AN: They call me the master typer of the two fingered world. Hey you guys, :-) took me some time but here's the next one. This has been a week of discoveries I can tell you that. Take care, i will try and have the next one up by next week.

Chapter 18: Empty Shell.

By the time she reached the music room, four of her five Skydancers were already there. Pausing to catch her breath Skyla looked around. Breeze joined her and rested a hand on her shoulder.

"We almost thought that something was wrong with you." He said in a tight tone. "You weren't coming…"

Skyla looked past him as two twin barks drew her attention. Whirl and Twirl bounded up the stairs followed by a somewhat out of breath Jade. Skyla raised a querying eyebrow in her direction. The girl leaned forward and shook her head.

"I can't find her anywhere." She exclaimed. "I found Whirl and Twirl in her room…"

Skyla sighed and held up her hand. "There's nothing we can do about it now Jade." She said solemnly. "Gather around everybody."

She walked down the aisle of music boxes, lightly running her gloved hand over each. She paused as her crystal flared up. Shaking her head she drew her hand away from the golden-silver swirled egg.

"It's the capital." She said. "Come."

She stepped back and gave her students an expectant look.

The five were a bit slow to line up.

"What about Joanie?" Angelica asked. "I mean, where…?"

Queen Skyla shook her head. "She… Is not our problem at the moment." She said in a stoic tone. "What will be will be Angelica. She must do what she has to as we must do what we must do. Now, by the Power within me, as Queen of the wingdom, I summon my Skydancers to defend my kingdom."

The crystal flared to life.

Solemn looks were passed around as the group pulled together and joined hands. They all realized that they would probably never see the young girl again.

"If it is to be, it's up to me…"

"There were reports coming in from the outer towns?" The Captain of the Guard was saying. "That animals were found, wingless and hairless?" His speech pattern made every sentence sound like a question. "We thought that it was an epidemic? So, the council sent people to do some tests? They found nothing?"

Queen Skyla frowned as they walked down the hall of the palace. She wasn't sure where they were going.

"Why wasn't I informed?" She asked sternly, glancing back to see whether her Skydancers were still with her.

The Captain glanced around uncomfortably. "The council, they did not thing it was important? It wasn't, till yesterday…" He trailed off and paused by a white door.

Quite suddenly Skyla realized that they were at the palace infirmary. Her heart started beating ice.

"What happened?" She queried in a low tone.

The Captain shifted uncomfortably. "Councilman Malakai said to wait…"

Queen Skyla cut him off with a sharp gesture.

"Is he your sovereign?" She snapped. "You will tell me my good man or…"

"Your Highness!"

A call down the hall drew their attentions. Skyla frowned as she saw Councilman Malakai du'Lug hurry down the corridor to meet them.

He made a stiff bow as he reached the group and look up.

"Forgive my tardiness." He said. "I only just heard that you were in the Wingdom…"

A cold eyebrow in his direction made the middle-aged man cut off what he was about to say.

Queen Skyla gave a soft sniff. "Obviously you were then making use of my informants then instead of yours." She said dryly before turning away from him. "Captain, you were saying?"

The councilman stepped forward quickly. "Ah, your Highness, if I may?"

Skyla didn't even look at him. "You may not." She said blankly. "I will hear from my good Captain here. Captain?"

The man shifted around uncomfortably, not daring to look at her or the councilman.

He opened the door to the infirmary. "It's better to show you than to try and explain your Highness." He said reserved. "The Master Tinker, he is here? I'm not qualified."

He pushed through ahead of him and went to the last curtained off area. The party followed him, Skyla first and her Skydancers last where they could make sure that Councilman Malakai might not decided to fly the coop.

The Captain opened the curtain, revealing two figures in the area.

When he saw her, the old man in the room stood up and bowed deeply.

"Your Highness," he said solemnly.

Queen Skyla smiled briefly as she inclined her head in his direction. "Master Tinker, what do we have?" She asked silently as she studied the silent figure on the bed. She recognized the person as Lord Weirmon, one of the court physicians. His face was pale and there was a dull, vacant look in his eyes as he stared at the ceiling.

The Tinker motioned for her to approach the bed and rested a light hand on Queen Skyla's shoulder before he bid the man to turn around.

Lord Weirmon did so with out complaint or comment. The man was an empty shell.

The Tinker offered no explanation as he drew the blanket aside and exposed the man's back.

Before self-control kicked in Skyla gasped, along with the rest of her Skydancers, and pressed a hand over her mouth. Angry welts covered his back and shoulders, although he had hair, there were no sign of his wings.

Swallowing down an unbidden wave of nausea Skyla motioned for the people in the room to step outside. The door barely closed behind them before she rounded on the councilman.

"Before we get down to business Head Councilman Malakai," she said in a dangerously low tone, "I would just like to say that if I ever find out that you've been keeping matters from me because they are "unimportant" I will not only have you abdicate your position but I will also have your head. Is that clear?"

The skinny man wrung his hands nervously. "Off course your Majesty." He said tightly. "I understand."

Skyla glared at him before nodding sharply. Her manner became a bit gentler as she turned her attention to the Tinker.

"What happened? How could this be done?" She asked. "I'm no physician but I could see that his wings weren't cut off."

The tinker sighed softly and nodded.

"That is so my Queen." He said in a heavy tone. "And, I have a terrible suspicion as to how I was done. If you would care to follow me to my hut?"

The woman nodded but held up her hand as Lord Malakai turned to follow them.

"You Master Councilman," she said coldly, "will stay here with our good Captain and gather your fellow brethren. We will have a talk when this is done."

The man nodded nervously and quickly went the other way.

The group watched him leave before they flew out of the big open window at the other end of the hall.