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The celebrations kick off while we’re making our way back to Lot 173T. Just about everyone in the city seems to be piling into the streets, setting up tables and stands, dancing, hugging, cheering, feasting.
I spot a couple of familiar figures in one square — the giant and the moon-faced man who directed us to our lot when we first arrived in Cornan. The giant is jumping up and down, making the ground vibrate. Every time he lands, the people around him fly a metre into the air. Most are laughing and hooting with pleasure, but some are crying with relief too.
The moon-faced man is one of those, and the tears gather in the pockmarks in his cheeks when he’s motionless, then shoot off of him in little fountains every time he’s thrown upwards. It’s strangely touching, and we stop for a minute to watch and think about all that we’ve come through.
People are singing in lots of places, making up songs about Princess Ghita and how she braved all manner of perils to make it to the vote.
“No mention of us in the songs,” I note as we turn a corner out of earshot of a large-lunged bard.
“Do you really want them singing about Archie the ghost?” Inez replies.
“Hey, that was something the queen said in the heat of the moment,” I exclaim. “I’m sure she’d apologise if I reminded her of it.”
“Do you want to go back?” Inez asks.
I pull a face. “No.” Then I look at her. “Don’t you think it’s unfair?”
She frowns. “What?”
“The princess didn’t do much. Once she’d come to you for help, it was all you and me. Mostly you,” I say quickly, in case she thinks I’m trying to steal her thunder. “You crossed realms, found a locksmith, crawled through the vines and scaled the cliff that nobody seems to know about, but she’s the one they hail.”
“That’s the way it should be,” Inez says. “History would be a mess if we tried to note the names of everyone involved in the momentous battles. We need figureheads to take the praise or blame.”
“What about the rest of us?” I ask. “Don’t we merit a mention?”
“No,” she says, “and be glad it’s that way. Would you want to be in the princess’ position, held accountable for the fates of millions of people?”
“I suppose not,” I murmur. “It’s just, we went through all that, sneaked her in, saved the realm, then... nothing.”
“You’re wrong,” Inez says. “We get to go back to our regular lives. That’s a prize beyond any other. I can be a normal Camel and you can go home to your family.”
“I guess,” I sigh.
“Mixed feelings?” she asks.
I shrug. “It’ll be great to see George and Rachel again, even though I’ve no idea how I’m going to explain where I’ve been all this time. I hope things will be different between us in the future. I’m going to talk about Dave, tell them how much I miss him, try to get them to open up and discuss him, so we can all start to get over his loss.”
“Sounds good,” Inez says. “So why the big sigh?”
“I’ll miss the excitement,” I admit with a rueful chuckle. “I’m not forgetting the scary bits, but it was an amazing adventure, wasn’t it?”
“I’d score it a six out of ten,” Inez says nonchalantly, then laughs and punches my arm, and we stroll back to the lot side by side, grinning all the way.