"Urgent message for Princess Vaska Maryy," Ervin said to the magenta Colored Orb. "A fleet of Ayaruan airships will open a portal from the Elemental Plane of Water at heading zero-one-seven distance three-seven-seven from the city of Jelka in eight hours time."

"I hear you," Vaska said. "I will let Elizabeth know so that we can be ready to intercept."

"Go easy on them," Ervin said. "I would hate to hear my intelligence led to the deaths of my countrymen."

"You don't need to be sorry about that," Vaska said. "We will offer our intelligence to them and ask them to parley before attacking. Your men will not be in any danger."

"Thanks," Erven said. "Now I need to find a way to reach Minister Zoja Eduard. She knew something was suspicious about the Keymaker. If anyone knows what our options are, it will be her."

"I am certain that you will find your way to meet her," Vaska said. "Good luck."

The communication cut off. Ervin's heart was racing. He had just committed high treason against his own men. He stepped out of his alcove in the back corner of a café in Jelka and peered around suspiciously. Did anyone hear?

The room was old and the walls were made from clay, painted pale yellow and decorated with colorful images. It was a foreign design, Ervin was certain, but a café that he knew was just about to close because the foreigners who frequented it tended to board a ship and leave the city before this hour. Merchants mostly. It was not a venue for foreign nobility.

The streets of Jelka were dark and narrow. As Ervin walked slowly with his head covered by his hat, he heard shouting behind him. "Halt! Police!" the voice cried. Ervin ran.

He found a narrow alley and ducked inside. He had scaled the wall of this alley as a youth, and his muscular form from his service in the military would suffice, he hoped. With hands and legs pressed out against the walls in the alley, he hopped vertically to the roof and pulled himself up with ease. The police ran by with torches in their hands, peering down the alley briefly before moving on. The shadows of the policemen, with tall hats on their heads and batons in their hands, flashed briefly on the wall of the building across the street. The police ran off and their shadows on the wall vanished.

Ervin dropped down onto the street and sprinted in the opposite direction, searching for more police as he went. A running car was waiting for him on the cobblestones near the lobby of a high-class hotel. Admiral Zef awaited inside with a prostitute at his neck.

"Zef," Ervin said. "My business is concluded. The police are searching for me, I need to get to the Minister's house."

"Damn," Zef said. "Get in, hurry."

Ervin opened the door and glanced around nervously. The hotel porters had been sent away at Zef's request. With a graceful, curving leap into the car and a simultaneous, and silent closing of the door, Ervin slipped inside and the car began to roll forward. It smelled of booze. An unapologetic reek of alcohol.

"There is a police checkpoint up ahead," The driver warned.

"Love," Zef said. "Take off your clothes Ervin. Wear her clothes through the checkpoint. I'll tell them I want to watch both my girls tonight."

"Good idea," Ervin said. The prostitute hissed like a cat at him, but she began to disrobe.

When they arrived at the police checkpoint Ervin had already dressed himself in the woman's raunchy clothes. He had not shaved nearly as much as a woman would, and he hoped the dim light would be enough to hide him. Thankfully, the prostitute was a quick thinker, because she climbed on top of him to hide his masculine figure.

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Admiral Zef gave the officer his credentials. "I hope that we can keep quiet about this to my wife," he said, pointing to Ervin and the woman who was now attacking his lips with her own. Zef handed the officer a huge quantity of bank notes. "I enjoy watching women kiss."

"Carry on, carry on," the officer said. The car rolled forward over the cobblestone streets, shuttering each time it crossed a pair of steel trolley rails.

"Don't worry," Zef said. "Once we are back on my airship the police will not be able to arrest you. This whole business with your family and the ransom, I am so sorry."

Zef was doing his best in spite of his obvious intoxication. The car raced through the darkness but they found no more police checkpoints on the way to the Minister's house. They pulled up to the gate and Zef stepped out of the car while it was still moving. The guards at the gate must have recognized him, because the gate shuttered and opened. The car pulled around into the cul-de-sac of the Minister's compound, stopping in front of the stately white pillars of marble and glass doors to the walled Eduard estate.

"I only have one more errand with the Minister," Ervin said. "Then we can return to the airship and I'll be safe."

"What if there are police inside?" Zef asked.

"If I do not return quickly, then leave," Ervin replied. "Assume that I have been captured by the police."

The Eduard estate was as moneyed on the inside as it was outside. Priceless red-gold rugs lined the floors between white marble pillars. Small, arched alcoves hid ancient paintings on either side of the foyer. One of the paintings depicted an ancient Queen of Great House Maryy. She had the hint of looking like Vaska.

"Welcome back from your adventures in Taisia," Minister Zoja Eduard walked alone down the red steps of the foyer wearing a tight black dress with a too-low bustline. "Such a handsome man, did you come here seeking more adventures, at this hour?"

Her voice was sensuous. Hungry.

"Zoja I have something I need to tell you," he gasped. "About the Keymaker."

"Disappointing," the old woman sneered. "Very well, come to my private quarters and we can talk. My guards have been sent away." He followed her up the staircase into the darkness, glancing to the sides suspiciously. Any shadow could hide the Keymaker.

"Are you certain you don't want to have some fun Ervin?" Zoja Eduard asked. "It would be so easy..."

"Zoja, this is serious," Ervin snapped. "You were right about the Keymaker, we cannot trust her."

"Young men such as yourself," Zoja hissed, "do not come into my home at this hour without reason."

"I have a reason," Ervin insisted. "The Keymaker is playing us!"

They arrived at a dark corridor lined by glowing doorways. The sound and smell of lovers permeated the hallway. She led him to an open door. A brilliantly furnished room awaited inside. "I find this amusing," Zoja said. "The Keymaker is indeed playing somebody. She was just here, in fact she might still be here. She gave me a wonderful collection of keystones to the Elemental Plane of Metal. They have been sent downstairs to your friend Zef."

"Gods," Ervin said. "I need to warn him. I..."

"Treason," a cacophony of female voices pierced his ears from the darkness of one corner of the room. Zoja closed the door and glanced at him with a predatory gaze. The shadow in the room shifted, instantly appearing behind Zoja. The woman stabbed Zoja through the brain with a dagger made of shadows. The old woman collapsed on the floor in a twitching heap.

"Who?" Ervin asked. "How? How did you know? Only one other person in the world knew where I was going..."

Ervin fell to his knees.

"VASKA!" he screamed. His voice was lost in the lovemaking of the hallway.

The Keymaker removed her mask. The face of madness stared back at him. It was Vaska, looking not too unlike the ancient Queen of Great House Maryy portrayed in the foyer.

"Gods," Ervin muttered.

"What can be given can be taken away, Dren," Vaska said.

"Why?" Ervin asked. "Why now?"

"The other Great Houses have grown fat on the contracts of the sacrifices," Vaska said. "We have kerosene turbines now, and a radiolocation system we call radar. We don't need Elementals anymore.

"Ingrid," Ervin said.

"Sleeps in my bed," Vaska said.

"Titania..."

"The framers prevented her return without consent. She was given a task that is too narrow, and I now understand the limits of that task."

Ervin shivered. It was complete. Perfect. This scion of Maryy was the splitting image of her ancestors. That family simply outclassed all the others. It was over.

Vaska smirked. "So you get it."

"I get it," Ervin said. "My men, what will happen to my soldiers?"

"Elisabeth has a plan," Vaska replied. "Total massacre." Then her dagger of shadows pierced his skull.

Nothingness.