Read Cress for Free Online

wanted to erase Scarlet’s identity and give it to Levana’s army.”
    Scarlet stiffened, heat rushing into her cheeks. He certainly wasn’t insinuating …
    “ Aaaaw, ” squealed Iko. “Did Wolf just say that he loves Scarlet? That’s so cute!”
    Scarlet cringed. “He did not—that wasn’t—” She balled her fists against her sides. “Can we get back to these soldiers that are being rounded up, please?”
    “Is she blushing? She sounds like she’s blushing.”
    “She’s blushing,” Thorne confirmed, shuffling the cards. “Actually, Wolf is also looking a little flustered—”
    “ Focus, please,” said Cinder, and Scarlet could have kissed her. “So they were taking ID chips from plague victims. Now what?”
    The lights dimmed as Iko’s giddiness diminished. “Well, it won’t be happening anymore. All American androids assigned to the quarantines are being evaluated and reprogrammed as we speak, which will no doubt carry into the rest of the Union.”
    On the screen, the last operative in Manhattan was being loaded into the armored hover. The door clanged and locked shut behind him.
    “It does take care of one threat, at least,” said Scarlet, thinking of the pack that had kept her prisoner. That had killed her grandmother. “I hope Europe hunts them down too. I hope they kill them.”
    “I hope they don’t think their job is done after this,” said Cinder. “Like Wolf said, the real war hasn’t even begun yet. Earth should be on high alert right now—preparing for anything.”
    “And we should be making sure we’re ready to stop this wedding and put you on the throne,” added Scarlet, noting how Cinder flinched at the mention of becoming queen. “If we can pull this off, the war may never go any further than it already has.”
    “I have a suggestion,” said Iko, replacing the news story of the Lunar operatives with an ongoing report for the upcoming wedding. “If we’re going to be sneaking into New Beijing Palace while Levana is there, why don’t we just assassinate her? Not to be all cold-wired murderer about it, but wouldn’t that solve a lot of our problems?”
    “It’s not that easy,” said Cinder. “Remember who we’re talking about here. She can brainwash hundreds of people at once.”
    “She can’t brainwash me,” said Iko. “Or you.”
    Wolf shook his head. “It would take an army to get close enough. She’ll have countless guards and thaumaturges with her. Not to mention all the Earthens she could use as shields, or turn into weapons themselves.”
    “Including Kai,” Cinder said.
    The ship’s engine sputtered, causing the walls to quake. “You’re right. We can’t risk that.”
    “No, but we can tell the world that she’s a fraud and a murderer.” Cinder planted her hands on her hips. “They already know she’s a monster. We just need to show them that no one is safe if she becomes empress.”

 
    Five
    “Screen four,” said Cress, squinting at the grid of icons. “High Jack to … D5.”
    Without waiting for the animated jester to cartwheel to his new space, she shifted her attention to the next game. “Screen five. Claim rubies and daggers. Discard crowns.”
    The screen sparkled, but she had already moved on.
    “Screen six.” She paused, chewing on the tips of her hair. Twelve rows of numbers filled up the screen, some slots left blank, some tinted with colors and patterns. After her brain twisted around an equation she wasn’t sure she could have done a second time, the puzzle lit up before her, the solution as clear as a moonrise over Earth. “3A, insert yellow 4. 7B is black 16. 9G is black 20.” The grid melted away, replaced with a second era singer swooning into a microphone, the audience swelling with applause.
    “Congratulations, Big Sister,” said Little Cress. “You won!”
    Cress’s victory was short-lived. She rolled onto her side and reassessed the first game. Seeing the move that Little Cress had made since her last