"Erland, Erland, Erland," I shook my head. I had no explanation for the Karathian Warlock. He was handsome, though, no doubt about that.
"He is holding off for the moment; he does not wish to overwhelm you," Gabron smiled at me before leaning in for a kiss.
"Gabron, something happened to the last vampire who took my blood," I said.
"What happened?" he asked, his mouth wandering across mine, and then over my jaw to my ear.
"They, uh, can walk in daylight, now," I said, beginning to breathe in gasps.
"You don't say," Gabron nuzzled and kissed my neck. I had to say the words and say them quickly before the bite came and I came right behind it, writhing in Gabron's arms. And then Gabron was out—asleep while my blood wrought changes in his body. I sighed, kissed his forehead and misted away. When he woke, Gabron had a surprise coming. I just hoped he liked it.
* * *
"Sure, just go off and leave us behind," Drake grumped when I folded into the villa's kitchen later. He and Drew sat at the kitchen island, having tea. Not normal tea, either—the dark kind that would keep me awake for a week if I drank it.
"Drake, honey, don't be mad," I went to give him a hug.
"I will be mad—you need to tell us, next time. You scare me to death, Lissa, do you know that?" He held my face between two large hands, bumping his forehead against mine while looking straight into my eyes. Drew was beside him, waiting for his brother to be finished so he could do the same.
"Well," I quavered, "you can always send mindspeech. I'll answer if I can." Drake sighed at my words and pulled me into his lap.
"Have you had breakfast?" he asked.
"No," I shook my head. Mike made breakfast for me while Drake and Drew fussed and teased. You couldn't keep a smile away from those two for long.
"We have a meeting at Gryphon Hall," Drew said when I finished eating. "Kiarra sent mindspeech. She wants you to be there."
"Why's that?" I emptied my coffee cup.
"She wants to discuss the Flakkar, and how they've been attacking worlds," Drew rumbled. He shook his head—that upset him, I could tell.
"We can't do a damn thing about it," Drake voiced his brother's thoughts. "As Spawn Hunters for the Saa Thalarr, we're not allowed to interfere. This is so frustrating." I put a hand on Drake's cheek and leaned in to kiss him. They didn't know. None of them did. I wasn't Saa Thalarr. I didn't have their restrictions. And I'd taken out every stinking Flakkar that somebody had dumped on numerous worlds.
Drake and Drew waited while I brushed my teeth, and then folded me to Gryphon Hall. "Lissa, thank you for coming," Merrill murmured as he led us to a sofa in Kiarra's library. Extra seating had been brought in—looked like all the Saa Thalarr were coming. I was shocked when they began to fold in. Kifirin had told me once, when I'd been on Refizan, that there were seven, but that their numbers would increase. They'd certainly increased. Their healers came, too; Franklin, Shane and Tomas grinned at me when they appeared with Conner, Russell, Will and Martin Walters. Radomir leaned in and pecked me on the cheek when he appeared with Devin, Grace, Dragon and Crane.
The library was crowded already, when the Larentii came. I learned that Pheligar, Renegar and three other Larentii all operated as Liaisons for the Saa Thalarr.
When everyone else had gathered, Wlodek and Weldon folded in, Fox held between them. Kiarra went to Fox and hugged her. Fox wiped tears away.
"We called all of you here, because Fox received this earlier." Kiarra Pulled an envelope into her hands. "It is a message," she looked around the room, "from the Elemaiya, Bright and Dark." My heart began thumping in my chest. I knew trouble was coming. And I knew what that trouble was likely to be. I waited for Kiarra's announcement anyway.
"It reads," Kiarra began, "To the Ka'Mirai, greetings."
I was furious when Kiarra finished reading the letter. It was a demand, couched in flowery language, for Fox to come to them. To take up her "intended duties," according to their message. If she didn't, they pointed out maliciously, the Flakkar that were now devouring worlds were only the beginning of more terrible things. That pissed me off. Truly. And they were demanding that Fox meet them—on Kifirin. The High Demon's world. Well, things started falling into place for me, right then.
"Our hands are tied," Kiarra muttered angrily. "The Flakkar are still out there, killing twenty-seven worlds and there's nothing we can do about it. Fox cannot go; she is Saa Thalarr and prevented. These stupid fucks." Kiarra crumpled the letter in her hand. Well, she'd just used my favorite word. And it was an appropriate one, too. But she didn't have information I did.
"The Flakkar are all dead," I announced. Yeah, the words just popped right out.
"What?" Kiarra jerked toward me.
"I killed them," I shrugged. "They're all gone, now." Pheligar was beside Kiarra in less than a blink, and his eyes unfocused—he was Looking.
"The devastation has ceased," he came back and lifted an eyebrow at me.
"Do you know how the Elemaiya got Flakkar to these worlds?" Kiarra was staring at me now. "They don't have the talent to gather them—the Flakkar would just as soon eat them, like they do any other humanoid."
"They're asking Fox to come to Kifirin for a reason," I looked at Fox, who was biting her lip as she gazed back at me. "I know you can't lie, so I'll draft a message to the Elemaiya. I'll tell them Fox is coming. Only I'll be there—waiting for them when they show up. I have a feeling that when they do show up, they'll be bringing a bunch of friends with them." I was angry. Very, very angry. And a showdown was in the works. Somebody was going down. Right then, though, I didn't know if it would be me or them.
* * *
"Kifirin, I want to send the comesuli to Le'Ath Veronis. Just for a while," I said. "We need to make it look as if they've gone back to their own world, which I guess they will. We can put out the rumor that they insisted on it."
"It won't be a rumor—they are insisting on it," Kifirin leaned down to kiss me. I'd sent mindspeech and miraculously he'd heard me. We were standing on the lawn in front of the villa, and fireflies were winking here and there around us. It was so beautiful there on that mid-May evening. The scent of the grass was sweet and the flower gardens surrounding the villa were all in bloom. "When should I take them?" Kifirin asked, a bit of smoke trailing from his nostrils as he nuzzled my collarbone.
"In two days," I said. "Do you think they can be ready by that time?"
"They are prepared to go now," Kifirin said, smiling and taking my hands to kiss them. "There is something you should know, avilepha. There are eight hundred Croth and Drith who have thrown in their lot with the others."
"I thought that might be the case," I nodded, watching his hands as they gently massaged mine. "I want to get the comesuli out quickly so they won't suffer losses like they did before. Hardly any High Demons died—the good ones, anyway, but the comesuli died in the thousands."
"I know this," Kifirin agreed, sighing. "We will do this, love. I will do this for you."
"Thank you," I smiled up at him.
* * *
"Can you get me to the Black Ra'Ak?" Kyler answered my mindspeech and now she considered my question.
"I can get you to the King of the Black Ra'Ak," Kyler said, dimpling. I'd stretched out with some of my newly discovered talents, and learned that Kyler was instrumental in bringing the Black Ra'Ak (the few that still lived, anyway) on board when the Copper Ra'Ak attacked Kifirin before. They'd helped fight off their Copper cousins.
"Good enough," I smiled at my niece. She took me to see Youon, King of the Black Ra'Ak. He was in humanoid form and stood six feet tall, with light-brown hair and green eyes. He invited us into his library to talk. I stared at shelf upon shelf of books—in languages I would have to translate to read. I didn't think his Copper cousins bothered to read; they were too busy causing trouble and eating people. I laid out my best offer to Youon. He thought about it.
"If we can continue to take from the worlds not worth saving as we do now, to feed ourselves," he nodded. "We are selective—we always have been. We do not take young. That has always been against our code. We are also selective in the ones we take to turn to Ra'Ak."
"Like the vampires do?" I asked.
"Similarly—yes. We look for those with redeeming qualities. We also feed upon animals, as you know. We take humanoids six times in every cycle, and those are always criminals."
"Six times a year," Kyler translated for me. "They raise their own animals, otherwise."
"I can live with that, as long as you keep to those rules," I agreed. "How often do you reproduce?"
"We keep our numbers at a constant," Youon informed me. "We lose some to punishment, or one is killed upon occasion. We are powerful as you know, but we can be killed." He smiled at me as he said that. He and I both knew what I could do.
* * *
"Lissa, I don't understand this at all," Gavin paced while I watched. Drake and Drew had come, along with Shadow and Connegar. Erland Morphis had brought Gabron for me on the condition that he be allowed to stay. Tony had also come; I almost cried when he showed up.
"Gavin, you don't have to understand it. You just have to stand behind me on this."
"I will support Lissa," Gabron said.
"I also support Lissa," Karzac walked in. I hadn't seen him since I'd hauled him around as mist in a jungle.
"I support Lissa," Kifirin folded in; he'd brought Roff with him.
"I support my Raona," Roff said.
"I support my little rose," Connegar said, causing Gavin to turn sharply in his direction.