Pisha, we have company,” Thailyn called. “I had a feeling we would.” Pisha came out of the kitchen. She was using her cane. She rarely needed it these days. “What’s wrong?” Thailyn asked. Pisha waved it off. “I stepped down wrong when I left the school. It’s just a little sore.” Thailyn frowned. “And you’re blocking it.” “Just until you were done, so it wouldn’t distract you. Do you want to check me?” She reached out her hand. Thailyn took it and healed her hip. He wasn’t sure how she learned to block localized pain from him. He didn’t like her doing it. He didn’t know what the long-term effect would be. “Tor, this is my pledged, Pisha. Pisha, this is my sister, Tor.” “How is she your sister? Cari called her mate grandpa.” “We’ll talk with Cari. Kar is Pt’this is brother. Pt’this was my sister’s mate. Baj-tisk is Martanil. Aunt and Uncle would be more appropriate for Cari to use since Ann and Kith weren’t mates.” “I’m still learning all the dragon relations,” Pisha explained. “The first day I met everyone, I had half a dozen little kids calling me grandma. This was before Thailyn and I were mates. Cari decided that since I was her uncle’s mom, I would be her grandma. The other kids just followed along.” “Cari is Ann’s girl?” Tor asked. Pisha nodded. “That’s right, you weren’t awake when she was introduced at the clinic. Sorry.” Kar walked in. “It didn’t take me long to find her. Thailyn, Pisha, this is…” “Anisa!” Thailyn growled. “Lyni?” Anisa looked just as shocked to see him. Twelve hundred years of dealing with emergencies kept Thailyn thinking quick. He cast one of the strongest shields he could around her. Ann, I need you at my place and bring Morina, he sent. Pisha moved to take his hand. “Who is this woman?” She asked as she took over the shield. “You two know each other?” Kar looked confused. Ann and Morina arrived. “What is it?” Ann asked. “Anisa,” Morina snarled. “I don’t want to hurt anyone,” Anisa said. “Kar didn’t tell me he was friends with Lyni. He said Thailyn.” “What are you doing here?” Morina demanded. “I helped Kar bring Tor here for healing. She’s been quite sick.” “You had my mate killed,” Thailyn accused her. “No, I didn’t.” “It had to be you. You were the only immortal in town,” Morina insisted. “No. Let me explain. Is Chapado around? I’d like to talk to her too.” Morina nodded and cast the communications spell to talk to Chapado at the palace. Soon, she and Kritalla were there. “Not even back five minutes,” Kritalla grumbled as they sat. “Every time I come to Menthanla there’s trouble.” “I didn’t kill Darina. I swear,” Anisa started. “Annlonna, Fria’s mother, not the princess, asked me to keep an eye on Fria and Dar when she left to find Chapado. I’d become friends with both her and Fria. I continued watching out for them when Lonna died. “I was surprised when Lyni, I mean, Thailyn, said he was courting Dar. I recognized he was a dragon. I figured Darina would enjoy the attention for a little while and then would end it. I didn’t realize she didn’t know she was part immortal. “I grew concerned when Thailyn told me he was going to propose. I tried to say something to Fria but she didn’t understand. She thought he was an immortal, not a dragon. I knew Thailyn was a strong healer, so I hoped he would just keep them from having a child. “I contacted the senate when I found out that Dar was pregnant. At first, they wanted her killed before the baby was born. I reminded them about the bond and how it would affect Thailyn. Then they wanted me to force her to miscarry. When I pointed out that Darina was only an eighth immortal, and we had never seen a dragon crossbreed with so little immortal blood, they agreed observation would be best. “I arranged with Merrada for the two of them to try to steal the spear of Karato and the immortal in Sen-gan would detain them. The senate would send some guards to take Thailyn, Darina, and Fria to Ertonia to live. When the child came into her magic, if she stayed sane, they would be free to return here. If not, the child would have been killed and measures would be taken to keep Thailyn and Darina from having more children. I don’t know what.” “But no message was sent,” Morina pointed out. “No. Vibby disagreed with the senate. His dad was killed by a crossbreed, so he feels strongly about not letting crossbreeds live. He changed the request and told Merrada the picture wasn’t available and wasn’t needed. He was the one to set them up to be killed. I tried to stop it. I’m sorry about the chest injury. I didn’t know you had a bad heart. I just ask them to incapacitate you for a day or two. I figured Darina wouldn’t go without you. It would give me a chance to withdraw my request from Merrada and make sure he didn’t go through it with Vibby. “I hadn’t expected her to go to Tylan. I didn’t find that out until the next day. I came to talk to you. The nurse told me you’d been hurt, and Darina had left. Then she told me you disappeared.” “And why did you convince the nurse to tell Tylan she didn’t know me?” Thailyn asked. “That was to protect the baby. If the senate found out she survived, they would’ve had her killed. This way, even though they suspected, they weren’t positive the adopted Princess was Darina’s daughter, so they chose to just watch. “I left Thager then and went back to Ertonia to try to see what the senate would do when she came into her magic. They were quite concerned when she ran away. “When Morina started asking them to let her help free a prisoner, they realized who Drepal was. They figured if that she went insane that she’d take care of Lyra and the troll problem. Or Lyra would take care of her.” “The senate already knows about my heritage?” Ann asked. “That’s why they didn’t ask.” Anisa nodded. “They see you as no worry. And while they’re curious, they take their hands off experimenting policy seriously. They accept your immortal blood as little enough to be harmless.” “Then why did you try to have her killed later?” Kritalla asked. “What? I didn’t. What are you talking about?” “The spell you put on the Crown Prince to hurt her.” Anisa’s face grew dark. “I didn’t do that. Vibby did. He used a glamour to make himself look like Cramda since Cramda had put a similar spell on Kar to make him mistrust any Tricot. Remtani was running around the market with the son of a woman who worked with me. I saw them talking with him. I thought it was Cramda and called them to me because I didn’t trust Cramda and I wanted to protect them. The prince assumed I was the boy’s mother. I didn’t detect any spells on them, so I figured Cramda hadn’t cast any. It wasn’t until after the boy had died and Remmy came looking for him that I realized it had been Vibby. I saw him drop the glamour after looking at the bracelet the boy had given Remtani and thought maybe he’d spelled that. Then Remtani saw me. He still thought I was the boy’s mother so he tried to return the bracelet for something to remember the boy by. His mother had also died, so I told him to keep it after I checked it. I still didn’t see any sign of a spell on Remtani so I assumed Vibby hadn’t done anything. “It wasn’t until later when the prince started talking about being mad that we learned what Vibby had done. We still couldn’t see the spell to be able to remove it. “Vibby’s been arrested and will be in prison a long time. I’ve served my sentence too. “I’m sorry. I handled it all badly.” Kritalla frowned. “Oh, like you care what happens to mortals.” “I care. Fria and I were friends.” “You think we’re inferior,” he argued. “You are. Well, not you so much, but most immortals are so weak and fragile, but I don’t see them as worthless or expendable. And I think they should have the same rights as fullbloods.” “You called my children pets,” Morina reminded her. Anisa smiled. “Only some of them and only because it makes you so mad.” “You did it as a joke?” Chapado asked. “She’s always so serious.” “Anisa, I’ll have to take you into custody until I confirm all this,” Morina said. Anisa nodded. “Of course.” “You also have to answer to King Emeton.” “I understand.” “Anisa, I’m sorry,” Kar told her. “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have asked for your help.” “I didn’t know we would see Thailyn, but I knew what I did. And I knew Morina and Chapado were here. I wanted to see them. I wanted to tell them. And I’m glad Thailyn’s here too. I wanted him to know how sorry I am.” She stood and hugged both Kar and Tor. “It’s been great knowing you. Contact the senate to send you someone else.” Kar nodded. “We will, pending your sentencing.” The immortals left. “I can’t believe you’re friends with her,” Thailyn told Kar. “Thailyn, be nice,” Pisha admonished. “I didn’t know that’s what she had done. About ten years ago, she showed up near the settlement and stayed, living on the outskirts. She had admitted to committing a crime and part of her sentence was to act as a guardian for us, to keep other immortals from giving us trouble. “We live just outside the Ertonian border. We’re not under the senate’s rule, but we try to work with them. They can be quite authoritarian with their citizens. They don’t tolerate anything. So we let her stay and worked with her rather than cause trouble for her. We’ve become friends.” “Do the immortals give you much trouble?” Pisha asked. “One group does indirectly. Something they do interferes with our magic,” Tor told them. “Scrying is almost impossible. Once, Nim and Kith scried us. It only lasted a second or two and it turned out Ann was helping.” “Have you ever considered coming home?” Thailyn asked. Kar nodded. “We have, but I won’t leave the others behind. I led them out there. I won’t abandon them. And we won’t return to Baj-tisk. We don’t trust the council.” “We’ll ask around,” Pisha said. “Maybe there’s something in Menthanla.” “Most won’t like living in houses like humans,” Tor warned. “There may be other options.”