Demon's Dream (High Demon Series #6) (21 page)

"Reah, don't run away from this. We're preparing a response; it will take two days to put it up," Teeg said.

"And what are you going to tell them?" I turned to Teeg. "Liar, liar, pants on fire?" The words were voiced in English, an old phrase that I'd learned from Gavril, long ago. Gavril. Just the thought of him, seventeen and still innocent when he'd been taken by Kifirin, made me want to weep. "Kifirin screwed both of us, didn't he?" I wept as I looked at Teeg.

"Baby, don't," Teeg pulled my head against his shoulder. "We'll get through this, I promise."

"I don't know how you can. Divorce me publicly, Teeg. It's the only way they won't tear you down. The Campiaan Alliance needs your hand on it to survive. As much as we have our differences, I know that. It'll die if you walk away. Divorce me now and be done with it. I should never have healed the core on Xordthe. Look what it's gotten me." I finally pulled my hand away from Teeg's grip and tossed it helplessly, still weeping.

"Baby, I haven't come this far, against such impossible odds, to let you go," Teeg said. "We'll have a response in two days. They'll bluster again tomorrow, and then it'll be over. Just hold on. Do it for me and for the others. If things don't turn out the way you want, then I'll listen after that. It won't stop me from loving you, though. Or Garwin Wyatt."

"Reah, come here, sweetheart." Edward stood and pulled me against him. "Those people can go fuck themselves," he muttered against my hair. "Come on; let's go check the trees in the western grove."

* * *

We walked on soft, black soil between rows of harvested trees, a breeze rustling through dark-green leaves. Edward had an arm around me while I wiped tears. When he wasn't looking at me, he had a grim expression on his face. Eventually, we were joined by Lok, Aurelius, Farzi and Nenzi.

"Honey Snake," I wrapped my arms around Farzi's neck while Nenzi crowded close against my back.

"They come close, they not live," Nenzi muttered. I was hugging both of them after that.

Did I think the first version of the venom leveled against us was terrible? That was nothing compared to what came on the second day. Other news agencies picked up the story and I was called everything from crackpot to dangerously insane. Many political pundits asked outright for Teeg's resignation. Of course, Cynthin Gerg was calling for the Council of Campiaan Alliance Worlds to step in and remove Teeg in favor of someone more reliable. And all because he had a crazy wife who made delusional claims about not being humanoid and belonging to the ASD.

I felt numb. What else could they do to me? I refused to talk to Kevis. He and nurse nasty had ruined my life. I think he knew how little I wanted to speak to him and blessedly stayed out of my sight. Edward coaxed me to eat. I didn't want to, but when I dry-heaved after a while, he convinced me to eat yogurt and toast. Farzi and Nenzi, so upset they couldn't handle being human, turned to lion snake and patrolled Edward's manor. The servants had been warned and stepped out of their way. Lion snakes weren't native to Avendor, so most of the staff didn't understand how dangerous they were.

"Come with me, baby," Teeg appeared at nearly eight bells. He led me toward Edward's media room, where a real crowd had gathered this time. Lissa had come with Gavin, Winkler, Tony, Drake, Drew, Norian and Thurlow. Jayd and Glinda were also there, for some inexplicable reason. I didn't speak to them. Glinda looked sad. I wasn't in any mood to attempt a fix for that. I'd been past that for a while, I think. All of my mates had come, including Nefrigar, plus Corolan, Astralan and Kevis. Ry looked angry. Actually, they all did. Teeg was grimly determined, somehow.

"Sit down, baby," Teeg said. I sat between him and Nefrigar this time. Nefrigar had altered his height so he'd fit the furniture. A blue hand held mine tightly as he leaned down to kiss me.

"The baby is fine," he murmured, kissing my forehead next.

"Here we go," Lendill said and used the remote to turn on the vid-screen. A special report was announced and Hild Marolla, an older and much respected investigative journalist, appeared on screen.

"Good evening to all in the Alliance," he said, using his normal greeting. "Tonight we bring a special report that I have been putting together for weeks now. I hope that it will disprove many current and popular rumors that have circulated recently. All these rumors began because this woman," a large photograph of Ceerah Kade was shown in an inset on the screen, "desecrated the delicate patient-physician privilege, in addition to blatantly violating the patient's rights laws that exist in both Alliances. We have done our homework on Ms. Kade and have investigated her background thoroughly," Hild Marolla added.

"You see, she has not always been Ceerah Kade. When she began her medical career on Tulgalan nearly half a century ago, she was known as Cedrah Dane. Although the charges there have been dropped against her since so much time has passed, she was charged with theft of controlled drugs, which she distributed for non-identifying Alliance credits. When the authorities came close to an arrest on Tulgalan, she escaped to Pridded, using the name Bynda Wark. There, she was accused and convicted of smuggling drakus seed, using her medical career as a front for distribution of the dangerous drug. Once again, when the authorities came too close, she escaped, using yet another alias."

Hild Marolla hesitated for a moment before continuing. "For years, Ceerah Kade has done this, hopping from one world to the next, paying shady members known for their criminal activities for false identities but always using her medical background as a front for her crimes. Until she arrived on Refizan, that is. There she took the name Ceerah Kade and began working at Sea Winds, a well-known psychiatric clinic. From the beginning, when she wasn't passing off fake drugs to unsuspecting recipients and selling the actual drugs to waiting dealers on the outside, she and her accomplice, Jalan Wolk, would break into the sensitive, private vid recordings of patient sessions and watch them as a source of amusement." Hild Marolla paused for a moment before continuing.

"If you are outraged at this information," he went on, "be assured that I and my investigative team are just as outraged. The ASD has taken Ms. Kade into custody, because there is no time limitations placed upon drakus seed distribution." Another inset was shown of Ceerah in cuffs, being led away by special agents. Hild Marolla continued his broadcast.

"The proof has been collected and at least sixteen deaths have been associated with her dealing of that dangerous drug. The other charges against her are nothing in comparison to this, but that still brings us back to her current victim, the one known as Reah Nilvas." A photograph of me was displayed in an inset.

"At first, I imagined that Ms. Nilvas was an unfortunate victim in Ms. Kade's scheme, and I was not wrong," Hild Marolla continued. "What I discovered after researching Ms. Nilvas' background, which was graciously opened to me, and after interviewing those who are familiar with her work, I can only say that I am astounded at the complexities of this woman. In order to illustrate what disservice both Alliances are doing her, and she is a member in good standing of both Alliances, I might add, I would like to take you through a journey tonight to show you just who—and what—Reah Nilvas is."

The scene changed and now we were shown a beautiful study filled with books and artifacts, all of it tastefully decorated, of course. Ildevar Wyyld, founding member of the Reth Alliance, sat behind a carved, wooden desk.

"Hello," he said, "I am Ildevar Wyyld. I'm sure all of you recognize that name, if you aren't familiar with my face," he smiled gently. "I agreed to this interview because a member of the Reth Alliance has been treated unjustly. If you will come with me, I will show you just a little of what Reah Desh Nilvas Silver has done for the Reth Alliance."

Hild Marolla was there, a camera right behind him as he followed Ildevar Wyyld out of his office, down an ornately designed hallway that I recognized from a trip with Lendill, and into Lendill's office. "Here," Ildevar pointed to the wall that held all my awards and certificates, "is a sampling of what Reah has accomplished for me and the ASD. She is currently working special assignments for us. Can you focus on this one?" Ildevar pointed out one of the awards that lined the wall.

"As you can see, hopefully, it says for service provided to the Alliance in bringing down the drakus seed trade," he said. "You see her name, here?" He tapped the certificate. "This one," he pointed to another and the camera focused on it, "This says that Reah was solely responsible for taking down Arvil San Gerxon and at least a hundred other criminals who were providing drugs to the Alliance and convicted of assassinations, smuggling and other crimes against our worlds. And this one," Ildevar added, "is for taking down one of the worst threats to both Alliances. I'm sure few of you have heard the name Zellar before tonight, but I assure you, for those who know, he was the worst of the worst. He it was, using the power he had, who tapped into the cores of many planets. He killed Cloudsong, Thiskil and numerous others. Many of those worlds still lie dead, as you know. You've all heard that somehow, the core energy leaked away, but you have not been informed until now how that was accomplished. Reah tracked Zellar for a very long time until she found him and the ones he'd allied with, destroying all of them. And this award, which is neither the last nor the least, recognizes her for single-handedly removing the threat of the controllers." Ildevar sighed and bowed his head for a moment before looking at the camera again.

"Reah, at great risk to herself, suffered a personal attack and other indignities at the request of the ASD, in order to obtain valuable information for the Director and Vice-Director of the Alliance Security Detail. After that, when she found they intended to bring their own controlling brains online in order to dominate both Alliances, she destroyed them, while saving nearly seventy women from being sold into slavery. You see, that's what was happening. These criminals intended to enslave all of you. Each and every one. Oh, they started by selling pretty girls they targeted at Stellar Winds, but it was scheduled to go beyond that. The blackout was their doing, my friends. Reah destroyed their comp-brain before it could go farther than that. And those women? They owe Reah their lives. Don't take my word for it, however. Mr. Marolla has interviewed some of them. I'll let them explain what they saw during that terrible time." Ildevar smiled and the location changed.

Four women sat in comfortable chairs inside Hild Marolla's studio. The "live" caption showed at the bottom of the screen. They were being recorded right then.

"I know how difficult this is for all of you," Mr. Marolla said. "But if you could, please tell me, in your own words, what happened."

"I was kidnapped from work," one of the girls said. "I'd gone to Stellar Winds about six moon-turns ago. I had no idea they'd marked me." The others were nodding; their experiences had been similar.

"I was kidnapped from my apartment," another said. "From a clothing store," the third said. The fourth and last one had been taken after visiting her parents.

"They transported us back to Stellar Winds, but we were taken in cages to a huge underground cave there," the first one said. "We were fed once a day and allowed to visit a restroom twice a day, in shifts. We were kept there for days, allowed a bath every fourth day and taunted and ridiculed."

"How large were your cages?" the journalist asked. I nodded when they said six blocks by six blocks. They weren't large and it was difficult to stretch out in one. "So, these were uncomfortable, to put it kindly," Hild Marolla said.

"There was nothing kind about the cages or our captors," one of the girls huffed. "We thought that was bad, but then the day of the full moon came. We four, along with several others, watched while they brought the white-haired woman in. We recognized her right away when they ran those awful videos. They were making fun of her, as if she didn't suffer, too. Her cage was loaded onto the ship, just as ours were. We weren't frightened at that moment, but we should have been. We thought they were just moving us. We were wrong. The ship landed us on the small moon nearby, inside a landing shield. There our cages were unlocked, men came in who turned into terrible monsters and we were assaulted and raped. Many of us required medical assistance afterward. The white-haired woman became very sick. I saw two doctors come to visit her cage afterward." The girl wiped tears away.

"And then what happened?" Hild Marolla asked gently. Another girl took up the story. "Two eight-days later, we were loaded into another ship. We were all frightened, this time. We remembered what had happened before. This trip took longer. Several clicks. I know now we landed on Cloudsong."

"One of the worlds where the core was drained by Zellar," Hild Marolla nodded. "What happened after that?"

"We found out that buyers had come. For us," another girl wiped her eyes. "They came and rattled our cages. Touched us in intimate places. We were all afraid. I could see, too, the huge, round things built in a corner of the castle. It looked like old photographs I've seen of castles, anyway. Several men were fussing over the round things, and several men and one woman, who seemed to be in charge, were talking excitedly about them. I was too far away to hear everything they said, but I did hear them say that it was coming online tonight."

"This was the night of the blackout," Hild Marolla explained for the audience's benefit. "Fortunately, we have obtained vid images of part of what happened in that throne room of Cloudsong's deserted castle. I'll show the images, and if you'll explain what we're seeing?" Hild asked. The girls nodded. A vid-screen lit up on an adjacent wall and I gasped. How had they gotten these images? How? I didn't know they existed. Teeg gripped my other hand, now. I was going to have to watch this, as painful as it might be.