Fortune's Wheel

by Lisanne Norman

  "Lijou would say that Vartra knows what he's doing," said the head priest, stepping into the range of the

  comm screen.

  "I thought you wanted them alive so that you could re-cruit them and make your bid for full guild status,"

  said Kaid. "How can you do that if they die?"

  "We need more than one freak pair, Kaid," said Lijou. "The Challenge she issued is En'Shalla. It isn't up to us to preempt the God's decision. If they are meant to live, they'll live. If the child's meant to survive, then it will. We can't in-terfere."

  "It is only a minor Challenge, one to first blood. The risks are minimal," agreed Ghezu. His voice became

  a gentle purr. "You aren't letting this become personal, are you Kaid?"

  He'd been trapped, and he knew it. "Personal? I merely report the facts, Ghezu."

  "Good. I would hate to think you let your judgment be-come clouded by feelings. What about the other

  couple?"

  "The male, Raill, is severely ill because the Terran fe-male's mother refused to acknowledge there is a

  Link. They won't let their daughter be seen by anyone. I think we'll lose them."

  "I'm sorry to hear that. At least now we know there will be more. Thank you for your report. We'll be in

  touch."

  When the screen had gone blank, Ghezu turned to Lijou. "Could the bones we've saved from the ruinedcities possi-bly be those of humans? Were they created by Vartra at the time of the Cataclysm?" hedemanded.

  "Unlikely," said Lijou. "I do know the humans are de-scended from primates, not felines, and they have a long documented history going back farther than our Cataclysm. However, it doesn't mean that they, or some species like them, were on Shola a millennium and a half ago."

  "We need more answers! Damn the Telepath Guild! They've had no right to systematically destroy our

  past."

  "Leave it, Ghezu. One day we'll unravel the mystery, but not today," said Lijou. "It would be a pity if the other mixed Leska pair died. Having two pairs would make recruitment a more viable option than just having the one. I wonder how long before we know if the genetic compatibility is isolated to just Kusac and his Leska."

  Ghezu grunted agreement. "How long have we to wait till there are more, though?"

  "That, my friend, is in the hands of Vartra."

  "I'm sending for Dzaka," Ghezu said. "I want someone I can rely on in Valsgarth."

  "There's Rulla in the Temple. He's working with Taizia Aldatan to get access to the Terran books of their

  past."

  "Rulla's officially on leave to you."

  "Dzaka's one of my lay-priests, Ghezu," said Lijou gently. "What's the difference?"

  "I want Dzaka. He'll make Kaid even more unsettled and on edge. I've told you I don't trust him."

  Lijou sighed. "You must, of course, do what you think best."

  * * *

  It was mid-afternoon of the next day by the time Vanna, Carrie, and Garras returned to the guild. Garrashad con-tacted Kaid on their way in so he was waiting for them.

  "I've got you covered till third hour tomorrow," Kaid said quietly to Garras as he came over to collect

  Carrie. "Take the time off with Vanna."

  "Are you sure you're all right," Vanna asked Carrie anx-iously.

  "I'm fine," she said. "Honestly."

  "You have my pager."

  "I'll call if I need you, I promise."

  Vanna watched them leave then turned back to Garras. "Back to the real world," she sighed.

  "Her or us?" he asked, putting his arm around her shoul-ders.

  "I meant her actually. She needs to be surrounded by other people to stop her from brooding."

  "Like your family, you mean. She certainly seemed a lot more settled last night, but then I haven't seen

  her for sev-eral months."

  "She was. I have to check on Raill before I do anything else," she said, "Are you coming?"

  "I'll come."

  Konis Aldatan was in the I.C. unit when they arrived. He looked up, acknowledging their presence witha flick of his ear.

  "He's in a coma now. I doubt there's anything we can do for him," the Clan Lord sighed. "I don't know

  what state the Terran girl is in. They'll tell us nothing."

  A beeper started up, its insistent tone closely followed by another. Vanna reached for her pager. "Vanna

  Kyjishi here. What's the problem?"

  "They've requested medical assistance for the girl. She's on her way down to Intensive."

  "I'm there already. What's her status?"

  "I've got the parents here."

  "Understood." Vanna flipped off her pager and hurried over to the comm unit mounted on the wall near

  the door.

  "Vanna Kyjishi requesting a security team to intercept the Terran couple accompanying their daughter to I.C. They must be kept well clear of this area. I repeat, keep the Terran girl's parents well clear of I.C."

  By this time the warning beeper in the room had drawn the medic on duty and two nurses. Vanna hadhim brief her on Raill's current status and medication, then ordered him to remove the cover of the I.C. Unit.

  "Clan Lord," she said, turning to Konis, "anything you can do on a telepathic level would be appreciated.

  I'm sure both Raill and Lynn are complete novices."

  Konis nodded and stood back, letting the staff get the area ready for the arrival of the Terran girl.

  Moments later she arrived on a floater and in a flurry of activity was swiftly transferred to the I.C. unit inwhich Raill lay. Vanna swiftly neutralized Raill's psychic suppres-sants, then, checking vital signs, gavehim a stimulant in the hopes of bringing him round.

  Konis tried to buffer the Terran from the shock of the mental imagery that was coursing through both her

  and Raill's minds, while at the same time trying to draw her mentally back to consciousness.

  "She's too weak for me to use any more stimulants," said Vanna. "She's had no basic medical care

  whatsoever! They've let her dehydrate!"

  Raill began to stir as he felt the physical presence of his Leska. His eyes flicked open, a glazed anddistant look in them as he slowly turned his head to look at her.

  Konis glanced at Vanna conveying everything in the gen-tle flick of his ears, then he turned back to Raill.

  Reaching down, he moved the youngling's hand till it touched the girl's arm.

  No good, Raill sent, too weak to even speak. She's too afraid, her mother made sure of that.

  Konis was suddenly aware of Kusac at his side as the Terran girl began to shake convulsively, her eyesopening to show only the whites.

  See to Raill, sent his father, reaching mentally for the girl, trying to control the convulsions. Her fearexploded into the minds of everyone there as her body gave one massive con-vulsion before falling backlimp and still.

  Where Konis' hand gripped the side of the IC unit, his knuckles showed white through his fur. As theywatched, blood began to trickle sluggishly from the girl's ears and nose, then stopped.

  Raill looked as if he was merely sleeping.

  / was only able to shield him from her convulsions, so his death was peaceful, sent Kusac.

  Konis turned a haunted look on him before abruptly leav-ing.

  "Damn those blind Terrans!" swore Vanna. "They were only younglings, both of them! How can they be so utterly stupid as to let these young people die rather than challenge their narrow-minded beliefs? I thought we'd been sent tele-paths, not bloody herbalists!" She threw the hypoderm the length of the IC room. It bounced off the far wall with a me-tallic clunk and the tinkle of breaking glass.

  "Vanna, it's not your fault," said Garras, coming over to her and wrapping his arms around her. "You all

  did every-thing you could, right up until the last."

  "I know, I know. It's the Terrans' fault, not ours." She pushed him back. "I'm going to have a word with

  her par-ents," she said,
heading purposefully toward the door.

  Garras caught her by the arm. "I don't think you ought to be the one to tell them," he said gently, holdingher back. "Not when you're so upset. Let someone else do it."

  "Dammit, Garras, they've got to know what they've done!" she said, trying to pull free.

  From down the corridor they heard the sound of raised voices, Konis Aldatan's being the loudest.

  "I think they're already being told," said Garras. "Leave it to the Clan Lord. It's his place to do it, after all,

  not yours."

  The anger abruptly left her as she leaned limply against him, the tears coursing down her cheeks. "Garras,they were hardly more than cubs!"

  "Come on," he said, wrapping a supportive arm around her. "I think we should leave."

  As he turned, he saw Kusac still standing by the IC unit, looking down at the two still figures. Hethumbed his wrist comm.

  "Meral? Get in here and get Kusac back to the guild."

  "Will do," came the reply.

  * * *

  The apartment was empty when they arrived. Sensitive to her mood, Kaid suggested that she mightprefer to eat there rather than the refectory.

  She accepted gratefully, glad to be alone for a few min-utes. Settling herself in a chair and dropping herbarrier, she tried to sense where Kusac was. She knew he was nearby, but no more than that. Onceagain he'd blocked the perma-nent two-way flow of emotions and thoughts, cutting him-self off from her. Despite the fact that she'd been doing the same, she felt angry with him.

  When Kaid brought the food, she toyed with it, only too aware now of the cause of the nausea she hadbeen experi-encing every evening for the last month. It hadn't seemed so bad when she'd been with Vanna and her family. Now, al-though hungry, she had no stomach for eating.

  Suddenly their Link flared into being, sending the Terran girl's fear exploding like a physical blow into herown mind. It lasted only a second and then was gone, to be replaced by the feel of Kusac protecting Raill's fading thoughts from the fear projected by his dying Leska.

  She gasped, the tray slipping from her lap onto the floor.

  "What is it?" demanded Kaid, at her side in an instant.

  "They're dead," she moaned, her mind still wide open through her Link with Kusac to the reactions of those in the IC room. She felt Konis' anguish and realization that his son had come close to the same awful death, and Vanna's help-less anger with the Terrans for allowing the young couple to die. Then, mercifully, it stopped, as Kusac's barrier snapped back up.

  She returned to the here and now of their apartment to find Kaid shaking her.

  "Who's dead?" he demanded.

  "The younglings, Kaid. Raill and Lynn. They couldn't save them," she whispered, no less distraught at

  their deaths than anyone present in the IC room.

  Kaid released her and leaned forward, wiping a tear from her face with his thumb. "I understand," he saidgently, "I felt an echo of it, too, but you can't cry for the whole world, Carrie. They're gone now, atpeace. Leave them there."

  She blinked, looking at him. "What are you, Kaid?" she asked. "Your mind's always so still, too still."

  "Someone who's seen a bit more of life than he likes at times," he said with a faint grin, bending to pick

  up the fallen crockery and food.

  "Let me help," she said.

  "No, you rest. Leave it to me."

  Kaid stayed with her throughout the evening, but there was still no sign of Kusac. According to the

  reports first from Meral, then T'Chebbi, he had requested a study room in the guild and was still there.

  At last she gave up and retired for the night, curling up in the lonely hollow at the center of the large bed. She pressed her hands against her stomach feeling for any differences, but there were none yet. Noroundness, no tiny fluttering movements such as she'd felt from Kikho. Mentally she'd felt nothing either,but then Jayed had said she wouldn't for at least another month. It seemed impossible, unreal, but herbody was telling her she was pregnant even though her mind couldn't accept it.

  Their child was an impossibility, Vanna had said. So had Kusac. Jayed and his wife Kikho told her she'dbeen blessed by the Gods. Whatever anyone said, it was there, growing inside her. Like her, it hadn'tbeen consulted as to its wishes. Had they created a monster between them—something nei-ther Terrannor Sholan—a hybrid? She shivered. Fear of what the child would be was uppermost in her mind. Shyingaway from the problem, she eventually retreated into an un-easy sleep.

  Sometime later the door opened, rousing her briefly. Barely awake, she saw Kusac standing framed inthe door-way by the light from the main room. He came in, stopping only to take some blankets from achest at the foot of the bed before leaving again. It hardly registered in her mind be-fore sleep claimedher again.

  * * *

  She was torn from sleep by an overwhelming sense of horror and panic surging through her. Kusac ! Sheleaped out of bed and ran to the door. Wrenching it open, she looked wildly around the room trying tofind him, fighting to stop his panic from engulfing her. She missed him at first, then running farther into theroom she saw him lying in a tangle of blankets on the settee.

  Although deeply asleep, he was twisting and turning rest-lessly, making low moaning noises.

  She rushed over to him, taking hold of his hand to feel if he was feverish. At her touch he began to mutterincoher-ently, instinctively tightening his grip on her hand, claws pressing into her flesh. Prizing herselffree, she put her hands on either side of his forehead, reaching into his mind with hers. He was lockeddeep into some nightmarish situa-tion beyond her comprehension. Unable to understand it, she called tohim, trying to draw him back to wakefulness.

  At length he lay still and a shudder passed through him. As his eyes opened, he found himself looking upinto her eyes—Sholan eyes. Linked as deeply as they were at that moment, he sensed her fearsconcerning the child she was carrying, and the knowledge that unlike Sholan females she couldn't controlher fertility. He absorbed the facts, filing them away for later and raised his barrier again, this time toprotect her from the remnants of his nightmare.

  The dream had been a jumble of memories of the time im-mediately before they'd become lovers whenthey'd both come too near to death, and what he'd experienced while trying to help Raill and Lynn. Reaching up for her wrists, he pulled her hands away from his face before pushing her aside.

  "Get dressed," he said, untangling himself from the blan-kets and getting to his feet.

  Carrie sat there, her face taking on a stunned look. He knew he wasn't thinking straight right now, but thenight-mare had only crystallized his fears. There was only one de-cision he could make, but he hated thefeeling that once again circumstances were pressuring him. He'd taken too many safe options of late,trying do the right thing at the right time. Not any more. For good or ill he'd made his de-cision and nowwas the time to implement it. He wasn't waiting any longer.

  He went over to the desk, switching on the comm and punching in a code. A sleepy Meral answered

  him.

  "Meral, get my aircar round to the front entrance within five minutes," he ordered curtly, breaking the connection. He crossed the room toward the bedroom door, stopping briefly to look back at Carrie.

  "I said get dressed," he repeated. "We're going out."

  He was aware of her following him into the bedroom, watching him as he searched in the wardrobe. "Wear these," he said, pulling out her rich olive-colored robe and an open over-robe of heavy blackwool edged with the purple border of their guild.

  Wordlessly, she took them from him and began dressing.

  Pulling similar clothing out for himself, Kusac dressed hastily, then left the room, closing the door behindhim. Kaid was standing in the center of the room, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

  "Meral said you were planning to leave, Liegen," he said.

  "I need you to come with us. You've got about two min-utes to get ready," said Kusac, going over to his
desk again. He looked up briefly at Kaid. "You'll be pleased with to-night's work," he said dryly as he punched in another number.

  Kaid looked at him quizzically before leaving.

  Meral was waiting for them in the aircar when they ar-rived at the main entrance. Kusac handed Carrieup into the craft, jumping in behind her. Quietly, he gave directions to Meral before joining her in theback.

  He could feel Carrie's unhappiness, but he couldn't cope with it yet. There was still too much hurt andanger in-side. He'd spent the best part of the day reading Vanna's data, then going to ask her to clarifywhat he couldn't under-stand. After that, he'd tried to put his own feelings of fear and anger aside so hecould think. It had proved virtually impossible.

  Meral slowed the craft, taking it down to land in an en-closed garden lit by wildly flickering torches.

  "Stay with the craft," Kusac said curtly to Meral as he got to his feet. Turning to Carrie, he held out his

  hand to her.

  She rose, refusing the hand.

  He shrugged and took hers anyway, tightening his grip as she tried to free herself. He led her out of thecraft to where a tall Sholan wrapped in a blanket waited for them.

  He searched Kusac's face before speaking. "Are you sure this is what you want to do?" he asked, lettinggo of the blanket to hug him.

  Kusac returned the greeting. "Yes, Ghyan. I'm sorry to drag you from your bed at this time of night."

  Ghyan nodded, pulling the blanket around himself again. "I understand," he said. He reached out to take Carrie by the hand. "One of these days I'll get the opportunity to meet you properly," he said, tucking herhand round his arm and turn-ing to lead them into the building which loomed darkly be-hind them. He ledthem up the steps and through an archway into the interior of the Temple.

  Kusac, walking behind with Kaid, hadn't missed the star-tled look as the Brother realized where they

  were.

  Carrie stopped suddenly. At the far end of the hall, flanked by candles set into tall holders, a massivestone statue loomed. The figure was of a seated Warrior with his weapons laid in front of him at his feet. His face was peace-ful, with the attitude of one who has laid aside his cares. In front of him a brazierglowed.