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  “Stay with me.” I turned back to my companions, and through the mass of bodies, I only saw the tallest two guards. They were already at least two people behind me, and chances were good that they wouldn’t hear my commands. I had to trust them to do the right thing. More than that, I had to trust myself.

  With all the jostling and chaos, I couldn’t pick up on Penelope’s vibration. At least, that’s why I hoped I wasn’t connecting with her. The alternatives were grim: we were in the wrong place and in the middle of the wrong melee, or something was very wrong with Penelope.

  I struggled to get closer. Even more alarming, if these men were clamoring to get close to a siren, they didn’t realize they basically had one in their side pocket because they weren’t paying any attention to me. The noise could’ve thrown them off, too.

  Air. Finally. The crowd had been here for a while, or hygiene was overall piss poor in the city. Hands on knees, I took a moment to catch my breath, but I had that stolen away from me when I looked up.

  Guards lined the building. Stone still. Dressed in all black with shields over their faces, it was possible they were decoys. With guns. I focused on one of them, my own version of siren roulette. No reaction. It wasn’t fair, he could see me but I couldn’t see him. Good thing I was used to not fair.

  I strutted up to him like I’d just walked up on stage. All I was missing was my guitar. I pushed aside every frazzled thought that plagued my brain and concentrated on Penelope, and getting my vibration in line with hers.

  My body tingled. Success.

  She was in there. I just had to get past this wall of pissed-off humanity that was paid and armed to keep me away.

  The guard flinched when I put my hand on his shoulder. I had to go up on my tiptoes to get as close to his helmet as possible. “This isn’t what you want.” My words were melodic and they flowed like honey. To him they’d be sweet and irresistible. I’d get my way.

  He cocked his fucking gun in response.

  “You don’t believe in the League,” I continued, keeping my song steady so he wouldn’t pick up on my panic. The guard next to my intended target shifted his weight from one foot to another. Maybe I could kill two bird guards with one song. “You want better than this.”

  “Don’t make me do anything I can’t take back, Your Majesty.” The guard’s gravelly voice alarmed me.

  At least he acknowledged who I was. I put my hand on the barrel of the gun. “Don’t tell me you’d actually use this.” Hopefully he didn’t see the end of it shaking. “It won’t make anything better.”

  “I…I have to follow orders.”

  “What if there was a better way?” I ventured into dangerous territory, making promises I couldn’t keep. The guards circled me, the long barrels of the guns cast an eerie shadow on their helmets and shields. “Asher is weak, The League is in ruins. You have insurgents in your wake.”

  “What’s your point?” one of them asked.

  I had to come up with one quick. “Who do you fight for? Your King or The League?”

  “We fight for the King.” They didn’t answer in unison, but no one said The League.

  “Your King does not sanction this imprisonment.”

  “We follow the orders of—“

  I knew exactly who they followed the orders of. Asher. No one else.

  “Did you speak to His Majesty? Did he give you the orders himself? Did he shackle this prisoner?”

  “No.” Mumbles surrounded me.

  “Release the prisoner.” I pushed through the sea of bullet proof jackets before they had a chance to protest. The good thing about the front line of any organization was that they weren’t paid to think. They were paid to follow. And at that moment, they weren’t sure who to follow. If the order didn’t actually come from the King, they had no duty to enforce it. I had to take advantage of their surprise before they decided otherwise.

  For once, a pirate infiltration worked to my advantage. They’d taken orders from the wrong leader. Their embarrassment would save Penelope.

  The door was locked. All those guards outside and they locked the door. Bastards. I smashed my elbow against the closest window.

  “Who’s there?” Penelope called out. “Teal? Avila?”

  “It’s Avila.” I scrambled through the window, the guards had broken out of their stupor and I didn’t have much time. One of them grabbed my shirt, ripping it as I fell through the broken glass.

  That fucking hurt. Many layers of skin remained on the pointed glass in the window. I had no idea what shape Penelope was in, so I wouldn’t bitch.

  “Where are you?” I asked. They kept her in the dark. Her vibration was everywhere, but I needed to follow the sound of her voice to find her.

  “I don’t know. Those bastards blindfolded me and they’ve been doing everything they can to drown out my song since I got here. Can’t you see me?”

  “It’s really dark.” And something entered the room behind me. Probably something that didn’t care that the King didn’t want Penelope to be held prisoner. Or even worse, someone who knew that he did.

  Penelope sighed. No matter what shape she was in, they didn’t touch her spirit. “Is Teal here?”

  “No.” I couldn’t tell her that Teal was in a worse predicament than she was.

  “I’ll keep talking until you find me. How big can this place be? My hands are tied behind my back. Whatever hack took a turn this time wasn’t as good at taking prisoners as the last one. Asher needs to institute some Thug 101 classes. Provide a consistent experience. I’ve been blindfolded the whole time, and someone who claimed to be Asher…oh hey.”

  I wrapped my arms around her when I reached her. “What were you about to say?”

  “Take this damn thing off my face.”

  Oh, yeah. The blindfold. I ripped it down so fast I probably knocked her nose out of joint. “That wasn’t what you were about to say.”

  “Who the fuck are they?” Obviously, we had company. I didn’t have to turn around to know that the guards had gotten in.

  “Thug 101.” I tugged on her body, not surprised when she didn’t move. “Where are you tied?”

  “By my arms. They’re behind this pole.”

  The knot was impossible. If I’d had any light, I would’ve at least been able to see what I was doing. The League’s people might’ve sucked at the actual capture, but they tied a mean knot.

  “Hurry,” Penelope pleaded. “I’ll try to keep singing, but I’m tired. And there’s a lot of them.”

  “I’ll sing with you.” My hands shook, but I was making progress with the knot. We were on borrowed time, the guards should’ve had us by now. Our song would give us a head start.

  Penelope shook her arms hard once the rope came loose. I grabbed her so hard she almost fell flat on her face.

  “Easy!” she hissed. “I’m not used to moving anymore.”

  “Get used to it.” I pulled her toward the door. I had no idea what waited on the other side.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “Head to the castle.” It was an easy target for all of us. Penelope didn’t have a lot of gas in the tank. I had to get her out of harm’s way before we found ourselves in a worse predicament.

  “Are you out of your mind? That’s a great idea, if you want to walk right back into The League’s trap.” Her breaths were labored, and she had to stop and put her hands on her knees. “I don’t care if I never see the inside of this city again.”

  “No kidding,” I muttered. “Too bad we don’t have that luxury.”

  A gunshot cracked in the distance, and something sailed by our heads. I’d never been more thankful that Asher hadn’t gotten around to giving any Thug 101 lessons. If he had, his guards would be better shots.

  Penelope screamed. I slapped my hand over her mouth, and she wriggled away from my grasp. Thankfully, she didn’t make any more noise. We already had bullseyes on our back.

  “They’ve been given orders to shoot anyone who doesn’t belong in the ci
ty.” I had seconds to get Penelope up to speed. “That’s why I think we should go to the castle. Asher will give us—“

  “You’re still on that.” She shook her head. “Asher isn’t giving us shit.”

  I hated that she was right. “Fine. We go back to the boat. We’ll be full of bullet holes by the time we get there.” Then I remembered something. “What were you saying about Asher before we were so rudely interrupted by intruders?”

  “Asher said that the sirens had to be eliminated from The Bay for his plan to work.” Penelope did her best to keep up with me. Normally, I would’ve hung back and helped her, but these weren’t normal circumstances. Instead, I pulled her along. “Stick close to the buildings, and keep changing your path,” she said.

  Penelope got her hands dirty far more often than I did. I took a sharp left. “Did you see him when he said it?”

  “Crystal clear. In the dark, through my blindfold.”

  “I don’t believe it.” I didn’t have to turn around to know that she was disgusted with me.

  “Avila, when are you going to come to grips with this? He’s fucking with you, and he’s luring you into a trap. Still you’re all hearts and flowers, lovey dovey, refusing to see what the rest of us know for a fact.”

  I stopped short, and Penelope bumped into me. “You didn’t see him. And you’ve never had a real conversation with him. I sought him out, not the other way around. You do shady shit all the time and I trust you.”

  She grinned. “And I love you for it.”

  “My options are let Asher make a fool out of me or let Asher make a fool out of me and turn mortal. At least if I keep my immortality, I can get revenge.”

  I just wanted to go home. At this point, I didn’t care if I ever set foot in Chronopolis again. I wanted my life back. Not even the one with the crown. It wasn’t fucking worth it. Another gunshot broke the silence. Penelope grabbed me, plastering us both against the cold, stone wall.

  “Where’s Teal?” It was only a matter of time before she asked.

  “On the boat.” It wasn’t a lie.

  “Why didn’t she come with you?”

  Time up. “Because she’s a statue right now. After that guy distracted her to get you away from The Alibi, she started to turn.”

  “Holy starfish.” Penelope quickened her pace. “Maybe she’ll be able to break out of it now that I’m back.”

  “We have to get you back, first.” More gunshots ruptured the uneasy quiet of the night. “I can’t think of anyone in The Bay who’s actually turned to stone in our lifetime.”

  “Me neither.” Penelope grabbed me again, pulling me around a corner. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “I saw someone coming.”

  We couldn’t take any chances. I slid down the building, curling my body in a ball on the cobbled sidewalk. Penelope huddled next to me.

  “I hoped the stone thing wasn’t literal. I’ve felt heavy since Asher made his big announcement, and sometimes it’s hard to move.”

  “You’re just getting old.” At least Penelope was feeling good enough to tease me.

  “Never.” Humor was our favorite coping mechanism, even when everything was on the line. “I hoped it was just a myth.”

  Or that Asher hadn’t rejected me. That’s what I was really holding onto.

  “What big announcement?” a voice we didn’t expect to hear startled us. One of the guards from Penelope’s prison hovered over us, his shadow stealing the streetlight. “Anything you say about the King can be held against you.”

  “Oh, go fuck yourself. You have no idea what she said.” Penelope pulled me up by the arm. “And you need to have some respect. Avila is the Queen of—“

  The guard grabbed her arm, and it didn’t matter how long Penelope had been held prisoner, it hadn’t weakened her. She fought him hard, one handed, and connected a swift kick right to his junk.

  No amount of armor defended against that.

  He lost his balance, tumbling into the alleyway we’d used for protection.

  “Go!” We couldn’t let this guy get his bearings.

  We ran down the streets, no longer slinking along the side of the buildings. The guards would have more than enough reason to capture and reprimand us now. The gate was in sight, gunshots continued to sail passed us.

  “They must all be legally blind.” Penelope laughed too loudly. Not like it mattered, the guards were hot on our heels. “I’ve never seen such a bunch of lousy shots in my life.”

  There was no one keeping the residents of Chronopolis from leaving. Of course, everyone was free to pollute The Bay.

  Something pushed me into the bars. My shoulder burned. “They got me.”

  “Shit!” Penelope pulled me into her body. Her fingers were tinged with blood.

  She picked me up, taking rough, gulping breaths, almost drowned out by the sound of blood in my ears, then slammed the gate closed behind us.

  None of The League thugs followed us through the gate, but they didn’t hesitate to shoot more shots into The Bay.

  “I’ll be okay.” I said it more for myself than Penelope. My wasted blood cooled quickly, but the opening burned. I couldn’t tell if the bullet was still lodged inside me or if it came out the front of my shoulder. The only quick glance I could muster only confirmed blood was everywhere.

  Penelope looked straight ahead, fixed on her mission. “I’ve got to get you to the ocean. It will heal you.”

  Heavy footfall echoed behind us. Shit, they did follow us. I didn’t want to waste time turning around. If someone meant us harm, we couldn’t give them a second. Or a clear shot.

  “Run!” I commanded. I pushed fear and pain aside. The boat wasn’t that far away when we were whole and healthy. Now it seemed like it was on another planet.

  The marina had a combination gate. We weren’t about living behind giant city walls, moats, and guards like some leaders who shall remain nameless, but we weren’t stupid, either. Penelope and I collapsed on top of each other once we were safely inside. Home.

  “You need to get in the ocean.” She sat up and ran her fingers through her dusty, matted hair. They caught after an inch or two. “It will stop the bleeding.”

  I’d never needed the water more than I did right now. My head already swam as I eased myself over the side of the boat. I was scared. It wasn’t something I’d dealt with often—paralyzing, stomach-turning fear. Any of our efforts to fix things could be too late.

  Treading water took effort, but peace washed over me once I was in The Bay. My Bay. The one I’d nurtured and cared for ever since I was a young girl. I didn’t need a crown to be Queen here.

  I dove underwater, the stinging from the wound faded to a burn, then numbness. I’d been afraid that I would lose the ability to truly swim. Even though one of The League thugs hit me, he was still a lousy shot. He missed, my nerves, lungs, and most importantly, my heart.

  The water crashed behind me, and I wasn’t surprised to see Penelope dive in after me. She splashed me when she came to the surface, laughing. It was a glorious sound. “It feels good to be home,” she said.

  Did it ever. “I’ve never been so glad to see this rickety old boat in my life.”

  “I need to see Teal.” Penelope swam toward the boat with purpose. “Have you tried getting her wet?”

  “No. I’ve tried everything to keep her out of the water.”

  “The Bay will bring her back to life.” She didn’t know that, but it was worth a try.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Teal waited for us in the same place I left her. Of course, she didn’t have many choices. In the scramble of the evening, I’d forgotten how horrifying it was to see her like this. I’d had to put it aside while I figured out how to get Penelope back. Teal’s plight had gone on the back burner. After all, I knew what I was dealing with for her, and she certainly wasn’t going anywhere.

  Penelope clapped her hand over her mouth, stifling a sob, as she walked down the stairs. “Can she hear me?” she whispered
.

  “I think so.” Until she was too far gone, she could respond.

  “I missed you so much.” Penelope wrapped her arms around Teal’s stone figure. Tears fell freely now. “We’ll find the bastards who did this to you and kill them.”

  That was, if they didn’t get us first.

  “It was gradual. She didn’t bam! Turn to stone. She complained of heaviness, and she lost mobility.” I felt responsible, even though I’d done nothing. “I hope it’s reversible.”

  “It has to be.” Penelope pulled away from Teal, rocking her body back and forth. “Help me get her in the water.”

  “If this doesn’t work, we’ll never get her back.” She’d sink fast, and neither of us were at our best.

  Penelope looked toward the water, frowning, but her eyes sparkled when she looked back at me. There was no swaying her once she got an idea. “How’s your shoulder?”

  “Better.” My heart, on the other hand, pounded so hard it could fracture a rib. “Even at full strength, I couldn’t keep her near the surface. You’re familiar with the expression sink like a stone?”

  Penelope rolled her eyes, she must’ve been feeling better, too. The ocean had that effect on us. “The salt water should eat away at the rock.”

  “You think?” It healed us, but this theory was a stretch.

  “Why not? It’s not real stone, right? It’s Teal. She’s in there.”

  “I’ll get in the water, and you can pass her down to me. I’ll hold on to her as long as I can.” Penelope dove off the side of the boat and swam back to the dip in the deck where she’d jumped from. I cursed that we’d been separated from our guard posse while we ran away from Penelope’s jail. They had yet to return. But right now, I could only worry about Teal.

  She was dead weight, and it didn’t matter what Penelope thought, she couldn’t keep both of them above water. But on the other hand, I couldn’t let her suffer, stuck inside layers of rock. Or whatever it was.