The Gender War (The Gender Game #4) by Bella Forrest (read novel full TXT) 📗

Amber smiled bitterly. “I… I can fly it,” she said.

I stared at her, a thread of pure excitement shooting through me. “Are you joking?” She shook her head, and I exhaled, my mind jumping to the new development and accelerating my plan. The heloship would make fast work of the distance, and even buy me a little more time to prepare—to get a plan going, something. Not much, but I could work with it. I might even get a chance to say goodbye.

I gave Amber a questioning look, hardly daring to hope. “You’re willing to go with me? Even… after what you’ve just been through? You don’t want to rest, or…?”

She gave me a determined look, straightening her spine, and nodded. Having the beginnings of a plan seemed to have cleared up most of her panic. “I owe it to Quinn,” she replied. “She just left him bleeding…” Anger hardened her tearstained face. “We need to find him and get him back. And if we can stick it to Tabitha while we’re at it, then I’m all in.”

“All right,” I said, manic energy pumping through my veins. We can do this. “Jay, Tim, I need you to go find a handheld and try to get ahold of Viggo—”

I stopped, realizing that both of them were staring at me intently. “Violet,” Tim began. “Us. With you.”

“We’re coming with you,” Jay chimed in as he stepped closer. He and Tim were both grim and determined, with no trace of the excitement with which they’d usually approached such suggestions. They were dead serious.

I stood for a moment, my mouth hanging open. An icy spear of fear had sunk into my heart at the very thought of Tim and Jay going anywhere near that palace… near Tabitha. I’d been keeping silent, letting them go on dangerous missions, knowing that if either of them got hurt or lost their lives, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself anymore. This was the moment I had to put my foot down.

“Tim, Jay,” I said slowly, looking for words. “You can’t. Not this time.”

Tim’s face became thunderous, and he took a step forward. “We go,” he said insistently, and I slowly shook my head.

“I know you want to help,” I said, “but I can’t take you with me. I… The resistance… We need you both to stay here. What if Amber and I don’t make it? Can the group afford to lose both of you, too? And I can’t have you anywhere near the Matrians. If Tabitha catches you, she’ll start making you take the Benuxupane… and then you’ll be under their control. What if they tried to make you hurt one of us?”

Tim’s gray eyes were fierce. “Never,” he said, and I understood exactly what he meant. But I still couldn’t take the chance.

“I love you, little brother,” I begged. “But please. Please, listen to me. You can’t come. I can’t take the risk that you’ll end up imprisoned again. Or that you’ll end up like Henrik.” I looked at him, then at Jay, including him in my statement. “I can’t lose you guys, too.”

The two young men fell silent for a moment. Then, finally, Jay gave me a look, letting out a sigh, and turned to my brother. “She’s right, Tim. This time… we should stay here.”

I gave him a grateful look, and turned back to Tim. He wasn’t happy, but after taking a look at Jay, he nodded, then strode off, his face tight and his spine rigid. Jay followed, catching up with him and leaning up to say something to him.

I watched my brother, wishing I didn’t have to see him leave like this, wishing I could make him smile again. But it was probably better this way. I steeled myself, telling myself that it was better he was angry and safe here, than happy to be going into danger with me. But the pain in my chest stayed.

Finally, I turned back to Amber, who had watched the whole thing impassively, without comment. “All right,” I said. “I think… I have a plan. I’m going to go get the egg and some supplies. Could you go into your father’s secret basement room and grab a few things?”

“What? Secret basement?” Amber wrinkled her nose in confusion.

I realized then that, of course, she can’t have known about it, or she would have informed us of its existence before. After I explained to her what we’d found, she told me that it must have been installed during the time she was away from home. Then she nodded at my request to go there, and listened intently as I outlined the rudimentary parts of my plan. It had more than a few bugs, and I was going to need additional assistance, but I would cross that bridge when I came to it… and hopefully not have to set it on fire in the process.

31

Violet

“Are you sure you can’t get ahold of Viggo?”

Jeff shook his head, his face reflecting genuine worry. “I’m certain he and Owen took a handheld, but since it was from Mr. Ashabee’s armory, I haven’t been able to find out which one it was to connect to them.”

My heart sank further in my chest. “Keep trying, please?”

“What shall I tell Viggo if I do get ahold of him?” Jeff asked, his eyes looking too keenly into my own.

“Just… just find me and give me the handheld,” I said, and Jeff nodded. “Of course, Violet.”

Now there was a man with some discretion. I felt vaguely guilty about not telling Jeff my whole plan, but I didn’t know what his, the staff’s, and the other refugees’ response would be. It was certain that other parts of our group would soon notice Amber’s return; the news spread fast in such a little group. But I didn’t want any of them to try to stop us—or try to join us, for that matter. This matter wasn’t up