The western half of the Aden family palace was constructed entirely from the strange bone-white material that was common in the university. The eastern half of the palace was cut right into the Spine Range, jet-black rough-hewn rock. This gave the impression that the entire palace was split down the middle, half white, and half black. Huge dawn-red banners hung from the ceiling in every hallway, each featuring the likeness of a black swan, the sigil of House Aden.


    The throne room was much taller than the rest of the rooms and hallways in the palace, a huge vaulted chamber with a glass ceiling, reminiscent of a greenhouse. The glass continued down the north wall, and it even replaced the northern section of the floor, because the far end of the chamber was suspended over the dusky sky, supported only by ethersteel struts on the exterior. The Hanging Throne rested on a platform in the middle of that skybox, suspended from a half black, half bone-white arch. Kiera suspected that there was a ladder or a stairway behind the throne, allowing access to a secret tunnel inside the arch.


    In the very center of the room, there was what appeared to be a giant bronze disk embedded into the floor itself, and a circular hole had been cut in the fine red carpet to expose the thing. It featured a depiction of three small orbs connected by conduits, with stars and little crescent shapes scattered about. There was a large glyph in the very center, which Kiera did not recognize as belonging to any language she had ever seen.


    The hall was lined to either side with flickering crimson flames, which enhanced the dusky light overhead and cast flickering shadows of the soldiers which lined the room. King Edwin Aden sat upon the Hanging Throne, surrounded by a halo of the same crimson flames. He looked to be about thirty, with a hard face, short raven-black hair, and a neatly-trimmed beard. He wore the red robes common to the members of the Aden clan, decorated with black and silver filigree, but he also wore a silver crown.


    Kiera was not impressed, in spite of the heavy-handed attempt at architectural intimidation. Her father''s castle had withstood sieges and attacks from Heritors, but she suspected a strong breeze could break those windows and expose the Hanging Throne to the elements. There was only one time in history when the palace had been attacked by a Heritor, and King Redmond went out into the fjord to fight an honorable duel rather than risk damage to the structure. The old Empress Sasha had been less than honorable during the duel, and King Redmond ended up with a spirit-lattice ethersteel spear through his heart.


    Claire marched forward confidently to stand before the Hanging Throne, and the herald cried: "Princess Claire of House Aden!"


    "What is this about, sister?" King Edwin asked.


    "Brother," Claire said. "You must disband the White Chasm Aviation Club. It is too dangerous, and it puts the lives of university students at risk."


    "Lyn is a land of laws," Edwin said "There are no laws preventing young men from taking risks."


    "But the Heritor Oaths!"


    "I have broken no oaths," the King continued. "If our honored ancestor, the Morning Mist, wishes to disband the club, then she will do so. However, her schemes are far beyond my capacity to understand. I do not want to get involved."


    "He has a point," Kiera whispered.


    Claire grimaced. "As you say, brother. I will speak to our honored ancestor."


    They left together, but they were quickly separated by the palace staff and led to their respective rooms. Kiera''s own room resembled Claire''s room back at the university, all blacks and reds and silver filigree. The crimson sunset poured in through the western windows, and the warm light contrasted with the chilly mountain air that filled the chamber. With a quick splash of ethermancy, Kiera warmed the air and then sank down into her bedding. Comfortable and alone, she rested her eyes for a little while.


    Hovering somewhere between sleep and consciousness, she allowed her mind to wander. Questions are more important than answers, Fiona had said. What question does she expect me to ask? What am I missing?


    She tried to visualize Seth and Quinn. Seth rode high in the air on a powered kite, an airplane in truth. Quinn stood upon the ground looking up, checking the boxes on a long scientific checklist, while taking notes on the margins with arcane equations. What would happen if they wrote a book that described their findings? she wondered. Then a method of inventing the airplane would become common knowledge. And then maybe somebody would attempt to challenge the Elder Saint in her spire.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    But that also didn''t make any sense. Only another witch could even hope to challenge the Elder Saint.


    The first thing they do is they make themselves smarter, Fiona had said. Kiera felt a chill. Her lucid dream of Seth and Quinn shifted. Seth suddenly transformed into a witch, brimming with enough power to challenge the Elder Saint. Combined with a pre-existing understanding of airplane design...


    "What would happen if somebody from the Aviation Club suddenly transforms into a witch?" Kiera asked aloud, though there was nobody else in the room to hear her question.


    Questions are more important than answers.


    Kiera imagined that problem creeping into the world over and over in centuries long past. The oculomancers would need to carefully censor any document that could aid in the invention of an airplane. And Sir Zachary had once told her: Young men, idiots that think they can invent the flying machine, will eventually get a surprise visit from that woman.


    So why didn''t Fiona of the Morning Mist attack? Even if there was information to be gleaned from observing them, even if they discovered a list of books to censor or a list of raw materials to make contraband, the risk posed by one of those young men transforming into a witch must be too great, right?


    Right?


    Kiera felt wrong. Something was missing. Or, rather, someone. Claire Aden had not ventured into her bedroom to claim half of Kiera''s bed for herself.


    Groggily, Kiera wrapped herself in a red-black robe and ventured out into the hallway outside. Two men stood guard outside her door, both garbed in bright red robes and wearing black masks. They were armed with spirit-lattice ethersteel swords. They turned to her, then each dropped to one knee and bowed.


    "Mender Kiera," one of the guards said. "Forgive us. The Eyes of Flame asked us to stand guard outside your chamber."


    "Why would she do that?" Kiera asked.


    "Because," the man continued, "the palace is not as safe as it once was. Corruption spreads through these halls, and the oculomancers are unable to contain it."


    "Strange," Kiera said. Could it be related to those dice games Sir Zachary spoke of? Aloud, she said, "In any case, I was expecting Princess Claire to pay me a visit. Do you know where she is?"


    "Unfortunately," the guard said, "Princess Claire has been summoned by her brother. He left explicit instructions that they were not to be disturbed."


    "Bring me to them now," Kiera said.


    "Yes, great witch. Follow me."


    The two men led Kiera through the halls and up the stairways to the Aden clan''s private quarters, on the floor overlooking the glass roof above the Hanging Throne. They arrived at a solid metal door that appeared to have been sealed with metal-aspect ethermancy. Kiera transformed the door into a liquid and parted the metal to either side, revealing a dim game room complete with gambling tables and taxidermic trophies.


    Edwin Aden sat across from his sister at the dice table, and to his right there sat another man, one which Kiera immediately recognized. She had spent four years at the Eight Color Monastery, and that creep had been ogling her and her friends the entire time.


    "Maxius the Younger," Kiera said as she glided into the room.


    "What is she doing here?" Maxius hissed.


    "Kiera this is a private meeting," Edwin said. "Family members only."


    "Maxius is not your family," Keira observed. "Me and Claire had both decided that we are going to be sisters, so that makes us family. Claire, are you alright?"


    "This infidel is trying to get me to convert to his foul religion!" Claire said. She pointed one finger at Maxius accusingly. "My brother lost his mind and agreed to convert! Can you believe that? My family, corrupted by the Theocracy?"


    "Is it true?" Kiera asked.


    "This isn''t any of your business," Maxius said. "Go find somebody that needs healing and leave us alone."


    "Answer my question," Kiera insisted.


    "Wait," Edwin said. "You need to hear my side of the story."


    His head sank down onto his palms. He dug his fingernails into his scalp, as if he was trying to pull his hair out.


    "I am beginning to remember what my life was like before," the king said. "Before this life I mean. My past life, I think. I was trying to escape the Purple Dragons. You see, I insulted one of them somehow, and they sent somebody to kill me. But that''s not the worst of it. They wanted me to be reincarnated as a slave after I died. So I made a deal with a Blue Dragon, and when I died I ended up here in this world. Oh, and the Blue Dragon said he was called Father Winter here in this world. That''s all I remember. It''s all very fuzzy."


    Kiera did remember Fiona saying something about how the original settlers came to this world because they were trying to escape the Purple Dragons.


    "How do you think converting to this religion is going to help?" she asked.


    "Maxius promised me that his god, the Lawgiver, will be able to claim my soul, and prevent me from returning to that place where I was before."


    "You didn''t need to reveal something so private," Maxius said. "It''s none of her damn business."


    "Anything involving Claire is my business," Kiera said. "Maxius is lying to you. His entire religion is one of one hundred religions invented by Renna. She made them fight each other until only one religion was left. There is no Lawgiver, only Renna, and she is long dead."


    "That''s a lie!" Maxius insisted. "Don''t listen to her, Edwin. You need to think about your soul."


    "Let''s get out of here," Claire said.


    The child shoved herself away from the dice table and marched out of the gaming room. Kiera followed. The two men with black masks waited for them outside.


    "I need you to deliver a message to the Eyes of Flame," Kiera said.


    "At once," one of the guards replied.


    "I need a message sent through emergency channels to Heritor Alyesha."