Meg shoves the hidden door open, grunting as she struggles to support me with her free arm. Together, we make our way through the servants' passageway and back toward the entrance where I last left Will. There is the faint clatter of swords reverberating out in the main hallway; the battle seems to have receded.

We reach the entry to the main corridor and, with Meg's help, I manage to prop myself up against the wall. She peers out into the foyer, looking left and right.

"Do you see anyone?" I ask.

"No. I can hear fighting back toward the courtyard, though." She draws her head back in, biting her lip at the sight of me clutching my shoulder and breathing heavily. "For gods' sake, Kay. You're an absolute disaster."

"What else is new." I grit my teeth.

"I need to get help." She checks that her sword is secure in its scabbard and makes to step into the hall again.

"Don't leave me here." I cringe as the words fall out of my mouth. My hand is tacky with blood where it grips my shoulder and my left leg trembles. Weaponless and gradually losing the ability to focus, I'm terrified at the idea of being abandoned once again in a small space.

Her brow softens. "It will be fine, I promise. I'll be right back."

My leg gives out, making me sink to the floor. Meg rushes to catch me as I fall and eases me down gently.

"I can't take you with me, Kay," she says softly, brushing the matted strands of hair off my forehead. "Look at you, you can barely move."

"Right. You're right." I nearly choke on the words, the sensation of being touched so tenderly overwhelming me after days of cruelty. My vision swims again and I blink forcefully. "I understand. I'll be all right."

"Yes, you will." She forces my eyes to hers. Her expression is calm and determined and I feel myself trusting her implicitly. "You're still here. You're still with us. Just hold on a little bit longer; we're almost home."

I nod, my head feeling loose on my neck. I let it fall backward, reclining against the tunnel wall and allowing my eyes to flutter closed. I am suddenly so incredibly tired.

There is a stinging slap against my cheek and I start, my eyes flying open.

"Do not fall asleep," Meg scolds and I nearly laugh. "Do you understand me?"

"Yes, my Queen," I murmur.

"I mean it, Kay. You need to do this for me, understand? Stay here and count to one hundred. No sleeping under any circumstances." I hear her sword being unsheathed and shoo her away with my good arm.

"One," I say, for her benefit. "Two. Three."

Her footsteps echo down the hall and I settle back into my reclined position. "Four...Five...." The stone wall is lovely and cool against my injured shoulder.

I have lost my place in my counting when I hear someone sprinting in my direction. Heavy footsteps reverberate down the hallway, a familiar string of curses falling in their wake.

"There you are." He sounds furious. "What part of 'stay here' did you fail to understand?"

"You're not in charge of me," I mumble. I feel Will's warm arms around me, gently easing me to my feet, and I groan when my shoulder wound pulls. "Watch it."

"When did that happen?" he exclaims, exasperated. "Gods' sake, where were you?"

"You ask a lot of questions."

He taps my cheeks lightly and I grunt, forcing my eyes open. His gaze bores into mine, his expression concerned.

"Stay with me, Kay. It's time to go." His grip tightens around my waist. "Can you walk?"

"I can run," I tell him, shuffling my feet forward as I concentrate on matching his stride. "I'm the Runner."

"That you are." I think I hear a hint of amusement in his voice. "Let's concentrate on the walking for now, though." I expect him to steer us toward the outer gates and frown in confusion when instead he points us back in the direction of the courtyard.

"Don't we need to leave?" I ask. Walking helps me focus and my head begins to clear.

"No, we don't." Will glances down at me meaningfully, a tired half-grin tugging at the side of his mouth.

My brow furrows and I concentrate on listening for any signs of the fight. There is no sound but for our own footsteps against the tiled floor and a distant murmuring up ahead. Slowly, realization begins to dawn and I look back up Will, questioning.

His smile broadens, his grey eyes weary but satisfied. Something catches in my throat and I direct my gaze forward again, my heart swelling as we draw closer and closer to the courtyard. From the corners of my vision, I register the unfortunate fallen. They lie crumpled on the floor, pools of blood stagnating beneath them. I avoid looking into their poor faces, offering up a silent prayer to the god of the underworld instead.

Glass litters the ground where the pristine walls bordering the courtyard used to stand. The image of hundreds of commoners shattering the glass and pouring into the yard with their weapons raised would seem like something of a dream if it wasn't for the evidence lying directly in front of me. The yard is still crowded with rebels, men and women standing bloodied and dirtied. Their weapons are lowered and they are all looking expectantly toward the centre of the square. The black-clad soldiers from the airship stand among the commoners, waiting patiently.

Will manoeuvres me toward the back of the throng, where earlier (could it have been mere hours ago?) I stood flanked by guards with my hands bound, awaiting the walk to my death. As we move around the crowd, I catch sight of something impossible and dig my heels in to get a better look, halting Will.

The Palace guards are still alive, standing unbothered in the spaces between the rebels, their weapons also lowered as they stare toward the execution platform. More than that, the noblemen and women have begun to file out of the Palace's corridors and gather in the courtyard. Courtiers, their fine clothes and perfectly coiffed hair askew, waiting timidly among the commoners.

"I know," Will whispers into my ear. "Come on."

I let him lead me into the crowd. Commoners and courtiers step aside when they notice me, giving us a wide berth.

We stop moving forward when the scaffold comes into view. I sag against Will, thankful for the break. The shadows have grown long in the open space, jagged in places where the sun reflects broken glass. I stare up at the wooden platform, my eyes trailing Meg as she ascends the steps, unaccompanied.

She strides smoothly across the scaffold, centering herself, then turns to face the gathered nobles, servants, rebels, soldiers and guards. The waning sun glints magnificently off the metal inlaid in her leather vest and scabbard, illuminating her. The crowd falls silent as she widens her stance and raises her hands.

"Friends!" Her voice rings out; she's clear and poised where her father was loud and forceful. "Today, we have won ourselves a great victory. From today forth, every citizen of this city will have the freedom to choose their own path. We have taken back our humanity from the clutches of a tyrant and returned it to our citizens. This is our triumph! It is through our blood and our tears that this great gift was extracted and I, for one, will never forget that."

I think back to the fallen bodies littering the Hall. To the heartbroken look on Meg's face as her father fell. To my parents and brother. To Edmun. All perished in the name of the City.

"We won today because we are survivors. Humans have always been survivors. Two hundred years ago we exploited our gifts, and in retaliation, Nature turned its back on us. Yet, still we remain. When we should have perished, we instead persisted. We adapted, we changed. We accepted our new earth and respected its power. We broke down to our most basic roles and cobbled together a society. We worked together and we survived. Now, that time has passed, and we must enter a new era of humanity."

She draws her sword from her scabbard and holds it up, turning the weapon so that golden rays bounce off the polished blade.

"This new era will not be ruled by violence or force. The new city will be a home where our citizens have a voice and are heard. Today, the people have spoken."

She lays her sword down at her feet, standing back and thrusting her chin into the air, looking around at all of us.

"I will lead you, but I need you to help me. I need you to work for us, to fight for us, to trust in us as a species. As courtiers and commoners, we were a divided people. Together, we are stronger. We are wiser. We are humans." Her voice rises in a mighty bellow and a cry rips from my throat, joining the crescendo of whoops and cheers as person after person drops their weapon and hails Meg.

I feel Will's hand squeezing mine tightly and return the gesture with fervour, all of my pain and tiredness forgotten.

"There are dark days behind us, my friends, but also, dark days ahead. Today, we have won a battle and tomorrow we will fight the war. It won't be easy; there are many trials that we have yet to pass. I cannot promise you that there will be no more suffering, but I can promise that the struggles we face will not be faced by one faction alone. We are a singular people, with the same rights and the same goals. If you fight, I fight. Your needs are my needs. Your heartaches are my heartaches. We are one. Rest easy knowing that our unity shall be our greatest weapon in the days to come!"

The air around us sparks with promise as every person gathered in the bloody courtyard raises their voices to the Queen, our shouts joining together to create one earth-shattering cry of triumph. I taste salt on my lips, my heart beating so loudly I feel as though it may burst through my chest.

I think of my parents and Frye, feeling a great weight evaporate from my shoulders. We've done it. Their deaths were not in vain. Their sacrifice was the ember fanned into flame.

There is a great reverberation through the crowd as Meg lifts her fist into the air, standing tall and strong amid our acclaim. Not so long ago she was a naive princess, locked away behind the walls of a glass palace. Now, she has emerged and proven herself a true queen. She has inspired hope and peace in the hearts of a broken people. She has shown a sense of honesty, justice and courage in the face of doubt. For the first time in my life, I believe in our monarchy.

"We should go." Will's breath is warm in my ear as he shouts over the din. "You need to get to the infirmary."

"I don't want to miss this!" I yell back.

Meg's voice rises over the fervour. "I ask now that you return to your homes and rest. Tomorrow, I will send word of how we will fairly distribute the City's wealth. As a sign of good faith, I invite you to visit the Palace's storerooms and take what supplies you need for yourself and your family. Thank you, friends. There is much to be done, but for now we must pay our respects to our fallen and mourn for our dead. Stay here if you can assist, or return to your families if you must. I must see to one final matter." Meg salutes to another round of cheers and strides back down the steps of the platform.

"There, she's done. Come on, now." Will nudges me and secures a hold around my waist, turning me back toward the Palace. The movement jolts me and awakens my injuries but I barely notice them, still buzzing with the heady enthusiasm over what has just taken place.

The crowd parts to let us through. We are halfway across the yard when someone appears at my side, laying her hand gently on my back.

"It's to the infirmary with you, then, is it? About time."

With Meg's help, Will manages to steer me through the gathered rebels and soldiers, all of whom offer me an encouraging smile or a thankful hand to my friends. My vision begins to swim as we pass through the shattered wall and turn toward Will's office. Miraculously, this wing appears to have been untouched by the battle.

"Right then, here we go. Easy does it."

A simple cot covered in white linen appears in front of me. It is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.

With my friends' help I manage to lie down, curling into a fetal position on the bed and breathing in the scent of fresh laundry.

Will busies himself mixing some concoction while Meg crouches down next to me, smoothing the knotted hair back from my face.

"You were wonderful," I tell her.

Meg's eyes sparkle with a new light. "So were you."

"You should get back out there." I gesture to the door. "Your people need you."

She shakes her head, firmly. "You need me." She glances up at Will. "Will, could you go out there and start organizing the wounded? Once Kay is asleep, you can stitch her up; I'll stay here with her until then."

"All right. Here, Red. Drink this."

A warm mug is pressed into my hand and I drink greedily. Almost immediately, I feel my aches begin to ease.

"Better?" Will asks.

I nod, blinking sleepily at him, unable to wipe the smile from my face. He chuckles softly at my expression and brushes my cheek with his thumb before he leaves, closing the door of the infirmary softly behind him.

My mind is still a flurry of questions, despite the effects of the medicine.

"Where did the airship come from?" I ask.

Meg gives an indelicate snort of laughter. "That was all Will. He convinced the airfield soldiers to join our cause some time ago, and they lifted the ship this morning."

"How industrious," I murmur, marvelling at Will's ability to surprise me.

"He has quite the aptitude for battle," Meg remarks, stroking my arm absently. "I was thinking I should give him command of the army. I would like to take a negotiation tactic with the Wastelanders, but we could use someone like him if we had to fight. What do you think?"

I blink, wondering what I missed. Of course, Will would make a fantastic commander, but I am only just now registering the fact that by killing the King, we have taken on a war. The thought terrifies me but Meg, with all the responsibility on her slim shoulders, seems to be taking it in stride, already soldiering toward the next phase.

"I think that is a great idea," I tell her, meaning it.

The pillow is cool and soft beneath my cheek and I begin to slip into a comfortable darkness. There is the lightest brush of Meg's lips against my hot forehead and I sigh in contentment.

"Thank you. For everything," she whispers.

I murmur my own thanks and nestle snugly into the clean sheets, finally home.