"Is this all there was?" Sakhr asked.

"Everything we found near her," said the major.

Three crates. Each item inside had their own plastic bag. Sakhr examined a few: a phone with a shattered screen, a tablet bent in the middle, and a pair of women's dress shoes. Each item had blood on them.

"These are your mother's possessions, aren't they?" the major asked.

Alexander responded. "Yes. These are the queen's affects."

"She wearing a cream-colored dress?"

Sakhr had no idea.

"Yes, she was," Alex answered. "We were all dressed to go to a charity auction the other day... before everything happened."

For all Sakhr knew, the story about the charity was just another in the endless stream of lies Alexander had been telling, but the bastard certainly knew what he was doing. He was in people's minds. He knew what they needed to hear.

At the bottom of a crate, in a bag of its own, was a bloody necklace made of small ivory tiles. Sakhr recognized it. Each little tablet had its own power inscribed upon it. Over seventeen years ago, Victoria had fingered those little tablets while telling of her collection of powers. Sakhr had dreamed of it ever since.

He snatched the bag and removed the necklace. Though blood covered many tiles, he fastened it about his neck. The major shuffled uncomfortably. Sakhr searched his mind for any change. Years ago, he'd had aura sensing. He didn't recall much, but he remembered that it was easy to identify the sensation when he expected it, but now he felt nothing. He motioned for Sibyl to look him in the eyes. She did so. He sensed... nothing.

Sakhr studied the necklace. There were seven glyphs—one for each member of the coven, and three more. Since only two were damaged, wouldn't that mean the other five should work?

He tried wiping away the blood and wearing it again. Nothing.

He dug through the other crates.

"Your Highness?" the major asked.

"Are you sure that these are all of her possessions?"

"Is something missing?"

"They aren't working."

"Ma'am?"

"The glyphs. They're not doing anything."

"Ah." Alexander interjected. "It's exemplar tech. He doesn't know."

"Know what?" the major asked.

"Never you mind," Alexander said. "This is an exemplar affair."

So glyphs were still a secret then. Exemplar-only tech. The longer Sakhr was outside of his tortoise prison, the more he realized Victoria never told people anything. She coveted secrets. It meant no one knew who Sakhr was, which played to his advantage, but it also meant Victoria probably never revealed her true power, which was to learn powers. She didn't actually need glyphs.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Which meant the necklace was a misdirection. The tiles were fakes. Of course that damn woman wouldn't keep real glyphs around her neck. Why would she? The only person who'd make use of them was somebody who'd stolen them from her. The fake was only to maintain the lie that she was the glyph writer.

But why keep it up?

Sakhr, Alex, Christof, and Sibyl were the only people in the world who knew she was once Katherine, or what her power actually was, and all four of them had been under her lock and key. No one else even knew who Katherine was. So why divorce Victoria and Katherine? Why pretend to be someone else for all these years?

It could have been to hide the true identity of the real glyph maker, but then he was also her prisoner. Or perhaps there was someone else who knew Katherine.

That couldn't be it, right? Sakhr would obviously know them.

He cast the necklace aside and dug through the other boxes, but he didn't expect to find anything of value. Another bag contained Victoria's tattered dress. It was more red than white. Another contained a flight helmet, and a flight suit—items probably found near her body.

The third box contained a piece of twisted metal made of small metal bars. It took him a moment to identify it. "Is this a birdcage?"

"We believe so, ma'am."

"This was in the wreckage?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Ah, what?" Alex perked up. He looked the major in the eyes. "Oh right... The queen had a pet hawk. Everyone knows that."

A look passed between Alex and Sakhr. Alex grinned sardonically, clearly coming to the same realization Sakhr was. That birdcage had been in the shuttle with Victoria. She'd had that hawk with her.

Sakhr turned to the major. "Was the hawk found?"

"Ma'am?"

"Was the hawk found dead? Did the rescuers find it's body?"

Of course the major hesitated. It would be too easy for him to say something like, yes, dead as dead can be. It was a bit of a mess, so we left the body there. No. There had to be uncertainty.

"Not that I know of," the major said.

Sakhr looked around. This hangar's side room had a roof far above with plenty of beams to perch upon. And there were skylights, though they were sealed. He glanced at Sibyl. She too was looking around, but not frantically. Good. The idea occurred to her too, and she sensed nothing near.

"If you'd like," the major said, "I can send someone to look."

"No. Don't bother. If it wasn't there, it wasn't there." He pushed the crates away. There were no glyphs for him to use. It seemed even in her death, Victoria would continue to hound him. "Thank you for your help, major. You may leave."

The brusqueness startled the major. "I... Yes, Your Highness." He left quickly. Sakhr, Alex, and Sibyl were alone.

Sibyl spoke. "Do you think she actually survived?"

Sakhr let out a long sigh. Why should he answer her question when he obviously had no more information than she did? What kind of idiot would even ask?

"I don't think so," Alex answered. "She would have acted by now."

"Not necessarily," Sakir said. There could be a hundred reasons why she hadn't struck yet. Her death was only one—a big one, and God how he hoped she was dead, but it was still only one of many reasons. He faced Sibyl. "Can you sense her coming?"

"No..." she replied. "I haven't been able to sense her ever since she got her shield, but maybe I could know she's coming because she won't have an aura."

"Not good enough," Alex said. "Katherine could just fly in as a hawk and collide with Sakhr. She'd be in Sakhr's body before anyone could do anything. What we need are shields of our own."

"I know," Sakhr growled. "That's what this damn necklace was supposed to solve."

Alex frowned. "Why should the necklace do anything if Katherine could use all the powers by herself?"

"I know this."

"What you need is a safer place to stay..." Alex trailed off.

"You obviously have a place in mind."

He grinned. "Do you remember General Soto mentioning the citadels?"

----------------------------------------

As soldiers continued to test and bag more debris, Sakhr, Alex, and Sibyl headed back to the building Sakhr had commandeered for his imperial work. They spoke little, but Winnie watched anyway.

She had heard their conversation. It wasn't hard for her to figure out who "Katherine" was.

Victoria.

They believed Victoria might still be alive.

Winnie was almost afraid to hope. Even if Victoria was, a world of things could happen between that shuttle crash and Victoria saving the day.

But Winnie already knew she could never put that thought out of her mind. Ten years from now, she'd still be hoping for Victoria's return. Hope is all she could do. That, and watch.

Sakhr and the others split off to talk with ministers and officials. Winnie would learn no secrets from public interaction like that, but she watched anyway. Twenty years from now she'd still be spying.

One day she might get the chance to use her knowledge against them.