"They're beautiful," she said, pointing to a scene depict-ing Sholan hunters in the reeds by a'river.
"They are rather pleasant to look at, aren't they? Most telepaths like to surround themselves with beauty
in one form or another. It helps relax the spirit and calm the mind," said Konis.
They went dirough the courtyard and past the pool with its ornamental waterfall before entering acorridor. It was cool and the dimmer light was soothing to the eyes com-pared to the glare outside. Theyemerged into a large airy lounge that opened onto the gardens where his mother and younger sister weresitting under the shade of a large leafed tree.
The smaller figure, a miniature copy of his mother, turned round and leaped to her feet with a squeak ofpleasure, rac-ing through the room to Kusac and flinging her arms around him as he bent to meet her.
"Kitra, it's good to see you again," he said, picking her up.
"I've missed you," she said, giving him a hug before looking toward Carrie.
"Is this your Terran Leska?" she asked.
"Yes."
She held her hand out to Carrie. "Greetings to you," she said solemnly, her brown eyes wide as she triednot to stare.
"Greetings to you, Kitra," said Carrie, reaching out to touch her hand.
Kusac's mother entered. She, too, was dressed for the hot weather, wearing a short tunic similar to
Carrie's.
Carrie turned to meet her as Kusac put his sister down. Rhyasha approached the girl, putting her handson her shoul-ders and drawing her close until their cheeks touched. "It's good to see you again, Carrie. You are well come to our home."
She was released as Rhyasha turned to Kusac, hugging him closely before stepping back to look at himcarefully. She ran a hand across his cheek, pushing a stray lock of hair behind his ear.
"You look better," she said critically. "You've put some weight on, and the God knows, you needed to!"
Surrepti-tiously she touched his tore.
"Hush," said Kusac, hugging her tightly. "Just wish me well," he whispered in her ear, receiving a fierce
hug in re-turn.
"Don't crush him to death," said his father, moving past them to take up his seat in the garden again.
"Taizia, please take the guards to the kitchen and arrange for them to be fed, and order c'shar for us.
We'll dine in half an hour," Rhyasha said, giving her daughter a quick em-brace.
Taizia moved to do her bidding as Carrie and Kusac fol-lowed Rhyasha and Kitra into the garden.
"How did your trip to Earth go?" asked Kusac, pulling a couple of soft cushions up for himself and
Carrie. As he squatted down on them, Carrie settled herself next to him.
"I didn't have to go down to Earth," said Konis. "I spoke directly to their negotiators on the Rhyaki and by comm link to their leaders on the planet. They were trying to tell us they had no telepaths, so I quoted the names of a few centers of learning where the encyclopedia said they were studying what they call psychic talents. After that, they were quiet for a day or two, then the telepaths started arriving."
"How many are there?"
"About twenty. A couple of families with three or four members, the rest single people, mainly males. They'll be brought down to the guild the day after tomorrow. How are the arrangements going for their accommodation?"
"Fine," said Kusac. "They've erected a semipermanent building for them near the medical facility. It's
completely self-contained as you asked, and fully shielded."
"Good. I'll be going over to see them again once they've settled in. The discovery of another species with telepathic abilities is going to affect our culture, not to mention Earth's, profoundly, especially if there are other Leska pair-ings like yours," said Konis.
"I know," said Kusac. "Carrie and I have been speculating on what the changes could be."
"If there are more Leska pairings, let's hope they're mainly between our males and Terran females, like yours and Carrie's, because we already have an imbalance with our male population," said Rhyasha dryly. "Ah, here come our drinks."
Taizia emerged from the lounge with a large tray of mugs and a jug of c'shar.
"Did you try their coffee when you were on the Rhyaki by any chance?" asked Kusac with a faint grin.
"I did, as a matter of fact. Quite nice for a change. I brought a few plants back as a gift for your mother.
She likes the odd gardening challenge."
After a leisurely evening meal, Kusac reached for Taizia's mind, asking her to take Carrie off to her roomwhile he spoke to their father.
Keep her occupied. I have a feeling Father is not at his most amenable tonight.
I'm on your side, but you can hardly blame him, can you ? she replied.
Kusac glared at her and hurriedly she turned to Carrie.
"Let's leave these gray heads to talk," she said. "Come up to my room. I've got a few things I'd like to
show you."
When they'd left, Kusac turned to his father. "I want you to dissolve my marriage contract, Father," hesaid. "I have no intention of life-bonding to Rala."
"I gathered that when I saw you and Carrie had ex-changed tores," said Konis. "Tell me, what prompted
you to make such a foolish gesture?"
"It wasn't foolish. I gave it to her for her peace of mind and protection as much as anything else. Her people have a more rigid sexual code than ours, and I'm well aware that others have found her attractive," Kusac said, looking down at the knife he was toying with.
"As my wife, she would to a large degree be spared the problem of dealing with unwanted lovers. Having seen the Terrans for yourself, you're probably aware that they usually pair for life, taking no other lovers. Carrie will feel more se-cure if we're life-bonded."
"I suppose your feelings for her never came into it?"
"Of course they did," he said, looking up. "Will you can-cel the contract?"
"No," said his father calmly. "You have duties to your Clan that you can't ignore. Having a Leska is not a
valid reason for terminating the contract."
"I'd be willing to release him from Clan duties, Konis," Rhyasha said quietly.
"There are specific grounds set down in the laws govern-ing the dissolution of a marriage contract. I
can't, and won't ask for a special case to be made for Kusac."
"I can't marry Rala, Father. It would destroy Carrie. She gave up home and Clan—everything for me. I
can't do less for her."
"It won't destroy her. Other Leskas cope with their part-ner's marriage, so will she."
"I don't think you realize how closely we're Linked," said Kusac, trying to prevent his ears from lying flat.
His father stirred slightly, resting his forearms on the table and leaning forward.
"I have a fair idea. I get sent the data from both guilds. There is little about your relationship I don't
know."
Kusac's ears flicked with embarrassment. "Then you should know how she'll react to even the news I'mexpected to marry."
His father sighed. "You shouldn't have given her your tore, Kusac. You weren't free to give it, and youshould have told her you were already betrothed. You've compounded your own folly."
"You betrothed me when I was a child, Father! Circum-stances have changed," he said, beginning to lose
the battle to keep his temper.
"That's irrelevant. Rala was chosen as a mate for you be-cause of her bloodlines and the political advantages of an al-liance with the northern Telepath Clans. I know you dislike her, but you're free to love where you want. You only have to father children on Rala and treat her with the courtesy due to a wife, nothing more."
"What does Carrie do while I'm fathering these chil-dren?" asked Kusac angrily. "She's aware of
everything I do or say, it's almost impossible to keep anything from her!"
"If she can't cope with the situation, then we'll have her drugged so s
he's unaware of it," came the calm
reply.
"Konis," said Rhyasha warningly, "this isn't a wise way to approach the matter."
"I don't intend to let my Leska be drugged for the sake of some female I can't tolerate!" Kusac exclaimed angrily. "If I have to marry her, then it will be in name only. Or will you drug me into acquiescence, too?" he asked with barely sup-pressed fury.
"If Carrie was Sholan, it might have been feasible to nul-lify the contract because of the responsibility of
Leska pairs to have children, but she isn't. She can't provide you with heirs, and the Family needs heirs,legitimate heirs, not bas-tards, no matter whether your mother would allow it or not," Konis said angrily. "As Lord of the Council I can't allow my son to break his contract and if drugging both of you is what ittakes, then, yes, I'll have it done!''
"What about Rala's behavior at the guild? The fact that she's misusing a minor Talent to manipulate
people? That's grounds for an annulment!"
"Give her what she wants, Kusac, and she'll be easily kept under control," said Konis, his tone more
conciliatory. "You're making too much of the guild incident, and too much of this marriage."
"I disagree. Had it been anyone else, you would have taken some disciplinary action. Because it's Rala,
you won't!"
"I've had enough, Kusac! You'll do as you're told! Today at the Council meeting I had to sit through a discussion on whether you, with an alien Leska, were fit to remain a can-didate. The majority vote was no! It was narrow-minded of them, but they see their comfortable little world threatened by these Terrans. I need you to marry Rala to prove to them that your Link to a Terran doesn't make you unfit for a po-sition of responsibility. Happily Vailkoi doesn't agree with the majority, even if his opinion is affected by the fact that he doesn't want his future son-in-law to lose his candidacy for the leadership of the Clans!"
"Vailkoi will do anything to get rid of his daughter! She's a damned liability to him now with her moods
and tan-trums!" Kusac's voice had become an angry snarl.
"You'll do as you're told, Kusac," repeated his father in a voice like ice. "Tomorrow Rala is coming here
to see you. I expect you to greet her as your betrothed wife."
"I think you're being too hasty about this," said his mother, touching her husband lightly on the arm.
Konis shook her off, getting to his feet. "He marries Rala, Rhyasha. That's the last I want to hear of thematter," he snapped, stalking angrily from the room.
His mother sighed. "I don't know what more I can do. He's adamant, as you can see."
"So am I," muttered Kusac, aware with a sinking feeling that Carrie had heard the conversation. "I have
to go to her, Mother. She heard him."
"Go, then," she said. "Don't do anything foolish, Kusac. I'd rather you were happy than have the heirs
your father wants."
Kusac touched her briefly on the shoulder as he passed her.
He took the stairs at a lope, heading along the pillared central balcony to Taizia's room. His sister openedthe door for him.
"You lied to me," said Carrie as he entered.
"No, I only tried to…"
"You lied!" Her eyes were narrowed to slits and her voice was like winter's breath. He'd never seen her
so angry be-fore.
"You knew about this marriage all along, yet you pur-posely kept it from me. I trusted you, Kusac! How
could you keep something as important as this from me?"
"It isn't important, Carrie," he said quietly, moving away from the door. "It's only an arranged marriage.
She means nothing to me. I didn't choose her."
"It's a marriage, Kusac," she said, cold fury in her voice as she got to her feet and began to pace between
the bed and the window.
"Arranged marriages happen all the time in the Clans. It doesn't stop the people involved from having
lovers and liv-ing apart from each other, you know that. Even if I have to marry her, it won't affect us."
"Oh, won't it?" She spun round, eyes blazing. "What am I supposed to do while you're screwing that female? Enjoy the secondhand experience? I'm your Leska, Kusac, we're Linked together for life, we belong to each other, or doesn't that matter any more? I thought that Sholans understood about Leskas! Or am I just a working partner, someone else you didn't choose, with nothing to offer in comparison to a wife?" She turned away from him again, sitting back down on the bed.
Taizia, part of her realized, was sitting at the other end of the bed, trying to take up as small a space aspossible in her own room. She was wishing she was anywhere else but here with them. Tears of angerand hurt stung Carrie's eyes and she blinked rapidly in an effort to hide them.
She felt his hand on her shoulder and shrugged away from him. "Leave me alone," she snapped. "I trustedyou, I came here with you, turned my back on my own people—for what? A handful of lies?"
Through their Link she knew every word she said hurt him, but she didn't care any more. What was hishurt com-pared to hers? She was alone on an alien world with no way of getting home. She couldn'tleave even if the means were available. Her life depended on her physical nearness to him. Anger roseinside her. How dare he deceive her like this!
"Carrie," said Taizia, "Kusac's not like that. He's put it badly, but he was only trying to stop you from
worrying needlessly."
"Needlessly?" she said, looking over at his sister. "It's all right for you to say that with the security of your home and family behind you, but I've only got Kusac, and now I find out I haven't even got a right to him!"
She reached up to tug her tore off, but anger made her clumsy. "I can't get this damned thing off!" shecried, jump-ing to her feet. "I've had enough, Kusac! I wish I'd never met you, I wish you'd let me diewhen Elise died!"
Tears of anger and frustration began to blur her vision as she made for the door. Kusac reached out totake her by the arm, but she pulled away. He grasped her more firmly.
"I told you, Kusac, leave me alone! You've no right to stop me leaving, I don't belong to you!" She
lashed out with her free hand, landing him a stinging slap on the face.
He snarled in surprise and pain, then grabbed that arm also as she tried to hit him again.
She couldn't see properly, her eyes weren't focusing. Ev-erything looked strange, unreal. His armsmoved, encircling her and holding her pressed tightly against his chest. Breath-ing was difficult, all shecould smell was him, all she could hear was the blood pounding in her ears, driving her to struggle andfight against him. Trapped, she opened her mouth to scream her rage only to have his hand clampedacross it.
"For the love of Vartra, get Mother," Kusac hissed. "I can't control her! She's hunting! Carrie, for the
Gods' sake, stop it! You'll trigger the gestalt!" he said as she tried to bite his hand.
Taizia leaped off the bed and ran from the room.
Kicks rained on his shins, so he lifted her up, hoping that would prevent her reaching him. It only made iteasier for her. Her eyes had a red glow to them and the hate and anger that battered at his mind wasmaking him feel ill.
He carried her struggling body over to Taizia's bed and dumped her face down on it, keeping his handover her mouth as he did. Sitting down beside her, he pinioned her arms behind her with one hand andturned her face so she could breathe.
"Carrie, calm down," he said, trying to keep his voice soothing. "I've never lied to you, believe me."
Under his grip she began to struggle again.
Kusac, came his mother's thought. She's hunting like an angry Sholan female. Treat her like one. Lether go .
But she'll run off!
She'll fight you, not run. Let her go and block the door.
She's not Sholan, Mother. I don't think Terrans do that. It won't work.
You made her what she now is. Why ask me to help, then ignore my advice? was her a
cid reply.
Kusac let her go and hastily backed up to the door to pre-vent her from leaving.
For a moment she stayed where she was, then in one sin-uous movement, she sprang off the bed andwas running at him. Her fists flailed at him, alternately hitting then trying to scratch him with her blunt nails.
He fended her off as best he could, trying to take the blows on his forearms but inevitably some of themgot through.
She spent her fury on him, her movements becoming more and more sluggish till she collapsed on thefloor, sob-bing.
Squatting down, he picked her up. She no longer fought him, but the desolate sense of loss she felt hurthim more keenly than the blows had. He carried her back over to the bed and was settling her therewhen the door opened.
"Well, you made a complete fool of yourself over all this, didn't you?" said his mother, coming over. "You
should have told her from the first!"
/ couldn't. I was afraid of losing her, he sent to her.
Don't tell me, tell her! was the tart response as she sat be-side the human girl.
Rhyasha leaned forward and stroked Carrie's head, mak-ing soothing, purring noises while Kusac movedback and sat on his haunches nearby, watching them unhappily.
Gradually Rhyasha encouraged Carrie to put her head on her lap while she continued to stroke andsoothe her.
"You're not alone, cub," she said, "never think that. You have me and Taizia as well as my fool of a son. You're part of our family now. No matter what Konis says, he knows that, too. You belong with us now."
"He lied to me." Carrie's voice was faint through her sobs.
"He was foolish, he cared too much to tell you," she said. "Think of what he has done, cub. He gave you his tore, let-ting all the world see it's you he cares for, no one else. In our culture, that's no small act. He's also fighting his father over you, refusing to marry Rala. Would he do all these things if he didn't care?"
A shuddering breath was all the response Carrie made.
Rhyasha tried another approach. "Here I am, trying to per-suade my son's alien Leska that he loves her. I, his mother, am encouraging him to turn his back on his own kind, to re-ject the Sholan bride chosen forhim, to give up the right to have children—all this, for what? A female who gives in at the first hint oftrouble, who won't fight for him as a Sholan female would? A fine Leska you are!"
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