"Yes, I've told Michael about your desire to swear your service to him," Cinnamon said slowly, and then smiled.

  "Has he told you his decision?"

  "As long as you can convince him of your worth, I'm sure he'll accept you," she replied, and then was surprised by the pleased expression on his face. So surprised that it took her a moment to realize that was what she was seeing.

  "I know much about the other lords, particularly Lord Ennakoida and Prince Talt's surviving two lords. I know he will find me useful."

  "And what advice would you give him on those three?"

  "To swear them to him immediately. I know Lord Ennakoida is most interested in Prince Michael. Lords Forrude and Hjul will also become interested once I have had the chance to speak with them."

  Cinnamon smiled, letting her fangs show. "I believe he'll find that worthy. Have a good day, Hengity."

  Getting up, she headed back to her office and wondered how she should pass that message on.

  " I'll tell him ," Reagjin said. " I'll also ask him if he wants to kill Irrie, or if you can do it ."

  " Don't like him either ?"

  " I've never liked imps. They're not terribly bright, and they're not trustworthy. They're also just annoying ."

  Cinnamon had to laugh at that. Irrie was well named, as he was often irritating.

  " I guess I need to visit Brost and see if he'll take the job ."

  " Offer to spend the night convincing him, and I'm sure he will !"

  Cinnamon had noticed more than once how well Brost filled out his shorts. He was definitely big all over.

  " Even if he doesn't, I'm sure I'll have a lot of fun trying !"

  #

  "Milord Ennakoida," said Kylpyamm, his advisor, coming into the room and prostrating before him. "I have received further information from Ärsyttävä in regard to Prince Michael."

  "Rise and speak, Kylpyamm. What does Ärsyttävä have to say?"

  "He has overhead Prince Talt's padomdevejs conversing with the demon Prince Michael has set to run the council of Bartertown when he is not there. It would seem this padomdevejs has offered his oath to Prince Michael and was told Prince Michael would take his oath when he next returned!"

  Ennakoida sat up straight in his chair. "If he's going to take that padomdevejs' oath, then the time for me to present myself to him will soon be here, if I am to be his first lord!"

  "Yes, milord! I think you will also find the padomdevejs' other words interesting as well. It told Prince Michael that he should swear you first! Apparently, his former prince had a very high opinion of you. He even mentioned you before Prince Talt's two surviving lords!"

  Ennakoida smiled. "Shrewd, very shrewd."

  "How so milord?"

  "It shows his commitment to his new prince. It shows that he will not be biased by the past. A more self-serving djevel would have wanted Prince Talt's former lords sworn first, because he knows them, and he could make personal deals with them to increase his own power.

  "Instead, he advises to swear me first, admitting that I am the more powerful lord, and also making it clear that he is putting his new prince's concerns before his own welfare. He is showing that he intends to serve him well.

  "What do we know of these trips the prince is making?"

  "Ärsyttävä has learned that Prince Michael has been making deals with the humans who are in charge of all the rest."

  Ennakoida frowned. "Why would he do that?"

  "I have no idea, milord, but when you consider his power and his abilities, there must be a reason for it."

  "If I may, milord?" asked Nuppi, his scribe, prostrating himself before him.

  "By all means, Nuppi. Your words have proven to be insightful; what would you like to say?"

  "Our future prince is but one being, and he has a small court, from what we have learned. Does it not show wisdom that he manages the humans so they do not fear him? That he cultivates them like we do the gnasher? Perhaps they even buy his favor to make themselves feel safer."

  "That would make sense, milord," Kylpyamm said slowly, agreeing with Nuppi. "We know the lions wish to keep the humans for themselves. If Prince Michael has been keeping the herds of humans pacified and placid, that would explain why the lions haven't banded together to deal with the very real threat he obviously presents."

  "That bears some consideration," Ennakoida agreed. "However, what Nuppi said does raise a question."

  "And what question would that be, milord?"

  "If Prince Michael's court is small, from where does he gain his power? From all we have been able to learn, there are not many of his kind anymore."

  Kylpyamm nodded. "That leads me to something else Ärsyttävä learned. It would seem Prince Michael has been taking oaths from the Earth demons."

  "He has? I thought that was not possible, that all such attempts had failed?"

  "Ärsyttävä learned the way Prince Michael and his court gather power from the Earth demons is very different than how it is done when you take the power of our oaths."

  Ennakoida pondered that for several minutes before he spoke again. To have survived so long and become so powerful, it would only make sense for Prince Michael to have figured out how to draw the power of the beings of this world into himself. But coming here and building a new base for his power showed that the power of his own kind was far more important to him. Which could only mean it was greater as well.

  So if Prince Michael was strong now, from just what he was getting from the Earth demons and whatever humans he consumed, once he had the powers of all the lords who had come here, he would become mighty, indeed!

  Nodding to himself, he made up his mind.

  "Instruct Ärsyttävä to approach Prince Michael's padomdevejs about me journeying there to present myself and show my worth, that I might join his court. Instruct him to bring this entreaty two duodaers after the padomdevejs has been sworn so that I do not appear too hasty."

  "It will be as you wish, milord," Kylpyamm said, dropping down to his knees and bowing low before his lord.

  "Now, go."

  Dawn

  Mihalis stretched and yawned, shaking out his mane. They'd done Boston, Providence, Hartford, Albany, New York City, and Trenton in just three days. They'd be doing two stops in Pennsylvania tomorrow, then two in Ohio, and he wasn't sure after that. Maybe there was a break?

  Looking around at all the preparations, he saw people were packing everything up to get it on the road tonight, so it'd be at the next stop when they flew in. He didn't even know whether they were spending the night here, or flying on to the next stop. It was October 27th. The election was on November 6th. Ten days.

  Shaking his head, he tracked down Tisha, who was handling logistics now that Troy and his wives had a firm handle on security.

  "Tish," he said, padding up to her as she gave somebody orders.

  "Just a minute, Mike."

  Mihalis sighed and counted to twenty.

  "Tish."

  She'd finished with the first person and was talking with someone else.

  "Just a minute, Mike."

  Giving his head a shake, he shifted into his hybrid form and loomed over her, as he was almost two feet taller than her.

  "What!" she growled, looking at him, then up, because she'd forgotten once again just how big he'd gotten.

  "I need to talk to Steve."

  "Michael, can't this wait?"

  "No."

  "What's so important that you need to see him now?"

  "We're going home tonight. We're done."

  Tisha looked him in the eye and didn't say anything for a moment, then sighed. "What time is your flight out?"

  "Midnight."

  "Steve has a dinner at seven; can you do that?"

  Mihalis nodded.

  "I'll tell him you've hit your limit and are going home. I can tell you right now, he's going to try to talk you into staying, so please go easy on him."

  Mihalis snorted. "He doesn't need us to win. He's so far ahead in the polls now, and since Kirkpatrick can't pull out any last-minute stunts, it's over."

  "It's not that, Michael."

  "Then what is it?"

  "He thinks it's good for you to appear in public, for people to see you and get used to you. You're not ' The black lion' anymore. You're just ' A black lion'."

  Mihalis smiled. "I hadn't thought about that. But honestly, I'm done, Rika and Azure are tired, and everyone else is tired. If it was close, we'd stay, but at this point, I think Chloe's drawing more attention than Black and White are, especially since her father joined the campaign in New York this morning."

  Tisha snorted. "Who knew an old Jazz and R&B singer could pull in so many people!"

  "Having a new hit single on the charts will do that for you. So when can I talk to him and Terrie so we can tell them we're leaving?"

  "After dinner. That way he doesn't waste time trying to convince you when your mind's made up. I know that look you gave me; I've seen it in your dad's eyes more than once. Sometimes I think Steve forgets to turn off the charm when we're out on the campaign trail."

  "Thanks, Tish," he said and, bending over, he gave her a hug. Tisha wouldn't shift into her lion or hybrid forms while out in public while Steve was campaigning. Right now, Steve was playing that whole thing down because he didn't want any distractions.

  "I gave Talin the schedule of where to meet for dinner; she should be at the bus by now."

  Mihalis nodded and shifted back into his dark elf self. Interestingly enough, things were so busy in and around the cities in the northeast that he was ignored a lot when he was just being himself.

  He kinda liked it.

  "Any problems?" Caitin asked as he caught up with his wives in the bus.

  "Nope. I did agree to do dinner tonight, as we have to wait for our flight to get here. You two okay with that?" he asked, looking at Azure and Rika.

  "Yeah, I think we've got one more dinner in us." Azure sighed as she sat down and put her feet up on Kerrie, who massaged her legs without even thinking about it.

  "You know, I could just shift to look like you and go in your place," Taeria said with a wink.

  "That wouldn't be fair to Rika. Besides, it's not that bad. Mike here is the one I feel bad for."

  "Why's that?"

  "All the women there want to sleep with him."

  "Don't the men want that, too?"

  Rika snorted. "They're too afraid of Mike to ever let that thought cross their minds. But the women? They all flirt. Hell, some don't even care if their husbands notice!"

  "You're kidding me!" Kerrie said.

  "I suspect a lot of their husbands are already stepping out on them," Mihalis said with a shrug. "When it comes to a lack of morality, I think some of the people I've met at these dinners could give Cynthia a run for her money."

  "Welcome to politics," Jade grumbled. "When we lived in DC, we used to see that shit all the time. Money and power does some strange things to people."

  "That's the way of the world—several worlds, truth be told," Taeria said with a shrug. "Dark elves are famous for it. Goblins don't even try to pretend otherwise; their honesty about it is downright refreshing."

  "What about elves?" Kerrie asked.

  "If elves didn't suffer from it, there wouldn't be any dark elves," Rika said with a laugh. "Though maybe we're just a bit more restrained about it."

  "And Faeries?" Kerrie asked, looking over at Talin and Caitin.

  "We're Unseelie; we start out that way!" Caitin said, snickering.

  "Eh, the Seelie ain't all that different," Talin said. "Some of us are just more prone to trickery than others, or have more patience than others."

  Talin turned to Mihalis then. "So what is the plan when we get home?"

  "I'm going to take Hengity's oath and spend some time catching up with Ruxton. After that, the next thing is to work on bringing people in for bigger deals."

  "Have you decided what you're going to do about Ennakoida?" Talin asked in a soft voice.

  "Not yet."

  "You need to talk to Sawyer," Taeria said, surprising him.

  "You think so?"

  "Of course!" she said with a nod. "This is like the con of the century, if not the millennium! Who else is going to give you good advice on how to play it?"

  Mihalis felt uncomfortable for a moment. "I'm worried that it may not be a con at all, Tae. I'm worried it might just be part of who and what I am."

  Taeria smiled at him, really smiled. "And that's what makes it such a great con; you almost believe in it, Michael. You know you can play the part. But when you get down to it, really down to it, it's not who you are. You're a lion, and you want them dead just as much as all the other lions do.

  "It's a con. The whole thing is a con. As my nanny always used to say, 'Taeria, it's not the facts that matter, and it sure the hell ain't any rules! The dehydrated man is so desperate for water, you could sell 'im piss at a premium, anna' he'll be smilin' while kissin' yer feet!'"

  "She was a goblin, wasn't she?" Azure asked.

  "Yup! Taught me how to pickpocket before I was nine!" Taeria said with a happy smile on her face. "I'm thinking I might see if she wants to move in and help raise my kids."

  "I'm not so sure I get the lesson," Jade said.

  "The djevels are so desperate for a strong, powerful prince that Mike here could declare himself king, and they'd believe it."

  "Ya' really think so?"

  "She's right," Mihalis said. "We killed their king, we killed all their princes, and we cut them off from their home, which they can never go back to again. It's been loss after loss for them. Suddenly, they see someone who's survived everything the lions and this world can throw at them. Who's prevailed and become powerful. Who now wants to gather all the djevels to himself.

  "Someone they are positive is a djevel just like they are. Or if not just like, close enough." Mihalis nodded again. "They'll buy anything I sell, just as long as I can swear them, take their power, and re-establish the old order in their lives."

  "Which means they're ripe for a con," Taeria said, grinning.

  Mihalis thought about that for a moment.

  "You're right; I need to talk to Sawyer."

  Mihalis walked into Sawyer's early the next morning.

  "Morning, Marx.

  "Mike! I thought you were back east?"

  "The girls hit their limit, and honestly? Steve doesn't need us anymore. Thanks to Troy's help, Kirkpatrick has all but conceded the race."

  Marx laughed. "Even the boss there was impressed with Troy over that one."

  "Yeah, who knew Troy was deep, right?" Mihalis said with a chuckle.

  "Lookin' like you did, right, Mike?"

  "Just wait until he has kids, then we'll see my revenge bear fruit!" Mihalis said, rubbing his hands together and doing his best evil cackle.

  Marx laughed at that. "Oh, man, you got that right!"

  Leaving Marx chuckling at the door, Mihalis headed to the back of the shop.

  "Mihalis! This is unexpected!" Sawyer said, beaming as Mihalis went around behind the counter. Dropping down to a knee, he gave Sawyer a hug.

  "Great to see you, Sawyer, as always!"

  Sawyer laughed and hugged him back. "So, whaddaya want?"

  Letting him go, Mihalis grinned. "That was kinda transparent, wasn't it?"

  "Yeah, but you're still my favorite godson. So what's ailing ya'?"

  "Well, first off," Mihalis got out a dollar and passed it to Sawyer.

  "What's this?"

  "Taeria's nanny was a goblin, like you said."

  "Hah! Told ya!"

  "Yup, and as always, old advice is the best advice. Been dealing with a problem, and her old nanny's advice drove right to the heart of the matter."

  "And what advice was that?"

  "That I'm about to embark on probably the biggest con of my entire life, and as Taeria told me, there's no way I can do it without the help of the best conman in this world or the Fædreland."

  "Told ya' I liked that gal, kid. Come on, let's go back to my office, and ya' can tell yer ole godfather all about it!"

  "How much do you know about the origins of the dark elves?" Mihalis asked as they walked back to Sawyer's office.

  "All of it. That's one of those things you have to learn about when you're a prince, along with all that other garbage."

  "Okay, well, because of that, and because of a few things I get because I'm also a lion, I can take a djevel's oath."

  "Whoa! That's a surprise, Mihalis! Who knows about this?"

  "Dad, the First, my wives, and apparently," Mihalis grabbed a seat as Sawyer went around and sat down behind his desk, "Lord Ennakoida."

  "No shit , kid! How'd he find out?"

  Mihalis shook his head. "I'm not quite sure, but Ennakoida's been wanting a new prince since he lost his old one, and he was never fond of Talt. With the way I've been playing him since I first went out there, he somehow got the idea in his head that I'm a prince!"

  Sawyer looked at him, started to snicker, then suddenly guffawed loudly instead.

  "He thinks yer a prince ?" Sawyer gasped between gales of heavy laughter.

  "Yeah, I know, I'm a lion! I should be a king !" Mihalis shot back, and then smiled as Sawyer laughed even louder.

  After a minute, Sawyer wiped his eyes and settled down. "Oh, by the five goblin lords! That's a good one, Mihalis! Now that we got that out of the way, let me guess, he wants to swear himself to ya' like they do?"

  Mihalis nodded. "I only found out about it a few weeks ago when one of Talt's former djevels, the one on the Bartertown council, spilled the beans to Cinn. So we did some investigating, and I found that yeah, between my lion abilities and the things I can do when I'm an incubus, I can take their oaths. Apparently, the reality my demon ancestors come from was the same one the djevels came from."

  "What's the First gotta say about it?"

  "Both he and Dad want me to be cautious, but there's a new djevel prince in the DEZ, and he's slowly gaining power. So if I was to do this, I could probably tie up enough lords to keep him from getting as big as Talt was."

  "Anna' with you being in control of the rest of the djevels, that would let ya' keep them focused on things inside the DEZ, rather than outside ."