Kai sat on the edge of his bed, almost completely motionless. His hands in his lap, and head hanging low. He'd run out of tears to cry days ago, and he had no desire to eat, drink, sleep.
She'd been in Rieux. The police almost got to her. The Lunar Soldiers had been either killed or taken at the scene. And Cinder had been held at gunpoint as they got away.
But worst of all, Levana had been right. Right about the Benoit Family, right about where Cinder was, and right that it would take more than a few police officers to get her back. They had the chance to get her back, and they missed it.
So close, and they failed.
It had been a week since Cinder was kidnapped, and the world wanted answers. In less than an hour, Torin was going to give a speech on behalf of Kaito. But now, Kai didn't want to hide behind others as Cinder was being ripped from him. He wanted those criminals to know that they were going to be punished for their crimes.
The rings around his eyes were obvious, his hair a wild mess. But the trembling in his voice had left him with every sob he'd made over the past seven days. The only emotion he knew how to express now were anger and rage from the absence of his only love.
It took him a minute, but Kai got his barrings and stood up from his bed. Standing straight and firm, he walked out of his room and to the Emperor's Office. His future office.
When he opened the door, he saw Torin conversing with the same investigators that had been with him on the day Cinder had been taken. Some investigators. They hadn't even known about the lead to Cinder in France. Now, she was still out there, and they were running around like headless chickens, hoping that she would just be given back to them so they could collect a reward.
"Prince Kaito," Torin addressed, half astonished that he'd made it out of bed and of how murderous Kaito must have looked to them.
Kai took a deep breath, making sure not to look at the investigators as to not strangle them. "I'm going to make the speech," he announced. At first, everyone was silent. Kai thought it was because no one was going to take him seriously. That was until Torin spoke up.
"Kaito, you're in no shape to make the speech. You're practically falling apart."
Rage flared inside of him. "Well I have to do something! These investigator aren't doing anything to find Cinder! She could be dead by now- all because these idiots aren't doing their job! The only ones trying to find her are Levana and me!"
While the investigators stared down at their feet in embarrassment, Torin tried to reason, "Everyone is looking for Princess Selene. But it appears that someone must be helping the kidnapper stay hidden. Even so, you can't go on the podium, Kaito. You're too distraught. If you go up, it won't end well."
"I don't care!" Kai bellowed. "I can't sit around and mope until she gets back. I have to do something. And as Prince Regent, I order you to hand the speech over to me."
The demand rolled off his tongue before he could stop it. He'd never in his life used his status to get what he wanted or as leverage. But this was different. Cinder's life was at stake, and someone had to act. If Torin and the rest of the world were just going to sit by and wait for her to come back, that was their choice. Kai's choice – the smart choice – was to act out and announce the inevitable punishment for those involved in the kidnapping of Cinder.
Within half an hour, Kaito had been adorned with make-up and proper attire for the public speech. And the second he stepped out the doors to the stand, he was met with more light than he had been in the last week.
After shielding his eyes and allowing them to adjust, Kai stood to face the world. A sea of reporters with microphones and cameras flooded the front of the palace. The noise of their jumbled words nearly causing him to go deaf.
Kai pointed to a female reporter a few rows back and motioned for the rest of the crowd to quiet down. Surprisingly, they listened to him, and the woman spoke. "It is true that Princess Selene was kidnapped in the marketplace in broad daylight?"
"Yes," he coughed. "She was taken .. by the fugitive Carswell Thorne, who escaped prison the day before the kidnapping."
Kai pointed to another reported, a man with wild black hair. "What about the creature that was found at the scene in Rieux, France where the fugitive and the princess were spotted?"
To that, Kai immediately said, "No comment."
A third reporter. "Is it true that Michelle and Scarlet Benoit aided in the escape of Carswell Thorne from the police?"
"Yes. But Michelle Benoit was found dead at the scene and Scarlet willingly went with the fugitive and is now on the run as well," Kaito answered. Question after question and reporter after reporter, Kai grew sicker of their questions. Though he was grateful for all of them since if they took too long, he wouldn't have time for the speech.
Though, one inquiry hit Kai a little to hard. It was from an older reporter with a plaid jacket. He asked, "Were you and the princess romantically involved before she was kidnapped."
The air left his throat, and his vision went almost completely went dark. Out of nowhere, he was seeing her kidnapping again. She was being ripped from him, kicking, thrashing, and screaming. The terror in his eyes threatened to shut him down. Her screams echoed in his mind.
It was all his fault. She would never forgive him.
"All that matters is finding the culprits of this crime and seeing that they receive just punishments for this crime of interplanetary proportions. We are working with both the Lunar Crown and all of the Earthern leaders to coordinate tactical teams and any resources we can to locate and rescue Cin- .. Princess Selene. We will do anything and everything to find her and safely assure her return. No matter how well the criminals who have her hide, we will find them and bring the princess back. That will be all."
As he walked back to the palace doors, reporters shouted more questions at the back of his head. He didn't try to decipher any of them.
Still, standing up and facing his problem felt much better than sulking in his chambers. Maybe, he could get better by taking more of a place in the hunt for the kidnappers. After all, doing something was better than sitting by and waiting for the police to magically find Cinder.
He would find her, no matter what. And that idiot – Carswell Thorne – was going to pay for what he'd done. Even if Kai gave his last breath saving Cinder from that monster, it would be worth it.
...............
"We will do anything and everything to find her and safely assure her return. No matter how well the criminals who have her hide, we will find them and bring the princess back."
That sentence repeated in her mind over and over for hours and Cinder sat on her bed. She'd watched a live feed of the appearance. Though she'd expected Torin to answer the questions, Kai had taken the podium instead. He didn't even make it to the actual speech.
It was all of the tabloids and gossip columns. After that reporter asked if Kai and Cinder had been together, he'd looked terrified. The world's conspiracy theorists thought they had been together because Cinder had been glamouring Kai. Others thought she was pregnant with his child and that's why he was so nervous. An even smaller portion claimed that Levana was blackmailing Kaito to get her back.
No one knew that they'd been together, happy, almost normal, before this mess. And the way Kai looked when he was on the podium was almost heartbreaking.
The make-up artists in the palace did a good job covering things up. But not well enough to completely get rid of them. The bags under his eyes were large, his hair brushed but still messy, the lower tone of his voice that was unmistakable.
He was in a panic, and it was driving him mad.
The only thing that was giving her solace was the face that the coronation was in a few days. Actually, it was in two days. Once he was Emperor, she could go back, and everything would be okay.
Well, other than the fact that Kai would inevitably hate her for the rest of her life and want nothing to do with her for just as long. Still, that was better than the world being left to the nonexistent mercy of her aunt.
"Cinder," Iko called from the door. "We're going to be at the satellite in a few minutes. We need you in the Galley." As quickly as the android came, she left, her heels clacking against the metal floor.
Gathering her courage, Cinder got up from her bed and walked down the hallway after Iko. In the Galley, Scarlet and Wolf sat on one side of the table, Thorne and Iko sat on the other. All of them had grim expressions and didn't look too thrilled about what they were about to do.
"So .." Wolf began. "Scarlet will obviously be in the cockpit and piloting the ship since she's the best pilot." From that, he received tow responses. Scarlet smiled, and Thorne called out in protest. "I'll probably be guarding the door to make sure nothing we don't want gets on the ship. And Iko and Cinder should be on technical duty to keep Cress from hacking us."
Since Scarlet had told the rest of the crew that Wolf was part of the crew now, all of them had adopted him as their tactical leader. After all, he was formally a soldier. He knew how battles were fought and won. In the end, he was really the best choice for the job. Now when they needed a plan, Wolf was always the first to have an idea, and the crew listened.
"So that leaves Thorne to go on the satellite and get Cress," Wolf finished.
Thorne squirmed in his chair and said, "I don't think that's a good idea. Cress doesn't like me very much. And if I'm the one who tries to bring her on board, she might not want to come with us."
Wolf straightened, which both showed how big the guy's frame was and intimated Thorne. "You're the best choice for going on the ship. You're both not as alarming or intimidating as me or Scarlet and have the strength to deal with problems that might come your way."
Once the crew was done bickering about what was going to happen, they decided that they would follow the plan Wolf created in the first place. As if the universe saw that they were ready, they began docking onto the satellite.
"Well, here we go," sighed Thorne.
....................
Sybil was grinning from ear to ear. "I may not know how you did it, Crescent. But you are amazing," she whispered.
Sure, Mistress never complimented her or showed any sort of gratitude towards her. In any other situation, Cress would be thrilled and extremely pleased that she managed to make Sybil happy with her.
But right now, she was having something only a little short of a panic attack.
WHY WERE THEY HERE?!?!?! Did they not get the message she sent them?! Were they trying to be heroic and save her?! Why would they think coming to get her now was a good idea?!
"You actually brought them here," Sybil hummed. For the first time Cress ever saw, a genuine, non-sadistic, kindly sweet smile fell on her Mistress's lips. On the other hand, her guard looked almost as terrified as Cress felt. "How did you bring them you us? Did you hack into the navigation system or .. what did you do?" The whole time, Sybil was awestruck and grinning. "The queen will be ever so pleased."
All three of them heard the locking of mechanisms in the second port of satellite. Stars, Sybil was going to kill them all. The door's lock disengaged and it slid open. The silhouette of a man in the door way.
"Okay, Cress. I'm here to get you off this floating prison," they said.
Of course it had to be Thorne.
It didn't take long for him to see the two other lunars in the room. And when he saw them, especially the one with the blood-filled syringe and the gun, he said two words.