“Your worries, Mentor, not mine,” said Rhuso. “I still believe he can control her.”
“What was his attitude?” insisted Mnya.
“Angry, as I said he would be. What did you expect, Mentor? Absolute compliance from him? He’d hardly be a fit heir to the Clans if he didn’t question us and make up his own mind.”
“Did he accept our authority over him and his Leska?”
“Eventually, Mentor. I must remind you that since he came here to escape from his future as heir, he has nothing to lose. Force will get us nowhere with him. You worry about her strength of will, yet you forget his.”
“I forget nothing, Rhuso,” said the Mentor coldly. “While he will still obey the Guild, I have to bind him to us as best I can. He knows the truth of what we’re telling him. She needs to be taught. If she isn’t, apart from the dangers she presents to others, he’ll become tired of her lack of knowledge. They need to be equals, not teacher and pupil. By insisting that we train her, we’re relieving him of the responsibility. I don’t think he’s likely to miss that point.”
“I hope you’re right, Mentor,” said Rhuso.
*
She felt the pressure on the seat beside her and looked up from her comp notepad.
“Mind if I join you?” he asked, putting his mug down on the table.
Somewhat taken aback, Mito didn’t have a ready reply.
“Thought you wouldn’t mind,” he said confidently. “I feel as if I know you already, I’ve heard so much about you from your friends.”
Mito sat back and gave him a long look. He was one of the ground troops from the color of his jacket. They didn’t usually come into this mess, and he looked like he’d recently been in a fight.
“You’ve got the wrong person,” she said abruptly, returning to her notepad.
“I don’t think so,” he said. “My name’s Rrael, and you’re Mito, right?”
“Your company’s unwelcome,” she said, not lifting her head up from what she was reading. “Go and sit elsewhere.”
“That’s not very nice,” he said, putting his hand over her pad. “Maikoe said you were a lot friendlier than that. So did Chyad.”
Instinctively her ears gave a flick to the side in sudden fear, and she looked up at him again.
He nodded. “That’s right. I knew you were Mito. It’s good to mourn the passing of friends, but if you can do something to make sure they haven’t been forgotten, that’s even better, isn’t it, Mito? And I know you won’t want to forget them.”
She heard the implicit threat in his voice as his fingers moved over her pad keyboard.
“I’ll see you in here tomorrow at the same time,” he said, moving his hand away. “Don’t forget. I’d hate to have to go all the way up to your room on the twenty-seventh floor to find you.” He slid out from behind the table. “See you tomorrow.”
Mito sat unmoving till he left the mess. She looked down at her pad. On it his words glowed. “Message from Rhyaki due in your bridge shift twenty-fifth hour tonight.”
*
In their suite, Kusac’s eyes flew open as Carrie’s terror flared through her barrier to reach him. Then there was silence again. He sat up, ignoring the pain as he tried to reach her. Nothing. Where was she? What had happened to her? Crawling out of bed, he made his way to the comm in the lounge.
*
Meral and Sevrin left at a run, heading for the elevator down to the fourteenth floor. Once in it, Meral thumbed his communicator.
“Have you alerted Security?”
“Not yet,” said Sevrin. “I wanted to tell our Liegen first.”
“You’ve a lot to learn,” growled Meral, activating his unit. “Unit one to security. We have a code amber. I repeat, a code amber.”
“Repeat that message, unit one,” said the voice at the other end of his device.
“Code amber, security.”
“Draz here. What’s your location?”
“Elevator from the Ambassadorial level to deck fourteen.”
“We’ll meet you there. Draz out.”
The doors finally parted. Draz was waiting with a team of ten males. “Which way did she go?” he asked.
“Down there,” said Sevrin, pointing off to the right. “I followed her as far as the first junction then lost her.”
“You two take corridors three through nine,” said Draz, pointing to his people. “You, corridors two through thirty, ten through sixteen, seventeen through twenty-three. You two,” he said to the last pair, “cover the other two elevators. Get to it.”
They left at a run.
Draz turned to them. “I take it the Liegen doesn’t know where she is.”
“No,” said Sevrin, looking briefly at Meral. “They had a row, and she left. He’s lying down with a headache.”
Draz looked quizzically at Meral.
“He’d been to see his Guild Tutor,” said Meral. “I’m sure it was something to do with that.”
“If he doesn’t know where she is, then the chances are none of the other telepaths will be able to locate her either.”
“I don’t think the Liegen would thank us if we involved their guild,” said Meral.
“There doesn’t seem to be any point at the moment,” said Draz. “Right, let’s go back to where you lost her.”
*
She was unable to shriek with her mouth full of his arm. That, at least, was a blessing! Her cry was piercing to say the least. The door was open as always, and for a wonder, the temple seemed empty. The lighting was still down low and the incense lay heavy in the air, resisting the attempts of the purifiers to disperse it. A service must just have finished. He tried to enter but somehow she managed to get an arm free and grab hold of the doorjamb. She hung on grimly while her teeth tightened on his arm.
He growled in annoyance, risking letting go of her with one arm so he could prise at her fingers.
Her teeth bit deeper, and his growl turned to a yelp as he jerked her hand free and stumbled into the room.
“Dzaka, where the hell are you?” he called. “Shut the damned door and get these bloody lights raised! I need your help!”
Startled, Dzaka appeared silhouetted against the light from his inner room. Sizing up the situation, he keyed the outer door shut from the control panel beside him, then raised the light level.
“The Terran?”
“Later. Give me a hand, for the God’s sake!” he said as his feral bundle began to kick and struggle again.
The meditation mats were still out and Dzaka headed over to them, piling a couple of them together. “Put her down here,” he said brusquely.
Still attached to her, he knelt down and dumped her on the makeshift bed. “Let go, you stupid female,” he growled, trying to force her mouth apart with his other hand. He yelped again as she bit down on his fingers. Her eyes were wild and staring, she was beyond sense.
A band suddenly seemed to form around his throat and start to tighten; he began to choke and gasp for air. No time to mess about. Making a fist of his free hand, he drew it back and took careful aim.
*
Their search was hampered by the movements of personnel from work stations to leisure activities. Of those asked, no one had seen anything.
“Where would she have gone, Sevrin?” demanded Draz. “Who does she know? Who’d she go and visit if she was upset?”
“Vanna’s the only one she knows,” said Sevrin.
Draz pressed his communicator. “Unit three, go to level twenty-seven. Secure the exterior of the medical section. No one to enter or leave till I get there.”
“Unit three complying.”
“Would she go to the Terrans?” asked Draz as they loped round to the nearest elevator.
“She doesn’t know where they are,” replied Meral. “The Liegen wants them kept away from her because of their attitude to their Link.”
Draz growled softly as they got in. “Why these Terrans think they have a right to interfere in other people’s
lives is beyond me. This should be a matter for them and no one else.”
Meral glanced at Sevrin and grinned briefly.
*
They skidded to a halt outside the medical unit.
“No one’s been in or out, sir,” said one of the males on guard.
Draz nodded. “Keep a watch for her. Permit entry and exit again.”
They headed into the reception area.
“Just what do you think you’re doing, Sub-Lieutenant Draz?” demanded the senior nurse on duty. “What’s the meaning of this intrusion?”
“Is Physician Vanna Kyjishi on duty?” demanded Draz.
“I’ve no idea,” he snapped. “Physician Kyjishi was removed from the duty roster several days ago. She has her own lab with its own entrance.”
“Is she in the medical facility?”
“You’ll have to go and look.”
“You’re not exactly being helpful,” growled Draz. “Where’s her lab?”
“Down the corridor, second right, along to the end and on the left.”
Meral and Sevrin hurried after him, following him into the lab. A nurse sat on duty at the station. He looked up as they entered.
“Vanna here?” demanded Draz.
“No, sir. Only myself and the patient in the next room.”
When Draz opened the door, Kaid was already sitting on the side of his bed. “What’s up?” he demanded.
“The human female’s missing,” said Draz. “They had a row and she ran off. Any idea where she might have gone?”
“Who’s with Kusac?”
“No one,” said Meral. “He ordered us both out to find her. He’s flat on his back with a headache. I think she’s blocked him out again.”
“Dammit! Do I have to see to everything myself?” Kaid demanded as he pushed himself to his feet. “One of you get back up there with him. I don’t want him left alone for a minute. I thought I made that clear from the outset.”
“If you’ll pardon the observation, I think you’d be better going up to Kusac,” said Meral, noticing how Kaid was already favoring his injured leg.
Kaid gave him a measured look. “Right. I’ll see to Kusac. You check Vanna’s room, see if she’s there. I take it Carrie went missing on this level?”
“No, on the fourteenth,” said Draz.
“Get back down there and check the mess on that level, then check the concourse and the Terran quarters. Contact the Mentor and alert her as to what’s happened. Even if the other telepaths can’t pick her up, they can report in to her if Carrie is in sight. As a last resort, check her father’s suite and the Clan Leader’s.”
“Can you make it up to the Ambassadorial level?” asked Draz, looking at the way Kaid limped round to the other side of the bed to retrieve his clothes.
“I’ll manage. You get going,” he said grimly, putting one arm then the other through the sleeves of his robe. Leaving it hanging open in front, he limped through the door after them.
*
Kusac was still sitting at the comm when he felt the sudden surge of power pass through him. Not the gestalt again! He felt it grip his mind, this time only tugging at him mentally until briefly they merged, then everything went dark and quiet. Frantic, he got to his feet. What the hell was happening to her to make her so terrified that it triggered the gestalt? He had to find her.
Trying to convince himself that his head felt better, he attempted to walk slowly across the room to the door. Each step made him feel more nauseous as it jarred his aching head. Screwing his eyes up against the light, he opened the door, heading slowly down the hallway. He stopped halfway, knowing he was kidding himself. He wasn’t fit to be up on his feet, let alone take part in a search.
His stomach finally began to rebel and he turned, stumbling blindly for the kitchen.
That was where Kaid found him several minutes later, hanging onto the food preparation sink and looking and feeling utterly wretched, his hands slick with sweat.
Kusac looked myopically at him as he entered. “You shouldn’t be up,” he said.
“Neither should you,” Kaid replied, limping across to him. “What caused the sickness? Her blocking your Link?” He turned to the tap and picking up a mug, filled it for him.
“No. She forgets to shield,” he said, taking the drink thankfully. “And when she’s angry or upset, it causes the headaches. This one is the worst yet.” He drank deeply, then put the mug down.
“It’s all right when she’s experiencing pleasure, I expect,” said Kaid with a slight flick of his ears.
Kusac began to grin. “Not so bad,” he admitted. “It has its up side too.”
“How’s the head now?”
“Better,” he said, straightening up. “Not good, but better.”
“Do you want to lie down?”
“I can’t rest. Let’s go back to the lounge,” he said, offering Kaid a steadying arm.
“Have you picked anything up that might give us a clue as to where she is?”
“She was terrified, that I felt. It triggered the gestalt again, but seconds later, everything went silent. Someone’s got her. I saw a room with some kind of a bed in it, then she blacked out. I think she’s unconscious. We’ve got to find her, Kaid,” he said urgently.
“They’ll find her,” said Kaid confidently, opening the lounge door. “Even if they have to do a room by room search, they’ll find her.”
They made their way over to the settee and collapsed there, their mutual infirmities drawing a grin from both of them despite the circumstances.
“Do you want to tell me what happened?” asked Kaid. “It might help to work out where she was headed.”
*
Dzaka crouched beside the human female. Garras was calling Vanna. He had her to himself for the moment. Reaching out, he pressed a hand to her neck, checking the pulse. Slow and steady, the rhythm the same as a Sholan’s. He saw the torc. The Aldatan cub’s intentions were serious, then. It might have been easier to deal with them both had they not been emotionally attached to each other. As it was, given his age, Kusac was likely to be somewhat irrational in his defense of her. He sighed. Then there was his family. Kusac wasn’t exactly the sort of person who could disappear without causing a ripple, nor was he the sort of person whose every move wouldn’t be watched by the media-nets back on Shola.
Her attempt to strangle Garras had him seriously concerned. That was a Talent destined to cause a disaster, especially if she couldn’t control it. He wasn’t sure which was potentially more dangerous, her lack of control, or the possibility that she would develop it.
He glanced toward the door. Garras was still busy. There was time for him to solve that problem now. His hand slipped easily round her throat. Just a little pressure in the same area as the already livid bruises and it was over, for both of them. No further need for concern over her strange mental talents, or their ability to fight. He might never have another chance. Unconscious as she was now, she couldn’t stop him. If he left it till later, the result could be a battle which he might not survive.
This was the first time he’d seen her close up. Kaid, at least, had been observing them for several days. Like him, he couldn’t yet form even a basic conclusion regarding their outlook or their talents. Of the two, perhaps their outlook was more important. While he hesitated, Garras came out of the inner room. Dzaka removed his hand and stood up, moving away to sit on the plinth of the statue.
Garras pressed the towel more firmly against his arm. The wound was still bleeding copiously despite Dzaka’s cold water treatment. Who’d have thought she’d have teeth capable of inflicting so deep an injury? He looked down at where she lay sprawled on the mats. He’d tried to place her in a comfortable position, but he didn’t know enough about Terran anatomy.
“So this is the Terran all the excitement is about,” Dzaka observed from his perch.
Garras nodded, still watching her.
She lay there, her chest rising and falling faintly with her shallow
breathing. He’d have been gentler had he known she was pregnant. He frowned, surprised he hadn’t heard about her condition. Crouching down, he touched her jaw carefully with his hand. Already an angry bruise was beginning to form. He hadn’t realized her skin was so fragile. Remembering the feel of her in his arms as she struggled against him, and the smell of her scent, he could understand the appeal this human female held for Sholan males. He wasn’t unmoved by her himself. His hand strayed down to the torc that nestled at the base of her throat. Maybe the lad had more sense than anyone credited him with.
Standing up, he turned around, and, still keeping the pressure on his wounded arm, he joined Dzaka.
“She needs your help,” he said abruptly. “She was so terrified even I could feel her fear.”
Dzaka stirred, changing his position so he could see her better. “I don’t know that I can help,” he said. “I need to know what caused her to be so afraid that she tried to strangle you. Her talent is dangerous, you realize that?”
“Don’t confuse her with Sholan telepaths,” said Garras. “She can, and will fight as I’ve found out to my cost,” he said, looking down at the towel that was slowly becoming dark with blood. “But I don’t think she realized what she was doing. It was an unthinking reaction to a situation in which she felt utterly helpless.”
“Has she ever done this before?”
He shook his head. “Never. She’s alone here, Dzaka, isolated from her own kind because of her fear of their reaction to her Link with Kusac. She needs to learn to cope with that fear. You can help her do that. You’re obviously running meditation services here, which means you’re authorized to teach.”
“I can only help her if she’ll cooperate with me,” he said, “and if their minds work the same way ours do.”
“At least give it a try.”
Dzaka sighed. “We’ll see.”
*
Draz’s call to Vanna’s room had proved futile, the same with her personal pager: she’d turned it off. The Terrans had seen nothing of Carrie either. Draz had just received a call from Kaid asking him to avoid contacting the guild and the Clan Leader if at all possible. Working on the premise that they would have contacted Kusac if they’d been aware of her, Draz was prepared to leave them for the present. He dispatched his men to check out the levels above and below.
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