"Where did you take Farzi and his brothers?" I demanded, stalling for time. Perhaps Lendill would show up soon, although I had my doubts that he could capture Teeg if he were supported by the warlocks.
"They're on Campiaa," Teeg's voice sounded different—harder.
"Set them free, Teeg," I begged. "They don't belong to you or anyone else, and they certainly don't belong on that cesspit of a planetoid."
"That's for me to decide," Teeg snapped. "Don't be so shocked, Reah, there's more," Teeg's lip curled in a nasty grin. "What you just did—getting Arvil killed—well, that voids your claim to any of his empire. It all comes to me, now. I'm his sole heir and I have the records to prove it."
I gaped at Teeg again; I know I did—with my mouth open and everything. I could hear gunfire in the distance; the ASD was coming closer. I didn't have much time.
"You did this purposely, just so you'd get it all," my voice quavered. I didn't give a damn about anything Arvil had. What I'd cared for was Teeg. Now, he was pulling that rug from beneath my feet and allowing me to hit the floor hard, knocking the breath right out of me. My heart squeezed in my chest and it hurt. "And I thought Delvin was the real betraying difik. Too bad he's dead now or I'd go and apologize to him for calling him the blackest of betrayers." I wanted to throw Teeg into a wall. I wanted to curl up in a corner and weep. I did neither. "I hope you enjoy it," I said and skipped away.
Shouting and crying from the moment I landed at the palace on Le-Ath Veronis, it took Karzac and a Larentii to place me in a healing sleep. I didn't learn until later that Tory had sent mindspeech to Vice-Director Schaff, telling him I was safe and there with him. Lendill and his operatives had cleaned up bodies and arrested the others, making a complete sweep of all of Arvil's guests. The ones he didn't get, of course, were Teeg San Gerxon, his four warlocks and the eight reptanoids.
I didn't want to do anything except be by myself for the next moon-turn. The only person welcome anywhere near me was Gavril. He truly was my best friend. He never told me I shouldn't behave as I was, or eat more or sleep better. He just huddled with me most of the time when he was free, or asked about his research as he worked on an assignment for Master Morwin. Finally, after the moon-turn was up, he spoke.
"Reah, you can't let this ruin your life. Tory and Aurelius are just about to go crazy without you."
"I know," I muttered. We sat on the tallest, widest dome that covered the central hall of his mother's palace. I'd skipped us there—he'd asked me to take him somewhere so we wouldn't be bothered. Chash I would humor. Even Vice-Director Schaff was wary of approaching me. He did try to ask me to dinner one night, though. I'd slammed my bedroom door in his face. That was probably a black mark on my record, but right then I really didn't care.
"I'll be thirteen tomorrow," Gavril went on, bringing me back to the present.
"Chash, I didn't know," I sighed, pulling his head over and planting a kiss there. He grinned and looked flushed when I let him go. "Can I take you to Casino City tomorrow and buy something for you?" I focused on his dark eyes.
"If you want to. What I'd like most is for you to feel better, Reah."
"I know. I don't know when that's going to happen."
"Reah, must I fold myself to the tops of tall buildings, just so I can court you?" Wylend Arden appeared from nothing and sat down on my other side.
"King Wylend," I nodded respectfully. He wanted to court me? I swallowed nervously. That was unexpected. He had come and given me spelled jewels on Zephili, though. Now I knew why.
"Reah, that fool of a Director is refusing to allow you to leave the ASD, even if you might come to marry a King. He tells me Karathia is not an Alliance world and therefore that particular rule does not apply."
"What rule, Em-pah Wylend?" Gavril leaned around me to look at his great-grandfather.
"The one that allows any Alliance conscript to leave the Alliance's employ if they marry into royalty. As you see, he has already found a way around that piece of legislation." Wylend was frowning as he leaned against the curve of the dome at our backs. We all stared at the stars overhead for a while, until Wylend's warm hand slowly moved to grasp mine. I already love you, he sent mindspeech. And I am more than content to wait.
"We don't have a single thing to charge him with," Lendill tossed the comp-vid onto Norian's desk. "Even the crime rate is going down on that side of things if my sources are correct."
"Then there's nothing we can do," Norian grumbled. "I can't find his name anywhere—it's as if he appeared from nothing. He must be operating with an alias, but even his description doesn't fit any known criminal. Teeg San Gerxon has a clean record, as far as the ASD is concerned."
"And that makes me angry," Lendill snapped. "After what he did to Reah."
"Well, you still have making up to do, as do I on that front," Norian pointed out.
"She slammed the door in my face," Lendill whined.
"What did you expect? Besides, you're not allowed to get involved with an underling. You know the rules."
"Oh, throw that in my face," Lendill snapped.
The End