Between Darkness and Light (82 page)

“He did steal it,” said Rhyaz. “Kusac refused to leave before your cub was born—your first cub, that is. He's too high a profile to just drop out of sight for several weeks or months, and we couldn't officially send him off-world, so he had to appear to be a renegade. The
Couana
was his choice as it was the only ship fast enough to make the rendezvous in the given time.”

“And then you threw him to Raiban,” said Kaid, almost beyond rage. “To be branded a traitor and thief. By Vartra, you'd better clear him once he returns, Rhyaz!”

Carrie caught the look that Konis and Lijou gave the Warrior Master. “They can't,” she said, the life suddenly going out of her. “If they do, they have to admit to the mission, and they can't do that.”

Kaid leaped to his feet, eyes blazing, lips pulled back in a snarl of pure fury. “By all you hold holy, Rhyaz, you will clear his name and reputation! Do you think I'll sit back and let my sword-brother and Triad partner go to jail or be brain-wiped for this?”

“Do you want the treaty with the Primes shattered right now when the M'zullians are busy plundering the Valtegan world they destroyed the same way as they wiped out our two colonies?” Rhyaz demanded. “Because if word gets out we met with Kezule, didn't tell the Primes, and picked up five artificially-grown hybrid cubs, that's what will happen!”

“You have the cubs?” said Carrie breaking the standoff that followed.

Lijou stirred. “Yes, we have five of the eight cubs. Two were unfortunately killed during their rescue.”

“Two killed? How?” she asked, already too numbed to feel anything more.

“One was killed by a Directorate guard, the other by accident when a gas canister was shot into the room. Apparently it bounced off the rear wall and hit one of them on the head, according to the other cubs.”

“Where are they?” demanded Kaid, moving away from the table.

“They're safe,” said Konis. “We're not at liberty to tell you where.”

“How long have you had them?” demanded Kaid. “And where's Kusac?”

“Since the end of Zhal-S'Asha,” said Lijou.

“Zhal-S'Asha? That's three months, Rhyaz!” said Kaid. “What the hell are you doing with them? They belong with us—we're their parents, dammit!”

“They can't come here, Kaid, you must see that,” began Rhyaz.

He got no further because Kaid lunged across the room, hauled him up out of the chair and landed him a blow on the jaw that sent him and the chair flying backward. As the others were just starting to react, he followed it through by vaulting the chair and hauling Rhyaz to his feet again.

“You are not keeping our cubs,” he snarled, holding onto him by the front of his tunic. “They're our blood, and clan rights supersede all others, you know that! I want a ship to wherever they and Kusac are, and I want it now!”

“You bring them back here and everyone will know they're hybrids,” coughed Rhyaz, grabbing Kaid's hands for support but otherwise not defending himself. “And that will break the treaty.”

“Strangling Rhyaz won't help, Kaid,” said Lijou, moving slowly over to the two males. “If they find out about the cubs, all Shola will be howling for blood. You have to see we had no option but to keep it quiet. They're in good hands, I promise you. Those who created the cubs are dead. There's no one we can blame, except the innocent Primes.”

“Keep your distance, Lijou,” warned Kaid, relaxing his grip slightly on Rhyaz. “I don't accept that anyone will know they're hybrids. There's very little difference between Kashini and other cubs her age.”

“There's more in a ten year old,” said Lijou. “I know, I've seen them on the vid. They are safe, Kaid. Your son is with L'Seuli and his Leska, training at the Shrine there. Vartra visited him and gave him a coin.”

“What?” He dropped Rhyaz in shock, spinning round to look at the Head Priest. “My son? Training as a priest?”

Lijou nodded. “A Brotherhood priest. He's yours and Kate's. He's called Dhyshac.”

As Kaid stood frozen to the spot, Rhyaz stumbled to his feet, massaging his throat.

“And me,” said Carrie, her voice brittle. “What about me?”

“You have two sons,” said Lijou, still facing Kaid. “Zsayal with Rezac, and Shaylor with Taynar.”

“Oh, God,” she said, sitting down suddenly, her face white.

“And Kusac? What about him?” asked Kaid.

There was an obvious hesitation from Lijou. “None that we know about,” he said.

“Five cubs, you only said five,” said Kaid as the door burst open again. “Where's the sixth?” he demanded.

Alex, a bruise already marring her jawline, flew over to Rhyaz' side, an angry expression on her face. “You'd no call to go hitting Rhyaz! You know damned well I feel it, too!”

“I'm fine,” said Rhyaz gently, holding her close for a moment. “You can't stay.”

“I'm not leaving!” She glowered at Kaid, then Carrie.

“Alex, go. Please,” Lijou said firmly. “No one is going to be harmed. Kaid hit Rhyaz in the heat of the moment, it won't happen again. Konis, if you please?”

She glowered at Kaid as Rhyaz urged her to leave.

Carrie roused herself. “He'll be fine, Alex,” she said quietly. “You don't understand Sholan males well enough yet. Trust me, Kaid will not harm your Leska.”

Bristling at the implication, reluctantly Alex allowed Konis to take her to the study door. When it closed behind her, Kaid turned again to look at Rhyaz.

“Where is Kusac?” he demanded again.

“Kusac stayed long enough to drop off the cubs, and an adult female and her infant, then took his ship, the
Venture II
and returned to Kezule,” the Warrior Master said, glancing at Kaid before heaving the chair upright again. “All his crew apart from Chima, my Special Operative, went with him,” he added, resuming his seat. “There's no threat to him now from us.”

“Why, in Vartra's name, did he go back?” Kaid asked, suddenly confused.

“The sixth cub,” said Carrie. “Kezule kept Kusac's cub, didn't he?”

“We don't know for sure,” said Lijou. “But, yes, he did keep one. Shaidan. He was apparently badly injured in the rescue.”

“That's not why Kezule kept him,” said Kaid, tail beginning to sway again.

“Kezule left the Prime world with a group of about sixty people to start a small colony. He wanted Kusac's help to train them to defend themselves, so he kept Shaidan to make sure he returned,” said Rhyaz, stopping as a coughing fit took over. He reached for a glass and the water jug.

“Who's Shaidan's mother?” asked Carrie at length.

“We don't know. The cubs have no idea who their parents are, they weren't told. The only way we were able to identify them was from blood samples,” said Lijou. “We've had no word from Kusac since then.”

“I want a ship to Haven, Rhyaz,” said Kaid. “I intend to have my son back, and I want to know where the others are.”

“No,” said Rhyaz. “I'll not let you threaten the treaty, Kaid. There's no way at this time that you can take the cubs home without their identity as ten-year-old hybrids being discovered.”

“They'll be safe on the estate,” began Carrie.

“They can't come home,” said Konis, with equal finality. “Believe me, I wish they could—they're my grandchildren, Carrie. I'm sorry, but there's too much at stake right now.”

“I'll find a way to explain them!” snarled Kaid. “They've lost enough of their young lives to the Directorate, I don't intend to leave them on some Godsforsaken asteroid for the next several years! I grew up without parents; it's not happening to any son of mine or Carrie's!”

“No. I refuse to compromise on this,” coughed Rhyaz. “I'll have guards set on the spaceport, Kaid. You will not leave Shola and that's an order!”

“Try and stop me,” he snarled, turning away. “I'm not one of your Warriors, Rhyaz! Carrie, we're leaving!”

“Not without an escort,” said Rhyaz, pressing his wrist comm. “I want to know you're back on your estate.”

“Kaid, please, accept the escort and go home,” said Konis.

Getting up, Carrie turned on him. “How could you send Kusac on this mission?” she demanded. “You know what Kezule feels about us! And as for throwing him to Raiban and the newsvids —I can't believe you did that after everything he's been through!”

“Believe me, it was the hardest decision of my life, Carrie,” Konis said, reaching out to touch her.

She sidestepped him and strode over to join Kaid. “If you don't have him cleared, by every God you hold dear, I swear I'll go to my father and have the whole story broadcast from Keiss, treaty or no treaty,” she said furiously. “You find a way to exonerate him, or I
will
do it!”

“One last thing, whose idea was it for Kusac to fight with me before he left?” demanded Kaid, looking from one to the other of the three males.

“Mine,” said Rhyaz. “I told him he had to prevent you from going after him and risking the safety of Carrie and the cub she was carrying. He left immediately your daughter was born, Kaid. He doesn't know he has a son.”

“He was almost anxious to go, Carrie,” said Konis. “Perhaps he was afraid that, against the odds, he would Link to you again.”

Say nothing!
sent Kaid, aware of Carrie about to refute this and tell them about the scent marker.

A tap at the door and three security Brothers entered.

“Escort Brother Kaid and Sister Carrie straight to their speeder and then follow them back to their estate,” Rhyaz ordered.

“This is not the end, Rhyaz, trust me,” snarled Kaid as they left.

On their way down the stairs, Carrie stopped dead as she caught sight of an elderly Human with long gray hair flowing over the shoulders of his black Brotherhood robe.

“I think I know him,” she murmured to Kaid as he stopped beside her. “But I can't possibly. There was no one like him on Keiss.” Something deeper than personal memories tugged at her mind as she tried to place him.

“Master Rhyaz said to escort you straight to your speeder,” reminded the guard behind them as the newcomer approached the foot of the staircase and smiled up at them.

“You must be the Sister Carrie I've heard so much about,” he said as they continued down the stairs again.

He's old,
she sent to Kaid.
He feels far, far older than his years.

Is this important?
asked Kaid.

She studied the stranger, taking in the long hair, the neatly-trimmed full beard, also gray, and the blue eyes that smiled up at her. His name hovered on the edges of memory, a memory from her part of Earth: not a personal memory, a cultural one.

As they came level, he reached out to place a hand around her shoulders, and held out his other hand, taking hold of hers when she automatically responded.

One of their escort moved forward to intercept him but at a glance from the gray-haired male, fell back looking slightly confused.

“A pleasure to meet you, child,” the stranger said quietly in English, turning them both so they were effectively hidden from the others as he walked with her toward the front doors. “I'm Conner.”

Her eyes widened in surprise. She knew who he was! “You're Mer ...”

No. Never call me that,
he sent, pressing something hard into her hand then closing her fingers tightly over it.
That was another world, another life, Carrie. I no longer hold that position. Take this, you'll know how to use it.

“I'm from England, like you, here as part of a cultural exchange. We must get together someday and chat,” he continued.

Who is he?
demanded Kaid, concerned for her.

Later,
she sent, palming the object, which she suspected was a comm crystal, into her pocket. “I'd like that,” she said to Conner. “You must come and visit our estate.”

“One day,” he agreed, stopping and releasing her by Chaddo's desk. His hand briefly touched her cheek and his eyes twinkled in accord with his smile. “I'm looking forward to meeting all your cubs. The Goddess has blessed you in giving you children born of both worlds.”

Carrie didn't miss his emphasis of the word
all.
“We'd be honored to have you visit us, wouldn't we, Kaid?” she said, turning to him.

Baffled, but having every reason now to trust her judgment in this, Kaid inclined his head and held his hand out in the telepath greeting. “You'll be most welcome, Conner,” he said, inclining his head in a gesture of respect.

“We must leave now,” said the escort, getting decidedly twitchy at this unauthorized encounter.

Kaid shrugged, his gesture saying volumes. “Another time, Conner,” he said.

As they climbed into the aircar and shut the door, Kaid asked, “So who is he?”

“Imagine coming face-to-face with someone who's a legend in your country's history,” she began, then stopped dead and groaned.

“Like Vartra,” Kaid said with a faint grin.

“Just like him,” she said. “Very like Vartra. I wonder if Stronghold knows exactly who he is.”

“I suspect they'll find out,” he said, his tone reverting to one of suppressed anger. “I hope he leads them on many false trails!”

Something dug into her side sharply as she fastened her safety harness and she remembered the object Conner had given her. Digging it out, she held it in her lap in case anyone outside noticed, and looked at it in surprise.