Elude

Reclaiming Power

Now I'm as shocked as Matthew is. Caelan stands there with a wild look in his eye.

"Don't worry, I'm perfectly sane," he growls. "Or at least I will be once a knife finds its way into his heart!"

"I'm sorry, Caelan..." Matthew says. "I- I-"

"Don't apologize," Caelan says. "If you thought you'd regret it, why'd you pull the trigger?"

"I had to," Matthew says. "To end the war. Why did you side with Jace? You're the coward." Matthew's lying and we both can tell.

"You want to kill me, Emerson?!" Caelan throws his arms out. "Here I am!"

Matthew walks out of the hall, leaving just the two of us. "You see?" Caelan says quietly. "He'd abandon you in a heartbeat to save himself."

Matthew returns a few minutes later holding the key ring. "I'm sorry," he repeats. "Do you know just how much I wish I hadn't done it? I've thought about you every single day."

"You should have killed Jace," Caelan says. "He was a few feet away from me. You have near-perfect aim." His eyes widen again. "You shot me just next to the heart. If you were trying to kill me, you wouldn't have missed."

"They told me you'd died," Matthew moans. "Why did I listen? I should've known you would be fine? Instead I allowed them to lock me in the Dome."

"You did that because... Of me?" Caelan  asks, confused.

Matthew unlocks the door. "I never should have sided with Jace," he confesses as he slips out. "It's me who should be apologizing, and I'm sorry."

"About Jace," I say. "Won't he be here soon?" Matthew nods and the three of us leave the prison.

We all get in the hovercraft, Matthew flying. "Well," I say. "What do we do now?"

Caelan looks at Matthew. "I think," he says. "We have a few positions to reclaim."

Ideas of what comes next start whirling through my mind. I imagine standing next to Matthew as his second-in-command after a bold confrontation with Reilly Whittaker. The expression on Jace's face when he finds out...

I smile slyly. "This is going to be fun." Caelan is also smiling, but Matthew looks grim and serious as always.

"What are you going to do about Reilly?" Caelan asks. "Assuming you want to rule Ashendale."

Matthew shrugs. "Like I'd want to go back to that place. I was thinking Allegan."

"Allegan?" I echo.

"Government territory," Matthew replies.

"Aww, politics are no fun," Caelan says, fake pouting.

"That's coming from the former leader of the entire country," Matthew tells me with a laugh.

"Caelan? The leader of the country?"

"Now I'm offended," Caelan says. "I'm obviously the best candidate there is. Fly to Enderlin's base from the war, will you?"

"Sure," Matthew says and the hovercraft turns around. "Who ended up taking over Enderlin?"

"Yeah, that," Caelan mutters, trailing off. "Can you just wait and see?"

"I know them, don't I," Matthew says suspiciously.

"Understatement of the year," Caelan says. "It's Jake."

"My brother?!" Matthew says. "Oh god, he was probably happy to hear we died!  Of course he wanted more power than me, he always has."

"But you didn't die," I say. "How was there an execution if you weren't there?"

"It wasn't public," Caelan says.

"That reminds me," I muse. "Why did Eve write a letter to Winter saying she was happy about it?"

"That's Eve for you," Matthew says. "Always trying to get on everyone's good side. Always sneaking around and betraying them."

• • •

"Jake," Matthew says and raises the gun.

Jake lifts his head and jumps up from his desk. "Matthew?" he asks, confused. Then he sees the gun and the confusion clears.

"I only wish you'd be around to see what's going to happen to the country," Matthew says, his face emotionless.

Before he can shoot, Jake grabs a gun of his own. "Maybe it's you that won't be around," he says. "You shoot and you go down with me."

Suddenly Jake collapses, and I see a dart embedded in his chest. Matthew looks down at the gun. "Crap," he says. "I brought the dart gun by accident."

Caelan walks over to the computer. "He didn't even change the passcode," he says. "There. I made an announcement saying that he resigned and I'm the new leader."

"Can you do that?" I ask.

"Apparently."

• • •

Once Jake is secure back at the prison, we set course for Allegan.

"What happened after the war?" I ask. "Who ended up winning?"

"Enderlin won," Caelan says. "Allegan, who was allied with us, made a bunch of new laws and appointed Jake and Reilly as the new leaders of Enderlin and Ashendale."

"So Matan is still in charge of Allegan?" Matthew says. "No wonder the country is so corrupt."

Eventually we fly into a huge city, filled with tall, modern buildings. There's one that stands out, towering over the rest. That's where we're headed.

Matthew lands us on the roof, and we enter the building through the roof door, which turns out to be an elevator. "Top floor?" Matthew asks.

Caelan nods. Moments later, the doors slide open and we go into what must be Matan's office.

"Hey," he says without turning around. "Matthew and Nox?" Caelan steps back into the elevator right as the doors close. Smart, I never would have thought of that. If Matan doesn't know he's here, it could be useful.

"Who else could it be?" Matthew says and lets out a slow laugh. He walks over to Matan and presses the dart gun up against his neck.

"Now," Matthew says. "That's better. You're going to resign as the leader of Allegan and the country. Okay?"

"I'd rather die," Matan says defiantly.

He fires and Matan slumps over in his chair. Matthew leans over his body and types something in the computer. "We'd better do something with him before he wakes up," Matthew says.

Caelan comes back in the room. "Good," he says. "Let's take him back."