Conflict and Courage (18 page)

Gerry
chuckled.

“Perhaps, but
I’m not holding out much hope.”

He turned his
gaze back to watch the water speeding by.

They reached
the north without any problem. The children were quiet, Cherry
especially so; she spent the voyage with Baltvei, his presence a
comfort to her. Louis and Ustinya had no doubts that Cherry and
Baltvei were forming a genuine partnership.

* * * * *

Francis
McAllister opened the sealed package carefully and in the privacy
of his quarters. Laura looked up from Faddei’s harness that she was
mending.

“That’s
something one doesn’t see every day,” she said. “Who’s writing to
you?” In Vadath, most messages were sent telepathically.

“It’s from the
south,” he answered. Louis Randall gave it to me when he reported
for duty.”

“Are the
children all right?” she asked, “I meant to be there to welcome
them but I fell asleep.”

Francis smiled
indulgently at his pregnant wife, she would always want to know how
people were, it was, he knew, part of her healer make-up.

“Should I go to
them?” She put the harness aside and prepared to heave her unwieldy
body out of the couch.

“It’s very late
love, best leave it ‘til morning.”

Francis opened
the seal of the letter, unfolded the thin paper and began to read.
He whistled in surprise. “What a turn up,” he said as he turned to
her, “you’ll not believe this.”

“Talk,” ordered
an impatient Laura.

“It’s no less
than a proposal of friendship and from one of the main convict
leaders! He’s looking to the future and is wanting a trade,
information and intelligence in exchange for a promise that, if
things get too hot for him, he can bring his family north.”

“Is it
addressed to you?”

“No. It’s a
message to ‘our rulers’. I think however that the only other person
I shall tell is Jim Cranston. Louis will keep it to himself if I
tell him to. I don’t think this should become common
knowledge.”

“What else does
he say?” asked Laura with interest.

“It’s about his
disquiet at what is happening down there, amongst the Lords.”

“Lords? That’s
a bit rich, they are criminals, every last one of them!”

“He informs us
he rules the far north west corner of the country, as far away as
possible from what he calls the ‘intrigue and unpleasantness’ at
Fort. He also states that the south is planning further attacks. We
should guard our coasts.”

“So Jim was
right?”

“So it would
appear,” answered Francis as he digested the import of the
message.

“Does he say
when?”

“Soon.”

Francis’s eyes
grew distant as he communicated with Asya then his eyes focused
back on his wife.

“Lindars and
Vada are warned,” he informed her as he looked again at the
document in his hands, “I wish he had told us more.”

“Perhaps he
doesn’t know.”

“Perhaps he is
playing a game with us. Why should we trust him? Can we trust
him?”

“Gerry might be
able to tell us more,” answered Laura, settling back in the couch
in a vain attempt to ease her aching back.

When Gerry
arrived he could tell Francis little.

“The Lords
don’t tell ordinary mortals much,” he informed him, cheerfully
tucking into his stew. “I do know that Cocteau’s encampment is
dispersing. Men are being, I think the official term is –
‘reallocated’. Some of the worst scum were taken north to
Brentwood’s Lordship.”

“Brentwood?”

“Nasty piece of
work from all I heard.”

“And Duchesne?”
pressed Francis. “Can we trust him?”

“I think so, he
stuck his neck out to help us escape from Fort. Anne Howard trusts
him and I’ve spoken to his right-hand man once or twice.”

“We think he is
the one who burnt the men alive during the battle.”

“I heard about
that,” Gerry admitted, “but it was not his doing according to those
I spoke to, he sure got rid of the officer that ordered it fast
enough when they got home. I would still tread very carefully with
him though.”

“Would he
welcome an emissary?”

“I think so. He
is desperately worried about his position and what the other Lords
are doing. Made a comment to Anne about not wanting to bring up his
family in a totalitarian state.”

“He wishes to
come north then,” Francis said.

“Eventually,
but not yet,” said Gerry. “His land is far from Fort, near the
island chain. He will try to distance himself and might well
succeed though I wouldn’t place any bets on his chances
long-term.”

“He says that
in his letter. Offers to warn us if the Larg try to cross.”

“Give the man a
chance,” interjected Laura, “you have with Richard.”

Gerry looked
enquiringly at her.

“One of our
more recent recruits,” she explained, “an ex-convict taken prisoner
and now irrevocably life-paired with a Lind. We have learned not
all southerners are bad through and through.”

“Those serving
time for capital offences are in the minority,” Gerry admitted,
“though most have been in trouble most of their lives. I think the
prison authorities on Earth merely emptied their penal institutions
with a sigh of relief. They have doctors, farmers, lawyers,
everyone they need.”

“Except for
females and children?”

“One doesn’t
see many and talking about women and children, when do we
leave?”

Correctly
interpreting this (Francis was deep in thought about the
implications of Pierre Duchesne’s letter) Laura answered, “the two
girls and the horses are at pack or rtath Ratvei. The girls know
you’re coming and are wildly excited. You know young Jenny Quirke
has bonded with a Lind of the pack the girls are staying with?”

Gerry nodded.
“Not Jessica though.” His face glowed as he mentioned her name and
Laura began to harbour private suspicions about the man’s feelings
for Peter Howard’s elder daughter, but she contented herself with
answering the question.

“No. She
doesn’t seem interested. Not every human is. Her children probably
will though, the ability seems to run in families and Francis says
that Cherry and Baltvei are as good as vadeln-paired and even young
Joseph is showing signs.”

“It was quite
amazing,” declared Gerry, “watching the bonding develop before my
very eyes and Aglaya was nosing round Joseph too. But to get back
to my original question?”

“During the
next few days,” promised Laura. “Francis is arranging it. He wants
you to detour to Afanasei, Jim Cranston has a great deal to
ask.”

“He is your
Commander?”

“He and his
Lind Larya are Susyc of the north,” Laura agreed. “Francis and Asya
are Susa here at the Vada.”

“I’ll learn all
these new terms yet,” laughed Gerry.

“He and Larya
are most interested to learn about Pierre Duchesne’s letter and
want to pick your brains. Don’t be surprised to hear from Robert
Lutterell in Argyll as well. He wants to know what happened to the
women taken during the battle,” said Francis.

“Never saw a
one.” Gerry shook his head. “Not surprising really where I was and
I never felt the need to visit the whorehouses and unless they are
young and pretty, that’s where they’ll be. The youngest and
prettiest got snapped up sharpish.”

“And the
children?”

“Boys to the
battalion, girls?” He shrugged eloquently. “Who knows? I kept
myself much to myself, less chance of being recognised. I certainly
saw no sign of any of the girls who originally fled with me
although I knew they were up in the Fort.”

“What will you
do once you have delivered Cherry and Joseph?”

“I’ll stay at
pack – Ratvei – you said?”

Laura
nodded.

“The horses are
there. I’m going to breed them. I have a plan.” He sat forward and
looked at Laura, “In twelve years we will be able to sell the
surplus males for riding or harness. In twenty, there will be
enough in the mother herd to allow for the sale of mares as well. I
have been thinking hard over the last year. In the time since we
landed we have lost much of the technology we came with. Before I
die more knowledge will have gone. Our ancestors used the horse
successfully, why can’t we? Not everyone can call on a Lind to get
them from (a) to (b). If I’ve done my calculations right, in a
century and a half there will be around twenty thousand horses on
this planet, all from the original six mares, how amazing is
that?”

Francis put the
letter away and sat down.

“I agree with
you. Solar panels will be gone in a generation. Alternative fuels
are hard to come by. The oil deposits are low grade and sparse. We
are looking at an agrarian society in the future although the
doctors and scientists are doing their best to ensure essential
knowledge is written down.”

“The
computers?” asked Laura.

“Already
failing,” answered Francis.

Gerry had a
‘told you so’ sort of look about him.

“Is Gerry
right?” asked Laura as she clambered into bed that night.

“Yes love, it
has already started. He gestured at the oil lamps that lighted
their room, “and perhaps it is no bad thing. We have warmth, food,
clothes and light and enough of each. I haven’t heard many
complaints.”

“Even in
Argyll?”

“Someone will
find something to be disgruntled about, human nature being what it
is, but most of our people are farmers, used to relying on their
own resources to a greater extent than those brought up in urban
areas and there
are
compensations. Who would have believed
it back then? All these generations of space exploration and never
a sentient or intelligent being found and now here at the other
side of the galaxy we find the Lind.”

Francis left
the rest unsaid. It didn’t matter; Laura was sound asleep.

* * * * *

A few days
later, the group from the south plus Baltvei set out for the
rtathlians of the Lind. As they were all mounted, Gerry taking
young Gavin before him again with Joseph riding on his own, they
made good time.

“They are
coming!” Jenny’s shout was filled with joyous anticipation as she
and Savei ran at full pelt towards the horse paddocks.

Jessica looked
up. She was checking one of the dapple-grey mare’s hind hooves
having noticed that she had been favouring it. She wanted Gerry to
know that she had been taking care of his horses well.

The six mares
and their foals had been groomed to within an inch of their lives.
The colt had been most displeased with her ministrations and was
now enjoying himself rolling in the mud. Jessica watched his antics
with a great deal of exasperation.

“Come up to the
domta and meet them,” Jenny urged. “Mount pillion behind me and
Savei will run like the wind.”

So it was that,
when the weary group arrived, Jessica was standing beside white
Ratvei, Elda of his pack and waiting for Gerry and the others’
formal welcome.

The entire
rtath had come out to greet these newcomers with many wagging
tails, whines and yelps of excitement (this last from the ltsctas).
Jenny was bobbing around astride Savei, desperate to see her mother
and little brother Gavin again after all these months.

Jessica stood
stiffly, inwardly a bundle of nerves, however calm and collected
she looked from the outside, she was nearly as excited as her
friend, but hers was an excitement tinged with sadness that her
mother was not amongst those who now approached the rtathlian. She
also felt shy at the thought of meeting Gerry again. It was, she
thought, odd how often she had thought about the horse-handler
during the past months.

There were
squeals of excitement from both welcoming and the welcomed as the
two groups spied each other.

Savei and Jenny
made the distance between the two groups in a winkling and she,
Savei, Lysbet and Gavin were soon in the middle of a happy
get-together, one which Savei was enjoying tremendously, if his
rapidly wagging tail was anything to go by.

Jessica
recognised Joseph first, he was in front of the other humans. Her
brother waved as he dismounted and began to run towards her. Cherry
followed more sedately, reserved and quiet, only ten in years but
much older in temperament. Padding beside her was Baltvei, tail
wagging slowly as if unsure of his welcome. He stood to one side
throughout the tearful embraces then Cherry disentangled herself
from her big sister’s arms to say, “this is Baltvei, Jessica. He
helped rescue us. He says he and I will be together always.”

Jessica had
been warned of the pairing so was not as astonished at his arrival
with Cherry as she might have been. She greeted Baltvei in fluent
Lindish. He seemed surprised at her grasp of his language and his
tail began to rise up as it wagged harder.

Gerry himself
bypassed the emotive reunions and approached Ratvei for the formal
words of welcome. Laura had explained that this would be expected
of him. He looked over at the Howard threesome.

By chance
Jessica looked up at the same instant. Their eyes met.

Great
Stars
, thought Gerry as he saw the slender and beautiful girl
and realised she was a girl no longer. It was as a young woman that
Jessica returned his gaze.

He smiled and
some of the strain left Jessica’s face. Gerry was here at last. She
felt herself begin to blush and, to hide her confusion, bent down
and gave Joseph another hug. He squirmed away, embarrassed. Did she
not realise he was a big boy now?

Gerry remained
with Ratvei and underwent the formal welcome. He had rehearsed the
traditional words and managed quite well although he still found
the accent difficult. From this vantage point, he continued to
watch the Howards. He had fulfilled his promise to Jessica’s
father, almost; at least his three children were safe now.