Chapter 31:
There were a number of carriages in the street outside the High Lady's home, when Billy arrived. That looks like a lot more than the palace historians, the big man thought. The number of bodyguards alone suggested that there were some pretty important people here. The big man clambered out of the carriage, with the nymph following him a moment later. Immediately, the guards at the little entry threw the gate wide, allowing him to walk in.
The Ice Prince scanned the faces beyond, finding that Marge's guards were on full alert. Yeah, he thought, far more than the palace historians. His eyes flicked to the woman at his side, trying to read her expression to understand what was going on here. Melosia's grimace of distaste, bordering on rage, told him that this was much more than what the guard had suggested.
Inside Marge's home, he found more signs that this meeting was far bigger than just a conversation with some history buffs. They will need to be destroyed, a voice whispered. A lesson needs learning. Billy stopped where he was, feeling a moment of vertigo. Not a good time, the big man thought. He didn't need this right now. Unfortunately, the headache came up fast and strong, leaving him in a state of shock.
"Is something the matter," Melosia burbled? Shaking himself, Billy responded, "didn't sleep well. Just tired, is all." Fighting off the pain, the big man strode forward. He needed to focus, so he could get through this. The sooner he finished this meeting, the sooner he got himself home.
Ahead of them, the door opened on the big dining room where he'd spent the previous evening with Marge. Billy found himself doing a double-take as he stepped inside that room. Far from returning to her typical schlub attire, Marge was put together, wearing a sexy gown with a long cleavage-cut down past her belly-button and some sort of specially made bra that held those plump knobs of hers up in spite of the opening in the front of her dress. The pale violet color played up her purple-peepers, and her hair was teased out in curls and long twists. Honestly, after a rough night of erotic dreams, he would have taken her in the back of the room and boned her on the spot.
Of course, if Marge had come dressed like a cougar on the prowl, the sour, hostile faces around her suggested that her government was anything but onboard. As the big man walked up the center of the room, the High Lady rose, and her guard called out, "all rise!" Those faces got even more sour, as they were forced to rise for a lowly man.
Billy acknowledged the leadership of the Confederation as he went by, taking note of the missing as he did so. Catalina was in the Candy Kingdom, living in Castle Lemongrab. So where was Cenobia?
As they approached Margarida, Melosia announced, "I have brought the Prince of Ooo, my Lady." At Marge's side waited a chair, every bit as ornate as the one she occupied. Deflection, the voice whispered. Billy didn't know if he were going mad, but he wanted that voice to shut up.
When the big man had set himself, Margarida clapped once, causing one of the women in the audience to rise. Turning a sweet smile on Billy, Margarida declared, "as our oldest member, Jakinda is familiar with much of the history of our lands, Your Highness. I asked her here to speak to you on places where you might conclude your search..." Turning a smile on her, Billy responded, "you have my thanks and that of my father, High Lady."
The plump, pale-haired nymph began with a discussion of local geography so mind-numbingly boring that Billy found his mind wandering within twenty minutes of the start. She had a host of coves and harbors to talk about. A part of Billy wanted to groan. That was a lot of ground to search! The better to hide the real source, the voice whispered.
Resting a hand on his wrist, Margarida said, "my ships could help with the search, Your Highness. Perhaps we can visit some of the nearby locations together." She offered him a winning smile that suggested he'd find no mushroom bombs, but maybe he'd find the bottom of her snatch.
Jakinda's pretty assistant rose and brought forward a heavy tome, whose covers were the worn hide of some forgotten animal. Laying the dusty tome on his lap, the younger woman opened it before him–giving him a good look down the front of her bodice at her pale blue titties. "The lands of the west have not been as peaceful, Your Highness," the young woman remarked. "Many wars have been fought over these coves and harbors." She glanced up and showed him a pretty smile. "Our lands are plagued by great storms... The harbors are very valuable against the might of Gaia."
Striding forward, Jakinda said, "there are many considerations, High Lady. The Tulck have not allowed anyone to land in their kingdom in generations." Leaning over, her hefty fun-bags threatening to spill out, the plump nymph flipped pages, until she came at last to a picture. "They're on the outs," Jakinda declared. "They've fought every kingdom here in the west." Looking Billy in the eye, she shuddered, declaring, "blood sacrifice, Your Highness. They have a penchant for killing and eating nymphs."
Do you feel sympathy yet, boy, the voice whispered. Foes who crave the sweet meat before you. Perhaps they had the weapon? Billy grimaced. He wasn't sure what the angle was, here. A part of him thought the game was the same–distraction. He didn't need the voice in his head to tell him that. Another part of him wondered if Marge was maybe using one enemy to get rid of another. And the third part of him–the one-eyed monster–wished they'd quit flashing their tits at him.
The strange conversation went on for hours across the morning. At various times, two or three of Jakinda's assistants were crowded around him, all dressed in something soft, flowing, and skimpy, calculated to show acres of pale blue skin. Did Billy try to keep his eyes off of them, Marge was there to touch him, even daring to stroke his thigh at one point.
They had a host of folk who had a harbor or forgotten cove he could explore, and a lot of those folk had beef with the Confederation. Billy began to get the sinking feeling that Marge was looking at cleaning house on her enemies. He could see the game. If he was balling the Confederation's matriarch, he'd be expected to take care of business for her. Couldn't have the Tulck roasting his woman on a fire after all.
As noon drew near, a guard appeared in the door. Dulcine immediately stepped in to interrupt the current topic–a mystery object in the mountains of the mainland. Rumors held that it was a ship, which made no sense at all.
"My Lady," Dulcine declared, "your daughter needs your attention." The look of abject irritation on the short-stack's face was quite sincere. "I'll be right there," Margarida responded. Turning to William, she said, "with my Lord's permission...?" "Of course," Bill responded. As he rose, Melosia called the gathering to their feet. Taking Marge's hand, the big man led the High Lady down the aisle to the door.
Outside in the hall, the little woman turned to Bill. Standing on her toes, she kissed his cheek, saying, "I'll be back in a few moments. Enjoy lunch without me." With a whiff of perfume, the High Lady turned and walked off, that round ass wig-wagging sensually. He really wanted to fuck her now. "This way, Your Highness," Melosia announced, as she took him by the wrist. Shaking off the thirst, Billy followed Marge's aide down the hall towards the patio.
Elsewhere in the town, Callie Hernandez walked into her office to find a guest waiting there. Well, thought the curvy nymph, I've not seen you in a bit. She imagined she should have expected to see her cousin, having been indirectly informed of her presence on the island. The curvy pirate lounged on the couch near her patio door, explaining without words just how she'd gotten here.
"You change your mind," Callie asked? Hips wig-wagging, the nymph strolled across the room to the side table, where she immediately began pouring drinks. Her island-girl heritage gave the plump woman more sway than the typical run of her kind–a fact that she'd taken advantage of in the early part of her career to make bank on the thirsty fools who landed on this island.
"I have a ship," Cass responded, the same way she had before. Callie sauntered across the room, glasses in hand, wearing the same crocodile smile she always wore. Treacherous, Callie would do you in a minute. She'd sold a lot of slaves out of this bar. Cass took the drink–the one that wasn't doctored–watching the play of her cousin's expression, as she did so. Callie didn't want to have this conversation.
"You can have me gone," the pirate rumbled, "no trouble... just for a few answers." "Those answers are trouble in themselves," Callie chuckled, as she swirled the doctored drink. Frowning down her elegant nose, the plump nymph suggested, "I'd hoped you'd just go." Answer the first, thought Cass. She expected me to come. She definitely knows some of what's going on.
"And why so much trouble over the questions I had," Cass asked? Oh, so clever, Callie thought. Not asking the question itself. Just ask why it can't be answered. Playing the game, the nymph responded, "there are those who don't want those questions asked." "Enough t'shut up everybody on d'island," Cass chuckled? "Maybe," Callie retorted.
Reaching in a pocket, Black Cass drew out a bag of coin. "Keep it," Callie chuckled. "Since when y'turn down money, big girl," Cass teased. "Since I got a bigger bag," Callie retorted. "You've not money enough, I think..." Only, when she'd said those words did the curvy nymph realize she'd given away the game. Their eyes locked.
Slowly, Callie lowered the glass to her side, rumbling, "you need to leave..." "Who come," Cass asked? "Blonde girl? So tall?" In icy tones, Callie growled, "I won't ask again..." With a smile, Black Cass rose. She had what she needed. "I'd leave town, if I were you," Callie growled. "I'd leave now." Sliding the patio door open, the pirate slipped out without even bothering to shut it. Likely, she'd be hot-footing it to the docks if she wanted to escape whoever Callie planned to call.
Back in the High Lady's home, Billy rose from the table, his mind in a fog. His head was pounding, and he wanted to wash his face with some ice-water–anything to still the headache head. Lost in their conversation, the nymphs paid him no heed. Of course, he was a lowly man, so there was that. Making his way down the hall towards the one toilet he knew of, he passed a closed door, and he clearly heard shouting on the far side.
Inside, Margarida was staring at her idiot daughter, her mind going down some very dark roads. "You're supposed to be our face," she snarled! "You're supposed to meet with Finn..." "He's gone," Tallulah interrupted. "Then meet with whichever of his wives is in command! Settle matters, Tallulah!"
The little fool gave her a petulant look, as she responded, "I've been doing all I can." Margarida had never forgotten the moment where Astartes revealed what Tallulah had really been doing, when she was supposed to be working towards a meeting with Finn's family. Shaking her ass like a player at a donkey show. Margarida had been fit to be tied!
Rage boiling over, the High Lady growled, "I've been forced to literally shake my ass to protect the Confederation, Tallulah! It's a good thing that boy likes mature snatch, because you'd have no home to come back to! You're fucking this up! Now, you get your ass to the Candy Palace! You find out which of those bitches is in charge right now! You make arrangements for us to discuss Astartes and her child, or so help me..."
Her daughter's mouth shut with a click. Bowing, the younger woman declared, "it shall be done, High Lady." That was better, but not nearly enough. Astartes' sacrifice had kept them in the game, but at the same time, it took away a tool. Margarida had nobody watching her daughter or keeping an eye on Catalina and her games. That would have to change. It won't be Dulcine, she thought. Dulcine's too valuable. Melosia? She would have to send someone.
"We'll be speaking again," Margarida growled. Waving her hand, she commanded her wizard to break the connection. Rage naked on her face, the plump woman turned and stormed out the door, running straight into William. "Oh, Marge," Billy burbled. For a moment, her rage wanted to boil over at being insulted. That was just before she realized who she was dealing with and the stakes of the game. Then the mask came down.
"Are you well," he asked? "I heard shouting." Margarida glanced away, her face flushing. "A... problem... with my daughter," she admitted. Resting a hand on her bare shoulder, he responded, "I've had my share... I... understand..." Her face whipped around. With a smile, the big man began the tale of his brief marriage to JJ and the three quarter-rainicorn daughters he'd been blessed with.
When he'd finished, Margarida again found herself staring at those strange connections they shared, her mind going a number of directions. Reaching up, she stroked his arm, asking, "what has you here? I thought you'd be eating." "Headache," he responded. Turning to Lady Ivelise, Margarida said, "my wizard might be able to help. Come along." Taking his arm, she turned for her bedroom.
As the sun began its descent over the Obsidian Kingdom, Finn the King stepped out of the glassworks. His ride would be here soon. He felt like he was running out on these folk, but he didn't have a lot of choice. Did he rescue them, but allow Gumbald to get his hands on weapons, they might still wind up dead.
The sky was ablaze with the brilliant colors of the setting sun. Time was, Finn would have found the sight beautiful. In the long-ago days when he was a boy, he and Jake Sr. would have sat down and soaked up the sun, bullshitting or playing around with Beemo. In more recent times, before the hell he was in now, he, Simone, and Emeraude would sometimes find the time to enjoy the sunset in spite of three rambunctious kids. Now, as he took in that scene, the big man felt a sense of unease. Something was dreadfully wrong in the world.
His eyes flicked to the little woman who'd caused him so much trouble here. She swore up and down that she was alone here, but he didn't quite believe that. He'd been taking steps to secure the glue-works, much to the chagrin of the glass-folk. Of course, with one of their leaders having sided with his enemies to try and murder him, they didn't have a lot of room to complain.
As his eyes scanned the distant home of the glass-peeps, a portal opened up. The inky darkness expanded and expanded and expanded, telling Finn that something terrifying was coming. Sure enough, when the portal reached a height of fifty feet, a singular figure stepped through.
"Hunsen," Finn greeted his father-in-law. "Finn," the devil responded. "I want to talk before you do what you came to do," the big man announced. Hunsen rumbled, "your kind would be spared, Finn. This has nothing to do with you." "Yeah," Finn responded, "it does. Ooo is my responsibility." Stepping in front of him, Finn said, "let's be real, Hunsen. If you were really planning to just go through with this, you'd have stepped out in front of the dome and cleaned house..."
That gave the immense being pause. After a long, long while, where the Arch-Demon stood staring at the world around them, his eyes far away, he slowly began to shrink, dropping down, down, down until he was the height of a mortal man. "I'm sorry," Finn declared. "I'm sorry they brought you back here..." Finn didn't think he'd ever be ready to go back to Wizard City after losing his best friend there and very nearly losing both Simone and Emeraude. His father-in-law glanced away.
"I finally understand you, man," Finn rumbled. They were two sides of the same coin. "You're doing what has to be done, even when you'd rather be doing anything else," Finn remarked. Hunsen's face snapped around. "I never knew what that meant," Finn remarked, "until I landed on this throne." The big man turned to his father-in-law and said, "I'm not asking to be friends. I'm just accepting that we're not that different. You have a job to do."
Hunsen grimaced. He was having eerie flashbacks to his meeting with Elise's dad, only it was now him in the role of unhappy dad. "I understand why you do the things you do," Finn declared. "You want me to let this go...," Hunsen rumbled. "I want you to follow through," Finn retorted. "It was Theo who threw these guys off course. That wasn't his right." "It wasn't my right to let them slide, either," Hunsen muttered. Nodding, Finn said, "you did it for Elise... because of her connections to this place."
Taking a chance, Finn reached out and rested a hand on his in-law's shoulder. "It sucks being the guy who has to lower the boom," Finn rumbled, "but sometimes you step back and cut a guy some slack for making a mistake. They were trying..." The Arch-Demon glared at him. "A penance must be paid, Finn," Hunsen rumbled. "Someone's coming with me. Somebody made the decision to turn to slavery..." His eyes flicked to Melinda, who fainted dead away out of stark terror. With a smile, Finn responded, "I have a name..."
The business got wrapped up over the course of an hour. Sir Wayne wasn't hard to find. More on point, it didn't take much for the other glass-folk to turn him over. These folk had spent the last thousand years ducking anything truly hazardous to them in an effort to save their immortal souls from eternal punishment in the Night-O-Sphere. Having the devil his own self show up to stake a claim put paid to any thought they'd close ranks around their infamous general.
The man himself was too much of a coward to resist being hauled before eternal judgment. With a choice of immediate destruction or the long walk to his doom, the bitter soldier chose the walk. Hunsen said not a word, merely took hold of the tortured soul, shattering the glass shell that had housed it.
As her father dragged the soul of Jamal Roberts, former rapper and kingpin of the Atlanta drug-scene, through the portal to hell to meet his much-delayed comeuppance, Marceline turned to Bonnie and said, "I don't think I'll ever really stop liking the sex..." "...but that's really all it's going to be," Bonnie agreed. Nodding, the Lady of Darkness murmured, "I have to grow up too, Bonnie. For Azonia and Siobhan, I have to become a better person." "You going respectable," Bonnie teased? Wrapping an arm around her ex, Marceline chuckled, "yeah." Turning to face her lifelong friend, Marceline embraced the bubblegum princess. Kissing her sugary lips, the Lady of Darkness turned to go.
No sooner had the portal closed, than the sounds of engines echoed through the canyons of broken, jagged stone. The airship that was to carry Finn east had arrived. Swallowing the pain of parting, Bonnie plastered on a smile. "I'll call," she said. "We'll talk, as soon as you're on the ground in the Candy Kingdom." What she didn't quite say was that they wouldn't be doing a lot of talking, unless Bonnie went up to the glass-peeps steam-plant.
Finn leaned in and gave her a peck on the lips–all they had time for. Then, grabbing Melinda by the scruff, he started walking, with Jake at his back. The shapechanger kept her eyes, ears, and nose peeled for trouble as they made the journey to the open place where they'd arrived, though nothing presented itself.
The airship was waiting, with crates of coffee stacked inside the cargo section beyond the ramp, leaving only the narrowest of aisles to reach the front. Finn grimaced at the sight of the girl who'd smirked at him on the trip over. In spite of everything, he was still embarrassed by the image people had of him. More to the point, he wasn't thrilled that this girl would see his intimate moment with his lady.
"Inside," Finn growled, as he shoved his prisoner at the ramp. Looking broken and forlorn, Melinda Griffin walked up the ramp and into an airship clad in very unfashionable chains. Jake Jr. watched her go with an ugly sense of deja-vu, her mind going back to the day that Finn took the handcuffs off of her at the edge of the Candy Kingdom.
She remembered the expression on his face at the time. She'd been burning with anger, and maybe that's why the memory was so vivid. Finn had been miserable, and there were tears in his eyes as he banished his adopted brother's favorite child.
The more things change, the shapechanger thought, as she took note of the expression on her boyfriend's face. He wasn't happy about this. They'd straightened out the business with the glass-peeps and the furnace. With Death's minion gone, the glass-peeps no longer needed to live in a bubble to protect themselves. Bonnie was planning to negotiate their entry into the wider world of Ooo. There was a lot that the people of Ooo could learn from folk who'd been here before the bombs fell.
"I'll take care of her," Jake volunteered. "Nothin's gonna' happen. We'll be fine." Reaching down, Finn cupped her chin with his big left hand. Grabbing that fine ass, the King pulled his woman to him.
Even as the big man took a kiss from her, the slim woman melted into tears. Brushing her cheek, Finn whispered, "take care of you, Jake. Understand? I want both of my ladies back with me in a few weeks?" Sniffing back tears, the shapechanger nodded vehemently.
Pushing him away, Jake Jr. stepped back out of reach. She was starting to lose it, and there were some things she needed to think about. They'd reached an inflection point, one she'd been standing at with Bill years ago without even knowing it.
Young and out-of-her-mind horny, she'd been unable to help fucking Bill raw on occasions too numerous to mention. She'd been playing with fire. Now, a good bit older and a lot wiser, she saw the risks in where things now stood with her former uncle, now boyfriend.
She was fated to bear him children. It was going to happen, with no way out. At the same time, Finn was King. The risks of bearing another dark seed like Liz were terrifying, when that child would be a Prince or Princess, eligible to rule the whole fucking planet.
Finn turned and went up the ramp, leaving two of his precious companions behind. After a short stop in the Candy Kingdom, he had to head east. There was a lot going on there, and he had to get control over it before the tragedy got worse. Almost as soon as his feet were aboard, the ramp began to rise.
Jake turned away and started walking back to the glass-works. Things were getting better there. The humans and the other former slaves were all congregating there, working on better shelter until the moment they could get home to their people. There was still a lot to do, though.
Don't let him down, Jake told herself. It wasn't going to be enough to return with Bonnie's skin intact. This was bigger than her life or even Jake's. It was more than a little mind-blowing to think that they were literally saving souls here. She was at the confluence of literal cosmic events. Having been the bad-seed herself–raising chaos and doing awful things to her own people, Jake had empathy for the glass-folk. Finn wanted to save them, and Jake was determined to make sure he succeeded.
Far to the north, Maja rushed out of her quarters, dragging a suitcase. As Bathilda the Elbownian Princess watched, the witch went rushing by, talking animatedly into the phone that hovered at her left ear. "Can't do it today," the witch declared. "No, it can't be helped."
Arriving at the elevator, the witch punched the button repeatedly, muttering, "c'mon, c'mon! I haven't got all day!" She couldn't help thinking she should have flown out the window! "I have to go back to the Candy Kingdom," Maja explained. "Fionna's just come out of her coma! I'm going east to have a look at her! I'll see you, when I get back!" Just like that, she hung up. The elevator doors opened, and the witch walked into the elevator, whistling a tune.
On the far side of the island, Katsumi Mertens put down her phone with a muttered curse. This was supposed to be the day she got some of the witch's time on her project. Now, the job was pushed back a few days. Unless I go east myself, she thought. Maja would be taking a plane. The dock under the castle was closed because of its proximity to the water right now, which meant she'd be flying out of the airfield in the hills.
You have just enough time to get there, if you hurry, she decided. Putting down the phone, the Nine-Tailed Fox began packing the things she and her daughter would need. Then, as she realized that she was going to the Candy Kingdom with its stores and technology, she decided to just cut the whole business short. She really just needed a change of clothes for herself, some diapers, and her phone. It was time to go.
Back in the Confederation, the Ice Prince climbed back into the High Lady's carriage and settled himself for the long ride back to his hotel. He was looking forward to meeting up with Black Cass, getting back on her ship, and getting out of here. He'd done what he could to find the source of the mysterious third bomb. Now, he was wanting to see his family.
In spite of the third-degree headache he had at the moment, the tall man couldn't really help thinking of the other things that would come from getting home. In spite of what women seemed to think, far from getting snatch everywhere he went, Billy had been doing a lot of 'going without' lately. His mom would have pinched his ear for thinking of banging Rags or screwing the shit out of Noemi the first he saw them. That wasn't the gentlemanly thing to do, after all. It was laugh-out-loud funny for him to have grown up under her iron-fisted morality, when she was secretly a nymphomaniac. She and his grandmother were two peas in a pod that way.
But it won't all be sex, he thought. He wanted to hold Ragnhild–to hear her heart beating and to smell her scent. He wanted to hear Abieuwa's awful laugh. He wanted to go on a long hike with Anders and listen to all his son's hopes and dreams. And get checked out for this fucking headache, Bill thought with a groan.
The carriage rolled up to the door, and Billy immediately piled out. Feeling a moment of vertigo, Billy feared something was deeply wrong. The supplements and crap that Dr. P had been feeding him had kept this stuff at bay for a bit, but now it was back, full force. Maybe it's sleep I need, he thought. He'd been doing his best to get good rest every night, and there were moments he honestly thought he blacked out, he went under so thoroughly. Yet, the exhaustion never quite went away.
Climbing the stairs, he went straight to his rented room, where he found Toni, the Bosun, waiting on him. Stopping in the doorway, the big man rumbled, "I'm guessing you're here with my ride." The curvy pirate girl stood up then, and he realized she'd packed his suitcase for him. "I'm guessing that Cass wants to leave," Billy added. "Big doin's," Toni responded, though she said not a word about what sort of big doings she meant. Instead, she stood beside the door, nodding at his suitcase.
In for a dollar, Billy thought, as he went to the bed. "Mattress make a bad place t'hide things," Toni declared in sardonic tones. Billy flushed, but he said nothing to that. Instead, he retrieved his bag and followed her out the door. The wench had come down in cut-off shorts drawn up tight into the crack of her ass, showing oodles of booty. If Morgana had cans that wouldn't quit, this girl had an ass that put most every girl he knew to shame.
And of course, she knew that.
The pirate-girl didn't hesitate to glance back and smile at him, showing even, white teeth. Shit, I need to get home, Billy thought. He was on the ragged edge of developing a massive boner. You couldn't have paid him to spend time in this place with skin on display everywhere. Indeed, they passed a nymph going up the stairs, wearing a dress of sheer, white cloth. Maybe you'd just get so used to it, you couldn't get it up anymore, Bill thought.
Out on the street, Toni set a ferocious pace, walking with a purpose. No longer coy or flirty, she made the big man hustle to keep up, as she wove her way through the streets and down to the docks. Is there something wrong, Bill thought? What does Cass know? Much as the pirate lord was anxious to get back to her business, Bill didn't think she was quite this anxious. He'd already promised that they'd leave, after all.
There was a launch waiting on them, down at the docks, and the pair immediately clambered aboard. The crew immediately cast off the lines and put their backs to the oars. They rowed hard, telling Billy that there was a sense of urgency here, and that worried him. Why was everybody so anxious to get away from this place?
Elsewhere, Margarida sat down before a hot dinner, her mind in a fog. She'd never have imagined the amount of hard work involved in lying, but as High Lady, she hadn't done very much of it. Still, the layers and layers of lies and half-truths had convinced William that there was nothing to see here, buying her time.
The danger's still there, she thought. It would always be there, so long as the Palace of Antiquities stood. By his words, they had the casing of the mushroom bomb Cenobia handed to Gumbald, mate to the one still in the Palace. The moment he went looking there, the Confederation was undone, and keeping him away from Port Rochelle was no longer an option.
Sink it, she decided. The palace existed where once had been a port. Her ancestor's dreadful ship had been tied up there to the quay before sinking in a storm centuries ago. They'd built the palace over its long-forgotten burial place, but the palace had always been challenged when storms rolled in. Make a new start, Margarida, she told herself. End the lies.
She would come clean about Astartes. Having lied about the wizard's parentage, they'd have to play that game carefully. In the moment, she had her own relationship with William–Prince William. He'd been amenable to an assignation, and she could build something from that.
It won't be erotic love, she thought. I'm not sure I have that in me any longer. At the same time, there were signs it could be pleasurable enough that she wouldn't mind the deed. She'd get pregnant with a Royal Child, and that would end the crisis, giving her the backing to rid herself of her turbulent governors. With Cenobia and Catalina looking for their heads in the afterlife, she could bury the palace, ensuring they'd never find the twin to the weapon in the east.
Plan decided, Margarida lay the napkin in her lap. She was famished. Even after this, she had other plans to put in place. Tallulah had to go too. She would be in the way of William's eventual child. And anyway, this was a second bite at the apple–a chance to bear an heir that was worth a damn.
As the plump nymph raised her fork, running footsteps announced that not all was well with her plan. Shooting to her feet, Dulcine moved to the door, sword half-drawn. She wouldn't have put it past the idiots on the council to foment some kind of madness. They were salty about the High Lady's refusal to recognize Astartes as her heir, and the council of governors had removed some of Margarida's predecessors. When Zita burst into the room instead of assassins, sent by Cenobia's cabal, Dulcine began to get a sinking feeling.
Out on the Red Wind, Billy stepped onto the deck, feeling dizzy. His headache was getting worse, and he really wanted to just go to bed. Instead, he found himself facing Chessie and Cass, both of whom looked grim. Indeed, the pirates were wasting no time in getting the launch aboard, telling him there was a problem. "Ok," he rumbled. "What gives.
In grim tones, Black Cass declared, "d'boss lady's girl is runnin' around spreadin' hush-money, big mon." Billy frowned at her. Nodding, Chessie remarked, "told'ja, sailors talk, big mon. We talk n'we tell lies, but the bars are quiet. Nobody talk. Why?" The coverup, a voice whispered. Billy shivered, wondering if he was losing his marbles. That was the sixth time today.
"Ok," the big man said, "hit me with the punch line." Cass explained, "went and saw my cousin. She run a whorehouse on this island. I slip in the back and catch her in d'office..." A chink in the armor, the voice whispered. The gap they didn't see... "With nobody to see you come in," Billy agreed. He was starting to get a sick feeling, and not just because his headache was getting worse.
"Had t'pay t'hear this," said Cass, "but a blond girl come through with her crew, handin' out bags o'coin t'the barmen..." Dulcine, Billy thought. Why was Dulcine bribing people? "She was handin' out money t'some o'the locals," Cass declared, "tell 'em not t'talk to strangers on d'island..." Billy's face whipped around towards the shore, his face taking on an ugly expression. "Started the day we get here," Chessie confirmed. "D'ey get told t'keep their traps shut until we go." Drawing his attention back to her, Cass declared, "she know where d'weapon come from. She up to her neck, mon."
As the last words left the pirate-lord's mouth, the big man's eyes began to glow. In a voice like stones grinding against each other, he growled, "then it is death..." Before their eyes, he turned and vaulted into the air, soaring out over the ocean, headed for the island. Cass burbled, "well d'at's nice..." Chessie was a little more pointed, asking, "what we doin' now?" "We wait," Cass rumbled. "Wait and see."
In the High Lady's home, Margarida stood before the windows, staring out at the dark sky and the black ocean. Had it really come down to this? Was she really the one to preside over the end of her people? "We must leave, my lady," Dulcine insisted. "We can get to your yacht. We can get to sea..."
Staring out the window as if she was staring at her failures, Margarida responded, "no, dear child. I... You were correct. You were correct when you reminded me of what I risked when I chose this path. I'm... I'll pay the price of my failures. I'll stay right here and meet the monster, even if it cost my life. I can only hope that I can buy off the monster's wrath..."
Sir Wayne is toast, and the Glass-Folk get a second chance. Finn's headed for home to deal with his son's antics, and Maja's going to look in on Fionna. Unfortunately, it appears that Katsumi's efforts to protect Billy from the Ice Tiara might come a little too late.