It was surprisingly easy to write this chapter despite it being the turning point of the whole story. Almost all the characters are introduced in this chapter. I think I'll enjoy writing the next chapter as well. The first date. *squeal* Tensions are building up and things are about to get a little bit interesting...
Cinder watched with something akin to malicious amusement as the Luna council shifted miserably before their respective netscreens. Three Kin and three Conscripts. The Kin were the patriarchs, or occasionally, in the case of Medora, the matriarchs of the most preeminent and powerful founding colonist families of Luna. The Rosewaters, the Blackcrests, and the Sablewoods.
Cinder, herself, was a Rosewater.
Distantly.
Unfortunately, so was Medora. Officially, Cinder was a Blackburn, part of the royal family, but the Blackburns and Rosewaters have intermarried for years. Fortunately, Medora had no son, therefore, no pressure on her part to marry a far-flung royal cousin. A blessing in itself. Cinder shuddered to think on the ramifications of having a relative, to matter how distant, as her husband.
The Rosewaters clan was customarily the most influential of all three families. They were all high ranking officials and, being wealthy, the most well educated. Groomed to be the best of the best. Seats in the council were hereditary for the Kin so their sons and daughters sat in on the council meetings. All three of them were about Cinder's age. She wondered if it was a coincidence or if all the Kin had ulterior motives. Cinder wouldn't be surprised if that were the case.
She had always felt safer with the Conscripts. These were the elected chairs in the council. They looked more to the wellbeing of the general populace than anything else. Scarlet was one of them. Celesta and Walter, the elected brother and sister duo, sat poised before their netscreens calmly without an outward display of disgust. They both had more modern views toward Lunar stereotypes than the Kin to Cinder's relief. She wouldn't know what to do if they all reacted like vampires to sun at the mere suggestion of a reflective surface or vidlink.
And that made the six people in the council, plus Cinder. A government of seven. Not counting those sitting in the meeting. Wolf, Cress, Thorne and the Kin's scions, Reece Blackcrest, Sage Sablewood and Tessa Rosewater.
Cinder had borrowed Kai's world conferencing room to stage her own council session. It was the least he could do after taking a bunch of problems and plopping them on her lap. She was supposed to be on vacation! After yesterday's assault, he had taken her aside to ask her on a date, which was scheduled for this evening. He couldn't have worse timing. Cinder asked the police to keep the situation under wraps and they agreed, albeit reluctantly. She doubted even Kai knew what had happened. Cinder had wanted the next few days to figure out what to do and investigate, but this came up.
Kai had seemed properly admonished though, biting his lip and knocking back and forth on his heels like a lost puppy. The whole time he was asking her, Kai was staring at the floor avoiding her disapproving glare. Maybe Scarlet was right but Cinder wouldn't forgive him so easily. She'll make him sweat a little. Cinder didn't know how she felt about the whole pretending to date thing. Of course Cress was positively gleeful, shooting her knowing looks and fluttering her eyelashes behind Kai's back whenever he came around. Her thaumaturge was convinced she and Kai were perfect for each other. Cinder, however, had more than a few doubts.
Cress spent most of the morning stripping the world conference room for bugs and other surveillance of listening devices that would endanger their privacy during the meeting. Of course, it took twice as long as it should have to debug the conference room with Thorne up and about, distracting Cress from her work. She giggled constantly, stealing kisses, when she and Thorne thought the others were looking away. Unfortunately, Cinder and Scarlet were all witnesses to more than one heat-inducing smooch. When Scarlet could take it no longer and the couple seemed to be immune to Cinder's pointed coughs, Scarlet threw pencils at them until they stopped.
After a small breakfast, they all trooped to the airstrip to send Danto off. Surprising efficient, he had finished negotiations with Kai yesterday night. Cinder granted Reece permission to stay to attend the Luna council meeting with her. After all, he was a scion and Cinder rather not displease his father, Darius Blackcrest. She shivered. He was a dangerous man to cross, even with her position as queen.
Cinder sat gingerly in Kai's usual seat, pausing to drape her loose-fitting cream dress over her legs. She was still sore from yesterday's exertion. Cinder knew she should have trained more with Wolf and Scarlet. She had been lazy for the past few months and too busy to add exercise into her congested schedule. Cinder made a note to ask Wolf for more drills.
But her discomfort wasn't all because of the attack. Cinder glanced down at the tight gold belt around her waist. The blasted thing seemed to clinch tighter every time she took a breath, another one of Cress and Scarlet's torturing methods. Cinder didn't see them wearing stuff like this. So, she carefully sucked in short breaths as she arranged herself more comfortably on the chair. She glanced to her right to see Cress perched delicately on her chair, causing the young queen to envy her thaumaturge's flowing first-tier uniform when her waist was stuck in a cage.
Reece, at her left, gave her a soft, sympathetic wince as he watched her struggle to take a breath, but didn't dare help her with Cress's hawk-like blue eyes watching them. His nose was packed with gauze and Cinder was filled with guilt whenever she saw it. Reece gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and Cinder gave him a small smile. To distract herself, she looked at the various screens depicting the Luna council.
Medora, a woman of thirty or so years, with black hair and brown eyes and her daughter, Tessa, a girl two years younger than Cinder. Tessa smiled at Cinder brightly when she noticed her attention and bowed her head respectfully. She returned Tessa's greeting and moved on.
Darius Blackcrest, Reece's father, narrowed his eyes at his son's broken nose but didn't comment, instead nodded at her from his screen. Cinder inclined her head and quickly looked away. He had always freaked her out. It didn't help that Darius was big enough to threaten the strongest of her Wolves Guard, not to mention influential, and rich. Cinder couldn't wait for the day Reece ascended to the council. She didn't like being in his father's company. Reece had Darius's beautiful gold eyes, but Reece's eyes were always warm, liquid, like molten amber. Darius's eyes cut you straight to the bone and saw way too much for his own good.
Another netscreen flickered on. Cinder blinked at Sage's late appearance. His blonde hair was disheveled, as if he had just rolled out of bed and his green-blue eyes squinted into the bright screen drowsily. He shot her impish, flirtatious grin and gave her a two fingered salute. By her side, Reece stiffened and let out a low growl. Cinder fought the urge to rolled her eyes and grinned back at Sage. Reece and Sage had never liked one another. She had stopped trying to get them to reconcile after a failed attempt consisting of a pair of torn boxers, a shattered vase, and a nude fistfight. There are some things that you just don't want to see again.
"Late night?" she asked lightly. The older boy stretched like a cat, his arms reaching above his head.
"You have no idea," he purred. Atticus Sablewood pushed up his glasses and glared at his son.
"Where were you?" he hissed harshly. "You kept Her Majesty waiting!" Sage sprawled himself on his armchair and covered a yawn.
"Cinder doesn't mind, does she?" Sage asked waving off his father's protests. Everyone except Cinder glared at his impertinent use of her nickname. Reece half rose out his seat, his gold eyes burning a clear warning. He looked about to reach through the screen and throttle him. Cinder gripped Reece's forearm and forced the over-reactive male back into his seat.
Honestly.
"How have you been?" Cinder asked drily. Sage shrugged, the muscles in his shoulders shifting.
"Busy doing things," he said with a come hither look directed at her. Sage winked. Cinder groaned and tried to paste on a disapproval expression for the sake of the others. She wondered if he could hear the double meaning in his words. Probably. That's how Sage was. "I was traveling down on Earth with my girlfriends, touring the United Kingdom and the European Federation. I just came back. Hence," he waved a white kid gloved hand at himself, "My sexy hobo look. Like it?" Cinder's amused smile wavered as her glance lingered on his covered hand. Sage casually slipped his hands out of sight and gave her an unreadable stare. Reece and Atticus looked murderous.
"Since we're all here now, let's get started," Cinder said squelching down a perturbed expression. She frowned and looked back at the screen. "I know you have a lot of questions so..." she trailed off. "Ask away, I guess." Several voices piped back at her at the same time and Cinder held up a hand. "One at a time please."
Medora went first. "What were you doing with the Emperor at the restaurant?" she demanded. "You could have been seriously hurt. We are talking about an assassination attempt right now!" Darius and Atticus glanced at her curiously. Cinder braced her hands together and sighed.
"I had met him at the market while I was showing Ginger around," Cinder said irritated. She wouldn't mention Wolf. They would just complain about his negligence to guard her and the conversation will just go down from there. "His Majesty invited me to lunch. It was a simple courtesy extended to a fellow union leader. It would have been rude not to accept." Atticus shook his head.
"And the assassin basically followed you to the restaurant and set the fire," he said sceptically. "That seems a bit too easy, doesn't it? Where were your guards?" He gave Wolf a pointed look and Wolf flinched, looking down. So much for not mentioning him.
"I ordered Wolf to enjoy his vacation and send him back to the hotel," Cinder cut in smoothly. "If anyone was to blame for this incident, it would be me. I was too rash in my decision. I apologize for worrying you. As you can see, I'm completely fine." She spread out her arms, forcing them to acknowledge her words. There was no visible damage that they could see anyway. Sage just looked at her. He knew there was something she was holding back.
Darius cocked his head. "But they said something about a concussion." Cinder stifled a curse. He had to ask about that, didn't he.
"I am completely fine," Cinder said again.
"Fine," Walter said. "Let's continue to the next problem. What is this I'm hearing about you and Emperor Kaito?" He looked so baffled, Cinder almost laughed. She leaned back in her chair.
"It's exactly what you are hearing," she said coolly. Reece and Sage both choked at the same time. Tessa, Cress and Scarlet's brows rose, while Thorne let out a low whistle. Wolf was unbothered. Medora and Darius both were furious, as expected. Atticus didn't seem angry, but a furrow wrinkled his brow.
"What?!" Medora snarled. "You have got to be joking." Cinder shot her a smirk.
"Does it look like I'm kidding?" she asked. A muscle feathered on Darius's jaw.
"Do you really believe that this Emperor would be a good fit for you, Your Majesty?" he asked through clenched teeth. Cinder dipped her head.
"Why not?" she asked. Tessa nodded, agreeing with her.
"His Majesty would make a suitable prince consort," Tessa said in her soft voice. "Emperor Kaito is royalty, ruler of a large country, and cares about his people. There are countless advantages to a marriage alliance with such a powerful Earthen leader. I don't need to list them all for you to know that." Cinder rewarded the girl with a warm smile and she blushed prettily. Medora whipped her head around to scowl at her daughter, but she could not refute those claims, true as they were.
"Of course we will support Your Majesty in all your decisions," Medora said carefully, "but are you certain?"
"I am not making Kaito my prince consort," Cinder said irked. "We are just trying something new. We have so far made no future plans. Who knows, perhaps we will even break up by the next week."
Celesta clarified. "So this is not a permanent relationship?" Cinder shrugged.
"You know these things depend on the situation. I am perfectly capable of making my own decisions, am I not?"
"Of course Your Majesty," she said hurriedly. "But you know how we worry about you. You are still young and have plenty of other options and opportunities." Cinder waved a hand.
"Your concern is heartwarming. It really is. But let's leave finding a prince consort to me, shall we?" Murmurs of consent echoed around the conference room. Cinder clapped her hands together once and assumed a smile. "Now, let us discuss the traitor."
Absolute silence.
"What traitor?" Darius asked cautiously speaking into the stillness. Cinder's eyes grew hard and her gaze swept across the council, lingering on Medora.
"Why," Cinder said mock-cheerfully, "the traitor in the council who almost got me killed, of course." Walter's mouth tightened.
"What are you accusingly us of exactly?" he asked sharply. Sage straightened and leveled her with a narrowed-eyed glare.
"Yes, Your Illustrious Majesty," he said. "Since we are clearly not as intelligent as yourself, would you please clearly disclose to us, who exactly the traitor is." Cinder exchanged glances with the Scarlet.
"I don't need to say who the traitor is. You know yourself whether you are the turncoat or not. But perhaps I could narrow it down for you all. Medora, Darius, Atticus, Walter, Sage." They turned to her with mirror expressions of disbelief.
"You think I could be the traitor?" Medora demanded. Atticus spoke over her.
"My family and I have been loyal to the Lunar line for generations and now you are-"
Walter slammed his hands on the table. "What are you thinking?"
"Are you accusing my brother of being the turncoat?" Celesta challenged heatedly on her brother's behalf.
"ENOUGH!" Scarlet snarled. "Listen to what the queen has to say." They all shut up. Cinder reached for the two pearlescent Tarsus' strapped onto the leather holsters on her belt. She dangled them both by the trigger with a finger, making sure the safety was on.
"What is this?" she asked coolly. Walter's mouth snapped open.
"But the Tarsus is not even in mass production. How did you get the final model?"
"That is exactly my question. Only Medora, Darius, Atticus, Sage and you were present in the meeting a few months ago discussing the Tarsus." Cinder spread them on the table in front of her. The Luna council was speechless. "Imagine my surprise when two Earthen guards tried to kill me using this weapon."
"Impossible," Medora blurted out. "How would the Earthens have gotten the Tarsus?" Cinder gave her a thin smile.
"Exactly my thoughts. They wouldn't have," Cinder's gaze raked through, whom she thought were her loyal supporters. "Unless a Lunar who knew about the Tarsus gave it to the guards. They were being glamoured. At first I presumed it was done by a rogue. But that wouldn't make a lot of sense, would it. One of you hired a rogue to take me out. That was the second attempted assassination of the day. So my question is," Cinder's hardened eyes sought out each one of them, her suspects, "Which one of you is the traitor?"
So, what did you think? Review!
-Silverleaf