Worth Your While

by Connie Suttle

  "Are you volunteering?" Winkler lifted an eyebrow and grinned at her.

  "I guess I am. Just leave me with them, wherever they end up."

  "Then we will place them in your care on Le-Ath Veronis," Zarigar agreed. "Are there any good-byes needed?"

  "I'll write a note—if you'll send it back here," I said.

  "I will do it gladly. Come, dearest, your starship awaits."

  Parke

  I didn't wake until nightfall, when Trey and Grim lifted me from the hallway floor upstairs.

  "The President and the ah, mostly-contrite-but-still-a-little-racist Governor wish to extend their appreciation to all, and to express condolences to those lost in the battle, human and otherwise," Grim explained.

  "Where is Cassie?" I demanded. I hadn't seen her since daybreak, when she, Rob and two aliens took the Governor of Georgia to task for being an asshole.

  "We ah, have this," Trey handed an envelope to me. "I had a note from her, too, as did a few others."

  "Where is she?" I snatched the envelope from Trey's hand.

  "Where you can no longer reach her, I believe," Grim said. "A shame, too. The President wanted her to come work for him."

  "As what?" I growled, ripping the letter open.

  "A Special Aide to the Secretary of Defense," Trey cleared his throat.

  "No. Absolutely not. She's the Princess of Alabama, and as such, cannot resign unless I allow," I began before unfolding the letter to read.

  Parke, it began.

  By the time you get this letter, I'll be in another galaxy, or that's what Denevik tells me. Find someone else to be Prince or Princess of Alabama. I suggest either Landon, Peter or Jerry. They'd be great at the job—with a little help from an assistant or two.

  Rob, the sprites and I are going to help track Ver'Dak—he escaped and we're determined to make him pay for Cliff's death. Destiny and Beverly have come with us; Destiny has been promised a place where she can grow and learn as herself, rather than hiding among humans.

  Beverly is going with the Shakkor Agdah who saved the Vice President's family and escaped the yoke of their fellow black cloaks. She says someone has to speak their language and make sure they stay out of trouble. If I know her at all, they'll eat better than most people I know, too.

  As for you and me—we've known for a while that things haven't worked between us since I returned from the dead. I wasn't the same, weak-willed female you met in the beginning—the one running from Ross Diablo.

  No, this Cassie knows what she wants for the first time in her life. From now on, decisions that affect me will be made by me and not by someone else.

  Good luck to you, Parke, and tell Kate and Louise that I love them. You have a brand-new world ahead of you, anyway; one that now knows of the existence of elemental demons, vampires, sprites and werewolves.

  Have fun with that.

  Sincerely,

  Cassandra King.

  Epilogue

  Yosuke

  "And so the last viable fire demon has escaped this world," Zedarius sighed.

  "We owe penance," I reminded him. "She and a handful of others did our work for us."

  "I know. What can we do?" He studied his feet for a few moments. "The pyramids are no longer connected to us. We have our power, but little else. The pyramids answer to Cassie, now. All along, a third wizard was awake and working to save this world, and we never realized it."

  He was correct—the pyramids had chosen their own wizard and supported her in her work here. I also understood what Zedarius was thinking—that he wished to hide himself and go back to sleep, leaving the planet to sort out its own woes.

  "There will be a period of adjustment between humans and non-humans, now that the secrets are no longer secret," I said. "I believe we can help with the transition. Humans are still prejudiced against one another. How will paranormal beings be viewed as a result? As you can see, brother, we have much work in front of us."

  "It is a heavy penance indeed."

  "And not undeserved." I frowned at Zedarius, daring him to disagree.

  "Yes," he bowed his head. "Well-deserved. Indeed."

  Cassie

  "What is this place?" Destiny breathed as we were led through a grand entrance and a wide, ballroom-sized foyer lined with the most beautiful marble I'd ever seen.

  "This is our mother's palace," Travis told her with a grin.

  "Who is your mother?" Destiny's eyes were wide as she blinked at Travis.

  "Well, they call me the Queen of Le-Ath Veronis," a strawberry-blonde woman appeared and walked toward us. She was dressed in a beautiful tunic with trousers, and matching ballet slippers. "Mostly, though, I just herd people around and they listen because they're polite," she said. "I'm Lissa. Welcome to my home."

  The End