And two, I’m stunned that the king gave those particular orders. Had circumstances been different, I’d say it was kind of him. But I’ve come to learn that this is the king’s style—to cut you up then kiss the wounds he inflicted. 

“Now that you’re here,” the general continues, “we will contact the king’s retinue and let them know you’re awake. They’ll probably have you board the flight as soon as possible once this happens; they are going to assume you’re unwilling and dangerous.”

I nod.

“Once you arrive at the king’s palace, he’s planning on announcing the end of the war and your engagement.”

I scowl at this; the thought of being engaged to him causes me physical discomfort.

“It sounds like there are already wedding preparations in the works,” the general says. “It’ll be filmed and aired over the Internet—the thought is that the wedding will symbolize the marriage of two hemispheres. It’s quite brilliant, actually—it should go a long way to encourage peace.”

“Don’t,” I say. My breaths are coming out quick and ragged. I can’t bear to hear more on the subject.

The general puts a hand on my shoulder. “You’ll be okay, Serenity. The asshole actually seems to care about you.”

My eyes flick to the king. “Don’t lie to yourself, General. I’m marrying a monster.”

Will and the general lead me up to the surface. They’re the only ones I allow to accompany me. We reach the top of the final set of stairs, and I stare at the door to the garage. On the other side of it, the king’s men wait for me. These are my last moments with the people I know.

I reach for the door and pause. “What will happen once I’m gone?” I ask the general. I’ve wanted to know the answer to this question since I left my bed. I knew my fate, but I knew nothing about what would happen to the WUN and its former political leaders.

The general gives me a sidelong glance. “The western hemisphere, under the governance of the king, will begin to receive medical relief in those areas that need it the most. There will also be additional efforts to cleanse the land of the radiation that’s gotten into the soil. After that, the king’s focus will then be rebuilding our economy.”

I fidget. “What will happen to you and Will and the rest of the representatives?” I ask.

“The king has granted us amnesty and allowed us to continue to govern these territories under the supervision of his men.”

I raise my eyebrows. “That’s … really good news.” We’d always planned on being executed if we lost the war. I’m still not convinced that won’t happen. After all, there are no checks on the king’s power.

The general nods. “It is. The peace agreement is better than we’d ever anticipated—or hoped for.”

I shift my weight. We’ve come back to the elephant in the room—that I’m leaving because of the agreement.

The general must realize how callous his words sound—spoken to the one person who will lose everything—since he takes a step back. He looks between Will and me. “I should let you two have your own goodbye.” The general salutes me. An unbidden tear drips from my eye as I give him a small smile and salute him back.

Will and I watch him leave, neither of us willing to speak until his footsteps completely fade.

Will steps in close to me and cups my cheek. “It was never supposed to be like this,” he says.

I wrap my hand around his wrist and lean into his hand. “A lot of things were never supposed to happen like they did.” I close my eyes. I might never see Will again. That thought constricts my heart, and I have to force the thought from my mind. My body can’t take much more emotional pain.

He leans his head against mine; I can tell by his ragged breathing that he’s trying to keep it together for my sake.

“If this is the last moment we get, I want to make the most of it,” I say. One final memory of the man and the life that will never be mine.

Will nods against me, his hand sliding to the back of my head. He presses his lips to mine, and our mouths move urgently. I’m memorizing the taste of him even as I’m saying goodbye.

When his lips finally leave mine, they move to my ear. “You have to kill him, Serenity.”

My body goes rigid against him. “You work for the king; you can’t say things like that anymore,” I whisper.

“The Resistance—those people who saved you—they will spread to the western hemisphere. Once they do, I’m planning on joining,” he says.

“And what do you hope to accomplish?” I ask. The war is over; we lost. The best any of us can do now is make the situation as bearable as possible. I’m not sure that killing the king would actually make the world better, or if it would just open the position to all the other power-hungry people out there.

“No one man should have that much power,” Will says.

Silently, I agree with him, but it doesn’t change the fact that the king might be the world’s best chance at getting back on its feet. More fighting will only prolong our suffering.

“And what happens once he’s dead, huh?” I ask. “They’ll kill me too.”

Will shakes his head. “No, they won’t. We have the footage of your arrival still, remember?”

My skin prickles. I don’t know whether this discussion fills me with fear or excitement, but I do feel my mortality in that moment. I’m certain I’ll die before my time—not that I’d ever believed otherwise.