"Glinda was, too, when she was pregnant." Garde showed up. He helped Lissa eat her portion. "Every High Demon female I've ever known has had a hard time the first four months."
"It might have helped if somebody had bothered to tell me that's why I was sick all the time," I muttered. "I thought it was because I wasn't fully recovered after the bomb blast."
"I didn't realize we'd find a crowd." Teeg walked in, followed by all four warlocks.
"I'm going to bed," I slid off my stool.
"Reah, you can't ignore me," Teeg said. "We're married, remember?"
"Did you hear something?" I asked Farzi. "If I could only skip, I could get away from the noise." I hobbled toward the wide door that led into the kitchen. Farzi, poor soul, didn't know what to do. He looked from me to Teeg and then back again.
"Stay there, Farzi. I can find my own way." I waved Nenzi back to his seat as well. Teeg was Lissa's son and he had a place here. Tory was also Lissa's son and Teeg's brother. I wasn't about to call Teeg Gavril. He didn't deserve that name. My friend was gone forever, leaving a stranger in his place. As soon as Aurelius arrived, I was going to ask him to take me away from here. I no longer belonged.
* * *
"She has two months service left," Norian pointed out to Lendill.
"But she's pregnant. We've let others go early if that happened."
"It's not an official rule," Norian said. "I want them to build up her strength and then have her heal Tulgalan. As soon as that happens, I'll sign the discharge. Not before. Tulgalan is home to seven billion people. Reah can keep them safe."
"Are you prepared for what may happen when you demand this?" Lendill snapped. "Torevik may kill you."
"I'll give him some incentive not to snap me like a twig," Norian huffed.
"And what would that incentive be?"
"I can promise not to bring charges of any kind against his brother."
"I thought you already promised that when you agreed to the meeting. Besides, Lissa will have your head if you charge Gavril with anything."
"Well, maybe this needs a little work, but I still command Reah, pregnant or not. She's going to heal Tulgalan, one way or another."
"Norian, you're going to damage my relationship with her, aren't you?"
"As my Vice-Director, you're obligated to uphold my decisions."
"I haven't disagreed with you until now."
"You want Tulgalan to die?"
"No."
"Then Reah does what I tell her to do."
"Norian?"
"Lendill?"
"I may want to kill you."
* * *
"Look, she already despises me—this will be the last time she has to do anything for the Alliance," Norian snapped. His decision, presented to Lissa, Gavin and two others, hadn't been met with cheerful acceptance.
"It exhausts her," Lissa said. "That can't be good for the baby."
"Karzac said the baby was fine," Norian grumbled. "Besides, we're talking about billions of people here. What's a few days of exhaustion compared to that many lives?"
"Norian, I understand your stake in this, trust me," Lissa held up a hand. "But that poor girl hasn't made a decision for herself her whole life. Now, you're going to do this to her. There's no compensation for this, Norian."
"The ASD and the Alliance owns their conscripts, Lissa. They do as they're told and they go where we send them. It's as simple as that." Norian was frowning at his mate.
"That sounds like slavery and not conscription," Flavio said quietly. He and Aryn were the other two invited to the meeting. Norian had asked Lissa not to include Gardevik—he would see this as an attack upon a High Demon female and her female child—both rarities on Kifirin. Norian and Garde had certainly disagreed on Reah's service to the ASD. Garde had suggested repeatedly that Norian discharge Reah. Argued that Reah was related to royalty. Norian had flatly refused. "The rule is wife, consort or heir to the throne. Reah is none of those things," Norian pointed out bluntly.
He and Lendill had gotten good service from Reah over the years. She could do things not many of the others could do. Norian found himself wishing he could convince her to reenlist. He realized that wasn't likely to happen—Lendill wanted to further his claim, as did Wylend Arden. Reah would be consort to the King of Karathia if Wylend had his way. And if Gavril managed to hammer out the Campiaan Alliance as he proposed, well, Reah figured into that as well.
* * *
"Reah, where are you going?" Tory stood in the doorway to our shared suite as I was about to leave. Getting dressed had nearly worn me out but I was determined to take Farzi, Nenzi and their brothers to Niff's for ice cream.
"I'm taking my friends to Niff's," I said stiffly, trying to get around Tory's wide body.
"Reah, all you have to do is ask—we'll bring you ice cream." Tory was frowning at me.
"Tory, I don't want it brought to me. I want to go to Niff's. Go play with your brother." Yes, I was angry. With all of them. I wanted to do something I wanted to do without having to ask for permission. Teeg had kept me confined—now I wanted my freedom back.
"Reah, you can't just," Tory raked a hand through his hair.
"Torevik Rath, don't tell me what I can or can't do. Teeg's done that enough for the past three months. Go away."
"His name is Gavril, Reah. He's your best friend. You've said that often enough."
"That is not my best friend. I don't know who that is. Go away." I pushed my way past Tory. I felt sorry for Farzi and his brothers—they'd had to stand there while Tory and I argued. They followed me out of the suite, though, while Tory watched us go.
"Always dark here?" Farzi looked around as we stood at the bus stop outside the palace wall.
"Yes," I sighed. "I'd take you to the light half of the planet but they'd come get us for sure."
* * *
"Bro, I'm still trying to get used to this," Tory gestured at Gavril's appearance. "But you did something to Reah. She won't call you anything but Teeg and it's usually with contempt in her voice." Tory had sent mindspeech to both his brothers to meet him in the arboretum.
"Look, she's just going to have to deal with this. It can't be helped." Gavril wasn't in the best of moods. Dee had contacted him earlier, telling him that Jes had disappeared and he couldn't locate the physician anywhere, although guards had been sent out to comb through Campiaa City.
"You could have let us know," Ry was still grumpy over the whole thing. Mostly he was angry with himself for not seeing Teeg San Gerxon as anyone but a stranger. In addition, three months of suffering, wondering if Gavril and Reah were still alive rankled quite a bit.
"Back to Reah," Tory snapped. "She's not even supposed to be out of bed, yet she took those reptanoids into Casino City for ice cream."
"You're joking?" Gavril was on his feet in less than a blink.
"Not. She snapped at me and took off with all eight of them trailing along behind her."
"Come on, let's make sure nobody tries to get close. I have no idea what Farzi or the others will do if they think Reah is being threatened." Gavril folded both his brothers to Niff's.
"Bro, maybe you should have warned us that you can do that," Tory was trying to get himself back in hand after Gavril set him down inside the sweet shop.
"It's not something I do often," Gavril muttered, searching the crowd inside Niff's for Reah and eight reptanoids. Spotting them in a corner at one of the larger tables, Gavril forced his way through the crowd with Ry and Tory right behind him.
* * *
"This very good, Reah," Nenzi loved his chocolate cookie sundae.
"I like it too," I smiled at Nenzi, although it took an effort to do so. The reptanoids were enjoying themselves, although we received several stares from tourists.
"Reah, what the hell are you doing here?" Teeg had managed to sneak up on me without my noticing. I'd been keeping an eye on the door but I'd missed him, somehow.
"I wanted to treat my friends to ice cream." I wanted to snap at him but I was too tired to make anything other than a weak protest.
"Someone would have taken you," Teeg growled at me, "if you'd bothered to ask." Well, he wasn't having any weariness issues.
"Do I have to ask you for everything? Still?" I stood and flung out an arm. "Are you and Tory going to dictate every single thing I do from now on? Go away, Teeg. It's over." I stalked past him as best I could.
* * *
"Farzi, go with her," Gavril sighed as the reptanoids showed confusion over what they should do. "Make sure she gets home—she looks ready to drop."
Farzi and his brothers rose to follow Reah out of Niff's. "Now what?" Tory's gaze was following Reah as she wearily stepped around three customers blocking the door.
"She'll come around," Gavril muttered, heading for the counter and his first taste of Niff's ice cream in more than fifty years.
* * *
"Farzi, this is my home. I don't come here often and it isn't much," I pressed my thumb against the scanner so the door would open. The reptanoids followed me inside and I closed the door behind Perzi who was the last to troop into the house.
"Reah lives here?"
"I used to. I can again until Aurelius comes home. I'll ask him to take us to the light side so we can see the sun." Wearily I flopped onto a chair in the reception area. This couldn't compete with Lissa's palace or Teeg's home on Campiaa. I had most of my salary in a bank on Le-Ath Veronis—I could support myself and perhaps buy a small restaurant. People would come if the location was right and the food was good. I didn't need Teeg or Tory.