The web of palace intrigue has grown tangled. D'Ken seeking conquest of worlds and men, Deathbird seeking to cement her place, Lilandra seeking peace, Raza freedom, Corsair resolution.

And the young man in the center of this many patterned tapestry does not even realize he is the thread that will unravel it all. Alex Summers, D'Alken, only wishes to serve his master and to fulfill his role in this life the best way he could. He has no mind for the crafts and machination that plague those around him.

He just simply wants to live in the ignorantly blissful existence that a seven year old boy had fled into to protect himself from a tragedy that he had not been able to prevent, that he had helped to cause...

...though he doesn't remember that at all.

Annie has been Alex's nurse for five years now, but this is all highly unusual. She frowns at Dr. Abdol, "I don't understand what is going on in here." She says, hands on her hips, "Who is this woman and why is she sleeping on Alex's bed?" She nods down at the still unconscious Dr. Lillian Andrews.

"She is in telepathic communication with Alex." Abdol answers.

"What?" Annie frowns, peering at the sleeping woman critically, "Telepathic...looks like she is just sleeping to me."

Abdol glares at the nurse, "She is a doctor, not that you have any place to ask."

The nurse sniffs rudely at the doctor and begins to move Alex around on the bed to make him more comfortable. "You may be his doctor, but 'Lexxy is my patient more than he is your. You only see him when he is in an ambulatory phase. I am the one who cares for him when he is not." She looks over at Kathy, standing out of the way, knowing the routine after so long a time. "Mrs. Summers is the only one in the entire world who loves Alexander more than I do, so if I am protective, learn to live with it. I don't plan on changing."

Kathy smiles at the nurse and thinks that she is the kind of woman she would've liked for Alex to marry someday. Maybe if this works..."I appreciate your concern, Annie, and I am sure Alex does as well."

Annie beams in pleasure, "He is rarely any trouble." She says, her professional hands hooking the draining device to the monitor on Alex's collar. "But whatever you are doing here, it is starting to upset him. Poor thing's power levels are spiking horribly. She brushes her fingers across the crease on his cheek, "How did he get hurt? Did he fall?"

Abdol shoos the nurse away from the bed, "That's enough, Nurse. Now I am certain you have other patients to attend to."

Annie harumphs in disrespect and looks at Kathy, "Mrs. Summers, if you need me, I will be around." She checks the monitor one last time, and, satisfied that the drain is reducing the level of Alex's untrained powers, she leaves.

The doctor and the mother continue their silent vigil, waiting for a sign from woman or man that Alex will soon be coming home.

The night is cool, cooler than Lilandra likes. In the earth dimension, she'd hidden her Shi'ar differences much like D'Alken hid his human ones here. Wigs, carefully chosen clothing, make-up. But she was still of an avian race which desired warm climes. The cold makes her think of dark things, death and betrayals and of whatever is about to befall the empire.

Was her brother evil? Or simply power mad? By legality the throne was his, as she, the eldest and the born heir, having been presumed dead at the time of their father's demise. But Raza had been right. She had spent time after his visit traveling over the city, and the people were not happy. All men or age were involved in the business of making war, and though the women had slightly more freedom, it was obviously "encouraged" that they too enlist. The entire population of Chandilar seemed to focus entirely on conquest, ignoring that their home world was crumbling beneath their feet.

She would be a better ruler than this.

It seems suddenly more urgent to get Alex home. As long as he remains, D'Ken has the power over Corsair. If Corsair was bound, the revolution was doomed to failure. Without the rebellion, D'Ken would never be overthrown.

A circular puzzle where the center piece was the boy who had been plucked from a burning jet fifteen long years ago.