"Discrepancies? I don't follow," Kiarra said.
"We find it puzzling as well. Nefrigar brought this to our attention and at first, we thought it irrelevant. Now, we are not sure that was the correct conclusion."
"What did he find?" Adam asked. Normally he was content to listen and observe, but even his curiosity was roused.
"This," Ferrigar Pulled in what appeared to be an identical chunk of Ra'Ak dust, "was collected ten turns ago, from another Ra'Ak dusting. This Ra'Ak would be considered normal—healthy." He set it down beside the other chunk. "This one from Tulgalan," Ferrigar hesitated a moment, "to the best of our knowledge, we have determined it to be diseased."
"Diseased? That's next to impossible," Kiarra said, trying to stand. Pheligar pulled her onto his lap and rubbed her shoulders.
"We have gathered additional information, at Nefrigar's insistence. Even the Wise Ones are in agreement. The Ra'Ak who still live, who have been consuming these young ones after they have been subjected to what the Karathians refer to as a soul-shift?"
"What about them." Kiarra asked.
"We have determined that they are, in your own words, mentally ill."
"You're saying that eating children that have gone through a soul-shift makes the Ra'Ak crazy?" Kiarra managed to struggle out of Pheligar's lap.
"Yes. Somehow, this forbidden spell work—a misuse of power, as it is, would destroy the child's mind, if their body did not die so quickly. By consuming this tainted flesh, the Ra'Ak despoils its mental capacity."
"Holy crap," Kiarra muttered. "What are we supposed to do?"
"We believe that this is the reason the Ra'Ak attempted an attack on a passenger bus. This one did not bother to jam the camera signal. If Reah had not killed the creature, and had Norian not confiscated the vid images afterward, Tulgalan's population would even now be screaming and running for every available exit."
"This isn't good. Honey, have you contacted Belen?" Kiarra looked up at Pheligar.
"Yes. He is very concerned, and he and the others of his kind are attempting to come to an agreement regarding appropriate action," Pheligar sighed. "He will let us know soon."
"How did Nefrigar know to pick up this chunk?" Merrill asked.
"We do not question the Archivist—he searches for his own data upon occasion. We as a race are often enriched with his findings. He is not bound by the Archives, or restricted by the Council where knowledge is concerned, as long as the laws are followed."
"So, you don't lock him up in a dusty library?" Kiarra's dimple showed.
"Our Archives are pristine," Pheligar pulled Kiarra onto his lap again. "Nefrigar sees to that, with his Protectors. He is nearly as old as Ferrigar, you know."
"Reah, wake up, sweetheart."
How did my men always wake before me? How? I opened my eyes to find Teeg's concerned face over mine. "What's wrong?" I asked, right away.
"Several things, but you need to get up and get dressed, love. Some of the news can wait a little."
Farzi and Nenzi came to help me in the shower. I was glad—my fingers shook and I was having trouble holding onto a washcloth. Something was wrong, and that frightened me. I was ushered into Teeg's private study—he was already there with all four warlocks and a man I'd never seen before.
"Reah, this is Dee—Dormas, my assistant." Teeg introduced the man I'd heard of but never met. He took my hand and kissed it gently. I nodded to him. Dee had brown hair, gray eyes and an unlined face that still bore the weight of the world in it. He'd seen a lot of life, this one.
"Reah, last night, someone died on Tulgalan." Teeg pushed a comp-vid across the desk toward me. I sat on one of his guest chairs and lifted the device in my hands, terrified, somehow. I was relieved at some level, horrified on another. Relieved that it wasn't Lok or Edan or Ilvan. Horrified at whom it actually was. Addah Desh, my grandfather, had died from multiple stab wounds. Fes, who'd been with him, was in critical condition at a hospital. I watched the vid as Aldah and Rane, Fes' brothers, stood by their weeping mother as she'd been interviewed. Some of the other wives and sons were in the background.
The whole thing would have been bad enough, but what came next was worse. Aldah stepped forward after his mother stopped speaking, saying that I'd had a fight with Addah and was likely the one who'd attacked him. My eyes flew wide and I was staring at Teeg across the desk.
"We're already on this—we have vid and photographs of you with me at the same time the attack was taking place, and Norian and Lendill are handing the information over to the local constabulary. I don't know what the f**k is going on, Reah, or why that idiot is blaming you for this." Teeg was angry—his eyes were tinged with red, and for a vampire, than meant he was furious.
"I don't believe this," I muttered. "How is Fes doing?"
"As well as can be expected. We don't know yet whether he'll live or not."
"This is awful, but what could they possibly believe I'd gain from all this? I'll have to contact Wroth—see if he's got the vid from the restaurant on Eight-Day."
"We have audio and the vid," Dee offered, "and that has also been turned over to the locals."
"And they know you were on the bus the other night," Teeg went on. "Norian turned that information over to them, and since you're ex-ASD, Norian handed your report over, too."
"I didn't turn in a report."
"Norian and Lendill turned in an official report, Reah. Do you want your Thifilatha splashed all over the news?"
"Fuck," I muttered softly. Too much had happened in the past two days. Where was my mind?
"Dee has forwarded a copy of our marriage contract to the Tulgalanian authorities as well, so there won't be any wild rumors. If Aldah Desh wants a war, he can have one." Teeg was growling.
"I need to get back." I was stunned and not really sure what to do.
"If you go back, you'll likely be followed. At least until the media sinks their teeth into someone else."
"Teeg, I don't want that."
"Sweetheart, I know that. Lendill and I found a house for you on the west side. We'll move you into that, and we'll place enough guards there that you won't have to worry about those things."
"But what about the investigation?"
"We may be able to get someone to either change your appearance or work up a disguise," Teeg offered. "I know this is important to you, so I won't try to keep you in the house. You just have to realize that the media, if they learn who you are, are going to follow you to the ends of the Alliance and back."