"Glindarok, is this going to happen every time we become parents?" Jayd walked slowly toward his mate, unwilling to upset her further. She held herself stiffly while he gently massaged his claiming marks on the back of her neck. "I love you more than anything, m'hala. Do not be angry with me, I beg you. Come, we will have our dinner in the arboretum, if you will consent to this."
"I will come," Glinda agreed grudgingly.
"Good," Jayd replied softly, placing a gentle kiss on Glinda's neck.
* * *
"Where is he going?" Orliff followed Niff, with Noff close on his heels. Niff was climbing stairs swiftly inside the palace, as if he knew where he was going.
"The arboretum," Noff breathed as Niff ran through a wide doorway, which opened into the palace garden. A lush expanse of trees and rare plants was enclosed by tall windows. The high glass ceiling overhead allowed starlight to filter down upon the wealth of plant life below. Niff was still walking swiftly, straight toward a section of the glass wall that overlooked the city of Veshtul.
"Niff!" Orliff whispered loudly, attempting to convince the little common to stop. Niff ignored him, continuing on his path until he reached the targeted section of glass. He lifted his hands as if he wanted to place them against the window. There he stopped short, wavered for a moment and then dropped to his knees, where he began to weep.
"What is this?" Jayd was up from the table quickly and striding toward the little common.
"Please, Raoni, he has suffered a head injury and does not know what he is doing," Orliff babbled an apology to the High Demon King while Noff did his best to coax Niff away from the window.
"Jayd, if you harm any of these, I will not speak to you again," Glinda was at Jayd's side, watching as the little common demon wept beside the wall of glass.
"You think I wanted to harm them?" Jayd snorted. "I am merely upset that our dinner was interrupted. It is all right," Jayd gestured with a hand. "Take the young one away. That is all I ask."
* * *
That was my first memory of the High Demon King—Jaydevik Rath. He seemed pompous and somewhat full of himself—as most kings might, I suppose. Of course, I didn't understand a word he said, or any other words spoken to me then or at any time before that moment. My memory had returned in a rush, however, and there I was, stuck on the High Demons' planet, surrounded by people who spoke a language I didn't understand. Just as well—I might have started cursing and not stopped until they killed me or I ran out of breath. I had no memory of how I came to be inside the arboretum; my last memory consisted of blasting my mist outward to kill the Ra'Ak Prince. Griffin, my father, and Kifirin, who called me his mate, had engineered my death. I couldn't come to any other conclusion than that. I'd died. How I came to be alive now, I had not a clue.
One of the comesuli was pulling at me now, whispering a desperate spate of words, interspersed with the word Niff. They were calling me Niff. To them, I was another comesula. On a world where females among the comesuli aren't possible, I would appear to be just another androgynous common. I had no idea what to do about that. If I tried to tell them who I was, they wouldn't understand and would probably lock me up, thinking I was crazy. Most likely, that's just what I had been. For a while, anyway.
I went with my two comesuli escorts—they led me down many flights of stairs until we reached a suite of rooms. The one called Orliff showed me to my bed and gestured for me to stay. I stayed. Where else was I going to go? Griffin told me when he took me from the Annual Meeting that he was transporting me into the future. Three hundred years into the future, he'd said. How nice for me. I didn't know anyone, here and now. I had no idea where this planet was, and wasn't likely to get a ride back to Earth, even if I asked politely. These people didn't know who—or what—I was. And they didn't seem to care that their asses had been saved by somebody they didn't know. What else was I supposed to do? I was going to have to pay attention, learn the language and look for a way out of this mess. Thanks, Dad. Thanks, Kifirin. You ass**les.
With much poking and prodding, I was sent to the kitchens the following morning. I was considered an imbecile, I discovered. Everything was mimed out for me. I nodded slightly when I understood what they wanted. I was commanded to peel potatoes and I had to ask, as best I could, how they wanted them cut up afterward. I diced one potato and sliced another into rounds before tugging on the sleeve of a nearby comesula. He pointed to the diced pile.
I diced up peeled potatoes after washing them. I sliced carrots. Tore lettuce. Stirred soup, kneaded dough and turned meats. I watched and listened, but High Demon is a difficult language to learn. Kifirin had let me understand it temporarily, before taking it away. The Larentii had given me other languages on Refizan; why hadn't this one been included? At least I wouldn't be adrift on a shifting ocean with no paddle and a leaking boat. Thank goodness, I could eat normal food or I would have been in real trouble. Who knows what the High Demons would do if they found a modified vampire feeding off the population?
I washed dishes, too, and cleaned the kitchen with help from two young comesuli. Orliff came for me after that. At least they'd let me eat before I had to clean the kitchen, even if it wasn't the best portion of what they served. I was a kitchen drudge, now. I promised to remind myself of that the next time they needed saving. Oh, I didn't blame the comesuli. The High Demons? I knew from dreams that one of the kings before this one had f**ked up and not sent his High Demons out to control the Ra'Ak. That decision had almost cost them everything. Of course, dear old Dad had hauled me off to this Godforsaken planet so I could take care of their little problem. And then I'd been left here, like a tool that wasn't needed again. Just dropped where it was used last. That was the story of my life. Conceived purposely, to save the vampire and werewolf races on Earth, kill Xenides and his minions, and finally to save the High Demons. Well done, Lissa. Fuck off, now. You're no longer needed.
I took my bath when I returned to our suite and did more listening. Mostly what I understood was names. Darvul, Orliff and Noff. At least I had pajamas of a sort, though the cloth wasn't the best and felt rough against my skin. Beggars can't be choosers, my mother always said. I snorted at the memory. I was pissed at her, too. And I certainly was a beggar, now, dependent upon the charity of the comesuli around me, as well as the generosity of the High Demons. Had I been on Earth, I would have told them what they could do with all their generosity. I wasn't on Earth though, and it was unlikely I'd ever get back now.