"The Haka Senior Physician," Shallina said, "suggests we give the boy mineral baths and bubble water for his stomach." She regarded Jahlt. "Besides, the baby's father is not this man Kelric, or Sevtar, or whatever his name is."
"Kelric was also a Haka Akasi," Ixpar pointed out.
"We will follow both plans" Jahlt said. She considered Dabbiv. "Can you see to the diet?"
"I'll be glad to," he said.
Jahlt turned to Shallina. "Keep working with the Haka doctor. Do whatever you can for the boy."
"All right." Shallina glanced around at all of them "We also need a Plan Three."
"Plan Three?" Avtac asked.
Shallina scowled. "Plan Three is that you all go to bed before you pass out."
Jahlt smiled. "Very well, Doctor."
So they woke up Henta, and then they all dispersed to their various suites.
Late-morning light poured into the Hall of Teotec through its arched windows. Jahlt looked out over the Managers arrayed around the Opal Table. "Based on the Council recommendations, it is my decision to impose no new tariffs on the Shazorla wines."
No surprise there, Ixpar thought. As Minister, Jahlt could have vetoed the tariff vote, but she let it stand. The next vote was different; a motion concerned with the support of an entire Estate could neither be overridden by Jahlt nor passed without a majority.
"We now address the Wardship of the Miesa Plateau," Jahlt said. "Placing a diamond cube is a vote of yea to moving the title of Ward from Miesa to Karn. The obsidian cube is a vote of nay and the crystal ring is an abstain." She turned to Ixpar. "Proceed."
Ixpar poised her quill over her scroll. "Tehnsa?"
Instead of placing a vote, the Tehnsa Manager said, "Tehnsa will follow its Primary of Viasa." When Ixpar called the other two Secondary Estates, Evisa and Lasa, they also deferred to their Primaries.
Ixpar turned to Savina. "Miesa?"
Savina lifted her hand. For an incredible instant it hovered over the crystal ring. Then she picked up the obsidian cube and set it in the center of the table.
No Miesa surprises after all, Ixpar thought, hiding her disappointment as she noted Savina's move on her scroll. "Viasa?"
Khal Viasa set a crystal ring by the Miesa cube. "Viasa abstains."
The Tehnsa Manager placed her ring. "Tehnsa follows Viasa."
Another disappointment. At least Viasa hadn't voted with Varz. "Ahkah?" Ixpar asked.
The Ahkah Manager placed an obsidian cube. "Nay."
The Lasa Manager placed her black cube. "Lasa follows its Primary."
Ixpar was growing worried. If Henta Bahvla abstained, Karn would lose the vote. "Bahvla?"
Henta gave Savina a look of apology. Then she placed a diamond cube on the Table. "Bahvla votes yea."
Dahl voted with the Ministry, as did Shazorla and its Secondary Eviza. Rashiva's successor, an adolescent girl, placed the black cube for Haka. After Varz and Karn played their dice, the vote was done; five diamond cubes, five obsidian cubes, and two crystal rings sat on the table.
Jahlt spoke. "The pattern is clear. The vote remains deadlocked."
Avtac Varz smiled.
24
The Tower of Odana
When Kelric first heard the clank of metal hitting stone, he thought the wind had dislodged the trellis on his balcony and sent it clattering down the tower. But when he pulled aside the curtains everything looked normal.
A large metal hook trailing a rope arced into the air and caught on the trellis.
"What the—?" Kelric went out and looked over the balcony. The rope stretched down from the hook to a window far below his suite. Knots appeared at intervals along the cable—and Savina Miesa was hanging on to its end.
"Hey!" Kelric called. "What are you doing?"
She stood balanced on the windowsill with one arm hooked around the leg of a gargoyle while she pulled on a pair of gloves. Looking up- at him, she grinned. "Throwing my hook."
"You can't come up here."
Mischief showed on her face. "Why not?"
"Because I don't want you to."
"Then I'll hang out here bemoaning my unrequited love until I fall off and smash to an untimely death."
"For pugging sake," Kelric said.
Savina yanked on the rope, testing it, and then started to climb. Wind and momentum immediately took over, swinging her out over the abyss of air. She swung back in, scrambling for a grip on the wall, and found a foothold. Then she walked up the tower, holding on to the rope.
When she reached the top, Kelric scowled at her. "Are you crazy or what?"
She vaulted over the trellis onto the balcony. "Crazy with love. You better offer me a good strong drink to calm me down."
"You look perfectly calm to me."
She walked past the glazed balcony doors into his living room. "If you're worried about Henta, she's down in the city at a meeting."
Kelric followed her inside. "I want you to leave."
"I just got here." Savina dropped onto the divan, her hair spilling in a gold waterfall everywhere. She was all hourglass curves, full and firm in a snug blue jumpsuit, more like an erotic holomovie goddess than a Manager. Kelric stared at her, tried not to stare, cleared his throat, then crossed to the rosewood cabinet and pulled out the first flask his hand touched. He took two tumblers and went over to Savina.
"One drink," he said. "That's all."
"Baiz." Her smile dazzled. "A good choice."
He looked at the flask. "You want something else?"
Savina pulled him down on the divan. "Baiz is perfect." She filled one glass brimful and handed it to him. "Just perfect."
Kelric downed his drink in one swallow. "Why did you pull that stunt?"
"I wanted to talk to you." She trailed her fingers along his neck. "You're the only offworlder I've ever met."
"I don't talk to Outsiders."
"I'm not really an Outsider." She refilled his glass. "Tell me about the Imperialate. Do Skolians have Akasi?"
"No."
Her fingers explored the sensitive skin around his ear, then slid down to pull on the ties of his shirt "What do Managers do for love?"
He finished off his baiz in one swallow. "We don't have Managers."
"You were telling me about sigh—ons." She poured him another drink. "Do Skolian men really sigh so much?"
"I'm going to get the escort."
She leaned close to him, brushing her fingers across his lips while her plump breasts pressed against him. "You don't really want to do that."
He stared at her angelic face. Then he drained his glass.
"You know, you don't look so steady." Savina pushed him onto his back on the divan. "I think you need to lie down."
He tried to sit back up. "I feel fine."
"No, you look terribly pale." She shoved him back down, leaning over him. Somehow she had undone his shirt and was stroking his chest. "Smile for me, beautiful Calani."
It was too much. Kelric pulled her down on top of him, filling his arms with soft, supple Savina and his senses with musky Savina scent. "You should watch where you prowl, Manager Miesa," he growled. "You don't know what you'll find."
A tap sounded at the screen. "Sevtar?" Henta called.
Savina's mouth opened in a big O. She tried to scramble off the divan but Kelric refused to let her go, too drunk and too aroused now to care about Henta.
"Sevtar?" Henta repeated. "Are you all right?"
Savina managed to twist out of his arms. She jumped off the sofa and ran into an inner room. As Kelric sat up, fumbling with the thongs on his shirt, the screen of his suite moved aside and Henta looked in at him.
"I thought you were at a meeting," he said.
"It finished early." Her gaze traveled over the baiz flask, the two glasses, the disarrayed divan. Then she watched him trying to put his shirt back together. "Sevtar."
He gave up on his shirt. "Yes?"
"Can't Savina use the front door like a normal person?"
&
nbsp; "Cuaz me," a voice said from the inner room.
"OUT," Henta said.
An abashed Savina appeared. "My greetings, Henta."
"What do you think you're doing, climbing up towers and getting my Calani drunk?"
"Well—I—uh—how did you know I was here?"
"I'm asking the questions, Manager Miesa."
Savina looked like a child caught with her hand full of stolen candy. "I came to see Sevtar."
Henta scowled. "You came to see Sevtar. How nice. How many laws do you think you broke here?"
"Wait." Kelric stood up. "Don't call a Tribunal."
"I ought to," Henta said.
"She'll do something worse," Savina said. "She'll lecture me."
"Out" Henta said.
Savina retreated out of the suite, followed by the glowering Bahvla Manager.
"No." As far as Henta was concerned, that concluded the conversation. She turned to watch a group of children splash in a fountain on the other side of the plaza where she and Savina had ended up after their walk through Bahvla.
"Why not?" Savina said.
"He is Calani," Henta said.
"Since when can't Calani have visitors?" Savina demanded.
"You aren't a visitor. You're an Estate Manager. Besides, what makes you think Sevtar wants you to visit him?"
"He does. He just doesn't know it yet."
The children suddenly realized who shared the plaza with them. They stopped playing and gaped at the two Managers.
Henta smiled. "Apparently we're more interesting than a fountain."
"They probably see Managers about as often as they see Calani," Savina fumed. "Not that there is any harm in someone seeing a Calani every now and then."
"I told you no."
"Why not? You think big brutal me will commit nefarious acts against helpless Sevtar?"
Henta turned to her "There are many ways a man can be hurt. Leave him alone."
Savina swept out her arms. "You're denying the expression of true love."
"Pah."
"Pah yourself." Savina put her hands on her hips. "How do you know I'm not in love with him?"
"You're always in love. Aren't four husbands enough? You need a fifth?"
"You know Miesa could never afford a Fourth Level."
"I see. You just want to use my Calani and then leave him unhappy."
"I do not."
"Pah."
"I really wish you would stop saying that," Savina grumbled.
With a wild rush of air. the rider skimmed over Kelric and Yevris a second time. As they sprinted for the cover of a snowfir grove, the craft descended, flattening grass and whipping tree branches into a frenzy.
Kelric skidded to a stop under a tree. "It's landing."
"In a Calanya park?" Yevris lifted his arm to shield his face from the wake of air. "I can't think of anything more illegal."
The rider set down on a nearby lawn. Its hatch swung open and the pilot jumped out onto the grass.
"Cuaz and Khozaar," Yevris said.
Kelric laughed. "No, not the Akasi. What we have here is the sungoddess."
Savina Miesa walked toward them, a stunner in her hand.
"Let's leave," Yevris said.
"Why don't we see what she wants?" Kelric said. Better yet, steal her rider and go to the starport.
"It's you she wants." Yevris tugged his arm. "Come on. You don't have to take this insult."
"You can let him go, Yevris." Savina stopped in front of them. "He's not going with you."
Kelric regarded her with curiosity. "Why not?"
"You and I are taking a trip," she said.
"You can't kidnap me."
Savina drew her stunner. "Want to roll dice on that?"
Kelric knew the gun was a bluff. If she stunned him, she could never drag him to the rider and lift him into its cabin. She only stood as tall as his chest and he was more than twice her weight. Stealing her rider would be easier than playing Quis with a baby.
He glanced at Yevris. "Well, I don't want to get shot. I better do what she wants." Across the parks, he saw his guards running toward them.
Savina followed his gaze. "Hurry up, Sevtar."
As Kelric headed for the rider, he heard Savina behind him. He reached for the hatch—and spun around to grab her gun. She had no time to react after he lunged. Yet before he even finished turning, she had already pumped five stun shots into him. The only way she could have done it was by shooting before he made his move. He collapsed onto the grass, barely conscious, unable to move or speak.
She dropped next to him. "I'm really sorry I had to do that." Suddenly she looked up and fired the stunner again. He heard Yevris swear, followed by the thud of a body hitting the ground.
Savina disappeared. An instant later the grind of a grain-loading machine started in the rider. She reappeared and pushed a sled under his body, working with frantic speed as she secured him onto it with ropes. With Savina pushing and the grain-loader pulling, Kelric found himself being hoisted into the rider.
As soon as she had him inside, she slammed the hatch shut and spun around to the copilot's seat. She had rigged the chair so it tipped down to the deck. As she untied Kelric and struggled to slide him into the seat, his head rolled to the side. Through the window, he saw Yevris picking himself up from the ground. Behind the Second Level guards were closing on the snowfir grove.
Savina grunted. "Winds, you're heavy." She shoved Kelric upright in the chair and turned it around to face the rider's windshield. Next she bound his arms to the armrests and his ankles to a bar on the deck. Then she slid into the pilot's seat. As his escort reached the grove, she taxied across the lawn. She soared up into the sky and the guards stared up after them, disbelief on their faces.
"It worked!" she exulted. "It actually worked."
I don't believe this, Kelric thought.
As the stun shots wore off, he worked his mouth to loosen the muscles. Then he said, "Do you always go around kidnapping people?"
Savina glanced at him. "I'm sorry about tying you up."
He scowled.
"Well, you're a lot bigger than me," she said. "I knew you might go for the rider. It wouldn't have done any good, though. I only put in enough fuel to get where we're going. If you had tried for the starport you would never have made it."
"Then you can't reach Miesa either."
"We're not going to Miesa. It's the first place Henta will check." She navigated through a bank of clouds. "Besides, if I show up with a Bahvla Calani my staff will have collective heart failure."
"So where are you taking me?"
"A fortress higher in the mountains. A Tehnsa Manager built it during the Old Age to hide an Akasi she stole from Viasa."
Savina grinned. "Appropriate, heh?"
"You can't keep me locked up in a fortress forever."
"I probably can't keep you more than a few days. Henta will be furious."
"Then why are you doing this?"
Mischief danced in her eyes. "I'm powerless to resist you."
"For pugging sake," he said.
It was past sunset when they reached the fortress. As the rider descended, eroded towers and crumbling battlements took form out of the shadows. Savina landed behind the remains of a parapet. When she cut the engines, it left a sudden silence filled only by the moan of the wind in the mountains. Somewhere an animal howled.
"Charming place," Kelric muttered.
Savina got out of her seat. "I fixed up a room inside. It's not so bad. " She came over to untie him but then stopped, an impish smile spreading across her face. Leaning forward, she kissed him instead.
Kelric pulled his head away. "Stop it."
"Come on," she coaxed. "Smile for me."
He glared at her.
"Come on." She kissed him again. "One little smile."
I don't want to like you, he thought. It's not safe.
Savina played with the laces on his shirt, then slid her hand along his am. When he
tried to lean away from her, she caught his chin in her hand and kissed him a third time.
Kelric jerked away his chin and yanked against the ropes that bound his arms to the chair. "Untie me, damn it."
"Oh, but I can't." She stepped between his knees and sat on his leg, sliding her arms around his neck. As she kissed his ear, her breasts rubbed against him.
"Cut it out," he said, with less conviction than before. He tried to pull his arms free, telling himself he intended to push her away rather than embrace her. The golden waterfall of her hair poured over his arms. Many Coban women had beautiful hair, but Savina beat them all, with curling tresses so thick, soft, and glistening he would never have believed it was real if he hadn't felt it himself.
Savina sighed. Raising her head, she gave him a guilty look, her eyes glossy with desire. "I am a beast. But ai, Sevtar, it is so difficult to hold back when faced with—" She smiled. "With you." Taking a breath, she stood up, which left his leg feeling cold. She loosened the ropes on his arms, then backed up into the cabin. "You better get the rest. I don't trust myself."
After Kelric worked his arms free, he untied his feet. When he stood up, his returning circulation felt like pins poking his limbs. He turned to see Savina aiming a stunner at him. She threw him a jacket and motioned toward the hatch.
The gales that hit him as he jumped out of the rider were even stronger than those at Bahvla. Mountains loomed above the fortress in a stark landscape of snow and bare rock. Even with supplies and climbing equipment he doubted anyone could survive for long this high in the Teotecs. It was no wonder the Cobans invented the windrider ahead of its time. Between Estates, it was the only survivable mode of travel and communication.
Savina jumped down next to him. When she spoke the wind whipped away her words He shook his head, so she motioned to the turret of a nearby tower with a jagged hole in its side. He ran over to it with her and ducked his head to climb through It was quieter inside, but pitch-dark. He stumbled over a clutter of debris.
"Wait," Savina said. "I have a lamp." A sphere of light appeared around her, revealing the remains of a staircase spiraling down the tower. "It's safe," she said. "I've already tested it."
The Last Hawk Page 24
