Fire Margins

by Lisanne Norman

  Vanna subsided.

  He had been unsuccessfully trying to get the cap off the bottle. With an exclamation of annoyance, he handed it to Kaid. “You open it. I think we all need a drink,” he said wiping his hands on his tunic.

  “Terran brandy?” said Kaid, looking at the bottle briefly first.

  “Keissian,” Kusac corrected, accepting the opened bottle. “A present from Jack Reynolds.” He poured a healthy measure into each glass, giving them to Kaid to hand round.

  Finished, he glanced up to see Vanna sitting looking abstractedly at hers. He went over to her, lifting it up to her mouth. “Drink it,” he ordered.

  She looked at him, her green eyes brimming with unshed tears. We’ve been used and lied to by them both, she sent.

  He refused to answer her. “Drink it,” he said again, tilting the glass. “Take it all in one swallow.”

  She didn’t have a choice as the liquid was spilled into her mouth. She began to cough, the tears now streaming down her face.

  Kusac moved away from her and downed his own drink. It hit the back of his throat like a blast of heat, making him gasp. Then the liquid reached his stomach and its warmth began to spread through him. He sat down abruptly, feeling more than a little lightheaded.

  Pieces of the jigsaw were beginning to fall into place now, crystallizing his thoughts. This meeting had achieved all he hoped it would. Inexorably, like some sea barque of old, they were being driven toward some preordained distant shore. Leaning forward, he began to laugh as he refilled his glass.

  “Kaid, tell Ghezu we won’t join the Brotherhood, but we will appear to do so. He can prepare his application for guild status, but our public support will cost him.”

  Kaid’s ears cocked forward in curiosity. “What will it cost him?”

  “A permanent alliance with the Brotherhood. I want a specific number of Brothers, including those in this room, permanently released from Brotherhood duties and permanently transferred to my staff. I’m sure between you and Garras you can put together a shopping list of the people we’ll need. Think big, Kaid, we’re planning for the start of a new Clan, an En’Shalla Clan of Brothers, of Human and Sholan Leskas—and their cubs,” said Kusac.

  Kaid’s mouth dropped in a slow grin, then he leaned forward and refilled his glass. Now Kusac’s mind was working in the right direction! Vartra had chosen well: he had the makings of a good leader.

  “To the En’Shalla Clan,” said Kaid, raising his glass briefly before drinking.

  Kusac turned to Vanna. “I need you to put together a medical team,” he said. “Rather than recruit now from either of your guilds, liaise with Kaid and start training some of the Brothers as nurses and technicians.”

  “No need,” said Kaid. “All Brothers are trained paramedics.”

  “Even better. Get him to suggest a staff for you. Check out that ni’uzu virus, see if it had anything to do with altering our genes. Father told me the two cubs had been exposed to it before their Link formed. Run standard DNA checks on all our Brotherhood personnel who were exposed to the virus. We need to know if this new strain of virus has had any effect on them. You’ll also need to check out any new Leska pairs, Sholan or mixed.”

  Vanna had come out of her reverie and was even showing some interest in what Kusac was saying. “I’ll need to continue working at the Telepath Guild for the time being,” she said. “It’s the only place that has the equipment I need. Once we make our move, I’ll have to have access to another lab.”

  “It’ll be seen to,” Kaid assured her. “Meanwhile, keep Garras and one other guard with you at all times. I’ll see about requesting the extra personnel we need. Rulla, I’ll need your help. You’re more up to date than I am about the current members of the Brotherhood.” He turned back to Kusac. “We’re going to need a priest, one who knows the En’Shalla rites. May I suggest your friend Ghyan?”

  “Ghyan?” Kusac frowned in surprise. He had no idea Kaid knew Ghyan.

  Kaid nodded. “He’s well versed in the old rituals and loyal to you.”

  “In that case, I’ll speak to him myself.”

  “I think we should bring this meeting to a close,” said Kaid. “It’s time those on duty got back to work, and I’ve a couple of jobs that need to be done.” He stopped and turned to Vanna. “Your pardon, Physician, but I take it that you have decided to throw your coin in with ours.”

  “I won’t join the Brotherhood,” she said, “but I can live with an alliance. Brynne agrees with me, though he says he’ll continue living with the Terrans at the Guild.”

  Kusac nodded. “At least now we know in which direction we’re headed. You and I can work out the rest later, Kaid. If Brynne’s determined to stay with the Terrans, there’s not a lot we can do about it beyond making sure he’s always accompanied by one of the Brothers.”

  “T’Chebbi, Lhea’s currently watching Carrie. I want you to relieve her. Tell Lhea to be in the staff lounge in fifteen minutes for a briefing from Garras on our current status. Meral, get me a copy of the duty roster from Ni’Zulhu. Tell him I’ll meet him at the seventeenth hour in the staff lounge and he can fill me in on his security arrangements. That’s all,” Kaid said, dismissing them.

  As they filed out, Garras hesitated at the door, waiting for Vanna. Kusac saw this and sent mentally to her.

  Vanna, go with him. Don’t despise him because of what he is. Just remember how gentle he is with you, and how his skills have kept us both alive.

  She made no answer and he saw Garras turn to leave on his own.

  You knew what he was months ago, Vanna! Why punish him for his past? This isn’t worthy of you. He knows you’re lying to yourself, remember that! At least talk to him about it, you owe him that.

  She got to her feet. “Garras, wait. We need to talk,” she said.

  Kaid waited till they’d gone. “So we play the Brotherhood at its own game, eh?” he grinned.

  “It seems the best way,” said Kusac. “It also enables us to get your people legitimately employed with us without them having to leave the Brotherhood. Naturally, we’ll have this agreement down in writing so neither Ghezu nor Lijou can demand them back at a later date.”

  “That would be wise,” agreed Kaid. “About the new clan, I presume you’ve checked out the legalities.”

  Kusac nodded. “If we prove we’ve walked the Fire Margins, we can set up a new clan. Then our Brotherhood members can leave and join us legitimately.”

  “Where do you plan to locate this clan?”

  “This land is my mother’s, the Aldatan land. South of here, adjoining it, is the Valsgarth estate, my settlement as heir. There’s already a villa there that’s being made ready for us at the moment, and the remains of the estate houses. As soon as Carrie is fit to move, I had planned to take her there to recuperate. It’s time we had our own home, and our own lives,” he said, getting to his feet. “We could locate the new clan there. Where is Carrie, by the way? I don’t want to wake her by sending.”

  “In the main lounge, sleeping on the daybed,” said Kaid.

  “I want to call in on her before I find my father. I need to know why he wanted the kitlings brought here.”

  “Your father also requested a bodyguard this morning when he visited the Guild. I sent T’Chebbi with him. She said the attitude of the medical staff toward him bordered on the aggressive. She was glad she was there.”

  “That’s bad,” said Kusac.

  “Esken wasn’t much better,” Kaid said, accompanying him to the inner balcony. “He was patronizing and insulting—just within the bounds of the acceptable, until he refused to accept the Governor’s appointment without checking with him first. Your father insisted on calling Nesul, who proceeded to give Esken an earful! T’Chebbi also said your father probably had us collect the kitlings because Esken said he was moving them the next day.”

  “Gods, where are we headed if this continues?”

  “I think Esken’s rattled because he now realizes your fa
mily poses a threat to his control of the Council. With your father working with the new Leskas, it leaves him little or no room to conduct illicit experiments on them to find out their potential. He’s going to have to move them if he wants to stay in control.”

  “I wonder if Esken realizes that in crossing swords with my father he’s taking on a major government department, not just one male.”

  “If he doesn’t, he’ll soon find out,” said Kaid as they made their way down the main staircase.

  *

  Vanna joined Garras in the corridor. “We’ll talk in our rooms,” she said, turning to go upstairs.

  Garras followed her. He could tell she was still deeply upset about his past. He sighed. He’d been too long in the world outside Stronghold. He’d never bothered about anyone’s reaction to his profession in those days—especially a female’s, but then the females who were interested in the Brothers weren’t like Vanna. And he’d rather have her than any number of those from his past.

  Once in the privacy of their lounge, Vanna turned to him.

  “Before you begin, Vanna,” he said, forestalling her, “please sit down and listen to what I have to say.”

  She opened her mouth in protest, then closed it and sat down on the settee, looking up at him.

  “You didn’t know me during my days in the Brotherhood,” he said, sitting opposite her. “I joined, as we all do, because Vartra called me. I trained hard and became one of the best at what I did. Kaid and I teamed up early on. As Brothers all we have is the God, our oath, and each other. Lasting friendships outside Stronghold are frowned on, and are virtually impossible anyway.”

  He stopped for a moment, trying to gauge the effect of his words on her, but he couldn’t. “What we did had to be done, Vanna. If we hadn’t done it, someone else would. It’s not an excuse, it’s a fact. We were thorough, making sure our targets were beyond our help before we took the decision to terminate them. Others weren’t so particular. When we killed, our kills were quick and painless. I’ve only known one that wasn’t, and that was when Kaid killed Chyad. Nothing will make me ashamed either of what I was or what I did in those days, Vanna. It’s part of who and what I am.” He fell silent, hoping she could understand.

  She looked away from him and down at her clasped hands. The silence lengthened until he got to his feet. He felt numb inside and was grateful for it just now. Later the loss of her would hit him.

  “Where are you going?” she asked sharply.

  “I’m leaving,” he said. “If what I was is more important than me, then obviously there’s no point in my staying.”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “You don’t need to, Vanna. I know when I’m not wanted.” He turned toward the door but before he reached it, she got to her feet and grabbed hold of him.

  “Don’t go!” she said. “Don’t leave me alone, Garras. I need you!” The previously unshed tears were now rolling silently down her face. Her hands reached out to clutch him, relaxing only when he wrapped his arms round her.

  “Don’t frighten me like that again, Vanna,” he said, his voice muffled against her face as he held her close, letting her scent and the warmth of her body against his push back the fear of losing her. “I can’t undo my past, it’s made me what I am today. I’ve waited too long to find you.”

  “I know,” she said. “So have I, Garras. You’re what matters to me, nothing else. It was just such a shock …”

  “Enough,” he said, nuzzling her ear. “We’re still together.”

  Chapter 3

  Kaid was off duty for a few hours. Returning to his room, he lay down on his bed hoping to catch up on some rest but he found his mind too active to allow him to sleep. Fragments of the God-Vision which had begun all this kept flitting through his thoughts. It had started when he’d heard the voice of Vartra telling him there was a pair in space, a Leska pair, who carried within them the key to the future.

  Trying to recapture more of his vision, he let his mind roam back to that night. When the flashback came, it came suddenly and with as much force as the original vision.

  He saw two figures—mere shadows within the temple—flames encompassing them as they tried to reach safety. Flying debris filled the air as the roof began to collapse. People were running everywhere, desperate to escape. The dancing flames picked out the two crouching figures, highlighting them briefly, then the images were gone, leaving him as shaken as when he’d experienced it the first time. Now, however, he knew without a doubt that the smaller figure had been the Human, Carrie.

  What little the Brotherhood knew of the Cataclysm told them that it had been a time of fire—even the sky had been blazing according to their records: the records that were composed of the dreams and visions of former members from ancient times. Hardly a reliable source, but it was all they had. These records went on to say that after the firestorms, the earthquakes had come. Tidal waves from the coast had swept across the land, resculpturing it into new shapes. The thick, black clouds encircling their world had then released their burden of water onto the land below, destroying what little had remained of their civilization.

  The dangers involved in the Fire Margins ritual were far greater than he’d thought possible if what he’d seen was true. Would Carrie and Kusac be subject to the dangers of the world he’d glimpsed? Could the Cataclysm destroy them as easily as it had destroyed so many Sholans over a thousand years ago? Was that why hardly anyone had survived the ritual?

  What he’d read about it emphasized the fact that everyone who’d reached Vartra by walking the Fire Margins had died, their minds trapped somewhere in the far past while their bodies suffered the same fate at Stronghold or Vartra’s Retreat.

  It wasn’t until now that he’d begun to realize what that part of the vision meant. Yes, he’d seen Kusac and Carrie traveling the Margins, but Vanna was right, he hadn’t seen them return. He’d been the one advocating taking that path, the one telling them it was the only answer, and now he was doubting the wisdom of his own advice. Was Vartra calling them only to destroy them? He’d wondered that before the Challenge and somehow they’d managed to survive. Everything was leading them toward the God: if it was meant to be, then nothing he did would matter one way or the other. They would go, and Vartra would decide whether they returned.

  He turned over, exhausted by the strength of the memories, hoping sleep would claim him, hoping it might bring another vision, this time a happier one.

  *

  It was midafternoon by the time Konis returned home. His mood was thoughtful. As they approached the perimeter of the estate, he was surprised out of his reverie when T’Chebbi was challenged over the comm for their identity. He waited while she reeled off an arcane code and they were given permission to enter.

  “What was all that about?” he asked her.

  “Ni’Zulhu, the new head of security,” she replied. “We’ve been allocated passwords to use whenever we approach the estate.”

  “Isn’t that a little excessive?”

  T’Chebbi turned her head briefly in his direction. “We’re taught at Stronghold that the only effective security is total security.”

  Konis grunted. Rhyasha was going to be none too pleased. He’d have to have a word with Kaid. This level of security could bankrupt the estate very quickly.

  *

  Rhyasha was in her office and her mental greeting was very welcome as he made his way there to join her.

  “How’s Carrie?” he asked, sitting down beside her. “I sensed Kusac’s concern the moment I arrived.”

  Rhyasha handed him a mug of c’shar and settled back in her chair. “We could hardly get her to eat anything today,” she admitted. “All she wants to do is sleep. If she’s the same tomorrow, then I’ll be concerned. Vanna says it’s to be expected after all that she’s been through. She’s taken the precaution of contacting Dr. Reynolds on Keiss and is waiting for him to get back to her.”

  She stopped, unconsciously tapping her claw tip
s on the arm of her chair.

  “For the moment it’s Kusac I’m concerned about. The last few months have matured him mentally, but emotionally and physically, he’s still a young male whose hormones are not yet stable. He’s in control of his feelings, but only just.”

  “Is he suffering any of Carrie’s tiredness?”

  “None. The opposite in fact. He’s unable to relax at all. The loss of their cub has hit him as hard as it hit her. Then there’s the demands of their Link. Thank the Gods that Carrie is free of them for the moment, but he isn’t.”

  “It looks as if this Link of theirs has stripped away most of his training,” said Konis thoughtfully. “We’re going to have to assume this will happen to all our people who have a Human Leska. A new system has to be devised, one that doesn’t rely on the assumption that our males will remain in control of themselves and their talents.”

  “Kusac will be able to help you on that, once he’s got over their loss. Meanwhile, he needs something less demanding to absorb his interest and tire him out. Bringing those kitlings home was inspired,” Rhyasha said, leaning forward to touch her mate’s hand. “Just what he needs. He can help them settle in, start teaching them. He’ll be able to find out if their Link is anomalous in any other way. Kitra can help him.”

  “Interesting use of the word help,” he said. “Kitra’s not much older than those two. I have to admit I didn’t bring them home for Kusac’s benefit. I brought them home because Esken was doing exactly what you predicted he would do. He was treating them as impersonally as jeggets in a maze. Do you know the young male’s mother hasn’t been allowed to see him for nearly a week? And on their Link days, the medics were intruding on them, demanding that they complete barrages of tests! It can’t be allowed, Rhyasha, that’s why I brought them here. He hasn’t even started training them yet!”

  “I assume Esken didn’t agree to your moving them,” she said, her mouth opening in a faint smile. “Did you inform Ni’Zulhu that he could expect Esken or his people to arrive at any time to retrieve them?”

  “Ni’Zulhu? Ah, our security controller,” said Konis, with an embarrassed flick of his ears.