No Words Alone (25 page)

And he was fiercely glad. Her strong will had
given him pause in the early days, when he had first began to
desire her, until he’d realized that will would probably be
inherited by any children they might have. It had pleased him
enough that he’d decided it would be worth it to have a wife who
was a bit beyond his control. She was the only woman who had ever
made him happy, and that’s all he really wanted in a wife.

Not that he would tell her now. He wasn’t
ready to give up that final bit of reserve, not until he was
certain she would stay with him, even if given the chance to leave.
Since he wouldn’t willing provide that chance…the words would have
to wait.

He kept his thoughts hidden behind a pleasant
manner. “We should send a message to your family. Our first child
is news worth passing on.”

She looked at him with interest for a moment
then settled back into her funk. “Yes. That would be good.” She
looked a little less gloomy than before.

That wasn’t good enough. Determined to lift
his wife’s spirits, he told her in more detail about taking over
the Khun’tat queen’s ship, leaving out the goriest parts. But she
was most interested the Leo-Ahni, whom had been brought back into
her thoughts.

“Where is she now?”

“I’d forgotten. I had other things on my
mind; most notably, my wife.”

Xera frowned in irritation, which Ryven still
felt was an infinite improvement over moping. “Didn’t you think I
would feel for the girl? We’re exactly alike!”

Surprised, he said, “You’re not even of the
same race! You’re married; she’s not. You’ve got rank and family
and….”

“Only lately!” Xera interrupted. “We’re both
translators who’ve had sticky assignments; why are you frowning?
You try translating for a bunch of hostile aliens! She’s lost and
alone. I was like that for a little while. Maybe I can help
her.”

“I don’t want you anywhere near her. She was
on the same ship as the Khun’tat, helping them.” His face darkened.
“Men died because of her.”

“She didn’t have a choice, though, right? She
was stuck. Has she said anything new?”

This was sore spot. His crew had managed to
speed the girl toward healing, but her mind was another matter. She
barely ate, still sat in a room and stared blankly at a wall. She
wouldn’t talk to psychiatrists. They were afraid she’d try to take
her own life, so they’d removed everything from her chamber and
watched her carefully. There was no progress, which they badly
wanted.

“No. She doesn’t speak. Everyone who has
tried to talk with her gives up in frustration.”

“Well, were they all guys?” Xera asked.

He looked at her askance. “Why would it
matter?”

She sighed. “Think of it from her
perspective. Strange men, soldiers, keep invading her space,
demanding answers. She’s already been trapped in a nightmare, kept
isolated, just as she is now. Why should she trust you?”

He considered for a moment. Some of his
wife’s comments dovetailed with what the doctors had said. But,
“How could you know what’s in her mind?”

Xera scoffed. “I have two sisters, don’t I?
And I keep trying to tell you,
I was in her position.
All
kinds of horrible things go through your mind when you’re trapped
like that.” Her lips tightened as memories obviously stirred in her
mind. “She needs to know who the good guys are. I can help.”

He thought about that for quite a while. Xera
glanced at him from time to time, but otherwise held her peace. At
last he said, “We can try you talking to her.”

She grinned at him. “Thanks.” She was smart
enough not to say anything else until they reached home.

The girl sat on a mat with her eyes fixed on
the wall. Her caramel-colored hair hung limp to her shoulders, the
black-tipped ends partly screening her face. The tips of pointed
ears poked out of her locks, proving she was neither human nor
Scorpio. Her lids were half closed over dulled, catlike green eyes.
She looked like the survivor of some horrific event.

Xera didn’t try to talk to her at first; she
just plopped down cross-legged in the girl’s line of sight and
began a staring contest. It was a full minute before the girl’s
eyes began to focus, as if she had to pull out of a deep, dark
trance. At first she blinked, clearly surprised. Then her eyes
widened.

“You’re a woman!
Drarfiquex
!”

“Well, of course I’m a woman. I don’t know
what a drra-fix is, though. I hope it’s complimentary,” Xera
replied calmly. She’d decided to treat the girl as she would one of
her sisters. Hopefully that would be a good start. “My name is
Xera.”

The girl stared for a moment then spat out a
rapid stream of words.

“I’m afraid I don’t speak anything but
Scorpio. Well, that’s not true; I speak about half a dozen
languages, but none you’d know. I can curse in nine, but I’ll spare
you a recital.”

“Are you trapped here, too?” The girl looked
around furtively, as if she guessed they were being watched.

“Not anymore. Ryven rescued me from my crew.
I was a translator for a ship that crashed. We were a long way from
home and my captain hated me,” Xera said darkly.

“Just like me,” the girl whispered. She
looked barely younger than Xera chronologically, maybe in her late
teens, but with her vulnerability she seemed younger.

“Yes,” Xera replied. “Say, I’m hungry. Would
you mind if I called for something to snack on? What do you like to
eat?”

The girl looked wary. Maybe she was afraid.
She said, “Food is strange here. They bury it with spices that
burn. They put thick liquids on it that smell strange.”

“Huh. I guess everyone likes to eat different
stuff,” Xera remarked. “What kind of food is best for you? I’d feel
rude if I served you something you didn’t like.” She could see the
girl was thin, and she really wanted her to eat. Besides, Xera
herself was really hungry, thanks to the baby.

The Leo-Ahni looked uncomfortable. “Fish and
meats without...I don’t know the words.”

“Sauces? How about some cooked meat and
vegetables? Or do you like your veggies raw?”

“What are veggies? Do you speak of plants?
I’ve seen no edible plants here.”

Xera held up a hand. “I have an idea. Give me
a minute.” She went outside the door and asked Ryven, who was
watching through a screen, “Favor, please. Could you send for some
plain cooked food and a platter of raw fruits and vegetables? Maybe
some bread and crackers, and that kind of stuff? Thanks.”

“Fine. But stay on your guard. You’re too
relaxed with her.”

“Sure,” she said to placate him, and went
back inside.

The girl looked wary. “You work with
them.”

“I am one of them,” Xera admitted, leaning on
one hand. “I married the Scorpio who rescued me. When I heard about
you, I wanted to meet you. I thought we were a little alike.”

The girl’s eyes dulled. “Were you forced into
service? Did your family make you a slave to the flesh eaters? We
are
not
alike.” A light like hatred blazed in her eyes. It
was an improvement over apathy, but Xera went on alert. She didn’t
want the girl taking any rage out on her.

“So, you were forced to help the Khun’tat?
The Scorpio fear that your people are allies with them, that you
want war.”

The girl’s jaw clenched. “That’s not what I
want.” Xera waited, but she didn’t say anything else.

“So, you want to go home?”

“No!” The girl sat bolt upright. “Don’t send
me! They’ll only make me serve again. Once a person is marked, they
can never go home.”

Xera held up her hands, palm out. “Okay, calm
down. I’m just trying to figure out what you want. I can tell you
what the Scorpio want: information. They want to know everything
they can about their enemy, and whatever they can about your
people. There’s a chance for peace if you can work out a
compromise.” That wasn’t the whole truth, but the stark facts
weren’t going to help right now. “How did you become allies with
the flesh eaters, anyway? They didn’t treat you very well.”

The girl’s lip curled. “We are not allies so
much as slaves, though some people refuse to see it. In the
beginning there was a treaty; we would give animals, blood tribute,
the bodies of our dead and living criminals to the flesh eaters. In
return they would not invade us. Our leaders said this would buy us
time to find a way to destroy them. Instead it made us weak.
Everyone gave blood each month. Meat became expensive, and women
especially became anemic. Birth rates dropped. People began to
disappear out of hospitals. People died at home rather than risk
disappearing. Even minor crimes became causes to be handed over to
the blood wagons. Our world is dying, and there are signs that the
flesh eaters are becoming impatient. There are some who think they
will attack.”

“Are you one of them?” Xera asked
gravely.

“Yes,” the girl whispered. “But our leaders
won’t listen to reason. They call us rebels.”

“Is that why you were sent to work on the
Khun’tat ship?”

The Leo-Ahni’s mouth twisted. “No. Someone
has to serve. I was chosen.”

The two women were both silent for a moment.
Finally Xera asked, “What’s your name?”

“Rysing.”

“Well, Rysing, I think our food is finally
here. Look.” The door had opened to show Ryven himself bearing a
huge platter. He set it on the floor between them and sat down.

Xera frowned at him.

He looked at her urbanely. “I’m hungry,
too.”

She sighed. “Oh, all right. Ryven, this is
Rysing. I guess you’ve met.”

Rysing stared.

When it was clear the girl wasn’t going to
say anything, Xera pointed to the platter and started naming
things. “This is a fish, and whoever left the head on is just
gross. This is a kind of bird, that’s a four-legged beast, and this
is....” As she named things, Ryven sampled them and then gestured
for Rysing to try. After a moment of wary contemplation, the girl
did, eating only the things he had.

Watching them both, Xera had a disturbing
thought. “You did test her for allergies, didn’t you?”

“Of course.”

“What are ‘allergies?’” Rysing asked. She
eyed the food with distrust.

Xera sighed and ate a piece of crunchy brown
cheese. She loved the sticky sweetness. “When I first boarded a
Scorpio ship, I ate a piece of purple root that made me sick.
Sometimes the foods that others eat make me sick, so I don’t eat
them. In the case of the yur root, I don’t mind; it tastes terrible
to me.” She pointed to the criminal foodstuff in question.

Ryven promptly ate a chunk. “You’re not
allergic,” he told Rysing.

The Leo-Ahni looked at him warily, but
sampled a small piece. Her face lit up. “Why, it’s delicious! The
best thing I’ve had since I came here.” She promptly finished off
the entire pile.

Xera grimaced. “To each their own, I
guess.”

The three of them ate in a friendly little
silence, and when Rysing had sampled almost everything, Xera asked,
“Find anything you wouldn’t mind eating again?”

The girl nodded happily. “The yur root is
especially good, and all of the meats. I think I could eat most
everything; except for these and these.” She waved her hand over
the fruits and the cheese Xera favored. “They are very foul.”

Xera grinned and shot a look at Ryven. “She’d
be an easy houseguest. I’d never have to hide my favorite
things.”

He frowned at her, but then his face took on
a subtly calculating air. He regarded Rysing with the faintest of
smiles. “My wife has an interesting idea. Would you like to leave
this room?”

Rysing’s face lit with a terrible hope. She
immediately tried to hide it with a coolly spoken, “Perhaps.”

He nodded. “Very well. There is a garden I
think you would enjoy. We will go for a walk after we discuss the
flesh eaters. Tell me about these rebels you spoke of...the ones
who’d like to see your alliance broken.”

Xera looked at the floor. She didn’t like to
see the girl manipulated after all she’d been through, but she
understood his reasoning. She raised her eyes to see Rysing looking
searchingly at her. Xera gave a reassuring nod.

The Leo-Ahni took a shaky breath, and then
told him everything she knew.

“It’s almost painful to watch her,” Xera
said. They stood in the gardens, a little apart from Rysing. The
girl stood as if transfixed, staring at the sky. There was a
heartbreaking pleasure in her face.

Ryven just nodded. His attention didn’t waver for a
moment. Xera might have been jealous if it weren’t obvious that he
mistrusted the girl. She started to say something when the entrance
of a familiar face distracted her.

Toosun caught sight of them and grinned.
“Hello! How fare the newlyweds? I was beginning to think I’d never
find you.”

Xera grinned and readily accepted his
brotherly arm-clasp. Ryven received the same and a slap on the
shoulder, too. He bore it with good grace and commented, “Heroism
has made you bold.”

“Hah! I hear you have some stories of your
own. Destroying Khun’tat ships, rescuing the odd damsel.” He
noticed Rysing and stared intently. “And this must be the
damsel.”

Rysing stiffened as Toosun approached her.
She looked scared.

Xera caught up with her brother-in-law and
touched his shoulder, a silent signal for caution. She stopped next
to Rysing. “You haven’t been properly introduced. This is my
husband’s brother, Commander Toosun Atarus, of the High Family.
He’s recently returned from his first command.”

“Killing Khun’tat,” Toosun put in. His gaze
was hard. Obviously Rysing’s reputation had preceded her.

Xera went on, slightly annoyed, “And this is
Rysing, of the planet Akan in the Xhozon sector.” This had come out
in the talk after lunch.