“Haven’t you lot got somewhere else to be?” she demanded, looking at the other half dozen occupants in the room.
He sighed and moved to close his book and get up.
“Not you,” she snapped. “You and I need to talk.”
“I’m used to being asked, not told, Noni,” he said quietly as the door shut behind the last Brother.
“If you think that becoming a Brother will make me treat you any different, you got a ...”
“Now why would I think that?” he interrupted pleasantly. “You’ll treat me as you do nearly everyone around here, because you like to be seen as an overbearing, grumpy old female. Life is short, Noni, and I don’t have time for your games. I’ve better things to do.”
Since she’d entered the room, she’d been trying to find his mental wavelength, but his shields were too strong. In fact, she was having the devil of a time trying to find her way through his shields; every time she thought she’d got it, he changed them and she had to start again.
“You think you’re someone now, think you can insult old Noni ...”
He got to his feet, picking up the book, and inclined his head to her. “No, I just realized last night that I’m still the same person I was on my own world,” he said. “I am still the equivalent of a Guild Master. The College I ran at Old Sarum was as large as this one here. I am still a Guardian, and there is still work for me to do, not only for my people, but for yours. I’ll talk to you when you accord me the basic courtesies of an equal instead of treating me like a geriatric new recruit.”
He began to walk to the door. “And you can stop trying to read me,” he said, finally repulsing her efforts with a mental side-swipe of his own. “You won’t succeed.”
“Master Conner,” she said, fending it off without a second thought. “Please, sit down. You found your feet quicker than I expected.”
Slowly he turned to look at her, an air of puzzlement on his face.
She nodded, setting the end of her long white plait bobbing slightly. “We’ve been expecting someone like you since the first Human came to Shola. I thought it was you the first time I saw you, but I needed to see your metal to be sure. You have to admit that until last night you kept your true nature to yourself. I wondered how much longer I was going to have to keep thinking up exercises for you to do!” she chuckled.
With the air of a sleepwalker, he resumed his seat.
She leaned forward to pat his hand, a slight frown of apprehension briefly creasing her features as she sat back. “There’s few who can withstand me when I’m determined to get them to reveal themselves. You lasted longer than most. I knew if you were what we hoped, and used your Gifts, it would attract Him.”
“Him being Vartra,” he said, finding his voice.
She nodded again. “Right,” she said briskly. “There’s work for us to do. I take it you were at the morning briefing, and likely Lijou gave you a comp pad full of background information.”
“Yes, he did. Apparently we’re close to war with a species of Valtegans called M’zullians.”
“Yes, but that can wait for the time being. I need your help with another matter. How much do you know about Leska pairs and Triads?”
“Morning, sir, Liegena,” said Chaddo as they entered the main hallway. “Father Lijou is waiting for you in Master Rhyaz’ office.”
“Thanks, Chaddo,” said Kaid.
“It’s very quiet,” said Carrie as their footsteps echoed on the stairs.
“It will be, with nearly everyone at the Outposts except the younglings and a couple of units of Sleepers undergoing processing and retraining,” he replied.
Rhyaz got up from his desk to greet them as they opened the door into his office.
“Well come. It’s been quite a while since we saw each other,” he said, gesturing them over to the less formal seats where Lijou sat by the fire. “Can I offer you refreshments since you’ve traveled such a long way?”
“No, thanks,” said Kaid, letting Carrie take her seat on the sofa before he sat down. “I’d rather get down to business.”
“What can we do for you?”
“Which one of you sent Kusac on a mission, and when?” he asked without preamble.
“What made you ask that?” asked Rhyaz with a slight frown.
Kaid reached inside his coat and drew out a photograph which he tossed down onto the low table between them and the two Guild Masters. “This,” he said. “Before you deny it, you’ll notice the command mark is on the inside of the handle—it wouldn’t show when he’s wearing the knife.”
Lijou glanced at Rhyaz then reached out to pick up the photograph. He looked at it before passing it to him.
“Where did you get this?” asked Rhyaz, glancing at it then holding it back out to him. “Obviously it’s a fake.” When Kaid didn’t take it, he put it back on the table.
“I took it off the message crystal,” said Kaid, leaving the photo lying there between them. “We all know what a command mark on the inside face of our knives means, Rhyaz. It means the mission is classified. I’m asking you again, when did you send Kusac on a classified mission?” There was a rumble of anger in his voice now.
“Classified means just that, Kaid,” said Rhyaz quietly. “I’m sorry, I can’t tell you anything more.”
“Then perhaps we can tell you,” said Carrie, her voice deceptively quiet as she put a piece of paper on the table by the photo. “About six hybrid cubs, ten years old, that General Kezule had, or has.”
Neither of them missed Lijou’s ears tilting fractionally back then righting themselves with an effort.
“In the message?” asked Rhyaz, his voice betraying nothing. “You must be mistaken.”
“It’s all there,” said Carrie, pushing the paper closer to him. “I’ve underlined the relevant sections. Read it.”
He shook his head, making no move to pick it up. “You’re mistaken,” he began.
“Read it!” Carrie almost spat at him.
“I’ll read it,” said Lijou, hurriedly picking it up and scanning through it. This time his ears tilted back to half height and remained there. He held it out to Rhyaz. “You should read it,” he said tonelessly.
Rhyaz snatched the document from him and began to read.
“It was there, in front of our noses all along,” Lijou murmured. “We were looking for something sophisticated, not something as simple as this.”
Rhyaz handed the paper to Carrie. “I still can’t confirm or deny anything, Carrie,” he said, his tone genuinely regretful. “You know I can’t.”
Raised voices in the corridor outside drew everyone’s attention to the door, which suddenly burst open to admit Konis Aldatan.
“This has gone on long enough, Rhyaz,” the Clan Lord said angrily, striding over to them. “You will tell them everything. Now!”
“I’m sorry, Master Rhyaz,” murmured Chaddo from the doorway. “I said you were busy but ...”
“It’s all right, Chaddo,” said Lijou, gesturing to him to leave. “We’ll see to it now.”
The pieces were beginning to fall into place now for Kaid as Lijou urged the Clan Lord to sit down, and Rhyaz swore volubly under his breath.
“AlRel requested the mission,” said Kaid quietly. “But you sent him, Rhyaz, didn’t you?”
“This is highly classified,” began Rhyaz angrily.
“Since when were you worried about my security clearance, or Carrie’s?” Kaid snapped back.
“Dammit, Kaid! We were protecting you and Carrie!” the Warrior Master said angrily, sitting forward in his seat. “Have you forgotten how pregnant she was?”
“One of you had better start telling us about this mission,” said Carrie, raising her voice. “Before I get really angry!” The snarl in her tone was only too apparent and made the three Masters look at her in shock.
“I didn’t know she could do that,” murmured Lijou.
“Get on with it!” roared Kaid, clenching his fists till his claws came out.
�
�Haven received a message from Kezule for Kusac,” began Konis.
“I’ll tell it,” interrupted Rhyaz. “Mine is the responsibility. We opened the message for security reasons, fearing it was trapped,” he continued. “It was a request from Kezule for Kusac to meet with him because he had something of interest to him. Kezule wanted Kusac specifically and said to bring no telepaths.”
“I’d been asked by the Prime Ambassador to let them know if we heard anything about Kezule as the Emperor wanted him back,” said Konis. “Rhyaz knew this and called me here to see the message. Our government wanted information on Kezule and what he was doing so it was decided my son must keep the rendezvous.”
“So you sent him,” said Kaid, his voice deathly quiet, looking at Konis and Rhyaz. “Between you, you sent an unstable Brother out on a mission to meet with a known personal enemy.”
“He wasn’t deemed unstable enough not to send, considering the situation,” said Rhyaz. “I said mine was the responsibility for sending him, and it was. We needed the information, Kaid, and we needed to know how stable Kusac was.”
“And if I know you, you sent a Special Operative along, too!” Kaid snarled, his hair beginning to stir around his shoulders.
“Kaid, calm down. Two were sent,” interrupted Lijou. “I sent Banner to protect Kusac from himself, and from Dzaou.”
Kaid looked at Rhyaz in disbelief and contempt.
“You sent Dzaou?” exclaimed Carrie. “You know he hates Kusac! Vartra’s bones, Rhyaz, what possessed you to send that xenophobe on such a sensitive mission?”
“To test Kusac by putting him under pressure,” snarled Kaid. “As if the mission itself wasn’t enough!”
“So the whole story of stealing the Couana was bullshit,” said Carrie, using the English word as she glared at the three males.
“He did steal it,” said Rhyaz. “Kusac refused to leave before your cub was born—your first cub, that is. He’s too high a profile to just drop out of sight for several weeks or months, and we couldn’t officially send him off-world, so he had to appear to be a renegade. The Couana was his choice as it was the only ship fast enough to make the rendezvous in the given time.”
“And then you threw him to Raiban,” said Kaid, almost beyond rage. “To be branded a traitor and thief. By Vartra, you’d better clear him once he returns, Rhyaz!”
Carrie caught the look that Konis and Lijou gave the Warrior Master. “They can’t,” she said, the life suddenly going out of her. “If they do, they have to admit to the mission, and they can’t do that.”
Kaid leaped to his feet, eyes blazing, lips pulled back in a snarl of pure fury. “By all you hold holy, Rhyaz, you will clear his name and reputation! Do you think I’ll sit back and let my sword-brother and Triad partner go to jail or be brain-wiped for this?”
“Do you want the treaty with the Primes shattered right now when the M’zullians are busy plundering the Valtegan world they destroyed the same way as they wiped out our two colonies?” Rhyaz demanded. “Because if word gets out we met with Kezule, didn’t tell the Primes, and picked up five artificially-grown hybrid cubs, that’s what will happen!”
“You have the cubs?” said Carrie breaking the standoff that followed.
Lijou stirred. “Yes, we have five of the eight cubs. Two were unfortunately killed during their rescue.”
“Two killed? How?” she asked, already too numbed to feel anything more.
“One was killed by a Directorate guard, the other by accident when a gas canister was shot into the room. Apparently it bounced off the rear wall and hit one of them on the head, according to the other cubs.”
“Where are they?” demanded Kaid, moving away from the table.
“They’re safe,” said Konis. “We’re not at liberty to tell you where.”
“How long have you had them?” demanded Kaid. “And where’s Kusac?”
“Since the end of Zhal-S’Asha,” said Lijou.
“Zhal-S’Asha? That’s three months, Rhyaz!” said Kaid. “What the hell are you doing with them? They belong with us—we’re their parents, dammit!”
“They can’t come here, Kaid, you must see that,” began Rhyaz.
He got no further because Kaid lunged across the room, hauled him up out of the chair and landed him a blow on the jaw that sent him and the chair flying backward. As the others were just starting to react, he followed it through by vaulting the chair and hauling Rhyaz to his feet again.
“You are not keeping our cubs,” he snarled, holding onto him by the front of his tunic. “They’re our blood, and clan rights supersede all others, you know that! I want a ship to wherever they and Kusac are, and I want it now!”
“You bring them back here and everyone will know they’re hybrids,” coughed Rhyaz, grabbing Kaid’s hands for support but otherwise not defending himself. “And that will break the treaty.”
“Strangling Rhyaz won’t help, Kaid,” said Lijou, moving slowly over to the two males. “If they find out about the cubs, all Shola will be howling for blood. You have to see we had no option but to keep it quiet. They’re in good hands, I promise you. Those who created the cubs are dead. There’s no one we can blame, except the innocent Primes.”
“Keep your distance, Lijou,” warned Kaid, relaxing his grip slightly on Rhyaz. “I don’t accept that anyone will know they’re hybrids. There’s very little difference between Kashini and other cubs her age.”
“There’s more in a ten year old,” said Lijou. “I know, I’ve seen them on the vid. They are safe, Kaid. Your son is with L’Seuli and his Leska, training at the Shrine there. Vartra visited him and gave him a coin.”
“What?” He dropped Rhyaz in shock, spinning round to look at the Head Priest. “My son? Training as a priest?”
Lijou nodded. “A Brotherhood priest. He’s yours and Kate’s. He’s called Dhyshac.”
As Kaid stood frozen to the spot, Rhyaz stumbled to his feet, massaging his throat.
“And me,” said Carrie, her voice brittle. “What about me?”
“You have two sons,” said Lijou, still facing Kaid. “Zsayal with Rezac, and Shaylor with Taynar.”
“Oh, God,” she said, sitting down suddenly, her face white.
“And Kusac? What about him?” asked Kaid.
There was an obvious hesitation from Lijou. “None that we know about,” he said.
“Five cubs, you only said five,” said Kaid as the door burst open again. “Where’s the sixth?” he demanded.
Alex, a bruise already marring her jawline, flew over to Rhyaz’ side, an angry expression on her face. “You’d no call to go hitting Rhyaz! You know damned well I feel it, too!”
“I’m fine,” said Rhyaz gently, holding her close for a moment. “You can’t stay.”
“I’m not leaving!” She glowered at Kaid, then Carrie.
“Alex, go. Please,” Lijou said firmly. “No one is going to be harmed. Kaid hit Rhyaz in the heat of the moment, it won’t happen again. Konis, if you please?”
She glowered at Kaid as Rhyaz urged her to leave.
Carrie roused herself. “He’ll be fine, Alex,” she said quietly. “You don’t understand Sholan males well enough yet. Trust me, Kaid will not harm your Leska.”
Bristling at the implication, reluctantly Alex allowed Konis to take her to the study door. When it closed behind her, Kaid turned again to look at Rhyaz.
“Where is Kusac?” he demanded again.
“Kusac stayed long enough to drop off the cubs, and an adult female and her infant, then took his ship, the Venture II and returned to Kezule,” the Warrior Master said, glancing at Kaid before heaving the chair upright again. “All his crew apart from Chima, my Special Operative, went with him,” he added, resuming his seat. “There’s no threat to him now from us.”
“Why, in Vartra’s name, did he go back?” Kaid asked, suddenly confused.
“The sixth cub,” said Carrie. “Kezule kept Kusac’s cub, didn’t he?”
“We don’t
know for sure,” said Lijou. “But, yes, he did keep one. Shaidan. He was apparently badly injured in the rescue.”
“That’s not why Kezule kept him,” said Kaid, tail beginning to sway again.
“Kezule left the Prime world with a group of about sixty people to start a small colony. He wanted Kusac’s help to train them to defend themselves, so he kept Shaidan to make sure he returned,” said Rhyaz, stopping as a coughing fit took over. He reached for a glass and the water jug.
“Who’s Shaidan’s mother?” asked Carrie at length.
“We don’t know. The cubs have no idea who their parents are, they weren’t told. The only way we were able to identify them was from blood samples,” said Lijou. “We’ve had no word from Kusac since then.”
“I want a ship to Haven, Rhyaz,” said Kaid. “I intend to have my son back, and I want to know where the others are.”
“No,” said Rhyaz. “I’ll not let you threaten the treaty, Kaid. There’s no way at this time that you can take the cubs home without their identity as ten-year-old hybrids being discovered.”
“They’ll be safe on the estate,” began Carrie.
“They can’t come home,” said Konis, with equal finality. “Believe me, I wish they could—they’re my grandchildren, Carrie. I’m sorry, but there’s too much at stake right now.”
“I’ll find a way to explain them!” snarled Kaid. “They’ve lost enough of their young lives to the Directorate, I don’t intend to leave them on some Godsforsaken asteroid for the next several years! I grew up without parents; it’s not happening to any son of mine or Carrie’s!”
“No. I refuse to compromise on this,” coughed Rhyaz. “I’ll have guards set on the spaceport, Kaid. You will not leave Shola and that’s an order!”
“Try and stop me,” he snarled, turning away. “I’m not one of your Warriors, Rhyaz! Carrie, we’re leaving!”
“Not without an escort,” said Rhyaz, pressing his wrist comm. “I want to know you’re back on your estate.”
“Kaid, please, accept the escort and go home,” said Konis.
Getting up, Carrie turned on him. “How could you send Kusac on this mission?” she demanded. “You know what Kezule feels about us! And as for throwing him to Raiban and the newsvids —I can’t believe you did that after everything he’s been through!”
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