"None taken, I realize fully what kind of mistake it was." Zen had seen a handful of women inside the castle when the guards had brought him and Perdil in for an audience with Yidrizin. "Tell me about the females," he said.

"All we have are inside these walls and mated," Yidrizin stated sadly. "Six we have, and all have grown weary of childbearing."

"I was told that we were the only remaining Greater Demons," Zen sighed. "And now I learn this is not true."

"No, it was true when you heard it," Yidi replied. "I was visited by the god shortly after you were dropped here. This is in your past, Zendeval Rjjn. Twenty-five thousand years into your past. Kifirin said that you had much to atone for, and that twenty-five thousand years might do that. He also said that you would give the race hope, where there was none before. Likely the reason we died off before," Yidi remarked thoughtfully. "Now, Kifirin has promised a new day, if you work with us and tell us of the outside world as you knew it. Perhaps it will bring that hope to us."

"What I would most like to know is how you handle the moonrush when it comes," Zen said. It had cost him Reah. He realized that.

"Moonrush? That is an archaic concept," Yidi snorted in derision. "Here, follow me. I will show you how that should be handled. There is no need to terrify the women or cause them pain." Zen, with a wide-eyed and puzzled Perdil following close behind, walked with Yidrizin to the palace kitchens.

"This," Yidi held up a flask, "is moonwine. It is taken the day before a full moon. It eliminates the blood change that occurs in Greater Demons, forcing the moonrush, as you call it. Early in our history, females died because of it. The god came and gave this to us. The wine is formed from the darkberries grown here, with a few other herbs added. It is barbaric to subject the females to moonrush, and we cannot afford to lose any of them. They are too precious. The code says it and we know it to be true. The only purpose moonrush might serve is to fight off enemies. None come here, now. We are an abandoned world."

"How will I get my Reah back now?" Zen moaned to Perdil.

"Reah?" Yidi was curious.

"One taken during moonrush," Perdil jerked his head at Zendeval. "She became ill afterward. That is a very long tale."

"If she became ill, then she could bear your children," Yidi said.

"Out of his reach," Perdil shrugged as Zen moaned again. "By twenty-five thousand years, as you say." Perdil bowed to Yidi. "And the god called her High Demon."

"Stars and the god save us," Yidrizin dropped to his knees.

* * *

"Reah, this will only last for a day or two," Kevis assured me as I was led into the media room at Edward's manor. "I promise," he added, settling me on a comfortable sofa before the huge vid-screen. He, Lendill, Teeg and Astralan had come to get me from the ice-cream plant.

Edward had gone to the southern grove earlier in the day to check on the harvest there. He walked in now, looking angry. Something was up; I was just waiting to see what it was. I was settled on the sofa between Edward and Teeg, both of whom held one of my hands as Lendill touched the remote control, bringing the vid-screen to life.

"This was recorded earlier," Teeg muttered beside me. I didn't recognize the woman speaking, or the two men behind her. It didn't take long to determine what they were attempting to do, however.

"This woman," Cynthin Gerg, President of Xordthe, said, pointing to two photographs of me, side by side, "is married to Teeg San Gerxon. Now, I don't know how you feel about this, but she is clearly delusional, making these outrageous claims." One of the photographs showed me on Teeg's arm at some ball or other, unnecessary event for the Campiaan Alliance. The other was an unedited photograph from that foul reality program to which Ceerah and Jalan had sold my private records.

"While I have sympathy for any patient whose rights have been violated," Cynthin went on with fake emotion, "I cannot ignore how dangerous or distracting this might be to the founding Alliance member. It is, in my opinion, in all our best interests if he steps aside for now until this matter is resolved."

The program then went back to a journalist that not only called for Teeg to step aside but to leave Campiaan government altogether, due to the severity of my condition. The more I watched, the angrier I became. Everything I'd said to Kevis Halivar had been true. Ceerah and her fellow conspirator had done this—not only to me but to Teeg as well.

"Divorce me," I said to Teeg the moment the recording ended. "That will get them off your back and things will be normal for you." I tried to rise, but Edward and Teeg wouldn't release my hands.

"Let me go," I said as calmly as I could. At that moment, I'd have given anything to be anywhere else and anyone else. This was as bad as the attack and intended rape. Perhaps worse. Before, I'd been violated by a single man. Now I was being violated by every member of two Alliances. Had I ever had hopes of walking freely in daylight without people pointing or shying away? The last remnant of that hope skittered beyond my reach.

"Reah, don't run away from this. We're preparing a response; it will take two days to put it up," Teeg said.

"And what are you going to tell them?" I turned to Teeg. "Liar, liar, pants on fire?" The words were voiced in English, an old phrase that I'd learned from Gavril, long ago. Gavril. Just the thought of him, seventeen and still innocent when he'd been taken by Kifirin, made me want to weep. "Kifirin screwed both of us, didn't he?" I wept as I looked at Teeg.

"Baby, don't," Teeg pulled my head against his shoulder. "We'll get through this, I promise."

"I don't know how you can. Divorce me publicly, Teeg. It's the only way they won't tear you down. The Campiaan Alliance needs your hand on it to survive. As much as we have our differences, I know that. It'll die if you walk away. Divorce me now and be done with it. I should never have healed the core on Xordthe. Look what it's gotten me." I finally pulled my hand away from Teeg's grip and tossed it helplessly, still weeping.

"Baby, I haven't come this far, against such impossible odds, to let you go," Teeg said. "We'll have a response in two days. They'll bluster again tomorrow, and then it'll be over. Just hold on. Do it for me and for the others. If things don't turn out the way you want, then I'll listen after that. It won't stop me from loving you, though. Or Garwin Wyatt."

"Reah, come here, sweetheart." Edward stood and pulled me against him. "Those people can go fuck themselves," he muttered against my hair. "Come on; let's go check the trees in the western grove."

* * *

We walked on soft, black soil between rows of harvested trees, a breeze rustling through dark-green leaves. Edward had an arm around me while I wiped tears. When he wasn't looking at me, he had a grim expression on his face. Eventually, we were joined by Lok, Aurelius, Farzi and Nenzi.

"Honey Snake," I wrapped my arms around Farzi's neck while Nenzi crowded close against my back.

"They come close, they not live," Nenzi muttered. I was hugging both of them after that.

Did I think the first version of the venom leveled against us was terrible? That was nothing compared to what came on the second day. Other news agencies picked up the story and I was called everything from crackpot to dangerously insane. Many political pundits asked outright for Teeg's resignation. Of course, Cynthin Gerg was calling for the Council of Campiaan Alliance Worlds to step in and remove Teeg in favor of someone more reliable. And all because he had a crazy wife who made delusional claims about not being humanoid and belonging to the ASD.

I felt numb. What else could they do to me? I refused to talk to Kevis. He and nurse nasty had ruined my life. I think he knew how little I wanted to speak to him and blessedly stayed out of my sight. Edward coaxed me to eat. I didn't want to, but when I dry-heaved after a while, he convinced me to eat yogurt and toast. Farzi and Nenzi, so upset they couldn't handle being human, turned to lion snake and patrolled Edward's manor. The servants had been warned and stepped out of their way. Lion snakes weren't native to Avendor, so most of the staff didn't understand how dangerous they were.

"Come with me, baby," Teeg appeared at nearly eight bells. He led me toward Edward's media room, where a real crowd had gathered this time. Lissa had come with Gavin, Winkler, Tony, Drake, Drew, Norian and Thurlow. Jayd and Glinda were also there, for some inexplicable reason. I didn't speak to them. Glinda looked sad. I wasn't in any mood to attempt a fix for that. I'd been past that for a while, I think. All of my mates had come, including Nefrigar, plus Corolan, Astralan and Kevis. Ry looked angry. Actually, they all did. Teeg was grimly determined, somehow.

"Sit down, baby," Teeg said. I sat between him and Nefrigar this time. Nefrigar had altered his height so he'd fit the furniture. A blue hand held mine tightly as he leaned down to kiss me.

"The baby is fine," he murmured, kissing my forehead next.

"Here we go," Lendill said and used the remote to turn on the vid-screen. A special report was announced and Hild Marolla, an older and much respected investigative journalist, appeared on screen.

"Good evening to all in the Alliance," he said, using his normal greeting. "Tonight we bring a special report that I have been putting together for weeks now. I hope that it will disprove many current and popular rumors that have circulated recently. All these rumors began because this woman," a large photograph of Ceerah Kade was shown in an inset on the screen, "desecrated the delicate patient-physician privilege, in addition to blatantly violating the patient's rights laws that exist in both Alliances. We have done our homework on Ms. Kade and have investigated her background thoroughly," Hild Marolla added.

"You see, she has not always been Ceerah Kade. When she began her medical career on Tulgalan nearly half a century ago, she was known as Cedrah Dane. Although the charges there have been dropped against her since so much time has passed, she was charged with theft of controlled drugs, which she distributed for non-identifying Alliance credits. When the authorities came close to an arrest on Tulgalan, she escaped to Pridded, using the name Bynda Wark. There, she was accused and convicted of smuggling drakus seed, using her medical career as a front for distribution of the dangerous drug. Once again, when the authorities came too close, she escaped, using yet another alias."