Demon Revealed (High Demon Series #2) (23 page)

I didn't want to watch Grish eat lunch later, so I asked for a
sandwich and went outside on Grish's patio. He had a beautiful pool, but I had
my doubts that he ever used it. Plenty of comfortable chairs were set beneath
umbrellas, with small tables sitting nearby. Farzi, Nenzi and the others came
out to join Ry, Tory and me.

"I am Darzi," one of the reptanoids sat at the foot
of my lounge chair. Chazi, Perzi, Yanzi, Bekzi and Hirzi introduced themselves
as they sat nearby. Ry was smiling. The last six had never given me their names
before. Now we were all sitting around Grish's pool, having lunch together.

"Master Arvil wishes to see fields this afternoon,"
Farzi frowned as he stared into the distance. "We all go."

"Then we'll all go." I gave Farzi a small smile.

"Yes, we all go," Farzi nodded to me. I didn't know
if Arvil wanted me along, but Farzi did. A hoverbus took us after lunch—one of
Grish's staff drove but I could see Nenzi clenching his hands—he wanted to
drive. I rubbed his back in consolation as we got off the bus. The fields around
us had been harvested, but the plowing hadn't been done for the next crop. Arvil
hadn't failed to notice that. Grish didn't come with us—a lesser assistant held
a comp-vid with Grish in constant contact on the other end.

"How long will it take to plow this field?" Wilffox asked
Grish's image.

"Two days for this one, two to three days for similar
fields," the assistant relayed the message.

"And how many do you have that are this size?" I
looked around at the field—I could see trees marking the boundaries far off in
the distance.

"More than a hundred," the assistant smiled.

"How many fields can we plow at once?"

"We have the equipment to plow fifteen fields
simultaneously," Grish's voice came over the comp-vid. "This allows
for planting and harvesting the same fields at the same time. It is a rotating
schedule—as soon as the crops planted first are harvested, the next fifteen
fields are ready. We get optimum use out of the employees and the machinery. I
have a repair staff to take care of any breakdowns. The only thing that might
slow us down is the weather."

"We could have these fields plowed and planted in a
moon-turn or less," Arvil was smiling at Wilffox and Wilffin.

"We'll give you fifteen percent of the take," Wilffox
offered.

"Twenty-five," Grish counter-offered. I listened,
wanting to sigh at the haggling going on via comp-vid. They were discussing
lives and the future of the Alliance, while we stood on a field that should be
planted with legitimate crops to feed hungry people. The most deadly drug known
to the Alliance would be raised there instead. I schooled my face into non-expression
and kicked at the clods of dirt beneath my feet.

"Farzi—how often does it rain here—do you know?" I
asked him. He turned his brown, slitted eyes to me.

"It rain often here. Perhaps once or twice each eight-day.
Seldom do sprinklers need use."

"The nearest village or city?"

"Two clicks that way," Farzi pointed to the north. "By
hovercar. Large city—find what you need there."

"Reah is missing something?" Nenzi looked hopeful.

"Not yet, but if I do, I want you to drive me," I
grinned at him.

We flew the hoverbus over many other fields—I saw them
stretching out as far as I could see. More fields extended beyond that, even,
with citrus groves and nut trees interspersed. It made me wonder how much of
the fruit and vegetables Grish supplied to non-Alliance worlds and if there
would be a shortage as a result of the fields being used to grow drakus seed
instead. I posed my question mentally to Ry and Tory on the way back to Grish's
plantation.

No idea
, Tory replied. Ry didn't know either.

Ask somebody to get Chash to work it out for me
, I suggested.
Tory sent mindspeech to his mother.

Mom says it's a good problem for him to focus on
, Tory
lowered his head to hide the smile.
Gav misses you
.

We had dinner with Grish, and once again the food was bland
and certainly not what we were used to. Grish wasn't concerned for his guests;
we were served what he would eat and nothing more. That's why I answered the
knock on my bedroom door later in my pajamas with Ry and Tory right behind me. Thankfully,
they were still dressed. Wilffox, Astralan and Stellan stood outside my suite.

"Reah, we would very much like for you to prepare dinner for
our party tomorrow evening," Wilffox said.

"I'll be happy to, but I don't want to offend our
host."

"As long as he gets what he wants, I don't believe Grish
can
be offended." I covered my mouth—I didn't want the snicker to escape at Wilffox's
words. "His kitchen staff, however, may be a different story."

"Yes, if they're anything like his personal assistant,
then there could be a problem," I agreed. "I get the idea that they
are running things—Grish is kept around as a figurehead only—he has the
contacts. He no longer runs his business, I think."

"Interesting concept—I'll have my people work on
that," Wilffox nodded to me. Astralan winked at me before he turned to
follow Wilffox. I closed the door and put my back to it, staring at Tory and
Ry.

What was that about?
I sent.

I think they like your food
, Ry returned.

Baby, can we get in bed now?
Tory was a little
impatient, I think.

"Let's go." I took Tory's hand and pulled him toward
my bedroom. Ry was muffling laughter when we closed the door.

"Avilepha, I don't know how patient I can be," Tory
was busy unbuttoning my blouse. "The first time after the claiming is the
linking. My mind links with yours. You feel my desire and vice-versa." Tory
was kissing whatever he uncovered, paying special attention to my neck. He
kissed the back of it, where his claiming marks were and I began to feel
flushed. It wasn't hot in the house—Grish had the best air-conditioning anyone
could hope for. Either he or his staff liked the temperature to be much cooler
than most people preferred.

"It's starting," Tory whispered against my mouth. It
was; whatever it was. I was on fire, suddenly, and Tory couldn't get my clothes
off fast enough. I couldn't get
his
clothes off fast enough. I wanted
him—was ready for him—right then. Tory was frantically kissing me and pushing
me back on the bed at the same time. He used his hands. He used his mouth, his
teeth, his body—I wanted everything. I was almost begging him there at the end,
until we were joined. If I'd thought the fire had come earlier, I was very
wrong. I was clawing him and that only served to make him more frenzied. I
wanted him to thrust himself into me. Hard. I learned later that Ry had to
throw a sound-dampening shield around our bedroom; otherwise, everyone might
have known what we were doing. It was very, very late—or early, depending upon
your perspective, when we finally wore ourselves out and fell asleep.

* * *

I'd just gotten out of the shower and dressed the following
morning, when I suddenly felt ill. I knew someone was in trouble and I knew who
it was. Danger and terror were clouding my brain, almost preventing my ability
to think rationally. I threw good sense to the winds. Snatching up my knife and
pistol, I skipped away before Tory could stop me. I was so angry by what I
found I wanted to kill.

Nenzi was shrieking—three of Grish's assistants were tying him
to a table while Farzi and the other reptanoids were shouting at them to stop. Grish
was in his chair nearby, watching the entire episode with no emotion while
another man I hadn't met was putting on gloves and a surgical mask. A huge,
surgical robot stood in the corner, ready to go to work. I had no idea where
I'd landed, I'd just followed the trouble. That trouble was about to get
complicated.

"What is going on here?" I shouted.

"It is time for Master Grish's transference." I
stared at the surgeon—he was prepared to take Nenzi? I was furious in the time
it took to blink.

"Don't be so surprised, young woman," Grish's voice
was whispered malevolence. "I've been alive for more than a thousand years
by employing this technique. I'm surprised Master San Gerxon failed to mention
it to you." Grish laughed at my shock—he'd done the same thing—committed
murder many, many times, in order to stay alive.

"This one seems simple, so we chose his body," Grish
continued, nodding in Nenzi's direction.

"Is everything prepared?" That was gloves and mask
speaking, as he jerked his head toward a shrieking Nenzi. Well, he'd just told
me everything I needed to know. He was about to transplant Grish's brain into
Nenzi's body. That wasn't going to happen. There was a reason this procedure
had been outlawed across the Alliance—it was murder.

The surgeon's three assistants got cut when I freed Nenzi,
pushing him toward Farzi. When the physician decided he wanted in on the
conflict, I had my knife to his throat in very little time. I imagine that none
of them expected me to move as swiftly as I did. Faster than a blink, actually.
The physician was gurgling as I held him, the knife pressing into his flesh.

"Now," I said to Grish, who was staring at me in
surprise. "If you touch one of my people again, I will flay the wrinkled
skin from your bones and scatter it across your fields for the crows to eat. Do
you understand?"

"But it's time for my transference," Grish whined.

"I don't think so," I said. "How many people
have you murdered for a new body? How many times did you do it for him?" I
jerked the physician around and slammed him into a wall.

His eyes were huge as he mumbled "Three." Now I was
learning that Grish did this regularly, with the help of a homicidal physician
and his assistants. Who knew how old Grish really was, or what else he'd done
through the centuries to stay alive?

"You disgust me." I slammed the physician's head
against the wall so hard it knocked him unconscious. "And you," I
pointed my knife at the three assistants, who began to back away from me. "If
you want to die, lay a hand on any of mine. Do you hear me?" All of them
were bleeding from some sort of wound. One I'd gotten across the chest—he'd
been tying Nenzi to the table. The other two had been holding Nenzi down. Both
had slashes on their arms and hands.

"You cannot kill us," one of them was brave enough
to say.

"She can and she will." Tory and Ry walked into the
room—I had no idea where we were inside Grish's plantation home, since I'd
skipped to where the trouble was. Tory and Ry were followed by Arvil, Wilffox,
Wilffin and all four warlocks.

"I'll save her the trouble." Astralan had all three assistants
turned to ash in a blink. It wasn't what I wanted, but this time I wasn't going
to argue. I wanted Grish to be fried too, but that wasn't on the agenda. At
least not yet.

"Grish, I hope you can live with that body for a while; I
don't think my heir appreciates the idea of your stealing anyone else's."
Arvil was smiling nastily at Grish. "And I like the idea of her flaying
you. Hold onto that thought, Grish and don't cross me or mine again." Arvil
stalked out of the room.

"Nenzi, are you all right?" I slid my knife into the
sheath at my waist and went to hug him. Nenzi was gabbling in some language I
didn't understand and holding onto me as if his life depended on it. Ry and
Tory herded me and the reptanoids from the room. Astralan wasn't finished,
though.

"Offend our cook again and I'll make sure there isn't
enough of you left to scatter for the crows," he pointed a finger at Grish.
As threats went, I'd take it seriously. The warlocks must have folded the
Hardlows out of the room—I heard Grish whining pitifully for servants to come
and attend him.

"Farzi, what happened?" I asked, as soon as we got
the reptanoids outside. I learned that we'd been in Grish's private
quarters—they took up a good third of the entire plantation house.

"Three came," Farzi said, meaning the three
assistants. "Say Grish wishes to see Nenzi. I not invited, but go along
behind." Farzi's speech was worried and less intelligible, just as Nenzi's
or the others' was when they were upset. I nodded—Farzi had sneaked along
behind the others. I might have gone, too—there wasn't any reason for Grish to
want Nenzi alone. There was no logical purpose I could think of—none at all. "They
attack Nenzi near room. He fight back. I shout at him. We not knowing what
Grish want. Then physician tell what he want. I yell. They not listen. Then
Reah comes." Farzi was nodding respectfully to me.

"I can't tell you how happy I am that I did come," I
muttered. If they'd killed Nenzi, I would have killed them all. Lendill Schaff
or no, I'd have turned and razed the plantation to the ground. Grish was
counting on Arvil not wishing to kill Nenzi, even after the transference, I
think. Grish was more dangerous than I'd believed possible.

I'll put a shield around their rooms
, Ry offered
mentally.

Good
, I replied. "Nenzi, can we get you tea or
something?" He was still shivering over his ordeal.

"Tea." He nodded. I think he just wanted the comfort
and safety of others around him. I wasn't about to say no. We walked into
Grish's kitchen and I put tea together for all of us, then proceeded to make
breakfast. Grish's kitchen help had backed away from us the moment we
appeared—word traveled fast, I suppose. They weren't going to argue with any
one of us. The others started trickling in and got breakfast too. I left the kitchen
cleaning with Grish's bunch. Grish and his animal driver wheeled in just as I
was leaving with my four. Farzi hissed at him as Grish drove past. Grish
pretended not to hear. Well, I hoped he remembered Astralan's words. I'd still
flay him if he so much as stared at Nenzi again—if the warlocks didn't get him
first.