"My dad does, too," Ry said. "Mom won't hear it from us."
"Very good," Morwin's eyebrows danced. "Now, shall we turn to the geography of Wyyld? There are unexplored mountains and forests there, did you know?"
* * *
"I don't care that the core has been healed. When we attack, and we will soon, we will tap it again. It was probably those fool Larentii she has following her around like lapdogs," Zellar snapped at Tandias' report.
"I trust this one will not be as clumsy as he was before?" Tandias turned dark eyes on Gren, who cowered before the strange Ra'Ak. "I know you take pleasure in the deaths that resulted from this one's fumbling, but it also alerted the Queen to the fact that her planet had been tapped. Had it been done smoothly, we could have continued to drain the core without her knowledge." Tandias was angry and barely holding that anger back. If he didn't feed soon, these two might make a useful meal.
"Tandias, please feed, your testiness has not gone unnoticed," Zellar muttered. "I will discipline this one," he jerked his head in Gren's direction. Gren backed against a bare, stone wall, frightened immediately.
* * *
Lissa's Journal
"Lissa, I had second and third thoughts before bringing this one to you." Aurelius, golden-haired bear that he is, stood inside my office, a filthy, scruffily dressed Elemaiya gripped in one of his large hands. Aurelius had recently learned that he would be a grandfather. As Gavin's sire, he claimed that honor. "You asked me to let you know if Narissa met her end, and that is the news this one brings. He has another tale to tell, however." Aurelius shook the Elemaiya, who cringed in the tall vampire's grip.
"What tale is that?" I asked, staring at the Elemaiya. Once he'd been a Queen's guard for Friesianna—I knew that from Looking. At least my Looking skills and mindspeech didn't affect the child; I could use those talents whenever I wanted.
"I w-watched Friesianna die," Parlethis groveled before me. "After we killed Narissa, someone came. I cannot describe this person, they forbade it, and I cannot break that command. This person stood over Narissa's dismembered torso, and then gazed angrily at Queen Friesianna. 'A swift killing is one thing,' this one said. They were quite angry, we could tell. 'Torture is something I will not tolerate,' this one added. And then, Friesianna and all her guards except me disintegrated. I was left alive and ordered to explain to you that Friesianna and her bullies are no more. They—and your grandmother—are dead."
Parlethis giggled, then, and it was a crazed sound. I could see that he was terrified. Terrified that whoever had killed Friesianna would return for him. I had three guesses who'd done this, and two of them didn't count. Only a Larentii or someone with a greater power could accomplish this kind of feat. The same one who'd healed the core had likely done this deed. I stared at the cowering Elemaiya and shook my head. If this member of the Mighty kept it up, he (or she) would draw the attention of our enemies very soon. I sighed and nodded to Aurelius, who folded the prisoner away.
"Cara mia?" Gavin stole inside my study.
"Honey?" I lifted an eyebrow at him.
"Aurelius sent mindspeech. He said you might need comfort."
"Your sire is worth the weight of Le-Ath Veronis in gold," I sighed. "Narissa's dead."
"He told me that, too," Gavin was beside me quickly, lifting me and settling me against him. "My love, tell me that she did not deserve death."
"She did," I nodded. "But she was tortured by Friesianna first. Friesianna has apparently met her demise because of it," I added.
"One of hers did this?" Gavin sounded puzzled, but he placed a kiss on my forehead anyway.
"No. Somebody else showed up. Gavin, this is beginning to worry me. If the Mighty tip their hand before all three are together, we could be destroyed."
"I know we cannot speak of this with any of the others, except perhaps Kiarra, Adam and Merrill. I have the idea that Belen has approached Kiarra at least, and now those three are worried, too. I have not the notion where this might end. Are they playing a longer game than we know?" I looked up into Gavin's dark eyes as he spoke—he was deeply troubled by this.
"I don't know." I buried my face against Gavin's shoulder.
"Love, do not worry so. We will face these troubles if they come. Meanwhile, we must trust that things will come out right in the end."
"Yeah. Can we go to the kitchen? I want ice cream." I didn't add that I also wanted to forget the whole, sorry mess. That likely wouldn't happen for a while.
* * *
"Narissa's dead." Griffin had asked to speak with Cleo and Kyler at Merrill's old manor in Kent. Griffin sat behind Merrill's desk in his study, recalling that Lissa's lessons from Merrill had occurred there. Merrill hadn't changed much inside his study over the years, and the letter opener, which resembled a Roman sword, still held a place of honor on Merrill's desk.
Cleo and Kyler sat in Merrill's guest chairs, staring at their grandfather. They resembled their now-deceased grandmother greatly, with long, auburn hair and nearly gold eyes.
"Em-pah, we knew it would come," Kyler admitted. "We just didn't know when, exactly."
"She is dead, as is Friesianna and her guards. Except one," Leather creaked as Griffin leaned back in Merrill's chair. "Friesianna had Narissa tortured and dismembered. Someone took offense at that act and separated Friesianna's particles. I was wondering if either of you had a hand in that."
"As a healer for the Saa Thalarr, I can't," Cleo pointed out.
"I was elsewhere when it happened, and wouldn't have interfered anyway," Kyler muttered. "I don't argue with Narissa's death, I just have a problem with how it was accomplished."
"Those responsible for it are dead." Griffin stood and turned to stare out the window behind the desk.
"Do we have any guesses who killed Friesianna?" Kyler asked.
"No. Kiarra may suspect and I hear that Belen has spoken with her, but as I am retired, I am no longer privy to that information."
"Maybe we'll find out someday," Cleo offered. "Did you talk to Conner about it, Em-pah?"
"Conner won't talk to me. Not since I f**ked up with Toff and Trell."
Cleo and Kyler exchanged worried glances.
* * *
"When will we see Nissa and Trik again?" Toff asked. He, Ry and Tory were spending the day in the Queen's library, doing research for an assignment. Rain was falling on an off-day. They'd planned a trip to the light side for a picnic and some rock skipping on a pond, but the rain had spoiled their plans.