THIS TIME WE WERE IN the Great Room enduring another etiquette lesson when bricks came flying through the window. Elise immediately hit the ground and started crawling for the side door, whimpering as she went. Celeste let out a high-pitched scream and bolted toward the back of the room, barely escaping a shower of glass. Kriss grabbed my arm, pulling me, and I broke into a run alongside her as we made our way to the exit.
âHurry, ladies!â Silvia cried.
Within seconds, the guards had lined up at the windows and were firing, and the bursts of sound echoed in my ears as we fled. Whether they came with guns or stones, anyone showing the smallest level of aggression within sight of the palace would die. There was no more patience left for these attacks.
âI hate running in these shoes,â Kriss muttered, a heap of dress draped over her arm, eyes focused on the end of the hall.
âOne of us is going to have to get used to it,â Celeste said, her breath labored.
I rolled my eyes. âIf itâs me, Iâll wear sneakers every day. Iâm already over this.â
âLess talking, more moving!â Silvia yelled.
âHow do we get downstairs from here?â Elise asked.
âWhat about Maxon?â Kriss huffed.
Silvia didnât answer. We followed her through a maze of hallways, looking for a path to the basement, watching as guard after guard ran in the opposite direction. I found myself admiring them, wondering at the courage it took to run toward danger for the sake of other people.
The guards passing us were completely indistinguishable from one another until a set of green eyes locked with mine. Aspen didnât look afraid or even startled. There was a problem, and he was on his way to fix it. That was simply who he was.
Our gaze was brief, but it was enough. It was like that with Aspen. In a split second, without a word, I could tell him Be careful and stay safe. And saying nothing, heâd answer I know, just take care of yourself.
While I could easily be at peace with the things we didnât need to say, I had no such luck with the things weâd said out loud. Our last conversation wasnât exactly a happy one. I had been about to leave the palace and had asked him to give me some space to get over the Selection. And then Iâd ended up staying and had given him no explanation as to why.
Maybe his patience with me was falling short, his ability to see only the best in me running dry. Somehow I would have to fix that. I couldnât see a life for me that didnât include Aspen. Even now, as I hoped Maxon would choose me, a world without Aspen felt unimaginable.
âHere it is!â Silvia called, pushing a mysterious panel in a wall.
We started down the stairs, Elise and Silvia heading the charge.
âDamn it, Elise, pick up the pace!â Celeste yelled. I wanted to be irritated that she said it, but I knew we were all thinking the same thing.
As we descended into the darkness, I tried to reconcile myself to the hours that would be wasted, hiding like mice. We continued on, the sound of our escape covering the shouts until one manâs voice rang out right on top of us.
âStop!â he yelled.
Kriss and I turned together, watching as the uniform became clear. âWait,â she called to the girls below. âItâs a guard.â
We stood on the steps, breathing heavily. He finally reached us, gasping himself.
âSorry, ladies. The rebels ran as soon as the shots were fired. Werenât in the mood for a fight today, I guess.â
Silvia, running her hands over her clothes to smooth them, spoke for us. âHas the king deemed it safe? If not, youâre putting these girls in a very dangerous position.â
âThe head of the guard cleared it. Iâm sure His Majestyââ
âYou donât speak for the king. Come on, ladies, keep moving.â
âAre you serious?â I asked. âWeâre going down there for nothing.â
She fixed me with a stare that might have stopped a rebel in his tracks, and I shut my mouth. Silvia and I had built a friendship of sorts as she unknowingly helped me distract myself from Maxon and Aspen with her extra lessons. After my little stunt on the Report a few days ago, it seemed that had dissolved into nothing. Turning to the guard, she continued. âGet an official order from the king, and weâll return. Keep walking, ladies.â
The guard and I shared an exasperated look and parted ways.
Silvia showed absolutely no remorse when, twenty minutes later, a different guard came, telling us we were free to go upstairs.
I was so irritated by the whole situation, I didnât wait for Silvia or the other girls. I climbed the stairs, exiting somewhere on the first floor, and continued to my room with my shoes still hooked on my fingers. My maids were missing, but a small silver platter holding an envelope was waiting on the bed.