Heart Fate

by Robin D. Owens

  Lahsin had ’ported to the very edge of the pad in the library. The fact that libraries kept shields around their pads had stabilized her. She must not have become accustomed to all her new Flair. She’d hurried from the place before anyone besides the librarian had noticed her, and since her hood kept her face in shadow, she thought she was safe. The street was busy, but it was cold, and she kept a weathershield around her with an additional factor to blur her features.

  Once in the park, her heart twisted. There were so many memories here of playing with her brothers, of Clute with her hand in his. She’d walked the length of the park before he arrived.

  He stepped off the teleportation pad, stared at her, then jogged to her. He wasn’t a tall man, and was stocky, but his face was beloved, the green Burdock eyes and heavy jaw. When he was only a pace away from her, he said, “Lahsin, is that you?”

  Sighing, she pushed her hood back and let her weathershield clearly show her face, then she flung herself into his arms. So solid and dependable. He felt great and smelled like Clute.

  He drew back, holding her hands and scrutinizing her, then he touched her face. “You’re thinner.”

  Probably just toned more from all her training. “It’s so good to see you.” The feelings rushing through her were unexpected . . . good childhood memories. They seemed to weave her life together from then to now. She couldn’t speak.

  “Oh, Lahsin.” He sounded sorrowful. His eyes were anxious.

  She managed a trembling smile. “I’m good.”

  He shook his head. “Not my Happy Lapp anymore.”

  “No,” she croaked through a tight throat. “But I’m content.” She wished she could take him to FirstGrove, but knew through their link that he enjoyed his life.

  The wind whistled around them.

  Clute frowned. “So thin, more delicate than I recalled.”

  Her turn to shake her head. “No—”

  “And Second Passage coming for you.”

  “I already—”

  His gaze went past her. “I did the right thing,” he said.

  Fear clutched her belly. She whirled and saw T’Yew teleport into the area across the park, followed by Taxa. He scanned the landscape with scorn, saw her, smiled the smile that looked nice until you saw his eyes. The depressFlair cuffs attached to his belt glinted. If he got those on her, it didn’t matter how much Flair she had or how many personal shields. She was doomed.

  “What have you done!” She spun to face Clute.

  He still held one hand and with the other, he took her arm. “Lahsin, I’m so worried about you.” His tone rang true. “You’re so delicate, gentle. Second Passage must be a nightmare for you. Let us help.”

  She tried to jerk her arm away and couldn’t. She knew how to hurt him, to put him down and strike, and run, but this was her brother, Clute, who loved her.

  “Let me go!”

  “Oh, Lahsin,” he repeated, shaking his head.

  She hesitated too long. T’Yew strode across the yellowed grass.

  Opening her mouth, she let out a fighting scream, knew there was too much fear and anger in it.

  Clute stumbled back. She reacted as she had been taught and went with him, overbalanced him. They fell.

  Tinne heard Lahsin scream, had a vision of her outside FirstGrove, in the city. He’d get her direction from their bond, go to her. “Stop!” he ordered his beginning class.

  Everyone froze, as trained.

  “What?” demanded Tab.

  “HeartMate. Danger! ’Porting.” He felt her fear now, more than was reasonable. Some unknown factor.

  Tab linked arms with him, face granite. “I’ll go with you. Class dismissed! Cuz Nitida, mind the salon.”

  In a wink they were there, across a length of ground from her. Not quick enough. T’Yew had her.

  She’d jumped to her feet, but as always when he was chasing her, T’Yew had been too fast. “I will never return to you, never,” Lahsin forced a whisper through chill lips.

  “Always the dramatic child,” T’Yew sneered. He unsnapped the depressFlair bracelets from his belt with one hand, kept the fingers of his other bruisingly clamped on her arm.

  Lahsin screamed in his ear, yanked her arm away, and pivoted.

  “Don’t turn your back on me, wife.” He grabbed her from behind.

  Her Flair sizzled through her, putting power into her elbow jab. He gasped and let her go. She didn’t run but turned. He lunged for her. She kicked at him, hit his groin. He mewled, grabbed his sex, toppled toward her. She struck out, one hand, not fisted. Hit him in the temple and watched, appalled, as the life fled from his eyes.

  His body fell to the ground.

  There was the smell of death.

  Taxa was screeching. The woman had been sauntering, was still meters from Lahsin. Clute was swearing somewhere near her.

  Tinne and Tab Holly had appeared. Tinne was running toward her, stopped.

  The whole thing had taken only a couple of minutes. Her hands came to her mouth to stop her own scream—of horror.

  More people were teleporting into the park. She watched, unbelieving, as young Vinni T’Vine came along with T’Blackthorn and T’Holly and D’Holly, then T’Ash.

  SupremeJudge Ailim Elder appeared.

  Lahsin’s heartbeat in her ears drowned out all other sound. She had doomed herself.

  Tinne walked to her, followed by Tab and all the others.

  Tab looked down at the body, shook his head. “Excellent defensive moves. Terrible form in the offense. Terrible.”

  “I only taught her defense.” Tinne’s voice was strained.

  “I killed him.” Her voice was far too high. “How could I kill him?” She stared at her hand. She’d hit T’Yew with the flat of it.

  Clute looked pale, eyes wide, mouth open. “Oh, Lahsin, I didn’t know he’d attack you. Had those filthy cuffs.” He swallowed, stepped forward. “It was the Flair. Had to be. I saw it crackle around you.” His mouth grimmed. “He shouldn’t have laid hands on you.”

  Tinne said, “Pity you didn’t decide that sooner.”

  “I didn’t know!” Clute rubbed his hand across his eyes. “The Family always told me she was happy with him.”

  “Lahsin endured her last Passage fugue only a few septhours ago,” Tinne said. “Her new Flair has not quite settled.”

  Tab snorted, eyed the body, shrugged. “This whole thing was the consequences of his own actions. Destiny.”

  Taxa’s screams held a new, horrible note. Circling the men, she flung herself at Lahsin, hands curved in claws.

  Lahsin summoned a personal spellshield and Taxa’s fingers bounced off of it.

  “Handy Flair,” Tab said.

  “Why didn’t you—” Clute started.

  “Her body reacted as it was taught to,” Tinne said.

  Taxa stood panting before them, expression edging toward madness. “I will make you pay,” Taxa said, fury mottling her face. “The murder of a husband is a despicable thing, bringing down the full punishment of the law. Banishment. Death, even.” Her words were evil and gloating. “You made my life, my father’s life a hell, and now you kill him. Oh, you will pay.”

  “He wasn’t my husband! I repudiated the marriage to three neutral witnesses.” Lahsin forced stuttering words through her lips. She was so cold, even under her shields.

  “You lie. You have no witnesses. Who would support you?” Taxa slapped at Lahsin, hard. Again her hand bounced off of the shield. She snarled. Lahsin took a pace back. Two men grasped Taxa’s arms, one to each side. She struggled then subsided, raising her chin and looking every inch GrandLady D’Yew, a FirstFamily GrandLady, rich in gilt and status and Flair.

  “I . . . I repudiated it to T’Yew Residence.” Lahsin shivered, took a breath, tried not to watch as a newly arrived T’Heather examined T’Yew’s body, vanished with it to Noble Deathgrove.

  Taxa sneered, “T’Yew Residence will not support you.”

  Of course not. “I
repudiated it to Straif T’Blackthorn.”

  “True,” T’Blackthorn said. “I so reported to SupremeJudge Elder.”

  Ailim Elder nodded.

  Lahsin shivered in relief. She reached desperately for other instances. There was only one, and Tinne had told her . . . but she had no choice. “I repudiated my marriage to Tinne Holly.”

  Lip curling, Taxa said, “I can see the HeartMate bond between you. He’s your HeartMate, that doesn’t count.”

  Thirty-four

  One glance at Tinne’s anguished face told Lahsin the truth. He was her HeartMate. All this time he hadn’t been honest, had misled her. About how much? Being in FirstGrove? Why he liked her? He didn’t care for her for herself, for how she’d been and grown, but because she was his HeartMate. That was the only reason he’d helped her. Nothing more.

  Her mind spun, struggling to understand. She swayed. Clute reached out and steadied her. Tinne held back.

  Taxa was gloating again, whipping at Lahsin with her words. “You didn’t repudiate my father, and you killed your husband. You’ll die for that.” She smiled, nastily. “Or, better, wear depressFlair cuffs for the rest of your life.”

  That drove a person mad, everyone knew that.

  Lahsin repudiated her marriage within my hearing, Strother growled, trotting up to her and nudging his head under her hand. That steadied her. She breathed easier.

  “You’re her Fam. You don’t count.” Taxa spat the words.

  Strother glared. I was a feral dog when Lahsin repudiated T’Yew. Not her FamDog for days. That counts.

  “Indeed it does,” SupremeJudge Elder said.

  Ilexa bounded to them, sat and curled her tail around her paws, twitched her whiskers. I was there when Lahsin T’Yew repudiated her marriage to the nasty man. I heard her. I am her HeartMate’s Fam, but that is all right in the rules.

  “Agreed,” Elder said solemnly. “Three neutral witnesses state that the late T’Yew was not wed to Lahsin Burdock.” The SupremeJudge was serene, hands tucked in her opposite sleeves.

  Lahsin had never realized until now, when she wasn’t wearing one, how warm a heavy formal gown was with sleeves made of thick material. Easier to think of that than Tinne or T’Yew.

  “I’ll have your judgeship for this, Elder,” Taxa said.

  Ailim Elder shrugged. “More powerful people than you have tried.”

  Taxa sent a withering look to the men who still held her. They let her go. “She murdered my father, a FirstFamilies GrandLord. She. Must. Pay.”

  Clute said, “An accidental death. I saw it all. T’Yew grabbed my sister. He looked like he was going to kill her. He had depressFlair bracelets for Lahsin, the gentlest person I know.” He shook his head.

  Lahsin tried a smile, knew it was a travesty. “I learned being gentle was bad from T’Yew.”

  Clute scowled. “He was going to . . .” He squared his shoulders. “I think he was going to rape her.”

  “She’s his wife,” Taxa screeched. “It’s not rape.”

  “She was not his wife, and yes,” Ailim Elder said, “it is rape. I don’t know where you get your primitive notions. A girl, a woman always has the right to say no.” Her eyebrows raised. “I certainly can’t imagine you submitting to rape.”

  “I saw everything,” Tinne said. “The death was self-defense.”

  Tab Holly said, “An accidental burst of Flair due to recent Passage in response to the threat of rape.”

  There was silence, and Lahsin could hear the wind. Now she felt warm, hot from guilt and failure. She’d accepted yesterday during Passage that there would be more of both emotions in her life, just didn’t realize they’d plague her so soon.

  Stepping away from her brother, avoiding Tinne’s supportive gaze, but keeping her hand tangled in Strother’s fur, she met the SupremeJudge’s eyes. “I killed T’Yew.” Her mouth tasted awful. “I didn’t mean to. I didn’t want him dead, I only wanted to be free of him. I had my last Passage fugue yesterday evening. I am an adult now. I’ll accept whatever verdict you have of my actions.” Her voice quavered on the last few words, shaming her.

  Then she felt heat at her back, realized Tinne had moved to stand literally behind her, though she had not been able to look directly at him since the revelation that they were HeartMates.

  SupremeJudge Ailim Elder swept the gathered FirstFamily Nobles with a stern glance. More had appeared, D’Sea, the mind Healer, T’Hawthorn, D’Grove.

  The judge said, “I take the Words of Clute Burdock, Tinne Holly, and Tab Holly about the circumstances of this accidental death. Does anyone contest this?”

  “I do!” Taxa shouted.

  The SupremeJudge turned a look on her that sent a chill to Lahsin’s bones. Taxa shut up. “You’re emotionally overwrought.”

  “No!” Taxa spit.

  “Anyone would be, under the circumstances.” The mind Healer D’Sea glided up to Taxa, sent a glance to Lahsin. Lahsin was feeling numb. Probably not a good thing, but better than wretched betrayal or guilt or horror or . . . numb was better.

  “My father was only taking Lahsin back to our Residence. For her own good.”

  Clute fired at that. “I don’t believe that anymore. But you and T’Yew got what you wanted from my sister’s marriage with him, didn’t you? Got a whipping girl for years. Don’t tell me you didn’t, I can see that in my sister’s face and yours. But Lahsin didn’t produce a son for T’Yew, so now you’re a FirstFamily GrandLady, and that’s even better for you.”

  “My father is dead.” For the first time tears streaked down Taxa’s cheeks, but she pushed away D’Sea’s comforting arms.

  “An accident he brought on himself,” SupremeJudge Ailim Elder said. “After threatening a woman he’d previously abused.” She focused her gaze on Lahsin, and Lahsin recalled that the SupremeJudge was a telempath and knew all the emotions going through everyone. She’d sense Lahsin’s shock and the fear Lahsin had, might always have, of T’Yew. But Lahsin couldn’t answer.

  Tinne set his hands on her shoulders, and it was worse. She wanted his touch, but wanted a friend’s touch, not a HeartMate’s. Lahsin couldn’t prevent a sob.

  The judge turned her stare to Taxa. “If you continue to press for a punishment for more than accidental death—which is letting the perpetrator live with the emotional hurt of the act for the rest of her life—then we must do a truthspell investigation of past events at T’Yew Residence.”

  “Impossible. You can’t dare!” Taxa fumed.

  Elder narrowed her eyes. “Most FirstFamilies have learned that the rule of law is superior to the rule of individual Nobles, or even the FirstFamily Council. Obviously some learn that lesson slower than others, D’Yew.” The judge raised her brows. “But even if we judges did not have the right to question your Family and Residence about perversions committed there, there are more ancient ways. T’Yew submitted to the old rules when he was accepted into the FirstFamilies Council.” Matching Taxa’s glare, the judge said, “Six FirstFamily Lords or Ladies can vote to investigate one of their own.”

  “I’ll vote for the probe,” T’Holly said.

  “And I,” said T’Blackthorn.

  “Me, too,” said T’Ash.

  “And I.” Lahsin didn’t recognize the voice, looked at the man. His cuffs showed him to be Saille T’Willow, T’Yew’s enemy.

  “That’s four of six,” the judge said. “Are you and your allies strong enough to stop another two from joining with these?”

  “Don’t do this, D’Yew,” Vinni T’Vine, the boy prophet, said. “It’s best that all consequences of your father’s actions and Lahsin’s reaction end here and now.”

  A vein throbbed red in Taxa’s temple. “I don’t need you to advise me. I’ll never need you to advise me, you child.”

  White-faced, T’Vine bowed, then ranged himself with the older Lords. Tab Holly put an arm around the boy.

  “Look to your alliances,” T’Willow said, reminding every Noble there what was trul
y important. “Some ties made with your father expired with his death.” His smile was unfriendly.

  From the fleeting expression of surprise and wariness, Lahsin realized that Taxa didn’t know her allies. Lahsin didn’t think Taxa had made any alliances of her own.

  T’Willow must have seen the same thing Lahsin had. “Sloppy,” he said.

  Of course T’Yew’s life expectancy had been long. Lahsin felt sick again.

  “I suggest you return to your Residence and set your affairs in order,” the SupremeJudge said, not unkindly.

  Taxa dashed more tears away. “I want to see my father in Deathgrove, prepare for his Transition ritual. His unnatural transition.” She glared at Lahsin.

  “Fate is entirely natural,” Tab Holly said.

  With a wordless cry, Taxa whirled away. D’Sea, the mind Healer, followed until Taxa rebuffed her.

  “I hereby declare that the death of Ioho T’Yew is ruled as accidental and self-defense on the part of Lahsin Burdock.”

  “Rosemary,” Tinne murmured. “Lahsin Rosemary.”

  “Lahsin Rosemary,” the judge corrected. “And I state that I have come to this legal conclusion through observation, questioning witnesses, and through the use of my telempathic Flair. This matter is closed.”

  The Lords and Ladies gathered around T’Hawthorn and T’Holly to talk of politics and alliances.

  “Lahsin, may I speak with you?” Tinne asked.

  “You weren’t honest with me. I always thought you were honest. Hon—orable.” Her voice broke.

  He came around to face her. His expression was strained, the skin tight against his face. “I was as honest as I could be.” He hesitated. “Neither of us wanted a HeartMate. I wanted to get to know you.” Another pause. “I wanted to help.”

  “But you’ve known all along.”

  “Yes.”

  “And you came to FirstGrove first to find me because I’d run away from T’Yew and was missing and I was your HeartMate.”

  He just nodded, turning paler, almost the color of his hair. His eyes were dark gray coals. He was beautiful, this man she’d taken as a lover. And he broke her heart.