thefiremargins

by Lisanne Norman

  "Our orders are to consolidate our position and guard the pass," he said. "We're not following them into the desert until the situation has been properly assessed. I'm afraid we can't mount a rescue for her. It looks like we're all here for several weeks at least."

  Vriuzu nodded. "My orders are to return to Stronghold tonight. If you need me further, you'll have to approach Guild Master Lijou. I have duties at Stronghold I can't neglect."

  "Very well. We'll have you flown back at dusk."

  "Thank you, sub-Commander."

  * * *

  "Poor bastard," muttered Zsyzoi as they walked back to the mess tent. "I'd rather be dead than taken by Fyak."

  "Well, he's got a soft spot for us, hasn't he?" grinned Naira, showing his teeth. "Ever since we took the kitlings and their mother away from him."

  * * *

  Ghezu had also heard the news on the comm. He was not happy, as Zhaya knew only too well.

  "I knew I should have pushed for sole control of the Guild!" he raged as he drove the aircar back to Stronghold.

  "Guild Master," said Zhaya from his seat beside him. "Perhaps I should land the craft. You could then contact the Guild and see what's happening."

  "I don't need to contact Stronghold to know what's happening! I know what's bloody well happening! So does all the world! Why the hell couldn't Fyak have waited? He wasn't supposed to strike till tomorrow at the earliest! I'd have been back by then."

  "He must know by striking a day early that he can't depend on our help."

  "He's a bloody lunatic!" said Ghezu, as he skimmed the vehicle across the tops of the trees outside Dzahai village. Slim branches whipped at the underside of the vehicle, testifying as to how small a safety margin Ghezu was allowing. "His hatred and fear of telepaths is getting out of control. He's letting that overrule his common sense!"

  The comm started to beep insistently. Ghezu flicked on the auto-response, transmitting his vehicle's ID to security.

  "I could swear he was one himself," said Zhaya thoughtfully. "If he can burn out the mind of a telepath, he has to be one."

  "Not necessarily," Ghezu replied. "His answer is that His God gave him his powers. They don't include the ability to read minds."

  He was over Stronghold now, cutting the power of the engines as he hovered preparatory to landing. The comm came to life, demanding the passwords. Ghezu replied sharply. He had no patience with anything but seeing Lijou and demanding an explanation of his actions.

  Around them as always, the wind swirled, buffeting them from side to side. Almost automatically, Ghezu used the attitude jets to stabilize his position, then slowly allowed the craft to sink down to the courtyard below.

  As soon as they touched down, Ghezu cut the power completely. "Park it, Chyal. The rest of you come with me. I want to see Lijou now," he said, getting up and gesturing to his personal guard.

  Ghezu brushed aside the two Brothers on courtyard security, ignoring their requests for identity cards. Hurrying through the temple, he stopped barely long enough to do homage to Vartra in his haste. He pulled the curtain aside and stormed through the door behind it into the corridor beyond. Stopping at the first doorway, he slapped his hand against the palm lock. The door slid back, revealing an empty room.

  With a snarl of rage, Ghezu swung round and headed farther down the corridor till he came to the stairs at the end. Taking them at a run, he quickly reached the second level and started along the corridor to Lijou's office.

  Wrenching the door open, he stalked in, eyes narrowed, ears folded sideways, ready to hunt. Looking across the room, he saw Lijou at the brewing unit.

  "Just who the hell do you think you are, calling out the Brothers without my permission?" he asked coldly from his position in the doorway.

  Lijou turned round slowly. "A decision needed to be made, Ghezu, and since you left me no way of communicating with you, I did what had to be done."

  "I, and only I, will decide what is appropriate action for the Brotherhood," he snarled, pacing slowly into the room. "The Council may have said we were jointly in charge, but no one other than me shall ever give orders to my people, Lijou! You've made a grave mistake in taking that power upon yourself, one you'll never make again!"

  "On the contrary, Master Ghezu," said Konis, getting up from his seat in the corner of the room. "Master Lijou did what was right and proper in the circumstances."

  "You keep out of this, Konis," snarled Ghezu. "You and that damned cub of yours have had too much to say for too long! This is between Lijou and me."

  "Even before we were a full Guild, Ghezu, sole authority resided in me in the event of the Warrior Leader being unavailable in a crisis," said Lijou calmly. "This was just such an occasion. If you had left word where you could have been contacted ..."

  Ghezu growled angrily, knowing full well why he'd been unable to be contacted.

  "Governor Nesul himself requested the Brotherhood, Ghezu," said Konis. "You're the nearest unit to Laasoi. Naturally he would want your people there."

  Ghezu continued to growl until Zhaya leaned forward to touch him on the arm.

  As his leader spun round, he diplomatically took several steps backward. "May I suggest, Master Ghezu, that we contact our people in the field and see what the current situation is?"

  Ghezu took a deep breath, his ears beginning to right themselves again. "You're right," he said. "I'm wasting my time with this convocation of toothless nest-raiders!"

  Konis walked to the doorway and watched Ghezu and his guards till they reached the end of the corridor. "How long has he been in the habit of having a personal guard?" he asked, turning back into the room and looking over to Lijou.

  "Some three or four weeks. As I said, Ghezu's become paranoid about Kaid and anyone who knew him. His bodyguard's made up of newer members, ones who never knew Kaid and who weren't friendly toward Dzaka. In actual fact, training them is keeping him so occupied he hasn't the time to interfere with anyone else's work. All the staff and the senior Brothers are a lot happier because of their influence."

  "How unstable is he? Have you been able to touch his mind long enough to tell?"

  Lijou flicked his ears in a negative. "He picks up even the lightest mental touch. His main Talent is to receive, after all. What I have felt in the past has worried me, though."

  "Ghezu has another Talent," said Garras. "He can mentally affect the way you perceive him so that even the most outrageous suggestions can seem sensible when you're in his sphere of influence."

  "So that's what it was," murmured Lijou.

  "Have all the telepaths you trust monitor him, especially any Guild-trained ones like Vriuzu. He can't keep his mind guarded night and day," said Konis.

  "No, but the dampers he plans to have installed in Stronghold can," said Lijou, his tone grim. "I've been trying to work out why he wants them."

  "That could be the proof of his paranoia that we want," said Garras.

  "Esken's had some installed at the Guild because I've insisted the Warriors continue to patrol the grounds and corridors at night," said Konis. "Wanting dampers installed doesn't prove anything. However, if I were you, I wouldn't delay in appointing your research assistant. In fact, I suggest you make sure there are a couple of people that you trust around you at all times."

  "Now would be a good time to acquire a lover," added Garras. "One of the Sisters, even if it's in name only."

  "I'm ahead of you on that," said Lijou, mouth opening in a faint smile. "I have a Companion already."

  * * *

  Carrie hadn't been sleeping well for the last couple of nights. It was nothing either of them could put their finger on, she'd just been restless and fretful. Today, Kusac had persuaded her to return to bed after first meal and had accompanied her up to their rooms. When she finally dropped off, he rose and went back downstairs.

  He found Meral waiting outside the door of Konis' office. His tail was swaying anxiously and his ears were showing a tendency to flick every now and then. Ku
sac raised an eye ridge questioningly at him.

  "I'm to see the Clan Lord any time now," Meral said in a low voice. "He's expecting me."

  "About Taizia?"

  Meral nodded. "He can't overturn our contract, can he?" he asked, ears flicking even further back.

  Kusac shook his head. "No, he wouldn't do that. Not now, anyway," he amended, the edges of his mouth curling slightly in a very human grin. "He might have several months ago."

  They heard Konis call out for Meral to enter.

  "Wish me luck," said Meral, stilling his tail and ears before reaching out for the door handle.

  "Do you want me to come with you?" Kusac asked.

  Meral shot him a horrified look and shook his head as he opened the door. Thoughtfully, Kusac ambled off to his mother's kitchen for a snack.

  The house was run very differently now from the way it had been over a year ago when he left to join the Forces. Nowadays it was much more of a home. Before it had almost been a civic building with the coming and going of all the various officials both his parents had had to deal with. Now, by contrast, virtually no business except of the indirect kind on the comm, was conducted at home. Perhaps his disappearance had rung in the changes he'd longed for after all.

  His mother was finishing her c'shar when he walked in. "Where's Carrie? Still resting?"

  Ears flicking assent, he sat down beside her. "Mother, I need some advice from you."

  "Hmm? What is it?" she asked, reaching out absently to flick a lock of hair off his face. Her fingers caressed his cheek before returning to lift up her mug.

  "Well," he said, picking up her spoon and toying with it. "Do you remember me saying that perhaps the clans have been becoming too inbred, and that might be the reason for the fall in the birth of telepathic cubs?"

  She regarded him over the top of her mug. "Yes." The word was said cautiously and drawn out.

  "I know you've seen Vanna and Jack's report showing that even among the few Brothers here, there are a couple who could become genetically compatible with us mixed Leskas. Given that that's the case, and we know all the Brothers are Talented in some way, then do you think there's an argument for allowing marriages between the Brothers who have a strong Talent and telepaths? I mean dynastic marriages."

  Rhyasha took a deep breath before replyng. "There's certainly an argument for trying a few such bondings for a limited time to see how productive they would be. Why, Kusac? Where's all this leading? These matters fall into your father's province as Clan Lord, not mine." She stopped, putting her mug down and looking hard at him.

  He looked away, finding the spoon absorbing. "I was just wondering," he said. "I haven't seen this spoon before. Have you been getting some new cutlery?"

  "Kusac." He could hear the warning tone in his mother's voice. She reached out and took hold of his chin, turning his face to hers. "Out with it, scamp," she ordered, catching his eyes with hers. "What's this all leading to?"

  Kusac glanced away again. "Nothing, Mother. Just a question, that's all."

  "Kusac!" she said warningly, giving his chin a pinch. "Out with it!"

  He looked back at her, eyes wide in feigned innocence. "Honestly, Mother, it's nothing to do with me."

  "Then who? Oh ho," she said, letting him go. "It's that sister of yours, isn't it? What's Taizia done now?"

  Kusac shrugged. "I really can't say, Mother."

  "Can't, or won't! Let me guess," she said, her voice getting tight. "She's pregnant, isn't she? And Meral came in this morning wanting to see your father. He won't allow it, Kusac," she said. "There's no way he'll allow her to bond with Meral."

  "They're already bonded. For five years," said Kusac. He reached out and took his mother's hand in his. "Mother, I want you to speak up for them. Ask Father to allow them to life-bond."

  As she began to shake her head and pull her hand away from him, he held onto her more tightly. "Mother, he's of the Nazule Clan. He's their second son, and he's an honorable male. You won't find one better, nor one more able to handle Taizia. Speak for them, Mother," he pleaded, lifting her hand up to his cheek.

  "Gods, Kusac!" she said exasperated. "Do you know what you're asking of me? And don't try to act like a cub at your age! It won't wash," she said tartly, pulling her hand away. "I don't know what this family's coming to! I thought I knew you and your sister, now look at you both! You, the quiet one, have a Human Leska. You couldn't be less like the youngling I knew before you ran away! As for Taizia! I never thought I'd see the day when she'd settle down enough to have a cub, let alone choose it as a way to put off an arranged marriage!"

  Kusac took hold of her hand again, this time in both of his. "Speak for her, Mother. This grandchild will be pure Sholan, and both parents are Talented. There's a good chance their cub will be, too. As good a chance as with any arranged marriage."

  Before she could answer, the door opened and Konis strode in. Behind him, Kusac could see Meral hovering anxiously.

  "I see you've just learned about what your daughter has done," he said. "Well? What do you think of this... situation?"

  Rhyasha took her hand from Kusac's and drew herself up as she looked over to her life-mate. "My daughter, Konis?" she said, arching an eye ridge at him. "Since when did our daughter become mine?"

  "I want to know your opinion on this," he said, frowning at her.

  Kusac watched his mother look past her husband to Meral. "I think," she said, her voice softening, "we should ask Taizia to join us."

  Startled, Konis came farther into the room. "You can sense Taizia's presence? Meral said she was with his family."

  "I believe your sister's in the shrine, Kusac. Go and fetch her," his mother said. "Meral, don't stand out there, join us. You've been in here often enough."

  Kusac got up and left the kitchen, heading down the corridor to the shrine at a run as soon as he was out of sight of his parents. Taizia was already on her way to meet him.

  She stopped, looking anxiously at him. He swept her up into his arms in a hug.

  "Taizia! I've missed you," he said, rubbing his cheek on hers as he set her back down again. "You're looking and feeling well! In fact," he said, standing back a little from her, "you look pregnant!" He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and drew her toward the kitchen. "Mother sent me to fetch you. I take it Meral didn't know you were here?"

  "No. I couldn't let him face Father on his own, Kusac, no matter how much he wanted to. What do you think he's going to say? Do you think we've got a chance?"

  "I honestly don't know. I've been working on Mother, softening her up for you," he said, then they were pushing the door open.

  Taizia went straight to Meral's side, her hand going down to take his.

  "I told you not to come!" said Meral quietly, his voice somewhat angry. "I said I'd see to it."

  "I couldn't let you tell them on your own," she said. She looked over at her father and Kusac saw her jaw tighten before she spoke. "I want him, Father. He's not a telepath, but he's got enough Talent to receive me. He's obviously got the genes, and that's what you really want, isn't it?"

  Konis looked over to Rhyasha.

  She sat for a moment, tapping a claw tip on the table. "You're a second son I'm told. You'd be prepared to leave your clan for ours?"

  Taizia's face lit up with hope as she looked at Meral.

  He looked from her to Kusac, then Rhyasha. "Yes."

  Rhyasha continued to tap the table thoughtfully for a moment or two. "You have my retrospective permission as Clan Leader to bond," she said abruptly.

  Konis sat down at the table and ran his hands across his ears, looking from one to the other of them.

  "The world we knew is changing drastically," he said. "It doesn't belong to our generation any more, Rhyasha. It belongs to Kusac and Taizia, and their partners. In the space of less than a year we've had the first Sholan/Human Leska Link, their first child conceived, and discovered that for hundreds of years we've ignored every mental Talent but telepathy in our
desire to breed more of ourselves." He sighed.

  Rhyasha reached out to touch his arm, but he took her hand in his instead. Kusac couldn't believe he was seeing it. His father particularly wasn't given to public shows of affection.

  "I nearly lost my son because of the female he loved," Konis continued. "I don't intend to risk losing my daughter. You can have your Warrior, Taizia. For now, I'll sanction your bonding for five years. After that, we'll review the situation. Agreed?"

  They all felt not only Taizia's but Meral's mental exhilaration.

  "Father ..." She flung herself at her father, arms going round him. "You don't know what this means to me!"