by Speer, Flora
Janina felt a stab of guilt at the frowning look Tamat bent on her, but she made no effort to defend herself. There was nothing she could say. Sidra was too clever for her and would twist anything she said to make an innocent conversation with Reid appear as something unbecoming to a scholar priestess.
In a way that Sidra apparently did not suspect, that day’s talk with Reid had not been innocent at all. Janina feared he might put himself into danger if he decided to attempt an escape. She could not let that happen. She wanted Reid safe, and, if possible, she wanted him happy. Later, when Sidra had gone, Janina dared to question Tamat’s edict about Reid.
“Do you think it’s wise to keep him here against his will?” she asked.
“There is nothing else I can do,” Tamat answered. “His presence in Ruthlen is an accident. He has done nothing to warrant setting him adrift, and if I were to banish him into the wilderness, he would only find his friends again. Then they would all intrude upon us here, to destroy our peaceful life.”
“He’s terribly unhappy. He wants to leave. He’s like some great sea bird beating its wings against a cage. Tamat, I’m certain he would swear never to reveal the location of Ruthlen, if only you would let him go. Tell him about the other passage through the mountain, the one we use when we go to gather herbs in the ravine, and let him leave that way.” Janina gulped back a lump in her throat, for there was one thing she did not want, yet for Reid’s sake she would suggest it and make herself accept it. She spoke quickly, before she could change her mind. “You could even block his memory so he can’t remember anything about Ruthlen or anyone he has met while here. His friends would think he had been wandering around lost for all those days, and so would he.”
“No,” Tamat said emphatically, “I will not block his mind. I would not do that to Reid. It would destroy his latent - I’ll not harm Reid’s mind.”
“You are harming him by keeping him here against his will,” Janina cried. Then, seeing that Tamat was immovable on the subject of Reid, she asked, “If you will not let him go, will you at least save his cousin and his friend? Knowing they have been rescued will comfort him, I’m sure, and make him more content to stay with us. Part of his need to leave us is his concern for his kinswoman.”
“That is well-reasoned,” Tamat admitted. “Reid is so important to the future of Ruthlen that the effort I must expend to touch his commander’s mind would be justified if it would result in his contentment. I will think seriously about your suggestion, Janina. Here, take this food away. I’ll eat nothing until I decide what to do about Reid’s lost companions. I want to rest now. Let no one disturb me.”
Janina thought Tamat would grant her request. Everyone within the temple complex ate sparingly and, except at the twin moons festivals, drank no stronger brew than the herbal dhia, in order to keep their minds clear and their bodies healthy. They believed this regimen improved their telepathic powers, and always, before making some great telepathic effort, they fasted. Tamat’s refusal of food was a sign that she was preparing to contact Reid’s friend Tarik.
“Why are you so happy?” Sidra stood in her way, looking at the untouched tray of food. “Is Tamat ill? Is that why she does not eat?”
“She wants to be alone, to rest.” Janina knew even Sidra would not have the effrontery to intrude on Tamat.
“I hope she ordered an appropriate punishment for you, to teach you not to meet alone with men.”
“Reid and I were in the courtyard, in plain view of anyone in the temple complex or on the road outside,” Janina said quietly. “That could hardly be called meeting him alone. I told Tamat what he and I discussed, and she understood.”
“Which means you will not be punished.” Sidra’s perfectly arched brows drew together in displeasure. “You will not always be treated so leniently, Janina. There will come a time when Tamat’s favoritism toward you will cease, and you will be under my rule.”
“Yes, Sidra.” Janina bowed politely. “If you will excuse me, I will return Tamat’s tray to the kitchen.” She could feel Sidra’s piercing blue gaze fastened on her back as she crossed the central room and entered the kitchen.
Chapter 6
“I knew we would find you here,” Tarik said triumphantly, helping Alla into the cargo bay of the hovering shuttlecraft and steadying her while she unfastened the rescue harness from the ropes.
“Where is Reid?” she snapped, not bothering to thank him.
Tarik did not answer. He was busy helping Herne through the open hatch in the deck. As soon as the physician was aboard, Tarik closed the hatch and moved forward into the main cabin.
“Well done,” he said to his wife, who had been piloting the shuttlecraft while he lifted his lost colonists to safety. Narisa flashed him a bright smile, then relaxed, letting Tarik take the controls.
“Tarik, I asked you a question,” Alla said, following him into the cabin. “Where is Reid?”
Narisa’s smile vanished. She seemed to be giving all her attention to the navigational instruments as she laid in a course for headquarters. Nor did Tank look up from the controls.
“Someone answer me,” Alla demanded, her voice low and deadly calm.
“Sit down and fasten your safety harness,” Herne advised, taking a seat himself. “We are going home to a hot meal and a comfortable bed. It’s about time, if you ask me. What took you so long, Tank?”
“We’ve been looking for you for days,” Tank said, “ever since we first lost contact with you. Why didn’t you use your communicators?”
“Because they stopped working,” Alla responded from between clenched teeth. “Tank, where is Reid?”
“Please sit down, Alla.” Narisa half-turned in her seat, and Alla saw the pity and concern in her expression. “We have looked everywhere for Reid, as well as for you. We’ve used the heat sensors, and the magnetic tracking gauge set for the frequency of your communicators. When neither of those instruments showed anything, we tried high-resolution image-screening to search literally every inch of territory between the desert and the sea. We found no trace of anyone down there.”
“If that’s so, how did you locate us?” Herne asked.
“It’s an odd thing,” Tarik said. “I woke up this morning convinced we would find you in just the spot where we did. I suppose it’s possible the Chon were able to seek you out by some means known only to them, and then put your location into my mind. But it’s strange, because I thought those birds stayed away from this part of the continent. Anyway, you were where I thought you would be, and I’m glad of that.”
“Did you ask the Chon about Reid?” Alla persisted.
“Days ago,” Narisa responded. “We asked them about all of you. They knew nothing.”
“Are you sure you searched the entire forest?” Alla could not let it go. Her voice was tight, her eyes blurry with hot tears. “We have to find Reid.”
“Narisa told you,” Tarik said patiently. “We have checked any place he might be. There is not an inch of land we haven’t searched. The forest grows right up to the edge of the cliffs, the cliffs drop off abruptly, and the sea begins. There is no beach, just the end of the land. And we’ve covered all the area back to the stony desert. There is no trace of him. I’m sorry, Alla, but we have been forced to conclude that he’s dead. Narisa and I both firmly believe that.”
“It’s what I’ve been telling her for days,” Herne said in an irritated voice. “She won’t listen to me. She refuses to believe we won’t find him.”
“You are right about that,” Alla said through tight lips. “I’ll never believe Reid is dead, not until I see his body. We will keep on searching, Tank.”
“Let it go, Alla,” Herne urged. “It’s a tragic loss and a miserable shame, but it can’t be helped. This sort of thing happens occasionally to exploratory teams. It’s part of the risk, and you ought to have been prepared for it when you signed on to come to Dulan’s Planet. Reid was my friend. I will miss him, and I’ll grieve for him, but he’s gone
and there is nothing we can do to change that fact. You will just have to accept it, as the rest of us will.”
“I won’t,” she declared stubbornly.
“We cannot keep on looking,” Tarik told her, using the commander’s voice he seldom employed on this planet. “We have done everything reasonably possible to find Reid. I cannot afford to commit more personnel or supplies to a fruitless venture. Unless we discover some new and highly credible evidence to suggest he’s still alive, the search for Reid is ended as of this moment. I will record that he is missing and presumed dead.”
“He is not dead.” But Alla sat down, pulling the safety harness around herself. She saw Tarik and Narisa exchange a glance of agreement and knew they would not listen to anything more she had to say on the subject. They knew how much she loved Reid. They would think that was why she couldn’t believe he was dead, or accept Tarik’s decision. But Alla knew in her heart that Reid was still alive. She vowed she would not allow herself to sink into despair or depression, because some day, something would happen, the new evidence Tank insisted upon would appear. When it did, she would seize on it and use it to make him understand that he must resume the search for her cousin.
* * * * *
Hoping he would find information that would show him how to leave Ruthlen, Reid decided he would learn as much as he could about the isolated crescent of land that was protected by both natural barriers and the mental powers of Tamat’s priestesses. He quickly discovered Tamat felt so secure behind the blanking shield, and so certain he would never find a way to breach it again, that she was willing to answer any questions he put to her. Thanks to Tamat’s orders, Osiyar and Sidra were also valuable sources of information.
It did not take Reid long to understand the uncomplicated way of life led by most of the citizens of Ruthlen. Their ancestors had been ordinary people, not the leaders of the original city. Tamat had told Reid they were charcoal-makers and herb-gatherers, and now their descendants farmed, using only the simplest of machinery, or they fished. Because of the almost constant sunshine they were able to use solar power to heat their homes, for hot water, and for lighting units, but over the centuries they had apparently forgotten the more advanced technologies which the original telepaths had understood and which were so clearly displayed at Dulan’s old settlement where Tank made his headquarters.
While their material existence was remarkable for its lack of complexity, their mental capabilities had not degenerated over the centuries and were far beyond Reid’s comprehension. Within a few days of his arrival, he knew he would never be able to sort out all the laws, conventions, and etiquette surrounding the use of telepathy which ruled their lives.
Easily the most remarkable of the telepaths was the High Priestess, Tamat. Though Reid disagreed with her decision to keep him in Ruthlen, Tamat’s devotion to her people and her obvious honesty soon earned her his deep respect. It was not hard to understand Janina’s attachment to the elderly woman, nor the awe with which priestesses and villagers alike regarded her.
“Why,” Reid asked her one day when they spoke alone, “do you people bother talking when you communicate with each other? Wouldn’t telepathy be quicker, easier, and less subject to misunderstanding?”
“What you say is true, and there was a time when we always communicated in that way,” Tamat answered. “But the Gift was too often misused, and at last it was used by those who possessed stronger abilities, to control others who were weaker. That was soon after this temple was built. Finally, following a period of terrible strife, there arose a great High Priestess who made the laws we still live by today. The first of those laws is that mind-to-mind contact must be by mutual consent, except in severe emergency. The exception is so we may help anyone who is too badly injured or ill to give consent. Whoever is High Priestess is granted right of free access to anyone’s thoughts at her discretion, but the selection of a male Co-Ruler who is also High Priest has set additional limits upon the power of the High Priestess.
“This is our Chosen Way, Reid, which requires that the powers of all telepaths must be strictly controlled and properly used. No deviation from the Chosen Way is ever allowed. The penalty for those, particularly priests or priestesses, who break our laws is truly terrible.”
“But what is the benefit in possessing telepathic ability that one is forbidden to use?” Reid objected.
“Use of the Gift is not forbidden,” Tamat told him, “Only its misuse. The honest opening of one mind to another creates a strong bond in the intimate relations among family members or dear friends. True mating is impossible without it, for in the act of love, minds must join as well as bodies. In these private instances, the Gift is used freely, but by mutual consent, as the law decrees.
“The Gift is the most important part of our heritage and is essential to our identity as a people. Our ancestors were banished from the Jurisdiction because of their telepathic abilities, and our sense of ourselves as a special community was forged during the trials of a long wandering before they found this planet and settled on it. That history, that common heritage, keeps us bound together now, for as separate individuals we would be death-condemned outcasts in most of the galaxy.”
“As Janina is an outcast in Ruthlen?” Reid asked softly.
“Janina, and a few others during our short time on this planet,” Tamat agreed, with no obvious recognition of the irony in Reid’s words or her own. “The fates of the non-telepaths among us have always been sad. I have tried to protect Janina by keeping her here at the temple. To the folk of Ruthlen she is an abomination who can never partake of our community. Were she not under my protection, she would be banished to die alone in the wilderness or on the sea.”
“Janina is not an abomination!” Reid exclaimed, angered by this attitude.
“Not to me, Reid, but she is of my blood and I love her, and that makes all the difference,” Tamat responded. “Others are not so kindly disposed toward her.”
Tamat’s words left Reid wondering what his own fate would be without her protection.
On another day, he learned from Tamat that one aspect of her position was the preserved memory of the original city of the telepaths and its culture, which was transferred to each High Priestess by her predecessor. This memory, added to Tamat’s own inherent telepathic ability and the wisdom and knowledge she had acquired during nearly a century of life, provided the basis for her personal power. He also learned that Sidra and Tamat would soon link their minds, during which time Tamat would transfer the ancient memories to Sidra, so that Sidra could carry on the traditions after Tamat’s death.
“Sidra has developed her telepathic Gift far beyond anyone else in Ruthlen, except for me,” Tamat said. “That is as it should be. She will continue to develop her Gift as the years pass, until one day she will surpass what I now am.”
“Have you no objection to that?” Reid asked. “Couldn’t someone with such a Gift become dangerous?”
“I assure you, Reid, I am aware of Sidra’s tendency to love power for its own sake, as I notice you are aware of it. But she has sworn to uphold the Chosen Way and its laws. I believe the heavy responsibility or being both High Priestess and Co-Ruler will cause her to develop a greater concern for others, along with the knowledge that power is not the only thing that matters. So it once was with me. So it will be with Sidra.”
Reid was not so sure. He disliked Sidra because of the haughty and sometimes cruel way she treated Janina, and because something about her struck him as untrue.
* * * * *
“Janina, you are late again,” Sidra scolded early one day. She had been waiting by the entrance to the temple complex and had stopped Janina before she could carry the filled water jar inside. “Every time it is your turn to bring the Water from the sacred grove, the rest of us must wait to begin our morning rituals. You are not only stupid and inconsiderate, you are incredibly lazy.”
“This is my fault, Sidra.” Osiyar, accompanied by Reid and the two scholar p
riests, had come out of his house in time to see Sidra waiting for Janina and to hear her verbal attack. “I delayed Janina earlier this morning when I stopped her to ask about Tamat’s health. Tamat has eaten nothing for three days, and since yesterday she has seen no one except Janina. I feared she might be ill. I am surprised that Janina was able to walk to the grove and back so quickly. I assure you, she has not been lazy.”
“Questions about Tamat’s health ought to be addressed to me, Osiyar,” Sidra said spitefully. “This foolish girl knows nothing. She constantly makes mistakes. You cannot depend on what she says.”
“Perhaps her errors are caused by her fear of displeasing you,” Osiyar suggested. “If you treated her more gently, she might make fewer mistakes.”
“It is not your duty, but mine, to train the lesser priestesses, Osiyar!” Sidra’s blue eyes held Osiyar’s gaze for a long moment, until Reid, watching the scene, felt a tingling along his spine. He was certain Sidra and Osiyar were in telepathic contact, and he thought from the look on Osiyar’s face that it must be a contest of two equally determined wills. After a while Sidra turned her head away. With one of her soft, rippling little laughs she gestured to Janina.
“Take the Water into the temple at once,” she said. “The others are waiting for you. As for you scholar-priests, come with me.” Without another glance for Osiyar, Sidra walked across the courtyard and entered the temple, followed by the two young men who were his students.
“Jealousy,” Osiyar said, “is a terrible thing, a destructive force. I am glad I have never known it.”
“Sidra reminds me of an older sister,” Reid remarked, “who fears a younger child is her rival for her mother’s affection.”
