In their wisdom the Telepath Guild had decided that until the Terran integration program was complete, the most appropriate place for their visitors to eat was in the hospital mess. As Vanna joined the queue at the counter, she noticed one or two small groups of Terrans sitting eating. Despite the fact it was nearing the end of the meal time, the hall was crowded but there were a couple of empty tables over in the far corner near the elevator.
As she waited for her choice to be served, she glanced around again, looking to see if there was anyone she knew. As she did, a figure passing in front of her caught her eye. The Terran opened his mouth in a careful smile and nodded before joining the end of the queue.
She frowned, trying to place him. Obviously he knew her, but she couldn’t remember him. Then her attention was claimed by the server and she forgot about him.
While she ate, she used her comp pad to review the notes she’d made so far. It came as something of a surprise to find herself being suddenly addressed in Terran.
“Do you mind if I join you?”
Startled, she looked up to see the male who had smiled at her from the queue. “Please do,” she said, switching off her comp.
“Thank you,” he said, sliding into the seat opposite. “Aren’t you the doctor who’s considered to be the expert on Terrans? I remember you from the other day. I’m Brynne Stevens.”
Vanna’s frown deepened. An errant memory plucked at her mind. So much had happened in the last few days. He did look familiar, though.
“We gave each other a static shock, remember? Your friends took you off to sit down. One of them was a Terran girl,” he said, picking up his fork and spearing a chunk of meat from his plate.
Vanna’s frown cleared. “I remember,” she said. “That was Carrie and Kusac.”
“The first mixed Leska pair.”
“That’s right. You’d been asking about them.”
“Have you found out yet what caused their Link?”
Vanna shook her head. “No idea. I don’t think any one guild can answer that question. If we do find out, it won’t be due to us at Medical alone.”
“Any idea of how common these Links are likely to be?”
“Again, I’ve no idea. There have been two in the five or six months since we first contacted your people.”
Brynne’s empty fork paused in midair. “Then any one of us could suddenly find himself with an alien Leska?”
Vanna’s eyeridges rose as she regarded him. “So far it has been female Terran telepaths who’ve acquired Sholan Leskas, not male Terrans. I should think you’ve nothing to worry about.”
“I didn’t mean it quite like that,” said Brynne, having the grace to look embarrassed.
“I’m sure you didn’t,” she murmured, concentrating on her own meal.
Brynne broke the silence that followed. “Look, I haven’t exactly made a good impression, have I? It’s just that having some medical knowledge myself, I’m naturally interested in these Links. Can we start again?” He held out his hand toward her.
Vanna hesitated, remembering the last time she’d touched him. “We don’t shake hands.”
“So what do you do?” he asked.
“We touch palms,” she admitted.
“Then let’s do that as a sign of good faith,” he said, turning his hand over so his palm was extended toward her.
At her side, Vanna’s pager began emitting an insistent tone. “I’ve got to go,” she said, acknowledging the signal before grabbing her comp in one hand and getting to her feet.
“No hard feelings?” Brynne insisted as he rose, too.
“None,” said Vanna distractedly. She turned too sharply, stumbling as she became entangled in her chair.
“Careful,” he warned, reaching out to catch her.
With a small cry of distress, Vanna wrenched herself free. Eyes wide, she backed away from him. “Don’t touch me!” she hissed in a low voice before whirling round and running for the stairs, aware as she did that she’d attracted the attention of nearly everyone in the mess.
*
“I see you made it in time for third meal,” said Taizia, looking up from her book as Kusac and Carrie came into the lounge.
“Cheek,” said Kusac, cuffing her gently as he passed.
“Let me see your bracelets,” she demanded, reaching out to grab his wrist. “Mother says they’re beautiful. When did you get them made?”
Kusac stopped, ears flicking ruefully at Carrie. “I ordered them the same day that Carrie ordered my torc,” he said, letting his sister turn his wrist this way and that.
She let him go and reached for Carrie’s hand, examining her bracelet “Mother was right,” she said, “they are beautiful. Why has Carrie’s got you hunting on it when yours is only portraits of you both?”
Kusac grinned at Carrie over Taizia’s head. “A private joke,” he said. “Not for your ears.”
“Spoilsport,” she said, letting Carrie have her hand back. “Don’t worry, I’ll worm it out of her before long.”
“No, you won’t,” Carrie said, moving away to sit on one of the adjacent chairs.
“Do you know where Father is?” Kusac asked his sister.
“In the shrine.”
That startled him. “What’s he doing there?”
Taizia shrugged. “He’s been there most of the day. I thought it wiser not to disturb him; so did Mother.”
“I think I should join him,” he said, heading out of the room.
“The shrine?” asked Carrie. “Kusac mentioned the other day that the weapons were from there.”
“It’s the household’s private room of prayer to Vartra,” Taizia said. “The ashes of our ancestors sleep there. If you want to see it, I’ll take you later.”
“Exactly who is Vartra? When I check through my inherited memories of him, I find it almost impossible to work out what he was supposed to be the God of.”
“Essentially He’s a Warrior God who fights for peace when the need arises. He’s the father figure of all our Gods,” Taizia replied, putting her book down. “Some of the older stories credit him with saving our people from the Cataclysm.”
“Kusac’s mentioned that before. What actually happened?”
Taizia’s ears flicked briefly and her eye ridges met in concentration. “Well, according to the stories, there was a global war— Clan fighting Clan— until everything was destroyed and few survivors remained. Vartra called those that were left together and ordered them to set up the guilds and rebuild Shola. Some even tell of him leading bands of Warriors against the lawless ones who tried to prey on the newly formed guild towns. In other versions, the people turned on the telepaths, blaming them for starting the war, and Vartra set up the Warrior Guild to protect them. The stories are supported by the fact that all over our world are the remains of devastated towns.”
“You must have some fascinating treasures from those days in your…” She searched for an appropriate Sholan word but couldn’t find one. “… museums.”
“Museums?” Taizia repeated the unfamiliar Terran word carefully.
“Where you display objects from your past so people now can enjoy seeing them,” said Carrie.
“Why would we want to look at things from the past? Anyway, our guild discourages it.”
Carrie could feel Taizia’s genuine bafflement. “Why should your guild forbid it? Aren’t you interested in how your ancestors lived?”
“Why should we be interested? Our guild teaches us that life now is far superior to anything we could have achieved then.”
“But I’ve seen old vases and ornaments not only here but at the guild!”
“Every family has its share of relics kept by our ancestors,” said Taizia. “They get bought and sold like anything else unless someone in the family really likes them.”
“Don’t you have any records of your past?” Carrie was utterly bewildered. This was a side to Sholan culture she hadn’t realized existed till now. How could they be so incur
ious about their race’s history?
“Of course we do! The guilds record our achievements and most families keep their own archives, but what we achieve in our own lifetimes is far more important.”
“Aren’t you at all curious about how they lived just after the Cataclysm? Or how the towns were destroyed?”
“Not me,” said Taizia firmly, shaking her head. “There’s enough to be done today without worrying about our past. The stories tell us all we need to know about our ancestors and Gods.”
Carrie realized that Taizia had said all she was prepared to on the subject of the Cataclysm.
“Have you’ve got a lot of Gods besides Vartra?” she asked, returning to the original conversation.
“More than you could count! Most people aren’t bothered one way or another, religion being a personal matter, with the priesthood to help when needed, but every now and then there’s a renewed interest in a more formal belief system. Vartra is the most enduring of the Gods.”
“Ghyan, the male who married us last night, is a telepath, yet he’s also a priest in the Temple.”
“You had a temple wedding?” Taizia grinned. “All the way along the trail Kusac’s done what the Clan laws demand. No one will be able to fault your bonding on any grounds! Mother will be delighted.”
“Excuse me?”
“In the Clan families it isn’t enough to be lifebonded, you have to have observed all the proprieties, like the exchange of torcs, having an acceptable escort to protect your honor if you’re female, and then the temple wedding.”
“I thought you could pair with anyone you wanted,” said Carrie. “Why should escorts be so important because you’re betrothed?”
“The succession, of course. The families need to know your children belong to your husband. Even though with you two there could be no doubt now, unless the rules had been followed, then the Council could call your lifebonding into question and have it annulled. Kusac has made sure that accusation can’t be leveled against you.”
“Ah,” said Carrie, digesting this for a moment. “And Ghyan?”
“He’s a friend of Kusac’s from way back. He’s head of our temple at present. He organizes the work of the lay brothers and conducts any services that need to be carried out.”
“I thought that the Brothers were those from Kaid’s guild.”
Taizia looked distinctly uncomfortable. “That’s the Brotherhood of Vartra. They’re a subsect of the Warrior Guild, and they’re entirely different from the lay brothers.”
“I see,” Carrie said slowly, confused over the subtle differences. She gave up trying to understand. Kusac or Kaid would be able to explain it to her. “Why have a telepath in charge?”
“Don’t you know nontelepaths believe we can see into people’s souls?” Taizia said, adopting a mock serious voice. “Actually, they’re not so far wrong, but there aren’t very many of us telepaths, so we’re spread thinly among the various guilds that need us, which means only one for the main temple in each city.”
“Why bother with a shrine in the house if you’ve got temples, and why the special bond between the Warrior and the Telepath Guilds?”
“You’re full of questions today,” Taizia said. “As I’ve already told you, the shrine is where we place the ashes of our family for Vartra to look after. It’s also believed by some that we can access the telepathic energy from our forefathers, but I’ve never come across anyone who can, or who knew anyone who could. As for the relationship between Warriors and telepaths, since we’re physically more at risk because of our talent, the Warriors protect us. Ghyan believes that at one time telepaths could fight and that Vartra was a real person who was both a Warrior and telepath, but his views are considered eccentric.” She uncurled herself and got to her feet.
“Now enough of the questions,” she said. “I’m starving. How about we go and raid the kitchen? Third meal won’t be served until Father and Kusac come out of the shrine and that might be some time. Besides, it’s been Mother’s baking day, so there’s bound to be something nice to eat.”
Carrie grinned. “Brilliant idea,” she said.
*
The shrine was a small building set onto the exterior of the main house with its entrance in the corridor outside the lounge. It was kept well tended, but unless there was a funeral or someone wished for the God’s intervention, rarely were candles lit and incense burned.
Kusac smelled the incense as soon as he stepped into the corridor. Walking down to the doorway, he pushed the door open. His father was sitting on a bench at the back of the room. Between them stood the carved stone altar. The single candle set in front of the incense burner flared briefly.
His father opened his eyes, ears flicking in acknowledgment of his son’s presence. “I knew you’d find me here,” he said tiredly.
“You look as if you’ve been awake all night, Father,” said Kusac, remaining by the door.
“I should have had more faith in you,” Konis sighed, leaning back against the wall. “I saw only the needs of the Sixteen Clans and conveniently assumed you were exaggerating the depth of your bond to Carrie when it threatened to upset my carefully laid plans. I forgot you were never one to exaggerate, quite the opposite. No, let me finish,” he said, knowing his son was about to speak.
“The facts were all there for me to see had I but used half the application I tried to bring to bear on you over that damned marriage. I knew you loved Carrie, but not the depth of that love.”
Konis raised his head and looked Kusac straight in the eyes. “I know about the sacrifice you were prepared to make for her on the Khalossa. That had been kept from me until you gave me Vanna’s files.”
Kusac looked away. “I didn’t read the early stuff,” he murmured.
“Hindsight is a wonderful thing. It lets you know just how much of a fool you’ve been. While we tried to ease Raill’s and Lynn’s deaths, I was briefly included in your Link with Carrie. Its intensity shocked me. For what it’s worth, Kusac, I’m sorry. Had I realized before then what exists between you, I would have broken the contract when you first asked.”
“You did what you thought was right, Father.”
“Thank you for having the forbearance not to say ‘I tried to tell you,’” Konis said with a strained look on his face. “Come and sit with me.”
He waited until Kusac had joined him. “I like Carrie, you know. Despite the obvious physical differences, she’s very like us. She’s brought you out of your shell and taught you what it means to be an adult male. I’ve a feeling you’ll get your wish. You’ll never find life dull again.”
Kusac grinned. “Not with Carrie.”
His father was silent for a minute. “I contacted Rala’s family,” he said. “The contract has been dissolved. I had to mention the genetic changes, but that will be common knowledge before long anyway.”
“I can live with that,” said Kusac.
“Rala was present during the discussion, as was her right, but when I mentioned dropping the Challenge she went into a rage. She claimed she’d been insulted by both of you and refused to allow it to be nullified even though now she’d gain nothing by winning.”
“So there’s no way out.”
“I’m afraid not,” said his father. “I tried every argument I could think of to persuade her to change her mind. Then, I regret, I made a tactical error. I told her Carrie was pregnant.”
“Ah,” said Kusac, ears flicking backward along his skull.
“I’m afraid I’ve made the situation worse. I explained to her father the implications of the pregnancy, and the danger to Carrie if she fights. He said he would try to induce Rala to drop the Challenge but that he didn’t hold out any hope. She’s of a legal age to make her own decisions.”
Kusac felt a cold shiver run down his spine as his premonition of danger suddenly returned.
“What is it?” said his father sharply, sitting up and looking at his son.
“I don’t know,” said Kusac helple
ssly. “Something and nothing. I’m just terribly afraid for her, and she mustn’t know that.”
“She’ll be fine,” Konis said reassuringly, reaching out to touch his son affectionately. “If we can’t stop the Challenge, we’ll bring Vanna and anything she needs over here. Any male whose mate was facing her first Challenge would be worried, whether or not she was pregnant. I’m sure what you’re experiencing is just your obviously natural concern for her.”
“You’re probably right,” said Kusac, getting to his feet. “I’m sorry that the council dropped me as a contender for the Clans’ Leadership, but I honestly never wanted it. When this is over, I intend to step down as heir in Taizia’s favor, presuming I’m still…”
“You’ll all be fine,” interrupted his father. “Warning or no warning, I’m sure of it. As to the succession, your mother has decided that matters remain as they are save that one of Taizia’s children, when she marries, will be appointed your heir.”
Konis got stiffly to his feet. “Come, let’s leave. I’ve been here long enough. I wonder if there’s any way Carrie could claim diplomatic immunity,” he said. “I think now would be a good time to contact her father. You can come with me.”
Before they left, Kusac lit a candle and placed it on the altar next to his father’s. Carrie’s words at the temple continued to echo in his mind. The Gods’ help always costs. He shivered, turning to leave as quickly as possible.
*
“There’s the settlement,” said Nikuu, slowing down the aircar. “Are you still picking them up?”
“Yes, but hurry.” Khalmi’s voice was taut with agony that was not his own. “I don’t know how they’ve managed to stay conscious.”
“We’re nearly there,” she said, risking a sideways glance at him. Her Leska’s face was creased with the pain. “Are you and Zsyzoi ready?” she asked Naira. “We’ll probably need to use force to get them away from their Clan. We have in the past.”
“We’re ready,” said Naira, glancing over to his partner. Zsyzoi had just finished checking her battery packs once again. Last assignment she’d been given a dud and hadn’t realized it until almost too late. Since then she triple-checked everything.
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