so she had been at the military academy along with Auggie.
Though they had left Aldayne, he had encouraged her to pursue those interests, so she obtained her pilot’s license after they returned to the States.
We flew first over King’s Keep. Tall, marble monuments towered over the center of the island, where kings and queens had been laid to rest among so many Aldayne roses it looked like it had snowed. A small cottage sat near the dock. The only other dwelling there was a chapel that reminded me of the quaint, simple chapel in Ademar.
We headed north after that, to the Midnight Coast. From above, the dark black and purple landscape looked positively eerie among the patches of green. We flew by Noxbury, another town of about 500,000, which Auggie assured us was more impressive at night when the neon signs lit up the north beach. Next was Mount Charlemonde. Dash was particularly interested in that.
Audra flew low enough that we could see Charlie’s Cove. The black sand glittered purple in the sun. “I wanna see it!” Dash exclaimed. “Can we see it?”
“Later in the week,” Auggie promised.
She passed over the gothic Greystone Castle near Midnight Falls and Rose Valley, where all the black roses grew. We went on to Port Charles, a sea town of about 200,000 that paid homage to Aldayne’s Viking roots, where they once landed somewhere in the ninth century. To the east was Yaarshire, where large vineyards dominated the landscape. Due south was Castlegate Harbor, with Mercy Island to the east. We could see Castlegate from above. It was even more impressive than Castlewick, with two towers on either side of a stern stone façade facing its neighbors to the east.
We flew to the southern shores to once again circle Queen’s Quay and New Eldemar, which was home to Wandermere. From a helicopter it was even more impressive.
Audra flew low over Aioee so that we could get a good look at an active volcano, then she took us by Shimmering Falls, which lived up to its name.
Finally, we approached the queen’s royal abode, appropriately named after the falls. The three-story pale pink castle looked like a page out of a fairy tale. Green ivy grew up the wall and there were at least eight conical pepperpot turrets at my count. There was a large tower facing Queen’s Quay, which featured a giant clock with a bell tower. Flags flew from its own four pepperpot turrets on every corner. My heart leapt in my throat as Audra landed us on a helicopter pad near the water, where the Royal Guard lined up waiting for our arrival.
“Why are we landing?” I asked Auggie.
“We’re going to meet the Queen,” he said. God, I would have felt so much better had he called her Old Mother. Off my terrified look, “It’s best to do scary things quickly, right?”
I gulped. I wasn’t ready. Had I dressed appropriately? I was in another goddess dress, for heaven’s sake. Dashie was in his tutu.
What the fuck was Auggie thinking?
He leaned forward to kiss me. “You’ve got this,” he assured. “You’re Peaches McPhee, for fuck’s sake.”
My mother chuckled and my dad grinned. Dash jumped up and down in his seat. Only Dallas and Fern mirrored my panicked expression.
This was it.
The McPhees were going to meet the Queen.
God, save us all.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
I shook in my shoes as Auggie led us towards the Germanic castle that had been plucked from the Brothers Grimm’s imagination and settled on the southern shore of Aldayne. We walked up the steps towards the back entrance. Like at Castlewick, the staff stood to greet us. They bowed not only to Auggie, but to the rest of my family as well.
No one seemed to enjoy this as much as Dash.
They led us into the main sitting room, with gold gilding on the walls, more tapestries and portraits and the finest furnishings one could expect. There were priceless treasures that had been gifted the family from all over the world. Unlike Ademar, I had a feeling these were all the real deal.
Mom turned to Auggie. “Should we sit? Should we stand?”
“Sit for now,” he said. “When the Queen enters, you will stand. Men will bow,” he said, demonstrating. “Women will curtsy.” Audra demonstrated for him. “Hold out your hand,” he said, showing us how to do so. “Allow her to speak first.”
I hadn’t felt this nervous since I was at Fifty Oaks a lifetime ago. I hoped I didn’t barf in her face.