The City Of Death

Before Skye Disappeared- Part Four

"Versailles has fallen. The King is dead." Skye didn't know what it felt like to die, but with the way her heart completely stopped, she had a slight idea. She sank into the kitchen chair as Taryn's words processed in her mind. Versailles had fallen. The Cardinals had, somehow, gotten to her people and killed their leader. The people and the place that she had wanted to get back to were gone. She felt every plan she had ever made slipping away. If what Taryn said was true, then she would never get to show Macy the Outside. She would never introduce her to the Renegades and show her the freedom they lived in. 

Skye would never see Atlas again. 

"What?" Skye breathed, and Taryn sat in the chair opposite her. "Are they... are they all...?" 

"No. The King is the only one who lost his life. The rest of the Renegades are still alive. Whether or not they are safe has yet to be determined," she explained, and Skye let out the breath she was holding. They were still alive. Atlas was still alive. All of her plans with Macy would change, sure, but they weren't completely destroyed. But without the King, the future of the Renegades was in the balance. "With his dying breath, the King passed down his crown to you, Skye." 

"M-Me?" Skye stammered. No. She couldn't be their leader. It wasn't logical. And besides, she had to consider Macy. If She was the leader, her little sister would be in even more danger than she already was. There was no one that the Cardinals wanted to get their hands on more than the current leader of the Renegades. "I... I can't..."

"There is no other option. The King wanted you to succeed him. He named you Queen of Versailles. Even in death, he knew that you were our best chance," Taryn said as Skye felt tears prick in her eyes. 

"I can't! I'm... I'm only nineteen! I have a four-year-old sister I have to protect, and that position would put her in danger. And how am I supposed to be the Queen of Versailles from inside the City? It's not like I can just pack everything up and hope that Macy makes it in the Outside. How can I lead the Renegades when I'm not in the Outside?" Skye wondered, the tears falling from her eyes. She'd woken up early, thinking that things were going to be easier. There'd be no sneaking around Macy, no more choosing her words carefully so she didn't accidentally reveal anything. And now everything was so much more confusing and messy. 

"You don't have to be in the Outside," Taryn said, and Skye raised an eyebrow. "Because the Renegades are in the City."

"What the hell are you talking about?" 

"When the King was killed, all of the Renegades were captured. They were brought into the City. They're being kept on Salvia Street," Taryn explained, and Skye put her face in her hands. This was so messed up. The Cardinals had not only killed their leader but stolen all of the Renegades. What was their plan? What were they going to do with her friends? Her head began to spin as everything hit her at once, but one question finally solidified in her mind. 

"How did this happen?" she asked weakly. "They're supposed to be protected!"

"I don't know. They didn't tell me that part. All I know is that they are all on Salvia Street, building 14." 

"Building 14? Isn't that the apartment building that was condemned recently?" 

"That's the one," Taryn told her, and Skye sighed, shaking her head in her hands. She had a lot to think about. She had to plan. She had to come up with a strategy to get the Renegades out of the City. But, most importantly, she had to decide if she could risk being the leader of the Renegades, or if she would have to pass the role onto someone else. Through her tears, she managed to laugh at herself. The fact that her first instinct was to plan and strategize was probably a big part of why the King wanted her to be the new leader.