Mettathena Mystos had waited as long as possible, but the moment had finally come for her to leave her planet, Athenia, and her people. For hours, she had stayed strong, helping to secure the royal grounds. She had made arrangements to ensure that everyone in the palace would have access to essential supplies while the royal family was absent. Mettathena wasn’t the type of princess to linger in long and tender goodbyes, but she felt duty-bound to take care of the staff who had kept an eye on her for years. She had no idea how long she or her parents would be gone.
“Ready, Mykie?” Mettathena asked her teddy bear–like pet, a highly intelligent critter that was also Mettathena’s only real friend.
Mykie cheeped back.
The princess lifted Mykie into an elaborate baby carriage and tucked her under a pile of blankets. Mettathena secured a baby bonnet over her pet’s head and grimaced. “There.”
Mykie growled and ripped at the blankets, refusing to settle down.
Mettathena shushed her. “I know, I know,” she muttered. “I hate wearing silly costumes as much as you do—it’s very childish. But if we want to escape without being noticed, we must slip out of the palace in disguise. And that means you, my friend, are going to ride out of here in a baby carriage. So deal with it and play your part.” Mykie whimpered like a baby, and Mettathena patted at her in the carriage. “That’s better.”
She pushed the baby carriage down the long hallways of the royal palace, remembering every few steps to coo and smile down at her “baby” in the carriage. Through the glass-walled corridors, she could see Geela’s approaching Android army. In the distance, she imagined that Geela herself was preparing to torture the people of Athenia. The self-appointed empress had already managed to take control of all the media networks in the galaxy. Today’s planetary takeover and attack on the royal families was the next step in her quest for total domination.
Mettathena hustled toward the palace exit, scowling. Her usually stony, powder-gray features were slightly flushed from the stress of the day. Even though she’d had time to prepare for what was to come, she hated sneaking away like some kind of coward.
Since that morning, Mettathena had been aware of the plan for her escape. As she was leaving breakfast—two perfectly poached eggs, served up with a side of political essays—she had overheard her parents on a holo-call with the other royal families of the Pentangle. She had only caught the tail end of the conversation, but that was enough: the planets of the Pentangle were preparing for an attack from the evil empress Geela, and the royal families were all at risk.
The kings and queens of each of the five planets in their galaxy—Athenia, Rhealo, Junoia, Heralda, and Lunaria—had agreed to send the five teenaged princesses away to safety with Chamberlin, the senior butler in Athenia’s royal court. He would be tasked with watching over each of the junior royals and keeping them safe until it was safe for them to return to their homes again. As a matter of practicality and courtesy, Chamberlin had been dispatched to fetch the princesses on the other planets first … with orders to return for Mettathena as soon as the other girls were secure.
Chamberlin had collected the other four princesses as planned, and now he had returned to collect Mettathena. While she waited to be called away, she had packed a small trunk full of supplies—a dozen sensible black smocks, six pairs of smart pants (one extra in case of spills or stains), and enough clean underwear that each of the princesses would have a week’s supply. At the last minute, she threw in five pairs of fleece pajamas—it could be cold where they were going, and she wanted to make sure they would all sleep comfortably. A good night’s sleep was the easiest way to keep your wits about you.
She had also tossed in an electric keyboard, to keep herself from going crazy. Princess Mettathena was good at keeping her emotions in check, but she could only keep a level head when she had a few minutes during the day to express herself musically. It was kind of her dirty little secret. She knew her parents would be horrified if they knew about her songwriting, which is why she kept it quiet and private. Mettathena knew the other princesses of the Pentangle had gone through music lessons, too, so she had set a trunk with an electric guitar, a bass guitar, and a pair of drumsticks in the loading dock, hoping the other girls would appreciate the extra courtesy.
Mettathena hurried through the cold, angular corridors of Athenia’s palace. Ahead, she spotted Chamberlin waiting for her. He was dressed as a doctor, complete with a heavily starched lab coat and a bag full of medical tools. The butler fell into step beside her and asked, “Ready, Your Highness?”
Mettathena glanced at him. “I suppose. Are you sure I must flee? Can’t I stay and help the people?”
“No, Your Highness,” Chamberlin said under his breath. “Your parents have given me strict orders to take you away. It is for your own safety.”
“What about everyone else’s safety?” she snapped. The princess stopped to readjust her wig, then bent down to check to see that Mykie was still well hidden. When she looked up again, one of Geela’s henchmen was standing right in front of them.
“Who are you?” the large, meaty guard barked.
“Merely lowly servants,” Mettathena lied. “A nursery maid. And a palace doctor.” She raised her voice an octave, then squeaked, “We are taking this baby to the hospital wing. It is the child of one of the kitchen staff. It had the nerve to cough on the princess’s breakfast this morning. The royal family has asked me to remove it from the grounds as punishment.” The princess felt herself sweating beneath her wig and costume. She hoped her disguise and acting were believable.
The guard peered over the edge of the pram and scowled. “Ugly kid,” he noted.
Mykie growled quietly, then sneezed in the guard’s face.
“Rude, too,” the guard said, narrowing his eyes. “Well … the royal family isn’t in charge around here anymore, so this kid can cough as much as it likes.”
Mettathena’s eyes widened. She snuck a quick glance at Chamberlin, who refused to look at her. “What do you mean?” she asked.
“I mean,” the guard said, barking out a laugh. “The king and queen are already in the glorious and all-powerful Empress Geela’s possession. They’ve been taken to a secret location. Now we just need to find and capture that princess brat.” He looked over Mettathena’s shoulder and peered down the hallway. “If you see her, send her my way. We get a bonus from the empress if we deliver her a princess.”
Mettathena held her breath as the guard hustled away. Then, without further discussion, she and Chamberlin raced off in the opposite direction before anyone else could stop and talk to them. Although Princess Mettathena had never been one to show her emotions, she felt a lump of sadness forming in her throat—her parents had been taken prisoner, and her planet was in turmoil. Life in their usually peaceful galaxy was about to change.
But by the time she, Mykie, and Chamberlin reached the old space transport that would take them to safety, she had managed to shove her sadness and fear aside. Crying wouldn’t get her anywhere. If she ever wanted to get her planet back, Mettathena knew she would have to be smart and composed. She was ready: it was time to fight back. She just had to figure out how she was going to do that.
She stepped inside the transport, slid the wig off her head, and looked at the four other girls sitting inside. “Hello, Your Highnesses. Let’s get started.”