“Go on,” I said to Aber.

“That's about it. We took turns tending you. Dad went out periodically to renew his alliances with other families. Then King Uthor sent for Dad this morning, and before he left he decided we had to try to wake you up.”

“And it worked.”

“Right. And now that he's gone, the king's troops are searching our house.”

“But why!” I wondered. “Why draw Dad away first? What are they looking for?”

“They wouldn't say.” Aber sighed helplessly. “I wish I knew. I'd give it to them.”

“That might be the worst thing we could do.”

“Maybe. Or it might end all this craziness. I'd give a lot just to have my boring old life back again.”

“Me too.” I found I meant it. Much as my newfound family and their magical powers fascinated me, I couldn't remember a single moment of happiness since Dworkin had swept back into my life.

Iron-shod boots thumped down the hallway outside. King Uthor's men had reached this floor, it seemed. I took a deep breath. Doors banged open. I heard furniture being thrown about, then something made of glass shattered noisily.

“Listen carefully,” Aber said, a note of anxiety creeping into his voice. “You must be calm. Stay in your seat. Don't show any fear or weakness. They will report back on anything or anyone who seems odd or out of place. Promise?”

I swallowed, one hand rising to caress my sword where I'd left it on the table. My every impulse told me to stand and fight, to force these intruders out. They had no right to be here. They had no right to search our house. And yet, in my current state, I knew I wouldn't stand a chance against them.

“Promise me!” Aber said again, urgently. He rose, looking at the door. “They will be here any second!”

Gazing up at him, I saw how afraid he was. I felt my own apprehension grow, too. Better to play it safe for now. A foolish death benefited no one.

“Promise me!” he demanded.

I took a deep breath, then nodded. “I'll do as you say. I'll stay in my seat no matter what they say or do.”

“Thank you.” He moved behind me, putting one hand on my shoulder reassuringly. “You made the right decision.”

King Uthor's men were close now. I could hear them just outside, talking softly.

An unpleasant prickling sensation began at the nape of my neck and spread down my back and arms. I couldn't make out the words, but those voices—those guttural tones—I recognized them!

They threw open the door to my room, and my worst fears were confirmed. Two hell-creatures, like the ones who had destroyed Ilerium, like the ones who had destroyed Juniper, swaggered inside.

Chapter 5

They wore beautifully silvered chain mail, the chest emblazoned with a red crown. Their slitted eyes glowed pinkly behind their high-plumed steel helmets. Although nasals and cheek guards concealed most of their features, I spotted a faintly iridescent pattern of scales around their mouths and chins.

Growling in anger, I half rose from my chair. The room began to tilt and slide around me.

“Easy,” Aber said in a calming voice. His hand already on my shoulder pushed me back into my seat.

“Who are you?” one of the hell-creatures demanded of me. His voice was a gravelly croak.

I glared up at him but had a hard time restraining myself. Hell-creatures! Here in the Courts of Chaos… in our own house! They had destroyed my home and slain my king in Ilerium. They had destroyed Castle Juniper and murdered who-knew-how-many family members. And now my brother wanted me to sit here calmly and let them tear this place apart, too!

I glowered and thought hard about going for my sword. Unfortunately, I was in no condition to take them on, and I knew it. They would have cut me down before I made it to my feet.

“This is my brother, Oberon,” Aber said hastily, when I didn't answer.

“He is not listed in your family's genealogy.”

“Not yet,” Aber said quickly. “He will be.”

I did not move, did not speak, only stared in tense silence. My heart pounded; a cold sweat began to trickle down my back.

Dismissing us with a casualness that bordered on contempt, the two hell-creatures turned to my bed. They drew knives and cut through the sheets and blanket, then ripped into the mattress. I leaned forward, watching with interest as they pulled out the goose-down stuffing and throw it into the corner. Then they removed their gauntlets and began sifting through the feathers carefully, feeling for—what? Something small, certainly, if they required bare hands to find it.

“Are you sure you don't know what they're doing here?” I whispered to Aber, studying them carefully.

Aber shook his head. “Like I said, they wouldn't tell me anything downstairs. Just that they were here on King Uthor's orders, and I was to cooperate or I would be arrested.”

“What about Dad? Has he seen King Uthor yet?”

“I don't think so.”

I thought about that for a long moment. It seemed to me we needed to know more.

“Let me try something.” To the hell-creatures, I said in a loud voice: “What are you looking for? Maybe I know where it is.”

They both ignored me.

“See?” Aber said quietly.

“Hey!” I said, more loudly. “Are you deaf?”

The one who had addressed me before turned his head slightly. The pink eyes met my own.

“Shut up, d'nai,” he said. I did not know the word, but from the sneering delivery I recognized it as an insult. “We will tell you when to talk.” Then he turned back to the goose down and continued his search.

Rage billowed through me. Sick or not, I couldn't ignore the slight. Slowly, my hand moved toward my sword, which still lay on the table before me. If I could draw it before they noticed—there were only two of them here—

Aber's hand on my shoulder became a vice, pinning me to my chair. He leaned forward.

“Do nothing,” he said very softly in my left ear. “These are King Uthor's men. If you interfere, they will hurt us both. Maybe even kill us. Don't throw our lives away.”

“They are hell-creatures!” I whispered.

“They are lai she'on.”

I hesitated. “What?”

“An ancient race that has served the Lords of Chaos from the beginning of time. Do not draw your weapon or they will kill us both.”

Gritting my teeth, I withdrew my hand from my sword's hilt. No, I wouldn't throw away both our lives. But when I could stand and hold a weapon properly again, I silently vowed to make this particular hell-creature take back his words.

Aber relaxed his grip on my shoulder.

The hell-creatures—lai she'on—whatever—finished their search of my room by dumping the chamber pot on the floor. They kicked it out of the way, gave a sneering look in our direction, then trooped out into the hall.

“Bastards,” I muttered.

“We're all bastards in the Courts. I think it's a requirement,” Aber said, blithely making light of the situation.

I snorted. “Shouldn't you be with them?” I asked, eying the door uneasily. It sounded like they were doing quite a lot of damage. “Supervising, or something?”

He shrugged. “I gave them the master key to the house. They don't need me. They can get in anywhere they want.”

“I meant to watch what they're doing.”

“I'm sure they wouldn't like that.”

“If they find whatever they're looking for, don't you want to know what it is?”

“Sure.” He drained his wine and refilled his glass. “But they're not going to tell me, and if they find it, for all I know they'd kill me to keep me from seeing it.”

“You do have a point,” I admitted.

“Besides, Dad isn't a fool. If he has something valuable that everyone wants, he knows enough to put it where only he can get to it.”

“How?”

“There are ways,” he said, nodding knowingly.

That wasn't exactly helpful. I sighed, shaking my head. This whole mad family of mine could be infuriating at times. None of them ever gave me a straight answer when I wanted one.