“Now you’re being silly,” Martha said, monitoring Brittany’s edging backward away from the cat. “If that animal was the least bit dangerous to you, Dalden wouldn’t have left you alone with it.”
That was likely very true. He did seem to put great importance in protecting her. She decided she could safely ignore the beast.
However it was created, it probably was a pet like they claimed.
But then Martha added, “There are more than just this one roaming the castle. Tedra and Challen both keep them as pets as well, so you’ll come across more of them. Try not to run the other way when you see one coming.”
“Why?” Brittany asked in new alarm. “Will that make it attack?”
Martha chuckled. “No, you just strike me as someone who doesn’t want it to become common knowledge what a coward you are.”
Brittany became very still. “Are we resorting to insults now?”
“Well, aren’t you?” Martha persisted. “You’re terrified to face the truth, which is Pretty silly in my book. This is a nice world. Barbaric, yes, but it’s got its upside to compensate for that. “
Brittany relaxed. It was typical of Martha to toss out an eye-opener like an insult just to lead into what she wanted to discuss. She should be used to it by now.
“Name one-and don’t mention the air again, when clean air can be found in most mountainous regions like this.”
“How about a temperate climate planetwide? There are no seasons like you have. The climate remains “the same year-round in each country, a bit hotter up north, a bit cooler down south, but nothing extreme.”
“Like there aren’t temperate zones at home,” Brittany snorted.
“Disease is unknown here. Must be that clean air you didn’t want me to mention,” Martha said dryly.
She would be amazed-if it were actually true. “Is it the air?”
“I don’t know,” Martha admitted. “It’s never been analyzed. It could just as easily be the Sha-Ka’ani constitution. But there’s no need for you to worry. There’s a meditech in the castle in case you catch something you shouldn’t.”
“I know damn well that thing isn’t real. It’s too bad I haven’t caught a cold or the flu, to disprove your so-called meditech once and for all.”
“I could probably order a virus for you. It might take a few weeks to get here, though.”
“Cute, real cute. So far you’re wasting your breath, Martha.”
“What breath? Computers don’t breathe.”
“You know what I meant.”
“Okay, let’s try on faithfulness.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’ll find this interesting: a warrior who takes a lifemate Will remain faithful to that lifemate for the rest of his life. I find that rather unique myself, since most cultures can’t say the same, yours included.”
“They love that deeply?”
A round of laughter. “You’re forgetting they claim they don’t experience love.”
“You said some do.”
“Some, yet all warriors with lifemates are faithful to them. It’s more part and parcel with the protecting thing. It’s a duty they take beyond serious, so it includes not only protecting from harm, but also from emotional stress. And from fear. How many times now have you heard Dalden say he won’t allow you to be afraid?”
“As if it’s something he can control,” Brittany scoffed.
“Don’t kid yourself He can and will assist you in conquering your fears, in one way or another. His methods might not be considered normal, but they’ll be effective. Warriors are firm believers in teaching by example. Lasting impressions are gained in that way that mere words can’t hope to duplicate. Which is why the old crime and punishment philosophy goes over so well here.”
“Are we finally getting around to discussing the laws around here?”
“No, I’ve concluded that the extra information I’ve been feeding you isn’t helping and could be part of the problem. You haven’t been given time to assimilate what you’re learning. Besides, you know the basics, enough to stay out of trouble. No more pants for you; they offend warriors. Never leave home without an escort at your side, or without wearing a cloak of this house, so anyone who doesn’t know you will see that you’re protected. Be respectful of other warriors, obey your own. See? Very simple.”
“Bah, you call those laws?”
“Well, actually.” Martha began another round of laughing. “I don’t, but they do. Rules might be a more appropriate term. They don’t have the kind of laws you’re used to, because they don’t have the kind of crimes that require strict laws. Theft here is more a sport, a back-and-forth kind of thing. If something or someone gets stolen, they merely buy it back, steal it back-or be glad it’s gone.
“Then nothing gets stolen with the expectation to keep it? Why does anyone bother?”
“Like I said, it’s more a sport, something done for fun. There’s also no such thing as murder; the warrior ethic simply doesn’t allow it. Challenge can cause death, but rarely; it’s more desirable to humiliate an enemy with challenge loss service. They have their own rules that govern their behavior. Any disputes are brought to the shodan to decide. But you’ve let me get sidetracked.”
“Is that even possible? For you?”
“My, aren’t we feeling sarcastic today.”
“I have a good teacher.”
“I don’t have an ego to bolster, doll, though I appreciate the effort. Now back to the subject, which was women. Women are the sole responsibility of their protector, be he father, lifemate, or shodan. Without a protector, they become claimable by any warrior who wants them, and a claimed woman isn’t quite as desirable a position as a free one-for the women, that is.”
Brittany stiffened, hearing that addition. “Why? And why haven’t I heard about this before now?”
Martha injected a shrug into her tone. “It wasn’t mentioned because it’s never something you’re going to need to worry about, as long as you obey those few simple rules we just discussed. As for why it’s not a ‘wanna-be’ status, probably because it draws many parallels to slavery. A claimed woman can’t be sold or mistreated, but they have so few rights, they might as well be considered slaves. Most women around here would rather enjoy the luxury of freedom.”
“Free? When they can’t go out without being led by the hand like a child?”
“Are we feeling aggrieved?”
“Damned right we are. You know I’m not going to be able to accept that when I come from total freedom of choice.”
“So did Tedra, and she adjusted just fine. So will you. It just takes rearranging certain thinking and seeing the logic behind the protection that’s offered. And I could swear I said I was done feeding you information. Start asking Dalden your questions. The answers he gives you will give you a better understanding of him. Signing off, doll.”
“Wait! Martha?” No answer, but the fembair was still there, watching her with those big blue eyes. “Go away, cat. Go on, shoo.”
It didn’t, but then it perked up and glanced behind him, as if it heard someone calling. She heard nothing, but animals had better hearing than humans. It then rose so fast it lost its footing on the shiny floor, regained it, ran toward the balcony, and leapt off it the same way it had arrived.
Brittany sighed in relief Martha signed back on long enough to laugh.
45
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BRITTANY DID START STORING UP SOME QUESTIONS FOR Dalden, but he didn’t return to his room. A Darash female servant showed up instead, to help her dress for dinner. And she did need help in figuring out how to get into a chauri.
The outfit really was just a bunch of scarves, thin, almost transparent squares of material. A bunch of them were sewn together at the tips. These were placed at the shoulders, sections then draped just so to cover what should be covered, the lot then belted about the waist to hold it all in place. The skirt was separate but put together just about the same way, a bunc
h of scarves sewn to a waistband and just left to fall as they would about the legs, the tips floating halfway down her calves.
Other than walking fast or encountering a brisk wind, the outfits probably remained quite decent. They were soft, feminine, cool, sleeveless, V-necked, shapely with the belt, and actually very pretty in the way they draped. Sandals that tied on her feet were provided as well, kind of weird-looking, but serviceable.
The only thing that looked out of place now was the link attached to her belt. She almost considered leaving it behind, but didn’t quite dare yet, even though Martha was being conspicuously silent.
The girl, Talana, who brought the white chauri, said more were being made for her and would be delivered on the new rising. Her much smaller height and dark hair and eyes marked her clearly as a Darash, if her simple sleeveless tunic and long skirt didn’t. Brittany wasn’t used to servants, but Talana didn’t seem at all servile. She was perky, full of smiles, and seemed to have a sweet nature. Other than calling her “mistress,” she was merely being helpful.
Talana was also tasked with leading her to dinner. They were passing through that little outdoor garden when Brittany stopped abruptly, it finally dawning on her that she’d had no trouble understanding Talana, nor Tedra and Challen earlier, nor anyone else she’d heard speak since their arrival that morning.
She couldn’t believe something that simple would have been overlooked, and her tone reflected her incredulity when she said, “You people finally blew it, didn’t you?”
“Mistress?”
“How are you going to explain the fact that the people here can understand me, if they are supposed to be a different race and language than mine?”
Talana was staring at her blankly, too confused to answer, but Martha proved she’d been eavesdropping all along when she said, “Took you long enough to notice, girl. But you got it a little backward. They aren’t speaking your language; you’re speaking theirs. “
“Huh?”
“It really only takes one night of sleeping on a Sublim tape of a new language to have the basics of that language planted in the subconscious. Your world has started using a similar process, just not one as advanced as we have. And instead of just one session for you, I overdosed you a full week before arrival, to make the transition as painless as possible for you. Which is why it’s taken you so long to notice that you have two completely different languages in your head now.”
“Martha, why do you bother?” Brittany said with a sigh. “You know I’m not gonna buy this.”
Martha’s laughter had the distinct sound of triumph in it this time. “For once, kiddo, I don’t have to convince you. You’ll do that yourself with just a little thought. Take the word chemar. You know what it means, don’tcha?”
“Of course, it’s-”
Brittany didn’t finish. Martha had switched back to her own language with that last question, and she had answered in kind, naturally, without thought-just as she had been speaking the new language from the moment she first heard it spoken to her. Because she knew it so well, it had been automatic to respond with what she was hearing.
“It’s too bad we gave you a simple communicator to keep in touch with me, rather than a combo unit with viewers,” Martha remarked. “I’d get a kick out of seeing just how white your face is about now.”
Hot color suffused immediately. “Bright pink, if you must know.”
“Finally amazed you, did we? With something you can’t shrug off as being faked?”
Brittany ground her teeth. “Bull. Subliminal tapes are reputed to be a great learning tool, and you had three months to run one without my knowing about it while I slept. One day, my ass.”
“If computers had patience to lose, I’d be losing mine about now.”
That managed to surprise her. “You’re giving up? It’s over, then?”
“If you’re never going to believe anything else, you should believe this. There isn’t going to be an ‘over.’ There is never going to be a ‘done.’ The here and now is it. So get used to it. Start making the transition. You have a new life to live here; make the best of it.”
“Just like that? ‘Gee, how could I have been so wrong?’ Is that what you expect me to say now?”
“Is it hereditary, this stubbornness of yours? Did your parents get along?”
“My parents got along fine. When they weren’t fighting, they were kissing and making up.”
“You said they were free-spirited.”
“They grew up.”
“Ah, finally the equation I’ve been missing. Okay, listen up, doll, because Probables did tell me what your problem is, and lucky for you, I’m still in a sharing mood. Your first fears were of the unknown. You equated aliens with weird-looking creatures. Those fears should have been alleviated by now. The Sha-Ka’ani aren’t exactly what you’re used to in humanoids, but they’re close enough. Your next fear is more personal and still with you.”
Brittany did not want to hear this. “This isn’t going to-”
But Martha couldn’t be interrupted. “You’re afraid to accept the happiness that Dalden offers because deep down, you see him as too good to be true. He’s everything you want in a mate, everything, so you figure something must be wrong. In your mind, no one gets that lucky. Your emotions are revving up. Did I hit a nerve?”
“Go to hell.”
“I’ll decline that, thank you,” Martha said with a chuckle. “But your warrior is about to arrive and collect you. He’s had a nice little talk with his father, and has concluded that you and he need some time off to yourselves where you won’t be disturbed. Which means I’ll be left behind. Good luck, doll. You’re going to need it.”
That last didn’t sound promising, so she was rather apprehensive when Dalden appeared. He was wearing one of those determined looks again. And when he took her hand and started leading her off without a word about where they were going, her apprehension escalated.
46
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“YOU KNOW, DALDEN, WHEN TWO PEOPLE DECIDE TO GO on an excursion together, they usually discuss it fully beforehand, to make sure they both agree that it sounds like a good plan. That way, one or the other doesn’t bring along any disgruntlement, and they both can enjoy the outing.”
He didn’t reply. In fact, she’d made a number of remarks since they’d left Sha-Ka-Ra, and he hadn’t replied to them, either. He’d yet to say one word to her since he dragged her out of the castle.
Two hataari had been waiting out front for them. She had been alarmed, thinking she was to ride one of them by herself, but she wasn’t. The extra mount was loaded down with stuff Dalden was taking with them, and it merely followed along behind them.
It was full night by the time they reached the bottom of the mountain. Very dark, no moon yet, but normal-looking stars. She wasn’t disturbed that there were no constellations that she might recognize. She’d already figured that they’d had to take her to some far-off country she wasn’t familiar with for their project to have any hope of working, and the stars she was used to obviously didn’t show up on this side of the world.
She was sitting in front of him on the hataar. He had one arm locked firmly around her waist, so she had no fear of slipping. The other controlled the animal. They were traveling slowly, which was probably a good thing. Everything was in shadow, without much distinction. She could barely see the dirt road they followed, if it was even a road. But he obviously could.
She was still wearing the thin chauri, which felt rather odd-riding sitting forward with one leg dangling on each side of the animal, the scarf pieces of the skirt split, exposing her limbs halfway up her thighs. She wasn’t cold, though. The weather didn’t seem to change much come nighttime, was just as balmy warm as the day had been. And Martha’s link had been left behind as she’d predicted, taken from her waist and tossed into the foliage back in that garden.
Dalden was wearing a little less than usual. He was barechested, except for his medallio
n. A sword belt had been added, along with the weapon it was designed to carry. Long, wickedlooking daggers were also strapped to each of his boots. He was wearing those arm shields again, too, that had been donned for his fight with Jorran that day in City Hall. He looked positively primitive in that getup, which probably should have given her a clue that he wasn’t the same Dalden she’d become used to.
When they passed into some woods that were so dark she gave up trying to see anything in front of her, she tried once again to get some answers. “How come you won’t tell me where we’re going.
“When you say something that needs a reply, I will reply. Until then, my attention remains on the path, to assure it is safe.”
Something that needs a reply? In other words, where they were going was none of her business?
“I don’t know if I like the sound of that,” she said with distinct unease.
“Your opinion was not requested, kerima.”
She began to bristle indignantly. She couldn’t help it. He was suddenly acting way too��� too barbaric for her taste. It must be the clothes he was now wearing. Look primitive, become primitive?
“Martha was right. You-”
“Martha has been a hindrance,” he cut in. “You may forget everything she has told you.”
“Are we finally getting to the truth?”
“What truth would that be?”
“About where I am.”
“Where you are is with me,” he said simply
“O-kay, then where are you?”
“With you.” His chin came to rest on her shoulder. “I will always be with you.”
That had a nice, secure ring to it, enough to mollify her somewhat for the moment. She supposed that if she tried, she could read between the lines of what little he’d just said. Martha had only been interested in convincing her to believe the whole fantasy Dalden apparently had a different agenda. He was the fantasy, or at least, a very big part of it. And for him, it wasn’t important that she accept where she was, only that she accept who she was with.
Heart of a Warrior l-3 Page 26