***
Later, in a safe house in the increasingly restive outlands…
“I don't understand what's wrong,” Grey said. He rose to pace restlessly across the threadbare grey carpet in the small office. He pushed his hands through his hair. “It's been two days. We're running out of time. What's taking so long?”
Petra sighed. “I don't know. Maybe it isn't enough.”
“How can it not be enough? We don't have anything else! We've looked. This is the best we've got.”
“I know.” She stood to stand in front of him. He didn't look like he wanted to stop, but he paused in mid-step and looked down at her with a frustrated expression. “It will have to be enough. Maybe they're just trying to decide what to do with the information.”
“Or maybe they're planning to double-cross us.”
“I don't think so. If they were, they would have done it by now.”
“If they don't hurry up and make a decision, they might not get the chance.” His jaw flexed angrily. “My father or his people could find this place at any time and then we'll lose any chance we have.”
She frowned. “Lux is looking out for the King's people. And she has spies all over the city listening for any sign they've found you.”
“We might have to start thinking about an alternative plan, Petra. It isn't looking too promising with the Uprising at this point. We might have to think of something else.”
Petra opened her mouth to respond, but she snapped her mouth shut as the door flew open. Beth burst inside without bothering to knock on the door. Petra and Grey spun to her in surprise. "Beth. What's happened?” Petra demanded.
"The Uprising has agreed to talk to you," Beth told them. She scrutinized Grey as though she wasn't sure what to think of him. "Our leader would like to meet Dante."
Grey nodded. "Take me to him. I'm ready." He squared his shoulders, and his stormy eyes glinted. "When is it happening?"
"Now."
"You're taking us to the base?"
Beth smiled. "No. I'm sorry. He still doesn't trust you."
"But we gave him valuable information."
"And now he's willing to listen. We'll meet in the outlands. In a neutral zone."
"Is anywhere neutral in the outlands?" Petra muttered.
"Yes. The rebels have their territory; the outlaws have theirs. They do not fight each other." She jerked her head toward the door. "Come on. I'll take you both there."
She led them through the outlands with a swift, confident step. Grey wore a dark hoodie over his hair to conceal his identity, but there didn't seem to be a lot of point. Beth knew what she was doing. They didn't meet anyone along the way.
The meeting place was a warehouse similar to the one in which they were living, but the entire outside perimeter was thick and lush with verdant gardens. Root vegetables and trees covered in plump fruit practically concealed the small, squat grey stone building. Petra looked around them in surprise, but Beth didn't say pause to explain the unexpected bounty. She strode purposely toward a door on the side of the building.
Petra felt Grey's fingers close around hers. She turned her head to give him a small, encouraging smile, though her insides felt tight and cold. Beth rapped once on the door. A young boy pulled it open. His hair looked mussed, and he had a bruise under his left eye. He nodded to Beth and stepped aside to let them in.
Inside there were cots lining the walls, but the center of the room was taken up by a large mat. Weapons were scattered all around as though they'd been recently dropped. It looked like a training facility. It was probably how the young boy had gotten his bruise. At least, Petra hoped it was.
The young boy left them alone in the center of the room. Beth didn't speak to Petra or Grey. She waited silently. They followed her lead. After several seconds, they heard footsteps above. They turned to the tall man with shortly cropped hair that descended the stairs and strode toward them with a confident gait. As he neared them, Petra's muscles coiled. She felt as though she had been kicked in the stomach.
Grey stared at him in shock. Beth didn't seem at all moved by his appearance. Petra didn't understand why. She recognized him instantly. She took a step toward him in utter fury. Beth shot out an arm to hold her back.
"You!" Petra spat. "You're the rebel leader?"
Cage Spears inclined his head. He did not look troubled by her reaction to him. He looked as tranquil and self-possessed as the last time she had seen him at the Blade club. She shoved Beth's arm away and started forward again.
Grey caught her arm and tugged her back.
"I am," Cage replied coolly.
"You're the one who accused my brother! You sent him to prison!"
"I regret that, Petra. Your brother saw something he should not have seen. It was not my ideal choice, but I did not have any other. I did not want it to happen."
"You are one of us," Petra said. "How could you?"
"The Uprising is important. It is more important than one man."
"Not to me!"
"Don't be a fool. There is nothing more important than stopping Scarlet and taking back the city. When we do, we will all be free and no one will be imprisoned again. Your brother's incarceration is not forever. It will end soon, and I am sorry, but I had to sacrifice one for the good of many. For the good of the Uprising that will save our city."
Petra's eyes glittered with angry tears. Beth took her arm and pulled her away from Grey and Cage. Petra spun on her with a glare. "You knew. You knew all along it was him. You've been part of this the whole time."
Beth's voice was low. "I'm sorry. I couldn't tell you, Petra. You wouldn't have understood."
"I can't believe you...I can't believe you lied to me. Couldn't you just tell Ren the truth? You know he would not have told on him! You could have let him walk away!"
"That wasn't an option. I'm sorry."
Petra spun away from her. Grey glanced at her. His eyes were stormy, but he did not move to comfort her. She didn't meet his eyes. She didn't want him to see her tears. She didn't want him to see the hatred in her eyes. It wouldn't help their cause. No matter who the leader was, no matter what he had done, they still needed him.
Grey turned back to Cage. His eyes narrowed. "It was you. You're the one I tried to blackmail, aren't you?"
"Ah. I see you remember that."
"Barely."
"I hear you've changed. I hear things are different." Cage's voice was calm, but his eyes were cold. "But I know you, Dante. I am not so sure. Why should we trust everything we have worked for to you?"
"Things have changed." Grey's voice sounded confident now. "I have changed. Before I lived under the wing of my father, enjoying his power. Now I see what the city is really like. I see what he has done to it. I thought he was a man who wanted to help bring the city back under control. I think it started out that way, the power corrupted him. He enjoyed it too much to give it back once he had it. I enjoyed the power too much to give it back. But I don't want any of it at the expense of people's lives, and at the expense of letting these people live in terror under the thumb of a dangerous dictator. Things cannot keep on this way. We can't let the city live like this anymore. I don't have the power to fight my father myself. I need help. I need an army. You have an army."
"But what do you expect to do when the army attacks? What do you think will happen to the city then?" Cage demanded.
"It will be chaos again," Grey said. "We need someone who cares about the people. Someone who wants to help and not selfishly enjoy the power and control. We need a government. We need people who can run this city together, to control the outlaws and draw the outlands and the city center together. We need representatives in the different sectors. We need everyone to come together and make laws and rules together so no one has too much power and so this will never happen again."
Cage lifted his eyebrows. "You have thought about this a lot."
"Yes. I find I have nothing but time to think these days."
; "It is rather idealistic."
"But it is not impossible if the city is in the right hands. If the King's power is thrown, we will be able to bring in people who are wise. And people who care."
"And who will be the one to choose those people?"
"Everyone. Everyone should be able to choose."
"It wouldn't be that way right away. It would have to start with a serious shift of power into the hands of a small group or one person. We would have to displace the King's regime and put in a new one."
"You have thought about it, too."
"Of course I have." For a moment, Cage's eyes blazed. "Do you think we are just training people to fight and kill the King's men? Do you think we plan to leave the city in anarchy? It would be as bad or even worse than it is now. At least now there is a police for that keeps the peace. They work for the King, but if they weren't under his orders, they could actually do good work. The Marshals are almost as useless, but they are the last vestiges of our old government. They could lead the police force to work for the people again."
"What about the bounty hunters?" Petra demanded.
"They could be used for good, too. They could be used to round up the Kings regime. We would form a tribunal. We would put people on trial for their crimes, not just toss them away with your father as judge, jury and executioner. At first it would be chaos. We will need more police than we have now. We will need to be prepared to fight the city, not only the King's people. They will be easy enough to defeat. But we have to be prepared to control the city when he is gone."
"We have a list," Grey said. "We have a list of people who the King has targeted. They can join us. They can help."
"Maybe. Or maybe they will simply run. Maybe it is what you should do, Dante. You are not safe in the city. There are many people out to get you, and if it is true the King is one of them, there is nowhere for you to go. You are the most wanted man in the city."
Grey scowled. "I cannot run! I have to do something about this. I have to help make things right. I have spent too much time allowing the corruption and the killing to go on."
"Why not talk to your father? Maybe you can sway him to see your side of things."
Grey scoffed. "You know that isn't even an option. Even if he isn't trying to kill me, he will do anything to keep his power. We have to take him out."
"Are you prepared to do that?"
"I will do what I have to. This has to stop. It doesn't matter who I am or who I was. All that matters are the people. Giving them back their lives. No one should have to live in fear anymore. We can take the palace; imprison the King and the Nobles. Whoever refuses to be absorbed by our regime will be put away with them. Once they are gone, we can begin to plan and rebuild. If we can strike quietly and quickly enough, with enough people, we can take over the city before anyone notices the strike has even happened. We will have a new regime without any chaos."
"And how do you propose to do that?"
"If I knew, I would not need you! I am prepared to offer myself. I am prepared to fight on your side and give information that will help you. I know all about my father. I have information about his operation. If we work together, we can plan and we can strike."
Cage's face was perfectly unreadable. He looked as cold as ice. Finally, he inclined his head. "We will get back to you."
Grey blinked at him in surprise. "What?"
"We will let you know if we are interested in working with you." He turned around to stride away.
"Hey!" Grey snapped. "I came here thinking you would help us!"
"Why should I help you, Dante? You have never given me any reason."
Grey sighed. "You're right. You are right about that. All right. I will help you, then. The palace is guarded all day by the King's men."
Cage rolled his eyes. "Of course I know that already. I am a member of the King's court."
"But there is a servant's entrance on the west side of the building. It is generally unlocked and unguarded. You would have to enter a few at a time, but if you are quick, you will be able to get inside before anyone even notices. If you intend to sneak in an army, you won't be able to do it through the front door, even if you are a member of the court. You can strike quietly and take out the King's inner circle before anyone notices."
Cage seemed to be thinking about this.
"I have a list of the locations of the prisons." Petra hadn't realized he had this. It was handwritten. She wondered if he'd known it all along. Grey handed it to Cage. "I don't know who is in what prison, but you can stage a strike on them all at once. You could suppress the King's people and have more numbers at the same time. All the King's holdings are on that list. You can hit everything at once, and no one will see it coming or be the wiser until you have control of the city. Then you can do what you have to to rebuild."
Cage stared down at the list. He nodded, but his expression didn't change. He turned and strode back toward the stairs without another word to them. Grey sighed, but he turned toward Petra. She didn't look as though she wanted to go. She glared at Cage.
"Petra. It's time to go," he told her in a low voice.
"But--"
"No, Petra," Beth put in. "It is time to go."
"He--Ren--"
"I know. But we can't do anything about that right now," Grey said. "We have to go before they change their minds and decide to kill me instead."
She glared over her shoulder at Cage, but she allowed Grey to lead her away.
"Cage will get back to us soon," Beth promised.
Grey nodded. "Will you tell us what he decides?"
Beth hesitated. "I will tell you whatever he wishes me to tell you."