“You’re next in line,” I whispered. “And the Prime Minister has complete power now.”
His frown returned, and though he fiddled with my crutches, he nodded slowly. I reached out to steady myself against the wall.
“The first chance we get, we’re going to kill him.”
Both he and Lila looked at me sharply, but neither had the chance to reply. “Do keep up,” called Daxton from in front of the elevator, and Greyson handed me my crutches. I tested them gingerly. They were taller now, and they did fit a bit better.
The guards circled back around to escort us to the waiting elevator, and as we all piled inside, I used the mirrors to meet Greyson’s and Lila’s eyes. It was up to us now. All we had to do was find a way to kill the most powerful man in the country, and we would win this war for good.
VIII
Oasis of Sand
Lunch was an uncomfortably awkward affair. Daxton insisted on sitting next to me, and he continued to fill my plate with duck, potatoes, salad—every time I took so much as a single bite, he would replace it with another serving.
“You really are too thin, my darling,” he said. “I would hate for anyone to think you’ve been mistreated.”
So I’d been right; that was the reason he’d had me fixed up and made over after all. “What are you going to have me do?” I said, pushing a piece of potato around my plate. I would have taken the rotting food in Elsewhere over this any day if it meant I didn’t have to sit next to him.
“Oh, you know. Nothing too strenuous. You have, after all, had a difficult few days.” He served himself another piece of duck. “You’ll be addressing the people after dinner tonight. Showing them that you’re alive and safe—you know, the usual.”
He wanted me to negate any sympathy Knox’s announcement had created. It was the first smart move he’d made in ages. “What do I get in return?”
“What would you like?” he said jovially. I glanced at Greyson and Lila across the table. Neither had said a word to me, but they had whispered back and forth to one another a few times. Apparently this wasn’t unusual, because Daxton didn’t seem to mind.
“You only need one mouthpiece, right?” I said. “And the people might love Lila, but I’m the one who’s been working with the Blackcoats. With all these—claims about who you are, Lila’s word won’t mean much. But mine, since I’m the one who accused you to begin with—mine is gold.”
“You want me to release Lila,” he said, taking a bite and chewing slowly as he watched me.
“I want you to release Lila and Greyson,” I corrected. “Do that, and I’ll say anything you want.”
“No,” said Greyson, his voice barely above a whisper, but his tone unshakable. He set his fork down. “Lila and I will continue to cooperate if and only if you release Kitty. She’s injured, she’ll have no chance to make it backto Elsewhere, and the Blackcoats are on the brink of starvation. She’ll pose no threat to you.”
I gaped at him. “Greyson—”
“This isn’t a negotiation,” he said to me, and then he looked back at Daxton. “What will it be?”
I stared at the pair of them, my gut twisting with the need to inform them just how important it was that they escape as soon as possible. Daxton wouldn’t let me go, not when I would undoubtedly return to the Blackcoats the first chance I got and report to the world what I had witnessed in the meeting room with the Ministers of the Union. Greyson’s and Lila’s silence could be bought. Greyson had never been much of a fighter, and Lila would never return to the Blackcoats. I didn’t blame her. She’d already risked her life enough.
But my life—my purpose—was tied to this war. And I was determined to keep my word; the first chance I had, I would kill Daxton. I couldn’t do that while they were in the Stronghold with me, not when my failure would inevitablymean their deaths. But as soon as I was alone with him, he wouldn’t be able to use Greyson and Lila against me. And as much as I wanted to survive to see the end of this war and the Blackcoats’ success, that would never happenwhile he lived.
It was a risk I was willing to take.
They had to know that. They had to understand. But rather than meet my eyes, Greyson stared steadily at Daxton, and in an instant I knew he understood what I was trying to do. And that was why he was making his bargain.
“Interesting.” Daxton looked back and forth between us, the tines of his fork tapping against his plate. “You want to protect them, and they want to protect you. It’s sweet, in a way. We really are one big happy family, aren’twe?”