“Well, certainly not with that thing,” I say, taking away his gun. “Seriously, stay away from weapons. They’re bad for your health.”
“Prince Jack has asked me for my hand in marriage,” Katt is saying, her rant continuing.
Astonishment rumbles through the throng of people, and I glance around at what’s happening.
Katt’s expression of compassion is so fake, I’m not sure how everyone else doesn’t see through it.
“Now that I’ve seen your suffering under the Bloodred Queen’s rule, I know that I can help bring an end to it,” Katt says. “I’ve accepted his offer under two conditions. The first is that one life be spared. Osbourne White deserves to live. The king may have let you and the world down, but his crimes do not deserve a death sentence. He shall be spared, as his son decreed.”
Osbourne shakes his head in disgust and Katt takes a dramatic pause.
I return my attention to Doc, knowing we need to do something while Katt’s still listening to herself talk. “I have an idea.” Reaching inside my pack, I pull out the gas mask I used back on the Emerald Isle, along with several arrows, ready to dip them into the liquid. “Give me the acid.”
Doc is hesitant. “This is too dangerous to leave in your care.”
“Do you have a better idea? How are you with a bow and arrows?” I ask, offering him the fistful of arrows.
He shakes his head. “I’ve never used one.”
“Then I guess this one is on me,” I say.
Reluctantly, he hands me the container. “It burns on contact. The vapors alone will harm you.”
“I got it,” I say. I point to the crowd of people, many of whom lie wounded on the dirt. “Now, good doctor, I think your people need you.”
Doc smiles. “Good luck.”
I yank the mask over my head as he hurries to the closest victim and begins attending to her wounds.
“My second request was for the death of the one who first started this war,” I catch Katt saying.
I slip behind a pillar, drop to a squat, and open the vial, dipping the tips of three arrows into the liquid. When I’m done, I recap it and gently place it back into my rucksack to be sure it doesn’t break. Picking up the first arrow, I move into position and take aim.
Again, doubt riddles me. Killing another person is beyond what my father ever taught or wanted for me. I’m a hunter, not a murderer. But he’s not here to give me advice. I know if he were, he’d tell me to follow my gut—my heart. He’d remind me this one life has stolen millions of others and, indirectly, stole his, too.
Pulling the bowstring back, I lift my aim to the center of the Bloodred Queen’s heart.
“The death of the Bloodred Queen,” Katt shouts.
I couldn’t agree more.
“This one’s for you, Pa,” I say, letting my arrow fly.
Screams erupt throughout the courtyard as Gail’s arrow pierces the Bloodred Queen’s heart. Although her scales are thick, the tips penetrate far enough that the damage is done. The queen howls as she is struck again in her gut and thigh. It doesn’t take long for the acid to do considerable damage. Her scales sizzle as the acid burns through them. Coughing, she falls to the ground.
The physician within urges me to end her suffering, but I recall the torment of so many by her own hands. I look away, trying to focus on the young girl with lacerations who lies in front of me. However, the Bloodred Queen’s agonizing screams won’t let me let it go. It’s a slow and painful way to die. I search for my gun and realize that Gail has it.
Shouts explode from the parapet, drawing my attention. The crowd gasps as Pete bursts from inside the castle and lunges for Katt. A struggle ensues and the villagers take this cue to launch an assault on the Haploraffen guarding Osbourne.
I curse and search frantically for Gail in the crowd. When I spot her, I see she’s swapped her bow for my gun, a weapon I know she’s not familiar with. Her hand unsteady, she takes aim at Katt. Gail’s voice is far louder and defiant than the throng of villagers.
“Long live King Osbourne!”
Daggers tightly gripped in his hands, Pete crashes through the castle doors and into me, knocking me against the railing. The Haploraffen Halo tumbles off my head, clattering to the ground. Pete throws his arm around my neck, putting me in a headlock.
“Pete, you don’t want to do this,” I wheeze out.
Driven by anger, betrayal, and maybe even rage, he whirls me away from the onlooking crowd and holds his dagger to my side.
“Katt, I’ve been waiting three months to do this,” he says, seething.
Before I can move or protest, he plunges his dagger into my side. Pain floods me, pulsing through every nerve in my body. “That’s for Pickpocket,” he grunts. Then he twists the hilt hard, sending a new rush of agony over me. “And Bella,” he adds.
I try to gasp, but Pete’s still cutting off my air. Instead, I flounder as a bright burst of pain explodes in me and then intensifies. My vision blurs, and I’m sure I’m about to pass out.
The sound of a gunshot cracks, diminishing the fog in my head and air gushes into my lungs. I’m not sure where the shot came from or who was the intended target. Pete shoves me away from him, pulling out his dagger as I fall, and I crumple to the floor, my muscles failing me. While agony still throbs from my knife wound, I don’t think I’ve been struck by the bullet.
The crown sits nearby, and I reach for it, grunting through another bolt of agony, but he snatches it before I can. When I scramble to get it back, the pain is too much. Examining my knife wound, I gasp at the amount of blood pouring from it. I try to stanch it with the skirt of my dress, but as the white fabric grows red and my heartbeat echoes too loud in my head, I know I’m in trouble.
Turning my gaze up, I find Pete standing against the railing. Wide-eyed. Jack holds him, his face pale with worry.
“Pete?” he asks.
Pete drops his gaze to his chest and pulls the lapels of his hunter-green coat back. A scarlet stain blossoms in the shoulder of his beige shirt. When he lifts his chin, he crumples to the ground, his daggers skidding across the stone floor.
Jack cradles him in his lap. “Pete, hang on. You’re going to be okay.”
His green eyes stare at me as he gasps for breath.
“Well played, Lost Boy,” I say, my words merely a whisper.
My gut twists as Pete collapses. Leaving my current patient behind, I race into the castle, up the staircase, and out onto the balcony. It feels as if it takes forever before I’m finally there.
“Doc, you’ve got to fix him,” Jack says, nearly sobbing as he grips Pete tight to his chest.
“No! Pete!” The grieving voice rises from the throng of people. Gwen’s choking sobs bellow throughout the arena. She struggles with her shackles. A cloaked figure darts from the crowd, past the motionless Haploraffen, and up the platforms. When her hood slips, a young woman snatches the keys from one of the guards. Oddly enough, he doesn’t protest. With the Haploraffen Halo lying next to me, the soldiers wait for their next command.
From the corner of my vision, sudden movement draws my attention. Katt—on her feet again. How the former princess of England still lives defies my understanding. Judging by the amount of blood staining her gown, she doesn’t have much longer.
I dodge Katt’s sharp claws as she brings them toward me. One nicks my face, sending needles of pain through my cheek. I drive a heel into her gut, causing her to double over and slam against the wall, but it stalls her for only a second. Alternating hands, she swipes at me, her long fingernails like blades eager to spill my blood. With each swing, I back up, avoiding her advances. She surprises me when she knocks my feet out from under me with a kick. I fall hard and, despite the pain rocketing throughout my bones and flesh, I attempt to get back up.
I’m not quick enough.
Katt leaps, snatching up the crown from the ground and returning it to her head. She shouts in pain again, probably at the sudden movements, but she manages
to knock me back down, pinning me with her muscular legs. Panic sets in as I struggle, the weight of her so heavy it’s as if she’s made of stone.
The pupils in Katt’s gold eyes are nothing but slits. “Just where do you think you’re going?” she asks. “You’ll never win. This crown was meant to be mine.”
She raises one clawed hand. “Good-bye, Doc.”
She howls as Jack kicks her off me with the heel of his boot while still clutching Pete to him.
The next few seconds feel as if they are minutes. I reach for Pete’s dagger and aim for Katt’s chest. My hand shakes as the Hippocratic oath rings loud in my mind. Do no harm, I tell myself. Squeezing the hilt, I do the most merciful thing I could for the tortured soul she’s become.
A rose-shaped stain of blood appears on her chest where the blade has struck. She slumps over, motionless. The gold circlet sits crookedly on her head. I slip it off and shove the crown in my rucksack, determined not to let anyone see it. Not until the right time. This is the only promise for human survival.
Jack sits speechless, refusing to let Pete go.
Gwen bursts through the door, eyes swollen and tears pouring down her face. She throws herself over Pete’s body.
“Pete, stay with me. You’ll be okay,” she says through hiccuping cries.
Jack finally releases him as Pete reaches for her face, his breaths so shallow, so gurgling, that I’m surprised he is still conscious. “Don’t cry, Lost Girl,” he says.
“Don’t you dare die, Pete,” Gwen sobs. “I will never forgive you if you leave me, too.”
“Help me get him inside, now!” I say.
Gwen and I lift the leader of the Lost Boys to his feet. Jack stands, watching his fallen leader in disbelief.
“Jack? You know what you need to do?” I ask.
He nods. “Take care of him,” he says, before turning back to the parapet to address the crowd.
Down in the crowd, no one moves. Nobody speaks. I drop Doc’s gun as panicked guilt hits me. Time slows and we all hold our breath, unsure where the next one will bring us. We can’t look away from what’s happening on the parapet. Gwen’s sobs are a melancholy song in the thick air of death, betrayal, and uncertainty. She struggles to help get Pete to his feet. My heart breaks to see the bold and fearless girl I know she is succumb to grief.
When I take in the scene, I feel as if I’m in a dream. A horrifying nightmare in which the bloodbath of the last year and a half has ended bittersweet. While so many have lost their lives to war, to disease, to tyranny, we still have hope in the beating heart of the man who once kept our country—and to some degree our world—together. But somehow, there is no optimism in this scene. It still feels like we’re drowning.
“Release the king!” Jack shouts.
Ginger, having battled her way through dozens of immobile Haploraffen, finally reaches the king. Taking the keys from an incapacitated soldier, she sets Osbourne free.
As Ginger unlocks Hook’s shackles next, he pushes her out of the way, grabbing a knife from the sheath on her hip.
Looking beyond the dazed and confused villagers, something darts quickly between them. A snake striking its prey. Instinct courses through me as I pull out an arrow and nock it, trying to find the queen among the crowd. After all the arrows I put in her, I thought she was incapacitated.
“If I go down, you go down, son,” the Bloodred Queen says, popping up in front of Hook, her fangs oozing with a black liquid. I swing my bow, trying to line her up without hitting anyone else. But in one swift movement, she drives her knifelike claws into his gut just as he plunges Ginger’s blade into her eye. The Bloodred Queen screams.
“You’d kill your own mother?” she shrieks, surprise twisting her grotesque features.
“Love is blind,” Hook manages to utter through clenched teeth. The seconds drag before both collapse to the wooden platform floor, unmoving.
A hush blankets the crowd, and time seems to stand still.
The wicked queen is dead—and her only son lies lifeless next to her.
A crisp wind kisses my cheeks and ruffles my hair. With each step of my silver boots, the song of the dry leaves announces the onset of autumn. As I stroll along the cobbled stone of Lohr’s magnificent rose garden, I’m reminded of the battle that changed all our lives just one year ago. With King Osbourne’s return to his rightful place on the throne, some semblance of order has returned to not only Lohr but much of the world.
Having missed breakfast, I know Jack would be at only one place on this day.
Upon hearing my footsteps, he rises from the brilliant blue bed of cornflowers. The simple headstone within it bears no comparison to the sacrifice he made. Hanz Otto Oswald Kretschmer’s spirit blooms within the garden, as if he’s never left.
“You all right?” I ask, placing a hand on Jack’s shoulder.
Jack turns to me, and the sorrow in his expression is evident. He nods. “Oddly enough, I miss him despite all he’s done.”
“You can’t blame him for the things he did,” I say.
“I don’t. My father loved us both equally. But when my father was gone, all either of us had was his mother. And while she was no parent to me, she was exceptionally cruel to him.” Jack shakes his head. “Who does that to their own blood-born child?”
I have no words of wisdom to offer him. Both my parents adored me and made a point daily to let me know that fact. And yet neither lives.
How the innocent die and the wicked live is beyond any belief or folktale my parents passed down to me. Why Jack would lose his mother to childbirth or I would end up parentless is beyond explanation. Why either of our parents died while the Bloodred Queen lived … I guess that is a question we’ll both deliberate on forever.
Lily smiles adoringly at Doc while they stroll through the garden. The Haploraffen Halo shines brilliantly on Doc’s brow. The Haploraffen remain under his control, acting as delivery machines to ensure the cure reaches the countries that need it most. Both Lily and Doc chose to reside in Lohr: Lily to protect King Osbourne and Doc to cure the world. Having an innovative lab and the help of Maus and Hase, Doc continues to create and distribute medication to the nations still recovering. He was able to destroy the Horologia virus using the same hydrofluoric acid that dismantled the scales on the Bloodred Queen.
Although Alyssa and Maddox have returned to Umberland, restoring their home has been slow. After the few months it took Pete to recover from his wounds, both he and Gwen followed and have been loyally by their sides through the rebuilding process. As for me and Pete … while he was quick to forgive me for shooting him during the battle, it has taken a lot longer for me to forgive myself. I’m a hunter by instinct, but the shedding of another’s blood has left a black stain on my heart.
Ginger was appointed general to the king’s army, tasked to locate and destroy the rest of the beasts released from the Labyrinth when the walls burned down.
Most important, peace has returned worldwide.
The devastation of the Horologia virus and its aftermath was far worse than we had anticipated. Millions died before the cure could reach them. Thankfully, survivors across the world have banded together in universal support. King Osbourne continues to be the driving force in returning our world to what it once was. Or perhaps something better. Although not officially the world leader, many still look to him with reverence. As the leader paving the way in world restoration, in most of the countries infrastructure, medicine, and government have been rebuilt.
Bells ring throughout Lohr, beckoning all who can hear their chime to converge in the arena where the Bloodred Queen fell. This time not to witness the end of her tyranny, but to commemorate a new beginning for our world. To rejoice in the rebuilding of this place we call home.
With Ozland completing the Everland series, I can’t begin to express my gratitude for the amazing people who have supported me on this journey. It’s been an incredible time of growth, change, and wonder for me.
My th
ree sons continue to be my biggest cheering squad and motivation. To Gavin, Keaton, and Riley, being your mom is the best gift I could have, and you are my greatest achievements. You’ll always have a home in my heart.
Mom and Dad, you have been the sunshine amidst the tornadoes I’ve encountered in recent years. Thank you for getting me through my darkest days.
Jones, thank you for helping me heal my wounded heart. When the forest grew dark, you were the road that led me to light. I love you. Erik and Alyssa, I kind of love you both, too.
Harriet, I miss you. I wish you were here.
To my awesome BBB’s critique group, Jennifer Fosberry, Erika Gardner, Amy Moellering, Cameron Sullivan, Georgia Choate, and Jerie Jacobs. Without the ongoing support of my Bacon Babes, I would’ve lost my mind, my heart, and the courage to soldier on.
To Department 384, while we called Disneyland our home away from home, it was you that made it magical. I miss you all.
To Ed Westmoreland and the staff at Eddie Papa’s, can you believe it? You’ve seen me through numerous sliders, glasses of wine, and three books. Thanks for being my home office.
The cogs in the big publishing machine are magical. That’s the only explanation I can come up with for how seamlessly the series began and ended.
To my incredible agent, Thao Le, thank you for being the Glinda in my life. You’ve believed in me even when I doubted myself. You’ll never know how much I appreciate you. Also, much love to Sandra Dijkstra and agency members Andrea Cavallaro and Jennifer Kim for being on team Everland!
Jody Corbett, my incredible editor at Scholastic, I don’t know where to begin. You’ve been more than someone who added the missing comma or corrected my grammar. You’ve challenged me to dig deeper, ask questions, and discover the story I didn’t even know was there. You’re not only my second pair of eyes; you’ve become a dear friend. Thank you for always, always being my consistent ray of hope when my own personal storms blotted out the sunshine.