Demon's Revenge (High Demon Series #5) (21 page)

"Ah. Slutty. I left my slutty outfit at home."

"Reah, there are plenty of shops here. Go find something and be there at twenty-two bells. That's when it's scheduled to start."

"Right."

"Let your assistants handle the desserts. Go now." Jerves was beginning to fidget again. I figured Rude Rjjn ordered his assistant to come and tell me because he was too cowardly to do it himself. Forcibly preventing myself from blowing smoke, I tossed my apron aside and stalked out of the kitchen.

* * *

"She wasn't happy and said she didn't have anything appropriate to wear," Jerves almost had a nervous tic as he spoke to Zendeval moments later. "I told her to get something at one of the shops and be there at twenty-two bells."

"Keep the assistants in the kitchen. Perdil and Master Cook Dardell will be on the floor, helping."

"How many guards do we have?" Jerves was now shifting from one foot to the other.

"Twelve. Not enough, but Nedrizif took away six of mine tonight for another project."

"Of course. If you need my assistance with anything else," Jerves sincerely hoped that wasn't the case.

"Get images of Reah tonight. Bring them to me only, do you hear?"

"Yes, sir."

* * *

The dress was nearly identical to the one Ry had bought for our visit to Starshine. I bought shoes that didn't have quite as high a heel. I had jewelry that was good enough to wear already, so I hauled my purchases up the elevator to change. I didn't have much time.

By the time I got back to the bar, the music supervisor was already making the an [makavenouncements for the rush. A crowd had gathered and most were drinking and likely taking drugs. I saw several who were already slipping out of their clothing. Feeling completely out of place, I went in search of Master Cook Perdil.

Perdil came to my shoulder, but I wasn't that tall. He hadn't gotten the instructions to dress appropriately, I noticed. He had on the slacks he normally wore, with a white shirt, the sleeves folded back a time or two. He wore his hair shorter than most dwarves I knew, and his eyebrows were trimmed.

Master Morwin, the Amterean Dwarf who'd tutored all of Lissa's children, wouldn't dream of trimming his eyebrows. Perdil wasn't Amterean. Likely he was from Liffel II, but I wasn't going to mention it to him. Most Liffelithi were too involved in crime and amassing fortunes to even think about cooking. Perdil was unusual as a dwarf, and he and Master Cook Dardell were standing together when I found them. Dardell appeared ready to participate in the rush, in my estimation.

"We're short on guards tonight," Perdil informed me over the noise of thumping music. Strobe lights were beginning to search out participants. Employees ran through, tossing thin mats onto the floor. The ads I'd seen had depicted people on the floor, the chairs, standing, against the walls, on the bar, everywhere.

I'd also seen images of the bartenders pouring alcohol in a participant's mouth as they were having sex. Of course, the ads made much of a single male getting attention from two or more females. I shook my head in disbelief as the first couple disrobed to the music and dropped to the floor. That opened the gates, with screaming, shouting and frantic searching for a partner.

Perdil jerked his head toward the western edge of the floor. I skirted frenzied bodies as best I could and took up a position so I could guard against violence.

I discovered my thoughts about Master Cook Dardell were correct; he grabbed a young woman who was already disrobed, lifted her onto a stool at the bar and buried his head between her legs.

"It's something, isn't it?" Zendeval had found his way to my side.

"I don't recall that this was part of my job description."

"It says other duties as required," Zendeval Rjjn pointed out.

"Then I'll delete that from my next application," I snapped, arms crossed tightly over my chest as I scanned the crowd.

"You look lovely," he almost shouted to be heard.

"Sure," I said, still keeping my eyes on the crowd. Was anyone expecting it? I wasn't, and I was watching. A young man was suddenly screaming as he leapt upon the bar, a knife in his hands. Zendeval ran, but I was faster. My foot barely hit the barstool as I used it as a steppingstone onto the bar, and I had the knife in my hand and the man's head whacked against the top of the bar before anyone else knew what was happening.

Chapter 10
 

"My records show I was conscripted by the RAA." I was trying to explain myself to Mr. Rude Rjjn.

"I saw. I just hadn't realized that you were more than I imagined."

"All conscripts get the same training."

"I know that." He didn't, he was lying. I knew it. He just didn't know that I knew it. He had no idea wh ^cia><="+at kind of training Regular Alliance Army got. "What did you do for the RAA?"

"It's in my records. I served as a cook." One of Lendill's rules was be as honest as you could. Always. That kept you from living more of a lie than necessary. According to my temporary records, I'd served as a cook for a military installation on Tulgalan. All six years. It listed my age as thirty-four.

"Why are you grilling her like a steak pulled from an ancient cow?" Perdil snapped at Zendeval. "Her records were available. It's your fault if you didn't read them." He was pacing behind me as I sat in a chair before Zendeval's desk. His private study was nicely furnished, but I was surprised there weren't any images of nude women on the walls. "And if you are short-handed and your guards are slow, be grateful that you had someone trained well enough to deal with that." Perdil meant the man with the knife. I had no idea how he'd gotten the weapon—it wasn't a kitchen knife; I knew that for certain.

"The guards are working on his identification," Zendeval snapped back at Perdil. "If he's a guest, then he'll be sent out on the next ship." Schooling my face, I watched Zendeval, wondering what might happen to the man if he wasn't a guest but an employee. I was afraid to dwell on that too long.

"I hear the rest of the rush went very well," Perdil sighed. "Zen, we are tired and it is late. Let us go to bed. You can laze about tomorrow if you want; Reah and I cannot."

"My apologies." Zendeval stood and dismissed Perdil and me. Gratefully, I rose and walked unsteadily out of his office. "Perdil, a moment," Zendeval called. Perdil rolled his eyes and walked back inside, closing the door and leaving me alone in the hall outside Zendeval's suite. Shrugging, I walked toward the elevator.

* * *

"That was one of our employees who went crazy," Perdil confirmed as Zendeval sat down again. "You know we get one occasionally who cannot be controlled."

"Then the guards should be discreet."

"They will be. Do not fear."

"My plans were interrupted because of this. I do not wish for this to happen again."

"Calm yourself. The full moon is coming. I believe you can achieve your goals then, no?" Perdil stalked out of Zendeval's suite.

* * *

"My King, here are the images." Mordis handed a comp-vid to Nedrizif.

"This is the little cook Zendeval is hiding from me?" Ned thumbed through the vid, watching the woman as she leapt to the top of the bar and disarmed the rogue employee. "Moves quite well, too, in addition to being beautiful. Does she visit the voyeur rooms?"

"No, my King."

"Too bad. Rumor has it that Zendeval will send her in with the others. He plans to make his bid, I think. Make sure our other buyers get these images." Nedrizif handed the comp-vid back to Mordis. "I may make a bid myself."

"My information shows that she is the cook who prepares the ice cream you like so much."

"What? Perdil did not do this?" Nedrizif was standing in an instant, outrage apparent across his features.

"No, my King. The kitchen assistants cen in were quite clear. Master Perdil did not do this. This one—Reah Windle—created this dessert."

"Then I will certainly bid against my cousin."

"Of course, sire."

"And I will increase the control I have over him," Nedrizif added.

"Of course, sire."

* * *

"Mom, how could this happen?" Tory rubbed his forehead with shaking fingers. He'd just met Raedah and Tara. Knew they were almost finished with their medical certificates. Met their mates, Philavik Weth and Rindavik Foth, even. Knew he had three sets of twins and their actual ages.

"Kifirin did this," Lissa said softly. "He gathered your seed and placed it while Reah was sleeping. Twice she woke to find him sitting on the edge of her bed, telling her that she was pregnant again."

"And that didn't sit well. I've been gone twenty-five fucking years, Mom. Darletta took those years and left me with nothing."

Lissa didn't tell Tory what she was learning from Norian about Darletta. Perhaps Tory had known about her perversions and blocked them, creating holes in his memory. Lissa shivered delicately as she sat beside Tory, gripping one of his large hands in both of hers. "Honey, you're back, now. That's all we care about. What did you think of your oldest girls?"

"Mom, they don't know me, and they should. I missed so much. They're grown, now. And I haven't done one damn thing in the father department for them. Reah must resent the hell out of me."

"I hope she'll sit and talk with all of us sometime soon, honey. We have to convince her that you can't remember much of the past twenty-five years. That it isn't your fault that you weren't there to help raise the girls."

"It wasn't fair. To any of us," Tory moaned.

* * *

Darletta was still in residence; I saw her a time or two with Faldin and perhaps one or two other men. She had a sexual appetite, all right. She always ordered sex by dessert every time she came into Galedaro's. Meanwhile, Jerves was getting more fidgety for some reason, and I couldn't figure that out.

"Jerves, do I need to take you to the bar and get you a drink?" I asked at one point, when he came to check our supply of gishi fruit. We'd received a few crates, but were running low on it. It was the same with oxberries, I noticed. I knew where to order those if nobody else did.

"No," he denied, shaking his head. He was terrified we'd run out of essential supplies, I could tell.

Off-day was coming, too, which coincided with the full moon. I wanted to do more exploring on that day. I hadn't had much opportunity, and I wanted to find out what had happened with the knife-wielding young man. None of the news vids carried any information. The vid-screens only supplied basic news services, and I couldn't get anything on my comp-vid. When I wasn't too tired, I worried about that.

* * *

"Open that one!" The angry one was shouting. Again. He opened the crate indicated. Fruit was inside, but it was the wrong kind. "Open all of them," the angry one insisted. He moved as quickly as he could to obey.

* * *

The cizeuicklycourt was full. Rylend waited behind richly carved double doors, but he peered through a small crack between them, seeing all of Karathia's nobility gathered there. Most of them knew what was about to happen. Ry hoped he and his father could control the crowd if they became angry when Wylend stepped down.

Griffin had also come. Ry recalled that Reah had called him the meddler. Ry hadn't seen Griffin since Wyatt's funeral. He'd changed. He looked old. As if the weight of the worlds had settled onto his shoulders. And, as an immortal, that shouldn't be. Most Karathians were nearly immortal but not wholly so, much like some of the Wizard Houses. Grey House was one of those. Ry, and Erland, through Lissa, were immortal, unless someone found a way to kill them. Lissa's power had seen to it. Now, Ry hoped that he and his father lived through the day.

"I abdicate my throne, in favor of my grandson and heir, Rylend Morphis," Wylend's voice boomed throughout the round hall.

"That's our cue, son," Erland said softly and ushered Ry through the heavy doors when Wylend's power opened them.

* * *

Greta and Alphine sat close by, recording the meeting that Teeg San Gerxon and Dee were holding with six leaders from the Campiaan Alliance. "The plans are working," President Drix from Avendor smiled widely as Greta and Alphine stood, raised laser pistols and fired into the gathered dignitaries.

* * *

"Teeg lifted both their heads." Dee paced outside a hospital surgery ward, waiting to see if President Drix and two others survived the shootings. Teeg was even now attempting to explain to families of the wounded that his assistants had gone berserk and started shooting. Dee, speaking to Lissa and Tory in the hallway, had no explanation for the actions of Greta and Alphine. Both bodies were inside the city's hospital morgue, waiting to be autopsied.

"Strange things are happening, Dee." Lissa patted the old vampire's arm.

"Like those murders on Surnath," Tory nodded his head.

"Tory, are you remembering something?"

"I think so; it's kind of cloudy, though. Something about someone in a legal firm shooting other employees?" Tory was searching for corroboration.

"I remember that. Happened a while back, didn't it?" Lissa said. "Nobody knew the reason. And then another killing at an electronics manufacturer, after that."