Leon smiled faintly and walked into the kitchen, worn out by the simple acts of climbing out of bed, putting on a robe, and walking down the hall and stairs. The healer had removed his injuries, but he'd wasted away during his coma, losing enough weight that he suspected his daughters might outweigh him; and he had no strength left. At least he was still alive, he told himself, wondering if this was what it felt like to get old.

A circular table took up half of the room, and he and his two young daughters walked to it while Cara rejoined her mother at the stove. Ralad was already seated, carefully pouring milk into gla.s.ses, the first of which she presented to her father like a benediction.

"Thank you," Leon told her and sat.

Betha turned, a skillet of cooked ham in hand. Just the sight of it made Leon nauseated. His stomach was so shrunken he wasn't sure he could eat solid food without vomiting.

"Go get Lizzy," she told Ralad.

"But I wanna stay with Daddy!"

"Go, Ralad."

Muttering, the girl ran outside. The back door banged behind her as she raced across the garden, shouting for her sister.

Betha doled out pork along with boiled vegetables and potatoes onto plates for the family. To Leon's relief, she presented him with a bowl of chicken broth and noodles.

"Thanks," he told her. "I wasn't sure I could handle the other."

She smiled lovingly and kissed the top of his head. "There's not much point in cooking anything you're just going to bring up all over the floor."

"Eewww!" Mia and Nali both chorused. Cara just smirked.

Leon sampled his soup, enervated just by the act of lifting the spoon. It tasted good, both mildly spiced and not too hot. He felt strength start to return to his muscles.

The back door banged open, Ralad running back in, and she was followed a moment later by Lizzy. His oldest daughter gripped his shoulder as she pa.s.sed, beaming down at Leon with an expression of love before hugging her mother and taking a seat.

Her hand was replaced by a larger one, and Leon looked up to see Ril. The battler was in uniform, though the top b.u.t.tons were undone. His face was impa.s.sive, but Leon could feel his emotions. Ril hadn't tried to hide them in years, and right now he projected them deliberately. They were things he would never say aloud.

Leon reached up with his free hand and clasped Ril's, reflecting his own love back.

I'm okay, Ril, he sent.

Liar.

Ril let go and went to the sink to wash the cook pots. It was one of his little ways of keeping the peace between himself and Betha, to make up some for how much she had to share.

The family chattered happily, though Betha tried to keep the volume down. Ril cleaned the kitchen around them, his emotions quietly content.

Leon ate, enjoying the broth and the company. He still felt restless, his mind turning away from his family. He'd been attacked, hit on the head and pushed down those stairs. It was a miracle he'd survived, but that wasn't the important part. Why had he been attacked? He thought everything through, spooning broth into his mouth, his eyes half-closed.

Justin had been a murderer, using his control over Ril to cause pain to other battlers in retaliation for Ril stealing Lizzy. He'd poisoned Rachel to hurt Claw. He'd killed Galway to hurt Heyou. He'd nearly killed Moreena to hurt Dillon. The Widow Blackwell had been next according to the diary, an attack on Mace. All of these were Ril's closest battler friends. That hadn't been enough, so Justin ordered Ril to poison himself and thereby given himself away.

But, Justin was dead now, so who had pushed him down the stairs? Leon wondered. The common consensus was that it had been Wat. But, why? And why push him? A battler could do so much worse. Which was why it was strange to think he'd tried to smother him later. He could have just turned the entire house into a crater, like Claw had done to Justin.

Why had Wat wanted him dead in the first place? And, why had Leon ordered Ril to go to the other side of the town and change shape? Why tell him to hide his pain? Ordered? He hadn't asked Ril but ordered him. Why had he given Ril an order when he'd sworn he wouldn't do that unless absolutely necessary? Leon stared at his battler's back while Ril scrubbed pots, his tired mind churning far too slowly for his liking.

A knock sounded, and Ril looked up, abruptly tense. Just as suddenly he was calm again, and he left the room to answer the front door.

"I wonder who that is," Betha said. She smiled. "We're eating a little late, but I wanted to let you sleep."

Leon smiled back. "Thanks, sweetheart. I guess people might be a little curious. Even at this hour."

She sighed. "I know, but I really didn't want anyone to bother us for a few days."

Ril returned, walking side by side with Claw. The formerly blue-haired battler gave everyone in the room blank stares. His uniform was wrinkled, the b.u.t.tons at the neck undone. He moved with Ril toward the back wall, where they stood, neither sylph looking at the other. They might be talking, or equally possibly they were doing nothing. Leon wasn't sure which, but he sensed Ril was a little worried.

Behind them, Gabralina entered. She was with Sala and the short-haired healer who'd saved him.

While the women in the room greeted one another, Lizzy giving Gabralina a warm hug and Sala a nod, the healer approached and laid her hands on Leon's shoulders. He was surprised to feel better. A lot better.

"I thought you already healed me," he said.

She looked at him and shrugged.

Leon took a moment to process. No longer wearing the too-large dress, the healer now wore clothing that fit her properly, and she was a beautiful enough woman, if not when compared to her master. There was a serene intelligence in her eyes.

"There's always more that can be done gradually," the sylph said.

Luck had never subscribed to that philosophy. Her own master was the only one she healed more than once. Leon considered, ignoring the chattering women as he glanced over at his battle sylph, still standing with Claw.

"Could you heal Ril?" he asked.

She regarded the battler critically. "Not completely," she said at last. "I can't restore what isn't there. But I should be able to improve on what he has left. It'll take some time."

Leon smiled, pleased. Ril had lost much. If they could get him to the point where he could change shape without pain again, where he could go to his natural form without the help of a healer, that would be enough.

Sala stepped forward. "Good evening, Chancellor. How are you feeling?"

"Good," Leon started to say, but Gabralina darted in to hug him.

"I'm so glad you're all right!" She leaped back, blushing.

Leon smiled at both women. "I'm fine, ladies. Thanks for coming."

"Do you know who hurt you yet?" Gabralina asked. "Or why my poor Wat . . . did what he did?" Her voice cracked a bit at the end. Over by the wall, Claw looped an arm around Ril's neck.

Leon patted Gabralina's hand. "I'm sorry, but I don't know. I don't remember what happened that day."

"You don't remember anything?" Sala asked.

Leon sighed. "I'm afraid not. I wish I did."

She shook her head. "I'm sorry to hear that, Chancellor."

"Don't worry," he said, though he didn't have much hope. "I'm sure it'll come back."

The woman nodded in agreement, and Claw lifted his chin. His arm tightened around Ril's neck, his fist locking before the blonde battler's throat.

Ril stiffened suddenly, pulling away from Claw. Leon thought it was in annoyance, but a moment later the back door slammed open and Heyou ran in. He headed straight for Gabralina's sylph.

"Hurry!" he wailed. "Solie's having the baby!"

Chapter Twenty-four.

Solie had poked with disinterest at her plate, not really interested in eating. Her back and feet ached, and she couldn't even pull herself up to the table, much as she wanted to. She was carrying the baby completely in front.

"I am so sick of being pregnant," she moaned.

Sitting across from her, Heyou nodded. "Yeah. There's not nearly enough s.e.x during it."

Solie glared at him fondly. He had been truly shocked by her loss of desire, but how could she possibly think about s.e.x when she felt like a bloated cow? "I gather you're hoping I don't want any more children after this."

He tilted his head from side to side, thoughtful. "Dunno. Nelson said if you do want more babies, he'll do the donating. Said it should stay in the family."

Solie blinked, surprised. She hadn't seen much of Nelson. Heyou was a little paranoid about his safety after Galway. He fed from his new master on a daily basis, but their relationship was secret. Everyone in the Valley just thought he went there to reminisce. Even the other battlers.

Heyou was pleased with the young man as his new master. Nelson as the father of her children, though, wasn't something Solie had considered. She did want more, regardless of how miserable her pregnancy was making her, but finding the donor would be tricky. Devon hadn't been given a choice, and it wasn't looking like he were coming home anytime soon. Despite all of the horrible things that happened when he arrived, he'd found a home in Meridal-and from the sound of his letters, a new love. He also showed no desire to be a father to her child, which was likely why Heyou chose him in the first place.

"How do you feel about that?" she asked him. The Galway family was incredibly close-knit. If Solie had a child by him, even remotely, "Nelson won't just stand back and leave all the work to you."

Heyou shrugged again. "I know. But it's different with Nelson. I like him." He grinned. "Besides, Iyala told me all her babies owe her grandchildren, and she won't let me be any different."

Solie laughed, her stomach tightening as she did so. "All right then, Nelson will be the father of my next child."

"No, I will," Heyou corrected. "He'll be"-he fought for a word-"the starter daddy."

Solie laughed again. Her stomach clenched, hard and painful. Solie gasped and dropped her fork, putting her hand on her belly.

Heyou was at her side in an instant, touching her arm. "Are you okay?"

"I think so," she gasped. The pain was gone, but the muscles of her abdomen were quivering in reaction. "I think I want to go lie down."

Gently, Heyou got his arms around her and helped her stand, walking them slowly toward the bedroom. The pain didn't come back while she walked, and she settled down in relief. She wasn't quite ready to have the baby. Not this instant. From the way he was rubbing his hands and staring at her, Heyou wasn't, either.

She waited, but a few minutes later nothing had happened and she started to relax, settling back in the bed. "False alarm," she guessed. "I'm not due for another two weeks."

"Okay," he said. "I can stop panicking?"

"Sure," she said. "Just let me-"

Agony tore through her, all the muscles in her belly contracting. She bent forward, unable to breathe. Everything in her was trying to push.

Heyou's eyes went huge, and his form dissolved into a panicked, amorphous cloud.

Solie! he squealed into her mind.

The contraction eased, and Solie collapsed back against the pillows. "Get the healer," she gasped. "Get her now!"

Hysterical, Heyou obeyed. This left her alone for the first time in months.

Three sylphs flew over the town, one ma.s.sive and shimmering white, the other two smaller and black flecked with lightning. The smallest by far, Heyou flew ahead, flitting jaggedly through the sky.

Following, Claw sent out a call to the other battlers. The queen is in human labor. She'll be frightened and in pain. Don't come to her cries. She won't want visitors.

Cries of agreement and congratulations came back to him, and he turned his attention inward. I've warned the battlers to ignore her.

"Good," Sala said.

They dropped down into Solie's garden, Heyou landing in a stumbling run as he took human shape. He went to open the gla.s.s doors, and a woman's cry of pain echoed out. He ran inside with a wail.

Sala was released by Claw on the ground. He stood beside her, perfectly obedient, perfectly broken. Autumn landed, gently setting down her two pa.s.sengers. The healer looked at Claw in puzzlement, but Sala stepped before him to break her line of sight. Autumn was far too inconvenient an unknown, unless she could be controlled, which Sala had a plan of ensuring.

Everything else was just background dressing. Claw's insanity, Wat's death, Leon's survival, Autumn's arrival. None of it mattered. But, it had all come to this point. She could wait no longer. Tonight, she would be queen.

Sala's mind was calm and focused, her path clear. No one would come to Solie's rescue. Not on this night, when they were expecting her pain and fear.

She followed the sylphs and the other two women inside, not paying much attention to the beautiful furnishings of the queen's private home. In her ap.r.o.n pocket she found the small tin of poison she'd brought, and the belt knife she'd always carried, despite how unseemly it was considered for women of Yed. Solie screamed again, a cry of pain, and Heyou appeared in a doorway, gesturing.

Solie's bedroom was large, but it held only a wide bed and a wardrobe, with a heavy, comfortable-looking chair in the corner. The window drapes were drawn, and the room was lit by an elaborate system of mirrors that redirected the light of a distant fire sylph. That light was warm, and it shone on Solie's sweating face.

The queen panted frantically, her knees spread wide, her belly huge. She stared up at them all in terror, her gaze settling on Sala in denial for a moment before next finding Gabralina, then seeing one of the very last people she'd expected.

"Betha?"

The older woman smiled. "I've had five daughters. Leon and I both decided you could use someone who knows what you're going through."

Solie sagged in relief, then reached out to the woman in desperation.

Sala crossed to sit in the chair as Betha went to Solie. Gabralina stood at the foot of the bed, wringing her hands. Both battlers stood by the door, Heyou in a panic, Claw beside him. Autumn glided up to the bed and ran a gentle hand down Solie's stomach.

Sala stood up. "I'll get something for her to drink," she said to the room. Claw was the only one who noticed that she'd gone.

Solie exhaled in relief. The pain had stopped, though her muscles continued to tighten and contract. She could think again, and breathe. Thank the heavens for Autumn.

"Don't make it too easy on her," Betha cautioned. "Too simple a birth is hard on the baby." The older woman stroked Solie's hair. "I remember how frightened I was when I had my first child." She smiled over her shoulder at the two battlers. "And how useless my husband was."

Solie gasped, trying to shift into a more comfortable position. "Hard to imagine Leon as useless."

"Oh, he was, trust me. He's still useless when I give birth. This is women's work." Betha brushed a sweaty strand of hair out of Solie's eyes and looked over her shoulder again. "Gabralina, get me a bowl of water and a cloth."