The Last Hawk

by Catherine Asaro

  From Ekina's look, Ixpar might have suggested she stand on her head and eat Quis dice. "Calani help with equipment?"

  "Let's see what they do with it," Ixpar said.

  The escort left Bahr alone in the Coral Chamber. She sat at the Quis table reminding herself she wasn't nervous. She wasn't. Every time she heard a sound she jumped like a shylark.

  Then the door opened and a man walked into the room.

  Bahr nearly fell off her chair. "Winds above."

  Sevtar smiled and sat across the table from her, glimmering gold. "My greetings."

  All What a voice. He was a prince of Calani, no doubt about that. For days she had been preparing for this first session of hers with the Sixth and now she would make a fool of herself.

  Once they got started, though, Bahr forgot everything except the dice. Sevtar knew. He understood her patterns. His Quis exhilarated, challenged, was a true matching of wits. She barely noticed when a guard slipped in and lit the hawk-shaped lamps.

  Eventually Sevtar pushed back from the table. "Perhaps we should take a break."

  She blinked. "Heh?"

  "A break. We've been here all day."

  Bahr peered out a window. "Well, I'll be a pog on a pole." It was dark outside. Stretching out her legs, she discovered that her feet, encased in their fine red boots for this special occasion, had gone to sleep. She got up and hobbled around the room, grumbling as her circulation returned.

  When Sevtar laughed, Bahr squinted at him. "What's so funny?"

  "You're just not how I imagined Coba's leading theoretical physicist."

  "Physicist? I'm a Quis Wizard."

  "That you are. Your Quis is brilliant."

  Bahr smiled. "Heh. Well. You too."

  That night after Bahr returned to her suite, she sat down to review her session with Sevtar. He understood her new pattern, the one she called a hot—light sailor.

  "Quis Wizard?" a voice said.

  Bahr jumped. A guard was standing in the door arch. She almost told the woman to go away, but remembered her Oath in time.

  "You have a visitor," the guard said. "Shall I bring him?"

  Him? Maybe it was Rhab. Bahr nodded and stood up.

  The guard reappeared with the potter Rhab. She said, "Manager Karn grants this visitor Suitor's Privilege," and then closed the door, leaving Bahr and Rhab alone together.

  "Suitor's Privilege," Bahr sputtered.

  "It means I can talk to you," Rhab said.

  "You always talk to me."

  "Apparently I've always been your suitor."

  "Like grub you have."

  "It's true. Manager Karn told me tonight that Suitor's Privilege is the only way a woman in my position would be allowed to visit a man who is a Calani."

  "She never told me that."

  Rhab came over to her. "She waited because she thought we needed a while to adjust to the, uh, unusual Circumstances."

  Bahr squinted at him. Sure there were times when she fantasized that a sexy fellow like Rhab reversed the roles and pursued her But in real life she didn't feel comfortable with it. If courting was going on she should be doing it Just how she would manage that, though, was a mystery. She couldn't even leave her room without an escort.

  She regarded the Modernist warily. "You come to pay me suit, Rhab?"

  "I don't know." He grinned. "Is it safe?"

  "Probably not."

  He took her hands "I'm willing to risk it."

  His forwardness flustered her. She tried to think of something to say. "I played Quis with the Sixth Level today."

  He looked suitably impressed. "What was it like?"

  "Rhab, it's like flying. He helped me with a new idea I have for my light—sailor. I'll bet we could make one that gives off enough energy to burn a hole in wood."

  "Why would you want to do that?" .

  Bahr blinked. She hadn't thought about that. "Campers could start campfires with it."

  "Seems to me it would be easier to use a flint."

  "Probably," she admitted. "But I'll tell Ixpar about it anyway."

  It was late when Ixpar left her office, numbers from freight inventories still reeling off in her head. She took the long way to her suite, through the Atrium, an airy hall two stories high, filled by plants, its walls and dome made from tinted glass. A staircase swept up from the floor to an indoor balcony. Halfway up the stairs, she lingered, watching a winter storm lash the glass, knowing an empty bed waited for her. Kelric had an early Quis session in the morning and had slept in the Calanya.

  When she reached her suite, though, a line of light under the door greeted her. In the bedroom a lamp glowed on the nightstand, and a fully dressed Sixth Level lay fast asleep on the bed.

  She sat next to him. "Kelric?"

  He stirred. "Hmmm . . . ?"

  "I thought you were sleeping in the Calanya."

  "Axis," he mumbled.

  "Do you know where you are?"

  "On the Z-axis."

  Ixpar smiled. She undressed him and herself, then slipped into bed. As she reached for the lamp, he walked his fingers across her outstretched body. "Have you had dinner yet?"

  "Dinner?" She dimmed the lamp, then slid into his arms. "A long time ago."

  "What time is it?"

  "Morning's Second Hour."

  "Second Hour? I must have fallen asleep." He motioned at a strange dice structure on the nightstand. "I was working on an equation for Bahr. I guess I fell asleep."

  It took Ixpar a moment to isolate why his response seemed odd. He had repeated himself. Not that repetition was all that unusual; he just never did it. "You sound tired."

  He smiled sleepily. "Not that tired." Then he pulled her into his arms.

  In the morning, he missed his Quis session because she couldn't wake him up. She almost called for the doctor, but when he finally did get up, he seemed fine.

  In her excitement, Zecha strode straight into Avtac's library. The Minister stood by a bookcase, intent on a book she was reading.

  "The rumors are true," Zecha said. "My agent saw the whole setup. Hayl is at Karn! He's been there the whole two years he's been gone. Jevrin kidnapped him."

  Avtac raised her eyebrows at the interruption. "And have you found Jevrin?"

  "Not yet." The Karn spy had disappeared the night after Avtac inspected the hunting unit, just hours before Zecha's people broke his cover. Even knowing she had incurred Avtac's displeasure didn't dim Zecha's mood. Hayl was alive. Besides, she knew what bothered Avtac most about Jevrin; he had been clever enough to figure out the Manager was suspicious.

  "What about the other hunters?" Avtac asked.

  "I ran checks and double checks," Zecha said. "There are no more spies."

  "There had better not be." Avtac closed her book. "So. Ixpar Karn adds thievery of Calani to her list of crimes."

  "What will you do?"

  "A good question."

  Zecha waited, knowing Avtac would speak when she came to a decision. One fact was obvious: the longer Hayl stayed at Karn, the more chance Sevtar had to contaminate the boy's Quis. They locked her out, the way they shared that quality, that sameness of their minds.

  No. She gritted her teeth. They shared nothing. Comparing Hayl to Sevtar was like comparing fresh linen to soiled laundry. Yet the innocence Sevtar lacked and Hayl possessed—was it more than sexual? Whenever Sevtar had looked at her, both here and at Haka, he had seemed to say: I know you.

  Avtac slid her book onto the shelf, revealing the title on its spine: Strategic Pattern Games of the Old Age. She turned to Zecha. "Ixpar Karn may have defrauded me out of a Fifth Level, but she dressed it up in documents to make it look legal." In a deceptively soft voice she said, "Now she has given me justifiable cause for action."

  Kelric awoke with a sense of lethargy. He had fallen asleep sitting up in a window seat of his suite. Rays of afternoon sun slanted across his body and traces of a dream lingered in his mind, an impression of Zecha like a sour aftertaste.

&nb
sp; With the clarity of hindsight, he understood her now As with many empaths, the same genes that gave rise to Zecha's Kyle abilities had probably hurt her. It was the main reason Kyles were so rare; most mutations associated with the genes were harmful. Only in rare cases such as Kelric's family did the Kyle genes produce a viable human.

  Zecha's trouble was subtle, but devastating. He suspected her brain couldn't produce sufficient concentrations of kylatine, a chemical that blocked receptors in the neural structures that interpreted signals she picked up from other people. In other words, she couldn't block out emotions. Most empaths learned to produce kylatine blockers at least on a subconscious level and Jagernauts could even order their biomech webs to make it.

  Genetic therapy could repair defective kylatine genes, but it also reduced the empath's Kyle abilities. Most people either took the treatment or else withdrew from human contact. Neither choice had been available for Zecha. Worse, as warden of Coba's only prison, she had lived with the ugliest side of human nature her world had to offer. Without protection from that onslaught, it was no wonder her mind had warped.

  Nor was it any wonder she loved Hayl. He was her opposite, sheltered all his life from the dark side of humanity. He must have soothed her like water in a desert.

  Avtac was another story. Kelric doubted she even understood the concept of empathy. What malediction had the power to describe his last days at Varz? She never told him why his doctors stopped the electroshock therapy that was supposed to "cure" him. Instead she let him believe that only as long as he pleased her would he be free of it. Until the moment he left her Estate, he hadn't known he was going to Karn.

  You dwell too much on the past, he thought. He looked for a better memory and eventually found one: the jeweled world of his childhood. It glistened like a bubble isolated in encroaching darkness.

  39

  Hawk's Claw

  It was a spring morning of the new year when Ixpar found Kastora on the outside balcony that circled the-Observatory. Mild breezes blew back the Senior's hair as she considered the polished box she held in her hands, with its two jeweled dice.

  "Those look like Suitor's Dice," Ixpar said.

  Kastora looked up with a start. "What gave you that idea?"

  Ixpar chuckled. "Does he have a name?"

  The Senior simultaneously reddened and smiled. "You know the singer in the tavern where we go—" She paused, her gaze shifting to the sky. "Look at that."

  Ixpar looked to see a pair of windriders above the northern mountains. As they drew nearer she made out the black Varz clawcat on their wings. "They're going to miss the airfield."

  "There's nowhere to land in the direction they're going," Kastora said.

  "Yes there is." Ixpar scowled. "The Calanya parks." She spun around and strode to the stairs, looking back at Kastora. "Send two octets to the Calanya. And stay on com." Then she took off.

  At the Calanya, Ixpar found most of her Calani absorbed in a dice session. The Fourth Level Mentar left the table and came over to her. Gray-haired and gray-eyed, he reminded her of the Scribe who had been her father.

  "You look concerned," he said.

  "Varz riders are headed for the parks," she said.

  "Why?"

  "I wish I knew. Where is Sevtar?"

  "He sleeps in his suite."

  That surprised Ixpar. "Is he sick?"

  "I don't believe so. Just tired."

  Eb, captain of the Calanya escort, appeared at Ixpar's side.

  "Two octets from the CityGuard are Outside."

  "Post one in Sevtar's suite," Ixpar said. "We'll take the second out to meet the riders."

  She found the two craft crouched in a sculpture garden they had wrecked when they landed. A trio of Varz guards disembarked and bowed to Ixpar. "Manager Karn," a thin woman said. "I am Ahva Varz."

  Ixpar frowned. "Trespassing on Calanya grounds is illegal, Ahva Varz."

  "I apologize, ma'am. But we bring a message from the Minister."

  "If Avtac has something to tell me, she can do it without breaking the law."

  "It seems a difficulty exists." Ahva took a scroll from another guard and handed it to her. "I believe this explains the problem."

  The message made no sense; written in legal jargon, it just restated the contract she and Avtac had signed when Karn relinquished the Ministry.

  I will put these people in jail, Ixpar thought. Did Avtac actually expect her to let such an intrusion pass? Of course she would protect her Calanya.

  Ixpar froze. Of course. Of course. She thrust the scroll at Captain Eb. "Lock up these people" Then she took off running across the parks.

  When she reached a com Outside the Calanya, she banged her hand against the com "Kastora!"

  A voice snapped out of the speaker. "Kastora here."

  "Get as many octets as you can to Hayl's suite," Ixpar said. "Get him out of there!" Then she set off running again.

  Ixpar reached the gardens around Hayl's suite in time to see three Varz riders descending, the rumble of their engines swelling into a roar as they landed on the lawns, tearing up grass and destroying fountains. As she raced toward Hayl's. patio, Varz guards burst out of the craft—all armed with rifles.

  Hands yanked Ixpar to a stop. Twisting around, she found herself staring up at Borj, a gigantic captain on her CityGuard. She had to shout to be heard over the noise. "Let go of me!"

  The rumble of engines drowned out Borj's answer, but her grip stayed firm. Ixpar struggled with the massive captain, then gave up and wrenched around in Borj's arms in time to see the rest of the captain's octet Converge with the invaders on Hayl's patio. Even the thunder of the riders couldn't smother the blast of rifle shots. Defenseless against the bullets, Karn guards dropped everywhere.

  Then a Varz captain spotted Ixpar—and fired. Borj threw her to one side and the bullet missed Ixpar's chest, thudding instead into her shoulder. Strengthened by her rage, Ixpar wrenched out of Borj's grip and ran for Hayl's suite, ready to attack the invaders with her bare hands. As she passed a glass table on the patio, it shattered under the impact of a bullet.

  Boots pounded behind her. "Manager Karn!" Borj shouted. "Get down." The captain tackled her and literally threw her over a retaining wall. Ixpar wrestled furiously, almost pulling free despite her gunshot wound. She felt no pain at all.

  Borj shouted for help and another guard jumped over the wall. She grabbed Ixpar's legs and together with Borj managed to pin Ixpar to the ground. Helpless, Ixpar could do nothing but watch the Varz raiders.

  They smashed the stained-glass doors fronting Hayl's patio and ran Inside. Gunshots sounded and then the Varz guards reappeared, dragging Hayl. The boy was fighting, hitting with his fists, kicking with his legs, biting and scratching as the octet ran, half dragging and half carrying him to the riders.

  A formation of Karn guards burst out of Hayl's suite and opened fire with their stunners, sending a slew of the intruders stumbling to their-knees. The Varz guards answered with rifle shots and the Karn unit lunged for cover.

  Motion flashed in Ixpar's side vision. Turning, she saw Kastora striding across a garden. Time seemed to slow down as the Senior Aide grabbed the stunner of a fallen guard. Even as Ixpar shouted for her to get down, Kastora sighted on the guards carrying Hayl. In the same instant she fired, a rifle discharge cracked like thunder—and Kastora collapsed, blood splattering out of her torso.

  Then the intruders reached their aircraft. They hoisted Hayl inside, and within seconds the craft was aloft.

  A sudden silence filled the gardens. When Borj and the other guard relaxed their hold, Ixpar shoved them away, then vaulted over the retaining wall and ran to her Senior Aide.

  "Kastora!" Kneeling by her body, Ixpar lifted her wrist, trying to find a pulse. "What were you doing, standing out in the open like that?" Her voice cracked. "Kastora, answer me."

  The Senior Aide stared with sightless eyes at the sky. Blood no longer seeped out the wound in her chest.

  Borj
crouched next to Ixpar and checked for Kastora's pulse, then pulled back her eyelids. After what seemed like an eternity, she turned to Ixpar. "I'm sorry, Manager Karn. We can't do any more for her."

  "No." Ixpar bent over her friend's body, pressing her hands against the wound as if that would fix it. When she pulled the stunner out of Kastora's grip, the Senior's hand fell limply to the ground. Her other hand was clenched around something else. Ixpar pried open the fist, revealing the box with the Suitor's Dice.

  Gone. Kastora was gone. Her friendship, her wisdom, her dreams. All gone.

  Standing up, Ixpar looked around at the carnage in the gardens. An ancient instinct was rising inside of her, burning so hot that a red haze clouded her vision, like a fog of blood.

  A hand touched her shoulder. Spinning around, Ixpar almost socked a Karn medic in the jaw.

  The woman paled. "I—I just meant—well, that."

  Lowering her fist, Ixpar looked where the medic pointed. A hole in her shoulder was pumping out blood. While Ixpar blinked, the medic began to clean the wound. Ixpar knew she should feel pain, but only her anger was real.

  Another aide appeared at her side, Anthoni, the fellow she had recently promoted to the top level of her Estate staff, making him the first man in Karn history to hold such a high position.

  "I just came from Hayl's suite," he said. "The meds are treating his guards."

  "How we they?" Ixpar said.

  "Alive. But they'll be in Med for a while. Nesina took it the worst. He shook his head. She went crazy when they grabbed Hayl. She wouldn't back off even after they shot her."

  Ixpar swallowed. Guards trained to fight with stunners often plowed on after being hit, trying to do as much damage as possible before they passed out. She and Kastora had reacted the same way. Against rifles, that strategy was suicide.

  Elder Solan came up to them her lined face drawn and pale. "I cannot believe this happened. We must demand a Council Tribunal against Varz."

  Ixpar disengaged her aim from the medic putting up her hand when the woman protested. Then she drew Solan to the side. "Varz will refuse to convene a Tribunal."