"Just the juice," Jes nodded. "I don't have a queasy stomach like Reah. Probably a side effect of all your injuries," he held up a hand when I started to say something. "You're still not fully recovered."
"Thanks for clearing that up," I muttered and slid off my stool. I couldn't decide whether the food made me feel better or not.
"Reah, we'll be moving tomorrow morning, so get your things together," Teeg was behind me quickly, a hand on my shoulder.
"I don't suppose you'll tell me where we're going or what happened with those three men?" I knew they were no longer in the house—the warlocks had likely taken them away.
"Now Reah, you should know better than to ask, now shouldn't you?" Teeg's hand slid down to my hip, squeezing lightly.
I just sighed at his words. Someday, when he wasn't holding Gavril (and I hoped that day would come) I would consider turning and slamming him into a wall a time or two. After I had the transmitter, of course, so I could skip away. If that happened, he might never see me again. Teeg watched while I packed. Then he insisted on watching while I changed into my swimsuit to get into the pool. He even got in the water with me, after removing all his clothing. Honestly, there wasn't a shy bone in his entire body.
"Come on, baby, just relax against me," Teeg urged after pulling me against him. Farzi, Nenzi and their brothers came into the pool with us, all turning to lion snake. Well, it only made sense that they could swim that way. Jes sat on a chaise and watched while eight reptanoids and two humanoids lazed and swam around.
"I'm not sure I've ever seen anything like this," Lenden was chuckling as he settled on a chair next to Jes, a drink in his hand.
"Every one of them would kill for her," Jes murmured.
"I like that," Lenden nodded.
"I wasn't just talking about the snakes," Jes added.
"Even better."
* * *
We were in a high-rise again and Farzi and Nenzi's six brothers had been taken back to Campiaa by one of the wizards. Now we were down to Teeg, Farzi, Nenzi, Astralan, Stellan, Jes, Lenden and Jusef. Jusef was more than enough in the cook department, so Marc had gone back with the reptanoids. Teeg didn't stop me from watching news-vids this time, so I found out immediately that we were on Shillverr.
Restlessness overcame me the moment we settled into the spacious apartment; something felt wrong about it. It wasn't just the apartment, either—it was the whole place. We'd settled in the capital city of Shillvas and the entire news vid had been about some sort of blight on a few exotic plants and changes in weather patterns. The governor's wife was complaining that all her rare orchids were dying. The journalist was poking fun at her in a subdued manner, but I was beginning to feel what those orchids were feeling. Something was wrong with Shillverr.
"Reah, I think we'll need your Thifilatha again," Teeg poked his head in the bedroom door as I was switching channels on the vid-screen.
Not feeling my best at the moment, I hoped he didn't need it right away as I turned the power off and slid off the bed. This, just like Teeg's other apartment, was luxurious. Beautiful artwork, fabrics, rugs, marble and stone throughout, and hand-carved doors going into the master suite. The carvings were intricate and whimsical at the same time—leaves, plants and tiny creatures that hid among the vines and branches. It made me wonder whether Teeg had paid to have it done or merely bought it as it was.
"When and where?" I asked, trailing Teeg into the kitchen. Rubbing my stomach, which threatened to become upset quickly, I watched as Teeg settled onto a barstool at the massive island.
"Come here, baby," Teeg beckoned. Not understanding what he wanted, I stayed where I was.
"Reah, come here. Jusef, can you throw a snack together?" Jusef, who was fussing around the kitchen, putting away a pile of food he and Lenden had gone to a nearby market to purchase, nodded to me and began slicing fresh nannas. When I still didn't move, Teeg tried again. "Reah, you look almost green. Love, you need something in that empty stomach. That's what makes you feel sick—it's empty, baby."
His last words came from far away—darkness was already closing around me. I have no idea if I hit the floor or if he caught me before I reached it.
* * *
"Come on, Reah, it's not that bad," Jes was washing my face with a cold cloth. Sputtering at the dampness against my skin, I woke almost as quickly as I lost consciousness. "You just need to eat more often. That's all."
"Reah, now will you come?" Teeg was grumpy—I could tell that even in my semiconscious state. Lenden was also kneeling beside me—I was on the floor. Jes and Lenden lifted me and helped me walk to the island, where a dish of fruit and a flaky roll waited. Still unsure whether I wanted anything to eat or not, I ate part of what I was given under Teeg's watchful gaze.
"We'll be going to a remote area here on Shillverr," Teeg informed me as I forced myself to eat more fruit. Jusef placed a glass of milk in front of me, plus a small plate of cheese cubes.
Later, I dressed in my leathers again, hoping we weren't going to snow covered mountains to accomplish whatever Teeg planned to do. Astralan was going to fold us to our targeted area, just as before. Lenden was frustrated that Teeg wouldn't allow him to go. Farzi and Nenzi didn't like it either, but Teeg was in charge and he reminded all of them of that fact before Astralan folded us away.
"We need to do this quick," Teeg whispered in my ear as we kept an eye on the remote cabin in a deep vale. Thick woods surrounded the small building, but the solar panels covering the roof were collecting the abundant sunlight beating down on all of us. I was hot in my leathers—Teeg should have given me a better gauge on how to dress for this. Astralan had landed us the prescribed two clicks from the cabin, so it looked tiny from my vantage point, high on an adjacent hill.
"Your smaller Thifilatha should be able to walk beneath most of these trees," Teeg pointed out. Nodding and doing my best to ignore the feeling of wrongness leaching up from the ground and even through the soles of my boots, I swallowed with difficulty. Sunset was coming quickly to this part of Shillverr—I knew that even as Teeg nodded for me to change.
Walking through thick brush and closely growing trees carrying a tall man isn't the easiest thing I've ever done. Teeg grumbled more than once when he was slapped in the face with a tree branch as I lumbered along. Still, he clung to my back tenaciously while cursing softly. I didn't use my smaller Thifilatha often—when I did go Thifilatha, it usually required the larger one. No matter—we were closing in on our target and more and more I was beginning to believe that Teeg was right—these residents were home.