Cress

Chapter 49

    Cress was getting antsy. The royal nuptials were slated to being in a mere
   twenty-seven minutes, and as far as she could tell, all guards and security
    personnel were still very  much at their stations. On top of that, she
     and Wolf were running out of ways to make themselves inconspicuous
   without having to relocate to their seats. So far they'd each nibbled at the
   prawn hors d'oeuvres being waiter-passed. (Cress: one, Wolf: six), taken
   turns excusing themselves to pretend to use   the washroom while really
  trying to discern if any of the guards appeared concerned about a potential
    security   breach, and   three    times had  had  to  laugh   dreamily  and
     hold Wolf's hand in order to get some loitering  female admirer to mosey
     on. It was the most impressive acting she'd ever done, because touching
    Wolf made her uneasy and it was difficult to imagine him making any
     jokes.
     "Maybe we should start thinking of a Plan B," Cress murmured when
     she noticed that the symphony had begun replaying their set.
            "Already done." said Wolf.
      She peered up at him. "Really? What is it?"
     "We continue on to the security center as planned. I just have to knock
       out a lot more guards between here and there."
           She chewed on her lip, not terribly enthusiastic with Plan B.
   Then— "There. Look."

       She followed his gesture. Two guards were speaking with their heads
     lowered.  One had badges indicating a significantly higher rank.  He
        pointed down a corridor, in  the direction of the research wing.
                Well, it was really in the direction of just about anything, but Cress
   hoped he was talking about a disturbance in  the  research   wing. That
would mean that the others had made it inside and raised the alarms.
         A second later, the two guards left the ballroom.
  "Do you think they've done it?" Cress said.
    "Time to find out."
        Wolf offered her his elbow and together they meandered out into the
      main corridor. The remaining guards paid them no attention as they
     turned down a connecting hallway. Cress kept repeating the instructions
           that   she'd    memorized—take  the    forth    hallway   on   the   right,   past
           the courtyard with the tortoise fountain, then the second   left. Her heart
     began to pound fervently in her chest.
      Twice they were stopped by palace staff, and twice they asked for
         directions like confused, slightly drunk wedding guests and had to back
   track to a safe hiding place before Wolf deemed it safe to move again. But
  no alarm was raised and no guards came for them. Cress knew they had
        already been captured on  countless cameras set throughout the palace,
but she as wolf wouldn't be recognizable like Cinder or   Thorne or Dr.
Erland, and even if they did raise suspicions, she hoped everyone would
  be too distracted by the emergency in the research labs to care. Still, the
         father they got from the ballroom, the less likely  it was that anyone
        would buy their innocence act.
     She was grateful when Wolf's pace picked up Cinder and Iko would be
   waiting on them now, and they were running out of time.
     They  reached   a  skybridge  that    locked    two  of   the    palace's
        towers. The glass floor showed a peaceful stream bubbling  underneath,
          amid lush grasses and   heavy-headed  chrysanthemums. Past the bridge,
  they found themselves in a circular lobby, with empty seating arrangements
          carved from dark wood, statues of mythical creatures circling the perimeter
          and   a   jungle of   potted   bamboos    and    orchids   giving   the  room
    a heady scent.