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  Once Lilu and Jugtah reached the main intersection, Jugtah wished her a good day and went his own way. Lilu took a moment to watch the horse-drawn carriages veer right or left while others pushed straight through. The sidewalks, too, were difficult to navigate with the throngs of people just leaving work. Every road was congested at this time—especially in this district. She gazed across the intersection and through the traffic, spotting glimpses of the wide stone steps that led to the front doors of Weavineer Tower. She couldn’t wait to begin work on her inventions again.

  For now, she turned toward her dorm building. It was attached to the Intelian Weaving Academy, a school that was home to the brightest minds and most talented weavers in the world. She entered the building, gave a friendly hello to the receptionist, and climbed the carpeted stairs.

  She stopped in front of the door to her room. Two silver nameplates were bolted into the wood. Gracie Jugtah and Lilu Intel. She reached for the handle, but then pulled her hand back. Though she was excited to see her friends, she was nervous of how she’d react to Frederick, a young man who had not only tutored Lilu on weavineering, but had become something more than that. A part of her was still hurt from the news of her sister’s pregnancy, and the fact that Bryson was the person responsible. She did have a soft spot for Bryson in her heart, after all.

  She needed to move on.

  This time as she grabbed the handle again, the door yanked open. Gracie had been the culprit, her open smile as wide as ever. Her raven hair was tied back in a ponytail, crashing down the front of her shoulder. Lilu nearly laughed, but then her friend’s face fell.

  “How are you feeling?” Gracie asked.

  Lilu’s eyebrows fell flat as she pushed past. “Don’t do that, Gracie. I’m okay.” She froze, spotting Frederick on the balcony. His back was to the room as he stared down to the city street below.

  “He’s been worried about you.”

  Lilu continued to stare in silence before turning to hug Gracie. “Were you heading out? I’m glad you opened the door. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to muster up the courage.”

  Gracie smirked. “I’ve been standing in the kitchen eating ice pops like they’re popcorn while waiting for you. I might have been checking the peephole every ten seconds, too.”

  Lilu looked at her friend’s rainbow-stained lips and teeth. “That addiction hasn’t died yet, huh?”

  “Never will.” As they both gazed out at Frederick once more, Gracie said, “If you didn’t like my welcome, wait until you see Frederick.”

  Lilu paused before crossing onto the study area’s carpet. Clothes, blankets, and trash were strewn across every surface of the room. Even the furniture wasn’t safe. Turning, she glared at Gracie. Without Lilu around to keep things tidy, Gracie’s revolving door of a dating life had spilled into the main room unchecked.

  Gracie pulled at her ponytail and batted her eyelashes. “I’m sorry.”

  Lilu rolled her eyes and approached the glass door. She pressed her hand against it, observing the short, scrawny weavineer.

  “The melodrama ...” Gracie teased.

  As soon as Lilu slid open the door and stepped onto the balcony, Frederick whirled, pressing his back against the banister as if he’d been found by his mortal enemy. His hands gripped the bar tight enough to drain the dark pigment of his knuckles.

  “Lilu ...” he whispered.

  She grinned. “Hello, Frederick.”

  The young man started to say something, but Lilu quickly held up her hand. “No pity.”

  Frederick’s gaze faltered, his mouth opening and closing a few times before he gave a single nod. “Understood.”

  “I mean it,” she repeated, eyes firm and jawline rigid.

  “Just know that I’m available anytime. You know where my dorm is.”

  “Of course.” Her smile returned as she approached the rail and joined him in his sightseeing.

  He relaxed and turned, watching her out of his peripherals. “That flower is a first,” he said. “It might be the most beautiful one I’ve seen.”

  She reached up and ran her fingers lightly against a petal. “It’s a begonia,” she mumbled. “I usually wear it on special occasions.”

  “So it’s to celebrate your return to Brilliance,” he said.

  “Returning to my friends,” she said. “And to my passion. I love what I do up here.”

  Frederick leaned against the rail with a grin that reminded her of Jilly. “I’m glad,” he said.

  A gentleman with rustled blond hair passed by below, and she was reminded of the real reason she’d decided to wear this flower today. The first day she had met Bryson, she had a pink begonia pinned to her bangs. It was supposed to be the beginning of something special—or so she had hoped. From that point forward, any time she wore that flower, she noticed that Bryson responded differently. She figured it was because it reminded him of that first day.

  So she decided to test the theory. She’d already known Frederick for quite some time, but she’d treat today as their first day, the begonia commemorating the occasion. It was time to see if she could make this work.

  A bang behind them ripped her from her daydream. She hadn’t realized that they were staring at each other. They both turned to see Gracie making out with the glass door. Lilu nearly ignored her until she licked the glass.

  “Eww!” Lilu shrieked, sending Gracie into a maniacal fit of laughter.

  * * *

  Lilu, Gracie, and Frederick exited the dorm building shortly after, deciding a visit to the Lightning Bug was long overdue. It was their favorite bar in the city—or at least in the districts they were permitted access to. It was a big city with many mysterious corners after all, some more accessible than others

  During their walk, Gracie and Frederick caught Lilu up on gossip involving the school, though she didn’t pay much attention. Her mind focused on finding strategies to access the stone cube that sat at the main intersection. Earlier she had noticed security around the demolished statue was light compared to what it was before she had left to attend Jilly’s funeral. Maybe getting into that block wouldn’t be as difficult as previously thought.

  They entered the Lightning Bug as the streets grew dark beneath the bordering skyscrapers. Two lanterns hung outside the main entrance, dozens of smaller Intelights fluttering within the glass, mocking the appearance of a lightning bug colony.

  The same theme carried into the restaurant. Except the swarm of Intelights weren’t trapped in lanterns; they fluttered across the expanse of the cavernous ceiling. Lilu wasn’t even sure if there was a roof, for the Intelights were too numerous and expansive.

  They stepped under the celestial light and found an empty table in the bar’s main room. As the two ladies sat down, Lilu handed Frederick money to order drinks. Once he’d gone, Gracie grabbed a dinner roll from the basket on the table and said, “You’re different.”

  “It was only three weeks,” Lilu said. “What do you mean?”

  “I’ve never seen that flower, which is pretty by the way.” She paused. “And you’re acting differently around him.” She gestured toward Frederick as she bit into the roll. “I think you received more news than the death of a friend while away.”

  The princess shook her head with furrowed brows. “Nope, that was the extent of the bad news ... doesn’t get much worse than that.”

  Frederick returned with a mug of beer for Gracie and two champagne flutes for him and Lilu. He smoothed his shirt down his chest and took a seat.

  “A welcome back drink for the lovely Weapon’s Specialist,” he said.

  Grabbing their glasses, they tapped the rims together with a clink. Gracie eyed Lilu as she tossed back her champagne. Lilu wasn’t much of a drinker, but she’d make an exception for such an occasion.

  “How is the capital?” Gracie asked, playing with the beer’s foam.

  Lilu shrugged. “Chaotic. Elders are moving through the palace at speeds that should kill someone of their age, and
military officials are camping out in the war corridor. And my dad ... well, he’s as tightly strung as I’ve ever seen him. But it was nice getting to see the Jestivan again. I hadn’t realized how much I missed them.”

  Gracie’s eyes narrowed. “Any that you missed particularly more than others?”

  “So, what’s the team been up to?” Lilu said, ignoring her friend’s vague, yet creepily accurate question. She’d never mentioned the specifics of her relationship with Bryson to Gracie, but it seemed like Gracie had found out anyway. As much as Gracie tried to display the opposite, she had a sharp mind.

  “Building your inventions,” Frederick said.

  Lilu scoffed. “What? Without me? Aren’t I supposed to be leading you?”

  Frederick agreed with her outrage. “I said the same thing to the woman who told me to carry on without you.” He tilted his head, one brow raised. “And then when she gave me a bunch of your blueprints ...”

  “Are you kidding me?!”

  Gracie grabbed another roll. “Calm down, Lilu. We’re in public.”

  “Swell coming from you.”

  Gracie gave her an evil grin.

  “I tried over and over again to refuse their demands, but they weren’t having it, Lilu.” Frederick stared into his glass. “Once Wendel got involved, I couldn’t say no anymore.”

  “Wendel LeAnce?”

  As Gracie swatted a rogue Intelight out of her face, Frederick said, “Yes. He took me to his office—quite intimidating might I add—and explained to me the urgency of the situation. There is extra pressure on him to develop weaponry quicker ever since the declaration of war. News of the Whale Lord’s clash with the Adrenian Navy and the uprising in Phelos has the elites on edge.”

  “So he handed you my blueprints?” Lilu muttered.

  “Basically, but I can’t bring them out of the lab.” After a short silence, he said, “So I’ve taken over teaching. But don’t worry, Wendel made it clear that once you return, you’d take over the duties again.”

  Lilu relaxed. “Well, I guess I’ll see the fruits of your labor tomorrow.”

  * * *

  After many welcome-backs from employees in Weavineer Tower the following morning, Lilu ascended the Intelevator with Gracie, Frederick, and Limone to floor eighty-seven. It was a cramped journey, but they were comfortable enough with each other to not mind. When the door opened to her laboratory, Lilu breathed in deep. She didn’t have the opportunity to fully embrace its beauty, for the plethora of new machinery quickly drew her attention.

  Stepping slowly around contraptions ranging in sizes from a textbook to a tree, she asked, “Must I make a habit of extended leaves?”

  “Please don’t,” Gracie said. “Frederick worked us like dogs.”

  Frederick laughed. “Gracie’s right. What you’re seeing is twelve-hour days for three weeks straight. Without you, we lost efficiency.”

  Lilu glanced back at them. “Hmm, perhaps I should adopt such a demand of effort.”

  “If we had invested as much time as we did the past three weeks, but with your guidance, too, there’d be a lot more done in here,” Frederick explained.

  One of the larger contraptions, shaped like a carriage but standing as tall as a single story house, caught Lilu’s eye. She ran her finger along the steel spokes in one of its four wheels.

  “It’s not finished,” Frederick said.

  “Clearly,” Lilu whispered to herself. “But it’s beautiful.” She paused to study the body constructed of provod, a material only found in the Malanese Mountains of the Power Kingdom. It was a highly useful and valuable commodity that could deflect EC chains when hardened in a kiln to become Permanence.

  Frederick joined Lilu as Gracie and Limone pretended to be invested in something in the lab’s farthest corners.

  “I must admit,” Frederick said. “When I first looked at the design, I couldn’t even grasp what was being shown. The concept was so bizarre.”

  She stepped around its backside. “The travolter challenged every idea I had in regards to weavineering when I designed it.”

  Finding a small set of stairs in the back of the machine, she climbed up the travolter. A pit was carved into the top, across the width of the machine. It was empty of anything meaningful, but there were slots for seats and a wheel similar to the helm of a ship to be installed.

  “You’re building the cosmetics items separately like my instructions say?” she asked loud enough to be heard from below, where Frederick stood.

  “Gracie has been working on the extra parts,” Frederick said, “which was her own choice. She said she preferred the design aspect. Meanwhile, Limone’s been working on crafting the cannon.”

  Lilu hopped into the pit and gazed out in front of the travolter. Now that she took the time to observe her surroundings, she realized just how high she was. It was a big machine, nearly tall enough to reach the observatory bridge above. She gazed toward the lab’s corner, where Limone was tinkering with a long, thick pipe suspended from the ceiling.

  She descended the rear steps and jumped down to the floor. Rounding the travolter, she said to Frederick, “And you’ve been crafting the vehicle and its Permanence vessels.”

  “Not the vehicle, per se. Gracie constructed its shell. But I did work on the vessels. There are six in total—four that power the wheels and two that act as the energy supply for the cannon.”

  Lilu looked over at Gracie, who she now knew to be sculpting the seats for the cockpit. “Why didn’t she help with the vessels? She’s a great weavineer.”

  Frederick shrugged. “That’s what I said.”

  The princess bit her lip and sighed. Something told her that Gracie still believed this to be a “man’s world.” She turned back toward Frederick. “So I saw the slots where the seats and wheel are supposed to be inserted, but what about the pedal?”

  He gestured for her to follow him to the chalkboard. “Yea, about that ... it didn’t really make sense to any of us, including Limone.”

  “Alright, let me explain the pedal’s concept. Gracie, Limone!” she called out, waving over her partners. Once they joined them, Lilu said, “The traditional design of a weavineering invention uses a switch to activate its function. That switch opens and closes a latch in the Permanence vessel to either release or seal off the EC chains within the supply. Basically, there are two settings: on or off. That much is clear, correct?”

  “Yea, basic weavineering,” Frederick said.

  “Well, let’s think in a more innovative fashion. That’s what I did when I came up with the idea of a pedal. Instead of a simple on or off setting, there’s a spring beneath the pedal that gives resistance, which, in turn, creates a gradual setting to the vessel’s doorway.”

  Limone’s eyebrows climbed his forehead. “I see. So the more pressure applied to the pedal by the coachman’s foot, the more the doorway would open ...”

  “Therefore controlling the intensity of the energy’s release,” Gracie said.

  “Precisely,” Lilu said, bouncing lightly on her toes with a smile. “And that ties in with the wheels of the vehicle.” She used her fist to erase a doodle off the chalkboard, then drew a vertical line and placed an arrow on both ends. “When I first understood the idea of platforms that rise and sink, I was fascinated by it. Intel Energy could create motion? I thought it was the coolest thing ever!

  “But when I was twelve years old, I remember watching my father leave the palace in his royal carriage and an idea hit me. All along, weavineers had thought of the motion that Intel Energy created as simply an up and down movement—just like the Intelevator in this building. So I began to ask myself, what if I could create lateral motion?”

  While Lilu drew another line on the board—this time horizontal—Frederick said, “Transportation without the use of manual labor or horses to make it happen.”

  “Yes, and I struggled with a practical concept. Everything I brainstormed was struck dead because I couldn’t figure out how to make som
ething slide across the ground.” Turning red, Lilu laughed and covered her face. “It’s so embarrassing now that I think about it. Even when I tried to involve wheels, I couldn’t think of a way to make the carriage move on its own. It wasn’t until I was fifteen that I finally cracked it. The entire time, my error had been thinking of it as linear movement.”

  Lilu drew a circle on the board but didn’t connect the line. Instead she drew an arrowhead at one end. She slapped her hand against it. “Rotational motion.”

  “Like a teleplatform,” Frederick said.

  Lilu scrunched up her face. “Maybe. Teleplatforms are a mystery to me. But we can change the style of motion if we alter the pattern of our weaving. If we can get the wheels to rotate, the travolter will move. And the pedal will control the latches to the Permanence vessel belonging to each wheel. The more pressure on the pedal, the wider the latch opens, the more Intel chains spill out, and the faster the wheels turn.”

  Limone nodded. “Makes sense. It’s similar to how a navy ship pushes itself through the sea on a calm day—they use their squallblasters’ Spirit Energy to provide wind in the sails. We’ll be using stored Intel Energy to power a land vehicle.”

  “And that’s the beauty of it!” Lilu exclaimed. “It’s stored. We can pack the vessels with Intel chains. Nobody would have to tire themselves out to make it move. And if the travolter did deplete its stock, it could easily be replaced.”

  Shaking his head, Frederick stared at the blueprints once more, his mouth slightly ajar. “I constructed the latches incorrectly for this. They’re built using the traditional style—open or close. I’ll have to re-craft them.”

  Lilu clapped her hands together. “Chop chop!”

  9

  A Cloaked Ambush