A Warrior's Heart

by DL O'Neal

  Krthe shifted so he could watch both Cheyna and Drakthe without taking his eyes from either. "My men surrounded the pair. I approached the child, inquiring about the source of conflict. He was still defiant." Krthe smiled knowingly. "Much as he is right now. He refused to answer. Just clutched an old krees tighter in one small fist, obviously prepared to battle me and my men, if necessary. His opponent was unable to answer."

  "I decided to have the urchin cleaned up and educated. An impulse I've never regretted. Drakthe has long since proved his value. Over the years his loyalty, bought and paid for, has proven just as fierce as his fighting ability."

  "Tell her the truth." Drakthe was disgusted with himself for not figuring it out sooner. Just as he hadn't realized until too late that Lcrier had a partner. "You knew exactly why you took me into your House. Go ahead, tell her. Or do you prefer to play the role of the generous nobleman?"

  Krthe inclined his head in acknowledgment of Drakthe's astuteness. "You could make the krees glow. Only those with strong psi energy possess that ability. Recognizing your threat, I gave orders that anyone showing signs of Talent was to be destroyed, then circulated rumors about you. It was so easy to resurrect the old paranoias, the hatred of anyone 'different'. People volunteered to join the death squads. The man you killed that day worked for me. He was one of my best. At first I wasn't going to interfere, however you, a mere child, took the decision out of my hands by killing your opponent. I then realized I could mold you to suit my needs. I could make sure your loyalty, your ability, was mine."

  "In time I came to appreciate other aspects of your personality, to enjoy working with you." His black, wintry gaze watched Drakthe's every move. "Unlike Lcrier, you are not a fool. He underestimated me. He believed me merely a minor partner, someone to feed snippets of information to when he judged it prudent. Now, if you had been my accomplice, you would never have assumed you were my sole source of information."

  "Do not," the Trade Baron warned as Drakthe fiddled with the straps restraining Cheyna. "I have no wish to kill you. Unless forced," Krthe added as an afterthought.

  Drakthe let his hand drop, resting it on the table next to Cheyna's hip. The crystal table was cold to the touch. Cheyna's warmth reached out and heated the tips of his fingers. "Harm my bondwife, and you'll have to kill me."

  Krthe shook his head sorrowfully. "Where is my calm, controlled Merchant Master? Can it be you care for the NaturPath?"

  "I protect what is mine." Drakthe faced his employer, daring him to make a move to harm Cheyna. Inside, the part of him that had half thought of Krthe as a father figure crumbled to ashes. Betrayal burned bitter on his tongue. Hadn't life taught him not to trust anyone? He should have paid better attention. Drakthe schooled his expression into a mask as hard and cold as the volcanic ice and crystal forming the cavern. He didn't dare let Krthe sense a weakness.

  "Yes, you do," Krthe agreed thoughtfully. "Which is why you will obey me very carefully." He lifted an airbow and pointed it at Cheyna. "If you do not, I'm afraid the NaturPath will suffer for your disobedience." He motioned with the tip of the barrel. "Step away, Fchion."

  Drakthe obeyed reluctantly.

  "Over there. Get on the table."

  Drakthe watched Krthe with the deliberate attention of a hunting firecat. Inside, a steady flame burned in his blood. Around his neck, the pendant warmed.

  The Trade Baron removed a pair of black cuffs from his mantle. He smiled as he saw the involuntary clenching of Drakthe's jaw. Krthe dandled the cuffs in the air.

  "Quite beautiful, aren't they? Quite indestructible, too. I had them constructed from volcanic ice to my specifications." Krthe's voice lost its fake aura of amiability. "Put the daegar on the floor."

  Drakthe complied, but his gaze lost none of its stalking promise of retribution.

  "Kick it over to me. Now," Krthe ordered crisply, "get up on the table." Krthe tossed the cuffs toward Drakthe.

  Drakthe caught them.

  "Lie down with your hands over your head. Around the column," the Trade Baron directed, his voice sharp. "Put one manacle around your wrist."

  Hating to give in, yet unable to see a way around the order, Drakthe did as told. The click of the locking mechanism sounded inordinately loud in his ears.

  "Good." Krthe stepped closer and closed the other cuff around Drakthe's free hand. Once satisfied his hands were restrained, Krthe used a second set to fasten his ankles to another sturdy pillar situated at the foot of the stone table.

  Krthe fingered the ruined leather straps, his disdain clear. "He should have known these would never hold you." Krthe stared at his Merchant Master before allowing his gaze to wander over the cavern. The High Lord's eyes lit with an avid gleam.

  "After generations, it is finally ours."

  "Ours?" Drakthe asked, hoping to keep Krthe talking, keep his attention away from Cheyna.

  "My family's," the High Lord breathed, his gaze fixed on the glittering crystal canopy. He brought his gaze back down. His eyes filled with a malevolent light as they fixed on Cheyna. "She tried to keep me from it, to keep me out of her mind."

  "All should have been ours." Krthe's hands, with their long elegant fingers, clenched into fists. "The title. The knowledge. The power. Instead, a minor branch of the family, the House of Talis, stole it from us." The veins in Krthe's throat stood out in bas-relief, and his face darkened with rage. "It was ours!"

  "The House of Talis has always been our leader," Drakthe countered, his own gaze watchful. Fury, he knew, had a way of lowering a man's guard.

  "Lies," Krthe spat before he regained control. "Lies," he said again, more quietly. "The House of Talis was subordinate to the House of Hagar. To my house. They--the Ktal's of the House of Talis--believed the House of Hagar to have died out a chiliad ago, but instead we went underground. I am the last of the proud and powerful line. Under my rule we will regain all we lost. The House of Hagar will reign Scimtar. As is our right," the Trade Baron concluded, the light of a true fanatic shining in his eyes.

  "Your right?" Drakthe scoffed. "You attempt to steal the sovereignty of our planet and call it your right?"

  "Oh, yes, our right." Krthe's gaze burned with utter conviction. "We were the ruling House. We built the ships to colonize this world, we chose the accompanying Houses, those that could provide the most benefit on a new planet."

  "But they had a problem, didn't they?" All at once it began to make sense. Drakthe chanced testing his theory. "A problem your ancestors failed to take into consideration beforehand? The Raipier already inhabited the planet." Sharp shooting pains wracked his shoulders from the unnatural position, and his hands were starting to go numb. Drakthe knew he had to get free before they became completely useless.

  "Animals. They were only animals," Krthe snapped.

  "Animals?" Drakthe shook his head. "Hardly. The Raipier were much more advanced than we were. Than we are now." His voice sharpened as another piece of the puzzle fell into place. "That was the whole problem, wasn't it? The colonists did not scout the planet in advance. Or," he continued, working it out as he spoke, "if they did, they discounted the intellect and skill of the Raipier. Did the miscalculation topple the House of Hagar from its position of power?"

  "No!" the Trade Baron snarled, losing all semblances of urbanity. "Those animals were no match for us! Not in a fair fight!"

  "You're wrong!" Drakthe retaliated. "They were slaughtering us, weren't they? Those animals, as you disparaged them, were systematically destroying the colonists."

  "They were robbing our minds! They were stealing the knowledge, the very soul from us!" Krthe shuddered to a halt, breathing hard. He inhaled and the mask of elegant confidence slid back into place. "It was only fitting that we did the same to them. The House of Hagar realized what was happening and turned the weapon back on its creators."

  "Are you saying the colonists possessed psi powers when they landed?" Drakthe questioned, a krees-like edge to his voice.

  Krthe shrugged. "Wh
at does it matter if their powers were there from the start or if they developed after landing? All that matters is the House of Hagar discovered the secret for controlling psi talent. The tide of war turned in our favor. We were winning, decimating the Raipier, when Gbril Ktal and the House of Talis betrayed their race," Krthe snapped.

  "It matters," Drakthe whispered, remembering how he had fought Cheyna over the issue. Remembered how he had mocked her beliefs in the very existence of psi talent. "Believe me. It matters." Printed indelibly on his memory was the image of standing over Cheyna, a bared krees in his hand. "You used me to threaten Cheyna. If I had known psi ability existed, I would have guarded against such an intrusion."

  A satisfied smile curved Krthe's thin, aesthetic lips. "Ah, yes. I had forgotten." He shook his head in admiration. "You know, I wondered if you had understood the significance of the 'dream' when you left the city unexpectedly the morning after your bonding. I could not be certain, however. My congratulations, Merchant Master."

  "One thing makes me curious, High Lord. Why is psi talent not acknowledged? No," Drakthe corrected with a frown. "It is more than that. The mere mention of psi ability opens a person to derision. How did such abhorrence come to pass?"

  Krthe looked pleased at the question.

  "Over a chiliad ago, the House of Hagar nearly recovered our position. When the attempt failed, we made it our business to circulate rumors linking psi ability with evil." Krthe shook his head in wonder. "It was remarkably easy. From the time of Gbril Ktal, made first Great Lord for his betrayal, the House of Talis has insisted on Raipierian advisors. Once we reminded people of the conflict, the House of Hagar found it simple to instill distrust for any that exhibited signs of Talent."

  "Unfortunately, the importance of the Crystal Sheathe and Krees to our quest to regain our rightful place became confused over the years. The House of Hagar continued its attempt to gain the talisman, but the true reason became blurred."

  Krthe fingered the airbow. "My ancestors were great historians so it was the nature of the House of Hagar to keep meticulous records. We've kept journals over the years chronicling our attempts to regain sovereignty. Regrettably, the Krees was destroyed hundreds of years ago in the effort and, somehow, knowledge of the Sheathe became corrupted until it became a symbol of power, rather than the source."

  "I was the first in many generations to realize the true power of the Sheathe is its ability to focus and transfer psi talent." Krthe shifted until he was looking directly at Cheyna. He smiled, and Drakthe's gut twisted. "With the help of the NaturPath, I will prove my theory."

  "You've used other NaturPaths. They've been unable to unlock the power of the Sheathe," Drakthe desperately reminded the Trade Baron. He couldn't allow Krthe to attempt to link with Cheyna through that machine. It would kill her.

  Krthe tapped the barrel of the airbow against the black crystal table. "Ah, but the other NaturPaths all lacked one thing your tradewife possesses."

  Certain that the Trade Baron realized Cheyna's mind was trained in the Raipierian way, Drakthe broke out in sweat.

  "She is unapprenticed."

  The drops of sweat turned chill against his skin with relief.

  "The NaturPaths of the Agora held the key all this time. When they cut trade from the Agora and made reopening the route conditional on negotiating with an unapprenticed NaturPath, I understood at last why I always failed." A dark scowl cut deep lines across the high forehead as he contemplated the perfidy of the Agora NaturPaths.

  "So why continue to kidnap NaturPaths?" Drakthe remembered Tanni's father and the terrible wounds he had suffered. "And the man from Shhiv? What could you possibly hope to gain from him? He wasn't a NaturPath. You had no reason to suspect him of having psi ability."

  "He was an experiment, if you will. I needed to be absolutely certain the amplifier would work with a resistant subject. The Shhiv NaturPath was reputed to be very powerful. Unlike the others," the High Lord added, scorn dripping from his tone. "I could not chance harm if she resisted. Nor could I allow Lcrier to benefit from her abilities. The guide was expendable."

  Drakthe thought of the small boy who had captured a piece of his bondwife's heart because of his courage, and ached to get his hands on the Trade Baron. Tanni wouldn't agree his father was expendable. "The others? What of them? You said you realized you needed an unapprenticed NaturPath a twenty-month ago."

  "I wanted their knowledge." Krthe sounded as if Drakthe should have understood that simple fact. "With each extraction, I gained new information to add to that of the journals."

  Drakthe winced at the dispassionate depiction of an act that cost each NaturPath her life.

  "I also increased my own power by absorbing theirs," Krthe continued. "The process did have a few unfortunate side effects, however."

  Yeah, Drakthe thought, they died. "How did you know Cheyna was unapprenticed? And why, after promising her to Lcrier, did you send me after her?" Drakthe paused. "You did arrange for the contract between her and Lcrier?"

  "I have ears everywhere. When I first heard rumors of an unapprenticed NaturPath, I immediately implanted the suggestion that Lcrier should travel to the Mvale District and arrange a bonding. Lcrier's been in my employ for years. His ambition made it a simple matter. All I had to do was give him the occasional tidbit in return for certain services and allow him to believe he was in control. Lcrier's weakness was his arrogance, making him easily led."

  "So why send me to take Cheyna away from him?"

  "Come, Drakthe, don't be so obtuse," Krthe admonished. "Lcrier's escalating ambitions made him unpredictable. You, on the other hand, are supremely predictable."

  "In other words, you dangled that which I wanted most--my own House--and stood back and let me do your work for you," Drakthe translated with increasing disgust.

  "Correct. You wanted to found your own House. I needed the NaturPath. A perfect match. We both would get what we wanted."

  "Only I refused to follow your carefully constructed plan anymore."

  "Yes," the Trade Baron agreed darkly. "You deviated from the norm. A most unsettling experience."

  "Is that why you sent Lcrier to kidnap Cheyna in Akuchi? You decided you couldn't depend on my being predictable?"

  "No. Lcrier kidnaped the NaturPath on his own and notified me after the act. Of course, by the time the message arrived you had already rescued your tradewife."

  "Bondwife," Drakthe corrected, as cold as space itself. "Cheyna is my bondwife."

  "I should have anticipated difficulties when you insisted on a traditional bonding. My error was in not realizing you were becoming attached to the little NaturPath," Krthe mused. "Your insistence on a traditional bonding was the first indication you were no longer trustworthy." Krthe nodded. "Yes, I should have placed more importance on the deviance. I underestimated your response to her. You've always been so...."

  "Predictable?" Drakthe supplied dryly.

  "Reliable. You've always been so reliable in the past. I felt sure this time would be no different. You would reopen the trade route and, in doing so, prove she was the one I needed."

  "Forgive me for impeding your plans. That's what happens when you keep the hired help out of the loop." Drakthe apologized politely.

  "Think nothing of it, Fire Krees. As it turns out, you have served me well." Krthe let his gaze wander around the great cavern. "I had no idea this existed." He crossed to a console littered with buttons and levers. His long, lean fingers stroked the cold surface the way most men caressed a lover. "None whatsoever. The journals did not mention it. Nor did I see the slightest clue in the minds of the NaturPaths." He turned to face Drakthe.

  "Without your intervention, I would not have discovered the secret to the Crystal Sheathe."

  "I thought you said Cheyna was the key to the Sheathe," Drakthe said, and then bit the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood. Stupid. How could he be so stupid as to draw Krthe's attention back to his bondwife.

  "So she is. Your
little NaturPath is the key. This," Krthe swept an expansive arm about to indicate the entire structure, "this tunes and focuses the power. Without this cavern and the wonders it holds the Crystal Sheathe's power cannot be harnessed. Not with any safety."

  "Is that what Lcrier believed?" Fear for Cheyna built to a fever pitch. "Lcrier accessed the Crystal Sheathe here, in this chamber yet still it cost him his life."

  "A fool," the Trade Baron whispered. "Lcrier was a fool."

  "What does that make you, High Lord? You hired him." Drakthe taunted Krthe, hoping to incite the man into making a fatal mistake.

  "Lcrier was a fool," Krthe repeated, louder. "I do not tolerate fools around me. He--how should I say this?--was never destined to survive our partnership. The fool thought to deceive me. He believed he could take the knowledge I had garnered and use it to gain control of all that is mine by right." He patted a mantle pocket. "He did not even realize he needed the Sheathe for the augmenter to function properly." The Trade Baron made a derisive noise.

  "Nor did the fool realize he had stumbled upon a treasure of enormous import. He ignored the significance of this cave, of what was right under his nose."

  "This must be where they conducted their experiments," Krthe whispered, a note of sick reverence in the dark, refined voice. He crossed the room in swift, jerky steps until he stood beside Cheyna.

  He leaned down and slipped something from underneath the low table. Krthe straightened, his body hiding the retrieved item from Drakthe's view.

  Drakthe's heart lurched into his throat when Krthe slipped the metal device from Cheyna's head. It dangled from his hand, a malicious lure held by a malignant predator.

  "While quite remarkable, it doesn't even begin to compare with the amplifier constructed over two chiliads ago." Krthe let the metal device fall to the floor. He gave it a disdainful kick as he held up a similar device made out of black opaque crystal.