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The guards and dignitaries in the throne room quickly recover from their shock. The Merged start to celebrate, hugging one another and cheering. The SubMerged, on the other hand, are seething. Some storm from the room in a huff, while others argue among themselves, trying to find a way to have the result of the vote annulled.
Inez and I grin at one another. There are tears in her eyes, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there are some in mine too, but they’re happy, triumphant tears.
She shakes her head and says, “Sorry I didn’t tell you about the lock, but I was afraid you’d worry, and that might have thrown you.”
“You’re probably right,” I laugh. Then I stare at the spot on her chest where the lock was, hidden now beneath her shirt. “Where was she hiding? How does it work?”
“It’s like an overlap,” Inez says, “except it’s an innerlap. I have various storage areas inside me. I can open and close them myself, but when Ghita asked me to smuggle her across realms, I had to seal her in a place where her enemies couldn’t reach her if they captured me.
“She got wind of a plot to kill her,” Inez continues. “She came to me for help and we went to a locksmith called Zoe who devised a lock that would keep Ghita hidden safe within me. Zoe was supposed to meet me in Cornan, where we’d hook up with three co-conspirators who’d been briefed on the plan before Ghita departed the city, but Zoe was captured and tortured by Orlan and Argate. They found out about me and the others through her.”
She shoots a dark look at the assassins, who’ve gathered around Dukes Edward and Noah for a swift discussion. A cloud crosses Inez’s face as she recalls her fallen allies and I leave her to brood. I look round the room, smiling as I study the victorious Merged and downbeat SubMerged.
Havel comes through the doors and links up with Dragoslav. They start towards Inez and me, but I shake my head and mouth the word, “Later.”
Moments after that, someone else approaches — Kurtis. His presence is unwelcome but I tug Inez’s sleeve and point towards the scowling duke-to-be.
“Well,” he says icily, fingers flexing, “that was a turn-up for the books.”
“Kurtis...” Inez says, then stops, not sure how to continue.
“It was a scam all along, wasn’t it?” he asks sourly. “You were using me to sneak you into the palace.”
Inez gulps but doesn’t deny the accusation.
“And you,” Kurtis snarls, turning his sights on me. “You played the lovesick fool most artfully.”
“You what?” I blink.
“I thought you were jealous,” he says, “that you cared about her the way I did.”
“Wait a minute,” I say quickly, but he raises his voice to speak over me.
“It was all a game,” he shouts. “You worked me like a puppet. You might have succeeded too, if Mary – Inez – hadn’t run foul of the unraveller. I’d have been a traitor. My uncle would have killed me.”
“Kurtis...” Inez says again, and I see that she feels ashamed and wants to find the words to make it right, but they don’t exist, because she did use him and he would have paid the ultimate penalty if her plan had worked.
“You know the worst thing?” Kurtis says, his voice dropping as quickly as it rose. “I honestly cared about you. I was glad you got away from Orlan and Argate. I hoped you’d fled and that we’d find each other later.”
Kurtis stares at Inez sadly. She reaches out comfortingly but the gesture infuriates him and he bares his teeth like a dog.
“Know this, Inez Matryoshka,” he growls. “I don’t begrudge you your win today – my uncle reared me to respect the achievements of our enemies – but you and your stooge hurt me, so I’ll be looking out for you down the road. Watch your backs, because I’ve two long knives I can’t wait to bury in them.”
“You can’t threaten us,” I huff, squaring up to him.
“You reckon?” he says, fingers bunching into fists. For a moment I think he’s going to take a swing, and I ready myself to fight, even though I’m sure I’m no match for him, but then he relaxes. “Next time,” he sniffs and brushes past.
As Inez stares after the departing Kurtis with dismay, the duke-elect’s uncle stops in front of us. The broad, red-haired duke runs a quick, cold eye over Inez, then a slow, penetrating eye over me.
“The mysterious locksmith,” he says softly. “Where did you come from, boy, and how come no one ever heard of you before all this?”
I gulp. “I’m from here and there,” I say shakily. “Around and about.”
The duke sneers, starts to say something, then changes his mind and nods politely, before slipping away after his nephew. Even though he didn’t make any threats, I’m sure that Kurtis isn’t the only one we’ll have to watch out for.
Inez looks as if she’s about to cry. To distract her, I ask why Kurtis pronounced her surname so oddly.
“Hmm?” she responds absently.
“He said Matryoshka in a weird way.”
“Oh. Like many camels, I started using that name when the dolls became popular.”
“Dolls?” I echo.
“A matryoshka is a Russian doll,” she explains. “You know, where you open it up and there’s a smaller doll inside, then a smaller doll inside that one, and...”
“Yes,” I nod. “If I’d known what it meant, maybe I’d have been able to work out that you were carrying the princess inside yourself.”
“You’d have worked that out anyway if you were Merged,” Inez says. “Everyone here knows about camels and our innerlaps. They aren’t simpletons like you.” She laughs and punches my arm.
“Ow!”
“Don’t be a baby,” she says. “Let’s go.”
“Don’t you want to mingle? People would probably like to thank you.”
“All the more reason to get out of here.”
She starts for the doors, then catches sight of Queen Pitina, who’s talking with Duke Edward. He’s doing his best to mend broken bridges, smiling lavishly as if nothing untoward has taken place.
“Wait here,” Inez says. “I need to pass on a message.”
I let her off and watch carefully as she asks for a word in private. The duke seems put out, but the queen agrees, and they move to a quieter area of the room.
As I’m studying Inez and Queen Pitina, someone claps my back and says, “That was a well-timed entrance.”
I look up to find King Hugo standing next to me. He’s still grinning. Before I can think of something suitable to say, he sticks his motorcycle helmet on my head and drums on it swiftly with his hands.
“Hey!” I half shout, half laugh.
“I’m psyched,” he says, removing the helmet. “I thought all was lost, that the realm must yield to the SubMerged. I wouldn’t have come back if it had. I’d have stayed in the Born and gone biking across the Great Steppes of Asia.”
“You’re a real biker?” I ask.
“Real as a seal,” he chuckles, then looks for Inez and spots her talking with the queen. “I wanted to tell your friend how grateful I am, but she’s busy.”
“She won’t be long,” I tell him.
“Doesn’t matter,” he says, tapping the top of his helmet. “I’ve been here for months, searching for Ghita, then getting ready for the vote. I should stay and see off our guests, but I’m hungering for the feel of the road beneath my wheels. Not even the lure of the celebrations can tempt me to stay.”
“Celebrations?” I ask.
“Cornan will be party central tonight. The Sapphirites have gazed into the abyss. They’ll throw the mother of all parties now that they’ve steered clear.” He claps my back again, pulls on his helmet, then slips away to find a borehole back to the Born.
I stare after the departing king, marvelling at how different everything is in the Merge. I can’t imagine having a chat like that with one of the royals in Buckingham Palace!
Dragoslav and Havel reappear as King Hugo is leaving. The grey-haired guard squeezes my shoulder warmly. “You did well,” he says softly.
“With our help,” Havel winks, then nudges his commander in the ribs. “I knew from the start how important they were.”
“Of course you did,” Dragoslav says drily.
“You’d have chopped off their heads if I hadn’t stopped you,” Havel says.
“That’s not how I remember it,” Dragoslav frowns.
“Tough,” Havel laughs, “because that’s the way I’m going to tell it to everyone.”
The guards chuckle, then Dragoslav clears his throat. “We have to return to our posts. Will you tell Inez we’re thankful we didn’t execute you?”
“She’ll be glad to hear it,” I mutter.
“Wait a minute,” Havel says. “I want to find out how they got into that room.”
Dragoslav shakes his head. “That’s their business.”
“But if they could sneak in, others could too,” Havel presses.
“Maybe,” Dragoslav says, “but this isn’t a day for interrogations. Besides, those sorts of worries are for those of us with four stripes or more.”
“Well, if you promoted me...” Havel grumbles, and the pair drift away.
I smile as I consider the way the world can change so swiftly. A short while ago those men were a heartbeat away from chopping off my head. Now it’s like we’ve been friends for years.
I spot Inez crossing the room. Behind her, Queen Pitina is pale. Duke Edward hurries towards her, but she waves him away, then leans against a wall and covers her face with her hands.
“What’s going on?” I whisper to Inez as she rejoins me.
“I delivered sad news,” Inez says. “Remember Preston, the steer in Diamond?”
“Of course.”
“And the message he asked me to pass on?” When I look blank, she reminds me. “There was a woman he loved before he became a steer. He wanted me to find her and tell her that he was in Diamond and would perish when the realm fell.”
My eyes widen. “Preston and Queen Pitina?”
Inez sighs. “They were together a long time, but when she started following the ways of the SubMerged, Preston couldn’t accept it. He left to train as a steer and they haven’t seen each other since, but he still loves her.”
“And she...” I murmur, staring at the weeping queen.
“Some people say that the SubMerged are heartless,” Inez says softly, “but don’t believe it. Some are true monsters, but most, deep down, despite all our other differences, are just like you and me.”
Inez spares the sobbing queen one last look, then turns towards the doors. “Come on. Let’s catch up with the thesps. Baba Jen will be dying to find out what we’ve been up to.”
“It’s early,” I note. “She’ll still be sleeping.”
“Probably,” Inez laughs, “but she won’t mind being disturbed for this news.”
“Are you sure?” I ask uneasily.
“Absolutely,” Inez says, “but I’ll let you wake her, just to be safe.”
We share a laugh, then set off, taking the stairs, not risking our lives on the secret cliff. We’ve run enough risks for one day. Hell, we’ve run enough for a lifetime.