Dark Nadir

by Lisanne Norman

  As she said this, he was aware that her interest was not purely professional. “Be careful in your research,” he said. “He’s also from a time when females were thought feral and never seen outside the breeding grounds. One of our female medics was almost killed by him when he arrived. He doesn’t tolerate females easily.”

  “I’ll be careful,” she said, beckoning to the Prime guards waiting a little distance away. “Take him to the shuttle and guard him closely. Don’t let Chy’qui near him,” she added. “Then return the floater.” She began to follow them. “I’ll tell Commander Q’ozoi we’re ready to begin the talks.”

  Kaid reached out to detain her. “You plan to breed from the M’zullians and Kezule,” he said. “Could Chy’qui have been trying to do that with us?”

  “No, absolutely not,” she said, obviously startled by his question. “Why would you think that?”

  “Only the telepaths were taken from our quarters to be medically examined and tested.”

  “Yes, we tested you, but nothing was taken that could be used for breeding! For that we’d need females of your kind living with us.”

  “Just check, if you will. I don’t trust anything that Chy’qui did to us or Kusac. My feelings are that part of the reason he implanted him was he hoped to keep him on the Kz’adul.”

  “The commander wouldn’t have allowed it,” she said firmly. “I have said I’ll check, and I will. You have my word.”

  “Thank you,” he said.

  * * *

  Aware that Carrie couldn’t settle down, he decided to send her up to the mess with Brynne as company.

  “His side is hurting,” said Kaid. “He could do with the rest. So could you.”

  “What about these talks?” she asked tiredly, rubbing the back of her neck.

  “Let me,” he said, turning her around. He reached his thumbs down inside the neck of her armor, beginning on what he could reach of her shoulders.

  He could feel her start to relax almost immediately. “Rezac can read them for me. You need to unwind.”

  “You always could turn me to mush,” she murmured, leaning back against him. “I used to look forward to the massages you gave me back when I was recovering after the Challenge.”

  “I viewed them with more mixed feelings,” he said quietly, remembering those sessions for himself. “I can’t tell you how many times I almost told you how I felt about you. And you lay there, purring and reciting relaxation litanies.” He shook his head. “I needed all my self-control, believe me.”

  “What makes you think I didn’t know?” she asked. “I used to tease you. Remember?”

  On her neck, his touch stilled briefly, then became a caress. “So you did,” he said as he resumed his massage.

  “That’s when I decided to choose you as our Third.”

  “Because of my massages?” he asked lightly, turning her round again while keeping one hand against her neck.

  “No. Because when you touched me, I knew you didn’t just want me, you really cared.”

  “My touch gave me away?”

  “It still does,” she smiled, putting her hand over his.

  “S’cuse me, boss,” said Brynne, from where he waited by the table. “But it’s time for us to leave. The Primes are on their way over.”

  Kaid nodded. “Send to me as soon as there’s any news about Kusac,” he said to Carrie. “When you’ve eaten, try and get some rest. Our room’s almost opposite sick bay, they’ll come and wake you.” Brynne, you and Keeza look after her till I send a relief up.

  Of course, replied Brynne, putting an arm round Carrie’s shoulder as he walked her to the elevator.

  Kaid watched until the doors closed behind them, then took his place beside L’Seuli at the negotiating table. He remained standing as the Prime commander and his party approached.

  “Have you made a decision yet?” asked L’Seuli in an undertone.

  “I want to hear what they propose first,” said Kaid. “But if we do make this treaty, we need to make it one of the conditions that the outposts remain our property, and the undisputed boundaries of our territory.”

  “You believe they were Valtegan?”

  “I know they were.”

  * * *

  Someone was shaking her.

  “Carrie, wake up. Kusac’s awake. He’s asking for you.”

  It was Banner. “Kusac’s awake?” she asked, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

  “Yes. He wants to see you.”

  “I’m coming.” Someone had put a blanket over her, she realized. Throwing it back, she swung her legs to the floor, searching for her shoes. Slipping them on, she got to her feet, stumbling as she tried to navigate the darkened room. Banner caught hold of her.

  “I’m Okay. Just sleepy. Where’s Kaid?” she asked, steadying herself against him for a moment.

  “Still talking to the Primes. They should be stopping for the night soon, though. Even they’ve got to sleep some time.”

  * * *

  Looking like he was still asleep, Kusac lay propped up in bed by a couple of pillows, the upper area of his neck swathed in bandages. Carrie could see from the bald patch just above the edge of the dressing that the physician had cut back even more of his hair.

  As the door closed behind her, he opened his eyes, mouth widening in a slow smile as he saw her.

  “How are you?” she asked, moving over to stand by his bed.

  “Better,” he said, taking her hand.

  His voice sounded stronger, but she noticed he kept his eyes hooded, not looking directly at her. She sat on the edge of the bed beside him. “The implant?”

  “The unit’s gone. Said when it heals, there’ll hardly even be a scar.”

  She could feel his fingers moving restlessly against her palm as he tried to link them between hers. “I had to . . .” she began in a rush, but he cut her short.

  “Thank you for stopping me,” he said, his hand clenching over hers. “For saving my life. I’d have killed the Prince, too.”

  “I didn’t want to . . .”

  “Hush.” His other arm reached round her waist, drawing her down till she lay against his chest. “You don’t know how good it is to just hold you and breathe in your scent again,” he said, his voice catching as he released her hand to hold her close within the circle of his arms. “I was afraid I’d never . . .” He stopped, unable to continue.

  “So was I,” she whispered, sliding her hands under his back. “So very afraid.” She felt light-headed with relief as she rubbed her cheek against his, feeling the softness of his pelt against her skin.

  His tongue touched her cheek in the way she remembered so well that instinctively she reached for his mind to share her pleasure. There was no response. It was as if he was mind-dead—unTalented.

  She started in shock, lifting her head to look at him. Catching his eyes this time, she could see the pain and fear in them.

  “Kiss me,” he whispered, his arms tightening round her. He returned her kiss frantically, cupping the back of her head and neck in his hand, trying to hold her even closer.

  She could sense him, feel his fear that his Talent would never return, and that its loss would cost him her. Tears she was unable to stop ran down her cheeks as she pulled her hands free and held his face. “Never that! I can’t live without you beside me!” she wept between kisses as frantic as his.

  He broke the kiss, taking her hands in his, urging her to rest her head on his shoulder. As he fought for self-control, she could feel him shaking, his heartbeat racing beneath her. “I have to tell you something,” he whispered, his voice finally breaking.

  “Don’t you know by now how much I love you?” she asked, desperate to reassure him.

  “Yes! I just can’t feel you any more!” The words sounded like they’d been ripped from his soul.

  “It’s not gone! You used it when you killed J’koshuk—we all felt you!” she said, trying to sit up.

  He held her tightly, keeping her wher
e she was. “Listen to me! The implant’s gone, but not what it’s done to me. It’s embedded bits of itself in me,” he whispered, the words coming out singly between ragged breaths. “It was done purposely to isolate us from each other, to see what would happen. Then he realized we were a Triad. She, Zayshul, didn’t know about me. Only you and Kaid. She and Zsurtul brought Kaid to you, saved your lives.” He stopped, resting his head against hers as he tried to slow his breathing.

  “How do you know all this?”

  “Kaid told me.”

  “You’ve spoken to Kaid already?”

  His arms tightened round her again. “He was here when I first woke. I know what’s happened between you . . .”

  “Then you know we are a Triad, no matter what!” she said, pushing herself up against him till she could see his face. “Chy’qui didn’t succeed in isolating us, Kusac, can’t you see that? If he had, you’d be dead—maybe all of us would. But you’re not.” She touched his cheek, wiping away the tears they’d both shed. “Gods, Kusac, your Talent’s still there somewhere, so’s our Link, I know it is! Just give yourself time to heal.”

  He searched her face and she could feel some of his fears begin to recede, replaced by a glimmer of hope. “Stay with me tonight. I don’t want . . . I can’t bear to be . . . alone,” he said as she leaned forward to kiss him.

  “I promise I’ll never leave you alone,” she whispered, her heart breaking for him.

  Epilogue

  IN his cabin on the shuttle, Chy’qui heard a noise outside the door. As it slid open, he heard his steward exchanging pleasantries with the guard outside.

  “You’re late,” he snapped, sitting up and leaning against the wall behind his bed as the male entered carrying a tray of food. “It’s bad enough that I’ve been locked in here for the last four hours without the food being delayed, too.”

  “All in good time, Doctor,” said the steward, walking toward the desk and putting the tray down. “Too much haste causes situations such as you find yourself in now. Your job was to procure samples from the telepaths, nothing more. Your experiments on the Sholan have put not only those, but all of us at risk.” He turned round to face Chy’qui. “As for your ambitious personal attempt on Prince Zsurtul, what can I say? The Directorate is most displeased.”

  Chy’qui frowned. “The samples as you call them, will enable the Directorate to breed these new hybrid telepaths. How else could they have been obtained? Perhaps it was naive of me to think I could keep the adult male, but the data I obtained from him is as unique as they are.”

  “Granted, but you took unauthorized risks, Chy’qui. Time is still on our side. Once we’ve brought them to maturation, we will have years to study and experiment with these hybrids in the security and privacy of the City. There was no need to risk everything by putting an implant in the male and keeping him separate from his partners. And allowing the priest to question him was sheer folly.”

  “I had to find out if I’d managed to suppress his telepathic ability and isolate him totally from the other two. For that I needed J’koshuk. You know that the telepath Leska pairs have a physical transference of injuries and symptoms between them. How else could I test my work? As for the plot against Zsurtul, that was none of my doing, as I’ve already said. It was Doctor Zayshul. Her resentment of me is well known.”

  “That’s why she’s at the treaty table and you’re in here?” The tone was rich with sarcasm.

  “My staff will back me up,” said Chy’qui. “If the Directorate think I’m going to resign, they’re mistaken.”

  “Oh, the Directorate don’t want you to resign,” said the steward softly, reaching into the top pocket of his white coveralls. “They expect you to terminate yourself before the commander calls on the Sholan telepaths to probe your mind for evidence of your assassination attempt on the Prince. You know too much about us, Chy’qui. You’re a security risk.”

  Chy’qui laughed nervously. “Q’ozoi wouldn’t authorize that! It would be their word against mine.”

  “He’s already taken their word against yours. That’s why you’re here.” The steward held out his hand, opening it to display the three gel capsules lying in his palm. “Quick-acting and painless.”

  “You’re joking!” Chy’qui said, getting up from the bed to stand as far away from the steward as possible. “I’ve no intention of taking them. I can prove my innocence easily!”

  “You have until I return for the tray to take them.” He put the capsules down on the bed. “If you have not . . .” He shrugged.

  “But the work I’ve done for the Directorate! You said yourself that the specimens were valuable! That surely counts for something!” blustered Chy’qui.

  “You’re quite right. I forgot to thank you. How remiss of me.” He turned away toward the door but Chy’qui lunged forward to grab him by the arm.

  “You can intercede for me! Tell them I’m innocent of the charges and can prove it!”

  The steward brushed Chy’qui’s hands away. “I think not. You’ve caused us to be responsible for the deaths of two of the crew already. Making sure the blame for that lies at your door wasn’t easy. We haven’t the stomach for taking any more innocent lives. We’re trying to protect our species.”

  Chy’qui felt a sudden sharp prick on his hand. Surprised, he stood looking at it as his sight began to blur.

  “You’ve become an embarrassment to us, Chy’qui,” he heard the steward say, as if from a great distance. “And don’t bother with the pills, they won’t be necessary now.”

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