by Jacey Jenson
Leanan mussed her hair with her fingers, then began to unfasten her gown. When she caught sight of Dennis' and Bobby's wide-eyed stares, she turned her back to them. A moment later, her gown refastened crookedly, she faced them and held out her hand to Dennis. "Take off your tunic. Don't ask, Dennis, just do it." She caught the tunic he threw at her, rolled the medicine and juice tablets inside, then gave it back to him. "Bend down.”
Dennis bent over, but not quite far enough. Leanan grabbed both his ears, and pulled him down to her height. She wrapped her arms around his neck to keep him from moving away, then kissed him repeatedly over his face and neck before releasing him. He colored fiercely as she tousled his hair, and stepped back to study the effect.
"Why did you do that?” He sounded like he was strangling.
She laughed. Reaching up, she smeared the lip rouge on his face with her thumb. "My lips are chapped. The only lip screen I had has rouge in it. Anyone I'd been playing with would have it all over him.” Both Leanan and Dennis looked at Bobby when he started to laugh.
"Sara's going to kill you when she sees that," the blonde Terran told his friend.
Dismay darkened Dennis' eyes. Leanan sniffed. "At least you'll live long enough for her to have the chance," she said. She snatched the whiskey bottle from the counter, then headed for the door. "Let's go."
*****
Gary paced the narrow pathways between the pallets. His head whipped around each time he turned, keeping his eyes on the door. The kennel was quiet. Too quiet, since the alarm had stopped howling. Even the little ones were silent, fidgeting nervously where they sat on their pallets. It had been at least an hour, since the piercing alarm had awakened Gary from a sound sleep.
Where are they? he thought, shaking his head. They’ve been gone over two hours. He glanced at the blanket curtain, then turned back to watch the door. He understood why Dennis went, but . . . the infirmary? It would have been better to try the clinic in town. At least there, no one would automatically assume vadagz were involved.
Gary lit a cigarette, took a deep drag. He considered going after them, but a quick look out a window told him too many sentinel were patrolling the area. Trihe choit! He puffed on the cigarette. What if they decide to do a bed check? A warm hand closed around his ankle. Gary stopped, looked down past the orange glow of his cigarette.
"Sit down, Gary," said Juan, in a low voice. "You're upsetting the little ones."
Gary glanced guiltily at the little ones. He could barely make out their faces in the darkness. Juan was right. They were watching him, fear in their wide eyes. Thumping ashes into his left palm, Gary gave them what he hoped was a reassuring smile. He pulled his ankle from Juan's grasp. As he walked past the sancube, Gary leaned in and dumped the ashes out of his hand, then tossed the cigarette he no longer wanted into the waste cube. He sighed, moved to his pallet, sat down facing the door.
He began to envision all manner of tortures Dennis and Bobby might be subjected to if caught. He moaned aloud, and shook his head to clear his mind. His gaze strayed to the nearest window. The cold draft was made visible with ghostly billowing fog which slowly drifted in through the window, and dissipated even more slowly in the chill kennel. Gary frowned. Surely, if they were caught, he would hear something.
On that thought, he heard someone outside speaking. Gary jumped to his feet, rushed to the window. The murky mist was thicker than Kaliat's ninth veil outside, shrouding the compound. Gary strained to see through it, listening. Frustration gripped him. It was only two of the sentinel. He listened, relaxing slightly as he learned that his friends hadn't yet been caught. He let out a deep breath, turned to return to his pallet.
"Hold," he heard one of the sentinel shout suddenly. Gary whirled, unconsciously holding his breath, while visually searching the heavy fog. A brief gust of air cleared an area not far from his window. The red and black uniforms of the sentinel drew his attention. A giggle sounded to the guards' left. The guards both held their lasers ready to fire.
Gary's mouth dropped open as Warder Leanan stepped out of the haze, leaning heavily on Dennis' bare shoulder. A nearly empty whiskey bottle was clutched tightly against her chest, as if it were the only friend she had. Her hair tangled and uncombed, her gown in disarray, Leanan looked as if she had dressed hurriedly after a bit of private entertainment. Dennis didn't look any better. His hair tousled, his face, neck and chest smeared with lip rouge, Dennis swayed drunkenly, grinning lecherously at the sentinel. Leanan staggered. Dennis clumsily caught her, swayed with her.
"Has this one been with you, Warder?" asked the closest Sentinel, distaste in her voice.
"Ummmhmmm.” A silly grin appeared on Leanan's full lips. She waved the whiskey bottle at Dennis, almost hitting him with it. "He's pretty good. Wanna try'im?"
"No, Warder," said the Sentinel, disgustedly. "Have you seen any unescorted vadagz?"
"No. I been kinda busy.” Leanan's grin twisted into a leer. "Know whadImean?"
"See that this one gets to his proper kennel. Tonight, unescorted vadagz will be shot on sight."
Leanan swayed, lost her balance. She caught hold of Dennis to keep from falling. They both stumbled. "Thaz whad'm doin, woman," she pointed out haughtily, her words slurring. With a commanding jerk on Dennis' arm, Leanan pulled him to the kennel door.
Gary leaned his head through the small window, as much as he dared, to watch. Leanan leaned into Dennis, raised her face. Dennis hesitated, then bent his head to kiss her. Gary choked. His gaze snapped to the sentinel. The two women eyed Leanan with disapproval, then shrugged, and walked into the fog, beginning their search anew. Even as he looked back at Dennis and Leanan, Gary felt a smoldering rage build inside him. Denny Joe was sick, maybe dying, and Dennis was drunk, playing at entertainment, while the Terrans in the kennel worried he was being beaten to death, or filleted alive. Trihe choit!
Grinding his teeth, Gary sent a look of betrayed anger at Dennis. To his surprise, Leanan stepped away from Dennis, her features alert and sober as she turned to scan the area. She gave a satisfied nod, motioned for Dennis to open the door. For the first time, Gary noticed the rolled tunic under Dennis' arm. His hand steady, Dennis opened the door. Surprise flickered across Dennis' face, when Leanan tucked the whiskey bottle under her arm, and shoved past him into the kennel. Gary turned from the window, his gaze centered on Leanan. She’s so beautiful, he thought. A surge of longing swept through him. A spark of feeling he didn't recognize lurched in his chest. He could see, now, that Dennis was no more drunk than he, himself, was. For some reason, that made him even angrier.
"Where in Kaliat's hidden recesses have you been?" Gary demanded of Dennis. "And where is Bobby?"
Dennis sagged against the door, let out a huge breath. "Bobby's in her apartment.” He hooked a thumb toward Leanan. "He's alright."
"Trihe choit toivada," muttered Gary. "I thought you went after medicine."
"We did.” Dennis straightened up to face Gary's anger. "But the alarm . . .."
"Enough," broke in Leanan. "If the child is as ill as you told me, we have no time for this.” She marched past Gary to the curtain. There she stopped, looked back at Dennis. "Get a cook pot full of cool water. And I'll need something to make the juice in.”
Anger blazed in the depths of her shadowed eyes, distracting Gary. Disconcerted, he watched the curtain fall behind her, then looked at Dennis. "She's helping?" he asked.
"That's what I was trying to tell you," said Dennis. He rushed to the cook unit. Water splashed with a hollow metallic sound into the cook pot.
Gary followed him. "What happened?"
Dennis shoved the pot into Gary's hands. Gary let out a breath of disgust as water sloshed onto his tunic. He opened his mouth to speak, but Dennis was already talking. "I triggered the alarm.” His back to Gary, Dennis searched the shelves for something that would hold a measure of water. "Thought we'd had it, till she came out and took us into her apartment."
"Have fun?" asked Gary.
/> Dennis turned around, a clay jar in his hands. He frowned. "Fun?"
Gary swept his hand forward, touched Dennis' chest and face in several places, indicating the lip rouge. "Have fun?" he repeated, his voice harsh with anger. Dennis froze, his eyebrows knitting in confusion.
"Gary, I'm not sure . . .."
"I saw you two kissing," interrupted Gary.
"Kissing?” Dennis sighed. "Gary, she told the sentinel . . .."
"I know what she told the Sentinel. I heard."
Dennis stared at Gary. He seemed to be lost for words. Then his eyes widened, his mouth popped open. "Choit, Gary! You're not mad because we were gone. You're jealous!"
Jealous! Gary shook his head, but was unable to deny the accusation verbally. Jealous? he thought. How could I be jealous over a Thali woman? But, he couldn't bring himself to say it. Gary cleared his throat uneasily, glanced at the pot in his hands. "We better get this stuff in there," he said, and turned away from Dennis' too perceptive gaze.
******
As Leanan slipped past the blanket curtain, three vadagza looked up at her. Their eyes were full of uncertain fear. "I've come to help," said Leanan to Sara. She pretended not to notice the skeptical glances the three Terran girls exchanged. "I don't know your names," she added after a moment.
"I'm Sara," said the baby's mother. "This is Donna, and this is Lucy."
Leanan nodded to each, as her name was given. Grotesque shadows danced on the walls, thrown by the flickering flame of the one candle lighting the small makeshift nursery. The sharp, nauseating odor of sickness stung Leanan's nose. Denny Joe whined. Leanan gasped, when she caught sight of him. She knelt before Sara, touched his feverish brow. Anguish tore into her chest, left an indefinable ache in her breast. Dennis was right. If his fever didn't break soon, he was going to die. Or worse, live brain-cooked. The candle flame jerked wildly, as the blanket behind Leanan moved, letting in a much-needed breath of fresh air.
Leanan looked up, her gaze meeting Gary's as he bent to set down the cook pot. "Where's Dennis?" she asked.
"Right here," said Dennis, from behind Gary.
"Hand me the juice tablets," said Leanan, her eyes still locked to Gary's. She raised a hand to accept the box Dennis extended toward her, unable to shift her gaze from Gary. There was something in his eyes, something she had seen somewhere, but could not remember when or where. He’s angry with me, she realized, then wondered why.
"Warder?" asked Lucy. Lucy’s tremulous voice reminded Leanan why she was there.
She wrenched her gaze from Gary, and took a square tablet of juice concentrate from the box. "Did you bring a container for the juice?" she asked Dennis, without looking up. Dennis handed her the clay jar. She felt Gary watching her, as she half-filled the jar with water. After dropping in the concentrate, she swirled the jar until it dissolved. The sweet smell of reesan juice clashed with the sickly odor filling the air. Leanan added water to fill the jar, and handed it to Lucy. "See if you can get him to drink some of this."
While Sara held Denny Joe, Lucy carefully spooned juice into his mouth. Sara drew a quivering breath, released it in a sigh of relief. "He's taking it!"
The hope in her voice brought a smile to Leanan's lips. "Give him all he'll take. Dennis, tear a few strips off that blanket, and dip them in the water. Wipe him down with them.”
Leanan looked around, located Dennis' tunic on the floor behind Gary. "Hand me that," she told the shenili, pointing.
Gary glanced behind himself, then handed her the tunic. She shook it out. The vial of kelna rolled out of the folds onto the floor. Leanan picked it up, and twisted the cap.
"Choit," she muttered, and tried again. She couldn't get it open. She turned the vial in her hands, studied the cap. The seal hadn't been broken. She took a firm grip, tried harder. Still, it wouldn't open. A large calloused hand closed over hers. Her startled gaze darted to Gary.
"Let me," he said in soft command. Surprise loosed her hold. He easily slipped the vial from her hands. With one quick twist, he had the bottle open. "How many do you need?"
"One," she said, confused by his quiet authority. His amused expression told her that her confusion showed on her face. With an effort, she schooled her features into a passive mask. Gary took a capsule from the vial, held it out to her. Careful not to touch his hand, Leanan took it. Her gaze lingering on his face, she broke the capsule apart. His face held traces of the sensuality mutely promised by his shenili collar. Rugged, yet handsome, he was easily one of the best looking young men Leanan had ever seen. And his changeable blue eyes . . ..
Leanan gasped. He knew what she was thinking. She could see the knowledge in his eyes, in the suppressed passion that burned in them, as they turned to indigo. He watched her, waiting, she somehow knew, for her to speak, to give an indication of . . .. Leanan swallowed and turned away from him. Stop it, she told herself. He is vadagz! Yes, and he is shenili, her mind replied.
She felt heat climb her neck, flood her face with embarrassment. She cleared her throat, leaned forward to pour a small amount of the kelna powder into the spoon Lucy was using to feed Denny Joe the juice. With her forefinger, she stirred the powder into the juice until it dissolved. "Do you know how to give bad tasting medicine to a baby?" she asked, trying to put Gary out of her mind.
Sara, Lucy, and Donna all shook their heads no. Donna's expression was hostile. Leanan studied her for a moment, then shrugged. Pinching Denny Joe's nose gently, Leanan waited until he opened his mouth to breath, poured in the medicine, and held his mouth shut. She watched closely, and released him as soon as he swallowed the foul-tasting concoction. Denny Joe tried to cry, but seemed to find it took too much effort, and whined instead.
"If you let him go before he swallows it," Leanan told Sara, "he'll just spit it out. Give him about a fourth of a capsule every five or six bells, until the fever stays down." She leaned back on her heels. She watched as Sara and Donna wiped him down with the wet rags Dennis passed to them.
"Thank you, Warder.” Sara choked on her words.
"Just take good care of him," Leanan answered brusquely. "I have to go. Let me know tomorrow, if you need anything else for him. I've been assigned warder to this kennel." Leanan stood slowly, and stretched muscles that protested the move. She was acutely aware of the late hour, and her own fatigue. "If the fever doesn't come down soon, bathe him in the water for a few minutes at a time, but try not to let him get too chilled."
She wiped her face with her hands. "I'm going to keep Bobby in my apartment through the day.” She aimed the information at Dennis. She wasn't sure she wanted to talk to Gary. "Two of you in one night would ruin what reputation I have left, and might cause questions." She avoided Gary's gaze by rubbing her bleary eyes with her fingertips. "Dennis, if anyone asks, you were with me before light fell. This could get me the privilege of sharing your quarters on a permanent basis."
"They'd slave you?" asked Gary.
"They would.” She didn't look at him. "Keep this to yourselves.” She smiled at Denny Joe. "I'll help you in any way I can, but for all our sakes, don't let anyone know."
Leanan ducked under the blanket hiding the small room, walked quickly toward the door. Before she reached it, a hand closed on her wrist, pulled her to a stop. She spun around to face Gary. "I could have you beaten for that," she said, her voice without inflection.
"You could," he agreed, "but you won't."
"Won't I?"
"No."
When he didn't say more, Leanan frowned at him. She refused to try to free her wrist from his grasp, knowing she would look foolish if he chose not to allow it. "What do you want?"
"Some answers."
Leanan shivered. Something in his tone told her he wouldn't accept avoidance of his questions. She had a choice. She could have him beaten, or . . .. "What answers?" she asked.
“Why help us?"
"Ask Dennis or Bobby. I told them.” Her eyes were as determined as his. "I won't go through it again tonight. W
hat else?"
"When you first found Denny Joe, you unwrapped him. Would you have let him live, if he'd been a girl?"
His question formed a circle wheeling around and round through Leanan's mind. Would I? she asked herself. She wasn't sure she wanted to know. She forced herself to meet his gaze in the vague light, and found his searching look disturbing. Mixed feelings roiled through her. She fought to keep her voice steady. "I don't know. I like to think I would have, Gary, but . . . I don't know."
The flesh of her wrist tingled, reminding her he was shenili. She couldn't keep the realization from her face.
Gary smiled, seemed more sure of himself. "You could take me back with you," he suggested in a velvet, seductive tone. Leanan's breath caught in her chest. For long moments, she could only stare at him. I could, she thought, then shook her head. "But I won't," she said aloud. She looked pointedly at the hand holding her wrist. "Release me.” His grip remained steady. Uneasy, now, Leanan looked up at him.
"Yes, my Lady," he said, a taunting smile on his lips. She stepped away from him, clutching the wrist he had released with her other hand. Then she understood. He had released her, but not because she had ordered him to. This one is dangerous, she thought, dismayed as a thrill of excitement passed through her. Confused by her reaction to him, she turned and stumbled over someone's outstretched leg. She gasped as Gary caught her from behind, his large hands spanning her small waist. He lifted her easily, set her back on her feet. "You'll hurt yourself, if you're not more careful, Warder."
She turned in his hands, looked up at his face. "Why do you care?"
"I care.” His dark eyes were intense. He seemed to enjoy her struggle to recapture her composure. Leanan swallowed, licked her dry lips. She stopped breathing, as she realized from the change in his eyes, the change in his breathing, that he found the gesture seductive. Suddenly, she had to get away from him. She shoved him back, pulled from his hands, and ran for the door. She stopped, glanced back before leaving. He smiled slowly, gave her an even slower nod.