“A monster of your own choosing,” Zabb said softly.

Tis stepped forward. She was out of line, she didn’t care. “Years ago you attacked my House, left my father in a living death. I think you deserve Blaise.”

“Cousin,” Zabb said placatingly.

“Now they want our help. I say it should cost them.”

“If we do you this little favor,” Zabb said, “House Vayawand becomes a cadet House to Ilkazam.”

They almost refused. Then they looked back out the doors of the ship at the burned devastation of what had once been a proud city. Sekal shuddered, and nodded.

Chapter Forty-One

“Once we’re in -”

“But that’s going to be the real trick, now isn’t it?” Taj asked.

“We’ve got a potful of renegade Vayawand here,” Zabb countered.

“That’s nice, but how are they going to get us in?” Taj shook his head. “Security is going to be too tight for an orbital drop. And a small raiding party trying to breach the perimeter defenses…” Taj let his voice trail off significantly.

Zabb smoothed his sideburns and leaned back in his chair. “We need some kind of ruse.”

Tis slid off the sofa, walked over to stand behind Zabb’s chair. “Like a Trojan Horse.”

He read the meaning from her mind. “Exactly. We’d need a Vayawand ship, and someone they recognize.”

“Who’s not a traitor,” Taj grunted.

Tis raked back her hair. “Our agents report that Blaise never leaves Vayawand anymore… only Durg. He goes to report on the fighting.”

“So who pretends to be the Morakh monster?” Taj inquired. “Zabb is big, I admit, but not near big enough.”

“We use Cosmic Traveler,” Tis said.

“Who by the Abyss’s cold hell is Cosmic Traveler?” asked Taj.

“Another one of Meadows’s ‘friends,’ a most useful fellow,” Zabb said. “He just might get us in.”

“And then the real problems start,” the older man said.

“What choice do we have, vindi?” Tis asked. “You’ve seen what Blaise is capable of. Do you want to fight him city by city? Blaise is suffering reversals on every front. I know him. He will want to get even. Kelly, Jay -”

“Your daughter,” Zabb said, and lifted an eyebrow.

“Yes,” she said shortly. “They’re all in danger. We’ve got to bypass all these endless battles and capture him.” She paused and looked to Zabb. “Will you capture him?”

They stared at each other. Softly Zabb said, “I renew my offer.”

“I repeat my refusal. And offer this as surety – give me what I want, and I will leave. Never return. Please, Zabb, let me go home.”

He touched her cheek with a forefinger. “I promise I will capture him for you.”

“This is all very wonderful,” Taj said. “But the groundling is sitting in a private limbo. Doesn’t talk, has to be mind-controlled before he’ll eat.”

“We have to get him back,” Tis said.

“How?”

“I don’t know, but we’ve got to think of something.”

They were all gathered about Mark’s bed in the infirmary. Roxalana had been reading to him, and she turned off the book as Tis and Zabb arrived. Tis noticed the bed was surrounded with bouquets of flowers, candy, and the offerings of children – colored pictures, favorite stuffed animals. Mark had certainly had an effect on Rarrana during his time there, and people – especially the children – were missing him.

The children had all been fascinated with the human: his enormous height, and his friendly, playful mien. Takisian males tended to be absentee fathers until their offspring were old enough to be interesting. “Interesting” translated into six or seven when you could teach them to ride, skate, dance, ski, shoot. Otherwise any meaningful contact between children and adults was with women. But Mark had loved the little ones, and he showed infinite patience as he looked at their pictures, played their games, listened to their innocent confidences.

Roxalana looked at the briefcase Tisianne was carrying, and her brows drew together in a sharp frown. “What is that for?”

“I’m going to test a theory.”

“On Mark? Oh, no, you’re not. You just give him time.”

“We’ve run out of it,” Zabb said.

“Melant’s making progress,” Roxalana argued.

Zabb looked at the human, locked in his gray and private world. “Oh, really?”

“I think Mark is suffering not only from the shock of losing Starshine, but from guilt,” Tis said. “He had a theory his ‘friends’ were people he possessed and in effect kidnapped from another dimension. I think if we can summon Flash, he can talk some sense into mark.”

“You’re insane. Do you realize the risk you are running? Mark explained to me that if anyone else tries to take these powders, they will die. How do you know the loss of Starshine hasn’t left him in the same situation?”

“I don’t, Lani.”

“Blaise’s armies are falling back everywhere. A little patience and Vayawand will fall. Why do you have to endanger Mark?”

“Because with each day that passes, and each defeat inflicted, four other lives are placed at greater and greater risk.”

“And putting aside Tisianne’s selfish desire to see her friends, body, and baby rescued – each one of these victories is costing us dearly,” Zabb said. “I’ll sacrifice anyone if we can end this sooner rather than later.”

Roxalana just looked at them for a long, long time.

Then she stood and said, “Sometimes I hate us because nothing and no one is very precious to us.”

The House, vindi,” Zabb said softly. “There is always the House.”

“Demons take the House! It’s made up of individuals, but we always forget that. Well, kill him if you must,” and she walked to the far wall.

Tisianne removed a vial of orange powder. A flicker of alarm showed in Mark’s sunken eyes.

“Mark, I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t believe it would work,” Tis said softly.

The ace stretched out a trembling hand and lightly touched the three remaining vials of yellow powder. Roxalana came flying back across the room like a fury, snatching up the vials. She flung them against the wall. They shattered in an eruption of sparking glass shards and powder.

“My, that was dramatic,” Zabb drawled. “Any particular reason for that display?”

“Not those. Not the yellows. I just… feel it will kill him.”

Tis was shivering. She hugged herself and looked desperately at Lani. “Do you sense anything about Flash?” Her sister shook her head.

They were both hesitating. Zabb took command of the moment. Mind-controlling Mark, he forced the ace to down the orange powder.

Mark burst into flames.

In less than a second the bed was a blazing inferno. Zabb cursed and stepped backward, shielding his face from the heat. Roxalana shrieked, grabbed up a blanket, rushed forward to smother the fire. Tis caught her by the arm, stopped her. “Wait,” she said.

Inside the flames Mark’s body blackened, shriveled… and then, somehow, began to drink in the fire. The flames flickered, faded, and were absorbed.

When the last of them went out, J. J. Flash, Esquire, was stretched out casually in the ashes of the bedclothes, hands locked behind his head.

“I hate hospitals,” Flash announced. He rose. “So you want me to kick Meadows’s butt, huh? Okay, give us some time alone. Granted I can’t prose and drone like the deader, but I’m pretty persuasive.” He looked over at Roxalana. “Don’t suppose you could stay, could you? The drip’s fallen big-time for you. A little reminder of life and love?”

Tis exchanged an incredulous glance with her cousin as Roxalana held out her hand to Flash and said, “I’d be delighted.”

An hour later, when Mark returned to himself, he had a very bad feeling that Flash had been terribly wicked. When it penetrated that he was lying naked in the hospital bed with Roxalana curled up next to him, he was sure of it.