"How nice for you," I muttered. I had no idea why he was telling me this. He'd said before that I'd been foretold but it hadn't meant anything to me.

"A daughter of your heart will come, he told me," Kifirin went on, ignoring my rudeness. "A demoness, clad in gold. The High Demons will be reborn through her. Your daughter was to be the first," Kifirin sounded sad, and that couldn't be. He'd coldheartedly ripped Chash away from me, replacing him with Teeg. Things would never be the same. Tory hadn't been prepared for fatherhood, either. I knew that now. It made me weep for my child.

"When I grant a request and it interferes beyond expectations with the life of another who made no request," Kifirin repeated, "I must make amends or offer compensation of some kind."

"You can't undo this," I said. "I don't want anything from you. Good-bye, Kifirin." I was ready to skip away.

"You are the daughter of my heart," Kifirin said. His beautiful face looked as if it were filled with pain. That had to be a lie.

"And I'm supposed to call you father? I don't have a father."

"I could give you gifts for this alone," he ignored what I was saying to him.

"No, thank you," I said as firmly as I could.

"I will choose if you will not."

"Don't bother."

"It is already done." Kifirin disappeared in front of me.

"Come on," I said to Farzi and Nenzi. They gripped their bags tightly, worry on both faces as I skipped us to Tulgalan.

* * *

"Reah, no. We not knowing how to wake you or change you back," Farzi was fretting as I dropped the basket of food next to the tent I'd erected for us. I was going to heal the core, asking the two reptanoids to care for me afterward until I gained my strength back. Then, we'd find the other worlds Nidris was likely tapping indiscriminately as he fled from the ASD. My ultimate goal, however, was to find Nidris myself. Hand him his death in retribution for my child.

"Farzi, here is a communicator—it has Lendill's and Tory's numbers programmed. If there is a problem or if you decide you don't want to stay, then call them. Just know that I won't be going with you. I mean to finish this, one way or the other. I want to kill Nidris before this is over."

"But he almost kill you before," Nenzi was nearly hopping in frustration.

"I didn't know he was out there before," I said. "Now I do. I'll be watching for him." I spread out the sleeping bag I'd purchased after putting up the tent—it was big enough for all of us. Barely.

"When you do this?" Farzi wanted to argue with me but wisely decided to back off for the moment.

"We'll do it tonight—when the stars are out. If you can't wake me, then pull me into the tent and let me sleep. I'll wake tomorrow."

* * *

"I know she's gone, Dee." Dormas brought the communication from Lendill. "You taught me to manipulate people. I practically sent her after the bastard myself—I certainly pointed her in that direction." Teeg sighed. "What if this kills her, Dee? I told her—when she was vulnerable—that Nidris could destroy everything. She was thinking about going after him the moment those words left my mouth."

"Child, why did you do it, then?" Dormas had been Dee to Gavril almost as long as Dormas had called him Teeg—a nickname Dormas had given one of his human sons long ago, before he became vampire. Gavril had reminded him so much of his own child that it wasn't difficult to see him as one of his vampire children as well. Dormas had few turns to his credit over his long life and of all of them, Gavril was the most dear, though he'd come to Dormas already vampire.

Born that way, Kifirin had said. If the god hadn't said it himself, Dormas would never have believed. Then, when Gavril had offered his blood to Dormas, telling him it would enable him to walk in daylight and eat normal food, Dormas had been skeptical. Teeg's words had proven true, however, and now Dormas—nicknamed Dee by the son of his heart, walked in daylight and ate whatever he pleased.

"Dee, I can't answer that. Every time I think about her healing a core with only Farzi and Nenzi with her, my heart seizes up. And finding Nidris may be like searching for a toothpick in a hayfield. She has an impossible task, Dee. Anything could happen to her."

"Yet you sent her in that direction."

"She's the only one who can do this."

"As you are the one for this task—with my help, of course. Come, child. Let us check our security, one last time."

* * *

"Bring something of hers to me." It was an order, and Kaldill seldom issued orders to his youngest son. Lendill almost jerked back as his father made the demand via comp-vid.

"Father, you're not thinking of leaving Gaelar n'Seith, are you?" Lendill was nearly trembling.

"Child it will only be for a moment. I have not and will not perform the Alim'deru with any of your brothers—I am not ready for that!" Kaldill huffed at the thought of it.

"Good," Lendill breathed a relieved sigh. Lendill refused to believe that any of them would take care of the Elvish lands as well as his father did. "What do you want me to bring?"

"It matters not—clothing or jewelry that she wears often."

"I will find something. Who will come to get me?"

"I will send your brother, Faldill."

"Good. As long as it isn't Naldill. Or Reldill."

"Those are your remaining brothers. Do you have something to say to me about them?" Kaldill lifted a pointed eyebrow.

"No, father." Lendill hung his head, feeling as if he were too young again and at the mercy of his older brothers' incessant teasing and bullying because he had no power. Faldill had been the easiest to deal with, although he still teased at times, as did the others. At least he was less cruel about it.

"Be ready in half a click." Kaldill ended the communication.

* * *

"What is this?" Kaldill accepted the ring from Lendill.

"The ring Aurelius gave her. Reah wears it whenever she isn't on assignment. No agent is allowed jewelry such as this when they're working. It could give the enemy information they should not know."

"Then why isn't it with her now? You told me she was no longer ASD property." Kaldill pushed long, wheat-colored hair behind his left ear, revealing the pointed tip. Lendill had been born with the rounded ears of his humanoid mother. Another thing to be teased about, as it turned out. He and Reah had that in common—High Demons also had pointed ears. Tory's were only slightly pointed, but pointed nonetheless. He generally wore his hair over them so humanoids wouldn't guess his heritage, although many races had pointed ears. Reah had ears just as rounded as Lendill's.

"I don't know, father. If I see her again, I'll be sure to ask."

"Leave this with me. The working will take a while," Kaldill had his mind on it already, shutting everything else out, including his sons. Lendill looked down at Faldill. Lendill's height was the only advantage he'd ever have over his brothers, although Naldill had threatened once to use his ability to make Lendill shorter. Lendill figured that the only reason he wasn't shorter than his brothers was that Kaldill would have noticed.

Lendill had left Gaelar n'Seith behind when he went off to school—his mother had asked it of Kaldill and Kaldill had relented. Lendill had met Norian during his studies and the two had been friends ever since. Lendill had only gone back to visit—never to stay. And when his mother died after a long life, the visits had become less and less frequent.

Faldill shrugged at his younger brother. Kaldill could be at a working for days. Someone would have to remind him to eat. "I'll take you home," Faldill muttered and folded Lendill away.

* * *

Farzi, Nenzi and I set up the tent as comfortably as we could. The sleeping bag was ready and we'd bought enough food to get us through several days if it were needed. All of it was suitable for camping trips and such—packaged against insects and ready to eat when opened. It wasn't fine food but it would do. Taking my seat on the ground after removing my clothing, Farzi and Nenzi stood back so I could turn to my full Thifilatha. Once that was accomplished, I focused on a star twinkling overhead and reached out for its energy.

* * *

"Destination?" The standard question was asked of all released prisoners. Edan Desh stared at the Alliance employee tapping the information into a comp-vid. None of his family had come to meet him. He hadn't expected them. All of them were selfish and wrapped up in their own lives.

"Targis," Edan almost snapped at the man. "Desh's restaurant on White Heron street."

"You're not free yet—I can have you locked away for another moon-turn." The employee didn't bother to look at Edan who stood before him, flanked by two guards.

"I know. My apologies." Edan nodded respectfully to the man. He'd noticed that in the past few eight-days, everyone had been on edge for some inexplicable reason. The prisoners, many of them, had been isolated—they'd wanted to fight the others.

"All right, everything seems to be in order. Escort him to the gate," the employee jerked his head at the two guards. Edan Desh was accompanied down a narrow hall painted prison gray and smelling faintly of antiseptic soap. He was then escorted through a door held shut with an electronic lock, followed by three more hallways until they walked away from the prison. The heavy gate in the wall rolled back while Edan's meager belongings plus a small credit chip were handed to him. He was thankful to get that—he had no transport otherwise; a hoverbus stop just outside the walls brought visitors twice each week.

Edan hadn't received visitors the entire time he'd been incarcerated. Turning to look behind him after walking through the gate, he watched as the heavy steel and titanium door closed behind him. Few there would remark on his absence. Edan pulled up memories of Marzi Desh. He realized after five years of imprisonment that he hadn't missed his mother. Hadn't missed her whining and ordering him about.