"Come on, dude, let's go get dressed for shopping." Toff was hauled away between Tory and Ry, shock on his face at being called dude, among a multitude of other things.
* * *
"I like this." Toff pointed at a comb that held a jeweled flower. It reminded him of the magnolia tree that stood outside Father Willow's cottage. Willow had the only magnolia tree inside the Fae village and Toff loved the velvety petals of the huge flowers when they bloomed. "It will look good in the top of her braid, don't you think?" They stood inside a jewelry shop on Hraede. Uncle Rigo had come with them—this was his home planet, according to Ry and Tory. It was also the safest world in the Alliance. King Jayd and Queen Glinda of Kifirin had come too, with their twin daughters Jase and Jehrie. Ry couldn't take his eyes off them, Toff noticed.
"I think it will look good in her braid," Ry agreed. Toff had gotten a credit chip from Grant, one of the Queen's assistants before they'd set out, and Queen Glinda had folded space to get them all to Hraede.
"Here," Toff handed his wrist over—the credit chip was on a bracelet and the clerk scanned it before boxing up the comb. Toff kept looking around him as they made their way through a crowded shopping district in the capital city of Hraede. Tory and Ry bought a bracelet and matching necklace for their sister before they were done for the day.
"Want to see the High Demon palace on Kifirin?" Tory whispered to Toff when the shopping was over.
"Can we?" Toff was extremely curious. Only one thing might have made this day better—if Nissa had been there with him.
"We can go for a little while," Lissa agreed—she'd heard what Tory said to Toff. Toff realized that Ry hadn't been lying when he'd said his mother could hear anything said nearby.
"So, how are you feeling?" Glinda asked Queen Lissa later when they landed inside the palace vestibule on Kifirin. Toff noticed it was very much like the palace on Le-Ath Veronis.
"Both palaces designed by the same person," King Jayd leaned down to inform Toff before he could ask.
"Tybus was an amazing architect, don't you think?" Tory's father, Gardevik Rath walked up while packages were sorted. Garde was King Jayd's brother and Prime Minister on Kifirin, in addition to being one of Queen Lissa's Inner Circle mates.
"Is that his name?" Toff stared at the vaulted ceiling made of marble veined in blue, silver and gold.
"Was his name. He died long ago when Le-Ath Veronis was destroyed," Garde replied, tousling Toff's hair. "How are you, Toff? Are you doing well? You must tell us if there is anything amiss."
"Le-Ath Veronis was destroyed?" Toff hadn't heard that before.
"Around one hundred fifty thousand years ago," Tory answered Toff's question. "Mom is still rebuilding it."
"How long have you been rebuilding it?" Toff asked Lissa.
"Nearly eighteen years," Lissa was smiling at Toff. "Did you enjoy the trip to Hraede?"
"Yes. Can we go again, sometime?"
"You will be welcome on Hraede anytime," Rigo nodded.
They had a light snack with Glinda, Jayd and the others, and Tory showed Toff through the hall of ancestors. Toff stared at the huge sculptures.
"What are those?" Toff didn't know what to think—the images seemed frightening.
"High Demons in Full Thifilathi," Ry replied. "That's what King Jayd and Uncle Garde are—High Demon. Tory here is half."
"You turn into that?" Toff now stared at Tory in disbelief.
"Not yet." Tory sounded embarrassed.
"Plenty of time, young one—don't rush it," King Jayd draped an arm around Tory's shoulders, although Tory was as tall as his uncle.
Toff's head was spinning. What else might he see? Tory, a High Demon? He hadn't heard of that before. Norian Keef, the Director of the ASD, a shapeshifter lion snake? Ry and Tory had hinted that their Uncle Winkler was a shapeshifter, too. What did he become? Toff was afraid to ask.
"Do you do that often?" Toff nodded to the nearest huge sculpture. The sixteen-foot statue depicted something between humanoid and animal, Toff thought, with widely spaced fangs in the open mouth, horns that bent back above the ears and claws on fingers and toes. The scaled skin, carved in marble, appeared tough and impenetrable.
"Once a month," Jayd nodded. "Or if we are attacked, the Thifilathi will come. That is how we fight our enemies."
* * *
Roff sat next to Toff at dinner later. "Would you like to come with me tomorrow to Kifirin and cut back the oxberry vines?"
Toff hadn't seen natural sunlight on Le-Ath Veronis since coming to the palace. "I think I would like to come," Toff nodded. "I just need some time tomorrow evening to finish a report for Master Morwin."
"We'll have you back in plenty of time for that," Roff smiled, showing even, white teeth. "Wear something you won't mind getting dusty or scratched up. The oxberries have thorns."
"Wear denim pants and leather boots," Ry suggested. "I've cut oxberry vines back before. You'll be covered in dust and leaf bits when you're done."
"Can't be much different from cutting and binding cornstalks," Toff smiled back at Roff.
"Much the same, except for the thorns," Roff agreed, accepting a glass of wine from a servant.
* * *
"This is my favorite place to sit." Toff sat beside the Queen, listening to her as he stared over the capital city from the uppermost dome of the palace. Toff was glad he wasn't afraid of heights—he might have been screaming if he were, they were up so high. "I had to bring you now, because Karzac tells me that in two weeks I can't use my power until after the baby comes."
Toff jerked his head around to look at the Queen. "You're pregnant?"
"Yes, honey. It came as quite a shock, let me tell you. I thought it was impossible, but that, like many other things, has changed."
"But Ry and Tory." Toff didn't finish. He meant Nissa, too, he just couldn't say it. How was Lissa their mother, if she hadn't been pregnant before?
"Ask Master Morwin to explain genetics to you," the Queen hugged Toff before letting go. "My Larentii manipulated donor eggs with something of me, and my three children were born to surrogate mothers. They're still mine in every sense of the word, just as they belong to their fathers. Now, we're all waiting to see who this one belongs to." Lissa patted her almost-flat stomach.
"It is much the same in the Fae village," Toff agreed. "At times, they have to wait until the baby is born and see what color his hair is."
"The Fae don't reproduce very often, so they are anxious to get children any way they can," Queen Lissa agreed. "Kifirin says it is because they are an immortal race. If they reproduced as often as the mortal races, they would quickly overpopulate, unintentionally."
"Cheedas says that my race lives to be around six hundred or so," Toff sighed.
"That is a very long life. I hope yours is as happy as you could wish it," Lissa said softly.
"It has been miserable until recently," Toff replied.
"Do you miss your foster parents?"
"I miss Corent. And Father Willow. I don't think I miss the others much at all. I certainly don't miss Gren. He tried to kill me, even though he took the vow of nonviolence. And then he tried to kill Nissa." Toff found that unforgiveable.
"Yes. I can't tell you how thankful I am that she flaunted her great-grandfather's instructions and made protection jewels."
"I still have mine, though it isn't good anymore." Toff lifted the blackened jewel from under his shirt.
"Shadow says it was fine work and performed flawlessly," Lissa fingered the jewel before giving it back to Toff. "And she did it without any instruction." Toff knew that Queen Lissa was proud of her daughter.
"We'll see her in three days," Toff sighed.
"We will. Cheedas has something special planned in the kitchen. We'll eat well for sure," Lissa said.
* * *
"Wear these," Roff handed leather gloves to Toff. Toff had been quite shocked when they arrived at the farms on Kifirin. They went on forever in his estimation, and comesu
li were everywhere, some with young ones. Even a few of the very young, barely old enough to walk, followed a parent around. All had been transported to Kifirin to work on the oxberry vines.
"Roff, where are the women and girls?" Toff asked softly.
"Child, they are all as you are—born without genitalia. See that one over there with the sling over his shoulder?" Toff looked where Roff indicated.
"What is inside the sling?" Toff saw that there was something carried inside the sling on the comesula's left side. The strap holding it up was slung across the comesula's right shoulder.
"That is a baby pouch—it is how the comesuli reproduce. Generally, they have one or two children during their long life. When it is time, the pouch drops off and the child makes his way out, much like a turtle hatching from an egg."
Toff had stopped still, staring now at the pregnant comesula. This was completely foreign to Toff, although it was his race. "But what about mating and such?"
"That is a question best left for later, young one. Come, we will take care of the vines today, and we will tend to your education later. Comesuli will not reproduce until the age of sixty or so, with most occurring around the age of one to two hundred years. The second one, if it comes, will happen sometime after that. Do not fear, you are not about to drop a child next week." Roff patted Toff's shoulder. Toff had to tear his eyes away from the pregnant comesula. If they had no genitalia, how did they get pregnant to start with? Toff was beginning to get worried.
He did get extremely dusty, cutting back oxberry vines right alongside Roff. He kept up with him, too, leaving many of the others behind. Toff had experience with this—he'd been doing it for as long as he could remember. The thick, leather gloves protected his hands as he cut the thorny vines back, tossing what he'd cut to the side as Roff instructed, allowing others to gather the cuttings and haul them away for burning. The cutting kept the vines from growing too tall and thick; thick and tangled vines always made it more difficult to harvest the berries the following spring.
They stopped for lunch at midday, and Toff enjoyed eating with the comesuli, including the little ones. One or two climbed into his lap, and he was shocked that they ate mostly meat, with only a few vegetables.
"They eat protein straight from the birthing sac—they're born with a full set of teeth," Roff explained as Toff helped a tiny one eat. He could barely get himself around by walking, though his parent said he was nearly two. Toff recalled Cheedas' words—that comesuli matured slowly and wouldn't reach their full growth until age twenty-nine. This brought it home to him—he hadn't thought it over before.
"Your life with the Fae has caused you to grow up faster emotionally," Roff told him later when they were back to cutting vines. "Your body hasn't caught up yet, but it will. You should not worry over this, child. All things will come in time."
Toff wanted to ask if Nissa would come to him in time, although he wasn't destined to have genitalia. What could he offer her, indeed?
"Go have a bath, young one," Roff placed a hand on Toff's head affectionately after they'd arrived at the palace on Le-Ath Veronis. "Then come straight to dinner. We ran late finishing up, but we got it all done today. You are good with your hands, child. You did well."
Toff grinned at Roff before trotting down the hall toward the suite he shared with Ry and Tory.
* * *
"Why should I help you? Fifteen years you've been at this, and all you have to show for it is a destitute world, empty pockets and less sense." Zellar stared at the old warlock. He'd been so sure that Vardon would help him. Vardon had no love for the King of Karathia or his granddaughter, the Queen of Le-Ath Veronis. "I know what you're thinking, Zellar. Vengeance is a fine dream, but after a while, the smart warlock learns to channel his efforts in other directions. There is no satisfaction in killing them—you'll be left empty afterward, make no mistake. Find something else to occupy your time. Feed those starving children on Cloudsong—that is a task worthy of your ability."
Vardon didn't point out that Zellar was likely responsible for much of the hunger upon Cloudsong. He'd probably tapped into the core of the planet, removing much of the energy the planet needed to sustain itself. Tapping was forbidden sorcery and would warrant a death sentence if Wylend Arden, King of Karathia, learned of it. Any being with power knew what tapping into the core meant. Famine and death would come quickly if it were done over an extended period of time. Zellar had been on Cloudsong nearly fifteen years. Long enough to destroy that world, and nothing short of a vast replacement of power could save it now.
"Then I will have to look elsewhere," Zellar sniffed and turned to go. He might have considered killing Vardon—thought about it, even, but Vardon wasn't a fool. He would be ready and held more natural talent than Zellar. Zellar relied on Vardon's outlaw status to keep him from going to Wylend or to the Alliance—both of whom had a price on Zellar's head. There was one other that Zellar could approach, though it might prove extremely dangerous. Zellar hoped he could offer something to this one before he allowed his appetite to overcome his sense, making a meal of Zellar instead of an alliance.
Chapter 9
"This is what we're going to do." Lissa smiled at Ry and Tory—they'd brought the problem to her and in her usual way she'd devised a workable solution. Toff sat on the sofa with Ry and Tory; he was invited to the Inner Circle meeting with everyone else. Only a few members were missing, so Toff was getting to see new ones tonight. He hadn't met Gavin or Tony, although he'd heard of them from the Princes. Both Larentii were also present, and they made Toff marvel with their height and blue skin. Toff now knew they fed off sunlight—Morwin had explained that—and all of it amazed him.
Toff turned back to the Queen as she flipped on the vid screen. What he saw shocked him—there were starving children on a planet called Cloudsong. He liked the planet's name—it sounded beautiful to him. Only now, the ugliness of poverty and starvation were everywhere upon that world. "We're going to take away the poorest of the population," Lissa smiled happily. "They'll be relocated on Morningsun, the sister planet to Evensun. They are opposite each other and are hidden from view by the sun between them," Lissa went on, "although they have the same temperate climate for the most part. We received help from friends to put up housing and gathered food from many worlds that had a surplus. We were able to buy at bargain prices and several Alliance worlds helped with funds and supplies. Le-Ath Veronis helped out, too, in addition to securing the planet."
"But what does Cloudsong think about all this?" Tony asked.
"They don't know about it, and won't know about it until it's done. Don't worry; I've already talked to Ildevar Wyyld. He says that there is precedence—that the Alliance has assisted outside its boundaries if the population of a world is dying. There is no doubt that Cloudsong is dying. The Larentii have confirmed it."
"And how are we getting them from Cloudsong to Morningsun?" Rigo asked.
"Need you ask?" Toff drew in a breath—a woman appeared who looked very much like Narissa, down to the auburn hair and gold of her eyes.
"Young Toff, you are correct—Narissa is my homicidal great-grandmother," the woman smiled at him. She'd read his mind, Toff realized. Tiearan had done it a few times, but normally he didn't bother. This one had taken the thoughts straight from him without any trouble. "I am Kyler," Kyler came forward, leaned down and kissed Toff's cheek. "Welcome to the real Le-Ath Veronis."
"Um, thank you," Toff said, feeling bewildered. Kyler gave him a lovely smile before turning toward Lissa. "Aunt Lissa, Youon and the others are ready."
"That's how they're doing it," Tory breathed beside him. "The Black Ra'Ak."
"Who are they?" Toff asked, but the situation quickly became controlled chaos as people began to disappear all around him, Ry and Tory.
"Darn it," Tory muttered. "I wanted to see this."
* * *
"Here it is!" Ry waved a hand and the sound came up on the vid screen inside their bedroom. Toff was still attempti
ng to get used to technology and marveled at the newsfeeds they received from across the Alliance. Someone was standing on the deserted streets of a city that had been reduced to poverty.
"It is official, coming from the offices of the ASD. Many destitute and starving citizens of Cloudsong have been relocated, although we do not know where that is at the moment," the man reported. Toff watched in complete fascination as other cities on Cloudsong were shown in insets—all of them deserted. "With a few exceptions, the only population that remains is that inside the capital city, and even many of those are now gone. We have received reports that the crown prince and his younger brother have also disappeared. If we had not received this information from the ASD, many would have termed this a religious event."
The reporter's image disappeared, replaced with one of people lining up to receive food and water in a meadow somewhere. Temporary hospital tents stood in long rows and children and the elderly were receiving medical attention. The images were limited and soon were exchanged for that of the reporter.
"They did that so people wouldn't figure out where they'd been taken. I'll bet that old geezer on Cloudsong is having a conniption." Tory grinned at Ry's use of their mother's word.
* * *
Brandelin didn't recognize any of the rescuers, with the exception of one. Her he knew. Grabbing Jenderlin by the arm, Brandelin hauled him along until they came to the woman with the strawberry-blonde hair. Brandelin dropped to his knees before her.
"I thank you for these lives," Brandelin wept at Lissa's feet.
"Get up from there," Lissa pulled him easily to his feet. "I've done what I could to save them. Now, you do what you can to keep them alive. You'll still lose a few—some of them are too far gone. This world is yours, now, and I'll be watching to see what you do with it. Don't make the mistakes your father made."
Jenderlin stared at the Queen of Le-Ath Veronis—the last person who should have come to their aid. "There's something you should know," he blurted. Lissa stared at him in surprise.
Blood Reunion Page 13
