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River's Run(48)

By:S. E. Smith




Manota smiled darkly. “Yes, our spies were very thorough. We have the actual vidcom of his announcement to the council.”



Leaning forward, Torak put his hands on his knees. “What do you suggest we do?”



Torak watched as Manota stood up and refilled his drink. Manota was deadly when it came to espionage. He had spies everywhere and could kill as silently and efficiently as any assassin.



“I think a trap is fitting. He wants to take control of the House of Kassis. Twice now I have found plots against father though I couldn’t prove he was directly behind them. Father has been gone to the Eastern region where Tai Tek knows better than to attack him. He will be back at the end of the week from the trade negotiations. I believe Tai Tek will try again.”



“No assassins can get in to the House of Kassis now with the force field in place.” Torak replied.



“No, but Tai Tek can. There will be a dinner celebrating the new trade agreement. As a member of the council, Tai Tek will be invited. Since it is in the South House it will be harder to secure than the other Houses. Tai Tek will have to be personally involved in the attempt. When he strikes, we will get him.”



“I do not like using father as bait.” Torak replied softly.



“Father was the one who suggested the dinner.” Manota grinned.



“I should have known.” Torak replied.



A knock at the door pulled Torak’s attention away. Moving to answer it he was surprised to see two of his elite force members standing at the door.



“What is it?” Torak demanded.



“It’s Lady River, My Lord. We need your assistant, if you please.” One of the men mumbled.



“Is she hurt?” Torak asked his heart dropping to his stomach as he brushed past the two men. “Where is she? Your team was supposed to be watching her at all time.”



“She is well, My Lord. We were trying to watch her but she has not been cooperative.” The other man said.



Torak and Manota followed the two security team members out of the North House and towards the East House. Halfway there the men stopped as they encountered a large number of the elite force standing near one of the garden structures. All the men were standing still, looking up at the sky. Frowning, Torak and Manota looked up to see what had the men’s attention. On a thin cable forty feet in the air was the small figure of his mate, just sitting there.



“How in the hell did she get up there?” Torak whispered turning pale.



“What in the hell is she doing up there?” Manota asked.



As part of the garden decorations a series of eight pillars were placed between the North and East Houses. The pillars were secured to each other by cables to prevent them from moving. There was a fifty foot gap between each pillar. The pillars themselves were covered with a climbing vine that flowered during certain times of the year. River sat on one of the sections between the second and third pillar.



“There’s another one!” one of the men shouted as they watched the small figure of Star move out onto the cable followed by Jo.



“Oh Gods.” Manota groaned watching as Jo tested the cable.





“Hey.” Star said quietly moving over the cable to sit next to River.



“Hey.” River said glumly.



“Hey, guys.” Jo said as she moved to sit next to Star. “What’s up? Besides us.”



River looked over at Jo and smiled. Jo always had a way of making a bad situation seem not so bad. River stared down at the growing number of people. She had watched as Torak had run down the path and knew she was probably in even deeper doo-doo than she was before.



“So…, why are we sitting on a wire above everyone?” Star asked curiously.



River wiped a tear from her cheek. “Torak made me so mad! Then, his security team wouldn’t leave me alone.”



“Oh.” Star said staring down watching as Jazin walked around in a circle pulling at his hair and rubbing his face with his hands. She had learned he seemed to do that a lot when she was around.



“So, what did he do that made you so mad you prefer sitting up here to being down there.” Jo asked.



“He tried playing the ‘I’m-the-man-do-as-I-say’ card. He gave a long list of all the things I could and couldn’t do.” There was a moment of silence as the girls thought about what River had just said.



“So, what was on the ‘could’ list?” Star asked curiously swinging her feet gently back and forth.



“Oh, I can wear dresses, greet his guests, have his kids, that kind of stuff.” River replied sarcastically.