Blood Double (God Wars #1)(62)
Stellan and his brothers were guarding the entrance to the meeting room, and all four warlocks were unsure what they were guarding against.
"Was anyone assigned to protect Dee?" I ventured to ask. I had no idea whether Teeg would actually answer or if he'd merely ignore me, as his father usually did.
"Dee doesn't like guards, and he's usually safe enough," Teeg mumbled an answer. "Get to work. Now."
*
"I'm only telling you what I heard through Franklin and Shane," Trajan muttered, pulling a bottle of juice from the fridge.
"What did you hear?" Ashe could have Looked, but that would upset the delicate truce that apparently existed between him and his second-in-command.
"Two things," Trajan removed the lid and gulped orange juice for a few seconds before turning back to Ashe. "One, Dee, San Gerxon's assistant is missing—nobody knows where or how, and two, Keef wants to barge into NorthStar with his psychologist. Heard he's been twisting arms, but nobody will help."
"Damn straight," Ashe's eyes grew hard and stars fell through their depths. "He will not be welcome. May never be welcome there again. That was my stipulation when he offered Ribalo's help—that Schaff or Griff would come instead of Keef. Should Keef attempt to contact the governor, I hope he realizes what that may get him."
"I hope he doesn't convince Ildevar Wyyld to approach San Gerxon. That could cause everybody grief."
"Agreed." Ashe's eyes went back to normal.
"The new Lord of the Dark Realm is adding his protection to ours, to preserve Harifa Edus," Ashe lowered his eyes and hunched his shoulders. He felt ashamed that the werewolf planet was the only one that he felt comfortable erecting a shield for, but he worried (and rightly so) that the enemy, in their destruction of the Dark worlds, was attempting to draw him or one of the others out.
"Good," Trajan blew out a sigh. "I hope it's enough."
"I hope it's enough, too." Ashe looked past Trajan at the view beyond the kitchen window before hunching his shoulders. So many lives lost, and he'd been too afraid to protect them. Too many things hung in the balance, and the survival of all the worlds was at the center of it.
"What if that's part of the plan?" Trajan whispered. "That they'll know we're all too afraid to step forward unless everything gets attacked at once, so they go about destroying all the worlds, one at a time."
"Trajan, that's frightening, even to me."
*
Breanne's Journal
"What do you know?" Teeg shouted, enough compulsion in his voice to crack granite. I'd pointed him toward the kitchen employee who'd delivered Dee's lunch earlier. He knew something; that much I could see. He was also obsessed, and it wouldn't do Teeg a damn bit of good to try to get it out of him.
"He's like Eddle Cree—he has an obsession you can't get past," I shivered. Teeg's anger wasn't easy to be near. "Look, if you want, keep yelling. I'll go check the others and see if they know anything."
Teeg shot me a venom-filled glance before turning back to the kitchen employee. I could only imagine that somehow, either the young man had lured Dee away or led someone else to him, and since it involved obsession, there was no way to get past it to see which it was. I walked out of the small coatroom attached to the meeting facility and went out to take a look at sixteen others I hadn't yet examined.
Astralan, who stood inside the meeting room door while his brothers guarded the entrance from outside, barely glanced in my direction as I began sorting through the remaining employees. The first six knew nothing, so I pointed them toward Astralan. The seventh was terrified, and there was good reason—he'd seen Dee die.
*
"Norian, I hope you understand what a delicate situation this is, and I feel it is a fool's errand anyway. SouthStar pays exorbitant amounts in taxes, and practically keeps Avendor in the black by itself." Ildevar frowned at his heir. "What more can you hope to get from the girl? I hear she's barely coherent—and that may be your doing. You think Q'And Ribalo might be able to accomplish what Doctor Halivar can't?"
"She's faking," Norian grumbled. "I'm convinced of it. It wouldn't be the first time a criminal or a witness has pulled that off to keep from talking."
"Do you imagine that the one who owns SouthStar wouldn't realize that immediately?" One of Ildevar's eyebrows rose in disbelief.
"I hear he's obsessed with her. Why wouldn't he keep her away from us if that's true?"
"Norian, have you considered that there may be more important things at the moment than Hordace Cayetes?"
"I don't know what those things might be."
"Norian, I am giving you an order, although I am reluctant to do so. Leave this alone. Q'And Ribalo and your Vice-Director will go to NorthStar as promised. You will respect NorthStar's wishes in this. If there is any information to obtain, you'll have it. Should anything of value come from this interview, we'll discuss it afterward."
"Fine," Norian stood and stalked out of Ildevar's study.
*
Breanne's Journal
Teeg was likely having a fury-filled conniption after my disappearance, but time was running out if I were to do anything at all for Dee. If his body were discovered by too many, it could be too late and I'd be forced to leave him dead. My mist was screaming toward the basement of San Gerxon Palace as fast as I could get there.