Author's Note: Thank you to all my readers, reviewers, and subscribers.

Of Light

Chapter Thirty Seven

- The Wilds of the West -

Cain kept the mare at a steady canter, putting as much distance behind them as possible. The mare, maybe sensing that the journey was coming to a close, responded readily to Cain's commands. He was developing a soft spot for the beast underneath of him and was considering keeping her as his own; he was sure there would be a stable outside of Central City where he'd be able to rent out lodging and care for her.

This was how his mind had begun to wander with the promise of safety and home. Other things crossed his mind, as the unconscious girl in his arms leaned against him, her soft breathing warm against his neck. Any thoughts concerning his princess, however, he pushed away quickly. The helpless girl he'd held, though the same person, did not compare to the raging tempest that had battled beside him, and yes, he was even man enough to admit she'd saved his life... more than once now.

So he stuck to thinking about the horse, keeping his eyes peeled for signs of the army. Or Longcoats, though Andrus had said the way was clear.

It had been easy to find the way back to the road in the failing light, but he had to slow his mount down to a walk after the second sun had sunk down behind the mountains. Travel became slow, though the mare did not seem to mind; she walked forward with stubborn purpose, somehow sensing the direction of home.

Cain estimated more than three hours passing before he finally met up with the military escort the general had mentioned. Two army transport trucks sat parked where the road Cain traveled intersected with a larger thoroughfare. The headlamps were ablaze, cutting through the now-full darkness and illuminating the direction from which he came. With those lights he saw them long before they saw him, so he tugged on the reins for the mare to stop.

"DG," he muttered, giving her a bit of a shake. A low growl emitted from her throat.

"Sleeping," she mumbled, almost incoherently.

"No, you gotta wake up and make a bit of an appearance, darlin'," he said as gently as he could.

Her eyes flew open at that, and she pushed against him, realizing she'd been cradled against his chest like a child; if it weren't for his arm securely around her waist, she might have overbalanced and fallen right to the ground. "How long was I out?" she asked him. Looking down at her, he could tell she was struggling to keep her grip on consciousness; even the pommel pressing into her tailbone didn't seem enough to keep her awake.

"Couple hours. There's an army escort," he said. DG tried to sit up a little straighter, and her eyes focused on the blazing lights of the trucks in the distance. A grin spread across her face, happy but lazy.

"We made it."

Cain couldn't help but chuckle. "We aren't in Central City yet, Deege."

She made a disbelieving 'pfft', her teeth sinking into her deliciously pale bottom lip. "Close enough, Tin Man," she said. Supporting herself with an arm around his neck, she placed her opposite hand on his jaw, tipping his head towards hers. The kiss she placed on his lips, a mere brush, was soft and wholly restrained. She trembled in his arms, her every movement weak; she was still drained from their final encounter with the Commander's forces, and it showed in everything she did. Or, perhaps, he was more attuned to her than he should be...

"Don't you dare leave me," she muttered as she pulled away. "Stay with me until we get home."

Cain was surprised. Did she think that he would just hand her over to her mother's soldiers, and be on his way? Never, he wanted to assure her, but he didn't know what words would reach through the mire of exhaustion that surrounded her. So, instead of speaking, he leaned into her to kiss her again, pulling her closer into the shelter of his arms. His mouth worked against hers with shameless abandon; the kiss deepened quickly and she moaned into his mouth, the sweet, familiar touch of her tongue sweeping against his. When he pulled away, her grin was back and she certainly looked more aware.

"What was that for?" she asked, her blue eyes searching his, the smile on her face almost skipping with glee.

"Gonna be a while before I can do that again," was all he told her. The happiness in her face collapsed, leaving her completely awake in the truth and reality of his words. He handed her the reins, making sure she had herself balanced properly before swinging his leg over the back of the horse and climbing down out of the saddle. He helped her settle herself down, readjusted the stirrups for her legs, before taking the reins away from her once again.

Cain gently guided the horse forwards into the light cast by the two vehicles. It did not take long for the soldiers to notice the pair as they approached.

"Stop!" someone called out.

"I am a friend," Cain returned by way of a greeting. The damn lights were near blinding. He held his hands up at chest level, not letting go of the reins he held.

Two men walked forward, rifles raised and aimed directly at him. "State your business, traveler," one of the men shouted hoarsely.

"I have someone here that requires deliverin' to Central City."

"I'm not a package," DG said indignantly from behind him. Cain did his best to ignore her, keeping his focus on the two men with rifles aimed at his chest.

One of the men, the one that hadn't spoken, lowered the barrel of his firearm ever so slightly. "Captain Cain?" Before he could respond, the man gave a jubilant shout. "It's the princess!"

The two men rushed forward, one taking the reins from Cain and grabbing the mare by the bridle. The second, whom Cain was surprised to see was Pvt. Burrows, reached out to shake Cain's hand; Cain took only a moment with the gesture before turning to help DG out of the saddle he'd just helped her into. When her feet hit the ground, her knees immediately buckled, and she fell against Cain. He caught her easily, and smirked down at her as she smiled apologetically up at him.

"Your Highness," Burrows said respectfully, bowing his head. DG waved him off. "What happened?" Burrows asked, directing his question more to the captain than to the princess.

"Had a run in with a group of the Commander's soldiers," Cain said shortly. DG was going to need help walking. "I'm not sayin' anymore until the debriefing. She's gonna need somewhere to lay down."

Burrows thought for a moment. "Best we're going to be able to do is make a bed in the back of one of the trucks. In the flatbed, though, mind you."

DG's gaze narrowed at the private. "I've been on a horse for almost two days. The flatbed is fine." She drew out the last word until it slipped away on a breath.

Ten minutes later, Cain was helping DG into the canvas covered flatbed of the transport truck. She crawled in gratefully, thanking the soldiers with thin mumbles; she collapsed onto the blanket Cain had extracted from the saddle bag for her. Whether she fell asleep right away or not, he wasn't sure.

A young corporal was trying to grab his attention. "Sir, we weren't expecting you to have a horse," the young man said.

Cain looked around; the soldiers were getting ready to leave. In all, there were six soldiers, and two drivers for the trucks. He sighed. It had already been brought to his attention that his rank as captain put all eight men underneath of him. "Put your best rider on her. Where is the nearest settlement?"

"I think Loamwarren, sir."

"Have him ride there, then. One of the stables will surely put up one of her Majesty's beasts." Cain's eyebrows lifted. The corporal nodded his understanding; the good old fashioned little white lie.

Cain considered asking the young soldier if there was any news, but knew that he'd only hear what he'd heard from Andrus on the ridge; Azkadellia and the Queen had been found in the early hours of Friday morning, and his son was now safe at the palace. That was all he really needed to know until they got to the city.

"Let's go, men!" Cain called out, wanting to get moving as fast as possible. He looked directly at the two drivers. "We stop for nothin' and no one, you hear me?" The drivers nodded, unruffled, used to such orders.

He climbed up onto the flatbed and lowered the canvas flap; he secured into place with two ties, and then crawled to sit with his back against the wooden box of the flatbed. DG lay beside him, and when he looked down at her, he was surprised to see those wide, blue eyes staring back at him.

"Why're you still awake?" he asked her gently. "I figured you to be passed out cold by now."

DG rolled her eyes. "It's kinda hard to relax." The truck grumbled to life and lurched forward, finding a steady pace quickly, bouncing and jostling over the uneven road.

"Get some sleep, DG. There'll be plenty to do once we get to Central City."

DG blinked slowly; though he was sure she didn't mean the gesture seductively, the flutter of her eyelashes shot straight through him. "How long until we get there?" She snuggled closer to his leg, resting her head upon his thigh. Her arm reached over so her fingertips brushed over his other thigh, tracing shapes and patterns and words. Cain leaned back his head, closing his eyes.

"At least eight hours, DG. Maybe ten, dependin' on the road and the driver."

He heard her sigh contentedly as she nuzzled her face into his leg. They were in next to complete darkness, in the second vehicle that followed the first, only the faint glow of the rear lights, non-invasive. Her swirling fingertips made their way closer to his groin; a low growl emitted from the Tin Man as he put his hand firmly on her wrist. "Go to sleep, Princess," he told her.

"Are you saying you don't wanna –"

He cut her off before she could finish her sentence; he might not be able to stop himself if he let her continue to speak. "That's exactly what I'm sayin', DG. Soon enough we're gonna be completely alone, but for now... let's just take it easy."

DG snickered. "That sounds like another promise, Tin Man."

"It's not all I wanna be givin' you, darlin', but a little restraint never hurt anybody." Cain looked down at her; though he could no longer see her face without the illumination of the headlights, he could hear a grin in her voice, and knew that her eyes danced despite how tired she was. He placed his hand on top of her head, pulling his fingers through the hair at her temples.

"G'night," she mumbled after a few minutes. His stroking fingers had managed to do their work; soon she grew tired, and fell asleep. How she'd managed to wake up so much at all was beyond him, considering the drain she'd experienced. Her hand slipped away from his leg, her arm laying heavily across him.

"Goodnight, Princess," he whispered.

- Alta Torretta, Heart of the Shining City -

Somewhere above his head, the suns were rising. But here, underground, nothing natural seemed to permeate the cold space. Cement pillars had lights wired to them, it was unbelievably bright; a distant sound echoed, tinny and repetitive. And it smelled of motor oil, though the garage was exquisitely clean.

Glitch heaved a mighty sigh. He was sitting on the hood of an outdated Model-A convertible, one of the vehicles in the royal collection; it was one of the few that hadn't been worked on or tuned since the abandoning of the royal palace in Central City, and he was pretty sure there'd be an imprint of his rear-end in the dust when he got up.

His feet rested on the front bumper, and he was hunched over, elbows resting on his knees.

"Are they here yet?"

Raw looked up from his perch near the mechanics lockers. He'd found a stool to sit on when he'd come down silently after Glitch to sit and wait with his friend in complete quiet.

The Viewer shook his head. "No. Like ten minutes ago, no. Like hour, no," the Viewer grumbled, out of character. The stark place made him nervous, and like Glitch he was utterly tired from staying up all night waiting.

"What could be keeping them?" Glitch wondered aloud.

"Raw not sense danger," was the only thing his companion would give him in response.

Glitch pulled his timepiece out of his pocket; he flipped the cover open and looked down at the dial. It was almost six; exactly a week ago, he'd been standing in the grand foyer at Finaqua, watching as Cain led the Queen and Azkadellia on their disastrous mission into the woods. He'd stood with DG, and the two had watched together as their friends and their family rode off.

After they'd been captured, DG had forgone protocol and duty and even common sense, had run off headlong into the forest after the Tin Man and her sister. Forget politics, forget safety... all she could think about was saving those who needed her, selflessly.

What had he done? He'd been too preoccupied to notice the wheels in her head turning; he should have noticed, he was always the one who did... but too late.

"We should've gone with her," said Glitch sadly, voicing the thoughts for the first time, though this was not the first, second, or tenth time they'd made the rotation through his brain. The Viewer, nodding his head, only gave a gruff 'mmhmm' of affirmation.

Silence. And then... "Next time," Raw said softly, his low voice rumbling. "Next time Raw go with DG."

Glitch raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think there's gonna be a next time?"

Raw looked skeptically at his friend. Glitch only smirked, then laughed outright. "Of course there's gonna be a next time. We inherited ourselves a genuine troublemaker."

"Tin Man attract trouble as much as princess."

Glitch snorted. "Ain't that the truth."

The two friends sat in increasingly uncomfortable silence. Glitch got up to pace the garage, watching the ramp that led upwards to the courtyard. They were only one level below ground, but it made him nervous. He thought back to the reports of the complex where his friends had been kept – very soon he'd be going to see it with his own eyes, another distraction from the task of dismantling the Tower.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye he saw Raw straighten, then leap up from his seat. Glitch looked at him curiously before he heard it; the sound of vehicles coming down from the courtyard. He barely took time to register that a third person was now walking down into the garage.

"Healer," Raw said to the stranger that approached.

Glitch rolled his eyes, turning on the person that was distracting him from bouncing on his toes waiting for his friends. "He's not a healer, Raw. He's just the court physician." Then, as Ambrose remembered himself, he gave a sheepish grin. "Professor," he said with a sharp nod of his head. "What brings you here?"

"I am here to make sure the princess is escorted up to the infirmary. The Queen and her consort will be meeting her there. I received notification from the guards at the entrance to the city that the princess's transport has arrived."

Glitch snorted, ignoring the good doctor's disdainful mention of Ahamo. "Well, get in line, 'cause I'm first."

Raw chuckled softly. "Will have to wake princess. Sleeps sound, peaceful."

The first of the trucks came around the corner of the ramp and descended into the garage proper. The sound of the tires on the cement floor was almost deafening, the roar of the motor bouncing and echoing, the stench of exhaust surrounding the three men that stood in wait. A second truck followed the first; the two transports parked in empty loading zones near the end of the long room, towards the back wall and the elevator.

The engines were cut. The sounds of doors opening filled the air, the clank and crash of it making the advisor a little jumpy. Three soldiers stumbled out of the flatbed box of the first truck, one stepping forward to starting to unfasten the lashes that held the canvas of the second truck in place.

Cain exited first, his blonde hair catching the harsh light. He was filthy and bloody, sporting a bruise on the left side of his jaw that was the most interesting shade of purple. He wore the same unfamiliar uniform that the soldiers brought in with her Majesty and Azkadellia had been wearing, but on his shoulders was the jacket of his service uniform.

Glitch couldn't stop the laughter that erupted from him. "Sweet Ozma, Cain, what'd DG do to you?"

Cain turned on the man with an unimpressed line set upon his lips. "Can't you let me have two minutes before you start blabbin'?"

The Viewer chuckled, and the court physician looked at the advisor, a bit confused.

"Excuse me, Captain, but where is the princess?"

But Cain had already turned back to the truck, and was helping a very groggy and an equally disheveled looking DG from the flatbed. His hands caught her at the waist and he lifted her down to the ground, as her wobbly legs looked, even to Glitch, that they might tangle trying to extract herself from the vehicle.

On the ground, she gave a weak smile to her friends; she held out her arms for them to come to her. Without hesitation, Glitch, and then Raw, went to her and wrapped her in fierce embraces. She made to turn to the third person, but balked at realizing him a stranger; she stepped instinctively towards Cain.

"Who're you?" she asked blearily.

The physician gave a bow of his head towards her. "Forgive me, my lady. I am Professor Lyman, personal physician to the royal family."

DG nodded acceptingly, but Cain looked over to Glitch.

"Who did his background check?" he asked.

Glitch shook his head. "Didn't need one."

"Why the hell not?" Cain demanded, raising a scarred eyebrow in the direction of the newcomer.

"He was under her Majesty's employment before the takeover," Glitch – Ambrose – said in a firm manner. "Actually, he attended the Queen twice in her childbed."

Cain, unhappy, frowned, but didn't contest the advisor any further. Dealing with the headcase had been easy enough, minus the constant annoyance, but the stuffiness of the advisor threw him off. Cain decided then to make sure checks were done on the entire staff of the palace. Former loyalty was a very shady thing to place trust in.

"I've been instructed by her Majesty to escort the princess and her guard up to the medical level," Professor Lyman said smoothly.

"We'll go with you," Glitch said excitedly. "I'm in the mood for a good bedtime story."

DG frowned at her friend. "But don't you have work to do today?"

Glitch's face fell. "Oh... well... I still love a good story. Tell me on the way up."

With Professor Lyman leading the way, the group made for the elevator. Glitch, strangely observant, noticed Cain helping the exhausted princess maneuver on her feet; his arm was around her waist, his fingers gripping the flesh at her side protectively. Glitch fell back a step to walk behind the pair, slowing enough to fall even with Raw, who'd been last.

Glitch gave a purposeful nod towards the Tin Man.

Raw shook his head. "Not new; always there."

"Yeah, but –" Glitch began, but a rough voice cut into his statement.

"You comin', Zipperhead?"