Chapter Eleven
“SHOULDN’T BOTH OF YOU BE heading back to work by now?” Luciana asked, reaching for the last of the brownies. She needed to stop eating as much as she had been lately. It was as though being in love made her permanently hungry. Although she was also using up a lot of calories, mostly at night.
But still. She bit into the brownie and promised herself she would start watching what she ate tomorrow. Would she have to watch what she ate for the rest of her life? She didn’t know how it worked. Would she stop feeling as though she was floating through her days, eventually?
“Damn, I was going to take that one,” Caelen said. Yet she was smiling.
Devar glanced over his shoulder toward the market. “I’ll buy some more.” He got to his feet.
“No, no, Devar, don’t,” Caelen said. “Your mother is right. We should get back to work.”
“You’ve worked five and a half hours overtime this week. You can take a few extra minutes at lunch,” Devar said.
“And have you been working that hard, Devar?” Luciana asked.
“Always.” And he smiled. “But not always on coding.”
Caelen blushed deeply.
Luciana wanted to laugh, only Caelen would be even more embarrassed, so she held herself to a smile. “Ah, I don’t get to see either of you nearly enough. I always enjoy it.”
Devar, who was still on his feet, turned to starboard, frowning. “That’s…strange.”
“What’s strange?” Caelen asked. “Something on the Artery?”
“You know Devar,” Luciana told her. “It’ll be some tiny detail that means nothing to anyone, yet he’ll lecture us on the history and consequences and wonder why no one else has paid any attention.”
Caelen put her hand to her mouth, to cover her smile and smother laughter.
“There are five…no six…multi-seat pods pulling up on the edge of the Capitol.” He tilted his head. “Bridge pods. And those are Bridge guards getting out.” He frowned. “They’re armed.”
Both Caelen and Luciana scrambled to their feet and moved over to the railing. Luciana peered toward the Artery, which could be glimpsed, here, through the gap between the First and Second Wall buildings, and the start of the Field of Mars.
The Bridge Guards in their distinctive uniforms were clumped together in front of the multi-seat pods. And they were armed. Luciana stared at the weapons strapped to their sides. She had never seen guns before. Not in real life.
“Those aren’t civil division,” Caelen murmured. “This must be serious, whatever it is.”
Devar touched her shoulder. “We’ll let them pass by. Then I’ll see you back to the institute.”
Caelen nodded, and returned her attention to the narrow view they had of the guards by the Artery.
The guards marched along the narrow lane running beside the wall buildings. They didn’t turn off as they reached the road that passed between the Second and Third walls, but continued on.
When they reached the corner of the Fourth wall, they turned into the lane that wove around Luciana’s office and headed into the markets, or you could walk through the markets to reach the Fifth Wall, on the other side.
The guards all moved toward Luciana and Caelen and Devar, where they stood with their hands on the railing of her office.
Now they were around the corner, and her view was unobstructed, Luciana saw that Brice was among them. Her heart gave a heavy thud that hurt. What was Brice doing with Bridge Guards? Bronson was there, too. That made this Association business?
What business could possibly involve Bridge Guards?
One of the guards, who had epaulettes on his shirt, came right up to the railing, facing them.
Luciana swallowed. Fear gripped her throat. She looked at Brice, hoping he would telegraph in some way what this was about. Or even come over to her side. He stood with his arms crossed. His expression was blank. She could read nothing.
The guard said to Devar, “You are Devar Todd?”
Devar’s eyes narrowed. “Yes. That’s me.”
The guard nodded. “I am Orvar Milic, Captain, Bridge Division, Bridge Security. I am placing you under arrest. You need to come with us to the Bridge, where we will process the charges.”
Luciana’s mind was blank. All she could think was a bewildered What is happening? I don’t understand! She looked at Brice once more. He had not moved. He didn’t look at her.
“Charges?” Caelen repeated in a choked voice. “What charges?”
Captain Milic rested his hand on the butt of the gun on his hip. He hadn’t taken his gaze off Devar. “Step around the railing, please.”
Devar licked his lips. “By the constitution of the Endurance, I am entitled to know what the charges are.”
“We’re starting with fraud,” Milic said.
Starting with?
Milic waved. “Get around here. Now. Or I and a few of my men will step around and deal with you there.”
Luciana’s mind chattered. The threat in his voice! The look on the other guards’ faces. She could feel the violence in them. She looked helpless at Brice. Why was he not saying anything? Why was he here, watching silently that way?
When Devar did not move immediately, some of the guards stepped forward. They had batons as well as guns and they were all gripping them, holding them half-raised, ready to react.
Devar threw up his hands. “I’m moving.” His voice didn’t rise. Luciana could see that he was thinking hard. He moved over to the gap in the railing on that side of the office and stepped through.
Immediately, four of the guards surrounded Devar. His arms were yanked back and secured.
He looked over the top of the guards, for he was tall enough to do that. His gaze met Luciana’s, and shifted to Caelen, then back. “I didn’t do this. Whatever this is.”
“This,” Milic said heavily, “is the murder of fifty-three people, and the countless injury to others. Including your own mother.” He pushed his face into Devar’s. “By the time we’re through with you, fraud will be the least of your worries.”
Caelen cried out wordlessly, clutching the railing. Luciana leaned on the rail, her knees weak and her whole body trembling. “No…” she whispered. She refused to believe it.
“I didn’t do it, Caelen,” Devar said. His voice was still cool. Of course it was. Devar rarely showed real emotions. He kept them all contained, even though Luciana knew that emotions ran hotter in Devar than many people.
Luciana looked at Brice. “Why are you here, Brice? I don’t understand.”
Milic’s smile grew. “It’s not just the Bridge that wants this one’s hide for what he did to the arena. It’s the Tankball Association bringing the charges, on behalf of everyone on the Endurance.”
He waved, and the guards pulled Devar around and marched him back along the path. Brice turned wordlessly and went with them.
Luciana didn’t remember sitting down, yet she found herself in the armchair, her feet sprawled, hanging over the arm, as if she might be sick.
She could hear Caelen sobbing and couldn’t summon the strength to go and comfort her.
The pain in Luciana’s middle was expanding, draining her of everything, including thought.