“Bring me my staff,” Josh said.
The sun slanted through the skylight. In one doorway lay Queen Aria, her bony crest taking up most of its width.
Alyson stepped back to the bedside with the diamond-topped staff, the stone sparkling in direct sunlight, almost shimmering.
Josh accepted it from her, smiling and feeling much better today, weak still but absent the fatigue he"d felt since waking from his weeklong coma. He knew she"d met with a contingent of his followers this morning, and he knew they were gathering to meet with him a few minutes hence. While he had some inkling as to their motivations, the subject of the meeting still eluded him.
Then he put his palm on the diamond ball.
Understanding flooded through him.
Where"d all these people come from? he wondered.
The suspension of
