about his daughters, now? It was a little late for that, I think.
"We'll meet in your kitchen, perhaps?" Erland sounded hopeful.
"Contact Astralan. He'll get you in," Teeg agreed. "We'll be along as quickly as we can."
* * *
"The least you could do is ask me first," I jerked my arm away from Teeg's hand later as he walked me through the tunnel connecting the San Gerxon Casino to his palace. Teeg had the tunnel built ten turns earlier. The underground passage was a safer way to get back and forth when he had to go.
"Reah, you need to hear what they have to say," Teeg growled.
"Maybe so. But do I get to make up my own mind once in a while?"
"Reah, don't."
"I could say the same to you, Teeg."
"It's half an hour of your time."
"Fine. I'm not spending the night. I have too much to do."
"You will spend the night."
"Teeg, you have guests. In your kitchen." Dee broke up the fight by appearing out of nowhere in the dimly lit tunnel.
"Thanks, Dee. I just have to convince my wife to come along."
"I see," Dee said dryly.
It wasn't just Erland and Lissa. Erland, Lissa, Garde and Wylend had come. I almost skipped away immediately. Teeg gripped my arm and growled. He knew what I was thinking.
"Sit," Teeg said. I sat. And glowered, my arms folded tightly across my chest.
"Reah, Tory is divorced from Darletta and is now home on Le-Ath Veronis," Lissa began.
"Ry told me," I muttered, refusing to look at any of them.
"Did he tell you that Tory isn't well?"
"He mentioned it."
"Torevik can't seem to remember much of the past twenty-five years," Garde said.
"That's convenient, isn't it?" I raised my head and looked Garde in the eye.
"Reah, we don't know what's causing this. He vaguely remembers Raedah and Tara, but he doesn't recall the others," Lissa said. Well, she could smell a lie. Maybe she was listening to Tory objectively. How would I know? It still made no difference to me. Tory had gone off and married Darletta because he was in a snit. Wylend had given him a half-truth, and Tory had retaliated.
"Look. It doesn't matter to me that he can't remember. It won't change things between us. I'm sorry if he's ill. If my daughters want to see him, that's their choice. They're all old enough to decide these things foembse thinr themselves."
"He asked about you." Garde was blowing smoke.
"Gardevik Rath, I can blow smoke, too. Tory married Darletta. He never offered to marry me. Kifirin gave me four additional children with Tory and that was definitely not in my plans. Or Tory's. He's not obligated to them in any way."
"Reah, we know you got hurt." Erland was talking again. Hurt? That word didn't begin to describe what I was. Where was he when I was in labor, birthing three sets of twins? Of all my mates, only Nefrigar had been there all three times. I was particularly thankful he was there the last time. I'd bled. A lot. Nefrigar and Renegar managed to get it stopped. I was also thankful I hadn't gotten pregnant since then.
"I wrote to him. At the birth of all his children. Sent him vids and photographs. What happened to those? Has Karzac examined him? What does he say?" I stared across the wide kitchen island at Erland, Lissa, and Garde. I deliberately didn't include Wylend in my gaze.
"Karzac says there are unexplained gaps in Tory's memory," Lissa sighed.
"I don't believe this." I wiped my face with a shaking hand.
"He remembers what Wylend told him, and then getting back at you through Darletta afterward. But things are hazy after that," Garde said.
"He thinks all that was last week and not twenty-five years ago?" My voice was filled with sarcasm.
"He thinks only a couple of years have passed," Lissa nodded.
"Great. Perfect. Can Karzac or one of the Larentii fix it?"
"Connegar says it will be done gradually, so his Thifilathi doesn't go crazy. That's the other thing, Reah. He hasn't turned the whole time he's been married to Darletta. The Larentii told us that," Erland said.
"The full moon is two days away,"
"We'll meet in your kitchen, perhaps?" Erland sounded hopeful.
"Contact Astralan. He'll get you in," Teeg agreed. "We'll be along as quickly as we can."
* * *
"The least you could do is ask me first," I jerked my arm away from Teeg's hand later as he walked me through the tunnel connecting the San Gerxon Casino to his palace. Teeg had the tunnel built ten turns earlier. The underground passage was a safer way to get back and forth when he had to go.
"Reah, you need to hear what they have to say," Teeg growled.
"Maybe so. But do I get to make up my own mind once in a while?"
"Reah, don't."
"I could say the same to you, Teeg."
"It's half an hour of your time."
"Fine. I'm not spending the night. I have too much to do."
"You will spend the night."
"Teeg, you have guests. In your kitchen." Dee broke up the fight by appearing out of nowhere in the dimly lit tunnel.
"Thanks, Dee. I just have to convince my wife to come along."
"I see," Dee said dryly.
It wasn't just Erland and Lissa. Erland, Lissa, Garde and Wylend had come. I almost skipped away immediately. Teeg gripped my arm and growled. He knew what I was thinking.
"Sit," Teeg said. I sat. And glowered, my arms folded tightly across my chest.
"Reah, Tory is divorced from Darletta and is now home on Le-Ath Veronis," Lissa began.
"Ry told me," I muttered, refusing to look at any of them.
"Did he tell you that Tory isn't well?"
"He mentioned it."
"Torevik can't seem to remember much of the past twenty-five years," Garde said.
"That's convenient, isn't it?" I raised my head and looked Garde in the eye.
"Reah, we don't know what's causing this. He vaguely remembers Raedah and Tara, but he doesn't recall the others," Lissa said. Well, she could smell a lie. Maybe she was listening to Tory objectively. How would I know? It still made no difference to me. Tory had gone off and married Darletta because he was in a snit. Wylend had given him a half-truth, and Tory had retaliated.
"Look. It doesn't matter to me that he can't remember. It won't change things between us. I'm sorry if he's ill. If my daughters want to see him, that's their choice. They're all old enough to decide these things foembse thinr themselves."
"He asked about you." Garde was blowing smoke.
"Gardevik Rath, I can blow smoke, too. Tory married Darletta. He never offered to marry me. Kifirin gave me four additional children with Tory and that was definitely not in my plans. Or Tory's. He's not obligated to them in any way."
"Reah, we know you got hurt." Erland was talking again. Hurt? That word didn't begin to describe what I was. Where was he when I was in labor, birthing three sets of twins? Of all my mates, only Nefrigar had been there all three times. I was particularly thankful he was there the last time. I'd bled. A lot. Nefrigar and Renegar managed to get it stopped. I was also thankful I hadn't gotten pregnant since then.
"I wrote to him. At the birth of all his children. Sent him vids and photographs. What happened to those? Has Karzac examined him? What does he say?" I stared across the wide kitchen island at Erland, Lissa, and Garde. I deliberately didn't include Wylend in my gaze.
"Karzac says there are unexplained gaps in Tory's memory," Lissa sighed.
"I don't believe this." I wiped my face with a shaking hand.
"He remembers what Wylend told him, and then getting back at you through Darletta afterward. But things are hazy after that," Garde said.
"He thinks all that was last week and not twenty-five years ago?" My voice was filled with sarcasm.
"He thinks only a couple of years have passed," Lissa nodded.
"Great. Perfect. Can Karzac or one of the Larentii fix it?"
"Connegar says it will be done gradually, so his Thifilathi doesn't go crazy. That's the other thing, Reah. He hasn't turned the whole time he's been married to Darletta. The Larentii told us that," Erland said.
"The full moon is two days away,"
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