Foundryside (The Founders Trilogy #1) - Robert Jackson Bennett Page 0,131

up to the thirty-fifth floor. That’s where Ziani’s office is. And that’s where the imperiat almost certainly is as well.”

“What’s the process for getting to the thirty-fifth floor?” asked Sancia.

Orso considered what to say.

“You don’t know,” said Sancia.

“No,” he said honestly. “I don’t. But whatever’s in your way, Tribuno’s blood should trump it. It’ll be a candle in the dark for you, girl.”

Sancia took a slow breath in. “And…once I have the imperiat, I just walk out—yes?”

Orso hesitated. Claudia, Berenice, and Gio suddenly looked tense. “Well…We’ve had some change of plans there.”

“Have you,” said Sancia.

“Yes. Because there’s a good chance the Mountain will eventually figure out you’re not Tribuno. Which means getting out might be a lot trickier than getting in. Hence the, ah, the sailing rig.”

Sancia stared at them. “You…you want me to fly off the side of the Mountain?”

“There’s a balcony in Tribuno’s office,” said Orso. “You grab the imperiat, hop out, tear off this bronze tab here”—he pointed on the rig—“and off you go. The parachute activates, and you’re pulled to safety. There’s also a hardened cask secured to the rig—you can put the imperiat in there to make sure it doesn’t see any harm.”

“And you can’t make a hardened cask that could hold me?”

“Ah. Well. No. That would be heavy. Now, we can’t fabricate an anchor with the range to pull you completely out of the campo, but…we can get someone onto the Candiano campo to create a sort of landing zone close to one of the gates.” He looked at Gregor. “Are you amenable to this task, Captain?”

Gregor considered it. “So…I just take the anchor onto the campo, plant it somewhere in range, and catch Sancia as she lands?”

“Basically. Then you both make a mad dash off the campo into the safety of the Commons.”

Sancia cleared her throat again. “So…to review,” she said slowly, “I am floating up the canal…”

“Yes,” said Orso.

“In a submerged capsule you all have built in three days…”

“Yes.”

“And using Tribuno’s blood to enter the Mountain…”

“Yes.”

“And I am then navigating a completely unknown set of obstacles to get to the thirty-fifth floor, where I am then stealing the imperiat…”

“Yes.”

“And then I hop off the Mountain and fly to Gregor. Because the Mountain will probably figure out something’s wrong, and try to trap me.”

“Ahh…”

“And once I land, we run off the campo while probably being chased by some armed people who noticed me flying through the sky like a bird.”

“Uh. Probably. Yes.”

“And then I give the imperiat to you, and you…”

“Take down Tomas,” said Orso. He coughed. “And possibly use it to reinvent the nature of scriving as we know it.”

“Yes. Well, then. I see.” She took a breath, nodded, and sat up. “I’m out.”

Orso blinked. “You…you what? Out?”

“Yeah. I’m out.” She stood. “Every time we talk about this it gets more and more preposterous. And no one’s asked me once if I’m game for any of this. I’m not doing this mad shit. I’m not. I’m out.” She walked away.

There was a long, awkward silence.

Orso stared around at everyone, flabbergasted. “Did…did she just say she’s out?”

“She did,” said Claudia.

“Like—not going to do it?”

“That’s what out generally means,” said Gio.

“But…but she can’t…She can’t just…Oh, son of a bitch!” He chased after Sancia, and caught her just as she was slipping out into the tunnel. “Hey! Come back here!”

“No,” said Sancia.

“We did a hell of a lot of work for you!” snarled Orso. “We worked our goddamn asses off to set this all up! You can’t just walk out now!”

“And yet,” said Sancia, “that’s what I’m doing.”

“But…but this is our only chance! If we don’t steal the imperiat now, then Tomas Ziani could raise an army, and…”

“And what?” spat Sancia, marching up to him. “Do to Tevanne what Tevanne has done to the entire rest of the world?”

“You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about!”

“The problem is that I actually do. You’re not the one in the capsule, in the Mountain, the one risking your goddamn neck! You know what this is, what this really is?”

“What?” said Orso, fuming.

“This is a rich man’s fight,” said Sancia. “A rich man’s game. And we’re all just pieces on the board to you. You think you’re different, Orso, but you’re just like all the rest of them!” She put her finger in his face. “My life’s not a hell of a lot better since I escaped the plantation. I still starve a lot and I still get beaten occasionally. But at least now I