I ached for some reason, and my limbs were tangled. As if someone had—as if someone—Kifirin. He'd done this to me. Tossed me naked upon the cold ground, somewhere. Sturdy stems of tall grasses poked into bare skin, making me extremely uncomfortable. And I had a headache. How was that possible? The last thing I remembered was Kifirin's hand, shooting out quick as a snake, poking me in the foreheng,sad and laying a healing sleep. Only nobody woke from a healing sleep like this. I moaned as I untangled arms and legs, struggling to sit up. The full moon hung overhead, bathing the field surrounding me in light.
Somehow, a full moon didn't affect me or Glinda as it did the males. They had to turn, and the full moon called out stronger to them than any other time. Kifirin had done this. I almost wondered why when I remembered. Tory. He'd be somewhere nearby. That meant I needed to skip away before he found me. Before it was too late. I moaned and gathered my wits to skip. Nothing happened. Tried again. Still nothing.
That's when I heard the noise. A snort. I recognized it. Jumping to my feet I made to run, barefoot as I was, when the huge, black-scaled and clawed hand reached for me. Scooped me up, even as I screeched and flailed. Thick smoke poured from Tory's Thifilathi. Was I frightened? Nearly to death. Kifirin was behind this and keeping me from skipping away or turning Thifilatha. Would I never be free of him and his meddling? He was about to get me killed. My heart pounding in my chest, I beat on Tory's hands as he held me away from him, kicking with my feet, but I was too far away to hit anything and my attempts to do him harm were pitifully useless.
"Let. Me. Go," I hissed between clenched teeth. "Let me go," I shouted louder. As of that moment, I was done with High Demons. If I could get out of Tory's grip, I was going so far away none of them would find me. I was finished with Kifirin and the ones he'd created in his image. They had my daughters. Had High Demon males lined up to take them. I'd served my purpose and now, in a last attempt to torture me, Kifirin had tossed me on the ground for a half-crazed High Demon in full Thifilathi to find.
"Reah, your little fists are bloody. Stop beating them against my scales." I stared at Tory in shock. He'd spoken. High Demons seldom were able while Thifilathi, small or large.
"Put me down, Torevik Rath. Now."
"No, Reah. You belong to me."
"Tory, don't be delusional. Put me down." I stared at his face, black with a finer layer of scales than the rest of him. Curved, black horns grew away from his temples, the tips pointed upward. His eyes were black as well, with no white showing. A curl of smoke lifted from wide nostrils.
"Mine." I disagreed with Tory's declaration of ownership, attempting to pry his fingers from around my waist. His grip was tight and it hurt.
"Tory, you're squeezing me," I wheezed.
"You'll get away. Not my fault I have to hold you this hard."
"Tory, let me go. Put me down." I wanted to hyperventilate, but my lungs couldn't draw in the air. My fists were bloody, just as he'd said. A High Demon's scales while full Thifilathi could cut if you rubbed against them. Now, my entire body was at the mercy of those scales. "Tory, I can't breathe," I whimpered.
"Reah, I can't let you go. I know I'm hurting you, but I can't let you go."
"Tory." That was the last thing I remembered before things went black for the second time that day.
Garde watched as his son threw back his head and keened mournfully. "Now we go, so stay behind me," Kifirin ordered, folding Garde and himself to a spot right in front of Tory.
"Here." Kifirin held out a blanket. To">& blankery, even in his current state, recognized the god of the Dark Realm. Carefully he laid Reah's body on the blanket. All of them saw the blood and bruises around Reah's ribs, waist and hips, where her skin had come in contact with Tory's scaled and clawed hands.
"I want her back," Tory demanded, once Reah was folded in the blanket. His wings rustled impatiently while Kifirin wrapped Reah firmly so her arms and legs were secure.
"I'll allow it, but she'll need attention later," Kifirin handed Reah over.
"I can't let her get away," Tory sat on the grass, the small bundle cradled in his arms.
"Son, you'll have to convince her while you're in your other shape," Garde ventured to say.
"I'll say I'm sorry."
"We'll work on that. Later."
"We'll make it right. We'll make it right," someone was crooning to me when I regained consciousness. I ached. Over most of my body. My ribs felt as if they'd been crushed.
"Who are you?" I opened my eyes and found a black-skinned male running his hands over my body. I'd never seen him before. Who'd let him in my house? I was in my house; I was staring at the same crack in the plaster ceiling that I'd been looking at for twenty years.
"I'm new to this side of things. I and one other have been assigned to assist Kifirin."
"You're Kifirin's assistant?" It hurt to talk.
"Yes."
"Get out."
"I understand how you might feel that way about him."
"Then get out." This one had a nice face. He might look even better if he smiled, but I didn't want him to stay until I saw it. If he were Kifirin's assistant, then he needed to get away from me. As soon as he could. A tiny curl of smoke came from my nostrils. Kifirin had knocked me out and dumped me in a field for Tory to find as full Thifilathi. That was unforgivable. Just another unforgivable thing in a long line of unforgivable things at the hands of the Dark god. He wasn't the Dark god for nothing.
"My name is Neeki," my attendant said, continuing his examination of my naked body as if he hadn't heard a word I'd said.
"That's nice," I said. "Get out."
"My associate is called Teeki, but he could not be here right now. He is busy elsewhere." Dark fingers ran down ribs so tender I almost cried out. "Ah, cracks. I will repair them." Light formed around his hands.
"Probably straightening out some of Kifirin's other mistakes," I drew in a painful breath. He'd hit a really sore spot. "Now, get out. I mean it."
"Ah, but you want to be able to work the harvest tomorrow."
"Sure I do. As soon as you get out of my way, I'm skipping out of here. Garde and his bone-crushing thug of a son can harvest the fruit. I'm done, here. Kifirin stepped across the line one time too many."
"He does not mean to harm."
"Don't try to make excuses for him. He does so mean to harm. Has done harm. Every single time."
"Our little one is very tired. And so="+ired. Are. Needs rest. Rest, Reah. Shall I ask someone to hold you after I heal your body?"
"I want you and everybody else to leave me alone. Where are they now? Why are you here instead of that pile of mates I have? And Torevik Rath? If I see him again in Thifilathi, small or large, he'll have a fight on his hands. Kifirin prevented me from turning earlier. Where are all those lofty promises he made to the Dark races, long ago? That he wouldn't interfere with their decisions? He keeps interfering with mine."
"I was not his assistant when he made that statement."
"Yeah? Who decided he needed an assistant? Or two?"
"The one who made him. So he sent Teeki and me. To help."
"Great. More meddling gods." I raised up in bed, whimpering at the resulting pain.
"Don't move, I haven't finished, yet," Neeki informed me.
"You're finished." I slipped off the bed and moved stiffly toward my closet. Dawn was close. Tory had probably dumped me as quickly as possible and skipped right back to Mom and her palace, leaving Kifirin's newly appointed assistant behind to clean up his mess. I was leaving, just as soon as I could get dressed.
"You cannot leave; many depend upon you."
"Yeah? Watch me." I pulled a pair of pants from a hanger. A shirt came next. Nothing in my closet could be described as neat or new. Everything was old; some of it patched, ripped or threadbare. I found the best of it, pulled the nicest underwear I owned out of a drawer and slipped into it, my body aching the entire time. When I managed to pull the best shoes on that I could find, I still looked as if I were prepared to work the groves instead of leaving the planet.
"But what shall I do?" Neeki, much taller than I and somewhat thin, looked as if he were about to wring his hands.
"I don't care. Feel free to wait here and tell Garde when he shows up that he can oversee the harvest and care for the disabled and arrange for a ship to haul the fruit. I won't be back. Tell King Jayd that he can cancel my membership in the High Demon club. I don't have any use for it. Good-bye, Neeki. When you see your lord and master again, tell him he can kiss my ass." I skipped away, leaving Neeki behind, a look of shocked concern on his face.
"You were supposed to keep her here!" Kifirin shouted at poor Neeki, who cowered before the Dark god.
"I saw no way to do so; I am not allowed to restrain." Neeki gave the only excuse he had. Garde and Jayd both stood inside Reah's house while the work crews were scrambling to get out to the fields and harvest ripened gishi fruit.
"She said she wasn't coming back?" Jayd repeated what Neeki said.
"Yes. She said that. And left before the healing was complete."
"She wasn't supposed to wake. Either time." Kifirin was blowing smoke.
"I do not understand either. She woke while I was tending her, and then left. I tried to reassure her, but she kept telling me to get out."
"Reah is past listening to those promises." Nefrigar appeared. Kifirin had never seen an angry Larentii before.
"I know. But she is all I have." Kifirin hung his head.
"You don't have her now." Nefrigar's blue skin was glowing, he was so angry. "Make these lazy louts who call themselves High Demons do for themselves instead of piling it all on Reah's shoulders. If they become extinct, perhaps it is as it should be."