All Of Us - Part 1: Summer

Chapter 20 - Wait, what ?

- Dæor -

Hmm ?

I slowly open my eyes to let the torchlight in. I feel good - really good, actually. Better than I've felt in a while.

I roll over to my side and lazily gaze at the stuff on the floor. My pants, my shirt, bloodstained Shadow... Wait, what ? I spring upright. Why does my sword have blood on it ?

With a gasp, my hands fly to my head and wedge themselves in my hair. I must look like a crazy granny like this. Last night - last night was nuts ! I blink twice then bounce to my feet. I need to make sure that last night really happened. That it's real.

I can't control the smile spreading across my face as I simultaneously pull on my pants and think about the events. Absolutely nuts. I rush out of my room sideways whilst still fastening my belt and bolt to Keiti's door. Startled rebels in the hallway look at me like I'm a lunatic, but I can't seem to care. I don't bother knocking, prefering to slam the door open with gusto. She looks up from her desk, stares me down, and starts to laugh. Between two giggles, she gestures at me, both asking me to close the door and to sit down. I happily do so and lean forwards in my chair. "Keiti ? Did it... Did it really happen ?"

She snorts one last time. "Yeah, 'f course it did."

I tilt my head back. "She's... She's really..."

"Yeah. She's a rebel."

I spring from my chair, not caring when it falls back. Pumping my fist up and down, I start to yell: "Keiti ! Do you realize what we have here ? The closest person to the King - the closest - is a rebel ! We're so close now ! So close !" I finally look at her face - it's hard and bitter.

"What's wrong ?"

"I just.. I thought you were happy for more selfless reasons."

Instantly, my cheeks go red.

"That you valued her as a real new member, like any other."

Oh. "I... I'm not only happy because the Princess is one of us. I'm also happy because... Evangeline is." The name slips off my tongue, and it feels like the most natural thing in the word. My assertion seems to have worked - Keiti beams back at me.

"So... Can I go see her ?"

She shakes her head. "She's under watch by Aline."

"Huh ?"

Keiti bites her lip. "I had to. You should have seen the reaction of some of the rebels when I said that she had passed their stupid test. They... They were violent, Dæor. I couldn't let them near her."

"So you put her under cave-arrest ? Just like when she was a prisoner ?" My voice grows slightly louder.

"She's defenseless !"

"It's not a reason to treat her in such a way !"

"You should have seen them, D," she tries one more time.

"And don't you have faith in them ? Do you really think they're going to attack her like a pack of rabid dogs ?"

"I hope you're right, D. I really do. But I can't be so sure of it," she murmurs. The tension falls back down, and she adds: "Anyways, it's not for much longer now. Since you're awake, we'll have a meeting with Gail to decide what we do with the Princess. She won't be under," Keiti does air-quotation marks with her fingers, " 'cave-arrest' for long. Lino's not coming. Not related enough to his vendetta against General Thar, I suppose."

"Have you been waiting for me for a while ?"

She grins. "Hey buddy, it's nine o'clock."

If I wasn't standing up, I would have jumped up from my chair. "What ?!"

"We let you sleep. You deserved it," she explains. "Don't you feel good ?"

"That's besides the point,' I sheepishly maintain. "You should have woken me up ! When did you get up ?"

"Ugh, I don't even want to think about it. Let's go to the meeting instead," she declares, getting up.

"Smooth," I snort. "Fine, but you are taking a nap afterwards."

"Sure, sure thing," she adds over her shoulder, a smirk on her lips.

*****

Gail rubs her hair and looks at us.

"So, I thought about it all last night."

"Before we came back ?" Keiti interjects.

Gail sends her a look which categorically screams: 'Seriously ?'. "All three of us already knew that she was going to pass."

"Touché."

"As I was saying," Gail continues with a smile,"I know it's important we treat her like the others, but there are much better ways we could use her help. Remember how we were going to exchange her - or her corpse ," she coughs, "for a ransom ?"

A shiver goes across my back. I had forgotten. "Yeah."

"Well, what if we still give her back, but-"

"What ?" I cut her off. "You know how terrible the King is. Imagine how it must be to live with him, all the time ! She must have suffered immensely ! She joined us for a reason," I spit out.

Gail gives me a pointed look. "I know, I know, Dæor. But hear me out. It'll be temporary."

What ? How... Puzzled, I don't interrupt her again.

"I'm not sure the significance of her membership has reached some of us yet. I've mapped it out a bit last night, and I think that by sending her to the castle, she'll help us to such an extent that we'll be able to... We'll be able to invade the castle and topple the King a few months afterwards, I believe. We'll get her out then, obviously," she adds, looking at me.

I can't reply. I feel like all the air in my brain and lungs has wooshed out. I can't breathe or think, much less answer. A few months...

"How ? How can she help us that much ?" Keiti asks.

Gail smiles. She's been rehearsing her line: "She'll be our spy."