You can see the difference in this picture: the original and present-day positions of the statues.”
“They don’t look so big,” Astro said.
“Trust me. They’re big.”
The plane flew south.
At one point on its journey, Iolanthe disappeared into the aft crew quarters to get changed into something more rugged.
As soon as she was gone, Vulture spun to face West. “Huntsman. A moment with you. Can the British Royal be trusted?”
Jack turned, gazing at the rear section of the plane.
“Not at all,” he said. “She’s here to represent her family, her Royal House, just as you are here representing yours, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia—so I guess I trust her about as much as I trust you. Right now, we’re useful to her and she’s useful to us. But the moment we cease to be useful, she’ll cut us loose.”
“Or cut our throats,” Zoe said.
The American Marine, Astro, frowned, confused. “I’m sorry, but what are you talking about? Great Houses? Royal Houses?”
Stretch said, “When we ventured out to locate the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, we did so in competition with the United States on the one hand and Old Europe on the other—France, Germany, Italy, Austria. The Catholic Church, knowledgeable in ancient matters, also formed part of this Old Europe coalition.”
“Think of it as Old Money versus New Money,” Jack said. “America is New Money, recently attained and acquired. Europe is Old Money, wealth that is acquired through heredity, land ownership, family name. Remember Jane Austen: a gentleman does not work, he receives income from his lands.”
Astro reddened. “I didn’t read Jane Austen in high school…”
Stretch said, “While we like to think of Europe today as a patchwork of modern democracies run by and for the people, this is an illusion. Almost 55 percent of mainland Europe is owned by three families: the Saxe-Coburgs of the United Kingdom—which, through war and marriage, acquired the lands of the old Habsburg family of Austria-Germany—the Romanovs of Russia, and the Oldenburgs of Denmark, the canniest and most cunning royal line in history. Through multiple royal marriages, Danish blood runs thick through nearly all the Houses of Europe, and thus the Danish Royal Family controls a quarter of continental Europe all by itself.”
“The Romanovs of Russia?” Astro said. “I thought the Russian royal family was executed out of existence in 1918 by the Soviets.”
“Not at all,” Stretch said. “Two of the royal children survived, Alexei and one of the girls. And royals do not like to see other royals deposed—they look after their own. The surviving Romanov children of Tsar Nicholas II were sheltered by the Danish Royal Family in Copenhagen and ultimately married off to well-bred families. While they might not use formal royal titles like Tsar anymore, the Romanov line certainly still exists, just out of popular sight.”
Stretch then turned an eye to Vulture, who was sitting a little too silently in the corner. “There is, of course, one other rather old Royal House that holds much sway in the world today: the House of Saud in Arabia. But it is not held in high esteem by the Great Houses of Europe—since its rise from obscurity in the 1700s, it has always been seen by the European Houses as a quaint band of tribesmen merely affecting royal traits. Even the discovery of oil in Arabia during the twentieth century, by which the Saudis gained enormous wealth and power, did not gain for them the respect they so desired.”
“Old Money only respects Old Money,” Jack said.
Vulture said nothing, but the look in his eyes suggested that he agreed.
“So, these Royal Houses, what’s their link to the Machine?” Astro asked.
“Think of royalty throughout history,” Wizard said, “going all the way back to primitive tribes. What made one tribal family worthy of greater respect than all the other families of the tribe?”
“Strength. Their ability to fight on behalf of the tribe.”
“Sometimes, yes,” Jack said. “But not always.”
Astro shrugged. “What else is there then?”
Wizard said, “More often it was the family that held some kind of sacred talisman that was regarded as the head family of the tribe. It might be a mace, or a crown, or a holy stone. The ability to fight was often collateral to the ability to maintain possession of a sacred object.”
Jack said, “Macbeth slays Duncan and takes his mace, thus Macbeth, as holder of the mace, becomes king.”
Wizard said, “And the Three Great Houses of Europe have always held something that has made them greater than other noble households…”
“Pillars,” Astro said, getting it.
“Exactly,” Wizard said, “and the knowledge that goes with them: hereditary knowledge, passed down from generation to generation, about the use and purpose of those Pillars.”
Jack added, “And the fact that our Princess Iolanthe is the current Keeper of the Royal Personal Records means that she is a key holder of that knowledge.”
Astro said, “So if there are only three European Houses, does that mean they only have three Pillars?”
“I believe so,” Wizard said. “But—”
“—but that doesn’t mean we don’t know where the other three are,” Iolanthe said from the doorway at the rear of the main cabin.
Everyone spun.
