"Another message from Finaqua." Lilith said as Zero walked into her tent.

"What is it?"

"Princess DG has also left the castle."

He looked sharply at her. "When?"

"Last evening." Lilith half-smiled. "My source tells me that the guards tracked three sets of hoof prints up the lane that leads north towards Central City, but that the trail was lost when they veered off into the woods."

"Who went with her?"

"The Viewer and the son of the Tin Man." Lilith cocked her head at him. "Does this change our plan? The disarmed princess would be easier to capture."

"But capturing both of the princesses would be even better." Zero told himself that he was being practical, that he wasn't suggesting this just so he could go after Cain himself. "We've already started moving south. We keep to the objective."

In order to increase the odds of catching up with Cain, Grant, and the princess, Zero had convinced Stribog to let him lead a small group of Suketian warriors towards Central City. The eight of them, including Lilith and Zero, traveled by night, hiding from the unforgiving glare of the suns when they crested the horizon.

Lilith studied him. "I do hope your feelings are clearer than they were last time."

"I'll send word to the Long Coats operating in the north to apprehend Princess DG and her companions. They should be able to do that."

Lilith came forward and undid the top button on the restrictive collar of his Long Coat uniform. "Must you go?"

"I'm afraid so." Zero replied. "Someone has to lead this coup."

"When will you be back?"

"I'll rejoin you before nightfall."

She looked distastefully through the thin canvas at the sunlight before reaching into her robes and pulling out a thin, blue vial. "To sustain you."

Taking the bottle, he smiled. "I long for the days when we must no longer do this."

"Those days are coming, my love."

"If all goes to plan . . ."

She wrapped her thin, pale arms around his neck. "It is a good plan."

"It won't be long, now." He pulled the stopper from the bottle and drank, feeling the contents blaze a cold trail down his throat.

Orianah put a hand to her head and tried to rub out the tension. She was supposed to be reviewing the latest damage reports, but instead, she found herself rereading her daughter's letter. There had to be something, anything that explained why DG had done this and where she had gone.

But there was nothing. Only a "please, understand," and an "I love you both so much," before DG had signed the letter. Orianah closed her eyes. There was so much evil in this world, and now her youngest daughter was out in it with no magic to keep her safe.

A gentle knock issued from the doorway of her study. She looked up to find Ahamo standing in the there. "I haven't seen you since breakfast."

She motioned him in. Ahamo closed the door behind him as Orianah handed him one of the reports. She said in a low voice. "The troops that I sent north were hit last night. Nine men dead, forty others wounded."

Ahamo skimmed the reports. "We kept this under wraps."

"Just you and I and General Ritnik knew about it until right before the deployment. It seems you were right, my love, there is a traitor in out midst. And, most likely, right here in Finaqua. I won't rule out a leak along the chain of command, though."

"I wish that I was wrong, dear."

"That's not all." She held up two more reports. "There have been more abductions, both in the north and the south."

"The enemy is everywhere."

"Indeed. And, unfortunately, there are very little resources availible to deal with them." Orianah slapped the papers down in frustration. "Most of the Royal Army is green recruits and there are only 5,000 of them. There are only a handful of Tin Men and they are busy enough restoring order to the cities. I can't keep my people safe."

"We have to keep trying."

"We have no idea who to trust." Orianah insisted. "Anyone of our staff or the guards could be a spy. And undoubtedly, they have relayed that the girls are no longer at Finaqua."

Ahamo came forward and wrapped her in a warm hug. "Our girls are resourceful. And they have friends with them."

Anger rose a bit in the Queen. "Commander Cain should have stopped DG."

"Maybe he tried. Maybe he went after her."

"With Raw? One of them should have woken us."

"It's hard to keep up with DG when she gets a thought in her head. And whatever thought made her leave like that must have been pretty important." Her husband nudged her. "She's stubborn. Like her mother."

Orianah tried to give him a nasty look, but was too sick with worry to pull it off.

"My love," he settled more comfortably on his knees beside her chair. "What's done is done. All we can do is trust that Ambrose and Cain will keep Azkadellia out of trouble and that Jeb and Raw will do the same for DG. They'll come back to us."

Orianah felt her paranoia lessen to a degree. "And in the meantime?"

"We work the problem from our end. We need to move recruit training along at a bit of a quicker pace. And we need to track down this spy."

Orianah smiled. "I think I may have an idea on how to do that."

Ahamo grinned broadly. "I'm all ears."

"Are you still with us, Princess?"

Yawning, Azkadellia nodded. Cain had shaken her awake as the sky was just lightening, telling her that he had warned her when she wanted to tag along.

She wondered how much sleep the Tin Man had gotten. Ambrose and Cain had fought over who was going to take the first watch. Shockingly, it had been Ambrose that had won when he had told Cain that keeling over on guard duty was not going to keep any of them safe. Grumbling something about a "low blow" the Tin Man had made himself comfortable against the trunk of a tree, draped his duster over his torso, and pulled his hat down over his eyes.

A few hours later, Azkadellia had been awakened by Cain mumbling and thrashing violently in his sleep. Ambrose stood not far off, watching his friend with concern until Cain jerked awake and gave him a dirty look. With a tone that left no room for argument, he declared he was taking the watch. He never woke Azkadellia to have her take over.

She was beginning to wonder what he was running on. She didn't know Cain well, but he seemed paler than when they had started on this journey. He had also been picking at and playing with his food at the campfire. As Azkadellia could recall, she hadn't seen him eat at all the day before. No wonder DG worried about this man constantly.

Ahead, Ambrose had stopped his horse. "I think we have a problem."

Cain glanced at Azkadellia before urging his horse forward. She followed and pulled up beside Ambrose and the Tin Man at the edge of the forest.

In front of them lay the small town of Ruxton, a fairly generic brand of small town that dotted the O.Z.. A grassy lane served as the main street and lining it were a grocer, a livery, and various establishments that served the people of the town and the surrounding farmers. Here and there small houses were interspersed among the businesses.

All were deserted. The stillness was eerie and unnatural. Azkadellia felt a shiver go down her spine as she waited for someone to walk out of the apothecary or a child to run into the lane.

"So you see any signs?" Ambrose asked as he stood in his stirrups to look around.

Signs of what? Azkadellia wondered, but Cain seemed to understand. "No, this isn't an artificial intelligence settlement like Milltown. Look." He pointed to the churned earth and the smashed glass from a nearby window. Broken boards and other debris littered the street. "There was a fight of some sort. Looks like the Long Coats have been through."

"I'm still getting a bad vibe." Glitch said.

"Yeah, me too." Cain backed his horse up a few steps. "Let's get out of here."

Suddenly, Ambrose was wrenched from his saddle as Azkadellia felt a strong arm wrap around her waist. With a violent jerk, she was pulled from her horse, the reins biting into her fingers as she tried to hold on. When she hit the ground, strong hands pinned her arms to her back.

As the horses bolted away, she could see Cain and Ambrose were in a situation similar to her own. They were being held by two men apiece. One reached around and slid Cain's revolver from its holster.

Azkadellia's brain worked overtime. These weren't Long Coats. These were civilians, inhabitants of the town. Most were dressed in the garb of craftsmen or farmers, but there were many torn and bloodstained shirts. More were coming from the protection of the bushes, many of them women with empty looks and wild hair. There were a few children that looked lost against the adults that held them close. She put the total headcount at about twenty.

A tall, stocky man with red hair and a long, unkempt beard stepped up to Cain. "State your business."

"Just passing through." The Tin Man said evenly.

"To where?"

"Totten." There was no waiver. Cain had said it as though it were perfectly true.

"Jason," one of the men holding Azkadellia called to the man. He had gray hair and brown eyes. "Take a look at this one."

The man left Cain and started towards her. As he approached his green eyes narrowed and Azkadellia could feel the rage building in him. She had been recognized.

Having never been hit before, she didn't know quite how to take it. She made a mental note to go with the blow next time. As she hit the ground, Azkadellia could taste the blood in her mouth. Cain was yelling and both of her companions struggling against their captors.

"Come to survey your handiwork, have you?" Jason grabbed the back of her shirt as she made it to her hands and knees and hauled her back to her feet. He had a hold on the front of her shirt, his face inches from her's. "You think a little disguise would save you? Sorry, Witch, but I'll never forget your face as long as I live."

He threw her back to her captors and she bit her lip to keep from crying out as their fingers dug deep into her flesh. A feeling of guilt washed over her. How had she wronged this man in her long years of servitude to the Witch?

"Where's your magic?" One of the men whispered mockingly in her ear. "Show us how great and terrible you are."

"I-I can't." It was true. She would not raise a hand against these people.

"Haven't you heard? She's been redeemed." Jason spat. "I never believed that. Never will. Where are they?"

Azkadellia felt herself trembling. "I don't know what you mean."

Jason grabbed her chin roughly and pulled her around to look at him. "I'm not playing games! Where did they take them?"

Azkadellia gritted her teeth. "You have to understand. . ."

"I have to understand?" Jason bellowed. "I do understand ten years in a Moritanium mine. I understand watching my brothers die at your hand. And I understand my son is missing, taken by your Long Coats."

"They're not under my command." Azkadellia replied. "I am on an errand for my mother. . ."

"The great Queen of the O.Z.?" Jason said it with a tone that clearly implied that Orianah was not his favorite person in the world, either. "Who is doing such a wonderful job restoring peace and order to the Realm?"

"It takes time." Cain's voice was still calm. "I know what happened here…"

"You know nothing!" A man yelled from the crowd as one of the captors punched Cain in the stomach to quiet him. "You who serve the Witch!"

Jason was back at Azkadellia again. "Where are they?"

She hung her head. "If I knew, I swear I'd tell you."

He was silent for a few seconds, just hating her. "Then we have no further use for you."

With that he jerked his head towards the town. "It's only right that we show you the same courtesy that you showed my brothers. Public lynching is a favorite of yours, isn't it?"

Azkadellia felt her stomach churn. Gods, she hated those days the most. The sound of the lever being pulled and the floor falling would haunt her until the end of her life. Which seemed to be arriving fairly quickly.

Azkadellia felt the will drain from her body as ropes were found to bind her hands. The men holding her began to drag her down the main street and she hung her head. A victorious cry went up. These people would have revenge, they would have justice.

And perhaps it would be for the best if she just let them. She was guilty. She should have been stronger. Everything that happened was because of her. There had to be more she could have done. There had to be.

She felt herself being lifted and raised her head. The two men holding her were lifting her onto the back of a brown horse. The group had moved beneath a tall old tree and beside her, a young man was swinging a rope. As she watched, he let it fly and it arced gracefully over a low, thick branch. The noose hit her in the shoulder as Jason reached up to grab her. None too gently, he pulled her over so that he could slide the rope around her neck.

She could see Cain and Glitch. Both men were battered and bloodied from their repeated attempts at escape. The Tin Man's revolver was now trained on Ambrose. That and the fact that he could barely stand at this point were the only things keeping him quiet. He stared at her intently, as if he was waiting for her to make her move.

There wouldn't be one.

Jason was talking to the little group. "For every wrong done to the people of O.Z., we find the Witch guilty." His cold, green eyes moved to Ambrose and Cain. "And all those who assist her are guilty as well."

Something snapped in Azkadellia. Guilt by association? More blood on her hands? Cain seemed to realize that she had given up and was once again struggling. Ambrose was shouting that this was an injustice and that they needed to talk.

Two more good people were going to die because of her.

Stop the killing. . .

Her senses flared as the light filled her. Everything seemed to slow down as Jason moved to the horse's flank. She saw his arm move as he raised his arm, her the blow fall on the horse's rump and felt the animal lurch beneath her. She was falling.

Her concentration spilt. The rope above her snapped and the ropes that bound her hands loosened and fell away. Azkadellia dropped to a knee and directed her magic towards Cain and Ambrose. The men holding them were knocked back and a glowing orb of protection appeared around them just as Azkadellia threw up one around herself.

For a few seconds, the only sound was the steady hum of Azkadellia's magic. Making sure the shpere was steady and unwavering, she turned her attention to Jason.

The man had stepped back in shock, but was now glaring. "Clever Witch, but you can't keep that up forever."

"I-" Azkadellia drew herself up to her full, regal height and returned his hard look. "Am not a witch. "I am Princess Azkadellia of the House of Gayle and daughter to the Queen Orianah and Ahamo, Lord of the Realm." She paused, feeling a bit of DG in her next words. "And you just might be surprised how long I can keep this up."

"You may get away." Jason seethed. "But I'll find you, I swear it. You'll pay for what you've done."

"I've already paid enough for something that wasn't my fault." Azkadellia replied, feeling herself trembling with rage. "You stand there and preach to me about your pain. I tell you that I know that pain. I understand it in a way that you could never understand mine."

"How dare you-"

"How dare you. I have had to watch a loved one perish." Tears burned behind her eyes as she thought back fifteen annuals ago. "I had to watch my sister's life light taken from her."

The man remained unmoved. "And yet you destroyed the lives of so many others."

"I did not. The Witch that possessed and used me did."

"My life was stolen!" The frustration came out as Jason gestured to the crowd. "And their lives."

"Then why can't you understand that my life was stolen from me?" Azkadellia asked, surprising herself with her unwavering voice. "Maybe you can understand what it is like to be locked away and watch as all that you love and have worked for is destroyed.

"Now imagine that the keys to your prison are just beyond your grasp. You know you can stop it, if you can just get free." Azkadellia looked down. "But you can't. And you watch as everything you hold dear is obliterated."

"But your family has always been so strong," said a pale, brown-haired woman in the crowd. "We believed in the House of Gayle."

"Believe again." Azkadellia said. "It was the light of my family that vanquished the Witch.

"I'll make you a deal." Azkadellia turned back to Jason as she lowered the magic around herself. "Cain and Ambrose go free. You can do as you see fit with me."

"No!" Cain bounced off of the shield that still protected him, for the first time realizing that Azkadellia was keeping him in place as much as protecting him.

"What?" Jason asked in disbelief before the hard edge returned. "You'll just use your magic to save yourself."

"I'm tired of running. And I'm tired of making apologies for something I didn't do. If you think killing me will make it all right again, then draw your knife and let's be done with it."

Azkadellia stood tall. She wasn't afraid anymore. She refused to be. For the first time, she felt truly free of the Witch. She was going to live her life so as to honor her family and lineage with bravery and honor.

Even if it was only for anther ten seconds.

Jason looked at her, appraisingly. "You'd do that for your friends?"

Friends? What an odd concept. She looked at the two men she still held. Ambrose was so close to the barrier that his nose was nearly touching it. She caught and held his gaze as she answered solidly. "Without question."

"I won't raise my knife against you." There was still mistrust, but he backed away.

"Jason," a young man with long brown hair and green eyes called from the crowd. "Someone must pay!"

He didn't look away from Azkadellia. "I won't raise a weapon against someone that would lay down their life for another. It's not possible to be evil and selfless."

Jason's role as leader held and his reasoning was accepted as he backed away. With a gesture from him, the others retreated, some more slowly than others. Cain's revolver was laid beside him in the grass. There were still faces contorted in hate as they left, but leave they did.

"Jason!" Azkadellia called. He was the last to head back towards the bushes. "If he's alive, I'll find your son."

He turned. There was no hope on his face. "I still won't forgive you."

"I didn't ask you to."

The man turned to go, but paused once more. "His name is Brock." And then he was gone.

Azkadellia released Cain and Ambrose and then felt her knees buckle beneath her. The two men were beside her in an instant. "Are you all right?"

She couldn't hide the surprise when she realized it was Ambrose that had asked. "I'm fine. You two look terrible."

"We're tougher than we look." Cain gently grasped her chin and tilted it so he could examine the cut to her mouth. "Just do me a favor from now on, Princess."

"What?"

"Don't offer yourself up to a man with homicidal intentions any more on this trip?" There was a hint of a smile under the irritated façade. "It makes my job a little harder."

"It was very brave," Ambrose added. "I don't know how you did it."

Azkadellia smiled warmly. "I don't know either."