The Gender Game 5 (The Gender Fall)(15)

“They have a doctor, Viggo. A good one… one who is well trained in mobile surgical care.”

She was referring to Dr. Elizabeth Tierney, the Liberator doctor who had performed surgery on me, helping to repair my heart after I had damaged it in a fight to the death with the twin princesses of Matrus. Dr. Tierney had always struck me as a reasonable woman, but I still doubted she would help us.

“What about the heloship? It—”

“Is more than capable of getting to our home base, even on limited fuel,” Amber cut me off. “It’s fast, and it’s large enough to transport any troops we might take, or any equipment Dr. Tierney might need to help Violet.”

“I was going to say it’s our biggest advantage right now,” I replied, “and it’s a bad idea to risk it—not to mention, we have no idea how heavily protected the border is.”

Amber gave me a droll look, her lips quirking up in a smile. “Viggo, the Liberator home base is on the Patrian side of the river. We don’t even need to cross a border. Besides, the point of the heloship is that it can fly. I could fly due east, until we were over the mountains, and then head north, avoiding most of civilization altogether. Circle back around.”

I considered this new information, but still found myself shaking my head, fighting back the weariness creeping up the corners of my eyes. “Just as easy to go to a hospital and steal the equipment we need.”

“And lead anyone who might be following right back here? Trust me, the heloship is the way to go. It can’t be tracked from the air, and anyone on the ground would lose sight of it pretty quickly. Someone would have to be standing right underneath to know where it landed. And believe me, nobody is going to be standing where we’re going to land.”

“Without the ticker, we are flying blind here! We have no updates on anything remotely helpful, and no idea what Elena is planning. Tabitha’s death won’t set her back. It might if she had a heart, but…”

“Even with a super brain, it still takes time to coordinate things. Messages have to be sent, people have to be accounted for, troops have to move… We have a window of time here, Viggo. Let’s take the opportunity, the chance. We have to—the people we care about are going to die if we don’t.” Amber’s eyes shone with sincerity and determination. I could almost hear what she meant: Violet was going to die if we didn’t go.

I looked into her eyes and exhaled slowly. “Are you sure about this? Do you think the Liberators will actually hear you out?”

Amber nodded, her red locks bouncing atop her head. “Desmond told them we were traitors, but I know people in there. They’re my friends. They’ll hear me out. Me and Owen. We’ve just got to get them to watch the video.”

“You’re placing a lot of faith in that video,” I replied, and she gave me a stern look.

“Violet almost sacrificed her life getting us that video,” she said, her voice brittle. “Because of that, we have something tangible to show people. We have proof Elena is behind the attacks on Patrus. That counts for something.”

I tilted my head up toward the ceiling. Amber was right. I was letting my own personal hatred for the contents of that video override my logic. Truth be told, I didn’t want anyone to see that video. I hated to imagine what they might think of Violet. After all, it also provided clear evidence that she was behind the bombing of the palace, and I wasn’t sure that would go over well with anyone from Patrus, no matter her rationale behind it.

Yet I knew pictures spoke more to people than words ever could. I could shout at the top of my lungs that Elena was behind everything, and nobody would listen. But if we could show them evidence… then they might come around.

Amber held her hands up, palms together, and gave me a big-eyed, pleading look. I rolled my eyes, but a smile crossed my face. “Okay,” I said, and she gave an excited squeal, clapping her hands rapidly together. I waited for her excitement to die down, giving her a sardonic look. “For the record, it was your well-thought-out and carefully reasoned argument that won, not the puppy dog eyes.”

Amber shrugged. “Don’t care, still won,” she practically sang as she turned, heading back into the dining room.

I rolled my eyes again, but I was still smiling. Amber had an infectious way about her, and I felt slightly revitalized as I headed back into the dining room, stifling a yawn behind my fist, ready to do damage control.





7





Viggo





I bent over, picking up the chair Violet had knocked over in her panic, and then sat down in it. Ms. Dale looked up at me from across the table, and I gave her a small nod and a tight smile. Then I realized everyone else was also looking at me expectantly, waiting for news about Violet.