INDIGO

"I don't want to talk to her," I insisted. As we walked down the hall, Wolf raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

We stopped in front of the door of the very same cell I was locked up in only two days ago. Wolf nodded to the guard in front of the door and he unlocked it, swinging the door open. As Wolf stepped in, I remained by the wall, out of sight but still within earshot. Thankfully, Wolf let the door open. The faint cell light cast his shadow on the opposite wall.

I heard the clank of metal as my mother shifted in her handcuffs.

"Eveleen Sharpe," Wolf greeted. "My name is Wolf Reznor."

"You mean your fake name," she said. "I doubt you would throw your real name around."

"No, I wouldn't."

It occurred to me before that Wolf may not have been his real name but rather the nickname given to him based on the color of his eyes, but it was only now that I fully realized its implications. While Reznor could pass for an Assassin name, Wolf definitely wasn't one. I doubted any files in the Assassin databases had the name "Wolf Reznor", just as his Assassin name wouldn't be found anywhere on the streets. So who was he?

"Cut to the chase," she said, her voice sharp. When I'm not around to manipulate, she seems to have a very low tolerance for small talk. "We both know you want information."

"How were you captured by the Ravens?"

"How did you capture me from them?"

"Thorough planning," Wolf replied.

There was a long silence before my mother sighed. "I'm not sure. Some white gas seemed to appear out of thin air, spilling into my cell. But it didn't seep through the bars. It was trapped within just my cell. And then I passed out."

Gas that only stayed in a particular place? That doesn't make any sense. As far as I knew, technology like that didn't exist.

But what if it did? And what if the Ravens got their hands on it? Or worse, what if they made it? No one would even know how something like that works. And what about the other technologies the Ravens have? How much could they do?

"What next?"

"I woke up when I was being dragged out of a car and into the streets of Orleans with a hidden dagger at my back. You know the rest."

Wolf's shadow nodded before shifting. "Why were you kept in the Cressida's prison cells instead of Cárcel del Muro? Everyone knows that while Cressida is the most secure place in the nation and Cárcel is only the second, it's smarter to put high-risk prisoners in Cárcel so they won't have a chance at killing Crowns or Royals if they ever break out."

I furrowed my eyebrows. Even though the memory of my mother haunted me for years, the thought never occurred to me. My mother was skilled enough to catch the attention of the Crown Fortier and accused of killing her husband while attempting to murder her daughter. Why wasn't she placed in Cárcel?

"I imagine it's so the Crown Fortier could gloat whenever he was down," my mother snapped.

"Why would he feel the need to gloat to you?" Wolf asked.

Because I'm his daughter and he had me in his clutches despite her efforts to prevent it.

There was a possibility she would tell him everything, but I didn't think it was likely. When she had the opportunity to tell me everything, she still refused to do so and I'm her daughter. She wouldn't tell a complete stranger with nothing to do with her or her secret. Still, I sucked in a breath.

"My husband was one of his closest friends and I killed him. He likes to brag about how well his best friend's daughter is doing despite my attempt to kill her too."

There was a long pause as Wolf stood very still.

Does he know she's lying?

Finally, Wolf said, "He sounds like an idiot."

I almost snorted before a chill ran down the back of my spine. The conviction in which he made the statement felt too familiar. He must've been an Intellect as an Assassin.

My mother didn't take well to the insult.

"Idiot or not, he rules one of the most powerful nations in the world. What do you homeless buffoons do? Hide in the garbage corners no one wants to look in? Make friends with rats?"

"Your daughter's one of us," Wolf stated.

"She's lost," she spat, "and trying to grapple with who she is. She's finding her place in a world without her father, mother, or her friends. All of you took advantage of that, no doubt to use her to lure other assassins. In time, with my help, she'll see you for what you are—frauds who fill people's heads with grandiose dreams of revolution and never pull through."

She was wrong. I'd seen what Nydia was capable of first hand while on the Alpha team and, while I hadn't fully seen Wolf in action, I knew how much he thirsted for a revolt. They would pull through. My mother had no idea what she was talking about.

"At least we offer something better than a mother who tries to kill her in cold blood."

There was no response.

"While the Crown Fortier was gloating, did he ever leak any information to you?"

"No."

"No?"

"No."

"Then why did the Ravens go through such lengths to kidnap you?"

"Maybe it's for the same reason as you. Maybe it's because they're desperate and they have nothing else left."

"The Ravens are a major threat. Why would they be desperate?"

"Because the Crowns are tightening their noose after the Ravens foolishly killed the Kingston Queen. In fact, they already have leads and spies. They'll destroy the Ravens by November."

"So the Crown Fortier told you nothing, and yet you know all about the current events and his spies," Wolf said.

My mother said nothing.

"What do you know?"

Silence.

"The quicker you tell us, the quicker you'll get a full meal. I doubt they serve you much in the cells of the Golden Palace."

"I don't want any of the rat shit you eat," she spat.

I sucked in a breath and waited for Wolf to burst into anger. But he didn't. Instead, he took a calm step back.

"Very well. But you'll wish you had spoken here," he warned, his voice low, chilling. I shivered. For a moment, he truly sounded like an Assassin.

With that, Wolf stepped out of the room and nodded to the guards who swung the door shut.

"And turn off the light," Wolf commanded them. The guard flicked a switch on the outside before locking the door.

I followed him down the hall. We turned a corner before he began speaking.

"Whatever the Ravens did to get your mother out..." he trailed off before continuing. "I've never heard of anything quite like it."

I nodded. "Me neither. How do you think they did it?"

"I'm not sure. But if the Ravens have this sort of technology, they could win against the Crowns. And they could rule for even longer than them."

"So, what are we going to do?"

Wolf sighed. "The Ravens promote a single ruler who would get rid of the Assassins but still keep the unending chaos on the streets. If they win, things would only get worse. And now that we stole your mother from them, they're going to come after us. We have to strike first. If it were up to me, I would sniff out their headquarters and uproot them. Send them into disarray and let the Assassins do the rest."

He shook his head and looked straight ahead.

"But it's not up to you," I whispered.

"No, it's not."

"Wouldn't Laine agree to go against the Ravens if you explain what's at stake? Isn't that why he formed the Rebels in the first place? To fight oppressive people?"

"At first, yes. But your mother's right. As Laine got more people on his side and lost even more people, he started to care more about protecting than what he was protecting them from. This place is more of a sanctuary now than anything. Laine doesn't want that to change."

"And what do you want?"

He looked me in the eye.

"I want war. I want blood. I want the Crowns' heads on a spike."

I looked him in the eye. I suppose some part of me should've felt apprehensive of putting the lives of everyone here at risk, but I felt nothing of the sort. Instead, I couldn't help the dark satisfaction, the recognition of the thirst he felt.

Me too.

I shivered at my own inner thoughts. What had I become? And what was he?

Cree came running down the hall before I could find answers to any of those questions.

"We have a problem," he said.

"What's wrong?" Wolf asked.

"Nisa's doing the job you asked her to do a little too well," Cree said. "Again."

Nisa's job was to further represent and voice the needs and wants of the general people in the base, like a Senator of sorts. According to Wolf, this action was taken to ensure that the leaders of the Rebels don't knowingly or unknowingly prevent the freedom and wants of the people, as governments did in the past. It's one of the reasons Nisa must've been so against me during my trial. I could only imagine what she, and everyone at the base, wanted now.

Wolf cursed and marched down the hall, following Cree. I stayed close behind.

"What's she saying?" he asked.

"She's not happy with the Eveleen Fluor situation."

"Sharpe," I corrected. She had no right to my father's name.

Cree bowed his head. "Right. Nisa's calling for a public questioning and trial."

A public trial?

"Why?" I asked.

"Well..." Cree trailed off as we entered the mess hall.

It seemed as though everyone in the base was gathered, watching as Nisa stood on a table, speaking to random people and riling up the crowd. Nydia sat on top of a table nearby, curled up with her arms around herself as she watched the crowd shout obscenities at all Assassins. She looked small, like a child. Perhaps she was one. We all were.

Nisa looked up and caught our gaze.

"The people demand a public trial," she announced with no greeting. "They demand to know what Eveleen Fluor has to say."

I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from speaking. The crowd cheered once again. Wolf raised his hands and they quieted down.

"I'm a big believer in giving everyone access to information and I would love to share what Eveleen Fluor knows with all of you. However, it could help all of us if certain things remain a secret. And, as much as I hate it, the more people who know about something, the easier it could reach the ears and eyes of our enemies."

"Are you saying we're traitors who would tell others?" a man said from the crowd.

"No," Wolf said. "But there is a traitor in the base. Anything we say to everyone will be known to our enemies."

"The Assassins already know what the prisoner does," a woman said.

"What if the spy is a Raven?"

"We have enough supplies for a while, don't we?" another woman said. "We can lock our doors until we catch the traitor."

I looked up Nisa who was strangely silent as she carried an unreadable expression. She knew this was foolish, but there was nothing she could say. She represented the people, and the people wanted my mother to give away everything she knew.

"Besides," another man said, "the prisoner's the Assassin's mother. Maybe you're keeping her locked up so you can hide all of her secrets."

"Yeah!"

"The trial was a sham!" a girl shouted, though I couldn't see who it was. "We want proof she's innocent!"

There were even louder cheers all around. The world felt as though it was shifting. Once again, I was trapped.

As cheering continued, I looked to Wolf. He glanced at Laine who just entered from a corner hallway. Laine nodded. Wolf hesitated, thinking things through. At last, he lifted his hand. I held my breath.

"Eveleen Fluor will be given a public trial."

Everyone cheered. The world swayed.

This wasn't supposed to happen. When my mother steps up in front of them, I will have no control. If she decides to say anything about me, that's it. All of these people will want my head. And whether they get it or not didn't matter. I'll be alone again, with no where else to go.

I ran after Wolf as he left the mess hall.

"You need to stop it," I told him.

"I know," he said, still walking. "But I can't do anything about it."

"If the Ravens get their hands on this information, everything we did will be a waste."

"I don't have a choice."

"But-"

"I don't have a choice!" he repeated, finally stopping and turning to me.

All of my words died on my tongue. He turned back around and continued his march through the halls, leaving me panicking in his wake.

♕ ♕ ♕

My mother was led to the end of the mess hall where they connected a few tables together to make a platform. Her guards helped her up onto the tables in her handcuffs and stood by her as she faced the roiling crowd.

Nydia stood next to me, carrying her bow as extra protection in case my mother tried to run. Wolf stood directly in front of us, side by side with the rest of the Rebel leaders—Laine, Nisa, Brianna, and Cree.

I looked around the room, watching the crowd until my eyes landed on Lily. She looked apologetic as she waved from the far corner. I waved back before turning to the front again. Nydia squeezed my hand once. I could feel the eyes staring holes into my soul, and, finally, I looked my mother in the eye.

She was wearing regular Streeter clothes that Ravens must've dressed her up in, though they were baggy on frail frame. Her cheeks were sunken, her skin pale, dark circles evident under her eyes. And yet, as her eyes pierced mine, I couldn't help but shiver.

After a moment, her eyes softened and I remembered the mother from long ago. She was the mother who placed a pencil and paint brush in my hand, the one who showed me the magic of art. She used to beam, push back my hair, and plant a kiss on my cheek whenever I showed her my latest scribbles. She loved them all.

I looked down. She was just trying to lure me. I wouldn't let her.

"Eveleen Fluor!" Laine began and stepped forward. The base quieted to whispers. "You stand here under interogation by the Rebels of Concorde. Do you swear to answer every question honestly?"

"Why would I lie to the likes of you?"

The Rebels shouted in anger, but Laine quieted them down.

"She's trying to get under your skin. Do not let her." He looked back at my mother. "Are you an Assassin?"

"Yes."

"Are you the mother of Indigo Fluor?"

"Yes."

"Why were you sentenced with a life in prison?"

"I tried to kill my daughter, but when my husband got in the way, I killed him instead."

There were gasps and murmures around the hall. I suppose there were more things about me which they were unaware of than I thought.

"Why?" Nisa asked.

I could hear my heart pounding.

"Because she's pathetic," she seethed. "Idiotic. Useless. She's no daughter of mine."

I let out a sigh of relief. While the lie was weak, her delivery was believable. Everyone would buy it. I would be okay. For the time being.

The mess hall was silent. No one knew who to hate.

"Why were you taken by the Ravens?"

She shrugged. "They wanted to send a message to Edsel."

"Edsel?"

"The Crown Fortier," she explained. "The Ravens wanted to tell him that he's not as powerful as he thinks."

"And that's why we're going to win the rebellion!" someone shouted. There were cheers.

My mother scoffed. "The Ravens will squash all of you if the Assassins don't. It's no wonder my disappointing daughter joined you."

She looked to me as the crowd shouted obscenities at her.

"You must be regretting all of this by now," she said. "I bet they called you traitor, didn't they? I can tell by the way they scurry around you, but not your friend with a weapon. You don't have their trust."

A hush fell upon the crowd as they listened, either out of shame for letting her be right or out of curiousity as to what insults she may throw my way. Maybe a bit of both. I stayed firm, staring right back at her.

"Poor fools don't realize just how naive you are. They don't see how much you just want a friend and how many you lost. You came here thinking you would find a family. Instead, you're more alone than ever before."

I shivered as the words cut through me, stinging in truth.

"But you don't have to be," she nearly whispered. "You can have me. We can be family again, like before."

"You're trying to manipulate me again," I hissed.

"No," she shook her head. "No, it's the truth. I want you back. I want us to be there for each other. You're my daughter, Indigo. You still are. And somewhere along the way, everything went wrong. But we can fix it."

I took a step back, disoriented. The words shouldn't have had any sort of impact, but they did. I almost didn't notice Wolf whispering something in Cree's ear, and Cree stepping closer to the platform, tense.

"All you have to do," she said, "is free me."

The Rebels started shouting again. Cree lept to the platform. The people around me, besides Nydia, stood tense and ready for a fight. I shook my head, the world coming into focus once more, sense finally returning.

"Never," I hissed. I doubt she heard me, but it must've been clear by my repulsed expression.

"Trust me, Indigo!" she shouted. "You won't ever have to be alone again."

Cree shoved motioned for the guards to get her down and they struggled with my mother to get her to move.

I shook my head and glared at her. She watched me for a moment until something seemed to click in her eyes. The realization that I meant what I said and nothing she did would change my mind. Her expression morphed into anger.

"You think these people will watch your back?" she shouted, struggling against her guards. "How about when they know what you really are?"

I froze. Laine held up a hand, making the guards stop.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

No, no, no.

"She's one of the very people all of you are trying to fight. I had an affair. She isn't Indigo Fluor."

I sucked in a breath, paralyzed as she continued.

"She is Indigo Fortier, daughter of the Crown Fortier, the true heir to the Unassailable Crown."

The room fell silent, as if hundreds of men, women and children weren't here. I watched, unable to undo anything, as Nydia and Wolf stared at me.

The hall erupted into chaos.