A/N: Hey, thanks all! Glad you enjoyed the beginning. The reviews were great.

HazzardGrl: Hee hee, yeah. Little reference. I mean, come on. You can't tell me Zero wasn't thinkin' about it when Jeb showed him those spoons.

It was good to be home.

He had removed the prison clothes he had been forced into and now wore the splendid white hooded robes of his master. His breath fogged in the cold before him as he strode down the icy hall towards the main chamber. He had been summoned.

The dual doors opened into the hall to allow him to enter. When he passed through, they closed behind him of their own accord. In front of him was a large ornate thrown, made entirely of ice.

Zero bowed low to the figure seated upon it. "Stribog."

His features were impossibly Nordic. Pale blonde hair was swept back from the sharp features of his pallid face. His eyes, with irises so light they were barely discernable from the whites, seemed to stare right threw Zero. He stood, tall and thin, and descended from the dais. Cold radiated from him as he came to stand before the prone figure of one of his most loyal servants. "Stand."

Zero obeyed and fell into step beside the Sutekh leader. He was silent, knowing that he was not to speak until he was spoken to.

"You were correct in your evaluations." The master's voice was cold and biting, like the winter wind tearing across a frozen wasteland. "The Witch did fail us."

"I take no pleasure in that, master." Zero replied. They were moving down a steep hill now, descending into the bowels of the frigid stronghold. "My wish is only to see your plan completed."

There was a hollow, empty laugh. "Your lies please me, Zero. I value your ambition."

Zero smiled. "I am glad."

"I'm afraid my promise of power was not incentive enough for the Witch to succeed. Fortunately, I have a second plan, thanks to her."

Stribog moved down a small, dark corridor. Zero followed, his curiosity peaked. "Thanks to the Witch? But surely the Princess Azkadellia knows of it."

"Just as it was kept secret from you, it was kept from her."

Zero felt a wave of anger course through him. "I see that you do not trust me."

"If I had," the words came pointedly from his master, "undoubtedly the Tin Man and his son would also know of this device?"

He cringed. The master knew of that moment of weakness. "I apologize for my cowardice, master."

"Accepted, my friend. The Witch's plan was a sound one, but a small piece of the puzzle. Fortunately for you, the master plan remains intact."

Pushing his mind from possible punishments that he had just been spared, Zero joined his master who was now standing on a small balcony, overseeing the expansive cavern below. It was amazing. For what seemed like spans, the cavern ran on, filled with computers, and enormous tubes that conveyed the power from the large, dome-shaped power source at the center of the cave. Men in green coats bustled around, and further down the flare of a welder came to life.

"How long before it is completed?"

"Only a few minor adjustments." Stribog smiled. "And one final component."

"Which is?"

"A sacrifice from the House of Gayle." The master smiled wistfully as he stared at his machine. "For many annuals, the line of that little other-worlder has ruled the great O.Z. The descendants of Dorothy Gayle will pay dearly for what was taken from us."

Zero knew the legend. All of his kind did. A young girl with her misfit friends had pushed them back, cruelly restricting the Sutekh to the cold climes of the North. The hatred had annuals to fester.

"As for you, Zero. For your help, what do you desire?"

"Revenge." The word was quick to his lips.

The master turned to look at him, almost amused. "Revenge? On Wyatt Cain, I presume."

"And his miserable offspring." He spat. "For their treatment of me in the Southern Forests. For their trickery. For their righteousness."

Stribog seemed immensely pleased at his request. "Indeed, vengeance can be a powerful motivator. Perhaps, more so than the promise of power."

"It is all that I ask, My Lord. For this opportunity, for your help, I will serve you loyally."

"That I doubt, my friend." Stribog smiled coldly down at him. "But the fall of Wyatt Cain fits nicely into my plans and the boy will be no trouble. He can be gathered easily after his father perishes."

Nothing he had concocted in prison would come close to what Stribog already had in mind. The Master knew the ins-and-outs of torture, not only physical, but mental as well. Cain would fall in the most humiliating way possible, of that he was sure. Then Zero would be able to stand over him with no pity in his own eyes.

Only exuberance.

"Please, Master." Zero barely kept the pleading note from his voice. "How will it be done?"

From the shadows stepped a woman, a pale blonde woman with blue eyes only a few shades darker than the Master. Fair, terrible, and cold she moved towards Zero, enveloping him in the frigidness as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her cool lips to his.

As he pressed back hungrily, he knew that his revenge would be sweeter than even he could imagine.

"DG, it is all about rhythm."

The intended joke worked, snapping DG from her brooding. It a was a running gag between Cain and Glitch that somehow DG and Raw had gotten pulled in to, though neither the princess or the Viewer really had any clue what it was about. Someday, she'd have to ask. "Isn't it always?"

Grinning, the lanky, dark-haired man nudged his gray horse to trot back down the trail towards her. "Seriously, this time it really is. You just have to sit there and let the horse move your body."

"Sounds kinda obscene to me."

"Huh?"

"Nothing." She said with a laugh.

Glitch laughed, too, simply because he had been able to cheer her up. "C'mon, we had better head back. You'll be late for your lesson with Tutor."

He turned his grand mount back and pointed him down the trail that would take them home to Finaqua. DG followed on her fat, quiet, reddish brown horse that her parents had restricted her to until she got a little more confident with the whole horse-thing.

Motorcycles she could handle. They didn't run away with you, they stopped when you fell off, and they didn't leave little presents in the middle of the road. Still, she found she was kind of fond the animals, especially this one. As a joke, she called him Speedy and favored him because his one ambition in life was to do as little work as possible. That suited DG just fine.

Glitch, on the other hand, looked as though he were born in the saddle. Before the Witch had taken his brain, Ambrose Grant had been a well-educated gentleman of the Court and the High Advisor to Queen Orianah, a post he honored when he would not willingly hand over the plans to his Sun Seater. They had been taken by force.

Once, not long after the surgery to restore his brain, DG had asked her mother how the post-surgery Ambrose compared to the pre-brain removal Ambrose. Orianah had smiled sadly and told her that she didn't think Ambrose would ever be the same again, no matter how well he healed.

However, it was DG's secret belief that it was not only the surgery that had changed Ambrose into what he was now. Both her Mother and Father had described Ambrose as a studious, quiet person, a concept that was hard for DG to wrap her mind around, considering the only version of Ambrose she had ever known was a spastic, kind-hearted person who was prone to meaningless verbal diatribes at highly inconvenient times.

The thing was, it seemed that the man hadn't had any friends. Orianah insisted that he spent most of his day locked away in his study, no matter how hard she and Ahamo had tried to coax him out.

The fact that he had friends now, close friends, was also a contributing factor to his personality change, of that DG was sure. Even Orianah had to agree that this Ambrose seemed happier than the one she remembered.

Much to his great joy, the Queen had returned Ambrose to his position as High Advisor, an assignment he took just as seriously as he ever had, but he never failed to make the Queen and Ahamo laugh at something before their morning conference ended.

DG had to smile as she watched her friend trot up the hill in front of her. Ever since his brain had been returned, Ambrose had taken more of an interest in his appearance. Even on the back of a horse, his brown Advisor's uniform was crisp, his boots shined, and his hair combed neatly over the zipper that still ran down the center of his head.

"Did you talk to Azkadellia this morning?" Glitch's voice called back to her.

"I haven't seen her." DG ducked an overhanging branch, feeling her chest tighten. "Mother went to her room this morning, but her door was locked."

Glitch drew up his horse. "Couldn't you, you know, just blow it open or unlock it with your magic?"

"I could, but if Az, doesn't want to talk forcing my way into her room is probably not gonna make her any happier." Speedy plodded to a stop beside Glitch's horse. "I wonder if Cain changed his plans since last night."

"Plans? What plans?"

"You didn't know either?" Glitch shook his head. "Cain asked my mother to be reassigned to the Eastern Territories."

"Can't say I'm surprised." Glitch started his horse moving again. The trail was wide enough for the horses to walk side by side. "He's been as grouchy as a Papay at dinnertime lately, hasn't he?"

"Yeah," DG smiled at the comparison. "But I'm worried about him."

"Can't say I'm surprised by that, either." Glitch replied. "He's on his way to an ulcer, the way he bottles stuff up. But maybe going east will help him straighten himself out, you know?"

"Maybe."

Together, they left the forest and headed across the grassy lawn towards the large, beautiful mansion that sat beside the lake. Already, DG could see Tutor standing out front. As usual, she was late for her lessons and it was quite obvious from the look on his face he was none too happy.

She drew up in front of her instructor and slid to the ground, smoothing her jacket. "Sorry, Tutor. It's just after last night I needed to get out for a bit. . ."

The old black man held up a hand to silence her. "You need to get to the main hall. . .now. You, too, Mr. Grant"

So she had misread his stern look. "What's wrong?"

"No time to explain, just go."

With a worried, silent exchange, Glitch and DG handed their horses off to the stable boy who had just rounded the corner. Together, they entered the palace and headed for the staircase that would lead them up one floor. They reached the top just in time to see Mary, the young woman who served the Royal Family tea, scurry from the main hall and push past them without the formal greeting DG had grown accustomed to. A raised voice issued from within the chamber. It was Cain.

Beside her, Glitch swallowed. "Uh-oh."

She knew what he meant. Cain was always even-tempered. Intense, but never out of control. If he had hit a point where he was yelling, it must be serious.

"I guess we better go in."

"Do we have to?" Glitch almost whined as DG grabbed his arm and pulled him through the chamber doors.

Orianah and Ahamo were seated together on a small sofa near the windows. To their left stood Cain, arms crossed looking extremely irritated. To their right stood Azkadellia, hands on hips, glaring back at the Tin Man resolutely. DG would have to sketch this one and entitle it "The Irresistible Force Meets the Immovable Object".

In the corner sat Raw, who had just returned with a report for the Queen from a small Viewer settlement not far from Finaqua. He had walked right into the teeth of the storm, the poor thing. DG gave a sympathetic wince as Raw cringed visibly from the psychic assault he was receiving.

"It is a bad idea." Cain said. "Haven't you learned anything from last night? Security isn't what it needs to be. And now you want to take a field trip?"

"What I learned," Azkadellia began with an attitude reminiscent of her former possessed self, "is that no matter where I am or what I do, there will always be someone who wants to kill me."

"All the more reason to stay put."

"For the rest of my life, Mr. Cain? Am I supposed to live like that? Locked away in a room with an entire battalion of armed guards at my door? I can't." She took a deep breath. "As a Princess of the O.Z. it is my duty to take up these tasks."

"Azkadellia," She turned to look at her father. "Mr. Cain is right. Your mother and I are proud that you wish to do your duty, but the situation being what it is, now may not be a good time. Let things die down a bit."

"They won't die down." Azkadellia replied, smiling sadly at him. "These problems won't go away. They'll get worse. I have to show the people that I am just as committed as anyone to the reconstruction of the O.Z."

"Look, I know we're late." All eyes turned to DG. "But what's going on?"

Cain strode towards her, still radiating hostility. "Your sister wants to tour the O.Z. with a bunch of cutthroats and murderers on her tail."

Azkadellia made a sour face at his back before turning to DG. "A small colony of settlers in the Southern Woods has been asking Mother and Father to visit and listen to their concerns for awhile now."

"With the schedule we've been keeping, we have not been able to accept." Queen Orianah's gentle voice was tinged with regret. "They are newly come to the forest and are having issues with irrigation and land management. They wish for some advice before setting up permanent residences."

"You could help with that, right Glitch?" DG turned to him. He had strategically placed her between himself and Azkadellia. "It might be a nice project for you to start warming up with."

He was sweating in his nervousness, but to his credit had not made one attempt to bolt for the door. "Yeah, sure. Be glad to."

Azkadellia tried to give him an appreciative smile, but Glitch suddenly found the tops of his shoes very interesting. She moved on. "It's not that far away and it's a relatively easy situation to deal with."

"Easy?" Cain was back for round two. "Did it occur to you, Princess, that perhaps these people are relocating because they no longer have homes? That possibly they lost everything to the Witch and are looking for a fresh start? That-"

"That they would dearly love to watch me be flayed?" Azkadellia shot back. "Yes, Mr.Cain, I did actually think of that. And, as much as this probably doesn't make sense to you, it makes me want to go all the more."

Cain's glare was unwavering. "Why?"

"Because for the last fifteen annuals, I have been an instrument of destruction. I have torn people's lives apart and I can't change that. All I can do is try to rebuild as much as possible." Azkadellia took a deep breath. "Don't you understand that I need to do this? To create something instead of destroy it?"

DG understood. This was make-or-break time for Az. She knew her sister wasn't one to take things sitting down and for the past month, that was what she had been forced to do. She was right, they both needed to take on more responsibility.

Maybe it was time for both of them to step up to the plate. "I'll go, too. Nothing can hurt us while we're together, right?"

She honestly thought she was going to get a death glare from Cain, but she didn't. He gave her a look of resigned understanding before turning to Orianah. "It's up to you, Your Majesty. If you want a detail, I'll put one together."

The Queen was silent for a few seconds. DG could see her weighing the odds. Finally, she set her lavender eyes on Cain. "See that they're protected, Mr. Cain, to the best of your ability." He nodded in response as she stood. "My duties here and in the city leave me no time to deal with these small, but important matters. I am sure my daughters will make me proud."

"We will, Mother." Azkadellia said as the Queen embraced her. When she pulled back she smiled. "Thank you."

Orianah touched her face. "Have I told you lately how happy I am to have you back, my Azkadellia?"

The smile turned a bit mischievous. "Not in the last hour."

The Queen left her as Ahamo stepped in. She headed for the door, stopping in front of DG. "You are a bad influence on your sister. She would never say such an other-worldly thing when you were children."

DG grinned. "Wait til she pops off one of those limericks I taught her."

"Do try to stay out of trouble, my love." Orianah said as she hugged her youngest daughter. She lowered her voice. "And do look after your sister."

"I will." She kissed DG's cheek gently before holding out her hand to Ahamo.

He took it after smiling at DG and softly caressing her cheek. "Be good."

"Promise." Her parents left and DG felt Glitch stiffen up behind her as Azkadellia approached. "Looks like we're going on a trip."

"So it seems." Azkadellia smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Deej. I don't think Mother would have let me go alone."

"We'll be okay." DG assured her. "Glitch will come and lend his brain." He nodded mutely. "And Raw," she added as the Viewer came up behind Az, "And, of course, Cain."

"Of course." Azkadellia turned to the man who was now leaning against the windowsill. "Mr. Cain. . ."

"I just want to make something abundantly clear to everyone." At "everyone", he glared directly at DG as if to make a point. "On this little excursion, what I say goes. No side trips, no running off. We go to the settlement, we come back. Got it?"

Azkadellia, unused to Cain's direct approach, simply nodded. Raw stared at the Tin Man while Glitch clicked his heels together and saluted, "Yes, Mon Capitane!"

He turned to DG who smiled innocently. "Me? Would I cause trouble?"

"The whole lot of you is nothing but trouble." Cain turned on his heel and walked away.

"We love you, too, Mr. Cain." DG said to his back.

Azkadellia smiled. "I'll go start making arrangements."

After the older princess had left, Cain came back to where the others stood. "I've got a bad feeling about this."

"Me, too." Glitch agreed.

DG didn't mention that it was the prospect of spending so much time around Azkadellia that was going to get him all worked up. "Az's right. She can't stay locked up forever."

"Now's not really the best time."

"Is there ever going to be a best time?"

"There will be better one's than this." Cain replied. "Zero escaped from the Incarceration Tower last night."

DG felt a shock ripple through her. "He was on the top level. That place is nearly impossible to escape from."

"It gets better. He didn't walk out, he flew. He had help." DG waited for him to go on, disbelieving. "There was a ten-foot hole blasted in the wall of his cell leading to the outside of the tower. He didn't jump, there was no trace of him to be found."

"And nobody saw anything?" Glitch asked.

"No."

"So much for the guards and their Seeing-Eye dogs." DG didn't take the time to explain the reference to her friends. "Does Jeb know?"

"He's been informed." DG could see concern behind Cain's eyes.

"What do you think Zero will do?" DG asked.

"Don't know." Cain replied. "He could try to rally some Long Coats together and really start trouble. Or-"

"Or Zero come for Cain and Jeb." Raw supplied.

"Yeah, there's that fun option, too." Glitch put in.

"What are you gonna do, Cain?" DG asked. "Are you going after him, are you staying, going east?"

"We're getting through this little trip you ladies are so anxious to take." There was a hint of exasperated amusement in his voice. "And then I'll take it from there."