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  We were on our way back to the State House when the news hit. Winkler held his comp-vid while Rigo and I watched; Drake and Drew had hands on sword hilts as we pulled into the designated parking slot.

  Someone, somewhere, had leaked falsehoods to the media, and those reporting it hadn't troubled themselves to check the veracity of the information or their sources before running it.

  Therefore, Rigo was placed under arrest by Chief Milli and Chief Farram as he stepped off the bus.

  "Three witnesses from Murazal claim they overheard the conversation between the First Advisor and someone on his comp-vid," a reporter said as he consulted his own comp-vid while on camera. "We don't have the names of these witnesses as yet; we are working to obtain that information."

  "Unverified, undocumented speculation," I hissed and waved off the screen with power.

  "At least Connegar and Reemagar are with him, to make sure he isn't harmed in any way," Gavin muttered.

  "If they hadn't volunteered, I'd have gone myself," I grumped. "Do we have anything from Zanfield, yet, regarding this information that somehow slipped off his planet?"

  "He's currently engaged in a state function, but Travis and Trent say they'll get information somehow on where this came from," Winkler said, tapping his comp-vid to turn it off. He was just as weary as the rest of us regarding these accusations.

  Somewhere at SouthStar, the real First Advisor should be more than happy that he wasn't on Corez right now. Rigo, are you all right? I sent to him.

  Tiessa, I am fine, but weary of answering unending questions.

  Place compulsion on the lot of them, then, to leave you alone.

  I will if it becomes necessary.

  If you don't, I will.

  I will let you know. I can see Connegar and Reemagar nearby; the others here cannot. That gives me comfort.

  Good. They'll make sure you're comfortable, at least—outside the stupid questioning, anyway.

  Ah, Connegar just waved a hand and the questioning stopped. I believe I will be placed in a cell, next, Rigo informed me.

  Good for Connegar. Let me know if you need anything.

  I will be fine.

  Okay, I have to go; Chief Farram and Chief Milli are requesting an interview with Winkler, Gavin and me.

  Do not let them mistreat you, my love.

  Oh, I won't. Count on it.

  "You don't believe the First Advisor is involved in this murder?" Chief Milli was giving me her best intimidation techniques.

  "No. If you knew him as well as I do, you'd never suggest such an outrageous thing."

  Winkler and Gavin were being questioned in another room by Chief Farram, while I was the focus of Chief Milli. Their idea was to keep us apart and find holes in our story. Too bad they didn't realize we had mindspeech and were in constant communication.

  Bree, too, was watching things through my eyes again. Milli's confused about all this, because she knows darn well that nobody's produced actual witnesses or hard evidence, she informed me.

  "Chief Milli, there is a call for you from President Ylisis of Murazal," one of Milli's assistants poked his head in the door. "He says it is quite urgent."

  "Very well. Send it straight to my comp-vid."

  Moments later, I heard Zanfield's voice, although Milli believed it was Ylisis.

  "Mr. President, thank you for taking the time to speak with me," Milli gushed. Well, somebody had a secret crush, looked like.

  "I'm afraid I may be upsetting your plans a bit," Zanfield replied coolly. "We've tracked down the supposed witnesses who gave information to your journalists. It appears that these witnesses were created digitally, and their messages were distributed to the media on Corez."

  "What?" Milli squeaked, and the timbre of her voice embarrassed her.

  "I'm sending you the evidence now, Chief Milli. It didn't take long to ferret out the disinformation. Had your media come to me in the beginning, it may have prevented this entire, humiliating episode."

  "Do you have the perpetrators behind this erroneous information?"

  "I do not; I only know that the original message came from Corez, bounced from one of our satellites to another, and then was sent back to Corez as if it came from Murazal."

  "You have all the evidence related to this?"

  "Yes, of course. I have experts on my staff, here. It didn't take long to unravel."

  Milli cursed softly. "I will review the evidence you send, and then decide whether we will release the First Advisor from custody."

  "You should have checked all sources before arresting him," Zanfield snapped. "You'd have learned quickly that the charges were based on faulty information."

  Damn, Zanfield is good at this, Bree's mindspeech whispered in my head.

  "I'll get on this immediately," Milli sounded cowed. Bree was right—Zanfield really was good at this.

  "Please inform me if there is anything else I can do to be of service." Zanfield ended the call.

  "Well, bitch," I snapped at Milli. "Maybe you should tune up your resume after arresting somebody with no evidence."

  Milli's eyes widened in shock. "Oh," I added, placing compulsion, "you'll forget I ever said that, too."

  Chapter 7

  Kwark

  Zaria

  "If Zanfield had been obsessed like Ylisis was, he'd have supported the misinformation, rather than looking into the veracity of it. Haris would be hanging out to dry without our intervention," I told Edden, dropping a comp-vid on his desk with a sigh.

  "Then at least we've interrupted one act of chaos," Edden leaned back in his chair and laced fingers behind his head. "My love, you look worried."

  "You know more of this is likely in the works. We're just waiting for shoes to drop."

  "Shoes to drop?"

  "Never mind—just a figure of speech."

  "Very well. You think something will happen here?"

  "Of course I do. Edden, if anybody tries to put you or any of the others in jail with no real evidence, they're going to have one angry Larentii plotting revenge."

  "I should warn them. I doubt many will realize that my mate can give them painful boils for the rest of their lives."

  "Or send them to a place that they may believe to be the real purgatory—for as long as they can last there, anyway."

  "Dearest, you are not so bloodthirsty, are you?" Valegar appeared beside me.

  "No, but sometimes it's nice to imagine delivering pain, in return for pain given."

  "I understand." Val drew me against him. "You are well acquainted with pain, my love."

  "Yeah. That's why I only think these things and don't carry through with them. I know exactly what it feels like."

  "I have the biotech conformer for you," Val smiled down at me. "Just in time for the birthday celebration tomorrow."

  "Good. Bleek is sick to death of only using two hands," I sighed. "Where is it?"

  "Wrapped and inside your closet," Val beamed. "I believe you can make it disappear the moment Bleek tries it on?"

  "Honey, his real extra arms will become visible and the gadget will be transported to Sirena," I said. "Since he wants the damn thing."

  "I believe he'll have his gift working exceptionally well in no time," Edden teased.

  "No doubt," I agreed. "I'll alert the media."

  "Please don't," Ilya and Tamp folded in, with Bleek in tow. "After the fiasco on Corez, I'm wondering which of us will be accused of the next crime."

  "We were just talking about that," Edden said. "We have a royal dinner scheduled for tonight. We need to be visible to as many of the media as possible and watch carefully so that no guests meet with accidents or end up dead."

  "Well, that would be an ideal opportunity, all right," Bleek grumped.

  "We can't say for sure that someone will be targeted this quickly," I pointed out. "After all, somebody, somewhere, is likely having a fit over the failure to have the First Advisor take the fall for the Prime Minister's death."

  "
Probably did put a kink in someone's plans," Ilya agreed. "A big kink."

  "Problem," Halimel misted into the room.

  "What problem?" I whirled to face him.

  "Alrenardo says there have been more ah, murders, and the counterfeit Order of the Night Flower is taking credit."

  "Who and how murdered?" Ilya growled.

  "Two of the Queen's attendants, and both were beheaded."

  "So, real vampires, real, unsanctioned murders, and a fake organization," Edden pushed back his chair and stood. "What else does Alrenardo say?"

  "He says both female attendants were killed elsewhere, then laid outside the Queen's suite door, so they'd be found either by her or one of her servants."

  "Has anyone made any headway tracking these imposters?" I asked.

  "Not yet. I've asked to have someone question our prisoner again, although I doubt it will do much good."

  "I'd contact Lissa and Rigo about this, but they're still working their way out of the mess that happened on Corez earlier," I said.

  "What do Nissa, Trik and Toff say?" Bleek asked.

  "They're waiting for the coroner's final report, which they will filch a copy of to transfer to me," Halimel replied. "All three have volunteered to do undercover investigation for me if needed. We really must shut these imposters down, before they do more damage."

  "This may be a ploy to draw the real Order out of the shadows, don't you think?" Valegar offered his opinion.

  "I've considered it and am coming to believe it's true," Halimel nodded to Val. "Do they want to kill us, or capture us and force us to their will?"

  "They may be hoping you're susceptible to a Sirenali's obsession," I said. "Or, they may want to experiment on you with it, to find out how old and how strong a vampire must be to remain invulnerable to them."

  "Not a pleasant thought," Hal shook his head.

  "Nope, and it could put a lot of vampires in danger if they learn anything at all. Face it, on record, Rigo is one of the oldest vamps in existence."

  "As are most of us in the Order," Halimel conceded. "The youngest is four thousand years old."

  "That would take strong obsession, I think, to get past that," Tamp said. "I often think that a pod'l-morph's immunity, along with our other talents, convinced Liron to force the race into tree-shape on Siriaa."

  "Then maybe we should sneak in a pod'l-morph or two to help Alrenardo," I said. "Any suggestions?"

  "Several have gone through training with the RAA and ASD," Bleek said. "I'm sure one or two would be suitable for the assignment."

  "I will take this information to Ildevar Wyyld," Val offered. "He can contact you with suggestions, perhaps."

  "Good enough. Tell him we need at least two to work with Nissa and her two mates on Hraede."

  "I have a suggestion," Tamp began.

  "What's that?" I turned to my pod'l-morph.

  "I'll go to Hraede. I'm well-versed on subterfuge and intrigue. Get me to Alrenardo as a guard or something, and we'll sort this out. I dislike leaving you, but another of your mates can take my place here."

  "How does that sound?" I asked Hal.

  "I would prefer that to two unknowns," he agreed.

  "All right, then. Who should we bring here to replace Tamp?"

  "I suggest Gerrett," Tamp said immediately.

  "Good thinking," I agreed. "I'll see if Randl can let him go for a while. Hal, would you like to come with me, so I can drop Tamp off with Alrenardo?"

  "I'd be delighted."

  Royal Palace, Hraede

  Halimel

  "It has been a while," I peered up at the carved and gilded ceiling of the King's suite, which was freshly conserved for perhaps the hundredth time.

  "It's strange, sleeping in the palace again," Alrenardo agreed, slapping my shoulder. "I've barely convinced the Queen to speak to me, but she actually had a short conversation with me last night."

  "Remember not to make her suspicious," Tamp said. "We don't want to alarm the entire planet—more than they are already," he said.

  "What do you say?" I turned to Zaria. She was still staring at the gilded ceiling, as if committing it to memory. Perhaps she was; after all, she'd rebuilt an entire palace on Sirena from memory.

  "Nice rooms," she lowered her eyes and smiled at me. Her smile alone could squeeze my heart and heat my blood. "Al," she spoke to Alrenardo, shortening his name, "if there's no other option, we can pull the Queen in on the ruse, and also place compulsion if necessary. I trust you and Tamp to make that decision between you, and don't forget to call on Nissa, Trik and Toff if a bit of wizardry would be helpful. They can be here in a blink if they're needed."

  "If you can track those imposters while you're here," I said, "I'd appreciate the information."

  "I think I'll ask Nissa to go to work on that now," Zaria said. "Nissa really wants to get into the intrigue."

  "Does she have protection against a vampire?" Alrenardo asked. "We move swiftly—sometimes too swiftly for a protection spell to be cast."

  "All three have Grey House protection jewels they wear at all times," Zaria replied. "Those will activate if anyone attacks them. Speaking of which," Zaria held out her hand, and a small box appeared on her palm. "This is for you, Al. Hal and Tamp already have one. Wear it always; it will react much the same as the Grey House protection jewels."

  "Ah. I feel very fortunate," Alrenardo breathed as he accepted Zaria's gift. "Thank you."

  Without hesitation, he opened the box and slipped the medallion over his head, tucking it beneath his shirt. "We will certainly keep you and Halimel informed regarding our search for the imposters. I dislike them destroying our long silence and vows of secrecy."

  "As do I. I really want to know how they came by our information and had the audacity to pose as a murderous cult in our place. There is no sophistication in their methods, and no good or just purpose in them, either."

  "Agreed," Alrenardo nodded at me. "Only the guilty shall be punished. That is a part of our creed."

  "We'll leave you now—we have to get Gerrett and go back to Kwark. Let me know if you need us for anything. Ready?" Zaria turned to me.

  "Of course."

  She took my arm and folded space. In a blink, we landed on marble floors of the palace on Sirena. The rotunda where we were was currently empty. I chose that moment to take Zaria's face in my hands and kiss her—something I'd wanted to do for a very long time.

  Zaria

  "Wow. If I'd known you could kiss that well, we'd have done it before now," I blinked at Halimel when he stepped back.

  "Sometimes the wait makes it sweeter," his brown eyes twinkled at my compliment.

  "Unfortunately, a wait is what we'll have for anything else; we need to get Gerrett and go. Nissa, Trik and Toff have a pile of ash after one of our imposters just tried to kill them."

  "Already?" Hal took my arm this time, pulling me toward the hall leading to Gerrett's quarters.

  "Yeah. Gerrett's on the way. We'll go straight back to Hraede from here."

  "Here," Gerrett appeared, his voice rough from disuse, and breathing hard as if he'd ran instead of folding space.

  "Honey, I'm sorry we're rushing you," I told him. "But we're needed on Hraede."

  "I know. Go," he urged me on with a gesture. Grasping one of his hands, I hurled us back to Hraede, bending time so we'd land in the proper place just before Sir Fangy-pants met his untimely end.

  We had questions. I hoped he'd have answers.

  State House, Corez

  Lissa

  He's out of the pokey and only slightly ruffled, I responded to Zaria's mindspoken question regarding Rigo. Why do you ask?

  We have another vampire on Hraede who just tried to kill the King's mistress. I had to bend time to prevent his death. If you and Rigo want to hear what he has to say, I can arrange it.

  Can you bring him here for questioning? We're currently in the First Advisor's private suite, while the Corezian press is going nuts pointing fingers at on
e another over the bad source of information and Security's rush to put somebody in jail for the same.

  We'll be there shortly. If Rigo needs it, I can offer a bit of healing help.

  I'll ask.

  "Rigo," I turned to him. He'd just gotten out of the shower, and only wore pants. "Zaria's bringing another vampire who claims to be a member of the Order."

  "How quickly?"

  "How about now?" Zaria, Halimel and Gerrett arrived, with Halimel pushing a cuffed vampire before him, then shoving him to his knees before Rigo.

  "Who the hell are you?" the vampire demanded.

  "Shut it." My claws were out and at his throat before he could blink. "You're not worth the sock fuzz from this man's toenails, you runty toadstool."

  "My love," Rigo spoke, his voice indicating the amount of patience required to do so, "my foot hygiene and his resemblance to fungi aside, I believe I'd like to ask this one who he is."

  "Hear that?" I hissed in the vamp's ear. "We've had a really rotten day so far, so it'll be a pleasure to remove your head if you don't cooperate."

  He's not obsessed, is he? I sent to Zaria.

  No, but he is under compulsion, probably by the one you have in your dungeon. Gerrett can get around that, I think.

  "Gerrett?" I straightened and backed away to allow Zaria's Sirenali mate access.

  "Master vampire, you will answer all our questions honestly from now on," Gerrett commanded. Even I felt the vibration in Gerrett's voice as obsession was placed.

  I think it resonates in parts of the brain, particularly in the amygdala, Zaria informed me.

  Thank goodness we're immune, then.

  In our copious free time, we should work on just that.

  What?

  Immunity. For everybody.

  When we have free time.

  Right.

  "I'll have your name, first," Rigo growled.

  The vampire cowered at his feet. "Erryl Fixx," he replied, spitting the name through clenched teeth.

  "Erryl Fixx? The same Erryl Fixx who was the royal bastard of King Erdyl? The Erryl Fixx who disappeared two hundred fifty years ago?"