“I won’t go,” she said, stamping her foot and glaring at him as she tried to pull her arm free. “And you can’t make me!”
“Oh, but I can,” said Vartra grimly, bending down to lift her up into his arms. “I’m no longer a lesser Entity, Kuushoi, I now rank with you. You’ll have to find another plaything to amuse you in the winter!”
He turned and, carrying his squirming and protesting burden, walked briskly to L’Shoh’s portal and stepped through.
The Prime world
Kusac and Carrie and their teams materialized in the temple on the Prime world, with Noni and Conner waiting for them. The bodies of Jo and Rezac had already arrived and lay on twin trestle tables, dressed in the Brotherhood grays, with garlands of sweet-smelling summer flowers around their necks.
“Welcome home,” said Conner, stepping forward to greet them. “Rezac and Jo were returned to us like this. Noni sees the hands of the Entities in it.”
“She’s right,” said Kusac somberly, stepping up to the bodies to lay a hand briefly on each one’s head before turning his attention to them.
Kaid, supporting the limping T’Chebbi, touched each one on the chest, letting his hand linger on the flowers for a moment.
“We’re sorry for your loss, especially for you, Kaid,” said Noni. “Our family has just gotten smaller again. They will be sorely missed.”
From the front of the temple, King Zsurtul and Queen Zhalmo, accompanied by Dzaka, Kitra, and General Kezule, entered at an undignified run.
Kitra stopped suddenly when she saw Kusac was carrying Shaidan. “Is he all right?” she whispered, hand to her mouth in shock at his pallor and the fact he was still wrapped in a heavily bloodstained blanket.
“He was badly hurt, but he’ll recover,” said Carrie, putting a proprietary hand on Shaidan.
“Gaylla,” said Shaidan. “Where’s Gaylla?”
“We left her with Shishu,” began Kitra, only to be cut short by a screech from that young lady as she ran pell-mell down the temple nave to her brother. “Shaidan!” she sobbed, tears coursing down her little face, turning her light gray fur dark. “You got hurted! I felt it!” She flung herself at Carrie, reaching up to try and touch Shaidan.
Carrie bent down and picked her up, allowing her to see that Shaidan was safe. “It’s all right, Gaylla,” she said, rocking her. “Shaidan is fine. He’ll need a few days in bed, though, to get properly better.”
Following a distance behind her was Shishu, obviously out of breath. “I’m sorry, Captain Kusac, but she runs so fast!” she panted.
“Who’s looking after the other cubs?” demanded Kusac, his voice harsh. “I hope you didn’t leave them alone!”
“Lieutenant M’kou is with them,” she faltered. “I thought he’d be fine with them, and I couldn’t let her run off on her own.”
“You did fine,” reassured Carrie, continuing to rock the cub. “They’ll certainly be safe with Lieutenant M’kou.”
“We’re so sorry for your loss,” said Zsurtul. “And for the injuries the rest of you have suffered.”
“My wife is waiting in the hospital for the injured,” said Kezule. “How many are there?”
“Two,” said Kaid tiredly as a group of EMTs came running up with floaters and field medical packs. “T’Chebbi and Shaidan. Both are stable but still injured and need hospitalization.”
“We’ll see to them,” said Kezule. “As for your lost ones, would you allow the Palace embalmers to look after them until you are ready to hold a funeral?”
“It would be best,” Kusac said quietly to Kaid.
His sword-brother nodded, helping T’Chebbi over to one of the floaters. “It would be best,” he agreed, tired beyond even talking.
Kusac shook his head as the medics came over to him. “I’ll carry Shaidan up to the hospital myself,” he said, adjusting his grip on his son as Shaidan exchanged a hand clasp with Gaylla and then snuggled back up to his father.
He looked over to his troops. “Dismissed. Well done, everyone. Get the weapons cleaned and stowed, get washed and fed, and sleep. We’ll debrief tomorrow morning.” He began walking to the back of the temple with Kezule. “The plans went as we hoped they would. The Touibans are now in control of a planet full of M’zullians who have no memory of wars or empires or conquest.”
“And K’hedduk?” asked Kezule.
Kusac stopped and faced the general. “Dead,” he said with a feral grin. “Burned from the inside out. He was a smear on the ground when I left. We are finally both avenged, Kezule.”
EPILOGUE
Prime world, the hospital, Zhal-Oeshi 17th (August)
THE day after they arrived back on the Prime world, M’Nar and Jerenn made their way along to the security post outside the hospital area on the fourth floor of the Palace of Light.
“We’d like to see Shaidan,” said M’Nar, going up to the officer on duty. “Brothers M’Nar and Jerenn. He’ll be expecting us,” he added as an afterthought.
The guard consulted a list on his desk. “Brothers M’Nar and Jerenn. Ah, I see your names.” He looked up at them, mouth widening in a smile. “You’re expected,” he said. “He’s only allowed short visits for the moment, but Brother Kaid will tell you when it’s time you need to leave.”
“Thank you,” said M’Nar, nodding briefly to him as he entered.
Jerenn caught at his arm, pulling him to a stop. “Did you hear what he said?” he hissed. “Kaid’s here!”
“So? You heard the guard, we’re expected.” He started walking again.
“But Kaid!” said Jerenn, still pulling him back.
“You worry too much,” said M’Nar, trying to disentangle himself from his sword-brother. “What’s he going to do?”
The sound of a curtain being pulled back drew both their attention as a nurse emerged from the most distant room. Seeing them, she smiled brightly and came toward them. “Good day, Brothers. How can I help you?” she asked.
“We’ve come to see Shaidan.”
“He’ll be pleased. You must be the Brother Jerenn and Brother M’Nar he keeps talking about.”
“Ah, yes,” said M’Nar, beginning to feel some of Jerenn’s uncertainty for himself.
“Follow me, then,” she said, leading them to the room nearest the nurse’s station at the far end of the ward.
Shaidan was sitting propped up in bed playing a game of squares with Gaylla. On seeing the two Brothers, she let out a high-pitched squeal and launched herself at the nearest one. Jerenn stumbled back into M’Nar as he grabbed hold of her.
“You’s came to see Shaidan an’ me!” she squealed. “Good! We’s so bored here!”
“It is a hospital,” said Jerenn, giving her a hug before setting her down on the bed. “Shaidan’s supposed to be getting better.”
“He’s lots better today, aren’t you?”
“Actually, I’m a lot better,” said Shaidan, looking up at them both.
M’Nar sat down on the edge of his bed beside him and peered carefully at the cub’s face. “Hmm, you do look better than when we last saw you,” he admitted. “You looked pretty beat up.”
“I was. They were not nice people.” Shaidan’s ears sank level to his head before perking up again. “But I remembered what you taught me,” he said. “I didn’t tell them anything they actually wanted to know, and when one of them had me in a head lock, I knew how to get out of it.”
“We saw, youngling,” said M’Nar. “Well done. It gave us the opening we needed to take him down.”
The cub nodded briefly, then groaned and put a hand to his head. “It still hurts a lot,” he said. “Doctor Zayshul says it will take a week or two before I’m fully healed. She said the wound in my stomach was much worse, but luckily Annuur was able to heal that completely.”
M’Nar glanced at Jerenn, sitting on the chair by
the bedside.
“You were pretty badly hurt,” said Jerenn, leaning forward to pat the hand that lay nearest to him on the blanket.
“Papa said I was very lucky that Annuur was there to help.”
“You were, but that’s all behind you now,” said M’Nar briskly. “Your father has told us we’re going back to Shola with you all and continuing on as your trainers.”
“For all of you,” added Jerenn as Shaidan’s mouth widened in an excited grin.
Gaylla bounced on the bed in joy. “Oh, good! I gets to keep playing wif you!”
M’Nar saw Shaidan wince and grabbed for the young female, pulling her into a cuddle and sitting her on his lap. “No jumping, young lady!” he said.
“That’s great news,” said Shaidan. “I was afraid that I’d got you into trouble with my papa for what you’d taught me.”
M’Nar grinned and reached out to gently ruffle Shaidan’s hair, which was lying loose about his shoulders. “That was for us to worry about, not you, youngling,” he said as Gaylla squirmed off his lap onto the bed again. “Your father was just glad our training had been useful to you.”
“Very glad as it happens,” said Kusac.
M’Nar and Jerenn shot to their feet and turned to face him, saluting.
“Captain Aldatan. They said we were expected,” said Jerenn.
“Relax,” said Kusac, stepping into the room. “I gave those instructions because I knew your minds wouldn’t be at ease until you’d seen Shaidan for yourselves. Thank you for helping to look after him, and the other cubs, while we were away.”
“Our pleasure, Captain,” said M’Nar. “When he came to us with a premonition of danger to himself, we could do no less than help him be ready for it.”
“I’m intrigued as to why you didn’t let Brother Dzaka know,” said Kusac moving past them to sit on his son’s bed.
M’Nar and Jerenn exchanged a glance.
“Security can only do so much,” said Jerenn. “There will always be that moment of opportunity for someone determined enough to get through to their target. We decided that since Shaidan’s premonition was so vague, it was better to prepare him to meet trouble than to try and prevent it from happening.”
“Plus we knew how good that security was,” added M’Nar.
“Not that good when this young male was able to escape through secret passages out into the main courtyard at night!” said Kusac, turning a stern look on his son, who hung his head.
“Not to tell Shaidan off,” said Gaylla, crawling over to sit on Kusac’s knee. “He’s been hurted bad, but he’s getting better now.”
Kusac put an arm round her and held her close for a moment. “I’m not angry with him now, Gaylla,” he said. “Just reminding him that he’d better not do any more disappearing now that his mama and I are home!”
“No, Papa,” said Shaidan, scooting closer to him. “No more disappearing.” There was a slight hesitation in his voice that they all caught.
“But what?” asked Kusac, putting his other arm around him.
“Can I still talk to Unity if it promises not to disappear me unless it’s arranged with you first?”
“Will you be able to reach Unity from Shola?”
I can talk to Shaidan no matter where he is, if he uses the transceiver I gave him, came the voice of Ghioass’ AI.
“Are you listening in to our conversations?” demanded Kusac, holding onto the cubs more tightly.
I was only concerned for the safety of Shaidan, it said, the artificial voice almost managing to sound apologetic. Now I know he is well, I will leave you in privacy until you or Shaidan contact me.
The three adults all looked at each other, various degrees of worry on their faces until Gaylla broke their somber mood.
“Owie, Uncle Kusac! Your hug is too tight, you’re hurting me!”
“Sorry, little one,” said Kusac, relaxing his grip on them both. “I think we’ll not contact Unity for the next few weeks, Shaidan. Let’s get ourselves home first. You’ve got two sisters and a brother to meet, not to mention any number of other relatives! Then we can sit down and discuss you and Unity. Deal?”
“It’s a deal, Papa,” said Shaidan.
Prime world, Zhal-Oeshi 19th (August)
The funeral for Rezac and Jo was a state affair, with the funeral pyre built in the main courtyard. Conner and Noni conducted the service, a simple one that celebrated their life together.
When the flames died down, their ashes were collected and put into a beautifully carved wooden box and presented to Kaid to take home to Shola.
“We have a wall on the estate where such containers are placed,” said Kusac. “The outer plaque is then inscribed with their names. Your father and Jo have certainly earned a place there, and not just as members of our Clan.”
“Thank you,” said Kaid, holding the box. “I know they’d be proud to rest there.”
The following days passed both quickly and too slowly for Kusac and Carrie. Slowly in that there were numerous debriefings on what they had been doing on M’zull. It seemed everyone wanted to know about their time there and how it had gone down. Kusac made one debriefing document that he gave to everyone who needed or wanted it.
“I don’t want some bits of paper!” said Noni, throwing them back at him. “I asked how it went! I expect you to tell me!”
“It went fairly well,” he said grabbing for the sheets of paper before they fell to the floor. “No plan remains intact, especially when you can’t get enough intelligence on the enemy ahead of time.”
“Then I take it you did a few things you wouldn’t normally do.”
“I did a lot of that! But everything I did was necessary at the time. It kept either me or those with me alive.”
“Is there anything you regret doing?” asked Noni, bustling about making a pot of c’shar. The rooms she and Conner occupied in the temple were small but comfortable, and Noni had made sure they had as many of the comforts of home as possible.
Kusac sat down at the table, shuffling the pieces of paper into a neat stack before putting them back into his folder. “Not really,” he said, “unless it was setting fire to the old Lord Nayash’s remains. Seemed the old male was a fairly decent person as M’zullians go. I hope I didn’t deprive him of his afterlife. All the Valtegans believe that if their bodies are burned, they don’t go to their next world.”
“I know that,” said Noni, pouring boiling water into the brewer. “I doubt that your actions made much difference to him. He’d already have faced his judgment day.”
“I suppose,” said Kusac. “Good to think I didn’t affect him then.”
Noni brought the brewing pot over to the table and set it down on a heat-resistant mat, then took her accustomed chair at the table. She reached out and clasped Kusac’s hand where it lay on the table.
“You’re thinking of Rezac and Jo,” she said. “Fret not about them, lad. Any debts that Rezac owed were more than paid when he died. Same for young Jo. Tragic their deaths were, but I know L’Shoh will have judged them well, and I told Kaid that.”
“It’s the cost of getting Shaidan back that bothers me,” he admitted. “It seems others have paid dearly for that. Rezac and Jo dead, and T’Chebbi invalided because of her damaged arm. Kaid’s lost his father, and his mate will never be on active duty again.”
“Do any of you plan to be on active duty again?” asked Noni, raising her eyeridges at him.
“No, but . . .”
“Then it shouldn’t matter so much. It’ll be a good excuse to keep Kaid home. And you have four children in your triad—six now that Zsayal and Vazih have lost their father.”
“We’re keeping all the cubs together in our nursery on the estate,” said Kusac. “All they really know is each other. Their parents aren’t even adult couples, except for us.”
“I hope you intend to keep that little lass, Gaylla,” said Noni, lifting up the brewer to pour out the c’shar into two honest-to-goodness mugs. “Kate and Taynar are barely adult themselves; the child needs older parents who understand how special she is.”
Kusac nodded. “It would be cruel to separate Shaidan and Gaylla. We intend to make sure she stays with us as a member of our immediate family. The others will belong to their parents, but we plan to keep them together at our nursery on the estate. Their parentage is so mixed as to prove it almost impossible to give them to a family unit. Kaid has already claimed Dhyshac as his son, so he’s settled. That leaves Vazih and Zsayal who were Rezac’s daughter and son. As Zsayal has Carrie as the mother donor, we’ll share him with Kaid. He’s actually their older brother! He can share Vazih with Kate, if she’s up for the task of being a mother to her. Kate and her Leska Taynar also have Shaylor who’s their son, but I doubt they want to be full-time parents when they are still young themselves. Being a Human and Sholan Leska pair is hard enough work as adults, never mind for teenagers.”
“Complicated,” nodded Noni, pushing Kusac’s mug of c’shar toward him. “Better that they all live together and are visited by their parents. Even a day or two a week staying with their donor parents won’t go amiss, though, and each cub will feel cared for by them.”
“Agreed. Only they know what it’s like to be so advanced at their age, so it makes sense to keep them together. I also plan on continuing the Brotherhood education they’ve been getting, including their training in martial arts. M’Nar and Jerenn did a good job with them, and with Shaidan, so I plan to keep them on as instructors. They’re clan members anyway.” He picked up his mug and took a long drink. “Ah,” he said, grinning. “I’ve missed c’shar, and drinking from regular mugs!”
“I expect just being Sholan all the time is a blessing,” Noni said, sipping her drink.
Circle's End Page 49
