The Princess Trap (18 page)

“Oh, Perry!” said Jenna. She understood perfectly. Her mother was just as disappointed in her. This was a chance to prove they’d discovered something that even the Scandian police didn’t know about. “OK, then,” she said. “Do it.”

As they walked, Perry took his phone out of a pocket in his jeans and brought up the number on the screen.

O
nce the shooting
had stopped, Nahira hid for a while in the bushes. She couldn’t go to Lorok, who was waiting for her in the pickup — that would have put him in danger, too. She just had to hope that he’d turned the truck around and drove away as soon as he heard the shots. But he was such a young hothead, she was afraid he might try to play the hero.

She listened to the sounds that were coming from the clearing. Mainly shouted orders, but at least no screams of pain. Then, very quietly, she climbed to the top of an oak tree — something she had not done for years. Up there she made herself a seat out of a fork in the branches and waited, in the hope that she would be safer where she was than down below. Only if they sent a search party with dogs would her hiding place risk exposure. Her trail ended at the foot of the tree, and a glance upward would be enough to deliver her into the hands of any pursuers.

But when dusk fell, she began to have doubts. Why hadn’t she heard anything for so long? Why no voices, no footsteps, no shouts, even in the distance? Where had all the soldiers gone?

They couldn’t have given up the hunt so easily
, thought Nahira, trying to flex her limbs in her uncomfortable perch. One of her feet was threatening to go to sleep.
No one followed me. It was just bullets. But why didn’t they come looking for me after that?

She looked down. There was an almost inaudible rustling in the dry leaves. A mouse. Or maybe a rabbit.
They tried to shoot me, but after that they stopped searching.

I’m safe.

Before lack of light made it too difficult, she slowly let herself down, branch by branch.
I was better at this when I was younger
, she thought, and couldn’t help laughing.
But then, who’d have imagined I’d need to climb trees again?
She jumped down to the ground and stretched her limbs. She’d been living in hiding for so long that her whole body, eyes, ears, nose, were alert when there was even the slightest chance of danger. Sometimes her heart would start beating faster even before her eyes and ears had perceived the approach of trouble.

But now her heart was calm, and her breath was even.
They’re not looking for me. I’m safe.

Not until she reached the road and still had seen no sign that she was being followed did she take out her cell phone. “You can come and get me,” she said softly. “As agreed. See you soon.”

She looked up at the blue-black sky. Up here in the remote north of South Island, there were so few settlements, and so few streetlamps or houses or lights of any kind, that the night belonged entirely to the stars.

But at home on North Island, the sky is even more lovely
, thought Nahira, leaning against a tree while she waited.
Nowhere in the world are the nights so beautiful as they are on North Island. Behind all those single stars the Milky Way still shines, like a white veil, millions of light-years away and yet just a minute in the timetable of the universe. I should look at the sky more often. Sometimes it’s a good thing to realize just how small we are, and how insignificant in the great web of the world.

She shook herself. This was absurd — the shock of what had happened earlier must have been greater than she’d tried to make herself believe. Once she started to tell herself how small and insignificant she was, the next step would probably be to accept that there was nothing she could do. But it was for precisely the opposite reason that she’d first joined the rebels. To do something. To change things. To
improve
the great web of the world — or at least the little web of Scandia.

“What a romantic I am!” she murmured. She glanced up again at the stars shedding their seductive light, oblivious to her change in mood. “Where’s Lorok?” Then she heard the engine.

“Nahira, thank God! I practically peed myself with fear!” cried Lorok, opening the passenger door of the old pickup truck. “I heard gunfire. Why didn’t you come?”

“Because I didn’t want to lead them to you, dummy,” said Nahira, flopping down into the seat. The springs had long gone, and as they drove away she could feel every inch of the rough ground below. It had almost been more comfortable sitting up in the tree. “Don’t tell me you sat there waiting for me all this time?”

“Of course I did,” said Lorok. “You didn’t think I’d just leave you behind, did you?”

Nahira groaned. “That
was
pretty dumb, Lorok,” she said. “They could have found you while they were hunting for me.” She was silent for a moment. “They
didn’t
find you, did they?” she asked.

“Am I or am I not here?” asked Lorok, turning down a narrow road.

“So they didn’t come looking?” asked Nahira warily. “You didn’t hear a search party? Bloodhounds?”

The truck stopped behind a hill. The hut, nestled in a hollow amid birch trees and tall grass, was dilapidated: Tiles were missing from the roof and glass from the windows. The shiny new satellite dish on a recently cut tree stump stood in striking contrast.

Lorok shook his head. “Nothing,” he said, jumping out of the truck.

“Nothing,” said Nahira thoughtfully. “Nothing.”

The front door opened. “At last!” said Meonok. “Come in. I know what happened.” In the one room of the darkened hut, standing on a base of empty fruit cartons, was a flickering television set.

“You know what they want you to think,” said Nahira. “Is there any coffee?”

Meonok looked at her uncomprehendingly. “What do you mean?”

“Can’t you at least answer my question first?” said Nahira. She was tired. Sometimes she wished that in addition to their courage these boys also had a little bit more common sense. “Have you made some coffee?”

Meonok nodded and poured her a cup. A small cloud of steam rose from the mug, and just the sight of it made Nahira feel better.

“Turn up the sound,” she said, glancing at the TV. “Well, well, they actually filmed the arrest!” She took a cautious sip, and the coffee burned her tongue, but she felt more alert now. “Just as I thought. They were all prepared.”

A man in uniform held a sheet of paper out toward the camera, and in bold block letters were the words
PLAN FOR THE COUP
. He folded it up again.

“And what’s that?”

“That’s the plan they found in Liron’s car when they arrested him,” said Meonok. “They keep showing it over and over again. Apparently, it’s proof that Liron was planning a coup with us. They say the Minister of the Interior is a traitor, and he’s going to be accused of high treason. And if they find him guilty …”

“A coup!” said Nahira. “Liron had no such plan with him!” The coffee cup was now empty, and she put it on the table. “How could we be so stupid? They probably had his phone bugged the entire time. Both of them.”

“That’s how they knew about the rendezvous,” said Lorok.

“I shouldn’t have called him,” said Nahira. “But I thought it was crucial for him to show the depot to the media.”

“That’s why they didn’t even have to follow him,” said Lorok. “They only had to wait for you both at the place you arranged on the phone.”

“Curse all these phones and devices and GPS!” said Nahira. “Curse the Internet! They can track you whenever they want. There’s no privacy anymore!”

“Calm down, Nahira,” said Meonok. “I don’t think it was any better in the days of smoke signals. When people sent each other letters, they always risked interception, you could always steam them open. And with radio signals, they could crack every code. Don’t tell me it was harder in the old days to spy on people.”

Nahira sighed. Over and over again the same images flickered across the TV screen, as if they needed to be imprinted forever on the minds of every single Scandian: Liron getting out of the car, walking toward her, and then the soldiers racing out of their hiding places, and her running away from a hail of bullets.

So why hadn’t they hunted her down?

When she’d seen the footage for the fifth time and knew every word of the commentary by heart, she finally understood the reason. There was no other possible explanation. Nothing else made any sense.

They didn’t want to catch her.

“Of course,” she murmured.

They had Liron, and that was all that mattered to them, to show that members of the government were secretly in league with the rebels. But if their ultimate aim was to topple the government — and it certainly was — then they had to go on stirring up people’s fear of the rebels, just as they’d almost succeeded in doing a year ago. They mustn’t capture the rebel leader too soon!

“Because then people would no longer be afraid of the rebels,” she whispered. “They deliberately missed me and let me escape. So that they could say I was still at large.”

She looked at Lorok and Meonok. “What a disappointment!” she said with a sigh. “I was so proud of myself for having escaped from half a battalion of soldiers, and all the while I was just carrying out their plan. They think they can manipulate us like chess pieces! But I have a few ideas, too. Boys, we have some planning of our own to do.”

On the moped, the journey hadn’t seemed very far, but on foot it seemed endless.

When the forest gradually became more familiar, Jenna began to feel the full effects of her tiredness. She had hardly slept for two days now, and it would be morning again before she could finally lie down.

“I’m just dying for my bed!” she said to Perry. Since talking to his father, he’d been walking faster, and when she looked at his face, she saw that he was smiling.

“My father could hardly believe it!” he said. “He was speechless!” His smile grew broader. “And then of course he insisted that I come home. ‘Only if you promise that I don’t have to go to your fascist military academy,’ I told him. At least now he knows his son isn’t a total idiot! Ha! By now the police should be raiding those hangars.”

“Aren’t you tired, Perry?” asked Jenna.

He shook his head. “Too excited,” he said. “Are we going to boil some potatoes?”

“How?” asked Jenna, yawning. “There’s no electricity. And anyway, I don’t want to eat — I just want to crawl into bed. Without even brushing my teeth.”

“Oh no, I forgot to get toothbrushes!” said Perry. “Assuming they had any. OK, you’re excused, then.” He ran his hand over the top of the doorframe, and found the key. “Good night, Jenna.”

But that was as far as he got.

“Or should we say good morning?” said a male voice. It sounded amused.

Then three men jumped out, and Jenna knew there was no point in running. She was too tired, anyway. So now back they would go. To school. To Ylva. It had all been for nothing. She shouldn’t have even bothered picking the flowers.

The young man who had seized her was bending her arm behind her back. “Ouch!” said Jenna. But she wasn’t going to let them treat her like this. “Let me go!” she protested.

The older man who had spoken first, and was evidently the leader of the group, laughed. “I’m afraid we can’t,” he said. “Even though you’re a princess, we’re not able to grant your wishes today.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Jenna could see Perry trying to shake off his captor, but he had no chance against someone so much bigger and stronger than him.

“So now you’re going back to school,” said the older man. “And maybe to see a doctor or a psychologist, you crazy little princess! And it seems to me you’re just as crazy, boy. What made you think we wouldn’t find you?”

They were right; it
was
a ridiculously obvious hiding place, thought Jenna, surprised at how wide awake she was now — wide awake and feverish.
Why did I think I’d be safe in the navigator’s house? Any fool would know that’s the first place they’d look for me. And it’s no consolation that Perry’s as stupid as I am.

In the car, they sat jammed together in the backseat with the youngest of the three men, barely more than a boy himself. When they’d driven out onto the main road, he’d offered them something to drink. Jenna sneezed, then held her head up high.
There’s no danger
, she thought.
Nothing to be afraid of. It’s not like last year. We’re not prisoners. They’re not threatening us, or preparing to torture us. They’re just taking us back to school.

Like that wasn’t bad enough.

She could picture the school cafeteria, or the classrooms, which would all fall silent as soon as she walked in. She could see Ylva’s face and hear her harsh laughter. “Well, and there I was thinking I’d have the room all to myself!” she’d say. “Without the constant
eau de northerner
! But the poor little Pizza Princess can’t even run away right. What
can
she do?”

But there was still her other life — she should concentrate on that now. There was Bea, and her few other friends from her old school, even if everything else had changed. And when she was totally grown-up, in just a few more years, no one could stop her from going home.

She felt the tears rising. She could not even
begin
to let herself think about Jonas now. She wanted to think about Bea, about dinner at Bea’s, how they’d both climbed out the window. She fished her cell phone out of her pocket. The men hadn’t even taken their phones, but then, why should they? She and Perry were just two runaways being brought back to school — mixed-up kids, that was all.