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They were a well-oiledthe certainty hich the packs divided, each leading their regiave Cinder a chill Though the people looked afraid, they also took confidence fro them It was the type of confidence she wasn’t sure she could have inspired on her own

As they reached the gates of the palace, the cloht Even the guard toas e thee--or like she was too confident to heed Cinder’s threats

Or ilded doors of the castle were shut tight

Cinder e before the open gates There was an energy coursing through her, an i across her skin Strom and Iko stayed at her side, ready to protect her if an attack came fro s but saw no sign of life Anticipation wrapped around her body like a rope, growing tighter by the e of a cliff, waiting to be pushed off

Glancing down the front line, she watched as the groups that had split off e up the intersections of every city street The soldiers waited in perfectand willpower turned them into ferocious statues, but she noticed the twitch of abeneath their skin

Behind the, less prepared, but no less determined She saw Scarlet’s red hair in the crowd

Not everyone who had joined them had come from LW-12 Some had come on faith, because of a couple videos and a promise that their true queen had returned Soers Cinder had sent So deeply, Cinder stretched her thoughts thin, reaching for all the electrical pulses within her reach, and slipped her will into her allies It hat she should have done in RM-9, before Aimery had seized control She told herself it was a protection against Levana and her thau as a civilian was under her control, then the queen could not have them

But she also knew that she would use them, if she had to

She would sacrifice theest of her allies to do the sa--to seize control of their comrades now, before Levana and her court had the chance They couldn’t control everyone, but she had to believe that neither could Levana Cinder needed enough people to overwhelh

"If Levana does not surrender," Cinder yelled into the eerie silence, "ill take the palace by force There are multiple entrances on this et that the queen and her entourage are inside" She scanned the s again, unnerved that there was still no sign of opposition A feeling of dread stirred in the pit of her stomach

She was confident in their plan, but not that confident They had made it to the queen’s doorstep without a hint of resistance beyond the barricaded tunnels Soes will try to manipulate you," she continued "Kill them if you have the chance, as they will not hesitate to kill you, or use you to kill your own friends and neighbors The queen’s guards are trained soldiers, but their e Above all else, reht, I will be your queen, and you will no longer be slaves!"

A cheer pulsed through the courtyard, coupled with a bone-chilling howl that coursed through Cinder’s body She raised an ar her allies to hold She prepared herself to let it fall--the signal to charge She watched Iko fro for her to say that the ten ht on