“But what about Taine? Had he fought duels before?”
“Yes.” Aber sighed unhappily, as if guessing my thoughts. “He had his share of scrapes and misadventures. It didn't come as a huge surprise to anyone when he got into an argument with Ulyanash.”
“Exactly. Ulyanash wouldn't goad you into a duel because you don't fight. He might be stupid, but he knows better than to force a duel with someone like you… someone his peers view as weak and defenseless. There's nothing worse than being thought of as a bully. People would turn their backs on him, even his patron. He's not that stupid.”
Aber's brow furrowed. “So Ulyanash could take his time with Taine, make sport of him, and really rub it in because everyone knew Taine could defend himself.”
“Exactly. It was all in fun, after all. For his trouble, Taine got nothing worse than a scratch on the cheek. The only permanently damage came to his pride. If he couldn't defend himself… well, tough luck, everyone thought.”
Aber was nodding. “Yes, I understand.”
He started to say something more, but at that moment, Captain Neole burst into the room.
“Lords!” the captain cried. “There has been a murder!”
I leaped to my feet.
“Who is it?” I demanded. Could it be our father? I glanced at Aber, who gulped, eyes growing wide with alarm.
“A demon,” Neole said. “Someone threw its body over the back wall a few minutes ago—one of the guards saw it fall. By the time he got outside, whoever did it had gone.”
“A demon?”
I didn't know whether to feel horrified or relieved. At least it wasn't a family member this time.
Aber, shaking his head, looking distinctly uneasy.
“What's bothering you about it?” I demanded.
“Rhalla,” he said. “It has to be her. You only saw her human form… but a succubus is a demon. In death, she would have changed back to her true self.”
“But she just left!” I said. It didn't see how it could possible be her. “There wasn't enough time!”
“We don't know that. If Ulyanash found out…”
“How could he? You set up those magical tripwires last night. There shouldn't be any more spying.”
“I warned you I wasn't very good at it.” He looked uneasy. “Maybe they found a way through or around my spells!”
I took a sharp breath. It couldn't be Rhalla. And yet… “There's an easy way to settle this,” I said. Turning to Neole, I added, “Show us.”
He saluted. “Yes, sir. This way.”
We left through a different door into a strangely desolate garden, filled with twisted, ugly plants the like of which I had never seen. Some bore spiked reddish-orange fruit, and some had nothing but thorns. Among them, moss-covered stones slowly wandered, looking old and tired compared to the ones penned on the other side of the house.
I kept looking up at the sky. As before, masses of clouds swirled wildly overhead, but this time no lightning flickered.
Aber caught up and walked beside me. “Spells take time to prepare,” he said in answer to my unasked question. Shading his eyes, he stared toward the heavens. “The bigger the spell, the longer the time. That lightning storm must have been taken hours, maybe days to set properly. Whoever made it was lying in wait for you. It won't happen the same way twice.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel safe?” I asked.
“Well… in a way, yes.”
“It doesn't.”
Captain Neole led us to the back wall, which towered twenty feet high. Made of yellow stone, it seemed to completely circle the house. Guards patrolled the top now, gazing out over whatever lay beyond.
Two more guards stood at the base of the wall, next to the body. I swallowed hard as I stared at it. A flat face with jutting cheekbones and round mouth… red eyes staring blankly… hands like claws… skin as dark as old leather… none of it looked familiar. The only thing at all familiar, however, was the pale, shimmering green gown. It matched the one Rhalla had been wearing, and I knew at once that this creature, this demon, had to be her.
“Not a woman, but definitely female,” Captain Neole was saying. Bending, he tilted her head back so we could see her odd features better.
“Congratulations,” I said flatly to Aber. “You got your wish.”
“I'm sorry,” Aber said softly. When I looked at his face, he seemed genuinely upset. “I would not wish this on anyone, least of all you.”
Captain Neole said to me, “Do you know this demon, sir?”
“Yes, I knew her,” I said. “Her name was Rhalla. Bury her here, on the grounds, with all appropriate ceremony. She is to be treated with respect. Is that understood?”
“Yes, sir,” he said. He motioned to the two guards, and they picked her up and carried her off around the side of the house, following the wall.
“We have a mausoleum,” Aber said. “That's where they will take her.”
I nodded, feeling cold and numb inside.
Then I looked up at the wall. It had to be three or four feet thick at the top. Whoever had dumped her here had either thrown her over the wall, flown the body up and over, or sent it over by magical means. None of the options left me feeling very safe at the moment. And thunder rumbled distantly, reminding me of our enemies' power to control the weather.
“I doubled the patrols immediately,” Captain Neole said to me. “Do you have any other instructions, sir?”
“No. Stay vigilant.”
“Yes, sir.”
“We will be inside. If anything else happens, summon us at once.”
He saluted. I motioned for Aber to follow me and turned toward the house. Head high, I strolled through the twisted garden at a leisurely pace. I had to assume Aber's spells had failed and that our every move was now being observed. Well, let them look! Let them think me unmoved by Rhalla's murder! The creatures of this world seemed to think only of hate and violence and death. First Helda in Ilerium, and now Rhalla here in the Beyond. Our enemies had taken too much from me. It had to stop.
“Oberon,” Aber said from behind me, “I'm sorry.”
“Me too,” I whispered.
I looked up at the seething clouds, then at the sprawling house, which still oozed color from every seam and every crack. At that moment, I knew their deaths would not go unavenged. If I had to make it my life's work, I would find and destroy everyone involved in this conspiracy, from the greatest Lord of Chaos to the least of their minions.
I sucked in a deep breath, and everything suddenly came clear for me. Bold. Daring. Unexpected. Our mysterious enemy kept making the first move against us. That would change. From now on, we would act instead of react. If Ulyanash and his masters wanted a fight, I would give it to them. And I would win… or die trying.
“Get your Trumps,” I told Aber as soon as we entered the house. “Bring them to the library.”