The Pirate and The Piper

Things Start To Go Wrong (Even More Than They Had Been)

Things Start To Go Wrong (Even More Than They Had Been)

The first clue I had that something wasn't right came when Iekika tried to convince us to stay on the island with her.

"Something bad is going to happen if you go back there," she insisted. "I can't see exactly what, but you can't go back."

Kade brushed his hair away from his eyepatch and bit his lip. "If we don't go back, then how are we going to save our father?" he asked. If he had been talking to someone who couldn't see the future, this would have been a rhetorical question, but since he was talking to Iekika he actually wanted an answer.

"You should be asking how you're going to save yourself if you go back. I hope you find an answer, because I can't see one!"

"I know you're worried about what's going to happen if we go back," I said, "but what will happen if we don't is more terrifying to Kade."

Iekika sighed. "Is there nothing I can do to make you listen? Go, then, and don't say I didn't warn you!"

Kade and I got back on the Puff Pastry, apprehensive of what was to come, but knowing that we had to go back to save the king.

When we arrived in the bay, I knew we should have taken Iekika's advice and not returned to the island. Alika's entity was there waiting for us.

"Hello, my dearest brother and brother-in-law! Shouldn't you have been here an hour ago to greet our esteemed guest, Kade?"

"Who is it?" Kade asked with a frown, reaching for his sword even though he knew he couldn't stab what was basically a ghost.

"You mean to say you don't know? I doubt her majesty would be very pleased at that! I'm not, either. I thought you knew who my mistress was!"

Kade and I both swore in unison. Of course we knew who controlled him—the Mad Queen Mab herself. If she was here, nothing good could come of that.

"I see that you do know who she is. Get up to the throne room and greet her properly, or I won't be responsible for how she reacts." The entity paused, thinking. "Actually, I probably will be responsible, since she'll order me to kill you. That will be fun!"

Kade and I raced up to the palace, stopping in our room first so that I could grab my throwing knives and hide them under my shirt. We then hurried to the throne room, only to find the council member who was plotting murder sitting on the king's throne.

"Oh, hello, boys. There's someone here who wants to see you. I can't believe you're important enough for her to journey all this way, seeing as she hates the Thousand Isles, but she deemed it a worthy use of her time."

We glared at him for a minute, then Mad Queen Mab stepped out from behind the throne. She was just as evil looking as I remembered. Her hair was as black as an entity's shadow, made even darker looking by her pale skin that had always reminded me of sour milk. Her icy blue eyes looked like pieces of sharp glass, and she looked ready to murder us.

"Why are you sitting on that throne?" she demanded of the council member. "You are not king yet!"

"S-sorry, Your Majesty," he said, jumping off of it. She climbed up the steps to the throne and settled onto it, grinning evilly.

"From what I hear, you two tried to tell my daughter that I am a Night Mage. If she isn't smart enough to figure it out on her own, why on earth do you think she deserves to know?"

"Sophie's going to figure it out one day," I said angrily at the idea that someone could suggest my friend was dumb. "She's going to see right through your charade, not that you bother—"

Kade clamped his hand over my mouth, preventing me from going on. "John, shut up!" he whispered in my ear. "You'll get yourself killed!"

The Mad Queen cackled. "Oh, this prince is a smart one! I wonder, what would you do to keep him safe?" She skipped daintily down the steps, ending up right in front of us. Kade and I started to take a step back, when she slapped me across the face.

"Don't move!" she snarled. "Or I'll use a knife next time." She glared at Kade. "And if you even think of drawing that sword of yours, I'll make his death long and painful."

After glaring at us for a minute, she seemed content that we wouldn't disobey her.

"Now, let's talk," she said sweetly. "John, you have something I could use. I expect you to help me, or I will torture your husband until he dies."

"What do I have that you want?" I asked.

"The trust of the Lilian people. Oh, I know what you're thinking. There's no way they could trust the Silver Piper! However, for some unfathomable reason, they don't trust me. Only a few of my guards know who you are, and I will protect your identity if you work for me. If you choose not to, you already know what will happen to Prince Kade-Akamai here. It's a simple choice to make."

If I get out of this, I will always do whatever Iekika says, no matter how strange it seems.

"Well, what's your choice? Will you work for me or not?" the Mad Queen snarled.

Kade took a breath like he was about to say something.

"Don't start," the Mad Queen snapped. "If you do, I'll have my agents here find that sister of yours."

Kade released his breath.

"Now, John, I believe you were about to tell me your choice."

Time seemed to slow down so much that it almost stopped. This couldn't be happening, could it? If I agreed to help, I would be a traitor to the resistance—and to Sophie. If I didn't, then I would be condemning my husband to death! What kind of choice was this?

I had to make up my mind, and soon. If I agree to help her, then I might be able to do next to nothing or continually mess up my jobs until she decides I'm useless. Then she might let Kade go and release me from her service. It was a long shot, but the only chance I had to turn this into a good situation.

"Fine," I spat. "I'll work for you. But if you lay one finger on my husband, I'll come to the Silver City and hunt you down myself."

"Now, John, that's hardly a way to talk to your superior," Queen Mab chided. "Alfonse, you are relieved of your duties here. Escort my new agent back to Lil and see that he sets up an inn close to the Beyond. I think the only inn in Stravanoska recently burned to the ground. I'll need John there to keep an eye on things, as people always pass through there to get to the Beyond after I've exiled them." The queen cackled. "We wouldn't want them to spend their last days uncomfortable, now would we?"

It was when her voice sounded almost sane that you could see just how crazy her words were.

"But, Your Majesty!" the council member protested. "You can't do this! You promised I would be king!"

The Mad Queen waved him away. "One day. For now, let the current king out of jail and have him retake his throne. Tell him Kade perished while trying to find Iekika, and that John died as well."

Alfonse the council member didn't move.

"GO!" the queen snarled, and he ran. She smiled sweetly at us. "John, I'm going to take your husband with me to Lil now. Alika has proved quite useful for long distance transport. I'll give you one minute to say goodbye."

"John, whatever happens, I love you," Kade said, hugging me tightly. He was starting to cry.

"I love you too, Kade," I said, also tearing up. He was leaning down to kiss me when the Mad Queen grabbed his arm and they both disappeared.

AllI could think was,That was only fifteenseconds!_[