Invasion: A Sequel to The Last Princess (12 page)

Tanner could barely keep up with me as I barged into Silver’s car during his five a.m. breakfast.

Silver jumped back as I threw his train car door open, dropping his knife to the floor with a clatter. A huddle of bodyguards quickly raised their weapons, but he gestured for them to lower them.

“Yes, Princess?” he asked. Tanner stuck close to my hip.

“You’re going to blow up the palace,” I said. “The day of the royal wedding.”

“You’re pretty smart for a princess,” Silver said. “Please, have a seat.”

“So it’s true?” I asked, ignoring him. It came out sounding much higher-pitched than I’d intended.

“The wedding is scheduled for this evening,” Silver said calmly. “The chapel is unbarricaded. And at six p.m. sharp we’ll know exactly where Demkoe will be standing. Saying his I dos.”

“But what about Mary?” I demanded.

Silver shrugged. “What about the clergyman, the organist, all the guests? I don’t hear you crying out for any of them. Is it only people you know, Princess, whose lives are of value?”

“There has to be another way,” Tanner said.

Silver shook his head. “There isn’t.”

“Can’t you just set off the bomb a little earlier?” I pleaded, hating the tone in my voice, the fact that my emotions were getting the best of me. “Before Mary enters the chapel? Demkoe and his men will already be assembled for the ceremony, awaiting her entrance. That’s custom.”

“I refuse to take that chance,” Silver said. “Six o’clock sharp is a guarantee. Any time before that, anything can go wrong.”

Another rebel entered the train car at that moment. The one with the scowl, who had tried to hide the blueprints from me when he caught me peeking at them. We locked eyes before I returned my attention to Silver.

“Traditionally, the groom doesn’t see his bride the day of the wedding,” I went on. “Not until they’re at the altar. Demkoe will want to follow British customs, to make the wedding seem legitimate. The bombs in the chapel could be set off before Mary even enters. Then she’ll be saved and you can still take out Demkoe.”

Silver frowned before responding. “If that’s how the wedding plays out, sure, Mary would be saved. But we have no way of knowing what customs and traditions Demkoe will choose to follow.”

“Yes, we do!” I exclaimed, thinking of Demkoe wearing General Wallace’s decorated uniform, smoking my father’s cigars, sitting in my father’s throne. “You don’t know him like I do. I promise this is what he’ll do—”

“Enough!” Silver said, slamming his fist on the table. The scrambled eggs on his plate shook in the aftermath. “I can’t take that risk. I’m sorry to have to sacrifice your sister, Eliza, but it’s for the greater good. It’s the only way to ensure that Demkoe will be killed. We may never have a chance like this again. If you’re truly committed to our cause—to the safety of this country—then you’ll understand.”

I was speechless.

Silver washed down his eggs with a gulp of tea. “I know this is difficult for you to accept. But we’ve all had to make sacrifices. We’ve all lost people we love.”

He wasn’t even looking at me anymore. He spoke directly into his plate, at the sausage link he was cutting into tiny bite-size pieces. “It’s not always easy to do the right thing,” he said. “But at times like these you must learn to be selfless.”

No. This wasn’t about me being selfish. I’d already lost almost everyone who’d ever mattered to me. Mary and Jamie were all I had left. And now, Tanner.

“Now if you’ll excuse me.” Silver gave a nod to the two rebels who’d raised their guns earlier. “I’d like to finish my breakfast in peace.”

“No—” I protested, as the guards dragged me kicking and yelling out the door, locking it once we were outside.

“Let me in!” I banged on its steel frame, screaming in some kind of wild, uncontrollable rage. “Come on! Let me back inside!”

Then someone was pulling from behind, peeling me off the door—familiar hands, rough with calluses but handling me with care. Tanner. I started to relax into him.

But then I heard Tanner yell out, “Hey, get your hands off her!”

Who’s holding me, then?
I wondered, spinning around. It was such a familiar touch.

Time suddenly seemed to slow down. Tanner was off to the side. He’d drawn his pistol. And he was aiming it at—

It couldn’t be. No, it wasn’t possible.

“Wesley?” I said.

Tanner lowered his gun at the sound of my voice. He backed off and Wesley’s face softened.

“You’re alive?” I asked dumbly.

Wesley nodded, but he appeared almost afraid to speak to me.

“Oh my God, Wesley!” I exclaimed, starting to throw my arms around him. But then I hesitated. Why wasn’t he smiling? There was something wrong, something very wrong.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, studying him more closely.

He appeared to have just returned from a journey. His skin and clothes were covered in ash, and he had a huge rucksack strapped to his back.

Silver pushed open his door to see what all the commotion was about. At the sight of him, Wesley immediately stepped back from me, almost guiltily. Silver hurried to pull him forward, throwing an arm around Wesley’s shoulder.

“You’ve done it?” Silver asked breathlessly. “Oh thank God, you made it back!” He smacked him on the shoulders like a proud father.

I stood back in confusion as Wesley tossed the heavy bag on his back to the ground. Perspiration beaded on his forehead and a ring of sweat stained the collar of his army green T-shirt. Through the ash and dirt and sweat, his face glowed at the praise.

“Come in, come in,” Silver said, pulling him into their closed meeting. “Tell me everything.”

Wesley didn’t even glance back at me. He just followed Silver into the train car and disappeared behind the closed door.

Its lock clicked, and a wall of guards blocked it from all sides.

But I could see what was happening inside through the window. All eyes were on Wesley as he took a seat at the head of the table, his hands folded in front of him. His lips were moving but I couldn’t hear what he said.

After what must have been a minute or two he cracked a smile. Cheers and applause sounded around the table as the officers congratulated him on his work. Silver himself retrieved a bottle of celebratory liquor.

I’d seen enough.

“That wasn’t
the
Wesley, was it?” Tanner asked. His eyes were ablaze and he squeezed his gun at his side.

I didn’t know how to respond.

“Because that guy is obviously part of the plan to blow up your home and kill your sister.” Tanner was suddenly more defensive and angry than I’d ever seen him. “He looks
like Silver’s right-hand man. Please don’t tell me that’s the same guy you’ve been pining over.”

“That was him,” I whispered. But somehow it wasn’t. It couldn’t be.

My head hurt from all the conflicting thoughts and emotions swirling through it: relief and joy that Wesley was alive, anger that he wouldn’t explain why he was here, betrayal that he had chosen Silver over me.
Why wouldn’t he say anything?
I kept asking myself, over and over.

“Let’s go back to our car, so you can lie down,” Tanner offered, but I shook my head.

“I want to be waiting when he comes out of that meeting,” I insisted. Tanner took one look at me, and whatever he saw in my face seemed to convince him that it wasn’t worth arguing about. He pulled me over to the common area, which was still mostly abandoned at this hour, and settled me near the fire, a blanket over my shoulders.

Tanner didn’t say another word after his initial outburst, but I could tell what he was thinking. How could
my
Wesley be working with the rebels on a plan that endangered Mary?

“I just can’t believe that’s him,” he said at last, unable to hide the bitterness in his tone.

“I don’t … he would never hurt Mary,” I said, but even I heard the doubt in my voice.

Tanner exhaled deeply. “War changes people, Eliza. Desperation changes people. Wesley may not still be the guy you—”

He broke off, looking away, and I realized that I hadn’t even considered how hard this conversation must be for him, too.

“Loved,” I said quietly. “The guy I loved.”

Tanner kept his head down, and I snuggled into his chest, silent. I could feel his heart beating steadily, comfortingly behind me. I wondered if he would try to kiss me again, and what I would do if he did.

But he simply rested his chin against my hair.

“You don’t have to say anything,” he said. “Whatever you’re feeling, it’s okay. If you’re confused, upset, that’s understandable. Just know that I’m here for you.”

I looked up at him, feeling his strong hands gripping mine, wondering again at how good he was. He could have let jealousy take over, sharp and poisonous, and probably
destroyed whatever tiny budding thing was happening between us. But instead he pushed it aside, refused to let it damage us. He was being a friend when I needed one.

“Thank you, Tanner,” I said, knowing it wasn’t enough.

Then Silver’s door opened, and Wesley stepped out, followed quickly by Silver himself. I stood up quickly and hurried over before he could disappear again.

“Can we talk?” I asked. “Alone.”

Next to me, Tanner stared Wesley directly in the eyes, refusing to look away until Wesley averted his gaze.

“Sir?” Wesley asked, turning to Silver. He was asking
permission
?

Silver nodded. “She can walk with us to our next meeting. I’ll lead the way.” He turned, and Wesley started to follow him. I had to hurry to keep up.

“Come on, Eliza,” Wesley said, with a brusqueness I hadn’t heard since I met him, with Hollister’s New Guard.

“I thought you were dead,” I said, unsure where else to begin.

“I should be dead.” He looked at me, and our eyes met. “I tried to get to you in the palace, but there was no way.”

“So you came here.”

“These are the people who are going to defeat Demkoe,” he said. “Joining them was the next best thing to rescuing you myself, Eliza.” He took my hand in his, and my whole body warmed. “You have to believe me when I tell you that I never stopped thinking about you, all this time.”

His green eyes were shining and the color of his cheeks had returned. “Wesley,” I said, delighting in the sound of his name, savoring it like a child with a new stick of candy. “You’re alive.” I shook my head, still unable to believe the miracle of it. Then I threw my arms around him again, wanting to laugh—but the laughter died in my chest. Why was he so stiff?

Gently, he pulled my arms from around him. “I’m sorry that we have to kill Mary, Eliza, but this is our only chance.”

I stopped in my tracks. “What?”

“Eliza, don’t you see—”

“Who
are
you?” I said, suddenly hysterical. “Who are you and what have you done with Wesley?”

“I know it’s hard for you to accept, but this is the only way.”

“Stop! Just stop!” I said, pummeling him with my fists. Seeing the commotion, Tanner came over and started to pull me away.

“Who’s your new friend?” Wesley asked, with a nod to Tanner.

“You lost all right to know,” I yelled. “I liked you better when you were dead!”

He winced at that. “Come along, Wesley,” Silver said in front of him, sniffing with distaste. I knew I was making a scene, and I didn’t care. “We’re done here.”

But Wesley leaned forward, some unreadable emotion sparkling in his green eyes. “Eliza, I am sorry,” he said again. “I want you to think about everything you know about me, and try to understand.”

“I don’t know anything about you anymore,” I shouted at his retreating back, as Tanner pulled me away.

Then I leaned into Tanner’s chest and cried for Wesley, for Mary, for all of us. It felt like Wesley had died all over again.

Except this time, it was worse.

* * *

Later that afternoon, I woke from a fitful, nightmare-filled sleep to find that Silver had ordered a big group meeting. Everyone was saying that they would finally share the master plan with all the rebel forces.

We congregated in a side offshoot of one of the tunnels, so that everyone could fit and be in hearing distance. There were more rebels present than I’d even known existed. They gathered from passageways I’d never seen. The excitement was palpable, the low hum of whispers hanging thick in the sooty air. This was the moment everyone had been waiting for.

Demkoe’s three main confidants, the men who looked so similar that I still couldn’t tell them apart, appeared first. The one with the perpetual scowl was among them. They climbed up onto a single overturned train car, which would serve as their high stage from which to address us. Wesley came out next, side by side with Silver.

Tanner squeezed my hand in silent support.

Silver began talking. He paced the top of his train car stage, going over the plan step by step, how they would blow the royal wedding, and Demkoe Ryker, to smithereens.

“Wesley and I will be responsible for the placement and setting of the chapel bombs,” Silver said. “The rest of you will be stationed in the surrounding area of the chapel, primarily for backup manpower in case anything goes wrong.”

Silver then paused. “What do I mean by something going wrong?” he asked rhetorically. “I mean if Wesley or I happen to be discovered, captured, or killed. I mean if the bombs we set fail for whatever reason … if the dynamite malfunctions.”

He looked at me directly, as if I may have tricked him with defective dynamite.

If only I had.

“Assuming all does go according to plan,” Silver continued. “All or most of Demkoe’s army will be killed instantly in the blasts and we will quickly move in to secure the palace.”

None of the rebels objected. Not a single one mentioned my sister.

“What about Queen Mary?” Tanner yelled out. “Is your intent that she also perish in the blast?”

The rebels fell silent. I could almost feel the whole lot of them pulling back in fear.

Silver’s jaw tightened. His dark eyes turned to daggers.

Wesley turned to the men on either side of him. “I’m sorry, but who is this guy?” he said obnoxiously.

“My name is Tanner Davis,” Tanner called back, standing tall. “And I believe these rebels who are willing to put their lives on the line for the cause have a right to ask questions.”

The tension had been cut. I sensed the consciousness of the rebels slightly tilt in Tanner’s direction.

But Silver only guffawed. “Get him out of here,” he called to a few of his men. “And the princess, too. They’re too much of a liability at this point. Lock them up in the prison car.”

Immediately Tanner and I were lassoed by bearlike arms. A huddle of muscled men held down our limbs, covered our mouths, and dragged us through the tunnels to an empty tube car.

It was secluded, all by itself in an out-of-the-way, unlit niche. Inside was pitch-black darkness, no blankets, and the windows had been boarded shut. They shut us inside and secured the exit, wrapping heavy chains around the car’s exterior like a metallic Christmas ribbon.

I banged on the walls, on the boarded-up windows, on the floor, until Tanner gripped me by the wrists and quieted me.

“That’s not going to get us out of here,” he said.

Then I knelt down into a huddle on the dusty floor, brought my knees to my chest. The musty air reminded me of my solitary confinement cell. Outside I could hear the footsteps and gruff voices of rebels stationed around us.

I stared out into the dark. My skin ached and bruised where I’d been manhandled. Tanner held out his arms, and I nestled into them gratefully.

What had happened to make Wesley change so much? I still couldn’t believe it. Tanner and I were caged like animals, and in a matter of hours, my sister would be killed.

Tanner reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of the insectlike explosives we’d pulled from the bunker. “Remember these?” he said, triumphant. “We’re going to blast our way out.”

I took one from him, folded and unfolded its legs securely into its body. “You never cease to amaze me,” I said, throwing his own words back at him.

He smiled, but it was a sad smile. “We can do this. We can save your sister,” he said. “We just have to wait till most of the rebel forces leave for the mission. Then we can escape. And head straight for Mary.”

He returned the handful of explosives to his pocket. “The rebels’ bombs will be set to detonate at six p.m. sharp. The exact moment Mary and Demkoe are supposed to say their vows. So all we have to do is reach Mary in time to keep her from entering the royal chapel on cue.” He paused. “We can manage that, if we blow our way out of here just after the rebels leave for the palace. We’ll go through the tunnels, and beat them.”

His confidence lifted me up, renewed my confidence. It was like finding the dynamite. When I was with Tanner, I could do anything.

Without realizing what I was doing, I threw my arms around him. “Tanner, I—”

I almost blurted out the words
I love you
, but stopped myself in time.

“You’re the best,” I said. “Thank you.”

“I try,” he said, rubbing my back with soft circles.