Chapter 64

My mouth drops. I thought he had simply stopped competing. I didn’t know he’d lost. “How did you beat Balthasar? I heard he was unbeatable.”

“He should’ve been. I thought my ex-boyfriend would beat me for sure, and I was delighted when I won, but I knew in my bones I couldn’t defeat Balthasar. I had learned in fighting Vaughan that to win, I needed to know the person. No one alive knew Balthasar better than Mother. They’d been dear friends for almost eight hundred years. I spent hours talking to Mother about him. Then, I watched Balthasar talk to her. Mother told me a lot, but I discovered something when I watched them together.”

“What?” I’m sitting on the edge of my seat, leaning toward her.

“Balthasar was in love with her. Not admiration, not high regard, not major consideration for her feelings, not respect for a great ruler. He was in love. Once I figured that out, his life choices, and consequently his melodic line, became utterly understandable. If I hadn’t puzzled out something no one else knew, including our Mother, and possibly Balthasar himself, I never could have won that match.”

“What are you saying?”

Alora walks around the desk and takes my hands in hers. “Chancy, you can beat her. But you need to know Judica better than she knows herself, and hating her won’t get you there. You need to understand her. Edam may want to practice today on the flight and that’s fine, but if you’re hearing melodic lines, your most critical preparation will take place in here.” She taps the side of my head.

Footsteps sound near the door. I stand up. “Come in,” I say.

Lark’s head peeks around at us.

I hadn’t contemplated that I’ll have to leave her. If things go badly, I’ll never see her again. “Promise you’ll take care of her,” I whisper to Alora.

“Take care of me?” Lark asks.

Clearly I need to work on my volume levels. “I’m headed back today. Judica’s moving ahead in my absence in ways I can’t allow, so I’m fighting her myself.”

Lark frowns. “I’m coming along.”

“You can’t,” I say. “Mom ordered your execution and we let everyone believe it took place. You must stay here and develop into the asset I know you can be.”

She shakes her head vehemently. “You need me by your side.” She squares her shoulders. “You don’t have that many people you can trust.”

I’m not even sure she’s on that list, but I want her to be, badly. “It’s too risky for you.”

“I don’t care.” She sets her jaw and I know she means it.

All the times I slid my eggs onto her plate, and dragged her along for jogs, and swam with dolphins in the surf, and painted our toenails together slam into my mind like a wave to the face. Surprising, overwhelming, and refreshing. I can’t leave her here alone, not after all we’ve been through. She’d be safer, but life isn’t worth living because it’s safe.

“If that’s what you want,” I say.

“I do,” she says. “I want to be with you.”

“Then you better grab your bags.”

Lark rushes out the door, and I follow her to grab my things. Edam’s waiting outside, and he insists on carrying my stuff. Even if he’s not my Consort, he’s nice to have around. Alora meets us at the door to see us off.

“Do you want me to come with you?” she asks.

I pull her tightly against me. “No. I want you here, safe. Because I don’t know how this will go down, but Judica won’t be happy you supported me. I’m worried enough already.”

“I can take care of myself.” The glint in Alora’s eye is one I’ve never seen, but I believe her. There’s more to my older sister than I realized.

A long, black suburban pulls up behind the black sedan.

“What’s that?” I ask.

“You said the jet we’re taking seats twenty-two,” Frederick says.

“Right,” I say.

“Well, by my count, that leaves enough room for all the guards we came with,” Frederick says. “And I plan to fill every seatbelt. You aren’t heading home alone.”

On the drive over to the plane home, Edam can’t stop talking. Something about the knowledge I’m about to fight Judica has knocked a screw loose in his head.

“Another thing I forgot to mention,” he says, “is that—”

I cut him off in the middle of his fourteenth tip. “Edam.”

His mouth clicks shut.

“I appreciate your desire to help.” I put my hand over his.

“But I’m making you nervous?”

I lean back in my seat and close my eyes. “This fight won’t be won or lost from tips or tricks.” I think about Alora’s words. I need to win it in my head. I need to understand the enigma.

Which means I’m probably going to die.

Edam flips his hand over and wraps it around mine. “You will do it. I believe you can, truly.”

“Do you not trust Alora?” Lark asks. “Is that why we’re taking Noah’s jet?”

I glance up at Bernard and widen my eyes.

Lark splutters.

“Of course I trust Alora,” I say. “I just don’t want to give Judica any more cause to blame her if. . .”

“No,” Edam says. “No talking like that.”

“And we’re sure of Noah?” Lark asks. “Because we don’t know him at all.”

I glare at Lark and Edam.

“What?” Edam protests. “I didn’t even say anything.”

“You thought it,” I say. “I think we can all agree he’s human, and he was genuinely shocked when I told him about evians.”

“I wasn’t there,” Edam says, “so I can’t speak to that. But I don’t trust him. Not a bit.”

“Duly noted.” I refuse to fall back into the tangle of self-doubt over who to trust. It’s quicksand.

“We’re here,” Bernard says.

I’m relieved to be diverted from my deliberations. Even if he’s not coming with us, interacting with Noah is always distracting. I climb out of the sedan and tell Bernard goodbye. When I turn away from the car, Noah’s smiling at me from the doorway of the hangar. My heart lurches at the sight of his grin. I didn’t think I’d see it again.

“Thanks for loaning us your jet,” Edam says.

I’m proud of him for making an effort to be civil.

“Sure, happy to help,” Noah says, “plus a trip to Hawaii is always fun.”

Edam bristles. “You’re not coming.”

“Of course I am,” Noah says. “It’s my jet.”

I shake my head. “You need to get back to school, and where we’re going, it’s not a vacation.”

“No way.” Noah crosses his arms. “I’m coming. It’s my one stipulation to the loan.”

Edam rolls his eyes. “Look kid, I understand you’re upset, but that doesn’t mean you can follow us into a hostile environment. You annoy me, but I don’t want you dead.”

“Why should I care whether evians are there?” Noah asks.

“We’re gods compared to you,” Edam says.

Noah clenches his fists.

Edam lifts one eyebrow casually and the corner of his mouth turns up into a half grin. “Are you trying to look threatening right now, cream puff?”

“Look,” I say, “we’re not trying to be jerks, but—”

Edam interrupts me. “A ten year old evian girl would crush you like a bug.”

“I don’t care, okay? I don’t care how dangerous it is, or whether I’m a lowly, useless dog.”

“Your hearing really is bad. I said a bug, not a dog,” Edam says. “Calling you a dog would be an insult—”

Noah practically spits. ““It’s my jet and that’s my offer. Take me with you or find another way home.”

“Fine.” Edam steps toward Noah and grabs him by the collar of his jacket. “I’ll knock him out and we’ll take his jet anyway.”

Noah’s eyes flash, but he doesn’t back down, even with his feet dangling in the air. I’m almost impressed. It’s easy to be brave when you’re sure to win. It’s harder when you’re about to take an epic beating.

I shake my head. “No.”

Edam throws his hands in the air, dropping Noah in a heap in the process. “Fine. Call Alora. I’m sure she’ll—”

“We will take Noah’s jet, and he will stay on board with his pilot when we land.”

Lark taps my elbow. “Does anyone know we’re coming? Because they shoot down uninvited planes.”

“Not yet.” I call Inara. She picks up after only one ring.

“I hadn’t heard from you since I sent that last video file,” she says. “I was worried.”

“I’m fine,” I say. “In fact, I’m coming home.”

“What?” she asks. “Now?”

“Yes,” I say. “It’s time. Tell Judica I’m not abdicating, and you can go ahead and tell her I’m not naming Edam as my Consort either.”

“I thought not,” Inara says ruefully. “It still might be your best idea. I’ve given it some thought and—”

I cut her off before Edam can hear confirmation that she’s the one who sent the footage. Although he probably guessed. “I’m only calling to ask you to pass a message along. Will you convey something to Judica for me?”

“Something happened,” Inara says. “And you suspect me.”

I close my eyes. “No.”

“What happened? Are you alright?”

I clear my throat. “There was an attack, but I’m fine, and I don’t blame you. Judica has always been a wild card.”

“I’m sorry,” Inara says. “And I’m so glad you’re okay.”

I asked Inara to stay behind for me, but I haven’t spent much time worried about her. “Are you alright?”

“Never mind that,” Inara says. “What can I do?”

“Tell Judica I have the ring.”

“She won’t even consider shooting down the plane with the ring on board,” Inara says. “People don’t give you enough credit.”

“Think you can convince her?”

“Is it true?” Inara asks.

“Of course it is.” Or at least, I know where the ring is. Same thing, sort of.

“She’ll push to fight you as soon as you land,” Inara says. “Be prepared, little one.”

“I’ll try,” I say. “Accept the world as it is.”

“Or do something to change it.”