***
Later, in the dazzling courtyard outside the former King's palace...
The courtyard was teeming with people. They had been at the voting poles all day. Even those who had already voted gathered inside the gates and spilled out into the streets outside to await the results of the election. The atmosphere was festive and charged with excitement.
Petra and Cage stood on either side of Grey as he stood on the steps outside the palace, peering out at the crowd as though he was afraid they would scoop him up and carry him off. Petra held tightly to his hand. She was smiling, but Grey sensed that she was nervous. She'd worked day and night for weeks on his campaign. Soon, they would all discover the fate of Razor City.
A television news reporter stood in front of the podium outside the palace. She was a petite, pretty blonde woman in a hot pink dress. She looked as excited as everyone else seemed to be feeling. The news these days wasn't as thrilling as it used to be. Grey didn't showboat for the camera like Scarlet had. He almost never talked to the media. Now that the King was gone and no longer limiting the media to pro-Scarlet propaganda, they had to come up with their own stories. They were struggling a bit. The campaigns and election had been the most interesting news Razor City had seen since the trials.
If they spent a little more time in the outlands, Grey thought, they'd have plenty of news to report. Anna was still struggling with the residents of Section 5, but things were improving. It was the best they could hope for. At least the street militia seemed to be doing some good. The outlaws were a bit more humble than they used to be. Most of them even tried to keep their heads down most of the time.
The news reporter was speaking to the camera. "The officiators are counting ballots now, and in just a few minutes, the winner of the election for Razor City leader will be announced. This is the first city wide election in the history of Razor City since King Scarlet took control and reigned over the city for a long, bloody decade of terror and oppression. The candidates have run a long, intense race, and now we're facing the moment of truth. The people will finally make their own choice of who they want to lead them into what city officials are claiming to be a new era of peace, security and liberty."
She turned to jab her microphone at Grey. He didn't like speaking in front of cameras, but he'd gotten used to it over the course of the campaign. Cage nudged him forward.
"Prince Dante, do you have anything to tell our viewers before the numbers are in?"
"I'm no longer a Prince. You can just call me Grey."
The reporter smiled. "Yes, we've been hearing the name all over the city. How did you get the name Grey?"
He glanced at Petra. She wasn't paying attention to the interview. She was craning her neck to peer out at the crowd. Her long, pale blonde hair glinted in the sun. She was still as beautiful as the moment she'd leaned over him in that dark alley, but now she was more than that. He smiled. "It's the nickname given to me by a friend when I broke away from my father and decided to join the rebels. It seems appropriate."
He didn't know the reporter's name, but she had a nice smile. It never slipped from her face. "How are you feeling about the election, Grey?"
"I'm feeling good. All the candidates fought a good fight. I would be proud to be led by any of them."
"What are you planning to do if you win today?"
"If I win this election, I will do what I can to continue the changes we've been making in Razor City to make it a safe, happy place to live."
"Will you continue the city council system?"
"Yes. It's the only way to ensure no single person ever has too much power. It's the only way for the people to have a voice and help make the decisions that affect them."
"And it seems to be working. Crime is at its lowest in decades, and the citizens report that they haven't been as content since before the war."
"I'm very happy to hear that."
"How much of that do you think is contributed to your own vision, and how much is from the help of the advisers you like to keep so close?"
Grey laughed. "If you're asking if Cage Spears influences my decisions, he does, and there are many other people who give me help, advice and wisdom when I need it."
"What do you say to the rumors that Cage Spears is the true power behind Razor City?"
Cage stepped in. He was smiling. He almost never smiled, but he looked genuinely amused by this remark. "I can answer that one for myself, Grey." He turned to the reporter. "Grey is his own man. He makes his own decisions. The vision for this city was his. He told it to me when he came to the Uprising and offered his allegiance. He did the work to put it into motion. I offer guidance as a friend when he needs it, but I do not make his choices for him."
The reporter seemed to like this. She smiled radiantly at Cage. She might just have liked him. He'd become popular since his people had helped overthrow an evil overlord. She turned back to Grey. "Have you seen your father since the sentence was passed down?"
"Yes. I visit him regularly."
"Has he forgiven you for helping take down his empire?"
Grey thought about this. "It took time. It is still taking time, but we are repairing our relationship slowly. My father's reign was terrible, but I am trying to learn from his mistakes and avoid them."
"Does he feel remorse for his actions and crimes when he was King?"
"I believe my father has realized that he made mistakes and that he'd become corrupt and greedy. But I also think he has much more to reconcile and many more mistakes to admit to himself. It will be a process, and it will not be easy. My father is a proud and stubborn man. He believes much of what he did was well-intentioned. I think he reached a point at which he did not realize was too far."
"Well, he'll have plenty of time to think about his actions and his crimes."
"Yes. And I will do my best to help as I can."
"There are some people who think there is no help for him."
"I understand feeling that way. But he is still my father. I would like to think there is." He smiled. "I am, of course, extremely biased."
The reporter smiled and turned back to the camera. "There you have it, everybody. Rebel Grey. In just a few minutes, we will find out if he will continue as leader of Razor City. Stay tuned to Razor City News 2 where we will be talking to the other candidates before the final decision is announced." She slashed her hand across her chest to cut the camera. She lowered her microphone and turned back to Grey. "Thanks for the interview. Good luck with the election." She looked around as though she were afraid of being overhead. Then she whispered, "I voted for you."
Grey smiled as she strode away to jab her microphone toward Hansel Graves, who stood nearby in black jeans and a western-style button up shirt. A large, black cowboy hat topped his long, wild blonde hair. He smiled like a Wild West movie star, and he looked as dangerous as the outlaws.
Cage smiled and clapped Grey on the shoulder. "That was good."
Grey sighed. "I hate cameras."
Petra rolled her eyes. "Get used to them. You're the one who wanted to take over the city and make all these newsworthy changes. You have to face the music."
"I really don't think that I wanted to do any of those things."
“What you wanted doesn't matter. You did them.”
Cage gripped Grey's arm. He nodded toward a young man in a blue suit. "I think it's about to happen."
The young man strode toward the sector representatives, who sat at a table set up on the lawn. He whispered in Tru Haven's ear. She nodded and glanced at the others. The young man handed her a piece of paper. She held it out to the other representatives. Danny Chang snatched it from her fingers and rose.
Grey's heart thumped. Petra slid her hand into his and squeezed it soothingly. She smiled at him. He felt a little better. Claire strode up to them. She looked very smart in her black suit. She nodded curtly to them all. "It's time, Grey. The count is in. They're announcing the winner. You have to go up to the podium.
"
"Just another minute?"
She rolled her eyes. "No. Go."
He sighed and glanced at Petra and Cage. "I guess that means it's time."
Petra gave him a little shove. "Go on. Good luck."
He smiled wanly and stepped up to the podium with the other four candidates. They all nodded to each other. They were all smiling, and they all looked extremely confident. Grey felt very small and very young compared to them all, but he lifted his chin and tried to look as cool as they did. He suspected they really all felt as nervous as he did. It helped.
"Good luck, everybody," he said quietly.
Danny Chang marched up to the podium to speak into the microphone. He turned to look back at the candidates. He was grinning, and Grey wondered what that meant. He wasn't sure Danny had even looked at the slip of paper in his hand yet.
"Thank you all for coming today and casting your votes," Danny said brightly. He was a good speaker. The people liked him. "This is a historic occasion. You have all participated in the first ever city wide election in Razor City since the beginning of the great war. You have all listened to the candidates, and you have made your choice." He grinned and opened the slip of paper. There was a breathless silence.
"Razor City's leader for the next three years is..." He paused. The crowd waited. If they waited much longer, Grey thought, someone was going to start a riot. It might be him.
"Dante Scarlet, otherwise known as Grey."
The crowd exploded in cheers. For a moment, Grey looked around at them, stunned. Hansel Graves was the first to shake his hand. "Congratulations, Grey," he said. His voice was a low, gravelly growl. He looked a little disappointed, but he smiled all the same.
The other candidates stepped forward to congratulate him. Marshal Wolf looked a little sour, but he didn't complain. "I'll get you next time, kid," he promised, and then he smiled.
Grey smiled back. "I'll look forward to it."
"At least I still command the Marshals."
"I suppose the people have spoken," Neil Burns said a little coldly.
"I suppose they have," Victor Harrington added. He didn't look pleased. He turned on his heel without another word and strode away from the others. He leaned over to talk to Randall Wiley at the representatives table. They both glared in Grey's direction.
Grey didn't care. As the realization struck him that it was over, that the people wanted him to lead them, exhilaration thrilled through him. He strode toward Petra and Cage. Cage looked a little surprised. He jerked his head toward the podium.
"Go on," Petra ordered, spinning him back around to face the crowd. "They expect you to make a speech."
"I didn't prepare one. I didn't actually expect to win."
"Are you kidding? After everything you've done for this city?"
Cage rolled his eyes. "Go on. You'd better make it good."
Grey sighed, but he stepped up to the podium. His voice was nearly drowned out by the cheers. "Thank you all," he said over the crowd. After several seconds, they quieted to listen to him. "It was a good race, and I would have been proud to concede to any one of the candidates. But I am honored and humbled that you chose me. I promise to continue to work toward the changes in the city. I promise to work with you to solve our problems and make this city what we want it to be. Most of all, I promise to continue to listen to you and continue to be the best leader to you I can be and make this city everything we know it can be."
The people cheered. They probably hadn't even listened to his speech. They were ready to celebrate. They deserved to celebrate. For the first time since the war, they had the sense that they were in control of their own lives. They'd waited long enough.
"Thank you," he repeated, and he ducked away from the flashbulbs and the television cameras.
Petra strode to meet him. She smiled. He sighed in relief. "Was that okay?" he asked.
"Yeah. It was good. How do you feel?"
"Pretty good, actually. To tell the truth, I was a little worried."
"Yeah?"
"I wasn't really sure if losing the post meant I had to give up the palace. I might have to write a provision about that."
Petra laughed. "Is that what you were worried about?"
"Well, there were other things too, and I suppose it wouldn't have been so bad to go back to the mall, but...well, I really like the palace."
Petra smirked. "Yeah, I like it, too. You can have Claire put it on the next meeting agenda."
"So, what do you say? Are you finally ready to leave the compound and move in here with me?"
"Whoa, buddy. I think the power high is going to your head."
He laughed. "I don't think so. Maybe the first couple times I asked, but not this time."
She smiled and looked around at the crowd. Everyone looked happy, even the losing candidates. The terror of Scarlet's reign was over. The city had a chance to rebuild. Everyone was feeling the excitement of a new era. She saw her brother in the crowd, laughing with Key, Beth and Lux. They were celebrating with the others. For the first time since she'd known most of them, they looked genuinely carefree. There was no worry in their faces.
Everyone was going to be okay.
Grey lifted an eyebrow. "So? What do you think?"
Petra looked up at him. His smile was so beautiful, and his eyes were so intensely, stormy grey, her heart skipped a beat. She threaded her fingers with his and smiled back at him. "I'll think about it."
END
Rebel Grey Page 35
