Chapter 10
Finn
“Holy shit!” Trey calls as High Hope becomes visible in the distance. “Look how high they built that place!”
Even though I have been there before, I’m still impressed with the construction of a whole city up on a mountain.
“Is there someone expecting us there?” Otto asks as we ride closer.
“Lyla told them we’d be arriving soon,” River says.
I catch Caden yawning, even though it’s the middle of the day. He told me he hadn’t had another nightmare, but he’s clearly worried about it enough to keep himself awake.
“Are you okay?” I ask him quietly.
He nods. “A bit tired.” He tilts his head at Timothy on his pony. “Is it okay for him to walk around the city?”
“It should be fine as long as he’s with us.”
We leave our horses at a stable and line up for the platforms that will take us up the mountain.
I check that my uniform is clean, as I might be seeing the king soon.
Some of the guards notice us and approach.
I present them with official documents from Unity, and they clear a path for us to one of the three platforms.
“Well,” Otto says as we begin to climb, “it’s nice to be acknowledged for our status.”
Behind his back, Trey and two other Defenders roll their eyes. After more than a week on the road together, they are more than eager to have some time off from him.
I watch as the world becomes smaller the higher we climb.
River holds Timothy in his arms so he can see above the railing.
I tried to lift him once and almost broke my back, but River manages easily.
The platform stops with a sharp creak, and the doors slide open.
We step out into a wide docking area where merchants are receiving goods from below or sending them down.
Farther ahead, cable cars travel across thick, iron wires to different sections of the city, reaching even higher than we are right now.
“There’s Lyla!” Timothy calls.
She’s standing up ahead, talking with an older and shorter man who’s wearing gray clothes, his bald head shining under the sun. It seems as though they’re arguing.
“Lyla!”
She notices Timothy and crouches to hug him.
Her red hair is long and curly, and her beautiful features resemble River’s, though her face is more rounded.
We never would have found the Kansas lab if it weren’t for her showing up and guiding us.
We were close to giving up by the time she tracked us down.
Lyla stands up and pulls River into a hug. “Good seeing you, brother.” She moves to hold Josh’s chin. “Someone did a number on you with that black eye.”
I don’t look at Caden to avoid making him uncomfortable.
“It’s nothing,” Josh mumbles. “I don’t even notice it.”
When it’s time for me to hug Lyla, she whispers in my ear, “I need to speak with you in private.”
I break the hug and catch the warning in her eyes. Keeping my expression blank, I nod.
“This is Remy, advisor to the king,” she says, meaning the short man standing close by.
“I’m only one of the king’s advisors. Nice to meet you all. I’m glad that you’ve made it here in one piece with the roads being less safe.” He meets my eyes. “You must be Dino Lopez’s man. I was away while you were here last time.”
“Yes. I’m Finn.”
“And I am Otto James, here in the name of Assembly Member Lock, whom I’m sure you know.”
“I’m sorry, who?”
Caden coughs to hide his laughter. I want to ask when I will be meeting with the king, but after Lyla’s warning, I’d best speak with her in private first.
“River, you and Josh can go get settled to my place,” Lyla says. “I’ll take the rest to where they’ll be staying.”
“Will we see the king today?” Otto asks.
“Perhaps he’ll have time later this evening,” Remy says. “And of course you are all invited to the ball the king is throwing tomorrow. It was very last minute, but your arrival gave him an excuse to celebrate.”
“Good,” River says. “Tell the king that he can come say hello to me at Lyla’s.”
Remy frowns. “Hmm, I’ll be sure to tell him that.”
We separate from River and Josh, then follow Lyla and Remy deeper into the heart of the city.
“Climb on my back,” Lyla tells Timothy. “We don’t want anyone tripping over you.”
Trey nudges me as we walk. “Caden is exhausted. You know why he doesn’t sleep?”
“He has some trouble sleeping, but I’m sure it will get better in a proper bed.”
“Defenders don’t sleep better in proper beds, but at least we can unwind here for a bit.”
We pass houses made of stone, most built right next to each other to provide a level of protection from the strong winds. The closer we get to the palace, the bigger the houses become. Some residents planted flowers and crops in small gardens, even though the soil here isn’t ideal.
Trey reaches for his weapon when we come across a group of mutants sitting next to a fountain. I grab his hand and say, “They live here. Relax.”
Those in front of us have varying levels of mutation, going from horns and extra limbs to eyes on the sides of their heads.
“Here we are,” Remy says once we reach a two-story structure painted in white.
Armed guards stand by the entrance, wearing the brown uniforms of High Hope’s military force.
“If the king can find time to see you today, you will be notified. In the meantime, we reserved the top floor for your party, and there are refreshments waiting in each room.”
“Thank you,” I say. “Please tell the king we appreciate the hospitality.”
“From me as well,” Otto adds.
“Yes, of course.” Remy exchanges a look with Lyla before walking away.
Timothy climbs down from Lyla’s back. “Will you be returning to your home now?”
“I’ll have a word with Finn before that. Let’s go inside.”
A nice lady at the front desk shows us the rooms upstairs.
They’re spacious and clean, each with a private bathroom and a tray packed with food next to a bottle of wine.
Younger me wouldn’t have been allowed to even clean such a room.
I expect to stay with Caden, but he puts his things in another room.
“Are things okay between you two?” Lyla asks as she sits in an armchair by the window.
“Yes. He’s just tired. What’s going on?” I sit on the bed, and Timothy climbs to sit beside me.
Lyla glances out the window, as if checking we’re not being watched. “Something is off with the king.”
“Is he sick?”
“No, but he’s been speaking with people I’m not familiar with and keeping his advisors in the dark.
On the surface, he’s committed to the Hives and the rest of the Free Cities, but he’s postponing meetings with their representatives and canceling joint military drills.
There are always excuses, but I stopped buying them. ”
This is bad. “Do you think he’s working against us?”
“He’s most likely taking a calculated step back to see how things play out.”
“Then why did he agree to meet with me?”
“So Unity wouldn’t know he’s waiting to see how things play out.”
I let out an angry sigh, worried about how our allies might react to not having High Hope’s military support. I can do nothing about that now except wait to speak with the king myself.
“We shouldn’t jump to conclusions,” Timothy says. “The king’s hesitation to join could be related to how protected his city is, not to mention how far it is from Denver.”
“That’s possible,” Lyla says, though she sounds doubtful. “I suggest you keep acting like High Hope’s involvement is fully on the table, but keep a close watch for anything suspicious. You might notice something I missed.”
I nod. “I’ll do that.”
She stands up and asks Timothy, “Are you staying here or coming with me?”
“Well…”
“You should go,” I say. They have a lot of catching up to do.
He climbs down from the bed. “Could we ride up the mountain in one of those cable cars? River said the view is even better up there.”
“Sure.”
“Wonderful. Finn, I’ll be sure to return before nighttime to keep an eye on Caden.”
Lyla frowns, but I don’t explain, and they both leave.
Once alone, I slump back on the bed, finding it too soft.
I enjoyed my time on the road, but I’m glad to have a roof over my head again with the nights getting colder.
I always dreaded winters when my family moved from place to place, but I was in the Hive during the last winter, sometimes forgetting which season it was.
Worried I might fall asleep, I force myself to take a shower, happy that the water pressure is so strong.
Like everything else around, even the bathtub is made of brown stone that was carved from the mountain.
Once dressed, I eat some of the food but don’t touch the wine.
I wonder if Caden has fallen asleep already.
I leave my room and walk down the hallway to check.
I knock gently but get no response, so I try the handle.
The door opens, revealing Caden lying on the bed with his eyes closed.
He didn’t even take off his uniform before crashing.
I step inside quietly and shut the door behind me, then grab a blanket to carefully cover him.
Since I have nothing better to do until the king calls for me, I sit on a chair by the door, watching Caden as he lies facing me.
He looks younger and calmer when he sleeps, with less hardness around his eyes.
I scan the room, not surprised to see he’s chosen the smallest one on the floor.
He always claims his apartment is too big, even though it isn’t.
But maybe everything can feel too big if you’re rarely there to enjoy it.
I stop looking around and jolt when I catch Caden watching me. I start to speak, but the words die in my mouth. He’s not really looking at me, even with his eyes wide open and filled with terror.
I clear my throat. “Caden?”