Twisted Metal Heart - Eve Langlais Page 0,63
night?”
“It’s properly guarded against monsters, and even if it were overrun, they could retreat up the cliffs to safety. The land all around the town was razed and flattened. The cliff upon which the original castle and city sits only has a winding road leading to them. If they had to, the citizens could protect themselves for decades.”
“I assume the port is at the base.”
Riella nodded. “Set in a vee of land is a bay with docks. You’ll usually see a few massive warships moored at any time.”
“They dare to sail the seas?”
His disbelief brought a grin. “All the time. Aside from the five other continents, there are islands out there with tiny cities and villages of their own.”
What she didn’t say was some were maybe even far enough to escape her mother’s reach. But that would require crossing the big, dangerous ocean and hoping the warship could hold off a denizen of the deep.
But she’d take her chance with drowning or being eaten to following the shoreline north into Diamond, a dead zone. No one had been in and come out of there in twenty years. It was assumed lost to some kind of natural disaster—or monster—and to be avoided at all costs. A good place to hide if she could stay alive. But she didn’t just have herself to think of now.
“Do you know how to get back to Emerald?” he asked.
“Why would you go back?” she asked with a wrinkle of her nose. Then continued on to say, “I guess it’s possible, but if you want to avoid the queen and the well-guarded passes, then it would require crossing the marsh and returning to the tunnels. If you can find an opening. Perhaps there’s one that’s not flooded that will lead back under the mountains.”
He grimaced. “That sounds as if it might take a while. Is there another way to get to Emerald?”
“Why the sudden desire?”
“Axel and the others need to know that Emerald is essentially a lie. If they knew how big the world truly was…”
If the citizens suspected, then the queen might find herself too busy to worry about a runaway daughter.
“I’ve heard rumors that you used to be able to travel between the kingdoms via the Ajatarai forest.”
The border of wild trees spanned miles and miles. Dangerous, especially the closer you got to the crevice that ran along the middle of it. It had split open about a hundred years ago. Nasty things lived down chasms in the dark. They liked to hunt at night.
The bike hit a root and wobbled. Titan steadied it. “The forest isn’t an option. We’ve been looking for a way across. Even sent out watcher drones.”
“What did they see?” she asked.
“No idea. They all stopped working the moment they got in sight of the chasm.”
She blinked. “That’s kind of freaky.” It also made her wonder if something like that could harm Alfred.
Apparently, Titan read her mind. “Alfred probably shouldn’t try it.” Then he kept mumbling. “There must be a way we can let people know there’s other places they can go.”
“You’re talking about a revolution.”
He cast a glance sideways at her. “Guess I am.”
“Hero.” She coughed. When he didn’t say anything, she looked over and noticed the ruddy color in his cheeks. “Look at you. You want to save the world.”
“Not the world, just the people who’re slaves to others.”
“Citizens don’t see themselves as slaves, though.”
He snorted. “Maybe not in the city. But elsewhere people don’t like being told what to do and being hurt if they don’t listen. If the outer domes were to revolt, the farms and the factories, even the baby-making places, we could force the Enclave to negotiate with us and grant concessions.”
A grand idea. Noble even. “But there’s one problem with it,” she remarked.
“What?”
“The queen would destroy you. Your friends. Your friends’ friends. And so forth. You are not dealing with a nice person or a rational one. She will scorch the earth and murder everyone if it means keeping her power.”
“In other words, it’s hopeless,” was his bitter reply.
“Not quite.” And while she didn’t say it aloud, it was as if he read her mind.
“The queen must die.”
Sixteen
They spent a moment in silence after saying aloud the truth. Funny how it had a way of killing conversation.
She broke the quiet. “Your plan to use me as bait is the right one.”
“No, it’s not. I’ll find another way that doesn’t put the baby or you in danger.”
Her nose wrinkled. “Another way? How long will