razorsedge

by Lisanne Norman

  Kezule was extremely curious, but he kept his gaze on Myak. He saw the female raise her head and move slightly as if to get up, then, as she caught sight of his eyes flicking in her direction, she subsided again.

  A few minutes later, the males reentered, carrying a different bed, one that began look more familiar as it was righted to carry it across the room.

  “I think you’ll find this more suited to you than the beds we use,” Myak said. “The rewards of cooperation. Have you had any thoughts on items you would like us to find for you?”

  “I need little,” Kezule replied shortly.

  “Very well. Remember, cooperation will make your life more comfortable.” He turned to leave, then stopped to look over his shoulder. “We have more books, and more of that herb. I hope I have the opportunity to give them to you soon.”

  “Take her,” said Kezule abruptly. “Take the female with you. Her presence offends me.”

  Again Myak stopped. “I’m afraid I can’t do that.” His tone was regretful. “It’s not in my authority to remove her. I can have them bring a blanket for her, though.”

  “She’s your responsibility, not mine. Do as you wish,” said Kezule dismissively.

  Before the door closed, a trooper returned with a blanket which he threw at the female. She reached out to pick it up, then froze.

  “Leave it,” Kezule snapped, getting up and going over to the new bed. Pulling back the covers, he felt the mattress. It gave beneath his hand. He tugged it free of the retaining frame to examine it more closely. It was filled with some type of yielding substance that gave slightly when pressed, yet when released, sprang back into shape. He let it fall back into its frame. Like the books and the reader, similar yet just different enough.

  He strode over to the female, catching hold of her by the hair and yanking her to her feet. “Where did they get this?” he demanded. “This wasn’t left behind from the past, was it? Where did it come from?”

  “I don’t know,” she said, hands grasping hold of his arm as she tried to find her footing. “What past? I know nothing about the past!”

  He shook her like a small animal, her weight meaning nothing to him. “Don’t lie! You know where it came from! Tell me!”

  “I don’t,” she wailed, tears of pain beginning to spill from her eyes. “How should I know? I’m not one of them! I don’t work for them!”

  “My people, where are they?” he demanded, shaking her again. “Here, or on another world?”

  “They were on the Humans’ world, but we drove them off!”

  He dropped her, striding back to the table. Sitting down, he began to think furiously. His people had returned but had been driven off— by these misbegotten fur-covered mammals! He began to hiss, a low sound of anger and rage. This distorted the natural order of things! They’d never been defeated before! How had this species gotten to the level where they could drive them off so easily? Could the events on Shola have been repeated throughout their Empire?

  He had only a vague notion of where the home worlds of his people were in relation to Shola, though he knew the distances involved were immense. But whatever had happened, if they could get to the Humans’ world, why hadn’t they returned here? Was there something he’d missed by remaining on Shola during the fall of the meteorite— by being taken captive? Whatever it was, the answer was devastating for his kind, and he was sure it lay in the past, not here. If he could only return to his own time, then none of this need happen! The appearance of the items this Myak brought now made sense. They came from the Human world. He had to escape, and soon. No, he corrected himself, not soon. He had all the time he needed, if he could find those who’d brought him here and force them to return him to his own time.

  The Human female had been pregnant. She’d have birthed her young by now. All to the good. The child could be the lever he needed to force them to take him back. From now on, he’d watch for any opportunities to escape, for any clue as to what went on outside those opaque doors and walls. They wanted him to request items they could find, did they? The tech level of his modern counterparts might be different, but he knew from what they’d given him already that there were strong similarities between what they had then and now. There were one or two things that might just give him the edge, items whose purpose might not be easily divined by these Sholans.

  He got to his feet and went over to the bed. Carefully he lowered himself to its surface, feeling it give slowly beneath him. There had been improvements. In his time, they hadn’t developed such a versatile filling. Stretching out full length, he allowed himself to experience the pleasure of feeling the mattress adjust itself to his shape, supporting yet relaxing his back at the same time. Even the riser for his head was made of the same substance. He closed his eyes, enjoying the comfort.

  He came awake with a shock, quickly realizing that several hours had passed. Sitting up, he immediately looked over at the female. She was lying slumped on the floor, obviously asleep, the blanket still lying where it had been left. A glance at the table told him she hadn’t touched the leavings of his meal either.

  Either this was a very subtle move on their part to place a spy with him, or she was actually of no value to them. Information was what they wanted, and now he knew exactly why. His people might have been driven off, but they wouldn’t have led the Sholans to their home worlds!

  Did they really think he’d talk to this pitiful wretch? He, a General, one of the Chosen of the God-King— May His memory be revered for all time— would he be likely to befriend one of their females, one of breeding age who was allowed to run free? Worse, one who had been thrown into his prison, obviously for him to use? They didn’t know him! And if they did, they could gauge the rest of his people accordingly, he realized. Had they been unable to secure captives, then? The Sholan telepaths wouldn’t have been forgotten, they would have their place in his people’s racial memory. When next they came across the Sholans, they’d recognize their species immediately. But what response would be programmed in with the memory?

  He began to think it through logically. The telepaths had been trusted, taken by the highest of his people as pets, their talents used to help control the other slave races, let their masters know when they were thinking forbidden thoughts, planning escape. And they had betrayed those who’d shown them trust and favor. The natural response would be fear, and a desire to destroy them. What if they had managed to touch their masters’ minds after all? His pet couldn’t; he said the Valtegan mind was too different for him to read. He wasn’t lying, of that Kezule was sure. But what if some of them were able to touch his people’s minds? Highly talented ones? He seemed to remember that they sometimes formed pairs. Yes, pairs of them might prove powerful enough to reach a mind so superior to theirs. Then the response would be to keep away from such people, to kill them on sight lest they touch their minds. And if these Sholan pairs had had such abilities, the first to be affected would be the highest within the Empire, those who had the highly prized pairs… perhaps the God-King Himself!

  He shivered, his blood running cold as he grasped the enormity of what might have happened the day that the Sholans had struck back. Their mental attack could have been repeated throughout the colonized worlds, causing the same devastation that Shola had suffered, completely wiping out the top layers of Valtegan society in one blow. No wonder they had never returned to this world! No wonder they had been driven off the Human planet! So much suddenly became clear. This was why they were so desperate for information! Then he remembered the Human female again. She’d touched his mind, stolen his unspoken words. He began to sweat, smelled his own rising fear. Why hadn’t they used her again? Taken from him that which they wanted? She’d been breeding, though. Maybe only the pregnant females could do it. It would explain why they’d needed Sholan help to defeat his species. Whatever the reason, they hadn’t used her against him… yet. He had to get out before they loosed another pregnant Human on him.

  He heard a
sound from the corner where the female slept. Looking in her direction, he saw her stirring. Perhaps her presence was not such an imposition after all. Perhaps he could turn it to his advantage.

  *

  When Kusac emerged from the shower, Carrie was lying on the bed playing with Kashini. As the door opened, the cub turned, ears pricked toward it, body tense with anticipation, small tail pointing upward to the ceiling, quivering.

  He entered, and with a mewl of pleasure, she bounded across the bed, launching herself into space at her father. Carrie, heart leaping into her mouth with fear, dived after her, but Kusac was already there.

  “Hey, what’s all this about?” he asked her, holding her close to his chest as her small hands twined themselves deep into his long fur. “You mustn’t jump off the bed like that! You gave your mother an awful scare,” he scolded as he sat down beside a rather pale Carrie. “She’s gotten very active,” he added.

  “Far too active,” said Carrie, pushing herself back into a sitting position.

  “And larger.”

  Kashini had grown a lot in the last few weeks. She was now nearly the size of a plump four-month-old Human baby. She was mobile now, though still very unsteady on her legs. At times it looked as if her belly barely cleared the ground. Already the differences between her and a pure Sholan cub were beginning to show. Her straighter lower limbs made four-legged locomotion less easy, as had been the case with Marak, and Vanna’s opinion was that it would help them to stand and walk upright earlier.

  “I know. I only see her in the evenings now that I’m at the Warrior Guild.” Carrie moved back to allow her mate to stretch out on the bed.

  Kashini, totally unaware of the anxiety her leap of faith had caused, was now crawling up her father’s chest till she reached his face. Once there, she began licking him furiously.

  “Yes, I’m pleased to see you, too,” he said, running an affectionate hand through the cub’s downy hair before tickling her behind the ears. “I’ve only been having a shower, you know!”

  A loud buzzing purr greeted his attentions and, rolling onto her back, she reached up to grasp his hand with both of hers. The furious licks continued for a short while, then turned into attempts to chew his fingers.

  “She’s teething,” said Carrie, holding out a hand covered in bright pink scratches. Kusac winced in sympathy. “Her teeth are sharp, aren’t they?” she commented. “Human children don’t cause their parents these problems.”

  “Would you rather have had a Human child?” he asked, flicking Kashini’s nose with his fingertips in an effort to remove them from her mouth.

  “Don’t be silly. You know that’s not important to me,” said Carrie, reaching out to tickle his ribs, well aware of his thoughts, even at the end of their Link day.

  He moved away, letting Kashini roll onto the bed between them. “You’re ganging up on me,” he complained in fun. “Not fair!”

  “That’s what you get for teasing me,” she said, watching in amusement as Kashini, now out of Kusac’s sight upon the pillows, began to stalk his ear. An experimental swipe went wide, missing him by inches.

  The cub hunkered down, rear end raised, a frown on her face as she tracked the targeted ear.

  “How were things at Stronghold?” she asked just an instant before the cub pounced, claws and teeth closing sharply on her father’s ear.

  Kusac yowled, reaching up to grab her and save his ear from further savagery. “That’s enough, cub,” he said firmly, holding her round the ribs, suspended in midair above his face. He tried hard to ignore Carrie who was by now rolling around on the bed, laughing.

  “Not to bite me. That’s naughty. I think it’s time you went back to the nursery. It’s well past your bedtime.” Sitting up, he transferred her to the crook of his arm and got up.

  “Let me say good night first,” said Carrie, coming closer to the edge of the bed.

  Kusac knelt down till Kashini was level with her. She leaned forward to caress her daughter’s cheek and plant a kiss on her brow.

  “Good night, Kashini,” she whispered, rubbing her cheek against her child’s. “Sleep well.”

  *

  “I hadn’t realized how much of a handful she’d become. I should have been here to help you,” said Kusac apologetically when he returned. “How do you cope?”

  “You’re doing what you have to,” she said. “I have lots of help, as well as the nurse. Dzaka’s been wonderful, and, strangely enough, Kitra. She’s kept me company and played with Kashini a lot.”

  “Dzaka?” He sounded surprised.

  “He said since you were away because of his father, it was his responsibility to help me. He still considers himself her personal guard and has even asked for a permanent bed to be made up in the nursery lounge! He and Kitra sleep there when she’s staying overnight. You’d say he’s taken to looking after her like a kitling to the hunt.”

  Kusac grunted as he stretched out beside her. “Not surprising considering he was a father once. It’s Kitra’s sudden liking for domesticity that worries me.”

  “Don’t,” said Carrie, reaching out to take his hand. “It’s a novelty for now. Once her new term begins at the Guild, she’ll be back with friends and interests appropriate to her own age. You’ll see.”

  “I hope so,” he said. “Now tell me what you’ve been doing.”

  “The same old routine training,” she said, pulling a face. “Tell me what you’ve been up to. You feel more relaxed this time.”

  Though their Link meant that each was constantly aware of what the other was thinking and doing, they preferred to discuss the more memorable events, both good and bad. It made coping with the sudden influx of information every five days easier.

  “I am,” he admitted, turning on his side so he was facing her. “No doubt you heard the tale of Master Esken’s wife.”

  “We all did, but go on,” she said, aware there was better to come.

  “Kaid and I were given the job of picking her up from the Consortia House.”

  She sat up in astonishment. “With the way Esken feels about our family, they actually sent you?”

  He nodded. “Kaid checked, but apparently Master Lijou himself asked for us to be given the detail. So yesterday, we headed out to Ranz to pick her up from the House. She was heavily wrapped up against the cold, but we didn’t think anything of it at the time. We’d no sooner taken off than she asked us to stop at a house on the outskirts of the city. They were obviously expecting her, and as soon as we’d landed, she went inside. She couldn’t have been gone more than fifteen minutes, but when she came back, there was something different about her. I couldn’t put my finger on it, though. Even Kaid sensed it. Once we were underway, she took her coat off and settled down to chat with us. She was very nice, insisted on getting us drinks from the dispenser, that sort of thing. Not at all what I’d expected.”

  “What were you expecting?”

  “Some high-class intellectual, too good to talk to the likes of us. You should have seen Esken’s instructions on how we were to treat her, Carrie.” A low purr of amusement accompanied his grin. “We were not to initiate conversation with her unless she expressly asked for it. We were to see she was offered drinks and snacks on the journey, and anything else she might request. She couldn’t have been more different! As I said, she fetched drinks for us, and when it came time for us to eat, she scrounged sandwiches from us rather than eat the fancy delicacies Esken had sent along! She’s got a healthy appetite, I’ll say that for her. She also spent quite a bit of time asking questions about our good Guild Master.”

  “I’ll bet she did! What happened when you arrived?”

  “Esken was waiting, all smiles and politeness till he saw us. Then he commandeered the nearest aircar and, stuffing her into it, headed off to the temple. We were trying to work out what was going on when Sorli strolled up, asking us why we’d brought Mother’s friend rather than the Consortia. That’s when we realized what had happened.”


  “The Consortia and Challa must have been in league from the first,” said Carrie. “Your mother said at the time that Juilmi Rraoud had accepted too easily and she intended to find out why. Now we know.”

  “Lijou at least was aware of what was happening. Esken must have assumed, as we were obviously supposed to, that we’d brought the Consortia. Our presence was probably calculated to make him decide to take no chances on being persuaded out of this marriage. That’s why he took her to the temple to have the life-bonding ceremony performed immediately.”

  “I wonder when he figured out that he was marrying the wrong female. I’d have loved to have been a fly on the wall at that moment,” Carrie laughed.

  “I think during the ceremony. She must have had him make his vows first because they’re binding from the time he makes them. When he came back, his face was like a thundercloud! We left as quickly as we could.”

  A gentle beeping from the comm unit in the other room drew their attention. “I wonder who it is,” said Kusac, frowning as he got up to answer it.

  She switched off her damper, allowing their minds to completely share, sensing Kusac doing the same as he went into the other room.

  “Father Lijou,” he said in surprise. “What can we do for you?”

  “I apologize for the lateness of the call, but I wanted to let you know there was no need for you to return to Stronghold for the next couple of days,” the head priest said.

  “Is Kaid all right?”

  “Kaid’s fine,” Lijou reassured him. “He’s requested a few days at the Retreat, that’s all. Take some time off, Kusac, be with your family. You’ve both been working hard, you deserve a break. In fact, make that an order,” he said with a slow smile. “Leave it with me, I’ll let Rhyaz know.”

  “Is he all right?” Kusac insisted.