Land of Smoke and Ashes

A New Plan

Natalie wasn't sure what exactly they were reporting, but Kira was right about one thing, whatever the soldiers had been talking about, it couldn't be anything good.

Don't get attached to anyone here. The sinking sensation in her stomach told her that Kira was right. They hadn't been talking just about the baker. It had been a more general implication. What was the queen planning exactly?

They exited through the same gates that they'd come in through, and Natalie noted uneasily that there were even bigger crowds of soldiers now, congregated both inside and out of the gates, some of them leaning up against the black iron, others gathered in groups playing cards or dice. Many of them had clearly been through the market, returning to their comrads with paper wrapped foods or packages from the vendors.

Natalie tipped her head back to look at the bat wings on the top of the gate as they went through. Now she not only had to worry about getting her mother out, but whatever else the queen was planning involving...what, the entire city?

Her mind was racing as they exited the courtyard, back into the open marketplace of the village. Natalie felt her shoulders slump, relaxing slightly now that they had put a little distance between them and the looming black palace.

The truth was, she had a plan but it was ridiculously simple. It seemed almost too simple. It might not work. All she had in mind was to find her mother, grab her, and use the necklace to transport themselves back to their world. That was it. In theory it should work, but the more she thought about it the more her stomach churned. What was she leaving behind? What disaster would befall this city, and Sam and his group?

Not only that, but there were holes in her actual plan. What if the pendant didn't work this time? What if she wasn't able to find her mother? What if someone saw through the illusion of the ring and realized she was human? There were enough things that could go wrong that she was starting to think she'd been too optimistic. Maybe Sam was right, maybe she was too impulsive, charging in headlong without stopping to think about it.

Clearly she didn't know all the facts. That conversation between the soldiers had made that obvious enough. This was so much bigger than just her and her mother.

But Sam's way, biding his time, it could take months. Her mother could be in trouble, could be subjected to torture while she sat there and did nothing. And her father would be frantic. In fact, he was probably already frantic. Her chest tightened at the thought of him sitting at home by himself, his daughter gone missing without warning, without any clue of what had happened. The exact same way his wife had disappeared. It made her feel ill just thinking about how he must feel.

No, Sam's careful, patient planning wouldn't work for her. She had to get back. Had to bring her mother home as fast as possible. They would report back what they'd heard the soldier's say, and he and his group would have to figure something out.

She tried to ignore the guilt burning in her chest at this thought.

The others were back by the time Natalie and Kira appeared on the doorstep. As soon as they walked in Natalie's heart sunk. Sam was sitting at the kitchen table, surrounded by the others. The newcomers, Devon and the others, were gone. Probably they had returned to the palace. But everyone else was sitting around the table, their faces tense as they looked expectantly from Natalie to Sam.

Sam looked disheveled, to say the least. His hair was tousled, sticking up at odd angles, as if he'd been tugging on it, or running his hands through it. His expression grew even darker when they came in.

He shot to his feet a second later, the chair legs screeching across the floor. "Where were you?" His voice was just a few decibels below a bellow, and Natalie flinched, then steeled herself, smoothing her expression into calmness.

"I wanted to investigate the marketplace around the palace." Natalie was about to add more, about the soldiers, about their strange conversation, but Sam interrupted.

"I can't believe you would be so reckless."

He looked like he wanted to say more. His mouth open and closed, he looked furious, and at a complete loss for words. His face was red. Behind him, Edward leaned against the counter in the kitchen, his expression smug. Natalie glared around at all of them. She was about to tell Sam that he couldn't control what she did when he burst out, "You could have been killed! You could have been found out! What—what the hell are you wearing?"

Natalie glanced down at herself, at the bright silks she was wearing. She'd forgotten about that. Kira stepped forward, folding her arms over her chest. "We were just investigating, there was no harm done. And we have some important news the rebels are going to want to hear."

Sam's face had gone pale, and he glanced over at Jewels, who shrugged unhelpfully. "You can't—"

"Oh, for heavens sake." Kira threw her hands up, gesturing at Natalie. "She isn't stupid, Sam. She has to have picked up on your group activities by now. Besides, I'm about to smuggle her into the palace quite illegally. She's not about to turn us in. Now can I tell you what we overheard at the market? It's important."

Sam sputtered. "I—fine. Yes, go ahead and tell me what you overheard. I truly hope it's important if you've told her all about the group."

Natalie wanted to point out that Kira hadn't told her anything other than the fact that they were rebels—which she thought rather obvious—but Kira was already talking, telling him about the conversation they had over heard.

Sam's face went progressively whiter as she spoke, and Jewels and Gwen looked at one another, faces grim. Only Edward seemed relatively unaffected. He gave Kira a cool look, as if he was debating whether to believe her or not.

"Is that it?" Sam said urgently. "You didn't hear them say anything else? What the queen was planning? Could it have just been the woman they were talking about? Maybe she displeased the queen."

Kira was shaking her head, and now Natalie spoke up. "It wasn't. I wondered that too, but...the way they said it. Don't get attached to anyone here."

Sam pressed his lips together hard, nodding. "That sounds bad. That sounds really bad." He glanced over at Jewels, who frowned and shrugged.

"The others haven't heard anything, they would have said. And they've got their ears to the ground. They should have overheard something about it if there was something big planned."

"If the queen let it slip to her court, yes," Sam said grimly. "If the soldiers are the only ones who know..." he was shaking his head slowly. "We don't have anyone in her guard." He glanced at Natalie. "No one can infiltrate it, the magic is too strong. She'd know you were a traitor right away."

Of course. That was the rebels one blind spot. They wouldn't know anything that the guards were planning to do. As long as none of them let anything slip, the queen's soldiers could operate in complete secrecy.

"It's not that far-fetched, is it?" Gwen said. "We knew she couldn't be planning a simple feast. We knew there would be no peace. She always has something planned."

Natalie felt a chill go down her back. "And this is it."

"We just have to find out what it is," Jewels said quietly.

"And figure out how to find that out." Gwen crossed her legs where she sat on the chair, tapping her fingers on the table.

"I think I have an idea." Kira folded her arms over her chest, giving Natalie a sideways look. "She wants to find her mother, and we want to find out exactly what the queen is planning. Well, we have the perfect opportunity. The merchants are going to be setting up the day before. Natalie and I already have an open invitation to go as silk merchants."

"Absolutely out of the question," Sam said. "I'm not letting the two of you go in by yourselves."

Natalie was about to protest, but Kira was shaking her head. "I didn't say we'd go in alone, did I? Your friend Devon is going to be in the entertainment troupe, isn't she?"

Sam's brows shot up. He was starting to look distinctly suspicious. "Yes. I guess she is. What are you getting at?"

Kira's grin was mischievous. "How's your singing voice?"