Page 50 of Last of Her Name

Now I know why this war is happening.

Zhar’s husband is responsible for the fall of the Empire and the deaths of the imperial family. He destroyed everything important to her, including her honor. All of this—the hidden base, the complex network of rebel Loyalists—all of it servesher. This isn’t about bringing justice to the galaxy or restoring order.

This is about vengeance.

Even Pol’s death wasn’t just about him disobeying orders. The moment she saw he was more loyal to me than her, she had to eliminate him. She can’t risk anyone getting in the way of her vengeance, not even the so-called princess she swears to serve.

“Suppose I find the Firebird,” I say softly, “and it leads us to the Prismata. What happens next?”

The corner of her mouth curls upward a fraction. “We give Alexei a chance to step down. If he doesn’t, we take themallout.”

My skin turns cold. “What?”

“With the Prismata, your rule will be absolute.” She looks me straight in the eye. “You’ll use it to destroy the Autumn Palace and every last one of the usurping murderers inside.”

“My best friend is a prisoner in the palace!”

“We’ve all sacrificed people, Anya. If you’re going to rule, you have to be willing to make the hard choices. That is how the game is played.”

She sets down the gun and walks away, and I stand frozen in place, watching her until she turns a corner. My hands tremble at my sides.

Whatever small hope I had that Zhar would help me save Clio, it’s gone now. She doesn’t care about Clio. She doesn’t care about anyone.

It’s beyond time to get off this rock.

There isn’t a single guard posted in the medical ward during the night cycle. Even so, I creep along the wall, making no sound, my skin clammy. The first room I come to is the one in which Dr. Luka ran my DNA sample and Zhar told me about the Prismata. The lights are off, but the machines blink and their screens glow enough that I can see as I rummage through cabinets. I can feel time running out; the pillows I piled beneath my bedcovers might not fool the guards for long. And the moment they realize I’m trying to escape, it’s over. Stealth is the only real weapon I have.

But the glinting scalpel I find in the top cabinet could also be useful.

I have to climb onto a table to reach it, and now I scurry down, trying to move quickly. But my leg hits a chair and it crashes to the ground.

I freeze, heart pounding.

A moment passes and nothing happens, no one comes running. I slowly slide off the table and tiptoe to the door, the scalpel gripped in my hand. It’s no match for a gun, but if I’m quick and quiet enough, that won’t matter. I don’t think about whether I could actually use the blade on someone. If I think about it, I’ll lose my nerve.

We become the monsters so the ones we love don’t have to.

Breathing faster, I step into the hallway

And smack into Dr. Luka.

With a startled shout, I jump back—a mistake. Now he’s out of my blade’s reach, and he’s holding a charged gun. He must have heard the crash and come ready for trouble.

“Princess? What are you doing here?” His eyes flicker to the scalpel in my fist.

For a moment we stare at each other; I think he’s as surprised as I am. But he’s also the one with the superior weapon, and he quickly recovers to wave me back into the exam room.

“Out of sight, quickly, girl! Have you lost your mind?”

My heart slams against my ribs. I suppress the urge to scream. There goes my escape plan. There goes every chance of saving Riyan.

Still, I eye the doctor as he follows me into the room, gauging whether I could lunge at him before he could shoot me.

“I’m done cooperating with you people,” I say. “Get out of my way or shoot me, because that’s the only way this ends.”

The machine by Dr. Luka’s head is covered with small blue lights, and they cast a ghostly tone over his face. He studies me, the gun still raised. “So you thought you’d just, what? Sneak out?”

“Zhar is willing to destroy whoever she must in order to get her revenge,” I go on. “I won’t be part of that. She’s just as bad as Volkov. I’m getting out of here, whatever it takes, and I’m going to save my friend.”