An old friend returns

"I'm still failing to see how any of these is my problem." Quinn shrugged, by now both he and Carlson had made there way up into the office. Stacy, who remained in her cat form at all times while in public had been asked to remain outside, she had reluctantly accepted. She always liked being in the middle of the latest gossip, so she was less then pleased with the entire arrangement.

If it wasn't obvious that Carlson was in the army from just looking at him, being inside his office easily drove the point home. The walls were covered with all sorts of weapons, both magical and benign, not to mention every sort of award and medallion that Quinn could think of, Carlson had been a shinning star in the army, Quinn never quite understood Carlson's motives for leaving an institution in which he had exalt so easily.

Carlson was now seated behind his desk, a huge wooden monster that inspired as much fear as one of Carlson's stares. "Look Quinn, for once I agree with you, I think that this is a Royal police matter, I don't understand why Lady Sapphire asked for you personally. She's even refusing to speak to anybody but you." Carlson said with what could only be described as a pouty look on his face, but Quinn wasn't stupid enough to go and point out that feature. "She wants you to meet with her in her private chambers." Carlson said as he rose slowly from his desk. Quinn had to admit that he was intruiged by the whole thing and was curious to see what the Queen had to ask of him, judging the conversation between Carlson and himself to be over, he turned to walk out of of the office but was abruptly stop by Carlson's hand grasping tightly at his shoulder. "Look, if you fuck this up Quinn, I will make sure that you swing on a tall tree from a short rope." Carlson glared at Quinn, and even though Quinn was significantly older then the other man he could not help but feel a chill travel up his side. "Fine, Carlson whatever you say." Quinn said as he stepped out of Carlson's office and out into the main hall, making his way quickly to the Queen's private chambers.

Because of the massive size of the castle itself, and the fact that the Carlson's office was at one end of the castle while the living quarters of the royal family where in the other it took Quinn a few minutes to get where he was going. He was always been closely tailed my Stacy, this time she was determined not to be locked out of the room, she was rather annoyed at Quinn for refusing to tell her anything about what had transpired inside Carlson's office. When at last made it to the large, ornately decorated door that led into the Queen's chamber he stop dead in his tracks as if some invisible force was physically holding him back. "Are you planning to stand and gawk at that damn door al day?" Stacy asked in a rather annoyed voice. "No I was just remembering that the last time I went into this room, I was escorted out by 13 men, all hell bent of removing my head." Quinn said as he rubbed at his neck.

"Did they succeed?" Stacy asked with what seemed like a smile of her feline features. "Now that my dear Stacy is a story for another time." he said as he tapped the side of his nose. Breathing deeply, momentarily holding his breath like a man about to open the doors that lead down the aisle at a weeding ceremony Quinn closed his eyes and made his way through the door, and much to her delight Stacy was following closely behind him.

It had been nearly 150 years since Quinn has last entered that room, but not much had changed since he had last been there. The same massive four post bed, with it's intricate carving and paintings of royalty on the headboards was still there, potraits of the previous Lady Sapphires adorned the presting white walls. A writting stood against one wall, and a large stained glass window was against another, which would give the queen a perfect few of the courtyard below. There sitting in the center of the room, dressed in that flowing white gown was the current Queen of the country, Victoria Andolese Sapphire, or Lady Sapphire as most people called her.

Even at the rip age of 62, Lady Sapphire was still quite the breathtaking women, her raven black hair was always up, in a bun that supported the diamond encrusted emblem of her power. Her skin was an elegant alabaster white, and though her hands had begung to show there age, her face had not, though he bore the occasional laugh line, she had aged very well. And Quinn would have been the one to know, he first met Victoria, when she was 15 years old. Back during a time, when Quinn had served as Supreme High Wizard, but that seemed like a lifetime ago for him.

"Quinn, my dear old friend it seems that the years have been much kinder to you then have been to me. I am now a wrinkled old women while you still are the same dashing young man I feel in love with when I was a girl." Lady Sapphire voice was soft and slow, each word carefully chosen, each hand gesture carefully calculated. She was indeed a ruler of men, Quinn could not help but smile at her comment as he knelt at her feet and placed a kiss lightly on her right hand. "You'll have to forgive this old man my Queen, but I fail to see how you have aged, before me still sits the young princess whose beauty was legendary." Quinn said as he rose from the floor. "I was told that you requested to see me my Queen?"

"Yes, I have, but stop calling me Queen, this is not the royal court, address me as Victoria." she said with a slight pout on her face, though she matured into adulthood many moons ago, Queen Sapphire had always retained that child like quality. "Very well, Victoria, how can I be of assistance to you?" he asked, for a moment it seemed as though the whole world had grown dead silent, as if waiting for the Queen, as some terrible earth shattering secret was about to be uttured inside those walls. "As I'm sure that Carlson has told you, Princess Zaleria was found missing from her chambers early this morning." Quinn nodded his response, "What I didn't tell Carlson was that I already know who has taken her."

Quinn could not help cock an eyebrow. "You mean it's a kidnapping? But there's no way that someone could get in here to do that, the magical and military defenses on this place are unstoppable." Quinn added as he slowly began to pace, it was something that he always did. Stacy who had been silent until this moment, resting dear the door, spoke. "You'll have to forgive him my lady, he tends to pace as he plots."

"Yes, it is a custom that I am well accustomed to." Lady Sapphire answered calmly. Turning back to Quinn her voiced cracked slightly as she spoke. "There is one person that break can this defenses, you know that Quinn." As Quinn heard Lady Sapphire's words, he stopped dead in his tracks, and turned to face her. "No, that's not possible, I killed him, I say him die." Quinn said as the color began to leak from his face.

"Yes Quinn, it was him. Lazarus taken my grandaughter."


Quinn went dead silent......