down, their mouths grim. Red masks covered the lower half of their face, hiding everything but their eyes. They stood rigidly, clutching wicked-looking spears and axes. I wasn’t sure if it was just a show of force, or if King Richard was actually apprehensive.
The wedding was a big deal every year, and often televised, but I’d never seen it like this before. I realized suddenly, it might have all been for me. I still remembered the welcome speech the king gave when I first came to the citadel of light. During the presentation ceremony, he toasted Damien. Who had never chosen before, who refused to choose. I learned later it was because he disagreed with his father’s politics, and that he’d only chosen me to spare me from a worse fate with Nigel.
The king had made a big deal out of his son finally settling down; maybe that’s why so much extra effort had gone into this ceremony. It almost made me sad. I’d basically left Damien alone at the altar. But not because I wanted to. Because the king tried to use me as a puppet. He compulsed me to kill Trevor, a symbolic end to the brewing rebellion, and I refused.
My breath hitched as I saw Damien, sitting behind his father on a large red velvet chair with dark wood. Like the other suitors, he was wearing an all-white suit. But when the betrothed elite stood up together – ten of them – Damien remained seated, crossing his arms sullenly. Even from this distance he was handsome. All the elite were beautiful in their own way, but Damien was almost painfully beautiful.
The audience oohed as the bridal march began. Giant paper lanterns in the shape of swans, their necks entwined, formed a heart-shaped tunnel of glowing feathers.
First, a pair of young children came down the aisle throwing pink rose petals. Then the brides came in pairs, in long teal dresses that stood out beautifully from the carpet of pink rose petals.
Without me, Jazmine and Camina, there were eight sets. I recognized them, one by one. Jessica’s blond hair was trimmed short, but she’d left one side long. Jazmine ribbed me in the side and pointed.
My heart nearly burst when I saw Mary among the others. That means she must have survived the fall during the trials.
I blinked back a tear, and Jazmine squeezed my hand. I’d hated leaving her behind.
“You should go,” Trevor said, squeezing my arm. “We’ll keep watch from here.”
“Will you be able to get in?” Luke asked.
“Yeah, I got this.” I said. “Back in a minute.”
I pulled my hood up and cut through the crowd towards Damien’s apartment. I was almost reluctant to turn my back on the proceedings.
It was breathtaking… a wedding to kill for. I couldn’t believe it was all happening without me. This was supposed to be my wedding day. Instead, I was a wanted fugitive, using the ceremony to plot a heist. How had things gone so wrong?
Finally I pushed through the back of the crowd, who were straining their necks and standing on boxes to see the stage, and darted down the nearly empty streets. It was eerily silent. Penelope had told me the purification engines in the citadel were built with different technology. It was a barely perceptible hum, as opposed to the loud buzz you couldn’t escape in the compounds.
It meant we couldn’t use our masks, of course, as nobody wore them in the citadel, which made me feel vulnerable. I kept my hood up and hair down, and moved quickly past the crowds whose eyes were glued to the stage.
“Dearly Beloved,” King Richard’s voice made me jump, until I realized it was coming from a loudspeaker on a pole to my right.
“We are gathered here today...” I tuned him out and focused on where I was going. For a moment, I thought I was lost, but then I found the small alley that led to the narrow courtyard beneath my bedroom window. Where I’d seen Penelope get captured, and found the vial of blood she’d left me. I took a deep breath, hoping my memory hadn’t deceived me. My eyes trailed a path, up the drainage pipe, across the roof. I’d have to jump from one building to Damien’s, but the gap was only a few feet across. Then I could lower myself down to the window.
I knew Claire often left it open so the bedsheets could dry in the afternoon. I hoped it wasn’t locked, but