Dorothy

Chapter 14

     Cressida rocked back in her chair. "Passage off Luna, yes, that is a tall order," Cressida sounded oddly delighted. "And it will come at a high cost." Her eyes were alight.

     "We've already told you," Dorothy began, she was getting nervous as to what Cressida was so manically happy about, "we don't have anything."

     "Oh, it's not about what you have, my dears, it's what you can do. I want something done. A tall order- almost as tall as the one that you've given me."

     "And that would be?" Auden asked warily.

     "I need you to kill Chanary."

     Silence. Then, all at once,

     "What!?"

     "But that's impossible!"

     "It's suicide."

     "Alright."

     Everyone whipped around to gape at Auden, not sure that he had heard him correctly. "What did you just say?" Ronan asked. Dorothy had to agree with him; killing the queen of a mind-control empire sounded insane to her.

     "I said alright. If Cressida won't give us passage off for anything else, we have to take this offer, we don't have a choice."

     "Auden is right," said Thayer. Dorothy turned toward him in astonishment. His eyes were suddenly shining with the same manic energy that was in Cressida's.
      
      Ronan ran his hands over his face. "I can't believe this. It's impossible. You all know that right? This is a suicide mission."

     "Only if you die," Cressida interjected. Ronan glared at her.

     "It's impossible, as in, it can't be done."

     "Are you sure you won't take anything else?" Dorothy asked. Her heart was already pounding in her chest at the thought of this exchange, but she was pretty sure that she already knew Cressida's answer.

     "Quite sure. I want this done."

     Dorothy turned back to her companions. "I don't think that we have much choice."

     "It's still going to get you killed," Rosie said, but there was no fight in her voice. Dorothy was grateful for that. They already knew what they would do.

     "Alright then," Cressida reached under a cushion and withdrew a richly stained wooden box. She lifted the lid carefully and extracted a crystal vial containing a shimmering blue liquid. It looked to Dorothy like liquid sapphires.

     "Poison," Cressida said. "Very rare. Indiscoverable in an autopsy, and takes two weeks to take over the body," she handed the vial to Dorothy. "Good luck."

     They weren't far from the palace-half an hour's walk brought them almost to the front gates. Hiding in a tight cluster of trees, the group watched a group of soldiers pass by. "We need a plan," Ronan said. "Like, how are we going to get into the castle?"

     "We could glamour ourselves," Rosie put in.

     "Yeah, just one problem. I can't glamour you or Auden period. And Thayer, no offense buddy, but your bioelectricity is no picnic."

     "Then it will just have to be you and me," Dorothy said, determined to sound braver than she felt. Her hear rose to her throat at the thought.

     "That's a bad idea," Auden said.

     "You got a better one? I am open to plausible ideas," Thayer countered.

     They all stood in silence for a moment.

     "Fine then. Ronan and I will go in as staff. We'll serve dinner to the queen and when I get a chance I'll pour this on her food," Dorothy held up the vial.

     "I must warn you, your bioelectricity feels different than a Lunar's; I will try my best, but Queen Chanary may be able to tell."

     "Well then she can't go," Auden said, sounding angry.

    "One of us shouldn't go alone. That's not safe," said Dorothy. This added danger was doing nothing for her nerves and she was eager to get going.

     Auden looked thoroughly unconvinced. "Well then, I suppose we'd better go," Dorothy said, trying to sound courageous. She started to step out from their hiding place, ruffling the leaves. Thayer grabbed her arm and pulled her back just as she became aware of voices. One of them sent chills down her spine.

     "I want guards surrounding the castle at all times," Atticus told an apparently high ranking guard. "We must catch this threat before it- oh what is it now?"

     "Excuse me Thaumaturge," said the man with him, "but did you hear a noise just now, from those trees?"

     "Yes, now that you mention it. Go, see what it was about."

     The guard's footsteps grew louder. None of them dared to breathe. Branches parted to reveal a leering face. "Run," squeaked Auden. They wasted no time in following him.

     Dorothy had barely taken three steps, however when she felt a hand simultaneously wrap around her abdomen and mouth, stifling her scream and pulling her toward the leering-faced man.

     Auden ran and ran. He didn't look back. None of them did. Thayer was at the front now. He turned suddenly into a different set of thicker trees. The rest of them dashed in after him. "Are you alright Dorothy?" Silence met his question, they all looked around. "Where's Dorothy?" Panic started to rise in his chest.

     "Oh no," Ronan breathed. He pushed his way out of the trees. Auden and Rosie were on his heals. Thayer followed after him. They turned a corner and the sight turned Auden' s knees weak.

     Dorothy was being held in front of Atticus by the guard. She was tightly pinned against him, and Auden's heart leapt with pride and fear to see that she was struggling against her captor and staring murderously at Atticus. Atticus raised his hand and swung it across her face.

     Auden forgot all else. He started toward Atticus. Strong arms grabbed him from behind. "You're no help to Dorothy if you get caught too," Thayer whispered to him. Dorothy wasn't struggling anymore, but she was still glaring at Atticus. A thin trickle of blood was running down her face. Atticus said something that Auden couldn't hear. The guard raised his fist and slammed it to Dorothy's head. She slumped in his arms. Atticus motioned and walked through the palace gates. The guard dragged Dorothy after him, not too ceremoniously and looking distinctly annoyed.

     Auden struggled against Thayer. "They're taking her. You have to go after them!" he cried desperately.

     "To go in now won't help Dorothy. We need to plan."

     "Do you know what they'll do to her!?"

     Thayer's gaze turned stony. "I know better than anyone what they could do to her. Rushing in now won't help anything."

     Auden hated how cool and logically Thayer was treating this. Hated that Thayer was right. Hated that he was powerless. He turned and watched Dorothy's feet disappear through the gate.