"Stellovet, we should consider some extra guards for your wedding."

Stellovet hardly glanced from her papers. If she had been a little less busy, she might have worried about how all this frowning was going to give her wrinkles. "Why would you say that, Solovet?" she asked her grandmother.

"Though you have killed Luxa, her body has mysteriously disappeared, and Nerissa cannot explain why. We might have to take into account that Luxa might not be dead."

"Impossible. I took your machine to the fiftieth level."

Solovet decided not to explain how she had no idea what happened at the fiftieth level. "Regardless, if you increase the guard and do not let uninvited subjects into the castle, it will give the impression that you fear for the Overlander's safety. He has been kidnapped, after all, and just barely escaped his death."

"Yes, it is a shame how he was not simply killed on the spot. I would rather this war with the gnawers be started quickly," Stellovet said with a small sigh. "But perhaps it would be more tragic if my soon-to-be husband was murdered when it appeared most certain that he would be crowned king? Certainly the public would feel more for him, and be more willing to battle with the gnawers."

"In which case, you would have the full support of the humans," Solovet added. "And is that not our main goal?"

"It is, but I do not see why adding more guards to the gate would lead to this war."

"It would show the people that, regardless of our best efforts, the gnawers are powerful and determined to kill us."

"Oh, very well, Solovet. Send someone to double the guard at the gate."

"Is Howard in control?"

"Yes. I asked him for another favor, and so he is guarding the gate to ensure a safe wedding for his sister."

"Excellent." Solovet smiled. "You are quite good at this, you know."

"Convincing others to do what I want? I know. My grandmother passed it on to me." Stellovet smiled briefly at Solovet, before Solovet left to find more soldiers and Stellovet got up to put on her wedding gown.

Ares had attempted to fly over the palace walls and directly into the wedding, but apparently Princess Solovet didn't trust her subjects enough to make this easy. So Ares was forced to bank and hide in a small shop across from the only gate (used by farmers and tradesmen) that let them into the castle. Bane carried Luxa off the flier's back, and the three of them sat, hiding in the building and hoping the army of soldiers at the gate hadn't seen them. Ares propped the young queen against a wall and took the wineskin off of his neck as Bane looked out the window.

"Ares…" Bane said worriedly. "There has to be sixty men out there."

"It does not matter," Ares said with a grunt as he managed to peel the wineskin open. "We have the queen. Bane, wrap these around the chocolate." He snapped a small square of chocolate from the large bar and held it to Bane along with two leaves of starshade.

Bane gave a small whimper when he smelled the chocolate. "Please tell me I can have some of this," he said as he clumsily sandwiched the chocolate square between the two leaves.

"If we have more, I promise you may," Ares said. "But now, we have only to worry about what this will do to Queen Luxa. Set it in her mouth."

Bane did so and helped her to swallow. They stared at her limp body for a second before Bane said, "Do you think it will work?"

"It had better. Surely the Peacemaker wants his position badly enough to—"

"I will take you both on!" Luxa's eyes shot open, and she looked between the gnawer and flier with a glare. "Come, show me your claws!"

"I guess it worked," Bane said to Ares before turning to the girl. "It's alright, your highness. We don't want to harm you."

"Apparently not," Luxa said, frowning at her sprawled-out body. "Otherwise you would have taken me while I could not move my arms. Or the rest of me…"

Bane cautiously lifted one of Luxa's arms. It was completely limp. Bane waved it around, watching her hands move with his every twitch.

"Never mind that," Luxa snapped. "Why can I not move? Are you still enemies to me? Why are we in this building? And where is Gregor?"

"I am pleased that you remember some things," Ares said. "That may make this easier. Allow me to explain the rest." He paused. "No, there is too much. Allow me to summarize. Gregor the Overlander will marry Princess Stellovet in less than an hour, so we must fight our way into the palace, take the Overlander, and escape after the princess directs me to Solovet, whom I intend to kill."

"That surely does not leave us much time to plan," Luxa noted dryly. She scowled at her finger, almost willing it to do something, and surely enough it twitched.

"You've managed to move your finger," Bane said. "That's very good."

"I need to heal quickly. We cannot afford otherwise. What are our liabilities?"

"There is only one gate we can enter through, and I cannot fly over," Ares said.

"It's got at least sixty men, and Queen Athena's fliers are everywhere," Bane added.

"And our assets?" Luxa asked.

"Bane's strength, your brains, and my fighting skills," Ares said.

Luxa's eyebrows rose. "That is all? If I had a month to plan or fifty men on our side, we could do something. But this is…"

"It is hard, I know," Ares agreed.

"But hurry, because we have to go," Bane said. He'd gotten nervous, and began to make rhymes to feel better. Ares ignored it, but Luxa could only stare at him incredulously.

"Why did he just speak in rhyme?" she asked.

"Let's worry about that some other time," Bane returned.

"Please, Queen Luxa," Ares sighed. "We had to turn to you because you have bested us with your skills. We very much admire it."

"If only we at least had a pirate…" Bane said.

Luxa's eyes got a glint in them. "Again, Bane?"

Bane paused. "…If we only had a pirate?"

"Precisely." Luxa nodded.

"You moved your head!" Bane said happily.

"Never mind that. I am a pirate, but I do not sound like it. Bane, how deep can your voice go?"

"Will this do?" Bane asked with a baritone that almost rumbled the floor.

"Yes, excellent. Can you do it loudly?"

Bane nodded, not exactly following. He looked to Ares, but the flier had no suggestions.

"Outside the window, I see a cart," Luxa said. "Bring it inside and take off the top. I want Bane to be able to stand in it. Ares, take down the cloth from the doorway and see if it will drape around Bane like a cloak. And while you are at work, one of you find me a sword."

"You cannot lift it," Ares warned.

"I do not see how those guards would know that," Luxa said. "Do not stand there—find the materials! We only have less than an hour, so we must work fast!"

Bane looked out the window with insecurity. "But the soldiers—"

"I am your queen, and I say now!"

Bane and Ares stood erectly and went to follow Luxa's directions. Bane, as he crept out into the streets to grab the cart, muttered to himself: "Ripred was right. She is too mean to die."

Gregor stared placidly at himself and his spider-spun formalwear in the mirror. His face was tranquil, but inside he felt like dying. In half an hour his wedding would begin, and once that was done, there would be practically no chance for him to marry Luxa. But then, they'd shared an apartment together without being married. Maybe it would work out.

Now he just needed some way to get away from Stellovet. He initially decided that if Luxa couldn't be found he would marry Stellovet without a fight, but since Stellovet didn't hold her end of the bargain (which was attempting to find Luxa), then why should he? So he probably would have to battle his way out of the castle, with those sixty armed men at the door to fight. And what was more, Stellovet had ensured that all weapons were safely out of his room, the moment he'd told her he knew he was a rager. He was going to have to go without any sword or dagger and simply rely on his instincts to keep him alive against soldiers who wouldn't stop to kill him or take him hostage.

It sounded like a suicide mission. But with Luxa sure to be waiting outside the gate, Gregor had no trouble with this fact.

"You do not look very happy," a voice said from the doorway. Stellovet had appeared in his chambers, and stepped forth to his side so she could take his hand. The reflection in the mirror didn't look right to Gregor at all.

"Isn't it bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding?" Gregor asked distantly.

"Nothing was ever said about the bride seeing the groom," Stellovet said with a gentle smile. "Please try to be excited, Gregor. Things could be far worse."

"Should I be excited that I'm being forced into this?"

"A groom normally is happy to marry, I am told."

"I'm not really normal. But it doesn't matter." Gregor smiled slightly. "Luxa will be waiting for me."

Stellovet looked at Gregor for a second, shook her head, and then kissed him on the cheek and walked out. "Leave him to his insanity," she thought. "He will soon know who has the upper hand."