Page 52

I find myself drifting a little. It’s a surreal experience to see her here in my space, sitting at my desk. I never thought I’d have a woman in here, especially one from the PS.

My father hates the PS for what happened to my mom, but he has something like respect for the leaders there. He figures, of course they emasculated men and grabbed power. But it makes sense to him that men would find a way out, find a way back to power.

Our legacy isn’t a hatred of women, it’s about becoming what we were meant to be.

“So, when can I talk to Zeph?” Ami shakes me out of my thoughts.

I nod, trying to figure out what to do, what to say.

“He’s in basic training,” I tell her.

“Training.” She grins now, unexpectedly, widely, and leans towards me in the chair. “I like training,” she says like she’s admitting something embarrassing.

I snort. “What training have you done, Pepper?”

Ami gets haughty with me. “Citizen training is notnothing, Your Majesty. And self-defense of course, and swim team,” she adds.

Ah, swimming. That explains her strong build.

“Were you good?” I ask, suspecting the answer.

Ami avoids my gaze. “Probably,” she says, looking up at the ceiling.

“What does that mean?”

She adds a shrug. “We don’t compete in the traditional sense anymore.”

Of course they don’t. “I bet you were fast,” I say.

She nods. “Do you swim?”

“A little. They have a pool over in the athletic building.”

Ami’s eyes shine. I like it.

“So can I join Zeph in basic training?” she asks.

I shiver. “No way. It’s just men, Ami.”

She nods. “What do women do? The ones who want to help the Forge?”

I’m not sure. There are a few partners scattered around the Forge, of course. My father has a woman who visits him, and some of the other lieutenants do as well. But I don’t have a lot of exposure to any other women besides the ones I see when I’m undercover in the PS.

“The Forge is mostly men. There are women who are spies.” I grimace a little. “Not too many. Spies mostly…or…”

“Or what?” she asks.

“Wives, girlfriends.”

She nods, her face a mask suddenly. “Like the men in Maryland.”

“No, it’s not like that,” I say fiercely. “It’s what they want.” Ami raises her pretty eyebrows at me.

“I want to do something,” she says pointedly, making it clear she has no interest in hanging around as somebody’s girlfriend.

I sigh. “We’ll have to talk to my father about it.”

“Any suggestions?” she asks.