Without a Front (44 page)

CHAPTER 71
Coming home

 

“How did it go?” Salomen
asked.

Tal had returned to Hol-Opah alone, leaving the task of dropping off the boys to Micah and Gehrain. Rank had its privileges. She was now basking in the pleasure of being greeted by the one person she had most wanted to see all day, and it was all she could do not to pull Salomen into a warmron, right there in view of every back window of the main house and at least two Guards. She was also grateful that the steady drizzle was keeping the rest of the family inside. It was well past evenmeal, a time when anyone who had put in a long day at harvest would be relaxing in a comfortable chair. Only Salomen was fool enough to be standing out in the rain.

“Better than I expected, and worse,” she said, gratefully absorbing Salomen's affection through their palm touch. Neither of them would drop their fronts so close to the Guards, but the physical connection was all they needed. “Where's Jaros? I thought for sure he'd be out here, rain or no.”

“We put him to bed early. He was a little overtired with all the excitement. And that was another politician's answer.”

“But a true one.”

“It may be, but I'll expect a longer version later.” Salomen locked their hands together and led her toward the house. “You'll have plenty of opportunity to tell me about it on our date.”

Tal stopped walking, pulling Salomen to a halt as well. “Our date? Did I know about this?”

“Yes, we arranged it the night before last, when you called me from Whitemoon. Don't you remember?”

Alarmed, Tal searched her memory but could not recall anything of the sort. Nor did she want to admit it until she saw the look in Salomen's eyes. Narrowing her own, she focused on the emotions transmitting through their touch and found a well-buried amusement. “Enjoyed that, did you?”

Salomen broke into a wide smile. “I couldn't resist. You're very endearing when you're worried about disappointing me.”

“Nothing of the sort. I was worried about appearing fallible.”

“Oh, of course. Come on, let's get you inside. I'd like you to change into something a bit drier and join me in the entry.”

“Salomen…” Tal found herself being pulled toward the house again. “I appreciate your intentions, but I'd really rather not go back out the moment I arrive home. Do you think we could do this a different night?”

Now it was Salomen who stopped, astonishment coloring her emotions. “What did you say?”

Puzzled, Tal repeated, “I said I'd rather not go out right away.”

“Not that part. You said ‘the moment you arrived home.' Is that what you think of Hol-Opah?”

“I, ah…” Tal wasn't sure what to say, but was saved from further speech when Salomen pulled her close and took her mouth in a kiss that was as unexpected as it was passionate. For one brief moment, Tal worried about advertising their relationship so soon and so blatantly, but after that her brain gave up any effort at coherent thought. She returned the kiss with a passion that was always just below the surface whenever she was around Salomen, and only the warning tingle brought her to her senses.

But not in time. This flash was worse than all the others, propelling them half a body length apart.

Tal let out a sound that was half pain and half frustration as she bent over with her hands on her knees, waiting for her head to clear. Next to her, Salomen was gasping.

“Lancer Tal!” called one of the Guards.

Tal lifted her head. Her vision still wasn't fully clear, but it was enough to see Senshalon running toward them. She held up a hand. “It's all right,” she called. “We're fine.”

He halted, his posture indicating uncertainty, but she stood up and waved him off. Then her stomach dropped when she realized that Salomen's harsh breaths were actually sobs.

“Salomen—” She stopped.

“I'm sorry,” Salomen said between gasps of laughter. “Fahla, that one hurt. But it was worth it.” She laughed again, and Tal shook her head.

“You're a masochist,” she said. “Not only that, you're a sadist. It's fine if you want to suffer, but you inflict these on me as well.”

“I know.” Salomen was still chuckling as she straightened up and reached for Tal's hand. “I really am sorry. But you have no idea what it means to me to hear you call Hol-Opah home.”

Tal looked askance at the hand being held out to her. “I'm not sure I want to touch that right now. And I can't sense anything anyway; it's taking me longer to recover from these.”

“Then I'll just tell you. It feels wonderful, like this is precisely how it's supposed to be.”

With a show of great care, Tal took her hand. “I'm glad you're not offended. It's rather presumptuous of me.”

“You tend to be a rather presumptuous person.” Salomen squeezed her hand. “In this instance, I'm delighted.”

They resumed their walk toward the house. “I feel a peace here that I don't get in Blacksun,” Tal confessed. “I love the quiet of the landscape and the fact that there aren't a few hundred people vying for my attention. And Hol-Opah is so untouched—it's almost as if the last cycle never happened here. Ever since the
Caphenon
landed, I've thought of nothing but the Protectorate and the Voloth and all of the issues they brought, but when I'm here, it's like…”

“Like what?” Salomen asked as they walked up the back steps.

“Well…like sanctuary.”

Under the shelter of the porch roof, Salomen stopped to look at her. “And why were you so nervous about saying that? I'm glad you feel that way.”

“Because it's not your sanctuary, is it? You work just as hard here as I do in Blacksun.”

“Why, Lancer Tal, I never thought to hear those words. Have you conceded defeat in our challenge?”

“Never. You still have no idea what I do in my magical dome. Don't think you're getting out of your part of the challenge, Delegate Opah.”

They smiled at each other as the rain pounded on the roof, and Tal wondered for the first time whether sanctuary was Hol-Opah or Salomen.

Both, she decided.

Salomen reached out for her other hand. “Will you please reconsider coming with me on a date? I promise you won't have to go far. And I'm certain you'll enjoy it.”

Tal took a deep breath. “Can you give me half a hantick to just…relax, before we leave?”

“Of course.”

“Then yes, I'll go. Besides, it's been a long time since I've been asked out.”

“That's what I was thinking. You made our first date wonderful for me. I'd like to make this one wonderful for you. It's only fair.”

Who could resist that?

“Then I'll meet you at the front entry in half a hantick. Should I wear anything special?”

“Just be comfortable. And don't worry about staying dry; we're not going far.” Salomen looked her up and down. “Well…it would be all right if you wore something that showed a little more skin.”

“I'll see what I can do. Guess that leaves out the uniform, then.”

“It does,” Salomen agreed. “No uniform. Definitely not.”

CHAPTER 72
The strand vibrates

 

Like the creature he had
named himself after, Spinner felt the vibration along one of the strands of his web. He read the dispatch from his contact in Koneza with a rising sense of excitement.

Lancer Tal had been to the Pit today. She had spoken with Donvall, and now she knew her precious Anti-Corruption Task Force wasn't as pristine as she envisioned. Knowing her, she was breathing fire. He had no doubt that she would hunt that trail until it led all the way to him.

Which was exactly what he wanted.

His prey had touched the web. She hadn't fallen into it yet, but she was close.

Smiling, he set his reader card down and leaned back in his chair. “Come on, Lancer Tal,” he whispered. “Do what you do best.”

CHAPTER 73
Second date

 

A shower and fresh clothes
did wonders for Tal's state of mind, along with two tenticks of relaxing with the book she had started five days ago. She had thought about bringing it on her tour, but reasoned there would be little time to read anything fun. Besides, she didn't want to read this book in a transport or inn. It needed to be savored in the window seat of a room she had come to consider hers, and right now, with the rain streaming down the windows, she felt cozier than she had in a very long time.

With great reluctance she put a marker in the pages and set the book down. Time to go downstairs for her date. She really didn't want to go anywhere, but Salomen had clearly planned something special, and Tal would sooner face an all-day bickering Council session than let her down.

As promised, Salomen was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs in the front entry. Tal stopped on the last step, bringing their heads level. “Very nice,” she said admiringly. “You look wonderful.”

“Thank you.” Salomen did a slow twirl, showing off the back view. Her thick, dark hair was up in a loose twist, exposing the high neck of her sleeveless shirt. Loose trousers and sandals completed the outfit, giving her an effortlessly classy appearance. “With the rains here, it's only a matter of another nineday or two before it becomes too cool to wear this. I wanted to take advantage of the moment.”

“And show a little skin. I'm afraid I didn't share quite as much.”

Salomen looked her up and down, her light expression vanishing under something far warmer. Her gaze settled on the front of Tal's half-sleeved dress shirt, where a nearly indecent number of buttons had been left undone. “In terms of quantity, no,” she said in a low voice that made Tal's neck prickle. “But the quality is surely there.”

Tal had to clear her throat before she could speak. “Where are you taking me?”

Salomen smiled, holding out her hand. “Just around the corner.” She led Tal down the last step and into the parlor, where Micah, Shikal, and Nikin were holding court around a bottle of spirits.

“This had better not be our date,” Tal said just as Micah let out a low whistle.

“Blessed Fahla, what a sight. Going somewhere, Lancer Tal?”

“I have no idea, and if I did, I wouldn't tell you. I didn't think you'd be here so soon.”

“Pendar's aunt was visiting Silmartin's mother, so we were able to drop two off at the same time. Thank the Goddess, too, otherwise I would have missed this view.”

“And he was just starting the story of how our Lancer frightened three bullies halfway to their Return,” Shikal said. “So you two run along now. You're interrupting.”

The three men chuckled. “Don't keep her out too late, Salomen,” said Nikin. “We need her tomorrow, and she can't pilot a transport with her eyes half shut.”

Salomen rolled her eyes at Tal. “My apologies. If I'd known we would run into the comedy club, I'd have had you meet me at the back stairs. My mistake was in thinking that any of these men were mature adults.”

She pulled Tal through the room, accompanied by a few more whistles and offers of unsolicited advice. Once in the relative peace of the dining room she turned and pointedly banged the door shut, muffling the sounds of laughter in the next room. “Well, that was a strategic error,” she said. “It gets better from here, I promise.”

“I hope so. You've already given Micah enough to keep him going for the next three days.”

“I'm sorry. I just wanted the walk to our date to involve more than six steps.” She led Tal across the dining room and into the kitchen dome, stopping by the small table normally used as a staging area for the main meals. Tonight it had been transformed into an intimate setting for two, the handmade table cover adorned with crockery that Tal had never seen before. She guessed by its design that it had probably been in the family for several generations. Off to the side stood a miniature tiered bowl rack, holding three small bowls of brightly burning oil. At the top of the rack, a fourth bowl contained a hyacot twig.

“It's perfect,” she said in relief. “You have no idea how perfect this is. Thank you.”

Salomen pulled her close. “Of course I have an idea. I guessed you wouldn't want to go out after the day you've had, and the state you were in when you arrived just confirmed it. I want you to relax tonight. This is just you and me.”

Her smile was just enough to bring out the lines at the sides of her mouth. Tal reached up and ran her fingertip over each one, basking in the beauty they lent to Salomen's face. “You are such a lovely woman,” she whispered. “Inside and out.”

“So are you.”

They shared a brief, soft kiss before Salomen waved Tal to her chair. “I'd like to say I made this meal myself,” she said more briskly, “but that was impossible. But I did leave very specific instructions with Wynsill regarding what I wanted done. She did it to perfection. Can I keep her after you go back to Blacksun?”

“Not a chance. Wynsill is in great demand with my Guards. For good reason, as you've noticed.”

“Damn. Maybe I can make her a better offer.”

“Don't even think of stealing my staff, producer.”

Salomen grinned. “You're feeling more relaxed, then. Threats already, and we haven't even started the meal.”

“That wasn't a threat. That was merely advice.”

“Ah. In that case, perhaps you'd like to start the first course and see if you still feel like giving advice afterward.”

“I'm ready.”

“Good.” Salomen walked over to the wooden rack across the kitchen and came back with a large bowl, which she carefully set on the table. “Your bowl, please?”

Tal handed over her soup bowl and watched avidly as Salomen lifted the lid. “Ohhhh,” she said as the scent hit her nostrils. “Horten soup!”

“Of course.” Salomen ladled a sinfully large amount into Tal's bowl, adding the same amount to her own before covering the serving bowl again. “It's harvest time. Not having horten soup now would be a crime. It doesn't get any fresher than this.” She plucked the hyacot twig from its holder, snapped it in half and replaced the pieces. “There. We're now officially on a date.”

“And a perfect one, too.” Tal dug into her soup without waiting. At the first taste, her eyes nearly rolled back in her head. “Oh, dear Goddess above. This is…indescribably wonderful. It's never tasted like this before.”

“You've never had horten less than ten hanticks from harvest before. It makes a big difference.”

“Yes, it does.” Tal happily consumed half the bowl at a speed considerably higher than polite manners allowed, then forced herself to slow down. “I hope you didn't plan on conversation tonight. My mouth is doing other things.”

The look Salomen gave her made Tal drop her spoon. With her blocks down, Salomen's instant desire was singeing her senses.

“I, ah…”

“Just eat,” Salomen said. “And don't say anything more about your mouth, please.”

“Deal.” Tal didn't want to go there, either. That way lay frustration and impotent arousal, and she was having a hard enough time as it was. Salomen looked edible in that shirt. It was cut deeply inward at the shoulders, exposing just the edges of her chest ridges. This was twice now that she had tormented her with bare shoulders, and Tal was beginning to wonder if she really had felt that little fantasy of a few days ago.

“Perhaps now you can explain that short answer about your trip,” Salomen said. “What happened with those boys and your meeting with the prisoner?”

Tal shook her head. “I'd rather hear about your day first.”

“There's not much to tell. I spent my day running back and forth like a fanten on slaughter day and with considerably less purpose.”

Chuckling, Tal said, “I don't accept the part about no purpose. From what I could see, you were keeping control of a very complex operation.”

“Well…” Salomen thoughtfully sipped her soup. “There certainly are a lot of details to keep track of and a lot of people needing instruction and answers. Usually simultaneously.”

“I noticed.” It occurred to Tal that Salomen was a Lancer in her own right, simply governing a smaller world. “And speaking as one with similar duties, you're very good at yours.”

Salomen's pleasure at the compliment warmed her senses, and the rest of the course was spent discussing the harvest. Tal was interested to hear that Herot had worked just as hard as everyone else, a noticeable change in his behavior which Salomen attributed to the fact that he preferred transport duty to the more manual labor of cutting or loading. Tal wondered if something else might be factoring into it.

The soup in her bowl was gone all too soon, and she was gazing sadly at its empty depths when Salomen asked, “Ready for the next course?”

“If it's as good as this one, I'm more than ready.”

“It will be. Give me your bowl.”

Tal handed it across the table, expecting Salomen to carry it to the dish rack. She burst into laughter when it was promptly refilled from the serving bowl instead. “Was I that transparent?”

“Andira, a sonsales could have seen your longing. It's a good thing I had no other courses planned; I couldn't have broken your heart by taking this bowl away. There is one other part to this meal, though.” She rose from the table, returning in a moment with a fresh loaf of bread. A wisp of steam plumed upward as she cut off the end. “Everything on this table comes from Hol-Opah,” she said, offering a soft slice. “Well, except for the oil.”

“It's wonderful.” Tal savored her bread, which was warm and fluffy and tasted divine. “All of it. You most of all. Thank you for this.”

“You're welcome. Thank you for coming on a date with me, even though you were so tired you didn't want to.”

“I didn't want to go out,” Tal corrected. “I can't imagine being too tired to want to be with you.”

Salomen flashed one of those smiles that warmed her right down to her toes. “All right, we've discussed my day. Now it's your turn.”

It took the rest of that bowl, a second serving of bread, and a cup of shannel for Tal to recount the story of her afternoon. By the end she was feeling relaxed and utterly content; even her anger over the perversion of the task force had become something of a distant memory. She knew it would come back as soon as she had to deal with it directly, but right now, with Salomen looking so beautiful and listening with such close attention, the warmth in her stomach had spread to her head and she couldn't feel anything but happy.

“It sounds as though you've converted a few more to your camp,” Salomen said. “And it worked both ways.”

“Meaning they converted me as well?” Tal drained the last of her shannel and replaced the cup in its saucer. “Pendar certainly did. Silmartin…a little. And Nilo is a thoroughly disagreeable little dokker, but he definitely learned something and who knows, perhaps he'll really stay out of trouble. But I wouldn't bet the holding on it.”

“Neither would I. Still, stranger things have happened. And you do seem to have that effect on people.”

“You mean you're staying out of trouble, too?”

“Hardly.” Salomen reached for Tal's hand, focusing on it as a darker emotion wound through her earlier contentment.

Tal lowered her head, trying to catch her gaze. “What's wrong?”

“I'm trying to forget that we have only eight days left, but it's not working. I'm already missing you in advance.”

“You don't have to miss me, and I certainly don't plan to miss you. You still have your part of the challenge to uphold.”

“I know, but what happens after that?”

“Who knows? Look at how much has changed between us in just one moon. What will a second moon do? I don't know about you, but I don't think we should try to plan that far ahead. We'll have options. And when it comes to my job, I make the rules anyway.”

“Within bounds of tradition and requirements of logistics and security. Andira, I can't live in Blacksun. You know that. And you can't live here, much as I want you to.”

“It's not an either-or situation. We can work out something in between. I already divide my time between my base quarters and those in the State House; it's not that hard to live in two places. Three is just one more.”

“For you. It's two more for me.”

Tal rose from her chair and walked to Salomen's side of the table without releasing her hand. Pulling her up gently, she grasped her other hand and said, “I know you're a strategic thinker and you prefer to plan ahead. I do the same thing. But in this case, I really think we'll drive ourselves crazy trying to plan something like this. It will work out. Let's just see what the next moon brings and then revisit this, all right?”

“I'll try. I'm not very good at putting off decisions.”

“You say that as if it's a bad thing. Most of the time, it's an excellent character trait.” Tal leaned in and kissed her lightly on the cheekbone ridge, then nibbled her way down to her jaw. “Just not right now,” she whispered.

“Fahla,” Salomen breathed. “Don't do that, or I can't be held responsible for inflicting another flash on you.”

Tal pulled back reluctantly. “This, on the other hand, is a decision I'm getting closer to every day.”

“So am I.” Salomen's gaze was heated. “I want this badly enough to start losing my fear of the consequences.”

“I'm beginning to forget I ever had fears.”

They stared into each other's eyes until Salomen swallowed and took a deliberate step back. “We need to cool down. And you have to stop looking at me that way. Fahla knows I want our joining, and I want our Sharing, but I'm not quite ready to permanently give up my privacy just to satisfy this need.”