Maeve

by Clayton, Jo;

  The fierce anger drained from Sioned. She leaned back against Gwynnor but her clear leaf-green eyes never wavered from the Synwedda’s face.

  The Synwedda was silent. Eyes the color of aged amber moved slowly from Sioned to Gwynnor. Gwynnor held Sioned and refused to yield, refused to betray the integrity and outrage of his companion. As he watched, the edges of the figure in front of him once again took on that numinous clarity. Sioned made a small, distressed sound.

  Then the supernal clarity of the figure evanesced, leaving behind only an old woman standing quietly before him. Still not speaking, she beckoned, then turned and disappeared down the corridor behind her. Gwynnor and Sioned looked at one another then followed, both too tired to protest further.

  Chapter VIII

  Aleytys stepped into the room and tossed the key onto the bed. She draped her damp towel over the inner doorknob as she pushed the door shut. “Grey?”

  “Here.” He rose from behind the bed. “I wanted to be sure who it was.”

  She moved to the window and swept the heavy curtain aside. A dozen meters away the wall rose in a dark curtain with stretches here and there of spattered red-orange where windows painted their shapes on the rough sandstone. The fragment of sky visible was velvet black with no stars visible. A storm was rising out in the bay. “It’ll be raining soon.” She dropped the curtain and crossed her arms across her breasts. “You asked Tintin about me and sneaked up here.”

  “Men must have followed you before.” He dropped onto the bed, feet stretched out in front of him, back resting against the wall.

  “Huh. You think you flatter me, but you don’t.” She moved to the dressing table and sat down to brush her hair. “I’m not stupid enough to fall for that.” When he didn’t answer she sat silent a minute, pulling the brush through her hair. Under, down, over, down, until the red-gold strands fell into a smooth, tangle-free mass. She dropped the brush onto the table top and swung around, running her hands a last time over her head, pushing a few stray hairs back off her face. “Was it because of the songs?”

  He flipped a metal disk into the air, caught it, flipped it in a high, spiraling arc, caught it again. “Catch!” He flicked it hard at her face.

  Instinctively, she put up a hand and caught it, feeling a sharp twinge as it struck her palm. She opened her fingers and stared at the disk, watching it turn from a clear turquoise to a brilliant gold. “What …”

  “A test. Come here.”

  She jerked her hand back and started to tell him to … but the disk grew warm on her hand and she found herself walking to the bed. Furious, she wrenched her will free and cast the disk contemptuously away from her, not caring where it went. “I think you’d better get out of here.”

  He stared at her, shaken by her successful escape. “Give me a chance to explain.”

  Aleytys sat by his feet, watching him warily. “Well?”

  His wide mouth curled into a rueful grin. “I don’t know how much of this you’ll believe.”

  “Don’t bother about that,” she said dryly. “You can’t lie to me.”

  “Empath. I remember. You said that before.”

  “Yes.”

  He rubbed his hand beside his mouth. “I told you about my sister.”

  “So?”

  “Back there where the stars begin to thin out, there’s a world called University. Its business is knowledge. Anything and everything. My sister’s a scholar there. She went with a search group to a system in the Veil. Some puzzling ruins had been discovered on a world that should have had a broad spectrum of life. Had had, I should have said. There were ruins. Some cities once intensely populated centers. Now, not even plant life. Looked as if a worldwide plague had struck, killing off all life more complex than an amoeba.”

  “How do you know that?”

  Grey grinned. “Don’t ask me. I’m no dirt-sifting grave robber. I’m telling you what my sister told me. Naturally, the people from University proceeded very cautiously, but as soon as they knew it was safe they settled to a series of excavations at major city sites.” He pinched the tip of his nose. “Naturally University kept the location of the Veil world secret.”

  “So?”

  “Several things happened the second year they were there.” He yawned and stretched, watching her face as she seethed with impatience for him to get on with the story. She wrapped her fingers around his ankle and shook his foot. “Stop that,” he said.

  Aleytys laughed and pulled his boots off. “You shouldn’t put your shoes on the bed. Now …” She threw the boots on the floor. “Get on with it or I’ll twist these off.” She tugged at a toe.

  He jerked his foot away. “Right. In the second year they were on that world, a group of the diggers came across an encysted spore that showed faint traces of life. By the way, they found recordings of your songs in the same cache. And a ship from Wei-Chu-Hsien Company dropped in for a lookover.”

  “Oh. I begin to see.”

  “Right. When the ship departed, so did a good selection of saleable materials. The encysted spore disappeared at the same time, leading to an inevitable conclusion.”

  Aleytys stirred restlessly. “I don’t see what all this has to do with your being here.”

  “I mentioned that the spore tested out dormant but alive.”

  “I remember. So?”

  “Not long after the Company ship left, my sister’s group came up with a tentative translation of a plaque cast in non-corroding metal—a record of what had happened on that world. The more they checked it out, the more frightened they became. It seems the world was invaded by a parasitic form of life, a true parasite that eventually destroyed the life it inhabited. It reproduced by sporing in the presence of other potential hosts, the sporing process killing the host inhabited by the adult. And the spores seemed to be identical replicas of the first adult, so its knowledge and intent was passed on to its descendants. In a few years, the parasite had spread over the world. Somehow, a few men kept themselves free and developed a powerful plague. They turned it loose on the world, dying themselves in the process. When the plague died out, there was nothing more complex than a few fungi living on the world.”

  Aleytys shivered. “Drastic.”

  Grey said heavily, “It was necessary. Besides they weren’t killing people, just animal hosts for a blob of goo that abhorred variety and difference so that it suppressed individuality to the limits of its considerable powers. That’s what is waiting for this world.” There was no laughter in his face now. He flicked a hand at the ceiling. “There’s a ship up there. From University. If I … we … can’t find the parasite before it spores, that ship is going to burn the life off this world.”

  “No.” Her fingers twitched. Twitched again. “No. I won’t let you do it.”

  “Me! Don’t be stupid. There’s no way I get off this world until the spore is found. If this world burns I burn with it.”

  She smoothed her hands over her thighs. “Who are you, Grey? What are you?”

  “Hunter.” He watched her intently, frowning slightly as she made no response. “Hunter Grey of Hunters Associates, on Wolff. Because of the connection with my sister, University set us tracking down the WCH ship. I’m one of five working teams. Our team succeeded in locating the ship that touched down on that world and tracked it here. The others met us here. They’re all up there with the University ship. Waiting.”

  “You’re the only one on the surface?”

  “No.”

  “I see. You won’t talk about the others.”

  “No.”

  “But …”

  “I don’t have to worry about right or wrong, Amber.” He linked his hands over his stomach. “What I have to do is find the parasite.”

  She shook her head. “I can’t understand you.”

  “How would you like your mind and personality destroyed by an invading parasite? Who then would breed that body to produce hosts for its spores? Who would gradually possess the bodies of all your pe
ople?”

  She pressed her hand across her mouth, closing her eyes to shut out the horrible vision.

  He jerked upright, leaned forward and stared intently at her. “If that thing got hold of a mind like yours!”

  She swung around. “No. I’m not hosting any monster.”

  “I know.”

  “That thing?” She looked around for the disk but couldn’t see it.

  “You test high psi, but untainted.” He leaned back and laced his fingers across his flat stomach. “The disk works when it’s in contact with the flesh of the subject.”

  “And you can destroy the parasite?”

  “Who can be sure? If the host is ashed, we expect the parasite will be destroyed.”

  “Unless it spores, one might escape.”

  “So we have to catch it before then.”

  “How does the parasite choose …” She licked her lips and stared at fingers that were beginning to shake again. “How does it choose its new hosts? Anybody who happens to be around at the critical time?”

  “Why?”

  “Just tell me.”

  “Marishe told me that it searches out the healthiest and most intelligent specimens of the host species. Puts them on ice till needed.”

  “That explains …” She chewed on her lower lip and flattened her hands on her thighs.

  “You know something.”

  “I think it’s about ready to spore.” She pushed herself onto her feet and began pacing about the room, then went to the window again. Pushing the curtain back, she stared blindly at the rain coming down in sheets. Behind her, she heard the bed creak. “Let me think a minute, Grey. Be patient. I have to consider …” She let the words trail off. The bed creaked again as he settled back.

  “Shadith,” she murmured. The purple eyes opened, the singer’s pointed face materializing around them. “You heard? They found your songs there. Do you know anything about this?”

  The halo of bright curls trembled wildly as Shadith shook her head. “My songs might be on a hundred worlds, Lee. I never heard about this monstrous thing. It’s Chu Manhanu, isn’t it.”

  “I think so.”

  “Mmm. That’s a problem. He’s up on the hill and he damn well won’t come near you till it’s time to spore.”

  Swardheld’s face formed around black eyes. “Go get him. The more time you waste, the more time he has to build up his defenses.”

  Aleytys frowned. “How?”

  “Storm and take. We can do it.” Swardheld’s deep voice quivered with impatience. “Who can stop us? You know damn well what Harskari can do. You and Shadith can handle locks and screens. And I can do the fighting. What more do you need?”

  “Information.” Harskari’s cool voice cut through their rising excitement. Her thin face was angry. “Swardheld, you tend to bull through situations. That works sometimes when there are no surprises. In this case it would be a disaster!”

  “Dammit, woman, how much time do you think we have? You want to spend a few more eons sitting in the ash of a burnt-over world? I don’t!”

  “It doesn’t have to come to that. Aleytys, I have a feeling you can pry the Director out of his stronghold. He wants you and he’s still sure of himself in spite of what happened in the forest.”

  “And he doesn’t know that I know about the parasite.” Aleytys felt bile surge into her throat at the thought of such an invasion. “All right. It needs a lot of working out. I’d better talk to Grey.”

  She turned and met his curious eyes. “Don’t ask,” she said quietly. Mouth firmed in a grim line, she moved back to the bed and sat beside him. “I’m reasonably sure I know the host.”

  “Who?”

  “Chu Manhanu. Company Director for this world.”

  “Sure?”

  “You saw the spy who follows me around. I couldn’t understand why he’d bother. Manhanu, I mean. If he was annoyed with me, all he had to do was order me taken out. Having me followed just didn’t make sense.”

  “That all you got?”

  “No. He has a double aura, as if two minds inhabit the body. One weak and growing weaker, the other like a battering ram.”

  “Empath.” He stretched out on the bed until he was lying flat, smiling up at her. “I never thought of that.”

  “Liar. You’ve been planning to use my talents since I left you for my bath.”

  He chuckled. “Empath. Point conceded.”

  “So Manhanu has that twerp following me around so he can keep track of this bit of choice meat.” She slapped her hand down on her thigh.

  “Very choice.”

  “Idiot.” She shifted on the bed so she could glare down at him. “He knows why you’re here. I don’t know about the rest of your people. You, he knows. Tonight at Dryknolte’s, a long skinny type stood talking to my spy. When you went out, he followed you.”

  “Bony, dressed in dirty, wrinkled black?”

  “Yeah.”

  “He found me. In the hall out there.” He ran his tongue over his teeth as he stared at the ceiling. Then he grinned. “But I’m dead now.”

  “Until someone gets a look at you.”

  “Damn.” He flipped onto his stomach and rested his head on crossed arms.

  Aleytys ran her hands over her hair, then fiddled with the flimsy material of the wrapper. “You have a ship here?”

  He turned his head so he could see her face. “The University ship will send a lander if we take out the spore. Why?”

  “Room on it for me?”

  “Why?”

  “I’ve got a problem. You saw the RMoahl?”

  He looked intently at her face. “I saw them and was surprised. A Hound triad doesn’t usually get this far from home.”

  “They’re after me.”

  “Why?”

  She yawned. “Madar! I’m tired. It’s been a really hellish day.” She leaned back against the wall, pulling the wrapper over her legs when she was comfortably settled. “None of your business.”

  “Interesting. A Hound triad after you.”

  “What I want to know is will you take me with you off Maeve?”

  “And get the RMoahl on my tail?”

  “They don’t give a damn about you. Once you let me off …” She swung her hand through a wide arc. “No more problem.”

  He caught the flying hand and pinned it to the bed. “Come with me to Wolff.”

  “Why?” She let her hand rest under his, beginning to feel a stirring in her loins.

  “Recruiting. You’d make a good Hunter.”

  “I don’t know. If it means burning off worlds, I’ll tell you now, I couldn’t do that.”

  Fingers stroking the back of her hand, he stared thoughtfully at the wall in front of his face. “It’s University who’s going to burn off, not the Hunters. I suppose we share the responsibility, having accepted the assignment. I can’t promise you’ll never run into problems like this. That something happens once increases its possibility of happening again. Hunters Associates. Associates, Amber. Not Company. You wouldn’t be required to do anything that went directly against your ethics.” He craned his head around to look up at her. “Get through training and you’ll have a ship of your own. And a hell of an interesting life. Of course, you might get killed.”

  “Nothing’s perfect.” She felt a lightness inside, and an intense greed. A ship of her own … a ship … she pulled her hand free and stretched extravagantly. “To be free,” she sang. “Not tied to any world. To be able to go wherever I wanted, whenever I wanted without …”

  “Hey, not so fast, Amber. Associates. Remember them? You’d be working for them. Doing the jobs they gave you. You can’t just get in that ship and take off. Little things like maintenance and fuel to be paid for, to say nothing of the cost of the ship. Once you’re a hunter you’ll be on your own a lot, but you still would have a responsibility to the governing board.”

  She let her arms fall beside her and sighed. “At least, that’s better than what I have now. I�
��ll go with you.”

  “Good.” He yawned. “Got any ideas about getting to Chu Manhanu?”

  “Mmm. I think so. Maybe.”

  With a low grunt, he wriggled onto his back and lay looking up at her. “What is it? More Hounds?”

  “No.” She leaned on her elbow so her face hung over his. “Do you have to go straight back to Wolff?”

  “Why?”

  “There’s a place I’d like … I need to visit. For just a little while. A few hours.” Her fingers closed into fists. “A world called Jaydugar.”

  “Never heard of it. Where is it?”

  “I don’t really know anymore. It has a double sun. Horli is large and red, takes up half the sky. Hesh is much smaller. A blue sun with vicious radiation. The red occludes the blue every twenty some days. I’d have to figure out how to convert Jaydugari days into Standard, I suppose. There’s a hydrogen veil joining the two. Would that be enough to locate the system?”

  “Have to run it through the computer and see. You don’t know the coordinates?”

  “I wasn’t thinking about coordinates when I left. Matter of fact, I never intended to return. Well … maybe that’s not true … but I didn’t think I could go back.” She sighed. “My people were going to burn me for an evil spirit.”

  “And you want to go back?”