Demon's Revenge (High Demon Series #5) (2 page)

* * *

"Child, I think Reah is nearly at the breaking point." Dee set a comp-vid in front of Gavril Montegue, known to the Campiaan Alliance as Teeg San Gerxon.

"These the figures for the defense budget?" Gavril ignored Dee's comment and scrolled through rows of figures instead.

"Yes."

"These pirates are killing us, Dee. Norian and Lendill are saying the same thing about the Reth Alliance. We haven't been able to track these thieves; they must have small bases on every asteroid and meteor between here and hell. And they can move in and out quickly, with lightning strikes that leave dead crews on empty ships while they get away with the cargo."

"Which they then sell to desperate buyerthiperate s at ten times the price," Dee nodded.

"While we're trying to make Campiaa as self-sufficient as possible, other planets aren't moving so quickly. They think we're supposed to be the answer to all their problems," Teeg added.

"They think we can hire Karathian warlocks to track these miscreants and get rid of them."

"I wish it were that easy. Wylend says it's extremely difficult to track a moving target, especially if you don't have a name or an object in mind in order to track it. These filth are more slippery than a Darthinian eel."

"I agree. And they want to bankrupt us and send us back into martial law."

"What did you say about Reah?"

"Nothing, child."

* * *

"Daddy, he's just dead weight. We don't need him, and it will cause too much of a stir if we get rid of him the usual way. Let's just get him to sign the stupid agreement and get him out of here." Darletta paced inside her father's office.

"Have you taken care of the little problem, first?"

"I have. I'm not stupid, Daddy. I just can't figure out why he doesn't look any older than the day I married him." Darletta fumed silently for a moment. "Anyway, the documents are ready and he's going to sign as soon as I set the comp-vid in front of him. We'll send him back to mommy as a surprise."

Dantel Schuul watched his daughter. He knew she'd found a new candidate to be her lover. She'd found plenty of those while married to Tory; she'd held Torevik Rath as a plaything for twenty-five years and she'd tired of him. Dantel didn't care; he'd just force Darletta's future husbands to sign pre-marriage agreements. That would leave his daughter's wealth out of the contracts, should they divorce.

Dantel had given up his ambitions for a political career six turns earlier. His time and efforts were better spent watching over his manufacturing concerns. Meanwhile, Torevik Rath would soon be a bad memory.

Dantel had never been able to use Torevik as he'd liked. A man had come; black-haired, black-eyed and dressed in near darkness early on, threatening Dantel if he used Torevik's family or connections for political gain. Dantel normally didn't back down for anyone, but this one held a persuasion that Dantel couldn't explain or deny. Tory had remained married to Darletta, but just as she'd said, he was dead weight. Dantel thought several times over the years of killing him so Darletta could access Tory's holdings, but something always held him back. Dantel couldn't explain that, either.

"Get him to sign the agreement and put him on the first passenger ship out of here," Dantel huffed. He was done with this meeting.

"It'll be finished in less than a click," Darletta promised and oozed out of her father's office, her expensive heels clicking on wood floors that few could afford, nowadays.

* * *

"That's it. We're done," Darletta pulled the comp-vid away from Tory and transmitted the signed data to the state's records a short while later. "You're free. Shoo. Go away." Darletta made a dismissive motion with her hand. Torevik Rath sat and blinked at her for a moment or two.

"We're done? I'm free?"

"I said that." Something must have c fi must hlicked in Tory's mind at Darletta's words. He stood, beginning to feel angry; that was something that hadn't happened in a while and he couldn't explain it. A stream of smoke curled from his nostrils. Darletta, who'd never seen that before, took a step backward. "Here's a ticket for passage to Le-Ath Veronis," She held out the small chip, her hand shaking. "Daddy wants you off the planet by the end of the day."

"I don't need a ticket," Tory snapped, disappearing right in front of Darletta Schuul.

* * *

"I swear I'm going after this scum myself." Lissa fumed at the dinner table. A shipment of oxberries and wine from Le-Ath Veronis had been hijacked by pirates on its way to Refizan.

"You could transport the shipments yourself," Roff suggested.

"I could. But we do a lot of shipping. Where would it end?"

"No idea. Toff sends his love and says Nissa, Yoff and Trik are well."

"Can't Glendes let go of those four so they can come home once in a while? Yoff is barely twenty, for Pete's sake."

"He says they stay busy."

"Well, busy isn't always good," Lissa pointed out as a servant placed the soup course in front of her.

"Mom, do you have a place for me? Darletta and I just got divorced." Tory stood at the entrance to Lissa's dining room.

"Tory?" Lissa rose and stared in shock at her son.

* * *

"Reah," Rylend Morphis dipped his head to me and offered his arm. As Teeg's ambassador, he'd escort me to Teeg, who was busy making small talk with this potentate or that. I'd seen Wylend off in a corner, talking with someone while Erland and Garek guarded him. Wylend had tried once, early on, to schedule a meeting between us. I'd refused. Ry had also refused a meeting with his great-grandfather. After Wyatt's death, Rylend had renounced his citizenship and went to work for his brother, Teeg. Teeg depended heavily on Ry to smooth ruffled feathers here and there among rulers and planets belonging to the Campiaan Alliance.

"Have you talked to Mom lately?" Ry asked as he led me toward Teeg.

"No. Should I?" I asked.

"Darletta and Tory are divorced. As of three days ago. Tory's on Le-Ath Veronis, now."

"I'm not surprised she didn't tell me," I said stiffly. Tory and I had nothing in common, except for six daughters and the claiming marks that still scarred the back of my neck.

"She says he wasn't feeling well when he showed up."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"I haven't talked to him, yet. I may get some time in the next day or so to visit."

"Ry, don't ask me to go. His girls don't even know him. Whose fault is that?"

"There isn't a way to heal that hurt, is there?" Ry looked at me briefly before turning his eyes back to our path through visiting dignitaries.

"I don't think so." My answer made Rylend sigh. He was perhaps the handsomest man I'd ever seen, barring his father and Kifirin. Kifirin appeared handsome, then marred his image by doing some of the worst things imaontt thingginable. Twice I'd found him sitting on the side of my bed when I awoke. Both times it was to tell me he'd manipulated a pregnancy with Tory's seed. He'd disappeared, too, both times, before I could scream at him. I hadn't seen the Lord of the Dark Realm in twenty years. That was fine with me.

"Here's Reah, now." Teeg held out a hand as Ry handed me over. I felt like a bit of superfluous fluff, batted from one person to the next, having no real purpose in the posturing and presentation.

"Reah, this is President Drix of Avendor. Where the gishi fruit is grown." Teeg placed emphasis on gishi fruit, as if I didn't know where it was grown originally.

"I love gishi fruit," I enthused, taking President Drix's hand. It was the expected thing to do. Right then, I envied Dee because he set these things up and then refused to attend them.

I wore a black beaded gown that was nearly backless, boasting only a few narrow straps to hold the thing on; my hair was piled on my head and fastened with jeweled combs and my nails would make any wealthy woman proud. Yes, I looked like the wife of the Founder of the Campiaan Alliance, but I wished they could see me most days, wearing stained or torn trousers, flat-soled shoes and old shirts I scrounged from here and there. Why dress up when there wasn't money to buy fine clothes or shoes? Those poor souls that Garde insisted on sending to me were paid a little by the Crown, but where would the money come from if they needed clothing or supplies that couldn't be had on Kifirin? I subsidized those needs from my own pocket. Who cared what I looked like while I worked the groves? It was better knowing that the sick ones had necessities.

"I'll send you a crate of fruit," President Drix smiled.

"You're so kind," I thanked him. The rest of the night went exactly the same; meeting with this one and that while muttering inane conversation as I stood at Teeg's side. He didn't need a wife; he needed a robot that could spew the required phrases and smile tirelessly while they did it. My mind was on my middle daughters and their claiming the following week, in addition to the two trucks currently in the shop for repairs. I hoped the vehicles would be ready to haul crates of harvested fruit to the barns and that the shipping freighters would escape the pirates.

On top of that, the new one with the back injury would be coming to the groves. I had no idea where to put him. The infirmary and apartments were full and I hated to contact Adam, an Enforcer for the Saa Thalarr. He'd put up the buildings in the first place, with help from Martin Walters and a few of the others.

"Reah, it is a pleasure to meet you." The King of Gorshil was holding out his hand.

"How lovely to meet you," I dipped my head to him. Kings got a dip of the head. The gesture was respectful and often required. Then came the one I was dreading.

"King Wylend." Teeg greeted his great-grandfather. Ry had disappeared when Teeg forged his way toward Wylend.

"Teeg. Reah. So nice to see you both." Wylend nodded to both of us. Every time I saw Wylend, I wanted to weep and pound his chest. He was at the root of so much pain.

"Wylend," I dipped my head.

"Reah, have you spoken to Lissa?" Erland asked.

"Not personally, but I have heard the news." I wasn't about to drag it out here. It would only make me angry.

"I don't suppose dion't su a meeting might be arranged so Lissa and I can speak with you," Erland went on.

"I'm afraid I have no time for the next eight-day," I said. "You might contact me after that."

"Reah, don't be rude," Teeg admonished. "You may have some time with Reah tonight," he told Erland. "Reah will be here until morning."

I felt like kicking Teeg for doing this to me. What were they going to do? Try to talk me into seeing Tory? I had no desire to see him. Was he asking about his daughters, now? It was a little late for that, I think.

"We'll meet in your kitchen, perhaps?" Erland sounded hopeful.

"Contact Astralan. He'll get you in," Teeg agreed. "We'll be along as quickly as we can."

* * *

"The least you could do is ask me first," I jerked my arm away from Teeg's hand later as he walked me through the tunnel connecting the San Gerxon Casino to his palace. Teeg had the tunnel built ten turns earlier. The underground passage was a safer way to get back and forth when he had to go.

"Reah, you need to hear what they have to say," Teeg growled.

"Maybe so. But do I get to make up my own mind once in a while?"

"Reah, don't."

"I could say the same to you, Teeg."

"It's half an hour of your time."

"Fine. I'm not spending the night. I have too much to do."

"You will spend the night."

"Teeg, you have guests. In your kitchen." Dee broke up the fight by appearing out of nowhere in the dimly lit tunnel.

"Thanks, Dee. I just have to convince my wife to come along."

"I see," Dee said dryly.

It wasn't just Erland and Lissa. Erland, Lissa, Garde and Wylend had come. I almost skipped away immediately. Teeg gripped my arm and growled. He knew what I was thinking.

"Sit," Teeg said. I sat. And glowered, my arms folded tightly across my chest.

"Reah, Tory is divorced from Darletta and is now home on Le-Ath Veronis," Lissa began.

"Ry told me," I muttered, refusing to look at any of them.

"Did he tell you that Tory isn't well?"

"He mentioned it."

"Torevik can't seem to remember much of the past twenty-five years," Garde said.

"That's convenient, isn't it?" I raised my head and looked Garde in the eye.

"Reah, we don't know what's causing this. He vaguely remembers Raedah and Tara, but he doesn't recall the others," Lissa said. Well, she could smell a lie. Maybe she was listening to Tory objectively. How would I know? It still made no difference to me. Tory had gone off and married Darletta because he was in a snit. Wylend had given him a half-truth, and Tory had retaliated.

"Look. It doesn't matter to me that he can't remember. It won't change things between us. I'm sorry if he's ill. If my daughters want to see him, that's their choice. They're all old enough to decide these things foembse thinr themselves."

"He asked about you." Garde was blowing smoke.