The Gender Fall (The Gender Game #5)

Owen gave me an alarmed look, shaking his head. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea, Viggo. You might want to sit this one out.”

“Yeah,” said Amber. “We might get a pass because the Liberators have known us for a long time, and that alone might make them willing to hear us out. If you’re there… they won’t be so inclined to talk to us.”

“Well, that’s too bad, because I’m going,” I replied calmly. Owen and Amber exchanged looks, and I noticed Amber shift her gaze over to Ms. Dale, a pleading look in her eyes. I suppressed a sigh. I knew this was not going to be an easy sell—it was why I had waited until after the meeting to bring it up. Yet I was resolved to go with them, whether they liked it or not. I just needed to convince them.

Ms. Dale studied my face closely, crossing her arms. “Why do you want to go?” she asked.

“For one thing, Violet’s life is on the line,” I replied. “But honestly, it’s more than that. We’re trying to convince them not only to break from Desmond, but also to join with us. And that means with Violet and me. They need to come to terms with the fact we aren’t traitors.”

“I agree, but it still doesn’t make sense, Viggo,” replied Owen. “Why not let us go, show them the video, and then explain about you?”

“It’s a point of integrity at this point, Owen,” I replied patiently, my weariness thrumming underneath the argument like a sluggish current in my brain. But this was important, dammit. “I need to show them that, in spite of them supporting Desmond when she ran us out, we’re still willing to be their allies,” I continued. “It’s the best way to put a positive foot forward.”

Owen seemed to take a moment to consider. “That’s a good point,” he said. “I hadn’t thought of it like that.”

Amber gaped at Owen and then shook her head emphatically. “It’s admirable, but still a really bad idea. They don’t trust you, and they’ll trust us less with you there.”

“That might be true,” I replied, “but we have no idea what you’re walking into. For all we know, they’ll throw you in a cell and call Desmond. I’d rather be there, just in case—because I know cells and how to get out of them. We’ll work better as a team. Besides…” I let a little smile crawl onto my face. “I think it might actually bother me if something happened to you both.”

A ghost of a smile crossed over Owen’s face, but Amber rolled her eyes at my joke, clearly not amused. She opened her mouth to argue, but I held up my hand, cutting her off.

It was hard, but this time, I let the raw emotion I had been struggling with slip into my voice. “In all honesty, I am grasping for straws here. With Quinn, Henrik, and Violet injured, we’re all infinitely more vulnerable. And we’re each infinitely more valuable to the enemy. We can’t all go—Ms. Dale needs to stay behind to make sure the mission will be carried on without us—but we also don’t have to compartmentalize this much. I want to be there to help if I can, argue when I must, and help ensure our survival overall.”

Owen picked up where I had left off, his face animated. “He’s right, Amber. They might not like it, but if we’re going to get them on our side, they need to face this reality sooner or later. Might as well get it out of the way sooner, rather than the later. Besides, by going in with Viggo, we show that we support him. We are allied with him. And we follow his leadership one hundred percent. They need to be on board with that, and all that it implies.”

Amber fell silent, her gaze drifting down as she thought about it. Then she nodded. “All right,” she conceded. “I don’t like it, but you’re right.”

I let out the breath I had been holding and held up my finger. “Okay. I’ll go grab my bag. Owen, would you and Amber mind packing up the equipment you listed, and I’ll meet you on the porch?”

Owen raised his hand to his forehead in a mock salute, which was spoiled by his wide grin. Then he and Amber turned and headed back outside to the barn to gear up.

I turned to Ms. Dale, who frowned as she met my gaze. “It’s good you’re going,” she said after a pause. “Just, please, be careful. I do not want to end up doing this alone.”

I gave her what I hoped was a reassuring smile, then headed down the hallway. Carefully, I pushed open the door to our room. Violet was just as I had left her—eyes closed, breathing deep and even.

She, Quinn, and Henrik were all sleeping in these rooms because they were either sick or wounded. The rest of us were relegated to sleeping in tents, which was only fair. Those of us in charge had decided early on that we needed to show the refugees we were all in this together. However, I was exempt for the time being, as I wouldn’t leave Violet’s side for longer than I had to… and sleeping next to a sick girl didn’t take up any more bed space in the house.

Grabbing my bag, which I’d left under Violet’s makeshift sickbed, I did a quick check to make sure my gun was there, then left space for the equipment Owen would be bringing me for our mission. I took the egg out—a gleaming silver case, deceptively simple in its design, but heavy in my hands. The egg had been at the center of all this mess, and while in some ways I owed my relationship with Violet to its very existence, I hated the thing for what it represented. If I had my way, we would toss the abomination into the Veil River and be done with it.