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manner. Facto was already there, and he turned to face her as she walked in and frowned.
     
    "Zarco . . . what on Barious is going on?" she demanded.
     
    He turned to look at her."I have ordered Drewcila's 'ambassadors' executed."
     
    "Is it not enough to make war with the Lockhedes? Must you now make war with Drewcila as well? You know she will not take this lying down. She will retaliate, and the gods alone know how," Stasha said in disbelief."Have you gone quite mad?"
     
    "On the contrary. I have just come to my senses. This is my kingdom, Stasha. Mine! Not Drewcila Qwah's. I'm about to tear her salvaging empire to the ground and return the glory of Barious," Zarco said."Step one is to eradicate Drewcila's little spies so that she has to fly in here with no knowledge of what's going on. When she arrives I will deal with her as I should have dealt with her long ago. She will either submit her will to me and go back to being a real and proper wife and queen, or I shall have her executed and put you on the throne in her stead."
     
    "You . . ." Stasha fought her tears."I love you, Zarco. Does that mean nothing to you? Has our time together . . . all these years . . . was it all just a farce? Do you love me not at all? Do you truly believe that I would want to be your queen knowing that I am now, and always shall be, your second choice? Have you gone so completely crazy that you believe I would have anything to do with a man who would kill my only sister simply because she didn't love him?" She did cry then."Listen to what you just said. Last night, only last night, you assured me that you loved me. Today you have decided to once again leave me to go after my sister, and if she refuses to be the person you love, then you'll kill her and make do with me. And you think that after all that I'd marry you! I swear, Zarco, I thought this whole war was just you using your usual bad judgment in running the country, but I now see that in reality you are completely and totally obsessed. You have, in fact, gone quite mad."
     
    Facto walked over to comfort her, and she collapsed in tears on his shoulder.
     
    "Sire, surely . . ."
     
    Zarco laughed."Ah, and Facto, my old friend, my loyal advisor . . ." He hit a button, and the monitor played back the conversation Facto'd had with Drewcila that morning. It was pretty damning."How long have you been working for the queen?"
     
    "My duty is to serve both the king and the queen . . ."
     
    "You know what I mean, traitor. How long have you been working against me with Drewcila Qwah?"
     
    Facto stood tall and looked proud as he held the shattered woman."Ever since I realized that money grubbing salvager cares more about the people and the country than you do. Stasha's right; you are crazy and my duty, my real duty, isn't to serve you or Drewcila. My real duty is to serve the people of the kingdom."
     
    "Guards!" They appeared seemingly out of thin air."Take my sister-in-law and Chancellor Facto to the dungeon. They are both charged with high treason."
     
    Two guards each grabbed Facto and Stasha harshly.
     
    "Zarco! I beg of you, seek help, reconsider this madness!" Facto yelled as he was hauled out of the room."What crime has Stasha committed?"
     
    Zarco held up a hand and seemed to reconsider. He looked at Stasha, who now held her head high even if tears were still streaming down her face."Stasha, will you make a speech to the people as I asked you to do?"
     
    Stasha's tears stopped flowing as anger gripped every fiber of her being, and she tried to pull away from the two guards that held her. She looked at Zarco, her mouth set in a determined snarl, and for the moment she looked so much like her sister that it made Zarco flinch."I would sooner die and rot in the dungeon," she hissed.
     
    "Take them away!" Zarco ordered hotly.
     
    "Men, I beseech you," Facto started, as they were pulled towards the dungeons, "the king's thinking is skewed. He must not be