Three years ago...
Alex stepped away from the dream.
The dream gazed at her curiously.
It had been fun and it had been challenging.
But it was time to wake up.
And so she told the dream, "I must go, my lord. Thank you for the dance."
Ralph Everard's green eyes flickered in panic. "But you have not—"
"We have been gone too long. You will not wish to be found in a scandal with me." Alex started to turn. "I shall not forget this night, my lord."
She heard him sigh in defeat. "And I shall never forget your face, my Lady in Blue."
Alex scoffed.
"Dare not doubt my resolve though!" he shouted after her. "I will know your name and I will find you!"
Alex continued to walk away from the dream and into the ballroom of HIS reality. It was filled with merriment and cheers, of drinks and elegant waves of fabrics. It was different from the ones she ever experienced in Meriwether.
It was different.
Scanning the room, she found Ned and Barto talking with Emma. She walked toward them, fixing a smile on her face.
It was time to go home.
*****
"Mary shall have some of the servants at Mary House spread rumors of Ralph staying in Willowfair with a secret lover," Adrien was saying when McKenzie and his wife, Lady Belinda, sauntered into the secret chamber of the Angel House.
When the club was burned down by a member of the rebels many years past, Lady Mary had it rebuilt, adding quite a few more secret passages and chambers to entertain more highly private discussions regarding crucial matters of the Town itself.
Ralph had previously expressed his concern regarding the sensitivity of their would-be discussion but Lady Mary had been very calm and certain when she reassured Ralph that the Angel House was the safest place for secrets. In fact, the woman was still looking calm and patient while her husband talked that Ralph started to think there was more to the woman than he first thought.
He must not have doubted for the woman owned two of the most prestigious clubs in Willowfair where almost every affluent lords and gentlemen were a member of. Secrets were spilled here and now as he discovered some of the secrets of these clubs, ears were pressed against walls to devour them.
McKenzie and Lady Belinda's entrance was followed by Calan who halted to a stop when he spotted Marcus Durley idly sitting in one corner. He threw Ralph an accusing glare. "You led me to believe you would be bringing a friend."
"We are soon to be more than friends, Haverston," said Durley with a wave of his hand, telling everyone that he had no desire to further elaborate his statement.
Ralph turned to Calan. "He is the only one who can lead us through the facility without being killed."
"This man works with Osegod," Calan stated.
"Which, if I may repeat, makes him a good candidate to deliver a slave into the facility. Unless you have changed the plan, my lord, I am only very much willing to leave Alex here and find another way into that place."
He expected Alex to protest but Durley interrupted by saying, "And I also do work with the League as you know, Haverston." He let out an impatient sigh as he straightened in his seat. "I am certain you know who I am after for in this mission, Haverston. Family is my utmost priority." He looked at each Haverston and then at Ralph and finally Alex who was leaning against a wall behind Ralph. "I am sure all of you Haverstons—and Everard—would not contradict?"
Calan ignored Durley's question. "Taking Durley will be a great risk, but if it is one you are willing to take, Ralph, I would not strongly disagree."
Ralph simply lifted his shoulder into a shrug. "Simply think of this as testing Lord Durley's loyalty to the League." He turned to look back at Adrien Haverston. "You were saying, my lord?"
Adrien turned to his wife. "What do you think, Mary, love? Will the rumor hold?"
Mary, a calm beauty with black hair, nodded as she veered her eyes at Lady Belinda with her lips twitching to a smile. "The townspeople feed on scandals."
"I agree," Lady Belinda seconded, walking toward the table placed in the center of the room where she unrolled a large piece of paper. "But it shall not prove to hold for long for people would want to see the subjects of the scandal. You will not have much time aboveground before they start to wonder and the bad men will realize you have disappeared." She looked up to gesture for Ralph, Alex and Durley to come closer.
As they did, she pointed at the paper and said, "This is how I roughly remember the world above."
"It is a map," Ralph said.
"Very observant, Beechworth," Durley murmured beside him.
"Now, please listen very closely," Lady Belinda continued, pointing at a specific place. "Since Calan does not wish that you travel long here and risk being spotted, this shall be where you will come out. It is the closest passage in Willowfair."
"In the middle of the woods aboveground?" asked Ralph.
"It is a known passage," Calan provided, "with Passage Guards guarding below and aboveground."
"There are townspeople situated aboveground?" Alex asked with awe.
Something in the way Calan ignored the question told Ralph that the men guarding the passage aboveground were not from here.
Bloody hell, how much was the League keeping from them?
The rest of the Haverstons seemed to not be surprised by this revelation. Yet why was he even wondering? Apparently, this family had more secrets than the Everards.
"If your source gave you the precise location of the facility within the Dark Forest," Lady Belinda said, her red head bending lower as she traced a line on the map with her finger, "then I believe this is where you must find the passage entrance into the said facility."
Ralph frowned, narrowing his eyes on the map. "And where exactly is this?"
"It is a small town aboveground and if I am correct—which I believe I am—it directly stands over the Dark Forest. You should take the bus or a cab to get there. You will need money, of course. It is suspicious if you pay them with jewels."
"A bus? A cab?"
Lady Belinda sighed and looked at her husband. "I did tell you this will take a little while."
McKenzie simply shrugged. "No other way, darling."
Lady Belinda stared at the three of them patiently. "The important matter is that you get from point A to point B." At their blank expression, Belinda elaborated, "That is how they say it aboveground. Point A," she said, placing her finger on their exit passage, "and point B," she transferred her finger on the spot where their entrance passage should be."
When no one spoke, Adrien Haverston dramatically sighed. "Someone ought to go with them," he said, his face expectant.
"Certainly not you," Calan snapped at his brother and turned to Belinda. "Perhaps it is best you give them specific details of the things they only ought to do. Spare them of the unnecessary ones."
Belinda nodded. "Shall we begin?"
*****
"You do not have to do this," Ralph whispered to Alex. She was dressed in a fancier pair of breeches and shirt, like how Margaret would, like how any woman Leaguer would.
He and Durley, on the other hand were wearing their usual trousers and dark coats. Their hats shadowed their faces.
"Stay with the Haverstons," he added to Alex who at first ignored his plea.
"Nae, guv," she said, shaking her head. "I have te go with ye."
"There is no point talking her out of this, Beechworth," Durley muttered. "She is as important as I for this mission."
Ralph sent Durley a darting look. His jaw twitched. "Should you do anything, Durley—and I mean anything—this shall be the end of you."
Durley rolled his eyes. "You talk too much, Beechworth. Conserve your energy. This is no easy hike."
They had just been given permission to continue onwards by the Passage Guards guarding the entrance. Calan Haverston personally made the arrangements and even went further as accompanying them to the Passage Guards.
No one talked, no one made a move while the men perused through the legal permits they presented. It was only when the two Passage Guards nodded and stepped aside to let them pass did any of them breathed a sigh of relief.
But it was not the end for there would be more guards aboveground, Calan Haverston had said. The three of them had to do their best so as not to raise suspicion.
It took them nearly two hours of climbing the steep path with naught but candles as their source of light to reach the top where a dark, narrow passage awaited.
They squeezed through it, holding their breath, until they were greeted with a metal door.
Ralph was at the front of the line. Swallowing any reservation, he raised his fist and knocked. The sound vibrated through the narrow passage.
He looked over his shoulder at Alex and Durley who was behind her, their faces illuminated by their candles.
And then the metal door opened.
*****
The two men who faced them were nothing like the two Passage Guards belowground.
One look and Ralph was able to confirm that he had been living his life believing a different kind of truth.
There was no way out of the Town, they said. The people aboveground did not know of their existence, they said.
Lies. All lies, Ralph thought as he, for the first time, came face to face with two men who, for certain, were born and raised aboveground.
How much did they know? Had they ever been under there?
They were dressed differently. Their uniforms were far from their counterparts below. One glance and he came to a conclusion that the weapons these men were carrying were far more superior than theirs.
"Papers," said one of them. He was wearing a darkened pair of spectacles that Ralph found it hard to read his expression. The other one had a blank look in his eyes, both arms around his long gun.
Ralph presented the same papers Calan provided them.
The one with the dark spectacles held out a short barrel and flicked it on. A light came out of the end of the barrel directly on the paper he held with his other hand.
Ralph looked beyond the shoulders of the two men and realized there was but two highly sophisticated lights on the ceiling.
It was another room. And it had metal walls.
Without a word, the man handed the papers back to Ralph. "Three is too many," he commented as he stepped aside. The other added, "We've seen more though," as he walked them to the middle of the room. "Stop," he ordered.
Ralph's heart skipped a beat as the man with the dark spectacles patted him up and down before he straightened and took out something from inside his back pocket. He grabbed Ralph's arm and a round metal snapped and locked itself around his wrist. "Trackers," the man explained. "So you don't go anywhere we don't want you to go. And don't ask how it works. What we hate the most is explaining technology to your kind." He pushed Ralph aside and gestured for Alex.
Ralph's jaw clenched as Alex was also patted down, but he remained where he was. Calan had warned them of this exercise. The same thin metal was around Alex's right wrist when she stood to stand beside Ralph. Durley had the same one a minute later.
"Remember, no naughty things, Leaguers," the Passage Guard warned as he pointed Ralph, Alex and Durley to a second door across the room. A tiny rectangular box was strapped to his waist. He took it out, took it to his lips and pushed a button. "Visitors comin' through," the man uttered to the box.
An answer crackled through. "Confirmed?"
"Yes."
A loud click followed his statement and it came from inside the metal door. A whirring sound followed and then a small, soft 'puff' before the door opened.
And finally they found themselves greeted by nothing but a small window that showed flashing lights and dark sky; and a constant sound of honks; and some entirely unfamiliar whirring sounds.
Instantly Ralph realized the air was different. It was lighter and definitely better. But they were inside a bloody building! Calan did not mention a bloody building!
"You have seventy-two hours to report back belowground," the man with the dark spectacles said before he nodded to the one man who opened the second door. Within seconds the door closed and they were alone with the third guard.
"First time, eh?" he asked with a scoff. "Good luck, gentlemen—and madam." When Ralph, Alex and Durley simply stood there, still quite lost—because they were literally lost—the man sighed. "You can't stay long in this area. It is highly restricted. I suggest you do what the others do and find an inn nearby and do whatever business you have to do. Durham has a variety of inns or hotels if you prefer."
"Yes, of course," Alex spoke for the first time, clearing her throat. She beamed at the man. "Thank you, kind sir."
The man chuckled as if amused by something before he turned serious again. "Go. Now." He looked down at their wrists. "And remember—we can track you down."
There was a series of turns and corridors before they finally found themselves outside the building which was guarded by another man who checked their bracelets before ordering them to get the hell out of there.
Ralph later realized that the whirring sounds and lights came from the fast vehicles that passed the smooth street in front of the building. He looked back at the edifice and the tall fence that guarded it.
RESTRICTED AREA. GOVERNMENT PROPERTY.
There were definitely things Margaret never told them about. There were definitely things the League was keeping that the townspeople would not appreciate.
He was honestly bothered by this but he shook the thought away for now.
Durley and Alex were staring with curiosity at the passing vehicles and the people walking across the street. "Lady Belinda did warn us," he told them. "Let us not waste time. We should find a place to stay the night. We have a long way to go on the morrow."
He grabbed Alex's hand. "Stay close, bandit. Lady Belinda said robbers meet a hard fate up here."
*****
After struggling with the pawnshop manager, the three of them had no time to rest as they still had to find a place to stay.
Lady Belinda had never been to this part of the world above but she had heard of it. "Oh, how I wish I could accompany you on this journey. It shall prove to be very difficult. But do remember that it is better to ask around. And dare not think everything you see up there is magic. They are simply far more advanced," she had said.
They found a place for the night after Durley nearly threatened a lady to let them procure her place for the night or else. The same lady shouted a name of a certain hotel before she hastily turned and left, muttering, "Crazy bastard."
The place did turn out to better than they expected for the price they paid for. They took the top-most floor which had two bedroom chambers, two toilets and a parlor.
There was no question where Alex was staying. She and Ralph locked themselves inside one of the chambers as Durley took the other after they ate the meals they ordered be delivered to their room.
"I cannot still wrap my mind around the fact that we are here," he sighed as he flicked off the light she turned on and pulled her close.
He peered down at her. She was not saying much again which was very unlikely of her. He hated when she was depriving him of her boorish words.
"What is the matter?"
"Nothin'," she murmured, running her palms over his chest.
"Do you like it here?" he asked, unbuttoning the top of her shirt. She followed his movement on his shirt. The bracelet around her wrist glimmered as it caught light from outside the window. "Would you want to stay here?"
Her hands paused. She tilted her head to look him in the eye. "Me life's not here, guv."
Ralph shrugged. "Fair enough."
"And 'tis noisy, aye? Here, I mean," she said with a small smile, working on the third button of his shirt.
Ralph was done with his work and he peeled her shirt off her arms, dropping it on the floor. "Blazes, I just realized I love taking off shirt and breeches off a woman—you," he growled as he tugged at the fasteners of her breeches as his other hand slipped inside to find that she was ready for him. "Bloody hell, Alex," he groaned, grounding against her, his breathing coming out in rasps.
As his fingers wandered, a cry of pleasure escaped her lips. Ralph momentarily forgot about their journey at sunbreak as the woman against him purred against his chest, her mouth open, her breath almost hot against his skin.
Alex surprised him by jumping and wrapping her legs around his hips. Ralph captured her mouth, hungry for more of her. He needed this. He needed her. Now.
He blindly carried her to the bed with every intention to hear more of her sounds.
*****
Alex opened her eyes and listened to Ralph's quiet breathing as he slept. He was lying face down with one arm wrapped around her midriff.
Outside it had gone quiet. People aboveground were probably in their homes for the night, she thought as she carefully slipped out of Ralph's hold and out of the bed.
She quietly padded across the room to collect her clothes scattered on the floor and dressed.
Taking another glance at Ralph's sleeping form, Alex walked to the door and slipped out into the parlor. She walked toward the terrace but found that she would not be alone to appreciate the view outside.
Marcus Durley was already standing there, his large form a shadow against the lampposts outside.
Sensing her presence, he spoke without turning. "Did you tell him?"
"Nae."
"Good. You are keeping your end of the bargain. For a bandit, that is quite surprising." His voice was bare of any emotion, almost cold, yet calm.
Like that night, Alex thought.
"What are you plannin'?" she asked the question that had been haunting her for quite some time now.
This time Durley looked over his shoulder, the sharp edges of his face shadowed, unnerving her. "I will save my sister, of course," he replied.
She swallowed and moistened her lips. "And with me?" she asked, holding her breath.
His head turned away from her to face the view before him. "You are for later."