The Queen of the Hepstraad strode into the castle, Mohon happily following her with his tail wagging so fast it was a blur. Now that the Queen was within, Sonic could make out her in the dimmer light of the hallway, and was suitably impressed. Rusty, on the other hand, was more than impressed. He was awestruck by the majestic lady that approached them.

She was quite tall, maybe a few inches above Rusty, and at least a head higher than Sonic. She had dark, wavy hair that tumbled down to her shoulders, and she wore no crown. Instead, tucked under one arm was a golden helmet, decorated with a large red jewel set in the middle of its geometric brow. The Queen's face was angelic, with high cheekbones and flawless skin, but there was also a distinct tension in her face. She was clearly one who brooked no dissent. Her armor was of a golden metal similar to that of the General's, although much better proportioned.

"Son," she said to Dresden formally, with only a hint of a smile.

Dresden kneeled. "My Queen," he said

The Queen patted Mohon on his wide head. "Leave us, my friend," she said. "I must speak with my son and the outsiders alone."

Mohon obliged, trotting back to the castle entrance and into the bright daylight.

Rusty, in the meantime, slipped off the bench he was sitting on and also went down on one knee, thinking: I'm actually, properly dead! This lady's an angel!

Sonic remained upright. The Queen looked her up and down, assessing the girl in the strange black armor with eyes that were now like chips of ice, and Sonic was immediately on guard. The Queen's demeanor was the polar opposite of her husband's.

"The Lord Faramay advised me of your presence," she said, placing her helmet on the table next to her. "You are called Sonic. And you are an outsider."

"I am, and I am, oh Queen," Sonic replied. This regal lady – Rylenia, Lord Faramay had called her – required some caution. Could be just a ploy, 'good cop', 'bad cop'. Maybe the Lord puts on the charms, then lets the Lady lay on the heat, see how we react.

"You do not kneel for me, the Queen of the Hepstraad?" the Queen asked. She glanced at Rusty. "Your friend here appears to mind his manners better than you."

Yep. She's a pain in the butt. Time to up the ante, niña a mujer. "I bow when it is needed, oh Queen," Sonic replied.

"You do not think it is needed?" No mistaking the chill in the Queen's voice. "Our customs are clear to you, are they not?"

"Your customs are clear to me, Queen," Sonic said, trying desperately to keep the sarcasm out of her tone. "And I repeat: I bow when it is the right time. Not one moment before."

"My Queen, Sonic is a powerful mage," Dresden interjected, getting to his feet. The boy was as pale as a sheet. "She is also a formidable warrior, but she is our friend. Please excuse her ignorance of our ways."

Sonic wanted to reply: Oh, I know your ways, chico, but your mom's got an agenda.

"Yet she claims to know our customs," the Queen said, turning to Dresden but keeping a wary eye on Sonic. "You beg to differ, my son? Do you plan to teach her our ways?" There was no mistaking her sardonicism; beautiful as she was, the barely-held contempt behind her eyes turned her perfections into something much harsher. Explains the lack of wrinkles, Sonic thought dryly. This lady be wound up like a spring.

"I am teaching her, oh Queen," Dresden replied with a quaver.

The Queen returned her attention to Sonic. She smiled now, but there wasn't so much as an iota of warmth in the gesture. "Mayhaps I forgive you for your ignorance then, young outsider," she said, "but, pray, do inform me of how you came to Hep Duatab, and why you are here."

"I will gladly tell you my story, Queen," Sonic began, "But the Lord Faramay asked that I also tell it to the Coun – "

The thrumming once more came through the ground, cutlery on the table bouncing around with the vibration. As a group, they – the Queen, Dresden, Rusty, Sonic – looked at the table, Rusty getting up from his knees at the same time.

"Holy hector, it's getting worse," he said. "That one went right up my spine!"

"I think the table has a problem," Dresden said. He gave his mother a nervous glance. "I summoned this feast for the outsiders, my Queen. I wish to treat them as guests, not as enemies."

"Have the charms of the young lady made you forgetful, Dresden?" the Queen asked, using his name for the first time. "Do you think that this is the time to welcome any and all who come to the Hepstraad?"

"My Queen, I – " Dresden started, before Sonic cut him off.

"Something is coming, Queen," she said. "Something big."

The Queen stiffened. "You know."

Bad play, Sonic thought, and her shoulders slumped.

"And, pray, how is it possible you know?" No mistaking the suspicion now.

"I sense it coming, Queen," Sonic replied. "And I am surprised and intrigued that you do not."

"Of course you would sense the approach of the Gol'ur-Klem," the Queen said, her anger palpable. "You are their agent, after all."

There was a sword in the Queen's right hand, summoned. It was an elegantly thin rapier, a royal weapon if ever there was one. The handle was an ornate gold-wire mesh that intertwined around the Queen's hand like a glove. Dresden's eyes widened at the blade's appearance. He moved to stand between Sonic and his mother, but Sonic put her hand out, stopping the boy in his tracks.

"The Gol'ur-Klem," she repeated. The Queen's thoughts accompanying this strange word were filled with grotesque images: grey-skinned half-giants walking semi-upright like gorillas, with large, misshapen heads whose tusked, powerful lower jaws jutted out with overt prognathy. The creatures were armed with enormous wooden clubs, their torsos, shoulders, and thighs were covered with stone plates functioning as crude armor. They wore no helmets. Maybe they're naturally thick-skulled.

The Queen leveled her sword at Sonic. "Tell me the truth," she said menacingly.

"I speak only the truth, Queen," Sonic replied, unfazed by the sword pointed at her. "Is this what is coming? The Gol'ur-Klem?"

The Queen ignored this. "Guards!" she barked. Suddenly, a Hepsguard contingent, maybe a dozen or so, appeared out of thin air, forming a phalanx around their Queen.

Both Dresden and Rusty gasped at their appearance, but Sonic was not so surprised. Invisibility and cloaking were nothing new to her. Still, she grimaced nonetheless. The Hepsguard had been here the whole time, hidden by 'magic', waiting for the command of their Queen. Meanwhile, the Lord Faramay and the Council remained outside, gauging the Queen's assessment of the one outsider that might pose a threat.

"Mother, no! She is our friend!" Dresden said, and tried once more to get in front of Sonic, but her arm held firm.

"She is a friend of the Gol'ur-Klem and the Garoc, the mountain that moves!" the Queen said. She was furious. "Tell me the truth, outsider witch!"

The Garoc, the mountain that moves... now it was Sonic's turn to gasp. The image associated with these words was of a gargantuan lizard that was miles long, filling the horizon and even the sky with its size. The legs of this thing... are what's shaking the very ground, and none of these people can feel it!

"It's close," Sonic said, thinking: La reina did ask for the truth.

"You are their agent, then," the Queen said. "Their harbinger!"

The tip of the sword moved closer, stopping within an inch of Sonic's throat.

Sonic grabbed the blade. It did not cut her.

She twisted it – and the sword shattered all the way down to its hilt with a tremendous BANG!

Metal slivers tinkled like broken little bells as they landed on the floor.

Sonic dropped the remaining shard that was in her hand. The clattering as it hit the ground was as shocking as the destruction of the Queen's sword itself. The Queen stepped back, aghast. She held her sword's hilt in front of her like a stubby little wand.

There was a metallic fluttering as the Hepsguard summoned their weapons: swords and lances, all raised, all at the ready.

Sonic grimaced. It didn't have to be like this.

"Mother, her power exceeds yours!" Dresden said, all but shouting.

"Yep," Sonic said. She synthed the one-five into her right hand and held it retracted behind her back. "And you're not gonna like what comes next."

She fired her weapon up. The thread-blade extended with the short, sharp whiiirp we have heard before. Then she went to work, this time not only cutting the weapons of the Hespguard in half but also tripping each soldier, pushing them over one after the other. The speed with which Sonic did this – she was a blur, the entire assault taking less than a moment – made the entire unit fall like pins in a bowling alley. Several soldiers flew backward far enough to slam into the tables and chairs nearby, armor clanging and dinging wildly in a terrific cacophony.

Sonic was back to where she started, the one-five de-synthed. She actually felt a little bad... It wasn't politic to make fools of anyone, but circumstances being what they were, what choice did she have?

"I will help you fight the Garoc and the Gol'ur-Klem," she said to the Queen as the din subsided. "But stop trying to fight me. Please. You will lose."

The Queen was pale. She lowered the hilt of her sword, all that was left of her weapon. "You..." she started, then glanced around at the Hepsguard scattered about nearby.

"I speak the truth, oh Queen," Sonic repeated, thinking: And I hope kicking your butt hasn't made you too wary.

The soldiers were getting to their feet, one needing to crawl out from under a table first. Some had lost their helmets, and Sonic was glad to see they were humans underneath (or what passed for humans here), mostly young, mostly male, but with females among their ranks too.

"Wow!" Rusty said quietly. He was awestruck. "How'd you do that? I didn't even see you move! That was... awesome!"

Sonic hadn't taken her eyes off the Queen in front of her. "Static temporal compression, same as before. But that isn't important, 'cause you get it, right? Kick their butts to make sure the respect goes both ways, otherwise you'll never see the end of it."

"Right... right," Rusty muttered.

As the hubbub abated, a new voice came from the doorway: "I did warn you, Rylenia." It was the Lord Faramay. He stood there alone, arms folded. "It is not worthwhile disputing with our powerful young friend here."

The Queen backed away from Sonic slowly. She was shaking visibly. "Piren," she said to Lord Faramay, not turning. She pawed the table for her helmet with her free hand, but succeeded only in knocking it to the floor. "The girl destroyed my Nightwind. She destroyed it!" She looked at the hilt, all that was left, her eyes wide with shock.

Nightwind? Sonic thought, and looked down at the scattered pieces on the floor. Cool name for a sword, at least.

Lord Faramay strode into the hall, nodding at the recovering Hepsguard as he came. They seemed to be no worse for wear, despite being knocked back by some unknown magic that not only disregarded their protections but sent them sprawling. And these are the Hepsguard Elite, he thought. Considerable effort had been made to buttress their armor with spells of power.

Spells that meant nothing to the tremendous girl standing behind his wife.

"I intend to rely on the judgement of our son, Ry," Lord Faramay said. He spoke casually, as if discussing dinner preparations. "He's been with her this day, and he trusts her. I'd like her on our side." He stood next to the Queen. "You think the Custodian can withstand the Garoc and what will come out of it? The horde that approaches? Even though he may wear the Robe itself, and with the whole of the Hepstraad united against?" He shook his head gently. "No, my Queen. We may have died this day, you understand. But now we have the outsider."

"Outsiders," Sonic said under her breath, emphasizing the plural. "Sheesh, why does everyone keep forgetting you, Rusty?"

"Everyone keeps forgetting me?" Rusty asked. "Er, you're the one with the super-powers, Sonic. I'm just luggage!"

Sonic chortled. "Carry-on or stowaway?"

Rusty shrugged. "Both," he said, and Sonic laughed even harder.

The Queen glared at Sonic with fearful eyes. "You speak to your friend in your gibberish, and you laugh," she said indignantly. "You destroy my weapon, you assault my guard, and you find humor in this?"

"I find humor in many things, Queen," Sonic replied. She was still grinning at Rusty's response. "But, and I must insist on this, my friend here and myself, we are allies of Hep Duatab. Of the Hepstraad. We are at the service of both yourself and the Lord Faramay, if you would have us." She kneeled, and motioned to Rusty to do the same. Rusty didn't immediately oblige. Instead, he stood there, looking at the tiny slivers of sword all over the ground.

"Is it safe?" he asked. "Not sure if my wettie's good enough to – "

"It's fine, amigo," Sonic interrupted. "Just get on one knee already. They're gonna give us respect, and we gotta reciprocate. Besides, Dresden's mom mightn't actually be too bad after all."

Rusty obliged, careful to make sure he didn't stab himself on one of the shards. "I'm happy I'm wearing these weirdo shoes at least," he said, then: "Should I say something?"

"Like what? You can't even speak their language."

"I dunno, I can say Dresden."

Dresden looked at the two on their knees. "Rooster wants to ask me something?"

"What did Dresden just say?" Rusty asked.

Dresden tapped Sonic on the shoulder. "I think he wants to ask me something?"

Sonic rubbed her temples. She wasn't getting a headache – she didn't get them, as a rule – but this little circus was somewhat ill-timed. "Your name is the only thing Rooster can say in your language, Dresden. I will be his translator, and I can tell you he has nothing to ask."

"Dresden!" Queen Rylenia said. It was a command.

The young man stood to attention immediately. "Mother," he said weakly.

"You trust this girl?" the Queen asked.

"I trust her, my Queen."

"Why? Why do you place your trust in her so easily?" The Queen looked at Sonic as she asked this. Sonic, still on one knee, met her gaze evenly.

"She..." Dresden said, trailing off momentarily. He glanced at the kneeling girl. Gritted his teeth. "She has done no harm, my Queen. And she's... nice."

"Nice? Nice?" The Queen was incredulous. She waved the hilt of her sword between Sonic and Rusty. "And her friend here? Also nice?"

"Yes," Dresden replied. He felt like a child again.

Sonic got to her feet, helping Rusty to do the same.

"Stay down, witch!" the Queen said, the broken sword pointing directly at Sonic like an accusation made solid.

"Rylenia, this is not necessary," Lord Faramay said calmly.

The Queen slumped, her pointing hand dropping to her side. "She could be an infiltrator," she said defiantly, but there was no mistaking the doubt in her tone now.

"Ry, I have it on good authority from the Custodian that Sonic here is immensely powerful," the Lord said. "He told me she could destroy the whole land if she desired. But has she? Has she done anything more than merely demonstrate her abilities? Has she hurt anyone?" He took his arm from her shoulder, then stood in front of her, between Sonic. "She only used her power to disarm the Hepsguard, and they are all alive, all healthy, none of them wounded. The only thing she wounded today is your pride, my Queen."

BRRRHHHMMMmmm... There was a general commotion among the Hepsguard, and more figures at the doorway came in. Both the Queen and Lord Faramay turned to face the entrance.

"By the Highest, what was that?" Dresden asked.

"Okay, now they're feeling it," Sonic said. She grabbed Rusty by the arm. "Stick with me, got it?"

"That was an earthquake!"

"Nope. I wish," Sonic said. "Gotta get these idiots here to come around. They don't have much time and there's no way in heck I'm taking on the Garoc by myself!"

"Garoc?" Dresden asked, catching the word as Sonic spoke it.

"Yes, Dresden, what you feel is the Garoc coming," Sonic said. "And the Queen knows it."

The Queen's eyes narrowed as Sonic spoke. Lady still be suspicious, Sonic thought, and she folded her hands. Might as well let her vent.

The Queen opened her mouth to speak, and hesitated. She examined Sonic's face carefully for a moment. "We fought the Gol'ur-Klem back," she said, "but then it came. We had to retreat."

"Did you lose any of your warriors?" Sonic asked, thrilled at the Queen's apparent – and sudden – change of heart. Now I can darn well get to work!

"Yes, three of my shield-bearers," the Queen said, "but to the brutes only. The mountain that moves, it... moves slowly." And while Sonic could see the noble lady's suspicion had dimmed, an ember of mistrust remained nonetheless. "Can you help us, outsider? Can you assist us this day? In the name of the Light?"

"Don't know about 'in name of the Light', but I'll do what I can," Sonic said, and then in the language of the Hep: "I believe this is why we are here, Queen."

Of course, she still had to figure out Rusty's place was in all this, but that would come. She also hoped that whatever he was meant to do (or have done to him), it would be painless. Well... mostly painless. The 'long game' for Rusty was already set. He was, to put it bluntly, the most important kid in this Universe, did he but know it.

Which he didn't. Sonic wasn't about to tell him yet, either.

Lord Faramay