handsomest man I'd ever seen, barring his father and Kifirin. Kifirin appeared handsome, then marred his image by doing some of the worst things imaontt thingginable. Twice I'd found him sitting on the side of my bed when I awoke. Both times it was to tell me he'd manipulated a pregnancy with Tory's seed. He'd disappeared, too, both times, before I could scream at him. I hadn't seen the Lord of the Dark Realm in twenty years. That was fine with me.
"Here's Reah, now." Teeg held out a hand as Ry handed me over. I felt like a bit of superfluous fluff, batted from one person to the next, having no real purpose in the posturing and presentation.
"Reah, this is President Drix of Avendor. Where the gishi fruit is grown." Teeg placed emphasis on gishi fruit, as if I didn't know where it was grown originally.
"I love gishi fruit," I enthused, taking President Drix's hand. It was the expected thing to do. Right then, I envied Dee because he set these things up and then refused to attend them.
I wore a black beaded gown that was nearly backless, boasting only a few narrow straps to hold the thing on; my hair was piled on my head and fastened with jeweled combs and my nails would make any wealthy woman proud. Yes, I looked like the wife of the Founder of the Campiaan Alliance, but I wished they could see me most days, wearing stained or torn trousers, flat-soled shoes and old shirts I scrounged from here and there. Why dress up when there wasn't money to buy fine clothes or shoes? Those poor souls that Garde insisted on sending to me were paid a little by the Crown, but where would the money come from if they needed clothing or supplies that couldn't be had on Kifirin? I subsidized those needs from my own pocket. Who cared what I looked like while I worked the groves? It was better knowing that the sick ones had necessities.
"I'll send you a crate of fruit," President Drix smiled.
"You're so kind," I thanked him. The rest of the night went exactly the same; meeting with this one and that while muttering inane conversation as I stood at Teeg's side. He didn't need a wife; he needed a robot that could spew the required phrases and smile tirelessly while they did it. My mind was on my middle daughters and their claiming the following week, in addition to the two trucks currently in the shop for repairs. I hoped the vehicles would be ready to haul crates of harvested fruit to the barns and that the shipping freighters would escape the pirates.
On top of that, the new one with the back injury would be coming to the groves. I had no idea where to put him. The infirmary and apartments were full and I hated to contact Adam, an Enforcer for the Saa Thalarr. He'd put up the buildings in the first place, with help from Martin Walters and a few of the others.
"Reah, it is a pleasure to meet you." The King of Gorshil was holding out his hand.
"How lovely to meet you," I dipped my head to him. Kings got a dip of the head. The gesture was respectful and often required. Then came the one I was dreading.
"King Wylend." Teeg greeted his great-grandfather. Ry had disappeared when Teeg forged his way toward Wylend.
"Teeg. Reah. So nice to see you both." Wylend nodded to both of us. Every time I saw Wylend, I wanted to weep and pound his chest. He was at the root of so much pain.
"Wylend," I dipped my head.
"Reah, have you spoken to Lissa?" Erland asked.
"Not personally, but I have heard the news." I wasn't about to drag it out here. It would only make me angry.
"I don't suppose dion't su a meeting might be arranged so Lissa and I can speak with you," Erland went on.
"I'm afraid I have no time for the next eight-day," I said. "You might contact me after that."
"Reah, don't be rude," Teeg admonished. "You may have some time with Reah tonight," he told Erland. "Reah will be here until morning."
I felt like kicking Teeg for doing this to me. What were they going to do? Try to talk me into seeing Tory? I had no desire to see him. Was he asking
"Here's Reah, now." Teeg held out a hand as Ry handed me over. I felt like a bit of superfluous fluff, batted from one person to the next, having no real purpose in the posturing and presentation.
"Reah, this is President Drix of Avendor. Where the gishi fruit is grown." Teeg placed emphasis on gishi fruit, as if I didn't know where it was grown originally.
"I love gishi fruit," I enthused, taking President Drix's hand. It was the expected thing to do. Right then, I envied Dee because he set these things up and then refused to attend them.
I wore a black beaded gown that was nearly backless, boasting only a few narrow straps to hold the thing on; my hair was piled on my head and fastened with jeweled combs and my nails would make any wealthy woman proud. Yes, I looked like the wife of the Founder of the Campiaan Alliance, but I wished they could see me most days, wearing stained or torn trousers, flat-soled shoes and old shirts I scrounged from here and there. Why dress up when there wasn't money to buy fine clothes or shoes? Those poor souls that Garde insisted on sending to me were paid a little by the Crown, but where would the money come from if they needed clothing or supplies that couldn't be had on Kifirin? I subsidized those needs from my own pocket. Who cared what I looked like while I worked the groves? It was better knowing that the sick ones had necessities.
"I'll send you a crate of fruit," President Drix smiled.
"You're so kind," I thanked him. The rest of the night went exactly the same; meeting with this one and that while muttering inane conversation as I stood at Teeg's side. He didn't need a wife; he needed a robot that could spew the required phrases and smile tirelessly while they did it. My mind was on my middle daughters and their claiming the following week, in addition to the two trucks currently in the shop for repairs. I hoped the vehicles would be ready to haul crates of harvested fruit to the barns and that the shipping freighters would escape the pirates.
On top of that, the new one with the back injury would be coming to the groves. I had no idea where to put him. The infirmary and apartments were full and I hated to contact Adam, an Enforcer for the Saa Thalarr. He'd put up the buildings in the first place, with help from Martin Walters and a few of the others.
"Reah, it is a pleasure to meet you." The King of Gorshil was holding out his hand.
"How lovely to meet you," I dipped my head to him. Kings got a dip of the head. The gesture was respectful and often required. Then came the one I was dreading.
"King Wylend." Teeg greeted his great-grandfather. Ry had disappeared when Teeg forged his way toward Wylend.
"Teeg. Reah. So nice to see you both." Wylend nodded to both of us. Every time I saw Wylend, I wanted to weep and pound his chest. He was at the root of so much pain.
"Wylend," I dipped my head.
"Reah, have you spoken to Lissa?" Erland asked.
"Not personally, but I have heard the news." I wasn't about to drag it out here. It would only make me angry.
"I don't suppose dion't su a meeting might be arranged so Lissa and I can speak with you," Erland went on.
"I'm afraid I have no time for the next eight-day," I said. "You might contact me after that."
"Reah, don't be rude," Teeg admonished. "You may have some time with Reah tonight," he told Erland. "Reah will be here until morning."
I felt like kicking Teeg for doing this to me. What were they going to do? Try to talk me into seeing Tory? I had no desire to see him. Was he asking
Similar Books
The South Lawn Plot
Ray O'Hanlon
Ask the Dust
John Fante
Lady Varney's Risqué Business
Cerise Deland
Skyland
Aelius Blythe
A Coven of Vampires
Brian Lumley
The Woman Who Loved Jesse James
Cindi Myers
The Writer and the World
V.S. Naipaul
Under and Alone
William Queen
Marry or Burn
Valerie Trueblood
Money for Nothing
P. G. Wodehouse