Wings of the Walker - CoraLee June Page 0,290

murmured into my hair. We slept wrapped up in a tangle of limbs and exhaustion. He held me all night, and I enjoyed watching his peaceful face as he slept.

We reluctantly headed downstairs for breakfast after getting dressed. The other Companions sat with us, eating in silence. Kaye had disappeared for a walk sometime this morning. None of us bothered her as she still seemed upset by her sister's abandonment. Madam B and Louis made quick work of briefing us at breakfast. "Louis and Kemper were unable to finish the Heat disabler in time," she said before chomping down on a muffin.

Tallis frowned but seemed resigned to the fact that it wouldn't work. Everyone already knew about Kaye's sister giving up, so this seemed to just dampen the already dark mood. "I'll alert the Resistance," Jules said with a sigh.

"No," Madam B immediately replied. It was the first I'd seen her not act calm. "We still need the riots. Once Cavil is dead, it'll give us the momentum we need to really spark change. If they know we've failed to disable Heat, they won't stand up. We really need what few members of the Resistance we have."

"They'll be killed," I replied before pursing my lips. "You can't just send them to their deaths."

"Some may die, yes. But they're smart. Resilient. I'm sure more would survive than you think."

Tallis stood and scowled at Madam B. "No. That's not how I lead." He slammed a fist on the table, causing drinks to spill and food to splatter everywhere. Opposite him, Madam B seemed unphased by his outburst.

"You forget where you are," she murmured. "I've planned this all. You used my connections to get behind enemy lines. My Companions got you access to Mr. Black. I think you should tread very carefully."

I watched their ping ponged aggression and tried to piece together their motives. Why would Madam B risk so many? "Who does Cavil have that is important to you?" I asked while cocking my head to the side. I wanted to get to the bottom of her motivations and was determined to find out who exactly Madam B was doing this for.

"What do you mean?" she scoffed, but I saw the fear in her eyes. I was on to something, I just knew it.

"I want to know why you're doing this. Why do you want Cavil dead?"

She stood up and took a step back, as if being backed into a corner. "I want him dead for the same reasons you do. Cavil is evil."

"Enough," Jules said, eyeing me with annoyance but accepting why I needed to know. We were too close to the end of this. Madam B may be willing to risk the members of the Resistance, but I wasn't. I needed to know that she wouldn't betray us. This empire was too full of power-hungry people willing to step on anyone to get what they wanted.

She looked around the room, seemingly accepting that there was nothing she could do to stop the questions. "I have a relationship with a dignitary from Saberus. He has a fetter and is now a forced advisor to Cavil. Lowe is responsible for getting him out of there."

I snapped my attention to Lowe, and she shrugged. "I'm just following orders."

"I've known him for a long time. I've...loved him for a long time. I just want him out of there and safe. That's my motive." I took in the way her eyes went soft with affection. Her bottom lip dropped, as if she was remembering something with fondness. I knew then that she was just a woman in love, desperate to get him back. Like me, almost.

Jules tilted her head to the side. "This dignitary, you don't have any ideas about him being the new emperor, do you? Because that's not going to happen."

"I don't care about any of that. We need the riots to distract the guards so we can sneak out in the tunnels. They've been patrolling the auction post more lately. And if Cavil is killed, they're going to be out in full force, making sure that no one leaves Galla. Kaye is only going to be able to poison the men in Cavil's tower. The Zone is still flooded with hundreds of guards."

I slumped back in my seat and puffed out some air. She was right, we couldn't leave unless the guards were distracted. I flashed my eyes to Kemper, and I knew that he was trying to piece together a plan