"So, Toff's father has to belong to one of those two families," Ry chewed his lower lip thoughtfully as he stared at the comp-vid screen. "That really narrows it down."
"You're forgetting something, too," Trik grinned.
"What's that?"
"Roff is a Winged Vampire, and his family is one of the two listed."
"Holy cow," Tory muttered.
"Is there any information on Roff's turning?" Ry was standing quickly and taking the comp-vid from Trik's hand. Ry's fingers flew over his comp-vid, searching for the required information.
"Holy cow," Ry repeated Tory's phrase as he dropped awkwardly to the floor. He stared at the multitude of entries that popped up on the screen regarding Roff.
All three boys blinked in shock as the records, including the Council meeting entries, were read.
"Roff was staked," Tory breathed. "By somebody trying to murder Mom."
"Roff is Toff's father," Trik nodded. "It makes sense—the dates match and a comesuli child's name tends to reflect something from his parent."
"This could be awkward," Tory observed. "I mean, Roff probably wants to tell Toff, but he's not sure how Toff might react. Really, I'm not sure how Toff might react, either."
"Yeah." Ry flopped onto his back on the floor. "What a conundrum."
"Should we send mindspeech to Sissy?" Tory asked.
"I think she'd want to know," Trik said.
* * *
"Nissa, this is fine work," Calebert complimented Nissa on the sword she'd completed, running his fingers over the spelled designs she'd imprinted in the worked gold alloy.
"Thank you, Master Wizard Calebert," Nissa ducked her head, her cheeks going pink. She'd never received such a compliment from Calebert before.
"I think it won't be long until you're elevated from apprentice to Fifth-Tier." Calebert actually smiled. A smile from the autocratic Master Wizard was certainly a first. He was meticulous in his work and expected only the best from those who toiled in the Weapons Division of Grey House.
Nissa stared at Calebert. A twelve-year-old being elevated to Fifth-Tier was unprecedented. She swallowed with difficulty. Sissy? Ry's voice sounded in her head. We found out who Toff's father is.
* * *
"His birthday is in six weeks?" Lissa stared at Roff in surprise.
"My second child was born nearly eighteen years ago," Roff sat on the edge of Lissa's desk.
"What are we going to do? Roff, we really need to tell him. I want to give him a nice birthday party, too—with your permission."
"I want to tell him too, but I don't want him to be upset or disappointed." Roff rose and raked a hand through his hair in agitation. "He seems to love working at the winery, and Dariff and Markoff have to bite back their words at times, they want to include him in family matters so badly." Roff's honey-brown eyes were troubled as he glanced at Lissa. "I love my son. Have always loved him. What if he doesn't love me?"
"Roff," Lissa sighed. "I can only hope that if he doesn't love you already, that he'll come to love you. Redbird has so much to answer for. All the Green Fae do. And my father," she held up a hand to keep the words from escaping Roff's mouth.
* * *
"Well, Narissa, you've managed to get yourself into trouble you won't be able to wiggle out of this time." Griffin appeared and sat on a bench outside his mother's cell. "You're looking old, too."
"Shut up," Narissa snarled, pressing herself against the bars of her cage. "You always were the worst of my whelps."
"Hello, Mother." Jeral appeared and sat beside Griffin.
"Well, well. You're still alive," Narissa sneered at Jeral. "Both my sons, turned vampire."
"All three of your sons were turned vampire," Griffin pointed out. "Davan died a few years ago. Want to know why Jeral and Davan never wanted to see you, mother?"
"You're the one I dumped on your father, aren't you?" Narissa ignored Griffin and stared at Jeral.
"Yes. My father died long ago. He was barely sixteen when you took advantage of him."
"Have you come to gloat now?" Narissa turned away from her sons.
"Merely to see you before it's too late," Jeral sighed. "Griffin sent mindspeech—you won't survive the return to Evensun."
"You lie," Narissa turned swiftly and shook a fist at Griffin.
"I can't lie, mother. I might stretch or manipulate at times, but I can't lie outright. You know that. You know what I am."
"I curse Rabis. He surely saw what you'd become and didn't tell me."
"I have no idea whether Rabis saw that. He didn't tell me either, mother, if he did see it."
"Quarter bloods. The root of all our troubles can be found with the quarter bloods," Narissa pounded her hand against a thick cell bar.
"The root of all your troubles can be placed on the Elemaiya's treatment of their quarter blood children," Griffin pointed out. "Had they not mistreated them, all this might have been avoided."
"Had they heeded the H'Morr, many other things might have been avoided. Hello, Narissa." Rabis appeared beside Griffin's bench.
"Traitor!" Narissa threw herself against the bars of her cell.
"Go ahead and scream as loud as you want," Griffin scooted over to give Rabis room to sit. "I have this area shielded. Nobody will hear a thing."
* * *
Tandias looked just as human as the others crowding about him, waiting on the high-speed train to arrive. He'd chosen Gloesse as a target—he hadn't fed there yet and the population was enormous. Who would miss a few if they disappeared? Besides, he needed his strength. Zellar wanted to launch an attack on Le-Ath Veronis soon and Tandias also had vengeance to exact against the Queen.
He'd enjoyed a soft life with Viregruz and Black Mist—Viregruz made sure that Tandias was always fed and kept others from hunting him. He'd been away on an assassination mission for Viregruz on that fateful night, when the Queen and the ASD had taken Viregruz and Black Mist down.
Tandias, like anyone else who could work a vid-screen, had seen Viregruz's horrible death. Zellar knew of Tandias' secretive efforts on Viregruz's behalf, although they'd never met. When Zellar came to him with his plan to destroy Queen Lissa, Tandias only pretended to consider it. After all, he could devour Zellar and his acolyte with little thought after the Queen's death. No trail would be left behind, just as Viregruz taught him. Without a word, Tandias followed three prime humanoids as they climbed aboard the train and walked a short distance toward a private car.