“Why do it immediately after we land?” asked Carrie. “Why not wait till after everyone’s unloaded and when Jeran’s arrived to work on the life-support systems?”
“Too much chance of others in the control office questioning our shuttle’s return,” said Kaid. “When we go out, it’ll be early morning, the Controller will be tired, near the end of his shift—you know the scenario as well as I.”
“That still leaves Miroshi,” said Kusac.
“We can ask Conrad and Quin to keep an eye out for her. Beyond that, there’s little we can do. Remember, in a month, the starship Rhijissoh will arrive to open formal First Contact negotiations with Jalna and the aliens who trade here. They’ll be able to ask for help locating her.”
“Given the nature of Bradogan, I don’t think he’ll cooperate with us,” said Carrie. “Trade, yes, on this same limited scale.”
“Maybe the rebellion will have succeeded by then, you never know,” said Kusac. “Talking of which, we’ve Strick to contact and give those medical supplies Jo promised to him.”
“Set aside and waiting. It’s pretty basic stuff, given that we don’t know their physiology. There’s some all-species stuff in there but it’s labeled in Jalnian for them to test first in case the la’quo has made them allergic to anything all our Alliance members can use.”
“Did you contact Jeran, tell him we’ll be in touch?” asked Kusac.
“Better,” grinned T’Chebbi. “Should be below now with Kisha and crew. Only here for another couple of hours, though,” she said, checking her wrist unit. “Then Sumaan guard who brought him returns.”
Kusac raised an eye ridge. “Kisha, is it? Wonder what our captain will make of that.”
T’Chebbi shrugged. “Didn’t seem to mind. Just grinned and laughed. He has a sense of humor, that one. Needs it, working with Assadou!”
“Oh, I told Assadou to move back here,” said Kaid. “Much as I’m sure you’d like us to leave him behind, Carrie, we can’t.”
She shrugged. “We’ll only have his company for a short time before we transfer to one of our own ships. I can live with it.”
Kusac pushed himself away from the table. “I’d like to go and have a look round our shuttle,” he said. “Double check everything and pick up some provisions to take with us tomorrow on the caravan. Check where everything is. We need to make it look as though we are going to be traveling overland and back with them.”
“Need to choose what weapons you want as well,” Kaid said, getting to his feet. “You’ll be searched to make sure you take nothing above the normal Jalnian tech level. I got some nice self-assembly pistols and rifles. Broken down you’d not guess what they were. I suggest you take one of each and put them together as soon as you can.”
T’Chebbi led the way down to the cargo bay. Kaid chose to fall back beside Carrie.
“Y’know, I wish I had her long hair,” said Carrie, watching the other female’s single plait bob against her hips as she walked.
“Huh?”
Carrie looked up at him. “T’Chebbi. You wanted to talk to me about her.”
“Yes, but …”
“Kaid, I meant what I sent last night. She’s part of our family now, not just a Clan member, and I’m glad she is. We’ve gotten close. She must have had a rough time before you brought her to Stronghold. No one could have guessed she’d been a Consortia. She hides it well.”
“You must have gotten close,” he said as he felt her take his hand. “She kept that from me until very recently. Even I’m only beginning to know about her past.”
“I won’t ask her,” she reassured him, stopping for a moment. “I chose my family, Kaid. I chose Kusac, and I chose you as my life-mates. You chose T’Chebbi as your lover, and I choose to have her as my bond-sister. Now stop fretting!” she said, reaching up to rest her hand against his neck and caress it. “Stop worrying about my Human side!”
She felt his relief as he bent to kiss her briefly before they continued down the corridor to the cargo lift.
“What does worry me is that in a few hours you’ll be face to face with the father you’ve never seen,” she said. “You’re going to find it difficult to avoid each other as he’s one of us, more so now he has a Triad relationship with Jo.”
Kaid shrugged. “A biological act, nothing more. He was unaware of my existence, still is. I was the result of my mother’s choice. I see no need to tell him.”
“It’s a bit more complex than that, and you don’t know how he felt about your mother. He may well have cared for her. Aren’t you even curious?”
“Perhaps a little,” was the last he’d say on the matter.
Rezac sat waiting impatiently for Jo. Rescue was so close. The Sholans and Carrie had come for them, all they had to do was get out of this castle and down to the lowland town of Galrayin. Beside him, Zashou sat wrapped in a blanket. Her once lustrous blonde hair and pelt were dull, and her face looked thin and haggard.
“I’m afraid, Rezac,” she said. “I don’t think I’ll make it to this town. I’ll never stay on the beast.”
“You’re sharing one with me,” he said gently, reaching out to touch her cheek. “I’ll hold you in front of me. You won’t be able to fall.”
“I’m too pregnant to be riding,” she whispered. “I know I am!”
“You don’t know for sure. You’ll be fine, Zashou.” He was glad their Link had dimmed with her increasing pregnancy. Because now she couldn’t feel his fears for her. None of them had any experience with parenthood but he was afraid she had the right of it.
We’re coming, he heard Jo send to him. He roused himself, easing away from Zashou and standing up. “They’re here,” he whispered to Kris and Davies.
Together they headed for the door, waiting for the guard to open it. When he did, Kris reached out and grasped the man by the throat, pulling him into the room as Rezac darted outside to deal with the other.
Davies dealt the startled soldier a swift thump on the back of the head with one of their heavier tools. Stunned, he fell to his knees, dropping his spear which Kris leaped forward to catch. Another blow, and he fell to the floor senseless.
Outside, one cuff to the side of the head from Rezac’s paw and the other guard fell against the wall, sliding down it into an unconscious heap. Looping his hands under the man’s arms, Rezac hauled him into their chamber, dropped him, then returned swiftly to Jo’s side.
Taradain’s face was frozen in a look of bland politeness, but his eyes were fully dilated and staring out at Rezac in sheer terror.
“Is the conditioning holding?” he asked her, touching her face briefly to reassure himself she was all right.
“Yes, but I’m holding him, too,” she said, her voice sounding strained.
“I’ll take over,” he said. “Kris is helping Zashou.”
She nodded, releasing her hold on him, and sagged briefly against the wall.
Moments later, the others joined them. Davies shut the chamber door, turning the key that still sat in the lock. Removing it, he lifted his robe and placed it in his pants pocket.
“It’ll take them a while to get them out,” he said with satisfaction, moving up to the front to be with Jo.
She led the way down to the level below, waiting at the foot of the stairs while Rezac checked mentally to see if the way was clear. Turning left, they headed quickly down the corridor, stopping at the second door on the right.
Empty. And it is the Queen’s chamber, sent Rezac. Despite my conditioning, Taradain’s aware of what’s happening so I can follow his thoughts.
Davies pushed the door open a fraction, peering into the room before opening it wider. They followed him in, blinking at the sudden glare of his flashlight.
“Taradain was as good as his word about our stuff,” he said. “Everything there bar the gun. Where now, Jo?” he asked, playing the beam around the obviously unused room.
She preceded him, going over to the large, ornate bed. A carved wooden panel f
ormed the headboard and it was over this that she began to run her fingers, obviously looking for some catch or depression. There was a click, then a faint rumbling sound came from the wall to her right.
Davies shone the torch on it to reveal a slowly widening black gap. “Now that’s what I call a secret passage,” he murmured, stepping up to it and peering inside. “Queen’s Chamber, eh? The Queen who had this built must have had some love life!” Then her remembered Taradain. “Not that I meant to infer that it might be your mother,” he added hastily. “Anyone can see this is an old tunnel.”
“Two hundred years old,” said Jo. “She was a so-called virgin queen whose exploits were the talk of her generation. She left her crown to her cousin, Taradain’s three or four times great aunt.”
“Hurry up,” hissed Rezac. “We haven’t any time to lose! We’ve got a four hour start if no one checks on the guards before then!”
Davies stepped cautiously into the gap, shining his torch down the passage before sticking his head back out. “It’s fine. Cobwebs here and there, wood paneling on one side, stone on the other. We’d best keep very quiet. We’ve no way of knowing who’s in the rooms on the other side.”
“What about Taradain?” asked Jo.
“Bind and gag him and take him with us,” said Rezac. “We can’t afford the energy to monitor him.”
The tunnel seemed to stretch for miles as, stumbling along in almost pitch-blackness, they followed the bobbing light of Davies’ torch. Stairs there were, two flights of them, leading down, their surfaces treacherous because of the uneven treads. Finally they saw a faint glow ahead of them: It was Railin’s lantern.
“You made it,” he said, a relieved smile splitting his face. Then he saw the two Sholans.
Rezac was past caring what anyone thought of them. Zashou was on the point of collapse. He’d had to carry her for the last part of their journey. Staggering out of the tunnel entrance, to his surprise, he found willing hands ready to take his burden from him. A water container was offered to him.
Parched, he leaned against the rocks and drank his fill while Railin’s soldiers saw to Zashou and the others. When he’d finished, Railin came up to him, placing his hand on his arm and urging him to one side.
“Your wife,” he said quietly. “No one said she was pregnant. We must ride hard and fast if we’re to outrun Killian. You risk the child’s life, perhaps even hers.”
“We have no choice,” said Rezac. “Believe me, if we had, we’d take it. We’re linked in a way that makes our lives dependent on each other. If she dies, so do I. And unless we meet up with our friends, she will die.”
“Where are you to meet these friends?” Railin asked. “How will they get you to the Port?”
“They have a shuttle,” said Jo, joining them. “They’ll meet us at the pad outside Galrayin. It isn’t guarded, is it?”
“No, there’s nothing there to guard until our caravans are there, but if they have a shuttle, can’t they come closer than Galrayin? The ride will be too much for her, believe me. I have children of my own, and from the look of her, she’s near her time.”
“Six weeks,” said Jo.
Railin shook his head. “Too close at twice the time. Can you not use this mind-speaking to contact them, ask them to meet you sooner?”
Jo looked at Rezac. “I’ll try,” he said, reaching out to take Jo by the hand. “Link with me, Jo,” he said tiredly, tugging her till she rested against him. With a sigh, he leaned his head on her shoulder, letting go of the block he’d been trying to keep on their Link compulsion.
Instantly, their minds merged, sweeping them up in a kaleidoscope of memories and sensations. They fought to control it, using it to focus a sending to Carrie, but they sensed only the sleeping minds of those who’d come to rescue them. Exhausted and suffering from the effects of holding back a Link day, Rezac broke the connection abruptly before it took them down a path they couldn’t yet tread.
I daren’t hold you any longer, he sent to Jo, resolutely pushing her away. “We can’t reach them, they’re asleep,” he said to Railin.
The older man nodded sympathetically. “Then we must ride with all speed. We only have a few hours grace before Killian discovers the imprisoned guards and learns that his son is missing.”
“What do we do with Taradain?” Jo asked.
“We’ll leave him with the caravan as we pass it,” said Railin. “He’ll be safe with them and it’s the first place Killian will look. He’ll not harm the caravaneers, so they take no risk in looking after him for us.”
Nodding, Jo picked up her skirts and began to walk toward the others. “Did Taradain return my clothes?” she asked of Davies.
“Yes. Do you want to change here?” he asked in surprise as he reached into his backpack for her coveralls.
“Damned right, I do,” she said firmly, beginning to unlace her dress at the side as she turned her back to him. “Undo the back, please. I want to forget we ever stayed here.”
An hour before dawn, Ashay, the Sumaan pilot chosen by Kishasayzar, warmed up the engines of the shuttle resting in the hold of the Hkariyash. Kaid had run through the controls with him earlier. Nice little craft, she was. Ashay was proud to be trusted with flying her. Concealed guns were but a button’s touch away, and as for speed—she compared with ground to space vessels of twice the size. Beneath her hull were hidden many things that did not by rights belong in such a vehicle, and his captain as well as the Sholan, had given her to him to pilot on this most important mission.
Lips curled back in a happy grin, Ashay let the craft rise off the deck and gently nosed her out of the Hkariyash’s cargo hold into the Jalnian night. He took her higher, opening a comm link to the Port. He knew what to say, and he would stick to it. Briefly, his finger hovered over the firing button. No, they wouldn’t need him to shoot his way out. He sighed. Stealth was acceptable in a warrior, but fighting was best. Maybe he’d get the chance to shoot his way back in, though. His marksmanship might yet save the day.
Then he remembered what his captain had said. His was a peaceful mission. Unless he was ordered to do any shooting, he should refrain from opening fire on those who would willfully thwart his purpose. He sighed and got ready to respond to the Jalnian voice that demanded answers from him over his comm. A warrior could dream, couldn’t he?
The shuttle had left as planned and now, as Carrie and Kusac headed back to the ship, it was time to gather their belongings and join the caravan. They didn’t need much, but they were carrying their own drinking water and food in packs that would tie onto saddles.
Kaid and T’Chebbi came with them as far as the outer gates. The permit was only for them and the guard would not allow the two Sholans to pass through for long enough to see their friends depart.
The small shantytown was a hive of quiet, efficient activity as the caravan, which had been loaded earlier that evening, gathered in a line, waiting for the guards and outriders hired to protect it. The draft animals stood patiently: They knew they had a long haul ahead of them, they weren’t in a hurry to leave. Not so the riding beasts. Carrie’s pranced and danced beneath her, pawing the ground with impatience.
At last the command to move came, and slowly, the wagons jolted forward as the beasts took up the slack and began to pull.
Kaid looked at his wrist unit as they walked back to the ship. “We can stay awake and eat an early meal, or go back to bed and sleep a little longer,” he said. “What do you want to do?”
“Sleep,” yawned T’Chebbi. “Be fresher when we need it. If I stay up now, might fall asleep at wrong time.”
Jo signaled frantically to Railin to slow down till she could shout across at him.
“We must stop! Zashou’s gone into labor!”
He signed to his men and within moments their headlong flight had ground to a halt. Turning her beast around, she urged it back to Rezac’s side and dismounted. Kris’ and Davies’ willing hands had already taken Zashou from him.
“Over here!” called one of Railin’s soldiers, beckoning to a small grassy knoll a few feet away.
While Kris carried Zashou over, Davies helped Rezac down from his beast. He was hardly able to stand and needed Davies’ and Jo’s support to make the short walk to where Kris had laid Zashou in the grass.
“She’s gone into premature labor,” said Jo, terrified for them both as Zashou, wracked with pain, began to whimper. Rezac suddenly sagged and they had to grab him before he fell. “Their Link’s come back,” she said. “He’s suffering her pain, too! Rezac, you should have told us sooner!”
“She wouldn’t let me,” he said, staggering slightly as they lowered him to the ground. He reached out for Zashou, drawing her close so her head and shoulders were cradled on his lap. His eyes, dimmed with his Leska’s pain, looked up at her. “What of you, Jo? Do you feel it too? Are you all right?”
She crouched down beside them, taking Zashou’s hand in hers, wiping the sweat-soaked tendrils of hair back from her face. “I’m fine, I feel nothing Rezac. But I don’t know how to help her!”
“Try contacting them again. They must be awake now,” he said, shuddering and closing his eyes as another spasm wracked them both.
She waited till the contraction had passed before withdrawing her hand from Zashou’s and moving away from them. Railin was waiting.
“We can’t go on,” she said. “I’m going to try reaching them again. Railin, I know nothing about childbirth. I don’t know how to help her!”
Railin turned to his men. They stood with their beasts a decent distance away from them, watching the road for signs of pursuit. Though daylight, it was not long after dawn and still cool.
“Lanris! You birthed your last child, didn’t you? Over here and help us! Jored, collect all our water and bring it here!” He turned back to Jo as he began rolling up his sleeves. “You get on with what you have to do, we’ll take care of her,” he said, patting her comfortingly on the shoulder.
Dazed, she nodded, watching as he strode purposefully over to Zashou and Rezac.
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