some are harder than others. Where is the guard?”
The kid just grinned back. “Lenny had an emergency, so I volunteered to take his place. This guy is the flicker I told you about.”
Stefan let his bound hands drop into his lap. This had to be Er’len, the resistance leader and aunt. Now he understood. Stefan’s questions had startled the spy, who apparently did have underground connections. She’d been worried enough to have him followed. And since it would look suspicious for one citizen to stun another, the man had worn an Empire enforcement uniform as he’d dragged Stefan away. Nobody would have looked twice.
He hadn’t found the resistance. They’d found him.
“That’s enough,” Er’len’s robotic voice said. “Go do your schoolwork. We’ll discuss this later.”
The boy wore a knowing smile as he left. Stefan wasn’t supposed to speak directly with Er’len, he realized. If it weren’t for the boy drawing her her
e, he’d have been a prisoner for a very long time. This would likely be his only chance to speak directly to the resistance leader. He had to make this count.
Er’len began to close the door behind him, but Stefan spoke up. “Wait. You summoned Ember here, then she disappeared. The boy said you turned her away.”
The door paused just short of closing. Then it swung open again as Er’len slid through and closed it softly behind her. Whatever she had to say, she didn’t want the boy to hear. “You were foolish enough to discuss our cause with a stranger. Do not throw around angry accusations as well. I changed my mind about what she and her so-called revolutionaries can do for us, as is my right and duty.”
Changed her mind? “Do you realize that every Empire soldier in the service is looking for her right now? If she’s captured, it’ll be a huge win for the emperor.”
“She wasn’t worth the risk.”
Worth the risk? If Ember wasn’t, who was? Stefan fixed a stony glare on the woman. “She needed your help. You have no idea what you’ve done. She’s out there all alone now, completely exposed.”
It felt like the woman’s clear eyes bored into his soul. “Actually, she seems to be handling herself quite well. It’s your little army that’s exposed. If I ran my resistance like you run yours, we’d have been exterminated years ago. In fact, were it not for our warning, you’d all be dead right now. So you might speak with a bit more respect.”
Stefan closed his eyes and counted to ten, trying to contain his anger. He couldn’t explode at this woman, not when she held the power to help Ember. And she had warned them about the vanguard. “Look, we need each other. Ember is the only person who can defeat Ruben.”
The woman had little expression, but her lips turned slightly downward. “Not true. Even flares can be killed in the traditional sense. We just need to take him by surprise, then overwhelm him.”
