thefiremargins

by Lisanne Norman

  Again Lijou looked up at Garras, then back to Konis. "I don't know the details, but Kaid was dismissed from the Brotherhood— one of the few times that has ever happened— on the condition Dzaka remained. As you know, Kaid accepted and left. I don't think he had any option. Then, when we heard about your son and his Link to the Human, Carrie, we needed someone on the Khalossa to assess them."

  Lijou looked down at his hands as he stopped speaking.

  "Esken approached you and asked you to assess them, didn't he?" said Garras, leaning toward the Head Priest.

  Lijou nodded slowly, unable to look at Konis. "He wanted them assessed, and if they were dangerous or could not be controlled by his Guild, we were to terminate them," he said quietly.

  Konis' ears flicked to the side and he began to growl softly. "Go on," he said.

  "It's been one of the traditional functions of the Brotherhood throughout known time, Konis," said Lijou. "How do you think the rogue talents are contained? Those who can create fire at will and whose minds have become unstable at the magnitude of their ability? Who would protect the people of Shola from them if not us?" He looked Konis straight in the eye. "When we can, we rescue those we can train. Here, in Stronghold, are about ten telepaths whom Esken would have had killed, but because of our training methods, we've been able to teach them to control their Talents. That's why we want people like your son and Carrie. We've always been the last refuge for those the Telepath Guild either can't control or are afraid of."

  "Clan Lord," said Garras from the far side of the room. "Before Kaid got the message from Ghezu and Lijou, or from your wife to protect them and see them safe home, I had contacted Kaid and asked him to protect them for me. Yes, Kaid would have terminated them if they had been uncontrollable and bent on a course of conquest, but I knew them. I knew they were incapable of that, and I knew that they were good people. That's why I took the risk of calling in an old debt that Kaid owed me, and asking him to protect their lives with his."

  "All these years, under my very nose, this has been happening, and I knew nothing," said Konis softly. "Nothing! No one Guild Leader should have the power of life or death over anyone, even if they are rogue telepaths with unstable Talents!"

  "It wasn't Esken's word alone, Clan Lord," said Garras, returning with the c'shar. "Don't forget the influence of the Brotherhood. They were the final arbiters. If they could save a telepath, they did. I agree with you, though. Esken and his predecessors have had far too much power and they've misused it. It's time for drastic change, once the threat of Fyak is dealt with. However, this doesn't explain Ghezu's hatred of Kaid."

  "It was I who insisted we use Kaid, because I had a feeling that one of the lesser operatives might terminate them out of hand," said Lijou. "Ghezu was against it, but he knew as well as I that Kaid was still the best, even after ten years outside the Brotherhood. He didn't trust Kaid, so he set Dzaka to watch him. At first it was nothing much, then when Kaid and your son had returned to Shola, he recalled Dzaka. Then he began to get more paranoid about Kaid, even though he was no longer working for the Brotherhood."

  He stopped for a moment to accept the mug that Garras held out to him. "It came to a head when Kusac asked for the alliance with us and wanted the people he and Kaid chose released from their Brotherhood oaths. Ghezu saw this as the return of the days leading up to the Leadership contest when Kaid was the popular choice, not him. He felt everywhere he turned Kaid was Challenging him, and on his territory. There was no reasoning with him, and from then on, he's become more determined to have Kaid killed— by Dzaka, as an ultimate revenge."

  "I wonder what Ghezu's up to," said Garras thoughtfully. "If I remember him of old, he won't be relying only on Dzaka to kill Kaid, he'll have an alternative plan."

  A knock on the door interrupted them and Brother Nyash entered with the map. As soon as he'd left, Garras spread it out over the low table between them.

  "Rhijudu is on the western side of the desert, in the foothills, and the Sonashi tribal land is to the north, just the other side of the mountains from the Laasoi Guildhouse. What other villages has he taken?"

  Lijou leaned forward. "As far as I know, he's taken the Songoh oasis which lies here, between Rhijudu and the Sonashi, and the Lhafsa oasis in the south. The Khoesh Tribe is still untouched, as is the Kubi'h Oasis. The Ghomig nomads settlement just west of the Rozoa Mountains is where it all started, and the Kidoah nomads have joined them."

  Garras nodded. "That leaves only the Shyazi nomads, the Kubi'h oasis and the Khoesh Tribe free. Fyak is gradually moving east and north. The Laasoi Guildhouse is tantalizingly near, isn't it?" he said, looking up at Konis. "Fyak may hate telepaths and be killing them, but if he had one or two terrified ones who would do anything he wished just to stay sane, what then?"

  "If they had a powerful enough telepath, or a Leska pair, they could listen in just about anywhere on this continent," said Konis. "And if I were Fyak, that's just what I'd do, then head over the Nyacko Pass to take the fertile plains of Nyacko, Lyarto, and finally Kysubi."

  "And wouldn't you manage it a lot more easily if you weren't having to defend yourself from the Brotherhood up in the Dzahai Mountains which overlook the Kysubi plains?" said Garras softly.

  "Surely he wouldn't be mad enough to ..." began Lijou.

  "Clan Lord," interrupted Garras, "can you reach the Laasoi Guildhouse mentally from here?"

  "Of course, but why?"

  "Ghezu's been gone two days. Tactically, once Fyak's warriors have consolidated their win over the Sonashi, then they can use it as a base to attack the Laasoi Guildhouse. What if Ghezu's offering a noninvolvement in the taking of Laasoi if Fyak will have Khemu watched and Kaid, perhaps even Dzaka, too, taken captive if they show up? It's my bet he may even now be advising them. Contact the guildhouse, see what's happening."

  Konis sat back in his chair and closed his eyes. They could see him slowing his breathing, preparing himself for mentally reaching out to Mentor Nishou.

  Abruptly he jerked upright, his eyes flying open and his ears swiveling forward. "Get Governor Nesul on the comm instantly! Laasoi is indeed under attack!"

  Garras was at Lijou's desk before he'd finished speaking.

  * * *

  "The Governor has ordered me to call the Brotherhood out immediately and send them to Laasoi Guildhouse," Lijou said, looking across his desk at them. "Since Master Ghezu isn't present, I am their Commander-in-Chief for the duration of this emergency."

  He returned his attention to the comm, punching in a code. Almost immediately, a klaxon sounded throughout the building. As it blared out its summons, he and Konis were aware of the rush of anticipation as the Brothers dropped what they were doing and headed for their designated craft.

  The door burst open as two figures hurried in, one of them coming to an abrupt stop as he saw Konis.

  Konis' eye ridges disappeared briefly as he looked at the young male. "Brother Vriuzu," he said, inclining his head.

  The Brother bowed his head briefly. "Clan Lord," he said, then turned to Lijou.

  "Brother Rhyaz," said Lijou, standing up as the klaxon wailed its last note. "We have our orders from Governor Nesul. The Laasoi Guildhouse has been attacked by the renegade priest, Fyak. I'm appointing you the Commander-in-the-Field. We have no further information at present so my orders are simple. Take the Brothers there and deal with the situation. Brother Vriuzu will accompany you as our contact. The Warrior Guild will join you at Laasoi. The home fleet troops from the Rhynara are being recalled. Some will be deployed to Laasoi, the bulk to the Nyacko Pass. You will liaise with your counterpart from the Forces when they arrive. Dismissed."

  Rhyaz crossed his forearms over his chest, inclining his head, then turned and left at a run, followed by Vriuzu.

  A little unsteadily, Lijou sat down again.

  "Rhyaz is a good choice," said Garras from his seat by the table.

  "He's our best tactician, and no friend to Ghezu," said Lijou before looking over a
t Konis. "Vriuzu was recruited three years ago. Esken ordered he be terminated because he couldn't control his ability to broadcast his thoughts. His was a wild Talent, a gift that came late to him. Esken couldn't stabilize him long enough to have him taught the control he needed."

  "I remember," said Konis. "His accident seemed a little convenient at the time. It looks as if your recruitment scheme worked."

  "It did. In fact it paid off very nicely for us," said Lijou, getting to his feet and joining him and Garras at the small table. "We used drug therapy to calm him, then our standard meditation techniques to start the training. With people like him, our approach has to be individually tailored, not like the classes at the Guild. He's now our strongest and most dependable broadcaster. He's even been able to improve his ability to receive."

  "I'm glad you were successful. How do you manage to conceal people like him from recognition? Surely sending him out to Laasoi puts his life at risk?"

  Lijou smiled and shook his head. "I wouldn't put him in danger, Konis. He'll be heavily disguised as a priest. All our people learn what basic Brotherhood skills they can, even me. No one will recognize him, not even his own mother, by the time they arrive at Laasoi. Will you wait here for news, or do you intend to return home?"

  "I'll wait here for news, then go directly to the Palace so Nesul knows what's happened."

  Lijou nodded.

  "If I may make a suggestion, Master Lijou," said Garras, "I think it would be wise for you to keep one of the Brothers you trust implicitly with you at all times from now on. We don't know how Ghezu will react to your ordering the Brothers out."

  Looking thoughtfully at him, once more Lijou nodded. "I think that's a wise suggestion. I have some research that needs to be done. Having an assistant to sort through the books and so on would help matters. I'd need him with me at all times, of course, so he's on hand to take notes."

  Garras opened his mouth in a brief grin. "Just what I had in mind."

  * * *

  The Laasoi Guildhouse hadn't been large, it didn't need to be to accommodate the two hundred souls that had until a few days before lived there. Now it was a smoking ruin. Large holes, their edges jagged and raw, pockmarked the walls. Windows had been blown out, and the front door was nothing more than a pile of shattered timber.

  Bodies lay strewn in the rubble like autumn leaves. The smell of blood, burned flesh, and the after tang of energy weapons filled the air. Medics were checking the bodies, followed by the morgue detail Naira and Zsyzoi picked their way through the smoldering ruins checking for any more survivors. So far they'd pulled a couple of telepaths out of a basement storage area. They'd been in shock and had been taken to the medics, who'd dosed them with suppressants and shipped them immediately out to the Valsgarth Guild for specialized treatment.

  The Warriors had arrived some half an hour after the Brothers, but by then, the raid by Fyak's people was well and truly over. Their job was mainly to help with the mop-up operation and check for survivors.

  They'd all arrived too late. The Brothers had exchanged some sporadic fire with Fyak's people, but that had been merely a rearguard action, the bulk of them having moved out before they'd arrived.

  Their sweep of the western side of the guildhouse completed, Naira and Zsyzoi headed back to the Forces transporter that was HQ and reported in to the officer on duty.

  A camp had been set up, and when they'd been debriefed, they reported there to be allocated a sleeping area before standing down from duty. The nearby mess tent drew their attention, and having collected a mug of c'shar and a sweet pastry snack, they joined a table of mixed Brothers and Warriors.

  "Any news on what's happening now?" asked Naira, climbing over the bench seat to sit down.

  "We're staying here, that's what," said one of the Brothers from the far end of the table. "Setting up a permanent garrison. We're to keep the Tribesmen contained in the desert."

  "Contained?" demanded Zsyzoi. "After this massacre? We should be gunning down every last one of them!"

  "And start a civil war?" drawled the male next to her. "Besides, we haven't the numbers to go hunting them in their own lairs. Not here, now."

  Zsyzoi muttered angrily to herself as she took a large bite out of her pastry.

  "Heard the Forces troopers say most of their company have been sent to the Nyacko Pass," said Naira. "They must be expecting them to head out that way, too."

  "If they want to leave the desert, that's the way to go," said his neighbor. "I don't think they'll go for it just now. As I hear it, this Fyak doesn't control the desert yet."

  "Why attack here, then? It isn't a tactical point, it's not good farming land, so why bother?"

  "Fyak's out to destroy telepaths," said Zsyzoi, wiping the back of her hand across her mouth to clear away the crumbs. "We got called in a month or two back to pull out a new Leska pair. Kitlings, they were, that's all. He had them flogged almost to death."

  "Nice person," the Brother at the end of the table said. "Well, he did a good job here. Luckily, most of the telepaths had been pulled out. Only some half a dozen were left, as well as six Warriors and four of our people. Fyak got all but five of them, but by Vartra, it cost them dear."

  "Thirty Tribesmen," confirmed Naira's neighbor with a nod. "And we got another ten when we arrived."

  "How many telepaths were killed?" asked Naira. "We found a couple alive."

  "Three bodies that we know of."

  Naira looked at Zsyzoi. "Looks like they kept one," he said.

  "What would Fyak do with a telepath?" asked a Warrior from the opposite side of the table. "If he's out to kill them, why would he take captives?"

  "Depends who's missing. If it was Rhaid, then there's only one reason. She was one of the contenders for Clan Lord last time around. She's a powerful telepath, almost as good as the Aldatan Lord," Naira replied. "I know she was sent here last week because we brought her out. She was posted here to keep our Guild informed on the situation."

  "What's she look like? I came past the morgue area," said the female Brother opposite.

  "Tall. From the Northern continent— dark pelt with eyes to match. Wore her hair in a long braid at the back."

  The female shook her head. "No one like that either in purple or other clothing. Looks like she's been taken."

  "Get over to HQ and tell them," the Brother said to Naira. "They'll need to check it out."

  Naira gulped down the remains of his c'shar and poked Zsyzoi in the ribs. "Come on," he said.

  * * *

  Vriuzu was sitting in the command vehicle, listening to the latest reports from the various groups as they completed their sweeps of the surrounding hillsides and the northern edge of the desert. He could cope with death and the aftermath of battle reasonably well, but not so soon after the event. The sensitivity that allowed him such accurate and long-range mental communication, prevented him from visiting the guildhouse for the next couple of hours. Even though he had a personal damper, the pain of the injured was seeping through to him and it was more than he could bear.

  "Do you know this Rhaid?" asked the sub-Commander.

  "Yes. I've communicated with her several times since she arrived here last week."

  "Try and see if you can locate her," said Brother Rhyaz.

  Vriuzu sat back in his seat and switched off his damper. He began his relaxation ritual and a few minutes later, he was able to send a probing thought out in the direction of the retreating tribesmen.

  He'd located them! He frowned, wincing as he picked up the adrenaline-high they were still on after what they considered a successful mission. Blood lust was foremost in their minds as they urged their riding beasts to greater speed.

  "Some have taken trophies," Vriuzu muttered, his voice thick with pain and disgust. "They mutilated the dead."

  The sub-Commander glanced at his aide and lifted an eye ridge. "We didn't tell you for fear of upsetting you," he said, keeping his voice quiet. "What of the telepath?"

 
"I can sense a captive," said Vriuzu, shaking himself out of his contact with the desert folk and switching on his damper again. Almost instantly, he began to relax. "It wasn't pleasant," he said apologetically. "I stayed as long as I could. The captive was radiating terror, and though the mind had the feel of a telepath about it, I can't be sure," he said. "I'm afraid we'll have to wait till they've done a check on the identities of the bodies."

  The sub-Commander nodded. "I think we've found our person," he sighed. "I'll send a report to Guild Master Esken. We'll have to hope Fyak wants a telepath because while he needs her, Rhaid should be safe, assuming she'll cooperate."

  "I imagine she'll have no choice," said Vriuzu quietly. "Our ability to experience others' pain, never mind our own, makes us vulnerable in any military action. What do you plan to do next, sub-Commander?"