"At least one part of the plan went well," Arvil placed the pistol back in his belt and moved closer to run his eyes over me. "You belong to me now, boy. You'll be put in my kitchen—my last cook met with an unfortunate accident."

My mouth was open in surprise, I know, as I twisted in Delvin's grip and stared up at him. Bel suspected one of his, but he hadn't suspected this one. Delvin knew I felt betrayed—he could read it in my face.

"Where the fuck did they go?" Norian was shouting as his six, Bel and the remaining wizards corralled what was left of the High Commander's cronies.

"Campiaa, where else?" Tory was blowing smoke as Ry attempted to calm his brother. "They took Reah!" Tory shouted at the sky.

"Send her mindspeech—tell her to cooperate with them," Norian issued orders quickly. "This is our opportunity to see who is involved!" The Director was in charge and he was seeing the possibilities.

"What if they hurt her?" Tory was coming after Norian, his hands clenching and unclenching while smoke poured from his nostrils.

"Tell her if they are about to harm her, to get away. Otherwise, I want her to stay!" Norian wasn't backing down.

"Tell her your fucking self!" Tory shouted.

"I'll tell her, she already hates me," Lendill offered. The Prince Royal, with his trusted advisor Alvis, watched the exchange with interest.

"Bel, take your wizards and fire those fields," the Prince issued the command.

"As you will it, my Prince." Bel bowed quickly and gathered his remaining Rangers and wizards. Delvin had betrayed them, taking Reah with him and the others. Bel was hoping that Delvin still had a decent bone in his body and thought to protect Reah, since he'd been the one to grab her before they'd disappeared.

Don't change, Reah, don't fight them and stay where you are—we need intelligence from your current location, Vice-Director Schaff's mental voice was loud and frightening in my mind. I jerked when I received his mindspeech—I was terrified with Delvin and the others surrounding me. All but Delvin still thought I was a boy. Reah, did you hear me? Answer me!

I think I whimpered aloud before I answered Lendill Schaff's mindspeech. I hear you, I returned as best I could.

Reah, if they hurt you, you have permission to come away from there. If they do not, you are in a position to hand all of them to us. We need names, Reah, and anything else you can get for us. Do this, Reah. It's important. Remember the oath you took, when you came to the Alliance. You swore to protect it. Protect it now, Reah. You are duty-bound.

I shivered at his words. He expected me to stay and funnel information to him. Are Tory and Ry all right? My mental voice was sullen.

They are well. This is an order, Reah. Send information to me or to Director Keef—he can send and receive mindspeech, just as I can. If you desert your post, you will be committing treason.

He threw his trump card in my face. I was already considered a criminal by the Alliance. Now I might be guilty of treason if I didn't stay among these thugs and listen for what little I might glean while working inside Arvil's kitchen. I wanted to weep for being in so far over my head in all this. I couldn't. I could only stand in front of Delvin and shiver.

"I'll take the boy to the kitchen," Delvin gripped my arm so hard it hurt.

"He can have the sleeping quarters next to it," Arvil waved a hand. "Go ahead, but get back here quickly—we have to make plans to pull the seed from our fields on Birimera, instead."

"They'll expect breakfast when they rise, but that varies," Delvin said as he dragged me down a dark hallway. "This is Arvil's private home," he added. "And it's a fortress with guards around it at all times. Hop when he tells you, Reah, and cook as well for him as you cooked for us."

"You've been here before," I muttered, refusing to look up at Delvin's face.

"Yes. I have been here before."

"I regret cooking for you," I said.

"Reah, don't," Delvin hissed. "It was hard enough to do this to Bel and the others—they don't have a chance against what's coming. Keep your head down and don't aggravate Arvil. That will keep you alive just as well as anything I can do for you. I swear I'll protect you as much as I can."

I wanted to yell at him about empty words and false promises, but I didn't. I was stuck on Campiaa for the moment and had to fit in as best I could.

"This is the kitchen," Delvin hauled me inside. It was smaller than I thought it might be—the parts of Arvil's private home we'd gone through to get to the kitchen were much more spacious and better furnished.

"This is a cesspit," I moaned as I looked around me.

"He doesn't spend where he doesn't think he has to," Delvin snapped. "Reah, don't fight me or Arvil San Gerxon over this. Make do with what you have. Your sleeping quarters are next door," he pointed to the left of the kitchen. "At least your suite has its own bath. I'll try to find clothing for you. Be ready to make breakfast in the morning." Delvin left me standing inside Arvil San Gerxon's nearly archaic kitchen while tears slipped down my cheeks.

They said they were going to pull seed from Birimera, I sent. I was still wiping tears off my face as I made my report.

Thank you. Lendill's reply was curt as he cut off the communication.

"She's crying," Lendill sighed. "Don't tell Torevik. I think he'll take both our heads."

"I'd stay away from Aurelius too, if that sort of thing worries you," Norian observed. "Let's help the others burn drakus plants."

"Father, I am having enough trouble with my son over this. You need to stay here and help us convince him to wait." Gavin hadn't been on this side of things before. Aurelius had always been the reasonable one. Now his vampire sire wanted to go haring off to Campiaa to rescue Reah. Gavin would have done the same in Aurelius' place, but Gavril was panicking over Reah's abduction, too.

"Director Keef is leaving her there—she has already gotten vital information for them. In fact, one of the planets where they are growing drakus seed is the one on which you fought demons last." Aurelius jerked his head up at Gavin's words.

"At least we don't have to wake our cook." Arvil grinned as he led his contingent of wizards into his kitchen about a click later. "We'll have a decent meal tonight."

"Possibly not, Lord Arvil," I bowed to him as respectfully as I could. "Your thermostat is broken on your oven, Lord." I pointed to the digital readout on the outside of the oven, and then, using a mitt, pulled the thermometer from the oven. The reading was very different.

"Also, four of the six units on top of your stove do not work, I am sorry to say." I led him to the stove and showed him that only two were glowing red while the others were dark, although all were turned on. "These floor tiles are loose and crumbling," I toed one with my shoe, "because the dishwasher line is leaking. The dishwasher is also inoperable for other reasons. You have hard water here, Lord." I pointed out the calcium deposits around the base of the sink faucet. "I will serve you the best meals possible, Lord, but I must have decent equipment to work with in order to do so."

I was risking my life, I felt, telling him these things, but I would rather be killed over this than serve up poor food.

"Why do I not have a decent kitchen?" Arvil must have been in a good mood; he was smiling and tossing a hand in the air. "Come, boy, we will walk to my casino next door and you will use their kitchen tonight. I will see about getting these things replaced and repaired."

That's how I was allowed to see the guards surrounding Arvil San Gerxon's home, which was every bit as large as the Prince's palace on Mandil. A very high wall surrounded it, I discovered. We were led through a narrow gate, and a huge casino was revealed once we passed the high walls surrounding Arvil's mansion. Lights flashed and glittered around The San Gerxon I; it fronted a sandy beach and an ocean beyond that. I might have liked to go and watch the waves washing up on the beach in the moonlight, but I was commanded to cook instead.

"Master San Gerxon," the cook on duty bowed to his employer as we walked into his kitchen. We were seeing the night cook, as it was quite late when we arrived. The day cook would likely be better and more highly paid.

"Don't worry yourself, we have a cook with us—seems my kitchen needs updating, so we'll borrow yours for now." The cook didn't like it, but acquiesced to Arvil's wishes, standing aside and bowing us through with as much dignity as he could muster. He watched carefully too, as I took stock of what he had and then quickly prepared the same fish I'd helped Harding make on Le-Ath Veronis.

When night cook Xiri got a taste of what I'd made—I let him have a bite when I poured sauce over the fish on nine plates—he closed his eyes and sighed with pleasure. "Master, we could sell this for many credits in your best restaurant," Xiri exclaimed. I made a small plate of food for him after serving the others.

"Re, teach him how to make it," Arvil waved a hand. He'd tasted the fish, just as the others had. Arvil also had a communicator in his hand after his fourth bite, telling someone that he wanted his kitchen completely updated, beginning the next morning. He offered to pay extra if it were finished quickly.

"There, Re—you will have a working kitchen soon. Meanwhile, I think we'll put you up here in the casino until the kitchen's finished and you will cook for me when I am hungry."

"I will, Lord. Some of my best dishes take time to prepare, however. I will start one tomorrow morning, and finish it once you let me know when you wish to eat your evening meal."

"That sounds reasonable," Arvil grinned. "Is there more wine?" I poured more for him and topped off the glasses of the other wizards, Delvin included. I barely looked at him as he was served. How thankful was I that he hadn't learned I had mindspeech? If he'd known, he would never have brought me here—he might have tried to kill me instead. That talent was a double-edged blade, in every sense.