"No idea." Lissa sat down, too—she'd been through a lengthy Council meeting already—Aurelius was grieving over Reah's disappearance and Lissa didn't want to put him through the stress of the Council meetings. Aryn had volunteered, but she'd told him that she'd handle the meetings for the next month. She needed to get a better grip on a few items anyway. Lissa watched as Tory ripped up the flap of the old-fashioned envelope, pulling out the contents. Tory drew in an audible breath as he examined what had been sent.
"What is it?" Lissa was around the desk and beside her son in record time—even for a vampire. Tory turned the paper so his mother could see, causing Lissa to draw in a breath. Two photographs printed on paper. Taken separately and at different locations. One was Reah, standing next to a pool in what appeared to be exercise clothing. The other, with very little surrounding him other than a white wall, was Gavril.
"They are safe," the enclosed note read. "They will be returned to you, if you will agree to a meeting in the future. You will be contacted with a time and place." No name was signed on the message. As soon as Lissa regained her voice, she was shouting mentally and physically for Gavin, Norian, Aurelius and anyone else who might be listening. Tory, though, touched both faces with a finger. "I love you," he whispered softly.
Chapter 6
"There isn't anything. It's like a robot prepared the message and then sealed the envelope." Norian had gotten his team of experts to work on the envelope and the enclosed photographs and message. No fingerprints, no body oils, no residual anything. For all Norian knew, it had been created in a vacuum. It had been a wrench for Tory and Aurelius to hand over the photographs. Lissa, too, wanted the one of Gavril back—he looked to be all right and much the same as he had when he'd left Le-Ath Veronis, heading for the private school he'd attended.
"Could you tell anything from Reah's surroundings?" Aurelius asked. He was grasping at straws—even the Saa Thalarr said something was blocking their ability to Look for her and the Larentii had said the Wise Ones had issued a noninterference policy on the whole thing.
"That could be any pool anywhere," Norian grumped. "Perhaps a hotel pool, for all we know." Lendill walked in—Norian had sent a message to his Vice-Director, saying they'd gotten something on Reah and Gavril.
"I didn't get anything from Hild Marolla—he's hit a dead end too," Lendill sighed. Lendill had hopes that the journalist might open doors that would be closed to anyone bearing an ASD badge.
"Did you tell him that if he comes across Denevik, that Jayd wants to know immediately?" Lissa asked Lendill.
"Yes. I told him that the Kifirini King wants his subject to come home—all is forgiven," Lendill muttered, holding the photographs of Reah and Gavril in his hands. Lendill had even contacted his father, hoping Kaldill might be able to do something. Kaldill didn't refuse outright, but then elves seldom did that. Kaldill had merely stated that things would likely work out. Lendill had been even more frustrated after speaking with his father.
"Well, this blows my news completely out of the water," Erland sighed as he appeared suddenly.
"What news?" Lissa looked up at her warlock mate.
"Teeg San Gerxon just handed two of the rogues Zellar trained over to us, free and clear. We got information on three worlds that they started to drain. Teeg wants to lure Wylend to the dark side."
"Teeg's not a bad sort," Tory muttered. "Ry and I worked with him before. What if he's really going to put a decent alliance together? Have you thought about that? I know what he did to Reah, but think about it—she'd be in danger there and he might have wanted to send her home where she'd be safe. Of course, that didn't prevent this." Tory took the photographs from Lendill.
"I've gotten reports that a lot of the kingpins on some of those worlds have met with an untimely demise." Norian was smiling at the thought.
"It only makes sense to destroy your rivals," Aurelius pointed out.
"Could be that. But we haven't seen a great deal of crime as a result—in fact all my operatives are reporting downturns in criminal activity."
"That still doesn't help us with the rogue warlock problem. We still don't know how many of those idiots Zellar trained. I wish I could have been there to see him die." Erland clenched his hands, still angry that someone else had gotten to Zellar when he and Wylend had been chasing him for years. The fool had nearly drained Le-Ath Veronis through Gren, a half-fae and one of Zellar's first trainees. Miraculously, things had been set to rights for Lissa's planet, but they couldn't expect the same for any other world.
"What does Ildevar Wyyld think about all this?" Lissa touched Norian on the shoulder. Norian was Ildevar's adopted heir and sometimes privy to what Ildevar thought about things of this nature.
"Ildevar says he's waiting for a request," Norian sighed. "That's it—waiting for a request. He wouldn't give me anything else."
"Talking in riddles," Tory muttered, nodding.
"Reah looks tired." Aurelius had gotten the photographs back.
"And Gavril looks grim." Lissa pointed at her youngest son's face.
"More like determined," Gavin said. Lissa looked up at her mate before slipping an arm around his waist.
"You know they're holding both of them separately because they're using each one's safety to force the other's compliance," Norian grumped.
"I know." Gavin blew out a breath. Of Lissa's four children, the one who belonged to him had been the one kidnapped. Only Lissa had known what toll this had taken on her first vampire mate.
"Erland?" Lissa had an idea.
"What love?" Erland pulled Lissa to him and gave her a gentle kiss.
"Can Wylend contact Teeg San Gerxon? Have him help us look for Gavril and Reah? Would he do that?"
"You know Wylend worries about her too," Erland agreed. "Do we know for sure that she's there—somewhere in the Campiaan Alliance?"
"Hmmph," Lendill coughed into his hand. Norian did his best to look innocent.
"Norian Keef, you never have said just what her assignment was," Lissa's hands were on her hips.
"She, uh, was sent after Zellar. We think she might have been injured when Zellar was killed. Whoever picked her up after the bombing likely has her now. If they want a meeting with you, breah-mul, then they want something from you."
"But the note came to me," Tory pointed out.
"Then they have your name. Perhaps they got it from Reah, somehow. They may be trying to get to all of us through you." Norian was trying to piece all of it together.
"Le-Ath Veronis' policy is not to succumb to blackmail or extortion," Lissa pointed out. "If the note had come to me, then Grant or Heathe would have turned it over to Gavin and Tony, who would have pulled Drake and Drew in, and then the Council would be notified. Instead, they sent it to Tory. Perhaps they knew all of this, somehow."
"Nice way to move completely around the Council and the military," Erland observed. "I'll go have a talk with Wylend—see if he will approach Teeg San Gerxon for a brief conversation."
* * *
Teeg turned the handwritten message over in his hands. It had come to the designated spot—a deserted planet that Zellar had drained. Wylend Arden had sent a request, with the promise of a generous reward if Teeg did as Wylend asked—help him in his search for Reah Nilvas and Gavril Montegue. Teeg wondered briefly what Wylend would do if the King of Karathia learned that he was involved in both disappearances. Putting it out of his mind, he penned a reply.
I will do what I can regarding your request, Teeg wrote before sealing the envelope. Astralan would remove fingerprints and any other identifying markers before sending it to Wylend. Teeg sighed as he rose, stretched his lithe, muscular frame and then went in search of Reah.
* * *
"Reah, eat something for Em-pah Lenden." Why Teeg's bodyguard referred to himself as a grandfather, I might never know. I was feeling queasy that afternoon, just days after we'd found the blood and bodies inside the house. Teeg and his warlocks had been questioning our three captives, after checking them over for location beacons or chips. Teeg had certainly learned better on that. Teeg had also brought in the other six reptanoids. All of them were with us now. Teeg said they needed a break from Campiaa. I didn't ask.
"Come on, you'll feel better if you get something in your stomach," Lenden said. "Let Marc and Jusef prepare something for you."
"Reah, do what he says." Teeg walked toward the chaise where I sat beside the pool. If I felt better, I might have gone for a swim.
"I don't feel like eating," I grumbled at both of them.
"It's because your stomach is empty that you feel this way," Teeg grumbled right back. "Do I have to carry you to the kitchen?"
"No, I'll go," I slid off my chair and walked past him. He and Lenden followed me.
"Reah needs something to eat, Jusef," Lenden said as soon as we arrived. Jusef was already there, puttering around. I learned that Marc and Celestan had gone to the market to buy food. Jusef put something together for me—a quick snack of fruit, cheese and crackers with a glass of juice. Lenden rubbed my back while I drank the last of my juice. Teeg watched closely as I finished it.
"Oh, good, you got her to eat." Jes walked in. "I thought I'd find you out by the pool, but I see somebody beat me to this."
"Want something?" Jusef, the Amterean dwarf asked Jes.
"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.