 
The Gossamer Globe

by

Abbie Evans

Copyright © 2019 by Abbie Evans  
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

For Katie
Chapter 1

When it was announced that Lucia Straw was the first ever Prime Minister of the great nation of Zatoria, she was diving across her bed to stop the fitted corner coming off for the seventh time. Bugger it, she thought. I'll finish making my bed after my victory party.

She collapsed face down on the mattress just as Jevan burst into her bedchambers shouting "The Queen is dead! Long live the Prime Minister! The Queen is de−"

"The Queen is not dead, Jevan, she's living in a mansion up on Hokirua Hills with butlers for her poodles and her own personal cheesemaker. We decided against beheading her, remember."

She looked up. Diving across the bed, had, of course, only made the corner come off completely, but after the sixth time it had refused to stay put, she had rejected all manner of rational bed-making methods and taken a more drastic approach.

"What are you doing up here anyway?" Jevan asked. "You missed the announcement. It was glorious. They went on and on about how you're the total opposite of our wonderful Queen."

"Former Queen. We dethroned her. There was a Revolution and everything."

"They said she was so regal," Jevan continued, plopping down on the bed. "So graceful, so poised, so awe-inspiring. And you, just a commoner, a nobody, a poor starving child from the gutter."

"I'm solidly middle-class," said Lucia, sitting up and readjusting her bodice. "I have a mortgage." Her port buzzed from across the room.

"Ooh, a telegram." Jevan's face lit up. "Want me to get that for you?"

"No," she said, a little too quickly.

He raised an eyebrow. "Things on there you don't want me to see, huh?"

"Absolutely."

"And I thought you told me everything."

"Only almost everything."

The cheering from downstairs grew louder. Her entire party was crammed into her solidly middle-class cottage watching election night unfold on the kinematic imager. Lucia had quietly withdrawn from the room right when the announcers were arguing over whether the infinite cheese wheel the Queen had been eating on the night the revolutionaries stormed the Palace belonged to the state now.

They were calling her name. "Lucia, get back here! PRIME MINISTER, where are you!"

"Come on Prime Minister, you have a country to run." Jevan took her arm and pulled her off the bed. She grabbed her port on the way out, buzzing continuously now, and switched it off. Gathering up her skirts to run down the spiral staircase, she almost tripped over Butterfloogles, who paused from washing his paw to give her a disdainful look. "Sorry Floogles," she said giving him a pat, "you'll get your spot on the sofa back as soon as they're gone."

The cheering grew louder as she walked back in. Countless confetti-covered Sheppardor party members squidged into her living room, the air electric with excitement, ports going off everywhere, champagne corks popping. She scanned the crowd and put on her best Prime Ministerial smile while she waited for the din to subside. The kinematic imager mounted on the wall caught her eye as LANDSLIDE WIN FOR THE SHEPPARDOR PARTY flashed across the monitor.

LUCIA STRAW NATION'S FIRST PRIME MINISTER AFTER CENTURIES OF AUTHORITARIAN RULE

ABSOLUTE MONARCHY ABSOLUTELY ABOLISHED

SHOULD WE LET FORMER QUEEN KEEP HER CHEESE? EXPERTS WEIGH IN

The cheers were only growing louder, so Lucia put her hands up to quiet them. It took a few minutes, but eventually the boisterous crowd settled down. Serai, her PR manager, hurried over and offered her hand. "Congratulations, Prime Minister," she said beaming. Then, uncertain, she did a little curtsey. Lucia laughed. "There's no curtseying in Zatoria anymore." The room erupted into cheers again. "NO CURTSEYING, NO CURTSEYING!"

"Unless," Lucia continued, "you want to be thrown into the dungeons." Everyone shut up and stared. One nervous titter came from somewhere in their midst.

"Folks, I was kidding! Sorry, that was a bad joke." Relieved laughter. Lucia exhaled.

Patrik cautiously rose a hand. "Just to clarify, we get thrown into the dungeons if we do curtsey?"

"Patrik, it was a joke."

"I know, I just want to clarify the logic. Normally not curtseying or bowing would get us thrown into the dungeons. But you said no curtseying unless you want to be thrown into the dungeons. Which mea−"

"Look, no-one is getting thrown into the dungeons on the basis of whether or not they curtsey or bow."

"Don't be a gambolling gherkin Patrik, have a drink," yelled Jevan, causing another smattering of cheers to rise up.

"It's certainly time for champagne," said Serai, bringing Lucia a glass. "And for a speech."

Serai continued round the room pouring champagne for the Sheppardors while chants of "Speech! Speech!" filled the air.

"Thank you thank you, thank you everyone." Lucia raised her glass, waiting for the hubbub to die down again. Finally, she took a breath and opened her mouth: "First of−" she stopped and closed her mouth, as they were not yet finished with their hubbubbing, and exchanged a smile with Jevan.

"First of all," she began again once the noise level reduced enough for her to be heard, "I want to thank each and every one of you for the amazing work you have all put in these last few months. This is truly a historic moment. In the most turbulent time our country has ever seen, when we didn't know what was going to happen, we barely knew how to form a party let alone a government, we had no map for the path ahead – we were like a Tangean tourist blundering about the streets of Awatere. We somehow managed to figure out how to run a successful campaign, how to draft policies, and whether beheading political opponents was frowned upon in a post-monarchist world."

The crowd politely chuckled. Patrik raised a hand, which Lucia pretended not to see.

"But seriously," she continued, "you all worked tirelessly to make this happen. We are now the ruling party of a truly wonderous country, a country that managed to pull off a relatively peaceful Revolution. We kept the sword fighting to a minimum, which is quite saying something for a country that holds the blade very dear to its heart. We threw barely any of the former aristocracy into the dungeons – though perhaps that was more out of compassion for the other prisoners. Imagine having to share a cell with one of those todgers."

The crowd laughed and cheered. "We took the former Queen's crown, we took her cheese, but we did not take her head. My victory tonight is your victory, it is the Sheppardor party's victory, and above all, it is Zatoria's victory. Let us all raise our glasses and drink to the future of Zatoria!"

The noise grew louder than ever before as everyone toasted. Lucia began working her way through the party members to shake hands amidst the smiling, beaming, drinking, and cheering.

"Patrik," she said, clinking glasses with her second-in-command. "You may be too serious, but you keep me in check and that's good. I feel we balance each other well. I want you to be my Deputy Prime Minister."

"I am honoured, Prime Minister," he said, instinctually bowing, before quickly standing upright again. A look of concern crossed his face as though he had done the wrong thing, and he teetered forward again. Then he rethought that decision and stood back up.

Lucia had to clap a hand across her mouth to stop from laughing. "Patrik, stop that, you look like a bobble head."

"I am sorry Prime Minister," he said, adjusting his bowtie, "but you know I like to abide by the rules, and they have all changed so much in recent months." He looked glum. "I've had to completely reorganise all my files and folders."

"Well, now we're the ones who make the rules," she said brightly. "And I say bowing is officially a relic of the past."

She continued around the room with a twirling skirt and dazzling smile, appointing various ministers as she went. Shoma would be Commander of the Guards of course, and Varielle would be Chancellor of the Treasury. Serai would stay on as her PR manager.

Allowing herself a break, she perched on the edge of the sofa and glanced up at the KI monitor. It was replaying highlights from the Prime Minister's sword fight the week before, the black and white images jerkily reliving the duel between the two main contenders for Prime Minister in their best duelling gowns. She winced as it replayed the moment when Kailani Rhys, her political opponent, disarmed her and Lucia's sword clattered across the floor. She watched herself scramble after it, but it was too late, Kailani stood over her pointing her sword at Lucia's throat.

"Ah, don't worry, Luci," said Jevan, coming up and clapping a hand on her shoulder. "It doesn't matter that you lost the duel. It didn't stop Zatorians from voting for you."

"Why do they have to replay it over and over in slow motion though?"

He squinted at the screen. "I don't think that's slow motion. Just a jerky kinematic camera."

Lucia shook her head and took a sip of champagne. "I swear it gets slower and zooms in closer each time." She turned to him. "It's not that I mind losing, particularly, but I worry Zatorians won't truly accept a Prime Minister who doesn't win her sword fights."

He nodded. "They'd prefer it, of course, but they wouldn't let that stop them voting for the best politician. A landslide win, Luci! You have nothing to worry about."

She smiled at him gratefully. "Jevan, you will of course continue to be my assistant? I need you as my right-hand man. You're my oldest friend and I trust you the most. You've kept my secrets for years." She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "You never told anyone it was me who accidentally broke the ice cream dispenser in kindergarten."

"How can you even ask. You know I'd do anything for you," he whispered back.

She squeezed his hand. "Great, because I have another secret for you now."

"Ooh, I love it. Tell me tell me!" He leant down as she lowered her voice even more.

"I am absolutely panicking about the fact they just put me in charge of the entire country."

He gave out a loud chuckle despite himself. "It's not like you not to be confident."

"This isn't like anything I've ever done before though."

"Luci," he said, looking quite serious now. "Did you not hear that speech you just gave, all the cheering for you? You're a leader. You were made for this job. 63% of Zatorians certainly think so."

She took a moment to absorb their success. "I can't believe we got 63% of the vote."

They were interrupted by a tap on her shoulder. "Lucia, it's her," Serai said, holding out a port. "An audio telegram from Kailani Rhys."

Lucia made a face. "Bugger. I wish they hadn't added audio capabilities to ports. What does she want?"

"To congratulate you, I assume."

A slow hush began to spread around the room as whispers of it's Kailani rippled through the crowd. The room quietened and all the Sheppardors turned to look. Lucia took the port and stared at the name on the monitor.

She pressed the audio button. "Kailani, good evening."

There was nothing but crackling silence. She exchanged a confused look with Serai.

"The audio line quality is excellent," Serai assured her. "I could make out at least one in three words."

"...Kailani?" More silence.

She looked up at Jevan and mouthed "What do I do?" He shrugged. Another few moments of silence. Everyone in the room had shut up completely, staring at the port.

Eventually, Lucia said "this must be a bad line. If you can hear me, thank you for your telegram. I know this is new territory for all of us. You and your party were a worthy opponent in this election."

More silence.

"You ran a great campaign, Kailani. And you have some great policies. Your party will have 18 seats in parliament, and as Leader of the Opposition I hope we'll be able to work well together for the benefit of Zatoria."

Still, she said nothing.

Lucia shifted uncomfortably. "Kailani, the voters have spoken, you have to respect that. Zatorians took to the voting booths today and made their decision. That was the point of the entire Revolution, of everything we've fought for. We're a democracy now."

More silence. The atmosphere of Lucia's crowded cottage living room was filled with the tension of dozens of people collectively holding their breath.

Finally, Kailani spoke:

"I know you rigged the election."
Chapter 2

"It's not true," Lucia said, flinging the port away from her as though it were an explosive.

"Of course it's not, you would never do such a thing," Patrik assured her. "That you would so flagrantly disregard the law is quite inconceivable."

She stared at him wide-eyed. "I wouldn't even know how to rig an election! You'd have to hack into the electronic voting system. I don't know the first thing about hacking; I can barely navigate my port."

Varielle thought about it for a moment. "There are only two ways you could hack into the electronic voting system, log into it or penetrate the gossamer shields."

"And that's not even possible," Serai quickly assured her. "It was developed by Zatoria's best technologists and they made absolutely sure the shields could not be penetrated. And even if it were hacked, they'd be able to see it had been."

Shoma shook his head. "I would've heard something about it from the guards if it were true. Kailani's just a sore loser. This is really quite unprofessional of her. You know I always thought she was so proper and by-the-book."

"A bit of a snob, actually," said Varielle. Everyone nodded in agreement, but Lucia felt no better.

"Don't worry Luci," said Jevan, putting his arm around her. "This is your very first scandal, all leaders have them."

"Oh yes," agreed Serai. "Remember when everyone thought the King of Tangea was having an affair with a busty milkmaid, and it turned out she was teaching him how to knit sweaters for baby goats?"

Varielle shook her head at the memory. "Quite scandalous. So unbecoming for the ruler of a war-faring nation."

"And what of it," Jevan continued, "if Luci's first scandal happened mere minutes after becoming Prime Minister. I'm sure there will be many far more exciting scandals to come."

"Thanks Jev," said Lucia with a weak smile. "That makes me feel much better." She took a moment to calm herself. "But it doesn't matter that I'm innocent, going public with the accusation alone would be extremely damaging."

"Surely she'd only go public or take it to the guards if she had proof, which she can't have if you're innocent," said Varielle.

"Exactly," said Jevan. "Come on Luci, don't let impending political downfall ruin your evening, have a drink."

She nodded, and the Sheppardors clustered around her slowly dispersed as it became clear the excitement of the port telegram was over. Lucia took out her own port and stared uneasily at the anonymous telegram she had received earlier that evening. She grabbed Jevan's sleeve as he, too, turned to go and pulled him back. "Jev, I think I've been set up. I think Kailani and the former Queen are working together to bring me down."

He looked at her in astonishment. "That doesn't make any sense. She's a revolutionary. The Queen hates her."

Lucia shook her head. "They worked together for ten years. Plenty of time to become steadfast allies. They're up to something, I know it." She pulled him aside and they cornered themselves away from the main throng with their heads together, talking in low whispers while the party went on around them.

The evening continued, though the celebratory atmosphere of earlier was somewhat subdued. All the Sheppardors kept a nervous eye on their ports waiting for that fateful telegram from reporters, or a summons to the court by the guards, or perhaps even something from the Revolutionary Council disbanding their party.

"It belongs to the state," Patrik was saying on the other side of the room. "Valued at 7,000 Zatorian crowns. That's tax payer money that could go to impoverished children."

"It's cruel and inhumane punishment," Varielle replied. "You can't take a woman's cheese from her." She sipped her wine and glared at him for a moment before noticing Lucia had rejoined the party. "Isn't that right Lucia?" she said, pulling her into the conversation.

"Hmm?" Lucia replied, her mind elsewhere.

"The Queen's cheese," Varielle said. "We're discussing the ethics of cheese deprivation."

"Former Queen," Lucia said. "And it belongs to the state, so it's not her cheese."

"If it's infinite cheese," said Patrik, "surely there is enough for everybody."

"I don't think so," said Lucia. "I've heard it replenishes itself very slowly."

She continued to go through the motions dreading the moment the guards banged on her door. But the moment never came. Nothing more from Kailani, nothing from her party, and the only telegrams that came through everyone's ports that night were messages of congratulations. The feeling of imminent doom gradually subsided and she found herself able to breathe again.

Her mind turned to the ceremony tomorrow. Her acceptance speech, her statements for reporters, officially appointing her ministers. There was so much work to be done, and she tried not to let it overwhelm her.

A sudden scream interrupted her thoughts. "JEVAN. You're hurt!" Lucia turned in surprise, realising he'd been absent too long. Serai had caught him sneaking in the back door. Now she pulled him into the living room demanding to know what he'd gotten himself into this time.

He staggered in behind her looking rather worse for wear. Bruises, scratches, his shirt was torn, and there was a blood stain in the fabric that seemed to be expanding. A crowd formed around him quickly and Lucia hurried over and pushed through it. "What in the world happened?"

"Oh it's nothing, nothing, just a wee sword fight," he said, collapsing onto a chair.

"You're bleeding. Someone fetch medical supplies," Lucia ordered.

Serai stared at him full of worry. "Where have you been? Who did you duel with?"

He looked at Lucia. "I may have paid Kailani a visit."

There was a hushed silence. The Sheppardors took a step back, stared once more at the blood dripping off him, and looked at each other in alarm. A heavy pause lingered, then Shoma said what they were all thinking. "Did...did you kill her?" he whispered.

Varielle looked quite dismayed. "You bollocking bean! Lucia was only joking about the beheading thing."

Patrik was particularly aghast. "You can't kill our political opponents Jevan, the Revolutionary Council voted against it."

"This isn't going to be good for our approval ratings," Serai wailed in despair. "And what was even the point? Her deputy would just take her place."

Lucia just looked at him feeling the blood drain from her face.

Jevan slumped in the chair, giving them all a hard stare of exasperation. "You dolts. Of course I didn't kill her, I only went there to talk to her. But she wasn't having it." He grimaced as he leant forward and pressed his hand against his stomach. "She's gone completely off the rails, I'm telling you. She attacked me."

Serai knelt down beside him with a bowl of warm water and some bandages. "Poor Jevan," she said, unbuttoning his shirt. "Kailani's a highly skilled swordswoman, you didn't stand a chance."

"I'm not so bad myself, you know," he said, removing his suspenders and opening his shirt more for her.

Lucia swallowed. "So, she's alive then?"

He nodded. "Very much so. Alive and bat frolicking crazy."

"And she bested you in combat?" asked Serai as she began cleaning the wound.

Jevan scoffed. "Of course not." He scooted his chair closer so she had better access to his torso, and gave her a little wink. "Well, she wouldn't have, if it weren't for her dog. Great hulking beast of an animal he is, I never saw such a giant dog. Gleaming white teeth as sharp as daggers. She set him on me as well."

Serai looked concerned. "You didn't hurt the dog, did you?"

"Me hurt him? Me hurt him? My goodness woman, I'd like to see the person who tries to lay a scratch on that snarling beast."

"I just don't understand it," said Patrik. "Why would Kailani attack you out of nowhere?"

"Did you try to regale her with one of your stories?" asked Varielle.

"It was a terrible idea," said Lucia. "You shouldn't have gone."

Jevan winced as Serai began applying a cream. "Look, I know Kailani, I thought there must be some misunderstanding, and if I could just talk to her we could clear it all up." He looked at the circle gathered around him and perked up at the realisation he had the entire room's undivided attention. "Now I'll tell you all exactly what happened," he said, dropping his voice low so everyone had to lean in. "So there I was," he said, "listening to Kailani's voice say through the port 'I know you rigged the election.'"

"Jevan, we were all here for that part," said Lucia. "Tell us what happened once you got to Kailani's house."

"Alright, alright." He dropped his voice again. "So there I was, walking up her front carriageway. All was quiet, I could only hear the sounds of my feet crunching through the gravel, echoing into the night. Darkness surrounded me, enveloped me in its cool embrace. It was suspiciously dark in fact, not a lamp was on inside."

Lucia leant back against a table and rubbed her temples. Serai looked up at him with an enraptured expression as she dabbed at his wound.

"This surprised me, because I knew Kailani was having her election party at her house too. Something's very amiss here, I said to myself. I rang the doorbell, though it appeared the place was deserted. No answer. I began walking around the perimeter of the house, peering into the windows. I saw the empty remains of a party, champagne bottles, glasses, streamers. But not a soul moved within those walls."

"How?" said Varielle.

"What?"

"How could you see them if it was dark?"

"There was moonlight."

"But you said the darkness was enveloping you."

"It was. And the moonlight surrounded the envelope of darkness that was enveloping me." He quickly turned his head away from Varielle's raised eyebrows.

"Jevan, please just tell us what happened," said Lucia.

"I am." He paused. "So I was peering through a window when I heard a noise behind me. I whirled around. And you'll never guess what it was."

"Was it Kailani?" asked Patrik.

"It was."

Noting Serai's captivated expression as she absent-mindedly pressed a compress against his stomach, Jevan leant down towards her – possibly to peer down her bodice – but also to say as dramatically as he could: "And she had a sword."

Serai gasped.

"Serai, you knew that already," said Shoma.

"Everyone in Zatoria has a sword," said Patrik.

"You're literally tending to a sword wound," said Varielle.

Patrik observed her bandaging attempts for a moment. "Speaking of which, perhaps we should get Jevan to a hospital."

"It's fine, it's fine." Jevan waved his hand in the air. "The lightest of scratches."

"Go on," said Lucia.

"So there I was, facing the sword that would deeply wound me, impale me, the sword that would leave a battle scar that would follow me for the rest of my days, forever reminding me of this fatal attack."

Varielle opened her mouth to say something and he quickly barrelled on. "And I only had a dagger, so it was never a fair fight. I put my hands up immediately and said 'woah, Kai, I come in peace. Let's have a chat.' She said, 'did Lucia send you?' I said 'of course not, I'm my own man I make my own decisions.' She said, 'hah!' So I said, 'look I know Lucia and I know she would never rig an election. Poor girl wouldn't even know what a gossamer shield is.'"

"Hey," said Lucia.

"So Kailani said, 'I know she did and I have evidence.' I said 'what evidence, show me,' and I took a step towards her. And that's all it took, she advanced towards me with her weapon."

He looked down at Serai, who still had her hand gently resting on his torso though she was finished. "Now you said Kailani's a skilled swordswoman, and it's true. She came at me slashing and swiping, the blade so fast you couldn't even see it."

"Perhaps because of the enveloping darkness," said Varielle.

"But I'm fast too. I dodged and I dashed and I ducked and I dazzled. I defended myself as best I could with only my trusty dagger against a mighty sword. One of the slashes must have got me, but I didn't notice at the time. I was shouting out, 'Kai, why? We used to be friends. I only want to sort things out.' But it was like a rage had taken over her..." he trailed off.

"Jevan, don't stare off into the distance for dramatic effect," said Lucia.

"Anyway, I think I might have been able to beat her, but just when I was finally about to get a stab in myself, out of nowhere a giant, rabid beast jumped out of the darkness and took me down. He was snarling and his teeth were inches from my jugular, and I thought this is it for poor old Jev, but I was still fighting. I cried out for Kailani to call him off, but she had already disappeared. So I wrestled with the beast with all my strength and finally managed to claw myself out from under him. Then I ran."

Everyone was silent for a long moment, until Serai finally broke it. "Were there any reporters around?"

"None that I saw."

"Where is Kailani now?" Lucia managed. "I don't know, still at home probably." He paused. "She might have also mentioned something about calling the guards."

Varielle groaned.

If the celebratory spirit had been subdued before, now it was all but gone, and the party soon wound down. "We should probably call it a night," said Lucia. "The real work starts on Monday. I'll see you all bright and early at the swearing in ceremony tomorrow."

One by one the Sheppardors left until Lucia was standing alone. Butterfloogles brushed by her leg. She picked him up and hugged him close. "Just you and me again huh." She spent a few moments slowly pacing up and down in her living room, trying to think of the best strategy to handle the accusation. She wondered if Kailani really had contacted the guards. Surely she'd have heard from them if she had. The top priority, of course, was to contain any public nightmare before it began. But Serai had assured her none of the reporters calling were even asking about it. Perhaps Kailani had let the matter drop already.

Pushing it from her mind, she sat down at her desk, let Butterfloogles get comfortable on her lap, and switched off the glowing orb beside her stationary machine. Then she began writing her victory speech.

Lucia peeked out from behind the curtain. Zeraphina Plaza was packed with almost as many people as the crowds at the national sword fighting championships. Thousands of Zatorians crammed in, spilling out into all the side streets, hanging out of windows, proudly waving the Zatorian flag.

The members of the Revolutionary Council stood on the makeshift stage giving rousing patriotic speeches about the downfall of the absolute monarchy and the rise of democracy, whipping the crowd into more of a frenzy than it already was. Lucia couldn't help but roll her eyes a bit. This had all been said a million times in the last few months.

She jogged up and down in the wings, feeling the familiar nervy adrenaline she always felt before a big speech flow through her. It was a bit like nervousness, but the kind of nervousness that was full of excitement. She wasn't completely immune to stage fright, she did feel it in those few moments right beforehand, but she knew the moment she opened her mouth and began speaking it would all fall away and she would be in her element.

"It has been our greatest honour," bellowed Katrin, Head of the Revolutionary Council, "to serve Zatoria as transitional leaders during this most turbulent time. Yesterday you stepped into the voting booths for the first time in your lives, exercised your democratic right, and chose the Sheppardor party to lead you. Without further ado, I present to you its leader and your first Prime Minister, Lucia Straw!" The entire Plaza erupted into cheers as Lucia walked on stage. She put on a beaming smile and shook hands with all of the members. Then Katrin held up a sword and the official swearing in began. She repeated the oath as Katrin said each sentence, swearing to uphold the new constitution, democracy, and the fundamental rights and freedoms of her fellow citizens.

"I hereby officially declare you Prime Minister of Zatoria!" Katrin stepped back and Lucia stepped up to the amplifiers at centre stage, the adrenaline flowing faster than usual, the nerves far more excited than normal, and looked out at the cheering, flag-waving crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen of our great nation," she began. "What a historic moment this is. As I look out at all of you today, I could not feel prouder of all that we have achieved as a people. We are only a small island nation one million strong, yet we have such a rich history of great achievements. Our world-renowned scientists, artists, inventors, and technologists have made amazing contributions to the world. Centuries of greatness. And yet, during this entire time, there was a cloud over us. We lived under an archaic system of rule that gave no power to the people. And so, we set ourselves the goal of what would be our greatest achievement yet – abolishing the monarchy, dismantling the reign of omnipotence, and putting power back into the hands of the people. We successfully bought down an autocratic institution that had held steady for centuries.

"I am truly humbled that Zatorians chose me and my party to lead you. I pledge we will put the people first, we will implement the policies we promised you, and we will forge the path for the centuries to come under democratic rule. What we will achieve in the future is now bound by no limits at all – to the future!"

The thunderous applause was deafening. "Great speech," she heard Katrin whisper in her ear, moving her lips as little as possible so as to keep the smile plastered on her face as she waved to the crowd. "Now perhaps you can tell me where in the blasted heck Kailani's party has vanished to?"
Chapter 3

The disappearance of an entire political party is an unusual occurrence, probably, though Zatorians couldn't be sure as they'd never had political parties before. Perhaps storming out of the city in a huff after suffering a devastating defeat was entirely normal. Standing in the midst of chaos, however, Lucia couldn't worry about that right now. "Damnit," she cursed as she tripped over another moving box. Which blasted one was Butterfloogles hiding in.

"I'll throw these out then shall I?" called out Jon, one of the government staffers assigned to packing up her cottage.

Lucia looked over at the jumble of chargers he held up. "No, that's my jumble of chargers."

"But they're all for old ports from ten years ago. You can't use them today."

"I might need them, you never know."

Her house had become an obstacle course. Boxes everywhere. Her entire life's possessions strewn seemingly everywhere but the ceiling. She stuffed one of her duelling gowns back into the box it was spilling out of. How she'd accumulated so much stuff was a mystery. And this was with half of it already packed and taken in carriages to the newly-built Prime Minister's residence.

There had been great debate as to where the Prime Minister should live. She could have been moving into the Palace itself today. But the Revolutionary Council had decided no, the Palace would be a museum. In the spirit of what the Revolution had been about - new beginnings, a complete rehaul, a resetting of the country as it were, the government buildings and Prime Minister's residence should all be brand new. They would not be in buildings that had existed for centuries, with the architecture of the old – beautiful though it was – but new buildings, modern, representative of the future.

"What about this old piece of junk," called out another packer.

She looked over. "That's my sword! Don't you dare throw that out."

He turned it over in his hands and frowned. "It must be at least 100 years old. You'll be given government-issued swords, brand new shiny ones. A wide variety of the latest and best works of art, forged by Zatoria's best swordsmiths. As many as you like."

She waded through the boxes, grabbed it off him and repacked it. "200, actually. This one is special. It stays." She rubbed her shin. The obstacle course from where she was standing to the kitchen seemed doable, so she began weaving her way towards it. "Has anyone seen my cat?"

"In one of the boxes," Jon replied, gesturing vaguely towards a million boxes.

"Thanks," she muttered. "That was helpful."

Having arrived at her destination after the arduous journey, she opened the pantry, took out Butterfloogles' biscuits, and before she could give the box a shake he was already there rubbing against her leg.

"There you are you little bugger." She poured a few out into his carrier and nudged him in. "It's time for us to get out of here little guy. We have a new home now." Finding himself suddenly imprisoned, he looked at her as though he couldn't believe she would betray him.

"It's not my fault you're so easily tricked," she laughed.

"Alright I'm leaving everyone," she yelled out to the packers. A few of them gave a distracted wave. "Remember, no throwing out anything." She looked at them suspiciously. "Nothing at all."

After bumping her shins another few times on the way to the front door, they were finally home free and walking down the gravel path to the carriage waiting for them. There was a driver standing beside it, a proper one with a very official-looking uniform and little cap, and the carriage itself was one of the most impressive she'd seen.

"Prime Minister," he greeted her with a big grin. "I'm Darryl. Such an honour to meet you. Big fan. Love your speeches."

"Pleased to meet you," she replied. "What beautiful horses."

He slapped the rump of the silver-coloured horse closest to him. "Aye, they're beauties. You should see the speed they can get up to on the open road."

He opened the door for her and in she and Butterfloogles slid. "They have the most realistic neigh on the market," he said proudly as he hopped into the driver's seat and pressed a button on the console next to the reins. The metallic hinges of the horses' jaws opened and a mechanical neighing sounded out.

Butterfloogles' head shot up and he gave a startled meow. Lucia smiled. "Still sounds a little robotic to me, but it's getting there."

"It's perfect for when some todger cuts me off," said Darryl. He looked over at all the boxes coming out of her house. "Your destination is quite obvious today, but still, I'll ask − where to, Prime Minister?"

She laughed. "There's only one place I could be going. Darryl, please take me to the Shell."

He took up the reins and they set off. Lucia stared back at her little cottage as the carriage pulled away. Life was all changing so quickly. Only two days ago she'd been a regular person with no packing guys, no carriage drivers, and everyone called her by her first name.

"You know I loved that speech you gave during the campaign, Prime Minister," Darryl piped up as she watched the winding streets of Awatere sail past.

"Oh? Which one?"

"Must've been 'bout six weeks ago now, in Kiatana Bay. You were talking about the importance of strong unity amongst Zatorians. It was quite funny, made me laugh."

"Well, thank you! Yes I remember that. Kiatana Bay. Lovely place. Beautiful beaches. Such friendly people."

"You're a much better speech-giver than that Kailani. She never makes any jokes. Just reads out boring facts and figures, and she stumbles over all her words. It's like listening to your annual taxes being read out."

"Well," said Lucia diplomatically. "Speaking before a crowd doesn't come easily to everyone."

"You seem to manage well enough."

A short while later – it didn't take long to traverse Awatere – a guard outside the Shell was opening the gates for them and Darryl drove up to the entrance. He reined in the horses and Lucia stepped out of the carriage, carrier in hand, staring up at the building before her in amazement. This was her first time seeing the finished product. The Shell towered above her eclipsing all other structures in the vicinity. There had been a flurry of action in the last few weeks to complete it, and here it finally stood, finished and ready for the new government to set up home in. The architects had gone out of their way to make it look quite different from the Palace. Instead of turrets and harsh angles, it was a circular structure starting with a narrow base which tapered outwards and then back inwards, bulging spirals flowing up to a point at the very top, not unlike a seashell that had been set upright.

She walked up the steps to the huge front double doors where two guards flanked either side. They tipped their hats at her. The doors opened automatically as she approached and she walked inside to find herself in a huge foyer with high ceilings. A woman with a clipboard was there to greet her. "Prime Minister, welcome to your new home. I'm Gretel. I've been assigned to help you settle in. Would you like a tour?"

Lucia nodded dumbly, still looking around taking it all in.

"We'll start with your residential quarters. Follow me, please." They walked up a short staircase and came to what looked like closet doors. "Have you ever been in a pulley before?" asked Gretel, pressing the button beside them.

"A few times, many years ago," replied Lucia. "When I was an intern at the Palace."

They stared up at the numbers above the doors as they lit up one by one. There was a ding and the doors opened. "That must have been fascinating," said Gretel as they stepped in.

"It was soon after the Eleven Years of Despair had just begun," said Lucia. "When we thought we were facing a lifetime of Despair."

Gretel shook her head. "Such a traumatising time. I thank the sword every day it's over."

"Sometimes I can't believe we survived eleven years of it," said Lucia. "It seems like a distant nightmare now, though it's only been a few months."

Gretel pressed another button and the small closet they were in lurched so suddenly they both fell against the wall. It began its jerky ascent.

"Oh I think this is better designed than the Palace ones," said Lucia. "The lurch is much less."

Gretel nodded. "Technological advances in the mechanical pulley system have been made since then." They ascended several floors and, with another ding and a lurch to a stop, the doors opened again. They stepped out into a huge circular room with a high ceiling and a large monitor on the opposite side. "This is the very centre of the Shell," said Gretel. "You'll note there are twelve double doors like the ones we came out of equally spaced around the room, each with a hallway in-between. All Shell pathways lead here. The doors are all pulleys that go to various Shell locations and floors, some up and down, some on an incline, some sideways." They walked to the centre of the room, shoes clattering over the hard tiles. Gretel pointed up at the monitor mounted on the wall. "That's a KI that will show news, information, current goings on in the Shell, that sort of thing," she said.

Lucia looked around in wonder. "It's quite beautiful," she said.

"Now this one," said Gretel, leading her over to another of the pulleys, "takes you to your residential quarters. We have them all prepared for you." They entered and lurched to the side. "I know the whole place looks very empty today," said Gretel, "but tomorrow it will be bustling with activity, I assure you." They stepped out and walked down what seemed like a maze of hallways before arriving at the Prime Minister's residence.

"Oh I love it," said Lucia as they walked in. She set down Butterfloogles' carrier and let him out. He took a few cautious steps forward, distrusting the way his paws sunk into the thick carpet, then stopped and began washing himself.

"It's so spacious. My entire cottage could fit in the living room alone."

Gretel nodded. "Designed by world-renowned Zatorian architect Lonell Gordsh himself. You'll notice there are no sharp corners in here, it's all curves. In fact there's not a right angle to be found in the entire building. The architects were very anti-right angles."

"How curious. What did right angles ever do to them?"

"They're just big fans of curves," Gretel said with a shrug. "But you'll be able to settle into your quarters later, let me show you your office now."

They walked back the way they had come through another set of hallways. "Goodness," murmured Lucia. "I'm going to need a mini goss to find my way around this place."

"Oh don't worry, you'll get the hang of it. The layout is actually quite intuitive."

They arrived at the pulley. "Now your office is at the very top of the building."

They lurched up once more and when the doors opened this time, Lucia stepped out to find herself in a small reception area.

"This is where your secretary will sit," said Gretel. "She'll be here first thing tomorrow, ready for the very first day of the new government. And this," she continued, pushing open another door, "is the office of the very first Prime Minister of Zatoria." They stepped inside to a large room with walls that began bulging out and then angled inwards until they joined at the top. Lucia looked up at the point high above them. The very tip of the Shell. On the far side of the room was a large mahogany desk and behind it full length windows that let the light flood in.

There were some curious muffling sounds coming from under the desk, and Lucia walked over to peer over the top. She looked down to see a pair of wiggling stockinged legs sticking out from underneath.

"Ahem," Gretel coughed discreetly. "Ada, the Prime Minister is here."

"Oh!" came the exclamation from under the desk. A woman scrambled out and popped up in front of them. "Hello, Prime Minister," she said, wiping a smudge from her cheek and smoothing down her skirt. "It's an honour to meet you."

Lucia smiled and shook her hand. "Likewise."

"I've just been connecting the gossamer globe to your stationary and port so it's all ready for you tomorrow," she said.

Lucia looked at her in fascination. Her skirt was cut with an asymmetrical hemline above her knees and one strip of her dark hair was dyed a vibrant purple. Instead of a swordbelt around her waist, she wore a toolbelt with pockets and holders full of small silver implements.

"Ada is your own personal technologist," said Greta. "One of the very best in the land. She was instrumental in the success of the Storming of the Palace."

"That's marvellous," said Lucia. "Thank you for your service."

"Oh, I didn't really do much," said Ada blushing. "I wasn't in on the real action, I just helped out a bit behind the scenes."

"She is being modest," said Gretel. "She built the technology that allowed the combatants to navigate through the Palace undetected."

Ada picked up the glowing orb on the desk from its docking station and took a small, tweezer-like tool from her toolbelt. She began carefully poking at the gossamer. Lucia and Gretel watched as blue electrons sparked off the webbing.

"I'm just fine tuning it," said Ada. "I want to be sure all the connections are working flawlessly." She had an intense look of focus as she worked. "The gossamer is very fragile, you must take care not to damage it."

Lucia nodded. "I know. One time my cat attacked the webbing on my home gossamer over Rhydianland and I wasn't able to talk to anyone from that region anymore."

Ada laughed. "That'll do it."

She placed the goss back on the docking station and pressed a small button on it. They watched as the colours began to swirl and change from purples to blues to greens, with some areas sparking more than others. "All the data from your stationary and port is recorded and backed up in the gossamer," she said, placing the instrument back in her tool belt and adjusting it. "And if you need a simple map function, press this button on the bottom." She pressed it and the gossamer instantly switched to a regular globe of the world. "You can expand any area you like for a more detailed map."

"It seems like magic to me," Lucia murmured.

"No," said Ada. "It's science. Magic doesn't exist anymore, except in cheese."

Gretel nodded in approval. "Ada is quite the expert. She built her first gossamer globe when she was only 15."

Ada blushed again. "If you could call it that. It didn't work very well."

Lucia picked up the port on the desk and turned it over.

"Your government-issued portable telegram device," said Ada. "State of the art. The telegrams get through more often than not, and there is barely any interference in the audio quality. Sometimes you can even make out an entire sentence."

"It looks different from my personal one," said Lucia.

"Should be easier to use, hopefully," Ada replied, tucking the purple strip behind her ear.

"And you also have this mini goss you can take with you anywhere for an easy portable map," said Gretel, indicating a second globe that was much the same only smaller.

"I think I'll definitely need that in this place," said Lucia.

"Now I know the office looks a bit sparse at the moment," said Gretel, looking around the room. "You'll be able to decorate it however you want, of course. Add your own personal touches. But first you simply must see the Great Chamber. The seat of parliament itself, where ministers will debate and introduce bills."

They left Ada to her work and went on another journey through hallways and down pulleys until they were back in the central pulley room.

"The Great Chamber," said Gretel, looked extraordinarily proud, "is in a different building from this one, but we don't have to leave here to get there."

Lucia raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"There's a tunnel that runs underneath the two buildings connecting them both," said Gretel as they stepped into another pulley.

"Really? An underground tunnel?"

They hurtled downwards, and when the doors opened this time, the two women picked themselves up off the floor and stepped out into a dark passage-way. Lucia's eyes shone with excitement. "A secret tunnel in the depths of the underground! Far below the city, where the inner-most government sec−"

"Well, not really," Gretel said, switching on the lamps to reveal a fully-furnished hallway. "The parking garage is right above us. There are public signs pointing the way to the tunnel. It's really just for practical purposes so you can get to the Great Chamber faster."

"Oh."

They walked along the long hallway until they came to another set of heavy double doors. "We're now in the cockle building," said Gretel. "Directly under Diareme Street." She pushed open the doors and they stepped into a huge echoey room.

"This is it. Where all the ministers will meet to debate and introduce bills and laws are passed. Lucia looked up at the main chair at centre front, elevated above all others. It actually was not unlike a throne, she couldn't help but note. "And that's..."

"Oh no, you don't sit there. That's where the moderator sits. You sit here." She indicated a chair to the left, just one in a row of many, no different from the others. "With your other party members."

"Of course."

"Your party has 76 members in parliament, so they'll all sit here with you in these few rows. And on the chair opposite you, well, that's where the Leader of the Opposition is supposed to sit... but we don't know exactly what's happening there. These 18 seats are supposed to be for the McCombian party." She looked at Lucia in consternation and lowered her voice to a whisper. "They are alive aren't they?"

"Of course they're alive!" She hesitated. "Well, we're pretty sure."

"Because I was thinking it wouldn't make sense to kill them after winning the election."

Lucia nodded solemnly. "It's a good thing we didn't do that then."

Nobody knew what was happening with Kailani and the McCombian party. They had not been heard from since election night and all attempts to contact them had proved fruitless. Guards had called round to their homes and offices and found the places completely abandoned. It was the most bizarre thing. Rumours had surfaced that they had fled to the north, but no-one could explain why. It seemed they had quite simply run away.

Serai had told Lucia she could relax now, if Kailani was planning on publicising her wild election rigging accusation she would have done so already, but Lucia wasn't so sure. The uneasy feeling they were planning something increased the longer they stayed silent.

"Anyway, these ten seats," Gretel continued, "are for the Verdancy party, and these seven are for the Schonian party. Or they would be if the Opposition party were here." She tapped her clipboard with the pen and frowned. "Tomorrow is parliament's first official day. What will happen if the Opposition just don't turn up?"

"I'm not sure," said Lucia, "I don't understand their disappearance at all. We have no blueprint for this. It's obviously never happened before here, nor in any country in the world."

"So very strange," agreed Gretel.

"Giles Chapsworth, the leader of the Verdancy party, is of course demanding that his party become the Opposition. They're the party with the most votes after the McCombians. And, well, I suppose that's what will have to happen. But it throws all the seats and percentages off."

"Yes," said Gretel, consulting her clipboard. "I've done the calculations here. It means your party actually has 74% of the votes." She made a whistling sound. "Now that's a landslide win. The Verdancies would have 9.4%. And..." she paused.

"What is it?"

"It actually means the Extremely Earnest party would have one seat in parliament."

Lucia stared at her. "That can't be right, surely."

"Yes, they would have 5% of the votes."

"How could any Zatorian actually vote for them?"

The Extremely Earnest party was a jest party that had taken full advantage of the Revolutionary Council's insistence that anyone who wanted to form a party should have the right to do so.

"But surely you won't actually let them into parliament?" asked Gretel. "Surely not in the Great Chamber itself?"

"If Kailani doesn't show up and they really have 5%, we have to. The voters have spoken."

Gretel's disapproval grew increasingly visible. "But their policies."

"I understand the concern, but that's the beauty of this new system. It doesn't matter how much they insist upon having a head of state, it cannot happen without Parliament's agreement."
Chapter 4

On the first official day of the new Zatorian government, Lucia awoke the same way as usual, with Butterfloogles kneading her hair minutes before her alarm clock would have pierced the early morning stillness. She leant over and switched it off then lay back and stretched out under the toasty warm covers of the huge four-poster bed while Butterfloogles meowed at her in hunger.

"In a minute you little monster," she said, taking a moment longer to luxuriate in a bed far cosier than her one at home. Eventually she sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the frame. He raced ahead of her to the kitchen as Lucia followed, still half in slumber. After filling his bowl, she went to her new combat training room to begin her morning exercises. It was a perfectly functional room adjacent to her living area with a large floor area for duel practice, a beam for balancing exercises, and several types of exercise equipment. Mirrors stretched out along the full length of one wall so she could check her form, and mounted on the opposite wall there was an impressive display of the new collection of swords and daggers provided to her. She gave a low whistle as she walked along it, appreciatively eyeing all the different makes and models with beautiful gem-studded hilts, ornamental silver designs, and brightly gleaming blades.

Her own 200-year-old sword had been thrown into the corner, and she took it and moved it to a more prominent position with the others, fingers trailing over the letter L engraved in the hilt.

After training, she completed her morning routine as usual, then, taking one last look in the mirror making sure she looked so very Prime Ministerial, she took a deep breath and left the residential quarters.

It was a disorienting journey making her way to the Prime Minister's office without Gretel's guidance, but after only getting lost three times success was achieved and when the pulley doors to the reception area opened this time, they revealed a smiling woman with grey hair pulled up in a tight bun waiting to greet her.

"Good morning Prime Minister, I'm Gerda, your secretary," she said, extending her hand.

Lucia shook it. "Pleased to meet you, Gerda."

The secretary put on the glasses she wore in a chain around her neck and picked up some papers. "Your agenda for today, Ma'am. Now would you like a coffee or tea?"

"Coffee would be lovely, thank you."

"Coming right up," said Gerda pleasantly, pulling her cardigan close as she bustled back to her desk. "Please buzz me on the intercom if there's anything else you need."

Lucia opened the door and walked in. It seemed bigger than yesterday. More imposing. She walked over to the windows and looked out. The slanted rooftops of Awatere stretched out far below her, and far on the other side of the city, she could see the turrets of the Palace rising above all other buildings, still standing steadfast. Beyond them, distant mountain ranges completed the breathtaking view.

She went to her desk and sat down. Did a little spin in the chair. Placed her hands on the desk and looked around. Picked up the agenda and skimmed through it. She blanched a little. All this in one day. She put it back down and looked at her newly-installed gossamer globe. Various regions around the world were sparking with activity while others were calmer, darker. She gave it a little push with her finger and it began to spin languidly on its axis, its subdued tones casting a dull light on the desk. Next to it was her new stationary, different from the machines she was used to. She switched it on and began trying to navigate the interface.

She had barely begun to get her bearings when Gerda buzzed through on the intercom. "The Deputy Prime Minister and your assistant are here, Ma'am."

"Of course, please send them in."

Patrik and Jevan walked in with awed looks on their faces.

"Have you seen this place Luci?" Jevan exclaimed.

"I have Jevan, yes."

"It is wonderful," Patrik agreed. "Now, I have an outline of everything we need to prepare−"

"Though I don't think it's more magnificent than the Palace," Jevan interrupted, bouncing on one of the sofas. "No gold trimmings." He looked at Lucia's chair. "And that is decidedly unthrone-like."

"But it's swivelly," said Lucia. "I can swivel around and face the windows, stare pensively out across Awatere trying to come up with a solution to the economic crisis until I have a eureka moment, then swivel back and type furiously on my stationary shouting 'yes, I've got it by god!'"

Patrik frowned. Jevan wandered around inspecting every nook and cranny with excitement. "It's quite sparsely decorated. You'll need to get an interior designer in." He looked back at the doorway. "That could be turned into a golden archway."

"Jevan, it isn't supposed to be like the Palace," said Lucia.

"Indeed," agreed Patrik. "Now, as I was saying−"

"What's your private residence like?" Jevan said eagerly. "Is it more Palace-ey like?"

"Of course not," said Lucia. "It is quite luxurious though," she admitted. "I'll show you it later."

Patrik coughed tactfully. "She'll be here soon."

"Yes, of course," Lucia straightened up. "Are we fully prepared?"

No sooner had she said it than Gerda buzzed through again. "Head of the Revolutionary Council, Ma'am."

Jevan clambered up off the arm of the sofa and put his arms behind his back as Katrin swept in carrying a small black box. "Prime Minister, good morning. How is your first day going?"

"So far so good," said Lucia. "I've already done so mu– well, I've begun to get my bearings."

"You'll be on top of things in no time, I'm sure." She nodded curtly at Patrik and Jevan. "As you know, the Council has spent the last few months writing the new constitution and devising a parliamentary system that redistributes the power formerly afforded an absolute monarch amongst the various parties and ministers. In this box you'll find everything you need to know to orientate yourself and help with the transition." She moved to place it on the desk, then pulled back a little, as though she were reluctant to part with it.

"I do know how it all works," Lucia assured her. "I drafted many of those reports with you myself."

"Of course, of course. But with such an inexperienced Prime Minister as yourself..."

"I've been working in politics my whole adult life," Lucia said through gritted teeth.

"We-ell. On the outskirts of the political realm, more, I would say."

Behind her Jevan rolled his eyes.

"I don't mean to insult you Ma'am. But it's obviously not possible to be an experienced Zatorian Prime Minister. We're all navigating new waters here. The Council only wants to make this transition as smooth as possible."

Lucia smiled as sweetly as she could muster. "And likewise it wasn't possible for you to be an experienced Revolutionary leader when you first became one, yet you've done an outstanding job."

Katrin eyed her warily, swayed back on her heels a bit, then turned to give both Jevan and Patrik equally sceptical glances. Clutching the box tightly, she turned back to Lucia and began to drone on about separate executive, judicial, and legal branches. Lucia sat back in her chair and rested her elbow on the arm of the chair waiting for the lecture to end. She caught Jevan's eye making faces behind her back and straightened up again with a smile.

"Now, as to why we don't have a separate head of state-"

"Yes, thank you Katrin," Lucia interrupted firmly. "We've been over all of this before. I am well-versed in the nuts and bolts of the whole operation. As you know, I have been a key member of devising this parliamentary system from the beginning. I have been part of the revolutionary movement since its earliest beginnings, ten years ago − earlier even, I believe, than you. I was there when the Council was first formed, I was there when the Palace was stormed, and I have been there every day since putting together the Sheppardor party. Now I have a very busy day ahead of me so perhaps you could wrap this up."

In a stroke of excellent timing, Gerda buzzed through right at that moment. "Ma'am, I have the King of Tangea on an audio telegram line."

Katrin coughed. "Well. Indeed, indeed. I shall leave you to it then." With a final worried glance at the box, she placed it carefully on the desk, then strode from the room, her cloak billowing out behind her. Lucia picked up her port while simultaneously ushering out Patrik and Jevan.

"What, even me?" said Jevan.

"Yes, even you. You have your own office to begin work in."

"Alright alright," he grumbled shuffling off.

Lucia made a face wondering why the King couldn't have just sent a written telegram, then connected the line.

"Prime Minister! I am telegramming to extend my biggest congratulations." The voice of the King of Tangea crackled through so clearly she could even make out the words.

"Thank you, your Majesty, that's very kind."

"My, what an interesting time your country is going through. I must say I hope you haven't put any... revolutionary ideas in Tangean's heads."

"Oh don't worry about that Sir, I'm sure we haven't."

"Did you get it? Did you get it?" Lucia could almost see him looking delighted with himself through the line. "Revolutionary ideas?"

She bit her lip. "I got it, Sir."

"But of course not," he barrelled on. "Tangeans love me too much. And this business with the Opposition party! I've never heard of such a thing."

"No Sir, neither have we. It's all very unusual."

"And now you'll have to make the environmentalist party the Opposition party? Well. Your mountain goats will like that."

Lucia smiled and relaxed back into her chair. "Yes Sir, the goats are the real winners here."

They chatted some more about the importance of friendship between their neighbouring countries, and no sooner was the telegram over than a new one came in. The rest of the morning was filled with Gerda's poor finger continuously on the intercom button as world leaders called in. "Ma'am, I have the President of Rhydianland for you − Ma'am, the Prime Minister of Ishonia − Ma'am, the Queen of Damway − Ma'am, the Emperor of the Beffland Empire − Ma'am, the Supreme Ruler of the Land of the Sacred Gemlionians."

It went on for hours and though Lucia had been somewhat anxious at the beginning, by the end she found it was really no different from talking to regular people, although the conversations did seem to bleed into each other after a while. "Thank you for telegramming President – yes, such an honour, Sir – oh yes Supreme Ruler, storming the Palace was very exciting indeed – yes your Imperial Majesty, the trees are quite delighted – no, Chancellor, you know a spiralling seashell that bulges out in the middle? Kind of like that – no your Majesty, I can assure you we did not assassinate the entire McCombian party − I know, Oh Great Glorious Leader of the Firenziatic Realm, Protector of the 13 Greenstone Kingdoms, Spirit of a God-Emperor, it is very cruel to take away a woman's cheese, but the point is it isn't her cheese, it belongs to the state."

Finally, after disconnecting with the King of Marance, she set down her port and...silence. She waited. A minute passed. She buzzed through to Gerda. "Was that the last of them?"

"I think so, Ma'am."

"Well. Peace at last. Whoever added audio capabilities to ports shall feel the full strength of my wrath."

"Ma'am, it's time for your chiffonier meeting."

"Of course Gerda. Show them in.

"But it's in the chiffonier meeting room."

"Oh right. I'll be right out."

She snatched up the black box and raced out. "Gerda, I need you to get all of this..." she waved her hand at the box "onto my stationary in digital form."

"Of course Ma'am.

"Great. Remind me again, the chiffonier room?"

Gerda directed her through a maze of hallways and off she ran.

Lucia entered the room to see the Sheppardor party sitting around a long table. She took her place at the head and greeted everyone.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, let me call to order the very first chiffonier meeting. Day one of democracy in Zatoria. A historic moment indeed."

Polite cheers rippled around the table.

"We have many serious issues to discuss. But I'm afraid before we can begin with the actual running of the country, we must first address the matter of – well – most of you were present at my house on election night. You all heard Kailani's accusation."

There was some uncomfortable coughing.

"Which you all know, I hope, could not possibly be true," she continued.

"It's quite alright, Prime Minister, you don't have to convince us," Patrik assured her, sitting on the other end of the table. "That you would commit such a crime is inconceivable."

The Sheppardors nodded.

"Thank you all," said Lucia. "I greatly appreciate your faith in me. So far she has not gone public with the accusation, nor said anything further to me." She looked around the circle. "Have any of you heard anything about this from any member of the McCombian party?"

All the party members shook their heads.

"It's all very strange," said Varielle. "Why make such an accusation and not follow through?"

"And then flee the city," said Serai. "I heard Kailani has been spotted in Lissdale. Why would they go there, it's a dreadful city."

"It's a wonderful city," said Shoma. "The weather is far nicer than here. Besides, Kailani has a strong supporter base in the northern cities. They must be planning something."

"Yes," agreed Lucia, "that's my fear. We need to be prepared for whatever they have up their sleeves."

"But proving your innocence would be very easy. We simply request the technologists release the data showing no-one penetrated the gossamer shields," said Varielle.

"That's true," said Lucia. "The first Great Chamber meeting is this afternoon. We'll have to wait until then to see if they even show up. We'll know more then." She tapped her pen hard against the table. "On to the second matter then. The Revolutionary Council has been taking care of things quite well in this transitionary period, but as you know this is a turbulent time for Zatoria.

"A MOST turbulent time," the Sheppardors fervently agreed.

"So, rebuilding post-revolutionary Zatoria. Unturbulising it, as it were."

"Is it really so unturbulised? We did a pretty good job of having a non-turbulent Revolution. I feel all this "most turbulent time" talk is rather exaggerated," said Serai. "What even needs to be rebuilt? All our buildings are standing."

"An angry monarchist kicked over all those new non-Royal mailboxes on Gwan Street," said Varielle.

"Yes but the city council put them right back up," Serai countered.

"Someone has been annoying the guards, trying to stick feathers back into their hats," Varielle said.

"We'll let the guards take care of that one," Lucia said.

Patrik coughed. "We do have real problems that need addressing. The economy is not exactly in the best shape. Varielle, you are our Treasurer, where do we currently stand?"

"Actually, it's not as bad as we thought," said Varielle. She sat up and shuffled through her papers. "The Revolutionary Council spent the last few months dividing the aristocracy's state assets from their personal assets. Some of them were dreadfully in debt, but the Duke of Kiatana − the former Duke, I mean − who was the Queen's Treasurer, at least seemed to know what he was doing. He's been keeping us above water despite the rest of the aristocracy's desire to drive the country into debt. And it's all the more surprising considering he inherited the position after his mother's untimely death at such a young age."

While she talked, Lucia tried to take her mind off Kailani, push the events of election night out of her head, and ignore the ever-increasing sense of dread, but for the rest of the meeting she could not stop her thoughts from turning to a million different disastrous scenarios.

Lucia browsed through the folders on her stationary and frowned. It was harder to navigate than her home stationary. She pressed her secretary's buzzer and asked for the technologist to be sent for. Shortly afterwards, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," she called out. She glanced up as Ada walked in with a shy smile, the tools in her tool belt swaying against her skirt with each step. "Good afternoon Prime Minister," she said, "What can I help you with?" The strip of hair was dark blue today.

"Thank you so much for coming." Lucia indicated her stationary machine. "I'm not used to this model. Could you show me how to open my files?"

"Of course. May I?" She indicated walking around behind the desk.

"Please," Lucia scooted her swivelly chair over a bit as Ada walked around and put her hands on the keyboard. Her long hair fell forward as she leant down and Lucia could feel it lightly tickling her shoulder as she explained the file system.

"Could you also perhaps connect my home port to my goss? It has data on it I need."

"Not a problem." Ada stood back up and took a small silver implement from her tool belt, then set about working on the port. Lucia watched her intently.

"So," she said after a few moments of silence. "You're a technologist?"

Ada raised an eyebrow and smiled. "That's right."

"Sorry," Lucia said, tucking her hair behind her ears. "Stupid question. I'm just in awe of people who understand all this technical stuff. They say you're one of the best in the land."

"Oh, oh no," Ada blushed again and looked down. "People like to talk big around here like that, but it's all exaggerated."

"I'm sure they wouldn't have hired you if that were true." Lucia paused and tried to ask her next question as nonchalantly as possible. "Although... they do say the technologists who developed the electronic voting system are the best."

"Oh they are! Such a talented group of people. Iniko, the head developer, right now he's working on turning the kinematic images on the goss into colour. They say it can't be done, but if anyone can it's him." Ada's eyes lit up in awe as she spoke of it.

"KI in colour! Imagine that."

"So you see, I certainly didn't make the cut to be on that team."

"But you know them?"

"Yes, I've worked with several of them in the past, and I went to university with Iniko, actually."

"And you didn't do any work on it yourself at all?"

"The voting system? Oh no. It was all highly confidential. No-one outside of that small team was allowed to know anything."

"I see.

"Will that be all, Prime Minister?" she said as she put the tool back in her belt. Lucia watched as she slid it into a little pocket then adjusted the belt by pushing it around her waistline until it rested over her hip.

"Yes of course. Thank you for your help. And please," she said, tucking her hair behind her ear again, "call me Lucia."
Chapter 5

Giles Chapsworth's bottom hovered a few inches above the seat assigned to the Leader of the Opposition in the Great Chamber. "The McCombian party are definitely not coming. I can sit, right? Right?" he anxiously asked the moderator, who sat up front in his throne-like chair. Giles, the leader of the Verdancy party, lowered himself an inch more, but then rose back up as though he were worried about tempting fate.

The Great Chamber, yesterday empty and cavernous, was now alive with the hustle and bustle of newly elected politicians finding their seats, organising their folders, and staring at the huge double doors waiting to see if the McCombian party would come. It was generally assumed they would not, as everyone had heard the rumour they had fled to the north and dozens of telegrams sent to their ports remained unanswered. But not turning up to the first parliamentary session in the Great Chamber would definitively confirm that the McCombian party really had, quite bizarrely and inexplicably, given up their position in parliament.

Whispered murmurings rippled throughout the chamber. Are we quite sure they're not dead?...but it would make no sense for the Sheppardors to kill them, they won...Lucia can't even beat Kailani in a duel!...How would she have done it?...Poison, perhaps.

Lucia sat opposite Giles with Patrik next to her and the rest of the Sheppardor party in the surrounding seats. She had to keep reminding herself to breathe. The constant dread that Kailani would go public with the accusation was becoming unbearable, the McCombian's continued silence on the matter gnawed away at her, preventing her from being able to focus.

The moderator looked around the room from his elevated position. He peered over his glasses down at Giles, who wore a tie that featured suspicious-looking leaves and frowned.

"They're hibiscus leaves, Sir," Giles said, noticing him looking, his bottom still wavering uncertainly.

The moderator looked at him doubtfully. "We'll give them two more minutes."

The commotion gradually calmed as everyone found their seats and turned their attention to the doors.

"Well," said the moderator finally. "Well." He seemed to be at a loss. "I suppose it can't be held off any longer. I officially call the first parliament session of Zatoria to order." He banged his gavel and the chamber full of politicians swivelled back to look at him.

He frowned at Giles again. Giles stared back in eager anticipation. "I suppose," he said with reluctance, "I suppose my first order of business is to officially declare the Verdancy party the party of the Opposition."

Giles triumphantly planted his bottom on the chair looking chuffed, and a cheer went out amongst the other eleven members of the Verdancy party as they all took their seats around him.

Sitting across from them, Lucia quietly exhaled in relief.

"Of course this means the percentages must all be readjusted. But I see," he peered around the room with disapproval, "you've all anticipated that." He turned to the section where the Sheppardor party sat. "89 seats. My my, that really is quite some power."

He peered over his glasses at Lucia. "Prime Minister, do you have any introductory remarks?"

She rose to her feet. "Welcome everyone," she began. "I can't tell you how excited and honoured I am to be here at this historic mome−"

She was interrupted by the sound of the double doors clanging open. Lucia closed her eyes. She should've known it was too good to be true.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO," wailed Giles as the sound of the doors echoed through the Great Chamber.

"Order, order," shouted the moderator. "No wailing in my Great Chamber."

Everyone whipped round to the doors again. There stood Jane Teth, leader of the Extremely Earnest party. She clapped her hands together in delight upon seeing all eyes were on her. "Yes it is I! I have arrived." She hurried in, almost at a half-run, until she stood in the centre between Lucia and Giles, then spun around in a circle taking in the entirety of the room. Giles gawped at her in amazement as her full-circle polka dot skirt flared outwards the faster she spun.

The moderator banged his gavel. "Ma'am, please take your seat at once. Your tardiness has slowed the wheels of democracy."

"Oh dear," she said, as she stumbled to a stop. "How thoughtless of me. But you see I was waylaid by the most persistent featherless guard who insisted I not pass until I'd shown her some form of identification. I offered to prove my worthiness with some traditional Zatorian hand-to-hand combat but she was having none of it." She put up her fists in a combat stance as though she were about to re-enact the scenario. The moderator banged his gavel in alarm. "Take you seat at once, Ma'am."

"Alright alright," she said, bustling over to the front row seat assigned to the Extremely Earnest party leader. "You know the feathered guards were always up for a little combat."

The moderator cleared his throat as she settled in. "Prime Minister, please continue."

"As I was saying," said Lucia, "this is a historic moment in the midst of a time of great political turmoil and social upheave−"

This time she was interrupted by Blythe Gerf, leader of the Schonian party, jumping up before she could finish. "Prime Minister, please, enough with the constant buzzwords. Tell us exactly how this parliament can legally function without a legitimate Opposition party?"

"Excuse me," said Giles, waving his hand at her. "We're right here."

"Wear a brighter suit next time," Jane advised him. "So that you're more visible to the Schonian party." She leant forward and looked him up and down. "You would look absolutely marvellous in purple."

"I'm afraid they're right," said Lucia. "The Verdancy party is the legitimate Opposition party. The McCombian party have completely abandoned their civic duty and we can hardly force them to take it up."

"But this is unconscionable, it cannot stand," said Blythe. "It does not comply with the power distribution intended as voted by the people of Zatoria. We'll need another election."

"It absolutely can stand," said Giles, standing. "It is quite obvious to me why Kailani and the McCombians left."

Everyone turned to look at him in astonishment. "Clearly they had the vision to see that Zatoria has no future if it has no environment, and the only way to curb the progression of pollution is to install in parliament a party that would prioritise the very air we breathe, a party that would eliminate the electrical vapours that torment us all, a party that would enable the people of Zatoria to bloom as one can only bloom in the absence of contamination" – he stopped to take a breath and perhaps think of something that could top blooming Zatorians – "a party that would lead our people through the dark foliage of folly into the light, up to the very peaks of purity, and, um, er... er...save the trees."

The Verdancy party cheered. Jane took a handkerchief from her pocket and dabbed the corner of her eye. "So noble of them. So selfless. I always knew that Kailani was a good one."

Lucia and Blythe just stared at him. The moderator banged his gavel. "No metaphorical blooming in my Great Chamber."

Blythe shook her head and turned back to Lucia. "And the next most pressing issue is, of course, just how do you intend to fix post-revolutionary Zatoria, Prime Minister? We are an economic mess."

"We are doing exceedingly well, actually, considering this time of turbul–"

She stopped at Blythe's glare. "Ahem, all things considered. My party is drafting a budget to restore the country to the wealth we enjoyed in monarchist Zatoria, and we are on track to achieving it. It is only day one, we are well within our target."

Giles jumped up again. "First we must address a far more pressing issue than that. I would like to introduce a bill on the elimination of electrical vapours."

Blythe regarded him in disbelief. "That's hardly a priority right now."

"No, let him speak," said Lucia to Giles' delight. He began to present his case with many a hand gesture while Lucia sat down, in truth relieved to have the pressure off her for a moment. Patrik gave her a supportive shoulder pat.

On her way back to her office after the Great Chamber session, Lucia passed through the central pulley room where her victory speech from yesterday was playing on the monitor. She watched it while waiting for the pulley to arrive, impressed at the high quality. There was barely any static and only the occasional blemish.

After another bumpy pulley journey, finally back in her office she kicked off her shoes and lay down on the sofa. No sooner had she done so than Gerda buzzed through. "Prime Minister, the former Queen and her husband have arrived."

Chapter 6

Lucia sat up with a jerk. Oh yes, that was today too. She squeezed her shoes back on, then stood up and checked herself quickly, adjusting her bodice and skirts, wishing she had a mirror on hand. Suddenly the outfit she'd thought so Prime Ministerial this morning seemed dreadfully inadequate, but there was nothing for it now. She walked over to the intercom and pressed the buzzer. "Please have them escorted into the conch visitor parlour, Gerda."

A few hallways and pulleys later, she was standing outside the visitor's parlour with her hand on the doorknob. She took a deep breath, pulled her shoulders back, and entered the room.

They stood in the centre by the sofas, the former King turning in a slow circle as he took in the paintings on the walls, the former Queen turning towards Lucia as she walked in. She wore a long, elegant blue gown that shimmered as she moved, still looking as composed and dignified as ever. Still as ethereal as ever. A radiant smile broke over her face at the sight of Lucia.

"Good evening Prime Minister," the Queen greeted her, her voice warm and welcoming.

"Ms Battenbox," replied Lucia. The Queen's expression betrayed nothing, she was used to being addressed like that now. Her dazzling smile did not waver and she simply extended a gloveless hand in response. Lucia looked down at it.

Physical contact with the Queen will get you beheaded.

She took it and their hands met in a firm shake.

"It's marvellous to see you again."

"Yes," said Lucia, "it's been quite some time."

She turned to the former King, and likewise shook his hand. "And to you Sir. Welcome to the Shell."

"It's a fascinating building," he yelled, and Lucia had to take half a step back. "Looks like a spinning top."

"Um, yes," Lucia agreed. "Please," she said, indicating the sofa, "take a seat."

They sat, first the former Queen, carefully arranging her dress, then the former King next to her, then Lucia took her place on the sofa opposite, a small coffee table between them.

"I see the sitting order hasn't changed," the former King yelled again, pulling the lapels of his suit across his broad chest as he plopped down. It was a sort of cheery kind of yell, as though everything he said delighted him.

"Darling, it's because we're the guests. It's politeness, not hierarchy," said the Queen.

Lucia smiled. "There is no custom as to when the Prime Minister should sit."

"There are no customs about Prime Ministers at all," said the Queen, a twinkle in her eye as she spoke. She opened her clutch and pulled out a small object. "I have bought you a gift." She handed Lucia a small round object encased in a delicate paper wrapping. "It is a camembert made by Anton Tessian himself, with only the finest ingredients from Mt. Viviana."

Lucia graciously took the cheese and turned it over in her hands. "It looks exquisite." She paused. "Is it poisoned?"

The Queen threw back her head and laughed. "Ah, my dear, if I had a dastardly plan to take you down, it would be far more sophisticated than that."

They were interrupted by a young staffer entering with a tray of tea and biscuits, the tray shaking slightly in her hands as she made her way over to them. She set it down and then took a step back, turned to the Queen, and curtseyed. Immediately her face paled and she turned to Lucia in alarm. "I'm sorry Prime Minister, I didn't me−"

"It's quite alright," Lucia assured her. The young woman's face relaxed for a second before twisting back into apprehension. She turned back to the Queen. "I'm so sorry your Majesty, of course I me−"

The Queen laughed. "Please, my dear, do stop apologising. I take no offence if you don't curtsey and I'm sure the Prime Minister takes no offence if you do."

"Chocolate puffs!" the King gleefully exclaimed, taking a biscuit from the tray. "My favourite."

"I'm so sorry," said the girl again before high-tailing it out of the room like a frightened rabbit.

The Queen crossed her legs and leant back, putting her elbow on the arm of the sofa and resting her chin on her fist. She eyed Lucia with intrigue. "You are not worried about employing monarchists, are you? You never know who might be trying to infiltrate you."

"She's not a monarchist. She's just adjusting. And besides, you hired interns who were abolitionists."

The Queen raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. "Excellent point. I've always wondered when exactly it was you became a revolutionary. Was it before or after you worked for me?"

Lucia looked down at her lap and shifted uncomfortably. "Ma'am, please, I was very young when I was your intern, only just out of university. My only ambition at the time was to build a career in politics, to work for you. I certainly had no thoughts of revolution at the time. I wanted to learn from you."

"I am only teasing you, my dear. Truly I find this whole turn of events rather fascinating."

Lucia grasped around her mind for the correct response. "It was not to be, of course," she eventually continued. "You decided not to keep me on after the internship was complete."

"Yes. I can see now I was mistaken. I let a good politician go."

"And kept Kailani on."

The Queen laughed. "Indeed. I rather did muck that one up, didn't I?"

"63% of Zatorians certainly think so."

"I hear it's technically 74% now." She leant forward and began pouring herself a cup of tea. "You're gradually approaching absolute power there."

"All Kailani's doing."

"Ah, I remember that young lass Kailani," said the King. He turned to his wife. "Queenie, didn't you always used to say she was full of potential? Smart as a whippet. A bright future ahead of her."

The Queen kept her eyes on Lucia as she slowly stirred her tea. "Clearly I was mistaken. But enough about her. Tell me, how are you getting on running this country of ours?"

"It's still early days. Time will tell." Lucia swallowed. Her throat was a little dry. She felt like a little girl in dress-up clothes putting on a show for an amused spectator. "And how... how are you getting on..."

"Being citizens?"

"Yes."

The King looked up from his chocolate puff. "You know, they made our home into a museum."

"So they did," replied Lucia.

"I'm fine with it of course. Of course of course of course, just absolutely fine with it. But I WILL say you're not supposed to touch anything in a museum, and yet, they're letting people sit in our thrones."

"Oh no," said Lucia flatly, "not sitting in your thrones."

The Queen hid a smile from behind her teacup.

"Oh yes," he nodded gravely. "Charging them 5 crowns a go to sit in the throne room with our sceptres and crowns and everything. Anyone can do it." He shook his head and looked at Lucia with a beseeching expression. "Sitting in a throne is definitely touching it, is it not?"

"Yes," she agreed, "I'd say it is."

He turned to his wife again. "Is it not, Queenie?"

"Yes darling, sitting in a throne is touching it."

"But I'm fine with it, of course of course of course." He took another bite of chocolate. "I WILL say it is quite fascinating living in a commoner's home."

Lucia raised an eyebrow. "Of course, your... commoner's house in Hokirua Hills with 22 rooms and dozens of servants."

The King nodded. "Exactly. I have become – if you may allow me to boast for a moment – quite the expert at tying my own tie, as these commoner servants do not do it for me, haven't I Queenie?"

"Yes my dear." She gave his leg a pat. "One day you won't even need to watch a 'how to tie a tie' instructional KI while doing so."

"Indeed, indeed." There was a long pause. "I think I shall take a turn about this room," said the King. "The artwork fascinates me. There are no portraits, only scenes of nature."

He began to circle the room, arms clasped behind him, studiously taking in each picture. The Queen and Lucia looked at each other for moment, then the Queen leant forward and said in a low whisper "one time, I was using his stationary, and I saw one of his recent search terms was 'what is a king consort.'"

Lucia giggled in spite of herself, then quickly cleared her throat. "And how are the children?" she offered politely.

The Queen sat back. "I will be honest with you, it has been difficult for them. Especially for Amari. Having to tell her she was no longer a princess, no longer first in line, no longer the heir to the throne. Her whole life she had been trained to be the future Queen, and suddenly it was all ripped away."

"Ah, she'll always be a princess in my heart," called out the King from across the room.

"She's only eleven," continued the Queen. "She doesn't understand why she had been preparing her whole life for the crown, the great responsibilities and duties of the monarch, only for it all to end. It's been a big adjustment."

"She shall have all the pretty dresses and tiaras and anything she desires," yelled the King.

"She still wants to study political science when she's older," said the Queen. "Though I dare say she's already learnt everything a university degree will teach."

Lucia nodded, surprised at how candidly she spoke. "She could still be Prime Minister one day."

"Caleb took it a little better," the Queen continued. "His primary concern was that not being a prince would hurt his chances with girls, but that's teenagers for you."

Lucia laughed. "Yes, I remember that age well," she said, sipping her tea. "I suppose we should get down to business. You know why I invited you here today. You are the most experienced of us all in politics. You have more political experience than I, I make no delusions about that. And I feel it is important that we have a cordial relationship. You are still quite beloved as symbolic figures in the hearts of Zatorians, after all."

"Ah, yes," said the Queen. "Such love!" She put her hand to her heart and sighed as though she were recalling something blissful. "I can't tell you how much we truly felt that love when the Palace was stormed."

Lucia looked down. She was not used to finding herself at a loss for what to say. Only the Queen, it seemed, could leave her speechless. "It had to be done," she finally managed.

"You know the way the media reported that was quite erroneous," said the King, hurrying over and leaning his hand on the back of the sofa. "I was not hiding under the bed when the revolutionaries broke into my chambers. I simply happened to be looking for a caramel that had rolled under my bed at that particular time."

Lucia stared at him for a moment then turned back to the Queen. "Our differences aside, we both only want the best for Zatoria. I would like to take you on in an advisory role, if you were willing."

"Well well," replied the Queen. She leant back and considered the proposition for several moments, hands clasped in front of her, the twinkle in her eye having quickly returned. "I suppose I do have some time on my hands, as I currently find myself between Queenships."

Lucia had to bite the inside of her cheek to suppress a laugh.

After concluding the meeting with the former Queen, Lucia made her way back to the office, fairly certain she was going the right way, but after the pulley doors opened revealing Patrik's secretary instead of Gerda, quickly determined that in fact, she was not. She cursed herself for not bringing her mini globe. The door to Patrik's office opened and he poked his head out. "Prime Minister! I was not expecting you. Do come in."

"I wasn't expecting me either," said Lucia, walking in. "But now that I'm here let's have a chat." She looked around his office. "Goodness," she said, picking up a model mechanical horse from one of the cabinets. "A mini horse! It's very detailed."

A look of alarm crossed his face. "That's a B-2000 Friesian. Limited edition. It's−" his voice squeaked – "it's not really meant to be handled."

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said, putting it back when she noted his agitation. He straightened his bowtie in relief. "You have several," she said, looking around the shelves.

"I collect them," he said. He hurried over to the cabinet where she had put back the horse and readjusted it. "I have one of every make," he said, unable to hide the pride in his voice.

She took a seat and smiled at him. "That's wonderful."

He sat behind his desk and pulled his chair in. "Prime Minister," Patrik began a moment later, rather reluctantly. "I hear you have just been meeting with the former Queen."

Lucia nodded. "I invited her here. I have asked her to take on an advisory role as needed."

He raised an eyebrow and coughed, then began shuffling papers around his desk in a somewhat aggressive manner. He opened his mouth and seemed as though he were about to speak, then closed it again.

Lucia smiled and waited. When a few more moments passed and he still hadn't said anything, she spoke. "Patrik, is there something you would like to say about that?"

"Well," he said. "It's just, it seems to me, I just..." He halted to another stop. "I would perhaps question the logic of giving our enemy a role in the Shell in any capacity."

"I understand your concern. But she has the most political experience of all of us combined. If there's one thing she knows, it's how to run Zatoria."

He shuffled his papers more aggressively.

"Patrik," said Lucia. "Please, speak plainly. Whatever you have to say, you can say it. This isn't an absolute monarchy anymore. You know when the Queen was in power everyone around her only ever said yes to her. Her word was law. That's exactly what we don't want here at the Shell. You should critique me if you disagree."

He nodded. "I know. I shall have to get used to it."

"You are the Deputy Prime Minister. The second most powerful person in Zatoria," said Lucia. "You have to step up and be a strong leader."

Patrik regarded her for a moment. "Alright. We stormed the Palace. Her home. Marched her and her family – her children – out of there like they were criminals. Took away all her power. Took down an institution built over centuries by her ancestors. Think how much she must utterly despise us. How can it be a good idea to work with her?"

"I know," said Lucia. "I do believe we could all benefit greatly from her political experience. But that's not really why I asked her." She absentmindedly picked up the horse on his desk. Patrik's eyebrows shot up in distress and she quickly put it back. "I received an anonymous telegram on the night of the election."

"What did it say?"

"That's confidential. But when Kailani called accusing me of rigging the election, I immediately realised I had been set up and I'm sure the Queen is behind it. Who else could it be? I knew Kailani a long time ago. She was a quiet, sweet girl. She wouldn't do something like this of her own accord. I've no doubt the Queen somehow got her hooks into her when she worked at the Palace. The Queen is using her to bring me down, I'm sure of it. So, for now, I want her around to keep an eye on her."

Patrik sat back and drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair. "You think they are trying to discredit you by making up a story about election rigging?"

"I don't know what they're planning. But I do know, despite how she acts, the Queen would do anything to get her throne back."

"Former Queen."

"Yes, what about her?"

"No, I mean, you keep calling her the Queen."

Lucia returned to her office and sat at her desk deep in thought for several moments before pressing the intercom button. "Gerda, please send in Shoma when he has a moment."

"Of course, Ma'am."

When the Commander of the Guards entered a short while later, Lucia stood up with renewed purpose. "Shoma, do we have any information that substantiates the rumours about the location of the McCombian party?"

"We've had reports that several members were spotted by subj-, er, citizens in Lissdale, Ma'am. But nothing official."

"Who's the captain of the Lissdale regiment?

"That would be Captain Ziyad Ma'am."

Lucia paced back and forward behind her desk. She put a hand on the back of her chair and turned to him. "I'd like you to instruct him to have his regiment locate the party. They are not to make contact, understand, simply find them and observe their activities. Find out what they're up to."

"Of course Ma'am," he nodded. "I'll contact the captain right away. Will that be all?"

"Yes, thank you Shoma."

He took his leave and Lucia sat back down, swivelling around to look out across the city. Night had fallen and with it a blanket of fog that obscured the city lights below. It was a sea of darkness out there broken only by distant lights on the far side of Awatere, where the Palace turrets broke through the mist.

When Lucia returned to the residential quarters late that evening, she wasn't up for anything more than flopping on the floor. She opened the door to find Jevan with a hanger full of ball gowns in her living room.

"Oh no Jevan, what's all this. Not now, please." She flopped on the floor anyway and kicked off her shoes. Butterfloogles wandered over and nuzzled her.

"Lucia, the ball is this Saturday, it's very important you look fabulous."

"How did you even get in here?"

"I can charm my way in anywhere." He held up a glittery purple number. "This would look fantastic on you."

"The ball is the last thing on my mind right now."

"But it's very important. A celebration of the official beginning of democracy. A historic moment in this turbulent time!"

"If I hear that one more time."

"You're the one who says it all the time." He threw the gown on the sofa and sat down beside her. "But you're right, there is a far more pressing issue you must tell me about first." He pulled Butterfloogles onto his lap. "Tell me all about your meeting with our glorious ruined Queen. Was she desolate? Despairing? Despondent? Did she wear a gown of tatters, dirty streaks running down her cheeks? Did she press her arm to her forehead and wail? Did she fall to her knees and beg you to restore her to glory?"

Lucia laughed. "I'm very sorry to disappoint you, but she was pretty much exactly the same as she always has been. That woman cannot be rattled."

Jevan frowned. "Impossible. She fell from such a great height. She has to live out the rest of her days a mere commoner. The balls she has now must be sad affairs full of the former aristocracy, all wailing about how they used to be lords and ladies and dukes and duchesses."

Lucia sat up and leant against the sofa. "I think she would die before ever dropping her public facade."

Jevan wallowed in disappointment for a moment, then snapped out of it. "Ah well. Back to our far superior ball then." He jumped up. "It's actually very important and as your assistant I demand you take it more seriously. Political leaders from all over the world will be in attendance and you must form alliances with them." He held up the purple gown again. "This one, definitely."

"No, that's ghastly," said Lucia clambering up. "I'll look through them myself."

He harrumphed and put it down. "Fine." She went over to the hanger and browsed through the dresses. They came in every colour, with many different styles and cuts. Long and short, diagonal cuts, flared, split legs, off the shoulders, halter-necks. Eventually she pulled out a green dress with a split leg and off the shoulder bodice.

Jevan looked at it in approval. "Perfect. Go try it on."

She dutifully made her way to the bedroom and donned the dress, noting that in her absence the bed had been made with crisp white sheets, a gorgeous new quilt, a throw rug at the end, and rather inexplicably, an entire mountain of cushions were piled at the head. She walked back out and showed Jevan. He put his hand to his heart and gaped, then lifted her hand up in his and spun her around. "Just stunning. You'll turn the heads of men and women alike."

The rest of the week passed in a blur of paperwork, policy drafting, running here and there around the Shell trying to get to meetings, speeches, sitting for her official Prime Ministerial portrait while dealing with the sudden influx of telegrams that were somehow all urgent and all required an immediate response. She always switched her goss off when she needed to focus, but sometimes, when she had a moment to breathe, she would switch it back on and then go on her stationary and browse through various gossamer forums checking for any whisper of a rumour about election rigging. There were none. Conspiracy theories abounded about the whereabouts of the McCombian party, but she was delighted to see that, on balance, Zatorians were talking about her in a most favourable light.
Chapter 7

On the evening of the ball, Lucia walked into the Shell's Grand Ballroom and stopped short at the sight before her. Jevan hurried up and grabbed her arm. "Thank the sword you're here Luci, you have to fix this."

"Oh no," she said. "How long have they been like this?"

"Since they arrived."

The guests had separated themselves into two main groups alongside the banquets of food that lined each side of the room. Lucia ran her eyes up each side and, based on a quick preliminary count, it seemed one side consisted of several Presidents and Prime Ministers with the odd smattering of Chancellors, while the other side of the room was occupied by Kings, Queens, Emperors, and supreme rulers of all sorts of dominances and realms.

The two groups eyed each other warily, their chilly glares cutting across the empty dance floor. "Bugger me," Lucia whispered. "It's either the beginning of a school dance or the beginning of a battle. Could go either way."

Jevan nodded at the band setting up on the stage. "Perhaps when they start playing people will loosen up."

Lucia looked behind her where Sheppardors were shifting uncomfortably, unsure what to do about the tense atmosphere, then back at the global leaders.

She signalled to one of the posted guards and he hurried up behind her. "Rok," she said, moving her lips as little as possible so as not to disrupt the bright smile on her face, "have our guests been frisked for weapons?"

"Yes Ma'am," he leant forward, whispering into her ear. "We've confiscated 44 swords, 65 daggers, three crossbows, two vials of poison, and one water pistol."

She nodded. "Alright. Good work. Please ensure the guards are extra attentive tonight."

"As always, Ma'am," he said with a small bow before returning to his position.

Two sole figures stood in the centre of the room under the chandelier, the only people who dared to break away from the sidelines. Lucia walked towards the King and Queen of Tangea, keeping an eye on the others as she did. "Your Majesties," she curtsied politely and they in turn offered their hands.

"Prime Minister." The King of Tangea looked equally anxious about the situation, his eyes darting about like a gazelle who sensed predators were in the vicinity. He bowed his head towards her and lowered his voice to a whisper. "It's democracy vs autocracy. This could get ugly."

"It won't," Lucia replied, hoping it was true. "We've got the situation under control." She paused. "Why are you two in the centre?"

"I'm a peace-maker. Trying to lead by example. We thought if we began dancing others would follow."

Lucia raised an eyebrow. "You, a peace-maker? Your country has waged 63 wars."

"Yes, but always with the goal of creating peace." He looked over at the right side and moved his body awkwardly in a sort of half wave half come here motion at the Great Glorious Leader of the Firenziatic Realm, Protector of the 13 Greenstone Kingdoms, Spirit of a God-Emperor.

"What was that?" whispered Lucia.

"I'm encouraging him to dance," he replied. Lucia looked over at the Glorious Leader. He was eating a spinach-stuffed mushroom while glowering at the President of Rhydianland.

At this point the Queen of Tangea leant forward into their little huddle and likewise whispered "you two look awfully conspiratorial standing in the centre whispering to each other. People could get the idea you're plotting something."

The King took a step back and laughed loudly. "And THAT is why a constitutional monarchy is the way to go," he yelled.

Lucia's eyebrows shot up in alarm. The Tangean Queen grimaced and shushed him. "Darling," she said, rubbing her temples, "now you've highly distressed both sides."

Lucia looked up and down the guests again as a rising commotion rippled through them. "I'll take care of it," she said, and walked briskly to the front of the room. Huddles of two to three people had begun to form as the world leaders all began their own conspiratorial whispering. She quickly signalled to the band behind her and the trumpet player, understanding her meaning, raised his instrument to his lips and sounded out a loud note. The guests immediately quietened and dozens of heads swivelled towards the front of the room.

"Esteemed guests," Lucia began, her voice resonating throughout the ballroom. "Thank you all for coming. It is an honour to see you all here tonight. This is truly a historic moment in the most turbulent time my country has gone through. Tonight is a celebration of a new beginning for Zatoria, and a beginning of new alliances. Let us set our differences aside and celebrate what unifies us as leaders committed to prospering each of our countries, dominances, and realms through mutually beneficial international relations." She looked around at the crowd and gave them her most welcoming smile. "Or at the very least, let us unify in our common disdain for pundits."

There was some reluctant laughter.

"Whatever quarrels you have with one another, they can wait until a more appropriate time to be settled, such as in a meeting room, on a battlefield, or perhaps" – she glanced at both groups and made a theatrical show of thoughtfully tapping her chin – "if I'm guessing the correct nature of this particular type of tension, in your bedchambers."

Raucous laughter now and some cries of "absolutely not."

"But for now," she continued, "it is time to celebrate, and what better way to begin the celebrations than with dance." She turned to the band. "Musicians, can we have a waltz?" The band members took up their instruments and the music began. Lucia looked up and down the lines to see the guests looking a tad more relaxed, but still somewhat on edge. She began walking down the right-hand side politely greeting everyone until she came to the Great Glorious Leader of the Firenziatic Realm, Protector of the 13 Greenstone Kingdoms, Spirit of a God-Emperor. "Oh Great Glorious Leader," she said, with a low curtsey, "may I have this dance?" He looked at his mini crab cake and frowned. "They'll still be there when you get back," she assured him.

"Hah!" he replied, "assuming you haven't decided they belong to the state by then."

Lucia put on her sweetest smile. "Technically they already do, but you're still allowed to eat them, I give you my word." The frown remained on his face. "If we are the first couple to dance," she said, leaning in a little, "all the attention will be on us."

"That's true," he said, perking up. "I suppose I could suffer through one dance." He finished the last bite of his crab cake, took her hand, and together they stepped out onto the dance floor.

In the meantime, the King and Queen of Tangea had been making their own overtures on the other side, the King asking the President of Kakarai to dance and the Queen the Prime Minister of Ishonia. The three couples began waltzing their way around the huge ballroom floor.

"Oh Great Glorious Leader," Lucia said as they covered whole lengths of the space, her gown and his cape flaring out as they spun. "Is there perhaps a shorter name I could call you by?"

"No," he replied.

She exhaled slowly. "Alright then. You dance very well, Oh Great Glorious Leader."

"You do not," he said. "Certainly not as well as your Queen."

"Indeed not, she's had far more practice than I," said Lucia with a laugh.

He looked at her with a scowl. "I adored her."

"Many of us do too. Our Revolution was not anything against her personal character."

"Yes, it's quite strange to me," he said, turning his head to glower at the President of Rhydianland as they whizzed past her. "Your country seems to be fond of her as a person yet you will not have her as your Queen."

"Likeability does not qualify someone to be leader." Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jevan trying to charm the Empress of Aotere onto the dance floor. She turned back to the Glorious Leader. "I do hope," she said, trying to choose her words carefully, "that in spite of your fondness for our former leader we shall be able to work together for the benefit of both our lands." They whirled past the President of Rhydianland a second time and again the Glorious Leader glowered from beneath dark eyebrows. Lucia could feel the muscles in his arm tense under the fabric of his sleeve as they passed.

"May I ask what your conflict is with the President?" she said. "Perhaps I can mediate if there is a matter to be resolved."

He ignored her for 14 bars, then abruptly said "you can swordfight, can you not?"

"Of course. I'm a Zatorian."

He looked at her doubtfully. "But not as well as your Queen, I'm sure."

She bowed her head in deference. "I'm sure not."

He thought for a moment. "Challenge her to a duel."

"Oh no, Oh Great Glorious Leader, this is supposed to be a peaceful event."

"Challenge her! If you win you shall have my support."

"I'm sure it has not escaped your notice that tensions are rather high in this ballroom. We are attempting to deescalate the situation, not escalate it."

He looked at her in disgust. "And you call yourself the leader of a sword fighting nation." He eyed her thoughtfully. "Your Queen would have fought her."

She laughed. "You cannot goad me, Sir. I will not do something just because the previous leader did it."

They waltzed for several more bars until an interruption from the Empress of the Evangialand Empire brought welcome relief. "May I cut in?" she said to the Glorious Leader. Lucia looked around to see the dance floor had filled up quite nicely while they had been talking. There was much talking and laughing and dancing, and barely any fighting at all.

"Please do," said the Glorious Leader. "It is time for me to return to the food." He turned on his heel and with a sweep of his cape left Lucia and the Evangalian Empress to dance together.

"You dance very well," she said to the Empress.

"You do not," the Empress replied. "I miss your Queen."

"Then why did you want to dance with me?"

"Because I have a proposition for you." She leant in close. "Do you see the Chancellor of Qurenialand over there? I should like you to challenge him to a duel."

Lucia sighed. This was going to be a long night. She danced with several more world leaders, all of whom had many great things to say about the Queen, then, once she was sure the dance floor was full and lively, excused herself for some refreshment. A waiter magically appeared with a tray of wine glasses, for which she was very grateful. She leant back against a table edge and looked around. The band was playing a lively jig, the dance floor was full of life, and most weapons that had been snuck past the guards remained sheathed.

She took a sip of wine and allowed herself to relax, regarding all the various couplings with interest. The King of Tangea appeared to be teaching the Prime Minister of Ishonia a traditional Tangean folk dance that seemed reminiscent of a chicken flapping its wings, the Great Glorious Leader was talking animatedly with the Emperor of the Beffland Empire while wildly waving around a drumstick, Patrik was in the midst of a passionate tango with the President of Celente, which was particularly impressive because they were managing to keep time to a jig, and Jevan was trying his luck with the Empress of Ystopia. Lucia winced at his flirtation attempts and crossed her fingers it wouldn't start an international incident.

Suddenly Giles appeared before her with a beaming smile. "Good evening, Prime Minister!" He took his bowler hat off with a flourish and placed it across his chest.

"Giles!" She looked him up and down. "My, don't you look dapper. A purple tuxedo. What an interesting choice."

"The shopkeeper assured me it was just the thing." He looked around. "What a fabulous evening. Might I say you are quite skilled in the art of deescalating a situation."

"I thought a bloody battle between global leaders in my first week likely wouldn't be a good look," she said, taking another sip. "And we may not be out of the woods battle-wise yet."

He waved his other arm around excitedly. "Everyone is getting delightfully tipsy now. I have a feeling by the end of this evening we shall all be the very best of friends."

Lucia smiled. "Your optimism is a breath of fresh air."

"Exactly as air should be," he said with a grin, waving Jevan over as he stumbled towards them with a defeated look on his face. Joining their little group, he grabbed a glass and surveyed the dance floor. "Lucia, I think we can declare this evening a success, all thanks to you."

She looked doubtful. "I don't know, Jevan. I don't think any of them really respect me as leader."

Giles and Jevan shook their heads and made the appropriate nonsense-ing sounds.

"It's true," she continued. "They all prefer the Queen." She eyed the Great Glorious Leader across the room. "You know, I just thi−"

Jevan pulled himself up suddenly. He smoothed down his tuxedo and ran a hand through his hair. "Sorry Luci, I must depart, I see a lady in distress."

"Wha−", she began, but he had already raced off to comfort the Empress of Rhiasety, who had had her toes trodden on by a clumsy Sheppardor. Lucia and Giles watched in fascination as he tended to her feet, which apparently required a lot of leaning in very close just above her chest area.

"It is quite remarkable that he has never gotten himself beheaded," murmured Giles.

"Inexplicable really," agreed Lucia. "Oh well, at least I still have you, Giles."

"Oh!" he exclaimed. "Prime Minister I must go, I have spotted a vision."

And he too was gone, in the direction of some sort of pink meringue. She stared after him in consternation. Jane Teth had arrived wearing vast amounts of tulle adorned with pom poms that bounced around as she moved.

Lucia sighed and sat back again. She idly watched Jevan try to entice the Empress with a cheese platter and took a few steps closer to listen in on the conversation. "Legend has it," Jevan was saying, waving a piece of gouda in front of her face and doing his best to seem mysterious, "that magic existed once upon a time, long, long ago. Witches and wizards roamed the world, but the introduction of technology rendered their powers obsolete. The more technology progressed, the weaker their powers became, each generation a little less magical, and eventually they abandoned the magical arts altogether, turning instead to the art of cheese-making. Today's cheesemakers are the descendants of these witches and wizards, and that's why there is something just a little magical about cheese."

The Empress blinked at him in disbelief. "That's not a legend, boy, it's in the history books. My Great Great Aunt Georgina fought in the Battle of the Witches vs the Technologists."

Lucia turned away from the Empress' exasperated face and looked again at the Great Glorious Leader on the far side of the ballroom. She sipped her wine thoughtfully. He caught her eye and raised a bushy eyebrow. She didn't look away, and they stared at each other for several moments as couples flit past in the expanse between them.

Not taking her eyes off him, she set her glass down and stood up. He watched with interest, then put down his crème fraiche tartlet and likewise stood. She took a step towards him and he did the same. They began walking towards each other until they stood about ten feet apart. The couples dancing noticed the tension rising and moved out of the way.

"Prime Minister," his voice boomed out. "Have you thought any more about my challenge?"

"I have. And I will not duel with the President of Rhydianland."

He scowled.

"Instead I make you a different proposition."

A crowd had begun to form around them, people whispering in excitement.

"Oh yes?"

"I challenge you Sir to a duel."

A gasp rippled around the attendees.

"Hah!" he scoffed. "As if you would stand a chance against me. I would obliterate you in seconds."

"That's big talk. Can you back it up?"

His eyes narrowed. The crowd stared at them in eager anticipation and the band stopped playing, an energised silence falling over the ballroom.

"And I suppose if you win, you want me to uphold the trade deals I had with your Queen?"

"No," she replied. "When I win, I simply want you to work with me the same way as you always did with the former Queen. As your equal."

"You're bold, I'll give you that." He looked her up and down. "I'll need my sword back."

"Of course."

"Guard!" she called out. "Fetch the Oh Great Glorious Leader's sword."

She motioned to Jevan to come over. "Are you sure you know what you're doing, Luci?" he asked.

"Just go to my residence and get one of my swords." She thought for a moment. "The fourth one from the left with sapphire gemstones."

They continued to hold each other's gaze as they waited for their weapons to arrive. He was much bigger than her, tall and muscular, and Lucia had to admit it was giving her pause, but she pushed it from her mind. Jane Teth pushed her way to the front of the crowd and looked at them in fascination. Her head turned from one to the other like she was watching a tennis match, first taking in the Great Glorious Leader's hard unmoving expression staring down Lucia, then Lucia's rigid face steadfastly holding her own.

"Ooooh!" she suddenly shrieked and pointed her finger at the Great Glorious Leader. "You blinked, you lose!"

The Great Glorious Leader turned to her in surprise. "Excuse me?" He looked her up and down, then looked back at Lucia. "Why is there a cake in human form here?"

"Never mind her." Lucia kept her gaze steadfast as Rok walked over and handed them their swords. They both automatically assumed their starting duel stance, swords raised ready to strike.

"You don't stand a chance," said the Great Glorious Leader. "I'm bigger than you, stronger than you, better than you in every way."

"So far you've been nothing but talk," replied Lucia, gripping the hilt tightly. "Take me down if you're so sure you can do it."

He lunged towards her and his blade flashed in her face. She blocked with her own blade, and the battle began in earnest. She was good, but it was true, he was better. She pushed the thought from her mind and allowed sheer determination to take over.

"You're well-trained, I'll give you that," he said as his forward assault threatened imminent doom. His blade swung fast but she blocked each strike as they circled around, him advancing, her retreating, the clanging of metal ringing out into the ballroom.

The crowd gasped and clapped intermittently as his cape billowed out, his blade flashed, the flicks of his wrists blindingly fast. Lucia held her own, her own blade whipping back and forth blocking his assault. But she was only just keeping up. She knew she was a split second away from falling behind, she could feel it in the rhythm of the sword swings. She gritted her teeth, ignored her aching wrist, and kept on.

"Getting tired," he said with a smirk.

"You haven't even begun to tire me," she replied.

She heard a loud tearing sound and felt her gown rip. The crowd gasped. She ignored that too and continued.

The Glorious Leader swung his sword in fast arcs coming towards her. She ignored the pain in her wrist. His blade came so close she felt the air constantly whipping around her. A half stumble to the ground and it was almost over, but she was up again, her hand firmly gripping the hilt of her sword, waiting for her own opportunity to strike. With a particularly forceful blow she fell back into the Chancellor of Rerth and the crowd oohed. He righted her and she immediately lunged forward. The Great Glorious Leader blocked it easily and right away she found herself on the defence again.

"You are nearly finished, I can see it," he said.

She shook her head. That was the thing with these smug bastards, they always underestimated her. She knew if she could just hold on, he would tire eventually, and she would have her chance. One fast, precise strike was all it took.

"Haven't you learnt never to underestimate your enemy," she replied.

He just laughed. "I think you overestimate yourself," he said, his blade swinging past again. "You are bold but stupid."

The crowd watched in silence now, and Lucia could sense the tide turn in her direction, a quiet pulling for her to take the bastard down. Well, she would give it to them, she only had to keep going a little longer.

She stumbled again and he grinned. "You are a chicken nugget that thinks it's a honey-braised drumstick."

She gritted her teeth. One fast, precise strike, that was all.

"Don't hold back," she said. "I can take everything you can give."

"Hah," he replied. "No you can't," and with a final forceful blow that rang harshly in her ears, she felt her wrist twist in an unnatural way and her sword fell from her hand. She lunged for it and tripped, and in a second it was all over. He loomed over her, sword at her throat. "I win."
Chapter 8

Lucia felt the blade press against her skin. She glanced at the crowd and saw several people exchanging money. Jevan gave her a sympathetic shrug. She turned back to the Great Glorious Leader and put her hands up in surrender. "Well," she said, taking a moment to reorient herself, "bugger me. Fair play to you."

He grinned and stepped back, sheathed his sword, then took a sauntering victory lap around the small circle with his hands in the air.

"Congratulations to those of you who bet correctly and just won a lot of money," he roared at the spectators.

Lucia sat up and pressed her hand to her neck. He turned and offered his hand to help her up. She took it graciously and stood, adjusting her askew gown and checking the damage. The tear in the skirt was not so bad and could be easily mended.

He regarded her with curiosity. "You challenged someone far superior to yourself in every conceivable way."

She stood there as he walked around her slowly. "Losing was inevitable. A certainty. A foregone conclusion. And yet, you didn't let that stop you." He thought for a moment. "I respect that."

"Thank you, Oh Great Glorious Leader."

"Please," he said, with a dismissive wave. "Call me Glorious Leader." And with a whirl of his heel, he was striding back towards the food, cape billowing behind him.

Several people rushed over to Lucia full of concern. "I'm fine, I'm fine," she said, waving them away. "Stop fussing. I've lost duels before, I know how to handle it."

The crowd was dispersing now that the excitement was over, and Lucia was mostly concerned with where they stood on the tension front. "How are they doing?" she whispered to Jevan.

"Everyone's fine, the mood is amiable, don't worry."

She nodded. "Good. Go to the band, get them playing again. Something lively."

She sat back down in the seating area and collected herself. The dance floor was fast filling up again with couples and the evening continued as though nothing had happened. She watched Patrik bid adieu to the President of Celente after another tango and make his way over to her.

"Now Patrik, don't be all disapproving."

"I wasn't going to be," he said, taking the rose from his mouth and wiping his brow. "Too busy keeping up with the Celentian President, his tango skills truly put me to shame." He took a drink for himself and sat beside her. "There is no need to worry, Prime Minister, I believe the Glorious Leader will now negotiate with you as an equal. You would have earned his respect whether you won or lost. It was a good strategy." He smiled at her. "Well done."

She gave him a grateful look and they clinked glasses. "I like this more carefree, folderless Patrik."

"I wouldn't bring my folders to a party," he said with a frown.

She laughed, then looked up to see Ada coming over in a breath-taking wine-coloured gown with a matching strip of hair that fell in a soft wave down her cheek. "Ada, you're here! You look gorgeous."

"Thank you, Prime Minister. I arrived in time to see the duel and thought I would come to see how you were doing."

"That's so thoughtful. But really, I'm fine. I can take losing a duel. Please join us," she said, pulling out a chair for her. "Patrik, this is my technologist. She's incredibly smart with all the whippets and snippets and shields and things I don't understand."

Ada looked down and blushed. "Really, you have to stop talking about me like that."

"But it's true."

Serai was hurrying over now with a worried expression. "Your dress is ripped, let me fix it." Lucia looked down at the tear. "No, you know, I think I like it. I shall keep it as a battle scar."

"It was an excellent effort, Prime Minister," Varielle said, as she too joined the small party. "Even though you lost, I think it will still be good for your approval ratings. Zatorians expect a leader who will fight, no matter the odds."

"And it really was very brave," said Serai, "knowing you were bound to lose."

"But I didn't know that," said Lucia, looking surprised. "I went into it believing I would win, I always do. You have to believe you will win, no matter the odds."

"Absolutely. Optimism in the face of inevitable failure is crucial." Jevan had arrived, finally tired of the dance floor.

Varielle gave him a surly look. "And you would know that better than anyone Jevan. How many Empresses have you struck out with tonight?"

"It is far from the end of the night yet," he replied. "I have faith I will end up in one of their bedchambers before the evening is over." He sat down cheerily and waved a waiter over for more wine.

The group sat together for a moment thinking. "I think we're doing an alright job running this country," Serai ventured.

"Definitely not bad for a first week," Varielle agreed.

Serai sat up suddenly. "On guard! They're coming over." They all turned to see the Empress of the Evangialand Empire, the Queen of Damway, and the Queen of Tangea walking towards them. Jevan immediately sat up straight and pulled at his lapels.

"Might we join you?" asked the Empress.

"Please do," said Lucia, as Jevan hurriedly got up to bring three more chairs into the circle. "We are delighted to have your company."

"The Glorious Leader is currently regaling everyone with a tale about a duel he had with your Queen," said the Empress.

"He tells it at every single one of these types of functions," said the Queen of Damway. "We have heard it a million times."

"'And then she darted to the left, and then to the right, faster than a falcon, and then she did the most graceful barrel roll you ever did see,'" they all chanted in unison before collapsing in laughter.

Lucia and her party exchanged amused glances as the three clinked glasses and drank their wine.

"I'm not one to brag," said Jevan, putting an arm over the back of his chair and turning to the Empress as nonchalantly as he could, "but I have been told my own skills with a sword are rather impressive. It's all about how you use it. I'm sure you know what I mean, your Imperial Majesty."

Lucia groaned, and Varielle gave him an eyeroll of disgust.

The Empress turned and looked him up and down for a moment. "No," she said, before turning back.

He sank back into his chair as Patrik gave him a supportive shoulder pat. "No matter," Jevan said with a shrug, still as cheery as ever. "Plenty more Empresses in the sea."

"Ah, I do miss your Queen's balls though," said the Queen of Damway. "They were always full of excitement." She eyed Jevan. "And men who knew how to be subtle."

"Well, we are very glad to have you here," Lucia said. "I do hope we can likewise come to enjoy a mutually beneficial cooperation."

"My dear girl," said the Empress, an exasperated look crossing her face. "This is a party, stop politicking us. "Relax, drink, drink some more, and by the end of the evening we shall either be the best of friends or enemies forevermore."

"Oh don't scare her Evangeline," said the Queen of Tangea. "You would never make an enemy of the leader of Zatoria, they control the cheese trade."

"And what would you know," said the Queen of Damway. "You're only a queen consort."

The Queen of Tangea sighed. "I do miss your old King. He was stupid but fun. He and I were comrades at these sorts of things. We ate cream cakes together and commiserated over being king and queen consorts against all you horrible regnants." She shook her head. "Now, obviously, the divide has changed."

The Empress took a sip of her wine. "I see no reason for there to be such a divide. If only you lot were not so self-righteous."

"Oh, we're not," said Lucia.

"Ah, but you are. You think you're better than us just because of your fancy schmancy voting booths."

"We all have different ways of governing," said Lucia, "and I think we can all respect each others' differences."

"Giving the power to the people?" She was beginning to wave her glass around now so that wine spilled out the sides. "Hah! What do people know?"

Lucia exchanged a concerned look with the group. The two Queens shifted uncomfortably.

"I'll have you know my people adore me," she said, the volume of her voice increasing, "you can ask them yourselves."

"But what do they know?" said the Queen of Tangea, low enough for the Empress not to hear.

She downed her glass and called out for a waiter. "We're not all bad, you know," she said, her words beginning to slur now.

There was a round of assurances that no-one thought she was bad as a waiter offered her more wine.

"Your Imperial Majesty, might I suggest a cup of coffee?" said Patrik. She waved her hand at him and slumped back in her chair. "It's not like you lot are saints."

"We don't think we're saints, not at all," said Lucia, "we all have flaws."

"I have a terrible nail-biting habit," said Serai, nodding in agreement.

"I once greased my T-3489 Clydesdale with lubrian oil," said Patrik.

"I was involved in illegal and treasonous operations against the state for over a decade," said Ada.

"But you're all just as power hungry as any of us!" the Empress continued, not listening. "You do terrible things for power, I know it." She waved her hands around, spilling wine everywhere, before suddenly pointing an accusing finger at Lucia. "You. What's the worst thing you've ever done?"

Lucia's eyes flicked involuntarily to Jevan.

"Hey," said Jevan.

Patrik raised an eyebrow while Serai stifled giggles.

Lucia ignored them and turned to the Empress. "Your Imperial Majesty, I really do think coffee is a good idea."

"No, it's a nonsense idea." She turned back to the dance floor. "Isn't that violinist just dreamy? I think I shall dance for him," she said and suddenly ran off. The two Queens looked at each other in alarm before quickly racing off to take care of their friend.

"Wow," said Ada.

Patrik adjusted his bowtie. "She's certainly fun."

Jevan stood up. "I think I shall try my luck with the remaining Empresses," he said, and he too was gone.

Eventually the others rejoined the dancing, and only Lucia and Ada remained.

"Prime Minister, this has been an excellent ball," she said.

"Ada please, you really must call me Lucia."

"Lucia, then."

"How was your first week? Are you getting settled in okay?"

"Oh yes," replied Ada. "It really is such an honour to work here. And what an amazing building."

Lucia made a face. "It looks like a spinning top."

"Oh no, it's a beautiful seashell! I haven't seen much of it yet, of course. But I've heard it has all sorts of secret chambers and passageways."

Lucia sat up. "It does, actually. Have you seen the Great Chamber?"

Ada shook her head.

"Would you like to? You have to go through a secret tunnel to get there."

"Really?!"

"Well, no. It's not very secret. But it is underground.

"Aren't you supposed to stay at the ball?"

"It's expected of me, yes." She looked around. "But everyone seems sufficiently occupied at the moment and I would much rather pinch a flask of whiskey from the caterers and play hookey."

Ada grinned, and they put their heads together to come up with a strategical escape plan which, as it turned out, fooled no-one and was entirely unnecessary as no-one particularly cared.

Having made their way out, they leant against the outside doors of the ballroom and laughed. "At least it was much more fun this way," said Lucia, taking a sip from the flask, then handing it to Ada. She took her mini globe from her pocket. "I think," she said, waving her hand vaguely in front of her, "the pulley is in this general direction."

"You use your mini globe to get around the Shell?" said Ada with a laugh.

"I've found it saves a lot of time."

They raced along the winding hallways until they came to the central room, then journeyed down to the lowest floor.

Finally the pulley lurched to a stop and the doors opened. They took a moment to recover and stepped out.

"This is a hallway," said Ada, looking around.

"Yes, but it's underground," Lucia assured her. They began walking along it, exchanging sips of whiskey from the flask.

"I was very impressed by your sword fighting by the way," said Ada. "I wish I could do that."

"Surely you don't mean you can't swordfight?"

Ada shook her head.

"But you're a Zatorian. It's our national pastime."

"Back in school I was always trying to get out of duelling lessons."

"But why? That was my favourite class."

Ada shrugged. "I was terrible at it so I started coming up with excuses for the swordmaster to get out of class. Oh I'm not feeling well, I twisted my ankle, I have a headache, I'm on my period – yes for the second time this month – I forgot my sword, I accidentally slashed myself." She shook her head at herself. "Then I would sneak off to the stationary room and play a kinematic game in which my character was a swordfighter."

Lucia laughed and took another sip. "I had a crush on my swordmaster."

"Well, that was before the Six Months of Bliss," Ada continued. "Afterwards, when the Eleven Years of Despair began, I taught myself how to build gossamer globes and set up secret networks that couldn't be detected by the royal guard."

"Wow."

Ada stopped herself. "Gosh, I shouldn't be telling you this, it was very illegal at the time."

"No, it's fine," Lucia said. "We were all doing illegal things at the time to get the Bliss back." She paused. "Well, most people. I was mainly just trying to remember what I did before the Bliss."

She took another sip. "Did you manage to get it working back then? I mean did you actually have the Bliss, after the Bliss?"

"Sometimes. There was a network of technologists that set up an underground system – oh Iniko was one of them, he designed the voting system – we could communicate with each other through it, and with the outside world, but only for brief periods. The royal guard was always on our tail so we kept having to dismantle it and set up elsewhere."

"But they never actually caught you?"

"Not me. Others, they did."

They had arrived at the doors to the Great Chamber.

"So here it is," said Lucia. "This is where it all happens, parliament is run, laws are made, the very fate of the country is decided." She pulled open the huge oak doors and came to a halting stop, an exclamation of surprise catching in her throat.

Ada peeked over her shoulder into the chamber. "Oh, wow."

In the centre of the room, in the midst of a pile of vibrant pinks and purples, writhed two naked bodies, their limbs flung about every which way.

Lucia clapped her hand over her mouth. Giles' head popped up from amidst a mountain of tulle. He froze. A pompom slid off his head.

"Prime Minister," he said, his face a picture of terror. "We were just, um..." he looked around in a panic.

"Hello Prime Minister!" said Jane with a cheery wave.

Lucia collected herself. She nodded solemnly. "You were just doing some hand-to-hand combat training. Not a problem, it's very important to keep up your skills." She stepped back and pulled the doors closed. Lucia and Ada looked at each other in astonishment before collapsing into laughter. They leant against the wall and sank down to the floor.

"What a sight," said Lucia, tears of laughter running down her cheeks.

"So many pompoms," Ada wiped the tears away.

"Well," Lucia said, when she had regained her composure. "That was the Great Chamber."

Ada nodded. "From the brief glimpse I got of it," she choked back a laugh, "it was ginormous."

Lucia lost the little composure she had regained and clapped her hand over her mouth again. They sat a few moments longer, laughing and drinking, then Lucia turned to Ada and gently brushed the hair off her face. "Ada," she said, "would you like to come up to my residence? I'll show you my swords."

Chapter 9

Lucia leant back in her chair and sipped her coffee, making a mental note to let Gerda know how wonderful her coffee-making skills were. She felt refreshed and energised, ready to take on the world. It was the Monday morning after the ball and she thought that, in sum, her first foray into the land of forging international relations at least had not been a disaster. She pulled her chair closer to the desk and began browsing through the various forums on her stationary to see what people were saying. Her duel with the Glorious Leader was all over the news and the reception was overwhelmingly positive. She had worried that, what with losing the Prime Minister's duel and now this one too, Zatorians would see her as a leader who lost, but to her great relief, this was not the case. They saw her as a leader who tried no matter the odds and people were already rooting for her to win the rematch, which they demanded take place immediately. She was delighted to see comment after comment offering words of encouragement and helpful tips on how to best the Glorious Leader.

Her buzzer buzzed and she absent-mindedly pressed it while continuing to scroll.

"Prime Minister, I have the Commander of the Guards on the line."

"Oh yes, put him through." She turned her attention away from the goss. "Shoma, good morning."

There were some crackling sounds, then she heard him say "you asked me to keep tabs on the McCombian party, Ma'am."

Her good mood drained away a little. "What have you discovered?"

"The situation is perhaps worse than we thought," he crackled. "They have been gathering support in the north from both the regiments and the subj- er, citizens. Our scouts report talks of raising an army."

Lucia's grip tightened around her port. "But we still have the support of the northern regiments?"

"They have been cooperating with me," he said. "So far."

"I see." She thought for a moment. "I'll call a meeting right away."

She clicked off and clicked back on to Gerda. "Gerda, I want you to organise an immediate meeting with Shoma, Patrik, Jevan, Varielle, Serai, and..." she paused. "And the Queen."

"Do you mean the former Queen, Prime Minister?"

"Of course I me− what other Queen would I mean!"

"Well," said Gerda thoughtfully. "There are rather a lot of them. There's the Queen of Damway, the Queen of Ria, the Queen of Tangea – though she's only a Queen consort – the Queen of−"

"Gerda!"

"Yes Ma'am, right away."

Lucia clicked off and stood up. She paced up and down, trying to organise her thoughts. The distant turrets of the Palace caught her eye out the window and she stared at it for a moment chewing on her lip.

Just as she was about to ask Gerda what was keeping everyone, the door opened and Shoma walked in. He looked much calmer than she felt.

"What do you think they're planning?" she asked, before giving him a chance to say anything. "A coup? A rebellion? A war?"

He put his hands up to slow her. "There is no need to panic yet, Prime Minister. I have just been communicating with Captain Ziyad, head of the Lissdale regiment. He assures me you still have his full support."

She exhaled and forced herself to stand still. "Do we know the McCombian party's exact location?"

He nodded and picked up her mini globe, then enlarged the city of Lissdale to street level and tapped a point on it. "This is where Kailani has been living and running her operations," he said. "We have scouts in the area who have observed her coming and going. Other McCombian party members have all been seen in this neighbourhood."

The door opened again and Patrik and Jevan trudged in. "...so then I said to the Empress, it's how you use the sword that matters, and she looked quite intrigued."

"Not now, Jevan," said Lucia. She turned back to Shoma. "But the civilians. They are all trained in the art of combat."

"They would still stand no chance against our regiments."

Varielle and Serai arrived next. "So it's true?" Varielle asked. "They all really fled to Lissdale?"

"Why does everyone keep using that word," said Lucia. "Fled. What are they fleeing from?"

"It's more than that Varielle," said Shoma. "Our scouts up there report they have been gathering army recruits."

Lucia felt panicked again. "And we know she has a loyal supporter base there." She looked around at the small group. "Everybody take a seat please. Shoma, please update them on the situation while we wait for the Queen."

Jevan's eyes widened as they arranged themselves on the sofas while Lucia herself remained standing, unable to relax.

"The Queen's coming?" he said. "But why?"

Patrik, too, gave Lucia a stare. "Interesting decision."

"She has agreed to be something of a political advisor to me. And she knows Kailani better than any of us." She looked at Patrik and implored him to understand. "I want to find out what she knows."

"Why do you look so panicked Jevan," asked Serai.

"I've never met her before."

"You were fine amongst Empresses and Queens the other night."

"Yes, but she's the Queen."

"That is exactly what she isn't," said Lucia. She looked around carefully at their faces. "All of you must remember to address her as Ms Battenbox."

Patrik was still looking at her with disapproval. "You need reminding of that more than anyone, I think."

She ignored him. "And if I see even the hint of a bow or a curtsey..."

The door opened and their heads whipped towards it. The five people seated automatically rose as the former Queen stepped through the threshold and took a leisurely glance around the office of the Prime Minister before turning her attention to the Sheppardors. "So," she said, gifting them with another of her dazzling smiles, "this is what it is like to be summoned. How fascinating."

"Thank you for coming Ms Battenbox," said Lucia. "I hope we haven't inconvenienced you."

"You have. I was in the middle of discussing Anton's latest creation with him. I suppose you think Zatoria takes priority over cheese," she said, with a little wink at the five people gawping at her.

"Well, this won't take long," said Lucia. "Please take a seat." She smiled through gritted teeth at her staff. "All of you."

The Queen walked to the sofas with well-practiced elegance as Lucia motioned for them all to sit at once. Jevan's eyes widened when he saw she meant to take the spot besides him, and his clammy hands began grasping at the knot of his tie. She took her place and greeted him with grace, but he could only stare straight ahead in silence. "Oh no," she said, leaning towards him a little. "Please don't be cross with me. The cheese remark was just a little joke." Unable to reply, he simply sat, back straight as a poker, hands clasped in front of him on his knees, and concentrated on breathing.

Lucia shook her head and sighed. "I'll get right down to business," she began. "My Commander of the Guards has reports that the McCombian party is gathering recruits to raise an army. You knew her the best, Ms Battenbox. She worked for you for ten years. Would she really invade her own country?"

The Queen dropped her teasing manner and adopted a more serious expression. "She's power-hungry. No judgement, so are we all. At the Palace she worked as the Duke of Kiatana's assistant, because that was the highest position she could rise to. She was always hungry for more and now she has the opportunity to attain it."

"Is she..." Serai asked hesitatingly, eyes averted from the Queen for a moment before forcing herself to address her properly. "Does she believe in democracy? Or would she do anything to gain power for herself?"

"That I couldn't say. She would hardly tell me about her pro-democracy leanings."

Shoma coughed a few times then found his voice again. "Before we all panic," he said, "Remember Captain Ziyad is the head of the largest northern regiment. All other regiments follow his lead, and he is cooperating with us."

"Captain Ziyad?" the Queen raised an eyebrow. "He says that does he?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Lucia.

"Kailani associated with him often when she worked at the Palace. I believe they were quite fond of each other. How interesting that she would go to his city."

An uneasy calm settled over the room.

"Kailani has enough support in the north to rule it already. She could be planning on declaring northern Zatoria independent and taking it for herself," said Patrik.

Lucia scoffed. "She can't have the north."

"She may just take it."

"She cannot do that. I will not let her have one inch of Zatoria."

"I think recent months have proven you wouldn't have a choice in the matter," said the Queen. "She will simply take it from you."

Patrik shook his head. "Two Zatorias. Imagine that. Would we need a passport to go there?"

"Stop it," said Lucia. "She's not getting one inch of Zatoria."

"Two Zatorian Prime Ministers," Shoma mused. "Think of the duels."

"I doubt she would be Prime Minister," said Varielle. "She clearly has no respect for the democratic process. She would make herself Queen."

"Why stop there?" asked Patrik. "She would be Empress."

"No," said Varielle. "She wouldn't want to have to constantly fend off Jevan."

Jevan, still staring straight ahead, couldn't even manage a "hey."

"We really wouldn't have much choice," said Patrik. "Her supporters up there are extraordinarily loyal. And if the monarchists ally with them..." he averted his eyes from the Queen "...only a very small percentage of Zatorians are monarchists of course, but it may be enough to tip the scales. If we don't give in to their demands we could be looking at civil war."

Lucia went pale. "Absolutely not. After we worked so hard to ensure a peaceful Revolution. No, it's unconscionable, it can't happen. I will not be a war time Prime Minister."

"Then you might have to give her the north."

"I won't."

"Then there could be a war."

"There won't be."

"If you give her the north."

"Never."

"Then there may be a war."

"Absolutely not."

Lucia and Patrik stared at each other, an angry silence growing, and the Queen leant forward and placed her chin on her hand, looking with interest between them. Eventually she interrupted the tense moment. "You could always just behead her."

Serai shifted uncomfortably and leant towards Varielle. "I never know if she's joking or not with the beheading thing," she whispered.

Varielle shrugged. "Would the monarchists really ally with Kailani though?" she wondered.

"They do like her," said Shoma. "She worked for the Queen for so long. They may think she's an ally."

"Can't we just send in the guards and arrest them all?" Serai asked.

"They haven't done anything illegal yet," said Varielle.

Jevan finally found his voice. "Kailani tried to kill me just a little over a week ago," he squeaked out.

"They haven't done anything they wouldn't be acquitted of," Varielle amended.

The debate continued, frustrations growing as it became increasingly clear there was nothing to be done except continue to surveil the McCombian party.

"If I may make a suggestion," the Queen offered as they argued, "all this debate with no action implemented seems remarkably ineffectual to me. Perhaps you need one person to make a final decision." She idly traced a pattern on the sofa arm as though she were thoughtfully musing. "And perhaps whatever that decision is should not be impaired by legalities. Whatever their decision is, that would be legal, as it were."

The group stared at her. "I'm merely pointing out a more effective way to govern than long drawn-out unnecessary bureaucratic processes," she explained. "But I forget my place. Stop looking at me like that, I believe in you all. Power to the people, woo," she continued, giving a little fist pump.

Jevan just gaped at her. Lucia gritted her teeth and held her tongue. It had certainly been a mistake to invite her. The rest of the group settled into a gloomy silence once more.

The Queen gave a little shrug and sat back. "I merely think perhaps we should revisit my idea of beheading Kailani."

Lucia stood in her office alone again after they had left, not quite knowing what to do with herself. She held her mini globe in her hand and trailed her finger around the webbing where Shoma had marked it. The bright dot glowed a deep blue, sitting steadfast in an unremarkable street in Lissdale, staring back at her almost as though it were taunting her with Kailani's existence. Without taking the time to consider whether it was a good idea, she picked up her port and sent a telegram to Darryl: Have the carriage ready in the underground parking immediately. And tell no-one.

"This trip isn't scheduled," Darryl was saying as she stepped inside. "Your travel is supposed to be logged and recorded."

"It's alright, Darryl, I've sorted it with your superior. This trip must remain confidential. It's a matter of national security."

He looked intrigued, but pressed her no further. "Alright. Where to?"

"Lissdale. And take the back exit please."

He turned around and put his elbow on the seat staring at her. "Lissdale? Really? But that's a seven hour drive."

"Yes."

"We won't be back till morning. I'll miss the national championship sword fighting semi-finals."

"Really Darryl, you can record it."

"I guess so." He gave a sigh of resignation and turned back to the reins. "Alright," he said, his chipperness fast returning, "let's go."

Off they set, weaving their way through the streets of Awatere. Lucia stared out the window and watched city streets turn to suburbs, then the suburbs to countryside. The rhymical clopping of horse hooves sped up as they left the city streets behind and meadows and fields began to fly past as a brisk canter turned into a gallop. Dusk was fast approaching, and Lucia stared out the window watching the scenery gradually fade to black. Once darkness fell completely, she turned to her port and flicked through her telegrams.

"Ma'am?" Darryl interrupted her after a long period of silence. "Would you mind if I telegrammed my husband?"

"Of course not, go ahead," she murmured, not looking up.

She kept scrolling as bits of Darryl's conversation filtered through to her. "Make sure you start it on time... don't miss the dance of war at the beginning...don't let me know the results before I see it...I swear to the sword Liam, if you spoil this for me."

They passed through small towns and medium-sized towns, run down towns and flashy resorts. Every time she looked at her globe they were racing further towards the small blue dot at an alarming rate. She began to feel a bit queasy.

Darryl glanced at her through the mirror. "Not used to open road speeds, huh."

She gave a weak smile. "It doesn't feel natural to travel at this speed, I must say. How fast would you say we're going?"

"Oh, easily 50k/hr" he said proudly. "Bessie and Tessie here can get up to as much as 60k/hr," he said, indicating the horses.

Lucia blanched. "50k. That can't be good for us."

"Ah don't worry, it's perfectly safe." He thought for a moment. "Provided we don't crash, of course."

After a time, she felt the carriage slow to a stop and picked up the globe again. They were only halfway there. She looked out the window and saw a horse maintenance station.

"Need to tend to the horses, Ma'am," Darryl said as he hopped out. She nodded and got out herself, taking the opportunity to stretch her legs. Before her lay Lake Celine, a huge expanse of blackness, its ripples faintly lit by the starry sky. In the distance the moonlight allowed her to see Mt. Viviana, only its tip glistening with snow at this time of year. Spring was beginning.

"We could have taken the scenic route," Darryl broke her out of her reverie as he returned. "Along the whole eastern mountain range. But it would take hours longer."

She nodded and watched as he clapped open one of the horse's rumps and fed a charger into it. "This'll get you running good in no time Bessie," he said gruffly to the metallic horse.

A short while later, they were on their way again, Lucia staring out the window for most of the trip lost in thought. It was late when they finally arrived in Lissdale, and the streets were near-deserted.
Chapter 10

Lucia pulled her cloak tighter and walked along the cobblestone street, mostly in darkness, lit only by the occasional streetlamp. Even in Lissdale, northern enough to be significantly warmer than Awatere, it was chilly at night this time of year. She held the mini goss in her hand and expanded the street she was on. It should be right here, but there was nothing. Please don't lead me astray now of all times, goss, she thought. She stopped and looked around. She'd seen only the occasional passer-by. Now there was nobody, no shops, no entrance to any building she could see, only a wall behind her. Or almost nobody. In the distance, the silhouette of another lone pedestrian approached her, someone tall and broad walking languidly down the street, and she wished she could ask for directions, but of course, she could not be recognised. She pulled back into the shadows as he approached and pretended to be occupied with her goss. He passed. She looked around helplessly. Her frustration growing, she shook the globe and expanded it again, but that only made the marking Shoma had made disappear. "No!" she cried out and compressed it again.

The attack happened so quickly she didn't have time to think. The bright swirling colours changed to darker hues just in time and she caught the glint of the sword reflected in her goss a split second before it would have struck. She whirled around, simultaneously jumping back and unsheathing her dagger. The man who had just passed her thrust his sword into the air where she had been. He came at her again and she dodged to the left. A third time, and the clanging of metal echoed out into the still night as their blades clashed. She stepped forward into the attack and, goss clutched in her other hand, slammed it as hard as she could into the side of his head. Electrons sparked and fizzled in brilliant blue as it cracked hard against his skull. His face warped into rage and he grabbed the wrist holding the dagger, twisting it so hard the weapon fell from her grasp. Advancing towards her like a bull, he slammed her back against the wall. He kept his sword pointed at her with one arm and pressed his other forearm hard against her throat.

She pushed forward against him and tried to wrestle his arm away, but he was far stronger. "Let me go at once," she ordered, "and I won't involve the guards."

He reached into her pocket and took out her port, pocketing it in his own coat. "You were stupid to come here," he breathed into her ear. She struggled against him, but it was no good, he was built like a boar, she felt nothing but compact, solid muscle. She stopped struggling and tried another tack. "I am telling you right now, you do not want to do this. If you had ANY idea who I am−"

"I know exactly who you are," he growled. "And you're going to pay for what you did." His forearm pressed harder against her throat and he stepped up so his whole body was pinning her against the wall. She gasped for breath.

Her hands tried desperately to pull his arm away, relieve the pressure. She glanced down at the sword and his eyes followed hers. He laughed. "I don't even need this," he said, putting it back into his scabbard. She swallowed hard. "I'll scream."

He clapped his other hand against her mouth and put his face right up to hers. "Now you listen here," he said raspily, as bits of gossamer fell from his hair. "If you behave, you don't get hurt, do you understand?" He was standing so close that she had no room to move at all. She stopped trying. With a look of resignation, she nodded.

He took a step back. That was all she needed. Mustering up all the strength she could, her leg preparing for a powerful blow, she kneed him in the groin. He crumpled to the ground and she ran.

She ran as fast as she could along the cobblestones, past the streetlamps, the dark shopfronts, along the empty street desperately trying to remember where Darryl and the carriage were. She could hear him behind her, cursing, his feet pounding heavily on the ground. She had no sense of direction. She found herself longing for the streets of Awatere, where she knew every nook and cranny, every maze-like twist, where the streets were lit up and lively at all hours. She ran and ran, and her legs began to burn, her lungs scream. She felt his fingers touch her back and another spurt of adrenaline propelled her forward. She ran blindly, with no idea where she was headed, slipping and stumbling, desperately searching for safety. She cursed herself for coming here alone, for not telling anyone, making Darryl park so far away. His pounding footsteps were right behind her.

Just when she thought she would not escape, she finally heard the echo of human life in the distance. She looked up. A tavern, lit up, not too far ahead. She could hear music and the faint sounds of talking and laughing inside. Relief overwhelmed her as she realised she was going to be okay. She felt his hand on her back again and stumbled forward, almost tripping, but she was fine now, she knew was going to make it because safety was just up ahead. The rumblings of people talking, giggling, the booming hollering of exuberant drunk people, the musical melodies grew louder with each step. She ran towards the noise, her heart about to burst out of her chest with each step. Finally, she reached the threshold and grabbed onto the doorframe, pulling herself inside. She had made it. She stepped inside to the safety of the crowd, breathing hard.

The patrons turned and gasped in surprise when they saw who she was. A shocked silence fell over the tavern. "Help!" she gasped, "he's chasing me." They stared at her. Nobody moved. She looked around and stepped towards the nearest person, a woman looking at her wide-eyed. "Ma'am, please," she said, "he means to kill me. Do you have a sword?" A look of horror crossed her face and she stepped back, tried to back up amongst the other patrons. Lucia immediately realised her mistake. She should have just blended in with the crowd, but she'd been running on survival instinct, and they had already recognised her anyway. Just as she was about to say "never mind" and turn away, an arm reached around from behind and grabbed her in a headlock. He was there, behind her.

All political decorum immediately disappeared and survival mode returned. "Help," she screamed out as loud as she could, "he's going to kill me." There were murmurings of confusion amongst the crowd, but no-one came to her aid. They just stared at her in surprise and disbelief as she struggled to get out of the man's hold.

"It's okay everyone," he called out to them. He sounded almost jovial. "Kailani's orders." He began dragging her backwards. "No," she screamed, "no, please, somebody, help me." They did nothing. She looked around wildly. There was one person she recognised, she'd seen him on Kailani's campaign party. They'd had a few friendly exchanges before. "Colin," she begged. "Please. Please help me. He'll kill me." Colin looked into his glass and did nothing. She tried to pick out another individual. The bartender. "Please sir," she begged. He just stared at her open-mouthed.

She felt the man's lips at her ear. "They won't help you," he whispered. "Not a one of them." She struggled against him, elbows digging in as hard as she could, but it was no use. Her training was no match against him. She grabbed onto the doorframe as he pulled her out, and then they were outside again. Still she fought, kicking, digging her feet in, trying to pull his arm away, but he continued to drag her effortlessly along the cobbles. She felt the pressure against her throat tightening until she couldn't breathe anymore. The world around her began to darken, and then everything went black.

Chapter 11

Lucia woke up in the dark. Only a faint light source coming from a narrow window at the top of the opposite wall told her it was daylight. She leant against a hard surface in the most uncomfortable position and all her muscles ached. She automatically tried to put a hand up, but they were bound behind her. Faint silhouettes broke through the darkness and a damp, musty smell pervaded the air. She tried to sit up a little better and heard a deep snarl that sounded terrifyingly close. She froze. It had come from just a few feet to her left. Her eyes strained to see, but she could only hear the panting, the heavy breathing of a creature. She shrank back into the wall and tried to be completely still. As her eyes became better accustomed to the darkness, she began to make out the shape of a huge dog. It lay on its belly, paws out in front of it, just staring at her, its sharp white teeth gleaming through the darkness.

She tested how tightly her hands were bound and the beast snarled again. Shifted its paws. Her breath caught in her throat. She looked around as the objects around her began to take on a clearer shape. She was in some sort of cellar chained to the wall, the shackles heavy on her limbs. Carefully, she shifted her weight and the dog growled. She could see it more clearly now, it was a hulking rottweiler. She swallowed. Her throat was dry and cracked. For a few moments she just sat, terrified, staring at the beast. If she were perfectly still it relaxed and rested its head on its paws, idly watching her. If she shifted it perked up, if she moved too much, it snarled.

She looked around the cellar. A lot of junk piled up. Boxes full of old ports. Someone's jumble of cords. A stairwell.

She sat back and began to test how much she could move without rousing the dog's ire. Bit by bit she accustomed it to her shifting around until she could properly test out her restraints. Her hands were shackled behind her with metal cuffs attached to a chain leading to a wall mount. The similar cuffs around her ankles with chains probably would have given her space to get up and walk a few feet, should the dog allow it. The chains clanked a little too loudly and it barked. She stopped and sat back, still once more.

A door creaked open at the top of the stairs and her head snapped over to the sound. Heavy footsteps began to descend. The dog jumped up and ran over as her kidnapper came into view. He carried a rope. Lucia desperately tried to calm her racing heart. He ruffled the dog's head. "Who's a good girl?" he said. "Who's my good Bluebell?" It wagged its tail happily.

Lucia scrambled to stand up, ignoring her screaming muscles. He looked over at her. "Kailani would like a word with you."

She couldn't answer, her throat was too dry to speak. She remained silent as he approached her. She watched as he unlocked the cuffs on her wrist. Before she could massage the bruised joints, he had spun her around and pushed her face first into the wall, twisting her arms behind her. He began binding them with the rope. He roughly turned her around again and bent down to unlock her leg cuffs. He looked up at her. "One kick and you're dead." She nodded. As soon as her feet were free, she was kicking at his head as hard as she could. He leapt up and slammed her back against the wall. "Now listen here you evil snake. You don't stand a chance against me and Bluebell."

The dog's ears pricked up.

She continued to struggle against him and he pressed his arm still harder against her chest. "You stupid girl," he hissed. "If you were smart you would at least wait until you had an actual chance of escaping." He jabbed her throat hard and she gasped in pain.

He dragged her up the stairs. She was still thinking of how she could escape his grasp, but he was right, it would be better to bide her time. He swung open the door at the top of the stairs and the sudden brightness blinded her. She was dragged through several rooms until they arrived in a dingy living area. He threw her down onto the sofa and went to stand in the doorway, watching over her. She righted herself and looked up.

Kailani sat opposite her, crossed-legged on a sofa, staring at her intently. She held Lucia's port in her hand. For a few minutes no-one said anything. Lucia looked around the dingy, musty room. The shutters were down, but several slats were broken letting in a few rays of light to highlight the dusty surfaces. A sofa spring was digging into her thigh.

Lucia broke the silence. "Hello, Kailani. Fancy seeing you here." She paused. "You're looking well."

Kailani didn't respond to that. She looked down at the port in her hand. "This is useless," she said. "Where is all your government correspondence?"

Lucia was silent. She looked over at the door where the kidnapper stood, his whole body blocking the exit. He was watching her in disgust, one hand gripping the hilt of his sheathed sword. She looked back at Kailani.

"Why did you come here?" Kailani asked.

"Why did you kidnap me?" Lucia said in response.

"So you wouldn't kill me." She said it evenly, calmly, as though it were the most rational thing in the world to say. "Tell me," she continued. "Are you here of your own accord, or at the former Queen's bidding?"

Lucia stared at her. "What are you talking about? You're the one who's working with the Queen. You really have gone off the rails. You're paranoid. Why did your whole party run?"

"Because both the Sheppardors and the monarchists want me dead," she said.

"We do not. Well, the monarchists might, I wouldn't know. But Kailani, this whole thing is insane. What the fuck are you doing?"

"What am I doing? I'm trying to stay alive and figure out how you rigged the election."

"I don't understand why you think I did that. I swear by the sword I didn't."

Kailani just stared at her. Lucia raced on, ignoring the kidnapper's glares. "You know, during the campaign we actually thought you were a worthy opponent. We respected you. Your experience, your skills. But you're insane."

"I am not."

"You've kidnapped the Prime Minister."

"Yes, your appearance here did take me by surprise. I'll have to move forward with my plans right away."

"What plans?" She tested the strength of her restraints.

Kailani said nothing.

"If you're planning a coup, your insanity is really far further advanced than I thought."

Bluebell wandered into the room and jumped up onto the sofa. Kailani stroked her, not taking her eyes off Lucia. "You know, constantly accusing me of being crazy doesn't make it so."

"It would never work," said Lucia. "Trying for your own little revolution. You're not in the same position we were when we overthrew the monarchy. You don't have the support of the citizens nor the regiments."

"Don't I?" She looked her right in the eye as she said it and Lucia felt a creeping uneasiness.

"It took us eleven years to finally abolish the monarchy," she continued. "And you think you can pull off the same feat in a couple of weeks?"

Still Kailani just looked at her, her hard stare becoming increasingly unsettling.

"Look," Lucia said, "let's be rational here. You've kidnapped the Prime Minister. They're going to be looking for me and they're going to find me. If you let me go now, I'll ensure the courts are lenient with you."

"Separation of the executive and the judicial branch," Kailani murmured. "You don't have that power."

There was silence for a few more moments until Kailani turned to the giant man still glowering in the doorway. "Ethan, I think now would be a wonderful time for you to take Bluebell for a walk."

Bluebell jumped up at the words and practically flew across the room to Ethan.

"Kai come now, that's not a good idea," he replied, looking quite alarmed. Bluebell barked at him impatiently.

"Well it's too late now, you have to, I said walk." Bluebell went crazy again. "She'll be devastated if she doesn't get one now."

He stared at her speechlessly. "I'm not leaving you alone with her. I'll take her on a SOCK later."

"Too late for the code word now," Kailani said cheerily. She sat back and shrugged at him. "I already said WALK." Bluebell ran around in circles and barked again.

"Kai, BY THE BLASTED HEAVENS STOP SAYING IT."

Bluebell whined and jumped up at him.

Lucia looked back and forward between them, bewildered, wondering if she were trapped in some surreal dimension.

"Look Ethan," said Kailani, more serious now. "I know what I'm doing, I can handle her. It's only Lucia. You have nothing to worry about."

He reluctantly acquiesced with a grunt and a final glare in Lucia's direction, and then the two women were alone. Lucia tested her restraints again.

"It's a goier knot," said Kailani casually. "You won't be able to undo it."

Lucia tried again to reason with her. "The guards are sure to be here any second. If you leave now you might evade them."

Kailani just watched her in silence for several moments.

"Why did you make Ethan leave?" Lucia asked out of curiosity.

"Because Bluebell needed a walk."

There was another long silence.

"Why did you form an alliance with the former Queen?" Kailani asked again.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You're working together."

"We are not."

"She's been seen entering and exiting the Shell."

"Oh, that. Well, yes, I asked her to be a political advisor. I suppose we are working together."

Kailani raised an eyebrow. "Interesting decision." She looked at the port in her hand and in a sudden movement that made Lucia jump, threw it hard against the wall.

Now it was Lucia's turn to stare at Kailani in fascination. "You're so angry," she whispered. "You never used to be an angry person."

"Of course I'm angry. You stole my premiership and tried to kill me."

"I'd never do that," Lucia said shaking her head.

"On election night. You sent your puppet to kill me."

"Oh Kailani, no. Jevan only wanted to talk. You attacked him."

She shook her head. "He meant to kill me."

Lucia sighed and gave up on trying to convince her. "You and I, we used to be friends once," she said after another long moment.

"I wouldn't say we were ever really friends," came the cold reply.

"Well, that's hurtful. I always looked up to you, you know. You were the smart one. You got the internship with the Queen. She thought you were so brilliant."

"Is that what all this is about then?"

"All this wh... Kailani, you're the one who abducted me."

"You're the one who tried to kill me."

"How can you think that?" Lucia tried pulling against her restraints again.

Kailani looked down at them. "Still keeping up with the combat training?"

"Of course."

"Me too."

"Untie me," said Lucia, "and we'll fight this out woman to woman."

Kailani laughed. "What, and the winner gets Zatoria? That's not very democratic of you."

"That's what you really want, isn't it. I can see the rage in you. You're itching for a good fight. That's why you asked Ethan to leave."

"Of course," said Kailani. "I might as well beat your ass since your information has proven useless. The question is, why would you want to fight me? You know I always win."

"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you. I've never had better motivation to win than I do now."

Kailani smiled. "That's certainly true," she said. "The stakes have been raised. Wouldn't it be funny if you lost to me even when your life depended on it?"

Lucia gritted her teeth. "Untie me," she said, "and I will show you what a mistake it is to underestimate me."

Kailani leant forward on both elbows and clasped her hands together in front of her, regarding Lucia very carefully. There was a long moment when it seemed like her hardened eyes were boring into Lucia's very soul. Then she nodded and stood up. Lucia stood too, the sofa creaking as she rose. Kailani took the few steps towards her until they were only inches apart, eye to eye. She slowly put her arms around Lucia and began untying the knot around her wrists. Lucia felt her soft hands against her skin as she leant in closer, her hair falling over Lucia, tickling her neck, her hands deftly working around her wrists.

"I don't have a sword," said Lucia.

The rope fell to the floor with a thud. "Then this will have to be good old hand-to-hand combat," Kailani replied. She stepped back and Lucia massaged her wrists as they continued to warily eye each other. They both raised their fists and began slowly circling.

Kailani threw the first blow. She darted forward and threw a straight punch, but Lucia was ready and dodged it. She threw another and Lucia blocked it. A third, and this one connected with her face. Lucia staggered backwards from the force. She righted herself and lunged forward, throwing her own. Kailani leapt deftly aside and came back faster. The punches came hard and quick from both of them, and Lucia was taken aback when she realised the extent of Kailani's pent up rage. It spilled out in torrents, finally finding a satisfying release. She swallowed hard, ignored the pain from the blows, and resolved to win.

A roundhouse kick from Kailani connected with her ribs and she staggered back so much she hit the wall hard. Kailani's twisted face advanced towards her and as Lucia took a small step forward, Kailani slammed her right back against the wall.

"I did not survive the Eleven Years of Despair to be undone by you," she raged, before delivering an upper cut to Lucia's chin that was so hard she felt her jaw rattle. They struggled against the wall for several moments until Lucia managed to push her back several feet.

"I haven't DONE anything to you," she screamed, scraping her hair out of her face and pushing Kailani into the sofa with such force it slid a few feet.

Kailani stumbled against it but quickly stood again and gave her a powerful knee to the stomach. "An unqualified person getting all the glory," she screamed as Lucia doubled over, "while other people do all the real work behind the scenes, AGAIN."

She pushed her back and Lucia fell against a small table. She heard a lamp falling and crashing as she lunged back and delivered a front kick to Kailani's chest. "I had to survive that time just like you," she cried, getting up into her face and giving her two fast left and right hooks before she had the chance to recover.

Kailani blocked the third one and ran forward with renewed force, slamming her back against the wall a second time. "You barely even cared we were going through the Despair!" she screamed, pinning Lucia hard against it.

"Of course I cared," Lucia yelled as they grappled with each other. "I wanted to know what became of Tony and Toni just as much as anyone else!" She pushed hard against her, kneed her, scrabbled to get away, jumped to the side and ran to the other side of the room. Kailani whirled around and they faced each other, fists up, rocking back and forward on their legs, breathing hard, hair in disarray all over their red faces. "How would you even know?" wailed Lucia, wiping away a strand of hair that clung to her cheek. "You have no idea what my life was like during that time. You weren't there. You were always at the Palace."

"That's what all this is really about isn't it," screamed Kailani jumping up onto the sofa and in two bounds was up in Lucia's face again. "Which are you madder about, Lucia?" she said with a hard elbow to her face. "That I got the job?" Another hard elbow. "Or that I rejected you?"

Lucia punched her back hard. "It's not about that," she hissed through her teeth, blocking another right hook, but the left hit her hard and she almost fell. Kailani stepped right up to her and put her hands around her throat and she gasped for breath as she grappled with her fingers. She clenched up her thigh muscles and gave her a hard side knee. They tumbled forwards and hit the sofas again, both of their arms around each other's necks now, as they fell to the ground with hard thuds. For a brief moment Lucia was on top of Kailani, screaming and raging. Kailani managed to get a leg free and Lucia felt another hard knee to her gut while Kailani simultaneously reached up and pulled her over by the ear. She fell to the side and Kailani was on top of her in an instant, straddling her, pinning her arms down. Lucia struggled against her, tried to get her own knees up for another strike, but it was futile, Kailani had her body pressed so hard against her she couldn't move. "Let me up," she commanded, but Kailani simply held her down. Lucia jerked her body trying to get away but Kailani just pushed down harder. Lucia pushed her arms up but they wouldn't move. Kailani leant over Lucia and put her face right down to her. "How could you do it?" she said, her face distorting into a mixture of rage and pain.

"Do WHAT," Lucia yelled back, her own rage growing. "Kailani, I didn't do anything!"

"Kill me!" screamed Kailani. "How could you try and kill me?"

"I DIDN'T," Lucia screamed into her face. They lay like that breathing hard, staring into each other's eyes, Lucia immobilised, Kailani enraged, their faces so close their lips were almost touching, adrenaline coursing through both of them.

"Please Kai," Lucia said, looking into her eyes, imploring her. "I swear by the sword, I did not try to kill you."

Kailani's eyes began to show a shadow of doubt.

Suddenly an amplified voice coming from outside shook them out of their little world. "Kailani Rhys," it boomed. "This is the National Guard. Your house is surrounded. Come out with your hands above your head."

Kailani leapt up and in an instant she was gone. Lucia dropped her head down on the carpet and closed her eyes. It was over. She lay there waiting for her racing pulse to return to normal. Some loud thuds and clashes boomed out and then the sounds of a door being broken down. Yelling, loud footsteps, suddenly the house was full of people. Lucia opened her eyes. A guard was staring down at her with a concerned expression. "Prime Minister? Are you okay?"
Chapter 12

10 years earlier...

Lucia stood before the golden gates of the Palace. Behind them sprawled the beautiful Palace grounds, divided by a broad gravel carriageway. She could see the huge tiered circular fountain some way up the path, and beyond that, the Palace itself. She walked over to the guard's booth on the left and showed the on-duty guard her identification. He took it and she watched his eyes flick from the card to her and down again. The feather sticking out of his cap bobbled about as he turned to type something into his stationary. She glanced down at her feet, then towards the gates, then back at the road she had come from as she waited. After a few moments he handed her back her card and gave a curt nod. The gates began to open.

She walked through and began her way up the path. The gardens were impeccably maintained. Lawns a luxuriously deep green, neat hedgerows with not a leaf out of place, flowerbeds with a vibrant assortment of colours. She passed several guards posted along the way and felt awkward not greeting them, but they stared straight ahead with blank faces.

The thundering of the fountain increased as she approached, and she slowed to watch the giant-sized goldfish swim about their daily business beneath the lily pads.

Then she found herself at the Palace entrance. Here, too, guards flanked each side, and as she walked up the steps the doors automatically opened with a whirring sound.

She walked inside and slowly turned around in awe, finding herself in a cavernous foyer with a grand staircase laid out in front of her, light spilling in everywhere from the sparkling windows. A man wearing a smart jacket that reached to his knees was waiting to greet her. "Lucia Straw?"

She nodded. He held out a box already containing several ports. "Put your port in here please."

She stared at him.

"No outside ports in the Palace. You'll get it back when you leave."

"Okay," she said, reluctantly taking it out and putting it in with the others. "I have a dagger too," she added.

"That's fine," he replied. "Follow me please." He turned and began briskly walking up the grand staircase without waiting to see if she was coming. She hurried behind him, trying to take in her surroundings as they went. He led her through grand hallways and galleries filled with tapestries and statues, ceramic art and sculptures, golden archways and walls lined with portraits, and she kept falling behind to stare around her. They entered another grand gallery and Lucia stopped short when she realised they were passing a portrait of the very first Queen of Zatoria.

"Just a minute," she called out to him. He turned and impatiently checked his timepiece, then relented a little. "Ah yes, this is the Regnant gallery," he said, his voice full of admiration. "All the portraits of the great Queens of the past hang here. Centuries of them." Lucia gazed up at the one before her, dressed in magnificent ceremonial garb including the monarch's crown, posed in a duelling stance with her sword held above her as though she were about to strike.

"Amrita Katarina Zeraphina, the Warrior Queen," said her guide, putting his hand to his heart. "The woman who founded our great nation. The greatest sword fighter the world has ever known."

"Are the legends about her really true?" asked Lucia.

"Every word."

"She sailed to this land slaying vengeful sea monsters, tempestuous storm creatures, powerful warlocks, even whole armies, and founded Zatoria with nothing but the sword on her back?"

"Most of the words."

They began walking along the gallery, much slower now, past portrait after portrait of former Queens, all posed in different duelling stances, until they reached the final portrait at the far end of the gallery. "There she is," he said reverently, "our brilliant ruler in all her glory." Lucia nodded mutely. The current Queen bore the same confident, commanding expression as the rest of them. It was extraordinarily realistic, and Lucia found she couldn't look at it for too long without feeling she was rudely staring. She turned towards the empty space next to it. "That is where Princess Amari's will hang one day," said her guide. "When her time to rule comes. But come, Ms Straw," he said, snapping out of his reverie. "There will be plenty of time for sightseeing later. You must not be late for orientation."

They hurried on through several more rooms until they eventually reached their destination, a small set of unassuming double doors. He ushered her inside and she stepped in to find herself in a plain meeting room with a long table. Several people were already seated around it. Before she could turn around her guide had already stepped backwards and silently disappeared, pulling the doors closed behind him. She turned back to the group. "Hello," she said brightly. "I'm Lucia." A round of friendly hellos and heys echoed around the table and she sought out an empty chair and took her place.

She looked around the table. There were eleven others, all around her age, some were chatting to each other, others wrote in notepads or just sat quietly. Moments later, another man strode into the room, his cloak swishing with each step, and stood at the head of the table. Upon seeing him there was a scraping of chairs as everyone stood and bowed their heads.

"Welcome interns," he said, his voicing booming out. "I am Lord Dancroft. Please sit. Congratulations on being selected for this prestigious internship." He placed a hand on each side of the table and slowly looked around at each of them. "You all come highly recommended from your universities. You will be expected to live up to that during your time here." He stood back up and clasped his hands behind his back. "You'll be working here for three months learning the ins and outs of our political system. You have been granted the greatest honour of working for the Queen herself. You will shadow various senior political advisors receiving a real insiders' view of how the cogs run here. At the end of the three months, those of you deemed worthy will be given an official appointment as a Palace employee. Those of you who work hard and show promise have an amazing political career path ahead of you." He paused and stared at them all with furrowed brows. "You could end up in the highest position promising students such as yourselves can hope to attain..." he trailed off and Lucia and the rest of the interns leant forward, eager for him to continue. He casually swung one leg over the other onto the ball of his foot and put one hand on his hip, waving his other arm around "...as a Duke or a Duchess a Lord or a Lady or a Marquess or a Marchioness or a Baron or a Baroness or an Earl or a Countess's assistant."

He waited for the group to absorb and appreciate this information, then looked at them all sternly. "But only if you work VERY hard." He stood up straight, looking proud. "Those of you not deemed worthy," he continued, "will be thrown out and fed to the dogs. No, no, don't look alarmed, that was just a little joke." He rocked back and forwards on his feet looking pleased with himself. "We like to amuse ourselves here." His face grew serious. "Those of you not selected will be permanently banished from the political realm."

The group of young university graduates exchanged apprehensive looks.

"Any questions?" he asked.

The girl sitting opposite Lucia tentatively raised her hand.

"Yes?"

"My Lord, will there be set objectives and goals that clearly lay out the criteria for being selected?" She said it quietly, mumbling slightly, two spots on her cheeks turning red as she spoke.

"What? Speak up please."

She clasped her hands in her lap and looked down, then looked at him and repeated the question.

He regarded her for a moment. "That's an excellent question. You will be given progress reports from your superiors with notes on how to improve. But ultimately it will be at the Queen's discretion."

"Thank you, my Lord."

"What is your name, child?"

"Kailani Rhys."

"Well Kailani, I can tell you one thing, you will not make it if you do not gain some confidence."

He turned back to the group. "Now I need not remind you of proper etiquette when meeting the Queen," he said, and immediately commenced reminding them. "The women shall curtsey, the men bow. Do not speak unless spoken to. Do not, under any circumstances, touch her. She will offer her hand, and you shall kiss her glove. If there is any, any at all, physical contact with the Queen, if even so much as your pinky finger brushes the top of the glove, you will be thrown out of the Palace so fast your head will spin off on its own accord and there will be no need to behead you. And never, ever, under any circumstances, mention the gossamer globe."

Everyone nodded mutely. Lucia looked at the girl opposite her and gave her an encouraging smile.

"Now," he said, "who wants to meet the Queen?"

They were ushered to a reception parlour and made to line up. Lord Dancroft walked up and down the line, hands clasped behind his back, looking them up and down, barking orders to stand up straighter and stop fidgeting. He harrumphed disapprovingly at them a few moments longer before appearing to be somewhat satisfied. "Don't move. Wait here," he ordered, and left the room.

The group of interns dutifully did as he said, few daring to even scratch their noses. Lucia tried to peer to the left and right of her from the corners of her eyes.

The double doors opened as though by an invisible hand, and the line of twelve heads all turned to the left like synchronised swimmers. The Queen stood there, perfectly framed in the archway, her long purple gown shimmering where the sunlight hit it from the large parlour windows. Neither still nor kinematic images did her justice. Lucia had seen her in person before of course, during the annual parades along Ketaki Street when she passed by in her carriage waving a gloved hand at the cheering crowds. But never so up close and personal as this. The Queen began walking down the line offering her gloved hand to kiss and Lucia could hear murmurings of pleasantries being exchanged. She stared straight ahead and waited her turn, worried her throat was too dry to speak. When it came, she immediately curtseyed, head bowed low. "Rise, dear child," said the Queen. She did so, not daring to look at her, and took the gloved hand before her. Taking great care not to get herself beheaded, she kissed it gingerly. "And your name is?"

Lucia looked up at her then, and her voice caught in her throat as she saw the face before her, bearing a smile that enveloped her in warmth and made her knees go weak. "Lucia Straw, your Majesty," she managed to croak out.

The Queen looked her up and down in approval. "I hear your university debate team won the last national championships. I am delighted to have such a promising, bright mind in my Palace."

Lucia had no idea what the correct response was, and her throat was too dry to say anything, so she simply nodded, and then the Queen had already moved on.

The three-month internship thus began and the twelve students were thrown into the thick of it from the off. Every day, Lucia would commute to the Palace and find her way to the intern's room where they were assigned their tasks for the day. They met a wide variety of aristocrats, who were a hodgepodge bunch of varying personalities. Some were lovely, some dreadful, some eccentric, some normal, some down to earth, some rather alarmed at the prospect of associating with commoners. They learnt about all the different departments that each aristocrat headed, the Queen's political council and advisors, the entire Zatorian political system. They were split into groups and assigned different nobles to shadow. Sometimes, they even spent time directly with the Queen.

The interns themselves got to know each other and quickly became a friendly group. Though most thought Kailani was a goody two shoes and a teacher's pet, Lucia liked her, and they formed a fast bond.

One day at the end of the third week, they had been split into groups of four, and Lucia, Kailani, Niles, a lad from Terewadel and Zaphar from Essafeld had been assigned to shadow the Duchess of Kiatana, the Queen's Treasurer - or they were supposed to be, but in actuality had only seen the Duchess fleetingly. Mostly they had been left in the charge of Claire, her assistant, who was doing her best, but clearly had a long to do list to get through that wasn't getting done any faster with interns to look after. Now the four interns hurried behind the harried assistant as she strode along a broad hallway with a huge stack of papers answering Kailani's questions about budget allocation as best she could.

"It strikes me as quite unusual that the Queen keeps overruling the Duchess' financial policies at the last moment," Kailani was saying now. "The law isn't even changed to reflect it."

Niles and Zaphar rolled their eyes behind her back.

Claire shrugged and adjusted the stack of papers she was carrying to stop them from falling as she strode. "The Queen often changes things at the last moment. It doesn't matter what the written law says, she can do as she likes." They arrived at the Duchess' office and Claire dumped the papers down on her desk, then picked up a port. "I just have to liaise with the Baron of Oadale," she explained. "Then I'll be right with you." Lucia looked around the room with curiosity. It was the same as most Palace rooms. Lush carpets, gold trimmings, beautiful ceramics. She traced her finger along a huge wooden chest.

"This is the assistant's job then?" asked Zaphar.

"Well, normally the Duchess would do this," Claire said, her fingers telegramming at lightning speed. "But sometimes it gets delegated to me when she's a bit busy." She wiped a clammy strand of hair off her face.

They waited for her to finish, Kailani standing with her hands clasped behind her back intently watching her work.

Claire disconnected the port. "So," said Niles, "it seems to me you're kind of the one who does all the work while the Duchess gets all the credit."

"Oh, no," said Claire. "Good superiors must know how to delegate well."

"Does she say that to you a lot?" asked Lucia.

Claire gave a wry smile. "Look, it's a good job. If any of you are selected you should consider yourselves lucky."

Niles, who had been moseying around the office poking his nose into all sorts of shelves and drawers, suddenly gasped and jumped back. Everyone turned in surprise. Kailani looked into the drawer he had opened and leapt back with a shriek. Lucia quickly followed and peered in. She clapped her hand over her mouth. "Oh, bugger me."

Claire hurried over and shut the drawer. "Yes," she said, "The Duchess has a gossamer globe. Don't make a big deal of it." She glanced toward the open door. "And don't tell anyone."

Kailani looked pale. "We'll all be beheaded," she whispered.

"Of course you won't," said Claire. "The Queen knows about it. She's the one who permitted it."

Kailani looked at her terrified. "But they're banned. They were all burned."

"Most of them were," said Claire. "The Queen still has one. And a select few of the aristocracy are allowed to have them, usually just for temporary periods. You'll notice that one was dark. The Queen allows the Duchess set times when she may switch it on. Oh and the technologist division of the royal guard still have them, of course. They need them to hunt down subjects using them illegally."

The four interns looked shocked. "But how can the Queen have a gossamer globe? She's the one who banned them!" Zaphar exclaimed.

"I don't know why you're all so surprised. Of course the Queen has one. She would never deprive herself of one."

"But the hypocrisy," sputtered Niles. "She can't do that."

"She can do whatever she wants. And look, lower your voices," said Claire. "The general public must never know the Palace still has them, so this does not leave this room, do you understand?"

They all nodded. There was a noise behind them and the group whirled around to see the Duchess standing in the doorway. Everyone immediately bowed their heads.

"Just checking in on my prodigal students," she said, her voice as smooth as silk. "How is everything going?"

"Everything is running smoothly, your Grace," said Claire. "I have been telling them all about the budget allocation for the next financial year."

"Excellent, excellent. I look forward to your oral presentations at the end of the day. Does anyone have any questions?"

Kailani raised her hand.

The Duchess frowned at her. "That was a rhetorical question, Kailani."

"Oh," said Kailani. She lowered her hand.

"Perhaps you should consider looking up the definition of rhetorical," she admonished.

"Um," said Kailani, her eyebrows knitting in confusion. Lucia caught her eye and, moving so that Niles was blocking the Duchess's view of her, rolled her eyes in the Duchess's direction. Kailani bit her lips to supress a laugh and they shared a discreet smile.

"Well, that's all wonderful," the Duchess was saying. "You're all doing marvellously, I'm sure. I must dash, I have a duel to attend, but I shall see you all later." And with that she had disappeared as quickly as she had arrived.

Kailani turned to Claire with a worried expression. "Do we really have to present our reports in front of everyone?"

"It will only be the other interns, and me and the Duchess. Maybe a few other members of the aristocracy will come. They like to get to know you a bit, see if there's any of you they would personally like to have as an assistant." She paused. "Oh and sometimes the Queen comes. She's always keeping close tabs on you interns, you know."

Kailani looked panicked. "I'm terrible at public speaking," she said anxiously. "I just freeze up."

"You'll be fine," said Claire, sitting down and taking out some more paperwork. She picked up a pen and ran a hand through her hair, then began going through it. "How about you go work on them now. Take as long as you need. Longer, maybe. Come back after lunch and this afternoon you can show me what you've prepared."

The four interns looked at each other and shrugged. They filed out of the room. "You wanna come eat lunch with us Luci?" asked Niles and Zaphar.

Lucia considered it for a moment, then turned and watched Kailani already walking away. "Thanks, but maybe another time," she said, and left to hurry after her. "Hey Kai!" she called out, running to catch up.

"Oh," said Kailani, turning around. "Hello." She looked surprised.

"I was thinking maybe we could help each other out," said Lucia. "You can help me with all this economics stuff and I'll help you with your presentation, if you'd like."

Kailani looked down and clutched her notepad to her chest. "Okay," she said. "That sounds great."

Lucia grinned. "Let's eat lunch outside, it's a beautiful day."

They walked together along a small gravel path in the expansive Palace gardens, lined by neat little hedgerows, a cool summer breeze in their faces. "So you really love all this stuff, right? Numbers and budgets and allocations and all that."

Kailani nodded. "I know everyone thinks it's boring. But I find when you really get into the nitty gritty of it it's fascinating stuff..." she trailed off. "You think I'm a nerd."

"Oh no, not at all. I admire how knowledgeable you are. Sometimes when Claire is talking my mind just glazes over and all the words blur together. I wish I got it like you do." They found a bench in a little circular seating area with a birdbath in the centre and sat down, watching the birds chirp and splash for a while.

"I'm so envious of how confident you are," Kailani said. "You can just get up in front of everyone and talk and talk, and everyone even listens. You make it interesting and funny. I could never do that."

"But that's the easy part. It's just talking."

"I can't do it. I get all nervous and jumpy and I can feel everyone's eyes on me and I worry they're judging me. Doesn't it make you nervous?"

Lucia shrugged. "Not really. I find it an adrenaline rush actually. The bigger the crowd the better."

"Wow," said Kailani, with wistful admiration. They ate their sandwiches together going over the things they had learnt during the Treasury block, then Lucia said "alright, now all you have to do is stand up and say all that same stuff as if you're giving a speech."

It turned into a daily event. They spent all their lunchtimes and any other free time they could get away with wandering the Palace grounds, exploring all the nooks and crannies, admiring the magnificent statues. The grand galleries and parlours and salons inside the Palace that they were permitted access to were also greatly explored, and many an afternoon was spent surviving pulley journeys together and then wandering in wonderment through the great galleries of paintings depicting famous historic battles and duels, such as the Witches and Wizards vs the Technologists, and the Troubles with the Tangeans.

They began spending time with each other outside the Palace too. Kailani met Jevan, and they disliked each other instantly, but were civil to each other for Lucia's sake.

Upon finding out that they were welcome to borrow swords from the Palace armoury, they began sparring with each other daily too, their feet moving nimbly over the perfectly maintained Palace lawns, circling around the fountains and statues and Palace guards as they duelled.

On one particular such afternoon, they were hurrying so fast down the hallway towards the armoury they almost collided with a small party walking towards them. "Excuse ME," came a harsh voice startling them out of their conversation. They stopped short and saw the royal governess glaring at them. She was holding the hand of a young boy who was swishing a toy sword around and carried a sleeping baby on her other hip, her head resting against the governess' shoulder. They had almost barrelled right into Prince Caleb and Princess Amari. Their governess glared at them. "You will curtsey before the Prince and Princess."

Kailani and Lucia immediately bent their knees and bowed their heads. Lucia peered at the sleeping baby from underneath her eyelashes, then looked down at the young boy. He was completely disinterested in them, too preoccupied with his sword. "I'm so sorry," murmured Lucia to the governess as they passed. "We didn't see them." The governess just glared at them and they continued down the hallway.

"Geez," said Kailani, once they were out of earshot. "Curtseying to a sleeping baby. Ridiculous."

"Kai," gasped Lucia. "That's blasphemous."

"No it isn't," she replied. "It's treasonous."

They hurried on towards the armoury, but a wrong turn took them into a gallery they hadn't seen before. "Oh," said Lucia. "The Consort gallery." They stared up at another line of majestic portraits, these ones displaying the spouses of past Queen regnants. "Queen Viviana Isla Celine," said Kailani, looking at the first one. "The very first Queen consort, married to Queen Amrita Katarina Zeraphina." They walked down the line of the former King and Queen consorts in their majestic poses. "Look, there's Queen Charlotte, I remember my parents telling me about her," said Lucia. "She was the current Queen's grandmother. It was a huge scandal when she married Queen Giovanna because she was a commoner."

Kailani nodded. "I've read about her. She was a technologist. The inventor of the gossamer globe. Nobody could believe it when they let a commoner into the aristocracy. I think they only relented because of the goss−"

"Because of the what now?"

The two girls whirled around in horror to find the Queen standing behind them. Lucia immediately curtseyed feeling sick to her stomach, sure they were both about to lose their heads.

"Rise," the Queen ordered. She looked up at the painting. "Yes, my grandmother was a commoner. She invented the gossamer globe, and then I banned it." She looked back at Lucia and Kailani. "But that had nothing to do with her being a commoner. I loved my grandmother, I didn't care about that. You know I banned it for your own benefit."

Lucia and Kailani mutely nodded. "Still, you were told not to mention it," the Queen said, shaking her head at them. Her voice became sing-songy. "You know what happens to people who do..." she drew a finger across her neck and made a gurgling sound, hung her head to the side, rolled her eyes back and lolled out her tongue for a moment, then snapped back up and gave them a wink. "Naughty naughty," she wagged her finger with a grin, then whirled around and left with a spring to her step, humming a cheery tune, leaving Lucia and Kailani to gape after her.

"I can't breathe," said Lucia.

"Was she joking?" whispered Kailani, wide-eyed.

"I don't know!" wailed Lucia. They stared at each other in horror. The rest of the walk towards the armoury was far more sombre.

"Look, Lucia," said Kailani, pulling a sword out from amongst the great selection. "This one has an L engraved in it, plus beautiful turquoise gemstones. You should take it."

Lucia looked at the sword. "I don't think this one is supposed to be in here. It's different from the rest." She turned it over in her hands and her eyes widened. "Kai, it bears the Queen's insignia."

Now it was Kailani's turn to stop and stare. "Queen Lucille's sword had her initial engraved in it," she murmured. "I've seen it in history books." They looked up at each other. "Could it be the same one?"

"A Queen's sword shouldn't be here with the publicly accessible ones." Lucia checked it carefully. "I wonder how it got in here." She put it back. "I shouldn't, I'll get in trouble."

Kailani picked it back up and gave it back to Lucia. "Don't be silly. We're allowed to use any sword in here, they said so."

"We almost just got into loads of trouble. Twice!" Lucia tried to put it back again.

Kailani pressed it back into her hands with a grin. "Getting out of trouble comes in threes."

Lucia sat on a bench in the East lawn, the sword with the L engraving leaning against it, eating a turkey sandwich while Kailani paced up and down in front of her, a summer breeze blowing her hair about her face so she had to keep stopping to tuck it behind her ears. "Stop pacing!" said Lucia. "Just stand there, feet firmly planted, and deliver your speech."

"I feel silly though."

"It's only me. Hey you know what they say, imagine me naked if it helps," she said with a wink.

Kailani blushed and looked down. "Well that's not helping."

"Go on. All you have to do is say the words."

Kailani began reading from her paper, not looking up, reading it word for word in a stilted manner while Lucia interjected where necessary.

"No fidgeting... stop fiddling with your hair... you're mumbling again."

Once she'd run through it several times, Kailani gave up and sat down on the bench. "Oh gosh I'm terrible," she said, leaning against Lucia and sighing.

"You're not," Lucia said. She put her arm around her and stroked her shoulder. "Next time you can try looking up from the paper once in a while. Connect with the audience a bit." She turned towards her. "Turn around." She began running her hands through Kailani's long hair, gathering it up from the nape of her neck and pulling it into a ponytail. "It helps if you think of the audience as your friends. You're just telling a story to a group of friends, that's all there is to it." She scraped her fingers gently along Kailani's scalp to pick up the untamed wisps.

Kailani nodded and leant back into her as Lucia separated her hair into three sections and began twisting them. They sat like that for several moments in the warm summer afternoon, with only the sounds of birds chirping and water splashing from fountains. Occasionally a royal guard on patrol trooped past, but paid them no mind.

"Lucia?" said Kailani after a while.

"Mhmm."

"That Jevan guy you always hang out with, is he your boyfriend?"

"Jevan? Oh no, he's Jevan. We're best friends. Have been since kindergarten." She paused. "We did date for a while a few years back, but we quickly realised we work much better as just friends."

There was another long silence, Lucia continuing to cross sections of hair over each other all the way down Kailani's back into a long plait. "There, all done."

Kailani jumped up and threw the sword with the L engraving to Lucia. "Let's spar."

They faced each other and took up their starting positions, Lucia's hand gripped around the hilt of her L engraved sword. "Let's see how well you do with a Queen's sword," said Kailani as she swung her sword and made the first strike.

Lucia blocked it and grinned. "Maybe this time I'll even win."

"I wouldn't go that far," said Kailani with a sparkle in her eye as she whirled around and swung her sword high before bringing it down.

"I think you've forgotten I did win that one time," Lucia replied, parrying the strike and moving forward with an assault of her own as they circled around the lawn.

"Ah but you played dirty that time," said Kailani. "Plus," she said with a cheeky grin, "I was distracted by your low-cut bodice.

"Really?" said Lucia, pushing her hair out of her face. "Oh, my red flared dress."

"Mhmm," said Kailani, jumping up on a bench narrowly saving herself from Lucia's strike.

"I'll have to wear that more often."

They swished and blocked, struck and parried, feet moving nimbly over the perfectly manicured grass, running around imposing statues and splashing fountains.

The sword felt good in Lucia's hand, like it was made for her. She moved forward with another assault, which Kailani deftly blocked. She ran behind a hedge and found herself almost colliding with a guard, standing perfectly still with the typical guard's blank expression. Upon finding himself with a sword in his face, he swayed back slightly, but otherwise remained frozen. She pulled herself to a fast stop and apologised, then heard Kailani coming and quickly jumped behind him.

They began circling around the guard now, swords clanging against each other, while he remained perfectly still, his feather moving in the breeze, his expression unchanging as they moved around him, their blades swishing awfully close.

"I know all your moves now," said Lucia. She blew her hair away from her face and regretted giving Kailani a hairstyle advantage. "I'm going to beat you one of these days. Probably definitely today."

Kailani grinned. "We shall see."

Back and forward they duelled, running about all over the East garden, the Palace a towering backdrop behind them, until Kailani got in a final strike that sent the Queen's sword flying from Lucia's hand across the lawn.

"Noooooo," she cried as she stumbled and fell. "I was so close."

Kailani pounced on her as she tried to stand and they both fell to the ground, Kailani straddling her, arm up high, sword at her throat. "Yes, you were much closer this time," she smiled down at her. "But still, no cigar."

Lucia laughed. "Maybe I'm just lulling you into a false sense of security, letting you think you're better. Maybe I'm definitely going to beat you one day and it'll happen when you least suspect it."

Kailani let her sword drop and pinned Lucia's hands down on the grass. "I hope so. I do like surprises." They looked at each other for a few moments, then Kailani bent down, their faces drew closer, and their lips met in a soft kiss.

Chapter 13

"I'm sick of hearing about the Palace," said Jevan. "It's all you talk about these days." He sat on the floor against the wall of Lucia's bedchambers, bouncing a ball against the opposite side.

"There are only two weeks to go until the Queen decides who gets to stay on. I have to be fully focused on it right now." Lucia sat cross-legged on her bed, chewing her nails nervously.

He caught the ball in his hands and turned to her. "But Luci, just for tonight, please put your books away. I know something we can do that's much more exciting. Come on, you need a break."

"Your sort of excitement will probably get me into trouble."

"Oh it will definitely get you into trouble," he said with a gleam in his eye. "You'll love it."

"No," she said. "I'm postponing all your shenanigans until after the internship. Really, you don't seem to understand what an amazing opportunity this is."

"Don't you at least want to know what the exciting thing is?"

"Go on then, tell me."

Jevan jumped up onto the bed. He placed both hands by his sides and leant forward excitedly. "Okay. You remember that amazing new invention that came out last year, the gossamer globe?"

"Of course," said Lucia. "We saw the inventor's portrait in the Palace just a few weeks ago. It was amazing. You could talk to people from all over the world on it. I talked to a woman in Ishonia. On the whole other side of the world!"

He nodded. "And all the information ever was suddenly at your fingertips, and you could even broadcast your own KIs."

They both stared wistfully for a moment, caught in the memories.

"But we only had it for six months. Then the Queen banned it," said Lucia. "She ordered all the globes burned. There was a huge bonfire in Zeraphina Plaza. They say the Tangean milkmaids could see the smoke all the way from the eastern Tangean mountain range."

"Right, and I know the reason why."

She looked at him, her brows furrowed. "But we know why. The Queen gave that big speech about how it was ruining our ability to socialise with people in person. How nobody talked to their neighbours anymore. How the children of Zatoria didn't play outside anymore. It would inevitably lead to the downfall of society, she said, so she was banning it for our own good."

"Oh Luci, you naive wee cucumber," Jevan said, giving her a look of pity. "That's not the real reason. Think about it. The Queen loves technology. She's always encouraged innovation. And when we first got the goss, she was a big fan of it. She loved it. She went on and on about what an amazing and talented technologist her grandmother was. And then, practically overnight, she did this this huge 180 on it. Completely changed her mind. Didn't you find that strange?"

Lucia shrugged. "I guess. But she was kind of right, you know. We were all basically addicted to it from day one and it was ruining us. There were days when I didn't even do any combat training." She thought about it for a long moment. "Honestly, she's amazing. She had the vision to see where the gossamer globe would lead us, and the strength to put a stop to it, because we would never be strong enough to do it for ourselves."

Jevan gave her a look of disbelief. "Wow Luci, you've really swallowed their propaganda pills." He shook his head. "Well, 'the vision to see where it would lead' – I guess that part is right. She knew it would lead not to society's downfall, but her own."

"What in the world are you talking about?"

"Lots of people don't like the Queen." Jevan had lowered his voice, though no one else was around. "But they never talked about it. No one wanted to get in trouble for how they really thought. For years – centuries – everyone thought they were the only person who thought one person having absolute power was kind of not on, you know? And then the goss came, and everything changed overnight. People started talking to people they'd never met or seen before from all over Zatoria, from all over the world even. And they discovered that actually, everyone thinks that way. Well, most people. And with the anonymity of the goss, they could express that."

"Oh for goodness sake, Jevan. Of course there are some people who think that way – there've always been attempts at rebellions – but it's not most. Most people love the Queen. She's incredibly popular. Have you not seen the way the media fawn all over her?"

"Of course the media love her. She's beautiful and charismatic and makes for great ratings. And sure people 'like' her in the sense that she's likeable and friendly and everyone wants to be liked by the popular girl. But that doesn't mean they think she should have power over them."

Lucia stared at him. "This makes no sense. Most people like her enough to want her as Queen. She's absolutely beloved."

He shook his head. "People say that of course, but give them anonymity, and it changes. I don't know how you missed all this. The goss forums were full of Zatorians talking about it."

Lucia thought back to last year. "I spent most of that six months arguing with a woman in Ishonia over who would win in a fight, a lion or a gazelle with weapons, and watching KIs of the friendship between an owl and a duckling," she admitted.

"Oh yeah," Jevan recalled with a wistful smile. "Tony and Toni. Theirs was a beautiful friendship. Remember the one when they were wearing matching top hats? And remember that whole debacle over the purple feather? Their owners insisted one of Toni's feathers was purple, and we suspected they were lying but no-one could prove it because the images were in black and white."

"Of course, the purple feather controversy. People are still talking about it."

He looked at her very gravely and solemnly placed a hand on her shoulder. "And the Queen deprived us of watching their friendship blossom. Lucia, Zatorians are pissed."

"Well, I don't see what all this has to do with doing something exciting tonight instead of preparing for tomorrow. I'll be shadowing the Baron of Terewadel."

He lowered his voice again and looked around furtively, though there was no need for it. "Since she banned the goss, underground rebellion meetings have been popping up everywhere. There's one on tonight. Let's go."

She looked at him wide-eyed. "I can't. If the Palace found out my political career would be over."

"They won't. It's all very clandestine. They go to great measures to ensure the Palace doesn't find out."

She chewed her lip and thought about it.

"Come oooon. You know you're just stomping at the bit for some excitement. You've been so boring lately. It's been nothing but the Palace and making out with that boring Kailani."

"She's not boring. She stole a sword for me."

"She did what?"

Lucia nodded at the sword hanging by her dresser. "She stole that from the Palace armoury and snuck it out under her cloak. Go look at the insignia."

Jevan hopped up and went over to look. His face went pale. "Luci, this bears the Queen's insignia."

"Mhmm. We're pretty sure it belonged to Queen Lucille."

His eyes boggled. "I don't believe it." He lifted it up towards the light and squinted at the blade as though he were checking the authenticity of a banknote. "But Kailani is such a goody two shoes."

"Only people who don't know her well think that."

Jevan pursed his lips and thought for a while. "Well, this shows you are prepared to do things the Palace doesn't like. Come to the meeting tonight."

She relented after another round of wheedling, and they arrived at a stairwell on Siennik Street later that evening. It was still bright daylight out, even though the hour was late. "We're awfully visible," said Lucia, looking around the busy street. "Exactly," said Jevan. "Hiding in plain sight." He led her down to a basement door and knocked.

"Password," came the response.

"Noodle world take over," replied Jevan.

The door opened and the noise of a packed tavern hit them as they walked through. It was a huge underground cellar with stone pillars, glowing lamps, and people milling about drinking and talking.

"So many people," Lucia said as Jevan began leading her through the throng.

"Yeah, we'd better get good seats." Several of them greeted Jevan like an old friend.

"I guess you come here a lot," said Lucia.

"I have to fill my time somehow while you're kissing Kailani," he replied.

They passed a guy sobbing into his beer stein at a table. "Aw, that's Tikan," whispered Jevan. "He's still heartbroken."

"I'll never see her again," the man wailed, his face red and blotchy. "She was the love of my life. We shared everything."

"Sorry," said Lucia sympathetically. "Bad break up?"

"No," he said, tightly clenching the stein, "She lives all the way in the Firenziatic Realm. We were forced apart by an evil creature."

"Oh. Well you can always visit...?"

"I don't know her address," he muffled into his stein before downing the whole thing.

Lucia frowned in confusion as Jevan pulled her away. "He fell in love with a girl from the Firenziatic Realm during the six months."

"Wait... you mean without ever having met her?"

"Yes. They talked all the time, shared their deepest darkests, decided they were each others soul mates."

"But they'd never met. That can't be real love."

"It was real to them. And now he hates the Queen because she took his love away from him."

They passed another table full of angrily muttering people. "Now those folk are really angry," Jevan whispered to her. "They ran the companies that sold the globes. She took their entire business away in one fell swoop."

Yet another table of angry people. "Ah now these guys, they're really angry. They had these huge visions for where their companies would go with the advent of the globe. Like these amazing huge plans for them basically taking over the world. They're pissed as bugger all out."

Another table. "Oh, now these guys."

"Let me guess," said Lucia. "They're really, really angry?"

"Well, yes," said Jevan. "They're librarians."

"The librarians are angry?"

"Of course, why wouldn't they be. The stereotype about librarians hating stationaries and technology in general is completely unfounded. Librarians loved the goss because it enabled access to books and knowledge. Plus the advent of the stationary machine made their job 1000x easier, and then with the goss it was 1000x easier again. They love tech."

Lucia looked at the table full of disgruntled librarians cursing into their beer steins.

"So yes, there are a lot of angry librarians in the rebellion movement."

They managed to find a table with two free seats. As they sat down, one man was saying "magazines just aren't the same anymore."

"Oh yes," Lucia agreed immediately. "Magazines are absolutely an inferior source of information."

The man gave her an odd look. Jevan coughed and whispered into his fist. "He means porn, Luci."

"Oh."

The man turned back to his friend. "Sword Thrusting 2 ended on a cliffhanger," he said sadly. "I just can't believe I'll never get to see Sword Thrusting 3."

A woman took the stage and banged a spoon against a beer stein until the raucous room settled down. She began to speak.

"Thank you everyone for coming. I see our numbers are growing," she said, looking around with approval. "Last year, an invention came on the market that was so innovative, so revolutionary, it changed our very souls. The gossamer globe: the pinnacle of Zatorian achievement. A culmination of centuries of Zatorian greatness." She stopped and looked down, took a deep breath, then looked back out at the crowd with tears in her eyes.

"And then it was cruelly ripped away from us, like a baby from its mother, like a petal from its flower, like Toni from Tony."

"Cripes," whispered Lucia. "She's more dramatic than you."

Jevan shushed her.

"For six months we lived in bliss, and then it was torn away, just like that, and we entered a time of despair," the speaker continued. "Every day now, we are forced to live with the torturous injustice that the rest of the world continues to enjoy this bliss, while Zatorians, the very people who invented it, suffer great deprivation."

The tavern had fallen almost silent, save for quiet sobbing that could be heard throughout the crowd.

"But," the speaker continued, "though our despair is great, we survive. We rebel in whatever way we can, however small. The guards came and banged on our doors that dark night, they took our globes, tore them from our hands, threw them into the fire. We watched them burn, and as we stared at the flames devouring them, our souls wailed the agonised cry of a dying flower, but our resolve grew steady. We will not let this destroy us. We shall rise from the ashes anew."

Lucia turned to Jevan and opened her mouth. He held his hand up to silence her. "This is exactly the appropriate level of dramaticness, Lucia," he whispered.

"We shall revolutionise and take back our country. We have technologists willing to risk their freedom, perhaps their lives, setting up an undetectable network for us. The black market is thriving with international help. We curtsey and bow for the Queen with our bodies, but not with our hearts. She can have our bent knees but she can never take our hearts!"

The tavern erupted into cheers. The rest of the evening was a whir of drinking and talking and making grand plans, Lucia milling about listening in with interest to the conversations of rebellion and uprising. People were very interested in her work at the Palace and wanted any insight she could give them, but she would tell them nothing. Jevan spent most of the evening flirting with the speaker, and every time Lucia caught snippets of their discussion she had to supress a laugh hearing the stories they told each other with arms gesturing wildly around.

Conscious of having to be up early the next morning, once she had seen enough, she said her goodbyes, mouthed "good luck" at Jevan nodding towards the speaker, and made her way home to prepare for the next day at the Palace.

The last day of the prestigious internship was upon them. It had been an amazing, if stressful, three months. The twelve students sat around the same table they had sat at on their first day and waited to hear their fate. Lord Dancroft strode into the room carrying a set of white envelopes. The group eyed them nervously.

"And so it is time," he boomed, "for some of you to stay, and others to leave us. Those of you who have been accepted will begin your exciting new careers on Monday. Everyone else – well I guess you'll do whatever it is commoners do," he said with a dismissive flick of his wrist.

He shuffled through the envelopes in his hand. "Before I give you these, I would like to say it has been wonderful having you all here." He took a handkerchief from his breast pocket and dabbed at the corner of his eye. "I shall miss those of you leaving terribly." A few people shifted uncomfortably. Kailani chewed her lip anxiously. "I suppose there is nothing more for it," he said, "but to bite the bullet as it were." He walked around the table and handed each of them a creamy white envelope bearing their name in gold lettering with beautiful calligraphy. Chairs scraped and clanked as everyone stood up clutching their envelopes tightly to their chests and there was a round of goodbyes, the interns clearly wanting to open them in private.

Kailani and Lucia left together, just like they usually did. They had developed a habit of walking with each other out the Palace gates and down the road until they came to the point where their paths diverged. Now as always, they walked down the main carriageway, past the tiered fountain with lily pads and giant goldfish, all the way down to the huge golden gates.

"I'm sure you got in," said Kailani. "Everyone loves you."

"I'm sure you got in," said Lucia. "All the nobles were clearly very impressed with your work."

"I'm not so sure," Kailani said. "They weren't so impressed with my presentation skills."

The gates were already opening for them and they walked through. "Bye Fred," they called to the guard in the guard's booth. He gave them a quick wave and tipped his hat. They began walking down the road until they could not put it off any longer.

"Come on, shall we open them now? Together?" said Kailani.

"Yes," said Lucia. "Let's do it at the same time. Just rip the band aid off."

They stood still on the road and tore open their envelopes.

"Oh my gosh!" shrieked Kailani, her face lighting up. "I got it, I got it!"

"That's great," said Lucia. "So, so great for you. Congratulations." She smiled at her.

"Oh. Oh Lucia," Kailani said, seeing her face. "I'm so sorry." She stood there silent for a moment. "I really thought you would get it."

Lucia lowered her envelope. She swallowed hard. "Well, I guess that's it. No career in politics for me."

"That's not true. You could always work for the city council."

Lucia gave a small smile. "I don't think so. That's not for me." She looked back from where they had come at the turrets towering above the treetops. "The Palace was always my dream."

She turned back and they slowly started walking again. "But I'm so glad for you," she said, trying to remain cheerful. "You really deserve it." They reached the end of the road. This was the point where they split to go to their own separate homes.

"Well," said Kailani awkwardly. "I guess I should say goodbye."

Lucia looked at her. "Would you..." she began. "Would you maybe like to go out for a drink some time? Or dinner even. There's this great new restaurant that just opened on Ketaki Stre−"

Kailani looked down. "Um." She looked uncomfortable.

"Oh. Oh never mind. Sorry. Forget I asked."

Kailani stared hard at the gravel road. "Look it's just, um, I'm going to be really busy, you know. With the new job and all."

"Right. Yeah. Of course. It's fine. You don't have to explain anything."

"Okay. Well. Goodbye Lucia." And with that, she turned and walked away.

Lucia watched her go, then turned and walked the familiar route for the last time, through the streets of Awatere lively and full in the late summer evening. She walked all the way home, went straight to her bedchamber, lay down on her bed, and cried.

"None of the lot of those pouncy puffed up pear-faced aristocratic fools know a good thing when they see it," Jevan said, pacing up and down in her bedchambers. He had come over to cheer her up.

Lucia lay on her bed and stared at the ceiling.

"You're better off. You wouldn't want to work for those gurgling dehydrated muffins anyway."

"It was my dream."

"Pfft. To be an assistant? Make coffee for twats all your life?"

"That's not what the job was." She sat up and put her head in her hands. "It was everything."

He rolled his eyes and sat down with her. "Nonsense. Stop acting like your life is over. There are so many things you could do." He thought for a moment. "You know what I think you'd be great at? Being a comedian."

Lucia made a face.

"You'd be great at it. Think about it. Comedians are allowed to openly make fun of the Queen."

"That's true." She smiled a little in spite of herself. "I do have a few things I could say about her."

"You see," he nudged her. "You've no reason to mope. You have a great life ahead of you."

"Jevan." She looked down and blinked back a tear, lowering her voice to a mumbly whisper. "Why doesn't Kailani want me? What's wrong with me?"

Jevan was silent for a moment. "I don't know Luci," he said quietly. He leant forward and took her in his arms for a long hug. "But nothing's wrong with you." She wrapped her arms around him and rested her chin on his shoulder. They sat like that for a time, listening only to the sound of the clock ticking on the wall, until he jumped back up and said "come on now, that's enough brooding. There's another underground meeting tonight. We're going, and this time, you can reveal all the juicy stuff you learnt at the Palace."

Present day...

"How could you do it?" Kailani screamed, her face distorting into a mixture of rage and pain.

"Do WHAT," Lucia yelled back, her own rage growing. "Kailani, I didn't do anything!"

"Kill me!" screamed Kailani. "How could you try and kill me?"

"I DIDN'T," Lucia screamed back into her face. They lay like that breathing hard, staring into each other's eyes, Lucia immobilised, Kailani enraged, their faces so close their lips were almost touching, adrenaline coursing through both of them.

"Please Kai," Lucia said, looking into her eyes, imploring her. "I swear by the sword, I did not try to kill you."

Kailani's eyes began to show a shadow of doubt.

Suddenly an amplified voice coming from outside shook them out of their little world. "Kailani Rhys," it boomed. "This is the National Guard. Your house is surrounded. Come out with your hands above your head."

Kailani leapt up and in an instant she was gone. Lucia dropped her head down on the carpet and closed her eyes. It was over. She lay there waiting for her racing pulse to return to normal. Some loud thuds and clashes boomed out and then the sounds of a door being broken down. Yelling, loud footsteps, suddenly the house was full of people. Lucia opened her eyes. A guard was staring down at her with a concerned expression. "Prime Minister? Are you okay?"
Chapter 14

Lucia was livid. She strode down a hallway in the Shell towards the guard's headquarters and burst in. A room full of guards turned and stared slack jawed at the sight of her bruised face. "You," she pointed at one of the them, frozen in place with a piece of toast halfway to his mouth. "Explain this to me at once. Why hasn't Kailani been arrested?"

The guard gulped nervously and tried to get his words out. "We tried, Ma'am. But Captain Ziyad stopped us."

Lucia blinked at him uncomprehendingly. "He did what? Get me a communication line with him immediately. Get me Shoma. Why isn't he here?"

"He's in his office telegramming with the Lissdale regiment right now, Ma'am, trying to sort this out."

She slammed her fist down on a table and they all jumped. The piece of toast slipped from the guard's hand and he watched its descent to the floor in dismay, wanting to pick it up but too afraid to move. They were saved by Shoma's timely arrival, as the door opened right then and she whirled around to direct her ire towards him. The Commander of the Guards entered the room with a shell-shocked face.

"Shoma, I want her arrested. I want her bodyguard arrested. I want the entire McCombian party arrested."

"Prime Minister," Shoma said, his voice shaky. "I have news, but you need to calm down to hear it."

Her mouth opened to spew forth some more rage, but his expression registered with her in time and she forced herself to take a breath. "Tell me," she said, quieter now.

He ran a hand through his hair and likewise took a deep breath. "There has been a rebellion uprising in the north. They have control of everything after the Isla river."

A deathly hush fell across the guard's room.

"I don't understand," said Lucia, her hand tightly gripping the table edge. "You control all the regiments. Contact them at once, tell them they must follow your orders."

"I have. They refuse to cooperate with me. They're following Kailani's orders now."

"No," Lucia whispered, "no, she can't do that."

"She has. They want to declare northern Zatoria an independent country with Kailani as its ruler. Captain Ziyad says it's as good as done, but Kailani would be willing to negotiate with you if necessary."

Lucia felt weak. "Unacceptable. No. Absolutely not. She's not getting one inch of Zatoria. We'll invade. Send in all the southern regiments."

"Prime Minister, you're talking about declaring civil war."

"I don't care! I won't give her any part of Zatoria."

"Ma'am, this country has just been through a revolution. Countless people worked tirelessly to spill as little blood as possible, to keep Zatoria running smoothly through such a turbulent time. No-one wants a civil war."

"You can't surely be suggesting we give them independence. A divided Zatoria?"

"If it's what the people want."

"The people didn't have a choice in the matter! She's a dictator. They are our fellow citizens, and they are now under the rule of a tyrant. We have to save them."

He looked anguished and nodded. She took a step towards him. "Shoma," she said forcing herself to speak as calmly as she could manage, "the McCombian party, they are not good people. An entire tavern full of them let the Prime Minister be abducted in plain sight. They are enemies of the state. We have to liberate our northern brothers and sisters. Yes," she nodded to herself with renewed determination. "We'll invade."

"Bu..."

"We have far more military power than they do. We'll devise strategic attacks that minimise casualties as much as possible, but we will invade."

"With all due respect, Ma'am, you don't have the pow−"

"I know what power I have. Call a Great Chamber session at once," she whirled around a final time and strode out, leaving a room full of guards staring after her.

"Order, order," yelled the moderator. "SILENCE IN MY GREAT CHAMBER."

The Great Chamber was in quite the tizzy, a flurry with the noise of over a hundred politicians abuzz at the news.

"ORDER, ORDER," the moderator yelled fruitlessly. He peered over at one of the chairs and squinted his eyes. "Why is there a cat in my Great Chamber?"

"That's Kevin," said Giles. "He's standing in for Jane today as she has more pressing issues to attend to."

The moderator just stared at him.

Lucia stood up and waited patiently for the din to subside. One by one, politicians settled down and took their seats. Lucia took a breath. "We are declaring war on the north." A chaotic buzz immediately started up again and she simply stood there and waited it out.

"Prime Minister, you don't have the power to make that declaration," said Giles.

"It's true," agreed Blythe. "The whole chamber has to vote on it. And," she paused and looked at Lucia pointedly. "It won't be an electronic vote."

Lucia raised an eyebrow. "Not a problem. We shall do it by a verbal vote."

The moderator nodded. "Let's hear your argument."

"Kailani has declared herself ruler of all regions north of the Isla river. It is not legal. This was done against the will of the people. There was no election. Northern Zatoria is still Zatoria. The people of the north are now led by a tyrant, and we must liberate them."

Giles stood up slowly. "If I may, Ma'am, we have heard contrasting reports. This is the will of the northerners, and much like the citizens of Zatoria had the right to abolish the monarchy and install this government, northerners likewise have the right to independence."

"And moreover," agreed Blythe, "we have just been through a revolution. To have a civil war now would ultimately make our efforts a massive failure."

There was a murmuring of agreement.

Lucia had no patience for any of this. Debate was not necessary, she held the majority. She turned to the moderator. "Let's hold the vote right now."

"As you wish. Those in favour of declaring war on the north say aye."

"Aye," said Lucia, her sole voice ringing out into the otherwise silent chamber. Giles and the Verdancies said nothing. Blythe and the Schonians said nothing. Kevin was fast asleep. That much was expected, but the silence behind her she had not expected.

She turned to look at her party in disbelief. No-one could look at her. "Patrik? Not even you?" He stared at his hands.

"Those not in favour, say nay," said the moderator. A loud chorus of nays echoed around the room.

"Well," said the moderator. "The nays have it."

Lucia gathered up her things and strode towards the doors. "Excuse me, Prime Minister, the session is not over," objected the moderator.

"I call it over," she spat at him as she stormed out.

Gerda shrank into her chair as she saw the Prime Minister approaching. "Call them all into my office at once," Lucia demanded without greeting her.

She slammed the door and began pacing up and down angrily. How could they do that to her.

"How could you do that to me?" she screamed as the Sheppardors trooped in like mice entering a cat's lair. "Betrayed by my own party."

"Please be rational, Prime Minister," said Shoma. "No-one wants to go to war on their own country."

"They're traitors."

Patrik cleared his throat. "You've got to calm down before we can discuss our options properly," he said quietly but firmly.

"If one more person tells me to calm down..." she said, her jaw clenched tight.

"Luci, you've been through a lot," said Jevan gently, looking at her face. The bruises were coming up dark and angry. "Let me take you to medical."

"I'm fine. I need my country put back together."

"Perhaps you should just take a short break," said Shoma. "We all need some time to think things through."

"Stop it, all of you." She glared at them huddled in their little group. "I'm the Prime Minister. I'm not taking a break."

There was a long pause as the Sheppardors looked at each other with uncertainty. Lucia walked to the window and stared out.

"Prime Minister," Serai eventually ventured, "why don't you negotiate with her as she requests?"

"We have nothing to negotiate with her about. I'm not giving her anything."

"It's not your choice," Patrik said, adjusting his bowtie and taking a step forward with renewed determination. "Giles may have been right. Northerners support Kailani. She wouldn't have been able to do this if they didn't. And the entire point of this Revolution was to give the choice to the people. If the people in the north want Kailani as their leader, then that's what they want."

"That's ridiculous. They can't just decide to take a country for themselves."

"That's exactly what we did to the former Queen."

"Besides, the northern regiments are their brothers and sisters you know," said Shoma. "The southern regiments will not attack them. Nobody wants a war."

Lucia shook her head. "They've been plotting this from the beginning, you know," she said bitterly.

"Who has?" asked Varielle.

"The Queen and Kailani. They're working together. They intended, of course, for Kailani to win the election. Kailani worked all those years as her right-hand woman. She's still just her puppet. The Queen intended Kailani to win, and then she would still control the country, because she controls Kailani."

The Sheppardors exchanged sceptical glances. "I don't think the Queen would ever accept power by proxy," said Varielle.

"Better than none at all. And then when she didn't win, she immediately put this plan into motion to discredit me and cause general mayhem. And now they've decided to settle for the north."

"Whether that's true or not, right now negotiations with Kailani are your only option," said Patrik. "You can't go to war. Think of how that will look in the history books. The very first Prime Minister, only one week into her Premiership, declared war on her own country."

"And if I just give Kailani the north I'll go down as weak and ineffectual."

"Regardless," he continued. "You don't have the power to declare war. The party is not behind you and neither is parliament."

They were standing close together now, facing each other with folded arms and hard expressions, the other Sheppardors nervously glancing at their sheaths to ensure they were empty. Lucia turned away first. She walked over to her desk and leant back against it. "You all chose me as your leader. When we formed this party, I would've been happy to just be a regular member. I was excited just to be part of it. But Serai, our fabulous PR genius here" – Serai flinched at the sarcastic tone – "gave a rousing speech about what a great leader I would make. I had the leadership skills and the presence for the job, she said. You all agreed with her. You all supported me. You chose me to lead you. You voted on it," she said bitterly. "And now you have no respect for my decisions."

The Sheppardors were silent.

Lucia turned her head away and stood up to leave. "I'll be in my residence. I have things to think about."

She sat on the floor of her living room leaning back against the sofa with her eyes closed, trying to ignore her aching bruises. Butterfloogles rubbed against her leg and she reached over to stroke him. She heard the door open and looked up to see Jevan walking in.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, his voice gentler than usual.

"Like everything's falling apart."

He came over and sat down beside her, then looked at her face with its busted lip, a black eye, bruises and welts all over her cheeks and gave a low whistle. "Nice war wounds."

"Pfft. You should see her."

"Is she completely bruise-free?"

She smiled and gave him a playful shove. "Shut up."

"Are you really alright?" he asked. "You were kidnapped."

She rubbed her face and nodded. "I'm fine, honestly."

He went to her bathroom and returned with a medical kit. She picked Butterfloogles up and put him on her lap, leaning down to press her face against his fur, resting for a long moment before sitting back up again. Jevan sat back down and began applying a cold compress to her lip. She winced as she felt the cool pressure against the wound.

"What am I going to do Jev? It's been one week and everything is falling to pieces already."

"You'll do what a leader does, sort it out. Er, in a peaceful way that is."

"It can't really be true, can it? That Kailani ruling is the will of the people."

"It's possible," he said with a shrug.

Lucia sighed and stroked Butterfloogles.

"Look, Luci, you're the first leader in post-revolutionary Zatoria. The country has been through massive upheaval. Of course it's all going to be a wee bit of a mess in the beginning. It'll all work out in the end though."

"You make it sound a lot simpler than it actually is."

"It is that simple, so cheer up," he ordered. "I know you can handle this. You're the best Prime Minister this country has ever had, after all."

She laughed, then winced again at the pain moving her face brought.

"Good, as long as I can still make you laugh all is not lost. Hold this," he said, indicating the compress, then picked up a cream. He began dabbing it onto a thick welt on her cheek. "Now I might not know a lot about all the politickey stuff. But I do know, and your current mess of a face would support this theory, that you're a lot better at the talking stuff than the fighting stuff."

She frowned at him. "You're not allowed to be mean to me right now."

"I will always be mean to you. My point is, you should absolutely negotiate with Kailani. She might have the book smarts and the sword smarts, but you can run circles around her just with your words. Bring her down here, do your negotiating thing with her, and there's no way you won't come out of it the winner."

"Maybe you have a point."

"And we might get a better idea of how northerners really feel about all this ado too."

She thought for a long moment while his fingers tenderly massaged the relieving substance into her skin.

"Okay." She set Butterfloogles aside, who gave her an indignant meow, and jumped up. "Let's fight."

Jevan put down the cream. "Are the words that come out of my mouth just noises to you? Do you just hear a weird buzzing sound or something?"

She laughed. "I meant let's spar, now. Just for practice. I will negotiate with Kailani, but that's no reason not to keep my training up. Because no matter how much we negotiate, you don't need to be a fortune teller to know there will come a point in the future when we duel again, and when that time comes, I am going to win."

Chapter 15

Lucia sat with her elbow on the desk, chin resting on her hand, idly watching the colours of her gossamer globe swirl and change beneath the intricate webbing. She gave it a little push with her index finger and it spun around, all the countries of the world blurring into each other. It slowed to a stop and she pushed it until Zatoria was facing her, glowing a bright green.

She sighed and glanced at her stationary. There was much to be done and she had not a clue where to start. A complete information shut down from the northern regiments had taken place. They refused even to talk to Shoma, unless it was to arrange a meeting between Lucia and Kailani. Scouts reported Lissdale was heavily controlled by guards, swarming everywhere like flies.

She switched over to the news. Tangean milkmaids had been voted worst cheesemakers in the world. A petition had been started for KI in colour so that the debate about the colour of Toni's feather could finally be settled. The Firenziatic Realm had declared war on Rhydianland.

"Your Deputy is here." Gerda's voice suddenly broke through the intercom.

"Send him through please."

"Good morning, Prime Minister," Patrik greeted her, "I'm glad to see the bruises are healing well."

"I always heal fast."

He gave her a cautious smile. "You know we would have understood if you'd needed a couple of days off."

"Nonsense," she said brightly. "I'm fine. It was only a little abduction."

He stood there awkwardly so she gave him a reassuring smile. "We're fine, Patrik, I was simply a little out of sorts yesterday. Please speak plainly."

"Indeed," he said, shuffling a stack of folders in his arms, "I have several intelligence reports here regarding all the information we have on the current northern situation. I believe if we send negotiators up to the front lines, we shou−"

"Patrik," Lucia interrupted him, "I've been reading the forums on the goss."

"Ah," he replied. "That's probably not such a good idea."

"The tide is turning against me. So many people are saying terrible things about me. They don't trust me. They don't think I can lead them out of this. They think the country was more stable under the monarchy."

"People are just worried. It's a very turbulent time for the country."

She gave him a look and picked up her goss, switching it off. "I think I need a break from this."

He winced a little as the globe went dark, anxiously tugging at his bowtie. "Seeing it go dark is slightly traumatic, you know," he said. "Reminds me of the Despair."

"Come now, it's only a temporary Despair. You should try it some time, you'll find it does wonders for your productivity."

He nodded, but gave her an unconvinced look. Lucia sat back and swivelled back and forth, too anxious to sit still. Patrik regarded her glum face. "Prime Minister," he said, clearing his throat. "Of course the people want stability. And they are worried for their northern compatriots. And of course no-one wants to be on the verge of war. But this is all quite normal. The Revolution was quite the excitement, and now we're living with the resulting instability. It will take some time to right itself, but we'll get there. I can assure you, no-one really wants the monarchy back. No-one wants to go back to the Despair."

Lucia tapped her pen on the arm of the chair and bit her lip. "They're saying really mean things though."

He nodded. "I do know how you feel. I've been there, you know. One time, during the Six Months, I angered an entire forum of model horse collectors when I oiled a T-3489 Clydesdale with oil only meant for W-3985 Clydesdales."

"Oh no," said Lucia. "I am sorry."

"Then eleven years later on the night we got the Bliss back, right after storming the Palace, the first message I received was an enraged comment on the issue." Patrik stared off for a moment reliving the memory, then snapped out of it. "But these people are just letting off steam. It's not personal."

"It feels very personal." She turned away from her stationary and looked up at him. "I'm sorry, please go on."

She tried to concentrate as he talked, but her mind was whirling. Rumours of election rigging were spreading, and she could not help but curse the goss for facilitating them.

On her way to the chiffonier meeting later that day, Lucia took the long way, new mini globe in hand, to stretch her legs and take a moment to clear her mind. She wandered along the twists and turns of the Shell, pressing her hand against her side as the dull ache in her ribs where she'd been kicked grew stronger. She had to pause for a moment and put her hand against the wall, doubled over, waiting for it to subside.

After regaining her strength, she arrived in the meeting room and took her place at the head of the table, called it to order, then sat back and listened to the Sheppardor party argue.

"Give them everything from the Isla river and the mountain terrain northwards," suggested Varielle. "Southerners never go that far north anyway."

"I do," said Shoma. "I love to holiday in Giati Bay."

"What if we just gave her the marshlands in Feth," wondered one member.

"Give her a goddamn uninhabited island on the other side of the world and tell her and her ilk to bugger off there and leave us alone," muttered another.

"What about those mountains on the other side of the Isla Sea where the terrible cheese comes from," wondered Serai.

"That's Tangea," said Shoma with a frown.

Lucia snapped back into it at some point. "I see you've all decided it's a given that negotiations will take place."

The members looked at her. There was some uncomfortable clearing of throats and the scraping of chairs.

"At the very least, talking to her will provide information, and we will then know how to better proceed," Patrik offered. The others nodded.

"Yes, I agree" said Lucia, to the party's surprise. "We invite Kailani to the Shell."

Varielle bit her lip and looked at the bruises on Lucia's face, fading, but still visible. "You don't have to be the one to talk to her you know," she said. "We could take care of it."

"Absolutely not," said Lucia. "I will deal with her."

She looked at Shoma. "Can you make it happen?"

He nodded. "I can get my people on the frontline to negotiate an immunity deal for them. We will, of course, have to assure them safety."

"Do it then." She stood up abruptly and gathered her things to leave. "I want this resolved as soon as possible."

Patrik coughed politely. "Prime Minister, there are still several more items on the agenda."

"You can take care of them, I'm sure." She gave him a curt nod and, ignoring the surprised looks around the table, departed.

The balancing beam in Lucia's training room creaked as she lunged forward on it, swinging her sword in a high arc. She jumped and half-turned, then lunged the other way. Her port buzzed from across the room, but she ignored it. Telegrams could wait. Checking her form in the mirror, she spent several minutes practicing her foot work up and down the beam until she was satisfied. She stretched up high, then lowered herself down into the splits, embracing the satisfying stretch in her thighs. She stretched from side to side, then sat up, back perfectly straight, sword clasped in front of her, centering her, and closed her eyes. Loud, chaotic thoughts attempted to intrude in her mind, the weight of her responsibilities pressed down on her, the things she had done flit inwards, but she pushed them out, refused them. Her barrier successfully set up, she sat there for several moments welcoming in the calm.

Once she was finished with her basic exercises, she swung her legs around, jumped off and walked to the mirror, pleased to see the bruises were long gone. She examined her face carefully, making sure not a trace of evidence remained of her ordeal in Lissdale. Her body, likewise, was healed and pain free. She felt good. Strong. Prepared.

She walked down the line of swords mounted on the wall, replacing the sword she had been using, until she came to Queen Lucille's with the familiar L engraving. Sparkling in the sunlight, the turquoise gems really were very pretty. She took it carefully from the wall and sheathed it in her scabbard.

Today was the day Kailani was coming to the Shell.
Chapter 16

A tense silence filled the Prime Minister's office. Lucia stood behind her desk, hands on the back of her chair. Patrik and Shoma were in front of it, facing the door. The intercom buzzed and Gerda's tinny voice came through. "They're here."

The door opened and Kailani entered, followed by Ethan and two Shell guards. She walked calmly towards Lucia, head high, hand instinctually resting where the hilt of her sword would have been. Lucia was looking behind her at the man who had kidnapped her days earlier. The sight of him made her pulse race faster, a panicked thudding inside her, but outwardly she maintained an image of stillness. He met her gaze with a hardened, unapologetic stare. She eyed him up and down for a moment, then turned to Kailani. The two women stood metres apart, feet firmly planted, staring daggers at each other.

Patrik coughed into his hand. He cleared his throat several times, then said "let's get right to it. We have mapped out a route where the border could potentially lie−"

Lucia held up her hand. "Everyone leave us please."

Patrik started. "Prime Minister, no, that's not a good idea."

"Absolutely not," said Ethan, his voice practically a growl. Kailani turned back to him. "Leave, Ethan."

Lucia looked at Patrik and Shoma. "We have some private business to discuss. Please show the others to the west gallery reception parlour. Serve them tea and cakes." She gave them a reassuring smile.

Shoma eyed Kailani's empty scabbard around her waist.

"She has been frisked for weapons," one of the guards offered.

He nodded. There were a few more moments of tense silence, then, reluctantly, everyone filed out, Patrik giving Lucia a look of concern as he closed the door behind him.

They were alone.

"We're not going to negotiate at all, are we?" said Kailani.

Lucia scoffed. "Oh hell no." She walked over to a cabinet and took out two swords, throwing one to Kailani. The blade arced through the air, glinting as it spun beneath the lights, before landing in Kailani's deft hand. She looked it over and tested it out in her hands. A long rapier, brightly polished, with a spiral sword knot decorating its silver hilt. "Beautiful," she murmured. "And very fair of you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," said Lucia.

Now it was Kailani's turn to scoff. "We both know you're not above cheating." She looked over at Lucia's choice of sword. "Ah. How fitting."

They began slowly circling each other, carving out a space in the Prime Minister's office between the sofas and the desk, eyes firmly planted on the other. Holding the other's gaze, they set their swords down and reached one hand to their wrist to pull off a hair tie, scraped their long hair off their faces, and in near-synchronised movements each tied their hair into tight ponytails. They picked their swords up again and took up initial positions.

"Just so you know," said Kailani, her voice calm and quiet as she levelled the sword straight at Lucia's throat. "This is not a fucking frolic in a garden." Her eyes bore into her as she spoke her next words softly and slowly. "I will kill you."

Lucia made no answer, she simply lunged forward and swung her sword hard in a wide arc. Their blades clashed in the air with a spark and in an instant they were in the thick of it. The last time they had fought had been right before the election, for the Prime Minister's duel. That had been in front of KI cameras, a show for the country, an exercise in demonstrating their skill with theatrical flourishes.

This was different. There was no audience, only the urge to hurt each other, only harsh brutality behind the swings of their swords. They moved back and forth around the room, advancing and retreating, striking and blocking. Gaining ground, Lucia advanced on Kailani until her legs hit the sofa. She jumped backwards onto it, then up onto the back of the sofa as Lucia quickly followed. It fell over with a hard thud and Kailani stumbled backwards into the wall, her head cracking against a painting. She grunted and her face twisted into a grimace. "Well look at you, you have improved," she said, her voice dripping with contempt. "Took you long enough." She pushed forward and gained her ground back, wrist flicking fast. "Still, I'm surprised you chose that sword for today." She lunged again and Lucia dodged to the left. She hit a table and a vase crashed to the ground, but the sound was distant in her ears. "Now it's just going to be the sword you lost to me with, yet again."

Lucia stayed quiet, her eyes were laser-focused on Kailani's blade.

"Oh, no banter today?" said Kailani, her eyebrows raised. "That's not like you."

Lucia pressed her lips together and ignored the taunts as they whipped back and forth around the office. She was waiting for her moment, carefully watching the curve of each swing, learning her opponent's movements, anticipating them. Kailani moved like a cat, swift and sleek, with perfect balance and form as each arc made the muscles in her arm ripple, her waist twisting back and forth, her silhouette transforming into snapshots of elegant bodylines with each change of position.

Lucia watched it all with steadfast focus, dodging and ducking, reeling back from the onslaught, knowing she was scarcely keeping up, but likewise knowing her moment would come. She hit a cabinet and nearly fell, but quickly regained her balance and used the force to propel herself forward. Kailani had fallen silent now, her expression hardened, and only the sounds of the clanging of metal and their furious cries filled the room. Another swing from Kailani and Lucia dodged it again, but not fast enough this time. The blade hit her arm like a snake bite and blood began to seep out. She ignored it, barely noticed it, tuned it out and focused on her opponent.

She saw Kailani's eyes fall to the cut and a smirk began to cross her face. Lucia raised her sword high above her head and swung fast. It hit the base of Kailani's sword and she gave a gasp as it flew from her hand. Both women stopped short as they watched Kailani's sword leap into the air. The frenzied fight came to a sudden stop as they turned to stare at its trajectory across the room. Eyes wide in disbelief, they turned back to face each other. It was only a split-second hesitation as Lucia's brain tried to make sense of the image of a weaponless Kailani standing before her while she herself still wielded her sword, the briefest moment to absorb the shock, then she remembered herself and lunged forward with a battle cry thrusting right towards the centre of Kailani's chest.

But Kailani had recovered too. Quick as a flash, she jumped backwards and scrambled up onto the overturned sofa. She stood above Lucia now, staring down, eyes blazing like she welcomed the challenge as Lucia aimed her sword upwards. She thrust it again, and in one smooth movement Kailani hitched up her skirts, swung her leg around in a large arc, and kicked Lucia's sword from her hand. Lucia turned to dive for it but realised her mistake even as she began to move. Kailani leapt onto her back and had her in a headlock in an instant. Her legs wrapped around her waist in a tight vice, her arm around her throat, squeezing as Lucia scrambled to pull it away. They stumbled about, hitting furniture and crashing into walls as Lucia desperately tried to shake her off, clutching her arm so she could breath, feeling her thighs clench around her hips.

Then she remembered the dagger she had sheathed. She pulled it from her waist and thrust it back behind her head. Kailani jerked away from the approaching blade and fell from her. She dove towards the fallen Queen's sword, picked it up, and whirled around to face Lucia with it. There was no hesitation this time, only a cry of rage as Kailani charged at her. Lucia backed up fast and felt herself collide with the desk. Before she could put a hand behind her to right herself, Kailani had already swept the dagger from her hand. It clattered across the floor and she tried to go for it, but Kailani already had her hand at her throat, pushing her back. With her other hand, she pointed the Queen's sword at Lucia's chest, this time the tip making contact with her skin. Lucia was backed up against her desk, hands on either side behind her, leaning back as far as she could from the point of the blade. Kailani stared at her, her eyes flashing, breathing hard, then looked down at the spot where blade met skin.

Gasping for breath, Lucia followed her gaze and tried to lean back further. With every inch she pressed backwards, Kailani pressed an inch forward, leaning more and more over her, her hand gripping the hilt so tightly her knuckles had paled.

They both stared at the blade on her breast for several moments, then their eyes met each other. "Well," said Lucia quietly, still getting her breathing under control, "we're back here again."

Kailani swallowed.

"And yet, you never actually kill me. I don't think you can do it. Go on. You've said you want to enough times. Do it. Kill me."

She gargled out a half scream of rageful frustration then dropped the sword. It fell loudly to the ground. She grabbed the back of Lucia's head, clawed her nails into her hair, pulled her body up close, and suddenly they were kissing. Lucia pressed her hands against Kailani's shoulders and shoved her back in shock.

"Now?" she said, her eyes full of confusion. "Now you want me? Why?"

"I wanted you then too," replied Kailani. Lucia stared back at her, hesitated a moment, then wrapped her arms around Kailani's neck and pulled her back in. Their mouths met again, tentative at first, but quickly becoming more frantic. They ran their hands up each other's bodies, trailed their fingers across their bodices, Kailani's hand finding Lucia's breast and cupping it firmly, digging her fingernails in until Lucia let out a cry of pain. Kailani stopped and pulled back, but Lucia pulled her quickly back in. "Harder," she murmured.

They were in each other's arms once more, Kailani moving her mouth to the nape of Lucia's neck, nuzzling it, then biting down until Lucia gasped again, one hand pulling the laces of Lucia's bodice undone with practiced ease and the other grabbing a fistful of hair to roughly pull. She tore at the fabric, hitched up Lucia's dress and pulled it over her head, tossed it to the floor, then continued running her hands all over her back, up her torso, her breasts. She pressed her thigh hard between Lucia's legs and another moan escaped Lucia's mouth. She ran her hands downwards, placed them on Lucia's hips, and lifted her up onto the desk.

Lucia wrapped her legs around Kailani's waist, her arms around her neck, breathing her in as they continued to explore each other, her whole body tingling from Kailani's touch. Kailani pushed her back onto the desk and got onto it herself. Reaching behind her to unclasp Lucia's hands from her neck, she took them and pinned her down, pressed her weight onto her, and the once metal-clanging sounds that had filled the Prime Minister's office were replaced by moans.
Chapter 17

Gerda righted an askew painting on the wall and stepped back to observe it. "Perfectly perpendicular," she said with a nod of satisfaction, then turned around and surveyed the Prime Minister's office. "Now for the rest of it."

Patrik walked in and stopped short at the sight of the chaotic mess. The sofas were overturned, the coffee table was broken, and there was broken glass and vases all over the floor. "What in the world happened here?"

"I believe negotiations got a wee bit heated," said Gerda.

"Where are they now?"

"Lucia is in her residence taking a break. Kailani has relieved the Shell of her abominable presence. I believe she and her people have returned to the north," replied Gerda as she set about trying to right a sofa. "Oh, you don't worry about that," said Patrik. "We'll get cleaners in."

He shook his head and sent Lucia a telegram asking about the outcome of the negotiations. Then he looked at her desk and received another shock.

Lucia ignored her buzzing port. It was out of reach on the other side of her huge tiled bathroom, and she was lying in the bath, submerged up to the neck in water. She closed her eyes and sank in further, feeling the warm water envelope her. It rippled around her, soothing her aching muscles. There was a loud banging at the door of her residence, loud enough that she could hear it through the bathroom door, and her eyes flew open. Goddamnit, she thought. Can't I have one moment of peace around here. She tried to ignore it a few moments longer, but the buzzing and the banging only grew more incessant, invading her ears like an orchestra of recorders. Grudgingly, she stepped out of the bath and put her bathrobe on, then trudged to the front door. A panicked guard stood there.

"What is it?" she asked curtly. "I was busy."

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Ma'am," he said. "But you're needed in your office. They say it's an emergency."

She sighed. Of course it was. She dressed quickly, then made her way to the top of the Shell. She could see now the path there wasn't so difficult after all, and it was true the layout of the building was intuitive.

"If it's the state of the office," Lucia began as she walked in, "don't worry about it, I'll take care of it." She stopped to see Patrik and Ada looking at her aghast. "Oh, Ada. Hello." She looked around at the mess in her office and shifted uncomfortably. "It was just a sword fight, that's all."

"It's not that," said Patrik.

"What then?"

"Prime Minister... your gossamer globe is gone."

Lucia felt the blood drain from her face. She raced to her desk and looked at the docking container where it was always cradled. "No, it must have just fallen off," she said, getting down to look on the floor. "It must be here somewhere."

"We've looked," said Patrik. "It's not here." He paused. "You didn't move it?"

"No," she whispered. They looked at each other terrified.

"So she must have it," Patrik said quietly.

"Yes," Lucia whispered. She felt sick. She turned to Ada. "What does this mean, exactly?"

"She has everything," said Ada. "Everything you've ever done on your stationary and your port."

Lucia had to grip the edge of the desk to keep from falling over. She pushed the thought that she had ever opened that anonymous telegram on election night from her mind. "Can't you do something? Turn it off. Lock it. Something."

"No," said Ada. "The service provider could deactivate it, but she would still have the data in the gossamer."

"But you have to shut it down."

"I can't do that. Of course, only an experienced technologist would be able to interpret the data."

"How did she even manage to take it without your noticing?" asked Patrik.

Lucia swallowed. "I don't know."

He gave her a hard stare of disappointment. "You should have had your eyes on her the whole time."

"I did," she said weakly. Her eyes flicked to Ada, then she looked down. "Surely you must be able do something."

Ada shook her head. "This does mean we can track her now though. All I need is your globe's registration number, which I have in my office. Let me go and find it now, and then we'll know exactly where she is."

"Well," said Patrik, once Ada had left. "Perhaps we're overreacting. I'm sure all your work is completely by the book. She won't be able to find anything on you?"

"Of course not."

"Okay. So just a huge breach in national security then."

Lucia sat on the edge of the overturned sofa and put her head in her hands. "We'll have to call another Great Chamber session."

The Great Chamber was in a frenzy of flustered politicians once more. Lucia had given an account of the events and now yelling echoed throughout the space, papers were thrown, indignant cries were hurled. Lucia sat in her chair and waited for the noise to subside. When it finally did, Blythe shot out of her seat and glared at Lucia.

"Prime Minister, you need to tell us exactly what happened in your negotiations with Kailani."

"I have already told you everything," Lucia said. "I don't know how she stole my gossamer globe, but she did. She has all my data now."

The chamber erupted again. The moderator banged his gavel to no avail.

Patrik stood up and addressed the issue for her. "We know they intend to create a land border several kilometres south of Lissdale. We also know there has been plenty of military movement that suggests they are planning something." He paused. "Like an invasion. And we don't know how northerners are faring under their self-imposed leadership."

"And exactly what information do they have from the Prime Minister's stationary," asked Blythe.

"Everything," said Patrik. "All our intelligence reports, defence systems, and military strategies."

"That's not what she wants it for though," Lucia said quietly. Amidst the loud yelling as another round of jeers broke out in the chamber, only Patrik heard her. He looked down at her questioningly.

She stood up and yelled for everyone to shut up. "I believe this means it is time for another vote. In light of this development, perhaps your votes have changed. The only answer here is to invade their headquarters in Lissdale and take them down. They have stolen classified information. They kidnapped the Prime Minister. They infiltrated the Shell under false pretences. They are enemies of the state. It's time to arrest them."

"They are heavily protected by the northern regiments," said Blythe, "so the only way to do that would be for our regiments to attack them. Again, the question is, do we want civil war?"

Loud yelling again. An apple flew out of the crowd somewhere.

Lucia sat down in despair. "It's like we're monkeys," she muttered.

When the moderator had finally gotten them all to settle down, he called another vote. It was closer this time, but the majority still voted against it.

When there is angry pacing to be done, an office littered with an obstacle course of broken tables and glass is perhaps not the ideal location for it, but Lucia was making the best of it. She weaved back and forth between the chaos, the vein in her temple throbbing, an impotent rage flowing through her.

She glared at Patrik. He stood there, folders in his arms, waiting for the pacing to stop. She turned and slammed her hand against the wall, then crossed her arms and strode back the other way, still eyeing him with a glowering stare.

"Careful," he murmured as she almost collided with an overturned vase table. "You need to pick one, either glaring at me or furious pacing."

She clenched her fists and took two strides towards him. "This isn't a fucking joke. What is the point of having a 74% majority if your own party members won't vote the right way?"

Patrik swayed backwards to distance himself from her wrath and looked down at his stack of folders. "What did you do on your stationary Lucia? What did you do that Kailani's after?"

She ignored the question. Strode back towards the windows and stared out.

"Is she looking for evidence you rigged the election? Because you were right about everyone spreading rumours about you, you know. They're saying it's true. It's all over the goss that you did it."

She whipped around. "You know I didn't."

He looked at her carefully. "I believe you didn't, yes. And it is probably time to confirm that belief." He stepped towards her intercom and pressed the buzzer. "Gerda, could you ask Ada to come in here for a minute?"

Lucia gaped at him. "Patrik..."

He met her gaze unflinchingly. "You have nothing to worry about if you didn't do it."

Her face twisted into a look of derision. "Is this some ploy to get me out of the way? Are you trying to steal my position? You've got your eye on my chair, have you?"

"No," he said. "I only want confirmation. We should have done this from the beginning."

She shook her head. "You're all turning against me. I have never done anything that wasn't in the best interest of Zatoria. Why have I suddenly lost your trust now?"

"You've been behaving differently lately."

"I'm the same as I always have been."

They were interrupted by the arrival of Ada. She entered with her usual chipper smile then slowed to an awkward stop when she saw how tense the atmosphere was. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," replied Patrik, still eyeing Lucia. "Your colleagues who developed the electronic voting system. I need you to telegram them and confirm it was never hacked into."

"They can't tell her anything," said Lucia. "It's confidential."

Patrik turned to Ada. "Breaching confidentiality would not be necessary," he assured her. "All you need to do is ask them to confirm the gossamer shields for the electronic voting system were never penetrated. They are permitted to release that information, surely."

"Probably," Ada said with a nod. "Let's see." She took out her port and pressed a few buttons. "Iniko," she said. "It's Ada. Yes... yes it has been a long time... uh huh...uh huh..." she looked between Lucia and Patrik for a long moment while listening to the voice on the other end. They couldn't make out what he was saying, but they could hear someone was babbling on. Lucia watched Ada's face carefully, holding her breath in nervous anticipation as she waited for her next words.

After several minutes, her expression turned vaguely apprehensive and she glanced at Lucia then awkwardly averted her eyes. Lucia's breath caught in her throat.

"...absolutely, yes," Ada finally said aloud. "We should definitely get a drink some time."

Lucia exhaled slowly and looked back at Patrik. "When did you begin to lose your trust in me?" she said to him quietly. He was silent. She stepped back and leant against her desk. Crossed her arms and began to chew on her lip. The seconds ticked past as they stood in silence, waiting for Ada to finish telegramming.

"Yes... uh huh. I see. I see." Ada looked up at Lucia. "Okay." There was another long pause. "Thank you Iniko, you've been very helpful." She disconnected the line and smiled brightly at them. "No hacking. The gossamer shields were not penetrated."

Lucia relaxed back against the desk and nodded, feeling the tension immediately flee her body. "Of course they weren't."

"Excellent," said Patrik. "Have them send over the evidence and we'll prepare a statement to release to the public. Get Serai on that."

Lucia looked at him at sharply. The uneasy apprehension had quickly abated and was fast replaced with resentment. "Oh, so you're the one giving orders now?" She shook her head. "I'm standing you down."

Patrik's eyes boggled. "Prime Minister..."

"I can't have my closest people not trusting me." The anger was back in full force. "You should have had my back. I want your resignation on my desk as soon as possible."

Two red spots had appeared on his cheeks. "I was only doing my due diligence. I was doing my damn job. For pity's sake, Lucia, this was for your own benefit. With this information we can recover your public image."

Lucia flinched a little, she'd never heard Patrik raise his voice before, but it only made her resolve grow. "You are not what Zatoria needs right now. Get out."

Ada gaped at her and took a step back, turning back and forward awkwardly as though she wasn't sure she should still be there. Patrik gave a sharp half gasp of disbelief and looked at her bitterly. "Fine. Good luck trying to keep up with things without me doing the heavy lifting." He whirled around and left.

"Luci," murmured Ada, looking at her aghast. "Was that really necessary?" She looked shocked that Lucia would speak that way.

"This doesn't concern you," Lucia muttered, head down.

Ada stood there a moment not knowing what to say, then nodded. "Fine. I'll see you later." Lucia watched her retreating back as she followed Patrik out.

She walked around behind her desk and slumped back into her chair.

Gerda buzzed through only a moment later. "Serai to see you, Ma'am."

Serai walked in barely acknowledging the state of the office, seemingly caught up in her own anxious thoughts.

"If you're here to tell me I'm not popular with Zatorians anymore, I know."

"It's not that," she said. "Though, there's that too. People are quite upset. You were supposed to untubulise the times and instead the times have become rather more turbulent."

"Yes, well, you are the one who is supposed to be managing my image. You seem to have dropped the ball."

Serai gave her a confused look. "The problem isn't your image. It's the country's instability." She looked around and chose an overturned chair to perch atop of. "Anyway, that's not what I'm here to talk to you about. I have family in the north I've been talking to."

"And what do they say?"

"My brother is very upset. He says Kailani's takeover was absolutely not the will of the people. Kailani and the McCombian party took control overnight. There was no warning. The whole region is in disarray."

Lucia tapped her pen on the desk. "I knew it. We have to help them."

"You have to go in there and take Kailani down."

"Can't. The chamber voted against it."

"Well, you have to do something. You're the Prime Minister. This is your responsibility."

Lucia nodded silently.

"When we were forming the party, I meant everything I said, you know, when I recommended you as leader," Serai continued. "I truly believed you had what it took. You have to step up now."

She left, and for the third time in an hour, Lucia watched one of her staff angrily retreating.

She leant back in her chair, put her head back, and stared up at the ceiling, looking at the tip spiralling far above her. She rubbed her temples, then sat back up again and turned to her stationary before remembering it was no longer connected to the goss. She sighed and pushed her chair as far as she could from the desk, then stood up. Looking at the empty spot where her gossamer globe had once been, her eyes wandered over the desk and images from earlier flit through her mind that she didn't want in there. She pushed them out. Suddenly she couldn't stand to be in there a moment longer. Her office no longer seemed big at all, the walls were closing in on her, crushing down. She needed to get out of there.

"I'm leaving for the day, Gerda," she said on her way out. "It's late, you should go home too."
Chapter 18

She returned to her residence, relieved to be away from it all. It felt much calmer here, peaceful. She walked over to a window and stared out into the blackness. Had it been daylight, she would have seen distant hills and green rolling pastures, but night had long since fallen. She drew the curtains then padded back over to the spacious living room, took her port from her pocket and sent a telegram to Jevan.

He arrived shortly after bearing a cheery grin and several bottles of wine. "How's the person who ignores all my fabulous advice?"

She made a face at him as he plopped down on the sofa next to her. "You could be talking about anyone."

He shook his head and tsk tsked her a bit. "I know you've had a tough day. Time to take a bit of a breather from it all, then tomorrow you can get back into it refreshed." He poured her a glass of wine and she gratefully accepted as he eyed the cut on her arm.

"So who won the duel?"

She looked away. "That would depend on your definition of winning."

He raised an eyebrow, but she would tell him no more. Leaning back against the sofa, he surveyed the room. "You need some fun tonight. Let's invite everyone here."

"Oh, no," said Lucia. "They're all angry with me. It's not a good time."

"All the more reason to patch things up. Besides, you haven't had a proper housewarming for this place yet." He eyed her thoughtfully. "I'll invite Ada as well."

She sat up a bit. "Well, alright then. I suppose a little informal gathering would be okay."

"Absolutely. There is no need to let impending war stop us from having a party." He hopped up and set about making the preparations, whistling away to himself while Lucia curled up on the sofa and rested her head on her arm. The sounds of a relaxing melody filled the residence as he switched on the music box.

"What food shall I order?" he called out.

"Whatever you like. The Shell chef can make anything." He gave an appreciative whistle and pored through a menu on her kitchen countertop.

Ada arrived first carrying a gossamer globe. She greeted Jevan and then came and sat down next to Lucia. "It's a temporary replacement," she said, handing the globe to her. "I've put a tracker in it so you can see where your goss is."

Lucia looked at the green light she indicated. It blinked slowly, steadfastly away in Lissdale. "Where Kailani is."

Ada nodded and accepted a glass of wine from Jevan. The others arrived shortly afterwards, filing in and marvelling at the official home of the Prime Minister. They wandered about admiring the living area, the huge kitchen, the training room with its impressive display of swords. Butterfloogles sat on a metal scabbard next to his bed and scowled as more and more people arrived.

The evening was, indeed, a much-needed break from the pressures of the job, though Lucia could not fully relax knowing several people were somewhat upset with her. Jevan did his best to play peacemaker between Lucia and Patrik, but even he could only manage to get them speaking civilly to each other rather than fully repairing their friendship. "Think about the good times you've had together," he implored them. "Lucia, remember the night after the storming of the Palace, when the Bliss was switched back on but you couldn't get your goss to work, so Patrik let you catch up on 11 years' worth of Toni and Tony KIs on his stationary."

"Remember when Patrik hadn't handed me his resignation letter yet," Lucia replied coldly.

"I should go," said Patrik.

"No," Jevan stepped in front of the door to stop him. "You're staying until you two are friends again."

Lucia walked away from them and began wandering around the room. She could not stop herself from constantly glancing at the globe, that little green light far away in Lissdale a constant reminder of Kailani's existence. Wine glass in hand, she moved from room to room, idly observing the Sheppardors without joining in. She wasn't in the mood. She watched Varielle try to teach Ada some basic strikes in the training room to little success, Shoma and Serai argue about the national sword fighting championship, Patrik show off pictures of his model horses to anybody who would look.

"It was a dark and stormy night when the guards came for our globes," said Jevan, holding the replacement globe up to his chin so it lit up his face in the dark room.

"There was no storm that night," said Varielle.

"Shhhhhh." He frowned at her. The evening was drawing to a close and everyone had settled around in a circle on the floor of the living room.

"The wind was howling, the rain pelted against the window panes, tree branches thumped against the walls. I was alone in my bedchambers, a youthful, green wee lad – though exceedingly handsome, of course – who knew not what terrors lay ahead." His eyes flicked around the circle. "I knew I shouldn't be doing it. Using the globe. It was illegal, the Queen had announced it so that very afternoon. Guards would come, she had said, and banish our Bliss forevermore. But I didn't care, for I was a rebel. I had business to take care of on the globe. Someone I had to say goodbye to. But I had to be fast, because they could arrive at any moment. I had to be the fastest I had ever been. The guards' arrival was imminent but I knew I could rise to the challenge. I pulled my bedcovers over my head, pulled my stationary under there with me, and tuned out the shrieking wind. On the monitor I beheld the most beautiful woman in the world, one of my most favourite people on the globe. She and I had spent many private moments together during the Six Months. She wore a milkmaid's dirndl, and her bosom heaved as she moved up and down, smiling at me all the while."

"Oh," said Serai, staring at him enraptured. "You were in love with a Tangean you'd never met." She dabbed the corner of her eye. "All those stories are so tragic."

Patrik coughed. "I believe he's talking about a pornography actress, Serai."

"She was atop her gentleman caller, emitting the most exquisite sounds, and I was... I was saying goodbye," said Jevan.

Varielle wrinkled her nose.

"And then I heard it, the pounding. No, no don't look at me in disgust, I mean a pounding against the door."

Lucia just shook her head and laughed as she ran her hands through Ada's hair and began plaiting it, making the dark green stripe weave in and out in a striking pattern.

"Or what sounded like it, anyway. It could have been a tree branch. It could have been..." he leant very close towards Serai so the globe lit up both their faces "...a serial killer."

Serai pulled back with a gasp and clapped her hand over her mouth.

"For goodness sake Serai, you know it's the guards," Varielle said.

"But alas, it was something much worse," Jevan continued. He paused for a long time, staring grimly around the circle, shadows dancing across his face. "It was the guards." He gave a long sigh and looked down. "They had come for me. They wrenched my globe from my very hands and that was the last I ever saw of it, and of my milkmaid."

Serai looked like she was about to cry.

"Can someone turn on the lights?" Varielle asked in an exasperated tone.

"I'll do it," said Lucia, running her hands through Ada's hair one final time before getting up, but before she had reached the lamp switch the room suddenly fell into complete darkness and everyone screamed. Lucia whirled around. The globe Jevan was holding had gone dark.

"Did you switch it off?" Patrik's panicked voice came from somewhere in the darkness.

"I didn't do anything," Jevan replied. "Honestly."

Lucia ran to the lamp switch and flicked it on. She stared at the circle. Varielle had gone pale, Patrik looked quite aghast, and Serai had begun to hyperventilate. Jevan tossed the globe from his hand like it was a snake and a dozen terrified faces watched it roll across the carpet. "I didn't touch it, I swear!"

Ada calmly picked up the globe. "Relax everyone, it probably just needs to be reset." She rolled her eyes at their reactions. "You know it goes down for a few minutes sometimes, it's nothing to worry about."

Lucia stood with her arms crossed watching Ada work on it. She looked at the panicked faces around the circle and shook her head. "You all went without this for eleven years, and now you can't cope without it for a few minutes?"

"But what if it isn't just a few minutes," said Shoma, his eyes wide. "It could be forever. We could be under attack. It could be anything."

Serai was still gasping for breath. "I'm having a panic attack." Jevan rubbed her back and stared at the globe in alarm. "I already don't remember what I did without it," he murmured. He looked up at Lucia. "I don't understand how you can be so blasé about it. Everyone else panics when they don't have it."

She shrugged. "I turn it off all the time when I have work to focus on."

"That's insane."

There were several more tense moments while everyone stared at Ada with the globe and silently prayed, then it lit back up again. Relief flowed around the circle as everyone exhaled and began to breathe normally again.

Patrik checked his timepiece. "The Three Minutes of Despair are over."

Lucia sat down again and they sat in several moments of contemplation.

"It's ironic isn't it," said Shoma, finally breaking the silence. "That the former Queen banned these because they threatened her power, but banning them is what finally motivated the people to abolish the monarchy."

"Well, the thing that really properly motivated us," said Varielle, "was taking the porn away. You can't take people's porn from them and expect them not to rebel."

Serai scoffed. "Oh come on, it wasn't because of the porn."

"Of course it was. Why do you think it's called the Six Months of Bliss?"

The group nodded in agreement.

"So many Zatorians loved the Queen, we really did," she continued with a sigh. "We would have forgiven her anything. Murder, torture. Even raising taxes. Anything but taking away the porn."

"There were two main factors that finally ensured a successful Revolution," said Patrik. "One, the introduction of the goss allowed people to freely share information and knowledge they'd never been able to before. Two, having that then taken away – with all it entailed – was the final catalyst needed to motivate us."

"Still took us eleven years to get there, though," said Varielle.

Jevan nodded glumly. "Because many of the initial years were spent crying over having no porn."

Chapter 19

Unable to sleep, Lucia walked through the empty Shell in the dead of the night. She'd lain in her bed for hours staring at the ceiling after everyone had left before giving up on falling into slumber. The halls felt so different now, like a yawning emptiness stretching out before her. Her replacement globe lit the way and all was deathly silent save for the sound of her soft footfalls on the thick carpet. Guards patrolled throughout the Shell at all hours, but she had no idea how close they were to her.

She heard a scuffling noise up ahead and her breath caught. She froze. Nothing. She kept moving, then heard it again. Something rustling, scratching up ahead. Thoughts of Kailani infiltrating the Shell immediately came to mind and her stomach tightened. She stared at the green light on her globe, still exactly where it had been, determinedly broadcasting its presence in Lissdale.

She stepped forward quietly, careful not to make a noise. It sounded like something was running back and forwards very quickly up ahead, like a... she stopped and a laugh of relief escaped her mouth as the silhouettes of the intruders came into view. It was only Butterfloogles and Kevin going about their nightly business together. She leant against the wall and exhaled slowly, took a few more deep breaths and waited for her pulse to slow. Butterfloogles' head shot up at an invisible threat and the two cats suddenly raced past her at full speed before coming to a screeching halt at the end of the hall where they began to simultaneously attack the leg of a small vase table.

Lucia collected herself and continued her walk. Another noise up ahead, but this time she could hear it was the quiet murmuring of two guards as they patrolled the Shell. Instinctively, she drew back around the corner out of sight, then wondered why she had done it. She was the Prime Minister, she had every right to walk these halls. Nevertheless, she stood there perfectly still in the darkness, barely daring to breathe as their voices grew louder.

"So it's really true," she heard one guard whisper to the other as their voices drew closer. "Kailani has her gossamer globe?"

"Yes," came the reply. "I heard she's planning to do a big reveal exposing the Prime Minister. A KI that's broadcast all over the goss."

Lucia felt the knot in her stomach quickly return.

"How do you know?" asked the other guard.

"Saw guards talking about it on the guard's forum."

"What's she gonna reveal?"

"Dunno. The truth I suppose. Like whether or not she really rigged the election, and, like, everything she's ever done on the goss. Rok was saying he reckons it's gonna get more views than a Tony and Toni KI."

They passed on, and their voices grew quiet again. Lucia's blood had run ice cold. Everything you've ever done on the goss. She thought she was going to vomit. She felt herself starting to hyperventilate and doubled over, pressing her arms hard across her waist, trying to breathe. She stayed there, barely held up by the wall, nauseous, gasping for breath as she tried to pull herself together. She stared at the green light again, her goss, right there in Kailani's hand, still blinking away, spiting her.

Then she ran. She ran through the hallways, no longer caring about being quiet, blindly it seemed, but her feet knew where to go now, and she soon found herself in the central pulley room. She pushed the button for her office and heard a creaking as it started up somewhere far in the depths of the Shell. She pressed the button again and again, kept pressing it until finally it lurched to a stop and the doors opened. She stumbled inside and endured the now agonisingly long journey up to her office. Always so fast before, now the pulley seemed excruciatingly slow and took an age to get to the top of the Shell. She raced out as soon as the doors opened, her mouth already open to order Gerda to get the gossamer globe service providers on an audio telegram. But Gerda's chair was empty. Of course, it was the dead of the night.

She stumbled into her office, fumbled for the lamp switch, went to her desk, and, hands shaking, looked up the contact information she needed. Her communication attempts resulted in nothing. She sent telegrams, nobody replied. She doubled over again. She had to stop the KI now, right now, there was no time to wait.

She took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, and called the night guard's station for someone to come to her office immediately.

She sat, elbows on her desk, chin on her hands, biting her nails, eyes flicking about until the guard came. A young woman entered tentatively, looking about uncertainly. She wore a crisp new guard's uniform, everything perfectly ironed, buttons brightly polished. Lucia grimaced. A rookie.

"Prime Minister?" said the guard hesitantly.

"Please come in," said Lucia. The guard walked to her desk with a cautious expression.

"I know it is unusual to be summoned here at this hour," said Lucia. "But I have urgent business you must attend to at once."

The guard nodded.

"I want you to send a guard to each of the major gossamer globe service providers around the country and issue them with an order to deactivate all globes under threat of arrest." She paused. "Except for the ones in the Shell, that is."

The guard gaped at her.

"There are only five major service providers," said Lucia. "It's not such a big job."

"But," said the guard, "doesn't that sort of order need to come from a judge?"

Lucia gritted her teeth. "This is the order of your Prime Minister. I need it done now. If they do not comply, you will arrest them."

"Okay," said the guard again. "My superior will arrive in the morning, let me wait and check−"

Lucia slammed her fist down on her desk and the guard jumped back. "I am your superior. This is urgent. A matter of national security. Every second you waste blathering here could be disastrous for Zatoria. I want the gossamer globe down, now. Get it done."

The guard swallowed hard and nodded, then fled the room. Lucia looked back at her globe. The light still flickered on and off in Lissdale, an unending reminder of its presence.

She drummed her fingers anxiously, ground her teeth, she paced back and forth, she constantly looked at the globe waiting for the lights across Zatoria to go dark. It was taking too long, she had to do something else.

"Gerda!" she screamed into the intercom. Silence. Damnit. She called the guard's station again and a different voice answered this time. "Bring me a KI camera at once," she said.

"Erm, yes Ma'am," came the startled response.

Lucia set the camera up facing one of the sofas and sat down. She adjusted her skirts, ran her hand through her hair, settled herself, then began.

"Good morning Zatorians," she said into the camera, giving the best Prime Ministerial smile she could manage. "First I want to assure you that all is well. It is such a turbulent time for our country, a historic time. A turbulent historic time and you have all risen to the challenge honourably. I am so proud to be a member of a country that rose up through the ashes of such a turbulent and historic time and became a better, stronger Zatoria.

"From the moment this KI is over, using the gossamer globe will be illegal. Now do not be alarmed, this is only a temporary measure due to a matter of national security. We are working on resolving it as swiftly as possible, and once it has been, the Bliss will be returned to you. Please no not despair, because this is not the Despair as it was before. This is only a very brief, temporary Despair, necessary to help us through this turbulent, historic time. Your globes will be deactivated shortly, but until that moment, I'm afraid I must demand you switch them off yourselves. Not doing so is illegal, and will result in your arrest. Again, do not be alarmed. This is for the benefit of Zatoria, a small measure that is necessary to carry us through this historic, turbulent time."

She held up her globe, the colours swirling brightly. "I'm switching my globe off now. Please join me. For Zatoria." She switched off the globe and sat for a final shot with a bright smile holding up the dark globe. Then she turned the camera off and switched the globe back on.

Not her best work by far, she thought, while replaying the tape, but there was no time. A wave of nausea at what she was doing swept over her as she broadcast it on the goss, but she couldn't stop herself. Not broadcasting it was not an option.

It was done. She sat and waited, had to sit on her hands to stop the trembling, staring at the globe waiting for the sparkling lights across Zatoria to go dark. Still, they burned brightly.

Her mind raced wildly. There was more she could do. She left her office and set off on another breathless run through the Shell, heading for the guard's station. The third shift guards looked up in surprise as she burst in. Only a threadbare crew of three, one of them the woman from before. She froze in the middle of stirring her tea and stared at the wild-faced Prime Minister.

"You've dispatched the guards?" asked Lucia.

"Yes," stuttered the woman. "Four of them. One of the service providers is based in Lissdale, but the Lissdale regiment didn't respond to my telegram."

Lucia nodded. "That's fine. We'll take care of them when we invade."

All three guards looked at each other in shock.

"Kailani must be arrested immediately," Lucia continued. "We cannot wait any longer."

Uncomprehending silence from the three guards as Lucia looked at them expectantly.

"But how?" asked the guard with the tea.

"Let me send a telegram to Shoma," another of them finally ventured. Lucia whirled around on him. "You will do no such thing. This does not concern him."

The second guard's eyebrows furrowed. "Um."

Lucia closed her eyes and took a breath, suppressed the urge to yell, and addressed the guard calmly. "I am your Prime Minister. You will take your orders from me. We invade at dawn."

"But−" began the tea guard.

"Stop saying no to me!" Lucia screamed.

"−the sun rose half an hour ago," she finished.

"Oh." Lucia exhaled. "Oh. Well, get to it then. Invade now."

"Ma'am, we can't. It will take time to prepare the regiments for a start, and we don't have any official order."

"I am your official order. Get it done." And with that she whirled around and stormed out, returned to her office, and snatched up her globe. Still brightly sparkling, the tracker light in Lissdale blinking unceasingly, taunting her. She screamed and almost threw it at the wall, but stopped herself just in time, settling for throwing it on the sofa instead.

She went to the window and looked out at day breaking across the city. The sun streamed across the rooftops bathing them in light, the sky was a brilliant, unending cold blue with not a cloud to interrupt it, the turrets of the Palace stood proud, clearer than they ever had before. The people, tiny ants far below, were beginning to fill the streets, carriages were beginning to flow up and down the lanes.

She turned around and faced her office. It only just registered with her now that someone had been in and cleared everything up. It looked as good as new again, exactly as it had on her first morning. That seemed wrong, somehow, it felt like it should have still been chaos. Everything was eerily perfect.

Another glimpse at the globe told her the lights were sparkling all over Zatoria as bright as ever. She picked up her port and telegrammed the guard's station again.

The guard entered for a second time, this time looking even more frightened than before.

"Why haven't the globes been deactivated?" Lucia's eyes burned, her teeth clenched, her hands balled into fists.

The guard averted her eyes. "They refused to do it, Prime Minister."

"Then arrest them!"

"But we didn't have arrest warrants."

Lucia strode the few steps towards the guard and put her face right up close to her. The guard stepped back, but Lucia only took another step forward. "Send them all back," she said, hissing through gritted teeth, backing her up against the wall. "And arrest them if they refuse to cooperate. I want the goss down within the hour. If it is not..." she put two hands up against the wall and the guard shrank back as far as she could, her eyes widening in fear. "I will have your head, do you understand me?"

The guard swallowed hard and nodded, then retreated from the room, leaving Lucia to pace up and down. She heard Gerda arriving as the door opened, greeting the guard with a cheery good morning. The guard mumbled a shaky reply.

Lucia went to the door and poked her head out.

"Gerda,"

"Good morning, Prime Minister," Gerda said, busying herself about her desk.

"Send for the Queen immediately."

"Do you mean the for−"

"GERDA GET HER HERE RIGHT NOW."

Gerda stopped bustling and looked up in surprise. "Erm, yes Ma'am, right away."

Lucia returned to her desk, glanced at her globe, and stopped short in her tracks. The flickering green light had begun to move.

She grabbed it up and raced back to the guard's station, "Call off the invasion," she yelled breathlessly as the guards were treated to the joyful surprise of her bursting in a second time. She pulled herself short when she saw Shoma was there, his face darker than a thundercloud.

"You ordered an invasion?" He stared at her in disbelief, eyes bulging. "You went against the Great Chamber vote?"

"It's okay," the rookie guard said, standing by him. "We were waiting for you to come anyway."

Lucia turned on her, eyes ablaze. "You did nothing?"

"Of course they did nothing, they don't have the power to do anything," Shoma thundered at her.

The guard looked nervously between the two of them, looking like she wished she could be anywhere but there.

"Why would you do that?" said Shoma.

"For Zatoria," she said simply.

He stared at her uncomprehendingly. "What the hell is going on with you? You think you're the goddamn Queen with absolute power? Are you trying to destroy everything we've built?"

"Look," she said. "It's all irrelevant now anyway." She held up the globe. "Kailani has left Lissdale. She's travelling south."

Shoma looked at the green light. "She's past Isla river."

"Exactly. Outside of the jurisdiction of Captain Zayid's regiment. We can arrest her now without invading." She gave Shoma a bitter look. "That much, at least, you can do? Arrest the woman who kidnapped the Prime Minister?" The words dripped with sarcasm.

"Yes," said Shoma, "we can do that."

"Good," said Lucia. She nodded at the globe. "She's travelling fast. She'll be passing through Essafeld within the hour. Make sure the guards there are ready to apprehend her."

He nodded and she departed, eager to escape his furious face.

Back in her office, she again found herself with nothing to do but wait, a most agonising task when nervy excitement and surges of adrenaline were flowing through her. All she could do was stare at the light and watch it approach Essafeld. She enlarged it and waited, waited, waited, as it moved slowly but steadily downwards. She held her breath as it entered the outskirts of Essafeld and drew closer to the city centre. It moved through the suburbs, the streets, and then, her disbelief growing with each passing second, right on through uninterrupted. The ball of anxiety in her stomach tightened as she watched it continue its southwards journey.

She sent a telegram to Shoma: "What the fuck?"

"The Essafeld regiment refused to comply with the arrest order," came the response. She stared at the port clutched tightly in her hand, then threw it across the room, this time with no regard to where it landed.

Gerda buzzed through. "I have Christina Piase, the CEO of Global Lights on the line for you Ma'am." She took a deep breath and went to pick up her port. The tiny monitor was cracked, but it still functioned.

"What the hell is going on?" an incredulous voice crackled over the line.

"Fine way to greet the Prime Minister," she returned.

"I have some kid in a guard's uniform here telling me to deactivate the globes."

"Yes, and you haven't done it yet. Every moment you leave them activated you are endangering Zatorians. See to it that you follow orders, or you'll be in a dungeon cell before the day is out."

There was a long pause. "I don't know what you're playing at Prime Minister. But you have no court order, no arrest warrant," finally came the response. "The globes stay up until you do."

Lucia threw the port down again and leant back against the wall. Glanced over at the globe. They were approaching Terewadel. She swallowed. Went over to the door popped her head out. "Why isn't the Queen here yet, Gerda?"

"The former Queen is on her way, Ma'am," Gerda said with a kindly smile.

She stood in the centre of her office, looking around, mind whirling, wishing she could be anywhere but here. The walls were still closing in on her. She couldn't breathe properly. Her head shot up at the door opening, but it was only Jevan. "What are you doing here?"

"Gerda telegrammed me. Said you were spiralling out of control like a Tangean pulley and thought I should come."

"I'm fine," she said, waving him away. "I don't need you now, I'm busy, please leave."

He gave her a sceptical look.

"Just bugger off!"

A pained expression fell across his face. "Fine, whatever you say." The door closed again.

Lucia went to the sofa and lay down on it. Took several deep breaths. Her port buzzed. Once, twice, then more and more. She ignored it. Gerda poked her head in. "Er, Ma'am? Lots of people trying to contact you."

Lucia remained still on the sofa, eyes closed, one arm draped over her face. "I'm busy," she said. "Please hold all my telegrams."
Chapter 20

She stayed that way until Gerda informed her the Queen had arrived. Swinging her legs down to the floor, she sat up, massaged her shoulder, rolled her head around a bit and stood. She adjusted her dress, fixed her hair, and calmly walked to her chair. A brief glance at the globe told her they had passed Lake Celine some time ago.

"Another summons from the leader of our great nation," the Queen said as she entered. "I must say it's beginning to lose its thrill." She walked to the desk and stood expectantly before her.

Lucia gazed up at her, arms clasped in front of her.

"You look a bit of a mess my dear, like you haven't slept a wink," said the Queen.

Lucia ignored her. "What did you do to her?" she eventually asked.

"Excuse me?"

"For ten years she worked for you. What in the world did you do to her in that time that changed her from a nice, sweet girl into a tyrant?"

The Queen's expression was almost pitying. "You think she's changed?"

An incredulous laugh escaped Lucia's mouth. She stared at the Queen in disbelief. "Are you kidding? The Kailani I knew never would have done any of this. Never would have acted in such a way."

"Then you did not know her."

"I kn−"

"You knew nothing." The Queen's tone had changed, there was a steely harshness to it now, a glimpse behind the façade. "You think just because she was shy, just because she was not like you or me, she did not have all manner of things going on inside her head? She didn't feel anger because you couldn't see it? Her mind wasn't actively working away planning her ambitions because she didn't outwardly show it?" The Queen shook her head. "She hasn't changed. She has always been who she is. And had she found herself in the circumstances then that she finds herself in now, she would have reacted the same way."

Lucia tried to interrupt, but she would not let her. The façade dropped completely and Lucia was startled. She had not expected now of all times to be the time the Queen would drop the act.

"You're a foolish girl," she said, her voice full of derision. "You still think I made a mistake in choosing her over you. It was always Kailani, Lucia, she was always the one. I know exactly who both of you are. You, my dear girl, can say a few stock phrases that make it sound like you know what you're talking about, and you can give a good speech, but that's it. That's all you are." The Queen laughed to herself. "Kailani is the one with the knowledge, the expertise, and the ability to execute plans. So she can't speak publicly, so what? She'll still do it when it needs to be done."

She stepped forward and placed both palms on the desk, leant down, her blazing eyes boring down on Lucia. "You are just a little girl trying to do a grownup's job. Did you not wonder why this sham of a government is falling apart in less than three weeks?" She smirked and leant down further. "I made it happen."

Lucia swallowed. "You sent the anonymous telegram on election night."

"Of course I did. Did you really think you could bring down the monarchy? It has survived for centuries. It has survived attempted rebellions, invasions, wars, coups, and it will survive this. This is nothing. You're nothing. I am the descendent of Amrita Katarina Zeraphina. Who the fuck are you?"

"You're deluded," whispered Lucia. "This is not merely a temporary setback for you. You are out."

The Queen shook her head. She stepped back and gave a devilish grin. "My plan is already in motion. It has been since you were appointed leader of the Sheppardor party." She turned and walked around the desk, went over to the windows behind Lucia where the city lay sprawled out before her, bathed in light. "The only thing I didn't account for is Kailani figuring it all out right from the start. Silly me. I should have known she would have."

Lucia slowly turned in her chair. "I don't understand. So you and Kailani are not working together?"

"Of course not. You're all just pawns." She eyed Lucia. "She saw right through you too, you know. Oh, she liked you well enough at first of course, but soon realised you're the person who always gets all the glory because you can put on a good show while others do the hard work behind the scenes. She despised you for it."

"You have no idea what you're talking about."

The Queen turned from the window and faced her. Her eyes lingered on the desk. "I know everything." She gazed outside again. "Anyway, all that is neither here nor there. I shall be back in the Palace soon – very soon, I expect – and let me tell you..." there was a long pause as she stared out across Awatere. "You commoners have hell to pay."

Silence filled the office for what seemed an eternity. It was pierced by the door bursting open as a flood of panicked Sheppardors raced in, headed by Patrik.

"Prime Minister, we've gone dark," he said, his bowtie completely askew.

Lucia's mind snapped back to the current situation. "It's okay," she said. "Just a temporary measure."

"But all our systems are down."

"No, that can't be right, the Shell globes should be working."

Patrik frowned in confusion as her office suddenly filled with the commotion of other Sheppardor members crowding in and shouting all manner of things at her at once. Lucia looked at her globe and snatched it up. It was dark. "When did this happen?" she gasped.

"Just a few minutes ago," Patrik said. "Shortly after Kailani entered Awatere."

Lucia put her hands on the desk to steady herself. "And the rest of Zatoria?"

"Oh, they definitely have it. They are, uh... viewing... a very interesting KI." He lowered his voice and stepped up to her desk. "What the hell were you thinking?" Lucia looked away, only to meet Shoma's glowering gaze, standing there with folded arms, shaking his head.

"We'll deal with that later," Lucia said. "First we must apprehend Kailani. Someone get Ada."

Ada was already running in as she said the words, hair afluster. She made her way through the cluster of Sheppardors and walked up to Lucia. "What the hell were you thinking with that KI?" she said under her breath.

"People have got to stop asking me that," replied Lucia. "I did what had to be done."

Disappointment crossed Ada's face. "You've turned yourself into a laughing stock," she whispered. "Zatorians are already broadcasting parody KIs."

Lucia stood up and took a few steps back, pushed what she had done out of her mind and took a moment to collect herself. Then she forced herself to confront them. Her office was filled with angry and confused faces. Even Jevan looked upset with her. "I know you all have questions about my recent actions," she said. "But I'm afraid addressing your concerns will have to wait. Right now we have a far more pressing issue. Kailani is in Awatere and she is planning some sort of attack. She must be apprehended."

Ada nodded. "All government globes are dark. The Shell's gossamer shields have been penetrated."

A quiet cackle broke out from the window and the Sheppardors all turned towards the direction of the sound. General confusion abounded with the dawning realisation that the Queen had been watching all this unfold in silence. She spoke now. "Interesting. So this is how she's playing it."

"What do you mean?" asked Lucia, trying to keep her voice steady.

"This is how the storming of the Palace began." Her icy gaze flicked to Ada. "Your little friend here knows all about that."

Ada gave the Queen a smile as sweet as honey. "Yes, this is how we took your poxy ass down."

The entire room gasped.

A dark shadow crossed the Queen's face. Then she shrugged and turned to Lucia, her expression quickly changing back into one of sadistic delight. "Get ready to be marched out of your home in handcuffs for all the world to see."

Lucia turned to Shoma. He already had his port out and was communicating with the outer guards. "They say everything's secure, Ma'am."

"Can we trust them?"

He hesitated, then nodded uncertainly in a way that reassured no-one. There was a long, eerie silence while everyone stared at each other, not knowing doing what to do.

The Queen chuckled loudly and jumped up onto Lucia's desk. She swung her legs happily back and forward. "Ah, I remember the moment I realised the Palace guards had turned on me," she said as though she were recalling a fond memory.

Lucia ignored her. "Everyone get your weapons and get into position. Just a precautionary measure, it's probably nothing. We need to be prepared until our systems are up and running again."

"I don't have one," said Ada.

"Jevan, go to my residence and get Ada a sword. Then make sure she has everything she needs to work on the globes."

He nodded. They filed out. "Gerda  Lucia began.

Gerda was already grabbing her sword and sheathing it. "I'm coming with you all." She joined the group. "I shall defend this Shell with my life."

They waited for the pulley to come. "What are we going to do with the former Queen?" asked Shoma.

Lucia grabbed her by the arm. "She's coming with us." Everyone crowded inside. After arriving at the central room they spilled out into the massive circle, a clattering of shoes hitting the tiled floor, then shot off in different directions to fetch their swords. The room quickly reformed moments later, the Sheppardors fanning out in a circle, sheathed swords ready to be drawn. Ada lugged a stationary into the centre of the circle and began working on the tech system.

They stood and waited, Lucia ignoring the hushed whispers and suspicious glances her party members kept giving her.

For a long time they waited. Shoma assured them several times the outer guards were reporting all was secure around the perimeter. Lucia just nodded and waited. Eventually the quiet murmuring and nervous fidgeting died down to complete silence. Everything was still.

After what seemed an eternity, a distant rumbling started up somewhere in the Shell. A pulley was on the move. Everybody turned around in search of the door it was coming from. Their eyes settled on the one with numbers lighting up in descending order. It was moving downwards to the very depths of the Shell. Dozens of faces stared at the numbers going down, down, down, the rumbling sound becoming more and more distant.

"They're in the tunnel," Lucia whispered. Her hand tightened around the hilt of her sword.

The pulley came to the end of its sluggish journey and the Sheppardors gathered in a semi-circle around the doors as they watched the lowest number stay lit for several moments. Then it began to rise again, the numbers lighting up the same as before, only this time in ascending order.

Lucia swallowed hard. She watched them rise, slowly but steadily, the rumbling now becoming ever louder. When the number two floors below them lit up, the swishing sound of dozens of swords being simultaneously drawn echoed throughout the room and pointed straight at the pulley doors.

They opened.

Giles and Jane walked out, Jane quite nearly skipping straight into the tips of the swords. "Oh!" she exclaimed, swaying back like a limbo dancer. "What a splendid Zatorian greeting!"

Giles went pale. He clutched at where the knot of his tie would have been, had it not been stuffed in his pocket. "I'm sorry," he cried. "It will never happen at work again."

Lucia closed her eyes and sheathed her sword. She stepped away and found a wall to lean against. She listened as Giles and Jane were informed of the situation. They ran off to get their swords and soon returned. The silence shattered, the Sheppardors began conversing with each other again, milling about the room while keeping a watchful eyes on the pulleys.

Lucia rubbed her temples. She glanced around the room until her gaze rested on the KI monitor mounted on the wall. She stood up and stared at it harder. "Hey," she called over to Ada, "the KI is working−"

The black and white images of Mt. Viviana suddenly went black. There was a moment of static, then Kailani appeared on the screen. "Hello Zatorians," she said, her voice suddenly resonating throughout the room.

Startled, the Sheppardors all gazed up at her.

"My fellow citizens," she continued. "My friends. I do apologise that my very first address to the nation is happening in these circumstances, but needs must." She gave a warm smile and held up a gossamer globe. "This is Lucia Straw's gossamer globe. On it is all the data that proves she rigged the election, tried to assassinate me three times, and then tried to cover it all up. I have posted her entire stationary history to the goss so you can see for yourselves exactly what she did in her time as the imposter Prime Minister."

The monitor went dark.

There was a whirl of confusion. "She's lying," Lucia said desperately. "She's lying! Stop looking at me like that. This doesn't prove anything. This proves nothing. She's lying. She's crazy." She looked around wildly for Patrik. "You know I didn't do it, tell them!"

"She... she couldn't have," he said with a gulp, but doubt crept across his face. Doubt was creeping onto everyone's faces.

The Queen laughed and laughed and laughed.

The sound of twelve pulleys starting up at once drew their attention away from Lucia. The rumbling, whirling, and creaking filled the room and the Sheppardors looked around in astonishment at all the pulley door numbers lighting up together. For a second time that day, they tracked the descending numbers, this time all twelve of them moving simultaneously.

"Can... can I have a sword?" the Queen ventured, but her request fell on deaf ears.

The pulleys reached the bottom, stayed there for a moment, then their gradual ascent began. The Sheppardors immediately reformed, several standing in a tight circle around Ada to protect her while she worked, while a second, larger circle faced the doors and pointed their swords towards them. Up the numbers rose until the pulleys came to a simultaneous stop back at the central room. Twelve dings filled the room and the doors opened.

McCombians spilled out like water breaking out of a dam, swords at the ready. It was instant mayhem. The Sheppardors weren't even sure if they should fight anymore, but finding themselves with blades in their faces, they began to defend themselves and the typically peaceful room instantly became the scene of a chaotic battlefield with the cacophony of hundreds of blades clashing, ringing out, people yelling, war cries echoing throughout the space.

The Queen immediately began trying to escape, edge her way out, but all attempts proved impossible. Pushing your way through a throng is one thing, but a throng with swords is an entirely different matter. After all, she'd never had the joy of experiencing the former as she'd always had as much space as she'd ordered people to give her. Now she found herself thrown right into the deep end. Swords swished past her so close she felt the air around her move. She ducked and dodged, inching her way carefully towards the outer area, trying to make herself as small as possible, but always finding herself thwarted no matter which direction she chose. A dagger flew past her face and she cursed. "Really, the least someone could do is give me a sword."

Spotting the circle still holding their ground around Ada she dropped to the floor and peered at her through a Sheppardor's legs. "You're not using your sword. Can I have it?"

Ada ignored her.

She popped up again, saw a sword coming straight for her, and did a quick barrel roll to avoid it.

Lucia, meanwhile, found herself battling a McCombian she didn't know. She struck hard, grateful the adrenaline running through her had an escape. She was energised, strong, the anger and frustration that had been growing in her for hours finally finding its release. A forceful blow from the McCombian threw her against the wall and she slumped to the ground. She gritted her teeth and rose shakily, rubbing her head where it had hit the wall. Glancing up, she saw him walking towards her amidst the flurry of swords. The man who had kidnapped her.

"You," she said darkly, her voice seething, full of primal rage threatening to bubble over, her face twisting into the expression of one who was about to wreak destruction. The energy flowing through her surged like a tidal wave about to break. She gathered up all the power she had in her. There would be no losing today. She raised her sword. "Prepare to die−"

He ripped her sword from her hand with one swing and was already away, lost in the crowd.

"Fuck," said Lucia, diving for her sword. She grabbed it up and whirled around again, but he was already gone, and instead, Serai's sword was in her face ready to strike. "Serai," she gasped, "please don't tell me you believe it."

Serai ignored her, just grinned and raised her arm with a glint in her eye. "Long live the Queen."

Lucia's eyes widened, and she dodged to the left just in time.

The fighting was going on all around her, a whirlwind of pandemonium, but something was wrong, she realised. She turned slowly, surveying the scene around her, staring in bafflement at the way the Sheppardors were reluctantly fighting. They were confused, uncertain, they kept throwing Lucia wary glances. The chaos was dying down. "Kill them, you cowards," she screamed at them.

A loud clanging sounded out from across the room. She looked up. Kailani was banging her sword against a pillar shouting at everyone to stop. "Oh hell no," muttered Lucia. She began pushing her way over, but several McCombians immediately blocked her path.

The circle around Ada finally broke and Lucia watched in horror as Kailani used the opportunity to throw something towards her. A round object arced across the air heading straight for her. "Ada," she screamed, running towards it, but she was too late. The noise stopped entirely as the entire room turned to watch its path. It landed right in her lap. Everyone froze, staring at it.

"It's her globe," said Kailani. "It's her globe. Just check it. Look at the data. Tell me I'm right." After a moment of uncertainty, Ada gingerly picked up the globe and began unravelling the delicate webbing. She held it up to the light and stared at it for several moments, her eyes slowly flicking over each fine strand. The room was silent now, everyone staring, waiting for her to speak.

Lucia sputtered in disbelief. "That's my government globe. If I'd rigged the election, I'd have done before I even got that globe."

"But you had me connect your home stationary and port to this globe," said Ada as she carefully inspected each strand. Lucia fell silent.

After several moments, she put it down and looked at Lucia, her face crestfallen. "You logged into the electronic voting system."

Swords fell to everyone's side.

Lucia opened and closed her mouth several times. "I didn't," she finally managed.

"On election night."

"There... there were a lot of people in my house that night."

"It came from your port."

Panic engulfed Lucia. She wasn't going to go down like this. Her eyes frantically searched the room for Jevan. "You," she screamed, when she found him. "You were in my room that night, you had access to my port."

All eyes swivelled to Jevan. He just gaped at her, first a look of utter disbelief consuming his face, then it morphed into one of pain. "Even me?" he whispered. "You'd even betray me?"

She took a step back, tried to shake off the image of his pained face, tried to take back what she'd just said, tried to somehow make all this stop.

Everyone began talking at once, their confusion rising, a jumble of phrases vaguely registering with Lucia that she tried to block out. But how?... surely you would have checked this from the beginning? We checked the gossamer shields! No-one penetrated them... Logging in never even occurred to anyone... it occurred to me... me too... we didn't think of it because it's not possible... she couldn't have, there's no way she could have gotten the password... Ada, how could she possibly have gotten the password?

She started to back out of the room. She had to get away from the way Jevan was looking at her. She'd never seen him so devastated. Several McCombians quickly blocked her path.

He turned to Kailani. "I'm so sorry Kai," he said to her, his voice quiet. The frenzied arguing died down so people could hear him. "I'm sorry," he said again, loudly this time. "I don't know anything about the election rigging part. But the other part is true. Lucia sent me to kill you that night."

McCombians and Sheppardors alike swivelled back to Lucia and pointed their swords at her.

She swallowed. "I can explain everything."

It was a long walk out of the Shell, hands cuffed behind her, a silent guard marching her on. The former Queen only had "oh for fuck's sake, not again," to say, before she too fell into silence as she was arrested and marched out. They were put in the same guard's carriage. Lucia stared out the window for most of the trip. At one point, she leant forward and said to the driver, "did you see Kailani's broadcast?"

"Yeah," he replied. "I did."

"Now correct me if I'm wrong – a lot was going on and I wasn't able to take it all in at once – did she actually say my entire stationary history had been published on the goss? For all the country to see?"

"Yeah," said the guard. "She did. All the world, actually."

"Ah," said Lucia. "I see."

She sat back and looked out of the window again. "Bugger me."
Chapter 21

The trial began on a bright, sunny mid-spring day. Summer, and with it the festive season, was fast-approaching and the streets and shop fronts of Awatere were already decorated with colourful lights and vibrant ornaments. A new national sword fighting champion had been declared, and preparations were underway for the parade.

Inside the courtroom, however, it was bare and colourless. Lucia sat on a hard, rigid chair that was impossible to get comfortable in. She wore grey drabs that itched her skin, though the irritation was almost a welcome distraction. Next to her sat her barrister, studiously going over the notes for his opening argument.

"Quite ridiculous that it has gotten this far," muttered Lucia. "No-one will let me explain. If I could just explain it all, you'd all understand."

"Shhhh," her barrister murmured, tapping his pen against the paper with a look of consternation on his face.

She could hear the courtroom filling up behind her but did not turn to look. It was too humiliating. A peek to her left showed the barrister for the prosecution likewise studying her notes. A guard was posted at the front, and she knew there were several more in the back. She wasn't handcuffed, but she could feel their eyes on her. The doors kept opening and closing with huge clanging sounds and the courtroom grew louder as more and more people shuffled in. Lucia clasped her hands on the table in front of her and kept her eyes firmly forward. She didn't want to know who was watching.

Eventually, the judge entered in full robes, took her seat, and called the courtroom to order.

It was awful. Both barristers made their opening arguments, and Lucia could barely listen to any of it. She was starting to not know what was true and what wasn't anymore, and she put her head in her hands, tuned it out, and pushed everything they were saying from her mind.

It vaguely registered that the prosecution was calling its first witness. She didn't recognise the name. She allowed herself to look up, finally, and saw a woman she didn't know take her place in the witness stand. Lucia regarded the woman in confusion. She did not know this person. For half a second she thought maybe it had all been a huge mistake, she was in the wrong trial, they'd arrested the wrong person, it was a case of mistaken identity for some entirely unrelated crime, committed, perhaps, by some other Lucia Straw, and any second now the judge would slap her hand across her forehead and exclaim "Oh silly us! We've accidentally arrested the Prime Minister."

Then she realised the woman did look familiar after all, and the fantasy fell away. It took a few more seconds to place her, and then it dawned on her - she was the woman Lucia had seen in the tavern that night she'd gone to Lissdale. The one who had pulled back and looked at her in horror.

"Please state your name for the record," said the judge.

"I am Reilly Oran," the woman replied. She was looking at Lucia with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. Lucia met her gaze for a second, then quickly stared back down at her hands.

"Do you swear by the sword to tell the truth?" said the judge.

"I do," said the woman.

The barrister for the prosecution approached her. "Ms Oran, what is your profession?"

"I am an administrative clerk for the McCombian party of Zatoria."

"And can you tell us what happened on the night in question?"

She nodded. "I was having a drink with colleagues after a long day at the Cloak & Dagger, a lovely little locale in Lissdale. We often went there after work to unwind. It was a very tense time, as I'm sure you all know. There was a lot of work to be done in exposing the false government." She paused and eyed Lucia again.

"Please go on," said the prosecutor.

She took a deep breath. "I was sitting there in the tavern when suddenly, to our utmost surprise, who should burst in but the imposter Prime Minister herself. We were all taken quite aback, it was the last thing we expected. I was terrified."

"Why were you terrified?"

"Because we were all working on exposing her, and we knew she killed people who threatened to expose her, and there she was, bursting in all ranting and raving like a wild creature and demanding my sword with the full power of the government behind her. I thought dozens of Shell guards were about to burst in too and we were all going to die. But then Ethan came in after her, and I knew it was going to be okay, we were safe."

"Ethan?"

"Ethan Whitsford. He's Kailani's bodyguard. He's saved her life dozens of times. He saved us that night. He neutralised the imposter Prime Minister and took her away. We were safe but shaken, and knew we had to immediately start putting our plans into action."

Lucia's mind swirled. She didn't understand these words. She put her head down and decided they weren't being said.

It went on all day. More witnesses were called. More people telling a side that Lucia blocked out. She tuned it all out, put up the wall in her mind, and waited for it to be over. At the end of the day, her barrister turned to her and told her she had better get a good sleep tonight. Tomorrow was going to be very difficult.

The second day of the trial began and this time the guard presence had tripled. The guard's carriage transporting Lucia to the courtroom could barely make it through the street, masses of people impeding the way, shoving and jostling to get closer to the courtroom, the driver growing more and more red-faced as he slammed the neigh button and yelled at them to make way. Lucia stared out the window and watched as their faces slid by. They weren't here for her.

The courtroom was already packed when she arrived, and more people were desperate to get in. Guards were lined up outside the courtroom turning the shouting crowds away. Lucia tuned out the noise again.

The judge banged her gavel. "Prosecution, please call your next witness."

"I would like to call Ms Battenbox to the stand," said the prosecutor. The courtroom fell silent save for hushed whispers and the scraping of chairs as people turned to look, the crowds in the galleries above straining to catch a glimpse.

Lucia stared straight ahead.

The doors clanged open and she entered. Even the hushed whispers stopped now, and the courtroom was so quiet Lucia could hear the soft footfalls of two people walking to the stand. As she came into Lucia's eyeline, she saw they had not forgone the handcuffs in this case. She was escorted by a guard and she wore the same grey drabs as Lucia. She took her place in the witness stand. Her face was blank, resigned, though she still possessed that innate poise that was ingrained in her.

"I would first like it known to the court," began the prosecutor, "that this witness has agreed to testify in exchange for a commuted sentence."

The judge nodded.

She was sworn in and the questioning began.

"Well," said the prosecutor, "let's begin by going back to the campaign period. Tell us about your involvement during that time."

The former Queen took a moment to survey the eager listeners before her, a courtroom full of people collectively holding their breath waiting for her to begin. She opened her mouth, then closed it again. The prosecutor had to prompt her to speak again. Eventually, she began, speaking monotonously, staring straight ahead, and plainly relating the words. "Shortly after I had been... removed... from the Palace, political parties had already begun to form and they were preparing to begin their campaigns. However, I still had many loyal supporters. I sent several of them to infiltrate the various parties. At first it was merely for observation. I wanted to keep an eye on things, have some insider's knowledge of what was happening. But when Serai Vish told me Lucia Straw was one of the Sheppardor party members, a plan began to form. I immediately had Serai manipulate all the members to convince them to appoint Lucia as the leader."

"Why Lucia Straw?" asked the prosecutor.

"Because she is stupid and selfish and will impulsively do the wrong thing if it makes her look good. And she is good enough at making herself look good, for a while at least. She would make a great face of the party – at first. And it would seem to make sense for her to be in a leadership position. But things would quickly unravel when it became clear she had no idea what she was doing."

She paused for a long moment, eyes flicking about the courtroom. "I knew it was likely the McCombians would win the election, which was perfect for my needs. I didn't want Kailani as Prime Minister, of course, because she would have been an excellent one and I needed a terrible one, but I also needed the terrible one to make a catastrophic mistake that I could later publicly reveal. I'd had my spy on the technologist team send me the log in details for the electronic voting system and just before the results came in, I sent them to Lucia in an anonymous telegram. Anyone else would have known not to touch them, it could so easily be traced. But I knew she wouldn't be able to resist. It was like dangling a camembert in front of her. Even if she thought it might be poisoned, she'd still take it.

"At first she would tell herself she was logging in just to look. And then she would see the results and how easy it would be to change them, and she wouldn't be able to help herself. I wanted her to become Prime Minister, I wanted everyone to like her well-enough at first because she can put on the appearance of a good leader, and then I wanted it all to unravel faster and faster. For Zatorians to see first-hand what a terrible idea this ridiculous system is, even when someone ostensibly good is leading them. And then when things were at their most catastrophic, it would be revealed that she was a fraud all along. It would all be a disaster and Zatorians would beg for me back."

"And she played her part perfectly. Too well, actually, I hadn't expected it to be quite such a disaster so quickly." Now the flicker of a smile crossed the Queen's otherwise resigned face. "On the verge of war with your own country within three weeks." She shook her head. "Though of course I did have Serai in place to nudge her in the wrong direction and carefully control exactly what I wanted her public image to be. I probably should have pulled her back, that wasn't even necessary. I would have preferred for it to take much longer. At least a few months, so Zatorians could really feel the downward spiral. She needed more time to thoroughly run the country into the ground, and to lose more duels."

"But fucking Kailani. She ruined it all. She figured it out from the beginning. I should have known that. I should have fucking known that. I knew her. When Serai called me on election night to tell me Kailani had accused Lucia of rigging the election, I sent an assassin to Kailani's house to kill her and I called my spy in the technical guard division and asked him to intercept any telegram that came in from Kailani. I couldn't have that information come out so quickly. At first I thought, well actually, that's even better. It'll look like Lucia killed her political opponent. But she escaped and fled. I've tried to have her killed several times since then."

The prosecutor looked down at his notes. "Yes, your charges include – she double checked and raised an eyebrow – 27? 27 assassination attempts. Just in these last few weeks alone."

"Oh, those weren't all for Kailani," said the Queen with a wave of her hand. "I do have other things going on besides this whole thing, you know."

"Not very good at successfully killing people, though, are you?"

The Queen glared at her and was silent for a time. "Killing people when everything you do isn't automatically legal has been an adjustment period," she finally managed. "Anyway, I doubled my efforts in taking Kailani down now I knew she was looking for evidence against me. But I failed, and so, here I am." She gave the whole courtroom a defiant stare.

The courtroom stared back in the deathly type of silence of hundreds of people trying to wrap their minds around this version of their Queen. Lucia gaped at her. The room began to swirl and she retreated back into her mind, only vaguely aware the trial was still continuing, her barrister's cross-examination questions a distant voice.

"I call my next witness to the stand," she heard the prosecutor say some time later. "Jevan Lonell."

Lucia sank down into her chair. "No," she whispered to her barrister. "Please no. Make it stop."

"This witness has likewise agreed to a commuted sentence in exchange for his testimony," said the prosecutor.

Lucia closed her eyes. "I get it already, everyone has betrayed me," she mumbled.

Jevan took the stand and was sworn in. Lucia stared down at the table. She was beginning to know every pattern in the wood grain off by heart.

"Tell us about the events of election night," said the prosecutor.

"After Kailani telegrammed and said she knew Lucia had rigged the election," Jevan began, his voice cold and resolute, "I believed Lucia when she said it wasn't true. She told me the Queen and Kailani were working together to bring her down. She said they were trying to reinstall the monarchy. They were destroying everything we had fought so hard for. That if we didn't do something, the whole Revolution would have been for nothing. So she asked me to kill Kailani. I thought I was doing what had to be done. I believed everything she told me. People have to die to ensure a successful Revolution. I went to Kailani's house that night to kill her because she told me it was the only way to save Zatoria."

"And I kept quiet about it afterwards because I thought I was protecting the real Prime Minister. I didn't know she was a fraud. I thought I knew her so well. I thought she was good, you see. I didn't know she was someone who would betray her friends without a second thought."

"You're obviously very bitter about the way the defendant treated you," said the prosecutor. "Might that not be clouding your testimony?"

"Of course I'm bitter," said Jevan. "She destroyed a 27-year friendship in an instant when she tried to pin it all on me. Doesn't mean it's not true."

Lucia finally looked up. The cheery Jevan she knew was gone, his face a stone-cold mask.

He finished answering both barristers' questions and left. Walked out of the courtroom without a glance in her direction.

"The prosecution calls Kailani Rhys to the stand."

The crowd gasped and murmured and everyone shifted in their seats with excitement as Kailani took the stand.

"Alright, Ms Rhys. Let's have your version of events, starting from the night of the election," said the prosecutor.

When Kailani began speaking, her voice was confident, matter-of-fact, ringing out clearly throughout the courtroom. "First of all, I hadn't figured it all out actually. Had I known it was just one spy in the technical division and the former Queen and Lucia weren't working together, I would have played things differently. When the election results were called, I knew it couldn't be right. I had pages of statistical reports and analyses that showed which way the vote was swinging. But I second-guessed myself – I didn't want to be a sore loser after all – accepted it, and telegrammed Lucia to congratulate her. That's what I had intended to do anyway. As soon as she answered, as soon as I heard her voice, I had a terrible feeling my first instinct had been right and for a few moments I didn't know what to say. Eventually I just told her I knew.

"It was a mistake, of course, because it immediately alerted both her and the former Queen. But it did prove that I was right, because I immediately found myself having to contend with two assassins. First, Jevan came to my house and tried to sneak up behind me with a dagger. After I had whaled his ass, I telegrammed the guards, not knowing the former Queen's spy was intercepting it. A second assassin arrived shortly after, someone I recognised from working with at the Palace." She looked down at her lap. "It shook me a lot, because both of them were people I'd been friendly with in the past. The Queen's staff I'd worked with for years at the Palace, and Jevan I had also known in a social context. It's one thing when strangers try to kill you, but when friends do it is quite a bit more hurtful."

She gave a wry smile. "Anyway. Lucia was the Prime Minister now, and the Queen was the former Queen, but, you know, she was still the Queen. From my perspective it looked like the full power of the government was out to kill me. I couldn't contact the guards again, I assumed they would either be on Lucia's or the former Queen's side. So I gathered up my most trusted party members and we went to Lissdale, where I had a contact in the Lissdale regiment I hoped I could trust. Honestly, I didn't even know if I really could trust him. I didn't know if I could trust anybody at that point. I just crossed my fingers and hoped Captain Ziyad wouldn't also try to kill me. And thank the sword, he was still a friend. He gave us shelter and resources and we immediately began working on exposing the false government."

She took a deep breath.

"So that's what we did. We lived in fear they would catch us, that Captain Ziyad would tell them, that we would all be arrested or worse. I was constantly expecting the guards to bang at my door, so I made escape plans. Then one night, only a week into the new government, I saw Lucia lurking outside my house with a dagger. She hadn't sent Jevan this time, she was here to do it herself. I was very surprised that she seemed to be alone. I sent my bodyguard to scope out the situation and see where all the guards were. He could find none. I asked him to bring her in so I could interrogate her. I held her as long as I could to get information until the guards came, then I ran."

"And eventually," said the prosecutor, "you decided to expose her by making the data from her gossamer globe public instead of going through legal channels?"

"I thought it was the only way. She had all the power. Thanks to Captain Ziyad's help, I had won the trust of the northern regiments but not the southern. But we had no evidence. So we devised a plan that would make her call me down to the Shell under the pretence of negotiating and I would, um," – she coughed – "expose her, by taking her gossamer globe."

Lucia was outraged. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "She's twisting it all around," she whispered to her barrister. "She's telling it in a way that makes herself look good. But she kidnapped me! She oppressed half the country. You can't let her get away with it."

When Kailani's testimony was finished, there was a short recess, then Lucia was called to the stand.

She turned to her barrister in a panic. "I've changed my mind. I don't want to testify."

Her barrister gave an exasperated sigh. "Now's your chance to explain everything. You've been saying all along that's what you want."

She reluctantly made her way to the stand.

"Lucia Straw, do you swear by the sword to tell the truth?"

"I do."

"What happened on the night of the election?"

Lucia opened her mouth. Then she closed it.

"Ms Straw?"

Silence. Fidgeting and quiet murmuring rippled throughout the room. The prosecutor prompted her a third time.

"I don't know how to explain it in a way that will make everyone understand," she eventually mumbled.

"What? Speak up. We can't hear you."

"It was the smallest thing."

"What? Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to speak loudly and clearly for the court reporter."

Lucia cleared her throat and shifted in her seat. She tried again. "Rigging the election, that's a huge thing. And it was only the tiniest thing, what I did." She paused.

"Please continue."

She was silent.

"Ma'am, please continue."

"I was set up," she began. "It wasn't my fault. I didn't send those login details to myself. It wasn't my fault I had them."

"But what did you do with them?"

"I knew that I shouldn't, but I thought, I'll just see. I logged in. I wasn't going to do anything, really I wasn't, I just wanted to look. And I saw the McCombian party were going to win. All I did – literally all I did – was swap the names around. It was the smallest thing. It took half a second. It was nothing. It was over before I'd even done it. That's all I did," she whispered.

The prosecutor was a silent for a moment. "Please continue."

"And then everything changed so quickly. Suddenly I was the fucking Prime Minister. Everyone was treating me differently. It was all a big huge mess of confusion. And then Kailani telegrammed and made the accusation and I panicked." She looked down. "I just panicked. I realised the telegram had been a set up. They were trying to take me down. They were trying to ruin the whole Revolution. So I did what I had to do to keep the monarchy down and the new government running."

And I wasn't−" two bright spots appeared on her cheeks "−I wasn't a bad Prime Minister. I was fucking good. How dare you, how dare all of you."

"Let me get this straight," said the prosecutor. "You rigged the election, you tried to assassinate the real Prime Minister, your set yourself up in the Prime Minister's office knowing it was fraudulent, you ran the government knowing nothing you did was legal, and then you went against the Great Chamber vote and declared war on your own country, and you demanded every Zatorian shut down their gossamer globe?"

"You're taking it all out of context," Lucia said desperately. "Of course when you put it like that it sounds bad. Bu−"

"You had no idea what you were doing in the job. You had to search for everything before you did it. Your lengthy list of gossamer activity includes gems such as 'what is a Prime Minister.'"

The courtroom burst out laughing and Lucia felt the blood rush to her face. "You can't laugh at me for that!" she shouted at them. "You can't. It was a completely new thing. Why would I have randomly known what it was?"

"'Why don't we have a Head of State'"

More laughter.

"'Why aren't I the President.'"

"Stop reading them out!"

"And of course, 'how to delete data from gossamer.'"

She put her walls up quickly, pushed everything that was happening away. The prosecutor continued to drone on. She looked away. Glanced towards the back of the courtroom, where Jevan was standing. Her breath caught. She thought he'd gone. Their eyes met for a brief moment, and the walls came down just for a second. An old memory, almost forgotten, of herself breaking the ice cream dispenser in kindergarten flit through her mind. She'd done it on purpose because she didn't want her class nemesis to have any. Jevan had covered it up for her. She looked away from him. Pushed it right out again and made sure the walls stayed up this time. They could all go to hell.
Chapter 22

Patrik, Varielle, and Shoma left the courtroom in a state of shock. They stood outside on the steps, the fresh air a welcome change from the crowded room, and stared at each other, unsure what to do next.

"All this time," said Varielle, looking like she was about to cry, "we thought we'd gotten 63% of the vote, but it was actually only 15%."

"Hey," called a voice, "I've been instructed to take you folk back to the Shell."

They turned to see Darryl waiting by his carriage.

"We're still allowed in there then?" asked Shoma.

"Of course," said Darryl. "You're the Opposition party now."

"I'm not," said Patrik. "Lucia fired me."

Varielle rolled her eyes. "And who cares what she said. You're our leader now."

They all crowded into the carriage and the familiar clip clop of horse hooves began as they pulled away from the courthouse.

"She lied to me," said Shoma, after a few moments of contemplative silence.

"Me too," said Patrik.

"Me too," said Varielle.

"Me too," said Darryl.

"What did she have to lie to you about, Darryl?" asked Varielle.

"Said she'd sorted that trip to Lissdale with my superior. Total lie. Almost got me fired."

"Oh, sorry Darryl."

"Yeah, sorry Darryl,"

"Sorry Darryl."

"S'ok. You lot aren't responsible for her."

"There's one thing I don't understand though," said Varielle. "Lucia really was quite well-liked by the public. At first at least. And Kailani, honestly, not that much. How did Kailani win 63% of the vote? It makes no sense."

"Makes perfect sense to me," said Darryl. "I voted for the McCombians."

"Really?" said Patrik. "Why?" He coughed. "I mean, if you don't mind me asking."

Darryl shrugged. "When all the parties were campaigning in the lead up to the election, the Revolutionary Council sent out information packs on everything. It was our first ever election, we needed to see how it all worked. So these packs had all this information in them about how the new system was going to work including fact sheets on all our prospective politicians. They went pretty into detail on everyone, showed your entire political histories, experience, skills etc. And for Lucia there really wasn't anything substantial. She seemed fine, but she just didn't have any political experience. Kailani, on the other hand, did. They listed everything she'd done in the last ten years and she'd basically been keeping the economy afloat. And it was the same for every member of her party. They were all highly skilled and experts in their fields." He glanced at them. "Nothing against you folk, you all had some quite impressive CVs too. But on balance, the McCombians came out in front. Zatorians aren't stupid, it was pretty clear Kailani would be a better Prime Minister than Lucia."

Patrik looked doubtful. "But she was only an assistant."

"But she was the Duke of Kiatana's assistant," said Varielle. "I guess she learnt a lot from him."

The three sat back and mused the situation for a while.

"It was actually probably because she won the Prime Minister's duel," Shoma eventually suggested.
Chapter 23

When it was announced that Kailani Rhys was the first ever rightful Prime Minister of the great nation of Zatoria, she was already in the Great Chamber making her case for fairer distribution of the former aristocracy's assets.

Patrik stood opposite her calling her up on various sections and clauses of her proposed bill and they debated the finer points with an ever-increasing excitement at the realisation they had found a worthy opponent.

The moderator banged his gavel and peered at them over his glasses. "No getting excited about tax law in my Great Chamber." He pushed his glasses up and picked up a piece of paper. "Now to move on to our next order of business, the electronic voting system."

"Has got to go," Blythe shouted out to cries of agreement around her.

"Indeed!" said Giles standing up, with a quick wistful glance at Patrik's chair as he did so. "All the vapours from those unnecessary electrons are ruining our environment."

"Yes," said Kailani. "I move that all future elections are carried out by paper ballot."

The Chamber cheered in agreement.

"No," said Giles, his voice falling to a horrified whisper. "The trees."

After the Great Chamber session, Kailani returned to her office. She stared at her goss in consternation. Some of the gossamer seemed to be damaged. She buzzed through to Gerda and asked her to send for a technologist.

A few minutes later, she looked up as a young woman wearing a tool belt slung around her waist came in. "Hello Prime Minister," she said. "It's an honour to meet you. I'm Ada."

"Yes," said Kailani. "We sort of met already, at the pulley room battle."

"So we did."

They shook hands and then Ada set about fixing the damaged webbing.

"Thank you so much for your help," Kailani said when she had finished.

"You're welcome, Prime Minister."

"Please," said Kailani. She looked Ada up and down with intrigue, tucked her hair behind her ear, and gave her a warm smile. "Call me Kai."

Ada left, and Kailani got up and walked to the large windows behind her and stared out at the city. It was a bright sunny day, and everything was crystal clear. She could see the mountains in the distance. She looked at them a while, then turned her glance to the Palace. There was a huge banner strung across the turrets today advertising a new attraction: ROLE PLAY THE LAST QUEEN OF ZATORIA'S FINAL SWORD FIGHT WITH THE REVOLUTIONARY HEROES! ONLY 25 CROWNS!

An amused expression crossed her face for a moment, then she turned away from the Palace and returned to her desk. There was work to be done.
Epilogue

"We'll put the border here," said Lucia. "That's fair. We both get equal territory and as long as both of us comply with the truce and do not enter the others' territory, we can co-exist peacefully."

"Absolutely not," replied the Queen. "Don't think I can't see you've taken more than your fair share. We're moving the border further this way."

Lucia looked up at her from her crouched position and glared. "The very audacity of you. This is the half-way mark. You're not getting an inch more."

The Queen gave her a hard shove that sent her sprawling. "I am getting an inch more. You can't just take what is rightfully mine." She began to relocate the border exactly an inch to the left.

Lucia gritted her teeth, scrambled back to her feet, and shoved her back with all her force.

"You curdled commoner," screeched the Queen, coming back for her fast. They began wrestling, rolling around grappling with each other, clawing and scratching at each other while screaming insults.

"Hey knock it off you two," shouted a voice as a loud metallic bang rang out, stopping them in their tracks. "Stop this at once," said Brian, their prison guard, banging his baton against the bars. "You promised you'd play nice if I gave you that roll of tape."

They scrambled up off the hard dungeon floor and dusted themselves off. "She wants more than half the cell," the Queen said, pointing an accusatory finger at Lucia.

"Do not," said Lucia. "I measured the tape down the centre fairly. You have your half and I have mine."

Brian rolled his eyes. "Give me that tape back."

The Queen walked up to the cell bars and gripped them tightly. "Come on Brian," she said, giving him an imploring look. "Put us in separate cells, this is torture."

"Exactly," said Brian. "That's kind of the point."

Lucia likewise gripped two bars and pressed her head forward as far as she could. "At least give us swords. Let us duel this out woman to woman, I'll make short work of her and then I can live in peace and you won't ever have to deal with us fighting again."

The Queen snorted. "When will you ever grow out of your delusions? You always lose, unless you cheat."

Lucia turned to her, eyes blazing. "Yeah well, if I cheat you'll be just as dead."

The Queen stepped forward and put her face up to Lucia's. "We both know that if we duel, you'll be the one who ends up dead."

"Oooh, really?" said Lucia, her voice a sing-songy taunt. "I'm sooooooo scared." The sarcasm dripped off the words. "The woman who can't even kill people properly threatening to kill me, you, you... you failed murderer."

The Queen's eyes narrowed and she grabbed at Lucia's drabs looking quite ready to shake the life out of her. Brian banged his baton against the bars again and they jumped apart. "I was going to let you have a little treat, but not if you behave like this."

They were immediately contrite. "Sorry Brian," Lucia mumbled.

"Give us the treat, we'll be good," the Queen wheedled.

He walked down the dimly-lit dungeon passageway until they heard a door clanging at the end as he left. They went and sat on their respective beds and glared at each other across the cell. A short while later, Brian returned wheeling in a KI monitor. "Thought you'd want to see how the new Prime Minister is doing."

They looked at him in disgust. "That's the treat? I don't want to see her," said the Queen.

Lucia was outraged. "Why would I care how she's doing?"

He shrugged and turned it on. Establishing shots of the Shell appeared on the screen.

"Brian, this is psychological torture," said the Queen.

"Yeah, it's cruel and unusual punishment," agreed Lucia.

He laughed. "You should write to your representative about that."

Their heads turned to the screen as Kailani came on it. She was sitting on a sofa in the Prime Minister's residence, Butterfloogles curled up cosily in her lap. Lucia ran up to the bars and gaped at the sight. "That little traitor."

A reporter sat in a chair interviewing her. Asking her all sorts of questions about her ordeal exposing the imposter Prime Minister and how she was adjusting to taking her rightful place. Kailani answered the questions clearly and casually, smiling all the while, as though she couldn't be more confident and comfortable with the situation. Lucia scowled.

Bluebell appeared on the screen next and put her nose up to Butterfloogles. Butterfloogles eyed her warily.

"Bite her," Lucia said, her hands gripping tighter around the bars. "BITE HER, BUTTERFLOOGLES."

Butterfloogles just nuzzled Bluebell back. Electric rage surged through Lucia. "TRAITOR," she screamed a second time. The Queen smirked.

"And this must be the famous Bluebell," the reporter was saying. "What a sweet girl she is. And a heroic dog indeed."

"Oh yes," Kailani agreed, scratching behind Bluebell's ears as she sat there happily enjoying the attention. "She's saved my life several times."

"Turn it off," said Lucia.

Brian shrugged and did so. "I just wanted you to see how well she's doing."

"She won't be for long," said Lucia. "It's a high-pressure job, she won't be able to cope with it. It will all come crashing down on her soon enough."

"She seems to thrive on the pressure."

"And nobody likes her, everyone thinks she's a boring snob."

"Lots of people like her. Even her main opponent, the Leader of the Opposition, likes her. They're great friends. Have a real mutual respect."

Lucia gripped the bars tighter. The Queen giggled.

"Well, you don't even have time for friends in that job. She'll lose them all. She'll be lonely and pathetic."

"Doubt it. She's been dating her technologist for a while now; they seem very happy together."

Lucia clutched the bars and screamed a scream that echoed throughout the entire dungeon. Even the people far above at ground level thought they felt the reverberations of a distant cry. The anger building with nowhere to go, Lucia turned in frustration and flung herself down on her cell bed. She put her arm over her mouth and screamed into it again. A bed spring dug into her.

"I actually did have a real treat for you," Brian said. Lucia heard the rustling of paper as he took something from his prison guard's uniform. Moments later, the Queen give a gasp of surprise. "My cheese!"

She looked over to see the Queen grabbing a giant piece of brie and clutching it hard to her chest. She turned to Lucia with a triumphant grin. "This unequivocally makes Kailani the better Prime Minister. She gave me back my cheese."

"Oh, no," said Brian. "It belongs to the state, and the state feeds the prisoners."

"Oh."

"It's supposed to be shared equally amongst all the prisoners, but I'm being exceptionally nice here and giving you a bigger share."

The Queen smiled at him graciously, and Lucia stared in disbelief as she saw Brian melt a little in its enveloping radiance. She grimaced in disgust and turned around to face the wall.

They conversed for a while and Lucia closed her eyes and tried to ignore it, all of it, the musty, damp smell of the cell, the itchy threadbare sheets, the distant sound of a drip. Eventually Brian left and she heard the Queen sit down on her bed.

She turned over again and the corner of the sheet popped off the bed. Another bedspring dug into her. A drip from the ceiling fell onto her face and she shuddered.

She opened her eyes and watched the Queen slowly tasting every mouthful, savouring it, relishing every little bit. "It's magical," she murmured.

Lucia licked her lips. It did smell good. "Can I have some?" she asked.

"No," replied the Queen.

~

Dear Reader,

Thank you for reading The Gossamer Globe, the first in a trilogy about this world. I hope you enjoyed it. If you would like to read the sequel, The Gossamer Power, it is published as of February 16, 2020. Blurb:

The Gossamer Power is the sequel to The Gossamer Globe and takes place six months after the events of the first book. Kailani is now the Prime Minister of Zatoria and governs it victoriously with her girlfriend, Ada, by her side, while Lucia languishes away in the dungeons with the former Queen.

But everything changes when Ada is kidnapped by the Empress of Evangialand and held for ransom in exchange for the master gossamer globe, a globe so powerful it threatens the fall of Zatoria. Kailani and Lucia find themselves head to head once more when they put everything at risk and go to extreme measures to save Ada and defeat the Empress.

A sci-fi meets fantasy adventure with sword-wielding women, disorienting labyrinths, prison breaks, and, of course, an infinite cheese wheel.

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