2. Athena
Athena
Isquinted into the bright stage lights and bit back the urge to sigh. “I think two dress rehearsals is plenty.”
Hal walked briskly onto the stage, his shoes slapping the floorboards as he tapped the sheath of papers in one hand. “This is an entirely new show, and we’ve only been rehearsing for a week.”
“We learn shows in a week,” I argued, although there was no heat in my voice. I was too weary for a full-throated argument with our excitable stage manager. I adjusted my scoop-neck, green dress that had been designed to show just enough cleavage to keep the show suitable for Imperial censors.
“Normally, yes,” he said, giving me a knowing look and dropping his voice, “but that was before.”
He didn’t need to say before what. I knew, as well as everyone in the troupe that we’d all been distracted and upset since Lettie’s brother had been taken into Zagrath custody.
Not only was Lettie a mess, but all of us who’d been involved in helping the foreigners escape felt guilty that Vern had been the only one to pay the price.
We didn’t say it, but I was sure I wasn’t the only one wondering if we’d made the right decision. The Vandar had promised to send help to liberate our planet, but there had been nothing but retribution from the Zagrath in the wake of his escape.
I swept a dark curl from my forehead, glad that this part of the play did not require me to wear a wig. “We’re still professionals, and you know what they say?”
“Never trust a hot guy with a tail?” Hal said in a low voice, his expression taking on a dreamy quality.
I nudged him to snap him out of his mental reverie. “The show must go on. Don’t worry about the cast. We’ll be ready in time for opening.”
“But will I be ready?” He walked away shaking his head so hard that his spiky orange hair bobbled. “Will my poor nerves survive this?”
I rolled my eyes, glad that some things hadn’t changed.
“Who’s in charge here?”
The barked question startled me and made me lift a hand so I could see who was interrupting our rehearsal.
“That would be me,” Hal said, hurrying from the stage wings and then slowing his pace when he spotted the Zagrath soldiers. “I mean. . .”
My pulse quickened but I plastered on my most seductive smile and sashayed forward. “I’m the leading lady of this production. How can I help you boys?”
The stern Imperial soldiers looked nothing like boys, but I hoped my sugary tone and fluttering eyelashes would soften their expressions. What good was being an actress if I couldn’t pretend to tolerate our oppressors?
The least boy-looking Zagrath scowled at me. “You’re in charge?”
I clocked Lettie and Vallia walking up behind me in solidarity, and I didn’t need to look to know that they were also gracing the soldiers with their most enticing smiles.
“That’s right.” I put my hands on my hips. “I take it you’re not here for tickets to one of our performances? We’d be happy to comp you.”
One of the younger soldiers looked like he wanted to take us up on it, but the Zagrath in command only frowned harder.
“We’re here because we’re looking for the sister of a traitor.” His gaze swept across the actors who’d gathered on the stage, although I was certain just as many had slipped out the back. Not that I blamed them.
My heart raced, and I forced myself not to steal a glance at Lettie.
Despite Lettie’s assurances that she didn’t hold Vern’s imprisonment against me, I couldn’t help but feel responsible for what had happened.
It had been me who’d given the escaped prisoners sanctuary.
It had been me who’d suggested we help them escape.
And it had been me who’d come up with the plan that had gotten Skye and Kolt safely through the city and to the shipyard.
In my defense, I’d never suggested that Lettie’s brother commandeer a Zagrath uniform and pose as one of the guards.
That had been entirely his idea and the reason he’d been caught.
Not that it was much comfort. The sight of the well-meaning Vern being dragged away in shackles made my stomach clench every time I thought about it, which meant my stomach had been in constant knots for days.
“A traitor?” Vallia gasped, her large eyes even more luminous than usual. “And you think their sister is here?”
Murmurs of disbelief and shock rippled through our group, proving, once again, what skilled actors we were. I pivoted ever so subtly, but enough to see that Ringo and Hatch had sidled up to stand in front of Lettie, although her blue bouffant wasn’t entirely hidden.
I shook my head as I made my way down the stairs to the front of the stage where the soldiers stood. “I’m afraid you’ve been given false information. We would never harbor traitors.”
The lead Zagrath looked unsure for the first time. “Our informant said that the traitor who allowed the Vandar to commandeer a ship has a sister in this theatre.”
I crossed my arms to give the soldiers the best view of my cleavage. “Well, do you see anyone here who looks like this traitor?”
I was confident in this statement since curvy Lettie with her towering blue hair looked nothing like her tall, gangly brother.
The Zagrath scanned the group on the stage, and this time Lettie stood between Hatch and Ringo with her hands braced on her hips.
I knew her well enough to know that she wanted to tell the Zagrath where they could stuff it for imprisoning her brother, but I also knew she was smart enough not to do it.
“None of them,” one of the younger soldiers muttered to his superior.
The lead officer swiveled his gaze back to me. “That doesn’t mean any of you are innocent. We know the kinds of plays you’ve performed in the past.”
“That’s the past,” I said breezily. “Now we perform only Zagrath-sanctioned plays.”
“We could arrest all of you,” he grumbled.
My palms felt sweaty, and I forced myself to smile brightly. “Do you really want to bother your superiors with all of us?”
He narrowed his gaze at me. “Maybe we’ll just take you since you claim to be in charge.”
Well, shit. I hadn’t exactly planned to join Vern in prison.
“If you take her, you take all of us,” Lettie called from the stage.
“That’s right,” Vallia added, tossing her lavender hair off her shoulder. “If you don’t know who you’re here to arrest, then you should take all of us.”
The officers glanced at the stage, and I could see that they were stating to realize the impracticality of arresting an entire theatre troupe.
Then a device on the lead soldier buzzed, and he snatched it off his waist. His eyes went wide, and he began to back away.
His fellow officers looked confused, but they followed suit.
“This isn’t over,” he said, although his bark no longer had any bite. “We’ll be back for the traitor.”
Then they stomped off, leaving all of us exhaling and trying to shake it off.
“Thanks, Theenie,” Lettie said when I walked back up onto the stage.
I gave her a quick hug. “No thanks needed. We’re not letting anyone take you.”
“You heard them,” Hal said as he wrung his hands. “They’ll be back.”
“Next time they might not be so clueless,” Vallia said.
“You can’t charm you way out of everything, Athena,” Hatch teased.
I wasn’t sure if he was right about that. So far, I’d been able to sweet-talk my way out of most predicaments. But I wasn’t the one sitting in jail. I looked at Lettie’s red-rimmed eyes and guilt gnarled my stomach. “I know I can’t, and I know this is serious.”
“The Vandar promised to send help,” Hal reminded me. “Where are they?”
As much as I wanted to give the couple we’d rescued the benefit of the doubt, I couldn’t help but feel we’d been abandoned. The all-too-familiar sensation prickled the back of my neck and made my throat clench.
If there was one thing I despised, it was being left behind.
It made me feel like a little girl again, clinging to my mother’s skirts as my father stormed off.
I hadn’t known then that my final, timid peek at him would be the last time I’d see him.
I hadn’t known that the days would stretch into weeks and then years until finally the waiting was stretched so thin there was nothing left of it to gather into any semblance of hope.
I gathered my courage and straightened my shoulders.
“I don’t know, but if the Vandar aren’t coming, we’ll have to save Vern ourselves.
” As soon as I said that, my stomach unknotted and the tension in my shoulders unspooled.
“We managed to hide two valuable prisoners and get them off the planet. We can rescue one person from jail, can’t we? ”
I ignored the slack-jawed stares directed at me. I might not know how we were going to rescue Vern, but I couldn’t dwell on the details. Dwelling wasn’t my style, anyway.
Always so dramatic and impulsive, my mother would have said, usually with a long-suffering sigh.
I brushed that aside. I was an actress. Dramatic and impulsive were my brand. And I was going to use them to save Lettie’s brother.
“Who’s with me?” I asked, sweeping my gaze around our small group.
Lettie was the first to bob her head up and down. “I’m in. If they wat to arrest me anyway, what do I have to lose?”
Vallia patted her on the shoulder. “That’s the spirit! You know I’m all for anything that embarrasses or hurts the Empire.”
“You can’t pull it off without us,” Hatch and Ringo said, nearly in unison.
Hal huffed out a tortured sigh. “This means opening night is going to be delayed, doesn’t it?”
Just then, the back door flew open and a figure rushed into the theatre, breathing as if he’d run a race. “We’re under attack!”