razorsedge (36 page)

* * *

"Mentor Sorli, how pleasant to hear from you," said Lijou. "First of all, let me personally congratulate you on your promotion."
"Thank you, Master Lijou. May I return the compliment? It's good to know our priests will have their own Guild from now on. I would have been in touch sooner, had it not been for my promotion." His left ear moved fractionally, indicating mild embarrassment as he lowered his voice. "I must admit I didn't expect Master Esken to hand over the reins quite so suddenly. If I didn't know better, I'd say he'd set me here to divert the hunt from his own door! Father Ghyan and I have been busy implementing the Terran education program. An update will be on its way to you in the next day or two."
"Thank you, Sorli. I must admit that the last three weeks have been novel. To have such mutual cooperation between our Guilds was unheard of till now. We were hard-pressed to know what to do with the sheer number of acolytes arriving at the Retreat! From famine to feast, as they say."
"Indeed," smiled Sorli. "They've been one burden less for me, I have to admit. The Terrans are a headache on their own. There's a lot of hard work ahead for both of us, but I'd rather that than relive the last few years." Briefly his smile faded, then reasserted itself. "I'm actually contacting you on official business. Master Esken has requested an escort to bring his future Consortia bride from Ranz to our Guildhouse."
Lijou raised an eye ridge.
"Oh, he didn't specify a Brotherhood escort, but since I have heard there's trouble brewing in Ranz, I thought the Brotherhood would be more appropriate than the Warriors. After all," he said, his eyes widening guilelessly, "it would be terrible indeed if anything should happen to her on her way here."
"Quite," murmured Lijou, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly as he repressed a smile. "We'd be happy to provide an escort from the House of Khaimoe to your Guild. When is it for, and what is the name of the lucky female?"
"There's not many of a standing that would satisfy our Master," said Sorli. "I'm sure you could hazard a guess."
"I'm afraid I don't keep up to date with social politics," said Lijou, dipping his ear apologetically. "I couldn't begin to speculate."
"Juilmi Rraoud."
Lijou feigned surprise. "I have heard of her. A talented hostess and an intellectual. Esken has set his sights high."
"She accepted," murmured Sorli, "against all wagers to the contrary, and quite suddenly, too. She's to be escorted here for the sixth hour tomorrow for her first meeting with Master Esken."
"I'll see all is in order, Mentor Sorli," said Lijou, adopting a formal tone for the moment. "And yourself? Ghyan told me you'd life-bonded with Mayoi Kyusha some three weeks ago. How do you find married life?"
Sorli's expression softened perceptibly. "To have someone to share the good and the bad with for the first time— it makes life so much more enjoyable, Master Lijou. Did you know she was at the Guildhouse all along? I'd even worked with her once or twice."
"Fancy that," murmured Lijou. "I take it that everything has worked out well for you and her?"
"Without doubt. She's been working in the medical section recently, on the case the Clan Lord sent to us. In fact, that was my next piece of news. It seems like we've had the best of the people the Terrans intend to send us. The last arrivals had abilities that were considered on the fringes of belief by even those Humans who do believe in telepathy as a science. We've had to invent new definitions for them. This Derwent, for instance, he's a prime example. He says he's a healer of souls, a guider of the dead, but a large number of the Terrans say he can't be because he's from the wrong culture! If you listen to one group, he's even the wrong sex, it being a female's skill, one that a male is mentally incapable of doing! It's like a pasture full of holes made by those damned jumping rodents— you know the ones, the farmers hate 'em. What're they called?"
"Chiddoes," Lijou supplied, again hiding a smile.
"Yes, them. You know what I mean. You catch your foot in one of their burrows and you break your ankle. We need to have them more thoroughly screened on Earth before they come here, Master Lijou."
"I agree, Sorli. I'll add my petition to yours at AlRel. But back to Derwent. What did you find out about him?"
"It's very inconclusive," said Sorli, with a sigh. "Brynne Stevens refuses to allow a medical telepath to examine his mind, and all we can get out of Derwent is that he did nothing to him, that any changes are due to his training methods and come directly from Brynne himself."
"What do you think?"
"I'm afraid he may be right. We had Brynne's mind covertly scanned while he was ill, and there's nothing there that isn't basically the same as any other Human, certainly nothing like the difference that Physician Kyjishi and Clan Leader Carrie have been talking about. It is possible that Derwent's training methods produce different results in a mixed Leska than they would in either species. We're unlikely to find out since Derwent flatly refuses to teach anyone else, or even talk about what he was teaching Brynne."
"An impasse, unless Mr. Stevens decides to tell us himself, which, I take it, he doesn't. How is he?"
"He's fine. It was just the virus that we all caught," said Sorli. "I apologize that there isn't better news, but Derwent's still being detained here under observation."
"What's AlRel ultimately going to do with him?"
"Deport him unless he cooperates. He's got a week left to make up his mind. Personally, I think we'd be better off without him, but it isn't my decision. He's still trying to preach his belief that Shola is a living planet, the body of Vartra, and that every Talent is a gift from the God to whom we owe devotion and worship." He gave a snort of amusement. "I can just see our Master Builder ordering his Guild to pray to the Gods as they lay each stone for a new civic building!"
"It would certainly extend the time it takes to build anything," agreed Lijou. "And I am in complete agreement with you on the danger he poses to the younglings at our Guilds. Thank Vartra he can get nowhere near my colleges! I hate to think what someone like that would say to the acolytes."
"Well, I'd best be going now, Master Lijou. Thank you for your time, and tomorrow's escort. Did I mention that Challa Kayal also arrives at the Guildhouse to see Master Esken tomorrow?"
"No, you didn't," said Lijou with a smile. "Let's hope he chooses the right partner tomorrow."
"I hope so, too," said Sorli.

* * *

Cautiously, Mara emerged from the tunnel into the lower chamber of the dig, glancing around to see who was there. Most of the Terran team worked upstairs in the ancient lab, but there was usually someone on duty here. Around her, the rusting remains of the vehicles that had once been hidden within the hillside were being exposed from their resting places in the dust and debris. So, too, were the corpses of the Sholans and Valtegans whose final battle this had been.
On the other side of the chamber, the three trestle tables that were the archaeologists' field lab were butted against one another, forming an open-sided square. Sitting in their midst was Josh Lewis. With a gesture she knew well, he brushed his sandy hair back from his face. There was a harassed look on his face as he passed an artifact back to one of the Sholan diggers.
"I've dozens of these damned things," he said. "All in the same condition— rusty, empty, and full of muck. Tell the others to clean 'em out first and only bring ones that have bullets in them to me. Otherwise, just pick a box and throw them in with the rest!"
The youth lowered his ears disappointedly and, with a nod, slouched back to the face of the excavation.
Looking quickly behind her to make sure her faithful shadow was still missing, Mara headed over to him at what she hoped was a casual pace.
Josh glanced up as her shadow fell across him. "I'm really rather busy just now, Mara, unless you fancy helping me."
"I can't stay long. I'm followed wherever I go these days," she said quietly, leaning on the tabletop in front of him. She liked Josh, and wasn't looking forward to what she had to tell him. Of all her brief liaisons, for some reason she couldn't explain, the few hours they'd spent together had meant the most to her.
He frowned, dark brows meeting in concern. "Why should they follow you? Surely you're in no danger here on the estate."
"Nothing like that," she assured him, wishing she could tell what he was thinking. His mind, unlike those of most of the unTalented she knew, remained a closed book to her. "I need to warn you, to tell you something important."
She let her voice tail off, unsure how to continue. How could she tell him that she'd used him to get pregnant with a Human child, only to discover it was as much a hybrid as Vanna's and Carrie's cubs? The look on his face, perhaps even the feel of his mind, would be full of revulsion for her. She realized now that she deserved it. Somehow, she'd passed this damned virus on to him, contaminated him in some way so that his children would never be Human. She'd stolen from him the one thing she'd resented losing herself, her Humanity.
"What is it?" he asked, putting his hand up again to brush back his unruly long hair.
There was no putting it off if she was going to tell him before Jissoh finally caught up with her. "The night we spent together, I let you make me pregnant," she said quietly, looking away from him.
She counted two hundred heartbeats before he broke the silence. "Why?"
"It was only a matter of time before Zhyaf made me pregnant, and I couldn't bear the thought of having a child that wasn't Human." She found the rough surface of the table fascinating and absently picked at a loose sliver of wood. "Except it isn't Human. It's a cub, like theirs."
"Pardon?"
She looked up as she sensed his disbelief and astonishment. "You fathered a Sholan cub on me, Josh."
He looked round the cavern, desperately making sure no one was within earshot. "Are you trying to tell me that your child—
my
child— isn't Human? You've got to be kidding, Mara!" he said, his voice angry despite its quietness. "If this is your idea of a joke, it isn't funny! I knew I should have stayed away from you, everyone warned me!"
"I'm not joking, it's the truth. They're following me because I won't tell them who the father is." She stopped abruptly, looking over to the cave mouth. "I've got to go, Jissoh's found me," she said, moving away.
He stood up, lunging across the table to catch hold of her arm. "Just wait a minute. You can't come in here and drop a bombshell like that on me and then walk off without explaining it!"
Frantically she tried to pull away, but his fingers tightened their grip. Reaching up, she tried to pry herself loose. "You don't understand," she said. "It's
you
they want! They want to find out how a nontelepath could father a hybrid cub!"
"I didn't," he said bluntly. "They can run tests on me to prove I didn't. You're lying, Mara, and I'm going to expose your lies!"
She stopped struggling and watched as Jissoh broke into a run. From behind her, she could sense Rulla approaching from the upper level opening. "It isn't a lie, Josh. I'm sorry."

* * *

Carrie was contacted at the range where she and T'Chebbi were practicing their marksmanship. They left immediately, telling Jissoh to rendezvous with them at Vanna's lab.
As she made her way there, she reached for Josh's mind, finding it easy to penetrate the few rudimentary mental barriers that shock had not removed. She found what she expected.
"He's one of us," she said as she entered Vanna's office, leaving T'Chebbi outside with Jissoh and Rulla. The two young Humans sat at opposite sides of the room, in various stages of unhappiness. "A minor Talent, but there."
"Looks like Kusac was right after all," Vanna sighed, swinging round on her desk seat to face Carrie. "This is probably another Triad." She turned back to Josh and Mara. "Thanks to you two, I'm going to have to rewrite all my neat little theories," she said with a half-grin, trying to keep her tone light.
"There's got to be some mistake here," said Josh, nervously scratching his bearded chin. "Okay, I'll admit I might have a Talent, a small one as you say, but as for being one of you, that's a hell of a long way from second guessing who's on the phone or at the door!"
"As you say, you have a lesser Talent, but that could be because it's underdeveloped," said Carrie, moving toward one of the empty chairs. "We don't know how sensitive the thirds will become in time and with association with us, but we do all share the same altered genes, and that's easily checked."
"That doesn't make me the father of Mara's child."
"No, it doesn't," Vanna agreed, "but it does mean you could be, and that coupled with the fact that Mara claims you are . ."
"Come on!" he exclaimed, half-rising from the chair, "she's lying! You don't believe her, do you?"
"Why should she lie?" asked Carrie. "You have paired with her, haven't you?"
"Only once! She's trying to make me responsible for it, that's all! It must be Zhyaf's!"
"Well, we'll know when the cub's born," said Vanna equably. "We're only interested in taking a few blood samples and the like from you so we can establish that you are one of us. You have no responsibility to Mara or the cub, as far as we're concerned. That's a private matter between the two of you. Although I should tell you that Mara has no
need
to make any male responsible for her cub, so she's no reason to lie about it. You're not on Earth, you know!"
"I don't want the cub. I want to abort," said Mara quietly.
Carrie watched Vanna's eye ridges meet in a frown as she studied the Human girl through narrowed eyes. "You've decided, then," she said. It was sad, but not unexpected.
"I didn't want it for the right reasons. I only wanted to avoid having Zhyaf's cub. Ruth thinks I'm right."
Mara's voice was quiet and controlled, with none of the self-justification Carrie would have expected from one her age. It looked like Ruth's influence was beginning to have a positive effect.
"I don't think that's your decision to make," said Josh.
Carrie leaned forward to touch Josh's arm before Vanna could speak. "It is her decision, and only hers," she said gently. "You claim you can't possibly be the father, so why should you be entitled to an opinion? Children, and cubs, should only be brought into the world when they are wanted. Sholan females can choose whether or not to conceive at the time, we can't."
"She just said she chose to get pregnant," objected Josh. "Look, I'm not saying she
should
have the kid, just that it isn't only her decision."
"I've decided," said Mara flatly. "I'll live with that decision. The cub shouldn't have to. When can I come in?"
"Leave it till tomorrow at seventh hour. Give yourself till then to be sure," said Vanna. "Josh, would you mind going down to the lab and giving M'Zio a blood sample? We keep a database on our people, and we need to add you to it. We'll also be asking Father Ghyan to contact you to test your Talent."
"Look, no offense, Physician, but I'm not interested. I enjoy my work, and something like this is going to bring my boss down on me like a landslide. Anyway, I've no intention of becoming a telepath, even if I was one of you. Which I'm not," he added.
"Don't worry, Josh, we'll take up as little time as possible," Carrie reassured him. "Your place here at the dig isn't dependent on Pam Southgate; she hasn't got the power to dismiss you. We need to know what your abilities are, so we can get a clearer picture of what's happening to the Talented in both our species. When we know what your strengths are, we can tell you, and then you can decide whether or not you want to develop them."
Josh stood there looking stunned. "It's true, then."
"Your blood tests will confirm it," said Vanna, getting up to call Rulla in to escort him down the corridor to the medic. "This will only take a few minutes. We'll make sure you're taken back to the dig."
Carrie waited till he'd gone before speaking to Mara again. "Why didn't you tell us who it was?" she asked. "Did you think you'd be in trouble? You shouldn't have, Mara. What you do is up to you so long as you don't hurt anyone else. You're an adult, you know, not a child."
Mara's eyes began to flood with tears. "I thought I wanted a baby, but I don't. I just didn't want to have Zhyaf's. I couldn't do what my Mom did. She had too many kids, she never wanted me. She was glad when your people took me away." She wrapped her arms around herself and began gently swaying back and forth as the tears spilled down her face. "I should have listened to you when you said I could only have Sholan cubs. You were right."
Carrie went to comfort her, sending to Vanna as she did.
Get Ruth.
Already on her way.
Kneeling in front of her, Carrie folded the girl in her arms, holding her tight and murmuring reassuring words while pushing aside her anger at what was coming to light about the girl's past. "It's all right, Mara. You're with us now. You have a family, people who care."
Though Mara rested her head on Carrie's shoulder, she couldn't relax and remained a small, tight knot of misery, her distress barely held in check.
A minute or two later, the door opened and Ruth looked into the room. "I thought I'd find you here," she said, coming in and going over to Mara. She placed a gentle hand against the girl's cheek, then caressed her shoulder. "Come with me, my pet. I think it's time we went home." She looked at Carrie as she let Mara go and began to move back from her.
"She's told you what she wants to do, I see. Her decision didn't come easy, I hope you realize that."
"I know it didn't," said Carrie, helping Mara up from the chair. "It's taken a lot of courage for her to make this decision."
Ruth wrapped her arm around the girl's shoulders, drawing her close against her side. Vanna handed her a tissue.
"Dry your eyes, Mara," said Ruth gently, pressing it against one of the girl's tightly clenched fists. "You don't want the world to know you've been crying, do you?"
Automatically her hand opened as she responded to Ruth's adult presence. She dabbed at her eyes, the tears already beginning to dry up.
"That's the girl. Now we'd best get back. I'm going to need your help with Vrada. That young male's been up at the Shrine again, playing in the mud field they call a garden! You should see him! He's like a walking mud ball— it's caked into his pelt. I've told him it's the scrubbing brush for him!"
Mara began to smile. "Not really," she said. "You wouldn't do that to him, would you?"
As they walked towards the door, Ruth made a noise very like a growl. "You haven't seen the brushes they use to get that kind of dirt out, my girl! I'd call them scrubbing brushes. I'm going to need you to hold him under the shower while I scrub! I'm not having that muddy little wriggler running all over our clean house!"
Carrie laughed as they left. "She's not far wrong," she said, returning to her seat. "I remember when Kusac was working on the villa. He used to come home covered in plaster and concrete."
"I suppose it must be easier to wash dirt off if you don't have fur," said Vanna absently. "Well, looks like we're going to have to run those checks Kusac suggested after all. Thank Vartra we've got Mentor Sorli to deal with rather than Esken!"
"The Gods have been kind to us," Carrie agreed. "I leave for the Warrior Guild tomorrow, so I won't be here to help you, but Dzaka and Garras will. Once you've identified all those with our particular genetic signature, try and persuade them to come to the estate. We want to see if it's possible for them to have some degree of choice in a Leska partner."
"That's if they are Leska material."
"They're at least capable of being the third in a Triad if they haven't the Talent to find a Leska," said Carrie confidently.
"What about the gestalt? What's it for if not to trigger the changes?"
"We've yet to find out, but we do know one of us can use it to harness the power of the other in moments of crisis. It doesn't just double what you have. When we've triggered it, the energy we have access to is unbelievable. It's far more than the sum of what we individually possess."
Vanna made a small noise of disbelief as she began to turn back to her work. "I'll believe there's another Leska trigger when I see it happening," she said.
"You will," said Carrie, getting up. "I'll wager you a meal in one of the best restaurants in Valsgarth."
"You're on," said Vanna.