Taizia raised her eye ridges, making her eyes appear even larger. "You really have got it as bad as
Kusac, haven't you?" she said with a chuckle. Instinctively she put her hand on Carrie's arm.
"She's reasonably pretty, about two years younger than Kusac, and can turn on the charm when she wishes. It doesn't fool a telepath, though. All that is only as deep as her fur, and no one knows it better than Kusac."
Carrie glanced down again. Kusac had joined them by now, and she watched him greet Rala with stiffformality. He hadn't dressed for the occasion, she noticed with a sharp pleasure. He was still wearingyesterday's olive-colored short tabard. The terminals at the ends of his tore gleamed against the short furat his throat.
"And Kusac?" she asked. "How does he compare with other males?"
Taizia laughed, pulling her to her feet and away from the doorway. "You ask me that when you've beenon the Khalossa with all those hundreds of males? He'd have bro-ken many hearts if he'd shown aninterest in females at the guild. Come to think of it," she said, shutting the door be-hind her, "he brokeseveral because of his lack of interest."
"How can he prefer me to someone like her, his own kind, who can give him all the things I can't?" she
asked, stopping dead. "I don't understand it."
"Why did you turn your back on the Terrans for my brother?" countered Taizia. "What did he have that
they lacked?"
"I knew him, really knew him, inside and out," Carrie fal-tered. "And he's different," she said defensively.
Taizia gave a bark of laughter, pulling her forward again. "He is definitely different from your Terrans!
And you are just as different for him. Come on, Meral and Kaid are wait-ing for us at the aircar."
"Where are we going?" she asked, as Taizia led her down-stairs and out a side entrance to where the
family aircars were garaged.
"Somewhere we won't be bothered," said Taizia firmly, pushing her toward the waiting vehicle.
As soon as they sat down, Meral closed the hatch and took off, heading toward the coast.
"I'm making for a little cove where we'll be undisturbed," he said, turning to grin at them.
"And what would you be needing an isolated cove for?" asked Taizia archly.
"Come with me tomorrow when I'm off duty and I'll show you," he said persuasively.
"I might, if I have time," she said, grinning back. "First we have business to attend to. Where did you put
that bag?"
"Over there, in the back," he said, indicating the direction with a backward jerk of an ear.
"Come with me, Carrie," said Taizia, getting up and head-ing between the seats to the rear.
"What's going on?" demanded Kaid suspiciously.
"You'll find out when I've told Carrie," she replied, crouching down beside the bag and unfastening it. From its depths she pulled out a book. "This was the only solution Mother and I could come up with, if you're prepared to try it," she said, leafing through the pages until she came to the place she wanted.
"This book contains a history of our family," she said qui-etly, "and the item we want happened about two hundred years ago. This is why it was declared unlawful to Challenge a telepath." She passed the open book to Carrie. "Here, read it for yourself."
Carrie scanned the page, going back to read it more care-fully. At length she looked up at Taizia. "As faras I can see, you're suggesting that as Kusac's Leska, I can Challenge Rala for the right to marry him."
Taizia nodded. "Before you say anything, Rala isn't a telepath, and there's no law that says a telepathcan't issue a Challenge."
"Liegena, the whole idea is dangerous in the extreme," said Kaid. "Have nothing to do with it."
Carrie took a deep breath, ignoring Kaid. "A couple of points, Taizia. I saw Kusac Challenged by Guynor. I can't fight like that, I haven't got the claws or the strength to do it," she said. "Second, yourancestor died. I've no intention of risking our lives."
"You don't need claws, it isn't like the males' Challenges; it's a ritual one, so you use weapons. A special
long knife and a small round shield. And it's only to first blood, not to the death."
"Then how did Kadulah die?"
"She was accidentally killed by her opponent. Khadulah, being a telepath, had never learned to fight. Her opponent, on the other hand, had. A blow that would only have taken first blood became a death blow when Khadulah panicked and turned onto the blade. Female's Challenges are fought by Champions now. Warriors like Meral will fight for their family or their lover if they issue a Challenge," Taizia ex-plained. "This Challenge," she tapped the page, "has to be fought by the two interested parties, so it does carry a small element of risk. It's an En'Shalla Challenge, meaning the outcome is in the hands of the Gods."
"Carrie," said Kaid insistently, moving to sit at the back of the craft with them, "Kusac will have all our
hides when he finds out. Leave it to the Gods to work this problem through in their own way, don't take
this dangerous path."
Carrie was aware of his fear, the first emotion she had ever picked up from his usually still mind. "The Gods help those who help themselves, Kaid," she said quietly. "Who's to say that this Challenge isn't theirway of helping us?" She closed the book and handed it back to Taizia. "Is the result of the Challengelegally binding?"
"Oh, yes," said Taizia, shocked. "If you win, Rala's con-tract with Kusac is instantly nullified. Rala can't
pursue the matter any further. Her family wouldn't let her, even if she wanted to."
Carrie sat thinking for a moment. "What happens if I lose?"
"You're no worse off, but you won't lose, because Meral, and hopefully Kaid, are going to train you," she said trium-phantly. "I knew you'd do it! It is the only way," she said, serious for a moment. "Mother agrees with me. That con-tract is watertight, and nothing would make Father break it. You win this Challenge, and you've broken it yourself. Kusac will be free to life-bond with you."
"I don't know if I'm good enough," Carrie said. "What's Rala like as a fighter?"
"Middling. Meral checked through the Guild," said Taizia. "All non-telepath females learn some form of self-defense, and traditionally the Clan families learn sword skills. You'll be able to beat her easily by the time we've finished with you."
"This is utter madness," said Kaid, grasping Carrie's arm. "You've no business lending yourself to this
folly, Meral. Liegena, you must have nothing to do with this mad idea."
"The decision isn't yours to make, Kaid," said Carrie, shaking her arm free. "I hope to God you're right, Taizia," she said, "because it looks like the only chance we've got. Kaid, either you help train me so I can win this Challenge, or you don't. Either way I'm Challenging Rala."
"You give me a hell of a choice," said Kaid angrily. "Ei-ther way I could be responsible for your death!"
"I've got no choice, why should you?" she said. "This isn't a problem Kusac can solve, nor anyone else, only me! I'm not one of your spineless lowland females from Kysubi, I'll damned well fight for what's mine!"
Despite himself, Kaid had to grin. "No, you're not one of the lowlanders," he said. "My job is to keepyou safe, and if that entails teaching you how to defeat Rala in a Chal-lenge, so be it."
* * *
Kusac was so tense that he was instantly aware of Rala's land her brother Talgo's arrival. He wentdownstairs to join his family, preferring to go voluntarily rather than suffer the indignity of being sent for.
He greeted her with a curt nod, taking a seat as far from her as possible. Despite his heavy shielding, hefelt his fa-ther's annoyance though Konis remained silent.
Kusac sat through the interminable round of pleasantries and small talk, contributing only monosyllabicanswers, barely managing to conceal his impatience with the whole proceedings.
As an attendant came out to announce the second meal at midday, he reached for his mother. Where are
Car
rie and Taizia? He didn't want to open his link to Carrie because of Rala's presence.
They've gone to the coast for the day, came the reassuring reply. Meral and Kaid are with them.
"Kusac, verbalize if you please," said his father curtly. "It's hardly courteous to use telepathy in the
presence of a non-telepathic guest."
Kusac stiffened, then forced himself to relax. Anger wouldn't benefit him now.
After lunch, Konis claimed urgent work to be done and his mother took Talgo with her to the estatepottery. Talgo had spoken of an interest in setting up such a facility on his family's estate. Kusac and Ralawere left to their own de-vices. So far, Rala had surprised him by behaving impecca-bly.
Kusac invited her to accompany him into the private garden away from the immediate vicinity of thehouse. He didn't want any of his family overhearing what he had to say to her.
As he led her along the path to the seclusion of the private garden, T'Chebbi began to follow them at adiscreet dis-tance. He'd forgotten she was there, but then she would have been watching him all along. He allowed himself the small-est of grins as he realized her presence would have a damp-ening effect on Rala should she try her seduction tactics again.
Rala walked silently at his side until they passed the high hedges that concealed them from the house. Ahead of them was a carved stone seat. She stopped and sat down. "We've a lot to discuss, Kusac," shesaid, looking up at him. She frowned, catching sight of T'Chebbi. "Hasn't she got other things to do?" sheasked. "Like polishing her swords 01 something?"
Kusac looked toward the Warrior, managing to flick one ear just enough to invite a conspiracy with heras he an-swered Rala. "She's merely doing her job, Rala. There was an attempt on my life several weeksago. One of the males is still at large."
"Surely you're in no danger here with me?" she said per-suasively, her mouth opening in a smile.
"Not with T'Chebbi here, no," he agreed.
Rala sighed. "Kusac, send her away. I want to talk to you privately."
"She stays. There's nothing we have to say to each other she can't hear anyway."
"Very well," she said, her tone dissatisfied. "My father thinks it's time we formalized our betrothal,
especially now you have a Leska, and I agree with him." She waited for a response.
Kusac moved away from her to where an ornamental tree stood beside the hedges. Leaning against it, hepicked idly at the flaking bark with one claw.
"After that, we need only wait a couple of months before becoming life-bonded," Rala continued.
Kusac had let enough of his shielding down to be aware of Rala on a basic level and he could feel herabsolute con-fidence. This time she was playing the mature young female, not the giddy youngling anxiousto see her betrothed.
"It's all just one big game to you, isn't it?" he said. "What do you expect to gain by marrying me, Rala?"
"I don't know what you mean by a game, Kusac," she said, her tone slightly baffled. "I expect what any wife ex-pects, naturally. To become part of your Clan, and in time have the position and respect due to the Clan Leader's wife."
"And me? Where do my feelings fit into your picture of marriage?"
She shrugged prettily, smoothing a fold in her robe. "It's an arranged marriage, Kusac. You have your Leska for love if that's what you want. I'll run your household and be the mother of your children. We'lldo our duty to our Clans."
Kusac's eyes changed, the pupils contracting until almost all the black was gone. "This is very differentfrom what you said that night at my Guild, Rala," he said coldly. "If I marry you, there will be no children. It will be purely a bonding of convenience. If position is all you want and I can't find a way out of ourmarriage contract, then you can have it, but you'll have none of me."
Rala's eyes flashed briefly. "Our betrothal is irrevocable, Kusac," she said mildly. "I'm sorry you don'twant it, but it's a matter apart from our wishes. Once we're life-bonded, I've no doubt I can change yourmind. There's no reason we can't have affection in our relationship."
"Any marriage will be in name only," he repeated firmly. "There will be no children."
"We'll see," she said confidently, getting up and walking over to him. "Surely marriage to me wouldn't be
that un-pleasant? We could even exchange tores now."
Her lithe body pressed against his and her perfume filled his nostrils. He pushed her aside, aware that forhim there was a subliminal wrongness in the feel of her body against his. Only the softness and smell of Carrie felt right.
Kusac moved sharply away from her, backing down the path. "There will be no exchange," he said. "I'llgive you nothing of mine save the position you want."
"Kusac, I am entitled to…" she began.
"No," he interrupted. "You are not entitled to my tore. It's mine to do with as I wish! There will be no
exchange."
"I warn you, Kusac…" she began, her eyes flashing an-grily, but he cut her short.
"It'll be as I say," Kusac said flatly, turning away from her, T'Chebbi following him. "I've nothing more to
discuss with you, Rala. Good day."
"How dare you treat me like this!," she said, her voice ris-ing in pitch, brittle with anger.
Kusac was out of earshot, but he felt her anger hit him like a wave. Shutting it out, he returned to thehouse, head-ing for their rooms. Once inside, he stripped his tunic off, throwing it on a chair. The belt hekept, fastening it round his waist again and making sure the knife was firmly in its sheath.
T'Chebbi would be waiting outside on guard. He couldn't leave that way. He went to the balcony,walking the few me-ters to where the household shrine roof projected below him. It was a leap of only ameter or so to the rooftop.
He landed with a thump and froze, hoping no one had heard. When there was no response, he made hisway cau-tiously to the edge and looked over. There was no one about. He jumped, absorbing the shockof landing on all four limbs, then ran for the undergrowth nearby, dodging between the bushes for coveruntil he was in open scrub land. Moving into a lope, he ran till his ribs ached and his mind was too numbto think coherently, heading instinctively for the hide-away he had used in younger days.
It was still there. Limbs trembling with fatigue, he scrab-bled at the debris covering the entrance—morenow since it hadn't been used in so many years—and pushed his way through the thornbush into the cavein the rocky outcrop be-hind. Sides heaving, he flopped onto his side and put a hand to his mouth to suck
out the stray thorn that had penetrated a finger pad. That done, he curled up, trying to get comfort-able.
* * *
The afternoon drew on, and finally Kaid called a halt to the training session.
"We've made a good start," he said as Carrie collapsed, panting, in a heap on the sand. "You're beginning to use the knowledge you took from me in that transfer, but your body needs to know what to do as well as your mind. You also need to improve your stamina. You can't rely on skill alone to beat Rala, you need to be able to stay the course for how-ever long the Challenge takes. Whoever tires or gets angry first will take the risks and make the mistakes. Don't let her emotions get to you. Better still, make sure you shield them out."
"How long does a Challenge usually last?" she asked, try-ing to breathe deeply and slowly.
Kaid shrugged, wiping down the blades of the short swords with an oily rag. "It could be over in the firstfew seconds, or it could take ten minutes. Who knows? You need to be at peak fighting performance foras long as it takes. I'd like to get you to the pitch where you take her in less than a minute."
He slipped the blades back into their case and closed it, turning to give each of the small punch shields awipe, too.
"That means daily training until the day of the Chal-lenge," he said, looking at her. "Can you keep this
from Kusac until you've actually issued the Challenge?"
When Carrie hesitated, Taizia answered for her. "You'll have to," she said. "He's bound to try to
stop it,and it really I is your only chance to prevent his marriage to Rala."
"Can you keep it from him?" Kaid asked again.
"Yes, I can block it, but I'll need you," she nodded to
Taizia, "to help give me an excuse to leave the guild regu-larly so I can practice."
''No problem," said Taizia, grinning at Meral, "I'll be happy to accompany you."
Carrie pushed herself groaning to her feet. "I'm as stiff as a board again," she complained, grabbing atowel to scrub at her sweating face.
"You can have a shower when we get back," said Taizia, putting the book and weapons in her bag.
"Taizia, what would happen if Kusac and I just got life-bonded? What's to stop us? We're adults after
all."
Taizia gave her a horrified look. "You couldn't do that, Carrie! It's a question of honor, Kusac's honor,even though he had nothing to do with making the bonding contract. Even if he did try, the priest at the Temple would refuse."
"I'm not thinking of suggesting it," she assured Taizia hurriedly, "I just wondered what the position was."
"I thought you understood Kusac's position," she said, a worried look on her face.
"I know all that Kusac does about your culture, but I don't understand it until I'm told or I experience it
for my-self," Carrie said. "I can't explain it any better. I'm sorry," she said helplessly.
Taizia gave her a quick hug. "It's all right. I understand, I think," she said with a little laugh.
Picking up the bag, she headed back to the aircar. Meral ran after her, taking the bag from her andhelping her into the craft. Taizia thanked him, her hand lingering in his for longer than was necessary.
Carrie and Kaid exchanged glances, then Carrie linked her arm briefly through his. "Thanks, Kaid. Iknow you don't approve, but I do appreciate your help."
When they joined them at the hatch, with a flick of her tail, Taizia ducked into the passenger area, leaving
Meral to help Carrie up.
* * *
Kusac had awakened and was on his way back to the house. Lowering his shield to a normal level, hesensed that Rala and Talgo were about to leave, and his sister and Carrie were returning. A suddendread and a premonition of danger filled him and he began to run in earnest.
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