Scarlet

Glowering, Cinder bent down and ripped off her other boot. Scarlet shied away but Cinder only tossed it into a corner. “What would you rather I did? Just hand myself over? Sacrifice myself in hopes that would satisfy her? It would have come to this anyway.”

“I’m not talking about when you were arrested at the ball. I mean before that. Why haven’t you done anything to stop her? People are relying on you. People think you can make a difference, and what are you doing? Running away and hiding! My grandmother didn’t die so you could live as a fugitive, too much a coward to do something!”

“Uh, I’m confused,” said Thorne, raising a finger in the air. “What are we talking about?”

Scarlet glanced at the captain. “Would you stop pointing that gun at him?”

Thorne tossed the gun to the side and folded his hands in his lap.

“He doesn’t even know, does he?” Scarlet rounded on Cinder. “You’ve put his life in danger—all of our lives in danger—and he doesn’t even know why.”

“It’s more complicated than that.”

“Is it?”

“I haven’t even known for a week! I found out who I was the day after the ball, when I was sitting in a jail cell preparing to be handed over to Levana like a trophy. So between breaking out of prison and running from the entire Commonwealth military and trying to save your life, I haven’t had much time to overthrow an entire regime. I’m sorry if I’ve disappointed you, but what do you want me to do?”

Scarlet drew back, a headache pounding at her temple. “How could you not have known?”

“Because your grandmother shipped me off to the Commonwealth without bothering to tell me.”

“But isn’t that why you were at the ball?”

“Stars, no. You think I would have been stupid enough to face Levana if I’d known the truth?” She hesitated. “Well. I don’t know. For Kai, maybe, but…” She grasped her head with both hands. “I don’t know. I didn’t know.”

Scarlet was suddenly dizzy from the anger, the rush of blood, the exhaustion. The only response she could form was a baffled “Oh.”

Thorne coughed. “I’m still confused.”

With a sigh, Cinder wilted onto a crate, staring down at her mismatched hands. She scrunched her whole face up, like preparing for a blow, and muttered, “I’m Princess Selene.”

Thorne snorted and they all turned to him.

He blinked. “What, really?”

“Really.”

The joking smile froze on his lips.

A heavy silence was followed by a vibration beneath their feet and Iko’s voice. “I don’t compute.”

“That makes two of us,” said Thorne. “Since when?”

Cinder shrugged. “I’m sorry. I should have told you, but … I didn’t know if I could trust you, and I thought if I could find Michelle Benoit and have her explain some things to me, tell me how I came to be here, how I came to be this…” She held up both hands before letting them fall limply back into her lap. “… then maybe I could start figuring things out.” She sighed. “Iko, I’m really sorry. I swear I didn’t know before.”

Snapping his jaw shut, Thorne scratched at his chin. “You’re Princess Selene,” he said, testing the words. “The crazy cyborg girl is Princess Selene.”

“Is your gift intact?” Wolf asked. He was sitting crookedly, trying not to put too much weight on his side.

“I think so,” said Cinder, shifting uncomfortably. “I’m still learning how to use it.”

“She controlled one of the … special operatives,” said Scarlet. “I saw her do it.”

Cinder glanced down. “Only barely. I couldn’t maintain control.”

“You were able to manipulate one of the pack? While Jael was there?”

“Yeah, but it was awful. I could only get to one of them and I nearly passed out—”

A sharp laugh silenced her, before Wolf coughed painfully. Still, an amused expression lingered on his face. “And this is why Levana wants you. You are stronger than she is. Or … you could be, with practice.”

Cinder shook her head. “You don’t understand. That thaumaturge had seven men under his control and I could barely manage one. I’m nowhere near as strong as them.”

“No, you don’t understand,” said Wolf. “Each pack is ruled by a thaumaturge who controls when our animal instincts take over, when all we can think about is killing. They’ve manipulated our Lunar gift and used it to turn us into these monsters instead—with some physical modifications. But it’s all connected to our master. Most Lunars couldn’t control us at all—we might as well be shells to them—and even our masters, who could control hundreds of average citizens at once, can only keep hold of a dozen or so operatives. That’s why our packs are kept so small. Do you see?”

“No,” said Cinder and Thorne at once.

Wolf was still smiling. “Even the most talented of thaumaturges can only control a dozen operatives, fifteen at the most, and this after years of genetic modifications and training. And yet you manage to take one away from his master on your first attempt? With some practice…” He looked like he wanted to laugh. “I would not have thought it before, but now I think Her Majesty might actually have cause to be afraid of you, Princess.”