At the main entrance to Pyxis, General Cygnus Gustave was waiting for news from Chibougamau. He had barked at every Gray Coat and Crown Champion, told each not to bother him with guesswork or excuses, and now he was alone with his thoughts.
As he played over recent events in his head, he still could not fathom how two ignorant brothers could have accomplished such an improbable escape with only the help of Andromeda's wingless daughter.
Apparently, Cassiopeia was not to be underestimated. She had that in common with her mother. And Cygnus should have never disregarded the princess when she left the palace. Andromeda had wanted her closely monitored, but Cassiopeia fell through the cracks. A meek and cowering runaway hardly seemed worth the time and resources when the Extermination List was lengthening by the day.
Hours passed. Despite the dagger-sharp blasts of arctic wind, Cygnus was sweating profusely. His career and probably his life depended on the two witless Gray Coats stationed in Chibougamau.
Where did this operation go wrong?
The apprehension had gone smoothly enough, with only two Gray Coat casualties. Christopher was an unexpected force to reckon with. Still, they overpowered him with relative ease. Then they all slept soundly through the transport into Canada and were well supervised throughout the queen's interrogations. The children, however, had caught them off guard. Royal Modifiers? Who would have thought it possible?
The queen was certainly a believer. In addition to her plots for vengeance, she had spent a fortune searching for Royal fairies who could also change to human size. She had gone through numerous husbands and years of trial and error in attempt to give birth to a son worthy of becoming her heir. Power and legitimacy in both the fairy world and the human world were at stake. Ironically, the family of her despised first husband had turned myth into reality without either knowing or trying.
After they had all vanished from the guarded cage, the misfit group had the audacity to enter the Aerial Palace, the most unlikely of places, and slip right through Andromeda's fingers. A jammed gate and a naked and unconscious Gray Coat later, the MacRaes had managed to hijack one of their vehicles and escape. Somehow, those Bottom-Dwellers and the broken little princess had outmaneuvered his best Crown Champions and evaded his Gray Legion. The entire mission had become a fiasco, a boondoggle, a bust, and the queen would hold someone responsible.
Cygnus's attention shifted to the sound of approaching snowmobiles. The Gray Coat–driven machines crested the hill, and Lieutenant-General Crux Chevalier's battalion of the Royal Air Brigade flew in from behind. They were back, at last, but their carriers appeared empty.
Cygnus swooped up and landed beside his lieutenant-general. "Where are they? How dare you come back without them!"
"I'm sorry, sir," Crux said. "They Modified after abandoning the vehicle, and we lost sight of them. But surely they are hiding in Chibougamau. And I've already increased our numbers there. We'll apprehend them soon, General. I'm fairly confident—"
"Apprehended soon? Fairly confident? They could be halfway to America by now!"
"We'll keep looking. They'll resurface at some point."
"You had better hope they do," Cygnus growled between clenched teeth.
"General Gustave," a soldier at the entrance gate called out. "Her Majesty has requested your presence in the Strategy Room."
"I'll be there momentarily."
Cygnus fluttered to a rock beneath a black spruce tree and lit his pipe. While he took a puff, he considered flying off and never returning. If only he were a Modifier. He would be a vile, detested creature, but at least he would be able to assimilate into the human world. As a Royal fairy, where would he go and what would he do? Every decent fairy society across the globe had some of Andromeda's eyes living there. He would be a fugitive for the rest of his life. And at this late hour he would only be able to save himself. In his absence, the queen would undoubtedly kill off his entire bloodline, currently nestled in luxury on Royal Way.
The general considered his career for a moment, perhaps his only reprieve. He had helped fill Andromeda's coffers with gold and priceless fairy treasures and had conquered any fairy clan she deemed Unworthy. His accomplishments were among the greatest of all time, yet this one misstep could taint his entire career—over thirty years of dedicated service.
He put out his pipe in the snow and returned to Crux's side. "Good luck out there. You'll need it."
"Thank you, sir."
Cygnus entered the cave city and headed west on Royal Way. He gave a nod to the guards in front of the Aerial Palace. They opened the gate for him and moved aside. Cygnus opened the palace doors for himself, and as usual, the Hall of Crystal's orbiting gemstones were too bright in their display cases for his aging eyes. He squinted as he wove his way through the queen's prized possessions—diamonds larger than his head, emeralds, sapphires, fine metals worked by geniuses into shapes that seemed impossible, and one grandiose ruby prominently placed on a pedestal in the center of the hall.
Most of her trophies were family heirlooms, peace offerings, or the spoils of war, though some were more magical, enigmatic, or sinister in origin than others. But that was the queen's business. Once the items were on display, they were out of his realm, and not to be disturbed, questioned, or admired too intently by anyone other than her, ever. He had grown used to passing by without interest, and palace staff seemed to do the same, the ones who valued their employment and their heads.
As he made his way up the first flight of the Grand Staircase, he looked upon the sizable portraits of Pyxians honored for their greatness. Among them was a painting of his father, Cygnus Gustave III. Known as "the Enforcer," his father had seen war as a necessary means to an end, and it was always necessary if subversive voices were still heard and valuables were not fully clenched and controlled. After the murder of King Canis Major V, the elder Gustave had led the efforts to annihilate Polaris. Rigel Kincaid, alias Scott MacRae, was the lone survivor. Cygnus's father had died soon after of battle-related wounds, but his legacy far exceeded his lifespan.
Cygnus bowed to his father and climbed to the third floor, East Wing. When he tapped on the Strategy Room door, he didn't receive an invitation inside. He waited, tapped again, and decided to crack the door open. Since the queen was sitting on her throne, he stepped inside. He stood just over the threshold with his legs together, chest high, and chin pointed out. "Your Excellency? You requested my company?"
Queen Andromeda picked up her dagger and began sharpening it with long, slow strokes. Every zing of the blade made the general's body tense. And the queen's wordlessness did not bode well.
"Your Excellency," he said again in a more placating tone, "we are doing all we can to recapture the MacRae brothers. They shan't get far. They are surely confined to Chibougamau."
Andromeda whipped the dagger from the sharpening stone and let it ring in the air. Then she stared at him with enough intensity to warp solid rock.
Cygnus continued the tale when the sharpening resumed. "You see, they were nearly apprehended, yet. . ." He paused, his thoughts hemorrhaged, and then he started again. "Your Excellency, we were unaware the princess was assisting them. Had we known, we would have been prepared for their bold escape tactic."
"And why, pray tell, is Cassiopeia still alive?" Andromeda inquired.
She seemed civil and calm—too calm. Cygnus sensed a trap. "Your Majesty, you requested she be closely monitored, not that she—"
"Consorting with rebels." Andromeda snickered, slowly at first, but her laugh grew hysterical, shrill, and insane. When the last of her lunacy had tapered off, she wiped the tears from her eyes and said, "Death would be the only acceptable punishment, no?"
Cygnus knew he was fighting for his life. "I . . . we did monitor her for a while . . . that is to say, for at least a couple of years, but our priorities changed at your request! She never appeared to be a threat—"
"Never appeared to be a threat. Hmmm . . . yes . . . that is what you would see, isn't it? An innocent young fairy, so small, so sweet, so sad," she chided like a child with her lips pouted, "just fighting to survive, live every day of her quaint little life to the fullest, with no agenda." Then she began to seethe. "But you were deceived, Cygnus, and to add to my mounting embarrassment, she is undoubtedly seducing her way into the noble hearts and virile pants of the sons of my sworn enemy. How will that make me look, my dear, tenderhearted general?"
Cygnus did not answer. He knew not to answer.
"Since an adequate response eludes you, I'll enlighten you. This debacle makes me look weak and incompetent. And you know I hate that."
Andromeda grabbed her dagger and fluttered toward Cygnus faster than his mind could process her movement.
Cygnus backed against the doors and threw his surrendering hands in the air. "Your Majesty, I will do everything in my power to fix this. You have my word and my unwavering loyalty. Give me another chance! I will make it up to you. Please. . ."
She was not taller than he was. She didn't have to be. He gave her all the power she needed when he lowered to his knees.
A nasty smile slithered onto her distorted face.
"I beg you," he said. "Kill me quickly."
She lifted his face by the chin with her cold fingertips. "Cygnus, you have served Pyxis honorably for many years. However, your shortsightedness in regard to this undertaking is unforgivable. You will step down from your position, and neither you nor your family will be seen in Pyxis ever again. Am I making myself perfectly clear?"
"Oh, yes! Thank you, Your Majesty." He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. "You are merciful and . . . and kind! I don't deserve your graciousness! Oh, thank you!"
"You may go," she said.
Cygnus rose to his shaky legs. When his eyes lifted, the queen's smile withered away. Her expression plummeted to a place called wrath.
Pretending not to notice, he turned to leave. The door was nearly at his fingertips.
But he never reached it. A sharp and staggering pain between his shoulder blades brought him to his knees.
He collapsed to the side and fell to his back, thrusting the blade deeper into his heart and out through his chest. The queen's face hovered just above the bloody tip.
"You fool! You worthless piece of filth! Did you honestly think I would grant you amnesty?"
The general tried to cough up a no. He had known exactly what would happen before he entered the room. But he was choking on his own blood before he could answer.
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