“What?” asked Banner with a slight grin as he began to move away from the bar.
“Mixing with the natives now?” asked Dzaou silkily as he took Banner’s place. “The good Doctor is having a bad effect on you.”
Taking his drink, he pushed past Dzaou, choosing to ignore him and returned to where Zhalmo sat.
“Thank you, Captain,” she said gratefully, accepting her drink as he sat down. She took a long drink then set the glass on the table. “Do you mind if I call you Kusac since we’re both off duty? It isn’t often any of us gets a chance to talk to you alone. How are you enjoying your visit here? It must be lonely for you all so very far from home and your families.”
“We’re used to that,” he said, avoiding her question as he picked up his glass to take a drink himself.
“At least you do have some female company,” she grinned, “even if we aren’t your own species.”
He was spared answering her only because his mouth was full.
“Tell me about your world,” she said. “Is it beautiful? What are your homes like? Do you live in a great walled city like we did?”
“It’s beautiful,” he said. “We have great forests full of game, and plains of grain and other crops. We have a few cities, but mostly we live either on large family estates or in the towns that support them.”
“Sounds lovely. And your Emperor? Does he live in a palace?”
“We have an elected President, and, yes, he lives in a palace that belongs to us all, not to him.” He jumped as her fingers touched his wrist, fighting the instinct to draw it away from her.
“I’ve been so curious about your hands,” she said, her voice dropping as she turned his hand over. “I saw you running on all fours when we were planetside for the hunt, but I can’t imagine how you did it.” She began tracing the outline of the soft center of his palm with her finger, making sure to keep her shortened claw from touching him. “It looks far too tender to be used for running on.”
“We don’t run on that part,” he said, suddenly intrigued by her actions. She was making up to him—he could smell it in her scent, and feel it in her unguarded mind. He remembered their first day here and how she’d approached him in the gym. Maybe it was to his advantage to let her get a little closer.
He clenched his hand slowly, retracting his fingers till only the hard tips were exposed. “We run on the pad at the heel of our hand, and on the fingertips,” he said.
She turned his paw over, looking at it from the other side, then grinned up at him. “Put it back into a hand,” she said. “That’s amazing. I would never have believed you could do that.” She turned his hand over again, stroking the center suggestively. “So why do you have such vulnerable palms? And how do you feel anything with such hard fingertips?”
He caught her hand with his, curling his fingertips into her palm. “Oh, we lose no sensations, believe me,” he said, letting the ghost of a purr of amusement into his voice. “There’re many things we can do with our hands.”
Her eyes widened briefly, and she chuckled. “Maybe one day you can show me,” she said quietly.
“Perhaps,” he murmured, letting his index finger gently stroke her palm.
She shivered, and withdrew her hand. “You’re far too tempting,” she said, patting the top of his hand. “And this is too public a place for that—my scent will give me away,” she smiled. “Tell me more about your world.”
He spent half an hour talking to her before excusing himself to join Banner and the others. As he was getting to his feet, she grasped his hand tightly, stopping him.
“Remember my offer, Kusac,” she said quietly. “It may be that sometime it would be, shall we say, mutually beneficial, for us to get closer.”
“I’ll remember,” he said, surprised by her offer. It made him think as he walked over to where his crew sat. Perhaps from her he could find out more about scent markers. It was no secret after all; Zayshul had said all the Primes could smell her marker on him.
“What was that all about?” asked Khadui. “It looked very intense.”
He shrugged. “She wanted to know how we could run on all fours. I was showing her.”
“Just a PR job,” said Dzaou.
“Exactly,” he replied.
“You looked too much like you were enjoying it,” Dzaou objected.
“Why shouldn’t I?” he asked, raising his glass. “She was charming company.”
“They are, aren’t they? You forget how different they look after a while,” said Jayza artlessly. “They’re just people like us, really.”
Banner laughed and patted the youth on the shoulder. “Well said, youngling!”
“Three months,” growled Dzaou. “I can’t wait till it’s over and we can leave this Godsforsaken place!”
A bustle at the entrance drew their attention—a civilian female was handing out leaflets.
“It’s Nisho,” said Banner. “Looks like she’s got the latest newssheet ready. Go fetch one, please, Jayza.”
“I thought she was one of Kezule’s harem,” said Khadui.
“She is. Who better to produce the Outpost gossip sheet,” Kusac said.
Jayza engaged in some animated conversation with her then sped back to their table, throwing several copies into the center while he rapidly scanned his own.
“What’s so exciting?” asked Banner, leaning forward to pick up two copies, one of which he handed to Kusac.
“Yes!” exclaimed Jayza. “She’s right! There, halfway down the page—there’s a swimming pool up on the hydroponics level and it’s being opened to everyone as of tomorrow!”
“You’re joking,” said Khadui, reaching for a sheet for himself.
“You can bet we’ll be excluded,” said Dzaou sourly, taking a copy.
“It’s a bit more than a pool,” he murmured, reading the appropriate paragraph.
“Well, I’ll be,” said Banner. “Who’d have guessed a place like this would house a pool? And it does include us. The only stipulation is that we refrain from using the pool on their first day of the week as that day is for their religious observances. As Kusac said, it’s more than just a pool.”
“What’s the religious significance, Captain?” asked Jayza.
“They believe life evolved from a pool they hold sacred on their world. Each Outpost of any size, and each conquered world would have had a replica of that pool made by the Commander.”
“To be able to go swimming,” said Jayza, a large grin on his face. “It’s going to make the time go faster.”
“Don’t get too excited about it,” he said, scanning through the finds of civilian interest that had been made on the Zan’droshi over the last week. “It’s a mineral pool, not a freshwater one.”
“It doesn’t say that here,” said Khadui.
“Giyarishis said something about it the other day when I got trapped up there. Said the pool has healing properties,” he replied. “He used it on my arm.”
“Did it work?” asked Banner, intrigued, looking at him.
“Certainly seems to have done. It still needs a bandage,” he added, aware of Banner’s interest in seeing how his wound was progressing.
“I should check it later tonight,” said his Second.
“No need, the Doctor changed the dressing today,” he said, concentrating on the list of the library’s latest acquisitions of entertainment vids that he’d reviewed for anything of interest the day before.
“New vids, Banner,” said Jayza. “Hope they aren’t the usual heroic tales of ancient Valtegan battles.”
“Worth a look, I suppose,” said Banner.
Startled, he glanced up at them, but there was no sign, either on their faces or in the set of their ears that their comments had been anything other than a coincidence.
Stronghold, Zhal-Kuushoi 31st day (December)
Lijou leaned on the battlements, looking out over the mountains. From the faint glow behind the leaden clouds, he knew the sun had only just clear
ed the horizon. A cold wind was blowing from the northwest, promising more snow.
“You seem troubled, Father Lijou,” a quiet voice said from behind him.
He straightened up and turned round to face the newcomer, wrapped, like himself, inside the hooded black robe of the priesthood. “Well met, Conner. May the sun shine on you today.”
“And on you,” replied the elderly Human. “Though from the look of the sky, I doubt it. May I join you?”
“You’re welcome,” he said, indicating the crenelated wall on which he’d been leaning. “But I warn you, it’s a cold perch this morning.”
“Many’s the dawn I’ve seen,” said Conner, moving forward to lean against the stonework. “Either from one end or the other. I found nothing cleared my mind quite like this time of day. The world is so quiet you can almost hear Her breath.”
Lijou didn’t miss the faint gleam of humor in the other’s eyes. “Very true,” he murmured, mouth dropping in a slight grin. “Which Her do you mean?”
“Kuushoi, Winter’s Goddess, of course,” said Conner, his breath misting in the cold air. “It’s Her season after all.”
“It is indeed,” he replied, eyes narrowing slightly as he regarded the Human more thoughtfully. “What brings you out here so early?”
“I find I need less sleep these days,” said Conner, turning his attention to the snow lying in the gap between the crenellations. Reaching out, he scooped up a handful and began rolling it into a ball. “One of the more useful symptoms of age.” He leaned over the parapet and lobbed his snowball down at a rocky outcrop several yards from the base of the wall.
“I hear you’re settling in well.”
“Yes, indeed. Stronghold is an amazing place. Your library alone is a treasure house for me, now that I can read your language.”
“I’m told that when you aren’t busy with Noni, or in the library, you’re usually to be found in Ghyakulla’s shrine.”
“I have always been a servant of the Lady,” said Conner quietly. “Only Her name has changed.”
A freak gust of icy wind swirled round them, making their long robes flap against their legs. Lijou had to lean into it to keep his balance. Automatically, he put out a hand to steady the older man, but stopped. There was no need. It was as if the wind had passed him by. As he continued to stare at Conner, beneath the Human’s neat gray mustache, the corners of his mouth twitched in a gentle smile.
“There’s a larger shrine to Ghyakulla at Vartra’s Retreat,” Lijou said, needing to break the silence. “And some of her priesthood. You could go there if you prefer. We’re more of a warrior priesthood here.”
The gentle smile widened. “I am more than content here. There’s a purpose to everything, if we only stay still long enough for it to find us.”
As Lijou began to wonder on how many levels their conversation was taking place, the wind gusted again, this time bringing with it the first flakes of snow.
“I think we should go in now,” he said. “We’ve an hour yet till the morning bell rings. Will you join me in the kitchens? We should be able to scrounge something to eat and drink.”
Conner pulled back his hood, looking up at the sky, letting the snowflakes land on his face. “You go. I think I’ll stay a little longer,” he said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to enjoy winter.”
Winter. He’d said that word again, thought Lijou. “Don’t stay out for too long,” he said. “You’re not long out of a sickbed, you shouldn’t overdo it. I don’t want to face Noni’s wrath even if you do.”
Conner laughed, a deep, genuine sound of pleasure. “Ah, the good Noni. We’ve had several interesting conversations. She finds it hard to accept I’m an adult, quite able to make my own decisions.”
Lijou chuckled and turned to go back inside. “She’s like that with all of us who come under her care.”
“Before you go, Father Lijou,” said Conner, “on that other matter, perhaps you could clarify something for me. You’re Head of the priesthood, aren’t you?”
Lijou stopped, confused. “Yes, I am.” What other matter did he mean?
“Am I right in assuming that all members of the Brotherhood who have a Leska relationship are under your jurisdiction?”
“Yes, they are, but for a slightly different reason. They are En’Shalla, in the hands of the Gods.”
“Ah,” Conner nodded. “I understand now. Thank you.”
“A pleasure,” Lijou murmured, catching the ghost of that smile once again.
It wasn’t till he was thawing his hands round a mug of c’shar in the kitchens that he realized he’d been given his solution. “That wily old dzinae,” he murmured. Had Conner known what was bothering him—or had it just been a coincidence? Somehow, he didn’t believe it was a coincidence, and he began to get an inkling of why the Regent at Old Sarum had been so eager to send Conner to Shola. There was more to this Earth Priest than met the eye, a whole lot more.
When Rhyaz joined him in his office, Lijou didn’t beat about the bush, he told him the news from Haven straight.
“Let me go over this again,” said Rhyaz slowly. “Vartra visited Tanjo and spoke to the cub Dhyshac, gave him a coin, and told him he was to go to the Shrine and follow in his father’s footsteps?”
“Yes. He’s taken the Creed and is now training under Tanjo and L’Seuli,” said Lijou.
The Warrior Master’s ears were tilting sideways now in anger. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but over a month ago, I gave L’Seuli explicit orders that the cubs were to be placed in cryo. I can’t believe you countermanded those orders, which can only mean L’Seuli disobeyed them.”
“You do realize it’s winter here, don’t you, Rhyaz? And that cryo involves freezing.”
“Your point being?” said Rhyaz, his voice deepening with his growing anger.
“Some of those placed in cryo dream, and when they do, Kuushoi can reach them.”
“I fail to see what you’re getting at! It seems to me you’re excusing L’Seuli’s . . .”
“Rhyaz, think for a moment,” Lijou interrupted. “We know Carrie dreams in cryo, and that Kuushoi has visited her. Did you really want the cubs—hybrid telepaths ten years old—all in cryo during winter when Kuushoi rules?”
“The chances of that happening are . . .”
“As great as those of Vartra visiting one of them! What if they had been in cryo? Would you have faced Vartra’s wrath, Rhyaz? We should be grateful L’Seuli had enough compassion for the cubs to ignore your orders.”
Lijou could sense Rhyaz remembering his one encounter with an enraged Vartra when they’d found His tomb deep in the tunnels under Stronghold, but the Warrior Master thrust the memory aside.
“That doesn’t excuse his disobedience of my direct order!”
“L’Seuli is in command of Haven, Rhyaz. We chose him because we believed he embodied what we both stand for, and the ability to make his own decisions, including the final decision on whether his orders are appropriate or not.”
“Are you condoning his actions?” demanded Rhyaz, getting out of his chair and beginning to pace round the room. “Because if you are, you can defend him at a hearing when I haul his ass back here on charges!”
“This one time, yes, I am condoning his decision, because of what has subsequently happened,” said Lijou firmly. “I never did agree with you on putting the cubs into cryo, you know that. As for bringing him back on charges, I don’t think so, Rhyaz. He and Jiosha are Leska-Linked. We can’t remove them both.”
“He’s not fit to run Haven if he can’t . . .” Rhyaz stopped abruptly and turned on Lijou. “What did you say?”
“I said you will not bring him back on charges. He’s as fit to run Haven as you are to run the Brotherhood Warriors.”
Rhyaz walked back to the chair and sat down, staring at Lijou. “I can’t believe I’m hearing you right,” he said more quietly. “You would fight me on this?”
“This time, I’ll not back down, Rhyaz. I
said it before and I’ll say it again, had you put them in cryo, when Kaid and Carrie found out, you would have made yourself two implacable enemies.”
“You mean if . . .”
“I mean when. Both Carrie and Kaid have been touched by the Gods, you know that. They will find out.”
Rhyaz snarled softly. “Dhyshac can stay out, but the others go into cryo immediately. That’s all I’m prepared to concede. As for L’Seuli . . .”
“Don’t make me pull rank on you, Rhyaz,” said Lijou quietly. “Just accept what is done and be grateful that Kuushoi couldn’t reach the cubs and tell Carrie about them.”
“Pull rank on me?” Rhyaz stared at him. “How can you pull rank on me?”
“You’re En’Shalla now, a telepath with a Human Leska. Technically you are answerable to me, but I have no intention of invoking that unless you force me to.”
A stunned look crossed Rhyaz’ face. “You’d betray my trust in you like that?”
Don’t even think that! Lijou sent angrily, knowing Rhyaz understood there could be no lies in mind speech. I’d die to protect your rights as the Brotherhood’s Guild Master, you know I would! Your En’Shalla status will never be mentioned again by me. But in this one instance, you’ve been wrong from the start. The only betrayal would have been to put those trusting, innocent cubs into cryo!
It’s still a dirty blow, Lijou! One not worthy of you!
“Am I not Brotherhood, too?” Lijou asked, raising an eye ridge. “You were once my pupil, Rhyaz. I learned from you as much as you learned from me.”
“That’s an even dirtier blow,” Rhyaz muttered, but his ears were righting themselves. “I can’t believe you’d do that to me!”
“I didn’t help overthrow Ghezu’s rule by being a doormat,” said Lijou dryly. “I have chewed L’Seuli out for disobeying you, trust me on that, and given him a heavy penance for it, but let what’s done be done and move on. The cubs are safe with Tanjo. None of the Sleepers there will know they are hybrids, and they’re used to keeping their mouths closed. As for Dhyshac, Tanjo took him to L’Seuli in secrecy. We’ve arranged a diversion so that the crew on Haven will believe he’s been brought in by one of the Watcher patrols from Shola. We’re sticking with the story that Vartra chose him because as you well know, it pays to hide a lie in the truth.”
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