Doctors and other personnel were running and shouting as thirty former prisoners were dropped off in their emergency department. New guy was then folded back to Le-Ath Veronis; I landed him in the same spot where he'd stood only minutes before. I'd just used up everything that Kifirin had given me and almost dropped in the floor when I rematerialized.

"There, you stupid schmuck. I hope that's all you wanted to do today, because my energy just ran out," I breathed. I must have fainted after that, because I don't remember anything past that statement.

"If you did not represent the Alliance, I would have you locked in a cell downstairs." Gavin gripped Norian Keef's shirtfront tightly and hissed the threat in Norian's face.

"I didn't expect her to do anything like that," Norian's voice was only a whisper, but it held a reverence that even he didn't recognize.

"She doesn't have the strength to go haring about, yet," Karzac appeared, causing Norian's eyebrows to rise even further than they had already. "If Kifirin hadn't transferred some of his energy to her, she wouldn't have been able to stand upright. Yet you guilt her into going after Solar Red priests before her body is capable of doing so. You disgust me," Karzac growled.

"I didn't know how weak she was," Norian was having trouble breathing—Gavin's grip was quite strong.

Drake and Drew had Lissa—well, Drake held Lissa and Drew was trying to bring her back to consciousness while the others crowded around. Thurlow was doing his best to get to her, for some reason.

"Gavin, you'll strangle him if you don't let go." Winkler attempted to get Gavin's attention. It worked—once Norian began to turn a deep shade of blue. Norian gasped for breath and struggled to draw air into his lungs the moment Gavin released him.

"Maybe you ought to go to the kitchens and get a cup of tea, or a stiff brandy," Winkler suggested, baring his teeth and growling. The werewolf was threatening and Winkler was about to give Norian a head start before turning. Norian nodded, straightened his clothing and walked out of Lissa's study with as much dignity as he could muster.

"Let's take Lissa to her suite," Karzac ordered, and someone folded them away.

"What happened?" Roff was frightened when he saw the knot of people surrounding Lissa's bed.

"I believe she went to Twylec and blew up the Solar Red temple," Thurlow said softly. He and Rigo were still on the perimeter of the large group of males surrounding Lissa's bed. "It took all the energy she had, and she wouldn't have had that if Kifirin hadn't given it to her. She was upset earlier over the thing with the Grey House Wizards, and now this. She wasn't in any shape to do this. Not now, anyway."

"What happened with Grey House?" Roff hadn't heard.

"Nothing good—for Lissa, anyway," Rigo muttered. He thought the entire episode was cruel and thoughtless.

"Perhaps you should tell me." Roff led both of them to the hall outside Lissa's suite.

"Shannon, what are you doing?" Raffian watched as Shannon threw clothing into a trunk. She was angry and Raffian knew it.

"Packing, Raffian Grey. When did you stop using common sense? You can see well enough what I'm doing." Shannon tossed an armload of clothing into the trunk, not even bothering to fold any of it.

"And just where are you going?"

"To the beach house. Jeff and the others are waiting for me. Shadow is our son, Raffian. If you had any sense at all, you'd realize that Shadow and Lissa both needed to be introduced to anybody you wanted to include in their relationship, and both would have to approve before you did this. You treated them like misbehaving children instead, handing out orders because your father said so." Shannon slammed the lid of her trunk angrily.

"When are you coming back?"

"Maybe never." Shannon leveled a gaze at Raffian. "I never thought I'd say this about you or your father, but you're both idiots." Shannon blew a stray strand of hair away from her face and folded away right in front of Raffian, her trunk disappearing simultaneously.

"The contract has already been signed with the Belancour Clan; I don't care what anyone else thinks." Glendes had been backed into a corner, and he wasn't about to admit any error or give up easily. "Melida will be here by the end of the week. Her father is coming and he expects to see a union of some sort."

"I was hoping Lissa would be here to welcome her," Raffian grumbled. "How were we to know she was so damned sensitive about not being able to have babies? Have you gone over the contract completely? Is there anything in there that we should be concerned about?"

"It's just the usual—she agrees to provide heirs and gives up any rights to them if she chooses to leave after they're born. We take on any of her outstanding debts, but there's nothing there to speak of. They're not providing a dowry; Marid, Melida's father held back on that, since Shadow is mated already. I said it didn't matter; that's not what we were after, anyway."

"We only want the children. I just hope Shadow is able to do his duty," Raffian grumbled.

"Melida's pretty enough," Glendes sighed. "Still, it may take a while."

"Shannon's gone," Raffian said.

"She'll come back."

"I hope you're right."

"I was planning to ask Poradina," Wylend looked across his desk at Erland while he sipped his morning tea. "She is more than willing, and the money would not go amiss, either. Both her children are grown, and Zellar left her with nothing, as you know."

"I still don't understand how he could abandon her like that and clean out her banking account when he did it." Erland was shaking his head. "And we both know he has broken our laws—many times."

"I would hold him accountable, if we could find him," Wylend muttered. Zellar hadn't been seen for two hundred years. Poradina had been forced to work for others, doing menial tasks and low-level spells to support herself. If she agreed to act as surrogate to Erland and Lissa, the funds to reestablish herself would be provided.

"I want to approach Lissa's Larentii, to see if they will assist. I would like for this child to have as much of Lissa as we can provide in the egg."

"They would be capable, I'm sure, but the question is how willing they will be to help." Wylend set his cup on its saucer.

"I intend to find out," Erland said.

"You have my blessings, either way," Wylend said. "I will be most interested in how strong and talented a child of this union might be." Wylend smiled at the thought.

"Cheedas, tell me about your Queen." Norian hadn't thought to ask one of the comesuli before, but he was correcting that mistake now. Norian had gone to the kitchen as instructed, and the cook and several of his assistants put a plate of food together for the Director of the ASD. Norian had eaten while reflecting on what he'd seen earlier. Queen Lissa had gotten him to Twylec in less than a blink. She then proceeded to destroy the Solar Red temple somehow, in addition to all its priests, and then hauled torture victims to a hospital for medical care. She'd collapsed after bringing him back—she didn't have the strength to do what she did. He knew that, now; she was still recovering.

"What do you wish to know?" Cheedas, head chef in the Queen's kitchens, sat on a stool at the wide, granite island with a cup of tea as he scrutinized Norian Keef. Cheedas also held a position in Lissa's Second Circle; he proudly wore the silver Claw Crown ring she'd given him.

"I have seen her do things that I might have said were impossible, before."

Cheedas snorted softly at Norian's words. "I'm sure you have barely touched the surface of that ocean," he replied. "Few know exactly what our Queen is, or what she means to us. I watched those proceedings at the Conclave. I saw how my Queen was mistreated. Ungrateful difiks."

"Yes. I am in agreement with that." Norian had been on Le-Ath Veronis long enough to know what difik meant. "Do you know how long it will take for her to recover? I really need her help, I think."

"Ask her healer mate. He will know," Cheedas sipped his tea.

"What is his name?" Norian hadn't seen that particular mate until earlier that evening.

"Karzac. He was Refizani, once," Cheedas said. "We had no idea how little medical knowledge we had until he and a few others came to teach us. I have become friends with Orliff, who is chief physician for the comesuli. He is grateful for the teaching he has received since we came to Le-Ath Veronis. He works at the main hospital on the light side of the planet and is doing very well."

"I haven't been there, yet," Norian observed.

"You should go—it is quite beautiful. I have a sunlamp in my quarters but it is not the same. I sometimes go to the ocean on my off-days; the Queen allows anyone who works in the palace to use her beach house, there. It is quite peaceful. I think she would allow you to stay there as well, if you asked."

"I'm not sure about that," Norian stared into his teacup. "If nothing else, I think her mates might object."

"That is why you need to ask the Queen yourself. Let her decide. Her mates will only be thinking about her and no others."

"I heard one of them wasn't thinking about her."

"That was not him, but his father and grandfather," Cheedas grumped. "Shadow loves the Queen. His father and grandfather are thinking of other things. This will turn out badly for them, I think. But that is only an old cook talking." Cheedas slipped off his stool. "Do you wish for dessert?"

"No, thank you. I am quite satisfied," Norian nodded to Cheedas.

"Leave your plate, then; my assistants will take care of it." Cheedas handed his cup to one of those assistants and walked out of the kitchen.