fortuneswheel (40 page)

* * *

After much verbal maneuvering by Kusac, it was reluctantly agreed by the accommodation staff that Kaid could move into the empty Leska apartment next door to them.
This done, Kaid contacted Meral and Sevrin, alerting them to the fact that he was leaving the premises. He then requested a public aircar to take him to the outskirts of town where the vehicle hire firms were located.
From there he flew southeast to the town of Nazule and the Warrior Guild. Stopping there briefly, he took off again, this time heading inland toward the Dzahai Mountains.
They were expecting him. In the courtyard below, the landing lights were on. Automatically he compensated for the gusting wind as he brought the small craft down to land vertically. It was nearly always blustery at the Stronghold because of the altitude.
Powering the craft down, he released his safety harness. Getting to his feet, he reached for his gray cloak, flinging it round his shoulders and fastening it in place. A traditionalist, he still preferred cloaks to coats in most circumstances. They were more easily taken off and could be used many different ways in both a defensive and offensive manner.
The landing lights flicked off as he stepped out into the courtyard. He closed his eyes, waiting till the eidetic images died before opening them again. The light from the windows threw a faint glow that gave him more than enough visibility. Moving across the yard to the main doors he heard the faint sound of a footfall on the gravel nearby.
He gave a small growl of annoyance. They weren't still playing that old game, were they? In one fluid move, he stooped to pick up a handful of gravel, then swung toward the noise, releasing his small missiles.
A sharp yelp of surprise rang out. Kaid straightened up with a laugh. "Too noisy, youngling. You need more practice."
Still chuckling, he continued walking toward the doors, pushing the left one open just enough for him to slip inside.
The hall was as he remembered it, not that he'd expected it to be different. At the far end sat the massive statue of Vartra, flanked on either side by glowing braziers from which curled opaque coils of smoke heavy with the scent of incense.
His shadow flickering before him, Kaid walked down the length of the hall. On either side, torches set in ancient wall sconces lit his way. Stopping in front of the statue, he regarded it critically for a moment. He'd never been able to decide whether the God was laying down his weapons or was about to pick them up.
Crossing his forearms over his chest, he bowed his head in tribute to the image, then stepped forward to pick up a small block of incense from the stand beside the brazier. Softly saying the ritual words, he tossed the incense into the hot coals. Moving to the right, he stepped past the statue to the great crimson curtain that hung down behind it from ceiling to floor. Twitching at the folds, he found the opening and stepped through into the alcove.
The metal door in front of him slid silently aside, allowing him to enter the brightly lit corridor beyond. Blinking as he stepped through, he was aware of the door closing behind him. He continued walking, coming to a stop at the first doorway. Knocking gently, he entered.
The Leader sat behind his desk. On a chair to one side of him was the head of the cult of Vartra, the priest and telepath, Lijou.
"Leader Ghezu," murmured Kaid, inclining his head toward him as he approached the desk. "Brother Lijou."
"We've waited impatiently for your arrival," said Ghezu, indicating that Kaid should take the empty seat facing him. "What news have you?"
Unwrapping himself from his cloak, Kaid sat. "You've had my reports," he said.
Ghezu made a dismissive gesture with his hand. "You know what we need to hear."
"I don't know that I can tell you, Ghezu," said Kaid.
"What do you mean?" demanded Ghezu sharply.
"He means that his contract is not now under your jurisdiction," said Lijou with a smile. "Isn't that so, Kaid?"
Kaid inclined his head. "My contract with the Clan Leader, and you, is fulfilled. I came to remind you of this."
"There are questions I need answered, Kaid. Your reports were too brief," said Ghezu.
"How so? I told you all that you requested."
"We didn't realize that the matter was so complex," said Ghezu. "Now we're aware of that, we know how much information we're lacking."
"I understand your predicament, but it's out of my hands now," murmured Kaid, examining his claws.
"What about your duty to the Brotherhood?" Ghezu asked. "You know how important this is to us."
"If you remember, I was retired from the Brotherhood some time ago," said Kaid quietly. "I owe no one anything now, except the client who gave me my current contract."
Ghezu made a noise of exasperation and sat back in his seat. "You always were too much of an individualist, Kaid," he said. "I'd forgotten how much of a mixed blessing your early retirement was for us all. Why the hell did you kill all the dissidents on the
Khalossa?"
"The Commander wanted the matter brought to an end. I told you in my report."
"You could at least have interrogated one of them before termination."
"Why? I knew all there was to know about them. Again, it was all in my report."
"Softly, Ghezu," said Lijou, smiling again. "You know you can't fault Kaid. He was protecting his client's interests. What we need to discover from him is what he's prepared to accept in return for the information we seek."
Ghezu narrowed his eyes, ears giving one slight flick.
"What is it you want, Kaid?" continued the priest.
Kaid looked up from examining his nails. "A steady source of information in Valsgarth and beyond. I'm not convinced my clients' lives aren't still at risk."
"Ah, here we have one piece of information for free," purred Lijou. "You're still protecting our Liegen and his Leska."
"That was never in doubt, was it?" asked Kaid, raising an eye ridge.
"Very well, what do you wish to know?" asked Ghezu with a sigh.
"Do I get my back-up?"
"Yes."
"What's been the grass roots reaction to his link with the Terran female?" asked Kaid.
"The average person doesn't care one way or the other," said Ghezu. "You know they view telepaths as a breed apart anyway. Everything they do is strange. Granted having an alien Leska is more strange than usual, but there's no undercurrent of feeling beyond curiosity about the Terran and her relationship to Kusac Aldatan. The Attitude Indoctrination program was run on the public channels and seems to have been effective."
"What about the Clans?"
"That's another matter," said Lijou. "There's a lot of muttering among the Clan Lords. The next sitting of the council isn't for two months yet, but by then I predict there will be several complaints about the fitness of Kusac as a candidate for the Clans' Lordship because of his alien Leska."
"Vailkoi has been muttering loudest on behalf of his daughter Rala. He sees this Terran as a threat to his daughter's position and wants the life-bonding date to be set as soon as possible," said Ghezu.
Kaid nodded. "That much I expected. What of the reaction to the discovery of the Terrans and the Valtegans? Does anyone believe the Terrans were involved in the destruction of Khyaal and Szurtha?"
"None that we've heard. Nearly every clan has lost someone on the two colonies, but they hold the Valtegans totally responsible for the destruction. There was no obvious antiTerran feeling that we noticed, and as I said, the A.I. program would have rectified it if there had been any."
"How did the reporters cover the topic?"
"Factually, for a change," said Ghezu. "Though today when they reported your arrival on Shola, there was speculation as to the nature of their relationship-I don't need to tell you how they love to trivialize things."
Kaid nodded. "Thank you. That answers my most pressing questions for the moment."
"I need to ask a few questions," said Lijou. "My guild is not being forthcoming with information about them. Are they truly Leskas in the sense that we understand it? Do they have a real telepathic Link with each other to the exclusion of anyone else?"
"Yes, their Link is real. In fact it's more demanding and tying than the Links our people have," replied Kaid.
"I've heard rumors to the effect she's more powerful, more Talented than he is."
"As to that, I can't comment. She certainly has more Talents than we have, which is why the Forces have sent them to the Telepath Guild for her to be assessed."
"If they can devise tests for abilities we know nothing about," said Lijou dubiously. "Do they know yet why the Leska Link occurred between them?"
Kaid shook his head. "No, but others of our kind find the Terrans attractive. There have been several nontelepath pairings already. Their personal physician thinks it's due initially to similar pheromones. Beyond that, your guess is as good as mine until your guild comes up with the answers."
"Is it true that the female can fight without any of the physical problems that our telepaths suffer?" asked Ghezu.
"Yes, it's true, and so can Kusac now," said Kaid. "On Keiss he killed four Valtegans without a second thought, and on the
Khalossa
he was involved in a bar brawl in her defense against the other Terrans on board."
"Against the Terrans? What had they done to cause him to attack them?" asked Lijou, ears flicking in surprise.
"Some of them were reacting with species prejudice toward her for having a sexual relationship with one of us." Kaid shrugged. "As it happens, she didn't have such a relationship with him at that point."
"So Kusac is now free from all the inhibitions that prevent us from fighting," said Lijou.
"Yes. There has been a crossover of her abilities to him," said Kaid. "What she can do, it now seems so can he. The Warrior Guild want to study them as well because the Sholan High Command sees their potential for military use. It's my belief that if this Link proves successful and they can isolate the reasons for it happening in the first place, they will try to reproduce those conditions using other mixed species pairs."
Lijou turned to Ghezu. "This will upset the balance between both our guilds," he said thoughtfully. "The potential repercussions of telepaths who can fight are enormous. It will affect our social structure at every level."
Ghezu shifted uncomfortably. "It seems you were right. They are a force for change, whether or not we want it. Vartra knows where this will lead."
"The God's hand can certainly be seen at work here," said Lijou. "There's nothing else we can do but go with it until we see what His plan is, because take my word for it, there is a plan!"
Ghezu stirred again. "You should return to them now. We'll see that you're provided with the information you need. In return, keep us informed on their progress at both guilds. I've issued a directive that we are accepting no negative contracts concerning Terrans or Leska pairs where one partner is Terran."
Kaid nodded and got to his feet, collecting his cloak from the back of the chair. "That'll certainly help. I'll keep in touch through my contact. I take it if I need support, I can call on the Brothers?"
"Of course," said Ghezu.

* * *

Ghezu waited till Kaid had left. "Well, I hope you're satisfied," he said. "We could have gotten as much information from our people already on the
Khalossa."
"Not really," said Lijou, sitting back in his seat with a satisfied look on his face. "We've achieved more than you realize, Ghezu. I always told you that you didn't have enough depth of vision."
"What are you rambling on about?" demanded Ghezu, his tone irritated as he tapped his stylus on the desk.
"While Kaid needs us, we still have someone close to the pair who will feed us information on them. If he wants our help, it'll cost him. Had we used your people on the
Khalossa,
then we wouldn't have that, would we?"
"Very well, I'll concede that." Ghezu's tone was far from pleased. The stylus he was holding broke with a loud snap.
Seeing the thunderous look on his face, Lijou forbore to comment on his colleague's lack of self control. "There's more," he said. "Kaid's let this become personal."
That shocked Ghezu. "Are you sure?"
"Positive. I couldn't pick up any more than that, but it's enough. We know we can use it if we need to. It gives us an advantage over him."
"It's as well we have Dzaka, then."
Lijou frowned. "I don't understand this desire of yours to set him against Kaid. It's foolish in the extreme. You're trying his loyalty to us too much."
"I'm not setting him against Kaid. He's the best we have. He's also the only one who has a chance of besting him if it came to it."
Lijou snorted his derision. "Do you really think he'd terminate Kaid? Then you're a bigger fool than I thought you were, Ghezu!"
"He'd do it, if it's presented properly to him," smiled Ghezu. "You've forgotten how he feels about Kaid leaving him with us when he was expelled."
"That was no more than the hurt pride of a youngling, Ghezu! He got over that years ago."
"Did he?" It was Ghezu's turn to purr with selfsatisfaction. "We'll see, Lijou. We'll see. For the moment I'm content to leave the Aldatan cub and his Leska alone. Both Kaid and Dzaka said that at the moment they're stable and have no ambitions. We'll watch and wait. I want proof that they can fight. When we have it, then we can think about possibly moving to recruit them. With them on our side, Esken and his guild won't dare to block our request for full guild status at the council meeting. Because if we do manage to pull them to the Brotherhood, they'll be fighting against the Telepath Guild themselves. We're the logical place for them to belong. Your guild can't cope with the mentality of fighters, and the Warrior Guild hasn't the facilities for telepaths. We, on the other hand, can offer them both."
"Don't risk everything on just one pair, Ghezu," Lijou warned. "Yes, we want them, but we can't risk generations of work on just one pair. Wait and see if there are more."
"I'm not a fool, Lijou," said Ghezu, getting to his feet. "Of course I'll wait."

She slept lightly, her mind drifting calmly in the gray mists of peacefulness, more secure with her own identity now they had begun to edit their common memories. As always she could feel his presence, relaxed like her in sleep: quiet, quiescent.
In the distance twin flickers of light caught her attention, beckoning her. They flared brightly, then died down again, but in that instant she saw a shape beyond them, a presence that called to her.
Curious, she let herself be drawn toward the lights. Who was it that could touch her subconscious mind? The torches flared again as she drew nearer. Blinking, she tried to peer beyond the glow, straining to make out the details of the seated figure beyond.
With her still new night-sight, she saw the being begin to rise sinuously to its feet, its movement bringing the smell of incense drifting toward her nostrils.
She wasn't afraid, she realized. Whoever or whatever was coming toward her intended no harm. There was a presence, but she couldn't feel the mind: there was no sense of identity, no ongoing stream of conscious thought.
Puzzled, she waited as the figure continued to approach. It stopped between the braziers of fire. The flickering flames picked out a feature here and there— the ears pricked toward her, the nose with the bifurcated mouth below it, a suggestion of high cheekbones— before dying down, once more leaving him anonymous in the gloom.
"You are one, now," said a voice, its tone low, the Sholan strangely accented. "Is it well between you, or do you regret your bond?"
She hesitated before replying. "It's well. I regret nothing. But who are you?"
The voice continued, ignoring her question. "So many lives changed, so many lost." The voice was a whisper as the reflection of the flames briefly highlighted a face, leaving deep shadows where its eyes should be. "It is good to find the few who are happy from the first. Often the price you have paid for your Talent has been too high."
The voice died to nothing as the figure faded back into the shadows.
"Wait!" She stepped forward, the braziers behind her now, but the presence had gone leaving only a dark form sitting on the ground, the glint of metal by its feet.
The gray mist returned, roiling turbulently around her feet, spreading rapidly upwards, blanking out everything.
"Wait!" she cried, arms reaching out to grasp... nothing.
"Where are you?" she cried frantically, looking round the darkened room, terror now beginning to creep into her soul.
A groan from beside her, a sudden movement in the dark as a hand damp with sweat grasped her bare arm, claws pricking her in his urgency to reassure.
"I'm here," said a voice groggy with sleep.
"I can't see you... I can't see anything!" she said, turning her head blindly from side to side.
The light came on, its brightness making her cover her eyes.
Strong arms pulled her close, the familiar feel and smell of his damp fur calming her instantly.
I'm here, cub,
he sent, pushing aside his own nightmare to reassure her through their link.
Open your eyes, you'll see
me now.
She peered through half-open fingers, letting her hands fall away as she saw his face, brows creased and ears flicking in concern.
Images jostled in her mind for attention. "Where were you?" Her voice held a residue of panic.
"I was here," he said as she clutched his arms for the physical reassurance she needed.
"I couldn't see you through the mist." She was confused, unable to sort between the images. "There were flames, incense..."
"A dark figure beyond them..." he said, smelling her fear mingling with his own.
"Yes!" she said, turning to him eagerly, "talking about our Link! You saw him, too?"
He shook his head, sensing what she had seen. "My vision was different. I saw only a shadowy figure who asked if I was content, nothing more."
"Who was it, Kusac?"
"I don't know. I'm not sure... I had a friend— Ghyan. He was like a brother to me. He left here for the temple. Perhaps he's still there. Maybe he can tell us."
A shiver ran the length of his body, making his hackles and hair rise. Consciously he tried to relax the muscles, lay his fur flat. He tried to ignore the small voice from his upbringing that still believed in superstition.
Carrie picked it up though. "Vartra? But Gods aren't real, they don't appear to people, do they?" When he remained silent, she gave him a shake.
"I don't know," he said. "I've never believed so." His tone was unsure despite his words. "Likely it was a dream we both shared."
Carrie made a noise of disbelief. "You don't really believe that. You can't, since we each experienced something different."
"I don't know what I believe," he said. Their dream, vision, whatever it had been, had disturbed him more than he was prepared to admit. He bent his head toward her, licking her cheek. She tasted of salt and sweat.
Reaching up, she stroked his face. His head turned to follow her hand, his tongue licking her palm. Amber eyes looked up at her, an opalescence beginning to gather in their depths.
The need for her to understand the dream was fading, being replaced with more urgent matters for both of them. Besides, thinking seriously about anything during this time was difficult. It was better left till tomorrow evening.
"It's not just your eyes that glow at this time, cub, it's all of you," he said, his voice a deep purr as he held her closer and stretched out for the light sensor.
She could feel his warmth against her body, his hands touching her, but she could see nothing. Moving back, she said in a small voice, "Kusac, please put the light on. Your fur's so dark that I can't see you."
He couldn't hide the shock that swept through him. This was totally unexpected, something that had never happened to him before, and a harsh reminder that she wasn't Sholan. His other senses, so much sharper than hers, told him she was there without the need of sight. For Sholans, darkness often enhanced their lovemaking.
"There's no light in the room," she said quietly, sharing his shock as he moved to put the light on again. "I don't need it bright, just... not dark."
He dimmed it to the faintest glow before turning back to her. Were it not for the demands of their Link, the mood would have been broken for him. Though he pushed the incident aside in his mind, it had hurt.
She held him close, her mouth and hands soothing the pain away till he remembered only the magic they shared.