Dark Nadir

by Lisanne Norman

  “But you couldn’t fight after your Talent was boosted by Vartra.”

  “I could control my response better than the others because of my past,” said Rezac. “It was only after the Valtegans took Zashou and me that we had to learn to cope better with each other. I learned to look for the advantages in our Link, rather than the disadvantages. Granted a lot of them were personal,” he smiled, and Kaid could see the sadness in his eyes. “But there were those that enabled us to do our undercover work more efficiently. It’s like learning to use a new weapon, Kaid. At first it can feel clumsy and a liability, but with time you get used to it, and eventually wonder how you’d managed without it before.”

  Even as Kaid frowned at the analogy, he remembered his objections to some of the old-fashioned weapons he’d been taught to use in his early days at Stronghold. “So you’re saying just have patience.” Though he found that advice odd coming from Rezac, he said nothing. It was at least reassuring to know it wasn’t just him who’d felt like this about the female he loved.

  Rezac nodded. “With yourself, and with her. Hell, you’re a hundred percent better off than I was,” he said, sitting up. “Carrie’s like you in a lot of ways.”

  Kaid raised an eye ridge.

  “A Sister in your Brotherhood, a warrior. Look at the way she handled herself when we escaped, and after J’koshuk.”

  “Yeah,” he said, memories of the many times he’d been proud of her coming to mind.

  “Another reason why yesterday was bad for you,” added Rezac very quietly, “is what you found out about Kusac.”

  Kaid got to his feet abruptly. “I want to talk to everyone about this proposed treaty. Want to help me by rounding them up in here while I speak to Tirak about it?” He was not prepared to talk about his sword-brother to anyone right now.

  “Sure, but, Kaid,” said Rezac, getting up and reaching out to hold him back. “Deal with what you both feel about your Link and Kusac soon. It’ll only fester the longer it’s left.”

  “I hear you,” he said. “I’ll deal with it.”

  * * *

  “So they’re offering a nonaggression pact with the Sholan Alliance worlds and Kusac, in exchange for Kezule, this crown prince we’ve got, and help against the other two Valtegan worlds,” said Tirak.

  “Essentially, yes.”

  “And you’re empowered to sign such a treaty.”

  “Theoretically, yes, but that was with the Free Traders. The Alliance wasn’t aware of the existence of the Primes till now,” replied Kaid.

  “It’s get into bed with less aggressive, more powerful Valtegans to defeat a bunch of psychotic, aggressive ones. A pact with the Liege of Hell,” said T’Chebbi from her chair, looking across at Kaid.

  “Yes, it is,” he said, returning her gaze.

  “All I can say is that they seem to have been no trouble at Jalna,” said Tirak. “And this weapon the M’zullians used on your worlds, that should be retrieved and destroyed.”

  “But will they destroy it? Or will they use it against the other two worlds, then turn it on us?” asked Sheeowl.

  “That’s the question,” said Kaid. “It could depend on who gets it first.”

  There was a knock on the door and Giyesh entered, holding out a printed message for Kaid. “Just come in. Said urgent.”

  Kaid took it from her, quickly scanning the coded page, then folded it and put it away. “From our HQ. The decision on the treaty is being left to me,” he said. “And one of our telepaths has managed to contact Kusac. He is on the Prime ship and they are heading for Haven. J’koshuk had him in his claws for several days. He’s in a medical unit now, being prepared for release to us. Zsurtul was right, he has been implanted with a device, but he doesn’t trust their reason. Frankly, neither do I. He warns us to be careful of them.”

  “Sound advice. What do you intend to do?”

  “I don’t know. I want to hear what they have to say first. They know the location of Shola, they could have attacked us at any time after their Fall. They also know where Jalna is and visit there occasionally. They’ve caused no trouble for that world, or to your Free Traders. Perhaps they are as peaceful as they say. Maybe the risk is minimal and in our minds.”

  “When they’re out to get you, being afraid isn’t paranoid, it’s caution,” snorted Sheeowl. “Why didn’t they ask us outright if they wanted our help? Why terrify us half to death by abducting us in ones and twos? Why not tell you they’d found Carrie? Why wait till now to tell us they have Kusac, and they’ve experimented on him, and probably others of us?”

  “How does a society of scientists and intellectuals behave?” asked T’Chebbi.

  “Get wrapped up in their research and forget everything else,” said Tirak. “They care about knowledge and proof of their pet theories, nothing else.”

  “Like the Primes,” agreed T’Chebbi. “Fact they ask for treaty means they understand the concept. May be more dangerous as enemies than friends.”

  “I’ll wait till I hear what they have to say,” said Kaid patiently, “and take all you’ve said into account.” He got up. “Thank you for your input. Captain Tirak, you’ll see Annuur’s kept up to date on this, won’t you?”

  He held Rezac back as the others left. “I want to talk to our guest again about some of the issues this message raises, and I want you with me. If I’m to decide on the treaty, I want to know a lot more about these Primes.”

  * * *

  Kaid made use of the mess on the second deck again, but this time, Manesh sat outside in the passageway.

  “Are you having enough to eat?” asked Kaid, sitting down with his drink.

  “Yes. I am being fed adequately.”

  “What about leisure? Have you been given books?”

  “I have. Your literature is interesting. Tales of battles and heroes, Gods and Goddesses. More exciting than what we have in our libraries,” said Zsurtul, picking up his drinking bowl with both hands. “You wish to know more about us, don’t you? Then you can tell your leaders. Will they make a treaty with us, do you think?”

  “That depends,” said Kaid. “Your record as a species isn’t very good so far.”

  “You still hold the far past against us. I feared it might be so.”

  “I was actually speaking of your treatment of us on the Kz’adul. Without any explanation, we were taken off the M’ijikk at gunpoint by heavily armed soldiers and held captive for the Gods’ alone know how long. Why?”

  “I told you, we’d come for the purpose of meeting you and offering a treaty.”

  “Strange way to go about it,” said Rezac. “I’ve seen the Court. Your people are—were—great on ceremony. Where were the senior officials to greet us, the tour of the ship, the banquet?”

  “We couldn’t greet you like that,” said Zsurtul, putting his bowl down. “I told you why. As soon as you saw our true nature, you would have refused us.”

  “What is your true nature, Zsurtul?” asked Kaid quietly. “The armored guards, or what you claim, a planet of intellectuals incapable of defending themselves.”

  “You’re twisting my words for a meaning I didn’t intend,” Zsurtul complained. “The armor is only to protect us, to hide our appearance from others. Our old empire made many enemies and, without our warriors, we are vulnerable. Because of the look of our ships and our armor, those species we’ve encountered see us as a powerful force to appease, not to make war on.”

  “You wear it to intimidate,” said Kaid.

  “Oh, it does that, all right,” snorted Rezac, pulling his stim twig out from his pocket and sticking it in his mouth.

  “You haven’t answered my question about why we weren’t approached with a treaty offer much earlier than this,” reminded Kaid.

  “You were. I came with Doctor Zayshul to bring it to you, but you attacked us and took us hostage instead.”

  Rezac slammed the flat of his hand against the table. “And you took us from our rooms to examine us without our consent!”
he snarled.

  Zsurtul jumped nervously, his skin beginning to turn pale. “It was only for medical data,” he began.

  “It was not,” corrected Kaid. “Only our telepaths were taken, and I at least was experimented on.”

  Zsurtul looked at him, the flesh round his eyes creasing in a frown. “Experimented on? How could you know that?”

  “Gel marks on his temples,” said Rezac. “I found them, and he was ill when they brought him back.”

  “Ill?”

  Kaid noticed the sudden tensing of the Valtegan youth’s body. This was news to him, news he wasn’t pleased to hear.

  “Feverlike symptoms with vomiting. We were even given drugs to treat him.”

  “No experiments were authorized, I’m sure of it,” Zsurtul said. “You were only to be examined, nothing more.”

  “And J’koshuk? What about the experiments on him?” asked Kaid. “He wasn’t implanted like the others, was he? Someone was using drugs on him instead.”

  Zsurtul looked from one to the other uncertainly. “I know little about that,” he said.

  “But you were there when I got my mate back, weren’t you? I saw you, and you knew me by name. What is your position on the Kz’adul, Zsurtul? What do you do?”

  “I’m no crew member,” he said, his tone faintly offended. “I am the Emperor’s heir. I was on the ship as his representative, to see that all went smoothly with you, especially . . .” He faltered to a stop.

  “Go on,” said Kaid quietly. “Especially as what?”

  Zsurtul looked away to take hold of his drink again. “One of my Father’s advisers was against the proposed treaty. When he asked to take up a position as Head of Med Research on the Kz’adul, it was thought wise for me to come, too. I don’t like Chy’qui,” he said in a rush, looking up at Kaid. “I was against him keeping you and your mate, Carrie, separate once you woke her, as was Doctor Zayshul, but Chy’qui’s powerful back home and his people in Med Research obey him, not her. It wasn’t till J’koshuk attacked the Human that I could do anything. Chy’qui was off duty, you see, and Doctor Zayshul wanted you fetched but his assistant refused. I was able to contact the commander and get him to give the orders.”

  “That’s how you knew she wouldn’t be taken again.”

  Zayshul nodded.

  “I’d have thought the Enlightened One would easily outrank a mere counselor,” said Rezac.

  “I’d bet it’s your age, isn’t it, Zsurtul?” said Kaid. “This Chy’qui encourages others to see you as too young to be taken seriously.”

  The prince flushed. “I shall be ten in less than a year,” he said defensively.

  “Ten!” exclaimed Rezac, sitting up in surprise. “That’s not even a youngling!”

  “We mature earlier than your species,” said Zsurtul stiffly. “We have much passed on to us genetically, we don’t need as long a maturation time as you mammals.”

  “No wonder their empire was so large,” Rezac muttered. “They breed like jeggets.”

  “How was this Chy’qui involved with us?” asked Kaid.

  “Chy’qui took charge of you from the first, but he left treating the two injured ones and operating on your mate to Doctor Zayshul. He did treat the male who was in the other cryogenic unit.”

  “What about Kusac?” asked Kaid, forcing his voice to remain calm.

  “I think he used him to test J’koshuk on. Chy’qui said he had new drugs he wanted to try out on the priest to control his aggression. It would be more reliable than the implants,” said Zsurtul, faltering to a stop as he saw Kaid’s ears turn sideward and his pelt start to rise.

  “He did what?” demanded Kaid, as Rezac reached out to grasp his arm in a warning gesture.

  Zsurtul cowered back in his seat, obviously trying to move as far from him as possible without actually getting up from his chair. “I didn’t know anything about him until after we gave you back your mate! Doctor Zayshul had him treated immediately. I went to the commander and demanded you all be released once your time with your mind-mate was over and she was recovered enough to leave.”

  “You did that?” asked Rezac. “How could you demand anything if no one would listen to you?”

  “The commander listened when I said if he didn’t, I wished to speak to my father, because to delay you further could endanger the treaty,” he said.

  “What were they doing to Kusac?” demanded Kaid.

  “I really know nothing about him other than what I’ve already told you.”

  This Chy’qui must have figured he was Carrie’s Leska when they found them both in cryo units, sent Rezac. I’ll bet part of his experiment was seeing what would happen if he kept him and Carrie apart, then you started exhibiting Leska deprivation symptoms and they realized you were a Triad.

  “Had Kusac been beaten?” Kaid asked Zsurtul.

  The Prince hesitated. “I believe so.”

  In my time, they knew if one of us was hurt, the other suffered the same symptoms. Kusac was being tortured to see what effect it would have on you and Carrie, sent Rezac.

  Kaid took a deep breath and forced himself to relax. As his pelt and hair settled down again, he tried to remind himself that the Prince had not been responsible for their ill-treatment, quite the reverse in fact. How could Kusac have been harmed like that and neither he nor Carrie be aware of it?

  “You said he’d been implanted because of having seizures. Who did this to him? Tell me more about this implant. What does it do?”

  “It would have been Chy’qui who made the decision to use an implant. Your friend’s was a special one, Doctor Zayshul said. Chy’qui had had it adapted to control his seizures.”

  “Do you think he lied about the seizures? Could he have made it up as an excuse to keep our friend separate so he could experiment on him?”

  “I have no medical knowledge. I only know what Doctor Zayshul has told me,” he said apologetically. “It’s quite possible that Chy’qui tried to prevent the talks by delaying your release until you were so angry you refused to listen to us—and that almost happened. You were only supposed to be kept until your ship was repaired. Then we would have revealed who we were and asked for a meeting with your leaders. We’d have proved to you that we were different from the other Valtegans by our actions. Had you agreed to talk to us earlier, when you were taken for the medical tests, then we would have spoken to you sooner.”

  “Who did the tests and questioned us?” demanded Rezac.

  “Chy’qui, of course.” Zsurtul realized what he’d said and looked from Rezac to Kaid, eyes widening. “He could have lied about asking you.”

  “Like he lied about the tests and questioning us. Seems to me that this Chy’qui is playing his own game,” said Kaid, his throat vibrating with a rumble of anger. “And an alliance with us doesn’t fit into it at all.”

  * * *

  Afterward, he went to find T’Chebbi. She was in their room, but once again there was no sign of Carrie. He began to pace, slowly at first, ears back and tail swaying. From T’Chebbi he didn’t need to hide his feelings.

  “How’s Carrie taking this news of Kusac?” she asked eventually.

  “I don’t know, that’s the problem. She’s not only cut herself off, she’s avoiding me. I didn’t think she could do that!”

  “You forget what she was like in the early days on Shola with Kusac. She knows what you’ve got to decide. It’s Vartra’s prophecy, Kaid. She understands. Could just be making it easier for you, giving you less distractions.”

  He stood still, tail lashing from side to side now. “Well, it doesn’t,” he growled. “It distracts me more not knowing where she is and how she’s feeling.”

  “Why not go find her and tell her that,” she suggested gently. “Must be going through hell right now, wondering if she’s let Kusac down, wondering how he is, blaming herself for his state because of your Link. Is what you’re doing.”

  He stared at her, then turned and left the room without saying a word.


  The passenger lounge on the second deck had been empty so Carrie had gone there. Though she’d blocked his awareness of her through their Link flow, she was conscious of Kaid and sensed him approaching.

  Closing the door behind him, he came and sat beside her. “Been looking for you.”

  “I needed some peace,” she said, looking up at him. “And you needed to concentrate. You have to distance yourself from what we’ve been through if you’re going to make the right decision on this proposed treaty.”

  His hand moved across the table to cover hers. “I understand why, but don’t shut me out, Carrie. You don’t make me weaker, you make me stronger—I admit, I didn’t think you would, but you do. We’re both experiencing the same feelings of guilt, and we shouldn’t be. We did what was right.”

  “There’s no right or wrong to it, Tallinu. We did the only thing there was to do. We survived and we escaped. The rest is—incidental.” Her hand tightened on his as she relaxed her mind, letting his presence return fully, and hers flow back to him. There was still the void where Kusac should be, but it was less lonely when shared with Tallinu.

  His eyes closed and she felt the tension leave him. He’d been afraid for her, that the knowledge they’d left Kusac alive on the Prime ship would drive her through guilt to do something to lose their cub.

  “I wouldn’t do that, Tallinu. Whatever happens, our cub is wanted by both of us. You’ve news of Kusac. Tell me.”

  He reached inside his jacket, took out the message, and handed it to her. “You’d better read it for yourself.”

  She read it twice before handing it back. “He tells us not to trust him, that he’s being controlled by this implant. How?”

  “All Zsurtul could tell us is that it’s adapted to control his seizures. The good news is they intend to give him back.”

  “They’ve little choice when they want so much from us. He thinks his Talent is only suppressed, not destroyed.”

  “His judgment is flawed, Carrie. He’s been tortured and drugged. He was full of la’quo when he spoke to Brynne. This says Brynne saw him having convulsions. It could be the la’quo. We know we’re hypersensitive to it now. Or it could be as Zsurtul said—he went into convulsions when they woke him.”