“I trusted him as I had never trusted anyone before. Then he decided he was going to quit his job and start a business partnership with a friend of his, Erel. I had never liked Erel, and once, while Erel was visiting, I probed him. I picked up dishonesty and deceit. I tried to warn Daar later that his friend lacked the integrity for a partnership, but Daar laughed at me. Finally, to save him from ruining himself with this man, I told him the truth. The truth about my ability and the truth of my knowledge of Erel.”
The hatred, so close to the surface, was like a wild beast jarred from a comfortable sleep, selfish, demanding, and unseeing. Her throat constricted with the emotion, and it was hard to get the words out. She looked away from Rayn.
“But instead of being grateful, Daar was furious. He demanded to know how often I had probed him over the course of the relationship and to know what I had read. I tried to explain that I didn’t probe people on a regular basis, but it didn’t matter. He called me filthy names. Names I don’t want to repeat. He ended the relationship immediately. I continued to see him at the university, but he ignored me completely every time, not even acknowledging my presence.”
“How can you hate the dens so much after having been a victim of the same prejudice that’s been directed at us?” Rayn’s soft, controlled voice was gone, replaced by a low utterance which guttered with emotion, but Dina barely heard him.
She looked again at Rayn, and this time saw the dens, not the man. The beast that had been roused demanded satisfaction, and she turned it on the creature she saw.
“Don’t you see? There would have never been any prejudice against me if it hadn’t been for you! The names he called me were all derogatory terms for your people, your planet. It’s because of you that my life has been the way it has.”
“And you think that if there were no ‘Dark Star,’ no dens, that your Daar would have welcomed your admission that you could read minds? That he would have understood? Accepted you? Continued to cherish you the same way he had before?” Rayn replied, his voice louder but still hoarse.
Another time she would have heard the pain in his voice and considered his statements, but not now. “His hate wouldn’t have been so automatic. He wouldn’t have spit on me as if I were a lit match that would burn him.”
He took a step toward her. “Dina, listen to me. I’ve been around a lot longer than you have, and I’ve traveled to many worlds, including your Glacia. It’s a fact that most people without the ability have a hard time understanding and trusting those of us with it. It’s the same with any trait that’s vastly different from our own. Would you trust a shifter?”
“No . . . but . . .”
“And why wouldn’t you trust them? In point of fact they’re not a violent people. But they’re hated and feared nevertheless because others don’t understand them and don’t take the time and trouble to do so.”
She shook her head, barely feeling her eyes glaze over with unshed tears. “But Daar would have had a more open mind if not for the dens.”
He moved another step closer to her. “You don’t know that. Daar was a fool.”
She blinked, not seeing Rayn at all, but visions of the past. “Damn your contempt, damn all of you who think you know everything. You don’t understand.”
“What don’t I understand?”
“What others suffer because of you . . .” Her voice dropped as she tried in vain to control the anguish that flooded her. She felt him brush her mind and she repelled him as best she could. “No! Stay out of my mind.”
“Something’s wrong, Dina. What are you trying to hide from me? I can feel your hate, but it’s not for a broken love affair that ended years ago. It’s hot, and very fresh. I can feel it. You don’t hate the dens because of Daar. He was a long time ago, but your pain is recent. You’ve nurtured this hate. Why?”
But she only shook her head again, staring beyond him. “Damn you all to the Void!”
He grabbed her arm with one hand and her face with his other, forcing her to look at him. “Tell me. Tell me what happened to cause you this much pain.”
She closed her eyes. “You killed Roanna.”
“What?”
“She was killed eleven months ago. Roanna was killed by a dens. It was senseless. She just wanted to question him—wasn’t even going to take him into custody. He compelled her to turn her weapon on herself. She was my classmate at the Academy and my partner. My best friend. There was no reason for her to die, no reason . . . the dens just kill . . . and now it’s happening all over again.”
Rayn wrapped his arms around her and held her close, and she had no energy left to fight him.
I’m so sorry, little girl. He rocked her gently, and the rancor that gripped her gradually loosened. His mind pressed hers, and the hate fled. She dropped her guards, and he advanced, but she felt no compelling commands, no power unleashed on her. He simply held her and waited.
At last, she moved her head and looked at him. I know you’re not like that. I know that every world, every race, has killers, it’s just that . . .
I know. And I do understand. What happened to my brother was just as senseless. It’s no easier when it’s one of your own kind.
He held her at arm’s length and retreated from her mind. “And you trusted Daar.”
She nodded. “I wouldn’t let myself form any relationships after that.”
“Tell me. Is Daar the reason you can’t trust me, or is it that you just can’t bring yourself to trust a being like the one who killed your partner?”
“I don’t know if I can trust anyone.”
“Anyone other than Jon,” he added, the voice soft once again. “Now I know why you’re so protective of him.”
Dina locked her eyes with Rayn’s for a long moment. “I don’t have a relationship with Jon. He’s my partner and my friend, and that’s all.”
“And what do we have, Dina?”
“What do you want from me, Rayn? My trust? To what end? All we appear to have is a physical attraction that’s obviously going nowhere.”
He let go of her and stepped back. “It’s getting late. He’ll be calling for you soon.”
Dina didn’t want to leave, especially like this. Her anger had drained, but not her longing. If anything, the outburst of emotion had fueled her hunger. She wanted his answer to her question. “Rayn . . . I need you.”
“I know you do, Dina, I know. Come here.”
She went to him, and he placed his hands on either side of her face. Reach out to me, and wrap your mind around mine.
She slid her hands up his chest, and stretched her mind out to meet his. With the link in place, he dipped his head, and kissed her, slowly at first, tantalizing her. Dina gasped. This was like nothing she had ever experienced or imagined. It was as though all her senses were heightened, as if she were inside the kiss, feeling it from the inside out. Her entire existence was his mouth on hers—hot and soft—as if all the heat of the desert was in his kiss. She started to shake, and he pulled away from her. It’s burn. Release the link slowly and take deep breaths. Come on, do as I say.
Dina took a deep breath and shuddered. She pulled back from his mind, as he had commanded, and tried to slow her breathing. She realized her heart was pounding, but hadn’t been aware of it until now.
“See? I told you loving me wasn’t easy.”
“Not easy, perhaps, but worth the struggle, I think.”
He laughed softly, and she was glad she had lifted his dark mood, at least for a moment.
“Rayn, I have to ask you one question about T’halamar before I go. Can he use the dher on more than one person at a time?”
“No. He has to make a one-on-one connection. But if you’re thinking of capturing him by using a large force against him, remember this: You’ll likely be successful, but only after you’ve suffered ca
sualties as well. I don’t think you want that.”
“What alternative do we have?”
“Come on, you’d better be leaving.”
Reluctantly, she picked her jacket up off the floor and turned toward the door, but she paused before opening it. “Tomorrow?” she asked quietly, still facing the door.
Tomorrow.
HE STOOD, LONG after the door silently closed behind her, and thought about the irony. She had been ready for him, but he hadn’t been able to do it. He had brought her here to take her, to satisfy the growing need that threatened to overwhelm him, but found himself fighting to put her off instead.
He sagged to the bed. The game with her was over. He couldn’t make love to her and risk having her discover what he really was. Not yet. There was too much at stake.
He thought about her final question. There were alternatives. Not all the games were over.
Fourteen
Gyn
DINA AWOKE AT morning twilight again the following day, and with the energy of the awakening sun, dressed quickly and rode her skimmer to Ghe Wespero. Quite a few of the mercari greeted her warmly as they plied their trade. She returned their greetings and looked first to the east, at the silhouetted structures dark against the glow of agherz, then at the shimmering Albho.
It was a warm morning, and all she had put on for the weather had been a narrow sunshield. As the sun began lighting sparks off the buildings, Dina could feel the blood pulsing through her temples.
After all of yesterday’s disclosures, she needed to think, but it was too crowded and noisy at the marketplace. She fired her skimmer to life again and headed west across the mar. She had no specific destination in mind, only knew that the sand sky above and desert sea below beckoned her onward.
At the fifth way station she slowed her skimmer and pulled to a stop in the shade of the small structure. Something wasn’t right. Parked in the shade, she felt warmer than she had in the sun. She dismounted, but realized too late that she was not alone in the shadow.
Dina stared at the man who stepped from around the corner of the building. She started to pull her gun, but quickly thought better of it. If this man was who was she thought he was, the most dangerous place for her gun to be was in her hand. He was imposing in every respect. Not quite as tall as Jon, she guessed he was a little taller than Rayn. Like all the desert dwellers she had seen, he was without a trace of fat, all sinew and hard muscle. His hair was black and hung straight to the middle of his back. Eyes that were as dark and glittering as oil snared her, and features sharp as a dagger held her. His chest was bare, but he wore loose white trousers, black leather boots, and black leather bracers on his forearms.
“Who are you?” Dina’s voice felt small and weak to her own ears, but the man apparently had no trouble hearing her.
“You haven’t guessed? Ah, yes you have. I should have been disappointed in you if you hadn’t. Gyn T’halamar, late of B’harata, currently of the Pur-Pelag. Do you know what that means? The Fire Basin. I like that. I like living in the Pur-Pelag. Only the strong can survive in the heat of such fire.”
A red glow flowed outward from the man, and it was disconcerting, even for someone like Dina, who had experienced tangible auras before. The man appeared to be burning, yet there were no flames. The aura colored his trousers crimson, and his hair the color of dried blood. Dina’s heartbeat throbbed in her head, making it hard to concentrate. She knew she was at this man’s mercy, and that even if she called for Rayn’s help, there was no way he could arrive in time to save her from whatever T’halamar had in mind. “What do you want of me?”
“You’re afraid of me. That’s smart. Fear is what helps us to survive. Yes, even the dens cannot afford to become complacent. But I didn’t bring you here to hurt you.”
The hot-coal glow flared around T’halamar, but aside from the heat, Dina couldn’t feel his power on his skin. He was holding it well in check, yet he wanted her to be able to see it.
“You tried to kill me in the mine.”
“It was not I who tried to kill you. I brought you here to warn you about the man who did.”
Dina’s heart continued to pound like thunder that presaged a storm. This was not what she had expected, and her mind was having difficulty focusing on what he was saying. She wondered if he would use the dher on her. Thus far she felt no invasion of her mind, but she had no doubt he could do whatever he wished with her.
She swallowed, but it was a dry swallow, tasting of fear. “Why are you killing miners?” Her question was hardly more than a whisper.
“I didn’t kill the miners any more than I tried to kill you. If you think about it, you’ll realize who did.” He paused, and a smug smile of satisfaction twisted his mouth. “Ah, so you do know. Yes, DeStar, as he calls himself. You want to know why? Because he realizes it was a mistake to come here, but he wants the means to go elsewhere. So he sells the only marketable thing he has—his ability.”
Dina’s gaze felt trapped by the man’s impenetrable eyes. Had her own thoughts truly betrayed Rayn? She couldn’t be sure, knew only that she didn’t want to believe it.
His voice, smooth and deep, continued. “Have you not wondered how DeStar just happened to be so at hand when you needed help? He has been manipulating you since he met you.”
“I don’t believe you,” she whispered.
“Of course you don’t. He’s used a number of parlor tricks on you, I’m sure. But he has lied to you, hasn’t he? Quite a few times, no?”
Rayn had lied to her. She couldn’t deny that. He had denied knowing who had been responsible for the murders. A necessity, he had said, to ensure the safety of his people. What else had he lied about?
T’halamar laughed softly, a strange sound, like molten lava sliding over the earth. Her skin crawled with sweat.
“He is what is called on B’harata a spithra, after a small creature, which, unable to overpower its prey, uses cunning and trickery instead. The spithra lures its victims into its lair by emitting an attractive scent, then slowly binds the hapless one to the lair one strand at a time. The victim doesn’t even know it’s caught until it finally finds itself completely bound by spun threads, nearly invisible, but with the relative strength of the hardest metal in the galaxy.”
Dina’s skin felt fevered, and she shivered at the same time sweat broke out on her brow beneath her hood. This couldn’t be true. Not Rayn.
“I’m a loner. What better scapegoat could DeStar come up with than me? Think about it. You’ll find what I say is the truth. It’s not too late, if you want to save yourself.”
Dina closed her eyes. She tried to probe the strange man before her, but without success. She felt her effort easily repelled, as if she were a small child trying to hit a grown man.
“Go now. If you like, ask him if what I say is true. Just be prepared to hear more lies.”
She didn’t move. She couldn’t believe he wasn’t going to hurt her.
He laughed again. “Go. I have no hold on you, and no desire to harm you.”
Dina looked up again at the piercing gaze in the arresting face. The aura was gone, and all she saw was his normal coloring, the deeply tanned skin and jet black hair. His eyes glittered back at her, far too alive. She turned and fled, vaulting onto her skimmer and accelerating back to the city at top speed, still afraid he would come after her. During the ride back to Aeternus she tried not to think about Gyn or Rayn, allowing instead the mesmerizing ribbons of light and shadow over the desert waves to occupy her mind. She wanted to wait until she was back in her room, where there were no distractions and no danger, to sort out her feelings.
Less than an hour later she was in the Visitor Center, taking a warm shower and still trying to hold back the stream of images and emotions that flowed into her consciousness, then ebbed, only to be replaced by other, more disturbing
impressions.
Finally, when she was clean, refreshed, and dressed, she tried to organize her thoughts. Gyn had said some of the exact same things about Rayn that Jon had said to her. That Rayn was manipulative and just a little too handy when she needed rescuing at the mine. Was her inability to be objective about Rayn blinding her from obvious truths?
She had been increasingly clearer and clearer about her feelings for him. But were her feelings to be trusted completely? She’d been wrong about Daar. Perhaps she was wrong about Rayn, too. How could she know?
Solid proof. She needed proof that Gyn was the killer and that someone within Mother Lode Mining was behind the killings. What she needed was an insider. Someone in the Mother organization who knew what was going on and was willing to help her.
She would need Rayn’s help again, and help from Kindyll and Raethe, but she hesitated in calling Rayn. Dina didn’t know whether or not she should tell Rayn about her encounter with T’halamar. If she didn’t, she was taking a risk, because so far there hadn’t been anything she had been able to keep from him. But if she did tell him, how would Rayn respond? A harder decision was what to tell Jon. She’d violated Jon’s direct order by going into the desert. She had been compelled to do so, she was sure, but how could she make Jon believe that? Dina decided to wait to talk to Jon until after she had seen Rayn again.
It was still morning, the sun not having yet ascended to its highest celestial post. She took a deep breath.
Rayn.
Dina . . . what’s wrong?
How did you know?
Just tell me.
I need to see you. It’s important. And I need to talk to Kindyll and Raethe again.
I’ll send them to Bhel Kap. Come up the Albho Road and wait for me at the fifth way station. I’ll meet you there and escort you to the Bhel. How soon can you leave?
No, not the fifth station, anyplace but there.
What’s wrong with you? All right. Make it the fourth station, but make sure you wait for me. I don’t want you coming all the way alone.
Rainscape Page 24