Chapter 61

Elouera

My heart beat increased, but I kept my face calm and unreadable, still pretending to be the sickly prince.

Across the huge, candlelit High Council chamber, Pip’s hand shook as she placed her empty glass on a tray covered with velvet.

For a brief moment, her eyes met mine.

Her face was turning red, and cold sweat had begun to form on her forehead. The double dose of concentrated Catalyst-7—the deadly poison meant for me was already taking effect in her body.

She had no idea what she had swallowed. She probably thought the pills were ordinary medicine for a headache, left behind on the sofa.

Ten minutes.

That was all the time we might have.

If the full dose took effect, Pip’s suppressed Omega nature would suddenly erupt right there on the lower floor of the gallery. Two hundred Alphas were already on edge after the fires the previous night. Their tempers were short, and they were hungry for blood.

If Pip lost control and released her Omega pheromones, the Alphas could fall into a wild frenzy and tear her apart. The Empress would order a massacre, Holden would get the chaos he wanted, and Pip would die on the marble floor.

I couldn’t rush across the chamber to save her without drawing everyone’s attention. I needed to get the people out of that room. More importantly, I had to remove the Empress’s soldiers from the palace before time ran out.

I shifted slightly, moving closer to the shadows behind the marble pillar.

“Stirling,” I whispered.

My voice was barely louder than a breath. I kept my lips still, hiding the movement behind the high collar of my tunic.

Stirling stood behind me without moving, but I could feel his body tense like a bow pulled tight, ready to release an arrow. The strong scent of cedar and winter frost spread around my shoulders, covering my scent and keeping the other nobles from detecting anything unusual.

“I’m listening, little bird,” Stirling whispered near my ear.

“The military communication device in the northern corner,” I replied quietly. My fingers tightened inside my wool sleeves until my knuckles turned white. “I need your family’s private military codes. The main command codes for the Vance border army.”

A long, painful silence followed.

Giving me the Vance military codes meant handing me control over the entire Northern Territory. It was an act of high treason, punishable by having his skin cut off and being impaled on the southern gates. He would be placing his entire family’s lives in my hands.

“Why?” Stirling asked quietly.

His chest brushed against my shoulder as he moved closer. The warmth from his body helped ease the coldness of my skin.

“Pip took the pills,” I whispered. My voice broke with the pain I was trying to hide. “She swallowed Holden’s Catalyst. In eight minutes, it will take full effect. I need the Imperial Guard and the Vanguard out of this palace immediately.”

I felt Stirling’s body jerk in shock.

Through the thick layers of wool and velvet, his broad, rough fingers briefly touched my waist. It was a silent way of reassuring me that he was there, even as everything around us threatened to fall apart.

“The master code is Vance-Seven-Odin,” he whispered into my hair. His words sounded like a serious promise he could never take back. “Enter it into the brass transmitter three times. What are you planning to send?”

“The Outback Rebellion,” I replied.

A cold determination rose inside me, pushing away my fear and replacing it with a clear, deadly focus.

“I’m going to make them believe a rebel army is approaching the palace gates.”

I didn’t ask for permission, and I didn’t wait for the herald to finish announcing the morning’s proceedings.

I lowered my shoulders and made my knees shake, pretending to be the weak and sickly Prince Elian. I let out a small groan of pain and stumbled toward the curtained space behind the high throne. I acted as if I needed a cup of water to help with my lung illness.

Jace reacted immediately. He stepped behind me, using his large body to block the Empress and Crown Prince Callan from seeing what I was doing.

Behind the curtains was a brass military communication device. It connected the High Council directly to the military camps outside the capital.

My fingers moved quickly over the brass keys. The street girl who had learned to make fake keys in the Sinks was now working alongside the royal spare who had memorized every military map in the empire.

Vance-Seven-Odin.

I entered the master code into the machine, taking control of the imperial communication lines. Then I began pressing the keys and moving the levers, sending a fake emergency message in the secret Northern military language.

PRIORITY RED. THE OUTBACK REBELLION HAS BROKEN THROUGH THE WESTERN WALL. TEN THOUSAND REBELS ARE MARCHING TOWARD THE CAPITAL. HEAVY ARTILLERY HAS BEEN SPOTTED AT THE PASS. ALL IMPERIAL TROOPS AND VANGUARD BATTALIONS MUST DEPLOY TO THE OUTSKIRTS IMMEDIATELY BY ORDER OF THE HIGH COUNCIL.

I pulled the brass lever down with force.

The machine hissed loudly as steam escaped. Its iron gears turned with a rough grinding sound, sending my false orders through the communication tubes to every military camp in New Avalon.

Soon, every garrison would believe that a massive rebel army was approaching the capital.

I stepped out from behind the curtains and returned to my place between Jace and Stirling. My face was pale, and I breathed heavily, making it look as though I had only taken a sip of wine and was struggling with my illness.

Ten seconds passed.

Then twenty.

Suddenly, the huge iron alarm bell at the top of the palace tower began to ring.

CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.

The loud, urgent sound of the war alarm filled the High Council chamber, cutting through the silence. The herald stopped speaking halfway through his announcement. The high lords jumped to their feet, shouting in confusion and fear.

A messenger rushed through the large double doors. His face was as pale as a ghost, and he held a steaming piece of paper in his hand.

“Your Majesty! The western border has fallen! The Outback Rebellion has taken the pass! Ten thousand rebels are approaching the outer gates!”

The entire chamber erupted into chaos.

Empress Cynthia rose from her golden throne, her violet eyes wide with shock. She rarely showed such fear, but the news had caught her completely off guard.

“Commanders! Mobilize the Vanguard! Clear the palace gates immediately!” she ordered.

“Move! Move!” the captains shouted.

They drew their swords and hurried their armored soldiers out of the chamber. Everyone rushed to defend the city from the supposed rebel attack.

Within three minutes, two hundred imperial soldiers had left the hall. Their heavy boots echoed through the stone corridors as they hurried toward the palace gates.

The High Council chamber was now almost completely unguarded.

I looked around at the few people who remained.

My plan had worked. The armies were rushing to fight an enemy that didn’t even exist.

But my relief disappeared when I saw Pip.

She was leaning weakly against the marble pillar near the side entrance. Her skin had turned a deep red from the fever, and sweat ran down her neck and chest. She was desperately pulling at the lace of her tunic, her fingers shaking uncontrollably. Her eyes rolled backward as she struggled to remain conscious.

The double dose had reached its full effect.

A powerful, overwhelming Omega heat scent began spreading through the nearly empty hall.

And standing less than ten feet away from her was Crown Prince Callan.

His broadsword was drawn, and his eyes were bloodshot around the edges. He stared directly at Pip with the wild, dangerous expression of a starving Alpha who had lost control of himself.