The cry of a neeva bird flowed out of the shadows and was answered by a similar cry somewhere in the city below. Unheeding, Bhaldavin continued his downward journey, his thoughts centered on the crystal he carried and how best to protect it, for Gringers was sure to want it again, especially after what had happened. He reached for the bag at his neck and slipped Mithdaar inside, dissolving his link with the crystal.
Chapter 5
DHALVAD’S MIND WAS flooded with questions as soon as the link with the other crystal faded. He had been able to pick up on the visual perceptions of the one who carried the fire stone, but had received no real clear picture of the Ni. That the carrier was Ni he was certain, because men did not seem able to link with the fire stones in the same way that the People could. He had also heard the voices clearly but had been unable to catch a place name. Most disturbing was the last part of the linkage, where the crystal had been used to upgrade the energy of a machine called a star beacon. What was a star beacon? And why had the carrier so feared it?
Dhalvad sensed a tremor in the mind-to-mind link he still had with the Tamorlee.
You share my thoughts as well as my questions, Dhalvad, the crystal said. The carrier of the fire stone acted as if there was great danger attached to the machine that the man called Gringers activated with the crystal. It bothers me.
Did you recognize any of the places we saw? Or any of the people? Dhalvad asked.
No. All was unfamiliar—not within my sphere of knowledge.
Were you able to reach deeper than I and touch the crystal’s thought patterns?
No. Such depth in linkage comes only with direct contact or close proximity, and then I can touch only surface thoughts.
Can we reach the carrier and the fire stone from here?
No. We must get closer. Dhalvad, I tire. I must release you now. It’s been too much of a drain on my energy to hold contact at such a distance for so long a time. Return tomorrow please. We’ll talk then.
Dhalvad felt another tremor. There was a moment or two of disorientation as the link was broken, the raggedness of the separation proof that the Tamorlee had delved deeply within itself in order to maintain contact with Mithdaar.
Dhalvad opened his eyes. He was still kneeling on the stone floor, his hand pressed to the pattern on the floor. A wave of dizziness swept over him as he lifted his head.
“He’s with us again,” a voice cried softly.
Dhalvad saw Chulu’s anxious face and felt his hands steadying him. “Dhalvad, are you all right? You were with the Tamorlee a long time.”
Dhalvad tried to respond, but his mind seemed sluggish. Another face appeared. It was Amet. His narrow-eyed glare sent warning shivers up Dhalvad’s spine. He tried to will the fogginess from his mind, but a buzzing in his ears told him that this time he would not have to pretend to faint.
“What did you find out?” Amet demanded. “Why won’t the Tamorlee talk to anyone but you?” He grabbed a handful of Dhalvad’s hair as his head fell forward. “Answer me!”
Startled, Chulu caught at Amet’s arm and growled, “Stop it! What are you trying to do?”
Amet tried to stare Chulu down. When he found he could not, he released Dhalvad and stood up. “He pulled a fainting act on me before, but this time he won’t slip away without answering my questions!”
He left Chulu, went to the door, opened it, and signaled to the two guards stationed there. “The Healer has fainted again. Take him to the room down the hall and this time see that he stays there after he wakes, even if you have to use force. Is that clear?”
The two guards nodded and came into the room. Chulu stepped back and watched as they picked Dhalvad up gently. He met Tidul’s glance as Lurral and Chiilana went to speak to Amet. Tidul was frowning, and it did not take much to guess that this friend was disappointed in Amet’s behavior and no doubt would have a few things to say about it when he and Chulu were alone.
Chulu decided not to stay to hear what Lurral and Chiilana had to say to Amet. He knew that both of them liked Dhalvad and were sure to be concerned for his welfare. He could guess at their response to Amet’s insensitivity.
“Amet,” Chulu said, moving toward the door, “I think I’ll go with Dhalvad, if you don’t mind.”
“Go ahead. I’ll be along shortly myself. I want to be there when he wakes up.”
Chulu followed the guards and their burden down the tunnelway and into the waiting room reserved for those who had come to gift the Tamorlee with their memories. Such gifting was usually scheduled by Amet. Due to the unusual behavior of the crystal the last two days, all gifting had been postponed, and the room was empty.
They made Dhalvad as comfortable as possible on a cushioned couch and propped his feet up on a pillow, hoping to stir the circulation of blood to his head. After that the guards retreated to the doorway and studiously avoided meeting Chulu’s glances when he looked their way. They sensed that something was wrong among those in authority and wisely chose to stay out of the middle of things.
Amet arrived a few minutes later. “Is he still out?”
Chulu nodded.
Amet pulled something from a pocket of his long, wine-colored overtunic, leaned over Dhalvad, and placed it near his nose. There was the soft crackling noise of dry leaves as Amet crushed a small cloth pouch between his fingers. A pungent smell entered Dhalvad’s nostrils. A second whiff of the noxious odor made Dhalvad cough. He opened his eyes, which instantly began to water. He saw Amet’s hand close to his face and pushed it away.
“I thought that might bring you around,” Amet said.
Chulu frowned at Amet as he helped Dhalvad sit up. “How are you feeling, Dhal?”
“Tired,” Dhalvad answered as he swung his feet off the couch. A wave of nausea hit him suddenly, and he leaned forward, thinking he was going to be sick. He sat for long moments with his elbows braced on his knees, his head in his hands.
“What happened, Dhalvad?” Amet pressed. “What’s wrong with the Tamorlee?”
“Give him a few minutes, Amet!” Chulu said, barely suppressing his anger.
“So he can dream up more excuses for not answering my questions? I think not! Dhalvad! I want an answer and I want it now! Why won’t the Tamorlee talk to anyone but you?”
Anger pushed the queasiness away, and Dhalvad lifted his head. Damn, how tired he was of Amet’s aggressive attitude. Ever since Amet had been named Speaker for the Tamorlee, he had grown more and more authoritative. Commanding this—dictating that. The power one wielded as Speaker had simply gone to Amet’s head. Well, Dhalvad thought ruefully, he knew one quick way to deflate that pumped-up ego, but in doing so he would be placing himself in a position he truly did not want.
Amet took Dhalvad’s hesitation as a refusal to answer and reacted with uncalled-for violence that caught both Dhalvad and Chulu off guard. The open-handed blow across the face knocked Dhalvad back flat onto the couch. Amet followed up by grabbing a handful of Dhalvad’s tunic at the chest and jerking him back upright, his hand coming back to strike again.
Chulu recovered and grabbed Amet’s arm. “What in the name of Cestar’s Eyes are you doing?” he yelled. “Amet, have you gone crazy?”
Amet twisted free of Chulu’s grasp and stood up. “If I’m crazy, it’s because of him!” he shouted, pointing at Dhalvad.
Dhalvad’s face stung where Amet had slapped him, and the pain had done nothing to improve his temper. “You want to know what the Tamorlee means by shutting you out?” he yelled, his raised voice bringing the two guards into the room. “It means that it has chosen another Speaker! It doesn’t want you any longer! In fact, it told me that it had made a mistake in choosing you in the first place!”
A flush of blood suffused Amet’s face. “Liar!”
Dhalvad lunged off the couch and stood to face Amet. “I don’t lie!”
“Don’t you? And how are we to test this startling ‘truth’ of yours? We certainly can’t ask the Tamorlee, can we? But you have that all fig
ured out.” Amet’s chin lifted. “I bet I can even guess who the new Speaker is to be! You!”
“Yes!”
“You take a lot upon yourself, Dhalvad! Most would think being Healer was enough, but not you! No. You want it all!”
“I want nothing more than to be what I am—a Healer!” Dhalvad shot back. “But if the Tamorlee has chosen me and will accept no other, then I don’t see that either of us has anything to say in the matter!”
Chulu stood to one side, eyes wide in alarm at the growing realization that there was more at stake than a personality conflict. “Please,” he said, stepping in between the two. “If what Dhalvad says is the truth, the Council must be convened immediately and we must set this matter straight.” He looked at Amet, his expression pleading. “Without any more violence.”
Chulu took a deep breath and faced Dhalvad. “Is it true, friend? Does the Tamorlee wish to name another Speaker?”
Dhalvad nodded, not once taking his glance from Amet.
“I don’t believe him!” Amet snapped. “And until someone else can link with the crystal to learn the truth, I intend to disregard all he’s told us.”
“This will have to be put before the Council, Amet,” Chulu insisted. “And the sooner the better.”
Amet noticed the two guards still standing inside the doorway. “All right, Chulu, I agree. It’s early still. You go and speak to the Council members and see if you can get them to meet sometime this afternoon. Meanwhile, I’ll go back and try to link with the crystal again.”
“And Dhalvad?” Chulu asked, glancing at his friend.
“He stays here under guard. I want him where I can find him. I think the Council will also want him available.”
Chulu nodded and put a hand on Dhalvad’s arm. “I’m sorry, Dhal, but I think it will be better if you stay here, at least until we can get this mess straightened out. Would you like me to stop and tell Poco what’s happened?”
Dhalvad thought quickly. Like Paa-tol, Chulu could not be allowed to find their home empty, lest it stir his curiosity and, in the process, give Amet an opportunity to twist the truth into something ugly. Perhaps a slight shading of the truth would serve to misdirect Chulu for the moment.
“Poco may not be home right now, Chulu. She said something about practicing her singing off where she wouldn’t disturb anyone. I think she took Jiam, Gi, and Screech with her. I don’t know when she’ll be back. Probably not until later this afternoon.”
Chulu looked relieved. “Well, we ought to be able to get a Council decision by that time, so you can tell her all about this yourself.”
“Providing that we learn he isn’t lying,” Amet corrected.
“Please, Amet,” Chulu pleaded. “Let’s say no more until we can bring this all before the Council.” Chulu gave Dhalvad an encouraging nod and left.
Dhalvad turned to find Amet staring at him as if he were an enemy. He met that look without flinching, remembering an old adage that his foster father had taught him. “Run before the gensvolf and he’ll eat you alive.”
A midday meal was brought to Dhalvad several hours later, and when he had finished eating he was escorted to another room deeper down the tunnelway past Amet’s quarters. When he asked the reason for his being moved, the guards could only tell him that it was at Amet’s orders.
Time passed slowly. Dhalvad grew impatient and stood and paced the confines of the small sparsely furnished room. He wondered what was keeping Chulu and the others on the Council. Surely they had had time enough to meet and talk things over. Why had they not called for him? Worried that things were not going to go as he had planned, he returned to the narrow couch standing next to the back wall and sat down. The soft glimmer of fayyal rocks lighted the small room clearly. He glanced at the table and chair to his left and the clay chamberpot in the far corner to his right. The walls were bare, and there was but one entrance to the room. It was definitely not the place one would chose to spend a lot of time.
He lay back on the couch, his hands beneath his head, his thoughts centered on Poco, Jiam, Gi, and Screech, and how far they had managed to go that day. With luck they would reach Cybury in two days’ time. Damn, he did not like the idea of them making the trip alone! But where else might they be safe for a few days? Would they do as they had promised if he did not show up—go on to Bannoc without him?
He sat up and rubbed a hand across his eyes. “I have got to get out of here,” he said softly to himself. “I’ve got to find another fire stone ring and get out of here so I can meet them in Cybury. Come on, Chulu! Where are you? What’s taking so long?”
A few minutes later the latch on the door rattled announcing visitors. Dhalvad stood as the door opened.
His shoulders sank a little when he saw it was Amet, not Chulu. “Is the Council ready for me?” he asked.
“Soon,” Amet replied. He stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. “First we need to talk.”
“About what?” Dhalvad demanded impatiently.
“Sit down.”
Wary but unsure, Dhalvad hesitated. He finally did as Amet ordered, seeing no reason to antagonize him any more than he had. At that moment getting out of there seemed much more important than thwarting the Speaker.
Amet moved over to the table and sat on one edge, his arms crossed over his chest. His hair had been carefully rebraided, and he had changed into a long blue robe with intricate designs in white thread worked into the cuffs and collar.
Very impressive, Dhalvad thought, eyeing the Speaker. I’m sure the Council will be properly intimidated, but I’m not!
Amet’s glance swept the small room. “I’m sorry your accommodations are so austere, Dhalvad. We were in a hurry and we hadn’t time to—”
“The room is fine,” Dhalvad interrupted, “but I think I’ve been here long enough, so why don’t we just go and meet with the Council and get this over with?”
“Patience. You’ll meet with them soon enough. Right now I’ve something I want to say.” Amet’s gaze dropped to the floor, then flicked back up to Dhalvad.
“Dhalvad, could you tell me where Pocalina is right now? She doesn’t seem to be home.”
“Why do you want to know?”
“I don’t want her to worry about you. Do you know where she is?”
Dhalvad’s heartbeat quickened. “Not precisely, no. She said something about going for a walk.”
“All day long?”
“Where she goes and for how long is her business, Amet,” Dhalvad responded sharply, a tremor of uneasiness creeping up his spine. What was all this about Poco?
“She won’t be worried when you don’t return home tonight?” Amet asked, arching an eyebrow.
Dhalvad stood up, fists clenched at his sides. “You intend keeping me here all night?”
“Tonight, tomorrow night, and for some time to come, I think,” Amet answered, also rising.
“You can’t!” Dhalvad yelled. “I’ve done nothing wrong!”
“You’ll have to convince me of that, I’m afraid.”
“How?” Dhalvad demanded angrily.
“By helping me to link with the crystal.”
“Amet, it won’t do you any good!”
“I think it will.”
“You’re wrong.”
“You refuse to help me link with the Tamorlee?”
Dhalvad saw a strange glint in Amet’s eyes and hesitated. What was the Speaker after? “What happens if I help you link with the crystal and it verifies what I’ve told you?”
“I don’t think it will,” Amet replied arrogantly, “but if it does, I suppose I’ll need your help more than ever.”
“My help? After all of this? You’re crazy!”
A sly smile touched Amet’s face.
Suddenly Dhalvad understood. “You mean to be Speaker whether or not the crystal will have you!” He shook his head in disbelief. “You won’t be able to pull it off, Amet. The Council will learn the truth eventually. If not from me, then from so
meone else.”
“I can handle the Council,” Amet said. “With your help.”
“No, Amet. You’ll never get my help in that.”
Amet raised a hand. “Before you go any further, I’ve something to show you. I think it will help you to see my side of things.” He turned, stepped to the door, opened it, and beckoned to someone outside.
Paa-tol strode into the room carrying a small blanket-wrapped bundle in his arms.
Dhalvad’s heart thudded heavily in his chest. “Jiam!” he cried, starting forward.
Amet stepped in front of him. “Easy, it’s not your son.” He turned to Paa-tol. “Show him.”
Paa-toi flipped the blanket back, eyes glinting with amusement at the fright Dhalvad had exhibited. “Not your son,” he said, “but one equally important to you, we think.”
Gi-arobi squinted at the sudden light and squirmed in Paa-tol’s hold, straining against the gag that bit cruelly into his tender mouth.
“Gi!” Dhalvad cried. His glance lifted to Amet. If they had Gi, they also had… Rage filled him and he stepped forward, fists clenched.
Amet raised his hands. “Stand right where you are…or risk never seeing your mate or your son again!” Amet lowered his hands. “They’re safe for now, and for as long as you cooperate and do as I tell you. One wrong move, one betraying word or glance, and all you hold dear will simply cease to exist.” He paused, enjoying the look of shock on Dhalvad’s face. “Have I made myself clear?”
Dhalvad fought down the bubble of horror that threatened to choke him. Somehow he forced himself to nod.
“Good,” Amet said. “Now, I’m sure you have questions to ask your friend. We’ll leave you two together for a little while, then I’ll return and you and I will link with the Tamorlee before we speak to the Council. Then we’ll know where we all stand.”
He nodded to Paa-tol, who set the blanket-wrapped olvaar on the floor and stepped back toward the doorway. Amet watched Dhalvad go to the olvaar and pick him up, wrapping and all. He then turned and followed Paa-tol, closing the door behind him.
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