The Last Hawk

by Catherine Asaro

  "Why would you want to crack uranium?" Ixpar wasn't even sure what uranium was, other than that Bahr's patterns predicted it existed.

  "It could produce energy," Ekina said. "A lot."

  "Do you think it will work?"

  Ekina shrugged. "I'm not even sure how to test for it."

  Ixpar drew the physicist aside, away from the students. "What about her idea for campfires? Can you build me a hand carried laser that burns things?" She paused. "Like buildings."

  Ekina stopped smiling. "Are you sure that's what you want?"

  "Yes."

  It was a moment before Ekina answered. "I'll see what we can do."

  After Ixpar left the lab, she went to the Calanya and walked out to the parks with Mentar, telling him about the laser.

  "You should tell Sevtar," Mentar said. "It might put him in a better mood."

  "He is upset?"

  "I am not sure. Earlier today he was standing by a window in the common room. Then he cursed and went into his suite. He hasn't come out since." Mentar spread his hands. "One never knows with him."

  When Ixpar tapped at Kelric's suite, no one answered. Just as she was about to leave he pulled aside the screen. He simply looked at her, then left the screen pushed to one side and walked back into his living room, over to the liqueur cabinet. As Ixpar followed him, closing the screen behind her, he poured himself a glass of baiz.

  "If you want to play Quis," Kelric said, "you'll have to come back another time."

  "Mentar thinks you're angry."

  "Why should I be angry?" He turned to face. her, holding his baiz as if he wanted to throw the glass. "I'm impressed. Astonished. It's remarkable how fast you people are regaining knowledge hidden in the Quis. I've never seen anything like it. From knives to machine guns in one generation." He downed his drink in one swallow "What next? Nuclear warheads?"

  Suddenly she understood "You saw me in the courtyard with the gun we tested today."

  He set down his glass and came over to her. "I hate being the cause of this."

  She drew him into her arms. "Ai, Kelric. It's not your fault."

  But as they held each other in the fading sunlight, she knew there was no solace even here in the Calanya, either for her or for Kelric.

  The door of Ixpar's office slammed open and Anthoni burst into the room. "Two Varz riders—over the airfield—shooting."He heaved in a breath. "The tower is blind and city com lines are dead."

  Ixpar was on her feet before he finished. "Get on Estate com." She ran to the vault and took out the machine gun. "Sound the alarm and have our defenses armed."

  Anthoni grabbed her arm. "You can't go out there. You could get killed."

  "Let go of me."

  "Ixpar, for wind's sake—"

  "Get on that com." She yanked her arm away, then slung the gun over her shoulder and ran out of the office.

  It took only minutes to cross the city. Ixpar heard the boom of the defense cannons as she was running through the factory district near the airfield. The area around her lay in ruins: smoke roiled in billows, fires flared, cracks rent the pavement. Two Varz riders swept into view, flying in a strafing run, their blistering attack spurring an explosion in a nearby warehouse.

  Then the Karn Snowhawk, a pride of Ixpar's air force, appeared in the sky, climbing above the smoke. It went at the Varz riders like an althawk defending its territory. As the craft engaged in the sky, Ixpar raced for the meager shelter of an awning.

  One of Snowhawk's missiles caught an invader dead center, setting it off like a firebomb As debris rained out of the sky, the second Varz rider fired. Snow-hawk tried to veer off, but the missile caught its wing, blasting the slats. Snowhawk careened into a burning warehouse, caught the shredded remains of its wing on an upthrusting column of wood, swung around like a toy on a stick, slammed into a blazing wall—and detonated in a plume of orange and black.

  Ixpar's lips drew back in a snarl. When the surviving Varz rider swept low over the awning where she had sought cover, she stepped out and brought up the machine gun. Standing with her long legs planted wide, she braced the gun against her body and fired at the craft's belly. Bullets stabbed its engines reckety-reckety-reckety, so loud that even in the chaos of the burning district the noise deafened her. The Varz rider lurched into a roof and met its death in a roaring balloon of fire.

  Then the only sound was the crackle of flames.

  Ixpar stood tensed, half expecting another rider to materialize out of nowhere. As her adrenaline slowed, the foolhardy nature of her actions soaked into her mind.

  People were emerging from the shelter of nearby buildings, staring at her as if she were a reincarnation from the Old Age. She looked back at them in silence, fighting an inner war no one but she would ever witness. Her mind recoiled from the knowledge she had just killed another human being.

  But the beast within her burned, its rage whetted, its thirst for vengeance unquenched.

  A Fourth and a Sixth Level; they played Quis as never before known on Coba.

  Mentar set an onyx rod into a column-of-time structure that represented Karn. Kelric placed a sapphire rod, the color of foresight, on top of the column. The structure persisted in evolving into a Karn Ministry despite it being implicit in the session that the Ministry was at Varz now rather than Karn.

  Mentar studied the structures. "You play more like a man my age than yours."

  Kelric glanced up, disoriented by Mentar's voice. "We're almost the same age."

  The Fourth Level smiled. "You flatter me. I was fifty-six last season."

  And I? Kelric thought. He had been thirty-four when he crashed on Coba and that was . . . fourteen years ago? No, that wasn't it. He had been at Karn for over three years now, so he had lived on Coba for sixteen. Sixteen years. He was almost fifty-one.

  The Outside doors slammed open and Ixpar strode into the room, fiery hair flying around her face, her clothes streaked with ashes, a belt of ammunition crisscrossing her chest, and a massive machine gripped in her hand.

  Discreet as always, Mentar withdrew. from the alcove. As Kelric stood up, Ixpar stopped in front of him and spoke with no preamble. "If Varz ever succeeds in breaking through to the Estate, the first place they will come is here, looking for you. I'm going to move everyone, but I want you to stay in my suite."

  "Then give me the machine gun," he said.

  She stared at him like an oncoming tank that had run into a wall. "What?"

  "Give me the gun. So I can defend myself."

  "I can't do that. You're a Calani."

  "For flaming sake, Ixpar. I used to be a Jagernaut."

  "We only have this one."

  "Then give me a rifle. Hell, a sword Anything."

  It took Ixpar a moment to absorb the concept Then she said "A rifle. Yes"

  He nodded "Why do you want me to stay in your suite?"

  "It has access to underground halls that would be safe even if Karn were razed to the ground. I realize you may prefer not to share rooms. That what you feel—don't feel—" She looked as if she wanted to stop, but felt it was no time for reticence. "I know I can never replace Savina. If you prefer I live in another suite while you stay in mine, I understand."

  "No, don't move. But I have a condition." He brushed dried blood off a gash in her arm. "What do you think happens to an army when its commander fights on the front lines?"

  "You're as bad as Anthoni."

  "Karn needs your leadership. You, Ixpar. Not the Elders or your staff or your air force. You. You're irreplaceable."

  Her scowl would have done justice to the wildest Kej warrior queen. "You want me to hide while Varz attacks my city?"

  "Yes."

  She started to speak, then stopped and regarded him with an odd expression. "If I had a successor you would also advise me to keep her protected, yes?"

  "Yes. Of course."

  "Then why did Imperator Skolia—your brother—have you fighting on the front lines?"

  The question caught Ke
lric off guard. "He had his reasons."

  "He lost his successor because of them."

  His years on Coba had allowed Kelric to forget the deadly game of political intrigue that stalked the Imperial court. "My half brother chose three heirs: one of my older brothers, one of my sisters, and myself. Only one of us can succeed him."

  Quietly she said, "The one who survives."

  "Yes."

  "He is a fool."

  "He's many things. But a fool isn't one of them. He wanted the strongest of us for his heir."

  "Only a fool pits kin against kin and throws away a man like you."

  A childhood memory came to Kelric; his mother standing on a balcony, radiant as she waved to him, with his half brother Kurj towering next to her, the case-hardened dictator who had, incredibly, once been a baby in her arms. It was only here, on Coba, that Kelric had finally realized Kurj sought to tear him down because he feared Kelric would someday become him. It never occurred to him that Kelric had neither the desire nor the intention of following his half brother's violent path to power.

  * * *

  Elder Solan, First among the Seven Elders of Karn, leaned toward Ixpar from her seat at the conference table. "This decision of yours to make Anthoni Senior Aide is unacceptable."

  "Preposterous," Elder Fourth said.

  Murmurs of agreement came from the others. Elder Second's sonorous voice rolled out. "I fail to understand, Ixpar, why you do not pick someone better qualified than a boy."

  "For Wind's sake," Ixpar said. "He's not a boy. He's older than I am. And there is no one better qualified."

  Elder Fourth puffed on her pipe. "You possess a staff of highly percipient aides. Surely you can find a more appropriate choice."

  Percipient? Ixpar wondered if Elder Fourth ever talked like a normal person.

  "He's unreliable," Solan added.

  "I've always found him reliable," Ixpar said.

  "He is too nice," Elder Sixth said. "He hasn't the necessary authority."

  "Deficiency also exists in his diplomatic skills," Elder Fourth said. "This could cause acrimony."

  Ixpar snorted. "He's simultaneously too nice and not nice enough? That's a feat."

  "Consider how your staff will react," Elder Sixth said. "How he deals with them. It is crucial. As important as his competence. If they mistrust his judgment it weakens his authority. Weakens the Estate."

  Ixpar crossed her arms. "Give him a chance to prove himself before you all bemoan the fall of Karn."

  "And then what?" Solan demanded "Perhaps you have a boy in mind for the Karn Successor too?"

  "I don't have anyone in mind," Ixpar said. "I haven't found a suitable candidate."

  Elder Third spoke. "There is another matter I find of more concern. Your proposal to build ground-based artillery in the city disturbs me."

  "We have to do something," Ixpar said. "If Varz breaks our defenses again, they may go after people instead of factories."

  Elder Fourth relit her pipe. "It seems to me the prudent course of action would be to increase the number of riders on patrol and forestall Varz from reaching Karn in the first place."

  "We don't have enough riders," Ixpar said.

  Solan frowned. "We have as many as Varz."

  "It isn't just Varz," Ixpar said. "Ahkah and Shazorla also have to be considered."

  "Shazorla fly against Karn?" Elder Second rumbled. "Never."

  "There is this matter of the perpetually disappearing Hayl Varz, " Elder Fourth said "Manager Shazorla seems to believe he is here."

  Elder Fifth snorted. "I'll bet any roll of the dice Avtac knows where he is."

  "We need to prove it " Elder Sixth said. "Prove she hides him. Then we might turn Shazorla from Varz. Back to Karn."

  "What about Rashiva Haka?" Elder Seventh asked. "She still claims neutrali—"

  "Meaningless," Elder Second rumbled. "If it comes to the test, Haka will remain loyal to Varz."

  Elder Fifth leaned forward. "We have other allies. Dahl. Bahvla."

  "Chankah Dahl has pledged a rider fleet," Ixpar said. "There's still no word from Bahvla."

  "It has been a year since Borj's unit went down," Elder Third said. "If anyone made it to Bahvla we should have heard by now."

  "How?" Elder Second demanded. "Any messengers would have to come on foot. Winds only know if they would make it."

  Elder Fourth put down her pipe. "The situation appears to be this: we presently have only one viable ally whereas Varz has three at the very least, five if you include secondary Estates, and possibly seven should the alignment of Viasa and Tehnsa become manifest."

  "In other words," Ixpar said, "we're in trouble."

  42

  Golden Nested Tower

  Rohka Miesa Varz poked her head around the big clock at the entrance of the Children's Cooperative. No guardians in sight. She padded to the door, nudged it open—and she was out and free, trotting across the starlit plaza.

  Tonight she would find the Magic. It lived in a place called Galerunner's Tavern on Juggler's Lane. Rohka wasn't sure what tavern meant, but she knew it was Magic by the way Guardian Jasina lit up when anyone mentioned a singer there, named Tomi. The glow was inside of Jasina, a warmth in her mind that spread to Rohka and made her glow too.

  While her mind danced with bright pictures of jugglers skipping over cobblestones, Rohka trotted through Miesa/Varz to Juggler's Lane. But when she reached it, she saw no jugglers anywhere. All the shops looked dark except for a place at the end where colorful lights and music spilled into the street.

  After pondering, Rohka padded toward the building with lights. When she neared, she saw two fierce and burly women looming at its entrance.

  Rohka hesitated. She hadn't expected .the Magic to be guarded by giants.

  "Well, I'll be a Quis cube." One of the giants knelt down to look at her. "Where did you come from?"

  Rohka blinked, suddenly shy.

  The woman smiled. "What brings you out here so late?"

  "I came to hear Tomi sing," Rohka said.

  The other giant laughed. "She may be young, but she appreciates true art."

  "Come on back to the kitchen," the first woman said. "We'll get you a glass of tawmilk."

  "Can I see Tomi there?" Rohka asked.

  "The cook won't mind if you peek into the lounge." She stood up and spoke with the other giant in a low voice. The second woman nodded and set off toward Miesa Square.

  "Is she going home?" Rohka asked.

  The woman took her hand. "No. Just on an errand for me" She led Rohka around the side of the tavern. "Do you have a name?"

  "Rohka."

  The giant smiled. "I'm Chal."

  Warm air and good smells filled the kitchen. Pots bubbled over the fireplace. In the door of a big icebox, Rohka saw her own reflection: a little girl with tousled yellow curls and a smudge on her cheek She wiped at the smudge with her hand.

  A plump woman in an apron hustled over to them. "What brings you back here heh Chal? No clawcats making trouble tonight?"

  Chal grinned. "Caught me a clawcat cub." She nudged Rohka forward. "Instead of bouncing her out, though, I thought I'd bring her back for some tawmilk."

  "Well, looky you." The cook bent over Rohka. "What a beauty. And look at those eyes. Never seen gold eyes before." Rohka blinked up at the woman. "My greetings, ma'am."

  The cook chuckled. "My greetings to you, little cub."

  While the cook went for the tawmilk, Chal led Rohka to a half door and lifted her onto a stool. From her perch Rohka could see over the door into a room full of people and tables. A man on the stage was singing.

  The cook brought Rohka a glass of warm tawmilk. "So." She settled her bulk on a stool next to her visitor. "What you say. little one? Is Tomi a right fine sight or what?"

  "I guess so." Rohka's interest in the Magic was dimming. It had no jugglers or magicians, just a smoky room and a man who sang songs she didn't understand She wanted to go home. It was such a long way, thoug
h. Maybe they would let her sleep here tonight.

  Rohka curled her hands around her glass and drank the tawmilk. When she yawned, the cook picked her up and settled her into her ample lap, humming a lullaby as she rocked back and forth. Roca closed her eyes and snuggled m the woman's arms.

  A commotion woke Rohka. She peeked over the cook's elbow to see Guardian Jasina hurrying in with the giant who had gone on the errand.

  "Winds above, child " Jasina bustled over to her. "Do you know how worried we've been? What are you doing here?"

  "See Tomi," Rohka said drowsily.

  The cook chuckled. "She came to woo your intended, Jasina."

  The guardian lifted Rohka into her arms "The last time she went exploring we found her trying to stow away on a rider to Shazorla."

  "Shazorla?" the cook said. "Whatever for?"

  "Someone told her that suntrees there have real suns for fruit." Jasina smiled. "She wanted to see."

  "Sunny trees," Rohka mumbled. She could feel Jasina's love for the singer. The Magic was back and now she knew where it came firm It was Jasina and Tomi together. Their warmth spread everywhere making her safe and secure.

  A gust of cold air woke Rohka. She found herself being carried through the streets of Miesa. Chal held her now and Jasina was walking next to them.

  ". . . unusual for a child her age to find her way around the city so well," Chal said.

  "She's remarkably bright," Jasina said. "She has some odd ideas, though."

  "Odd how?"

  "Well, for one. she used to ask me why people thought one thing and said another." Chal shifted Rohka in her arms. "Sounds like a good question to me."

  Jasina smiled. "The thing is, she really believed she could hear people think."

  Rohka remembered how she had tried to stop hearing thoughts after everyone told her it was impossible. But she still picked them up. like when Jon broke his toe and his yell bounced around her head as clear as if she stood right next to him instead of halfway across Miesa.

  A rumbling swelled above them. When Chal stopped to look at the sky, Rohka looked, too, and saw three riders flying toward the airfield. A moment later, a big noise and a burst of light came from across the city. More noises boomed and the light got brighter.