The Star Wars Line Tales Prologue

This was my final project for medieval lit this year. The assignment was to write a Canterbury Tales-style prologue in a modern setting. I wracked my brain trying to think of a modern pilgrimage. This is what came to mind. I don't know what I got on it yet, but I post it now in celebration of StarWarsRelatedChicaneryCon. All characters are based on people I either actually did encounter in the Star Wars line or at Celebration. Some, of course, with a certain amount of elaboration and exaggeration.

When in May begins the movie season
Of summer blockbusters, for just this reason:
The school year for the children has its end
And every boy and girl their way may wend
By daytime to the theaters to see
More blood and gore and sex than on TV
The network censors ever will allow,
And, too, a bit of humor with a cow,
When also film producers hope to earn
Enough to get a fairly large return
And use that money first to pay their cast
And then the crew, but probably not last
Themselves, and with that cash they then may buy
A boat or plane or house six stories high,
Then each three years since 1999
The Star Wars fans begin to form their line
Around their local movie house to see
The latest of the prequel trilogy
Which Lucasfilm and ILM and George
Have used the best in CGI to forge.
It happened on the eighteenth night of May
That I got in a car and made my way,
With excitement filled from head to toe,
To the final Star Wars midnight show
And got there near the time the clock struck nine,
The better to secure my place in line.
I found myself among a lively crowd
Some dozen people, festive, fun, and loud
Who with me on the sidewalk stood and spoke
And soon I felt quite friendly with these folk
A truly good thing, as you well may guess;
I’d be with them three hours, more or less.
And so we stood in happy company
Waiting, as I said, for Star Wars III.
Before I go on, since I have the time
I will describe them each for you, in rhyme,
Their dress and speech and manner, as it seemed--
The largest part of these were Star Wars-themed,
To fit the time and place, you may recall,
So with a Knight I’ll begin first of all.
There was a Knight, a goodly man and bold
Who from the day when he was ten years old
And first saw A New Hope had been a fan,
And over time he’d grown into a man
Keeping in his mind each day, of course,
Old Ben and Yoda’s teachings on the Force.
He’d often quote these ancient Masters, too:
“There is no try, only ‘do not’ or ‘do;’”
“Size matters not,” and “Darth, you cannot win.”
He also quite enjoyed Qui-Gon Jinn.
Serenity and patience were his mode;
He kept in all things to the Jedi Code
And wore his homemade Jedi robes with pride.
He knew well to beware of the dark side.
This whole day he had taken as vacation
From work, for his more Earthly occupation
Was by day insurance underwriter,
Though at his desk he kept a small TIE fighter.
He’d been to every prequel film premiere,
And gone to the convention each third year.
He told us as a child he’d been meek
And beaten up for being such a geek,
But he had persevered for, come what might
He was a true and perfect Jedi Knight.
He had his son with him, his Padawan,
A fine young lad, not one to frown upon.
He also in his Jedi robes was dressed;
He was perhaps nine years of age, I guessed.
He ran and pranced and jumped about the scene
As one who’s had much sugar or caffeine,
And though the father tried to calm his son,
The boy was simply having too much fun.
He’d never been out quite this late before
And, in excitement, Father would ignore.
There also was a Newbie sort of girl
Who’d never had a lightsaber to twirl,
Nor one desired; with her friends she’d come
Poor thing, she thought the whole ordeal was dumb.
She looked upon the long line with disdain
And spoke to us as if we were insane,
And when someone drove past, she’d hide her face,
Embarrassed to be seen in such a place.
Her friends were two Fangirls, I’d guarantee
For in the cutest way they’d exclaim, “Squee!”
When looking on the posters, and they’d grin;
They’d come there to watch Ewan and Hayden.
Off to the side two Boys fought a duel;
Each battled with a fierceness almost cruel.
They fought with great technique and finest art
And lightsabers they’d purchased at Wal-Mart.
One lightsaber was red and one was blue,
Traditional Jedi and Sith lord hues,
And certain members of the waiting throng
Began to hum that awesome dueling song.
The line was stunned by all their acrobatics,
The result of lots of time and practice,
And though they’d fallen far behind in school,
No one could say their fighting wasn’t cool.
There was nearby a portly Dark Sith Lord
Who also had a crimson laser sword—
The more expensive type of fiberglass
Though his suit was too cumbersome, alas,
To wield his dark side weapon properly,
But a more fearsome figure could not be,
Save that he weighed more than Vader should,
But his costuming was very good.
He spoke about the lesser quality
Of the Star Wars prequel trilogy,
And how the newer films could not compare
To Luke and Han and Leia’s headphone-hair,
And said that CG creatures hurt his eyes,
So perhaps he meant with his disguise
To make himself unable these to see,
Or fancy Carrie’s hair on Natalie.
Standing near to him, only by chance,
There stood an Amidala, and one glance
At her served Vader’s argument to bury;
Star Wars hairstyles are hereditary.
Not one word did she say to the Sith,
But instead spoke of influential myth
On prequel themes—a pro-prequel crusader
Quite different from the Lord was Lady Vader.
Further back, and standing by herself,
There was a single Tolkien-style Elf.
In her costume, too, she had shown care,
And a certain true dramatic flair.
It made her look quite fair and elegant,
Though where she’d wear it after this event
I could not even guess, perhaps to some
Event relating to her own fandom.
Her hair was long, and stuck upon each ear
A small pointy attachment did appear.
The dress was like to one Galadriel
Had worn in Lorien beside her well.
She scowled a bit but, as she made no fuss,
We tolerated her as one of us.
Another Boy was there of late-teen age,
No youngling and yet not an ancient sage,
Yet when engaged in pleasant conversation,
He proved himself as full of information
Relating to the films as anyone.
He knew the name of each Tatooine sun
And the planet Dooku was count of
And the make of Anakin’s black glove
And the captain of the Tantive IV
And what the heck is in a power core,
Yet he did not boast nor did he tease,
Not even in the language of Huttese.
He was a pleasant dork, I do believe,
And nice to stand next to on Star Wars eve.
A Trekkie there was near us with a sign;
He’d come to anger people in the line
And raise the old debate of Wars and Trek
And which is excellent and which a wreck.
He, too, had pointy ears, for he was Spock,
A character the Wars fans like to mock.
His sign read, “Star Wars sucks!” which made us boo,
And say, “Go home! There’s only one of you!”
Our Vader, in his anger nearly blind,
Then tried to choke the Trekkie with his mind.
To see what all this ruckus was about,
The Manager of the theater came out.
He had not had this job for very long,
And really didn’t want to do things wrong,
But with the midnight hour drawing nigh
The fans outside were starting up a cry
To be let in, but with so little room,
Opening the doors was certain doom.
He said as follows: “Everybody, please!
Quiet down, I beg you on my knees!
I cannot let you in yet, understand
That other films are playing now as planned!
I’m sorry, but you have to wait out here
Or chaos will ensue for us, I fear.
Can’t you think of some amusing way
To stave off all your boredom and dismay?
Oh, this is worse than Return of the King!
Tell each other stories or something!
Then the listeners may each attest
As to which of your tales is the best.”
He looked at us in such a sorry way,
We told him his idea was okay.
We’d do it if he stayed with us to judge,
Impartial as he was from fandom grudge.
Relieved, the panicked manager agreed
And urged us to begin with greatest speed.
The Jedi Knight we voted then would start
And this is the tale he did impart.


Please do not copy or republish Erin's work without her express written permission. Thank you!

A Very Archetypal Christmas Quest

A word of explanation: This was my final project for the first semester of Quest Archetype last year. The assignment was to take some of the heroes we'd read about and make them all go on a quest together. I decided I was going to have them save Christmas. Gilgamesh, Odysseus, and Aeneas you are probably familiar with. In brief, Gilgamesh was an ancient Sumerian dude, Odysseus took 9 years to get home from Troy, and Aeneas was a Trojan survivor who founded Rome. His son, Ascanius, also appears. Lucius is from Apuleius's The Golden Ass. No, really. He messes around with magic and gets turned into a donkey and stays a donkey for a long time until Isis turns him back into a human-- a now fanatical devotee of Isis. He shaves his head. Since The Golden Ass is the only one of these quests in the first person, I decided to make Lucius my narrator. Now, enjoy.

A Very Archetypal Christmas Quest

Dramatis Personae:
Lucius: Roman citizen turned donkey
Gilgamesh:2/3 divine warrior king of Uruk
Odysseus: king of Ithaka, perpetual wanderer
Aeneas: destined founder of Rome, former resident of Troy
Ascanius: young son of Aeneas
Isis: Egyptian goddess; ally of Lucius
Santa Claus: Father Christmas; a right jolly old elf
Officer Kirk: policewoman
Callie: lonely spinster-type woman
Missy: hellhound
Cindy: a little girl

SCENE: A field, somewhere in the Roman Empire. Lucius, citizen turned donkey, stands alone and forlorn.

LUCIUS: (voiceover) It was the night following my escape from the vile arena where I was to have been made a revolting public spectacle. Alone I wandered, wondering what cruel trick Fortune had in store for me next and, as I was wont to do, cursing stupid, stupid Photis for letting me make an ass of myself in the first place. Suddenly I was filled with awe at how the supreme goddess majestically wielded her power, and controlled all of life. I began to pray in words to that effect, and I could have gone on and on for hours, but just then the goddess herself appeared unto me.

(Isis appears before Lucius.)

ISIS: Lucius, it is I, the goddess to whom you pray. You know me by many different names, but the long and short of it is that I am Isis, and I’m going to help you, so pay attention. We goddesses are getting tired of leading men on such long, elaborate quests. We want to go on a vacation. So, according to my divine providence, we are sending you all to one place, at one time, to get what you need, and be done with it once and for all. That’s right, Lucius, you’ll turn back into a man. Try not to mess it up.

LUCIUS: (voiceover) I was so elated at her words that I scarce knew how to thank her. Unfortunately, I was a donkey, so I could neither thank her nor ask her what exactly she meant by “you all.” Presently the goddess faded from sight, and I found myself standing ankle-deep in snow. This was the beginning of one of the strangest adventures of my life.

FADE TO: A winter rooftop, covered in snow. Several feet from Lucius is Santa’s sleigh. Around him, Gilgamesh, Odysseus, and Aeneas appear, the latter holding the hand of little Ascanius. All look around, bewildered.

GILGAMESH: I find this to be strange. Nevertheless, in thanks to the gods who favor me, I shall sacrifice one of these reindeer.

(He draws a knife, but Odysseus stops him.)

ODYSSEUS: No, friend. These are the reindeer of someone else. Do not be a discourteous guest. Sacrifice this donkey instead.

(Lucius rears and backs away.)

AENEAS: No! This donkey may have been sent by the gods to help us. Do not sacrifice it until we are directed to do so.

ODYSSEUS: Wait, I know you—

(He is cut off by an odd sound coming from the chimney. Presently, Santa Claus emerges with his sack, which is nearly empty.)

LUCIUS: (voiceover) Eager to prove my worth to these men and by so doing to save my life, I advanced on this stranger, whom I naturally assumed was a bandit or robber of some kind.

(Lucius kicks Santa, who falls off the roof. Lucius slips and falls down after him. The others lean over the edge of the roof, looking down on Lucius, who stands up and shakes off the snow, and Santa, who groans. They get into the sleigh. Gilgamesh takes the reins and pilots them down.)

GILGAMESH: (drawing his sword) Shall I slay this climber of chimneys and driver of reindeer that fly? These things seem to mean that he is a demon, this climber of chimneys and driver of reindeer that fly, and so I should slay him. Yet he is an old man, chubby and plump, and I am moved to sadness for him. His cheeks are like roses, his nose like a cherry, and so I hesitate to slay him.

AENEAS: If he was raiding this house, then he should be slain. (glares at Odysseus) All tricksters who raid the homes of others should be slain.

ODYSSEUS: Hold, Trojan Aeneas. Yes, I know you, and it is clear you know me. If this man is to be slain, let me slay him, for I know what it is to have unwelcome guests in my house. But if he is innocent, and has some explanation, let us first hear it, and judge its merit.

AENEAS: (lowering sword) You speak well, Ulysses, but your fair speech will not save you from punishment for what you have done to my people.

SANTA: Excuse me! What is the matter with you? I’m Santa Claus!

AENEAS: What is your country and who was your father?

SANTA: Oh. You must be the heroes.

AENEAS: I am Aeneas, son of the Trojan Anchises and the goddess Venus. (Lucius snorts at the name “Venus.”) This is my son, Ascanius. We fled from the destruction of Troy to found a new land for the Trojans in Italy. My mother the goddess has told me that we shall find passage here.

ODYSSEUS: Normally I would tell an elaborate lie at this point, but evidently I am already known to some here. I am Odysseus, son of Laertes, King of Ithaka. For ten years after the Trojan war ended I wandered the sea and the land, cursed by the anger of earth-shaker Poseidon. Now the goddess Athena tells me that here I shall find my passage home to Ithaka, my dear Penelope, and my son Telemakhos.

GILGAMESH: I am Gilgamesh, none here are my equal, for 2/3 divine am I.

ODYSSEUS: But… how can you be—

GILGAMESH: Silence! I am Gilgamesh, son of Wild-Cow Ninsun, king of Uruk-the-Sheepfold. None are mightier than I, none are stronger. Only one man ever equaled me, and that was my brother Enkidu. (looks suddenly very sad; violins play) Enkidu has perished, who once fought beside me, Enkidu has perished who once was like a rock from the heavens. Enkidu has perished, and I wander alone, I wear the skins of lions, I mourn for Enkidu, for Enkidu has perished and I realize that I too am mortal. I seek my immortality here, following the course set for me by Wild-Cow Ninsun.

LUCIUS: (brays)

SANTA: I’m Santa Claus. Father Christmas. Every year at this time I bring presents to all the good girls and boys with a jolly ho-ho-owwww. I think my ankle is broken. Look, I can give you what you need. But I have one more house to visit tonight, and I can’t do it like this. You’ll have to take my place. Deliver these toys to the house next door. Put them under the tree in the living room. But first you’ll have to go buy some batteries from the store two blocks away, because the batteries aren’t included.

(Santa climbs into his sleigh and flies off.)

SANTA: (ere he flies out of sight) Happy Christmas to all, and to you guys, good luck!

LUCIUS: (brays)

(The heroes look at one another uncertainly.)

AENEAS: Huh.

LUCIUS: (voiceover) Truthfully, I had never held these heroes of my ancestors in very high regard, and my opinion of them was not much improved by meeting them. Nevertheless, it was clear that we must work together to complete the task assigned to us by Santa Claus. Odysseus quickly volunteered to seek the batteries.

ODYSSEUS: I will seek these batteries we require.

AENEAS: You would only keep them for yourself, wily Ulysses! Let me go for them.

ODYSSEUS: We’ll both go, then. Only first we must disguise ourselves so as not to be conspicuous.

AENEAS: Fine.

GILGAMESH: I will stay here with the donkey, the wild ass who reminds me of my friend Enkidu. I will stay here with the donkey, so that when we succeed, we may sacrifice him to the gods.

(Odysseus, Aeneas, and Ascanius depart on foot.)

SCENE: A department store. Odysseus, Aeneas, and Ascanius are shoplifting.

LUCIUS: (voiceover) As I understand it, this is what happened on Odysseus and Aeneas’s journey. They obtained clothing fashionable to the time from large houses which contained many offerings of clothing for guests and newcomers. In return, they left their old clothing, for the garments of such renowned heroes must be very valuable.

(City streets, some time later. Odysseus, Aeneas, and Ascanius, now dressed in modern clothing, continue to walk and stare at what they see. Ascanius is playing a Gameboy.)

LUCIUS: (voiceover) Though the batteries were only two blocks from the house where we were stationed, they wandered so far that they were very quickly lost and Odysseus, in his pride, would not ask for directions.

AENEAS: We’re lost.

ODYSSEUS: No, of course we’re not.

AENEAS: Yes, we are. Ask someone for directions.

ODYSSEUS: No. You do it.

LUCIUS: (voiceover) Soon, matters between the two heroes became unpleasant.

ODYSSEUS: That’s a nice son you have. Do you take him everywhere?

AENEAS: Yes.

ODYSSEUS: I had to leave my son at home. Haven’t seen him in twenty years.

AENEAS: Your soldiers killed my son’s mother.

ODYSSEUS: (uncomfortable) Oh. Sorry about that.

AENEAS: Greeks are all brutal liars.

ODYSSEUS: Trojans are all naïve fools.

(Aeneas throws a punch, and suddenly a fistfight—a rather clumsy fistfight, since both men are used to swords and armor—ensues.)

LUCIUS: (voiceover) Ascanius, who had been paying attention to where they were going, ran back to the yard and fetched Gilgamesh to aid him.

SCENE: Jail. Odysseus and Aeneas are behind bars. Standing guard is Officer Kirk.

AENEAS: So… neither one of us likes Helen.

ODYSSEUS: Right. And we didn’t want to have a war in the first place.

AENEAS: Hm.

(Gilgamesh enters, sword drawn, with Ascanius in tow.)

GILGAMESH: I am Gilgamesh, king of Uruk-the-sheepfold! I am Gilgamesh, tamer of the wild taxi! I wandered the wild and came to this place, I came seeking these men who do not find favor in your eyes.

(The police officers have their guns drawn, but Gilgamesh isn’t paying attention.)

GILGAMESH: I demand that you free them, or I will slay you each in turn. They have fought and now they are friends, just like myself and my brother Enkidu. (suddenly looks very sad; violins play) Enkidu has perished, who once fought beside me, Enkidu has perished who once was like a rock from the heavens. Enkidu has perished, and I wander alone, I wear the skins of lions, I mourn for Enkidu, for Enkidu has perished and—

ODYSSEUS: Okay, I can explain. My name is Bob Katzopolous. I come from…

LUCIUS: (voiceover) Odysseus proceeded to explain that Gilgamesh was his insane cousin, and after a few sweet speeches to Officer Kirk, he and Aeneas were freed.

SCENE: Inside a taxi cab.

ASCANIUS: Father?

AENEAS: Yes, my son?

(Ascanius whispers in his father’s ear.)

LUCIUS: (voiceover) Unfortunately, their troubles were not done. The young son of Aeneas had to go to the bathroom. They stopped at the house of a woman.

SCENE: Callie’s house. Callie is a woman in her thirties. She has cookies for everyone.

AENEAS: Well, we should be going.

CALLIE: No, stay!

AENEAS: No, we have to—

CALLIE: STAY!

AENEAS: But the gods demand that we go. Don’t they, guys?

GILGAMESH: Yes. He speaks the truth. You must free us, or I shall slay you.

(Callie begins to cry.)

CALLIE: But… but… it’s so lonely at Christmastime…

ODYSSEUS: You go get the batteries. I will stay here for a while, and meet you back in the yard.

(Aeneas, Ascanius, and Gilgamesh nod and exit. Odysseus attempts to comfort Callie.)

SCENE: The yard. Aeneas, Gilgamesh, and Ascanius return with batteries of all shapes and sizes.

LUCIUS: (voiceover) Within fifteen minutes, duty-bound Aeneas had returned with his son, the king of Uruk, and the batteries.

AENEAS: There were so many kinds!

LUCIUS: (voiceover) We all proceeded to wait for Odysseus, who arrived a half hour later, explaining that he had to wait for his patron goddess, Athena, in the form of an inquisitive neighbor, to rescue him from the devious woman. I, myself, suspect that he may have simply climbed out the bathroom window.

(Odysseus finally arrives, and they all stare at the house. Aeneas steps forward and opens the gate of the fence. He is immediately confronted by a vicious dog, restrained by only a feeble rope. The doghouse reads “Missy.” Aeneas quickly closes the gate again.)

AENEAS: What do we do now?

ODYSSEUS: We’ll have to get past it.

AENEAS: Are you mad? This “Missy” reminds me of the hounds of Tartarus!

GILGAMESH: We must slay it!

ODYSSEUS: But she belongs to these people!

GILGAMESH: The hound is fierce, and so we must slay it! The hound is there, and so we must slay it! Please? It’s been so long since I’ve slain something!

AENEAS: No. Although wily Ulysses here is a Greek and a trickster, he is right. Were we to slay Missy, we would be no better than common vandals. Look at us! We are kings and sons of gods! Except for this ass, here.

LUCIUS: (brays)

ODYSSEUS: Give me a minute. I’ll think of something.

GILGAMESH: Let us slay it! We must slay it as once I slew Humbaba. The great Humbaba, the forest guardian, his voice was the deluge. Enkidu and I slew him… (looks suddenly very sad; violins play) Enkidu has perished, who once fought beside me, Enkidu has perished who once was like a rock from the heavens. Enkidu has perished, and I—

ODYSSEUS: Zeus above, be silent, man!

AENEAS: Wait! I know. When the prophetess guided me into the Underworld she subdued Cerberus, and so shall we deal with Missy. Ascanius, give us two of those cookies we bought you after we got batteries.

ASCANIUS: But Father!

(Lucius removes the cookies from Ascanius’s jacket pocket and sets them on the ground.)

GILGAMESH: But how shall we obtain entry to the house?

ODYSSEUS: We could build a giant wooden reindeer…

AENEAS: No! No more giant wooden animals!

ODYSSEUS: Fine, fine. I have another idea. I’ll need a disguise, and this donkey.

SCENE: The yard, later. Odysseus is dressed as Santa Claus. Ascanius is an elf. Lucius has antlers tied to his head.

LUCIUS: (voiceover) This was, quite possibly, the most humiliating experience I had known thus far.

(Aeneas and Gilgamesh leading the way, they enter the gate. Aeneas throws a cookie to Missy.)

LUCIUS: (voiceover) The hellhound was kept back, just as I had heard of in the tale of Cupid and Psyche. We approached the door.

GILGAMESH: What now?

ODYSSEUS: Shall I… knock?

(They all shrug. He does so. The door is opened by a little girl, Cindy.)

CINDY: Hello. Who are you?

ODYSSEUS: I am your god, Santa Claus. I have come to deliver your gifts.

AENEAS: Say ho-ho-ho.

ODYSSEUS: Ho-ho-ho.

CINDY: (skeptically, points to Lucius) What is that?

ODYSSEUS: Why that is my reindeer, little girl!

LUCIUS: (brays)

CINDY: He doesn’t look like a reindeer.

AENEAS: He is one, though.

CINDY: Who are they?

ODYSSEUS: Why, they are my divine guards. Ho-ho-ho.

(A pause.)

GILGAMESH: (whispers) Shall I slay her?

AENEAS: Shh!

ODYSSEUS: May we come in, small child?

CINDY: Okay. But just ‘cause I like your donkey.

SCENE: Cindy’s house. Presents are placed under the tree, and there is much holiday rejoicing.

SCENE: The yard. The heroes exit, waving to Cindy.

CINDY: Bye, Santa!

ODYSSEUS: Goodbye.

(Aeneas throws the second cookie to Missy.)

AENEAS: What a nice little girl.

(They exit through the gate.)

GILGAMESH: Now what?

(A h-ho-ho is heard in the air. Santa lands his sleigh in the yard.)

SANTA: You have completed your quest, my friends! And my ankle is only sprained. So now, I present you with your gifts.

(He reaches inside his sack.)

SANTA: For Lucius…

(He presents Lucius with a wreath of roses. Lucius quickly devours them and turns back into a man. The others are astounded.)

LUCIUS: Thank the great goddess Isis!

ODYSSEUS: Well… that was a good disguise.

SANTA: For Gilgamesh…

(Santa gives Gilgamesh the flower of immortality.)

GILGAMESH: The means to prolong life! I shall give it to the old people of Uruk-the-sheepfold! I shall not perish as my brother Enkidu! I am Gilgamesh, the wild bull, the great king, who slew Humbaba , his voice was the deluge. I am Gilgamesh, who killed the wild lions, who tamed the wild taxi, who found the sacred batteries—

LUCIUS: Shut up!

SANTA: For Odysseus… (presents Odysseus with ruby slippers) All you have to do to return to Ithaka is click your heels together and say, “There’s no place like home.”

ODYSSEUS: (puts on shoes) There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home…

(He disappears.)

SANTA: For you, Aeneas, and you, Ascanius… (hands them ruby slippers) To fulfill your destiny, all you need to do is click your heels together and say, “There’s no place like Rome.”

AENEAS: Thank you. (holding Ascanius’s hand) There’s no place like Rome, there’s no place like Rome…”

(He disappears.)

SANTA: Come on, Gilgamesh and Lucius. I’ll give you a ride in my sleigh.

LUCIUS: Is this really a Christian holiday? Because the great goddess Isis…

(They fly out of sight)

LUCIUS: And that was how my great adventure as an ass came, at last, to a rather unlikely end.

Fin.

Please do not copy or republish Erin's work without her express written permission. Thank you!

NaNoWriMo2005: 50185 Words I WIN!

Niama rode beside Belan and Herel through the rain. It was Corbin's turn to remain in the litter with the baby. The whole situation was ridiculous, in her opinion, and she tried to convey this message to the two priests via her stony silence. Judging from their nervous looks in her direction, they were getting the message.

"Is it much further?" she asked pointedly.

"Only a few more hours, m'lady," Herel replied with what seemed like an effort at cheerfulness.

She did not respond with anything other than a snort. Of course, it wasn't the fault of these poor men that the high priestess had summoned them, of all people, to the Temple. They were simply carrying out orders. But ever since the attack at the Palace when the prince had gone missing and Corbin had been wounded, she had been on edge, just waiting for something to happen. This was that something, and for too long she had intended to meet it with claws bared. Being passive now was not an option.

What made it all worse was that they were going to the Temple. Niama had been there once before, when she was a very little child. There they had told her parents that she had a gift with the old magic, a gift from the Gods, and that in due time she would be sent for to become a priestess in the Temple with the Wise Ones. She had been frightened by this news at first, but for four years she'd prepared herself for it. For four years she'd adjusted to the idea, and had even come to like it in some ways. She would be powerful, she would be respected, she would not be sold into marriage young-- purchased for her dowry-- as so many young brides were. She had a chance to do something else. Still, being away from her home and her family was not something she was looking forward to. To become a priestess was her duty, that was all, and so she would do it.

But the day before she was to depart for the Temple, at twelve years old, she had wandered off into the border forests to say goodbye to the trees and paths which had become her friends. Somewhere, somehow, she had gone off her normal path and come upon the border and there... there she had seen something most peculiar.

They'd searched for her for days, she learned later, but not the slightest trace had been found. At last they determined that she'd been taken away by the fairies, who would love her for her beauty and her magic. The fairies were jealous, and did not want to give her over to training in the Temple, the people said. It was an easy story to believe, for those who lived near the borders of the Kingdom, where the knights guarded against no one knew what. It had even happened before, though scarcely within living memory. A little girl, much younger than Niama, had been taken by the fairies and come back so many years later that all of her family were dead, though she had not aged a day. Brigid was her name, and within a few months she had died of sorrow.

Niama did not die. She had spent four years in Dybera, trying to figure out how to get back. When she finally did return, her mother was dead, her youngest sister grown up and married with little children, her father married again and with a new young family. Nobody wanted her, and she was too old then to go to the Temple and be trained. She retreated back into the forest and might have killed herself there, had Corbin not found her.

She did not regret these things now. She loved Corbin with all of her soul, and she loved her little daughter, Nieve. She would not have traded them for anything, and when they had come to her she had ceased to be sorry that she had never come to be a priestess. Still, the old sense of duty, of four years resigned to her fate only to have that fate denied, weighed on her now. She had not wanted ever to return to the Temple again. But now she was going, bound just as these two priests were to follow the orders of the high priestess, the Lady Celwyn, a woman whom she had never even met.

"Stop here," she ordered the two other riders. "I will go back into the litter now."

They halted obediently as the rain poured down, soaking them to the skin. Herel, at least, was glad of the change. Sir Corbin was an easy man to get along with, always cheerful, always good-natured. The wife made him nervous. She had been much easier to get along with back at the manor.

***
Bhodi peered around the corner, then silently motioned Pearl forward.

"This is it," he whispered as she tiptoed up beside him. "I told you I'd find it."

"I didn't say you wouldn't," she retorted. "I only said it'd take you all day, which it did."

It was dusk now. They had spent all day prowling the halls, lobbies, suites, and nooks of the Palace in search of this one area. Having no comeback for the truth of Pearl's statement, Bhodi pressed the conversation forward.

"There are some guards, but luckily we're both pretty small. They might not see us."

"And if they do see us?"

Bhodi shrugged. "Run?"

Pearl shook her head. "I still don't know if this is a good idea. What if we get in trouble? They'll punish us."

"No, they won't," Bhodi explained patiently. "'Cause we're just kids. See? Just kids playing around. The worst they'll do is take us back to our rooms and that'll be that."

"Are you sure?" Pearl still looked doubtful.

"Trust me. I've done this before."

The girl drew a deep breath. "Well, then," she said. "All right. Let's go."

Together, holding hands, they crept around the corner, ducking low to the ground. All around them were rows and rows of the dragon ships. The people around her might not be Gods, but after the horrifying night of Bhodi's rescue, the ships would always in some fundamental way be dragons to Pearl. She felt like they were staring at her out of their blank, glazed eyes. Guards were posted here and there throughout the vast, airy room, but they were all staring straight ahead, not down where Pearl and Bhodi were. Pearl did not see any swords, so maybe they weren't even armed. Or, a small voice in her head whispered, they don't even need swords. She tried not to think of what this might mean. Bhodi pulled her along, soundlessly, for they were carrying their shoes, to one of the dragons which stood near the arched entryway of this place which Pearl suddenly realized was like a cave. A cave full of dragons. The boy let her hand go and motioned for her to follow him up the ramp which served as this particular dragon's entryway. Pearl pulled back in fear. Bhodi motioned more emphatically.

"Hurry up," he mouthed, glancing nervously at the guards, none of whom were looking in their direction.

When you've climbed very high, Pearl told herself, don't think about how far it is to the ground.

Who cares if you live or die?

Rushing forward, she followed Bhodi up the ramp, into the belly of the dragon.

***
They had made good time, and had to wait several hours in the cover of the Temple orchards for night to truly fall. The night air was filled with fireflies and the sounds of birds in the whispering trees and Niama's lullabies to Nieve. Belan found it truly beautiful, joining in every now and again with Niama's singing. Herel might have found it beautiful, too, if the whole thing hadn't been so ridiculous. He hadn't become a priest for this-- sneaking around in the dead of night with women and babies, acting under a Lady's orders, possibly committing treason or blasphemy or both. He'd become a priest to avoid exactly these things. He'd wanted to enjoy a life of simple leisure. Was it so much to ask?

Belan gave a contented sigh. "You have a beautiful voice, my lady," he whispered, so as not to wake the baby.

"As have you," Niama acknowledged.

"Yes," Corbin agreed. "I feel quite privileged, meeting the Lady Celwyn and being serenaded by a bard, all on the same night."

"Thank you," Belan bowed in gratitude.

"I think we can go now," Herel inserted gruffly, pointing up at the moon. Belan nodded, and the small group got to its feet.

At the gate of the Temple, the priestess who guarded the way that night asked who they were.

"Visitors at the urgent request of the Lady Celwyn." They were admitted at once and brought, without pause, up to Celwyn's chamber. Little Nieve, as though sensing the importance of the moment-- or, perhaps, entirely failing to sense anything-- was completely silent, sound asleep.

Celwyn was waiting for them; she ushered them into her chamber, greeting each by name as they bowed or curtseyed to her. Then she shut the door.

"I thank you, Corbin and Niama, for coming when you do not even know why it is that you are here."

"The high priestess commands and we answer," Niama answered softly, placing her infant daughter gently into a cradle which had been prepared in anticipation of their coming. Celwyn looked at her, and she suddenly had the disconcerting feeling that the high priestess knew everything about her, knew not only exactly who she was but exactly what she was thinking at that moment and why. Then she set that feeling aside. No. It is only a priestess trick. There is no way she could ever know...

"Do not answer simply because I command; that is the way of sheep, not men. What I have to ask of you tonight is not the sort of burden which should be accepted with reluctance." They all nodded their understanding, and Celwyn and Niama exchanged a look. A look that said, Whatever you decide, I will stand beside you. It was always so between them. "A dangerous time is ahead. The two of you have known this was coming for some time. This was only reinforced by what has happened in the past days-- the boy, the crash... and the girl, as well. And now the attempt on the life of the prince."

"Do you know where he is, Lady?" Corbin asked eagerly. "Can you find him? Can you help him?"

"I know where he is, yes," Celwyn answered. "But I cannot find him or help him, for now. He is beyond my sight."

"He is in Dybera, isn't he." Niama's voice held a quiet conviction.

Celwyn nodded. "He was taken there by the Lord Talwyr, and is therefore safe. What concerns us now is what is to happen when he comes home." Niama opened her mouth to speak, but Celwyn answered her thoughts. "The power of the boundaries has diminished so that time now runs evenly between the Kingdom and Dybera. Yes, Belan?"

The young priest looked apologetic for the interruption. "What is Dybera?" he asked.
"I'm sorry, Belan." Celwyn's tone was genuine. "I'm afraid I can't tell you that at this point."

"Then why," Herel exploded, "are we here?"

"What concerns us tonight is very much within the realm of the Kingdom; we will speak of these secret things no more. Someone plots against the life of the young prince. When he returns, he must be protected. Corbin, this task is the primary thing I would ask of you."

"Of me?" Corbin repeated, disbelieving. "Lady, I am honored." Niama's expression flashed from surprised and proud to worried, but she remained silent.

"There is more," Celwyn continued. "I am being kept from council; Lord Maddeg is usurping the entire rule of this Temple for himself. The Mother, then, demands her justice. I will not see her put aside in her own Temple. As the Wise Ones of the myth, many here have forgotten the Gods and worship only themselves. The Kingdom will be divided, this has been foreseen for a long time. I will stand beside Prince Emryn, the new king, and I will call for unity. I ask you... for your shelter, and for your aid. I wish to build a Temple for the Mother, the Great Goddess Gwenna, out among her trees and creatures in her forest."

"You are asking us to let you use our house as a Temple?" Niama asked incredulously.
"No, not at all. Only your land. And your help with building a shelter."

"That is not difficult," said Corbin. "We would give you use of our land gladly."
Niama nodded her agreement, though she did not give it altogether so gladly as her husband did.

"Niama, I will need your help," Celwyn said then. "I know that you were to be a priestess. You need not be now, but you can still be of help. You know the healing arts, you know the forest ways, and you are young. I grow old, and there is no one to take my place or stand beside me, none I can be sure of save you alone. Once you were called to the Temple out of duty. The Goddess did not turn her back on you. She has not ceased to call you. Only this time it is not duty which binds you to a strange land. Of your own free will, you may choose... to go home. Or, should it be the case, not."

Niama, for a time, could say nothing. So many emotions she thought she'd forgotten... so many hopes so long held in secret... the chance to prove that she could fulfill the task which had been laid before her. There had been a time when she'd thought the Goddess had called her. And though she was more happy with Corbin and Nieve than she could ever have been as a priestess, still the longing had remained to know that the Goddess had not forgotten her. And all of this, somehow, Celwyn knew.

There was only one answer she could give.

Kneeling before the high priestess with tears in her eyes, she said, "How can I refuse my Mother's calling me home? My Lady, my priestess, I thank you."

Now it was Corbin's turn to look proud, as Celwyn extended her hands over his wife in blessing.

"My leaving the Temple, you must understand, will not be a simple thing," the high priestess said then. "It will mean conflict at least, and possibly civil war. I do not know how low Maddeg will stoop. He will say now that the prince is gone and dead because the Gods are angry and have been denied a sacrifice."

"The child," Belan murmured, and Celwyn nodded.

"Maddeg wants that child dead. But it is of the utmost importance that she remain alive. Everything depends on it. That is the reason Maddeg has denied me my rights as high priestess, that is the reason I am leaving the Temple. I would even allow a civil war to break out if it means keeping this child safe. That is where Maddeg and I differ, I suppose. He says, maybe even believes, that the fate of the Kingdom depends upon seeing this child dead. I believe it depends upon keeping her alive."

"But why?" Herel asked.

"She is the child of the Gods," the priestess answered simply. "She will save us."

Belan went pale, and Herel whistled under his breath. "And he was going to kill her..."

"When I go, will you follow me, my priests?"

Belan responded at once. "Lady, I would follow you anywhere." He bowed low.

Herel was silent for a moment. At last, he said, "I am not a religious man. This may seem odd in a priest, but there it is. I took on this profession to be comfortable, not to start revolutions. I'm not even sure I believe in these prophecies." He sighed. "I won't betray you to Lord Maddeg, but... the Temple... the Temple itself is as close to religion as I come. I'm sorry."

Belan looked angry, as though he might have hit Herel, had Celwyn not taken his words so calmly. She only nodded. "Very well. Our task is not for the faint of heart. I thank you for your frankness. You may leave, Herel. You may go as well, Belan. There are further matters I must discuss with Corbin and Niama alone."

The two left together, a hostile, frigid silence between them now. Belan, slighter in build, quickly darted ahead and the two priests parted ways.

"Disappointing," Celwyn remarked when they were gone. "I was sure he would agree to join us. Well, perhaps with time... Or perhaps, with time, I have lost my judge of character." She sighed. "But you have something more to say to me, I feel, Niama."

"And so you are asking us," Niama said slowly, "to turn our lives upside down, even risk our lives and many others, to protect this one girl?"

"She is the only hope I can see of bringing Dybera and the Kingdom together peacefully. You know the time is coming when the boundaries will fail. You know this better than anyone, that is why you are here."

"Yes, but surely there must be some other way," Corbin said.

"No." Celwyn shook her head sadly. "She is the child of the Gods. Only she can bind them both. It was ordained before she was ever born. It will not be easy, not for her, not for any of us."

And the only thing Niama could think of to say to that was, "That poor little girl."

***
Talwyr kept to his room all that day. There he sat, and stared into space, and brooded. He had not expected the girl to turn on him like she had, only now he wondered why. It was obvious that she should feel the way she did. She was perfectly justified. And she was right.

Celwyn had tried to tell him then, and she had tried to tell him only days ago, placing Pearl in the Temple was not acceptable, it was dangerous. He'd thought he knew better. Well, now the girl hated him, and there was nothing for that but time. In time, perhaps she would see that he had meant it for the best. In time, when she knew everything, perhaps she would understand that there was no other way-- had there been another way? If he had looked harder, would he have found it? In time, perhaps she would see that he had only wanted to protect her, keep her someplace where she could be watched.

But even so, that time would not come soon. And in the meantime, what was he to do? Send her back to Celwyn? Or would she mistrust Celwyn now, too? The girl was clever, after all, she might suspect that Celwyn had been his accomplice in the matter of Pearl's keeping from the beginning. He should have listened to Celwyn. It made little difference now.

And why in the names of all the Gods should he be so affected by the hurt feelings of this girl? Was it because she had proven him so wrong where he had thought that he could never be?

Yes, it was that. But more than that, he had possibly just lost the only hope they had of saving the Kingdom.

What would Celwyn say to that? Perhaps she would leave him, too.

He had gone about this all wrong, it was becoming more clear with every hour of every day. When Pearl came back he would apologize, but would that be enough?

As the light in the chamber faded with the dusk and Talwyr's thoughts grew ever darker with it, a furious knocking came at his door.

It was Prince Emryn, and Queen Silvara with him. Their expressions, he noted at once, were identical in worry and fear.

"What has happened?" he asked at once. What he meant was, What has happened to Pearl? He feared the answer.

"They've gone!" Emryn exclaimed. "No one knows where, they could be anyplace!"

"Don't be silly. They are somewhere in this Palace," Talwyr stated.

"No, Lord. They are not," Silvara informed him.

"Pearl didn't come back last night, so this morning Bhodi went to look for her," Emryn explained. "They didn't come back."

Silvara took over. "Just now I received an urgent report from my security team in the hangar bay. A small ship has been stolen."

Talwyr's eyebrows shot up. "By them?"

"By two children, Lord. It could only be them. The guards didn't even notice them until they were already taking off. And they disabled the homing beacon. We don't know where they've gone!"

If he and Pearl had parted on better terms, Talwyr might have laughed. Of course, if he and Pearl had parted on better terms, she would probably still be in this Palace, safe. Still, he hand to maintain the semblance of calm. Monarchs though they were, Kama Silvara and Emryn were only two frightened young people now, and they were looking to him.

"It's my fault," Emryn was saying. "I should have been watching them."

"No," the Queen cut him off sharply, "it's my fault. This is my Palace, and it was my security team which should have been keeping track of them. I should have made sure that they understood--"

"No," Talwyr held up a hand to silence her. "You could not have said anything that would have made anyone behave any differently. And you, Emryn, are not hear to babysit mischievous children. This is my fault, and mine alone. Those children are my responsibility, no one else's. And I will find them."

"How?" Kama cried.

Emryn looked at her, astonished. "Don't you know who he is? Lord Talwyr, the great wizard, the Wise Ones, the messenger of the Gods? He will use magic, of course!"

"The first think I will need," Talwyr said, ignoring this outburst, "is to be alone for a while. It may take some time. I am sorry." He made to close the door. "I am deeply sorry."

***
Pearl, seated now inside the dragon and secured to her seat, had not yet stopped shaking. Her eyes remaindd tightly shut. For the second time in only a few days, she had been certain that she was going to die. They had run to the front of the ship, and Bhodi had started pulling and turning and pressing things, and then the ship had started to make horrible noises. Looking through the eye, the window of the ship, Pearl watched the guards on duty notice that something was wrong. She watched them all turn in her direction, and then start shouting and running toward the ship. Then bright flashes of light had come from the devices they held in their hands, and Bhodi had sworn under his breath.

"Get down! They're using blasters!"

"They're using what?" Pearl had shrieked.

"Get down!"

She did, and that was when she closed her eyes tight, covering them with her hands for good measure, and sent a fervent prayer to the Goddess Gwenna that she might somehow get out of this alive. Then things had started flashing and the ship had started to shake...

There had been the stomach-churning sensation of movement.

"Yes!" Bhodi exclaimed, and for the most part the ship stopped its shaking. But Pearl refused to open her eyes. She sat rigid in her seat, not sure she would be able to move if she tried.

"We're in the clear," she heard Bhodi say.

She said nothing.

"You can open your eyes," he added.

She did not. "Bhodi, are you sure you know how to work this... this ship?"

"Yes. I told you, I've done it lots of times."

"But... but last time you did it, Bhodi, you crashed..."

"That wasn't my fault. It was the ship." Pearl said nothing. "Okay, so this is probably the farthest I've ever been on my own. Happy?"

"No."

"I know what'll make you happy." She could hear Bhodi's signature grin, even if she couldn't see it.

"What?"

"Open your eyes."

"No."

"Oh, come on! Look, we're not crashing, we're flying perfectly. Just open your eyes." The boy's voice was exasperated enough that Pearl decided they were not in any immediate danger.

Slowly, she opened first one eye, then the other. The scene before her took her breath away.

"We're flying!" she gasped. "Look at all the birds! And the clouds! We're really flying!"

"Of course we are. That's what ships do. But look down."

Pearl looked doubtful. "I don't know if that's a very good idea."

"Well, how are you going to see Dybera if you don't?"

It was a good point. Through the eye of the dragon, Pearl looked down. They were higher, she thought wonderingly, than the top of the very highest tower in the Temple was. Pearl had been there a few times, and looked down over nearly all of the Kingdom below her. The trees and villages in the distance were so small it had looked as though she could have picked them up between two fingers. The buildings below them now were much, much smaller. Even the Temple would have looked small from this height. They passed over huge, glowing masses of towering buildings all clumped together to form the bigger cities. Then there were much smaller clusters of lights which indicated towns. There were some small areas of trees, but nothing like the forests of the Kingdom. And it seemed that there was no empty space of land in Dybera-- every field, every hill was occupied by someone or, more often than not, a whole group of someones. She remarked on this to Bhodi, who nodded.

"Yep, Dybera isn't one of the city-planets or anything. It's not important enough. But it's kind of a cultural center, and the world's mostly city. It keeps a lot of nature preserves, though. Those are the trees and everything."

There were winding rivers, too, and other ships-- some below them, some above them, some beside them. Pearl was surprised to find that she was not at all afraid. She was aware that very little separated her from the open air, and the memory of Bhodi's rescue was still fresh in her mind. She knew what such a long fall could do to a ship, and could easily imagine what it would do to a person. But she felt not only safe here, but also free. For the first time, she did not have to answer to anybody. She, like Bhodi Ajinna, could go anywhere she wanted to, anywhere even beyond the limitless horizon. This was what she had dreamed of during all of those stolen hours on the hillside over all of her years in the Temple.

"We're flying," she whispered again. "Just like the birds do."

She was flying in the land of the Gods, her best friend in the world by her side. Never had she dreamed it could be as wonderful as this.

***
Talwyr quickly discovered the flaw in his plan or, rather, the flaw in his magic, for no other plan had even the glimmer of a chance of working properly. Looking inward, meditating, he could see Bhodi and Pearl. He could see that they were safe, and that they seemed to be enjoying themselves, and that they had not left Dybera's atmosphere yet. That, at least, was a comfort. The only problem was that he could not tell where they were. He could see that they were in the cockpit of the ship they had stolen, true enough, but where was that ship? It was impossible to tell. The could be anywhere in the world and, until they landed and gave some indication of where they had landed, they might as well be at the opposite end of the galaxy. There was next to no chance of finding them, though random sweeps of all spaceports and landing pads could be made. Queen Silavara was already taking care of that. But what then? What if they decided to leave Dybera or, worse, crashed somewhere? Their pilot was, after all, only eight years old; he was doing well so far, but what would happen when he became tired or made some inexperienced mistake?

Emryn entered the dim room and cleared his throat nervously. Talwyr turned to him. "Any news, Lord?"

"Nothing new yet. They are still in the air."

Emryn nodded. "Very well, sir." He hesitated. "Kama is worried."

"Ah. You are on a first-name basis now with the Queen?"

Emryn was trying valiantly to hide the reddening of his cheeks, but Talwyr saw it. "Yes." He drew all of his princely air unto himself. "Is that a problem?"

"No," Talwyr replied, amused. "No, not at all."

"Good." The young prince turned and strode out of the room.

Talwyr smiled to himself. He had learned it years ago, and now he felt he was learning it all over again. Hope for the Kingdom sprang up in the most unlikely of places.

***
They landed the ship in a grassy area near the outskirts of one of the towns. Normally, Bhodi explained, they would find a landing platform, but he didn't have any money for parking. Or a license to fly.

"So it's a good thing that we're fugitives from the law who are hiding out anyway."

"We are?" Pearl asked sleepily, lying down on the grass. They could sleep inside the ship, she knew, but that made her more nervous than they idea of sleeping out under the stars, even if they were in a strange place.

"Sure we are. We stole a ship from the Palace's royal hangar!" Bhodi shook his head and stretched out on the ground beside her. "Oh, man! Wait till the old crew finds out. They're never going to believe I did it. I hardly believe I did it."

"What are we going to do now?" Pearl asked.

Bhodi shrugged. "I don't know. Tomorrow we can go visit some places here. Tomorrow we can go anywhere you'd like. Anywhere in the whole galaxy."

"Really?"

"Sure. We'll be a team, you and me. I'll teach you to fly, and you can be my copilot. We can just wander around all over the place, causing trouble, or... fighting crime. Whichever you want."

Pearl smiled. "Like a knight and his lady."

"Yeah, I guess so. We'll be famous. And rich, of course."

"Good." Pearl felt herself drifting off to sleep. "I'd like that."

"Pearl?" Bhodi's voice drifted into her waning consciousness. "Why did we run away from the Palace? I mean, why did you want to go?"

"Because nobody cares about me," she murmured.

"I do."

"I know. That's why I ran away with you."

"Oh."

***
Kama thought very hard for several moments. She even got out a map of Dybera. Talwyr and Emryn, meanwhile, watched her anxiously.

At last, she said, "I think I know the place you're talking about." She pointed to the map. "It's called Merylia, one of our old, small villages in the lake region. The buildings and the monuments you describe, and the geography... I think they're somewhere around there."

"Do you know anyone in that village?" Talwyr asked.

Kama raised an eyebrow. "I'm the Queen," she said. "I don't need to know anyone. If I order everyone in that village to get out of bed and go looking, they will do it."

"No," Talwyr snapped, with a sharpness that neither of the young monarchs had heard him use before. "We will not do it that way. We cannot draw so much attention." At their expressions, his face softened. "It is dangerous for you, to behave so," he said to Kama. "Chasing after two children who claim to have visited the Lost Lands? Do your want your advisors to think you insane?

"Why not?" Kama retorted bitterly. "They think me incompetent already."

"No, in fact I believe you competence has quite disheartened them in recent years, Your Highness. But incompetence is another matter altogether; that they would welcome from you. This incident may cause unwanted questions to be asked. And so, do you know anyone in Merylia? Someone who would be willing to help us?”

Kama sank into thought again. After a moment, she said, “No. No one I can think of. I have been there only on visits either with my mother or relating to state matters. It is beautiful and I like it there, but I cannot claim to have friends... indeed, I cannot claim to have friends in almost any place at all. I have lived my whole life here, in Taseed, in the Palace.”

“Very well.” Talwyr’s expression was taut with solemnity. “Then we shall have to go ourselves. Tonight. Now.”

Kama hesitated. “I... I don’t believe I can.”

“What?” Emryn cried. “Why?”

“I am Queen here, Emryn. I cannot neglect my duties to go running off... I cannot leave my people that way. I am sorry.”

“Oh.” Emryn kicked at the flagstones. “All right, then.”

“Then Emryn and I will go,” Talwyr stated firmly. He stood and walked toward the door.

“Oh.” Emryn jumped up. “Right now?”

“I will give you one of my best ships and a pilot I trust,” Kama said, following after them.

“The pilot won’t be necessary,” Talwyr informed her.

Emryn was incredulous. “You can fly these sky dragon ships?”

“There is much you do not know about my Prince Emryn. Yes, I have learned to fly tolerably well. We most likely will not die.”

The look that Emryn threw Kama over his shoulder as they walked away was an expression of very near panic.

***
The whispers and rumors of a growing dread were beginning to spread throughout the Kingdom. Prince Emryn was gone. There was not one person who did not know it. And most were beginning to fear that Prince Emryn was dead. That was what the prophecy had said, wasn’t it? First that the old king would die, and then that the Prince would soon after follow his parents. Well, that wasn’t exactly what it had said. It had said that Prince Emryn would go into the land of the Gods, but everyone knew what that meant, though there were some of the philosophers among them who were puzzled by the unclear wording. What do you mean, “unclear?” shouted the rest. Everyone knows that the land of the Gods means death, and even if it didn’t, who has ever heard of someone returning from the land of the Gods?

No one had. And while some lit candles and prayed, others turned their minds to who could be the land’s next king. Emryn had been the last of his line. The king had had no brothers, no cousins, no living relative. The prince’s nearest relative would be on his mother’s side, and the only living relative of the Queen’s was her uncle, who just so happened to be Lord Maddeg, high priest of the Temple.

Well, that was right out, some said. He was the high priest. He couldn’t be the high priest and the king at the same time-- it was unheard of, and probably illegal. No one man should have so much power.

But... others said... why shouldn’t Lord Maddeg have so much power? He was a religious man, and would not turn it to wrong ends. Lord Maddeg was respected, a leader, and he was after, all, the nearest person to the throne. He was the only person in the Kingdom that perhaps every council member would vote for. Why shouldn’t Lord Maddeg be king?

And some of the first group began to say, Well... when you put it like that...

The prophecy said that chaos would reign and that the Gods were angry. That destruction might come to them all.

But the prophecy also said that a new leader would arise, one led by a child of the Gods. If Maddeg was taht leader, the people reasoned, then let the child of the Gods-- whoever that was-- bring him forth. That would prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt.

But the Wise Ones who had been at the Speaking after Queen Lilien’s death glanced at one another and muttered, “Didn’t the prophecy say that the new leader would be a woman?” A Queen would come, she had said. And something about a boy and a dragon, and another child who was the child of the Gods... Who was the child of the Gods? Where could they find such a child? Where would they even begin to look?

No, the prophecy could not be referring to Lord Maddeg.

Maddeg heard these whispers, and he cursed himself. What a fool he had been! What an utter fool to have lost that child! She would have been more useful dead than on the run, but most useful of all if he had controlled his rage and kept her here. He could have used her so easily, if only he had seen it then. The child of the Gods was his passport to the throne, and he could have had her at his immediate beck and call. He could have made her trust him and taught her what to say and how to behave. And he would have been in power in the blink of an eye.

If the child had been dead, he could have found a replacement “child of the Gods” who would have done just as well, of course. Provided he could find some poor woman to lie convincingly enough. There were plenty who would, for the right price. But with the child out there, somewhere... and Maddeg did not doubt Celwyn’s Sight... out there, she was dangerous. Out there, she had a chance of actually finding this prophesied Queen-- the “Queen Star of Peace,” whatever that was supposed to mean. Celwyn’s Sight he trusted, but Fianna’s he was less sure about. Something about that girl made him nervous. Perhaps it was the strength of her absolute devotion. Maddeg had none of that, now.

Celwyn had been right about him in one respect, he knew. He did not believe in the Gods. He believed only in himself. He held no qualms about this, because he knew the truth. Few others did. That is, few knew of it, and even fewer understood. There were no Gods. There were only men. So why should he not be seen like a God as well? He knew that he existed, and that he alone controlled his destiny.

Celwyn would not tell him where the child was, he knew that well. But did she think that he had not ways of his own? Staring into the fire, he turned his gaze inward.
After a time, his mouth turned up in a grim smile.

So. The girl had found out the secret as well? There was nothing for him to do now but arrange for a leave of absence from the Temple and take off... to commune with the Gods.

***
Pearl and Bhodi held hands as they walked through Merylia. That is, when they weren’t chasing one another through Merylia. They had stolen breakfast, an idea which had scandalized Pearl at first. But when Bhodi informed her that it was either that or starve, and also that she was a coward, she gave in.

“I used to steal from the kitchens in the Temple,” she informed him.

“Well, then. What’s the problem, then?”

“The problem is that it’s... just not the same thing. At least somebody honestly bought the food I stole from the Temple.”

“Someday, if you want, when we’re rich, we’ll come back and pay them.”

This plan suited Pearl, who had maybe never enjoyed a day so much. In the afternoon, though, it started to rain, and since they were on the outskirts already, they decided to make a dash for the ship rather than beg for shelter which, Bhodi admitted, was not so easy to steal. It was as they were running down a muddy, crowded street that Pearl saw Talwyr and Emryn. They were peering around, searching, but the rain made it hard to see. She shouted for Bhodi to hurry and, ducking into a side street, doubled her pace. The boy had to struggle to keep up.

“Fly away!” Pearl cried as soon as Bhodi followed her up the ship’s ramp. “Fly away right now!”

“Why? What’s wrong?” he shouted back.

“They’re here! Talwyr and Emryn are here! They’re looking for us!”

Bhodi closed the ship’s door, but he did not move toward the cockpit.

“Hurry up!” Pearl pleaded.

“No. You need to tell me why we’re running from them.” Bhodi crossed his arms and waited.

For a moment or two Pearl only stood there, listening to the rain drumming on the metal hull of the dragon ship. Finally, realizing that her standoff with Bhodi was not getting them away from this place any faster, she told him.

“Talwyr knew my mother. He told me they day before yesterday. And he knew I was in the Temple. He put me in the Temple and left me there all that time and didn’t even come and just let them do all of the things they did. He let them hurt me. And I think Celwyn might have known about it, too, and...” She felt like she might start to cry. “I don’t know anymore. I thought they liked me, but... What if they’re going to take me back there? Why would they take me there? Why?”

Bhodi didn’t say anything. He just stared at her. Then he gently took her hand and led her up to the cockpit and started up the ship’s engine.

Only then did he speak. “Come on,” he said grimly. “We’re getting out of here.”

“Where are we going?”

“Where they aren’t every going to find us. Strap yourself in. We’re leaving this planet.”

***
In Merylia, at Emryn’s insistence, he and Talwyr had taken shelter under an awning until the rain abated. The prince thought he had never been so miserable in all his life-- cold and wet and trudging around in the mud with an old wizard.

It was Talwyr who saw the ship take off. He had been anxiously scanning the sky as often as he had been scanning the streets. Not a mile away, the ship lifted off and blasted far up into the sky, beyond the sky, into open space. Talwyr was sure of it. Yet he did not shout, he did not curse, he only sighed.

“What? Do you think that was them?” Emryn asked him.

“I know that was them. They are not on Dybera any longer. This will make our search more difficult.”

Emryn’s heart sank at the thought of more time in one of those dragon ships with Talwyr at the helm. The ships themselves probably would not have agreed with him even with an experienced pilot. With Talwyr, who was a wizard and therefore slightly mad in any case, it was a stomach-churning, terrifying experience.

“How far do you think we’ll have to go?” the prince asked weakly.

“I don’t know.”

“Perhaps,” he tried not to sound to eager, “perhaps we should go back to the Palace. Wherever they are, Kama’s more likely to know about it than us, isn’t she? I mean, I know I won‘t be any help. But Kama... she‘s very smart.”

To his surprise, Talwyr replied, “Yes. I heartily agree. I am told that Queen Silvara,” his emphasis on the formal name made Emryn blush again; the wizard was discovering that it amused him greatly to do this, “is extremely well educated in matters of galactic affairs.”

“She would have to be, I guess,” Emryn muttered. “Being Queen and all.”

He somehow couldn’t shake the feeling that in some way Talwyr was winning. And he didn’t even know what game they were playing.

***
Fianna’s screams were heard throughout much of the Temple. In the courtyard, people stopped what they were doing to stare up at Lady Celwyn’s chamber. The Wise Ones who were advanced enough to attend the Speakings were familiar enough with these screams to recognize them.

“It’s the prophetess,” they whispered.

This comforted no one. What vision could have been so horrible as to induce this young woman chosen by the Gods to scream like this? What in Gwyddon’s name was to befall them now? Could things get very much worse? With Prince Emryn dead, no one on the throne, Lord Maddeg taking his solitude... What could this portend?

“She’s mad anyway,” Herel muttered to all those who would listen, and some nodded and went about their business. “It doesn’t mean anything. She’s just a poor maddened thing.”

They all tried to agree. But the piercing horror in those cries left their blood running cold for a long time afterward.

Belan had been coming up to meet with Celwyn about Lord Maddeg’s sudden departure when he heard Fianna screaming. He immediately sprinted up the rest of the steps and burst into the Lady’s chamber without so much as a knock. The door to Fianna’s room was open, and Celwyn was already attempting to comfort the girl, but Fianna was struggling, flailing and clawing and trying to keep the high priestess back. Celwyn looked up and saw Belan in the doorway.

“Don’t just stand there! Help me!”

And before he knew it he had a hold on Fianna’s small, delicate wrist and was trying to prevent her from striking him in the face. He desperately didn’t want to hurt her in any way, but she fought like a wildcat. Finally, he got a firm grip on both of her arms and pinned them to her sides. It was at that moment that she met his grey-blue eyes with her flashing green ones, and she stopped struggling. She only glared at him, like a wild animal caught in a trap. Celwyn had retreated to the back wall when Emryn had come in, and it seemed to Belan as if he and Fianna were the only two people there. He looked into her eyes, and tried to make her understand that he would not hurt her, that he thought he might love her, and that he wished that there was something he could do to ease her pain. He had temporarily forgotten how to use his voice.

After what seemed an eternity spent like that, his voice came back hoarse. “It’s all right,” he said. “I won’t hurt you. You’re safe. You’ll be all right. I promise you will. Nobody’s going to hurt you.”

And, like sunlight breaking through rain clouds, her face softened. The change was so slight that Belan doubted anyone but himself would have noticed it, even had they been closer than Lady Celwyn was. Then Fianna leaned her cheek against Belan’s shoulder and sobbed. He held her gently, rocking her as he would a little child. For so she was, he realized, in some ways. Celwyn came and knelt beside them.

“Fianna,” she spoke in that gentle voice Belan had only ever heard her use with the young prophetess, “Fianna, what is it you have seen? Please, tell me.”

“She’s gone,” Fianna wept. “I do not know where she is now. Lord Talwyr has lost her. I cannot find her. She is gone.”

“Who?” Belan could not stop himself from asking. “Who is gone?”

Fianna answered in a dull, hollow voice. “The child of the Gods.”

Belan’s breath caught in his throat. “Pearl?”

“Yes. Pearl.”

Over Fianna’s head, Belan met Lady Celwyn’s eyes. They were grim. She motioned Belan over to the corner. He disentangled himself from Fianna and joined her there.

“What does she mean?” he asked desperately. “Is the little girl dead?”

“No,” Celwyn answered, in deep thought. “No, I don’t think so. She did not say ‘dead.’ She said ‘gone.’ There is a difference. Some time ago Pearl was taken beyond the realm of Fianna’s Sight, but she was still able to sense her somehow, to know what she was feeling. I believe the girl may now have gone farther still. Fianna says Talwyr has lost her. I might be able to contact him.” She studied Belan a moment. “You are the first man Fianna has allowed a man to touch her in four years. I do not know why she is not afraid of you, but you managed to calm her just now, where even I could not. You will stay with her now, for a short time. I have business to attend to.”

Belan started. “You will leave me alone with her.”

“For goodness’ sake, she will not bite you.” Celwyn made him a gesture of blessing. “Only stay with her. Do not betray my trust. Or hers.”

And with that, she was gone, and Belan and Fianna were alone in the room together.
Belan had expected Fianna to go mad again once Celwyn was gone, but when he turned around her saw her staring at him in open curiosity. The tears were fast drying on her cheeks.

“Your name is Belan?” she asked, in a voice so normal that it surprised him.

“Yes,” he answered cautiously.

“Mine is Fianna.”

“Yes, I... I knew that.”

“Oh.” She looked down shyly. “You are a good priest.” He did not know what to say to this. “You are,” she insisted. “I can tell.”

“Thank you,” he finally ventured.

“Do you think Lady Celwyn will find the child?” she asked him.

“I do not know. I hope so. If anyone can do it, the Lady can.” He had not moved away from the door. He was afraid to come too near to her. She seemed to find the distance a comfortable one.

“Yes, I suppose you’re right. Only...” Fianna bit her lip. “I’m afraid the Gods have shown me terrible things to come, and if the little girl can’t be found... well, they will come. I have never been afraid of them before because always there was the chance, even if it was a small one, of the child of the Gods...”

“What?” he asked, fascinated.

She gave a little shrug. “Helping. I don’t know. I cannot remember much of my visions after I’ve had them, only the general things. Lady Celwyn tells me the rest, afterward. But I’ve always felt that we are safe while she is here.” She corrected herself, with a shudder. “Was here.”

Belan asked himself if he dared to take a step closer. He decided that he did. “She will be back,” he reassured her. “I am sure of it.”

“But Belan,” she looked up at him. “What if she isn’t?”

“Then I will protect you.” He said it quite spontaneously, and he found that he meant it. So he repeated it. “No matter what comes, I will protect you.”

“How? You are a priest.”

“Well...” Belan thought about it. “In the old times, so it is said, the priests were the warriors of the Kingdom. We can surely become so again. Or, at least, I can.”

“Only to protect me?” Fianna appeared puzzled.

“Yes. To protect you. I promise. I swear it.”

“Do not swear,” she said softly.

“I do! I swear!”

“Don’t!” she shouted with a sudden forcefulness. “You mustn’t!”

Belan paused. He did not want to question her about her insistence. It was always best not to question a prophetess. Quietly, he said, “All right. I do not swear. But I do promise. Will you allow me to promise?”

She thought about it. “Yes,” she answered at last. A very small smile crept onto her face, timid, for it had so very rarely been presented in public. “But Belan, who is going to protect you?”

Utterly enchanted, the young priest could only laugh.

***
Pearl looked down through the dragon’s eye once again. Only this time, it did not merely seem as though the whole world was laid out beneath her. It really was. Pearl looked down at the glowing blue and green orb in the blackness of space that was Dybera. There were no words to describe the beauty and the incomprehensibility of this. Bhodi, she knew, was impatient to go, but she could not tear her eyes away. He had seen this many times; he ought to show some understanding for the first-time space traveler.

“Are you ready to go?” he asked again. “Come on; they’re going to find us.”

“It’s so beautiful,” Pearl sighed one last time. “Do you think this is what the Gods feel like? Do you think this is what they see?”

Bhodi considered this. “Probably not,” he answered. “There’s a whole lot more than this for the Gods to look down at. The view the Gods get is probably a lot more impressive. Now, come on. Let’s go.”

Pearl finally forced herself to look away from the little planet. But no matter how many more worlds she was to see like this, Dybera would always be the first, and it would always be her home, and she would always remember it, and... and love it.

Yes. Though for most of her life she had only known a tiny piece of it, she decided then and there that she loved all of Dybera, every inch of it, and always would.


Please do not copy or republish Erin's work without her express written permission. Thank you!

NaNoWriMo 2005: 41227 Words

A/N: I decided to divide the remaining 20000+ words in half. It may not be more convenient for you, but it is for me. Enjoy.

Belan slowly went made his way up the staircase to the Lady's room, as he had done so often since coming back from his mission with Talwyr. Most of the priests and priestesses in the Temple now shunned him, though a few gave him encouraging smiles. Even so, he did not feel safe out among them, and would feel even less so when Lord Maddeg finally returned. The king's death, as much as Belan grieved for it, almost came as a relief, since it meant that the high priest would stay away even a little longer. The Lady's company was pleasant and almost even welcoming.

And, though he did not want to admit it to himself, he was hoping to catch a glimpse of Fianna again.

But when Belan got to the Lady's chamber, he discovered that she was packing. Bags suitable to be carried on a horse were laid out, and the Lady herself was filling them with supplies for a journey.

"Where are you going, Lady?" he asked at once.

Celwyn scarcely looked up at him. "There will be a meeting of the high council," she said, "for the choosing of the new king. I must go."

"But surely Prince Emryn will now be king."

"One would think, but it is regrettably not so simple as that."

"But surely if Lord Maddeg is already there..."

Now the Lady straightened and looked at him. "I would not trust Lord Maddeg farther than I could throw him. He is a weasel of a man, and cruel in his small way, and wily and cunning, and I don't understand his motives or what he plans. Not at all. And don't let that information leave this, room, either."

Belan bowed his head meekly. "Yes, Lady Celwyn."

It was then that they were interrupted by the screams.

Celwyn immediately dropped everything and hurried to the door at the back of her chamber-- the one through which Fianna had come just the other day. Without thinking, Belan followed her.

Fianna was kneeling on the floor with her face in her hands, her hair knotted, screaming like an animal who was being beaten. Before her on the floor was an overturned bowl and a puddle of water, which was now beginning to soak her skirts. Belan could guess what had happened: she'd been scrying, and seen something that disturbed her. Something that disturbed her a very great deal.

While he stood in the doorway, uncomfortable and helpless, Celwyn went to the crying young woman and held her in her arms. Fianna did not fight the embrace; her sobs began to form words.

"They are gone!" she was wailing. "They are gone, all of them, to the land of the Gods!"

"Who are gone?" Celwyn prompted her gently.

"All of them! Lord Talwyr, the girl, the boy, I can't see them anymore! I can't see them!"

"There, there," Celwyn took this news with barely a blink. She stroked Fianna's hair.
"The prince is gone, too," she continued to sob, but less hysterically now. "They all went where I can't see them."

Celwyn remained perfectly calm, and even Fianna was quieting down, but Belan, in the doorway, found himself close to panic. "Does that mean," he asked, "that they're dead? All of them-- if she can't see them-- does that mean...?"

"No," Celwyn replied, but she did not tell him any more than that.

"But they tried to kill him," Fianna said quietly, and even Celwyn started at the sound. "They tried to kill the prince, but Lord Talwyr took him away."

"Who tried to kill the prince?" Celwyn asked urgently.

"Four men. Four soldiers. With swords and knives."

"Do you know who told them to kill him?"

Fianna shook her head, the tears still streaking down her cheeks. "No."

Celwyn looked up again at Belan, and in her eyes was a steely determination. "I will not be leaving to attend the high council," the high priestess said. "I will remain here. You and I have much work to do."

***
Emryn, Pearl, and Bhodi stared as the wizard's voice rang into silence. The tale he had just told was almost too fantastic to believe. Yet, at the same time, it was too fantastic not to believe. And all the evidence was right before their eyes.

At last it was Pearl who spoke. "What are we going to do?" she asked.

"I wish I knew," sighed Talwyr. "I have been trying to discover the answer to this riddle, the proper solution, for most of my life now. So far nothing has been right, nothing has been enough."

"Well..." Bhodi frowned in concentration. "Can't you just put those borders up again?"

"Yes!" Emryn exclaimed. "You must! At once! Everything must be the way it was before!"

But Talwyr shook his head. "I wish it were that simple. But I have not the power alone to resurrect the borders, that magic is beyond any one man. And there are too few now who have the kind of power that would allow it to be possible. There are some few-- more in the Kingdom than in Dybera, of course. But too few of them believe me, and the ones who do say that they would not regret it if the two worlds became one. Those in the Kingdom might like to give Dyberan technology a try, which is innocent enough. Those in Dybera would like to crush the 'simple folk' of the Kingdom and use the valuable resources available there which have run out everywhere else, effectively turning the place into a wasteland."

"They can't do that," Bhodi said. "Isn't there anybody on your side?"

"Oh, yes. Queen Silvara of Dybera does believe me, and does not wish for the reported beauty of the Kingdom-- for she has never been there herself-- to be so exploited."

"If the Queen wants to help us, then," Pearl asked, "what's the problem?"

"The Queen's hands are tied, it seems. She came to the throne very young, and power-hungry bureaucrats have taken advantage of that. She fights them now at every turn, but under the planet's constitution they have enough power to hold her immobile while injustices are done." Then, offhand, "We will meet her shortly."

Bhodi and Pearl stared. Meet the Queen?

But Emryn's mouth drew into a thin, hard line. "I see. So this is a diplomatic visit."

"It would be polite for you to speak with her, if that is what you mean," Talwyr answered.

"I won't do it. I have no desire to meet this Queen. And I will not speak to her about my Kingdom."

"I was thinking more along the lines of appealing to her for protection and shelter. You may find returning to you Palace now would be difficult."

Emryn glared at him. "I will not beg. I am a prince, nearly a king in my own right."
"Suit yourself." The wizard shrugged. "Stand alone against the den of assassins and traitors at your court. Stand alone against the Dyberan armies who, during your rule, will inevitably come to stamp you out. You will be king, it is your decision."

Emryn glared again.

Twenty minutes later they were on their way to meet the Queen.

***
Pearl had thought the great hall of the Palace was grand. It was nothing to this.

Everything was a shining white, not like the rough gray of the Palace's stones. Huge windows overlooked the vast blue sea, and though them light positively flooded in. Pearl thought briefly that she would hate to be the one who had to clean all of this-- it was so clean, there was no dust anywhere. It was like the robes of the Wise Ones.

Yet there was a similarity, she could see, to the Palace of the Kingdom. The arched doorways, the turrets... it was like what the architect of the Kingdom's Palace must have envisioned in his dreams-- his very wildest, grandest dreams.

And at the presiding over all of it, on a raised gilt throne, adorned in the finest silks and jewels, was Queen Silvara.

No, Pearl couldn't help thinking, Talwyr is wrong. This is the land of the Gods. And she is a Goddess.

Talwyr led the small band to the front of the room, and knelt before the Queen. Pearl, Bhodi, and Emryn followed suit. There were others-- mostly old men, the councilors probably-- lining the hall, also kneeling.

"Rise, Lord Talwyr," the Queen intoned. Talwyr did, and brought Prince Emryn up with him. "What brings you here before me today, Lord?"

Pearl and Bhodi, awed and feeling very out of place, remained on their knees, scarcely daring to look up in the direction of the throne. What in the world, they both were wondering, are we doing here, exactly where we don't belong?

"Your Highness, I bring with me today people of my own country. One of these two children, the boy, is of your own people, and wandered through our borders by accident. It was this girl who found him. And this," here Talwyr gestured to Emryn, "is Emryn, crown prince of the Kingdom, the place which you call the Lost Lands."

The councilors exchanged dark glances and muttered among themselves. Queen Silvara took on an expression of mild surprise and Emryn's title, but otherwise showed no reaction to the news. Talwyr had said that she was one of the few who believed his claims. Pearl wondered if perhaps these others here did not. And if that was the case, they must think Talwyr to be absolutely crazy.

Emryn approached the throne, drawing himself up with all the majesty of the generations of rulers of the Kingdom, the dignity bestowed upon him by his mother and father and all his lineage. Before Pearl had only seen him as Emryn, who did not seem prince-like at all. This new attitude of nobility suited him. It made him seem older, somehow, and even stronger.

"Queen Silvara," he said, "I thank you for granting us this audience so quickly. It is high time, I am given to understand," here he glanced back at Lord Talwyr, "that we met. You are Queen here, and I am..." He hesitated, no doubt replaying the events of the past day in his mind and maybe recalling also his expressed feelings on the matter. "I am to be King of my people. Soon. My mother has recently departed this life, and only yesterday my father also died."

The Queen bowed her head a little in acknowledgement of this news. "I am sorry, Prince. This is a heavy loss to bear."

"There is reason to believe that my father, at least, was murdered. Only today, during a meeting of my councilors, an attempt was made on my own life. We fled here." He met the Queen's gaze coldly. "The sole reason we have ventured into your realm is for shelter and succor until such a time as we may return. Save the boy." He indicated Bhodi. "He may, of course, stay. Beyond this time, I hope to have no further dealings with you or your people. I see no reason for any such contact as this, or indeed any contact at all, in the future. Am I understood, your Majesty?"

The councilors were silent. Wherever the crazy old man had gotten this boy, he was trained well, and seemed serious enough. And impertinent and offensive-- no doubt the sort who should be dealt with before he could be a harm to himself or others. Or the Queen. It was of the utmost importance that nobody harm the Queen, for the people would follow her where they would follow no one else. She had a way with them.

Emryn stared at the Queen. The Queen stared at Emryn. There was ice in their looks, nearly open hostility. It made Pearl's blood run cold, the unbroken glare between them; the Queen of course, had reason to dislike Emryn now. He had been unimaginably rude, thrusting aside all protocol. Even little Pearl, the child of the Temple, could see that. She could not imagine what had made him do it. And it made her afraid, because she was also of the Kingdom, and if the Queen chose to punish Emryn for his impudence, she might do the same with Pearl. The girl had gone so many days without being beaten; she almost couldn't bear the thought of being again the loathsome child she had been before.

For an interminable moment the Queen and the prince held the glare without blinking, like some sort of contest was going on between them. Silvara, silent, met his glare with one she knew to be equally disconcerting, and tried to sum this newcomer up. She met with little success.

At last, she spoke, though her gaze did not move from his face. "I understand what you say, Prince Emryn. You speak very clearly. What would have been perhaps a better question for you to ask is, 'Are we agreed on this matter?' As of this time, Prince, we are not." The Prince now looked disconcerted, as if at last realizing the mess he may have gotten himself into. The Queen paused just long enough to see this, and then continued. "Since Lord Talwyr asks so kindly for you and your company to take refuge here, I will not refuse him."

One of the men lining the hall near the throne looked up sharply, "My Queen, I must advise--"

Silvara waved him silent. "You must advise as you always do in these matters, councilor, and I must as always refuse to listen. I am adamant. These people will stay here as long as I wish them to--"

"But, Your Highness--" the man tried to interrupt, but the Queen went on without pausing.

"And they will stay here in safety, is that understood? If I hear that it is otherwise..." Her cold gaze swept the hall. "There will be consequences, gentlemen." The man, scowling, resumed his reverential position. "Lord Talwyr, Prince Emryn, I am sure we have much to discuss further. I will come to you chambers that we may do it privately. At that time, Prince, we will discuss the relationship between our realms and you may hear my opinion on the matter. But whatever we decide, Prince," her voice lowered, "we will decide it as equals, for so we are. And you will keep in mind, Emryn, that you are now in my land." She glanced once at Bhodi and Pearl, then looked back to Lord Talwyr. "Thank you, Lord. You are dismissed."

Talwyr bowed low, and Emryn reluctantly did the same. Pearl and Bhodi followed them from the hall, craning their necks as they went to get one more view of the place's royal splendor. The door shut behind them with a resounding boom.

"Well?" the Queen asked in the silence that followed.

The councilor who had spoken during the audience, and another kneeling across from him, raised their heads.

"Your Majesty, they may be dangerous," the second one said. "We all know Talwyr is mad, but now he's got other people in on the delusion. And this young man seems serious about it."

"He could be a threat to society," the first agreed. "We cannot allow him to stay here."

"We can and will," the Queen corrected him. "He interests me. I do not believe him mad."

"You insist that you do not believe Lord Talwyr mad, either, My Queen, and yet he speaks of magical kingdoms as though they are real and professes to travel to them and perform magic."

"Yes." The Queen said simply.

"Well..." the second man struggled for words. "Well, why will you insist on believing him? You have never seen this supposed place, Your Majesty. It does not exist!"

"You will not believe it exists until I show it to you," she sighed, "and I will not believe it does not exist until you can prove that it does not. We are at an impasse, gentlemen."

The first man spoke again. "Why do you believe him, Majesty? It is all such madness."
"Because my mother believed him," she answered quietly. "And my mother did not tell lies. Not to me."

That silenced them on the matter.

After a moment, a third finally said, "Yes, but still, this boy, Your Majesty. He could be dangerous."

"No, I do not think so. I find him interesting."

"Whatever for?" the first man asked. "He is arrogant, impudent, unmannered-- the way he spoke to you! He should be punished--"

"That will not be necessary, councilor," the Queen interrupted smoothly. "He is arrogant, yes, and impudent and unmannered, and... I find him interesting. Even if he is not who he claims to be, I wish to know him better, I think. I will speak with him."

"Yes, Your Highness."

With no further objections raised, Queen Silvara dismissed her court and prepared to meet the boy who interested her so. The councilors let her go. So long as she was occupied with these matters of little consequence, these flights of fancy, they could occupy themselves with the real problems of the planetary government.

All they required from the Queen was that she remain alive. For appearance's sake.

***
When Lord Maddeg returned to the Temple, Lady Celwyn was waiting for him. She was not secluded in her tower, as she usually was, but down in the courtyard, her arms crossed, tapping her foot impatiently, and waiting. The high priest regarded her with some surprise. But he dismounted and made her the proper obeisance all the same. She was the high priestess after all, and appearances must be maintained. It was best that as few people in the Temple as possible knew that the high priest and priestess were about to have a terrible fight.

"Lady Celwyn," he greeted her. "I am surprised you did not join us at the meeting of the High Council."

"Are you?" the Lady replied. Her expression was inscrutable. "But Lord Maddeg, why should I have come when there was nothing to be done or decided. After all, the Prince was not there."

Maddeg smiled, but in a manner which gave the impression of one unaccustomed to the action. It looked like a grimace, going no deeper than the teeth, possibly painful. "Ah, so you have heard. Your messengers are swift."

"Swifter than you know." It was a barely-veiled threat.

"As you say." Maddeg let it go. "It was an unfortunate happening. Traumatic."
"Yes, you are fortunate to have escaped with you life, Lord."

"But no concern need be spared for me. The young prince is still missing. I fear he may have been taken, kidnapped."

"It is just," Lady Celwyn stated plainly, "as the prophecy foretold, is it not?"

"Yes, even so. I am afraid the wrath of the Gods is upon us. And if so, the prince is dead already. What did your girl foretell would follow? Dragons breathing fire from the sky?"

The formalities were over. They had left the courtyard and were now in the secluded chamber of the high priest. Celwyn removed her veil.

"And if that is to come," she said, "who will protect us, now that the child of the Gods has left us, through your own fault?"

Maddeg's face darkened. He looked truly terrible now, as he had looked when he'd been beating Pearl before the crowd on the night of the Speaking. "Tell me that you knew nothing of it, Lady. Tell me that Talwyr never told you who the child was. Tell me that you did not conspire in hiding her from me." He did not raise his voice; Lord Maddeg's cold steel voice was far worse than shouting. "Tell me all of this, Lady Celwyn. I am gracious. You will be lying, but I will believe you. And as the Gods forgive, so I will forgive you."

"You have not the power of the Gods." Her body trembled, but her voice did not. "The Gods have left you. You do not believe in any God but yourself. No one but my Gods can forgive me for what I have done, and the only crime I have committed, Maddeg, is in letting her come here, hidden under your nose and abused by you and those like you. I will not tell you I knew nothing. I knew everything. I knew it all! I was the first to know, aside from Talwyr and the girl's mother. Oh, yes. It's true. And I helped to hide her from you."

"So." Maddeg's eyes flashed. "Now she is beyond my grip-- and beyond yours, too. Because of you she is food for the wild dogs."

"You think so." And Celwyn smiled, her secret smile which Maddeg hated so much.

"What do you know?" He leaned close to her. "How swift are your messengers, Lady?"

"You are a low, insect-like creature, Maddeg. You have climbed very high, for one of your smallness of mind. But as the slightest breath of the Goddess can blow the insect from the highest place, so one word from me could bring you lower than you ever began."

He sat back. "So we have come to this," he said thoughtfully. "You will tell them."

"And the words of the people will eat you alive, yes. If I choose to, I could do this."

"This is a game? How very holy. What will you ask of me, I wonder."

"I will ask nothing," Celwyn told him. "I am only letting you know that there are reasons to keep me here. My influence is too great for you to even try to discredit me. If it is to be a battle of words, I will always win, for it was not I who drove away the child of the Gods."

Maddeg nodded. "Very well, Lady."

Lady Celwyn left him there, deep in thought.

***
Queen Silvara came to the suite shared by Emryn, Talwyr, Bhodi, and Pearl early in the afternoon of the day following their first audience. She was not dressed, this time, in all of her Queenly finery. She'd decided that she would get more done without it. The royal regalia was ceremonial in its purpose, and that purpose, in her opinion, had been served. What she wore now, a plain blue dress-- embroidered only lightly, and not silken-- was much more practical. Just as her dark hair, for the sake of practicality, was swept up out of her face, but not ornamented or topped with a fabulous headdress. This was a meeting for the purpose of doing business, not for impressing the newcomers.

When Emryn opened the door, he didn't recognize her. She realized this with some surprise. At first she took his nonchalance, his air of boredom, to be just another way of being impudent with her and showing disrespect. But then she noticed the way in which he did not address her at all, did not seem in the least combative, or even interested.

No, she thought, trying not to blush. There was some interest; as he let her in he gave her an appraising look, taking in the fine structure of her face and body. She could tell by his faint smile that he found her attractive. The idea brought her a twinge of pleasure, which she repressed as soon as she knew what it was. The boy was insolent-- she wanted to study him, converse diplomatically with him, not flirt with him! The very notion was unthinkable. She was the Queen. He was the prince of a neighboring kingdom-- a place that only half existed, true, but a place. That he was nearly king of. And she was Dybera's Queen.

And she had best remind Prince Emryn of that fact.

Using her best Queen voice, she said, "Prince Emryn, have you really so little regard for me as that?"

The prince spun around, looking at her again, and made to bow, his face very red. Far different, this boy, from the one who had stood so proud before her in the great hall. She could almost not believe them to be one and the same person.

"Come, Prince, no need to bow to one another here. We are, after all, equals."

He straightened, making a superb effort to compose himself. Queen Silvara was more fascinated with this strange prince now than ever. She so rarely got to be with people her own age-- he was as mystifying to her as the Kingdom from which he supposedly came.

As for Prince Emryn...

He recognized her now. He could see that she had the same dark, curly hair and clear, level gaze as the Queen he'd confronted before, but it was not so imposing now. There was a light in her eyes which could almost be mistaken for the glint of natural mischief, if she hadn't been a Queen. And she looked more queenly now, he thought, than she had on her throne in her elaborate ensemble. Then she had looked like a little child dressing up in her mother's clothes and jewelry-- they were too big for her, dwarfed her features, emphasized her smallness. Now one could see how straight she stood, the set to her jaw; she was every inch a queen. And she must be close to his own age. He wanted to ask her, but now that he came to think about it he wasn't sure how. How did one address a Queen? A Queen who was not one's mother, that is? He became aware that the silence was going on too long.

"I'll go get Lord Talwyr," he said.

"Very well."

Talwyr wasted very little time in bringing Queen Silvara up to speed on all that had happened in the Kingdom, taking particular time on Bhodi's ship crash in the middle of the forest. She listened with patience, but when he was finished she was quick to speak her mind.

"I don't know what you would have me do, Lord Talwyr. And I believe I have already exceeded my expectations in accommodating the needs of a place I don't even know exists! I need proof, Lord, I need to see it. My mother saw it, why can't I?"

"You will see it," Talwyr assured her. "But the time is not yet. When it is right, Your Highness, you will come to the Kingdom. This I can promise you."

"If you are not sure my Kingdom exists," Emryn interrupted angrily, "then why insist on continued contact between us? Why keep us here at all, why not turn us out? I cannot speak for Lord Talwyr, but as for me, you would never hear from me or see my face again."

"Why?" Silvara raised an eyebrow. "Just in case, Prince Emryn."

As though Emryn had not spoken, Talwyr continued, lowering his voice, "I do not trust your councilors, Majesty."

"No, nor do I. But what am I to do? They are with me always. I did not choose them; I cannot get rid of them."

"Of course you can!" Emryn exclaimed. "You're the Queen!"

Again she looked at him as one would look at a child. "It is clear that you are not a king yet, Prince Emryn. Otherwise you would know the nature of a ruler's duty to the people."

"I was raised in a royal house. I know all about it."

"But you do not know about my government, Prince. If everything Lord Talwyr says is true, you have no idea what threats are posed by a galactic government. You have no idea. Dybera is a fairly insignificant planet, Prince Emryn, and the Kingdom is an insignificant part of that. I need all the allies I can get, that is why you remain here. I need my planet united, that is why you remain here. But you are in no position to remain here giving advise to me. Now, gentlemen, if you'll excuse me, I have other business to attend to."

Before Emryn could formulate a retort she had swept from the room.

***
Bhodi had spent most of the day showing Pearl how to use the holoviewer. It was a fascinating device, and Pearl was still sure that it worked by magic, since Bhodi couldn't explain otherwise, at least not using words she could understand. It showed pictures of all different places Pearl had never seen before or dreamed existed, and the pictures moved. There were a lot of pictures of the flying dragon ships Bhodi called ships, it seemed, and those interested her little after an hour. Bhodi, apparently, could have looked at them forever. Other pictures showed people talking about many things Pearl didn't understand, and others showed people doing things she didn't understand. Some were speaking languages she didn't understand and others looked like nothing she had seen in the Kingdom. After a very short time, she began to get a headache and told Bhodi to shut it off.

They went outside, then, and tried to think of something to do. But the garden was very small, and the walls very close to the Palace. Pearl didn't think she liked Dybera very much. If it was the land of the Gods, a notion she was slowly coming to terms with, then it was not very impressive.

"But what do you do?"

"I don't know. Walk around, mostly," Bhodi answered. "The cities are really great. They have some nice cities here."

"Before a few days ago, I'd never been to a city before." She idly twirled the necklace she'd been given at Corbin and Niama's house. She hoped Corbin was all right; he'd been in that fight back at the Kingdom's Palace.

"Hey, I said I'd show you everything, didn't I?" Bhodi grinned the mischievous grin that Pearl liked so much. "Well, I can now. As soon as we get out of this place, anyway."

"Don't you like it here?"

"Oh, it's great and everything. But it's a little too fancy for my taste. Don't worry. You'll see." He ran ahead of her, around the corner, and she laughingly gave chase.

When Pearl caught up, Bhodi was climbing a tree which grew near the bleached-white Palace wall. It wasn't very big, and didn't look as though it ought to hold him, at least not for long.

"Careful!" the girl shrieked.

Bhodi looked down. "Come on up," he replied.

So she did. She had climbed the one tree on the Temple's hill a few times, hadn't she? And this was very much the same. The trick was not to think about how far there was to fall. Applying this rule, and with a little help from Bhodi, she was at the top before she knew it. Bhodi took a step off of a branch and was suddenly sitting on the Palace wall itself. Unafraid, Pearl followed suit.

And then she was afraid, because she was looking down on more buildings than she had ever seen in one place, and the only things scarier than these were the building she had to look up at. She was thinking about how high she was. She did not like it at all.

"We're very high," Pearl whimpered, clutching Emryn's arm.

"Yeah, isn't it great?"

Don't think about how high you are, don't think about how high you are...

And once she stopped thinking about it, it really was great. It was beautiful, the way everything gleamed in the light of the setting sun. The small dragon-ships flying by gave the whole place an air of hurry and excitement, like a festival.
"It's so pretty. Is it like this here all the time?"

"Every day at sunset," Bhodi answered.

She didn't think he understood what she meant, but it didn't matter. There were no borders hemming everything in, and the sight of the endless land and the distant horizon at once frightened and thrilled her. People could be just like the birds here-- they could fly and there were no borders to keep them back. They could go absolutely anywhere, anywhere at all. They might fall off the very edge of the world, but if what Bhodi and Talwyr said was true there were even more worlds, out among the stars.

"Are all worlds as pretty as this one?" she asked dreamily.

"No, I don't think so," Bhodi answered. "No. Some of them are really ugly, and some of them people can't live on at all. Dybera's a pretty one. I like it a lot and, besides, it's kind of my homeworld."

Pearl wasn't surprised at Bhodi's words. She couldn't imagine any place being prettier than this. It was her first real sight of Dybera, and now she thought that she might, after all, love it.

***
At the same time as Pearl and Bhodi were sitting side by side on the Palace wall together and watching the sun set over Dybera, Prince Emryn was being treated to a similar view. At another wall, one which fenced this Palace's small garden, the young prince had at last succeeded in climbing a trellis and was gazing out at a city which stretched farther than the eye could see. He had never imagined a place could be so big. The Queen, he began to think, was right. The Kingdom was nothing to this. He felt ashamed to think such thoughts of the only home his family had known, the place they had ruled for generations. The place he was supposed to rule, when the time came. Could Dybera really be as insignificant as the Queen had said?

Suddenly a familiar, female voice called from below: "Hello, Prince."

Emryn started and let go of the wall, falling back onto the ground many feet below. When he opened his eyes, Queen Silvara's face was inches away from his, and she was looking at him anxiously. "Are you all right? I'm sorry, I didn't mean for you to fall."

"Yes, no, that's all right, I'm fine," he babbled, sitting up. He felt as though his head might fall off, but there was no reason to let the child Queen of Dybera know that.

"Are you sure?" She was kneeling beside him in the grass, and really did look concerned. Maybe she was human, after all.

"Yes," he muttered, rubbing his head. "I'll be all right."

"Good." She sat back. "I didn't mean to startle you, but, well... I didn't expect you to be in my garden."

"Oh, is this your garden? I didn't know."

"Yes, it's sort of a tradition here, I guess. The Queen's Garden. It's the only place I can be alone."

He recognized the sadness in her tone. It was his own sadness at the certain knowledge that he would probably never in his life have a truly private moment-- that everything he did was public, and he would never escape it, never ever be alone. He wanted to tell her all this, wanted to tell her how much he understood. Instead, he said, "Yeah."

She smiled a little. He hadn't seen her really smile before. She had a nice smile. Or maybe that was just the head wound talking. "How old are you, anyway?" she asked.
"I'm sixteen."

"Really? I'm fifteen."

He nodded. He'd thought she looked about his age. "How long have you been Queen?" he heard himself asking.

"Four years."

Emryn stared at her. "You mean you've been Queen since you were--"

"Since I was eleven, yes," she finished for him. "My father died when I was a baby, and my mother when I was eleven; she was Queen by birth, I was her only child. She had no brothers or sisters, no family at all except for me."

"That's horrible," he couldn't help saying, in a hollow tone.

"We've both lost our parents, Prince."

"No, not that, that you had to be Queen so young. We are young still, and look at us! I don't want to be a king at all!"

"You don't?"

"No. Did you honestly want at eleven years old to be a Queen?"

"I don't know," she said quietly. "I can't say I ever really thought about it. Of course there have been times, since my coronation, I will admit, when I wished to be something else."

"Like what?" He was feeling more familiar with her now.

"Anything."

Emryn was surprised to find himself laughing.

"But I must say," she continued, "for someone who does not want to be king at all you seem to take the business very seriously."

"Oh." Emryn blushed to think of his earlier behavior in the great hall. "I am sorry about that. It is only... I felt as though my parents were watching, and my grandparents, going all the way back... Really, I believe you simply made me nervous."

"I did? Was it that ridiculous outfit?"

"No. That made you look rather silly."

"I've always thought so. There," Silvara smiled. "Now we're friends. No more open hostility, please?"

"All right," he agreed. "But that doesn't mean I'll agree with you in political matters."

"That's fair."

"And I suppose," he was smiling now, "you'll have to just call me Emryn."

"All right. What does that mean, by the way? Emryn."

"'Immortal one,' I think."

"Mm. Silvara means 'Star of peace,' roughly."

"Do you have a name that isn't so... royal?"

She laughed again. He liked it when she laughed. "Yes. My first name is Kama."

"And may I call you Kama?"

"You may."

***
The next step, Celwyn knew, was to send for Corbin and Niama. She had the priests to do this; no need to arouse any suspicion by it. The problem would arise only when the couple came to the Temple. How would she explain them to Lord Maddeg?

But it didn't matter. She would find a way. She always had before.

She would have to find them for herself. Fianna was good at this sort of thing, of course, much better than Celwyn herself had ever been, even in her prime. But the girl had no focus, she could not be told to find something or someone and then look for it. Her mind wandered and drifted; she saw what the Gods willed her to see, no more and no less. That was Fianna's blessing and her curse.

And so Lady Celwyn stared into her silver mirror. After a time, images began to move within it. Niama bandaging a wound on Corbin's leg-- good, he was not seriously wounded in the struggle, then. She had not really feared for him; Corbin was a skilled fighter. It seemed that they were back in their manor in the woods. That was fortunate, for the two priests had already been there and knew where it was.

She sent for them immediately. They came together, Belan fresh-faced and eager-- the boy had the soul of a poet-- and Herel looking as though he had just been dragged from sleep. Lady Celwyn had not seen Herel since their return from the forest, but that did not concern her. He was bound to do her bidding as high priestess, and it was as high priestess that she was sending them on this errand. Herel, much as he might like to, could not refuse. And Celwyn suspected that he would not turn back now, anyway. Not when push came to shove.

"I have called upon you both once again to go forth in my service," she informed the priests.

"Yes, Lady." Belan bowed. "As you command it, so let it be." Celwyn thought she heard Herel groan.

"You are to go forth," she said, "into the forest and call upon Sir Corbin and Lady Niama. You are to bring them back here, to me. They will arrive under cover of darkness and be brought directly to my chamber. Do you understand what I have said to you?"

Belan bowed again. "Yes, Lady Celwyn."

But Herel shook his head. "Hold on a minute. You want us to bring them here?"

"Yes. Was this unclear?"

"No, only..." He wanted to ask why. It was clear to everyone in the room. Yet this he could not do, for it was forbidden to question the will of the high priestess. "Only they have a little baby. I don't think they'll leave her. How are we to make such a journey with a little baby?"

"I am confident in your abilities. I am sure that together you shall manage it."
"Yes, but..." Herel hesitated. "Will it be a problem... that little baby... bringing it in under cover of darkness? Say, for instance, if it should... cry?"

And now he's asking if he's being instructed to do something that I don't want seen or known, Celwyn thought. Something secret, something forbidden, a cloak-and-dagger affair.

It was exactly that, and for that very reason she had no intention of letting him know.

"Oh, that will not matter, I'm sure. Leave it to Corbin and Niama. They are, after all, the child's parents."

At last, reluctantly, Herel bowed. "Yes, Lady."

"Move as swiftly as you can. There is some urgency in the matter."

***
After sunset, Pearl and Bhodi found Emryn in the twilit garden, talking with Queen Silvara. It was slightly disconcerting. The children hid behind the bushes, trying to hear what the two could possibly be saying to each other.

"Maybe they're going to fight," Bhodi whispered.

"No, Queens and Kings don't fight. They make other people fight for them," Pearl replied.

"Okay, then, what do you think they're talking about?"

"I don't know. Maybe they're saying that they're going to have a war. A war between Dybera and the Kingdom." She shuddered. "That would be awful."

What Emryn was saying was, "I think that we are being watched."

The Queen raised an eyebrow. "By my guards?"

"No. By mine." He gestured to the bush, where Kama Silvara could now see two small figures ducking out of sight.

"Ah. I see." She raised her voice. "Come out, both of you. You needn't be afraid."
The two children stepped out meekly.

"Are you going to start a war?" Bhodi asked.

Emryn laughed. "No. We're not going to start a war."

They came closer.

"Hi. I'm Bhodi. This is Pearl." They bowed.

"Pleased to meet you both. And you don't need to bow right now. We're not at court." Emryn noticed a strange expression suddenly pass across Kama's face. "Pearl... where did you get that?"

"What?" the little girl asked.

"That necklace. The one you're wearing."

"Oh." Pearl looked down and clutched the small pendant self-consciously. "I got it at Corbin and Niama's manor. They gave it to me. Do you like it? I think it's pretty."

Kama frowned. "It is. Very pretty. You say you got it from Niama?" The name seemed to have some significance to her. "Niama the sorceress?"

"She's not a sorceress," Pearl corrected her. "She's a knight's lady, Your Highness, and she lives in the forest in the Kingdom."

"There was a woman here once, some years ago," Kama said thoughtfully. "Her name was Niama, which in our language means 'I never love,' and they said she could do magic. Then she disappeared. No one could ever find her again. I never met the woman, but I wonder..."

"But she's not even one of the Wise Ones!" Pearl exclaimed. "She was never in the Temple at all! I never saw her do magic, and if she could she would have been with us in the Temple... Your Highness, I mean. I'm so sorry, Your Highness." And Pearl cringed at her own boldness in speaking so to a Queen.

"No, it is all right, child. Do not be afraid of me," Kama soothed her. "Probably we are thinking of a different person." But she still seemed uncertain. "I want to know more about your necklace. Do you know what this symbol on it means?"

"No." Pearl looked at the flower-like design. "I don't think I've ever seen it before."

"Me neither," Bhodi added.

"I have," Kama said. "It is my family's symbol-- our royal insignia. I have one like it myself." She looked thoughtful. "Are you sure of where you came by it, Pearl?"

Pearl's eyes had already filled with fear. "I didn't steal it! I didn't, I promise I didn't! Oh, please believe me, Your Majesty, I didn't take it from you!" The girl, near tears, knelt down before the young Queen. But Kama Silvara shook her head emphatically and raised the child back up.

"No, no, Pearl, I am not accusing you. Believe me, I am not. I think, though, that there may be something in this... something I do not yet know, and that you may not know, either. But if any person living does know, it is Lord Talwyr. Come." She stood. "I would speak with Lord Talwyr about this at once."

Taking Pearl by the hand, Bhodi and Emryn following, Kama Silvara strode back into the Dyberan Palace.

***
"I will not question the orders of the high priestess," Belan said with a sigh for what seemed like the fortieth time since they had left the Temple that night.

"Oh, why not? She's not even here." Herel retorted. "You know what your problem is? You have a problem with heroine-worship. You look at all great women as goddesses. You did it with the Queen, and now the high priestess and, unless I am mistaken, that pretty young prophetess, too."

Belan blushed. "Hold your tongue. That's blasphemy, you know, what you just said."

"Come, man. You can't say you don't think it's a little bit odd, what we're being asked to do. Leave in the middle of the night, fetch a knight and lady of no great consequence, bring them back by night, and no word said to the high priest Maddeg?"
"You don't know that Maddeg doesn't know about it."

"No, but I'm willing to put down money which says he doesn't. I mean, I would if I wasn't a priest." Herel sighed.

Belan chose to ignore that last remark. "Are you saying that you approve of everything Lord Maddeg is doing?"

"I said nothing of the kind, and you know it. Stop trying to trick me with words. The only reason I'm doing this at all is that I don't like the way he treated that girl."

Belan was somewhat impressed by this. It was the first indication Herel had ever given of truly having any sort of moral conscience. "I don't trust Lord Maddeg," he said.

"Now, that's blasphemy, I think. You're making something out of nothing. Of course, I don't blame you if your loyalties lie with the high priestess. She's the one who wouldn't have you killed as soon as look at you."

Belan sighed again. It was going to be a long journey to Sir Corbin's manor.

***
"It was your mother's," Talwyr said simply. Kama stared at him, and so did Pearl. They had found Lord Talwyr and asked him about the sorceress Niama and Pearl's necklace, and the only response they received did not make any sense.

"It was my mother's?" the Queen repeated.

"Yes. And it was Pearl's mother's." Pearl's mouth dropped open and her hand went back to the pendant and clutched it.

"How is that possible?" Kama asked.

"Your mothers met once, long ago. They were the same age then-- nine or ten, I believe. And they both just happened to find the same passage between Dybera and the Kingdom at exactly the same time. Your mother, my Queen, gave Pearl's mother her necklace, to remember her by. They never met again."

"And the Niama she speaks of," Kama continued, "is she-- or is she related to-- Niama the sorceress?"

"They are one and the same. People crossing over the borders happens more than you might think, Your Highness, and it is becoming more and more frequent. Niama knew some of the old magic-- she would have been trained in the Temple. But when she was twelve years old she crossed into Dybera by accident. She remained for a few years before she could find her way back, but then she discovered that many, many years had passed in the Kingdom. She was then too old to be sent to the Temple, but she and a knight named Sir Corbin married."

Pearl was quiet for a moment. Then she said, "Lord Talwyr, you knew my mother?"
"Yes, I did. She lived near the borders her whole life. More than once she went back to that place, where she met Maia, Queen Silvara's mother. But because of the way time still ran differently between the two places, they would never come together again. I wish that she had told me what she was doing, what she was waiting for all those years. Perhaps I could have stopped her... but what's done is done."

"Then why did Lady Niama have my necklace?" the girl asked.

"She didn't. I did. I was keeping it for you, until a time when it could be yours."

Pearl said, her voice little more than a whisper, "You knew I was in the Temple?"

Talwyr nodded. "Yes."

"You knew what they did to me there? You knew the whole time? And you never came and got me and took me away?" Her face contorted as she tried to keep from crying. Talwyr said nothing. "Did you put me in there?" Pearl demanded.

"I did," the wizard told her solemnly, but always with the intention of taking you out when the time was right."

Pearl only stared at him. Then she turned away and ran. She did not know or care where she ran, only that it was away from that room, away from Talwyr. Within a moment, he had changed from the kind old man who cared about her, one of the only people who had ever cared for her at all, to the person who had carelessly sent her to the Temple, not caring if she lived or died. She ran until suddenly there was a door in front of her, and she went through it and shut it behind her and leaned against it, unable to cry.

***
Kama was shaken, but not because of Pearl's reaction to Talwyr's words. The Queen did not know of the Temple, or what had made the little girl so upset. She was shaken because she had seen, with her own eyes, proof that the Kingdom existed. She had never quite believed that it didn't, and yet she had never fully believed that it did. Talwyr looked upset. She probably shouldn't bother him about it now. But she was Queen here, wasn't she? She could speak to whomever she wished whenever she wished.

"What is the Temple, Lord?"

"It is a place of worship," he answered, but she could tell this was not the whole truth.

"Did they hurt her there?"

The old wizard bowed his head. "I have been horribly unjust to her. But what else was I to do? If they had known who she was she would have been killed. There was no other way, I made sure there was no other way."

"Perhaps you should go after her, Lord."

"No," Talwyr said heavily. "It is best that I leave her alone for a little while."

"Is that best for her or best because you do not want to face her now?"

Talwyr did not answer.

***
Bhodi and Emryn had heard none of this. They waited back in their chambers for Pearl, Talwyr, and possibly Kama-- or at least, so Emryn hoped-- to return. They waited a long time. When Talwyr at last trod wearily back into the room, Bhodi was already asleep on the main room's cushioned couch. Emryn shot the wizard an inquiring look, which went unanswered. Nor did Talwyr utter a single word. He went into his room and shut the door behind him. Bhodi awakened at the sound.

"Are they back?" he asked.

"Talwyr is."

"Where's Pearl?"

"I don't know. Maybe she's still with Kama-- I mean, Queen Silvara."

"I hope she's not in trouble." Bhodi thought a moment. "I guess I'd better go find her." He began to clamber down off of the couch, but Emryn stopped him.

"No, not tonight. Go to bed. I'm sure she'll be back soon."

But she wasn't. In the morning, Bhodi looked for Pearl in her room, and did not find her. He asked everyone he came across whether they had seen her, but no one had. Talwyr at last revealed to him that she had run off the night before.

"Well, I'm going to go find her," Bhodi declared.

"Good." The wizard sounded worried. "Please let me know when you do."

"Can't you find her with your magic?"

"No. No, I do not believe she has left the Palace, and I cannot tell one room from another here. If I were to seek her out, I might see her, but it would be of no help in actually finding her. That, I'm afraid, will be up to you."

Bhodi set out, wandering the Palace in search of his friend. It was a little unfair, he thought to himself, that this supposedly powerful wizard was refusing to help him in any way. He was sure that he could help, if he really wanted to. Nobody seemed very sensitive to the fact that Pearl was his only friend.

When his parents had had jobs and lived on Dybera, he had been too small to have friends. Maybe there had been other babies belonging to his parents' friends who had come over to "play" occasionally, as if children who could hardly stand up could really play, much less bond over anything in particular. After that short span of time he'd been always on the move with his mom and dad, never in one place for very long. It seemed that every time he'd tried to make a friend, they'd moved away, jetted off on another "mission," as they called their "freelance mercenary endeavors." Bhodi's parents had been his only friends. And then, suddenly, they were gone.

So he'd gone off on his own, and some of the people he'd met-- the bounty hunters, the pirates, the smugglers, the hired muscle, the pilots, the mechanics-- he'd come to think of as his friends. Certainly some of them had developed a real fondness for him. They thought he was "cute," which Bhodi didn't have any objections to as long as it worked to his advantage. And they thought he was smart, too, for such a little kid. And they felt sorry for him. But none of them were ever around forever. And, besides, none of them were his own age. Pearl was. She was the first decent person his own age he'd met in a long time. Ever, maybe.

And so, if he had to, he was going to find her. Even if it took all day.

Fortunately, it didn't take all day. He was checking all of the rooms in a corridor near the "Queen's private wing," as he had heard some of the maids calling it. Apparently it was where Queen Silvara lived, and he worried that if Pearl was in there, it was going to be very tricky to get in and stay in long enough to do some serious looking. But at the end of the very last corridor, he opened a door and found her, asleep on the floor. He shook her awake.

"Hey, Pearl. Wake up."

She opened her eyes in sleepy confusion. "How did you find me?"

"I just kept looking. Why didn't you come back to bed last night?"

"I didn't want to."

Bhodi raised an quizzical eyebrow. "You'd rather sleep on the floor?"

"I guess so."

She clearly didn't want to talk about it. Bhodi, sitting down beside her, looked for a way to change the subject. "How did you sleep on this anyway?"

"I'm used to it. I don't usually sleep in beds, I sleep on floors."

"Oh." They sat in companionable silence for a few moments. Bhodi scrambled to think of something that could cheer her up. "Hey." He looked up, grinning. "Let's get out of here."

"What?" Pearl asked dully.

"Let's get out of here! Let's just leave! I think I know a way to bust us out of this Palace, and then I can show you everything, just like I promised. Come on!"

Pearl looked doubtful. "I don't know, Bhodi. It's probably dangerous out there."

"Of course it is," Bhodi rolled his eyes. "That's why it's fun! Now, hurry up!"

He jumped to his feet and held out his hand to her. After a second of indecision, she smiled up at him and took it, allowing him to pull her to her feet. Together, they ran off down the vast, silent marble corridors of the Dyberan Palace. They weren't laughing this time; they were bent on a very definite purpose. They were, Bhodi thought happily, on a mission.


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