"She sighed, staring down at the foothills of Cobalt Mountain. "I have been summoned to the Paeolinas' court to attend the coronation after-ball." "I was unaware the Queen was ill." "The Queen was not aware of it either," replied Paytim. "Her brother poisoned her and seized control of the Crimson Messuage. He has impertinently invited me to attend his coronation as Paeolina the Twenty-Ninth." "An occasion for celebration. The charm is then a gift for him?" "Only insofar as death is that benefaction offered by envious gods to humankind. My intent is to destroy the entire lineage of Paeolina, so that I will never again be subjected to their abhorrent notions of festivity." "It seems excessive," suggested Saloona. "You have never eaten with them."