Free Unveiled by Trisha Wolfe Page A

staring at the front of the hall. I need to turn us around so I can watch Xander over his shoulder. My chest tightens as anxiety wracks my nerves. The blade of my dagger rubs against the back of my thigh, reminding me why I’m here.
     
    My long dark hair is twirled into a bun, and in its center is a tiny vial of Hemlock—a deadly poison. The dagger is back-up if I fail to slip the concoction into his wine. Or worse, if I’m caught doing so.
     
    Seeing King Hart on the giant wall monitor during the betrothal ceremony was unsettling enough, never mind that I’m one Rebel in a room filled with knights of the Force. But I’m thankful his face isn’t looming over the hall now. That would make this mission more nerve-wracking than it already is. And knowing what awaits me back at the camp if I fail . . .
     
    No. I won’t fail.
     
    As I watch the couples dressed in absurd costumes rock back and forth, I resist rolling my eyes again. Camelot was ages—centuries ago. King Hart believes forcing us to live in his ideal realm will prevent us from repeating mistakes our ancestors made that destroyed the earth.
     
    And the technology he uses—that only he has access to—binds us. Imprisons us. The barrier surrounding Karm makes sure of that. And the technology woven throughout our city keeps us perfectly monitored. King Hart fills citizens with fear of Outside. Growing up, I was taught that the wasteland was a dead world where monsters roamed. Where people, mutated from nuclear fallout, feast on each other’s flesh. Where the animals have grown larger, hungrier, and evil—the stuff nightmares are made of.
     
    And the king himself? He’s the only one so far to survive the virus that lurks in our blood—the virus spread during the Final War. It lies dormant in our blood, choosing at random who it takes. But no one makes it to a ripe old age.
     
    King Hart’s the only one who’s lived long enough to know what Outside was like before, and what it’s become. Somehow, he’s defied the laws of man and fate. Our fate. No one I know has ever seen him in person. Rumors circle that he’s hidden away in some secret lab, either hooked up to a machine that will keep him alive forever, or that he’s part machine himself.
     
    I don’t know if any of it’s true. I only know what my mentor has taught me. And that’s that our world would thrive without Hart. That we could reshape it into a place where people didn’t fear Outside, only giving into this sham utopian lifestyle because they’re scared of being tossed into the unknown. We could send out scouts—discover places where there might be other life, people prospering. And above everything, we could find and study past medicines to discover a cure for the virus that takes us.
     
    Pulling myself from my heated thoughts, I focus on my partner. He’s leading me farther away from my mark. My breath hitches. I need to move this mission forward.
     
    I take a chance and spin my dance partner around. He doesn’t seem to mind, and I rest my chin on his shoulder. Then my blood freezes in my veins. Xander’s gone. Damn!
     
    As discretely and politely as I can, I separate from him. “I’m afraid today’s events have left me very winded. I must rest,” I say. Then I curtsy low. “Thank you for the dance, Sir.”
     
    His eyes trail over me as his eyebrows knit together. “Larkin. Please, call me by my given name.” Then he runs a hand through his dark hair. “I’m sorry to see you go, but the pleasure of the dance was all mine.” He takes my hand, placing a soft kiss on the top of it. His eyes peek up at me, and he winks.
     
    I force my lips into a smile, taking my hand out of his grasp. “Then thank you, Sir Larkin.”
     
    He returns to his post near the table, probably scouting for another girl to charm, and I turn and head out of the hall.
     
    If I’d been given enough time to study my mark and learn his habits, I might guess where he went. But this mission was