Orenda sat silently at the writing desk and watched Sonny roll another cigarette while he stared at the opening of the pipe on the wall.

“I want my mask,” Gareth said.

“People in hell want ice water, old man,” Sonny said and held out the cigarette towards him, “And I want a light. We all want something.”

Gareth lit it for him and Sonny took a long drag and stared at the pipe.

“Everyone quiet,” Sonny said again, and this time Orenda figured out why. She heard the sound of a door opening, and then many sounds at once.

“Miss OfLangil?” Came the voice that Orenda recognized as Commander Agalon.

“You sure they’ll let us stay here?” Sarya asked, “I sure wouldn’t want to impose on nobody.”

“I’m sure,” Commander Agalon assured her, “Mr Langil is almost never home. This is a vacation spot for him. He lives on the water continent. But is staff is always agreeable. Miss OfLangil!”

“Sorry, Commander Agalon!” Came Mary Sue’s rushed voice, “I reckon I usually get here right quick, but you come right at lunch time and we’re still working on the harvest and clearin the hayfield. We can’t get lazy just because the master ain’t here.”

“This is Ms Sarya Graphine, and her servant Bella. They were attacking in the raid that took place in the area a few days ago. I need you to harbor them until they recover.”

“Of course!” Mary Sue said, “We gots all kinds of guests rooms, mam, we can set ya up real nice like. I hope you don’t mind plain cookin. Y’all want a bit to eat?”

“I’m sure she would,” Agalon said. There was a pause as if he had moved, and when he spoke again it was quieter, softer, as if he didn’t think he would be heard. Orenda had a difficult time making him out, and Draco looked from side to side as if he hadn’t heard him at all, but Sonny, who was standing by the tube, narrowed his eyes and took another long drag. He motioned for Orenda to hand him something to ash into, but she didn’t see any trays like the one he had used before. He huffed in exasperation and pointed to a tea cup, which she gave him.

“Mary Sue, I need to talk to you. Somewhere private.”

“Yes sir,” Mary Sue said, “Though I reckon I won’t be much help.”

“I hope to god we’ve got our story straight,” Sonny whispered to Orenda.

The sounds from the pipe went silent for some time, and Sonny puffed away as the seconds ticked by so that a little cloud of smoke began to form around him, and he waved it away with his hand to get it away from the pipe.

“How’s your father?” Agalon asked with genuine concern.

There was silence for a few long seconds before Mary Sue spoke.

“Daddy didn’t make it, Commander. He was gettin up there in age and there just… there wouldn’t no recovering.”

“Xac is dead?” Commander Agalon asked as if he was skeptical of her claim, “Xaxac OfAgalon, the best human fighter on the planet, was killed by marauders?”

“He is,” Mary Sue said, “I don’t know that it was the marauders what killed him. I told you I didn’t see nothing. But somebody sure killed him.”

“Where’s the body?” Agalon asked.

“We done buried him out in the fields,” Mary Sue told him, “Wasn’t much else we coulda done.”

“Xaxac was a great friend of mine, Mary Sue,” Agalon said, “I… I wanted to see the body. No body, no murder.”

“You wanted to see the body?” She asked as if the concept confused her. “Do ya mind, sir, ifin I ask why? Daddy wouldn’t nothin but a human, like the rest of us.”

“I knew more about your father than you ever will,” Commander Agalon said as if she had made him angry, “More than any of you ever will! Xac wasn’t just a human! He was… he- probably saved me. Probably did more for me than I’ll ever know. I thought he was dead once before. I won’t believe it unless I see a body!”

“I can take you out to where he’s buried,” Mary Sue said, “I reckon you can dig him up ifin you really want.”

“What would I find?” He asked, and the tone of his voice spoke of a man who was used to being seen as intimidating, used to putting the fear of god in people.

“Daddy’s corpse, I reckon,” Mary Sue said as if the question confused her, “Ain’t nothin else in there. Ain’t like he had no finery to be buried with.”

“Xaxac OfAgalon was not killed by some marauding thieves,” Agalon said, “I don’t believe that. Certainly not on the night the moons were full. I’ve watched that little rabbit tear men clean in half!”

“I can’t help that, sir,” Mary Sue said, “I don’t reckon daddy would up and die on purpose and leave us like that.”

Agalon was quiet for some time, and when he spoke again there was a change in his voice.

“You’re right,” he said at length, “He would never leave his children. Xac would never leave his younguns. He wouldn’t do that.”

“Speaking of us younguns,” Mary Sue said, “You didn’t happen to find nobody else did ya, sir? Didn’t see no other humans?”

“Why?” Agalon asked, “Is someone missing?”

Sonny shook his head, and whispered to Orenda, “She better not. I told her not to do this. If they find him, they’ll call him a runaway. They’ll kill him. He won’t come in easily. He’ll fight and they’ll kill him.”

“My little brother Lappy,” Mary Sue said, “He done gone missing that same night. I reckon they made off with him or something? We ain’t seen hide nor hare of him since the scuffle. I sure wish it hadn’t been in the middle of the night. I wish I coulda seen what happened.”

“Is Lappy a shifter?” Commander Agalon asked.

“Ain’t none of us took after daddy,” Mary Sue said, “Real shame, I reckon. Folks like that sort of thing, don’t they? I guess it’s real rare.”

“Right,” Agalon said as if he was playing along with something, “So I’m looking for a human boy? How old? Which one is Lappy?”

“Now I never was too good with numbers,” Mary Sue said as if she was thinking as hard as she could, “I reckon that was… well he’s a grown ass man so he was born probably about twenty years ago? He’s the same age as Ronnie is. They’re twins.”

“Ok, I know which one that is,” Agalon said, “that would be a great find, if someone was looking for a slave to steal. If Xac hadn’t… wanted to escape as bad as I did… people would know he was worth money. But no one knows he’s worth money… I’ve kept the lid pretty tight on that drum.”

“We sure do appreciate you, Commander.” Mary Sue said.

“Xac is dead,” Agalon said, as if processing it, as if speaking to himself. Then he spoke again, louder, “Mary Sue we need to talk. Not right now, but eventually. I don’t know how much you knew about your daddy, but… I covered for him because we were friends, because we went through a lot together. And I want to protect his children. I’m going to need to talk to your master. I can’t put it off. He’s got a hell of a lot of explaining to do.”

“I don’t know how to get up with nobody, sir,” She said, “Maybe you can come poke around in the library see if you can find something what tells where he is? I don’t know nothing about that kind of stuff.”

“That’s a good idea,” Agalon said, “Perhaps there’s an address in his personal effects somewhere.”

“I guess,” Mary Sue said, “I don’t know nothin about that kinda stuff. I go in there and dust and clean and whatnot but I don’t never touch nothing. I ain’t about to mess nothing up in there.”

“Right,” Agalon said, “Well, can you show me where it is?”

“Of course, sir,” Mary Sue said.

“Is that a good idea?” Orenda whispered, “Is there anything in there?”

“Bunch of old books,” Sonny whispered, “hush. This thing goes both ways.”

“Well, I reckon I’ll leave you to it, Commander,” Mary Sue said, “I’ll be down in the kitchen. Ifin you wanna join Ms- what’d you say her name was?”

“Sarya,” Commander Agalon said. “Ms Sarya.”

“Ifin you wanna join Ms Sarya for lunch you’re welcome to it. We just got plain food, but we’ll serve it up real pretty. Make you some tea and cake.”

“There’s nothing in here,” Agalon said in annoyance, then as an afterthought, “Yes, tea would be lovely. I’ll be down in a minute. That will be all.”

“Yes, sir,” Mary Sue said.

“Fucker is never going to leave,” Sonny huffed and ground out his cigarette butt in the teacup.