fortuneswheel

by Lisanne Norman

  Kaid’s mouth opened in a grin. “I thought you might. See it as my thanks for luring me out of retirement with a job I couldn’t refuse.”

  “Bastard,” said Garras without rancor.

  “How’s it going?”

  “No problems. This lot’s as innocent as day-old cubs. When the protectors told them that there had been an assassination attempt against Liegen Aldatan to stop the treaty with Earth, they were genuinely shocked. Even the truthsayer— remember old Jorto? He’s still around and he recognized me— he vouched for us all.”

  “Stay where you are for the time being in case our male turns up looking for help.”

  “Fair enough. I’m involved with this rather nice young female at the moment. How’s Vanna?”

  “Busy, but fine. We don’t see much of her these days.”

  “I want to see her soon, Kaid.”

  Garras looked around and called to someone off screen before turning back to him. “Got to go.”

  *

  Later that night, he called Stronghold. “Ghezu, what the hell’s going on? You told me that you’d give me backup. Where was it when I needed it today?” he demanded.

  “We can’t watch them every minute of the day, Tallinu. That’s your job, remember?” said Ghezu. “We do what we can. In enclosed areas like the vehicle park, it isn’t easy to have you tailed.”

  “If you’ve had a change of priorities, I expect to be kept informed. You do still want them kept alive, don’t you?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous! Of course we do!”

  “Then give me some people and I’ll take charge of surveillance.”

  Ghezu only hesitated for a moment. “I’ll send four people over to you tomorrow.”

  “How important are they to you, Ghezu?” Kaid’s voice was silky.

  “All right, eight, dammit, and no more!” He leaned forward and cut the connection.

  Kaid smiled to himself as he switched off the comm.

  *

  It was the following week before Carrie and Kusac’s schedule could be adjusted to fit in regular sessions at the Warrior Guild. Meral and Kaid were accompanying them and staying at the guild while they were there.

  “Is it really necessary?” asked Kusac. “Surely we should be safe there.”

  “I’m not prepared to take the risk,” Kaid said.

  “Neither am I,” said Carrie as the small aircar took off. Sevrin’s death was still weighing heavily on her spirits.

  The flight to the center of Nazule took about an hour. When they arrived, they were taken to Guild Master Rhayfso’s private rooms. His study was an armory with a desk in the corner and a variety of swords and knives mounted in brackets on the walls. Two of the four corners of the room contained stacks of every imaginable type of pole weapon.

  “Ah, you’ve arrived,” he said, looking up from the two blades he was examining on his desk. “Good to see you again, Kaid, Meral. It’s been too long. Now you two,” he said, turning to Carrie and Kusac. “What do you think of these? Just arrived this morning.”

  Carrie stepped forward to look at the swords, putting out a tentative finger. “I won’t,” she said in answer to his unspoken warning, making him jump. She drew her finger along the single-edged blade just above its surface. “Your son is a fine smith. He’s put beauty and strength into these blades.”

  “No wonder there’s a superstitious awe of telepaths when you come out with something like that,” said the Master, shaking his head. “Enough of these,” he said, closing the lid of their case, “I want to discuss the details of your program with us.”

  He pushed the case to one side of his cluttered desk and sat down, indicating that they should do the same. Carrie and Kusac took the chairs nearest him while Meral and Kaid moved toward a bench at the rear of the room.

  “Since Kaid contacted us, I’ve spent some time discussing with my staff which skills would best suit your needs. We’ve compiled a special course to familiarize you as swiftly as possible with the basics in three areas. Modern energy weapons, hand-to-hand combat, and the traditional skills of knife and sword. Once you’ve mastered them, I want to try you out against some of my students so you can see for yourself how capable you are. Commander Chuz, President of Sholan High Command, wants your capability to fight in simulated real situations assessed. Does that meet with your agreement?”

  Kusac looked at Carrie and shrugged. “Whatever you say, Master Rhayfso. It’s pretty much what I expected. We’re here to learn.”

  “Good. Meral and Kaid will take you down to the veterans’ quarters where you’ll be staying overnight, and where your teachers will meet you. Come and see me if you have any problems,” he said, standing up to indicate the meeting was over.

  “Oh, by the way, you’re hardly likely to need Meral and Kaid as bodyguards while you’re here,” he said. “I should let them have some time off duty if I were you.”

  “I’ll stay,” said Kaid unequivocally. “Meral can go off duty until twelfth hour.”

  *

  The sprawl of buildings that made up the Warrior Guild seemed to have retained an austere look in comparison to the Telepath Guild. In fact, there was little comparison between the two guilds despite their ancient ties. Comfort here was on a minimal level, even for the Master.

  The shielded room they were to occupy on their overnight stops belonged to the guild’s resident telepath. He’d agreed to stay at the guild in Valsgarth for that one night a week. There was a bed, harder than they were used to, and the basic storage facilities for their clothes.

  Once their small amount of luggage had been left in their rooms, Meral departed for the delights of the city and they joined their first teacher in the staff lounge.

  “My name’s Varos,” said a large Sholan in a dull sandcolored uniform jacket getting up from his chair and coming toward them. “I’ll be showing you how to use energy weapons.” He towered over both of them before sweeping past them into the corridor. “Well, come on!” he said. “We need to go down to the range to use the guns. Can’t have you taking pot shots at the students, can I?” A rumbling purr followed his last remark.

  As they turned to follow him, Carrie grasped Kusac’s arm. I’ve never seen such a large Sholan before! she sent. He’s huge! Look at the size of his legs, they’re as thick as two of yours.

  And it’s all muscle, from the look of him, agreed Kusac with a grin.

  “So you’re one of the Terrans, are you?” Varos said, turning round to look at her from piercing green eyes. “You look better in life than you did on the newscast last week. Too bad about Sevrin,” he said regretfully.

  The range was indoors in the basement of the building. They entered the rest area first, waiting while Varos fetched some pistols and battery packs.

  “I’ll probably have a few practice shots myself, if you don’t mind, Liegen,” said Kaid, looking thoughtfully at the range.

  “Whatever you want,” said Kusac, “only so long as you stop using my title! They know you here in the guild, there’s no need for it.”

  “The same goes for me,” said Carrie, going to examine the drinks dispenser. “They haven’t got coffee in them yet,” she said regretfully.

  “Hardly. Remember its effect on us on Keiss?” said Kusac, joining Kaid at the transparent window overlooking the range.

  Varos returned. “Here,” he said, throwing Kusac a battery pack, then another. “Stick them in your jacket. I’m glad to see you all had the sense to come in uniform.” He walked over to Carrie, holding out hands as large as plates. “Let me see your hands,” he said.

  Carrie hesitated, looking up at the intimidatingly tall, tan-colored male standing before her.

  “Come on,” he said. “I won’t eat you. I need to see if your hands can use our weapons properly.”

  Reluctantly, she held them out. The skin on his hands felt rough as they manipulated her fingers and examined her grip. He let her go and frowned.

  “Hm. You’re on the small side. I think
we’ll need to have a gun specially crafted for your own use. Learning to use ours will at least enable you to pick any gun up and use it properly.” He took one from his belt and handed it to her, butt first. “We don’t load until we’re on the range, and we don’t ever point it at anyone we don’t intend to shoot, got that?” he said.

  “I learned some basics from Captain Garras on Keiss,” she said dryly. “I also used projectile rifles at home.”

  Varos grunted as he gave her two battery packs. “I don’t assume anything, and I make no apology for it,” he said. “That way, no one gets hurt by accident. I’ll be showing you how to keep your guns in good repair, all the maintenance tricks the Forces don’t teach their people. That’s the difference between warriors and fighters. We train you to look after yourselves rather than rely on support personnel expressly trained for the purpose,” he said, leading them through to the range.

  “We’ll start on static targets and then move on to the mobile range. It’s set up like a street full of houses populated by warriors, attackers and civilians that spring out at you without warning. The idea is to go in and clear out the attackers without taking out your own people or the civilians. That kind of practical skill is going to be of more use to you. An attacker doesn’t usually stand still so you can aim up on him or her.”

  If they thought the morning was unremitting hard work, the afternoon was no better. This time it was the turn of Shaku, and her specialty was bladed weapons. Using heavy wooden clubs instead of swords— “I don’t believe in wasting good steel on beginners.”— they were drilled again and again through the basic attack and defense positions until their bodies were one homogeneous ache.

  “This will help you to build up those wrist and arm muscles. When I do allow you to use the real weapons, they’ll be far lighter by comparison,” she said cheerfully.

  By mutual consent, as soon as they were through for the day, they headed toward the bath house. Kaid had arranged for them to be given sole use of one of the smaller rooms and gratefully they stripped, lowering themselves into the steaming herb-scented water.

  Kusac hooked his neck over the padded edge of the large communal tub, letting his body drift full length just under the surface. He relaxed, letting the heat wash over him, unknotting muscles used far beyond their normal endurance. He could sense Carrie doing the same, feel her pleasure mingling with his own until it was a balm in itself to their tired minds.

  I didn’t think cats liked water so much, came her drowsy thought.

  One of life’s luxuries, replied Kusac lazily. Have you ever tried licking fur? It gets stuck all over your tongue if you don’t do it properly. Baths or showers are much more pleasant.

  You still have rough tongues.

  Kusac opened one eye. So we have, he agreed placidly. I haven’t heard you complain.

  Carrie kicked a feeble shower of water at him with one foot. If I wasn’t so tired, she threatened.

  He laughed and reaching out, caught her by the ankle and towed her toward him, wincing as a pulled muscle in his chest hurt.

  “Kusac!” she spluttered, righting herself when her head appeared above the surface again.

  He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her as she lay just above him in the water.

  I don’t know how we’re going to get through tomorrow. Today was bad enough and we didn’t ache like this.

  Ah, sent Carrie. I discovered a little trick that might help even things out.

  What’s that?

  With both our teachers I found that once the lesson had progressed to a certain level, they were mentally accessing their own skills and I could tap into that knowledge, learning it from them. It changes the emphasis from learning a totally new skill, to remembering how to utilize a known one.

  I thought you were doing suspiciously well, sent Kusac, letting her go and causing the water to surge as he sat up. “I don’t suppose you thought to share the knowledge with me.”

  Carrie let herself drift as she caught hold of the bath rim. “I wasn’t sure until this afternoon, and we were too busy for me to transfer the knowledge then. I’m telling you now, aren’t I?” she said, sending him the information she had gleaned from their tutors.

  Kusac sorted through it, nodding his head at last. “Yes, I see where I’ve been going wrong now. You’re right, this will make it a lot easier, but I think what you did was somewhat unethical,” he added, frowning at her.

  “I didn’t have to probe for it, and anyway, it makes their job easier as well as ours. Besides, you know I don’t share all your ethics,” she said primly.

  “You’ve got a convenient conscience, cub. You’re infecting me with it, and your enjoyment of the skill involved in fighting.”

  “I thought you were beginning to enjoy yourself,” she said.

  “It’s a nonreal situation. Skill for skill, as you said. Whether or not I could use it in a real situation is another matter.”

  “We’ll see,” she said, reaching for the bottle of soap. “Come here and let me wash you. When I touched you today, I noticed you were shedding.”

  Kusac grunted, ears flicking as he moved over to sit with his back to her. “Probably the remains of my winter coat, courtesy of Keiss,” he grumbled, moving the muscles of his back under the rough massage of her fingers. A deepthroated purr escaped him.

  “I like hearing you purr,” she said, her hands going up to his head as she began to rub the soap through his hair.

  “Don’t stop rubbing my back,” he said, squirming under her lather-covered fingers. “You’ve got just the spot where I’ve had an itch for hours!”

  *

  Matters settled down at last into a routine of training shared between the two Guild Houses. The interminable tests were over, and it was now a question of Carrie learning to develop her talents and them pushing their combined abilities in the directions highlighted by the tests. She’d been awarded a level of First Grade like Kusac and at long last, the “L” insignia brooches had caught up with them, identifying them as a Leska pair.

  As she pinned hers on, Carrie remembered Rhian from the Khalossa and how she’d tried to help her come to terms with her new status as a Leska. Now she took it for granted, part of her life, just as the students and teachers at the guild took her presence among them as unremarkable. The only thing no one suggested they test was the gestalt Link.

  Vanna’s tests were also less frequent now. They’d seen little of her recently as she’d been working in the labs correlating her results and writing up the information for both the Telepath Guild, and the Guild of Medics. The last time they’d seen her, however, she’d been concerned that she’d heard nothing from Garras.

  “I called him on the Khalossa, but all they’d say was that he’d been posted. They wouldn’t say when or where,” she said worriedly.

  “I’ll see if I can find out anything,” said Kusac. “I’ll ask Kaid. If anyone can find out, he can.”

  “Thanks,” she said, getting up to go. “Can you drop into the lab later today? It’s about time for your tests again.”

  Carrie sighed. “When will you be done with testing us?”

  Vanna grinned, reaching down to touch her hair. “Soon, cub, soon. I just want to establish baselines that we can all rely on. See you later.”

  *

  One day a couple of months later, Kusac looked up from the comm where he was working. “Father’s back,” he said.

  Carrie put aside the book she’d been reading. It was Taizia’s, one of the rare real ones, not on a comp notebook. “How do you know?”

  “I can sense him now. He’s not in a good mood either. It’s the Council meeting today and he’s having to go straight there.”

  “What council meeting?”

  “The Council of the Sixteen Telepath Clans. It’s one of their regular policy meetings.”

  His comm buzzed and he cycled it to accept the call. It was his mother.

  “Your father’s back from Chagda Station,” she said
, “and he’s not happy. The Governor wants to keep the Terrans onstation for the next three days till they’re sure decontam has worked.”

  “This is a joke, isn’t it?”

  “No, they’re absolutely serious.”

  “Surely they realize any infections would have shown up during the three-week flight!”

  “Of course they do. Someone on the Council of Sixteen is making life difficult for your father. There’s something else,” she said, watching him carefully.

  “What?”

  “A motion has been tabled demanding that you be dropped as a candidate for Lordship of the Clans.”

  Kusac shrugged. “I expected no less,” he said. “How has Father taken it?”

  “Badly. He’s told me to invite you and Carrie over for a few days. He wants to meet her. Tread warily round for now, Kusac. Stay downwind. Don’t issue ultimatums, play for time for the moment.”

  I can’t leave it much longer, Mother.

  “He wants you here for third meal tomorrow.”

  Kusac sighed. “We’ll be there,” he said.

  Don’t wear your torcs, Kusac, she warned.

  Out of the question!

  Then conceal them.

  No. It will make no difference. I have a feeling he already knows about them.

  As you wish. Perhaps it’s for the best. “I’ll see you both tomorrow.”

  *

  The permanent replacement warrior for Sevrin arrived the following day. Kaid had taken some time to choose, finally deciding on a female from Stronghold. Her name was T’Chebbi. She’d been accepted into their sub-guild the hard way— from the back streets of one of the highland towns. Rough and ready she might be, but she was good.

  She was smaller than the average height, only a few inches taller than Carrie, but she made up for it in muscle and energy. Icy gray eyes looked coldly out on the world from tabby colored fur of a slightly longer length than usual. Her dark hair had been grown long, confined at the back in a single plait with the hair at the sides of the neck braided into smaller ones. She wore the ceremonial Warriors’ uniform, including the two crossed swords at her back, and a compact multifire energy pistol at her belt.