Drake and Drew waited while I brushed my teeth, and then folded me to Gryphon Hall. "Lissa, thank you for coming," Merrill murmured as he led us to a sofa in Kiarra's library. Extra seating had been brought in—looked like all the Saa Thalarr were coming. I was shocked when they began to fold in. Kifirin had told me once, when I'd been on Refizan, that there were seven, but that their numbers would increase. They'd certainly increased. Their healers came, too; Franklin, Shane and Tomas grinned at me when they appeared with Conner, Russell, Will and Martin Walters. Radomir leaned in and pecked me on the cheek when he appeared with Devin, Grace, Dragon and Crane.
The library was crowded already, when the Larentii came. I learned that Pheligar, Renegar and three other Larentii all operated as Liaisons for the Saa Thalarr.
When everyone else had gathered, Wlodek and Weldon folded in, Fox held between them. Kiarra went to Fox and hugged her. Fox wiped tears away.
"We called all of you here, because Fox received this earlier." Kiarra Pulled an envelope into her hands. "It is a message," she looked around the room, "from the Elemaiya, Bright and Dark." My heart began thumping in my chest. I knew trouble was coming. And I knew what that trouble was likely to be. I waited for Kiarra's announcement anyway.
"It reads," Kiarra began, "To the Ka'Mirai, greetings."
I was furious when Kiarra finished reading the letter. It was a demand, couched in flowery language, for Fox to come to them. To take up her "intended duties," according to their message. If she didn't, they pointed out maliciously, the Flakkar that were now devouring worlds were only the beginning of more terrible things. That pissed me off. Truly. And they were demanding that Fox meet them—on Kifirin. The High Demon's world. Well, things started falling into place for me, right then.
"Our hands are tied," Kiarra muttered angrily. "The Flakkar are still out there, killing twenty-seven worlds and there's nothing we can do about it. Fox cannot go; she is Saa Thalarr and prevented. These stupid fucks." Kiarra crumpled the letter in her hand. Well, she'd just used my favorite word. And it was an appropriate one, too. But she didn't have information I did.
"The Flakkar are all dead," I announced. Yeah, the words just popped right out.
"What?" Kiarra jerked toward me.
"I killed them," I shrugged. "They're all gone, now." Pheligar was beside Kiarra in less than a blink, and his eyes unfocused—he was Looking.
"The devastation has ceased," he came back and lifted an eyebrow at me.
"Do you know how the Elemaiya got Flakkar to these worlds?" Kiarra was staring at me now. "They don't have the talent to gather them—the Flakkar would just as soon eat them, like they do any other humanoid."
"They're asking Fox to come to Kifirin for a reason," I looked at Fox, who was biting her lip as she gazed back at me. "I know you can't lie, so I'll draft a message to the Elemaiya. I'll tell them Fox is coming. Only I'll be there—waiting for them when they show up. I have a feeling that when they do show up, they'll be bringing a bunch of friends with them." I was angry. Very, very angry. And a showdown was in the works. Somebody was going down. Right then, though, I didn't know if it would be me or them.
* * *
"Kifirin, I want to send the comesuli to Le'Ath Veronis. Just for a while," I said. "We need to make it look as if they've gone back to their own world, which I guess they will. We can put out the rumor that they insisted on it."
"It won't be a rumor—they are insisting on it," Kifirin leaned down to kiss me. I'd sent mindspeech and miraculously he'd heard me. We were standing on the lawn in front of the villa, and fireflies were winking here and there around us. It was so beautiful there on that mid-May evening. The scent of the grass was sweet and the flower gardens surrounding the villa were all in bloom. "When should I take them?" Kifirin asked, a bit of smoke trailing from his nostrils as he nuzzled my collarbone.
"In two days," I said. "Do you think they can be ready by that time?"
"They are prepared to go now," Kifirin said, smiling and taking my hands to kiss them. "There is something you should know, avilepha. There are eight hundred Croth and Drith who have thrown in their lot with the others."
"I thought that might be the case," I nodded, watching his hands as they gently massaged mine. "I want to get the comesuli out quickly so they won't suffer losses like they did before. Hardly any High Demons died—the good ones, anyway, but the comesuli died in the thousands."
"I know this," Kifirin agreed, sighing. "We will do this, love. I will do this for you."
"Thank you," I smiled up at him.
* * *
"Can you get me to the Black Ra'Ak?" Kyler answered my mindspeech and now she considered my question.
"I can get you to the King of the Black Ra'Ak," Kyler said, dimpling. I'd stretched out with some of my newly discovered talents, and learned that Kyler was instrumental in bringing the Black Ra'Ak (the few that still lived, anyway) on board when the Copper Ra'Ak attacked Kifirin before. They'd helped fight off their Copper cousins.
"Good enough," I smiled at my niece. She took me to see Youon, King of the Black Ra'Ak. He was in humanoid form and stood six feet tall, with light-brown hair and green eyes. He invited us into his library to talk. I stared at shelf upon shelf of books—in languages I would have to translate to read. I didn't think his Copper cousins bothered to read; they were too busy causing trouble and eating people. I laid out my best offer to Youon. He thought about it.
"If we can continue to take from the worlds not worth saving as we do now, to feed ourselves," he nodded. "We are selective—we always have been. We do not take young. That has always been against our code. We are also selective in the ones we take to turn to Ra'Ak."
"Like the vampires do?" I asked.
"Similarly—yes. We look for those with redeeming qualities. We also feed upon animals, as you know. We take humanoids six times in every cycle, and those are always criminals."
"Six times a year," Kyler translated for me. "They raise their own animals, otherwise."
"I can live with that, as long as you keep to those rules," I agreed. "How often do you reproduce?"
"We keep our numbers at a constant," Youon informed me. "We lose some to punishment, or one is killed upon occasion. We are powerful as you know, but we can be killed." He smiled at me as he said that. He and I both knew what I could do.
* * *
"Lissa, I don't understand this at all," Gavin paced while I watched. Drake and Drew had come, along with Shadow and Connegar. Erland Morphis had brought Gabron for me on the condition that he be allowed to stay. Tony had also come; I almost cried when he showed up.
"Gavin, you don't have to understand it. You just have to stand behind me on this."
"I will support Lissa," Gabron said.
"I also support Lissa," Karzac walked in. I hadn't seen him since I'd hauled him around as mist in a jungle.
"I support Lissa," Kifirin folded in; he'd brought Roff with him.
"I support my Raona," Roff said.
"I support my little rose," Connegar said, causing Gavin to turn sharply in his direction.
"I also support Lissa," Erland Morphis declared. I wasn't sure he had a vote but he acted as if he did.
"Lissa, I don't like you going back into this," Shadow said.
"I know, honey, but right now this is the best plan we have."
"We are about to go into cardiac arrest," Drew said, pointing to himself and his brother.
"If this doesn't work then we'll all be gone soon," I said. "I don't think any of them are holding anything back this time."
"You mean every Copper Ra'Ak in existence is going to be there?" Shadow asked, sitting down hard on a barstool. We were holding our meeting in the kitchen at the villa. "How many of them are there?"
"Nearly thirty thousand," Connegar supplied the numbers.
"May the stars be merciful," Shadow whispered.
"Those numbers do not include the High Demons that have allied with the Ra'Ak or the Elemaiya, both Bright and
Dark," Connegar added.
"Honey, you're not helping," I pointed out gently.
"Lissa, baby, are you sure you know what you're doing?" Griffin folded in. I heaved a huge sigh. I wasn't sure I appreciated my father showing up, but I didn't say anything, choosing to answer his question instead.
"I think I do. We'll know soon enough."
"Then I can't stop you, sweetheart. Just bear in mind I can't lose you a second time. Don't ask that of me."
"I hope I'm not asking that of any of you," I said. "But we'll just have to wait and see, won't we?"
"Lissy, tell me you know what you're doing," Tony begged.
"Tony, if I don't, it won't matter anyway," I informed him gently.
I was still up two hours later—after most of them had gone off to argue further among themselves. I just couldn't deal with it anymore. The only two left now were Karzac and Griffin.
"I took Karzac to see Belen yesterday," Griffin said, setting a cup of tea in front of me. I was zoned out, staring into space and not thinking about anything, mostly. My mind had gone into overload and I had just shut it off. Tomorrow would go as it would.
"Why did Karzac need to see Belen?" Griffin's statement brought me back to Earth.
"I, uh, asked him for a M'Fiyah," Karzac muttered.
"Can you ask for those things? Conner told me they were set in stone before we're born." I searched Karzac's face—he was usually so strong and sure, but now his face held a bit of uncertainty. I was about to get my heart broken again, I just knew it.
"They are," Griffin agreed, watching me carefully. I leaned my face into my arms at the island. "But as you know, Pheligar muted his for nearly fourteen thousand years before it manifested."
"True," I sat back up and sighed. I wasn't going to point out that Griffin had destroyed the one I'd had with Merrill. Griffin nodded anyway. He'd caught my thoughts. "What does Pheligar have to do with this?" I asked, steering the conversation away from shaky topics.
"You remember Thorsten?"
"I never met him, but I understand he was in charge when I helped Dragon on Refizan. I know it was a long time ago for both of you. For me, it has only been a little while. All those memories are still fresh."
"And Thorsten interfered then, too. Just as he did so many other times," Griffin said, sitting beside me. "Thorsten was punished for some of his misdeeds; Belen sent him back to the beginning. Thorsten muted the M'Fiyah Karzac had with you, baby. Karzac felt a twinge anyway while he was with you on Refizan, but it wasn't full-blown as it should have been. Belen released the muting, Lissa. Karzac is yours if you want him."
I went numb. There were now so many new things chasing through my mind, and I couldn’t grab onto any one of them and hold on for longer than a blink. "But what about Grace and Devin?" I almost choked on those words.
"They know already. They have already informed me that they are happy to share. You should have been my first love, Lissa," Karzac moved Griffin aside so he could stroke my hair. "Lissa, it still pierced my heart the first night you were with Dragon and me, and you asked me how much night was left before going out and treating Solar Red to some of their own medicine. You touched me first. I've never had a woman come to me. I liked it. And then you came haring after me and Jeff, just to pull us and many others out of a terrible situation. I had to ask Belen. I wanted you so badly by that time I couldn't handle it anymore. Say you want us, little firefly."
"Karzac, I wouldn't still be here if I didn't," I grumbled, putting my arm around his waist.
"That is all I need to know," he said and bent down to kiss me.
Karzac followed me to bed, placing me in a healing sleep before I could even argue with him about it. Fox was supposed to give herself over to the Elemaiya at noon the following day on the steps of the High Demons' palace. I needed my sleep for that, and Karzac made sure I got it.
* * *
Pheligar folded all of us, including every Saa Thalarr, ever healer and every Spawn Hunter and a few extras—mates and such, to the palace in Veshtul the following morning. I dressed carefully and for effect. Fox was nearly jumping out of her skin at every little noise and Gilfraith, the expatriate Ra'Ak who loved her so much he couldn't stand it, was doing his best to calm her down.
"If this doesn't work," I quietly told Connegar in a corner of the suite we'd been given to prepare, "will you fold Fox to the Larentii homeworld? That's the only place I know where she'll be safe for as long as possible."
"I will do this for you if things go badly," Connegar promised. "The Larentii homeworld will be the last to fall as it was the first to be made."
I nodded mutely at his words. Kiarra was pacing off to the side. I looked around me—the suite was luxurious. The High Demons had spared no expense when the palace was built, and it was beautiful. I remembered Kifirin once told me a vampire designed it. Not a High Demon—a vampire. That made me hold my head up. My Inner Circle—that's what Kifirin called them—were standing guard around me. Karzac looked as fierce as any physician could; Drake and Drew were there in full battle gear—black leathers, head to toe, and two blades strapped across their backs. I could see either one of them as Warlord on Falchan at that moment. They were allowed to protect their mate—they were the only Saa Thalarr or Spawn Hunters standing with me. Gabron was nearby, watching everything and everybody intently, although his body was as still and straight as a blade. Shadow was there, dressed in modified Wizard's robes. They wouldn't hinder him, and he wore the blue of his trade. Shadow was ready to put a spell on anything that moved. Roff had come, although he wasn't prepared as well as the others. He'd insisted on being there; all other comesuli, including Giff and Toff, had been moved to Le-Ath Veronis by Kifirin. Erland Morphis had come with Gabron, and he radiated with Power. I discovered Erland held a lot of Power, and wouldn't hesitate to use it if it were necessary. Gavin and Tony were also there, dressed comfortably for ease of movement. Someone had given Tony blood; he was standing there in daylight. I figured it had to be one of the twins. Last of all, and it came as a shock to me, Gardevik Rath came forward to stand with the others. I shook my head at his appearance, but I didn't say anything.
"Are you prepared?" Kifirin folded in at the last moment. I nodded.
"Then I will create the disguise," Connegar offered, placing his hands on my face.
Chapter 15
I looked exactly like Fox. For the moment, anyway, as I misted down the steps of the palace. I materialized on the third from the bottom and surveyed the palace courtyard before me. It was empty—for the moment. Jayd and Garde had warned everyone else away. Connegar was shielding the others from view; my posse—my Inner Circle, was standing at my back. I only had to wait a few seconds before the empty space in the palace courtyard began to fill. Ra'Ak were folding in by the thousands, and all were in Ra'Ak form. None had come as humanoid. Somewhere amid that sea of Copper Ra'Ak, High Demons materialized in Full Thifilathi. They'd come for a lynching, it seems. Then, when nearly all the Ra'Ak were present and all the High Demons were present, the last few Ra'Ak folded in with the Elemaiya. I was staring at the newly crowned Ra'Ak Prince, the Queen of the Bright Elemaiya and the King of the Dark Elemaiya. I'd seen both of the latter before.
"I see you made the wise decision," the Ra'Ak Prince growled around his serpent-like tongue and multitude of teeth.
"Perhaps. But before we go any farther, you should inform your allies of what it is, exactly, you intend to do afterward."
"That is of little consequence," the Ra'Ak Prince snapped. "Come to the Elemaiya. I care not what they do with you."
"Yes you do," I snarled. "You want the Ka'Mirai for yourself. You can cause a lot of trouble that way, can't you?" Elemaiya hissed at my words—they didn't believe. "You're here to take the planet," I pointed at the Ra'Ak Prince. "Your High Demon friends back there think you're going to hand it over to them, don't they? Only that's not the plan. You think to rule the Dark Realm yourself. You think you have that power, don't you?"
"We have the power. Stop this immediately and I may allow you to live." His words brought protests from both Elemaiyan camps. They were desperate to get their hands on Fox for some reason. The Ka'Mirai could turn back time for them—I knew that much—but hadn't gone into any of their reasons for wanting to do so. The Ra'Ak, too, wanted something from the Ka'Mirai, and it was too terrible to contemplate. That had been a part of their agreement when they bargained with the Elemaiya, only they intended to take Fox for themselves and destroy the rest. I shoved those thoughts aside.
A voice now whispered in my mind. I'd heard it before, when it told me of the gates in my dream. And it had explained to me then, just why I was still alive. It gave me a choice, too. That choice had been frightening at the time. But now, I was forced to make the choice, just as I'd done once before. I was choosing a path, so others might live. Now, it was time to act. Time to see what I was made of. Time.
"Then it may interest you to know," I said, flinging off Connegar's disguise, "that I am removing the rule of the Dark Realm from the High Demons." I held out my arms and Pulled Power to me. It answered so readily to my call, prepared to do anything I asked of it. Light formed around me as I gathered energy, but I ignored it. My Inner Circle was pulling in to surround me, and I was only peripherally aware. More Power came and my light grew brighter. Many of the Ra'Ak were now turning their heads—their eyes were the most sensitive and vulnerable thing about them. I'd learned that the first time I'd fought them.
"Who are you?" The Bright Queen demanded. Winds were picking up now, whipping and swirling around me. I'd left my hair loose intentionally. The Elemaiya knew I wasn't the Ka'Mirai—had known for several seconds. The Bright Queen and Dark King both recalled seeing me before, with Kifirin. They were afraid to approach me. I pulled the last of the Power to me that I needed, holding it to me. I was shining as brightly as a star by that time. Connegar or someone shielded the eyes of my Inner Circle—they stood straight and strong, unblinking, behind me.
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