A Sea of Purple Ink by Rebekah Shafer Page A

the cobblestones. Two men were pulling the wagon along. They seemed intent on their work, but Reese motioned for the king to follow her, then doubled back and started down a narrow gap between two buildings. First things first. As the harbor noise died to a dull mutter, Reese glanced at the king. “Where were you supposed to deliver those?”
    “He said ‘at the back of a factory,’” Joplin replied. “I hope you know where that is.”
    Another alley lay to their right a few paces ahead. “I have a rough idea,” Reese said as she forced herself past the dark opening. Far down in the depths of the alley stood a weathered door. A man sat on a crate beside it, muscular arms folded. He looked up as they passed and glared at them through narrowed eyes. Reese noted the heavy club on the ground behind the doorman. There must be a prizefight today.
    Beside her, Joplin raised a hand in greeting. “Good day,” he called to the guard.
    The blood left Reese’s head. Not good. She slipped her arm into Joplin’s and hurried him onward. The king looked down at her in surprise. Reese tried not to think about the pressure of his arm against hers. “Just keep quiet for a minute,” she muttered. One thing’s for sure, throwing him out on the street would be murder. He wouldn’t last a day. Reese turned down an empty side street, then withdrew her arm. “You’re going to have to be careful,” she said. “Not everyone around here is going to be like Tyrone.”
    Joplin’s forehead creased into a mixture of concern and confusion. “I know…” he said.
    No, you don’t. Reese took a quick look over her shoulder. The road was still abandoned. We must be getting close to the southside. She took a deep breath and turned back to the king. “I don’t know how much you remember,” she said, “but if you can fly, you’ve got to lay low.”
    “The ban?” Joplin asked. He nodded and the pale sunlight caught his russet hair, tinging it with gold. “Tyrone mentioned that.”
    Shock hit Reese like cold water in the face. “You mean you don’t remember it?” It was your idea in the first place!
    The king looked at her. The eyes she knew as hard and commanding looked tired and confused.
    “I’m doing my best to remember things,” Joplin said, quietly. “Some things are harder than others.”
    Reese studied him, calculations racing through her head. What does he mean by that? Her tongue felt dry in her mouth.
    The king slid his hands into the pockets of his coat and gazed down at her steadily. “You’re angry with me for some reason.” Some of the confusion faded from his face. “Why?”
    Reese began to tremble. She clenched her hands. “Let’s get those guns delivered,” she said, then turned away.

PRIVATE
    via Burner 6
    City to Reader Division
    Call Arrow off of watching the tavern and send someone else out there at once. Tell the others to keep combing the streets. Tell them if the underground finds Nile first, he’s dead, and so are we. If we get lucky, they really will kill him and we’ll have someone to blame. Or my precautions might go into effect. Time will tell. The doctors say I can go. Nobody touches the prisoners until I talk with them.
    - S.

13
    As they worked their way deeper into the nearly abandoned southside, Reese found her thoughts turning more and more toward Nero’s tavern. What am I going to do after I get there? She wanted to believe that some of her crew had escaped, but she knew better. And if they’re gone… There wasn’t much she could do. In all the years of the resistance, no one had successfully freed outlaws after they went to prison. And she should know. She had tried.
    Reese clenched her jaw. She knew she would have to make a choice. To risk a rescue, or to leave her followers to their fate. I can try to save my crew, or save those who aren’t free yet.
    “Tyrone said you and he were sort of related.”
    The sudden statement caught Reese off guard. She glanced at the man