thefiremargins

by Lisanne Norman

  "We're friends," repeated Jo. "Alliance Allies of Shola."

  The male pushed Kris aside and tried unsuccessfully to get to his feet.

  "The Valtegans, where are they?" he croaked.

  Taken by surprise, Kris didn't know what to say.

  "Gone," said Jo, reaching out to touch the collar she'd noticed round the female's throat. "That's pretty."

  "Gone?" echoed the male.

  Jo nodded.

  He grinned, showing his teeth as he crawled toward his Leska and took hold of her collar in both hands, wrenching it apart. He threw it against the far wall, then reached up to do the same with his own. Lifting his head, he gave a roar of defiance, his call deafening in the small room.

  "I told you we'd be free of them one day," he said, his hand closing on her arm. "I reached for home, telling them of our success and our survival, and was answered."

  "It looks like the guard was right. I do have off-world visitors," said a voice in the common language of Jalna. "Touching as this rescue and reunion is, I want to know just what you think you're doing breaking into my home, and opening my property without permission!"

  Kris looked up to see three crossbows trained on them. "Oh, shit," he said.

  The male lunged for the floor of the base unit, trying to reach a pistol that lay there. Kris reached out and stopped him.

  No, don't. He'll have us killed before you reach it. You're weak from being inside that cube. You both nearly died. Wait for now.

  CHAPTER 22

  T'Chebbi was first on the scene when she heard Vanna's cry of terror. She took in the empty beds and said one word.

  "When?"

  "I don't know! They were here an hour ago! They can't just have vanished," Vanna wailed.

  Walking further into the room, T'Chebbi put her hand on the main bed. It was warm. Frowning, she moved her hand beyond the depression caused by the body. That was equally warm. Quickly she checked the other beds, ignoring Vanna's tearful monologue, grateful when Dzaka arrived and took charge of her.

  "Stay here. I'm going to Ghyan," she said and left hurriedly.

  "What shall I tell Konis and Rhyasha?" Vanna asked Dzaka as he tried to comfort her.

  * * *

  When told of the disappearances, Rhyasha and Konis made straight for their son's home.

  "I don't believe they're dead," said Rhyasha, pacing the floor of the den. "If they'd died, none of this would be here! None of them would have been! And they have, Vanna, we know they have!"

  "Then where are they?" Vanna asked.

  "I've no idea, but they have to be somewhere!"

  "They could have come back to the wrong time!" whimprered Vanna.

  In Vartra's name, Konis, send someone to fetch Garras to take her home! I'm having enough of a problem coping without dealing with her grief, too!

  Konis raised an eye ridge at her and she made a gesture of apology but remained adamant. He rose and left the room for the comm in the lounge.

  The message sent to the dig, he sat for a moment looking at the screen, then punched in Ghyan's code. He, like a great many other telepaths these days, was learning to listen to his instincts.

  The screen resolved to show Ghyan had company— T'Chebbi.

  "Just going to call you, Clan Lord," said Ghyan. "Can you come over? We think we know where they are."

  * * *

  A cold so bitter it burned gusted round her, and she could feel ice crystals forming on her body. It spiralled outward, clutching at her, grasping and tugging her toward its heart.

  No! Not yet! Every sense she possessed shrieked a warning. Her Companions' fear flowed through her as they fought to remain steady by her side. Between her breasts, she felt the crystal eye of Varta flare, sending a wave of energy pulsing through her body. An echoing beat so faint she almost missed it, came to her from Kaid.

  The crystals! sent Kusac. Use the crystals you and Kaid wear!

  Unasked, she felt Kaid open his mind, letting the power from his crystal flow through him to her. Grasping it, she drew on its energy, combining it with hers till it blazed like a beacon within their minds.

  Before her the vortex flickered, the air roiling as it poised on the edge of collapse. Carrie reached for it, throwing the energy of the crystals directly into its heart. Blue fire exploded, flooding across the vortex, returning it to stability.

  Now! she sent, as the cold wind once more howled round them, sucking them toward the icy heart of the gateway.

  As they leaped into the swirling maelstrom, behind them, the temple exploded. Wind so hot it seared their lungs howled round them, blowing stinging fragments of crystal against their bodies. It felt as if the explosion itself had propelled them forward. Blackness shot with coruscating colors dazzled their eyes, surrounded them while the wind howled and buffeted and tore at them, robbing them of their breath.

  Only just conscious, Kaid at last sensed the ground coming up to meet him. Releasing his hold on Kezule, he curled up, landing in a roll that let him stumble into a crouching position.

  It was a new day here. In the distance, the sun glowed orange as it began to climb above the horizon. Rrurto stood looking at them, mouth open in shock. Kaid glanced to either side; he could see the prone bodies of his companions and their two prisoners.

  "Wait, Rrurto!" he said, aware that the guard was about to call for help. "We've come from the Fire Margins. We found Fyak there."

  "Cover me," Rrurto ordered his partner before cautiously stepping closer. He looked from Kaid to the bodies still lying prone on the sand "That's Fyak, right enough. And the Aldatan youth and his human Leska," he said, then pointed to the fifth body. "Where d'you find that one? His likeness is all over the inside of the corridors and the temple!"

  Moving slowly, Kaid got to his feet. "He's a Valtegan. His name is Kezule. He's a General in the Valtegan army."

  Rrurto studied him. "Kezule, you say."

  Kaid nodded. "He was the leader of a unit of the Emperor's elite guards. His job was to protect the hatchery on Shola— the hatchery that would populate our world with his Emperor's heirs."

  "And Fyak?"

  "The drug he uses lets him travel back to the time of the Cataclysm, where he met with the Valtegan he thinks is his god, Kezule."

  "He's talking treason, Rrurto!" the other guard called out. "Don't listen to him! When the Prophet wakens, he'll have our hides for listening to these lies!"

  "Be quiet, lad," said Rrurto. He thought furiously. The caverns would still be quiet. It was too early yet for the next watch to be up and about. This might be the chance they'd been waiting for. If he could alert the Elders and his own tribe without disturbing Vraiyou and the few Faithful that remained in the camp, then maybe ...

  "They haven't been with Fyak! Can't you see they're lying?" demanded the young male. "I'll wait for the Prophet to wake, then do what he tells me! You can risk a flogging if you want, not me!"

  Rrurto turned angrily on him. "Then where'd they come from?" he demanded. "They all arrived together!"

  "Fyak never moved! He's exactly where he was when we started this vigil!"

  "No," said Rrurto. "He's not where he was." Of that at least, he was sure. He'd seen the unconscious body of the priest seem to flicker and fade, only to reappear where he now lay.

  A noise from the priest drew his attention. He was beginning to stir.

  With a groan of pain, Fyak sat up, his hand going to touch his scored cheek. His eyes fell on Kaid. "You disbeliever! You defiler of Kezule!" Fyak snarled, looking from his bloodstained hand to Kaid. "You dared to raise your hand against me— Kezule's chosen! You destroyed His temple with your blasphemous actions!" Scrambling to his feet, he looked over at the two guards.

  "Shoot them!" he snarled, pointing angrily at the small group lying around him on the sand. "They have defiled Kezule's temple in the other world by daring to lay violent hands on me!"

  Rrurto raised his rifle to point directly at the priest's chest. "You have your proof, straight
from Fyak's own mouth, and the wound on his face," he said to the young male. "Go to the cavern. Wake my father and tell him our time's come." Something very strange indeed had happened here.

  Eyes wide with fear, the younger one left at a run.

  "What do you think you're doing?" Fyak took another step. "Are you mad?"

  "Stay where you are," growled Rrurto. "You taught us to hate the demons, so why do you deal with them?"

  "Demons?" Fyak looked genuinely confused. "What demons?"

  "Him!" Rrurto pointed toward where the Valtegan was beginning to stir.

  Fyak swung round to stare aghast at the General. Kezule's arms moved and he began to push himself up from the sand.

  "Do something!" Fyak said. "Shoot him!"

  "Why don't you call on your god to deal with him, Fyak?" said Kaid sarcastically. "Surely he can deal with one demon!"

  "Yes, call on Kezule," said Rrurto.

  The Valtegan looked groggily over to the source of the voice that had spoken his name. "Who are you? Where am I?" he asked in slurred Sholan as his eyes blinked in the sunlight. He caught sight of Fyak and sat back on the ground, tongue flicking out as he hissed in anger.

  "Don't you recognize him, Kezule?" asked Kaid, squatting down to look across at him. "Do you know where you are?"

  Kezule sniffed the air, tasting it with the tip of his tongue as he looked around. "Khezi'ipik," he said, obviously uneasy. "We must leave. The meteor will hit soon. This area will be flooded." His clawed hands went to his throat, pulling at the gold collar he still wore. It remained firmly fixed despite his efforts. He hissed his anger.

  "The meteor hit Shola over a thousand years ago, Kezule," said Kusac as he began to sit up. "We've brought you home with us. To our time."

  Kezule hissed loudly. "You lie!"

  Kusac didn't bother to answer. Still on all fours, he padded the few steps over to where Carrie lay unconscious on the sand.

  "Kill him!" said Fyak, his voice rising in panic as he began to back farther away from them. "Kill the demon!"

  A warning shot raised a small cloud of dust at his feet. He stopped dead, looking at Rrurto in shock.

  "Stay where you are," the older male warned. "I'll shoot you if I have to."

  "Why? I warned you of the return of the demons, and here they are! Why don't you believe me? Kezule has kept His promise to us!"

  "He is Kezule, Fyak!" said Kaid. "He's your god in the flesh, only he's a Valtegan! He's been using you to destroy our telepaths because they're the only weapon we have against them! That's right, isn't it, Kezule? Sholan telepaths destroyed your worlds, didn't they?"

  Kezule hissed angrily, getting to his feet. "Our people will never forget what you have done! You repaid our trust with treachery!"

  "You're lying!" said Fyak, ears laying flat in rage as the hair around his face and down the center of his back bushed out to twice its volume. "He's not Kezule!" Then he remembered the bracelet he wore. Reaching for it, he began to press the buttons.

  Kezule clutched his neck, roaring in agony, desperately trying to pull the collar free.

  "Stop him!" yelled Kaid, running toward him. "He'll kill him!"

  Spinning round, Fyak let out a howl of anger and rushed at Rrurto. "I told you to kill them! I don't have to stand here and listen to their lies!"

  Rrurto stepped back, avoiding the Prophet's mad rush. Kaid launched himself after Fyak, his claws scrabbling to get a hold on the priest's back as he brought him tumbling to the ground. Fyak howled again, trying to twist round and snap at Kaid's hands and arms.

  Stepping forward, Rrurto delivered a sharp crack with his rifle butt against the side of the priest's head. Fyak fell limply to the ground.

  "That should keep him quiet awhile," he said, slipping his foot under the priest's chest and flipping him off Kaid.

  "Thanks," said Kaid, scrambling to his feet. He grabbed hold of Fyak under the arms and dragged him back to where they'd originally been sitting.

  Kezule lay on the sand panting, his tongue flicking as he recovered from the pain caused by the collar.

  Rrurto was unwinding his head covering. He threw it over to Kaid. "Might be an idea to tie that Kezule up. He's more use to us alive than dead." He reached up to his own neck, fingering the collar he wore. "So that's what Fyak's collars do, is it," he said. "I'm beginning to like this prophet less and less. I'd take that bracelet from him as well. How do you get these collars off?" He tugged futilely at his.

  Kaid picked up the cloth. "With cutters, I suspect. Wait till you have Vraiyou under guard. Trying to remove the collar triggers a warning to anyone with a bracelet." Crouching down behind Kezule, he pulled the Valtegan's hands behind him, securing them firmly with the twisted cloth rope.

  "The only bracelet around here is his," said Rrurto, pointing to Fyak.

  "Have you some water?" Kusac asked. "My mate needs to drink."

  As he walked across to them, Rrurto pulled a canteen free from his belt. Unscrewing the top, he handed it to Kusac. "The sun's too strong for her to be exposed to it," he said. "She needs to be covered."

  "I know," said Kusac as he raised her head and placed the canteen to her lips. "Clothes don't travel with us, though."

  "Fyak's robes are over there. I'll get them for you," he said.

  Kusac gratefully accepted them. He wiped Carrie's face with a corner of the robe first, then as she began to cough up some of the dust that had lodged in her lungs, he held her close till she'd done. As he did, he noticed that the crystal she wore was crazed and shot through with purple and black streaks. He touched it, watching in shock as it disintegrated into a fine dust. The early morning breeze caught it, whipping it up into the air and blowing it out to the desert beyond. If the power she'd been controlling for the gateway had done that to the crystal, what had it done to their unborn cub? Ruthlessly he pushed his worry aside. This was no time for new fears.

  "More water," she said, oblivious to what had happened. He held the canteen to her lips again. She took it from him, drinking deeply before she handed it back. "Thanks."

  He helped her to her feet, holding the robe for her as she slipped her arms into it. As he was passing her the wide waist tie, he stopped, turning his head in the direction Rrurto's companion had taken. "Four people, coming this way."

  "It'll be the lad with Chaamga. I sent for him because he used to be the chief Elder of the tribes," said Rrurto.

  "Are you ready now to be done with Fyak and his alien ways?" asked Kaid.

  Rrurto lifted an eye ridge, glancing pointedly at Carrie. "Alien ways, you say? Well, the Humans haven't done what Fyak has. They don't make us kill our own." He sighed, thinking for a moment. "What do you plan to do now?"

  "Take Fyak and Kezule to your people, tell them how they've been used."

  He nodded. "They need to know. Evil, that's what Fyak is. I was a fighter with the Forces. Fyak's way was never for me. More I saw of it, the less I liked it. Every day, there's plenty more that think like me."

  "I know," said Kaid.

  Rrurto gave a short bark of laughter. "Happen you do! L'Seuli and I watched you, we did. Pity about the lad. I liked him. Don't suppose you know what happened to him, do you?"

  Kaid nodded. "He's back with Intelligence. His testimony helped get me out of Stronghold, and damned Ghezu."

  "Ghezu's here now. He hasn't been the same since Fyak took him to meet the God! He must have taken him to that temple you were speaking of. You'll want him personally, won't you?"

  "Yes." Kaid's voice was a growl of cold anger.

  "We'll see what the other Elders say. You're lucky. We've only a couple of hundred warriors here at present. The rest have been disbanded for the month to see to their holdings or to move camp to winter quarters. Those of us that're left have had Fyak's brand of religion longest. Like I said, we'd had enough anyway. I can see his god's as false as he is."

  The guard, accompanied by three older males, came into view.

  "What's going on?" demanded
the tallest of them. "What's all this insane tale of people materializing out of thin air?" He stopped dead as he caught sight of Kezule. "Where did that come from?"

  "They were waiting for Fyak at his god's temple," said Rrurto. "Only Kezule isn't a god. That's him there," he said, pointing with the tip of his rifle toward the captive alien. "One of those who built this place. A Valtegan."

  "A Valtegan?" echoed the elderly male.

  "Yes, Chaamga. A Valtegan from the time of the Cataclysm," said Kusac, stepping forward with Carrie by his side. "We've been to the Fire Margins, and returned. We bring Vartra's blessings for our people, and proof that Fyak is a false prophet. This alien is General Kezule, lately of his Emperor's warrior elite and he was guarding the hatchery here at Chezy."