Lyon's Pride (23 page)

As each hunting party was armed and mounted, they moved off in preferred directions. Laria decided on an eastern route, to the foothills. With only her parents, the four younger kids and the 'Dinis, there wouldn't have been much call to go too far from home for scurriers, rabbits and the small plump-breasted avians that nested nearer by. Although Laria had thoughtfully chosen a steady mount for him, Kincaid's “somewhat” was near enough to the level of her own abilities that her respect for him went up another notch. She raised her arm, signaling a faster gait, and kneed Saki into a ground-covering canter, a rocking
gait that required little more than balance for a rider. She heard the other two ponies pick up to the same gait. A surreptitious glance showed her Kincaid, easily sitting into the canter and grinning with pleasure.

He was also a good shot, as he proved when their approach flushed a covey of avians from their hedges. He got two brace of them, each neatly shot through the head. Zara had also chosen a rifle but she went after the scurriers, which broke cover when Kincaid's shots startled them. Laria got three rabbits, two scurriers and even one avian hen in that first stop.

“No one's been hunting this way in a long while,” she said to her sister as they bagged their catch.

“When was the last time you were home?” asked Zara with a bit of a snort. “This always was the route you preferred.”

“Yes, but you'd think someone would have tried to keep the game down all over the hills.”

“Do you always hunt for your table?” Kincaid asked, handing over the birds he had retrieved.

“Uh-huh!” the sisters said in unison and all three laughed.

“When we were younger, we used to take our 'Dinis with us…” Zara began.

“They were small enough to ride pillion then…” Laria continued.

“…And didn't consider it beneath their dignity to grab a stirrup leather to get up the hills.”

“Ah…” Kincaid began tentatively, “what
did
happen to your brother's original 'Dinis? I've only caught snatches and I'd rather not misinterpret.”

Laria and Zara exchanged glances and begged his pardon.

“Apologies, Kincaid,” Laria said, taking the initiative.
She related the incident quickly, trying not to let her emotions color the facts. Neither sister expected his bitter reaction.

“Bad enough to try that sort of coercion on someone of full age and your own species, but to subject a kid…” He flushed, thinking he might have belittled their brother's abilities. “I admit that I like Clarf far more than I thought I would, even in the short time I've been at your Tower, Laria, but I haven't changed my mind about naval practices at all.” He looked down at the ground, at the pattern he was scuffing in the thick moss. “You'll never know how grateful I was to be transferred back to the company of
civilians
!”

Zara touched Laria's wrist, where the riding glove left her hand bare, and Laria “heard” the message:
This bears investigation. The problem's festering. I'll do it when he sleeps
.

“Grateful, are you?” Laria said with a light laugh. “I haven't half worked you yet, Kincaid. You may wish to transfer back to the Navy.”

He looked her squarely in the eyes, his jaw set at an obstinate angle. “No, I wouldn't. Not ever.” He turned and, with a respectable vault, was astride his pony. “Have we got a large enough bag?”

“Only if you're feeling the saddle,” Laria said with a challenging grin.

The hunt's good for him
, Zara said tightly.

“I'll feel the saddle tomorrow,” Kincaid said with a rueful grin as he kneed his pony forward to follow the nearly overgrown path, “but let's get on with the hunt.”

*   *   *

The hunt had been so enthusiastically pursued by all participants that Damia decided, as the 'Dinis helped them dress down the results, that they probably wouldn't need
to hunt for the rest of the week. She sent Zara out with Petra and their 'Dinis to pull vegetables to go with the evening meal and set Rojer and Ewain and their 'Dinis to dig tubers. With her friends, Laria began to make a dessert while Flavia watched in fascination as Tip and Huf measured ingredients, set out appropriate pots and pans. Thian took Kincaid back to the stable to feed and secure the stableyard creatures. Kincaid enjoyed the chore, having missed working with tamed creatures while on his naval assignment.

There turned out to be time enough for a quick swim before dinner and there was more aquatic rough stuff than energetic laps of the large pool.

By dinner, Rojer's joy had settled to a glow and the new Gil and Kat had acquired enough orientation, between his efforts and those of the other 'Dinis, to appear quite comfortable at the large table. If, at first, they were clumsy with unfamiliar utensils, they learned with amazing speed and obviously enjoyed the meal.

Leaving children and guests to clear the table and cleanse the dishes, Damia and Afra settled in the lounge to have a quiet liqueur, watch the sun set over the sea, and get a few words with their 'Dinis.

“
TELL US PLEASE
,” Damia asked Trp and Flk, “
HOW MATURE ARE THE NEW KTG AND GRL
?”

“
OLDER THAN THE FIRST BECAUSE THE IMMATURE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO ACCOMPANY RJR USEFULLY
.”

“
CAN YOU TELL US HOW THIS WAS ACCOMPLISHED? WE DO NOT PRY
…” Damia left the thought hanging.

Fok resettled itself right next to Damia, laying one upper hand on her arm, stroking its head against her shoulder.

“
DM IS TOO GOOD A FRIEND TO PRY. IT WAS PART OF MEDITATION THAT THESE BE MORE MATURE. THIS REQUIRES VERY
CAREFUL ATTENTION TO DETAILS NOT USUALLY REFINED SO EARLY. HALF-GROWN KTG AND GRL ARE BUT NOT MORE GROWN THAN CAN ABSORB NECESSARY DATA NOW THAT RJR IS OLDER TOO
.”

“
DO YOU
KNOW
HOW MUCH THIS MEANS TO US AS WELL AS RJR
?” Damia said and, although she knew perfectly well there wasn't an ounce of telempathy in Mrdinis, she exuded gratitude and knew that Afra did, too.

“
WE KNOW. ALL MRDINI KNOW. THE REGRET IS THAT TIME HAD TO GO SO SLOWLY FOR RJR. SUCCESS HAD TO BE ACHIEVED OR DISAPPOINTMENT WOULD MAR RJR FOR ALL TIME
.”

“
YES
,” Afra said slowly, “
TO HAVE RAISED HIS HOPES PREMATURELY WOULD HAVE CAUSED MUCH MORE PAIN. YOU WERE WISE
.”

“
YES, WE WERE VERY WISE
,” Trp said with such a smug tone in its voice that both Damia and Afra burst out laughing at its uncharacteristic arrogance.

Then the chores were finished and Damia and Afra were joined by children, guests and 'Dinis. It made for rather a full room, but a very happy one.

*   *   *

The next day, to shake out the kinks caused by riding after a long absence from the sport, Thian, Laria, Zara and the two guests took an easy hack to another part of the foothills. Rojer grinned at their stiffness for he'd been riding regularly on Deneb and he had other plans for his day. Afterwards Thian and Laria gave Flavia and Kincaid a tour of Aurigae City, the 'Dini village, where they caught a fleeting glimpse of Rojer, Kat and Gil making a formal call on the inhabitants.

“
WILL RJR KNOW WHO
…” Laria couldn't resist asking Tip.

“
NEVER KNOW. WE DON'T. WE KNOW IT WAS DONE. THAT IS ENOUGH
.”

Well, you would ask
, Thian said when he saw the chagrined look on his sister's face from the brusque reply.

There was no harm in
asking, she said with a sniff.
Otherwise how would I know that there is a limit to the knowledge they have of the process? They aren't offended
.

No, they're not. They know us too well for that
.

Thank goodness. Sometimes…
and Laria halted, closing off her thought.

Thian nudged her.
Hey, it's me, your brother
.

Laria gave him a sideways look.
If I
could
analogize the nebulous I would, but I can't. When I can figure out the question I need to ask, I'll bring it to you, and Zara.
There was a sad and perplexed tone to Laria's mental voice that Thian had never heard before from his practical, sensible sister.

Not Mother or Dad?

Laria gave a little laugh.
When I know enough to ask, I might. But I think you and Zara might know better
.

I'm highly complimented.
Thian tousled his sister's hair. She was tall but he had centimeters on her.

“Hey, what gives you the right to mess me up?” she demanded in mock outrage. Their mental exchange had taken so little time their guests could not have been aware of discourtesy or such a tight colloquy.

“Hey, I'm bigger'n you now, sis. I got the right!” Thian said, grinning back. He noticed Flavia and Kincaid exchanging amused glances. “Where to now? A view of the open mines? A fascinating scenic tour of the river? Ah, I know. Breakfast was a long time ago and there's a great place where they've fresh crustaceans I'll bet neither of our guests have ever had a chance to eat!”

“Gotcha!”

“I'd rather you didn't use that word around me, sis,” Thian said, having had to catch his breath at the shaft of
remembered fear and terror the innocent vernacular phrase produced in him.

“Ooops, sorry, Thi,” and Laria was full of remorse. Once again they inadvertently excluded their guests and smiled apologies.

“Maybe if you spoke of it to us who will understand as others can't…?” Flavia asked, peering up into Thian's pale face.

Thian knew himself to be tempted by Flavia's obvious concern but he also caught the wariness in Kincaid, a rigid seizing of muscles in the man's body that made him loath to add to whatever burden Kincaid already coped with. For Thian was as perceptive as Zara about the T-2. So he made himself grin.

“You would understand, Flavia,” he said, lightly and briefly touching her shoulder, “and so would Dano, but at another time. Laria just caught me unawares.”

They ate fish of all kinds as well as the fresh crustaceans and Laria put in an order for ten kilos of frozen shellfish to be sent on to Clarf.

“I'd forgot how much I liked 'em,” she said as they turned back toward the Tower. She took a meandering course, turning the sled just beyond the main mining complexes and into the next level of hills.

“You wouldn't know there was a highly industrialized city just a hill away,” Flavia said, as Laria slowed the sled so they could all enjoy the panorama.

It was late summer on Aurigae and the ground vines were beginning to turn color, rivaling what flowering shrubs and plants still bloomed.

“This is a pretty time of year, too,” Laria said with a sigh.

She was now accustomed to Clarf's heat, but the crisp air of Iota Aurigae and the softness of its primary's distant
light were subtly soothing, relaxing. But then this was home and all that the term implied: familiar, safe, comforting, pleasant. Even Kincaid seemed easier in himself, his attitude languid. Flavia, on the other hand, was eagerly absorbing all the views, glancing all around her, or peering down as they passed over some particularly lovely setting. Thian had a droll smile on his face as he watched the Altairian.

She is lovely
, Laria said on a thin line.

No question of that
, Thian replied easily and his smile broadened a trifle.

Grandfather?

I'd hate to surrender easily to his manipulations
.

Is that fair to Flavia?

I don't know. She's pretty cool. I can't get past her public mind
.

Have you tried?

Ethics are involved, Lar
.

In love and war, all's fair, isn't it?

This is neither love nor war, sister dear. Speaking of which, how come Kincaid Dano got posted to Clarf?

As to that, I couldn't get on with that wretched Clarissia. She was even worse than Stierlman and proved 'Diniphobic to the point of acute embarrassment for the Tower. I can't keep breaking up Yoshuk and Nesrun…

They are a pairing, then?

Far's I know
.

How's Kincaid working out?

As well as could be expected with someone as mentally fatigued as he is. But he's improving
.

Laria had been skimming quite low and had set the sled's speed at almost a walking pace so that Flavia could enjoy the landscape. She was ascending a shrub-covered hill when all of a sudden a large flock of avians sprang up
in front of the sled. In an effort to avoid unnecessary slaughter, Laria hauled the sled sideways, but in doing so, unbalanced her passengers so they slid to the port side. What with the sled's slow forward speed and the proximity of the hill, the imbalance tilted the sled out of control. The humans grabbed at the lighter 'Dinis to keep them from tumbling overboard, but they were, in turn, overbalanced and fell over the side. Laria caught Tip's arm, saw that Kincaid had Huf, and had to leave Thian and Flavia to manage his 'Dinis. They all 'ported safely away as the sled plowed its nose into the hillside.

Setting Tip down on its feet, Laria regarded the sled, its motor still running, with stunned surprise.

“I didn't think I was that out of practice,” she said, shaking her head. “After all, I do a great deal of sledding about on Clarf and Vanteer prefers me to drive him.”

The motor cut suddenly, with a loud discharge from its exhaust tubes which blew back a noxious smell.

“Hoooo,” and Thian waved the reek off.

“Everyone's okay?” Laria asked, looking about her.

“I must say you lay on unusual entertainments for guests,” Kincaid said.

Laria flushed. “I probably did overcompensate for the flock but they make such a mess if they get sucked into the intake.”