He let his shoulders settle, awed by the sight. The next time he would be up here—if all went according to plan—he’d be on his way to Luna.
“You know what’s really strange to think about?” Kai said, as much to himself as to Thorne. “If Levana hadn’t tried to kill Cinder when she was a kid, I might be engaged to her right now. She would already be queen. We could be plotting an alliance together.”
“Yeah, but she would have been raised on Luna. And from what I can tell, being raised on Luna really messes people up. She wouldn’t be the cuddly cyborg we’ve all come to adore.”
“I know. I could have despised her as much as I despise Levana, though it’s difficult to imagine.”
Thorne nodded, and Kai was relieved he didn’t say something obnoxious as the podship slipped into a bank of clouds. The light around them began to bend and brighten as they entered the first layers of Earth’s atmosphere. The friction made the ship tremble and beads of water slicked back off the view window, but it wasn’t long before they’d broken through. The Pacific Ocean sparkled beneath them.
“I suppose this is all pretty weird for you too,” said Kai. “A wanted criminal, piloting a kidnapped political leader back to the country you first escaped from.”
Thorne snorted. “The weird part is I’m not getting any ransom money out of it. Although, if you’re feeling generous…”
“I’m not.”
Thorne scowled.
“Well, maybe a little. You’re set to serve time in three countries, right? The Commonwealth, America, and Australia?”
“Don’t remind me. One would think the whole unionization thing would mean we could have a little consistency in our judicial systems, but, no, you commit crimes in three different countries and everyone wants to help dole out the punishment.”
Kai pinched his lips, giving himself one last chance to reconsider. He’d only had the idea a few days ago, and his word would be gold once he said it aloud. He didn’t want to set an unfair precedent as his country’s leader, but at the same time—this felt right. And what was the point of being emperor if he couldn’t sometimes do something just because it felt right?
“I might come to regret this,” he said, dragging in a deep breath, “but, Carswell Thorne, I pardon all of your crimes against the Eastern Commonwealth.”
Thorne whipped his focus toward Kai. The podship surged forward and Kai gasped, grabbing hold of his harness.
“Whoops, sorry.” Thorne leveled the ship’s nose and resumed their steady flight. “That was a, uh … an air … doldrum. Thing. But you were saying?”
Kai exhaled. “I’m saying you can consider your time served, for the Commonwealth, at least. If we both survive this, when it’s all over, I’ll make it official. I can’t do anything about the other countries, though, other than put in a good word for you. And to be honest, they’ll probably think I’m crazy. Or suffering from Stockholm syndrome.”
“Oh, you are definitely suffering from Stockholm syndrome, but I won’t hold it against you. So—right. Great. Can I get this in writing?”
“No,” said Kai, watching the podship controls as Thorne had his attention pinned on him again. “And the deal is only valid if we both survive.”
“Mutual survival. Not a problem.” Grinning, Thorne checked their course and made a few adjustments to his flight instruments as Japan appeared on the horizon.
“Also, I have one condition. You have to return everything you stole.”
Thorne’s grin started to fizzle, but he locked his hands around the console and brightened again. “Dream dolls and some surplus uniforms? Done.”
“And?”
“And … and that’s pretty much it. Aces, you make it sound like I’m a kleptomaniac or something.”
Kai cleared his throat. “And the ship. You have to give back the ship.”
Thorne’s knuckles whitened. “But … she’s my ship.”
“No, she belongs to the American Republic. If you want a ship of your own, then you’re going to have to work for it and buy one like everybody else.”
“Hey, Mr. Born-into-Royalty, what do you know about it?” But Thorne’s defensiveness faded as quickly as it had come, ending in a grumpy sulk. “Besides, I did work for it. Thievery isn’t easy, you know.”
“You’re not really arguing with me about this, are you?”
Thorne clenched his eyes shut, and every muscle in Kai’s body tensed, but then Thorne sighed and opened them again. “You don’t get it. The Rampion and I have been through a lot together. I may have stolen her at first, but now it does feel like she belongs to me.”