He remembered exploring the tunnel, until he'd happened on a separate chamber. He couldn't clearly recall taking the photograph, yet there it was, on his phone.
People were speculating, for and against the actual reality of metal books being found near Adelaide, in a hidden tunnel that didn't appear on any map.
"Will Morgett take the bait?" I breathed. So far, none of Zaria and Valegar's traps had been triggered to indicate movement through the tunnel.
I still didn't know how she planned to keep V'ili and the twins alive if things went south.
"Let's hope he takes the bait—we'll eliminate one enemy at a time," Kell pulled me closer and kissed my hair.
* * *
Morwin
"Ranos grenades," I drew in a breath at the sight of a small crate of weapons Zaria laid on the table. Chloe and her family stood around me, watching and listening carefully as Zaria explained what she wanted of us.
I didn't have wings in another form, as the others did. That's why Yoff stood beside me, grinning like a fiend.
A fiend with large, leathery wings.
He was the son of a winged vampire, and had inherited the wings to prove it. He would carry me aloft, so I could fight alongside Chloe's family.
"These are light enough that you can carry one in each claw," Zaria explained. "I'll send mindspeech when it's the proper time to drop them."
"Do you have an idea where that will be?" Leisa, Chloe's mother, asked.
"It'll be around here," she tapped the paper map lying beside the crate. "Just before they reach Uluru, and far enough away not to do it damage."
"What about the decoy you've created?" Rose asked.
"Opal and I will do our best there. I believe the worst enemy has his sight firmly set here—with Uluru and what may be beneath it."
"What makes you think that?" Rose asked.
"An old tale that the Aborigines tell," Zaria said. "The enemy then was called Liru. I believe that could be a shortening of Liron—and his minions. I know that doesn't mean anything to you, but you have to believe me when I say he is terrible."
"You think he may have been here before?" I asked.
"It's possible. I've seen him here once before. It's not a short story and I can't tell it to you now. Someday, maybe, if you want to hear it."
"I do," I dipped my head in acknowledgment.
"I'll let you know," she said. "Meanwhile, I expect Morgett to trigger the alarms in the Adelaide tunnel soon. Take deep breaths and prepare yourselves, if you want to do this. If not, you only have to say so."
"We want to," Rose thumped her cane on the floor. "We have friends to avenge."
"Good enough," Zaria said. "I'll let you know when the time is close. Kiarra will see to it that you're transported to the proper place. Morwin, tell them how these grenades work. You and Yoff should place them in waiting claws before the owls fly. Then take several for yourselves and follow quickly. Yoff, you'll be high enough that the High Demons won't interfere with your abilities. Shield everyone from sight while you're flying. If necessary, fold everyone out."
"I will." Yoff was ready to do anything Zaria asked, I think.
As was I. My father's death lay between me and the enemy, and I would strike as many blows as I could on his behalf.
Besides, I had both ranos pistols fastened inside hidden pockets of my trousers. I'm sure Zaria knew it; she merely didn't comment.
"Each of you take one and place it above your heart," Yoff handed small buttons to us. "This will allow me to know where you are at all times, so I can fold you away if necessary."
As the button adhered to the skin just above my heart, Zaria nodded to us and disappeared.
* * *
Anita
I had no idea how much we'd miss Lexsi and Kory. Watson said he missed Lexsi's cooking, but he missed Kory just as much. I doubted Watson had ever had such a close friend as this High Demon.
I also had no idea whether they'd come back before the shit hit. Watson was growly enough as it was, pacing to and fro in our suite. If I told him his BFF might not come back for the big fight, he'd panic.
He, Sandra, Esme and I would be stationed at one end of the Apostles tunnel, in case things got out of control.
We weren't equipped to fight High Demons or Ra'Ak, and I had to trust that Zaria knew what she was doing where Morgett, V'ili and the twins were concerned.
V'ili, however—Esme and I wanted his death. His obsession wouldn't work with us, and there wasn't any way we'd let him get past us this time.
I worried about the twins, though. V'ili could bring them with him if he tried to run from the tunnel. Like before, Zaria and Valegar had set up a warning system that would fight back, just as the real Library had. V'ili would be afraid to fold space and the twins, if they had any sense, wouldn't attempt to use their witch and warlock abilities.
"Ready?" Esme poked her head inside the door of our suite.
"Yeah," Watson growled at her.
"What he means is this; have Kory and Lexsi come back?" I studied Esme's face.
"No."
I knew that look on her face. Grim. Determined. Her mouth set in a straight, unflinching line.
V'ili should pay for his crimes. Esme and I wanted his death more than anything, as he'd led our entire home planet to its destruction. He'd murdered us, too, but Zaria and others had bent time to pull us back from that oblivion.
"Let's go," I snapped and grabbed Watson's arm. At least he followed willingly as I stalked toward the door.
* * *
Veshtul, Kifirin
Jaydevik Rath
Garde's smaller Thifilathi kicked the bread shop's counter, sending it flying into the wall. Throughout the city, cold keepers had already been raided to feed the troops and there was little left.
Garde kicked the counter again, knocking it through the fragile wall of the shop. Through the hole he'd created, I could see the ovens in the back, all cold and empty.
"Other cities will have bread," I growled at my brother as he prepared to kick the disintegrating counter a third time.
"Foth has our slaves and some of your troops," Garde's eyes locked with mine.
"I want to invade Karathia first."
"We can't invade Karathia with starving troops."
"I haven't had a decent steak in days," I blew smoke at my brother.
"I doubt you'll find one to your liking here," Garde's breath was as smoky as mine.
"Shall we invade Targis on Tulgalan, then? If Glinda wants to make Reah Queen, then we'll hit Reah where it will hurt the most."
"An excellent idea, brother."
"Gather twenty to come with us. We will take from that bitch, first."
* * *
Targis, Tulgalan
Fes Desh
Zaria had warned my family and me. Still, it was a shock when more than twenty High Demons in Smaller Thifilathi landed at Dee's, crushing and destroying everything that didn't explode and burn as they touched it.
The front windows were knocked out with a casual swipe of a huge arm before they stalked toward the kitchen.
Everyone else had been sent home. This would be a test of my power and ability, given by Breanne, who was my mate.
There I was, dressed for work and wearing my cook's hat, brandishing only a wooden spoon as the invaders broke furniture and destroyed everything in their path to get to the food inside the restaurant's pantry.
I stood in their way.
"You may take the food, but you will pay for it," I stood my ground.
"Hmmph." The one in the lead; I'd spoken to him before. Had drinks and dinner with him before.
When he was normal.
This wasn't the Gardevik I'd met before. This one had twisted, somehow. Only lust for food and chaos showed in this one's eyes.
"You think to stop us, Reah's brother?" Garde hissed.
"I said you could take the food, but you'd pay for it."
"Go home, Garde." Lissa appeared beside me.
"Yeah. Go home, Dad."
Torevik Rath appeared beside his mother, causing her to jump. She hadn't expected him. Neither had Gardevik, if I were reading the situation correctly.
Tory was Reah's first mate, and her only High Demon mate. Gardevik and Lissa were his parents. Something had happened between these two already; I understood that much. I had no idea what it could be, but it surely wasn't good.
I held my breath. Lissa's face darkened—I could tell she wanted to tell Tory to go home, too.
She didn't.
In hindsight, perhaps I should have employed power to send both home.
I didn't.
Lissa stared Gardevik down, daring him to make a move.
That's why she didn't see Torevik make his.
Neither did I.
Ranos pistols will kill High Demons, if they're close enough.
Torevik was more than close enough.
He shot his father first and while Garde fell, Tory took his own life before Lissa could register the tragedy unfolding before her and stop him from doing it.
* * *
Queen's Palace, Le-Ath Veronis
Karzac
"She killed those Garde brought with him," Rigo said. "Too bad Jayd stayed on Kifirin—this travesty could be over now. Is she sleeping?" Rigo turned dark, questioning eyes toward me.
"Yes. It was forced, but she is sleeping," I acknowledged. "I have arranged for someone to convey the information to Reah and Lexsi, who are on Kifirin. Kifirin is now an isolated world; Lissa saw to that before I placed her in a healing sleep."
"She shielded it?" Rigo asked.
"Yes. No High Demons can skip away. Reah and Lexsi are not included in that, by the way."
"I wouldn't want to be anywhere near Jaydevik Rath when he discovers this news," Rigo jerked his head.
"He already knows. Lissa screamed it at him."
"What about Breanne or Zaria?" Rigo began.
"Both silent and absent. Changing What Was is not warranted in this." I agreed with both; neither Garde's nor Torevik's actions should be rewarded with that expenditure of power.
I should have thought this through, however. Gardevik himself had shot a controller into Jheri's neck.
Torevik knew better than anyone just what sort of damage a controller could do. He'd borne one for quite some time and had no defense against it. He only recalled the anger and helplessness he'd felt during those terrible days.
He'd seen his father's act as unforgivable.
As did I.
"Karzac?"
Rylend, Torevik's older brother, appeared in Lissa's library, where I'd met Rigo. He'd already informed his spies on Kifirin that things could become worse quickly. I knew that he'd placed Halimel and two others from the Order of the Night Flower there, as they'd be better able to defend themselves if trouble came.
Trouble had certainly come.
"Rylend?" I turned toward the King of Karathia. How differently those two eldest sons of Lissa's had turned out.
"Uncle Karzac," Ry was suddenly in my arms and sobbing. It took a great deal of effort and power to soothe him after the loss of his brother.
* * *
Foth Castle, Kifirin
Lexsi
Mom looked so frail as she gazed out the window of her suite. Edward was nearby, in case she needed anything.
Both of us were numb.
We'd felt him die.
Daddy was dead. He'd killed Grampa Garde and then himself before anybody could stop him.
Mom had gotten mindspeech from Uncle Karzac, and an explanation of sorts. Until then, I hadn't known that Grampa Garde had shot a controller into Jheri's neck, to make her do what he and Jayd wanted.
Daddy, who'd been the victim of a controller long ago, found that unforgivable and made a choice.
He'd killed his father.
My father was dead.
I couldn't bring myself to believe either of those things. They ran through my mind anyway, as if constant repetition would eventually bring the reality of it home.
"Baby?" Kory sat heavily beside me on the small sofa in Mom's suite.
"Kory." I buried my face against his shoulder.
"Let's go," Mom said. She folded all of us away from Foth Castle.
* * *
I'd never been to the gishi fruit groves on Kifirin. I'd worked in the EastStar groves from the time I could handle a hoverstep and nippers to pick fruit.
Here, the humanoid caretakers had deserted their posts, and understandably so. A crop was rotting and falling from the trees as a result.
Jayd, in his rushed and callous decision to leave the Reth Alliance, had destroyed his own planet.
Yes, I understood that his mind was affected, but somewhere amid the underlying racism and personal grudges, he should have retained the knowledge of basic economics.
"He cannot admit to himself that he may be wrong." Kifirin appeared several feet away from Mom, as she walked between rows of trees. "I was wrong, daughter of my heart, and I admit it to you," Kifirin bowed to her. "This is why Li'Neruh oversees Kifirin, rather than I. It is fitting."
"At what cost does he intend to set things right?" Mom's eyes met Kifirin's. "I know you were changed and are different now. I accept your apology anyway, because it is sincere. It does nothing to change things for Torevik."
"I know. Torevik, in his next life, must make those changes for himself."
"Will I know him, then?" Mom wiped tears away.
"I cannot say, daughter. I do not have that gift."
"Everything comes at a cost," Mom sobbed.
Edward moved forward, but Kifirin reached her first. I found I was weeping with her. Kory pulled me against him and held me while my mother and I grieved in the gishi fruit groves of Kifirin.
* * *
Campiaa
Glinda
Tybus greeted me. Gavril was at Tory's cabin in the mountains, grieving for his brother.
Torevik's daughters had been informed of their father's death, and of the death of their grandfather, Gardevik.
How could one hold such mixed emotions without exploding?
On Le-Ath Veronis, Lissa was in a deep, healing sleep placed by Karzac, because she'd lost two—a son and a mate.
"Your daughters are well. Kevis has been seeing to Jheri, since her return from Kifirin." I followed him as he led me toward the stairs to the upper levels.
"Six of them really aren't my daughters," I breathed a heavy sigh. "My rational mind knows that. My heart is a different matter, and I understand how much grief that has caused Reah through the years."
Tybus, like Gavril, was mated to Reah. They all knew of my transgressions in this matter. No blame was leveled at me by any of them. I was always treated with polite respect.
Because they were better than I. I understood that, now.
It shamed me.
As it should.
"Mom?" Jhase met me at the top of the stairs. "Uncle Garde—Tory? Is it really true?"
"Yes, baby. It's true. Nobody expected it. He just showed up and, well."
"Tybus says that it was because of that device that Zaria pulled from Jheri's neck."
"I believe that's true," I agreed and took her arm. "Torevik was affected by one of those things in the past. When his own father," I shrugged. That, I couldn't understand or speak about without choking up.
Gardevik, probably on Jayd's orders, had shot a controller into my daughter's neck. I was angry enough to kill Jayd and Garde myself over that.
Garde is already dead, I reminded myself.
How is it that the more sudden the tragedy, the longer it takes to soak into your mind?
"What are we going to do?" Jhase whispered as we followed Tybus down another long hallway. Rich carpet muffled our footsteps, as if it barely registered our passing—much as Garde's passing in these troubled times would barely register with the outside worlds. Torevik's passing would bring even less notice than his father's, as he'd stayed out of the sp
otlight for years.
"Baby, I don't know," I admitted. I was as lost as I'd ever been, and felt as if I no longer had a home to call my own.
"We have prepared this suite for you, next to your girls'," Tybus opened a door and led us inside. "If you need anything, use the comm next to the bed. The entire manor is at your disposal, if you need food, drink or a place to relax in the gardens."
"What I need," I let go of Jhase's arm and wiped tears away. "What I need," I repeated, "is a friend. I no longer have any of those."
"Lissa," Tybus began.
"Lissa has no reason to treat me with anything but contempt. I let Kifirin get away from me and didn't ask for help. I didn't even notice that it needed help. It's destroying itself, and I stood by and let that happen."
"This wasn't all your doing," Tybus sounded stern. "And I am most sorry for your losses, believe me."
I didn't know until then that Tybus had power. He folded away, leaving Jhase to comfort me inside a borrowed suite.
* * *
Lissia, Le-Ath Veronis
Erland Morphis
Once, Garde and I had been as close as brothers. In the past forty years or so, we'd drifted apart.
I felt guilty about that. Perhaps if I'd paid better attention, Lissa wouldn't be suffering two great losses.
Torevik, as a youngling, had held so much promise. He and Ry had gotten into trouble together many times, as they were only separated in age by a few days.
All that was gone, now. Here I was, drinking in a vampire bar in Lissa's city while an uncle comforted my son.
"Warlock, this is not your blame to accept," Li'Neruh Rath took the barstool next to mine and nodded to the comesuli bartender. I watched as the bartender poured his best bourbon into a glass and walked away.
"Then whose blame is it?" Yes, I was drunk and baiting a god.
"If you take blame for this, then you may as well take blame for everything—and credit for everything. You are considering two who should have been rational at the beginning of their malady and come to the conclusion that they needed help on their own, rather than relying on their own clouded judgment." Li'Neruh lifted the glass and tossed back the double serving of alcohol.
"Leave the bottle," he commanded when the comesuli approached to refill the glass. With a nod, the comesuli did as requested before retreating to the other side of the bar.
A Demon's Due: Latter Day Demons, Book 3 Page 19
