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"Not exactly," said Cinder, glancing over her shoulder at the netscreen It continued to repeat the same line of text, unable to establish the direct link "It seems someone installed a co"
"I come preinstalled with vid- and text-comm capabilities A new comm chip would be unnecessary"
"This was for a direct link" Cinder settled her chin on her wrist "Do you know if it was Prince Kai? If oing through the net?"
"I was unaware of any direct co"
Cinder chewed her lip Clearly the comm chip had been responsible for the android’s sudden malfunction, but why? And if Kai hadn’t installed it, then who had?
"When you woke up just now," she said, "you were talking about…you have information on the Lunar heir"
"That information was classified You should not have heard it"
"I know But I think you were probably co it to someone when you were disabled" Cinder prayed that it had been Kai, or someone loyal to him She doubted that Queen Levana would be too happy to know that the soon-to-be ehtful heir to her throne
"Hold still," she said, reaching for her screwdriver "I’ll put your panel back on, and then take you back to the palace In the meantime, you should download the news broadcasts from the last few days A lot’s happened since you’ve been out"
Chapter Twenty-Two
CINDER COULD HEAR DR ERLAND’S WARNINGS IN HER HEAD, echoing like a daed audio file, the entire sixto ensure her control, to ter those who could resist her--people like you
If she were to see you, she would kill you
And yet if so were to happen between the apartment and the palace to this android who had real inforive herself It was her responsibility to get the android back to Kai, safe and sound
Besides, the palace was a huge place What were the chances she would run into the Lunar queen, who probably didn’t intend to spendwith the citizenry anyway?
Nainsi was much faster on her treads than Iko, and Cinder had to hurry to keep up with her But their pace slowed as they discovered that they were not the only citizens on their way to the palace that afternoon At the base of the cliff, the main road had been blocked off as it left the city behind and became the private drive of the palace, shaded by twisted pines and drooping s The winding street was filled with pedestrianstheir sloay up the hill Soe cliques Their conversations reached Cinder, irate and deterestures We don’t want her here What could His Highness be thinking? The growing roar of the ry voices chanting in unison
"Nothe last corner, Cinder’s gaze fell on the crowd up ahead, filling up the courtyard before the palace’sdown the street It was barely contained by a flustered row of security guards
Signs bobbed over their heads WAR IS BETTER THAN SLAVERY! WE NEED AN EMPRESS, NOT A DICTATOR! NO ALLIANCE WITH EVIL! Many included the queen’s veiled ih with red Xs
Half a dozen news hovers circled the sky, capturing footage of the protests for global broadcasting
Cinder skirted the edge of the crowd, shoving her way to theto shield Nainsi’s coate, she found it closed and guarded by both hu shoulder to shoulder
"Pardon et into the palace"
Theher back a step "No entrance to the public today"
"But I’m not with them" She placed her hands on Nainsi’s head "This android belongs to His Ihness I was hired to fix her, and now I’ her It’s very important that she be returned to hiuard peered down his nose at the android "Did His Iive you a pass?"
"Well, no, but--"
"Does the android have its ID?"
"I do" Rotating her torso, Nainsi flashed her ID code at the guard
He nodded "You ates were opened, just barely, and it wasn’t a breath before the crowd surged forward Cinder cried out at the rury voices in her ears and the sudden crush of bodies, shoving her into the security guard Nainsi rolled through the gate without hesitation, but when Cinder uard blocked her with his arainst the crowd "Just the android"