Lovisa tried to say something in response, but began coughing uncontrollably. She grabbed the queen’s arm and pulled her out of the room and down the stairs. In the third-floor corridor, the smoke stung the back of Lovisa’s throat and the distant roar was louder.

“Did you do this?” asked Bitterblue.

“I had to,” said Lovisa, almost sobbing, pulling Bitterblue along corridors and around corners, stumbling, rushing. Both of them were coughing now. “Are you strong enough to climb?”

“If climbing is necessary,” said the queen, “I can climb.”

Lovisa pulled the queen into the room with the broken lock. “We have to get you out that window, down a trellis, down a tree, then over a wall.” She dragged the window open. “I should probably go first, so I can stand guard while you follow. Okay?”

“Okay,” said the queen, tucking her letter opener into one of the pockets of her pajamas. Her pockets hung heavily and her feet were bare. Lovisa couldn’t worry about that now. Scrambling through the window, down the trellis, down the tree, she landed solidly on both feet, right beside the shovel. Grabbing it, she held it tight, feeling strong suddenly, and desperate, and determined. Then she looked up to measure the progress of the queen, who was climbing out of the window more slowly than anyone had ever climbed out of a window.

“Hurry!” she called in a whispering kind of yell, then set her mind to figuring out the next step. Where should they go? Whom could she trust? Who would even believe that her parents were kidnappers and murderers?

Her mother’s fox rounded the house and ran across Lovisa’s feet.

Newly terrified, Lovisa spun around and saw Ferla bearing down on her, fists hard, eyes enormous. Somehow, Lovisa maintained the presence of mind not to glance upward and betray the location of the queen.

“Lovisa!” her mother cried, reaching out to her. “Come away from there!” Ferla tried to grab at Lovisa with hands like claws and Lovisa took a mighty swing with the shovel.

Ferla slumped to the ground. Blood seeped from her temple, black in the light from the flaming house. Then suddenly, a phenomenal explosion above lit up the sky like the sun.

The airship, Lovisa thought leadenly, craning her neck, understanding. I destroyed the airship. Fire from the explosion shot across the sky. Disbelieving, Lovisa heard another explosion in the distance, saw another ball of light, and understood that she’d just destroyed the Gravlas’ airship too. She’d probably set Kep Gravla’s house on fire. I killed my mother, she thought. I destroyed everything. It was supposed to be a small fire! Then, with dawning comprehension, I’m going to prison for the rest of my life.

Bitterblue was beside her now, saying something urgently, holding on to Lovisa, supporting Lovisa as Lovisa stumbled. The queen smelled terrible up close. It woke Lovisa up.

“I killed my mother,” Lovisa said.