Mab read the message and laid it on the table. She rose.
"Gentlemen, there is more pressing business to which We must attend. Let us proceed to Our observation deck that we may witness yet another sign of Our glory."
Mab led the way from the council chambers, creating a frenzy among the attendants and servants both of the Royal Person and of her Prefects. A swarm of valets saw to the robes and tunics, assuring that they hung correctly for walking. A pair of servants dusted the ground before the Queen, lest she tread on dirt. It was a group of over fifty that left the council chambers in a double-file line through the main entrance. A two-story teak door with brass knobs fit for giants opened for them. Hy Pezho stroked the wood as he passed, three paces behind the Queen.
They ascended a wide spiral ramp at the top of which Hy Pezho could see blue sky stippled with cirrus clouds. Along the ramp's path were hung bright scarlet banners bearing slogans in Old Court Fae depicting the past triumphs of Mab.
Hy Pezho drank it all in with a hidden smile. Already heads were beginning to turn when he entered rooms. And, no doubt, the tall, thin ladies-inwaiting were whispering his names from behind their pillows and fans. It was all he could have asked for, and soon it would be more than that.
Queen Mab's observation deck was a generous tiled expanse overlooking the entire city and the lands below. Terraced gardens overflowed with marigolds and chapelbells laced with flowering vinca and begonias. A fountain in the shape of the city sparkled in the afternoon sun, its worn stones scrubbed and polished to a shine. Servants had placed deck chairs near the south-facing railing, and the assembled Prefects jockeyed politely with each other for seats nearer Her Majesty.
Hy Pezho, accepting an iced coffee from a servant, looked out over the railing and saw what the Queen intended them to see: the city of Gefi.
Gefi was smaller than the city of Mab, but what she lacked in size she made up for in architecture. Golden spires pushed up past the city's mainmast, glittering in the sunlight. On the city's main deck, the streets were laid out like the spokes of a wheel, with a great fountain in the center. Even from this distance, Hy Pezho could see the rainbow that hung eternally over the fountain. Streamers of red and gold silk hung from the lower decks, and when the wind gusted, they twisted with the currents of warm air. The city's sails were at full mast, and she was tacking against what appeared to be a strong crosswind.
"Behold the city of Gefi," said Mab. The assembled Prefects slyly checked each other's faces for a sign of the attitude one ought to take toward it. No one seemed certain.
Mab called forth a messenger and dictated a note to the Chambers of Elements and Motion. "Bring the wind at Our back," she said, "and pull Gefi nearer." The messenger bowed and ran from the deck.
The Queen took her seat and, as one, each of the Prefects did so as well. Hy Pezho found himself again at the Queen's right.
"Is Our demonstration ready?" she asked him, beaming broadly.
"Yes, Your Majesty," said Hy Pezho. He sipped his coffee.
Mab waited a few moments, wearing no discernable expression, her attendants hanging with ever-growing suspense on her next motion. Finally, she clapped her hands.
"Have the prisoner brought forth," she called.
A pair of legionnaires dragged a man onto the deck, holding him by a pair of manacles on his wrists. He was dressed in the robes of a tax collector and had been beaten severely. He had difficulty keeping up with the legionnaires and stumbled often.
The legionnaires brought the man before the Queen and pushed him to the ground, then retreated a single pace, at full attention.
The Queen stood, precipitating a mass arising within the rows of deck chairs.
"Your name is Marar Envacoro?" Mab said to the man.
The man lifted his head toward her and took a deep breath. "Your Majesty," he said. His voice was strained.
"You are an Arcadian spy, are you not?" The Queen lifted a single eyebrow, a refined gesture.
Marar shook his head slowly. "No, Your Majesty."
Mab smiled. "Do you know the human tale of the disciple who denies his Lord three times before the cock crows? Will you do the same, Marar Envacoro?"
Marar said nothing.
Mab nodded to the legionnaire. "Are these not your Arcadian prayer beads, Marar Envacoro?" The legionnaire held a string of red beads aloft.
A tear formed in Marar's eyes. "No, Your Majesty, they are not."
Mab smiled again, the grin of a predator. "Turn around, Marar Envacoro." The legionnaires stepped forward and dragged Marar around to face afore the city. "Do you recognize the city of Gefi? Have you not spent many days there with the Arcadians who have infected that place, coordinating their evangelical efforts?" She strode toward him and pushed down on Marar's shoulder, bringing him to the ground. "Are you not, in fact, the chief operative for the Arcadians among Our people?" Her voice was stern, deep. Some of the Prefects cringed.
"No, Your Majesty, I am not." Marar's head hung.
"And sadly there is no cock to crow at your denial. But there is still work for you, Marar Envacoro." Mab knelt before him and took his face in her hands. "You see, We know who you are. And We know that the leaders of the Arcadian conspiracy make their home in Gefi. What We do not know are their names. We want you to tell Us their names, Marar Envacoro."
Marar fixed his jaw. "I cannot tell you that."
"Really?" said Mab. She stood, her skirts swirling about her like a storm in the dust. "Prefect Laese'am. Tell us the crime of Blasphemy."
Laese'am rose to his feet and cleared his throat. "Your Majesty is the law of the earth and its sole ruler. To raise another's words and deeds above Your Majesty is the highest treason. That is the crime of Blasphemy"
"Correct," said Mab. "Bring forward the wife and child."
A second pair of legionnaires led a petite woman onto the deck. The woman carried a small blond boy of two or three years.
"We rarely offer choices to traitors, Marar Envacoro," said Mab. "But We are a merciful ruler and We are not without lenience. There will be crucifixions in the main square tomorrow morning. Either We will have the Arcadians in Gefi, or We will have your wife and child. The choice is yours."
Marar's wife clutched the child to her chest. "Marar, what is happening?" she cried. "What have you done?"
Marar stood, his limbs shaky. He spoke, as if reciting, "The children of Aba will not dwell in fear nor will they suffer the lash of the tyrant, for Aba will protect them."
"Marar!" shouted the wife. "Stop it! Stop, please. What's going on?" Her words broke into deep, throaty sobs. The child, who had been sleeping, awoke and began to cry.
"Well, Marar Envacoro?" said Mab, sternly. "Which will it be?"
"Aba," he prayed, "protect me from my foes, give me the voice to speak against the oppressor, give me the will to thwart my enemies. Aba, I ask for your protection in the name of She Who Will Come."
"Answer me, Marar," snapped the Queen. "If you do not choose, I will choose for you."
Marar began to shout, his eyes shut. "Aba, protect me from my foes! Give me the voice to speak against the oppressor!"
"Marar!" his wife cried again and again.
"So be it," said Mab, and her voice was bitterly cold. "Take the woman and the child and prepare them for keelhauling."
Marar lifted his arms skyward. "Aba, do not forsake me!"
"You are a fool, Marar!" said Mab. "You place your faith in a god who does not answer, a power that cannot be shown. If your god is so great, then have him deliver you from me! I defy your Aba. I spit on him. Let him come and take me!"
She leaned in toward Marar and whispered in his ear. "They'll take your boy, truss him like a pig. Then they'll hang him upside down beneath the city and let him dangle. When the wind blows just right, the garbage and ordure from the aft neighborhoods will bathe your boy as it falls. He'll starve down there and no one will hear his screams and then the crows will eat out his eyes. Tell Us what We wish to know and he will be freed. You have Our word."