Page 9 (1/2)
"Reah hashis pack over a shoulder Ry looked at Tory and then back at Bel, a huge grin on his face
"I wish I had your talent, my friend Someday, perhaps, you’ll tell me how you came by it" Bel stood inside the walls of the outpost where he’d served with Commander Aris He still had no idea what had happened to the man He addressed Ry after Ry folded all of them to the outpost
"Perhaps so you where that talent ca?" Ry studied their austere surroundings
"For the night, at least" Bel, Hish and Max dropped their packs inside the barracks they’d used before "Pick a bunk We’ll have to feed ourselves tonight Soain e didn’t bring Reah with us?" Hish was doing his best to chew the meat they’d cooked
"I think I should ask her to teachhisthat would make it easier to consume
"How do you know her, anyway?" Bel was curious
"Reah isto consu" Bel almost dropped his fork
"No But she has two I’m the second one"
"She’s only nineteen"
"We know," Ry admitted "Tory and the other one are recently mated to Reah"
"So, she wasn’t just any conscript when she landed here," Hish said, cutting into his meat with difficulty
"Well, she was at the time Worked in a kitchen for the Alliance It wasn’t until she got back that the ASD latched onto her" Ry was about to give up on his dinner
"So, she has us to thank for all that battle experience?" Max grinned
"I believe that’s true," Tory agreed
"We have a cook where we’re going--we’ll stay in the largest village You’ll get a look at the drakus seed fields while you’re there The villagers the High Co water for the plants" Bel gave Tory and Ry the information they needed Ry had tiny ca--nobody froy was beyond the live feeds froht with hi the wine he’d poured; they’d found a few bottles left behind after the evacuation
"Pell is there--he sleeps during the day and guards at night You’ll take his place so he can go home to his wife," Bel nodded at Tory "Mind you, I don’t want any of the attacking wizards killed--ant to bring them in with us We h Co his ht now, the Station Coh Coh I’ that when the final push coh Commander hasn’t done much to make Station Commander Gorth respect hih and sipped his wine
"She’s no fa that a fact not too long ago" Addah Desh was rude to Vice-Director Schaff
"Then ponder this--let her identity slip, even in the slightest way possible, and you and I will have a discussion with the local istrate over child labor law violations within your restaurants"
"What?" Addah Desh alhtly purple, too Lendill wondered if he ency Medical for assistance
"I have all the records, Master Cook Desh Your son did not pay her properly and worked her long hours froht No child is to be employed in a service industry establishe of fourteen At age fourteen, that child is only allowed to work a hter was forced to work for six to eight clicks per night, depending upon which night The money you sent to your son to pay her was funneled directly into his accounts and not paid out Not in the proper manner, anyway He may have slipped her a few credits now and then, but it would not have been sufficient All his expenses are accounted for No salary was paid to Reah Desh She may as well have been a slave--he treated her as one And beat her, as you knohenever he was angry A trait gained from his mother, don’t you think?" Lendill toyed with the comp-vid under his hand--all the pertinent records were there if Addah Desh wished to see thehter--your flesh and blood--and you allowed this to happen What do you think will happen to your business if this is leaked to thethat Edan raped her ?"
"Yes, I have that confession on a vid chip They were quite eager to blaes And then Marzi paid the physician to slip a blood thinner into your youngest wife’s ht have been Edan’s and threatened to go to the constabulary after the birth of the child Marzi didn’t want to be ihteen-year-old son That is no longer the case Marzi feels Edan has failed her, since you have cut the, didn’t you, Master Desh?"
Addah Desh deflated All his bluster and poht be included in the charges, alongside Marzi and Edan Fes was poised to take over Desh’s number two, after Edan’s arrest Addah had no desire to lose business because Edan and Marzi had gotten caught Now, heit It could ruin the entire family
"I should never have married Raedah I knew Marzi was hed "And then she died, leaving me with a motherless child to raise I had the tests run, so I knew she wasn’t nore theirl and not paying her I swear I didn’t know about that"
"Your granddaughter isn’t a criminal Someday, perhaps, you’ll learn what she truly is" Lendill Schaff stood and lifted his coat
"Word will not come from me or any of mine," Addah Desh voice sounded defeated
"See that it doesn’t--much depends on this," Lendill Schaff walked out the door
"We haven’t gotten drunk together in a long time" Norian looked at Lendill They’d returned to Le-Ath Veronis and now sat in a bar in Casino City