A/N- Over the past week I've finally found the motivation that I had before my surgery! I'm trying to get back on schedule, so there will be another chapter next Friday and then every 2 weeks. Thanks for sticking with me! Bethany x

Chapter 24

Tris POV

"Nothing at all?"

Christina shakes her head, "We're going to need a lot more time."

I shoulder the unnecessary disappointment. Why would Eric's advisors let their walls down so soon?

We round the corner, and start walking down another identical street. Large steel buildings line car filled roads. It's not for everyone, and definitely not me.

"How about your chat with Eric this morning?" Christina asks to my left.

I shake my head, "Not much- but there is a ball happening this Saturday. Eric asked me to be his date." The words feel wrong to say, knowing I've happily agreed to it.

"What do you think Four's going to say?" Mar asks.

"Who knows if he'll even be there." Christina responds.

If he does show up, what will he think? I can't exactly tell him what I'm up to at the ball- not with Eric most likely stuck to my side.

"For this to be believable," I say, keeping my voice low, "Four and the others are going to have to think I'm with Erudite."

From the corner of my eye, I watch Christina glance over to Marlene, looking concerned. I don't bother asking what it means; I know they're not 100% with the plan.

"Have you talked to Cara about Will?" I ask Christina instead of bringing up their glance.

A sheepish look takes over her face, "What about Will?"

Mar laughs, "Don't play dumb with us."

I grin, watching colour seep into her brown cheeks, "Every time I see the boy, you're glued to his side! You can't expect us to not think there's anything going on?"

Her shoulders lower and she groans, "I don't know. I mean, I like him- which I think is obvious! But I can't help but think that he just sees us as friends. He's made no move on me."

She comes to a stop in front of an apparel shop. Mar and I stop as well, watching her admire the clothing.

I turn to Marlene, knowing her opinion will be the most valuable. "You're with him the most out of the three of us, Mar. What do you think?"

She smiles warmly at her. "It doesn't take an expert to read the way he looks at you, Christina. He's probably just nervous. This has to be the first time he's felt this way."

Christina doesn't turn around, but nods her head gently.

"Chris," I begin, "you're obviously the more confident one out of the two of you; why don't you make the first move?"

She straightens then, seeming to have come to a conclusion. "You're right." Turning back around, she looks at me, "It's not going to move anywhere if I don't push it." We continue walking, smiling politely at the insistent bowing and curtseying from the public. "It's just a shame I can't do it now."

Guilt begins to sit heavy in my stomach. They're only here because I, as their Princess, have asked them to join me. I wonder what they would have said to that request, if I was just a friend to them.

But I need to remind myself that this is about them, also. This could affect all of us. The powers in the stones are dangerous. The stones falling into the wrong hands- myself falling into the wrong hands could be catastrophic. I need to stay vigilant.

I push the possibility of being under Athurs thumb out of my mind knowing it'll send me down a spiral. "I think Cara is your next best target." I say to Christina instead. My worries can wait. "Having Will as common ground is going to be your in. Mar, I want you to stick with Ferdinand." I think for a second, then backtrack. "Try and see the hierarchy between the three," I focus on Marlene, "If Matthew is high, then move onto him."

The girls nod. I have no doubt that they'll be able to squeeze out some useful information.

We fall into a comfortable chatter, the girls mostly talking about the upcoming ball. I try to join in, but the looming unknown dampens my mood.

I've always enjoyed how balls broke up our monotonous routine; the party going on well into the morning, an excuse to let go for the night. It's disappointing that I don't feel the same excitement that I used to. For a moment, I let the homesickness seep in. It's bittersweet thinking of my life before. I feel worse knowing that I wouldn't go back to it.

"Bea?" Chris asks tightly. I stop walking, and see a car pulling up to the side of us. It's the only black car out of a sea of blue.

The back window goes down, revealing Eric."You're needed at the headquarters." He seems agitated, his eyes flickering down to something I can't see.

"Arthur sent you?" I question.

He nods, then I hear the locks disengage. "Get in."

"Some manners would go miles," Christina mumbles under her breath.

I look at Christina and Marlene, "Carry on with your search. We'll reconvene this evening."

They get the gist, then continue their walk down the road. I get in, and as soon as the door's closed, the car heads off.

"What's with you being Arthur's messenger? Doesn't seem like something the Prince of Erudite should be doing." He faces away from me, looking out the tinted window. I don't bother waiting for a response, knowing I wont get one. "Well, do you know why I'm being summoned?"

He shakes his head apprehensively, then looks over to me, "Jeanine just said I had to get you, then we'd meet them up in Arthur's office."

So they want to speak to both of us.

"What's with Jeanine bossing you around? Aren't you supposed to be the boss?" From my experience back home, and when I visited Dauntless with Four, the older generation are still respected and working in their government, but it's the young Prince's team who make the end decisions.

"She's a valuable asset to Erudite. Irreplaceable. She should be listened to."

I feel myself cringe. The way Eric talks about the older woman is uncomfortable to listen to. I know she's gotten into his head, and I wanted to open his eyes to it. But is it even possible now? Would it set back what I'm hoping to achieve?

"Look," I say blankly, not able to keep my thoughts to myself, "I just think she holds too much power. Arthur too. I'm all for using people for their sharp minds, but they should be answering to you." Do I think Eric would make a good leader? I'm not sure. But I do know he'd be less of a liability than Arthur. "How is this allowed anyway? How's your uncle getting away with governing Erudite?"

"He's not getting away with anything." He cuts in sharply. His eyes ablaze with misplaced anger. "He's what Erudite needs. I'll take on the role when I'm ready."

I resist the urge to roll my eyes. How blind is he? He's never going to be ready, because Arthur is never going to let his sliver of control go.

We spend the rest of the car ride in silence. Seemed like I hit a nerve. He's only upset because he knows I'm right.

By the time we get to the office door, Eric's moodiness has been replaced with unease. "Don't say anything stupid- and keep those opinions to yourself."

"I'm not thick." I shoot back, then push my way through the door.

Eric makes some sort of exclamation behind me, but I'm already in the room. Arthur and Jeanine, standing next to the wall of windows, turn at my entrance.

I take a deep breath in, pushing down my creeping nerves. "You called?"

Four's POV

"Who do you think this person is?" Zeke keeps his voice low, his eyes trained on the rag tag group leading us through the forest.

"Which one?" The older woman leading the group had mentioned another woman, someone who would be pleased to see us unharmed.

"The mysterious one," he points to their leader, "she's obviously just one of this woman's lackeys."

Uriah's head pops in between Zeke and mine. "I bet she's trying to take down the factions."

I look over my shoulder, sceptical of his analogy. "Why'd you think that?"

"Well what else would they want?" He replies back. "A bunch of people not affiliated with any faction, living secluded from their country, unable to fit in-"

He retreats back quickly. My eyes fly to him, and see him doubled over. Zeke grabs him just as I put a hand on his chin, pulling his face to mine. "Uri?" Zeke gasps.

My eye catches the guard to Uri's right, putting something in a holster. Uri groans in response, carrying on to breath heavily. I move past Zeke, grabbing the stubby man by the throat, pinning him against a nearby tree.

I grab his weapon out of his holster, and can feel it's a baton. I pull it back, and see the colour drain out of his tanned face. A harsh laugh leaves my lips, "Not so hard now, are we?"

"That's enough, Tobias."

I drop the man immediately, turning around with the baton still firmly in my hand. "Stop calling me that."

She smiles, cocking her head. "That is your name, isn't it?"

My eyes thin as I glare at her, "You know that's not how Dauntless work."

"I'm not Dauntless, Tobias." She turns around, walking back to the front of the group before I can reply. "I don't want either of the groups touching each other, that's an order." Her sharp gaze meets mine again. "And I mean both groups. Just because I said she would be glad to see you unharmed, doesn't mean she wouldn't understand the necessity of it."

She begins moving again, and many follow, including most of my lot. I watch as they drag a still unconscious Bud across the forest floor.

The man behind tugs on the weapon I'm holding.

"You've got some balls on you, kid." Before he replies, I easily yank the baton away from him, and backhand it against his cheek. He falls effortlessly, slamming against the ground.

I stroll back to the group, swinging the baton in stride.

Lauren looks over her shoulder as I come up behind her. Her gaze moves to the lump of fat melting on the floor. "You're going to get us in trouble."

I grin, "I don't know what you're talking about."

We walk for an hour or so. I try to hold on to the landscape as we pass, hoping I may be able to figure out a way back. It's pretty useless, with the forest looking awfully similar all the way. We passed no streams, no old ruins, no hills, nothing but maitine pines.

Lynn, a few feet in front of me, pulls on her sister's sleeve. "Do you see that?" She points ahead. I squint, trying to make out what's in the near distance.

I can only make out that it doesn't look natural. Too many squares.

"A town?" Shauna questions.

As we get closer, it becomes more clear that it's a small village that we're heading to.

"When did they build this?" I hear Zeke say incredulously.

It's an impressive dwelling. Surrounded by the unused forest, it's the perfect place to lie low.

"Molly." The older woman projects down the line. The girl steps out from the group. "Take our guests to their accommodation." She grabs an old looking phone out of her pocket, "Tobias, you're with me." Molly nods, then heads left. No one else moves.

A sigh leaves the older woman's lips. "Tobias, tell your friends to comply."

I just see her pointer finger flick, then in succession her posse reaches for their hips.

"Do what they say," I say under my breath, "until I come for you."

I give the baton to Will as I pass him, walking towards the occupied woman. She looks up from her phone, then smiles when she sees me. "Come, she's growing impatient."

"Who are you on about?" I ask as we walk into the village. People in a variety of clothing stare from their badly built houses as we pass by. It's so isolated out here, I wonder if they even know who I am.

"She wants to introduce herself."

Of course. "What about your name?" I concede.

"Theresa." She says flatly. We round a corner, coming onto what seems to be a better built street. "We build from the centre out," she says out of nowhere, "supplies start to become scarce the further out you get."

I look around the town as we walk. How are they surviving? Progressing? "Where do you get your supplies from? Building materials?"

We manoeuvre around what looks like a town square. It's busy, with stalls set up, selling an array of items.

A few people notice our passing smile and wave at Theresa. She gives a curt nod of her head back, but keeps moving.

"Your factions supply us with what we need."

"No we don't." I shoot back quickly. I think I'd know if stone and wood was being brought out here.

She shrugs, "Believe what you want. But just know your defences aren't what they used to be." How have I missed materials being unaccounted for?

We come to a stop outside what seems to be the largest building in the town. In comparison to buildings around the country, it's quite small. With a thatched roof and wooden supports, it's basic.

Theresa doesn't stop, opening the door and making her way inside. I don't follow her in, second guessing my decision to follow her. I'm about to go into a building that I don't know the layout of. How stupid can I get?

The older woman, seeing I'm not following, looks at me impatiently from the doorway. "I haven't got all day, Tobias."

I ignore the urge to smack that name out of her mouth. Instead, I frown. "You really think I'm going to follow you in there?"

"I had hoped you wouldn't be so stubborn."

"It's more of a survival tactic."

She smiles. It doesn't reach her eyes. "Oh the joys they teach you in Dauntless." She takes a step out of the doorway, and I involuntarily take a step back. "Don't make this hard on yourself."

I don't reply. She lifts a hand, and behind me I hear footsteps approaching. I'm just about to turn to defend myself, when someone else pops up from the doorway.

"I don't think that'll be necessary, Tessa." A sweet voice says. A head of brown curly hair appears from behind Theresa, coming to stand next to the older woman.

A sense of familiarity hits me like a ton of bricks. The girl smiles at me, and it's almost like looking at some long lost sister. "It's great to finally meet you, Tobias." She extends a slender hand. "I think we'd call ourselves cousins."

Tris POV

The room is cold, the lighting harsh. You'd think in the middle of the day, there would be some semblance of sunlight; but it seems that every Erudite building I've been in has been North facing.

I feel Eric come up behind me as Arthur and Jeanine continue to look at me. I watch Arthur's eyes travel down my body, and I squeeze my fists together to try and keep the shiver at bay. "You didn't appreciate the gift?"

My hand travels to my chest, even though I know the diamond lies there and not the illegal sapphire. I force out a shrug. "It's a risk to wear."

He moves from the window, leaning his hip against one of the office chairs. "Those rules will soon mean nothing," he motions to the table, "come, sit."

Eric moves almost immediately. He puts enough pressure on my back to get me moving with him. We take a seat on the side of the oval table, and surprisingly, Arthur sits opposite. Jeanine lingers by the window, a stack of paper in her hands.

"I hope you have at least stored it somewhere safe."

"Of course." I reply swiftly, finding it easy to lie to him.

He leans back into his chair, "Now, let's talk about repayment."

I almost laugh. "Repayment? For a gift I didn't ask for?" The words spill out of my mouth before I think.

"But it is in your possession now," he counteracts, "and I don't see you releasing it back to me."

I open my mouth, but no response comes out. Eric sits next to me, passive as ever. "What do you want?"

Jeanine comes up behind Arthur, passing him a few pages from her pile. He places them on the table, then pushes them to me. "We have reason to believe an item from our collection has been found." I look down at the first sheet. It's a picture of that old journal. "It's been missing for as long as I can remember."

I nod along, smiling tightly. "We'll, it's good it's been found." Eric slides the page towards him slowly. Underneath, I see a picture of the back of a woman, holding some book.

"Annoyingly," he carries on, "some unauthorised village in the middle of the country has stolen it."

I bring the picture closer to me. The girl's mass of curly hair bounces off of her cherry red top. Moving down, I see that she's wearing some black cargos.

"This isn't a faction village." I state.

"No," he agrees, "It's not."

Jeanine, for the first time since we walked in here, speaks. "The longer that book is in factionless hands, the more danger it puts us in." She talks flatly, her dull eyes boring into mine.

I look back to Arthur. Jeanine's alien stare freaks me out more than his. "And how are you going to get it back?" What's so important about this book? If it was the same one that was stolen from Bud and Tori's studio, then I don't know why they want it so badly. Wasn't it just basic knowledge about the stones?

He smiles then. "That's where your repayment comes in."

I scrunch my brows together. "You want me to get it?" He nods like I'm stating the obvious. I flick my eyes to Jeanine, and see that blank look on her face again. "What makes you think I'll be any good at retrieving it?"

He laughs, though I don't know what was funny. He leans forward, his arm reaching for my chest. I move back immediately, and watch his arm linger in the air. He pulls it back slowly, the air seeming to vibrate with his shifting mood. "You don't think I know about those powers the gems give you?"

From the corner of my eye, I see Eric's head snap to me. I don't look at him, not wanting to take my eyes off his disturbing uncle.

"Silence won't get you anywhere, Beatrice."

If I do this, I would be closer to finding Tori. I also may be able to find out what's so special about this journal. And, in the end, I don't have to give it to him.

"I won't do this for you without you doing something for me."

"Tris…" Eric warns under his breath.

"I don't do negotiations." Arthur gets up from his chair, moving to the bar cart by the door. He pours what looks like whisky into a glass, then takes a sip. "But you know what?" He tips his glass towards me. "Just because you had the guts to ask, I'll keep your ladies in waiting with me, here."

Eric's hand goes to my forearm, but I'm already out of my seat. "You can't do that."

He innocently looks at me. "I can't?" He downs the rest of his drink, moving back to the table. "Odd. Because I already have them in my custody."

My hands form fists at my sides. There's no way I'll be able to get Christina and Marlene out of here by myself. "And you need them here because…?"

"To keep you in check. I don't want you running off with that journal." Motioning to Jeanine, she heads out of the door. The room feels even heavier without her presence, like being left alone with a rabid dog. "You'll retrieve the journal, then you'll return to the castle on the day of the ball and give it to me."

That's less than six days to find a way to retrieve this book. Christina and Mar will be able to look after themselves for the next few days, I have no doubt. But he's using their lives as leverage. There's no way to not give him what he wants.

I look at him blankly. "What makes you think I care for the two girls?"

"Don't underestimate my power of surveillance, Beatrice."

I shake my head. "It's risky of you, putting such an important document in the hands of someone you don't know." I grab the papers from the table, absentmindedly flicking through them. Where would I even begin in trying to get this journal? Is it right to risk the country's stability by giving Arthur this power to save my friends?

"It's a risk I'm more than willing to take." His eyes, for the first time this meeting, turn to his eldest nephew. Eric freezes. It's difficult to not roll my eyes. "Eric's going to accompany you."

"I-I am?" Eric stutters.

Arthur nods, seeming sure in his decision. "I trust you enough to keep her under control." His eyes stay on Eric. Heat pools into my limbs, anger pouring into my veins. "If you can complete this task, Eric, I'm sure you'll be fit enough to take control of the faction."

I can almost hear Eric's heart beating out of his chest. "Really?"

Arthur shrugs, "I'll soon have no use for it."

No use for Erudite?

He looks past us, at the clock on the wall. "You've wasted enough of my time. Jeanine is waiting for you downstairs with your instructions." He motions to the door, and Eric's out of his seat, pulling me out of the door. "Don't let me down, Nephew." Eric looks back to his uncle one last time, nodding curtly.

Soon, we're in the elevator and my mind is whirling. There's no way out of this.