I nodded, then I spit the disgusting fake-peppermint gum into a trash container, hoping that my cappuccino would kill the taste. As my eyes slid from Max to the copper-haired man walking before us, I wondered what exactly he was in control of.
9
Max and I followed Dad around Capitol City’s financial district for a few more hours, and I was never once sure of where we were going. I mean, I knew what direction we were headed in, but our path had no rhyme or reason. Through it all, Dad walked along with purpose, and Max followed him like a good second-in-command, but the third time we passed the bank, the jig was up. Dad was lost.
Mind you, not that I called attention to this, mostly because more weirdness was afoot. Every three blocks or so we happened upon Peacekeepers, either alone or in groups, all of whom stepped aside to let us pass. As a rule, Peacekeepers tended to have the manners of a pissed-off honey badger, so all the courtesy, not to mention the lack of us being arrested, had me a bit on edge.
Finally we found ourselves crossing an old parking lot, the empty space around us assuring me that we were far from prying eyes, ears, and listening devices. “So, Dad,” I said, “where are we going?”
“Nowhere in particular,” he replied. “We just needed to walk the streets to show those sympathetic to our cause that I have returned.”
“I thought you’d been in contact all along,” I said.
“Only with the upper echelon,” Dad replied. “I still need to make my presence known amongst the lower ranks, like your friend, Corporal Polonsky.”
“He’s not my friend,” I muttered, but Dad or Max weren’t listening to me. My feet were aching from the pavement pounding, my head throbbed, and all I could think about was Micah. The fire of my anger had ebbed to cinders, and I was willing to admit that maybe I had overreacted. Not that I would admit as much to him, but I was willing to listen to what he had to say. And, frankly, I missed my husband.
Luckily, Dad felt that he had displayed himself enough in the Mundane realm, and soon we were stepping through the portal and into the Otherworld, specifically the gardens behind the manor. My first thought was to look for Mom, thinking she should be long since ready for her and Dad’s date at the brugh in the back orchard. Instead, we were greeted by my frantic, disheveled sister who was practically leaping out of the front door to meet us.
“They took him!” Sadie shrieked. “They just walked right up to the door and took him!”
I opened my mouth to ask her who was taken only to shut it with a clack. Micah. “What do you mean, they took him?” I demanded.
“Gold warriors just walked up, knocked on the door, and said that Micah was being apprehended for crimes against the queen,” Sadie explained. Mom, dressed not for a date but in jeans and a sweater—her version of battle armor—exited the manor and stood beside Sadie. “Oriana’s voice came through one of them. She said something about Greymalkin’s death and me not pledging to her.”
“I thought we worked all that out,” I mumbled.
“Yeah, well, she’s nuts,” Sadie said. I nodded, my eyes sliding to Mom, silently asking her why she let the gold warriors take Micah.
“I extracted an oath from Oriana,” Mom replied. “He’ll be treated as an honored guest until you and Sadie arrive at her court.”
“And you believed that?” I asked.
“Beyond a shadow of a doubt,” Mom replied. “A queen’s oath is sound.” Of course Mom would say that, being that she was a queen herself. While my mother was nuts in her own way, she certainly held it together a lot better than Oriana.
“All right,” I said, steeling myself. “It seems that we’re all going to the Golden Court.”
“Is that wise?” Dad asked. “You may be playing right into her hands.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I said. “She has Micah—we have to go.”
I called the silverkin, and after I gave Shep a few quick instructions, I turned to leave. Much to my surprise, my father had no intention of coming with me to rescue my husband.
“It’s foolish for us to all go at once,” Dad explained. “Leaving a flank in reserve is a better option.”
“A flank of one?” Sadie muttered. Dad glared at her, but let the comment slide.
“Fine!” I said, throwing my hands up in the air. “Wait here while we rescue Micah without you.”
“If you don’t return by sundown, I will follow,” he assured. I nodded, calmed by the fact that at least we had a backup plan if something went wrong at the Golden Court. When Dad said something about Max staying behind with him, my brother just shook his head.