Cade keeps one hand beneath my elbow, steadying me as I rush up the spiral staircase to the fourth floor. My leg begins to stiffen as I climb but I push through with a single-minded intention: to get to Meg.

The guard stationed outside the door of Meg's room seems tired but at-ease. She shoots me a friendly smile as the door opens on silent hinges and I am finally admitted into the sun-lit bedroom.

Meg is propped-up against the pillows, talking quietly with the young maid adjusting her bedsheets. She glances up when I come in, relief settling over her pale features. Her normally bright eyes are sunken and her voluminous black hair is flat, sticking to her forehead, but she is awake. And she is alive.

"My Kay." Her voice is scratchy with disuse and causes moisture to pinprick behind my eyes.

Cade remains respectfully in the doorway and accepts my crutch when I hand it to him. The maid brushes by me on her way out, joining Cade in the hall and pulling the door closed quietly behind them. I hop on one leg over to Meg's bed, climbing up onto the plush mattress and sinking down into the cushions, careful not to jostle her.

"I was so scared, Meg." I whisper as her cool fingers settle in my tangled hair, absentmindedly smoothing the strands away from my face.

She shushes me before sighing heavily, her breaths falling into a soothing rhythm. We remain that way for a long while, dozing intermittently as the sun gradually paints her spacious bedchamber varying hues of white and pale gold.

"Does it hurt?" I ask, after a time.

"Not really. A little sore but mostly it's just numb." She rolls her shoulder back, grimacing slightly. "How about you?"

"I'm fine. I wasn't the one playing Sleeping Beauty for three days." I tilt my head up to look at her. "I hope you are feeling rested by now."

She laughs softly. "Don't take this the wrong way, sweet friend, but you've looked better." Her brow wrinkles in concern as she cups my chin and turns my head this way and that. I roll my eyes impatiently, jerking away.

"It's a good thing that I was never much of a looker to begin with." I finger my busted lip, noting that the swelling has gone down a fair amount. I wonder what Meg would have to say if she saw me three days ago when I had one arm hanging limp and useless and one leg propped up on pillows.

"Your charming personality shall always compensate for your bloody scrapes." She presses one of the bruises on my forehead playfully, laughing again when I cry out and swat her away.

"You are clearly feeling better." I remark as I rub my head, attempting a scowl but unable to keep the grateful smile from pulling at my lips.

"I'm told that I have Jaron's medicine man to thank for that."

"Cade." I indicate the crackling dressing covering my knee. "He fixed me up as well."

"What is that?" She wrinkles her nose.

"I'm not entirely sure." I bend my knee experimentally, grinning up at her in triumph. "It smells horrible but it did the trick."

I scoot further up on the bed, indicating that she should lean forward while I peek at the dressing on her back. Her shoulder is also covered by a strange green leaf and boasts its own unique aroma.

"How does it look?" She asks.

"Hard to say." I bite my lip, pretending to consider. "Were you always covered in scales?"

She gasps and grapples madly at her back, yelping at the movement.

"I'm kidding!" I laugh, pushing her hands away. I settle back down against the cushions so that we are sitting side by side, leaning up against one another.

She sighs, resting her head on top of mine. "So, what happened?"

I begin with talking about Rowan's part in everything and how it was Jaron and Luca who managed to subdue her in the alleyway. I tell her about Rowan's confession, how it was Grayson who blackmailed her into attempting to assassinate Meg. Meg inhales audibly at this, her breaths turning ragged.

I grip her hand. "It doesn't matter." I insist. "He's just some petty former Courtier trying to regain a false sense of glory. He's nothing."

"He wants me dead, Kay. And he nearly succeeded."

"Not nearly. Not by a long shot." I squeeze her fingers with mine.

She doesn't respond immediately, lost in her own thoughts. "I suppose I owe Jaron a debt for everything he's done for me."

"That isn't even the half of it." I continue excitedly. "He brought his people to the City. All of them. They're helping to rebuild the Wall as we speak."

She stares at me, her blue eyes wide and unblinking. "My gods." She finally manages to breathe.

"It's amazing, Meg. Their warriors have joined up with our army and they're all training under Will. They are teaching Marc about the mechanics of their giant weapons and Cade is showing our physicians how he uses herbs to heal."

She shakes her head back and forth, disbelieving. "This is incredible."

"We are really a force to be reckoned with now." I continue fiercely. "Waster ingenuity combined with Miner technology. Whoever this 'Madam' person is, she has a lot to answer to."

Meg scoffs slightly and her hand flies to her mouth at the sound. I swivel to face her. "What?"

"It's nothing." Her cheeks have coloured a pale pink. "It's just... I see now why Jaron went to so much trouble to help me."

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, Kay. We can't very well refuse to help the Wasters recover their people now, can we? Not after all this." A tiny, sad smile hovers near her lips. "Jaron knows how to recognize an opportunity, I will give him that."

"I think there is more to it." I think back to the look on Jaron's face when Meg lay bleeding in that wretched alley.

"Perhaps he has some semblance of a conscience but I am inclined to believe otherwise. A chief who casts his own people out into the wilds does not make softhearted decisions." She drums her fingers thoughtfully against her chin. "Trust me, Jaron is shrewd."

I huff, unimpressed with her less-than-romantic take on the entire situation.

"What of Rowan? And Penn?" She asks, interrupting my thoughts.

"They're going to be executed." I reply tonelessly.

Her jaw tightens. "Charming." Shaking her head. "That just proves my point. The man has no heart whatsoever."

"They did try to kill you." I point out.

"Rowan was trying to protect someone she loves. She confessed and told us about Grayson; I think that should count for something."

"She wasn't precisely forthright with the details." My protests are half-hearted. As much as I despise Rowan, I don't want to see her killed.

"I need to speak with Jaron." Meg says suddenly, startling me.

"Right now?"

"No! I mean, eventually." She touches her limp hair self-consciously. "I want to thank him and hash out this whole 'alliance' business." By her tone I can tell that she is still doubtful about the Waster chief's intentions.

"I know the Wasters, particularly Luca, are extremely anxious for us to speak with Grayson." I am impressed that Luca has managed to sit tight for the past few days but I wouldn't want to push his tenuous self-control much further. "With any luck he will be able to tell us where we can find the Madam and the missing Wasters."

"I'll need you and Will to come up with a plan for how to handle that." She watches me carefully.

I stifle a groan, keeping my face blank. "No problem."

She doesn't let me off the hook so easily. "What is going on between you two?"

"Nothing." I answer quickly before taking a breath. "There is absolutely nothing going on. He is an egotistical control freak and I'm sick of trying to work through our differences when he is completely unwilling to change." I bite down on my tongue, annoyed at myself for divulging so much.

She nods slowly, her eyes never leaving my face. "I see. So, he's the problem?"

"Yes." Shaking my head. "I mean, no." I feel my cheeks redden and scratch at the dressing on my knee. "It's complicated."

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Honestly, I'm just fed up with people worrying about me and telling me what to do." I forcefully blow out air between my teeth. "I want to be left alone. I want to be free to do whatever I want without feeling guilty for once."

She waits several moments before replying, ever-diplomatic as she carefully selects her words. "That sounds ominous. I'm fairly certain that Will was the only one keeping your feet on the ground." She nudges me with her elbow playfully but her eyes are concerned. "Figuratively speaking, of course."

I shrug her off. "Where I place my feet is no ones business but my own."

"Are you going to be able to work with him?"

"Absolutely." I say with more enthusiasm than necessary. "You have nothing to worry about. Figuring out what Grayson is hiding is much more important than whatever issues Will and I have."

"I'll hold you to that." She arches a brow, considering me as I fight the urge to squirm under her cool gaze.

I am saved from further questioning by a light tapping against the door. Meg calls out and Sera peeks her head inside, smiling widely before shouldering her way through the door, her arms laden with a tray full of food. My stomach gurgles in response and I sit up straighter, eyeing the tray as Sera places it on a table next to the bed.

"What...is that?" I peer at the dish, wrinkling my nose when the aroma hits my nostrils.

"Cade prepared it for you." Sera doesn't bother to hide her amusement at serving congealed herbal broth to the Queen. "He insisted that it would speed up the healing process."

"How do we know that he isn't simply concocting this dredge for his own amusement?" I accept a bowl when Sera hands it to me, passing it over to Meg who sniffs experimentally.

"I think we've come too far to start questioning our Wastelander brethren now, don't you?" Meg taps her bowl against mine. "Bottoms up."

* * * * *

"Are you sure this is all we need?" I look doubtfully at the two saddled horses while groomsmen attach our packs to their saddles.

Will shrugs his shoulders into a jacket, pushing the sleeves up his forearms. "This is it."

"You aren't even wearing your uniform." There is something comforting about seeing him out of the sand-coloured pants and jacket I've become accustomed to. In a white collarless shirt and suede pants he looks like the man who first pulled me from the wall, who quizzed me for hours on Palace customs while we were ensconced inside his shabby apartment.

"Grayson doesn't know we're coming. If we show up in the Outer City fully outfitted with the Queen's guard and an army of Wasters he is going to suspect that our visit is less than friendly." Will checks over our horses, testing the tightness of the cinch and that our packs are secured.

I roll my eyes at his sarcasm, patting my horse absentmindedly. The animal whickers softly at my touch, nostrils flaring as it noses around for a treat.

"How's the leg?" Will's voice interrupts my thoughts.

"Better than ever." I demonstrate by jumping up and down in place, grinning broadly at the release of pent-up energy. "I could run to the Outer City and be there well before you."

He laughs. "I don't doubt that, but your horse would be disappointed."

"All right then, I'll ride." I sigh, feigning disappointment. "But just know that I'm doing this for old Ladybird here, and not for you."

I look up when he doesn't respond. His eyes are trained elsewhere and he gestures behind me. "We have company."

Turning, I see Jaron and Luca striding across the yard towards us, opposing expressions on their faces.

"Come to see us off?" I direct my question to Luca, standing with my arms crossed.

He opens his mouth to reply but Jaron interrupts him. "We came to wish you luck on your journey."

"You make it sound as though we are circumventing the desert." I uncross my arms. "The Outer City is less than an hour's ride from here."

"A journey can mean more than destination." Jaron replies, a small twitch pulling at his cheek. "I have every faith that you will return with the information you seek."

"I should be going with you." Luca blurts out and his brother places a heavy hand on his shoulder in warning. Luca shrugs him off.

"I just finished explaining to Kay that we are traveling light so as to not draw any undue suspicion." Will tells him, his tone clipped.

I am a bit more understanding. "No offence meant towards your choice of fashion, Luca, but you appear nothing but suspicious." I quirk a smile at him.

His jaw tightens. "Then you must be quick."

"We will." I assure him. "Don't get too used to this cushy Palace lifestyle, gentlemen. Soon we will be on our way to Noah."

Luca appears pained but Jaron offers a cordial nod. "Safe travels."

Will and the Waster chief exchange a brief handshake before Will swings into his saddle, looking down at me. "Are you ready?"

I respond by heaving myself smoothly upwards, settling into the uncomfortable seat atop Ladybird. "Let's go."

We wave at the brothers as we set out, heading through the Palace gates and towards the Wall. Our horses' heavy tread claps against the worn, stone pathways as we travel through the former districts, spiralling outwards. City streets eventually give way to the Wall's gaping gate, left open so the Wasters and Miners rebuilding the Wall can pass in and out. We find Marc on the other side of the Wall where he and several Wasters are gathered around a piece of colossal Waster weaponry. Marc shoots us his trademark dimpled grin as we ride by, shouting out encouragements of luck.

Once we are in the open desert I draw my horse up next to Will's. He glances over at me, chuckling under his breath as I squirm, trying to find a comfortable position on the saddle.

"Having some trouble?" He asks, appearing completely at ease atop his own horse.

I shoot him a look as I scoot further up in my seat. "I don't see how you can prefer this unnatural method of travel when you have two perfectly good feet."

"Unnatural? People have been riding horses for hundreds, if not thousands of years."

"That inclination must have passed me over." I groan as I stand up in the stirrups, allowing my poor backside a moment of relief.

"Personally, if I am out in the middle of the desert I would rather have something else doing the walking for me." Will leans forward to pat his horse on the head fondly.

"Not me. The Wasters seem to manage fine without such luxuries."

He looks over at me curiously. "Could you live the way a Waster does?"

I wrinkle my brow, giving his question some serious thought. The City has been my home for my entire life. Everyone I have ever known or loved has hailed from within its fortress-like walls. I know all its secrets; every hidden alcove and alleyway. The roofs are my own personal domain, affording me a level of freedom and flight unlike anything the barren Wastelands has to offer. Could I exist anywhere else?

"I don't know." I answer honestly. "I suppose I could, if I had to."

"Fake it 'til you make it." He replies, almost to himself. We ride in silence for several minutes, each lost in our own thoughts until he speaks up again. "What happened while you were at the Waster camp?"

"What do you mean?"

"Those two days you were gone are a complete mystery to me." He studies me carefully. "I imagined some really terrible scenarios but you must have thrived there, since you returned with some new friends." He keeps his tone light but I can sense the strain behind the question.

Guilt tugs at me. Those two innocuous, eventful days when Will was stranded on a dune and I was racing below and aboveground, learning the ways of the Wasters and fighting my way through the abandoned tube. Two days was all it took to forge an impassable rift between us.

So I tell him. I describe the camp and the oasis, relating some details but leaving out others, like climbing the tree and surfing down the side of a dune. He listens raptly, clenching his jaw when I tell him about sneaking onto the stranger's airship and finding the cages and the map to Pic dil Cir. As I talk I find myself relaxing despite the unnatural swaying of the horse and her uncomfortable saddle. Outside, free of the City walls and with the afternoon sun baking down on our shoulders we are able to lapse back into our easy camaraderie.

When I finish he is shaking his head slightly and running a hand over his scruffy head. "You never cease to amaze me, Kay."

I feel myself colour slightly and reach for my flask of water. "Perhaps one day you will realize that I am more than capable of taking care of myself."

I take a sip and hand the flask to him. He accepts it and turns away from me, hiding the expression on his face. "Perhaps one day you will be grateful to have someone looking out for you."

I can't think of a response to that.

By the time the gates of the Outer City swim into view our horses' necks are slick with sweat. We plod across the soft sand, keeping our voices low while we go over the plan for talking to Grayson one last time. My heart begins to hammer in my chest as the shadows cast by the Outer City loom over us. I grimace as I struggle to sit up straight, rolling my shoulders back and offering a quick prayer of thanks to the gods that soon my feet will be back on the ground.

Will waves at the guards standing atop the Outer City wall and the gate swings open to admit us, the aged wood creaking on its hinges. I take one last breath as we steer our horses through the entrance, pasting a smile on my face and once again preparing to play a part.

New city, old tricks.