Cress

Chapter 56

To  anyone  who  would  have  seen   her,  Levana  was  a  vision   of   serenity in
her ethereal red wedding gown and the  sheer  gold veil that  fell to her 
wrists. She sat on the settee in her guest quarters, posture  perfect, her
hands folded in her lap.
      Except they were not folded at all, but rather balled into angry fists.
       Each one held a wedding band. One that she had worn for   far too
  many  years, that she had  once   believed   would bring  her love and
  happiness,  but   had   only ever brought her pain.
          The other was supposed to bring  her,  not  the  love  of   a  blind, selfish
    husband, but the love of an entire planet. She should have been wearing
  it now.
       Everything  had  been  going  so well.  She  had  been  moments  away  from 
  walking down that aisle. Moments away.
       She should    have    been  married. She    should   have   been  reciting  the 
   vows  that would make her empress.
   When  she  found  out who  was    responsible   for this delay, she   would
  torment their fragile  mind   until   they  were  a drooling  pathetic  idiot,  terrified
  of  the  sight of their own hands.
         A knock cut through   the   fantasy. Levana   shifted her   eyes toward the
    door.
         "Enter."
        One of her  guards entered  first, escorting Konn Torin, the young  emperor's 
        annoying,   perpetually  present    adviser. She  glared   at   him    through
      her  gold  veil,  though she knew he couldn't see it.
     "Your Illustrious Majesty," he said, bowing deeply.   The addition of a
       new adjective combine  with the bow slightly lower than usual made
     the  hair   prickle   on   the back of her neck. "I must apologize most severely
     for the delay, and  for   the news   I have to impact to you. We have been
    forced, I'm  afraid,  to   postpone  the  marriage ceremony."
           "I do beg your pardon."
           He straightened but kept his gaze respectfully on the floor.
         "His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Kaito, has been kidnapped.   He    was
       taken  from his personal   quarters and   smuggled  onto   an    untraceable
     spaceship."
             Her fingers curled around the wedding bands. "By whom?"
            "Linh Cinder, Your Majesty. The  cyborg  fugitive  from the   ball. Along 
with  multiple accomplices, it would appear.
           Linh Cinder.
            Every time she heard the name she wanted to spit.
"I see," she said, finding it too wearisome to soften the hardness of her
       anger. "Am I to believe that you did  not   have any    security measures  in
     place  for  the  attempt of such an assault?"
"Our security was compromised."
             "Compromised."
            "Yes, Your Majesty."
    She rose to her feet. The gown swished like  a  breeze  arounds  her  lips.
   The  adviser didn't flinch, although she should have.
         "You're telling me that this teenage  girl   has not  only   escaped  from
  your  prison and evaded  capture  by your  highly trained  military,  but   has
  now   invaded   your palace  ands  the  private quarters  of  the   emperor  himself, 
  kidnapped   him,  and again gotten away with it?"
         "Precisely correct Your Majesty."
         "And what are you doing now to retrieve my groom?'
         "We have employed every place and military unit at our dispo—"
         "NOT OOD ENOUGH."

    This time, he did flinch.
             Levana  steadied   her   breathing. "The Commonwealth  has  failed   too  
     many times with regards to   Linh  Cinder. Beginning  now,   I will    employ 
    my   own   resources and tactics in finding her. My guards  will  need  to  review
    all   your    security  footage from the  past   forty-eight hours."
          The adviser clasped his  hands  behind  his  back. "We  are happy to  give
      you access to the security footage we have   available. However, we are  
      missing  approximately two hours of footage   that   was compromised   this  
     afternoon  by the security breach."
              She sneered. "Fine. Bring me what you do have."
             Thaumaturge  Aimery  Park  appeared in the  doorway. "Your Majesty. If  I 
      may request a word with you, in private."
            "With pleasure."  She waved a hand at Korin Torin. "You're   dismissed, 
       but  note that the incompetence of your security team will not be ignored."
          With no argument, and another low bow, the adviser left.
           As soon as he   was  gone, Levana  whipped the veil  off her  head  and
         threw  it onto   the  settee. "The  young  emperor  has been  kidnapped,  and
        from his  own palace. Earthens are pathetic. It's amazing they haven't already
         become extinct."
              "I  do  not  disagree, Your  Majesty. I  trust  Mr.  Konn  did  not  inform  you  of
        this evening's other interesting development?"
               "What development?"
               Aimery's  eyes  danced. "It  appears  that  Dr.  Sage  Darnel  is   in   this   palace,
         trapped in a quarantine room in the research wing."
            "Sage Darnel?" She paused. "Daring  to  return  after  he assisted  the  escape  of
      that wretched girl?"
               "No  doubt they've  been  working   together,  although  I've been led to 
        believe that Dr. Darnel  won't be around  for much   longer. It  appears   he's  
        contracted   a unusual  strain    of  letumosis, one  that seems   to   be much 
       faster  acting  than the common strain. And, of course, he is Lunar."
            Her pulse skipped. This did open up some interesting possibilities.