Iolana stepped down from the front seat of Ascan’s car and dropped onto the carpark in front of the Dechantagne mansion.  She stopped and looked back at him longingly.

“I’ll pick you up tomorrow at six,” he said.

He smiled but his eyes looked sad.  He reached into the back and handed her suitcase down to her.

“You sure you don’t want me to carry it in for you?”

“I’ve been carrying it myself the entire trip,” she replied.  “I’ll be waiting at six.”

With a nod, he pressed his foot down on the pedal and shifted into forward gear.

“I love you,” she said in a whisper she was sure he couldn’t hear.

“I love you too,” he said, and then drove off.

She turned and started up the stairs of the huge building.  It looked nothing like the home that she had grown up in—the one that she had left ten years before.  But there was a lizzie waiting to open the door for her.

“Garrah?  Is that you?”

The lizzie hissed affirmative and looked at her appraisingly.

“It’s me– Stahwasuwasu Zrant.”

The lizzie blinked and rolled his yellow eyes around.

“You are so different,” he said, in the native tongue.  “You are all grown up.”

“Yes, I am.  I’m glad to see you here still.”

“I am senior lizzie now,” he said, rising to his full height.  “You will need a new name.  You are no longer azrant.”

“Well, that’s for another day.  Are any of the soft-skins up?”

He gave a very human shrug.

Nodding, she stepped past him and entered the vast foyer.  She stopped to take off her hat and coat and hang them up.  As she did, she came face to face with the portrait of her father, hanging on the wall.  She looked at for a minute, remembering her father’s voice.

“Hello,” said someone.

She turned to see a woman with reddish blond hair and alabaster skin, dotted here and there with a few freckles.  She had thin lips, but very large green eyes.  She was wearing a silk housedress.

“Hi.”

“You’re Iolana, aren’t you?”

“Yes, and you must be Maria.”

“Welcome home,” said Maria, stepping forward and giving her a great hug.  “How are you?  You must be exhausted from your trip.”

“I’m fine.  I slept a bit on the train.”

“Well, come into the parlor,” she said, taking Iolana by the arm and guiding her to the right.

“I’m glad you’re here,” said Iolana.  “Otherwise I would be entirely lost.”

“This room should be a little familiar.”

They stepped through a doorway into the parlor, and it did look somewhat familiar.  It was about the size and configuration that the parlor in the original Dechantagne house had been.  Even the furniture was similar, though not exactly the same.

“Augie wanted it to feel like home,” said Maria, guiding them to the sofa and sitting.

“Where is Augie?”

“Oh, he’s still in bed.  His usual time to get up is half past seven.”

“You’re an early riser?”

“I always have been.  What about you?”

“I usually am too.  I think I got that from my father.”

“Your mother is an early riser too,” observed Maria.  “She should be down in a few minutes.  She usually has tea before going to the office.”

“How many do you have living here?”

“Not enough,” said Maria, with a laugh.  “It’s just Augie and me, your mother, my dear mother-in-law, and Gladys.  Now there’s you and your lizzie friend.”

“Esther should be along shortly,” said Iolana.  “We’ve also brought a friend with us.  Her name is Willa Armice.”

“How lovely.”

“Iolana.”

Iolana turned to see her mother stepping into the room from a heretofore unnoticed doorway.  She was dressed in a black pin-striped day dress.  Iolana had seen her mother just a year and a half earlier but was shocked to see her hair gone almost entirely grey.

“Mother,” she said getting up and walking around to kiss her on the cheek.

“How was your journey?”

“Satisfactory.”

“Good.  I’m on my way to the office.  Maria can show you your room.”  She turned on a heel and passed through the room and on to the foyer.

Iolana let out a breath that she hadn’t realized she was holding.

“Lovely,” said Maria.  “I can see that she’s happy to have you home.  Come along and I’ll do just as Auntie suggested.  That way, you can freshen up before breakfast.”

She took Iolana’s arm again and led her out the doorway through which Iolanthe had entered, down a long marble tiled hallway to an elevator.  There was a lizzie in the elevator car with its clawed hand on the controls, but Maria paid him no attention.

“I hope you don’t mind that I had your room set up in the west wing.  That’s where Augie and I have our rooms.  He said you would prefer it that way.  Our mothers are both in the east wing.”

“Our mothers… Oh, you mean Auntie Yuah.”

“Yes.  Sometimes it feels like she’s very far indeed.  Other times, not so much.”

 Iolana, Esther, and Willa Armice stood looking out the observation window of the promenade deck as the great airship S.S. Windlass descended toward St. Ulixes, Mallontah.  Below them, rapidly approaching, was the airfield.  All around it, stretching out in every direction were thousands of buildings made of mud brick.  They were still too high to make out the people.

“You see?” said Iolana.  “It’s just as I said—dreadful.”

“It reminds me of a great ant hill or something,” said Willa.  “They don’t really look like proper houses at all.”

“Very astute,” said Iolana.  “Don’t worry.  We won’t be staying long.”

“There you are,” said a voice behind them.

They turned to find Mrs. Nithercott in travelling clothes.

“I’ll be stepping off as soon as we land.  My son will be waiting for me.  I just wanted to say goodbye to you young ladies.  It was a pleasure being your dining companion.”

“Thank you,” said Iolana.  “Good luck.”

“Remember to look us up when you get to Birmisia,” added Esther.

“I shall,” she replied, and then turned and left.

“Shouldn’t we be getting ready too?” asked Esther.

“Everything is packed,” said Willa.  “As soon as we land, we can get off.”

“And get to the train station as soon as possible,” said Iolana.

The trio did not leave the airship as soon as it landed however but stepped down the gangplank about an hour later.  Even though the three females each carried suitcases, they were followed by two stewards, loaded down with luggage.  Once on solid ground, they were approached by a man in a suit.

“Lady Iolana.  Lady Esther.  Miss.”

“Oh, Mr. Stigby, isn’t it?” observed Iolana.

“Yes.  I’ve been sent to invite you to the royal yacht.”

“We were rather hoping to get right to the train station.”

“Princess Terra would very much like for you to join her for a meal, and possibly stay over one night.”

“It wouldn’t be so bad if we were staying on the yacht,” said Esther.

“Perhaps not,” said Iolana.  “Very well.”

“I’ve engaged a car for your luggage,” said Stigby, “but it’s honestly faster if we just walk.”

“Yes, I’ve experienced driving here,” said Iolana.

After supervising the loading of their luggage aboard the steam carriage, the four left the airfield and started through the hardened mud streets.  It was immediately apparent that there was a problem.  As soon as one of the trogs laid eyes upon Esther, it began flashing the crest on top of its head and letting off a loud whistling noise.  Soon others of its kind began doing the same thing.  The little group had gone no more than a hundred yards from the airfield when they found themselves being followed by at least a hundred trogs, flashing their fins up and down and whistling out the loud, keening sound.  The crowd grew with each step.  They came closer and closer, and seemed ever more menacing.

“In here,” said Stigby, directing the three females into a seedy looking tavern, and then up a rickety staircase.

“Do you think if we stay in here for a while, they’ll go away?” asked Willa.

“I doubt it,” said Stigby, looking out the window.  “I think we need some help.”

He pulled a cigar from his coat pocket, and bit off the tip.  Then he lit a match and began to smoke it.

“Do you think this is the time for that?” demanded Iolana.

“Oh, I do.”  He took a deep puff into his lungs and then blew it out.  The smoke coalesced into a ball, hovered for a second, and then disappeared.

“A magic cigar?” wondered Esther.

“Yes.  For use in only the most extreme emergencies, and I think this qualifies.  Now, I’m going down to make sure those trogs stay outside until reinforcements arrive.”

“I’m sorry about this,” said Esther, once he had gone.

“This is not down to you,” said Iolana.  “I told you this was a horrid place.  I should have foreseen something like this.”

Suddenly a loud report, that could only be a gunshot was heard on the floor below.  Willa let out a squeak.

“What’s going to become of us?”

“Everything will be fine,” said Iolana, pulling a pistol from her handbag.

The door opened and she took aim at it.

“Don’t shoot, my lady,” said Stigby, sticking his head in.  “It’s just me.  Come downstairs.  It’s safe now.”

They followed him back down the narrow stairway to find a platoon of heavily armed sailors surrounding the building.  A young officer doffed his cap and bowed, though he frowned at Esther.

“Lieutenant Call, at your service, ladies.”

“Lieutenant, Lady Iolana, Lady Esther, and Miss Armice.”  Stigby made the hasty introduction.  “We’d like to get them safely to Sovereignty, as soon as possible.”

“Of course.”

Lieutenant Call and Stigby guided the two women and the lizzie quickly down the street.  They were surrounded on all sides by the sailors, who kept their weapons at ready.  The trogs continued their whining noise and the flashing of their fins but dared not come close.  In an hour, they reached the docks and the two Brech ships.

“It seems you’ve had some trouble,” said Terra, standing beside the great rope that moored H.M.S. Sovereigntyto the dock.

“Good Kafira, you’re fat!” said Esther.

“Come in.”

Maria opened the door to her husband’s bedroom and stepped inside.  Augustus was in the process of undressing.  He was still in his slacks and shoes but wore only his undershirt above the waist.  Maria, wearing in a lavender housedress, sat down on the side of his bed.

“You’re home early,” she noted.  “You usually stay quite late when you’re with Zoey.”

“She wasn’t feeling herself and decided to turn in early.”

“That’s too bad.  It’s not very fair to you though.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Well, she’s left you high and dry.”  Maria giggled.  “I just realized how naughty that sounds.”

She reached forward and unfastened his belt and then began unbuttoning his trousers.  “You’ll have to let me know if I’m doing this correctly.  I’ve never done it before.”

“Apparently,” said her husband, closing his eyes, “there really is no wrong way to do it.”

Ten minutes later, he lay on the bed, his shoes still on, but his pants and underwear down below his knees.  Maria crawled up and nestled her head into his shoulder.

“I came in here to ask you about our baby,” she said.  “What do you want to name him or her?”

“If it’s a boy,” he said, “he must be named after my father.  That’s a given.  I hadn’t thought about a name for a girl.  I suppose I just assumed that I would have a boy first.”

“What do you think about naming her after your auntie?”

“I have no problem with that in theory, however you must know that it would earn the everlasting ire of my mother.”

“Your mother’s name could be her second name—Iolanthe Yuah Workville Dechantagne.”

“You’re determined to have your family name as the third name?”

“It is traditional,” she said.  “What else would it be?”

“I have my father’s two middle names.”

“Yes, but if we did that and it was a boy, then he’d have the exact same name as your father.  That’s unlucky.”

“That’s true,” he admitted.  “All right.  Terrence Augustus Workville Dechantagne or Iolanthe Yuah Workville Dechantagne.  Both of those sound like auspicious names.”

“Yes, they do,” said Maria, snuggling deeper into his shoulder.

* * * * *

“I had a hell of a time finding you,” said Zoey, entering the west wing breakfast nook.  “Why aren’t you in the dining room?”

“We just wanted some quiet time away from the rest of the family,” said Maria.

“I’m sorry,” said Augie.  “I just assumed you would sleep in, as you weren’t feeling well last night.”

“I feel much better now.”

“Sit down then.”  He raised his hand and snapped his finger.  “Gahk du dak khikhiino sowasuthurock!”

“Thank you,” said Zoey, sitting next to him, opposite Maria.  “I didn’t eat much last night and now I’m famished.  Are you both done?”

“Yes, but we don’t mind sitting while you finish,” said Maria.  “You don’t have plans with Augie today, do you?”

“No, silly.  You and I are supposed to go shopping for baby things.”

“Oh, yes.  I suppose I have that baby brain people keep talking about.”

A lizzie delivered a huge platter to the table in front of Zoey.  There was enough food to feed three men—six fried eggs, white pudding, black pudding, at least half a pound of bacon, beans, tomatoes, potatoes, and a stack of crumpets.

“What’s baby brain?” asked Augie.

“It’s a sort of pregnancy-induced fog which many women claim to experience,” explained Maria.  “Some say they become more forgetful, oversensitive, and less attentive.  I admit, I always thought that it was balderdash.”

“Sounds like everyday woman’s brain to me,” opined her husband.

“You’re right of course,” said Maria, smiling not at her husband’s words, but the way they made Zoantheria’s brow furrow.

“Well, I’m off to the office,” he said, getting to his feet.

He stepped around the table to kiss his wife on the cheek, and then returned to kiss Zoey.  She turned her head, to catch his mouth with hers, but he caught her cheek anyway.  Then he was gone.

“What’s the matter with him today?” wondered the dragon in human form.

“Oh, his mind is just on the office.”

“Well, I don’t like it.  His mind should be on me, or at least on us.  He could show more interest in his baby.”

“That’s just how men are,” said Maria.  “He did decide on names though.  It will be Terrence if it’s a boy, and Iolanthe if it’s a girl.”

“Oh.  Well, I guess it’s too much to expect him to name her after me.”

“Your name, beautiful though it is, is far too exotic for a little Dechantagne.”

“I suppose,” said Zoey.  “Do you know where you want to shop today?”

“Well, we have to outfit the nursery, so it’s Banneker & Bentley first, and then I need some attractive maternity clothes, so it’s off to Deneuve’s Fashions.”

“I’ve been shopping at Mrs. Bankerly’s,” said Zoey.

“Well, we can stop there too,” said Maria.

The door opened, illuminating Senta in a rectangle of warm light spilling from within the house.  Benny Markham’s pleasant face looked out at her.

“Senta, what are you doing out this late?  Come in.  Come in.”

“Thank you, Benny,” said the sorceress, stepping inside.  “Am I too late for dinner?”

“No, we were just getting ready to sit down.  Come into the parlor.”

“Senta!” cried Hero, spying her from the other room, and rushing out to greet her.  “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

“I should have.  It’s very rude of me just to drop in like this.”

“Nonsense.  You’re always welcome.”

Hero took her by the arm and guided her from the foyer and into the parlor.  The sofa and chairs were filled with family members.  In addition to the Markham children: fifteen-year-old Benny Jr., fourteen-year-old Hannabeth, and thirteen-year-old Honor, there were Benny’s brother Sam Markham and his wife Ernst, who just happened to be Senta’s cousin.  Their two sons were on the floor by the fireplace, stacking blocks with Bryony, the Markham’s youngest daughter.

Senta and Ernst were the only blondes in a room of brunettes.  In fact, the similarities in their appearance went far beyond hair color.  They looked enough alike to be sisters, though there were eight years between them.

“Hello, Senta,” waved Ernst.

“Hello, Ernst,” smiled Senta.  “Where is your new baby?”

“She’s in the other room asleep.”

“And Benny,” Senta continued.  “I understand that you’ve sold your oldest into bondage.”

“If you mean she has a job, then that’s right.  She’s working tonight at Café Idella.”

“What are you about, cuz?” wondered Ernst.

The sorceress waved her hand in a circle near her knees and a wooden chair with a bright red cushion on the seat appeared in the spot.  She sat primly.

“I was just in the mood to visit a friend, and I can always count on Hero to have something delicious planned for her family’s evening meal.”

“You won’t be sorry tonight,” said Benny.  “Hero’s made her famous sauerbraten.”

“I hope it turns out,” said Hero.

“I hope there’s enough,” said Senta.  “I wouldn’t want to take food out of your children’s mouths.”

“Oh, there’s more than enough,” said Hero, with a wave.  “We also have Potatoes Kasselburg, apple red cabbage, and pea fritters.”

“Pea fritters aren’t very Freedonian.”

“We’re Brech now, and besides, the children love them.”

“I’m not criticizing,” said Senta.  “I like pea fritters too.  Just don’t start making toad in the hole.  You know how I feel about it.”

“You just missed your daughter,” said Benny.  “She took Hannabeth and Honnie out to lunch.”

“Then we went for a boat ride in Radley Staff Park,” added Hannabeth.

“That sounds lovely,” said the sorceress.  “I wholeheartedly approve of my daughter having as much contact with young Markhams as possible.  I’m sure it’s a civilizing influence of which she is in sore need.”

“Sen’s a lovely girl,” said Hero.  “She’s just like you were at that age.  Now let me make sure that everything’s ready.”

As she hurried toward the kitchen, Ernst stood up as well.

“I’ve got to check on Tillie.”

“Let me go with you,” said Senta, following.

They stepped through a doorway to a bedroom, where the baby was lying in the center of a large bed.  She was still tiny, though almost five months old, with pink skin and fair hair.

“She’s very pretty for a baby,” said Senta, bending down to look at the tiny pink lips and long, dark lashes.

“Yes, she is,” agreed her mother.  “I was surprised that she has blond hair, since both the boys take after their father so much.”

“Is she his?”  Senta stood up to look into the shocked face of her cousin.

“Of course she is!” hissed Ernst.  “How could you even ask me that?”

“Please.  Don’t act all holy.” Senta leaned in close.  “I know you took a turn with your sister’s husband.”

“That was just the… well, three times, but that was years ago.  And Didrika has a big mouth.  I would never do that to Sam.”

“Do what?  Shag another man?”

“Yes.  Well, no.  I mean, I won’t do it again.  I mean I would never give him another man’s child.”

“I see.”

“Never speak of this again,” insisted Ernst.  “What if Sam were to come in here.”

“Oh, don’t worry.  No one can hear anything we say.  You could scream that I was murdering you and nobody would hear you.  It’s completely safe.  Anyway, I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“Well you did.  The whole subject upsets me.  I feel so guilty.  I love Sam so much now.  I mean I did before, but… I guess I forgot for a while.”

“I could take him for a ride—even things up, if that would make you feel any better,” said Senta.

Ernst looked at her for a long moment.

“Hmm.  Maybe.  I don’t think you would be able to seduce him though.  He’s a much better person than either of us.”