Endgame Read Online Free

him as a person. In response, he asked the impossible of me: “The only way you can prove that is to set me free.” From there, it went to impossible research and a remedy for the damage done to his people. Though it took turns, we have that cure now. It’s not enough that Loras is a free man; his people deserve the same liberty. This injustice cannot stand.
    Shaking off the reverie, I perform the introductions. Afterward, I take a seat; and the others follow suit. Leviter’s dark eyes hold a hardness except when they touch on Suni Tarn. If the man has an Achilles’ heel, it’s sitting beside him, hand on his knee.
    After the courtesies, Loras asks skeptically, “Will Jax’s petitions do any good?”
    Leviter addresses the question. “So long as you have realistic expectations, it will not prove a useless exercise.”
    “Oh?” I arch a brow. This is why Tarn brought his partner in; he’s the idea man, while Tarn has always been the mouthpiece.
    “I’ll keep tabs on the situation. See how various nobles react to the emancipation proposal and requests to open centers where the La’hengrin can openly receive the cure.”
    Tarn nods. “Then we’ll know whom to approach. Whom to bribe later. There may well be sympathizers who think what’s happening is wrong. They just don’t dare act.”
    “Maybe,” I say.
    I fetch us all some
kaf
from the kitchen-mate. The tray comes with all the fixings, but Tarn drinks it straight. Playing hostess, I serve and observe while Loras asks a number of pointed questions regarding their interest and commitment.
    After the brief interrogation, Leviter scrutinizes Loras. “You aren’t what I expected.”
    To me, it’s clear what he means. Loras has a hard quality you don’t usually see in the sheltered La’heng, who are treated like children and not encouraged to think for themselves. Unlike children—due to the RC-17 disaster—they can’t rebel. Loras has been off world, traveled extensively, and under the care of his last master, he fended for himself quite a bit. His time with Hon left him angry and bitter, but it made him stronger, too, determined to do whatever it takes to free his people. I envy his passion because I’ve only ever felt that way about grimspace, and that seems less worthy.
    Loras meets Leviter’s sharkish gaze squarely, then he shrugs. “Does it matter?”
    “Not really. I came to La’heng for a new playground. This cause will suffice.”
    “What do you mean, ‘playground’?” Loras demands.
    Tarn says, “Did you hear about the sex scandal in the governor’s palace? It ended in two suicides and a change of fortune for the noble they appointed to the office.”
    Loras nods. “Of course. It was all over the planetary bounce.”
    “That was my work,” Leviter says softly, proudly.
    Holy shit.
    “And you did that for fun?” I ask, trying to understand.
    “The old governor was a perverse pig of a man,” Tarn mutters.
    I raise a brow. “Do I even want to know?”
    Leviter eyes me with cold calm. “That depends. How do you feel about men who prey on girls less than twelve turns, who can’t defend themselves?”
    “I hope he’s dead,” Loras snarls.
    Tarn smiles. “He was the first suicide.”
    Something in that look makes me wonder if Leviter had something to do with it, if it was a murder so convincing that the best Nicuan examiners missed the clues. The man’s flat smile gives nothing away, and I decide not to press. It only matters that the bastard’s dead.
    “Who was the other?” Loras asks.
    “His procurer.”
    That’s an especially satisfying answer.
    “Let me guess,” Loras mutters. “He bore the title of protector.”
    Tarn rubs his fingers against his brow, as if the system pains him; Leviter sets a hand on Suni’s shoulder to comfort him. Then the former chancellor asks, “How did you know?”
    “Because it’s disgusting. And too common.” Loras clenches his jaw, staring at the screen across the room, more for