Eve nodded, but Meria looked away again.
Yep, there was something there. It was her business until she chose to share it, though. I trusted her to have my back, and I had hers. It was all that really mattered.
An hour later, we went back to the dining car to see if there was anyone we could talk to. Unfortunately, it was empty.
“The others must be having lunch in their own cars,” Eve said.
“Damn.” I sat, my stomach rumbling. “Maybe they’ll come later. Let’s hang out.”
“And eat.” Meria grinned.
“Definitely eat.”
The kitchen delivered an assortment of specialty sandwiches and salads that made my mouth water just to look at them. I was halfway through a mozzarella and tomato sandwich when I realized there was a small piece of paper sticking out from beneath my plate.
My heart thundered as I pulled it free.
“What’s that?” Eve asked.
“Something important.” My hands trembled as I unfolded it. There was no way it was coincidence.
There were only a few words written on the paper.
* * *
Meet me at the last car. I can give you what you seek.
* * *
I blew out a breath. It had to be answers about my parents. This must be the violet-eyed woman’s way of contacting me with a private place to talk.
I handed the message over to my friends, who read it silently.
“You want to go?” Meria asked.
“Definitely.”
Eve looked toward the guards who sat on the far side of the car. “Do we bring them?”
“No way. They’ll scare off the woman.”
“You’re sure it’s her?” Meria asked.
“Who else?”
“The person who wants you dead.”
“Good point.” I weighed the risks and found them to be worth it. “I can go alone.”
“Hell no,” Meria said.
“If it’s dangerous—”
“Then we’ll go with you.” She glared. “I’m not scared to go. I just wanted to lay out all the possibilities.”
“I’m with Meria on this,” Eve said. “We all go. If it is an ambush, the three of us will be together. We can take whatever comes at us.”
Her confidence was far from empty. I’d seen what we’d accomplished in the competition to become queen. We could handle any threat. And if it was bigger than us, it would cause such a ruckus the guards would come running.
“When?” Eve whispered.
“ASAP, I think.” I shot a quick look toward the guards. They were focused on their lunches. “We’ll say we’re resting. Then we’ll sneak out.”
“How, though?” Meria said. “They’ll be standing outside your door.”
I chewed on my lip, thinking back to the layout of the private car. Knocking the guards unconscious wasn’t a good option, so we’d have to be sneaky.
“We go out our windows and climb onto the roof, then head to the back that way.”
Meria’s brows rose. “You watch too much TV.”
“You have no idea.” I looked between them. “You in?”
“Hell, yeah,” Eve said.
“Me, too.” Meria grinned. “Sounds dangerous. Therefore, fun.”
“Good.” I popped the last bite of sandwich in my mouth. “I’m ready when you are.”
They quickly finished their sandwiches, then we rose and headed back toward our car. The guards hurried to get up.
“We’re just going to go rest,” I said. “Stay.”
“Can’t do that.” The guard nearest me had the open, trusting expression of someone who hadn’t been lied to much in his life.
Good.
“Thanks.” I smiled, genuinely grateful for their protection. It was getting in the way of this endeavor, but I could get around that. I needed them all the other times.
My friends and I made our way toward our rooms. They went into theirs, and I headed a little farther down the train car and into mine. As soon as the door shut, I went to the window and opened it. Cool wind rushed over me as I looked out at the mountains surrounding the train. They were close enough that they provided excellent perspective for how fast we were going.
Really freaking fast.
Suddenly, this idea seemed insane. Just because I’d done wildly dangerous things since I’d arrived here didn’t mean that I was qualified to do this.
Except, there were answers about my parents at the other end of the train.
I had to get them.
And anyway, I kept developing crazy skills when the need presented itself. I’d never been a sword fighter in my life, and yet I had talents that shocked the hell out of me.