The silence lengthened until he thought she had left. He felt a light touch and turned round.
Ignoring the throbbing pain, he put his hands on her shoulders, looking at her closely. She seemed less distant. He still dared not touch her mind, dared not hope.
“Carrie, because of what I did when your sister died, the link we formed the other day, it ... it isn’t an ordinary link.”
“I know,” she said quietly.
“Among our people, this Link makes the two people Leskas to each other. This I have told you.”
She nodded.
“I haven’t told you the full truth because I didn’t think it could apply to us, because we are ... different.” He took a deep breath and tightened his grip, making his talons extend slightly.
“I’ve been afraid for several days now that this isn’t so. We are true Leskas.”
“I know.”
“No, you don’t know! Leskas are life-mates, bound by something stronger than either of them. You and I, we’re bound together ... for life. We. Cannot. Dissolve. The bond.” He punctuated the words by shaking her slightly. “Do you understand me?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said, tears beginning to course down her face.
“Only death can separate us—the deaths of both of us, not just one. We cannot part from each other for long because it causes mental suffering.” He stopped, taking a deep breath.
“The bond is also sexual. It gives us a need for each other, flesh to flesh, mind to mind. The Gods alone know why, but they have made us one. Now do you fully understand?” He took a shuddering breath and waited for an answer.
“What do you want to do?” she whispered, the tears still falling.
“Want? I have no say in the matter,” he said, his voice ragged. “I cannot see you as other than my true Leska, my life-mate. May Vartra and the other Gods have pity on me, because I would have no other than you!”
Carrie looked down at the ground, aware of the weight of his gaze and of his hands on her shoulders. She knew he was telling the truth, not only because she could feel it, but because she’d worked most of it out for herself.
From the first she’d felt drawn to him in a strange fascinating way. Then she’d felt it change to something more. Was this truly what she wanted? Could she again have no say in the matter? It seemed not. She knew that two worlds not two people stood beside the tree. Could they, would they ... dare ... make that bridge?
When she spoke, her voice was a barely audible whisper.
“Then may your Gods pity me, too, because I seem to have no choice either.”
Kusac froze. “What are you saying?”
“That we aren’t very different. That I find myself as drawn and bound to you as you are to me.”
“Then we will face the future together?” he asked, hardly daring to breathe.
“Together,” she replied, looking up at him and seeing again the person that he was as well as the Alien form he wore.
Kusac pulled her close, wincing at the pain lancing through him from his bitten shoulder. He lowered his face to hers and began to run the tip of his tongue across her cheek, finally able to admit to and express the emotions that had grown in him over the weeks he had known her.
Carrie buried her face in the fur on his chest, deeply breathing in his musky scent. She clutched at his back, running her hands through the soft pelt, aware of the strength of the muscles underneath.
Their link had reasserted itself and they were surrounded by the joy they took in each other’s differences. Carrie turned her face to him, capturing his mouth in a kiss that was a first for both of them. She felt his start of surprise, then he relaxed, letting her take the lead.
“I never thought I’d find a mate so far from home,” he said at length, wiping the last of her tears away.
“I love you, Kusac,” Carrie said, rubbing her cheek against his good shoulder.
Kusac laughed, a low rumble that seemed to vibrate through his whole body. “I never hoped I would hear you say that, Leska. I still can’t make up my mind if the Gods are blessing us or playing some cruel elaborate joke.
“I love you, too,” he said, laying his head against hers for a moment. “We must get back to the camp. You and I, we have work to do tomorrow, finding that life pod.”
Carrie sighed and reluctantly disengaged herself. She rubbed her hands together. They were sticky. Blood. Always blood.
“I know,” said Kusac, his ears flattening briefly against his skull as he took hold of her hands. “I’m sorry, but I couldn’t let him touch you.” He gave a little bark of a laugh. “Look at me,” he said, “fresh from a Challenge and covered in blood. Hardly looking my best to win my mate, am I?”
She smiled, her whole face lighting up, and reached out to touch his cheek. “Don’t,” she said. “I know.”
He kept her other hand in his as they began to walk back down the path.
“We will have plenty of time for us, I will see to that, don’t worry,” he promised her.
“Your wounds!” she exclaimed guiltily, suddenly remembering them. She stopped and tried to examine his injured shoulder, but Kusac held her firmly away.
“I am fine. There is nothing that Vanna can’t treat easily. I’ll let her tend them as soon as we get back.”
“You promise?”
Kusac gave a deep, throaty purr. “I promise!”
Guynor was lying with his back to the fire when they returned, his bandages visible against his tan fur. His pelt looked dull and lackluster even from a distance.
“I don’t think we’ll have any more trouble from him,” murmured Kusac as they joined the others round the fire. He was vaguely surprised that he felt neither remorse for fighting Guynor, nor even an echo of his evident pain. Perhaps it was because his own was so great.
Vanna rose as they sat.
“Will you let me see to you now the important business is out of the way,” she said archly, with an openmouthed grin.
Kusac sat patiently while she clipped the fur around the wounds and examined them.
“I’m afraid this will take quite a time to heal,” she said, as she carefully swabbed the dirt out of the deep gouges and puncture wounds. “You shouldn’t use your shoulder at all for several days: in fact I want your arm in a sling. I can’t tack the tears together, they’ll have to heal naturally.
“The ones on your chest and stomach aren’t deep, thankfully. They’ll heal fairly quickly.”
She finished off by spraying sealant over all the wounds and breaking open a sterile dressing pack.
Kusac’s world was limiting itself to pain and tiredness. He was so exhausted it was all he could do to sit upright. He finally succumbed to Carrie’s mental suggestion that he lean against her.
“Give me a hand with the bandage please,” Vanna said to Carrie, getting her to hold it in place.
“There, that should hold if you don’t do anything too energetic in the next day or two.” She grinned again and sat down beside Carrie to dig in her first aid kit.
Kusac rose stiffly and went over to where Carrie had dropped her backpack.
Vanna gave the girl a sidelong look as she took out a hypoderm gun.
“So, all is now well with you and Kusac?”
“Er ... Um ...”
The Medic made a purring noise Carrie now recognized as a chuckle.
“I’m so glad that our barbaric Challenge ritual didn’t cause trouble between you. Normally it isn’t that vicious, but Guynor called the Blood-rite and that is to the death.”
“I know. Remember, you gave me the equivalent of your racial history when I linked with you.”
“At least you know that particular Challenge is extremely rare. Guynor had no right to Challenge Kusac at all. Telepaths can’t be Challenged because of their Talent. There are too few of them, and the mental pain of combat is too great. How Kusac coped, and is coping, I don’t know.”
“It’s probably because of me,” said Carrie. “I have more—T
alents Kusac calls them—than your people, and one of them is to be able to fight without sensing the pain my opponent feels.”
Vanna looked round and saw Kusac returning. “Just remember,” she said hurriedly, “despite what you saw in the fight, Kusac’s a very gentle person.”
“I know.”
Kusac returned carrying Carrie’s hairbrush. “I want to brush your hair,” he said, sitting down behind her.
“Kusac, you should rest,” warned Vanna. “We’ve all got a heavy day tomorrow.”
“I will, but I have to do this first,” he said, beginning to brush Carrie’s hair with long but gentle strokes, giving it his total attention.
“I’m going to give you an analgesic and an antibiotic,” Vanna said, putting the hypo gun to his thigh. “The skin around your nose and eyes is too pale. You need to eat and then rest to replace the lost blood.”
He shook his head. “I couldn’t eat, Vanna.” The brush was still.
Carrie turned around and took it from his unresisting hand. “What if I brush you and Vanna cuts some small pieces of meat ...”
Gratefully, he looked up at her, amber eyes dull with pain. “Please, it would be the next best thing to a shower.”
Carrie began to brush carefully, teasing the knots of blood and dirt out of the silky fur.
She felt his pain almost as strongly as he could and was working hard to try and block it, remembering what he had said about her sister. Not that she believed him, but ... He was trying to stop it from reaching her too but he was as weak as a kitten. Perhaps she could lessen it for him without actually experiencing it. She could try.
Gradually it began to diminish and she felt a sense of satisfaction.
“Do you think you could speak to Skai and explain things to him?” she said to Vanna. “I don’t want him going xenophobic on us.”
“Already done,” said Vanna cheerfully, handing her a plate of small slices of meat. “He’s talking to Mito at the moment. Oh, by the way, you put her nose nicely out of joint, Kusac. She really expected you to want her now you’ve bested Guynor. Serves her right, opportunistic little ...” The rest was lost as she moved away from the fireside.
“Kusac,” said Garras, leaning toward him. “I know you’d rather it were otherwise, but Guynor will face a court-martial for Challenging you. However, the charge he laid against you of Misuse of Talent is just as serious and will have to be answered.”
“I know, Captain. We’ll answer it.”
“Good. I’ll speak for you, of course. There are mitigating circumstances. Without your ...” he hesitated briefly, one ear flicking questioningly, “... Leska, we would not be able to locate the pod.”
Kusac’s eyes darted to the Captain’s face. Carrie felt his fear.
“I have come across a Leska pair before, lad. I know something more than the layman about their needs. As I said, I’ll speak for you.”
He hesitated. “You’re going to need all the help you can get, Kusac, you realize that, don’t you? Oh, not because of anything you did or didn’t do, but because it happened at all.” Garras inclined his head toward Carrie. “Her family is prominent on this planet and I’d be surprised if they didn’t make a great deal of noise about your link. Then there’s your family, or maybe that won’t be a problem?”
“There will be trouble,” said Kusac heavily.
“I’m mentioning it now to both of you not to be alarmist but so you are prepared for it when it happens. As I said, I’ll do what I can.”
Kusac relaxed. “Thank you, Captain. Don’t place too much hope on finding the pod yet, this is a Talent new to me and I have still to see if it works,” he said, halfheartedly chewing on a piece of meat.
“With the two of you, and our guide, I think it’s a foregone conclusion. I just hope you are up to traveling tomorrow.”
“I won’t hold you back.”
Garras nodded. “There’s something about you, lad, that doesn’t quite add up. I don’t expect you to tell me, but I’ll work it out. Why you ever joined the military I’ll never know, you’re not the type, and with a Telepath’s upbringing to boot. The only person you might have needed to prove yourself to was you, unlike the Guynors of this world.
“Well, I’m turning in for the night. You do the same. Nothing heals like sleep. Good night.”
“Good night, Captain.”
Carrie sneezed and was abruptly awake. She was aware of the unfamiliar pressure of arms wrapped closely around her and strained against them, trying to free herself. She touched fur and relaxed just as Kusac released her and pushed himself up on his good elbow.
“Good morning,” he said as she turned to face him. “The sunlight woke me, too.” Wincing, he brought his injured arm round so he could touch her face with his hand. His fingertips were gentle as they caressed her cheek.
“Even compared to Sholan women, you are beautiful,” he purred softly, bending down to run his tongue across her ear.
Carrie shuddered with pleasure as she reached up to stroke his face. “Isn’t it a bit public for this?” she whispered.
Kusac nuzzled her shoulder. “Only if anyone is looking,” he murmured, working his way across her neck.
“Be serious,” she admonished, wriggling in his grasp. “What if someone should look?”
“We’re only indulging in little intimacies,” he said, moving round to lie partly across her. “We have nothing to hide, have we?” he asked, his mind touching hers.
Carrie shook her head, smiling. “I know,” she said. “If we can accept each other, they can accept us.”
“The sooner the better. Life on board the Khalossa lacks much in the way of privacy unless you are in your quarters, and we can’t stay there forever.” He felt her stiffen slightly.
“We will have to leave the planet for at least a few weeks,” he said. “There is Guynor’s court-martial, and I have to face charges concerning our bond. It may only be a board of inquiry, but I will need you with me.” His tone sounded concerned.
“I’ll come,” she replied. “How could you doubt it? I just haven’t had time to think ahead. What will we do when this is all over?”
Kusac brushed her hair back from her face. “Let’s leave that till later. We have enough to occupy us for now,” he said, returning to his exploration of the space behind her ears.
A loud throaty noise came from nearby. “If you two want breakfast, you’d better get it now while there’s still time. Skai says we move off in fifteen minutes,” said Vanna.
Kusac sighed. “We’re coming.” He rubbed noses with Carrie before pushing himself to his knees and helping her to rise.
As they walked over to the fire, Kusac’s good arm negligently draped around her shoulders, Carrie was aware that his open display of affection was not only for themselves, but also for the benefit of his crew mates. He was publicly laying claim to her and forcing them to acknowledge it, if only to themselves. She was also amused to detect an element of jealousy, not closely enough guarded from her, of Skai because he was Terran like her.
They sat beside Vanna and the Captain, who nodded in greeting.
“Before we leave, Kusac, I want you to imprint English on Guynor and Mito if you are up to it.”
Kusac flexed his shoulder slightly. “There’s some pain and stiffness, but not as much as I’d expected,” he said. “I cannot do an imprint if Guynor will not cooperate.”
“He will. I have his word on that. What preparation will you need to do for locating the pod?”
Kusac poured himself and Carrie a hot drink. “We’ll need several minutes to Link and Search for it. Once we’ve eaten and dealt with Guynor and Mito, we’ll make a start. Carrie, you can cope with Mito, can’t you?” He took the piece of cold meat that she offered him and began to eat.
“No problem,” reassured Carrie. “I’ll do it now.” She gestured to Mito to join them. When the Sholan was seated, Carrie held out her hands and instructed Mito to grasp them. Reluctantly she did so. A look of conc
entration came over both their faces for a few minutes, then Carrie released her.
“That wasn’t too bad, was it?” she asked the other woman.
“No,” Mito said, surprised. “There was no sense of you invading my mind at all, there was just a sharing. And you don’t seem cold and Alien!” She shot an angry look at Guynor. “I’ll let you finish your breakfast now,” she said, rising and moving quietly to sit beside Garras.
Kusac touched Carrie’s shoulder, drawing her attention back to him. “It’s too noisy to Search for the pod here. We’ll have to go back into the forest, I’m afraid.”
She nodded and rose. “I’ll collect my things first,” she said, stuffing a piece of meat into her mouth and going back to where their blankets lay.
“Hello,” said a voice from behind her.
“Good morning, Skai. What can I do for you?” she asked, pulling out her brush and running it briefly through her hair before packing it and the blankets into her backpack.
“I was thinking about last night. I don’t know how far we can trust these Sholans. They aren’t as peaceful as you seem to think, are they? Your pussy cat really knows how to use his teeth and claws.”
“Last night you witnessed rampant xenophobia,” she said, rounding on him, “not the rational behavior of the rest of the crew. And what about us?” she demanded. “We aren’t exactly tame pussy cats either! Seen from an Alien viewpoint, I’m sure we look just as bloodthirsty at times.”
She softened her tone and continued. “Look, Skai, you have to learn to see the people; their similarities to us, not their differences. We’re all too used to seeing Aliens as the Valtegans, creatures to hate and fear. The Sholans aren’t Valtegans. You must learn to take them on their own merit. Don’t try to put Human values on what they do, they aren’t Human, they’re Sholan.”
“Like you do?” he asked sarcastically. “No wonder you weren’t in the market for a man. You were after something more exotic, just like your sister.”
Carrie fetched him a stinging blow across the face. “Don’t you dare talk to me like that again! I don’t have to justify my actions to you or anyone. If we’re going to work together, you’ll keep your opinions to yourself. Do I make myself clear?” She stalked off, leaving Skai cursing himself for alienating the one person to whom he could relate.
Turning Point Page 16
