thefiremargins

by Lisanne Norman

  She sighed, relaxing her body against his and stretching her arms round his back and up onto his shoulders. "You never could act, Lijou," she whispered as they heard the approaching footfall of Kaibah, one of Ghezu's personal guards. Her face turned toward Lijou's and she began to delicately nibble at his cheek and jawline, sensing through her empathic talent his reluctant response.

  Eyes half closed, he was peripherally aware of the guard passing them and his hands instinctively tightened on her shoulders.

  Kaibah stopped. "Afternoon, Guild Master," he said. "Cold today, isn't it?"

  "Go chase a tree-rhudda, Kaibah," growled Kha'Qwa, not bothering to turn round. "We didn't come here looking for an audience."

  Lijou barely suppressed his grunt of surprise and interest as unseen, her hand slid through the opening of his robe and began to caress his thigh.

  Her gesture had the desired effect on both males. Kaibah, seeing the expression on Lijou's face, realized why they were there and as his ears lay flat in embarrassment, he began to back away hurriedly. As for Lijou ...

  "You utterly unrepentant she-jegget!" he hissed, trying to keep his voice low while surreptitiously trying to remove the hand that was determined to become more intimate.

  "What's wrong? You wanted us to take some time for ourselves," she whispered.

  "Yes, but not this! My reputation will be in shreds!"

  "You mean you haven't come up here before?" she asked, still managing to evade him. "In that case, it'll enhance your reputation among the males," she chuckled. "Not to mention some of the Sisters! Trust me."

  Lijou gave up and instead pulled her close, swinging her round so her back was to the keep wall. "Since this is what you want," he began, but she stopped him.

  "Now send your message," she said, her face deadly serious.

  "Now?"

  "Now. You'll find it easier when you have an incentive. Use that energy to send it. I've had lovers who were telepaths before. It worked for them."

  Not quite convinced, Lijou began to visualize Kusac, reaching out to find the unique pattern of his mind. Within moments, he'd not only located him but sent the warning.

  * * *

  In the passageway, Kusac staggered slightly, reaching out for the wall for support.

  "What is it?" asked his father.

  "Lijou," said Carrie, steadying her mate.

  "I'm fine," said Kusac, standing upright again. "He warns us that Fyak has Kaid and that Ghezu's put a contract out on Dzaka. He thinks Ghezu's finally gone over the edge. We're to watch out for him, and for Kaid being taken to Stronghold."

  "I'll warn Nesul and the High Command," said Konis. "We'll have Ghezu monitored as best we can. I didn't realize our Head Priest was capable of transmitting over such a distance."

  "He had help," said Carrie, a small smile on her face as her hand reached for her mate's. You didn't tell him it all. Could Ghezu have Kaid already?

  Lijou thinks it possible, because of the bracelet. It could be that Ghezu's seen Kaid at Rhijudu and Fyak refused to hand him over. Lijou sent that Ghezu actually said Kaid was Fyak's prisoner. Let's not assume the worst.

  We've got to do something, Kusac! At the moment we're doing nothing!

  There's nothing we can do as yet! Kusac gripped her arm more tightly. If there was, I'd do it!

  Then I'll do what Noni suggested. Go to the Shrine. Maybe Vartra can help, since He seems determined to be involved in all our lives!

  It wouldn't do any harm, sent Kusac.

  * * *

  Back at Stronghold, Kha'Qwa grinned up at her lover. "See? Now you've had your alibi, we can go indoors, where we can continue this in comfort."

  Lijou returned her grin as the wind whipped at his cloak. "Not quite. I haven't had my alibi yet."

  "I wasn't exactly being serious," she said, trying to push him aside. "It's far too cold up here today!"

  "You started it, Kha'Qwa," he purred, running a hand through her short ginger hair. "Kaibah will tell everyone why we were up here, and you don't want to make liars out of us, do you?"

  "Lijou! I'll freeze to death out here!"

  "No, you won't. I don't intend us to be here for that long. Then we can do as you suggested; go into the warmth and continue this little encounter in comfort."

  "Did I really say you lacked imagination?" she murmured.

  CHAPTER 15

  He lay still, barely conscious, aware only of the fire that flickered through his limbs and tail before centering once more on his back. The slightest movement of his head exacerbated the throbbing behind his eyes. He could smell water nearby, and though his tongue was swollen with thirst, he knew he couldn't reach it.

  How long he lay like that, he'd no idea. He thought he heard voices at one point, but they meant nothing to him. Then, like the last time, their cold hands touched his body, pressing and probing at him. The hypoderm stung his neck and he knew relief as the numbness spread along nerves that were inflamed and raw. Not quickly enough though, as the dressing on his back was ripped off.

  He moved then, flinching as the fresh pain coursed through him, too weak to even cry out. That was when he realized just how ill he was.

  "Why wasn't I called from the first?" a voice demanded. "I want him moved immediately to the infirmary. I can't treat him here under these conditions!"

  "You'll have to," Ghezu said. "He's being held secretly because he has friends in the Brotherhood. My contract requires that I interrogate him. He was working for Fyak, training his troops. There's a lot that the High Council needs to know."

  "That's your concern, not mine. You know the rules. All prisoners undergoing questioning must have a member of the Guild of Medics present! You've abused this prisoner by not bringing him to me on arrival! And you didn't tell me his wounds were in this state! They have to be cleaned— I'll need to return to my infirmary. In the meantime, has he eaten or drunk anything since he arrived? I thought not! Get some fluids into him immediately. I'll be back as soon as I can."

  They made him get up and sit on the edge of the bed. He was forced to drink water till it ran down his chin and started him coughing. Despite the analgesic, the pain was intense and he almost passed out. Then he was returned to the bed. Gratefully he sank back down onto his stomach, hands clutching the bed frame as he waited for the agony to subside.

  The physician returned and began cleaning his wounds. Kaid lost consciousness almost immediately, and when he next woke, he was alone. He felt better— the effects of the stunner blast had finally gone. All that remained was the pain of the flogging.

  One of the guards came in, bringing food and water. He was ordered to remain where he was, and for that one meal only, he was fed. Afterward, he slept till the physician woke him by removing the dressings and giving him more medication.

  "You can get up when you feel ready," he said. "In fact, the sooner the better. I'm not replacing the dressings, those wounds need to breathe now. I don't need to tell you to make use of your back muscles, do I? Good. I'll see you in a few days, then."

  * * *

  Time settled down into a predictable routine. Day and night meant nothing to him as the overhead light was always on. His cell was in one of the disused basement corridors of Stronghold, one of those carved from the living rock it-self. The room was sparsely decorated. An iron bed, a night table, and a wooden chair was his only furniture. The toilet was a closet at the rear of the room and consisted of little more than a seat over a long-drop down to the roots of the mountain.

  The solitude would have affected most Sholans badly, but Kaid was used to it. His "day" consisted of eating and sleeping punctuated by short exercise periods when, mindful of the physician's warning, he did his best to stretch his aching back. Ghezu had refused to allow him any further analgesics so to escape the constant pain, when he wasn't sleeping, he recited his litanies and meditated, trying to boost his internal healing system.

  Scabs had formed over his wounds, but every time he exercised, it caused them t
o split. Gradually, though, his back was beginning to ease.

  Then Ghezu came, accompanied by another medic and two guards. Kaid stood patiently while his back was examined, the medic pressing here and there to check for swelling and sensitivity.

  He suffered in silence, flinching when a tender area was touched, praying for the time he'd be strong enough to retaliate. It might cost him his life, but that was all he had left at the moment, save for the crystal Noni had made him keep. But, by Vartra, he'd take Ghezu with him when he went!

  "Well? Is he fit enough?" demanded Ghezu at last.

  "He'll do," said the medic. "I hope you realize the risk I'm taking administering this drug." He took an ampule from his medikit and loaded it into the hypoderm.

  "You'll be rewarded," Ghezu said.

  Kaid tried to step back from the medic. "No way are you going to ..." He was cut short as one of the guards grabbed him by the arms and held him still.

  The medic pressed the hypo briefly against Kaid's upper arm, fired it, then turned to leave.

  "What the hell have you given me?" demanded Kaid, trying to pull free.

  "Get him ready," ordered Ghezu, ignoring him. "We've only a few minutes before the drug takes hold."

  Unceremoniously Kaid was dragged over to his bed where, with the help of the other guard, he was flipped down on his back. He began to struggle, then stopped as he realized it would only speed up his body's absorption of the drug.

  While one held him still at gunpoint, the other quickly fastened padded bands round his wrists and ankles. His arms were drawn beyond his head to be secured to the bars there, then his legs were similarly secured by cords to the foot of the bed. Pulling against them, he tried to ease his discomfort, but found it futile. He was effectively prevented from moving anything but his extremities and tail. He had no option but to lie there, staring helplessly at the ceiling, waiting.

  Ghezu ordered the guards to leave, then Kaid heard his soft footfall approaching. Anger and frustration rose in him as he realized that because of the angle his arms were in, he could barely turn his head to look at him.

  "I told you, Kaid, that you'd pray for death before I finish with you. Well, the waiting's over," he purred, his voice soft and full of menace. "It starts now. I'm going to break you. I'll have you begging and groveling for a quick death." He stopped, moving his face into Kaid's view. From the front of his shirt, a torclike neck ornament fell forward, its inset green stone reflecting the light from the ceiling.

  Kaid's eyes were drawn to it. Where had he seen its like before? Rhaid— the telepath Fyak had taken captive— she'd worn one. The stone had a hypnotic quality about it, making it difficult for him to look away. There was more, if only he could remember....

  Ghezu moved out of his line of sight, breaking the spell. "You should be beginning to feel the effects of the drug about now. A sense of well-being, of relaxation. Yes, I can see it's already begun," he said. "It won't last long, though." The footsteps stopped.

  "In the next stage, your senses will become sharper. Every experience will become heightened. You'll be able to hear a beetle crawling over the floor in the next cell."

  Ghezu walked down to the foot of the bed, testing the bonds to make sure they were tight. "The last stage, though, is in the lap of the Gods— or, as you would say, En'Shalla. You could see your deepest fears, or perhaps your wildest dreams. That's the problem with psychotropic drugs, they aren't predictable. And this one is a bit of an unknown quantity— it's from off-world."

  Kaid could already feel the second stage starting. Ghezu's voice was beginning to boom in his eardrums. He folded his ears backward in an effort to lower the sound level.

  "I didn't deprive you of an En'Shalla ritual after all, Kaid, did I? I'll leave you to enjoy the experience," Ghezu said, flicking the pads on Kaid's foot with a claw tip.

  Each one of Ghezu's footsteps seemed to echo in the room and the door, when it closed, sounded like a peal of thunder. No sooner had silence returned when the light went out, leaving him in utter darkness.

  He tugged at the bonds again, trying to twist free but the movement of the soft padding against his still raw wrists felt like grit was being rubbed into the wounds. Round his ankles, the displacement of his fur as he twisted against the cuffs felt like a thousand hot needles were being driven into him.

  He became aware of the feel of the blanket against his injured back. The bindings not only held his limbs taut, but served to press him firmly against the bed beneath him. He could feel the woollen fibers being forced into the partly healed wounds, causing him even greater pain.

  A rhythmic, pounding beat dominated his hearing, sending waves of panic radiating through him till common sense took hold of him again and he realized it was the sound of his own increased heartbeat.

  Every instinct told him that he must break free, but fighting it physically was impossible. The slightest movement brought discomfort and pain. He forced himself to lie still, concentrating on breathing slowly and deeply.

  Under his breath he began to curse Ghezu as he realized the sophistication behind his use of the drug. His anger and frustration built, and with it his pulse, until the beating inside his head again dominated every thought.

  He gasped for air only to find that tiny particles of dust were scraping and burning their way down into his lungs. Reflexes started him coughing, and once again, the bonds restricted his movement. The small, jerking spasms that were all his body could make only added more pain. Panic began to rise in him again as he continued to gasp for air, trying to combat the pain by hyperventilating. Each breath only made catching the next one more painful.

  Trained reflexes finally took over and he clamped his mouth shut, drawing shuddering breaths in through his nose. Gradually the spasms stopped, and his breathing eased.

  Think, he told himself. Use your brain! It's only a chemical reaction that's causing this. What did Ghezu say? That I'd see my worst nightmare or my greatest wish. If pain and panic creates fear, then somehow, I must remain calm.

  His breathing under control again, he began his relaxation litany, gradually forcing the tension to drain from each muscle group as he turned his focus deep within his mind. Having achieved that much control, he attempted the litany to banish pain, and instead of fighting against the drug, he tried to go with it, letting the sensations, good or bad, course through him without reacting.

  It took time, but time was unimportant to him as he drifted in some limbo world between wakefulness and sleep. He felt his internal rhythms change in response to the drug and knew he'd correctly assessed the way it reacted to his state of mind. Where it found fear, it amplified it, triggering memories of terror and pain. Where it found calm, the memories were gentler.

  Like a river in spate, the drug surged through him, driving fragments of images into his consciousness. He saw Lijou, lying asleep with his lover, then Noni, sitting at her table holding one of her crystals, concentrating on what she thought she saw within it. She stiffened, looking up suddenly at him. Her expression changed, becoming one of fear. She was speaking, but he couldn't catch the words. Her hand opened, showing him the crystal she held within it. Then the image was gone, swirling away in rainbow colors to be replaced by one of Dzaka sitting in a kitchen he didn't recognize. Kusac and Garras were there, arguing over something, then that, too, was swept away.

  The smell of incense and of charcoal; the small statue of Vartra with the crimson curtain behind it. A slight figure running into the Shrine room, her body moving the way no Sholan's could. Carrie. She looked up at him as the priest joined her. Ghyan followed her gaze but was unable to see him. She reached out, so close he could almost feel her fingertips.

  Suddenly, sickeningly, the world spun around him, flinging him back to his own body and the accumulated pain of lying tied to the bed for so many hours. Against his chest, he could feel the touch of her hand, feel it withdrawing from him till all that remained was the warmth of the crystal that lay in its leather pouch ag
ainst the base of his throat.

  The light came on, and blinking in its glare, he twisted one wrist experimentally. Where the binding held him, it was tender, nothing more. It was over, for now. He shut his eyes, letting his breath out in a long sigh. Then he thought of his crystal and prayed Ghezu wouldn't notice it.

  The door opened and Ghezu entered with two guards. The one he recognized as Zhaya bent over him and administered another shot from the hypoderm he carried. His arm was so numb, he was hardly aware of the sting.

  As quickly and efficiently as they had bound him, he was released. He tried to speak but found his mouth so dry that his tongue was sticking to the roof. Painfully he pulled his arms down and pushed himself into a sitting position. He reached for the water standing on the night table by the bed, noticing that Ghezu and his guards had retreated until they were standing in the doorway.