Demon Revealed (High Demon Series #2) (24 page)

* * *

"And there I thought you'd named her one of your heirs
because you liked her cooking." Wilffox grinned at Arvil as they sat inside
Wilffox's expansive suite, drinking.

"You've never seen her handle a ranos rifle," Arvil
lifted his glass to drink. "We've dealt with demons on several worlds. Most
people can't see the fuckers coming in the dark. The wizards can. Reah can, too.
And she doesn't miss when she shoots, like some of my wizards." Arvil was
tipsy or he'd never have revealed that information. He generally didn't want
anyone to know that his wizards had weaknesses. "She saved my life the
first time we took her out—the demons stepped up their attack and headed right
for me. Her gun was empty so she kicked one, hit another in the head with the
butt of her gun and punched a third. She moved so fast I couldn't even follow
it."

"I wouldn't have believed it if we hadn't seen her throw
the good physician against the wall," Wilffin snorted at the mental image.

"I think I chose well, and she and Teeg will work beside
me for years to come," Arvil drained his glass. "You've seen how
fiercely she protects me and mine."

* * *

"Full moon tonight. Please to come with us," Farzi
said later, after dinner had been served. I'd cooked, adding enough for ten
extra plates—in case Grish's appetite hadn't disappeared. He was glowering as
he was driven to the table, but the moment he tasted the fowl I'd prepared, I
think he forgot everything else in favor of the food.

"Now you see what a master cook can do," Wilffox had
raised his glass to me. I wasn't a master cook—hadn't taken the exams to
qualify. Wilffox didn't seem to mind.

"Where are we going?" I asked Farzi. Ry and Tory
lifted eyebrows at my words. They hadn't been invited.

"Out—near fields," Farzi flung out an arm.

"I'll come," I nodded. Farzi was trusting me with
something. I was going to find out what it was.
I'll be fine
, I sent to
Tory, who looked a bit concerned. That's how I ended up dressing in the black leathers
I'd brought with me and trooping toward the fields with Farzi, Nenzi and the
six other reptanoids.

"We tell our story, then show you. We hope to keep
trust," Farzi settled on the ground underneath some citrus trees. They'd
been harvested already and the new fruit hadn't begun to grow yet.

"All right," I nodded to Farzi. This was important
to him, I could tell.

"We were made. Not born—made," Farzi began. "DNA
with egg." He gestured with his hands. I nodded—his birth had been
manipulated. Probably grown in a pod—some parents chose that if they didn't or
couldn't conceive a child the normal way. "We have one father." Well,
one sperm donor, I think was what he meant.

"He was shapeshifter." That I hadn't really guessed
at—I thought perhaps the eggs had been from reptiles of some sort. Now I was
learning that wasn't the case. I nodded, though—Farzi hadn't lost me yet, or
upset me in any way.

"Did you know him—your father?"

"No. Others take his seed to make us. They want someone
like him. We not exact," Farzi explained. "Eyes different. Other
things—different. Some things are same. Many of us, in beginning. Now, only
eight." Farzi looked sad at that statement.

"You lost some of your brothers." I rubbed his back.

"And all sisters. Only seven of those in beginning. All
gone, now."

"I'm sorry, Farzi."

"The ones who make us become afraid. Someone hunting them.
And us. They sell us to Master Arvil. He place chips." Farzi pointed to a
spot on his chest. Arvil had implanted location chips on the reptanoids, just as
others did for their pets or children. Farzi could never escape Arvil San
Gerxon. No wonder Arvil sent them off with barely a thought. He could find them
again if they ever thought to run.

"So, they used you. Then sold you to Arvil, so he could
do the same."

"Yes. You are exact. But on full moon, we do as our
father did. He have to turn, Reah. We have to turn. But we still know who is
friend when we turn. We do not harm. Enemy—we know them, too." I blinked
at Farzi. I knew what he was saying and I wasn't about to argue. I nodded my
understanding.

"We like Reah to come," Nenzi spoke up.

"I'll come along for you, Nenzi." I might not have
for any of the rest of Arvil's crew, but I would for these. There was an honor
of some sort that the reptanoids held, and I had no problem going with them.

We all stood, and one by one, with moonlight shining down upon
them, each reptanoid became what their father had been before them, a lion
snake shapeshifter. I wondered if Norian Keef knew what they were. Somehow, I
knew he wasn't their parent—that one had knowingly allowed their creation, even
if he'd not given his children any of his time afterward. I think they missed
that—having a parent. I knew that feeling. Perhaps that's why I felt close to
them. The largest—Farzi—was around fourteen hands in length, the others varying
in size with Nenzi being the shortest at around eleven hands. I gathered their
clothing, placed it in a neat pile and followed behind them as they slithered
toward Grish's plantation.

The house was quiet—there was only one guard posted outside
Grish's suite. Seven lion snakes and I held back, watching as Nenzi crawled up
the door facing until he looped himself around the first of a series of light
fixtures hanging from the ceiling. All was dark inside the hallway; the guard
might have thought to look upward, otherwise. An open transom window lay above
Grish's bedroom door; Nenzi used that to crawl inside.

We waited. Nenzi came back half a click later, retracing his
path. His lion snake dropped silently onto the floor and we crept outside again.
I followed the reptanoids that night as they hunted prey—capturing rodents,
sleeping birds and other snakes. I didn't turn my head away while they
swallowed their meal whole. I thought it was important that they knew I didn't
find them repulsive. A few clicks before dawn, they returned to our original
gathering place, regained their humanoid shape and dressed.

* * *

The same physician I'd tossed against the wall the day before
pronounced heart failure as the cause of Grish's death and got away from the
plantation as quickly as he could. He probably thought the warlocks had done it
and didn't want to tangle with any of them. Nenzi had been discreet—when I went
in with the others to check on Grish, I didn't see any sign of bite marks
anywhere.

Several more of Grish's assistants died before the morning was
out, after they attempted to argue with Arvil over who now owned Grish's lands.
Arvil and the warlocks won. Arvil shot two; three others were fried by
Celestan, I think. Ry, Tory, the reptanoids and I took a long walk while that
argument took place. When we returned, it was to see Grish's remaining servants
driving away in one of the hoverbuses kept at the plantation.

"I'll need staff here—we must plow and plant quickly,"
Arvil said when I returned to the plantation. He didn't seem daunted by the
task. That's how Ry, Tory and I, along with Farzi and two other reptanoids,
ended up in the nearest city, looking to hire workers. Nenzi drove.

* * *

"We made sure they could do as they said," I told
Arvil later. I didn't tell him I knew if they were lying. We found experienced
workers who knew how to operate the equipment. Tory sent mindspeech, joking
over the fact that Lendill might have, in his words,
a cow
, if he could
see what we were doing right then. I just shrugged, smiled at the inexplicable cow
statement and went on. The fields were plowed two eight-days later—rain had
come three of those days, which held things up a little. Arvil sent Carthin
somewhere to get the drakus seed to plant—I suppose it was a secret location
only he and the Hardlows knew. Ry said he could follow the signature path and
sent the information to Lendill when Carthin returned.

Delvin feels power signatures from wizards and warlocks. How
are you getting around that?
I sent to Ry. We were having an after-dinner
drink around the pool. Farzi and the others had been out in the fields,
supervising the work. Nenzi headed the machinery repair detail. He was
happiest, I think, when he came home covered in grease and muck.

Mom
, Ry answered my mental question.
She has a
shield around me that no wizard or warlock can crack
. When I lifted an
eyebrow, he explained.
She's mated
to Kifirin, remember? She's what
he is
.

And I didn't bow to her?

She doesn't like it.

Thank the stars
. I thought I'd messed up, somehow.

* * *

"I haven't heard from Reah since I sent Ry and Tory. I
get all the reports from them, now." Lendill flopped onto Norian's sofa. "Why
do you have a bigger office than I do?"

"Because I'm your boss." Norian knew Lendill was
teasing. "Why are you worried that Reah isn't giving you the reports? Ry
and Tory have more experience at this."

"They didn't know how Grish died, but Ry thinks Reah
knows something. He says she was out half the night. Grish was dead the next
morning."

"Did she kill him?"

"Tory says no—there was a guard posted outside all
night."

"Doesn't matter—we may find out who the Alliance double
agent is this way. They'll have to contact San Gerxon if they want to keep
getting paid."

"True. And I didn't shed a tear over Grish—he's probably been
smuggling drugs and contraband with his fruit and vegetable shipments for years.
That's how he met up with his Alliance contacts, most likely."

"Undoubtedly."

"I still want to hear from Reah."

"Then send her mindspeech."

"She doesn't like talking with me."

"You just don't like feeling guilty."

"Neither do you."

"That's why I put you on this." Norian was grinning
at his oldest friend.

"Do you think she'll ever get over this—all of it?" Lendill
leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes.

"No idea. Why are you worried about it?"

"No reason." Lendill's lie had Norian frowning.

* * *

"Have you heard from that son of yours?" Wylend
Arden asked Erland as soon as Wylend's guards left his study.

"Yes, Reah is fine. Ry said she almost knifed somebody
because they grabbed one of her people."

"Well, I can't blame her. Can you?"

"I would have put a spell on them, but the intent would
be the same."

* * *

Reah?
I hadn't gotten mindspeech from Lendill in a long
time.

Vice-Director?
I wanted to keep this formal if I could.
I was cleaning up in the bathroom before getting into bed with Tory.

Reah, Ry says that you were out half the night when Grish
died. He says he doesn't think you had anything to do with his death, but that
you might know how he died. I'd like that information, please, to put in the
case file
.

I stood rooted to the bathroom floor for ticks, trying to form
words to tell Lendill Schaff how Grish had died without getting the reptanoids
into more trouble.
He died
of snakebite
, I finally handed Lendill
the truth. I just wasn't going to give the complete truth.

And you know it was snake bite because?
Lendill left
the question hanging.

Because I saw the snake that bit him. Watched it crawl in
and then crawl out. Satisfied?

What kind of snake?

No idea. What kind of snakes are local?

Three that I can tell—that are poisonous, anyway. Field
vipers, white-mouthed adders and lion snakes,
Lendill replied. I think he
was looking the information up on his comp-vid.

Do any of those have a black pattern on their scales?

Only the lion snake
.

Then it must be that one,
I said
. Black, teardrop
patterns, one end to the other
.

That's a lion snake all right
. Lendill sent a mental
sigh.
And the death is
quick—you only have a few ticks to administer
antivenin. Grish probably didn't live long
.

So, no pain or thrashing about in terror?

No—it happens too quickly, Reah.

Too bad,
I returned
.

I see you didn't like Grish.

He was a murderer of innocents, Lendill.

Reah, I have a question for you.

What is it, Vice-Director?

Will you marry me?

Chapter 12
 

What's wrong with her?
Lendill demanded. Tory had heard
Reah hit the bathroom floor. Lendill was sending mindspeech to both Tory and Ry
the moment he failed to get a response from Reah.

Out cold
, Tory replied, slapping Reah's cheek lightly. "Reah?
Reah baby, what's wrong?" Ry stood over Tory, unsure what to do. He didn't
want to ask for a physician—that could be trouble.

Let me know if I should send someone
, Lendill instructed
his operatives. Lendill considered contacting Karzac—with a Larentii's help, the
healer could get in and out without raising any suspicion. Lendill just didn't
want the tongue-lashing Karzac was likely to hand out afterward.

She's coming around
, Tory sent. Lendill breathed a relieved
sigh.

Tell her
—Lendill began—
tell her that I'm serious. About
what I said to her
.
Tell her I want to talk to her about it when she
gets back. Tell her that it's making me crazy
.

I'll give her the message
. Tory cut off the
communication.

* * *

Tory was washing my face with a cloth that Ry had handed to
him when I came around. Had I truly fainted when Lendill Schaff had—no. He
couldn't have asked that. Couldn't have. Not with the way he'd treated me.