The troops the Station Commander placed around the palace were being killed by the dozens; they had no protection other than their rifles. Those still alive were making inroads against the non-wizard attackers, until they drew the attention of Arvil's wizards. The wizards would carelessly toss a spell in their direction, and they had no hope of surviving those blasts.
Bodies, none of them whole, littered the palace and surrounding courtyard. The High Commander and Arvil were now surrounded by all seven wizards, and were being shielded by one of them—Delvin shouted that information over the din and chaos that continuously erupted around us.
We now fought in the courtyard before the Prince's palace; there were fountains and elaborate stonework there, all of it being blown to bits as each blast landed. Bel, Hish, Ry, Max and Tory finally came, and to my surprise, Director Keef, Vice-Director Schaff and six others armed with laser rifles were with them.
Bel had brought some of the hedge wizards from the desert, but all of them immediately moved to protect the Prince's regular troops, who were being slaughtered. Ry was hurling blasts of his own at the seven wizards, attempting to get to the High Commander and the one called Arvil. That divided the attention of the High Commander's wizards; half of them turned to fight off the new threat. Tory was providing a shield to his group, just as I was shielding mine. Hish was forced to help whenever huge chunks of stone and other debris blew upward and then rained down around us—I wasn't any good against a physical threat—only the magical ones in my current form.
Don't turn! Tory's voice sounded in my head—somehow he'd known I was thinking about it. Fleetingly I wondered why—I couldn't see that either side was winning this fight and my Thifilatha would certainly turn the tide in our favor. Tory, too, could turn and do the same. A large, decorative fountain was hit right after Tory's mindspeech came and the Prince, Alvis, Delvin and I ducked as water and chunks of stone blasted toward us. An arm came around my waist and I was physically pulled away from the Prince's side. Delvin's hand came over my mouth as he rushed me toward the knot of wizards surrounding the High Commander. If Delvin hadn't held me in the tightest of grips, I'd likely have been left behind. As it was, my Thifilatha still trusted him at that moment and I was jerked—not folded, jerked—so far away from Mandil I couldn't have said where we were when I landed.
* * *
"Reah," Delvin's voice whispered in my ear as I saw others land around us—all the wrong ones. "Reah," Delvin repeated, "Don't give yourself away." The High Commander, Arvil, the seven wizards—all of them surrounded me. "I swear I'll protect you. I swear," Delvin whispered again before letting me go. I jumped backward, knocking into Delvin again as Arvil pulled a ranos pistol from his belt and shot the High Commander in the head. Delvin's fingers closed on my shoulders once more.
"You won't fail me again," Arvil snapped at the headless torso. The ranos pistol he held had obliterated the High Commander's head, and blood and bits of bone were scattered everywhere. I could only stare in horror, my gaze darting from the High Commander's body to Arvil and then back again.
"At least one part of the plan went well," Arvil placed the pistol back in his belt and moved closer to run his eyes over me. "You belong to me now, boy. You'll be put in my kitchen—my last cook met with an unfortunate accident."
My mouth was open in surprise, I know, as I twisted in Delvin's grip and stared up at him. Bel suspected one of his, but he hadn't suspected this one. Delvin knew I felt betrayed—he could read it in my face.
* * *
"Where the fuck did they go?" Norian was shouting as his six, Bel and the remaining wizards corralled what was left of the High Commander's cronies.
"Campiaa, where else?" Tory was blowing smoke as Ry attempted to calm his brother. "They took Reah!" Tory shouted at the sky.
"Send her mindspeech—tell her to cooperate with them," Norian issued orders quickly. "This is our opportunity to see who is involved!" The Director was in charge and he was seeing the possibilities.
"What if they hurt her?" Tory was coming after Norian, his hands clenching and unclenching while smoke poured from his nostrils.
"Tell her if they are about to harm her, to get away. Otherwise, I want her to stay!" Norian wasn't backing down.
"Tell her your fucking self!" Tory shouted.
"I'll tell her, she already hates me," Lendill offered. The Prince Royal, with his trusted advisor Alvis, watched the exchange with interest.
"Bel, take your wizards and fire those fields," the Prince issued the command.
"As you will it, my Prince." Bel bowed quickly and gathered his remaining Rangers and wizards. Delvin had betrayed them, taking Reah with him and the others. Bel was hoping that Delvin still had a decent bone in his body and thought to protect Reah, since he'd been the one to grab her before they'd disappeared.
* * *
Don't change, Reah, don't fight them and stay where you are—we need intelligence from your current location, Vice-Director Schaff's mental voice was loud and frightening in my mind. I jerked when I received his mindspeech—I was terrified with Delvin and the others surrounding me. All but Delvin still thought I was a boy. Reah, did you hear me? Answer me!
I think I whimpered aloud before I answered Lendill Schaff's mindspeech. I hear you, I returned as best I could.
Reah, if they hurt you, you have permission to come away from there. If they do not, you are in a position to hand all of them to us. We need names, Reah, and anything else you can get for us. Do this, Reah. It's important. Remember the oath you took, when you came to the Alliance. You swore to protect it. Protect it now, Reah. You are duty-bound.
I shivered at his words. He expected me to stay and funnel information to him. Are Tory and Ry all right? My mental voice was sullen.
They are well. This is an order, Reah. Send information to me or to Director Keef—he can send and receive mindspeech, just as I can. If you desert your post, you will be committing treason.
He threw his trump card in my face. I was already considered a criminal by the Alliance. Now I might be guilty of treason if I didn't stay among these thugs and listen for what little I might glean while working inside Arvil's kitchen. I wanted to weep for being in so far over my head in all this. I couldn't. I could only stand in front of Delvin and shiver.
"I'll take the boy to the kitchen," Delvin gripped my arm so hard it hurt.
"He can have the sleeping quarters next to it," Arvil waved a hand. "Go ahead, but get back here quickly—we have to make plans to pull the seed from our fields on Birimera, instead."
* * *
"They'll expect breakfast when they rise, but that varies," Delvin said as he dragged me down a dark hallway. "This is Arvil's private home," he added. "And it's a fortress with guards around it at all times. Hop when he tells you, Reah, and cook as well for him as you cooked for us."
"You've been here before," I muttered, refusing to look up at Delvin's face.
"Yes. I have been here before."
"I regret cooking for you," I said.
"Reah, don't," Delvin hissed. "It was hard enough to do this to Bel and the others—they don't have a chance against what's coming. Keep your head down and don't aggravate Arvil. That will keep you alive just as well as anything I can do for you. I swear I'll protect you as much as I can."
I wanted to yell at him about empty words and false promises, but I didn't. I was stuck on Campiaa for the moment and had to fit in as best I could.
"This is the kitchen," Delvin hauled me inside. It was smaller than I thought it might be—the parts of Arvil's private home we'd gone through to get to the kitchen were much more spacious and better furnished.
"This is a cesspit," I moaned as I looked around me.
"He doesn't spend where he doesn't think he has to," Delvin snapped. "Reah, don't fight me or Arvil San Gerxon over this. Make do with what you have. Your sleeping quarters are next door," he pointed to the left of the kitchen. "At least your suite has its own bath. I'll try to find cl
othing for you. Be ready to make breakfast in the morning." Delvin left me standing inside Arvil San Gerxon's nearly archaic kitchen while tears slipped down my cheeks.
They said they were going to pull seed from Birimera, I sent. I was still wiping tears off my face as I made my report.
Thank you. Lendill's reply was curt as he cut off the communication.
* * *
"She's crying," Lendill sighed. "Don't tell Torevik. I think he'll take both our heads."
"I'd stay away from Aurelius too, if that sort of thing worries you," Norian observed. "Let's help the others burn drakus plants."
* * *
"Father, I am having enough trouble with my son over this. You need to stay here and help us convince him to wait." Gavin hadn't been on this side of things before. Aurelius had always been the reasonable one. Now his vampire sire wanted to go haring off to Campiaa to rescue Reah. Gavin would have done the same in Aurelius' place, but Gavril was panicking over Reah's abduction, too.
"Director Keef is leaving her there—she has already gotten vital information for them. In fact, one of the planets where they are growing drakus seed is the one on which you fought demons last." Aurelius jerked his head up at Gavin's words.
* * *
"At least we don't have to wake our cook." Arvil grinned as he led his contingent of wizards into his kitchen about a click later. "We'll have a decent meal tonight."
"Possibly not, Lord Arvil," I bowed to him as respectfully as I could. "Your thermostat is broken on your oven, Lord." I pointed to the digital readout on the outside of the oven, and then, using a mitt, pulled the thermometer from the oven. The reading was very different.
"Also, four of the six units on top of your stove do not work, I am sorry to say." I led him to the stove and showed him that only two were glowing red while the others were dark, although all were turned on. "These floor tiles are loose and crumbling," I toed one with my shoe, "because the dishwasher line is leaking. The dishwasher is also inoperable for other reasons. You have hard water here, Lord." I pointed out the calcium deposits around the base of the sink faucet. "I will serve you the best meals possible, Lord, but I must have decent equipment to work with in order to do so."
I was risking my life, I felt, telling him these things, but I would rather be killed over this than serve up poor food.
"Why do I not have a decent kitchen?" Arvil must have been in a good mood; he was smiling and tossing a hand in the air. "Come, boy, we will walk to my casino next door and you will use their kitchen tonight. I will see about getting these things replaced and repaired."
That's how I was allowed to see the guards surrounding Arvil San Gerxon's home, which was every bit as large as the Prince's palace on Mandil. A very high wall surrounded it, I discovered. We were led through a narrow gate, and a huge casino was revealed once we passed the high walls surrounding Arvil's mansion. Lights flashed and glittered around The San Gerxon I; it fronted a sandy beach and an ocean beyond that. I might have liked to go and watch the waves washing up on the beach in the moonlight, but I was commanded to cook instead.
"Master San Gerxon," the cook on duty bowed to his employer as we walked into his kitchen. We were seeing the night cook, as it was quite late when we arrived. The day cook would likely be better and more highly paid.
"Don't worry yourself, we have a cook with us—seems my kitchen needs updating, so we'll borrow yours for now." The cook didn't like it, but acquiesced to Arvil's wishes, standing aside and bowing us through with as much dignity as he could muster. He watched carefully too, as I took stock of what he had and then quickly prepared the same fish I'd helped Harding make on Le-Ath Veronis.
When night cook Xiri got a taste of what I'd made—I let him have a bite when I poured sauce over the fish on nine plates—he closed his eyes and sighed with pleasure. "Master, we could sell this for many credits in your best restaurant," Xiri exclaimed. I made a small plate of food for him after serving the others.
"Re, teach him how to make it," Arvil waved a hand. He'd tasted the fish, just as the others had. Arvil also had a communicator in his hand after his fourth bite, telling someone that he wanted his kitchen completely updated, beginning the next morning. He offered to pay extra if it were finished quickly.
"There, Re—you will have a working kitchen soon. Meanwhile, I think we'll put you up here in the casino until the kitchen's finished and you will cook for me when I am hungry."
"I will, Lord. Some of my best dishes take time to prepare, however. I will start one tomorrow morning, and finish it once you let me know when you wish to eat your evening meal."
"That sounds reasonable," Arvil grinned. "Is there more wine?" I poured more for him and topped off the glasses of the other wizards, Delvin included. I barely looked at him as he was served. How thankful was I that he hadn't learned I had mindspeech? If he'd known, he would never have brought me here—he might have tried to kill me instead. That talent was a double-edged blade, in every sense.
* * *
I'd never gotten to stay in a hotel before—even if it were attached to a casino. An electronic voice woke me in the morning, after asking me what time I wished to rise the night before. Delvin was pounding on my door before I was finished cleaning up. He handed several suits of clothing, shoes, toiletries and other items to me when I opened the door.
Delvin was trying to patch things up with me, but I wasn't having any of it. I was barely civil as I thanked him. I know, I shouldn't anger him—he was the only one who knew I was female and held my life in his hands, or at least my safety. Regardless, Lendill and Norian now knew who the traitor was.
* * *
"You think to teach me how to cook?" The day cook, Kiasz, had arms folded angrily across his chest.
"No, Master Kiasz," I bowed respectfully to him. "I am only here to prepare the evening meal for Lord Arvil, at his bidding. His kitchen is undergoing renovations, so he instructed me to come here. He is expecting only the best from you as usual," I did as much flattering as I could.
"Don't get in my way," Kiasz snarled and moved aside. I made preparations to make the slow-cooked rib roast. I watched it carefully too, throughout the day, beginning vegetable preparations when it came closer to the dinner hour. Master Kiasz glared triumphantly at me when Arvil ordered his midday meal from Kiasz directly. It mattered not to me. I just didn't want the pompous day cook to ruin what I was making. Silently I thanked Aurelius for taking away the need to visit the facilities.
I'd gauged Arvil's evening meal very closely, and the plates of food were served at a long table inside the kitchen, just as it had been the night before. Xiri had come on duty, but Kiasz had stayed to see how things went. The tender rib roast was served with sauce, buttered squash and longbeans with a leafy salad after. Dessert was oxberry puff tarts—I had no idea how they'd gotten oxberries but I wasn't going to argue. Xiri accepted his plate with a huge smile. I respectfully asked Kiasz if he were hungry, hoping that this wouldn't turn into another episode like the one I'd experienced with Master Cook Wyn.
"The sauce is incredible," Xiri didn't waste time voicing his opinion. Kiasz had a frown on his face as he ate—that is until he tasted the dessert.
"Boy, I know not who taught you to cook, but he must have been a master," Kiasz was eating more of the oxberry tart.
"He was," I hung my head.
"His father had too many sons, so this one was turned out," Arvil was enjoying his food and gloating over his new prize.
"How many sons did your father have?" Xiri was curious.
"Twenty-seven," I answered truthfully.
"Mercy," Kiasz muttered. "We will gladly accept the surplus. How old are you, boy?"
"Nineteen, but the physicians say I will always be small."
"That's why his father turned him out; he was the runt of the litter," cruel-mouthed wizard pointed toward me with his fork.
"As you say," I ducked my head. I learned then that Master Cook Kiasz had no love for that particular wizard�
�he began to treat me well from that moment on. Xiri, too, wanted to learn what he could from me, so he befriended me as well.
I kept wineglasses filled and handed out a second round of desserts to all of them. Arvil and his wizards were quite full and slightly drunk when they rose from the table to leave. "Re, be in the kitchen at my home tomorrow morning—my contractor wishes to speak to the cook about where everything should go. And another meal tomorrow evening will not go amiss. Inform Delvin, here, if it will be from this kitchen or the one in my home." Arvil walked out, followed by all the others except Delvin, who handed me a chip necklace.
"This will get you through the gates and allow you to purchase small things such as treats and haircuts," Delvin informed me. I hadn't looked at my hair lately—it was depressing to do so. I nodded—he was telling me to keep an eye on it and not let it get very long. "I'll be in the kitchen tomorrow morning, so you can let me know then what you want to do." Delvin walked out after the others.
"I will clean this up," I sighed in Xiri's direction and went to stack plates on the long table.
Xiri shouted at some of his night help, who came quickly to do it for me. Kiasz patted my shoulder and left—he was just as weary as I was and looking for his bed. I left right after he did—I wanted a shower to clear away the smells of the kitchen. I also took the last bit of the roast with me—Xiri packed it up and gave me a bottle of wine to take with me.
"That smells delicious." A man spoke to me as I rode up the elevator to my room. He was elderly—his hair was white and thinning.
"There's enough for two—are you hungry?" I lifted the bottle of wine. I might have never done something like that, but I didn't feel anything bad from this one. We ended up sharing a meal in his suite—he was wealthy, I could see that right away.
"You cooked this?" The man was astounded over that fact. "The wine is perfect with it, too."
"Yes, Master Griffin." That was the name he'd given.
Demon Revealed (High Demon Series #2) Page 7