21 Preparation and Execution

Silence, Tyler finally finds some. Nothing makes more noise than the creaking and groaning of Tyler's bed as he tosses and turns that night. Even the next day he is undisturbed.

Replays of his interrogation with Amelia run though his head—torturing him over and over again without interruption. Fresh pain surfaces each time his mind drags him back into Carla's house for his birthday dinner. Tears flow until there are none left to cry.

Eventually, Tyler's stomach manages to snap his mind back into reality. Hunger drives him to roll out of bed and shuffle out of his room. His footsteps echo in the desolate hallway. As Tyler inches toward the dining room, the deafening silence is finally broken.

"Put away the Ivilery bread," Marci orders.

"It's my favorite though!" Dani protests.

"He doesn't like it; this isn't about you."

"Last time he didn't get to try it! I'm sure he will like it if he tastes it."

"We are making him his favorite lunch, not trying to force him to eat new things!"

"There is already a ton of chicken! Give him some choices; he might want to try something new right now."

"Why do you make everything difficult?"

"Why are you so controlling?"

Tyler shakes his head and leans into the door to the dining room. Both princesses cease arguing and as the door creaks open and duck behind the table. Once the door opens wide enough to see inside, Tyler scans the table: fried chicken is mounded in the center, surrounded by an assortment of brightly colored breads, jellies, and pudding-like substances.

"Surprise!" both princesses shout, popping up from behind the table.

"I heard you from down the hall," Tyler admits.

"Can you ever just be quiet?" Dani screams, turning to Marci.

"Me? Look who's talking!" Marci responds.

A smile spreads across Tyler's face. He interrupts the two arguing girls with a laugh. Their bickering seems comforting to him.

"I missed you both," Tyler says. "Where have you been the last few days?"

"There were several emergency planning meetings, and we were called in to discuss how our gear will be put to use!" Dani squeals.

"With my mother..." Marci starts, clearing her throat as she begins to get choked up. "They want me to take the Flayrian throne and attend meetings until everything is sorted out."

"This has to be hard for you," Tyler sympathizes.

"Actually, it's great!" Dani replies. "Our devices all worked, the armies are well equipped, and we have a new plan now!"

"Not you, Dani," Tyler clarifies. Dani's face darkens at his words. "I was talking to Marci."

"Well, it's not easy," Marci admits. "However, we all got interrogated and cleared by Amelia. My mom will be finished with all of the memory scans soon."

"What do you mean?" Tyler asks, sitting down and loading a plate with chicken. He adds a few pink slices of bread with black jelly for Dani's sake.

"My mother has a lot of memories to sort through, so her interrogation isn't finished. Once she is done, everyone will stop jumping to conclusions," Marci states.

"You still think she is innocent?" Dani questions. "No one has been kept this long. They had to find something."

"Perhaps she has other useful intel, but I know my mother!" Marci shoots back.

"Why don't we just eat..." Tyler suggests, fidgeting in his seat.

Dani slathers two different colors of jelly on the pink bread and shoves it in her mouth while Marci glares at her. They all take a few bites in silence. Marci spreads a bright blue pudding around on her plate.

"Did Amelia say anything to you guys or make you relive any memories?" Tyler adds after a moment.

"Relive memories?" Dani repeats with her mouth full of bread. "She just scanned my memories and left."

"Yeah, she scanned mine as well," Marci adds. "What memories did she make you relive?"

"None... she scanned my memories too," Tyler lies.

"What did she say to you?" Dani prods, her yellow eyes narrowing and piercing Tyler as she swallows another mouthful of food.

"Nothing..."

"You are lying!"

"I'm not!"

"Then did you ask us if she said anything?" Marci questions, her blue eyes boring into Tyler.

"Because I want to know what's going on!"

"You are getting defensive: That's a sign of guilt."

"I-I..."

"Sorry to intrude," Darnell interrupts, bursting through the double doors. "Amelia would like you three to return to the throne room."

"Why?" Tyler squeaks. Images of his previous interrogation flood his mind, causing him to tremble.

"We need to decide on our battle strategy. You three were suppose to be building new technology that is integral to Her Majesty's plan."

"Oh! Can we demonstrate how there Coordinate Splicer works?" Dani shouts, jumping out of her chair.

"They will probably want to see that-"

"Then I will report on how quickly we have built up the arsenal for the 12 armies!" Marci interjects.

With that, Darnell leads the trio towards the throne room. Dani bounces down the hall, Marci glides begins her, and Tyler shuffles after them. Sweat pours down his back as Darnell throws open the double wooden doors once again.

Eleven queens sit around a large marble table that sits at the center of the room. They all look up in unison when the four new arrivals step through the door. Marci's mother is the only missing monarch.

"Mom!" Dani shouts, running towards the tall redhead with a fox on her crown.

"It's been too long, dear!" Tiana's shrill voice fills the room. "We haven't completed preparations for you wedding yet." Dani's mom glares at Tyler and winks to her daughter. "It's hard to find good help these days."

"I thought we were past this," Tyler grumbles.

"When will my mother be released?" Marci asks.

"You didn't hear that she-" Tiana starts.

"Is not going to be released for this meeting," Amelia interrupts, glaring at the red headed queen.

"What could possibly be more important than her being here?" Marci questions.

"That is one of our topics. First, I want to inform you of some changes to the plan."

"What changes?" Dani inquires.

"We have to believe that the serpents know our plan, so there will be some changes. Our invasion of their means on transportation has to take precedent to avoid any sort of counter invasion while our forces are fighting."

"So, you are sending all of the forces through the ancient gateways?" Marci guesses.

"No, our enemy will likely be prepared for an attack through the gates. The coordinate splicer will allow us to attack from behind their defenses with half of our forces. Once we are able to draw enough attention from the gates, the other half of our forces will launch a delayed attack to secure the gates."

"That leaves their the long-range magic canceling device and psychic energy storage facility active. Our forces could be wiped out with a massive magical attack with stored energy from hundreds or thousands of years worth of an entire realms magic energy!" Dani complains.

"Not if we send a small team to the base to prevent such an attack from happening."

"That is suicide," Marci comments.

"That's not true. The facility could be breached with the coordinate splicer, and magic should be useable within it, otherwise there would be no way to generate a magic absorption field. Theoretically, a four-person team with a balanced set of magical attributes could infiltrate the facility to find a way to disable both devices."

"They would need to know how to fight, where to go, and be technically capable," Dani comments. "Where are you going to find a team like that?"

"I had one in mind. A certain pair of annoying princesses, their friend who grew up in the realm they are traveling to, and the louder princesses body guard to be precise."

"You are sending us in there alone?" Tyler cries.

"Is that a problem?"

"Ye-"

"No!" Dani and Marci say in unison, louder than Tyler.

"Good, now that's settled. I'll handle all of the arrangements for our military, and let you three and Moko decide on your own course of action. We can discuss the next item on the agenda then."

"My mother?" Marci pleads.

"Precisely. I wanted to know if you were comfortable taking her place as ruler of Flayria and twelfth member of the Five Realm Alliance starting two days from now."

"I don't understand..."

"Oh, I was hoping that I wouldn't have to spell it out... your mother will be executed at dusk two days from today for treason in accordance with the alliance treaty section eight article five regarding selling information to the serpents."