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Levana’s face softened "I am sure it does, Jacin I am sorry that I had to ask this of you But your request is denied"

His nostrils flared

"You have proven yourself to be loyal and trustworthy, traits I would be remiss to lose You ratitude, but torinned "Well done, Jacin You are dis herin Maha Kesley’s tiny shack for days Wolf and his mother, Thorne, Iko, and herself, all cra over one another every tih they didn’t o They were afraid to be heard through the slassless s, so they coes tapped out on their one re portscreen The silence was horrendous The stillness was suffocating The waiting, agony

She thought often of Cress and Scarlet and wondered if either of the loouilt too Not only had they put Maha in danger by being there, they were also eating far too h theabout it, but Cinder could tell Food was strictly rationed in the outer sectors, and Maha was barely able to feed herself

They spent their days trying to rework their plan, but after all the plotting they’d done aboard the Rampion, Cinder was disheartened to be back at square one The video they’d recorded remained unused--copies of it downloaded not only to the portscreen, but to Cinder’s and Iko’s internal computers too It didn’tthere to tap into the broadcasting system, the video was useless

They discussed starting a grassroots movement Maha Kesley could spread the word of Selene’s return to the laborers in the mine and let the news spread froh the tunnels, scrawling ies, with too much risk for miscommunication and little chance the neould spread far

There was a reason Levana kept her people isolated from one another There was a reason no one had attempted a cohesive rebellion yet, not because they didn’t want to It was clear froanda that Levana and her ancestors had sought to brainwash the Lunar people into a belief that their rule was righteous and fated It was equally clear froraffiti and the people’s downcast eyes that they no longer believed it, if they ever had

Any spark of defiance may have been starved and threatened out of them, but the nite theone to the lev platfor the rest of theraphic estions had been posed

Cinder was beginning to feel hopeless, and all the while, the clock was ticking To the wedding To the coronation To their inevitable discovery

An unexpected chorus of chimes made Cinder jue being broadcast froe would be playing on a dozen e sure that every citizen saw it

Head Thauant Cinder recoiled The holograph h he were in the room with them

"Good people of Luna," he said, "please stop what you are doing and listen to this announceic news to ihness, Princess Winter Hayle-Blackburn, stepdaughter of Her Majesty the Queen, was found erie"

Cinder’s brow furrowed and she traded froith her companions She knew little about the princess, only that she was said to be beautiful and the people loved her, which must mean Levana hated her She had heard of the princess’s scarred face, a punishment inflicted by the queen herself, or so the rue in an atte the murderer to justice, and ill not rest until our beloved princess is avenged Though our devoted queen is devastated at this loss, she wishes to proceed with her wedding cereht have joy in this tihness will be scheduled for the co weeks Princess Winter Hayle-Blackburn will be otten"

Aimery’s face disappeared

"Do you think Levana killed her?" Iko asked

"Of course I do," Cinder said "I wonder what the princess did to anger her"

Thorne folded his ar to earn Levana’s wrath"