"At the most she has two hundred years left," Griffin sighed and hugged Amara tightly. "And there is great unrest between the races that Lissa passed judgment over. She may not live the full two hundred years."
"You think any of those creatures will feel anything but contempt for those not of their race? If they had any compassion at all, they would never have turned their children away."
"I also wish to get information from her now," Griffin replied, leaning down to kiss the top of Amara's head.
"Do you think she will tell you, after all this time?" Amara murmured against Griffin's chest.
"I think Lissa can force her to tell me," Griffin murmured back.
* * *
"Lissa Beth?" Don was calling my name. He only called me Lissa Beth when he missed me.
"Huh?" I realized I was dreaming as I said it, but it didn't alter the dream. Don was there and I was dreaming of him for the first time since he'd died. He was standing before me in our old living room, only he looked as he had when I'd first met him—with light-brown hair, brown eyes and an easy smile.
"I just wanted to see you again," he said. "Do you still love me?"
"Oh, honey," I said, trying to stop the sob that threatened. "I'll always love you."
"Lissa, I didn't mean to make you cry," he said.
"I know," I said, wiping tears away.
"You were always the strong one, Lissa Beth. I leaned on you for so long. I wanted to be a stronger man for you, be the one to support you, but it didn't turn out that way, did it?"
"We don't ever know what life is gonna hand us," I was still crying. "I don't regret a minute we spent together."
"Lissa Beth, I hope I get to hold you again, someday."
"Don't make me cry harder," I wept.
"I have to go," Don said. He winked out, just like that. I was crying when I woke and Karzac was cursing under his breath and pacing while Connegar held me in his arms.
"I'm all right," I wiped tears off my cheeks with shaking hands. "I just had a dream, that's all."
"Healer, go back to bed," Connegar was attempting to soothe Karzac and me. He was trilling when he settled me in the bed and Karzac pulled me against him, shushing me softly while Connegar sang the song that only the Larentii could sing. I was asleep again in minutes.
* * *
Drake and Drew were with me the following morning, along with three comesuli from the Queen's Guard. Yeah. Queen Lissa. Some days I wondered what I'd been thinking when I'd chosen this life. Of course, the alternative always reared its ugly head so I sighed and kept walking. We were inspecting the wheat crop, which was nearly ready for harvest. Early summer had come to Le-Ath Veronis and we stood near the equator, which meant there was daylight most of the time. There was a wobble to the planet, so there were two hours of near dusk every day. The vampire cities were far enough south that they appeared to be in constant twilight—that magical hour after sunset.
The largest comesuli city was near the farms where we walked and it resembled what they'd had in Veshtul. Comesuli love color and the stones in the streets were many-colored, as were the walls of their dwellings. Two smaller cities lay to the east and west of us, where the herders and tree farmers lived. Sernus, the farm overseer, walked beside me, chattering away about the wheat crop, which would be harvested in the next three weeks.
"Do you have plenty of storage for the harvest?" I asked. The crop looked to be a good one—the rains had been good and fields covered in ripening wheat stretched endlessly around us. I wondered briefly if Kifirin had a hand in that. I was just thankful the crops looked good so far and that we wouldn't be facing shortages.
"We have enough, Raona," Sernus smiled. "I have much experience in farming wheat. We will have more than enough to last us until next year's crop can be harvested."
"If you need anything, you only have to let me know," I said. Sernus was five-ten or so, one of the taller comesuli and he smiled down at me as I made the offer. The harvest would be done by hand, I knew, but I wondered if I shouldn't ask for a meeting with my Inner Circle to see if we couldn't bring in equipment—I knew many worlds had solar-powered farming equipment and vehicles—the comesuli would probably appreciate the convenience.
It was my goal to make Le-Ath Veronis as self-sufficient as possible—I didn't want to depend on imported food to feed the comesuli. The sad truth is that we had hardly any industrialization at the moment; no manufacturing other than handmade goods, tools and such, aside from the blood substitute factory. Equipment, better tools and vehicles would make things so much easier for the comesuli, who hadn't had anything like that before and therefore didn't know to ask for it. I made a mental note to send information to the comesuli overseers soon—as to what was available and how it might help them in their work.
Flavio and Gabron were also suggesting we allow tourism. I was having trouble with that—I didn't want a bunch of people on the planet looking for the thrill of the bite and I sure as hell didn't want any of them trying to get turned while they were here. I had visions of the seriously ill—those wealthy enough to come, anyway, trying to find a way past their mortality. The comesuli would become vampire if anyone would.
"The farms are beautiful," I smiled at Sernus. He was beaming as we walked toward the barns. The plowing oxen were grazing peacefully in a field nearby; they would be used to pull the wagons when the wheat was harvested and hauled to the threshing floor. I thanked Sernus for giving us the tour before turning to my Falchani twins. Drew gave me a slight smile as we folded to the next farm. Avocado trees, fruit trees, nut trees—they grew in huge groves and many had only the barest beginnings of fruit upon them.
My comesuli guards were exhausted when we finished our inspections for the day, but their counterparts were happy to see their monarch. Those who worked the farms and weren't pregnant made their way to the vampire cities twice a month. They were already forming attachments to this vampire or that. They called the bite the rapture, since it gave them sexual release.
Drake folded us home after the inspections were over—I think I was as tired as the comesuli; I just didn't want to admit it. "Lissa, cara, you look worn out," Gavin and Tony were waiting when we arrived. Dinner was ready and most of my crew was there, as were Glinda and Jayd. The twins and I had to hurry and change; dinners were more formal and the only time when everyone who could would gather for a meal. It was only when I sneaked into the kitchen after hours that I could slump over the huge island and have a snack.
We were halfway through dinner when I noticed that Glinda was merely picking at her food. She stood when dinner was over and her water broke. Garde arrived swiftly, attempting to calm Jayd. He was demanding the babies be born on Kifirin, so that's how I found myself upon the High Demons' planet, sitting on a bench outside the royal suite and waiting for Jayd and Glinda's twins to arrive. High Demon guards patrolled the hallways and outside the palace—Garde had no desire for any humanoids on Kifirin to attempt a murder or a coup while the royal family was in such a vulnerable position.
"Lissa, staying awake and fretting won't make those babies come any quicker," Tony sat on the bench next to me and draped an arm around my shoulder. He'd traded places with Gavin—they were helping patrol the palace. Karzac, Jeff, and several Larentii were inside the royal suite, tending to the birth. I deliberately stopped myself from Looking—it was something that should be free from interference.
"You're awake," I pointed out the obvious. Tony grinned. I laid my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes for a moment.
* * *
"The substitute will always nourish you, but it will never taste the same as the real thing," Jeral informed Davan as Davan drank thirstily from the offered bottle. Davan woke on the fifth day to find his vampire sire with him inside the secured cell. Davan drank two bottles of the fluid before slaking his thirst completely. Once he was finished with his meal, Jeral set about teaching Davan how he should behave around humanoids.
* * *
"Lissa, we can reschedule this meeting." Gabron had my elbow as we walked toward the library. I'd gotten two hours of sleep after Glinda's girls came—Gavin insisted we return to Le-Ath Veronis and he'd put me in bed himself. Karzac stayed on Kifirin to care for Glinda and the newborns.
"Let's get this over with," I sighed. I probably looked like hell—I hadn't paid attention to my face in the mirror and Giff had dressed me—I didn't care what I wore. Flavio was coming with the City Councils—all the members from Earth combined with the members from Refizan. The Council members from other cities were coming as well, to hammer out the articles of governance. Gabron was going to help and Pheligar was sending a Larentii advisor.
"He's young," Pheligar said, describing the Larentii in question. "Only two hundred fifty years of age, but he is skilled at translating languages and has a feel for intentions behind words. He wants to work as a diplomat, Lissa, and this is the only world where Ferrigar will allow it—we do not involve ourselves in politics."
"His name?" I asked.
"Reemagar," Pheligar had replied. "You may ask Grace about his mother, sometime." I didn't know what Pheligar was trying to tell me and at the time, I'd been too busy to Look. I remembered his words now as we found the Larentii waiting for us outside the doors to the library.
"Reemagar?" I asked. He nodded solemnly to me and opened the doors using power.
We only broke twice during the lengthy day; blood substitute was handed out both times and I drank it with the rest of them, although it didn't do a thing to help with my exhaustion. Gabron managed to order coffee brought in and he, Flavio and I had a cup while we were debating what the age of adulthood should be for the comesuli.
"The comesuli consider a child an adult at age forty," I said for perhaps the tenth time.