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'It's only a theory.'

'Did you find a ball in place of the egg at the Fae'ch Mountains?'

'No,' said Fyia. She shook her head, then added, 'But I wasn't close. It's possible Axus made it disappear before I could see, but that's tenuous at best. I must return to my lands and speak with Essa.'

Fyia left the temple and found Edu waiting outside, pacing back and forth.

'Thank the Gods,' he said. 'I had a bad feeling … what's wrong? Are those burns?' His eyes settled on the bare, red skin of her arms.

'We're leaving. I'll explain on the way.'

'Are we in danger?' he asked, having to stride out to keep up with Fyia's brisk pace.

'No.'

Try as he might, Fyia refused to give him further details as they hurried the short distance back to the airship. They boarded, and Fyia barked orders, instructing Opie to get them in the air as quickly as possible … to set a course for the Temple of the Sea Serpent.

'What the Gods happened?' Adigos asked when they were underway, surprised they had returned so soon.

Fyia led Adigos and Edu to the dining hall, where she made herself a sweet cup of tea. She told them all that had happened, including why they were heading for Sea Serpent.

'Is Scorpia not angry your visit was so brief?' asked Edu. He rummaged around in a drawer, then pulled out a glass jar filled with ointment.

Fyia smirked. 'Scorpia practically ran me out of the temple. She said I was welcome to stay for the usual pomp and ceremony, but if she were me, she'd already be in the air.'

'She sounds like a riot,' said Adigos.

'That she is,' said Fyia.

'She has a pet elephant …' said Edu. He handed Fyia the healing balm, and she began smearing the foul-smelling stuff on her blistering flesh.

'I knew I should have snuck ashore,' said Rouel, carrying a tray of clay mugs out of the galley. 'A song about Queen Scorpia and her elephant … now that would be a hit.'

'You can still write it,' said Fyia.

'Not with the same authority,' said Rouel, with a flounce.

'You'll see her when we return,' said Fyia.

'When we return?' said Edu.

'To unite our kingdoms,' said Fyia with a grin, her chest swelling with the possibility of it all.

'When we what?' said Adigos. 'You can't seriously …'

'I can seriously, and Scorpia isn't against the idea, or so she said as she pushed me out of the temple. Although obviously there are a great number of things to agree.'

'That's an understatement,' said Adigos.

'What will you do about Essa?' said Edu.

'Go to the temple, find out if it's true, and then speak with her. Maybe there's an explanation besides treachery …' Her insides roiled as she said the word. If she couldn't trust Essa, or her brother, then was there anyone at all she could?

Adigos stroked Fyia's arm as they lay in bed. She barely noticed, endless questions racing through her mind.

His hand paused. 'What is it?' he said. 'What preoccupies you most?'

She lifted her head from his chest, turning to look up at him, hair falling about her shoulders. 'All of it: Essa, my brother, the balls, the missing eggs. Who took them? What do they want to achieve? And now I must unite another five kingdoms … just … all of it.'