A/N- Hope everyone had a good week! I feel like I'm finally getting somewhere with this story lol, the next chapter should be quite interesting! Enjoy your weekend! Bethany x

Chapter 28

Tris POV- 3 days before the ball,

"And do you know the time now?"

I turn my head, watching Uriah push up his sleeve. A watch thankfully stares back. "It's coming up to three. I doubt they would have left yet."

I turn back around, nerves eating away at my composure. Is it good or bad that he's still in that village? It is two less people to chase across the country, but I know he's not safer where he is.

Uriah shifts behind me, his hands grabbing onto the back of Bess's saddle, "got a plan to get the Erudite group back?"

I hold the bite back. Of course I don't have a plan. "No, I don't." I rub my hand over my forehead, "I was just hoping something would spring to mind."

At that moment, my eyes find Eric's. He leans around an uncomfortable looking Zeke, curiously looking between Uriah and I. I avert my gaze.

The group heading to Erudite is just the icing on the cake. My phone is nearly dead, and would be useless without a signal even with battery. There's no way to get in contact with our friends, no way to tell them Erudite is a futile trap. I just hope one of them has enough sense to get out of there before they fall into Christina and Marlene's fate.

And then there's Bud. I can only assume he's changed course, heading to Erudite as well. His recklessness makes my body tense in anger, and I'm close to letting caution go. He's the one getting himself into this mess, why should I try to help him.

Sighing, I suggest, "I mean- maybe you two should try and catch up with them? It shouldn't be hard on horseback." It's the most logical idea I can come up with, even if it does mean Eric and I losing a horse. And then there's the issue of indulging Eric in some of our predicament.

We've been travelling for just under an hour, the village closing in. Even with the added miles, the horse shouldn't have an issue catching up with the group. And I'm sure we could figure out a reason for the boys to take Bess and head in the opposite direction.

"The forest is huge. How would we be able to know what route they're taking?"

I huff, "I don't know! Why don't you come up with a better plan." I look around at our surroundings, trying to think of something that will have some weight. Nothing comes to mind, and my mind wanders. The trees are starting to space out, and I know the lake should come into view any second. Uriah had said him and Zeke camped out here last night, not knowing if they were being followed or not.

"I don't think it's smart to send anyone to follow the Erudite group." Uriah states. My upper body twists, and I raise my brows at him. Surely he'd want to go to Erudite with Marlene there? Reading my expression expertly, he replies, "yeah, I know, but I can't let my emotions override my senses. There's no way to get her out of there. Our best chance is to wait for the ball on Saturday, then their defences will be weaker."

I turn back to look at where I'm steering Bess. "You think Arthur will lug them along?" What would he think the smartest move would be? Bring them with him so he can keep an eye on his leverage, or keep them in Erudite, away from me?

"I think he's going to make a show, and he'll need them where you can see them." His voice is tight, and a million possibilities run through my mind. Where would he stop to show me he has the upper hand?

My head starts to pound just thinking about a way to get my friends out of Erudite's grasp. "Let's just hope it's only the two of them, and not six."

Uriah doesn't reply and my attention is drawn away from our budding situation to the one at hand. "There it is!"

The dark blue lake comes into view, the light blue horizon meeting it in the distance.

"How deep do you think it is?" I voice aloud. To be so dark it must be at least a few hundred metres down.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Uriah answers, "I think the diamonds are at the bottom of the lake, so I'm sure the Erudite know."

It's not long until we make it to the southern shore, bringing our horses to a stop so they can rest. I jump off Bess, waiting for Uriah to follow. In the distance, I can just about see Erudite's machines.

"Does Eric know anything about those?" Uriah asks, voice low next to me.

Zeke, coming up to my left, shakes his head. "Unless he's a crazily good actor, he seemed confused why there's mining equipment by the lake."

I watch as Eric approaches the water, crouching down and skimming his fingers over the surface.

We come up behind him as he stands. He turns, brows pulled together as he stares at the droplets on his fingers.

"What is it?" I ask.

He shakes his head, "I don't know- it's just, I swear it used to be colder."

I move past him, dipping my own hand in. When I was out here with Tobias, I never touched the water. But I remember him saying it was painful to hold his hand in it for longer than a few seconds. I move my hand around, thinking back to swimming in the lakes back home. The lake just outside of my window was around -3 degrees. The ocean was that bit warmer, maybe freezing. This feels around that. It's pinching, but I can keep my hand under.

"It feels around freezing." I say, mostly to myself.

"At this time of the year, the surface temperature should be around -5 degrees." Zeke says, crouching down next to me. "Guess those geography classes actually did come in handy."

I gaze out at the still water, "so it's warming up?" But why? Nothing geographical has changed. Is it to do with the mining? Is the equipment warming up the water?

I twist my head around, looking up at Eric. "Do you have any idea if those kinds of machines could increase the water temperature?"

His eyes travel to the apparatuses, "I don't think so." He runs his hand through his hair, sighing, "but who knows what they're capable of."

Right, so Eric is as useless as the rest of us. Good to know.

I stand, rubbing my wet hands against my trousers. "There's no point sitting here dwelling on the unanswerable. Let's get back on the horses and get to the village."

I turn away, not waiting for any reply. I push the uneasy sensation down, trying to keep my list of issues to a minimum.

...

The factionless village sits in a slight dip, a gradual decline from the forest. It's a smart place to set up camp, with them able to keep under most radars.

We set the horses up a few hundred metres away from the edge of the forest; far enough away so they would go unnoticed, but close enough that we can grab them in case something goes wrong.

Get Tobias and get out. Get Tobias and grab the book and get out. Get Tobias and Lauren and the misplaced book and get out. Should be easy enough.

I walk back over to the three boys, feeling heavy. Where do we even start?

"We're going to need look outs," Eric says, when he sees me join them. He brings his attention back to Zeke and Uriah. "It's going to have to be you two."

Uriah opens his mouth, and I can almost taste the protest. "He's right," I cut in before he can say a word. Uri's sharp gaze shoots to me, not happy.

There's no way Zeke or Uriah can go back there. They're too recognisable now.

My eyes filter to Zeke's, and I see him nod once. Some of the tension building up inside of me begins to dissipate, that is until Uriah grabs my arm, and begins pulling me back towards the horses.

"Uriah! What the hell!" I yank back my arm, but keep walking with him. I look back, catching Zeke's hand holding onto Eric's upper arm. I force myself to not roll my eyes.

Uriah doesn't say anything until we're a few metres away and tucked behind a tree. Obviously frustrated, he grits out, "you really think it's smart to send him in there? There's no way he's not going to grab that book and run." His arms come into the conversation, moving wildly, "and how are you going to find Four? We can't tell Eric the actual reason why we're here, so how are you-"

"Uriah, slow down." I know he doesn't like to feel like he's being pushed aside, not able to do anything to help. "You can't go back into the village, someone will recognise you- and you're no good to us in custody."

His eyes flick around, and I can see the frustration morphing into conflict, "I know that, it's just-" he cuts himself off.

"Whatever plan we come up with won't work without a few sets of eyes looking in from the outside." I watch him nod slowly, so I carry on, "you and Zeke know more about what's going on in there than I do, so I'm going to need you to tell me the details. Starting with where you think Four is."

...

"We should look for the largest building there, probably somewhere in the middle." Uriah had told me that Scarlet summoned Four to her office on Monday. Apparently Tobias didn't go into too much detail as to where this building was, so now I'm going to have to figure it out. "The journal will most likely be there." Trying to word this plan like I don't have an insider view is becoming more difficult; it's not going to be long until I slip up.

Eric, shrugging on a yellow Amity top, nods in agreement. "How much security do you think this place has? It can't be that impressive?"

Uriah mentioned a decent amount of guards following them around yesterday when at a market. I shrug, "let's not underestimate them."

A few more minutes go past, and Zeke and Uriah finally appear from the tree line.

"See anything useful?" I ask.

"From the North you can see the largest building, it's in the centre of town, just past the square with the stalls." Zeke replies.

I nod. So we'll head North from the East. Uriah had also told me the holding cell is not too far from the South East. "It's the only building with bars on the window," he had said "other than that, it looks like the rest of the town."

Turning to Eric, I hatch out my weak plan. "We're going to need to split up, there's less chance of someone noticing us if we're not together." Hopefully the change in appearance will be enough to keep any prying eyes to themselves.

He shakes his head, "I don't know if that's a good idea, how would I know if something happened to you?"

I grab Uriah's wrist, turning it over so I can read the watch on his arm, "it's half 4. We'll meet back at the horses at half 6. Two hours should be enough time to scope the place." I pull out my phone, just seeing the bar at the top have a sliver of red. That should be just enough to let me know when to head back. "You got any battery?" I ask Eric.

He brings his watch up, and I nod. "Good. Let's get in."

...

I still stand by what I said, that it would be less conspicuous for us to split up. One stranger walking around should bring less attention than two. Guilt simmers at the bottom of my stomach as I move around the houses, heading south.

So far, no one has batted an eye. I've tried to keep to quieter streets, but with the place being so small, it's been hard to stay away from the residents.

It's a quaint town, underdeveloped and falling apart- but it has personality; reminding me a bit of Amity.

I casually turn my head at every turn, trying to quickly get a glance at the streets coming off of the one I'm walking down. They're few and far between, and so far I haven't seen any bard windows.

Carrying on down the street, I watch my shoes kick flecks of dirt across what should be a road.

"-and if you see her you come and get one of us straight away." I overhear a guard say, just down the street. His voice is harsh and loud, easily travelling to my ears.

"Why don't we just go and get her? Why wait for her to come to us?" Another replies. I don't lift my head as I walk past, but zone in on their conversation.

"Scarlet's orders," the first answers back, "less things can go wrong if she comes to us."

Scarlet. A leader? Someone high enough to want some mysterious journal?

"I just can't wait until we have the Princess in our hands, then the real fun can begin." My breath catches in my throat at the admission, his giddy words sticking to me like glue. A middle aged woman, just passing, looks at me funny, but I hurry past her before she can stare. I nearly trip on a loose rock as I make my exit, turning into the next street and try to find my composure.

They're waiting for me. Whoever this Scarlet is, she's waiting for me to come to her. And here I am, walking right into her trap. Could this woman be the same one in that photo? The curly brunette holding the sought after book?

I up my speed, needing to find Tobias and get out. We can figure out a plan to get the journal back after we regroup with the others-

I stop in my tracks, head slowly turning back the way I came. To my right is a small window, murky and cracked, but I can just about see bars on the inside.

I creep back over, keeping low in case this isn't the only bard window in the town.

The wall scrapes along my bare arm, my short white sleeves bunching up against the friction of the bricks. I walk past an empty wooden door, keeping it in mind. When I come up to the window, I find it probably comes up to my forehead.

Before looking in, I quietly listen, trying to pick up any voices.

"away from Nita, figure out your own way in life-"

Footsteps erupt from my right. My head whips towards the sound, watching the empty space, hearing the noise get louder and louder. Panic starts to force its way in, and my head can't even focus on Lauren's voice, let alone wait for Tobias's.

My wide eyes stay locked on the street in front, my legs moving backwards on their own. If I get caught, there's no way I'll be able to help get Tobias and Lauren out.

I twist around, already thinking of another way to more safely get to them. I'll have to come back during night, let the cover of darkness help me blend in-

I slam into something, falling backwards before small hands grab onto me. My breath catches in my throat as my eyes lock onto hers.

Brown curls tumble from her head, a relieved smile on her lips. "There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you."

Tobias POV

"Just stop pacing!" Lauren exclaims, voice penetrating through my hellish thoughts. "You're just going to wear yourself out, Four. You've been at it for hours."

I shake my head, but come to a stop. "They're luring Tris here, Lauren- and there's no way I can stop her from coming." My hand goes to my empty pocket another time, coming up empty. They must have confiscated my phone when they dropped us back into the holding cell. Like it would have been of use anyway. "I don't even know what day it is."

I collapse on the lumpy bed, rubbing my hands across my face. The last thing I remember is my hands being pulled behind my back, Scarlet's smug face staring down at me. What sort of drug did they inject us with?

Lauren gets up from the bed opposite, heading to the window. My eyes track her, watching as she looks out. "Well, it's got to be late afternoon." Her head moves closer to the bars, her hands holding onto them. "There's a guard maybe 10 metres to the left. Another stood next to the building opposite."

My head starts to pound, our situation and the stagnant heat not combining well.

I force myself back up, going to the door. I try the handle for what I'm sure is the 50th time, and still find it locked. Crouching down, I peer through the crack. Charlie stands outside, back leaning against the outer wall. "They've only locked one door," I say aloud, more to myself, "what is he thinking?"

I feel Lauren come up behind me, kneeling to my left. I move out of her way, letting her look for herself. "Do you think he's considering your offer?"

I stand back up, running a hand roughly through my hair, "who knows? He sounded interested when we were talking." But that could be a ruse. I'm not taking anything he's said seriously.

Lauren jumps back, just catching herself before she hits the ground.

My hand automatically goes down, grabbing her arm to help steady herself, "you alright?"

She nods, "that guard caught my eye through the gap."

I let go of her hand, moving back to the window. Time nags at me, annoyance eating me alive. If only I knew how long we've been in here, then I could have a starting point. Instead, all I feel is disorientation.

"Why would she come here?" I ask out loud. "She doesn't even know this place exists." How can Scarlet be sure Tris will show up? What's luring her in?

"How's she going to travel? Didn't you say she had a wound on her leg?" I glance over at Lauren, now sat back on the bunk shoved against the pale wall. Would she be stupid enough to travel on an injury? Is that even a question?

"You obviously don't know her that well."

Lauren's head tilts to the side, black hair falling with it. "How serious are you two now?

My brows pull together, unsure how to answer. I haven't told anyone about the kiss, not having the right situation to bring it up in. The only person that I know has suspicion is Zeke; I'm sure Bud would have too, if it wasn't for the circumstances at hand that afternoon in my bedroom.

"Uh, I don't really know." If only none of this had happened. Right now, I could have been back at the palace, figuring things out with her. Instead, we're miles away from each other. "All I know is when I get back I'm not letting her out of my sight." My lip pulls up, trying to joke.

Her eyes shift from mine, becoming interested in her nails, hands in her lap. "You know, I always thought you'd find a way to get away from Nita, figure out your own way in life."

I almost laugh, but her sombre gaze makes me swallow it. "I know you guys have always wanted the best for me, but that would have never happened." Nita was head strong; to her there was no chance she couldn't make me change my mind. Delusional, I used to think. But now I'm sure she was just ungodly persistent. "And anyway," I shrug, "I got away from her in the end." A flash of what could be crosses my mind. Moments with Tris that I could never have imagined having with Nita. The thoughts spur me on to find a way back to her, before she finds her way to me.

"You think she'll pick you?"

I don't even let myself think about the question, brushing it off quickly. It's way too early to be talking so seriously. Harmless fantasies, whatever. But talking about a 16 year old making her final decision?

From the corner of my eye, I catch a flash of brown hair passing the window. For some reason, this head of hair has grabbed my attention.

"Four," Lauren expels.

I hum in response, back still facing her. I move close to the window, but am stopped by her hand on my arm. I look over, her conflicted face staring back into mine.

Confusion runs through me, eyes shifting to her grasp. She's been acting odd for a while now, and I don't know why. It must be to do with being stuck in here together.

"Before you start anything with her, I just want you to know-"

She's cut off harshly by the wooden door slamming against the wall. A heap of a person being dumped into the room, the door shutting behind them forcefully.

Lauren's arm falls off of mine, bewilderment racing through the space. The heap of clothing- a girl, sits in a pile on the floor, her head hanging low. She shakes her head, a soft laugh escaping her. I'm suddenly stuck in my boots, watching as the brunette lifts her head.

"Tris?"