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"Chash, don’t worry about it" Aurelius set htly
"I heard all that stuff; ood," Gavril said "Reah, it doesn’t ot here Where would Aurelius and I be if you hadn’t been born? I’d have taken that shot instead of you--you shoved h to pound on a High De a witness gets the highestonat you I think if she hadn’t been your ht have killed her, too" Ry walked in I hadn’t seen him for a while--he’d stayed out of the picture while Tory had been courtingescorted to the kitchens by a High Demon, a vampire, the child of vampires, a Karathian warlock and a healer The palace cook was the saht half of the planet
"You’re the one who made the fish," he said when I walked in, supported by Gavril on one side and Aurelius on the other Tory had allowed his younger brother to helpwarren of hallways into the kitchen "I aet the fish to co it a little too long," I said "Make the sauce first, then do the fish It always turns out better that way"
"I don’t suppose I could get your sauce recipe?"
"Not that one," I said Gavril and Aurelius let o so I could work at the counter with Lissa’s cook "I can show you one that won’t get you involved in a lawsuit with Desh’s, though" That’s how Chef Harding and I collaborated to make fish with a new sauce and serve it to our audience Karzac had held Aurelius back while I worked "We will allow this--it is a distraction," he whispered I heard but pretended I hadn’t
"This is a moaned with pleasure as he tasted his portion
"I a in my head for a while--I just hadn’t found the time to try it We had a menu planned around the fish before all was said and done Norian, Lissa and Lendill walked into the kitchen right then and I was proud of rumble as I served the Director and his second-in-command
"I’m immune to poisons, so you’ll have to kill rin was a little on the wry side Lendill said nothing at all
"Per steadily at Norian Keef
"Per you," I snapped "You’re not worth spending the rest ofon one of the worlds that still hands out the death penalty Vice-Director," I pointed an angry glare at Lendill Schaff, "I hope your life is never in danger I ht ass of yours" Skipping to get to Aurelius had been easy--I don’t knohy I hadn’t thought of doing it before I skipped away now; it was a siht was diht in the hallway just outside it,on a cot shoved against the back wall, his gaze locked on the white wall opposite his cage His expression was a hopeless one--he didn’t expect to get away froods--they wouldn’t give ht you were dead" Bel stood and walked toward the bars, staring at host
"No, just aled
"Reah, this isn’t what it looks like," Bel said, holding out his hand to e
"I was hoping it wasn’t," I said, grasping his fingers in ood from the Alliance standpoint"
"I know Reah, you have no idea how bad things are The High Cos on Mandil, now The Prince Royal is little urehead Has been for a while" Bel shook his head in dismay at his own statement "We didn’t realize until later that three of the Prince’s wizards aren’t Mandili--they cah Co the Prince said or did was funneled straight to that stinking pile of--well The High Coside their citrus crops It was easy enough to accoo
"The Prince caers shortly before you cah Commander’s authority, to spy on his activities If it hadn’t been for the drakus seed, the High Coes to eo, when the deo--he just hadn’t calculated on the strength or the tenacity of the enemy we faced He didn’t knohat they were He sent us and those other two cohorts to the desert outposts to protect the locals and their drug crop Those fool wizards the Prince has don’t have h Co me you were undercover? The whole time?"