Chapter 29

Consequences

Jan Li hadn't spoken to me in two full hours.

A week ago, I would have loved to have her give me the silent treatment if it meant I got a reprieve from her passive aggressive insults… but now, my stomach churned with guilt and anxiety.

Yue and the twins tried to fill the awkward silence with light chatter, but her sky-blue eyes flicked over to me every so often, reminding me that I would have some explaining to do once we were somewhere private.

"… and Izumi did this backflip thing right over my head and hurled the ball so hard, it broke the hoop!"

"That guy is such a show-off."

"You have no idea! Try being related to the guy, am I right Kai?" Yue's smile was just a teeny bit forced as she turned to me.

"Hm? Oh, uh, yeah."

Eloquent response, Kairo. You're a master of words. Well-done.

Yue didn't push the issue. Ever the natural leader, she guided our little band through the busy streets toward a building hidden behind a gorgeous stone archway and gate. She inserted an ornate key into the lock and pushed open the gate to usher us in. Beyond the gate was a quaint little garden, complete with a small pond and a family of turtle ducks. It reminded me of my own courtyard in the palace.

A wave of homesickness washed over me.

"Head inside for some fresh lemonade!" Yue called to the group as she placed a hand on my shoulder. "I want to show my cousin something out here!"

Jan li stormed up the stairs and into the building without a second glance back at me. The twins, oblivious to the awkward tension, raced after her, placing bets on what kinds of snacks they would find inside, as the innkeeper replaced them every day.

Dreading the oncoming conversation, I let out a sigh.

Yue placed her other hand on my other shoulder and turned me to face her. I looked up into her kind face. "You know that I love you cousin, but you really messed up this time."

My eyes stung. I swallowed. "I know."

"The entire family is going crazy with worry about you. Did you know that my father has his entire fleet of messenger hawks flying around 24/7 delivering information about where you might be? After he received news about the rebellion camp being burned down, we thought you might be dead. Dead, Kairo. And then there's this whole business with your grandfather's murder—"

"Hang on, his what?!"

Yue frowned. "You haven't heard? Ozai was found murdered in his prison cell yesterday. I know they've been trying to keep it under wraps, but news like that gets around quickly…"

Dazed, I murmured, "I've been traveling and haven't had much opportunity to hear the gossip. Do we know who might've done it?"

Yue's expression darkened. "No, at least, not that I know of. There's been a lot of strange things happening lately, Kairo. Trouble has been stirring in the New Republic, a rebel camp was burned down, Ozai was killed, and you went missing and your parents took off to come find you."

Guilt gnawed at my gut. "My parents?"

She rolled her eyes. "Well, duh, Kairo! They left the moment they realized you'd gone missing. Everyone's been saying you were kidnapped by the rebellion as part of this grand conspiracy."

"But I wasn't kidnapped!" I objected.

"How were we supposed to know that?! You didn't even leave a note!"

My cheeks warmed. "Ah, well… yeah, I probably should have—"

"You probably should have stayed home where you belonged and thought about the consequences of your actions," she thundered. I took a surprised step back and her arms fell away from my shoulders. She rubbed a hand over her eyes. I had never seen Yue so angry. In fact, I don't think I'd ever seen her angry at all. My stomach rolled with yet another wave of guilt. She sighed.

"I'm sure you didn't mean any harm, Kairo, but your little impromptu adventure with the Rebellion was selfish and stupid. Now I'm going to send our family a message to let them know that you're okay, and then we're going to the New Republic to meet my father so he can send you home."

I hung my head, nodding a little and swallowing. I didn't look up until I heard the sounds of her footsteps fading and the door to the inn sliding open, then closed again as Yue entered the building.

Shame and regret brought tears of frustration to my eyes. I was so desperate for an adventure, for a feeling of freedom and control over my own life that I took selfish risks and made so many people worry about me. It wasn't fair to the ones I loved. I was stupid and immature. In trying to escape that feeling of being a burden, I became an even greater one.

"Kairo, you're an idiot," I whispered to myself.

"Well, I see we finally agree on something."

My head snapped up and I hastily wiped the tears from my eyes. Jan Li was leaning against the wall of the inn, glaring down at me with folded arms. The black cat rubbed its back against her legs, its evil green eyes staring me down with disgust.

"Jan Li, I know you're mad at me, but can you just…" I sighed. "Can we do this later?"

"No, Your Highness, we can't." She pushed away from the wall and walked over to me. "I told your cousin to send a message to Auden to let them know we're heading to the New Republic. Hopefully, they can meet me there and we can get some answers about the attack on the Rebellion camp—which is the whole reason I left with you in the first place, in case you forgot—and then we can get as far away from you as possible."

Actually, I had forgotten, but give me a break, I had a lot on my mind.

"I'm sorry I lied to you."

She scoffed.

"You don't have to believe me," I muttered, "but it's true. I knew you would hate me if you knew who I really was, but I shouldn't have—"

"No, Ira. You shouldn't have done a lot of things. You shouldn't have left home to satisfy your curiosity about us lowly rebels. You shouldn't have led us on and made us think you were our friend. You shouldn't have done a lot of things… but what you should have done is told me the truth before I decided to follow you."

"Would you have come with me if I did?" I asked in a quiet voice.

Her face became smooth and cold as marble. "I guess we'll never know." She turned on her heel and gracefully glided into the inn.

A baleful meow at my feet tore my gaze from the door. I looked down to see that horrible cat flicking its horrible tail as it watched my suffering with a satisfied expression.

"Oh, bite me," I murmured.

And it did.