Page 24 of Of Skulls Of Shackles

Up and out

Weaves golden fate

Feeling ancient in gifted wisdom.

Five powers grasp

All icy demise

Free from her olden prison.

If throne is seat

Union is seam

Skulls are skin

Shackles are stitch.

Until ancient in truth

Tarry not

Linger never

Lest the world becomes forever buried.

I could not understand the middle. The part about icy demise, and thrones that were seats. The end was a warning of what would happen if I did not conquer five kings.

Thebeginningwas a warning of what would happen if I allowed “time to reveal the ins and outs.”

So I could not wait. And I must act.

How and how and how?

There was a humming in the walls. I could almost make out words, if they were walls at all. Was Mother learning to talk and not just rattle?

“We are immortal.” Princess Raise scoffed. “No time? Of course there is time to wait.”

That would suit her ends greatly, for unlike the connective abilities of a queen and kings, Princess Raise needed ample time to ponder and ponder and ponder some more before she could arrive at most connections. She did not wish for me to act. She was also a princess, who likely could not fathom the foolishness of disregarding time.

“We are immortals all, and time chips away at us like any other being,” I mused. “For princesses, four bridal gifts were won. For kings… Do they share such an object? Did princesses or ancients give them anything at their unions? No,” I answered my own question. “For King See has never joined with a princess, so the answer does not lie in their unions, nor the power gained with union. The answer resides in what came before.”

“They each have a kingdom,” Princess Bring supplied.

I was grateful she had no loyalty to her king because I felt the loss of Princess Raise’s openness and would not like to face two silent princesses.

“They do each have a kingdom.” How to win a kingdom, though? “Is there a tangible source of their kingdom, do you suppose? Something like a heart?”

Princess Bring shook her head. “I have no answer, Your Majesty. Shall I consult pawns?”

I tried to wave a hand in the air to no avail. “Pawns are rarely worth consulting. Not that they are not magnificent in every way. We each of us has a monstrous calling, after all, but their calling does not include consultation services.”

A tightness entered Princess Raise’s shoulders.

The caveat of the Raises’ facelessness was thus: time or monsterdom has erased the facial features that gave away their emotions in deals and negotiations, and this had made them lax about body posture and all it revealed. This was often the key to unlocking their thoughts. And so they gave away far more than most monsters. “Princess Raise, I remind you of our deal.”

“I remindyouthat I agreed to help build your tower as long as my king remained unharmed.”

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