Stars Above: A Lunar Chronicles Collection (The Lunar Chronicles)(74)
“I do not have a programming error!” Iko’s irate voice screeched from behind one of the towering shelves.
Kai chuckled again. Cinder caught his eye for a brief moment before she looked away.
Back at Nainsi.
The reason he was here. The oh-so-important reason.
Why was he so distracted?
He lowered the zipper on his sweatshirt a hair. The heat was becoming unbearable. His shirt would be drenched with sweat by the time he got back to the hover, and he was grateful that it hadn’t yet seeped through the sweatshirt.
“So what do you think?” he asked.
“I’ll need to run her diagnostics. It will take me a few days, maybe a week.” Cinder pushed a strand of hair behind one ear and lowered herself into a chair.
Only then did Kai realize that she’d been trembling a little. Maybe she was dehydrated.
He thought of offering to go get her some water, but then remembered that she had an android assistant to do those things for her. So instead, he held up his ID-implanted wrist and asked, “Do you need payment up front?”
Cinder was waving away the suggestion almost before he’d finished. “No, thank you. It will be my honor.”
He opened his mouth to protest, but hesitated. This wasn’t uncommon when he was dealing with small business owners—they seemed to think that his patronage was payment enough, or maybe the publicity that would be gained from it. Arguing over a payment generally led to the vendor feigning offense and him feeling like a braggart.
He lowered his hand and shifted his attention to Nainsi again. “I don’t suppose there’s any hope of having her done before the festival?”
“I don’t think that will be a problem,” said Cinder, shutting Nainsi’s control panel. “But without knowing what’s wrong with her—”
“I know, I know.” Kai hooked his thumbs on his sweatshirt pockets and rocked back on his heels. Ever since he’d started searching for Princess Selene it had been his dream to announce her survival and imminent reclamation of her throne at the annual ball. It was, after all, a celebration of world peace. He could think of no greater gift to his country than ridding them of Queen Levana, their sneakiest and most deceitful enemy. “Just wishful thinking.”
“How will I contact you when she’s ready?”
“Send a comm to the palace.” Kai paused, remembering Sybil Mira—the Lunar Queen’s own minion. Remembering how important it was that she never suspect he was searching for the missing princess, or doing anything else to undermine Levana’s rule. Quickly, he added, “Or will you be here again next weekend? I could stop by then.”
Iko’s voice chirped from the back, “Oh, yes! We’re here every market day. You should come by again. That would be lovely.”
Cinder winced. “You don’t need to—”
“It’ll be my pleasure.”
It wasn’t a lie. Not only would this allow for him to keep the transaction discreet, but it also meant that he would be picking up Nainsi in person, rather than having her dropped off with some nameless assistant at the palace. It meant he was sure to see Linh Cinder again.
Maybe he could learn more about her then.
Maybe he’d make her smile. A real smile.
Maybe …
Maybe he needed another hobby.
He nodded a farewell to her. She returned the nod, but didn’t stand or bow—all professional politeness, without much of the royal courtesy he was used to. It was sort of refreshing.
Pulling the hood over his face again, he turned and slipped back into the bustling crowd.
He felt lighter than he had in days as he made his way back to the hover car. He knew that nothing was resolved, not yet. His father was still dying, his country was still in danger, and Nainsi was still unable to share her secrets.
But there was something about Linh Cinder. Something capable and confident, even if she had been a little nervous to be talking to him. There was something about her that went beyond an unexpected reputation.
The knot in his chest loosened, just a little. Linh Cinder was going to solve this problem. He knew it. She was going to fix Nainsi, and then he would be able to retrieve the lost information about the princess. He would find Selene and, for the first time in generations, Earth would have a true ally in Luna.
He was optimistic as he left the weekly market behind. More optimistic than he had been in weeks.
That mechanic was going to change everything.
Something Old, Something New
Cinder squeezed the suitcase shut with a sigh of finality. Iko had been pestering her all week about what she was and wasn’t going to pack, insisting on a variety of gowns and uncomfortable shoes and rolling her eyes at Cinder’s constant reminders that they would be spending most of this trip on a farm. With cows and chickens and mud.
“Just because you’re not a queen anymore,” Iko had said, her hands fisted on her hips, “doesn’t mean you get to go back to looking like you just rolled out of an engine compartment.”
Together they had finally agreed on a few pairs of comfortable pants and lightweight blouses, plus a simple emerald-green cocktail dress—“Just in case,” Iko had insisted.
Cinder stepped back and looked at the suitcase with some trepidation, trying to determine what she’d forgotten, but she knew the nerves writhing in her stomach had nothing to do with what she would wear or the possibility of leaving something behind—after all, they had shops on Earth.