A strangled sound, something between a laugh and a sob, escapes my lips as I watch Cressida's lashes flutter back to life. I reach shakily for her wrist and tears slide down my face as I feel her pulse, beating rhythmically below my fingertips. Slow, unsteady, but still there.

"You're... You're alive," whispers Iris, trembling.

Cressida moans again, and her eyes open fully. She releases a long, slow breath, as though she's been holding it in for the past lifetime. A slow smile spreads across her face as her gaze focuses on us.

"Well, I wasn't really in the mood to die," she says weakly. "Not today, anyway."

I laugh, tears pouring down my cheeks. I lean towards my friends, wrapping my arms around both of them to pull them into a messy, three-way hug. A memory hits me hard as I do so- The three of us a couple of days ago, hugging in the forest after I managed to flood an entire village. I feel like I've grown into a whole new person since then. Changed from a ruthless villain who used her magic to create monsters out of fire into... Well, I'm not exactly sure who I am right now, but I think I'm close to finding out.

"You do know that you were never a villain, right?" Iris, reading my thoughts, whispers into my ear. I grin into Cressida's shoulder, squeezing Iris tighter. Then I realise something else that's changed in the past few days. The wall inside my mind, the one that blocked Iris from reading my thoughts and kept my darkest secrets pushed away, has been knocked down. My mind is completely open, as easy for Iris to read as a book.

I feel like that means something special, but I don't exactly know what yet.

"I meant to ask," says Cressida at last. "How did you two get wings?"

I blink. I had forgotten all about Lila's gift. I pull away and stare over my shoulder, at the glittering shapes that rest lightly on my shoulders. Weightless, but they somehow feel as heavy they were made of stone. I open my palm slowly, letting Magus's magic spark to life and summon a warm breeze that whisks through Iris and Cressida's damp hair and sends the snow dancing happily around us. The action makes my shoulders feel ten times heavier. I had forgotten about my new magic, my new wings, and I'm suddenly aware of how cold it is, kneeling in the ice while snowflakes spiral round us.

"You have your wings back!" Iris says encouragingly. "And you have magic even more powerful than it was before! That's what you wanted, isn't it?"

I stare at my palm, hesitating. Power... Wasn't that what I set out to achieve from the very beginning? Back when I was a fairy, I wanted more and more of it, stretching from limit to limit, crossing every line I could in a crazy quest for magic. Even when it stole away the most important thing in my life, even as it sapped away my hopes and dreams, my childhood; I clung to it like a lifeline in a deadly ocean. Magic made me who I was.

But I'm not that person any more. And the person I was isn't the person I want to be.

Was magic my lifeline, or was it the thing that pushed me into the ocean in the first place?

I make a decision. Standing up slowly, I raise my palm outward in front of me, closing my eyes as I feel magic coursing through my fingers.

"Sky?" Cressida's voice is strengthening. "What are you doing?"

I grin. "Something I'll probably regret... But for the first time in a while, I know it's the right thing to do."

I finish the spell, opening my eyes just in time to see the grey, misty glow fade away. I jump as I hear a voice, cool and clipped.

"So. We meet again."

Standing in front of me is a fairy, one I recognise all too well. Her huge wings are golden, like her sweeping locks of hair and narrowed eyes, and jewellery sparkles proudly at her neck and wrists. The fairy leader, Adelaide, never scared me like she used to scare Lila, but she's a very intimidating person. I wince as I remember the last time we met, when she and the other leaders had banished me from their realm and taken away my wings. I swallow my resentment and lower myself into a grudging bow.

"Adelaide."

The woman laughs, but her gold eyes are cold. I have a feeling she's remembering our last meeting too. "Well. You've certainly changed a little."

"I think I've changed a lot," I correct her. She scans my face, looking faintly amused.

"I wouldn't give yourself too much credit. You've not been as alone as you thought these past years. We've been keeping a close eye on you. So far, we've been very disappointed with what we've seen."

I shift uncomfortably. Iris helps Cressida to her feet, and the two of them stand beside me. Neither of them speak- which is out of character for Cressida- but I feel stronger with them next to me.

"I've made a lot of mistakes," I admit, staring right into the disdainful glare.

"What happened with that fairy girl was more than a mistake," hisses Adelaide. "Your arrogance lead to the death of one of our kind."

I feel my eyes start to sting and I swallow. Cressida glares at the fairy, and I pinch her gently to stop her from saying something rash.

"And now you have regained your wings. Is that why you called me here? Do you want to come back to the fairy realm? Use your new power as much as you can?"

"No," I say. "I want you to take it."

Cressida gasps, and I see Iris beaming at me. Adelaide stares at me for a second.

"Why?" she asks. "You have more power than any sorcerer. More power than I've ever seen."

"I don't want it," I say stiffly. "Take the wings as well. I've gotten used to walking."

"Why on earth wouldn't you want it?" presses the fairy, her eyebrows pulled down.

I sigh, folding my arms. I meet her eyes, and I suddenly want to show her just how much I've changed. "Magic didn't make me a better person. I thought it made me happier, for a while anyway, but I was wrong. My magic cost me everything. It made me a murderer and a thief. I'm sick of trying to control it, because it would never have worked. It was controlling me. And I think it's only a matter of time before everything falls apart all over again." I step towards her, my eyes challenging. "I'm sick of watching everything that matters being smashed to pieces by something that shouldn't matter. I don't need power. I don't need something else destroying my life because, trust me, I'm perfectly capable of doing that myself.

I feel Iris's hand on my shoulder, squeezing it gently. "We've all made mistakes. I tried to push Lilith into the Dark Portal, remember? Maybe if I hadn't, she would've given Sky her powers willingly."

"Maybe if she hadn't imprisoned you your whole life then tried to kill all three of us, you wouldn't have done it," Cressida reminds her.

Iris gave a small laugh. "Yeah, probably." She moves forward timidly, looking at Adelaide. "Take my wings too, please. I'm happy with the power I already had. I'm terrible at flying, anyway."

I look at Adelaide too, and I'm startled to see the hint of a smile softening her stern features slightly.

"You really have changed, Sky."

She outstretches her hand regally towards us. I hold out my palms, and watch Magus's grey magic flow outwards towards her. The light touches her palm and her eyes glow brighter as she absorbs my power. I look over my shoulder, watching as my beautiful wings fade away to nothing with a twinge of regret. Still, it's probably for the best. Once again, my hands feel empty. They feel... free.

"Thank-" A now wingless Iris begins, then freezes. Adelaide has vanished, swept away by the wind as though she was never there at all.

The three of us are silent, staring at the place where she had stood.

"What did happen to Lilith?" Cressida says, eventually. "Is... Is she still in Hell?"

I shake my head. "I knocked her out just as we were leaving the Underworld. She must still be there."

"Do you think-?" Iris falters, then swallows tentatively. "Maybe... Maybe she managed to follow us out?"

I sigh and put my arm gently around her thin shoulders. "Hey, it's okay. She can't hurt any of us any more. You know she can't."

Iris bites her lip, looking at me. "Is it... Bad that I hope that she did manage to escape the Underworld? Maybe... Maybe she could start a new life, a better one, here?"

"Oh, Iris..." whispers Cressida.

Iris gives a shaky breath, dragging a hand over her eyes. "I know, I know. It's nearly impossible. Maybe she'll become a better person in the Underworld.Maybe she'll be able to get to Heaven." Her eyes slide pleadingly from Cressida to me. "There's still some light in her. I know there is. I saw it."

"We know," Cressida squeezes her arm comfortingly.

"Think about all the people in the Dark Portal that we managed to free!" I tell her, and this brings a genuine smile to both her and Cressida. It makes me feel happier too. The horrible, unspeakable punishments have ceased, for now. We've given the people trapped in there a second chance, and maybe some of them will take it. Maybe some of them will be able to go into the light.

Our trip to the Underworld has left us with a lot of 'maybes'. But perhaps some things are just meant to remain unknown.

The three of us stand shoulder-to-shoulder, shivering in the snow gazing down the mountainside. Orbis lies below us in a beautiful patchwork of forests and villages and lakes, just like any other realm, but even the mot ordinary things here are far from normal. Everything here is so much brighter and more intriguing. A low mist hangs over everything like an iridescent blanket, adding to the feeling of mystery.

The air all around us seems to hum with magic, as though every atom of this place were charged with soundless energy. Despite the pain my own magic brought me, I love it, every inch of this insane little world.

Not all magic is bad, I remind myself. I look at Iris, her violet eyes gleaming in the sunlight, and smile.

Then I notice the wooden handle of the mirror sticking out of the snow in front of us. I reach for it, and as I do so another thought hits me.

"In hindsight, we really should have waited until we were at the bottom of the mountain before we took away our magic."

Iris and Cressida look at me in horror. I examine the mirror, but it's late afternoon now. The next noon is hours and hours away.

The three of us stare at each other for a second, then start laughing.

The sun blazes directly above us as we land on the other side of the golden portal. I look up and gasp. A huge palace looms over us at the top of a grassy hill, its towers and turrets twisting upwards into the sky. Roses creep sneakily up the walls, thorny tendrils clutching greedily at every stone they can reach. The closed, beautifully crafted golden gates, leading into an enormous courtyard, look strangely forbidding. I blink as the sun shines blindingly off the wide windows, and look at Cressida. Her face is tight, her lips pressed together grimly.

"You live here?" I ask, awed. "It's incredible!"

"Yes," says Cressida flatly. She grips the mirror in her hands hard. "I suppose it is."

There is a slight pause.

"You know, the whole kingdom has probably been looking for you," says Iris, looking at Cressida. "Your father must be really worried."

Cressida laughs bitterly. "He's not worried about losing his daughter, trust me. He's worried about losing the heir to the throne." She looks up the hill, at the golden gates. "They look like a prison, don't they?"

I look at her. While I had spent time with her, I had almost forgotten she was royalty. It's difficult to connect the determined, feisty girl in the torn, scruffy clothes with those prim, perfect princesses who sat around on thrones all day. I remembered how careless she had been with her jewellery, how incredibly skilled she was with a bow and arrow. I remembered her test that she had faced before going to Orbis, the way her eyes had darkened with memories as she fought to break free. I have no idea what she faced that day, but i'm willing to bet that her royal life hadn't been a happy one. It certainly hadn't been a free one.

I meet Iris's eyes, and I don't need any mind-reading abilities to know that she's thinking the same thing as me.

"You know," says Iris. "It's still noon. There's still time..."

Cressida looks up at the castle. "I have a duty," she says tonelessly. "As heir to the throne..."

She looks down at the mirror in her hands, then up at us. Her face breaks into a grin, and she holds the mirror up to the sky. The sun bounces off it onto the ground, and the swirling mist of a portal appears.

"Back to Orbis then?" she asks.

Iris beams at her. "Together?"

"Definitely," I say.

The three of us leap into the golden light, and I take one last look at the castle before we're pulled away to another realm. I think about everything we're leaving behind as we fly away into the sun.

I don't think any one of us has ever felt more free.