"Did Arvil ever mistreat you?"
"Not in a physical sense. When his brother and cousins died, he made Teeg and me his heirs. After Arvil was killed in an ASD raid, Teeg took over, told me he was taking my half of Arvil's fortune because I'd violated the contract Arvil had us sign and disappeared with Farzi, Nenzi and their brothers. He betrayed me, then. I thought I loved him up to that point."
"And he hasn't offered you anything since then? Since creating the Campiaan Alliance?"
"No." I hugged myself. These were bad memories for me. "And when I was injured in the explosion years later, when Lendill sent me after Zellar, Teeg grabbed me, tied me to a bed, blindfolded me and had Jes treat me when he should have sent me home so Karzac could take care of me."
"How do you feel about my father?" Kevis asked.
"I love your father. He's like the father I would have wanted. Tough when he needs to be. Protective when that's needed. He was good to me from the start. I hope you get along with him," I added.
"I do," Kevis smiled slightly. "I never doubted his love, or my mother's."
"You were lucky," I said, leaning back and closing my eyes.
"Why do you think your mother married Addah Desh?"
"I don't know," I opened my eyes to stare at Kevis. "I can't imagine that he had a romantic bone in his body, so I can't answer that. I've gotten very little information on my mother. Even Fes didn't know much about her, and there weren't any photographs left after she died. Marzi probably destroyed them."
"It's too bad you didn't run into Addah's ghost, then, instead of Zellar's."
"Addah didn't destroy worlds. He just destroyed his children," I said. "Perhaps his father or mother mistreated him—he never talked about them."
"You think he might have treated others the way he was treated?"
"Maybe. But that's really not an excuse. If you know something is wrong that way, it's up to you to change it."
"You never hit your daughters, did you?"
"Are you kidding? And put them through that? No," I shook my head violently.
"I don't want to upset you, Reah, so let's back away from that for now," Kevis said gently. "Do you need someone to spend the night with you? I imagine any one of your mates would be willing."
"I don't want sex right now," I mumbled, feeling embarrassed.
"Reah, they know that. Torevik should have remembered before pushing it as he did. And his admission later was most unfortunate. I think he doesn't believe as his father does, but he loves his father. That bit of prejudice his father holds has influenced Tory. He's working to overcome it."
"Maybe that'll come in handy with his next mate," I muttered sarcastically.
"Reah, the question still stands. Do you want company for the night? Just to provide a warm shoulder?"
"I wouldn't mind a warm shoulder, or even a warm back," I said.
"Then I'll ask and see who volunteers," Kevis stood and stretched.
"Not Tory," I said, lowering my head.
"I understood that," Kevis said. "Someone will be in shortly."
* * *
"Deah-mul," Lendill slipped into bed beside me. I'd already turned out the light; it took more than the short time Kevis had estimated when he left. "My father has threatened to remove my libido for months if I do anything except keep you warm," Lendill murmured against my ear. "Go to sleep, breah-mul. I will try to do the same."
* * *
Zendeval Rjjn and Perdil the Liffelithi dwarf had made their way steadily southward, searching for warmer temperatures. Cold weather had set in where they'd been dropped on Nrath weeks earlier. Zen had done all the hunting; Perdil had no skills or experience in that area. Thankfully, Zen held both.
Most nights they were able to start a fire to cook what Zendeval had trapped or caught in a stream, but on rainy nights, they'd eaten something raw if they didn't have cooked meat left from the previous day. Zen had no weapons to go after larger game, so smaller creatures such as rabbits, squirrels and fish were their main diet. That meant little left over for the next day, rainy or not. The sun was now high over their heads, the weather most certainly warmer and Perdil was sniffing the air.
"Zen, I smell bread baking," Perdil turned wide eyes on Zendeval. Zen, lost in his own thoughts, blinked at Perdil in surprise.
"Dwarf, I believe your mind is tricking you," Zen sighed. He'd dreamed about bread, too. Among other things. Mostly, though, he dreamed of Reah. He woke with clenched hands and shortened breaths, most mornings, dreaming he still held her small body close against his. He knew now just how thin she was. How weak from the illness. But he'd been controlled. If Perdil had been the one to shoot that foul and cursed thing into his neck, the dwarf would be dead already. Instead, his cousin Nedrizif had done it himself. Zen sighed, and then drew in a breath. Perdil's arm was grasped in Zen's fist quickly. "Dwarf, perhaps your mind isn't playing tricks after all."
* * *
"I don't want to go forward with this unless we're sure we have the right woman," Andelis of Roorthi complained.
"You've seen her, the image is exact," Tevan of Shillverr pointed out. The image was indeed displayed on a very large vid-screen inside Cynthin of Xordthe's private office. Cynthin, smiling and examining her freshly manicured nails, had drawn these two in. If it could be proved that this insane woman, whose face was plastered on vid-screens across both Alliances, was Teeg San Gerxon's wife, it would only be a matter of time before Teeg San Gerxon's power was undermined and someone else could step in and take over the Campiaan Alliance.
Teeg presided over the Council of Campiaan Alliance Worlds, but Cynthin had designs on that seat. Oh, she'd promise Tevan and Andelis a sharing of power, but it would be hers when push came to shove. All they had to do was contact the media, which was still running vids depicting all the crazy and outrageous things Teeg San Gerxon's wife believed about herself.
"I think we should contact San Gerxon first, and give him the opportunity to step aside quietly, without this being made public," Andelis suggested.
"And miss all the fun and the publicity we'll get out of this?" Cynthin snorted delicately. She fully intended to make as much of this as she could; her position within the Campiaan Alliance was relatively weak. Xordthe wasn't at the forefront of industrialization, had nothing that stood out as an export and had been under the influence of unsavory characters before the Campiaan Alliance offered membership.