Hotbloods 5: Traitors

I edged closer to the glass divider, pulling my hood over my face. “You have to get us there. This is a matter of life or death.” It was a little dramatic, but I was desperate.

A panicked expression rippled across the cabbie’s face. “Wait a second, I know what this is! You’re soldiers from Queen Gianne’s court, aren’t you? You’ve been sent to test my loyalty, haven’t you? I’d heard about a few cabbies trying to get out of going to the execution—I knew there’d be a clampdown!”

I realized we only had one option. We’d have to go to the convocation and make our way to Ianthan’s cabin from there. If we said anything to contradict his idea that we’d been sent by Gianne, the cabbie would either abandon us somewhere, or report us to the authorities for asking to be taken somewhere other than the convocation. Plus, if all the transportation was stopping soon, we didn’t have time to find another means of travel.

“Are the gallows grounds closer to Lake Tristitia?” I whispered as I moved back to the farthest seats, where Ronad sat.

He nodded, moving forward to take my place in front of the glass divider. “I see we could not fool you, sir. We have been sent by the queen, to test the loyalty of the nation’s sky-cab captains, after hearing several rumors of dissent in your ranks,” he said, his tone steely with authority. “Already, one of your ilk has been taken into custody, after avoiding last week’s executions. You, however, have passed the test. Indeed, I thought we might have a traitor on our hands—I believe you were about to speak treason against our monarch earlier but restrained yourself at the last moment. Is that right?”

The cabbie looked horrified. “No, not at all! We honor Queen Gianne every evening in our household. I have never spoken a treasonous word against her!” he insisted. I felt sorry for the poor guy, but I could understand why Ronad was trying to frighten him. We needed to make sure he didn’t breathe a word of our presence.

“Relax, you have proven yourself worthy… this time,” Ronad remarked. “I would ask that you do not tell a soul of our meeting today. We must weed out the liars and the traitors, and, to do that, we need full anonymity.”

A glisten of sweat shone on the cabbie’s forehead. “I won’t tell a soul, sir.”

“Good.” Ronad smiled, settling into the back seat with me.

“So, it’s the execution showground you’re after?” the cabbie asked, his voice trembling. I cast Ronad a guilty look. I didn’t like scaring people like this.

Ronad nodded. “Yes, if you’d be so kind.”

As the cab flew through the sky, I watched the landscape rush by below us through a clear floor. Music echoed from tinny speakers, playing a classical tune. I didn’t recognize any of the instruments, but the sound was pleasant enough.

“You know, I thought you two looked strange!” the cabbie shouted back to us. “I guess it makes sense that Queen Gianne would send spies that nobody would suspect, right?”

“That is generally the point of a spy,” Ronad said derisively, gaining another disapproving look from me. He shrugged, grinning, evidently relishing the opportunity to do a little roleplay.

“Of course. Sorry,” the cabbie murmured. “Hey, since you two work for the queen, the ride’s on me! No need to pay.”

I shook my head, still feeling guilty. “No, it’s fine. We’ll pay our way.”

“I’m going there anyway! Honestly, the ride is on me. Your credits are no good here.”

“Let the kind man make this gesture if he wants to,” Ronad chided playfully, elbowing me in the ribs. I didn’t feel comfortable letting the cabbie do that, after the heart-attack-inducing ruse we’d just put him through, but it was better not to argue.

We traveled the rest of the way in relative silence. The journey took just over twenty minutes. Although it hadn’t been clear in the live recording we’d watched the previous week, I’d expected the executions to take place somewhere on the palace grounds, but I was wrong. The cab descended toward a horde of people, the enormous crowd stretching out in front of the mountain range that surrounded Regium. I could see the gallows set up in the shadow of the mountain, though colorful tapestries bearing the giant G of Gianne’s emblem, emblazoned in red and black, covered the rockface.

Nearly all of Southern Vysanthe had gathered on the plains outside Regium, awaiting their queen’s violent justice. There were people as far as the eye could see.

“Where’s best for you?” the cabbie asked.

“By the last of those stands over there,” Ronad instructed.

I glanced over his shoulder to see out the window. There, at the farthest edge of the crowds and the gallows plinth, were six hastily constructed towers of wood and fabric. People sat on benches at the top of each one, watching from their superior viewpoint, while the groundlings remained on the grass below, crushed together.

“It’s too close,” I whispered nervously.

“It’s nearest to where we need to be,” Ronad assured me.

“What if someone spots us?”

He grimaced. “We just need to blend in with the crowd and make our escape. There are so many tents and vehicles next to the tower that nobody will even notice two people making a run for it.”

A few minutes later, we touched down beside the last wooden tower in the row and got out, pulling our hoods closer to our faces. I was standing on the opposite side of the cab from Ronad, waiting for him to stop talking with the cabbie, when the crowd beside me suddenly surged forward. It felt like every bad, cramped, sweaty show I’d ever been to. The air was forced out of my lungs by people pushing from behind. Someone had appeared on the gallows stage, and they were apparently eager to see if it was their queen. I was dragged along on the tide of the crowd’s enthusiasm, unable to struggle my way back to Ronad. I could see him looking around, his eyes panicked, but I couldn’t reach him.

“Over here!” I shouted, praying it didn’t get me noticed. I shouldn’t have worried. The words got carried away on the roar of everyone else’s voices, my cry lost in the wind.

Once it became clear that the person on stage was just a technician, the crowd eased off. But it was too late. The cab had gone, and Ronad was nowhere to be seen.

Keeping my hood up, I forced my way back to the crowd’s edge, only to bump into a metal barrier that had probably been put up to control the throngs of people. Glancing back, I could see the gap in the fence, where I’d managed to get dragged along, but that was way behind me now, through a dense swarm of people.

I cursed under my breath, wondering how easy it would be to vault the barrier. Even if I managed it, I was pretty sure it would draw unwanted attention. I glanced back again, trying to judge the distance between me and the barrier gap, when a flash of red caught my attention. A figure emerged from behind one of the towers, dressed in bright scarlet robes that billowed in the icy wind. The sight made my blood run cold.

Aurelius had appeared from the shadows, and he was coming straight at me.

He made his way down the side of the barrier. Half my body was already hanging over the top of the fence, but optimism prompted me to duck back into the crowd, hoping he hadn’t seen me. I would’ve believed it was possible, if his eyes hadn’t been fixed on me. I tried to weave through the people beside me, wanting to get deeper into the crowd, but they all stood too close together, boxing me in.

In a matter of seconds, he was going to come to a halt next to me and demand I be hauled from the crowd. I could feel his wrath building behind me. After all, the last time I’d seen him, he’d just taken a beating from Navan.

I turned my face away as a rustle of scarlet whispered in my ears. I braced for the punishment that was about to come… but it never did. Aurelius passed right by me, his mouth set in a grim line of determination.