The next morning, the Estate was infected with whispers and hushed voices. Even when I came to the dining room for breakfast, people stared suspiciously at each other down the long table. My heart jumped, going through every possible scenario.

  They’d found out about Elian and I going to the labs last night, the trial had been moved to today, the Chancellor had decided the trials were useless and we’d all be executed and turned into robots regardless of performance...

  I wouldn’t put it past him.

  Niva herself sat in the corner of the room digging into a plate of scrambled eggs away from the other staff. Her face had its usual scowl but for the most part she looked unbothered. It couldn’t be that then. But what?

  “Why does everyone seem so on edge?” I asked her.

  “The Lion Legion launched another attack last night,” she replied in between mouthfuls, “Just outside the Estate, another pharmaceutical company.”

  “What’s the Lion Legion?” I asked, taking a seat opposite her.

  She looked at me surprised for a second, as if I’d asked what colour the sky was, but swallowed her food and answered.

  “Either terrorists or rebels depending on who you ask. They want to abolish the institutions forever. Supposedly they’re taking up the fight on behalf of Relegates.”

  On behalf of. I wondered how many Relegates were actually involved in such a mission because there was no doubt the Estate would use it against us. They were looking for any excuse to make our lives worse.

  “Were there any casualties?” I asked.

  She tilted her head.

  “Never when they take the Estate’s resources. Their activities throughout history are a different ball game though.”

  A man in a uniform suit with the silver diamond emblem of the Endavell family marched into the room holding a piece of paper and the whispers died down.

  “The Chancellor would like to ask everyone for calm at this time and alert you all that the project will continue as planned. However, the Chancellor and his family will be taking some time out so he releases his duties to General Maddox. Please take the rest of the week for yourselves. That is all.”

  Niva groaned into crossed arms on the table.

  “Whose idea was it to get an army general leading what is essentially a scientific investigation? Do they know how much paperwork I’m going to have to do to pick up the slack and make sure the entire thing doesn’t fall apart?”

  I patted her back.

  “You’ve got this. If you want you can bring it all to my room so you’ve got company.”

  She lifted her head, thinking.

  “I guess a change of scenery would be nice. Meet at your room in an hour.”

  She cleared away her plate, and I realised I should probably crack on with eating some breakfast of my own.

  An hour later Niva had turned my floor space into a desk, darting between the scattered blueprints and files and mumbling under her breath every so often. I sat on the bed drinking another blueberry milkshake, trying to remember where talking to yourself fell on the madness scale, when someone knocked on the door.

  “Hello,” Elian gave an awkward wave as I opened it. I couldn’t hide my smile.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I came to check on you. And all the participants, of course. After such awful news, maintaining the wellbeing of everyone in the Estate is of utmost importance,” he declared. I crossed my arms, leaning against the doorframe.

  “I didn’t know your duties involved in-person visits.”

  “They don’t.”

  We matched conspiring grins.

  “Well your timing’s perfect, Niva’s here too.”

  At the mention of her name, she glanced up, grunting some sort of greeting before returning to her work.

  “Nice to see you too Niva.” He placed a hand on his hip.

  “Wait what about your family?” I asked, “Shouldn’t you be with them?”

  “Yes. Yes I should. Which is why I can’t stay long. I just… Be careful you two.”

  I waved off his concern. “Ah, we can handle ourselves.”

  He glanced between the two of us. Niva, furiously racing against the clock to get the new reports out of the way, and me, a girl who’d survived seventeen years in an institution.

  “Right. Forgot who I was talking to.”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  He opened the leather bag at his side.

  “There’s something else,” he said, pulling out his cyb-screen, “My parents are trying their best to keep it quiet but the Lion Legion released a video. Can I trust you not to tell anyone what I’m about to show you?”

  I put a hand to my chest, pretending to be hurt.

  “You don’t trust me?”

  He pursed his lips.

  “Alright,” I allowed, “My lips are sealed.”

  “Seriously, this has to stay between us three.”

  I threw my hands in the air in exasperation.

  “What do you want me to do, sow my lips shut? I won’t breathe a word.”

  A small snigger escaped from his mouth before he moved onto Niva.

  “Niva?”

  “Yes, yes, not a word,” she said without looking up from her papers.

  Elian sighed and played the video.

  A woman with pin-curled mahogany hair and forest green eyes stared through the screen with unsettling intensity. On the left side of her chest a golden lion pin glinted from what I assumed was a light behind the camera.

  “We are the Lion Legion, a group who believe that all people have value,” she began.

  Huh. For a revolutionary it was hardly a groundbreaking concept but hey, I didn’t disagree.

  “That a person’s worth should not be judged by how much they can contribute to the people who keep them down, or their genetic status. The Chancellor is making empty gestures, starting initiatives such as this new Relegate Project, to give people a reason to believe the Relegates are not in danger, to show his apparent mercy, but it is a false promise. Thousands of Relegates still perish in the institutions under appalling conditions, and will continue to do so until real change is achieved.”

  The woman leaned forward and suddenly it was like she could see through the screen, her green eyes utterly haunting.

  “Chancellor Endavell, I now speak to you. The atrocities that have befallen so many innocent people were done under your watch, your care. Now you must face the consequences. I ask once again, repeal the laws that keep this system in place before we feel the need to escalate. How many people need to die because you refuse our demands? We call ourselves the Lion Legion, I advise you to listen when we roar.”

  The video blinked back to black but I could’ve sworn the woman’s eyes stayed seared to the screen a bit longer.

  What did the Chancellor make of her? The message wouldn’t have been enough to persuade him, certainly, but this woman clearly had the ability to make people listen and if there was one thing I knew it was someone with an audience was never to be underestimated.

  “My mother’s planning a ball to show the country that my parents aren’t afraid, but of course they are,” said Elian, putting the screen back in his bag.

  I raised my eyebrows.

  “A ball?”

  With a threat like that, I wouldn’t have thought a huge gathering with every noble family across Saxanglain would be a good idea, but it showed bravery on Shirley’s part, I’d give her that. Elian turned sheepish.

  “She’s going to use it as an opportunity to get me to propose to Ariadne.”

  I went for the easy jab. “Ah yes. Your lovely adoring future-wife.”

  “Do I detect jealousy?” he teased right back.

  “Why? Would you like me to be jealous?” I asked, then dramatically placed the back of my hand against my forehead, “Should I leap to the altar as you’re about to marry her and object, professing my love in a grand gesture of adoration?”

  One of the movies on the telenet last night showed a similar scene.

  “You’re joking but I think it would be the only thing that could put a stop to it.”

  I let my hand drop.

  “Well, who says you have to propose in the first place?”

  “It’s what everyone expects of me,” he said as if that explained everything. Perhaps in his world, the fact something was expected of you was argument enough to do it. I, on the other hand, made it a point to do exactly the opposite of what people wanted me to do. Yes, I did get punched for it often, why do you ask?

  “What do you expect of yourself?” I asked him.

  “I think you’re the only person who’s ever asked me that,” he smiled then faltered, “Look at me, complaining about getting married like it’s such a hardship when you’ve suffered so much worse.”

  “There’s always someone who has it worse,” I answered, the words coming out harsher than I meant them to. I had more than enough pity for myself, I didn’t need any from him too. No need to put a pin to that balloon. “What you’re worried about is important. Love is important,” I added quietly.

  Suddenly his eyes were on me again and it became a game, a challenge to see who broke away first. At least that’s what I told myself, because a hint of anything else… It wouldn’t do. He was just being nice, because he was a good person who cared. Unless he was toying with me and worse, I was falling for it. People weren’t just nice, after all. There was always a hidden motive. Hadn’t my whole life taught me that? Had I really let down my guard so much at the first sign of kindness? If that was the case I wished the ground would swallow me up already. I’d been foolish, and dammit if the embarrassment didn’t cause me to look away first.

  “Right then,” he clapped his hands, “I should go before people start getting suspicious.”

  “Isn’t there something else you want to tell her?” Niva demanded, not looking up from her work. We both turned to her.

  Elian cursed under his breath in a language I didn’t know.

  “Please,” she scoffed, “I only did what you were too scared to.”

  Elian halted with his eyes wide.

  “I was going to bring it up gently!”

  “And now you don’t have to. You’re welcome.” She went back to her paperwork, flipping a page. I looked between both of them.

  “What are you talking about?”

  Elian let out a sigh.

  “I might have found a way to get into Vocafeum,” he said, “But I don’t want to force you to come if it’ll bring back bad memories. Besides, it’s dangerous.”

  At that, I had to laugh.

  “I’m not exactly a stranger to danger. I said I’d go, so I will.”

  “You don’t have to-”

  “No but I should, even if it’s just to let Niles know I’m ok.”

  His shoulders relaxed.

  “Then it’s settled,” he said, “Meet me under the rose arch at midnight tonight.”

  Niva smirked.

  “A little on the nose there,” she joked as he shot her a glare. I didn’t get it, and was thus excluded from whatever silent exchange played out afterwards.

  “I’ll be there,” I told him and he turned to leave, adjusting his waistcoat.

  “I’ll see you two soon.”

  I watched him walk away, and a part of me wished he would stay a bit longer. Hearing how determined he was to help almost made me believe we could make a difference. With the Chancellor’s son on our side, it was so easy to get carried away with fantasies of how the world could be someday. Would be, if I had any say in it.

  “You’re hoping he’ll save the Relegates, aren’t you?”

  I turned to find Niva’s hazel eyes piercing straight through mine.

  “I know it’s not that simple,” I answered, “I know he can’t do it all on his own but he’s the only one with the power to change things, even a little bit.”

  “Power doesn’t lie with a single person,” she countered, “If you want to make things better you need as many people as possible on your side, and in this case that’ll never happen.”

  “Not if I can help it.”

  She rolled her eyes.

  “Do you even care that you most likely can’t? Customs and Typics gain too much putting you lot into institutions for them to give it up so easily.”

  I raised an eyebrow.

  “You’re a Typic and we managed to get you on our side. It can’t be impossible.”

  I’d made a big assumption there, but judging from the disdain Niva demonstrated towards her time machine and the soldiers who’d basically co-opted it for the Chancellor’s so-called project, I guessed it was the right one.