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We slip through the streets swiftly, but don’t run, so as not to arouse anyone’s curiosity. After a while Inez tells me to cross to the other side of the road — that way, if Orlan and Argate ask people if they’ve seen a boy and girl together, the answer will be an honest no.
I don’t like being apart from Inez. I keep expecting the killers to lurch out of the shadows and whip her away. I stick to the edge of the path, ready to rush to her aid at the first hint of danger.
Inez takes streets at random, twisting and turning through the city. She moves up to higher levels too, making use of the walkways, weaving in and out of trees. She maintains a calm exterior. I try to mimic her, but I’m sweating nervously and I’m sure my eyes are twitching in their sockets. I’ve stopped crying, but fresh tears leak every now and then, when I reflect on what happened to the captain or worry about loyal, brave Cal.
I pass boreholes on just about every street. I’m tempted to pause, fiddle with a lock and step through into another zone. But if Inez is the princess (it was odd that nobody recognised her, but her face was still reshaping) then she has to cast her vote two days from now. She can’t let this realm fall into the hands of the SubMerged. I comprehend that better than ever, having seen what they did to the captain.
Inez eventually stops in the burnt-out shell of a tree in a deserted clearing. There’s not much of a smell, which makes me think the fire must have swept through here long ago. The stairs have been destroyed but we can climb inside fairly easily.
We come to the remains of a room on what would have been the fifth floor. Much of the flooring is still intact on this level, so we sit close to a hole that was once a window and stare at the view in silence. I see Canadu in the distance, valiant against the skyline. The city looks peaceful from here. You’d never guess that it’s a kingdom under siege, where cold-hearted killers have already started to cut loose.
Inez says nothing for a long time. Even though she was more composed than me on the streets, I see tearstains on her cheeks, so she must have been crying too.
“That poor man,” she eventually sighs, and I know she’s referring to the captain.
“At least it was quick,” I mutter.
“Yes,” Inez says. “He has that much to be thankful for.”
“Do you think Cal...?”
Inez shudders. “I promised to find someone worthy for him to serve.”
“A princess,” I nod. “It was Princess Ghita, wasn’t it?”
“Yes,” she says and looks at me. I think this is it, the moment when she’s going to tell me that she’s really the princess, but then she shakes her head and looks out the window again.
Night falls. The city lights up, the noises of the day gradually die away, and the hours start to pass slowly and quietly.
“I wonder what the thesps are doing?” I murmur when I hear a group of people walking by somewhere in the near distance, singing as they stroll.
“Having a busy night answering questions,” Inez says.
“Will they get into trouble?” I ask anxiously.
“For sheltering you and me? No, they didn’t know who we were, except for Dermot, Maiko, Oleg and Baba Jen.”
“What was her role in this?” I ask. “I was always curious about that. Can you tell me?”
Inez sighs. “I suppose it makes no difference now. Baba Jen lived in Ruby when she was delivered.”
“She was SubMerged?” I can’t say it’s a huge shock.
“She was kidnapped in the Born,” Inez says, “and was killed along with her kidnapper while he was trying to escape with her. He looked after her when they came here. They lived in Ruby for decades, until she decided that way of life wasn’t for her and moved to a Merged realm. She’s worked against the SubMerged before, and was happy to volunteer when I asked for assistance.”
“What sort of assistance?” I ask.
“She was going to be remoulded to look like me,” Inez says, “so that she could be my decoy when I snuck into Canadu.” Inez turns to face me. It’s gloomy in here, and I can only see the brief outline of her features, but her eyes are shining, caught by a ray of light from somewhere outside. “I have to be present at the vote.”
“I know,” I say.
“There are two key obstacles — getting into Canadu, then making it to the top of the tree. There are lots of guards on the entrance. My co-conspirators – the people I tried to meet up with when we arrived in Cornan – might have been able to sneak me in, but even with their help I’d have needed a distraction.”
“Baba Jen,” I breathe.
“She was going to tweak her height and appearance,” Inez says. “It normally takes ages to stretch a person, but she’s been remoulded before into taller shapes, and it’s quicker when you’ve gone through the process a few times. She’s been studying me while we’ve been with the thesps, practising to get my movements and expressions right. We were going to time it so that Baba Jen would show up as I was about to enter the palace. There will be agents among the guards who know what I look like.”
“They’d have attacked her,” I whisper.
“And I’d have tried to slip in during the disturbance,” Inez nods. “It would have been much easier with my accomplices. A couple were guards who’d have been on duty. Without them, it was a much hairier proposition.”
I frown. “But even if you’d snuck in, how would you have got up to the Cuckoo’s Nest? There’ll be guards on the stairs, surely.”
“Yes,” she says, “but I didn’t plan to use the stairs. I had a different conspirator for that leg of the invasion. I still do.”
She winks at me and the light begins to dawn. “You told me there were lots of vines inside the tree which a person could crawl through, but Kurtis said they’d all been blocked years ago. They put a lock on every vine.”
“That’s one of the reasons I needed you,” Inez says. “There are several vines I could get into, but they’re sealed. Even highly skilled locksmiths aren’t supposed to be able to unseal them, but –”
“– Winston said I could help,” I babble, getting excited now that I can see my role in this. “He told me there’s a special lock that you need me for. He was talking about the lock in the vine, wasn’t he?”
“No,” Inez surprises me. “Getting to the Cuckoo’s Nest is only half the battle. There’s another lock that comes into play later, but the vine lock was crucial too.” She sighs. “Not that it matters now. We aren’t even going to make it into the lobby.”
“Why not?” I cry.
“My cover’s blown,” she reminds me.
“But they don’t know about your plan,” I argue. “We can return to Lot 173T. You can be remoulded again, with a different face, and Baba Jen can...”
Inez is shaking her head. “We can’t go back. The SubMerged will be interrogating Dermot and the rest of the thesps. Even if they don’t cart the troupe away, they’ll keep a close watch on them. It’s over, Archie. We’re finished.”
And fresh tears drip down her cheeks as she abandons hope and resigns herself to a bitter, crushing, realm-damning defeat.