Iris sat at the table again, apparently taking her guard duty seriously enough to watch over Hex as he slept. He tried to get comfortable on the swaying hammock, at last falling into a fitful sleep. A strange, sonorous noise woke him later in the night, and he sat up in confusion. Iris had fallen asleep on the table, her shoulders hunched in defeat, and the room echoed with her snores. Hex sighed and lay back in the hammock again, waiting for dawn.

SEVEN

The next morning, after a breakfast of (to Hex’s dismay) more oatmeal, Iris marched him briskly back to Lulu’s hut. Her velvet suit was rumpled, but otherwise she was back to being the cocky, confident monkey who had marched him up the endless stairs.

Iris burst through the palace door, shouting, “Your Majesty! Your Majesty!” Queen Lulu, startled, turned from where she had been giving terse instructions to a small group of nervous-looking monkeys dressed in battered armor and carrying monkey-sized swords. Behind the queen, Quentin leaned against the wall, his dark eyes glittering as he watched the scene. He looks like a monkey who just found himself a banana tree, Hex thought. Iris stopped short. “Your Majesty,” she whispered, “what are you doing? Monkeys have never used weapons on monkeys before now.”

“We’re past that point,” Queen Lulu said tiredly. “Iris, I have to put a stop to this before our people destroy each other.”

Lulu and Iris stared at each other as if they were frozen in time, while Quentin sneered. Hex’s thoughts raced. Quentin wanted the monkeys to side with Dorothy, and everybody hated Dorothy—including Pete. Defeating Quentin’s plot had to be his test. Iris was too naive and foolish to convince the queen—clearly, that was why he had been sent here. Pete had said he wasn’t a real wizard, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t pretend to be one. He swiftly palmed one of the floating sunfruits and hurled it at the ceiling so quickly the monkeys only saw the bright shower of light that fell around him as the fruit splattered. “ENOUGH!” he boomed, and the monkeys stopped short and gaped at him. “I have come to you to demonstrate my powers and end the conflict that tears apart your nation!” Even his speech had changed, he thought, awed at himself. His back was straighter, his arms upraised as if he were sweeping an invisible cape behind him. His voice filled the little room. He pointed at Quentin. “You cannot hide from the might of my powers, ape!” he shouted. “I see all! I know the trick you have played upon your people and the deceit you have sown! The heart of this conflict lies at your feet, foul thief!” He turned to Queen Lulu, who was staring at him with her mouth hanging open. “Ask him what has been happening to your supplies, mighty queen! Ask him where he has hidden what he has stolen from you! Ask him why he is working in concert with”—oh bother, he thought, what was her name again?—“er, Dorothy’s minions!”

Lulu pushed up her sunglasses, seeming a little less impressed. “These are serious accusations against one of my most trusted advisers,” she said. “Do you have any proof?”

“He doesn’t,” Iris said, practically jumping up and down in her eagerness. “But I—”

Hex interrupted her. “I have seen the traitor at work!” he boomed in the most authoritative voice he could muster. “Last night, while you slept”—he hesitated for the barest moment, and then hit on the perfect lie—“I sent my astral body through the Queendom of the Wingless Ones, and saw the traitor Quentin meeting with the rebels!” This story seemed suddenly preposterous, even as he said it, but the trick with the sunfruit had apparently impressed the queen more than he’d realized. She raised one eyebrow, seeming almost convinced.

“That’s nonsense!” Iris exclaimed. “But he’s right, and I can—”

But the queen cut her off, turning to Quentin, who was edging toward the door. “Is this true?” she asked, her voice low and angry. “Have you betrayed my trust?”

“I can explain, Your Majesty,” the chancellor said smoothly. “It’s all a misunderstanding.” He shot Hex a nervous glance. “The sorcerer is exaggerating—I was merely storing away some of our supplies for safekeeping—” Hex’s accusation had been a shot in the dark, but it had hit home he saw. Quentin had snuck out of the palace to meet with the rebels, and his slick demeanor faltered as the queen gave him a withering stare.

“You’re lying,” she snarled. “I can see it in your eyes, you thief! Under my very nose, you’ve torn apart our people! For this, you’ll rot underground, never to swing from a vine in this city again—but first, you’ll give back what you’ve stolen and end this strife!”

She gestured at her monkey soldiers, and they seized Quentin and dragged him outside. She turned to Hex. “I don’t know what gift of fate brought you here, sorcerer,” she said, “but I owe you my queendom.”

“But I—” Iris began. Lulu ignored her and waved one hand imperiously. A soldier hastily brought her a banana. “Humans have never sat at the side of monkeys in all the history of our people,” Lulu said, chewing thoughtfully, “but these are new times for all of us. If you choose to remain among us, you may have Quentin’s old job. Which is a real honor, I’ll have you know.”

Of course, it was Iris who’d actually exposed the traitor. He could tell Lulu, but Iris was just a young hothead with no sense for politics. She wasn’t suited for Quentin’s position; really, he was doing her a favor, saving her from future embarrassment when she couldn’t handle the responsibility. And if defeating Quentin had been his test, surely this was his reward. He could always award Iris an extra banana allowance once he was officially made chancellor—he wasn’t heartless. Hex bowed politely. “Your Majesty, I’m honored. I’ll certainly consider your offer.” She nodded and tossed the banana peel over her shoulder; a guard hurried forward to catch it. “Now,” she said, “I must attend to my people.” With that, she swept out the door, a scatter of rhinestones sparkling in her wake and the guard trailing behind her.