The diamond ball atop the intricate cherry-wood staff pulsed in time with Josh"s heartbeat. He stood at the city gates of Lusignan, the capital of La Marche, dressed in fine silks, unaccustomed to their feel and n***d in his own mind.
Behind him stood Queen Aria, dressed in fine silks matching his own, a gold and blue banner fluttering from the staff fixed to her harness and saddle.
All these fixings of royalty, Josh thought, and I can"t get an audience with Queen Modis.
Modis of La Marche was as aloof as her name, deigning to be viewed by her subjects but once a year on her birthday. She wielded a ruby of fire, the only one of the four precious gems that needed no cutting. With it, Modis had ruled La Marche for thirty years, brooked no opposition to her policies, and generally left mat
