Aidan had been watching the sky for the last two hours. The plasma trains screeched above him as they skimmed into their stations. He had one hand in the pocket of his jacket, keeping hold of the homing device while he gazed upward through the lines of plasma trains that zigzagged overhead.
He understood this was a useless exercise. The bird would find the transmitter, even if he was inside the cottage, but he didn’t want to raise suspicion with another broken windowpane. And besides, his stepfather and Drake were still in a boisterous mood, making the small cottage unbearably loud and suffocating. Even Morgan had escaped to his basement workshop.
Plus, there was the fact that just because Delia gave him the transmitter didn’t mean she was sending him a message right away … or ever for that matter.
Still, he rationalized, the walk would clear his mind. A headache was slowly growing, but he found being outside was a helpful distraction.
He began to play with the idea of selling the Queen’s Guard glider to Griffin in order to buy a new outfit for the ball. Just once, he thought, it would be nice to see her in a social setting and not while acting as a rogue. The hope was there, deeply buried.
Aidan shook his head. He was losing all logic and reason. Why should he care about how she saw him? She had a palace full of princes to choose from, and soon she’d have a husband.
He kicked a rock across the street. Then his pocket vibrated.
With his heart hammering inside his chest, Aidan saw the silhouette of the bird high above. He took out the transmitter and gently placed it by his feet. The bird landed, zeroing in perfectly on the transmitter. He allowed himself a rare laugh, remembering how the bird had chased Delia in the maze.
Picking up the mechanism, he stroked the beak and retrieved a piece of paper. Her handwriting was lovely and it took him a few moments to decipher the loops and swirls of her letters. He was used to reading typed words on the infoscreen.
Meet me where the glider is hidden. I need to speak with you. Not safe to be inside palace walls.
Aidan checked up and down the road, expecting to see Drake covering his mouth, fighting back laughter. This was too easy. Someone was setting him up.
However, if there was a chance he’d see her again in person, Aidan knew he’d take it, no matter what the risk. “What do I have to lose?” he whispered. Because this was what his life had become, a daily exercise in risk and reward.
He hurried back to the cottage and waited in the darkness for what seemed like a lifetime.
Then there was the unmistakable sound of a glider swooping overhead. She swiftly landed in the shadows, out of sight. The plasma engine made a soft ticking sound as it cooled. There was a sigh, and then footsteps came closer to him.
She was wearing high boots and a long fitted jacket that ended above her knees. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes full of fire.
“You got my message,” she said.
He snickered. “I thought we weren’t going to meet anymore?” Aidan had no idea where the haughty tone was coming from. Inside he was a jumble of nerves.
She answered him with her own string of questions. “Is there some reason you’re not at the palace?” she asked. “Considering you’re supposed to be my bodyguard, wouldn’t being closer to the body you’ve been hired to protect make sense?”
Switching to defense, Aidan said, “Sometimes the right security is all about being in the right place at the right time. Even if that means not being close to the body I’m supposed to be protecting.”
Delia jutted a hip to the side. “You like to twist my words.”
“And you like to escape your palace. This is three times now and that’s only since I met you. Shouldn’t you be organizing a wedding?” The teasing came easily.
“It hasn’t made it to that point yet.”
“Are you saying an engagement isn’t imminent?”
She shrugged. “I’m still considering my options.”
“And is meeting me in the middle of the night one of your options?” He laughed nervously. “Just kidding. Go on, you were saying.”
“I’m tired of being lied to, Aidan,” she said. The statement came out tired, sad. “Something is going on in the palace. Every time I figure out an answer, another lie pops up and I’m more confused than ever.”
“What have you discovered?” he asked. “You told me the android plot was ten years old.”
“Even though I foolishly went to my mother before examining the chip more closely, I’m still bothered by the fact my maid was put to scrap when there was nothing wrong with her. And why is Prince Felix one way one day and entirely different the next? And why does Prince Quinton seem so authentically charming but then turn out to be a snake?!”
“I can’t comment on any of those issues, but I do need to tell you that Prince Felix may be involved in the resistance. The information I shared with you was found inside a silver dagger that had been taken from his room in the palace.”
A look of disbelief crossed her face. “How do you know this?”
“My source confided in me, and he is someone I trust implicitly.”
There was defiance in her stance. “Why didn’t you tell me this when you gave me the microchip? Are you doing this on purpose? Are you trying to put an unfavorable light on Prince Felix? Did someone tell you to try to influence my choice? What if I want to marry Prince Felix?”
“Do you want to marry Prince Felix?” The words practically choked him.
“Of course not! I don’t want to marry anyone. I only want what’s best for Astor.”
They stood staring at each other, an argument brewing under the surface. Aidan could have told her everything at that moment and come clean with his true identity, but it was clear she wasn’t finished with him yet. She had come to him, sought him out especially.
She went to the glider and came back with two folded cloaks. “I need help,” she said. Her tone was less insolent now.
Aidan eyed the clothing. “This looks intriguing.”
Delia put on one of the robes and pulled the hood over her head, shielding her face, completely disguising herself. Then she tugged at the cloak, making it hang straight to the ground. “I require a tour guide,” she continued. “And since you’re the only person I know who is familiar enough with the Dark District, I thought we should go together.” She tossed him the other robe.
“You didn’t even ask if I had plans for tonight. How can you assume I’ll go along with you?” Still, he put the robe on.
“I need to see the Dark District with my own eyes, not through an infoscreen. I’ve heard much about the picking station. I think we should start there. Do you know where it is?”
Pausing, Aidan considered lying. He was not expecting this request, but she was looking at him with such earnestness, he couldn’t refuse her. “Um … yes. I think so.”
He pointed them in the right direction and they began the walk. The robes helped them blend in with the various vagabonds still trolling the streets at these late hours.
She spoke to him from under the hood. “I’m about to make an irreversible decision that will affect Astor’s future.”
“Not to mention your own happiness.”
“Irrelevant,” she sighed. “A lot depends on what I see tonight, Aidan. If I’m going to be their queen, I’ll need to look them in the eye. Plus, I’m partly interested to see if I can find Marta.”
Aidan steered them across the street from a clot of men all stooped over something, their heads nearly touching. “I’ve been thinking,” he started. “Marta could be programmed to do anything you wanted, correct?” He took them down another alley.
“Yes.” Delia used the hood to cover her nose and mouth. He noticed the stench as well and knew they were getting close.
“Why didn’t you program her to pretend to malfunction instead?”
“Not an option,” she said, her voice muffled behind the material. “It’s against her fundamental logic. That’s why I had to put a glitch in her SHEW to escape the dress fitting. She would never agree to pretend to have an episode.”
He thought of another option. “Would she have let you leave though, and even helped you with the ship? If you commanded her to do so?”
“That never occurred to me,” she said, her tone surprised and deflated at the same time. “I suppose I wanted to do it on my own, or maybe I didn’t want her to get into trouble. I didn’t even tell my sister.”
They took the last turn, and the entrance to the picking station was directly in front of them. Aidan could make out the silhouette of the higher piles in the distance.
He knew every inch of the picking station by heart. He mainly came to find parts for his sky dodger, or in desperation to find something to trade for coins from Griffin.
“Where do we start?” Delia asked. He could tell she was overwhelmed by the size of the area.
“You’re assuming I’m an expert in hunting for missing androids in picking stations.”
She waited, then said, “Where do you think she might be?”
He snuck a glance at her and was rewarded with a smirk. “Finally. I’ve been waiting for your sarcasm to surface. I’ve missed it.” He felt like a king when her smirk turned to a full smile.
They started making their way to the top of the first hill, carefully choosing where to step. She lifted a scrap of metal and used it to move the bits underneath.
They climbed again and moved around more pieces. He saw a few gadgets that could be traded in Griffin’s shop, but he kept going, content to play the part of her bodyguard.
By the time they’d made it to the second pile, their robes and hands were covered in black dirt and grease. He was reminded of Morgan’s fingernails.
Delia straightened her back and sighed. He suspected she was about to call it quits, but instead she said, “I’ve been wondering about something. You knew I was going to steal the ship, because you’d been watching me, like you were hired to do, but how did you know when I was going to steal it?”
Aidan couldn’t think of an explanation. He knew their time together was dwindling. She’d be picking a husband soon and he’d never be with her again. The truth came out before he had a chance to reconsider his words. “I’m the one who stole Prince Felix’s dagger,” he started. “And when I was running away from the guards, I went to the landing bay intent on taking a glider, but then your ship started automatically so I jumped inside.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “You’re a terrible liar, you know that.” She picked a new path and he followed her in silence.
“You’re right,” he finally said. “I had been watching you. After you left the ship, I climbed on board, intent to wait until you returned. I had to sleep there overnight, thanks.” He winked at her. “You’ll make a ruthless queen, Delia. I don’t know why you’re so worried about spies and such. I can’t imagine anyone fooling you for long.”
She snorted. “If your acting skills were as poor as your flirting skills, I would have figured it out much…” She stopped midsentence, staring at something over his shoulder.
Aidan turned and followed her gaze. The children he’d bought the clockwork bird from were off to the side. The tallest one, Nina, was focused on them.
His cloak and hood were hardly enough to fool the children. He put a hand on Delia’s arm. “If you want to keep a low profile,” he whispered, “I suggest we leave them to continue with their search. Besides, I hear these children can be territorial. They might bite us.” He made a face.
“Are you obtuse?” she asked bluntly. “It’s the middle of the night and instead of sleeping in a warm bed, these children are picking through trash.”
“That’s why it’s called a picking station.” He pulled on her arm again.
“How can you be so cold?”
“How can you be so blind? This didn’t start tonight. The mines have been closed for decades. These children aren’t sleeping in warm beds because they need money to buy breakfast instead.” The words were out before he had a chance to regret them.
Delia shook her head, causing her hood to fall back.
Still watching, Nina nudged one of the gang.
Aidan said, “We need to go … now!”
Together, they ran all the way back to the cottage. She leaned on the glider, her face wet. Wiping a sleeve across her cheek, Delia finally looked at him and said, “I couldn’t eat all the food on my plate tonight.” There was a pause. “No wonder there’s a resistance in the Dark District. If I were them, I’d want to overthrow the palace too.”
Aidan wished he could pull her into an embrace and tell her everything would be all right. Instead he said, “Your ignorance is hardly a crime.”
She ran her finger along the seam of the cloak, appearing to contemplate what he’d said. “I’ve lived in luxury my whole life. I knew that I was being groomed to become queen one day. I always thought I was a martyr, giving up freedom to serve the people. But I haven’t suffered, not like those children.” She sniffed. “I spent my childhood running through the lush maze, leaving treats at the altar of a stone statue, while all along the Dark District has been living in constant shadows, never seeing the sun.” She looked at Aidan. “Only one thing can grow in the darkness—a rebellion.”
“But you gave Tomas and his father a chance at a new life,” Aidan said. “Surely that counts for something.”
“There’s only one way to bring the Dark District into the light,” she said thickly. “I must marry. And soon.” She pressed her lips together as if holding back more information.
Something that had been deeply buried inside of Aidan was starting to push through. He took a step closer. “And you’re sure there’s no other way?” he asked.
She shook her head.
He tried a different approach. “Then I suggest you do something selfish before you marry. When was the last time you truly enjoyed yourself?”
She cleared her throat. “When I was flying the ship, and you were screaming with fear.”
“Bloodthirsty princess.”
They both laughed.
“All right then.” He gestured toward the glider. “How about a replay? At least try not to kill me this time.”
“Right now?”
“Well, you’re soon to be married, and I don’t ride around with other men’s wives, so I suggest we make this our final adventure.”
She dried the last of her tears, then mounted the glider. He took his place behind her and strapped on the goggles she handed him. He wasn’t sure what to hold on to.
“Don’t be stupid,” she said. “You know I like to go fast. You better hold on to me unless you want to end up dead.”
“Lovely,” he said. “You really need to think about brushing up on your interpersonal skills.”
She hit the power and they lifted off. Aidan instinctively gripped her waist and leaned forward, pressing his chest into her back.
If Delia minded the extra weight, her flying skills didn’t hint at it. Soon, the Dark District was far below them and a wide sky full of stars filled the view in front of them. Aidan could make out the first chasms of the canyon.
He began to relax, but then she dipped the glider at a sudden angle. Aidan clamped his lips on a scream. He’d just put the most reckless pilot he knew in charge of his life! She laughed as she made several swooping maneuvers. One hard turn to the right nearly tipped him off.
Without warning, there was a thud against the back of the glider. Aidan turned to see a much larger ship in the distance with several smaller gliders in front, heading straight toward them again. The glider that had hit them closed the distance quickly. He recognized the driver. It was the blue-haired pirate who had bombed them in the clearing, the same one who had stripped his glider.
The pirate raised a sword into the air with a battle cry as he rammed them a second time.