074: The Queen's Gambit

[Eleanora]

The peaked ceilings of the Aerie in Skyfall seem to fade into the sky they are so impossibly tall, the spires reaching beyond the clouds. It has the airy loftiness often seen in the structures designed for the children of the air and is a fitting place to hatch the future kings of Luxandra.

And I find it pleasant, watching the birds and dragons fly past my windows. It makes dealing with all the ugliness of today much easier.

The first group to speak before me is a rag-tag collection of survivors from what was supposed to be a simple fetch-and-return mission. Fetch the princess, my prince, and anyone else associated with his disappearance, and return here immediately to deal with their sentencing. Search the premises for any sign of the Technician and retrieve my specialist if possible.

Simple enough. Especially since we had a person on the inside and the element of surprise.

"So tell me again, very slowly, why it is that you return to me empty-handed," the ends of my ta