Fire Margins

by Lisanne Norman

  “I’ll get it,” he said, stepping out and bending down to pick it up. He stood watching her in surprise as she pulled the bed covers back to get the pillows.

  “For the floor,” she said, throwing them down, then promptly sitting on one. She looked up expectantly at him. “Well, shut the door.”

  Rather nonplused, he did, then walked over to join her.

  Leaning forward, she picked up a small piece of meat. “You’re not used to female company, are you?” She held the plate out to him.

  Kaid took a couple of pieces of meat from it and began to chew one. “Not really,” he said. “Is it that obvious?”

  “Yes, it is,” she said frankly. “Apart from anything else, I can pick your unease up mentally.”

  “I didn’t know you were telepath.”

  She raised an eye ridge in surprise. “You are new to all this, aren’t you? You mean you didn’t realize you were a telepath?”

  He shook his head. “Things are different in our time. It never really occurred to me I was because I could fight, and everyone knows telepaths can’t fight.”

  He could feel himself beginning to relax at long last. The journey had been bad enough, but coupled with the fact he was there twice … And he realized he was hungry as he reached for some bread and the cheese.

  Jaisa was good company, keeping the conversation going with her easy, amusing chatter. Soon all the food was gone and they were sitting in companionable silence.

  “Well,” said Jaisa, “I suppose I’d better leave you to get some sleep.”

  Impulsively, Kaid reached out to touch her hair. “Those curls have been fascinating me for the last hour,” he said, letting one curl round his finger then roll off.

  She turned her face so her cheek touched his hand. “I don’t have to leave,” she said quietly. “I’d like to stay.”

  There was no need for him to be alone that night, unless he wanted to be. He turned his hand, letting it stroke her cheek. “That would be nice,” he said as she moved closer and he felt her mind tentatively touch his. “You knew Rezac, didn’t you?”

  “Yes,” she said, as her tongue gently touched his cheek. “Is that a problem?”

  “No,” he said, letting himself enjoy the sensations she was waking in him. “You must have felt the touch of his mind.”

  “Yes.” Her hand was playing with his hair now, first smoothing it then teasing out individual locks. “Why?”

  “You knew about his time in the mountains, didn’t you?”

  “Yes. So what?” She stopped and pulled back from him a little.

  He watched her green eyes flick thoughtfully across his face, then take in the bandaged hand and his wrists. “You’re sending yourself forward, aren’t you? You must, or you wouldn’t be here now. Did you go to Ranz, too? Are you that alike?”

  “His Leska, you said she was prissy,” he began, but she cut him short.

  “No, I’m not going to freak out about your past,” she said, “No more than I did with Rezak. Now will you please stop talking!”

  Taken aback by her vehemence, Kaid wasn’t quite sure how to react.

  Jaisa reached out and took hold of him by his ears. “Look, I want your body and your mind, Kaid, not your damned life story! At least, not right now,” she amended, letting him go.

  Kaid couldn’t help but laugh as he pulled her into his arms and began nibbling at her ears in retaliation.

  Much better, she sent, beginning to project what she hoped they’d shortly be doing.

  *

  “Here’s Kaid and Jaisa now,” said Kusac, nodding toward where they were threading their way through the tables to the meal counter. “He looks better today.”

  “He’s well pleased with himself too,” said Carrie. “I think he had company last night. I’m glad. I was worried about him being alone here of all places.”

  “He’ll find his own way now,” said Kusac, reaching across the table to touch her hand.

  “The meteorite will hit today,” said Kaid when they joined them at the table.

  “I know,” said Kusac. “We have to go to Chiyak now.”

  Kaid nodded as he began eating. “When do we meet with Vartra?”

  “As soon as we’ve finished eating,” said Carrie.

  Kaid looked up sharply at her, frowning. “Are you all right?” he asked. “You look a little pale.”

  “I’m fine,” she said, closing her mind to them.

  Kusac sighed. “I’ve already been through this with her. She won’t go to the medic and get a checkup.”

  “What does En’Shalla mean?” she asked, looking from one to the other of them.

  “In the hands of the Gods,” said Kusac, his tone baffled.

  Kaid nodded agreement.

  “Fine. Leave it to the Gods then,” she said, pushing herself back from the table and getting up. “I’ll see you at Vartra’s lab.” With that, she walked off.

  “She had those pains again last night,” said Kusac in response to Kaid’s questioning look. “And she does look pale.”

  “I hate to butt in, but isn’t she a bit… er …” began Jaisa. “… larger?” finished Kaid.

  “I think so, but she’ll have none of it. The cub’s still moving. We can both feel her, mentally and physically, so I suppose they must be all right,” said Kusac morosely, looking at his mug of c’shar.

  “See how she does today,” said Kaid. “With any luck, we’ll be home in a few hours. Incidentally, how are you? You don’t seem to be suffering any more effects of the drug.”

  “I’m fine. How did you feel when you were in one of these situations?”

  “Fine, until I was dragged out of it to the next one.” Kaid stood up. “Let’s get going. We’ve got to get to Chiyak as soon as possible.”

  *

  The lab was small in comparison to the one at the monastery, but it was warmer. Again there were the ubiquitous work benches complete with their clutter of equipment. At the far end, a couple of people were setting up one of the analyzers that had been brought with them from the monastery. Carrie was already there and Vartra was in the process of taking a blood sample from her.

  “What were you originally trying to do with the genes?” Carrie was asking.

  “I was trying to improve the abilities of telepaths,” he said, “and to increase the number of Leska pairs to enrich the gene pool. Then the Valtegans arrived.” He withdrew the syringe and passed her a wad of sterile wool. “Press that against it for a minute or two,” he said, handing the hypo to one of his lab assistants.

  “What happened to your program then?”

  “At first I could continue uninterrupted, then the Valtegans began to shut down all the research establishments. We had nothing to use against them; they just walked over us,” he said. He looked over at Kusac. “You next, please.”

  He picked up a fresh syringe and began swabbing the inside of Kusac’s arm. “That was when it was suggested that telepaths with enhanced abilities could give our resistance fighters the edge they needed. Only it didn’t work out that way. This brave but foolish group of mine,” he said, looking over at Jaisa, “used the serum before it was ready. It wasn’t stable enough. When the virus carrying it took hold, we lost so many of our talented—young and old—through high fevers and convulsions. We’ve been trying to find a way to correct this, but so far, no luck. The main problem is that none of the other teams can repeat my results!”

  “Well, they couldn’t, could they?” said Carrie, examining her arm to make sure it wasn’t bleeding. “You’re manipulating the results mentally, making the experiments do what you want them to do, whether it’s possible or not.”

  “I beg your pardon,” said Vartra, looking at her in surprise. “What did you say?”

  Carrie looked up, and realized from the looks on the faces around her that she’d obviously said something that hadn’t gone down well. “I only said that you’re mentally manipulating the experiments to make them do what you want rather that w
hat nature will let them do. Psychokinesis.”

  “It would explain why no one else can duplicate your work,” said Jaisa.

  “I’m not a telepath,” said Vartra. “I can’t possibly be affecting my experiments!”

  “There are more Talents than telepathy,” said Carrie. “That’s something your people are going to forget, which is why the Brotherhood will be able to gather all those Talents into their membership. Which is another reason why you have to be based here.”

  “I tell you, I’m not manipulating my results!” Vartra exclaimed angrily, rounding on her.

  “I saw you doing it when I came in,” said Carrie apologetically. “I’ll grant you don’t realize you are, but that’s probably why the genes that you’re working on are unstable. Nature never intended them to exist in that form or combination.”

  “Playing God,” said Kaid. “Making what you want to happen, happen. That’s why we’re compatible with the Humans, Kusac. That’s why Vanna can’t explain it.”

  “Then I’m responsible for your Link and all those deaths? Oh, Gods! What have I been doing?” said Vartra, his face taking on a pinched look as he leaned back against the bench behind him. “What have I done to you all? What can I do to correct it?”

  Carrie leaned toward him, a look of panic on her face. “Don’t change it, Dr. Vartra! If you do, then my cubs will never have been conceived. For God’s sake, leave things the way they are!”

  “I can’t!”

  “You must,” said Kusac, removing the syringe from Vartra’s slack grasp. “If you don’t, you’ll change the future.”

  Vartra looked at him. “You’re changing the future right now by being here!”

  “We’re making sure it happens the way it should,” said Kaid. “When a Sholan combines with a Human in a Leska link, they get back the ability to fight. What you’ve been trying to do to combat the Valtegans will work—in the long term. Your research enhanced our talents and gave us back the ability to fight. I told you there are no Valtegans on Shola in our time. That’s true, but we’re still facing them in space!”

  “You didn’t tell us that,” said Jaisa accusingly.

  “We can’t tell you everything,” said Kusac. “There’s so much that trying to choose what you need to know is almost impossible.”

  “Look, we’ve got something we have to do right now. You have more time than us to work on your problems. We’ve probably only got today,” said Carrie. “We have to get to the temple and deal with this Kezule. He has to be stopped. What he’s getting Fyak to do is going to destroy our world if we don’t act now. We’ve explained all this to you.”

  “More importantly, we need to take the cub with us,” said Kaid. “I’ve got to send him … myself … forward.”

  “You’ve decided then,” said Jaisa.

  Kaid nodded. “I have to, because I’m here.”

  “You haven’t the right to …” began Vartra.

  Kaid cut him short. “Yes, I do. I’m the only one who does have the right to decide! He comes with us.”

  “Have you any idea how you’re going to send him forward?” Jaisa asked.

  “Yes. The gateway is in that temple. It’ll take the combined power of all three of us, but we can do it.”

  “We need help, though,” said Kusac. “We need weapons and fighters. And we need to use the aircar. Without it, there’s no way we’ll make it there before the meteorite hits.”

  “What about coming back?” asked Jaisa.

  “We’ll be leaving through the gate, too,” said Kusac. “If we don’t go through today, we may never get back.”

  Vartra looked at Jaisa. “Send someone for Goran, then go and get the cub. Bring him here. Be as quick as you can.”

  Reluctantly, she went.

  “Tell me,” said Vartra, almost afraid to hear the answer as he looked from Carrie to Kusac. “Are you content? Are things well between you? You’re two different species—have you enough in common to be happy?”

  As Carrie began to laugh gently, Kusac put his arm round her.

  “Yes, we’re content,” he said. “I’d choose no other for my Leska. We’re alike enough for many of our people to find happiness together, even without the Leska Links.”

  “Why is she laughing?” asked Vartra, a puzzled look on his face.

  “Every new Leska pair will hear you say words similar to those, even fifteen hundred years from now!” Kusac indicated the room with a sweep of his arm. “This mountain is full of crystals that can record sounds and images. In years to come, they’ll replay them. Those words will bring comfort to a great many people, Dr. Vartra. That’s probably yet another reason why you’ll come to be seen as a God.”

  “Don’t talk like that,” he said. “It makes me shudder every time I hear you say it.”

  “When the Cataclysm is over, there will be very little technology left. You’ll have to rebuild from the ground up,” said Carrie. “Just remember the guilds.”

  “The guilds?”

  “That’s all,” she said.

  Kaid’s ears dropped flat against his head and he sat down suddenly. “Gods, I hate this! Being in the same place twice is awful.”

  “Kaid, you said you remembered nothing about this life until a few months ago,” said Kusac. “If that’s the case, then your memories can’t be left. They need to be removed.”

  “I know. Like father, like son,” he said with a sigh. “Khemu did that to Dzaka.”

  “What I’m trying to say is, I can do it safely. I’ve worked in the medical unit at Valsgarth, treating illnesses of the mind. Do you want me to remove the memories for you?”

  Kaid rubbed his sound hand against his leg, trying to wipe the sweat off it. “Yes. You’ll have to do it nearer the time, though.”

  Kusac put his hand on Kaid’s shoulder. “When we reach the temple.”

  Kaid nodded and got to his feet.

  As the males left to join Goran, Jaisa arrived with the cub.

  “I’ll take him, Jaisa,” said Carrie, bending down slightly till she could lift Tallinu up. He stood waiting for her, arms held up, mouth open in a grin.

  “Hello,” he said as she held him in her arms. “You playing with me?”

  “Yes, love. We’re playing a very special game,” she said, her eyes meeting Jaisa’s over the top of his head. “One that will last all day.”

  A tiny hand reached up to touch her cheek. “Tears. Why?”

  *

  “Their condition’s unchanged,” said Vanna. “It’s Carrie I’m worried about. Her pregnancy is definitely accelerating, Garras.”

  “What can you do about it?”

  “There’s drugs that will slow the development, but I don’t know if I should use them. I don’t know what to do!” she said, pacing round the kitchen.

  “Then leave it. Let nature take its course.”

  “Nature?” she said, stopping beside him. “This isn’t natural to begin with!”

  “Then I don’t know what to suggest. Why not go and talk to Noni, or ask Jack what he thinks. They may be able to help.”

  “You don’t seem at all concerned,” she grumbled. “If you had to go up there and watch them the way Chena and I have, you’d think differently about it.”

  “Vanna, there’s nothing I can do. I found them, have you forgotten that? Do you think I want to go back up to the bedroom? They look like damned corpses! I don’t know how you cope, and you have all my admiration for doing so,” he said, catching hold of her. “Let me take you over to Jack’s.”

  She hesitated. “All right,” she said.

  *

  They got the help they needed. Overnight, Goran and Khyim had decided a raid had to be mounted against the Valtegans in Chiyak. When Vartra, having tasted freedom from Goran’s restrictions for the first time in a month, insisted on accompanying them, so did Jaisa. With the aid of one of Vartra’s concoctions for his stomach, Kaid was better able to control the constant dizziness and nausea caused by the proximity of
his childhood self.

  “We’ll set down as near to the temple as possible,” said Khyim. “Then the aircar will take off again, staying within radio contact. I can’t afford to risk this craft on the ground. It’s the only one we have.”

  There were ten of them in all, each of them armed, even Vartra. As they looked down on the city below, they could see it was in the throes of a war that had little to do with the Valtegans.

  “It’s been like this since they left,” said Khyim. “Anarchy. Too long under the repressive rule of the Valtegans made them go mad as soon as they caught the scent of freedom.”

  Overturned vehicles littered the streets, forming road blocks and barricades behind which the various factions took shelter as they hurled everything from bricks to energy bolts at each other. Gangs roamed around, smashing store fronts so they could help themselves to the goods inside. Plumes of smoke and flames licked the air as fire swept unchecked through houses and stores alike. It looked like the battle zone that it was.

  “It’s brought out the worst in these people,” said Khyim. He turned to the pilot. “Fly past the temple courtyard,” he said. “I want to see for myself what they’ve got there. That’s it coming up now,” he said, pointing through the haze of smoke to the building ahead.

  It was squat and ugly, not at all what they’d expected for the main temple. A flight of stone steps led up to the red facade in which were set two heavy wooden doors. In the courtyard, under the watchful eyes of a dozen Valtegan guards, sat two massive troop carriers.

  “They’re dug in to stay,” said Goran as the aircar banked sharply in the opposite direction. “You really want to go in there?” he asked.

  “Not want, need,” said Kusac, one arm round Carrie, holding onto the bulkhead in an effort to keep his balance.

  “Land us in the park by the river,” Khyim said. “We’ll go in that way. It looked pretty clear as we came in over it.”

  “River?” Goran queried.

  “The city’s storm drains and sewers all run into the river that flows past the Temple. There’s a labyrinth of tunnels there that the Valtegans haven’t had the time to find out about. We’re going in along them, and coming out in the heart of the Temple itself. There’s an access tunnel in the kitchen area.”