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Father had sealed up. I remember. I was with him when he did it. He d
conducted an expedition into the aspect and had found a nascently dangerous
militaristic culture.
 So you undid Dad s containment spell. But nothing happened immediately, the
King said.
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 No. The blue ones took their good time about it, plodding, unimaginative
military types that they are. But then I
had a stroke of luck. You popped off to Earth in search of Trent, whom you
suspected. And then the blue ones attacked! Marvelous timing, but quite
fortuitous. But when you refused to cooperate, I had a real problem. I had
overplayed my hand as far as the blue ones were concerned. They were too
powerful for Deems and me alone.
The only alternative was to employ an even more powerful force to rid the
castle of them, reserving you as a trump card against these new invaders. I
thought I could keep you out of the castle. You were in a world where your
magic did not work. I was the superior magician in that world.
 Didn t you think Trent would help me?
 Never. I m astounded that he did. And truly astounded by his talents.
 As am I. Nevertheless, he did help me.
She nodded sadly.  I should have seen it. I should have made it my business to
find out what Trent had been up to during his exile.
 You knew of Dad s banishing him?
 Oh, yes. It was supposed to be a secret, but I caught wind of it. She chewed
her lip, perplexed.  But even if I d known of Trent s powers, I would never
have imagined that his hatred of you would have ameliorated over the years.
You two had such terrible fights when you were young.
 We did. Sibling rivalry can certainly last into adulthood, but given enough
time  and we are all very old indeed at this point  it passes, like all
things in all worlds. No one can nurse a grudge forever. Except perhaps you,
dear sister.
 I bear no grudge. It was simply something to keep me occupied in my dotage.
He chuckled.  You don t look the part of the aging dowager princess.
 Please! Don t compliment me when you are about to sentence me to death!
His smile faded.  You deserve to die. You killed Deems, your brother. You
misled him, manipulated him.&  He was astonished at her pained expression.
 You feel some remorse?
 Yes! Of course.
 I wonder if it s real. No matter. One more question. How could you have let
Host agents infiltrate your base on
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Earth? If they had succeeded in assassinating me, your cause would have been
lost.
She looked away.  I don t know. The irrational in me had taken over by then, I
suppose. I suppose I wanted nothing but death at that point. Not for you, but
for me.
 The irrational came to dominate your thinking a long time ago. Even the
thought of striking a bargain with the
Hosts is itself an irrational act. To entertain any such notion is tantamount
to contemplating suicide.
 I suppose you re right, she said, her voice small and colorless.  You always
are. She seemed on the verge of tears. But she composed herself and said,
 What does it matter now?
 It will matter in your future life, sister.
Her eyes filled with wonder, hope, and disbelief.  You & you would let me
live?
 I will not condemn a relative to death, especially a pretender to the throne.
It always looks bad, no matter how weak the claimant s case. It would reflect
badly on my kingdom, and my reign.
She looked at him a long moment before saying,  I can t fathom what your
motivations are, nor can I imagine who would gainsay your right to condemn me
to death. In fact, I should think the common run of opinion is that if you
don t, you re weak, or mad, or both.
 Let those who would judge me do so and be damned. I hereby pronounce judgment
on you. You shall be taken to an unstable area of the castle and put through
the first aspect that appears. The gateway will be guarded until it
disappears. Should you somehow find your way back into the castle, you will be
laid hands on and put out immediately, in the aforementioned manner. Do you
understand the nature of your fate?
Her voice barely audible, she said,  Yes.
 May the gods have mercy on you. Take her away.
The guards made motions to lay hands on her. She halted them with a curt,
imperious gesture. She stepped
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two steps to the throne.
The King rose. She embraced him, and covered his mouth with hers.
Their embrace lasted but a few seconds. He broke it, a look of astonishment on
his reddened face. Her smile was mysterious, as always. Then she laughed.
 Take her away, he said.  And leave, all of you.
He sat in the empty throne room for a long time, his eyes far away, his
thoughts troubled.
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Finally he said,  To hell with it.
Then he yawned and got up. He doffed his robe and draped it on the throne.
Taking off the crown, he hung it at a jaunty angle on the left upright of the
ancient oaken chair. He left the chamber by a secret back door.
The spiral stairs led up into the family residence. He walked to an area of
wall bordered by two pilasters. Raising his arms, he muttered a short
incantation. A portal formed in the wall, and he stepped through.
His wife and children were in the kitchen, having breakfast. Bright sun poured
through the windows. Outside, palms bent in a stiff sea breeze.
His son and daughter ran to embrace him. Then Zafra took him into her arms.
Holding her, he looked out over the beach and got a powerful urge to go
sailing that day, no matter how tired he was.
Then he remembered something. He had contracted to write a novel for Spade
Books, and the deadline was in six months. Six months! Why, he hadn t written
a word in thirty years.
He had never heard of a novel-writing spell, but he was fairly sure he could
come up with one, after a little brainstorming.
Biography
John DeChancie
John DeChancie is a popular author of numerous science fiction/fantasy novels
including the hugely entertaining
CASTLE series and STARRIGGER trilogy. He lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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