"That sounds nice, Auri." I snuggled into his embrace and closed my eyes.

The hearing resumed the following morning, and Ceerah was preparing to answer questions when something happened. Later we learned that it was a planned event from two factions on Tulgalan, Ceerah's homeworld. Yes, she and I had that in common. Little else as it turned out, but then Tulgalan was home to around four-hundred-million or so. It was a large planet. These two factions had worked just to the legal side of the law since drakus seed had found its way there a quarter of a century earlier. They saw Ceerah as the worst kind of traitor.

Both groups were prepared to not only kill her, but destroy that section of the Courts and Hearing building as well, in addition to anyone inside that chamber. We were knocked around from the explosion that came; Aurelius and Lok managed to protect the ones in the public seating. The roof caved in and fire whooshed through. It happened so quickly to those watching from outside, so slowly for those inside. Instinct took over for me.

Turning to my larger Thifilatha, I gathered everyone in the hearing area, wrapped them in my arms and shielded them with my wings. I'm afraid I may have squashed some, but they were alive when I walked through the fire and out to the street. No fire will ever harm a High Demon; it's the way Kifirin made us. Setting the people down I'd rescued, I watched calmly as Ceerah was held back by the two bailiffs I'd saved.

The magistrate stared up at me, as did Kevis. Lendill had protected Norian with whatever power he held as the Elvish Prince-Heir. Both of them proceeded to herd people toward the perimeter surrounding us. Aurelius and Lok brought out the ones from the public section of the hearing chamber, which was being sprayed by robo-hoses. All of them were drenched but still alive.

"The hearing will resume tomorrow in an undisclosed location," the journalist reported as I watched the news later at our hotel. "Both antidrug factions from Tulgalan have claimed responsibility, although they seem disappointed that Ceerah Kade did not die in the attack."

"They didn't care that others might have died," Lendill tossed the vid-remote onto the bed and paced angrily. The images of me, carrying an armload of people out of the building and setting them down was getting more airtime than anything else, though. The sun was shining through my wings, making them glow.

"Reah, you look as if you're protecting children," Norian sighed as we watched yet another vid-version of my larger Thifilatha.

"I was afraid they'd get hurt," I said, shaking my head at the images that splayed across the screen. "Humanoids aren't fire resistant."

"The Governor of the Realm has invited you to his palace after the trial," Kevis walked in and handed over an expensive, paper invitation.

"I guess there's no way to gracefully refuse that, is there?" I flopped back on the bed.

"No, breah-mul, but Norian and I will come with you. You don't have to talk much if you don't want to." Lendill sat beside me and gently rubbed Garwin Wyatt. "And we've had to provide extra security for Ceerah Kade and her legal counsel, in addition to sending agents out to track the ones who did this."

"My Lendill's work is never done," I said, rubbing his back.

"I'm your Lendill?" He settled beside me and smiled before kissing me.

"Your father married us. I don't know how to get out of that."

"If the Elf King marries you, there isn't any way to get out of it," Lendill grinned before kissing me again.

"Says who?"

"Says the Elf Prince-Heir."

"Convenient," I muttered.

"Decidedly so," Lendill gave me a better kiss this time. The others faded from the room.

"So, this is your parents' fault," the magistrate stared at Ceerah. She'd cried when she was asked why she'd done terrible things. The evidence against her was overwhelming at this point, so she was trying a different tack.

"They were too strict. I was never allowed to go anywhere or do anything. The drugs I began taking in school helped me deal with their tyranny." Ceerah wiped tears with a tissue.

"Did they beat you or lock you inside a closet?" Norian was allowed to ask questions and he was doing so. "Were you ever hospitalized due to injuries? How cruel were your parents? I've looked into your background, I believe you were rushed to a physician when you were six because you had a bruised ankle, is that correct?" Norian consulted a comp-vid in his hand.

"I fell off a swing," Ceerah muttered.

"Your parents didn't cause this injury?"

"No."

"I see no records of hospitalizations, and you seldom missed school."

"But they wouldn't let me go out with my friends, or date until I was sixteen."

"Is that all?" Norian flung up a hand. "I have nothing further."

Immature, even now, Kevis' voice floated into my mind. Probable sadistic personality disorder.

Lovely, I sent back. And all that from parents who wouldn't let her run with drug addicts.

Add sociopathic tendencies to the previous diagnosis, Kevis' voice sounded amused in my head.

You hired her, I reminded him.

And I will regret that for the rest of my life.

I thought you were immortal.

I am. You see what I'm facing.

Poor thing.

Yes, someone needs to take pity on me.

I'll make cookies for you later, and if you're good, you can play outside, I told him. Kevis had to hide the snicker.

"Director, if you and Ms. Kade's counsel will approach," the magistrate beckoned to both. Norian rose and walked to the magistrate's high seat. Ceerah's legal counsel did the same. The conversation was whispered, but Aurelius, former vampire, heard it clearly and gave the information to Lendill, Kevis and me.

He's asking what a fair sentence would be in this case, Aurelius sent. Norian is arguing for Evensun. Legal Counsel is arguing for house arrest.

For drakus seed charges? Lendill was shocked. That's Evensun, for sure.

Norian and the counsel returned to their seats. The magistrate tapped information into his comp-vid. "We will now turn this case over to the Citizen's Panel for a determination," the magistrate said. "I ask that the incident with the bomb and subsequent fire be put out of your mind, as it should have no bearing on a fair verdict. You must decide whether Ms. Kade is guilty of any or all of the charges against her, and then set sentencing if she is found guilty. The ASD is asking for a life sentence upon the penal planet of Evensun, while Ms. Kade's counsel is requesting house arrest. All these things must be decided by you."

The seven members of the Citizen's Panel, all of whom I'd hauled out of the courtroom, wrapped in my arms and protected from the fire by my wings, were led from the courtroom by the bailiff.

"Let's get something for Garwin Wyatt to drink," Kevis suggested. Norian, Lendill and Kevis surrounded me as we walked into the marble hallway outside the makeshift hearing room. The basement held a restaurant for visitors and employees, so we took the stairs to the small eatery and sat down. Quite a bit of whispering and pointing occurred while I drank a cup of decaffeinated tea and nibbled on a scone.

"Feel all right?" Norian reached over and pushed a lock of stray hair off my face. We'd come a long way, Norian and I.

"Yes. I just wish this were over with. I want to go home."

"Where is home?" Kevis asked.

"The groves on Avendor," I sighed. "I like looking out the windows of my bedroom and seeing gishi fruit trees as far as I can look," I said. "And there are mountains off to the east, if I walk outside. All I hear is birds calling if I sit out on the swing."

"The verdict's in," Norian's comp-vid buzzed. I had to leave my tea on the table; Kevis paid hastily and we walked back to the hearing room.

The magistrate thanked the Citizen's Panel for their service, then accepted the comp-vid that they'd handed to the bailiff. "Ceerah Kade, also known as Cedrah Dane and Bynda Wark, among other aliases, please rise to hear the verdict," the magistrate said. Ceerah and her legal counsel rose.

"The People of the Reth Alliance find you guilty of all charges, the most serious of which is selling drakus seed," the magistrate announced. "And they have placed a sentence of life upon the penal planet of Evensun. You will be transported immediately. Do you have anything to say?"

"I'll kill you," Ceerah turned and shouted at me. "I'll kill you, bitch. Just wait. You'll die, and in the worst way possible."

"Shut her up," Norian snarled. The bailiff and two constables hauled Ceerah away, still shouting vengeance.

"Reah, don't let that upset you," Kevis said gently. "Let's go see the Governor, and then we'll go home."

The magistrate was having a drink with Refizan's Governor of the Realm when we were led into his office. The Governor's hair was silver; his face lined a bit with wrinkles. He looked as if he'd seen much of life. He bowed over my hand. "I received a message from the founding member of the Reth Alliance yesterday, after lives were saved in the magistrate's hearing chamber," Governor Odrillus smiled at me. "He said that there is a certificate among the many awarded to you, which says you will bow to none in the Reth Alliance, including him. He also says that no other citizen has ever received that award. You appear to be quite special, young woman."

"I don't feel special most of the time," I said.

"If you weren't, I imagine we'd all be dead," the magistrate observed. "I owe you thanks, at the very least. That creature we sentenced earlier owes you for her life as well. In my opinion, I don't think she's ever thanked anyone for what they've done for her."

"I get that a lot," I said. "It doesn't matter. I've come to expect it." I received a framed certificate from Refizan's Governor, proclaiming me a hero. I didn't feel much like a hero. Mostly I'd been desperate to keep people from burning. I thanked the Governor, said good-bye to him and the magistrate and Norian led us out of the office.