"I do. Would you like something to eat?" It was late and the kitchen staff had already left. Nobody working in the kitchen lived in the palace now—Arvil had decided against it. Only the housekeeping staff stayed in the basement. The wizards had the first floor, since they were our defense if someone got past the guards surrounding the walls.

Farzi was hungry, as were Nenzi and the others. They'd come in shortly before I did. I made a dish with fowl, mushrooms and sauce inside a flaky pastry. Farzi loved potatoes, so I made some for him in the zapper. Potatoes cook well there and it takes no time at all. All the reptanoids loved chocolate so a quick cake with a swirl of caramel and chocolate sauce running over it came for dessert.

"We not get food so good. Ever." Nenzi liked his dinner.

"Nenzi, I never had such a wonderful driver before." I sat next to him and gave him a hug. He looked at me in surprise for a moment before giving me a wide smile.

"Is there dessert left?" Arvil walked in. He got a plate.

"My restaurants are doing better and my head cooks don't grumble so much," Arvil said. "My new assistant that Teeg hired is also very good. He keeps me advised on this." Well, I expected Arvil to have eyes and ears everywhere. He probably watched everything on a vid screen somewhere. "My friend, did you have any luck on finding new fields?" He turned to Farzi.

"Not yet, friend Arvil. We go out again next eight-day." Farzi was tired—I could see that for myself.

"We ought to hurry—three plantings have been ruined."

"I know this. I do what I can." Farzi rose, causing the other reptanoids to rise with him. "We retire." Farzi nodded respectfully to Arvil.

I put the dishes into the dishwasher after Arvil left the kitchen right behind Farzi. I think he wanted a private meeting with him, but I wasn't about to stick my nose into that.

Chapter 9

"We just have to get them away from the palace, separately or together, so Haral and one of the others can get rid of them. I'd prefer not to kill them, but we have to get them out of the way, somehow." Delvin held up a hand as he spoke to the other wizards. "Arvil should have designated one of us as the heir—if not more than one of us. We've done everything for him, including saving his worthless ass during the firebombing. Yet he gives everything away to those two."

"It was your idea to bring the girl along, if I recall." Milus snorted at Delvin's logic.

"Only to protect us from Wilffin's warlocks. We're dead if they figure out we want San Gerxon's stake in all this. They'll work with San Gerxon, because they have for years. As far as the girl and that carpenter go, we don't know how Wilffin will react to that. We'll have to get rid of those two, and then get San Gerxon to go with us, instead. We can take over quickly after that."

"You think San Gerxon will do this? I mean, we wanted the girl because we were afraid Jazal would find a way to kill his brother and we'd be forced out by Wilffin's warlocks. She was our insurance—you said she could protect us against their attacks." Haral spoke, now.

"She can. She has some kind of natural shield. It doesn't protect against physical attacks—just spells and magical castings," Delvin explained.

"I've only heard of a few races that had something like that," Carthin, the red-haired wizard, pointed out.

"She must have gotten some blood somewhere, from one of those races, then." Delvin didn't want to get into an argument over this. He'd made a false promise to Reah—he knew that. It caused a bit of a twinge, but he'd betrayed a better friend in Bel. Reah and Bel had both saved his life, but that didn't matter now—Delvin was looking to his own future and he wanted it to be as a casino owner on Campiaa, with a firm stake in the drakus seed trade and other moneymaking ventures.

Delvin wanted everything that Arvil San Gerxon had. San Gerxon had initially convinced the High Commander to grow Drakus seed in the desert, and Delvin, Bel and the other Ranger wizards hadn't known at first that Arvil was involved. When San Gerxon appeared on Mandil after the spawn were eliminated, he was looking for additional wizards anywhere he could find them. Delvin, forced by the High Commander to help guard San Gerxon, had leapt at the offer Arvil made. He'd known enough on Mandil—there was a wide universe out there, just waiting for him and his talent to conquer. Now it looked as if a small snip of a girl and a carpenter stood in his way.

"Wilffin isn't scheduled to be back for two eight-days at least. Plenty of time," another wizard spoke up. "Haral can fold our targets anywhere—all we have to do is make them unconscious, somehow."

"What about poison?" Haral liked poisoning people—he'd done it too many times to mention. With him, rape came first, death by poison next. It was a convenient way to get rid of any incriminating evidence. He'd transport his victim to a deserted planet and dump the body. Nobody ever knew.

"Fine—you get poison. Make sure it's a good one," Carthin grumbled.

"Oh, it will be," Haral grinned. Delvin watched those two—they'd be his biggest competition if he tried to take everything for himself.

"I know all of you used to be casino owners on Campiaa." Norian sat opposite Erland Morphis, Adam Chessman and Merrill Leopard.

"We no longer have any interests on Campiaa—you know that. We razed those buildings to the ground when we moved everything here—to Le-Ath Veronis." Erland sounded bored.

"I have information for you," Norian smiled.

"Are you saying that Reah and some guy are heirs to Arvil San Gerxon?" Ry and Tory were staring at Ry's father, Erland Morphis.

"That's right. Now, if Arvil somehow ends up dead and it doesn't void the adoption agreement, Reah will own half of Campiaa. This might be an opportunity to turn Campiaa into what it should have been—a legal gambling planet in that sector of the universes. We could expand if we wanted, with built-in clients. Norian says that the Founder and the Grand Alliance Council will consider bringing Campiaa in as an Alliance world if San Gerxon is gone and we can turn it around to make it legal."

"Holy crap," Ry mumbled. "Is Reah all right? She's in a dangerous position if San Gerxon learns she's ASD."

"Norian didn't say, one way or another, but she has to be worried." Erland sat on the edge of Lissa's desk.

"Why don't they let us go in?" Ry asked. "We could pose as new hires for Reah. Help her out with this."

"Wylend already suggested that," Erland said. Erland also knew why Wylend had suggested it—there were multiple reasons but Reah was at the center of it. "Lendill said he'd think about it—Norian is letting him have point on this one."

"There's something else." Rylend wasn't sure how to deliver this news.

"What's that?"

"Reah got a husband out of the deal—Arvil San Gerxon married her off to the other designated heir."

Tory was standing in a blink and breathing smoke. "If he's forcing her to," Tory was ready to turn, he was so angry.

"That's not what I hear. She told Lendill that she wasn't giving him up," Erland said.

"Bro, you can't be jealous, remember?" Ry was standing and attempting to calm his brother.

"I want to make sure she isn't being coerced." Tory was still breathing smoke. "Does Aurelius know?"

"Lendill told him. Aurelius' first reaction, after he almost choked Lendill to death, that is, was just about the same as yours—worried that she might have been forced into this. I get the idea that she really cares about this one—says his name is Teeg San Gerxon. San Gerxon being his adopted name." Erland watched Tory closely in case he needed to send mindspeech to Gardevik, Tory's father. While Tory was old enough, he was newly mated and might need Gardevik's help in calming the Thifilathi.

"I'm all right," Tory held up a hand. "But I would like to speak with Lendill. Quickly."

"I'm here." Lendill walked in, rubbing his neck as if it pained him. Ry was forced to hold back a snicker. Erland lifted an eyebrow at his son. "If I send both of you—and I want to—Reah will have to hire you to make you appear legitimate. I'm not sure how her new husband will take that, or San Gerxon, for that matter. We'll place you in the hiring pool on Campiaa and let Reah know you're there. She'll have to find a way to put you to work so you can help out with this. This is a delicate situation and we don't need to ruin it—the possibilities are too good. And if we can find San Gerxon's allies and cronies in the drakus seed business, so much the better. Pack everything you need—you go tomorrow." Lendill was smiling—so was Erland.

"My King, Lendill is sending Ry and Tory. Will that ease your mind?" Erland had been afraid that Ry might be sent and Tory held back, since he had a relationship with Reah. Lendill had cautioned Tory at length about showing any affection toward Reah—San Gerxon might be offended and attempt to kill Tory.

"That eases my mind somewhat. I do not like the fact that Haral, that perverted criminal of a warlock, is there with her. You know he likes small women and young girls. Reah is practically both."

"I think Haral's life will be on the line if he lays a hand on her—Tory's Thifilathi will tear him to pieces." Erland nodded to Wylend, who sat morosely behind the desk inside his private study. If Arvil San Gerxon could have seen the inside of the King of Karathia's study, he would have been eaten up with jealousy.

"I would like very much to go myself, but the risks are too great," Wylend sighed.

"Trust us to handle this for you, my King. Karathia is not an easy world to rule. You have your hands full."

"And yet I would still prefer to do this for Reah. Trapping that fool Haral would be a pleasure, too. We've tracked him for many years, my friend." Wylend nodded to Erland, who smiled. "This is the first time that we've known for sure where he is, and we are held back by the ASD, because of other concerns."