“Probably a norrta,” said the first male as the bull, snorting and puffing, stood. “It’s their breeding season now, and they get very territorial at this time of year. We may have to change where we can graze them or go on a norrta hunting expedition.”
“Sounds like something fun to do for a day or two,” observed M’Nar, jumping off the beast now he was sure the villagers had the bull firmly under control.
“Captain Kusac only just killed one when he and his team met it in the tunnels under the city. It’s no ordinary hunt,” warned Jerenn.
“You’re likely to meet a mating pair,” agreed the villager. “No one has ever killed a mating pair. Usually, we resort to setting ground charges to blow them and the nest up.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” asked M’Nar. “We Sholans can do it! We have several advantages over you. We’re used to hunting prey, not only with projectile weapons like guns, but also our natural claws and teeth. As long as we have explosives as a backup plan, we’d be glad to accompany you on such a hunt.”
“We’ll let you know tomorrow,” said Jerenn. “Just now we have the youngsters to see to.”
“Thank you again,” said the villager as he began to lead the bull away. The rest of the herd, now docile, lowing and mooing, followed slowly.
Jerenn watched them for a moment or two. Then, as he heard a thump from behind him, he swung round to find Shaidan crumpled on the ground, eyes slightly glazed and trembling. Jerenn knelt down instantly, putting a reassuring hand round the youngster’s shoulders.
“M . . . my legs just gave under me, and I started trembling, Brother Jerenn,” Shaidan said shakily. “What’s wrong with me?” he asked, turning a frightened face up to him.
Jerenn pulled him into a close embrace. “It’s all right, Shaidan. It’s just a reaction from being in such a dangerous situation. We all get it, but this is the first time for you, so it feels worse.”
“Everyone gets it? Even you and Brother M’Nar?”
“Even us,” he nodded, stroking the cub’s head, watching as the flattened ears began to rise. “There’s something you got from me that will help the fear pass more quickly,” he said. “Look into my mind and you’ll find it.”
Shaidan began to speak, at first quietly, his voice trembling almost as much as he was.
“Fear is my adversary,
It brings the death of reason,
It clouds my senses and slows my actions.”
Jerenn listened as the cub whispered the words that were second nature to him.
“I will face my fear,
I will embrace it,
Absorb and conquer it.”
Shaidan’s voice was growing stronger with every word.
“I will use it against itself
To strengthen my resolve
And enhance my Gifts.”
It was the Brotherhood litany to banish fear.
“Fear is my adversary,
But it is not my enemy,
For where it once was, there is my strength!”
Now Shaidan took a deep breath and moved back a little from Jerenn, who instantly let him go.
“Thank you, Brother Jerenn. I should have remembered the Litanies. We’ve all been taught them, but I’ve never been able to relate them to real life till now. I won’t forget this one again.” He searched Jerenn’s face carefully. “I didn’t mean to take so much from you with the transfer,” he said hesitantly. “It all just came at me in a rush, and I couldn’t stop it.”
“It’s all right, cub. I offered it all to you; you didn’t so much take it from me as accept it. However, I do think we should keep this between ourselves as I’d rather no one else know that you have access to all the Brotherhood secrets!”
Shaidan nodded slowly. “All?” he asked with a faint smile. “Don’t worry, I won’t know what those are unless it comes up in my daily life. That’s how memory transfers work. I know that much from what we were taught by Dr. K’hedduk.” He shivered briefly.
“Those days are long gone, youngling,” said M’Nar quietly, holding his arms open when Shaidan turned to look at him. “Never again will that person get anywhere near you.”
He accepted the embrace, returning it with feeling. “I miss Papa and Mama a lot, but I am so glad I have you two,” he said.
M’Nar gave him a robust squeeze of affection. “We should be getting back to the others now. I know one small gray-furred person who is going to be most worried about you!”
“Gaylla! I almost forgot about her!” he said, pulling away from M’Nar and dropping down into a four-legged stance. “She says she knows I’m all right but wants to see me right now,” he said before racing off toward the transporter.
“He’s a good lad,” said M’Nar. “How’re you? Any headache like you usually have when a telepath touches your mind?”
“Surprisingly, I am fine. He has a very gentle and light mental touch compared with even Brother Conner.”
“Only the most powerful telepaths are that sensitive. I wonder just how powerful he is.”
“Given whose son he is, I’d say very, and likely then some. I don’t think anyone knows yet how powerful he or the others are,” said Jerenn.
“And are they a threat? You must be assessing them, even on an unconscious level.”
“Mmm. I don’t see them being a threat to Shola if they are brought up properly. I’m hoping they’ll keep them all together when they get back home.”
“I’m sure they will. It would be cruel to separate them given that they’ve had only each other for so long in their lives. I know that like all the other clans, the Telepath ones have communal nurseries where cubs grow up together, yet their parents can take them out for several days at a time. I’m sure our new En’Shalla clan will have the same setup,” said M’Nar.
“Knowing how much Shaidan means to the Captain, I’m sure the nursery will be in his house,” said Jerenn, getting to his feet. “Enough of this. We’d better get back to our charges.”
“Race you there,” said M’Nar, sprinting off on all fours.
M’zull, same night, Lord Nayash’s apartment
It was the small hours of the morning by the time the Palace had quieted down and those not out on patrols were in their beds.
Kusac had sent Laazif to bed and had gathered in his office with his commandos, M’yikku and Cheelar, and Maalash from the village. Moments later, two more figures appeared in the room—Kaid and Banner, their Sholan forms replaced by Valtegan ones thanks to Annuur’s devices. Like the rest of them, they wore the regular green army fatigues.
Kusac nodded a welcome to his sword-brother and Banner, then addressed them all. “Has everyone got a translocator?” he asked, keeping his voice low.
A quiet chorus of affirmatives greeted his question.
“Good. The only rule, no matter what happens tonight, is do not get caught. At the first sign of trouble, trigger the translocator and leave. Do not wait for anyone else, not even me. We must not be taken captive, no matter what.” He looked round them all, holding their gazes until they nodded agreement. Kaid was the last to reluctantly agree.
I won’t put myself in danger either, Kusac sent to him. You have my word.
“You’ll be returned here,” he continued, “apart from Kaid and Banner. They will manifest back at the mountain den for their safety. As far as anyone else is concerned, we’re doing a security sweep as we return from the city. We’ll enter the corridor by the side of the Inquisition offices and make our way into the temple from that rear entrance. It should all be quiet at this time of night. Guarding the main doors into the temple will be M’yikku. Cheelar will scatter leaflets at the far side of the temple, where it’s darkest. If you have time, put some in the prayer books there.”
Cheelar nodded briefly.
“Maalash, you and Banner watc
h the back doors where K’hedduk and the priests make their entrance. Banner,” he threw a can of silver spray paint at him. “Spray something suitable across the doors for me. Leave the can when you’re done. Kaid, you’ll help me defacing the statues and the font. Any questions?”
“Do we just stand and wait for the doors to open?” asked Maalash. “Seems like a . . .”
“No, one of you will have the door open a crack and be looking out,” interrupted Kusac. “We all have throat mics, so make sure you signal us that someone is coming as you shut the door, then move the hell away from it as fast as you can. If it’s only one person, let them enter and take them out—render them unconscious or kill them, whichever is better at the time, then go back to watching. Remember, use knives not guns to kill. If it’s a group, shut the door, warn us, and leave immediately. We cannot win a pitched battle, so we don’t want one. Better we leave the job half done and get out alive and free. Are we all clear now?”
There were no questions this time.
“Right. Move out in pairs,” he said, gesturing to Maalash and Banner. “You first.”
* * *
Fifteen minutes later, they had all reached the relative safety of the Temple, the doors being watched by Cheelar, Banner, and Maalash. Kaid and Kusac had taken up positions by the two giant diorite statues of the Emperor that flanked the rear entrance.
They looked up at the fifteen-foot–tall statue on their left.
“Too big to climb,” said Kaid quietly. “What are you planning to do with it?”
Kusac reached out and put his hand on the plinth. It reached to about shoulder level on him. “I reckon a couple of Zsadhi swords on the bases should do,” he said with a faint grin, putting his other hand on the plinth and beginning to concentrate on heating the volcanic stone.
Eyes closed, he concentrated on the rock, trying to create a raised bar the rough shape of the Zsadhi’s sword in the middle of the front panel. It seemed to take forever, and all the while he could feel the energy leaving him to go into the rock.
Finally, Kaid’s hand closed on his shoulder. “I think you’ve done the hard bit,” he said quietly.
Opening his eyes, Kusac let his arms fall to his sides and took a couple of steps back to see what he’d wrought. Sure enough, the shape of the sword now stood proudly from the plinth. All that remained was for him to do the details.
Slowly he passed his hands over the shape, imagining the details of the pommel, the quillons and the grip, before passing down to the blade itself.
“That’s good enough,” said Kaid, his voice rough with concern. “Have you enough energy to do the other one?”
Kusac nodded tiredly and turned away from that statue. Staggering slightly, he grasped Kaid’s shoulder for support. “I’ve missed having you around,” he said quietly as he steadied himself and moved over to the second statue.
“Not much longer now if Annuur is to be believed,” his sword-brother said.
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” muttered Kusac, bracing himself against the plinth once more.
“Take some energy from me if you need it,” Kaid said. “Don’t risk being too weak to escape if need be.”
“I may do that,” Kusac said, starting again on the second sword.
* * *
Meanwhile, M’yikku was peering down the corridor through a crack in the door, listening for any sounds of people approaching. As Cheelar joined him, the night patrol came into view and he eased the door closed.
“Night patrol,” he said in reply to his brother’s questioning look.
“Close it and ask Kaid to sense if they come closer. They’ll see if the door is partly open.” Like a ghost, Cheelar faded back into the shadows.
“Kaid . . .”
“I heard,” Kaid replied through the mic. “Checking.”
The silence stretched forever until they heard “All clear,” through their earpiece. “You can go back to watching.”
“Leaflets done,” said Cheelar quietly.
“Slogan painted,” said Banner. “Assisting Maalash.”
“Someone’s coming!” Maalash hissed suddenly. “Inquisitor, heading for the door!”
“Close it,” snapped Banner, grasping the villager by the arm and pulling him back to where Kaid and Kusac were still working on the plinth.
“Leave, we’ve done enough!” said Kaid, pulling Kusac away from the statue. “Stop now, Kusac. Time to go.”
“Almost finished,” he muttered, then Kaid was shaking him.
“Stop! Obey yourself and leave!” he hissed, pressing Kusac’s translocator, then his own.
* * *
Exhausted, as the door only feet away from him began to open, Kusac felt the room about him start to fade. Then he was tumbling to the floor in his office as Cheelar, M’yikku and Maalash appeared around him. As they bent to help him to his feet, Kaid appeared.
“He needs food and rest. Get him to bed and make him eat some soup. I’m sure Laazif can get something together even at this time of night. He’s still up, waiting to hear you all head off to bed.” Then he was gone.
“Maalash, you head to your room. M’yikku and I will see to this,” said Cheelar, helping Kusac to walk to the door. “You get the food, M’yikku, I’ll get the Captain to bed. I expect there to be a general outcry very soon.”
“Tell me again why we’re doing this if the Cabbarans have nanites that will solve all our problems,” Kusac asked tiredly.
Maalash stopped and turned back to face him. “Because the Zsadhi legend must be played out again, this time for the last time,” he said. “Only then can we be sure that the old empire will truly die.”
K’hedduk was incandescent with rage. “My own temple! This is an insult to me personally! Where is Nayash? I told him to find this Zsadhi person and he manifestly hasn’t done so! Where are the guards supposedly on duty tonight? I’ll have them flogged for letting this person past them to deface my temple! Zerdish, fetch Nayash immediately!”
Zerdish signed to one of the guards to approach him and gave the order to bring Lord Nayash to the temple.
The guard returned some few minutes later without him.
“Where is he?” demanded K’hedduk, pacing up and down in front of the two massive statues as he waited for the head stonemason to arrive.
“Majesty, Lord Nayash is ill in bed,” said the guard, bowing fearfully. “A sudden fever that struck when he came off duty earlier this evening, so his steward told me.”
K’hedduk stopped his pacing and swung round on the hapless guard. “He’s lying! He’s not even in the apartment! Did you demand to see him?”
“Yes, Majesty! I saw him lying in bed, pale and sweating. I didn’t get too close lest I caught what he had.”
He was dismissed with an imperious sweep of K’hedduk’s arm. “Where is that damned mason?” he demanded. “I want to know how the statues have been defaced. It’s enough to think that a person sneaked past my guards, but that he carried a large stone melter as well is beyond comprehension!”
“I’m here, Majesty!” came the voice of the stonemason as he hurried across the temple to where the Emperor stood. He bowed low. “My apologies, Majesty, but I was asleep and had to dress before I could present myself in front of you.”
“How was that done, Khoobu?” demanded K’hedduk, pointing to the raised sword-shaped mass that disfigured the highly polished surface of the stone plinth.
Khoobu stepped closer, reaching out tentatively to touch the raised surface. “Oh, my. I have no idea how this was done,” he said, examining it more closely. “It looks as if the very stone has been melted. See how porous it is. That can only happen at extremes of temperatures that we cannot duplicate.”
“Are you saying we don’t have the technology to do this?”
“Yes, Majesty, that’s what I am saying. I don’t know w
ho did this, or how, but it was not one of us.” He stopped, aware of what he had said. “Oh, goodness me! Does this mean that we have people not of our world here?”
“Get out of here, and fetch your tools! I want all traces of this removed by tomorrow morning! And fetch decorators, I want those sword symbols painted over as well,” hissed K’hedduk. He turned on Zerdish. “Didn’t I tell you that they had left someone behind when they took that damned female? Perhaps you will search more assiduously for him now! I want every apartment, every room inside the Palace searched! I don’t care who is disturbed. Do it!”
“It shall be as you command, Majesty,” said Zerdish, turning away to issue orders to his men.
K’hedduk began striding toward the south entrance, making Zerdish run to catch up. “Send for Dr. Valger and his team to meet me in lab six,” he said. “I want to know what, if any, progress he’s made with that damned alien machine!”
* * *
The lab was dwarfed by the size of the object that sat in the middle of the floor. Huge power cables looped across the room, connected to banks of control desks and screens. These all faced inward in an octagonal arrangement with wide passageways left between them. It was in the center of this that the alien artifact squatted.
Over seven feet tall, it looked like it had grown out of the floor rather than having been manufactured. Its shape resembled some giant insect with two spindly legs for each of its six sides. Greenish black in color, all its lines curved into each other in ways that defied the eye’s ability to follow. Its various parts were linked by webs of filaments that had once glowed with light and life, but now lay dark and dead.
“What d’you mean you can’t get the device to work?” K’hedduk demanded of the two scientists and the engineer facing him. “You’ve been working on it for over two weeks now!”
“It’s like nothing we’ve ever seen, Majesty,” said Dr. Valger, leader of the group. “We’ve been unable to open it up and see how it works. Unless we can get it opened . . .” He shrugged, leaving his sentence unfinished.
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