Keeping It Real by Justina Robson Page B

emotional
    danger ever again.
    Sorcha was staring at her. 'You scarin' me now,' she said. 'You can't be serious.'
    'Oh come on,' Lila retorted. "The alternative is having your brother love me for the restof his life, and
    he's going to live for centuries, and then . . . gods know what.'
    Sorcha made a warding sign at the mention of gods. 'You listen to me, Metal Molly. I've seen a
    hundred girls looking for the right angle or minute or chance with him, and I never liked one of them as
    sister material. But there's something about a huqaan girl who's been made over into a death machine
    with the fires of hell driving her . . .' She gave Lila a long glance and Lila knew thatSorcha was talking
    about the reactor - something she shouldn't have known anything about at all. It was one of the many
    things she would have questioned her on, but Sorcha hadn't paused to let a word in. 'And that makes me
    feel for you, makes me like you, and I can think of worse fates thatmightbe riding much closer to him
    than that, can't you?'
    Lila almostgaped w i th aston i shment, but managed to turn it into talking . 'What do you know?'
    I know that you're supposed to protect my brother from these maniacs and I want you to do that job
    and I think thatthis Game is working well for me, honey . ' Sorcha's delicate, supple body rose up and her
    tail co i led suddenly. Venom formed into a drop at i ts dartl i ke tip. She put her face right into Lila's a nd Lil
    a smelled fire on her bre a th a nd felt a sudden, blistering instant of heat. Sorch a 's vo i ce w a s the qu i et sound of a d i stant furnace roaring , 'And I'll tell you th i s for noth i ng. If you f ai l, then I'll hunt you down with every demon this side of T a rt a rus a nd eat your head.'
    Lila simply stood there, astonished and slightly singed .
    Sorcha w a s already off, sitting down playfully on the bed again. She flicked a slender golden card out
    of the narrow belt that was all thatheld her bodynetin place. 'Anyway, ten million dollars for you if he
    loses.' She grinned, reached outand tucked the card down the frontof Lila's armoured vest. 'I l i ke see i
    ng h i m squirm. He gets all High Elf an d sanctimonious, an d his ears getrightback like they're wel d e d to his hea d , a n d he gets re a ly intense a n d kin d a ma d . St i l as a statue, just frozen w i th r a ge, c a n't d o a d amn thing.' She laughe d at the thought. 'Never tire of that. An d trust me, he's so gonna lose.'
    'Don't be ri d ic-' But Lila bit her wor d s back because Zal returne d , gave them both a da rk look, a n d
    threw his bag at the be d where it thumpe d against Sorch a 's si d e.
    'Ship out, Sorch a ,' he suggeste d . 'My sh ad ow and I have stuff to argue about.'
    'Don'tI know it.' Sorcha gotup and gave Lila a w i nk as she moved to the door. She looked at Zal
    over her shoulder and sa i d something i n demon i c to h i m. L i la could hear i t but, unlike other languages of the Realms , demonic sounded like music instead of words to ears it wasn't meant for and she had no
    idea what was sai d .
    Sorcha blew him a kiss with a flicker of yellow fire between her lips and left the door open after her.
    Zal walked across and shut it with a kick before turning to Lila. 'I'm notleaving here tonight'
    'You have to,' Lila said primly. 'It's all arranged.'
    'Un-arrange it.'
    'I'll carry you out if I have to.'
    'You will not.' He folded his arms a nd plante d his feet.
    'I will so.' She found herself copying his stance.
    He dodged her, jumping across the bed and out through the adjoin-ing door into her room. Lila was so
    taken aback by his speed, and so grounded in the posture, thatshe didn'teven move for a good couple
    of seconds. As she ran after him she could hardly believe it had come to this.
    All the other intervening doors were open. She saw him hurdle the one sofa thatstood in his way as he
    crossed the ocean-view room and then he was onto the balcony and over the rail before she had time