ONE MONTH LATER

Maverick kneaded the dough without thought, going through the motions as he had for almost thirty days. Across the counter, Gwen swept the back of her hand across her brow, leaving a trail of flour behind. 

"How's the dough comin'?" she asked in a thick Dellsbian brogue she'd adopted to hide her natural accent. "We need six more loaves of the oat bread." 

"It's comin'," Maverick replied in the same manner. "Mum,  how're the scones?"

"They'll be fine if you let me alone," Finny replied, her brows knit as she struggled in the corner. The ruse had been her idea--find a place to hide in plain sight--though Gwen's suggestion wasn't working out for the Ancient, a creature who never needed to worry about food before. 

Lieutenant Port, the man from the Army who helped them escape, swept the front of the little bakery. He didn't seem to have much talent for food either. They'd stopped in the first little village outside of Osha, set up shop, and were now within Helena's reach without her ever knowing.

"Jasper?" Port said, using Maverick's disguised name. "Mildred, were either of you expecting anyone before we open?" 

Maverick paused, eyes darting up. "No. Why?"

"There's a man outside. A very large man." Port cast a wary glance around the room. "Even if we don't open the door, I doubt he'll have any trouble getting in."

"Open it," Finny said with a wave of her hand. "He's no threat to us." 

"He is if he talks," Gwen muttered, adjusting her head wrap. All of them had found ways to hide their appearance. Gwen covered her auburn locks by twisting them up in a white bandana each day. Maverick had grown a beard and cut his hair so short it looked like it could either be blond or red. Port, who already had a beard, grew his out long and bushy, obscuring his face.

"Honestly, it's like you don't trust me." Finny abandoned the scones and marched to the door, throwing it open. "You don't think I could sense danger if it was danger? Come in."

A hulking blond man with long, curly hair stepped inside. He glanced around at them all, beaming. "You have no idea how hard it was to find you." 

"Youlden!" Maverick ditched the dough, rounding the counter to embrace his friend. "Where have you been? What's been happening? How'd you find us?"

"One question at a time, my boy," Port said, patting Maverick on the back. It was strange, how easily Port took to him and Gwen, and they to him. He reminded Maverick of someone his father would have liked. 

"I've been in Osha. I stayed around long enough to make Helena think I didn't know what had happened to you and then offered to go looking. Helena thinks you've been captured by Bainon."

"They haven't found him, either?" Port asked, leaning on his broom.

"No. Eric's missing too. They're also looking for him, but no luck." 

"And Noelle and Roman?" Maverick asked. "Are they safe?"

Youlden hesitated. "I don't know where Noelle is. If I had to guess, I would say Aundreya has her locked up somewhere. There are rumors of a prisoner that isn't Army down in the dungeons."

"We saw Aundreya with Noelle before we ran," Gwen said, her expression twisted in concern. "At least she isn't dead."

"And Roman?" Finny asked, gaze narrowed. "Where's our dear long-haired friend?"

Youlden didn't meet their eyes. "He's playing the part of the king."

"What?" Maverick and Port said together.

"While they're looking for you, Roman is making all the decisions--with Helena's guidance of course. Aundreya is there as well, and from what I can tell, she has a pretty strong hold on him."

"Then Roman is as much of a prisoner as Noelle," Gwen said, closing her eyes. "Poor Roman." 

"Only he won't know it," Maverick said. "It's like being in a fog when Aundreya lies to you. You might have a wriggling feeling deep down that you've forgotten something, but for the most part, you just agree with what she says."

"And she's stronger now," Youlden said. "It's not just believing her lies. She can make people do things just by telling them. One of the maids mopped a floor just before Aundreya came around the corner. She slipped and fell, then told the maid to go put her hands in acid."

"And she did?" Gwen put a hand over her mouth as Youlden nodded.

"That little witch," Port growled. "I saw her more than once at the castle--spoke to her, even. Did everything she ever asked." 

"And Phoenix?" Maverick's voice was barely audible, but he had to know. "Did they...did they..."

"The funeral pyre was the same day the battle ended. Phoenix was honored--Helena thinks Eric killed her."

"What? But he'd never--Canya killed her. I saw it." Anger flooded Maverick as he slammed his fist against the wall, leaving a large hole and earning a grimace from Gwen. 

"That's what they think, so Helena never knew that Phoenix turned against her. I saw the pyre. It was unlike anything I've ever seen before, burning that many bodies. It burned through the night, from what I understand." 

"And the ashes?" 

"There weren't any ashes the next morning. Over one hundred dead, and not a single sign of ashes." Youlden shrugged. "No one really knows what happened, but there was an awful wind the night before, and people think that might have blown them all away." 

Maverick nodded, not wanting to discuss it anymore. His heart ached, and nothing he did could take the sting of her death away. 

"What happened to Trey?" Finny asked. "He was the whole reason Phoenix brought Abigail to Osha. Is he still with Abigail's family?"

"After Helena killed Abigail, no one has seen Trey. Nobody knows what happened to him. Abigail's parents haven't seen him since the night of the battle."

"Someone sent assassins to kill him," Gwen said, frowning. "He was important--is important. Surely, if he matters that much, we'd have heard if he died."

"Because someone is going to publicize that they killed a little boy?" Finny asked. "No. If someone wanted Trey dead, they would have done it in secret." 

"Essentially we don't know where anyone is," Gwen said, tossing her hands up in the air. "Or if we do, it's somewhere dangerous like under Aundreya and Helena's control? We're in hiding, what are we supposed to do to stop this? We can't go back."

"We could," Maverick began, but Port and Gwen shouted him down with a resounding "No!"

"If you go back," Port said, "you'll be no better off than--his name's Roman, you said? You'll be under their control, doing what they want. And if you don't, Helena will kill you." 

"How could she have that power? I'm strong, she doesn't--"

"She could have Aundreya kill you," Youlden said, shaking his head. "They're right. You need to stay safe."

"Safe? Everyone I've ever loved is dead or missing. I helped a maniac depose a king who had my parents killed, but never even met me. I'm supposed to just let Roman rule the kingdom without being in control of his own mind, and let the people suffer?"

"No one is suffering yet," Youlden said. "Most people don't even know what happened. Helena has kept word from spreading."

"Because she doesn't know where Bainon is and doesn't have you," Port suggested. "She can't set up her reign with this boy Roman. People might revolt. She has to do this quietly. How's she keeping word from spreading?" 

"She's forbidden anyone in Osha to leave without her permission. Aundreya has done several speeches from the castle to keep the city calm and obedient. There are still Army contingencies out in the far reaching towns--and Helena is sending troops out to dispatch them before they catch wise. No one knows anything. None are the wiser."

"Then we tell them."

All eyes turned to Gwen who had a wild glint in her eyes. 

"What do you mean?" Port asked.

"If Helena's whole plan is to keep anyone from finding out what she's done until she can fully control the situation, we need to take away her control. We need to find the Army, tell them what's going on. We need to rally people, let them know what she's done."

"How do we do that?" Maverick asked, arching a brow.

"Who better to stir up animosity and indignance against what Helena has done than the nephew and niece of the king she deposed? Bainon is on the run, and there are many in Braskey who haven't the faintest clue that some were against him. We tell them that their beloved king has gone missing, that a horrible woman has taken his place, and that we're willing to stop them in the name of the king."

"The rightful heirs," Port said, nodding. "The two with the biggest claim to the throne and, theoretically, the closest tie to Bainon. You tell everyone in the west what Helena has done--even those loyal to the Militia will see that she's gone rogue if you're the ones against her. They wanted the Militia to back you, not her." 

"This could work," Finny said, tapping her chin. "Mass unrest is just as effective as a military coup if it's done right. We won't even need a war. We'll just need a revolt." 

They all turned to Maverick, waiting for him to speak. He didn't have to ask why. If anyone was going to take this charge, it'd be him. Gwen might be older, but she'd made it quite clear she didn't want to take the throne.

It'd have to be him. The face of the cause. The man they'd be supporting. The future king.

A grin twisted Maverick's lips. "It looks like we've got ourselves a new mission." 

BOOM

Maverick and team are back at it. Recap: They still think Phoenix is dead. No one knows where Eric is (or Bainon, for that matter, but he's a bit less important these days). 

Do you think this plan could work? Do you think the people of Braskey will rally behind Mav and Gwen? Or should they just stay in their bakery and wait to find out Phoenix is alive (where HAS she been in the month since she woke up)?

Vote and sound off below!