Conflict and Courage (24 page)

She heard
later, by dint of eavesdropping on her parent’s conversations (her
father talked as her mother listened and agreed with him), that the
travellers had been heading for the Dahlstrom farm, some miles
east. To her father’s censorious disgust, the Dahlstroms had then,
with the exception of their oldest son and his young wife, upped
sticks and moved to Vadath. Absolute nonsense her father had
declared, adding that people were becoming besotted with these
creatures, the Lind. Her mother’s tentative suggestion that the
Dahlstroms were not believers, and therefore should be excused, had
been met with contempt.

“More fools
they,” Tina heard her father say. “Father Anselm has been visiting
the family and says that he was hoping that in time he could make
believers of them. Wilhelm, he told me, was icily polite at first
and refused his most generous offer of prayers for him and his, but
Father Anselm was sure he was coming round to the true way.”

“Perhaps he’ll
have better luck with the son,” answered Tina’s mother as she
continued with the mending her husband’s outburst had
interrupted.

Tina had
snuggled down into her coverlets thinking hard, understanding at
last why Eitel Dahlstrom had, to all intents and purposes, vanished
into thin air and also why he had dropped out of schooling, not
that she was permitted to attend all that often.

It was the law
in Argyll that all children from the ages of six to sixteen attend
school. Small primary schools had been set up round the country,
larger secondary schools in the more populated areas. Peripatetic
teachers travelled, instructing those unable to attend due to
either the distance involved or family commitments.

In the
community in which the Charles family lived, there was another
reason why the classes were so ill attended. The adults did not
wish their children infected by what they saw as the irreligious
influences of the unbelievers.

There was a
battle royal going on between the leaders of such communities and
the Argyll Council. The former wished to teach their children
themselves, whilst the Council was, quite naturally, bitterly
opposed to such an idea, believing in the freedom of choice for the
young and a general, well-balanced education programme without the
hidden agenda of religious indoctrination.

Some
communities had responded by refusing to allow their children to
attend classes at all and as yet, Robert Lutterell and the other
Councillors did not have the resources or manpower to force them.
The families had not made an issue of their faith whilst on the
spaceship but, as soon as they had been able, had removed
themselves and their families north, as far away from the original
settlement area as they could.

Of late,
Absalom Charles, Tina’s father had been talking about the existence
of islands off the east coast where they could live and worship
without interference. He was not the only one to think this
way.

The ‘Holy Writ’
was a way of life for these folk.

To Tina’s
recent dismay, now she was growing up, her hair had to be kept
covered at all times and woe betide her if she showed off an ankle
in public. The head-coif itched in hot weather and the voluminous
skirts ordained by Holy Writ curtailed her movements, a real trial
to someone who was of an active disposition. She was envious of her
brothers, free to roam the woods and valleys, to climb trees and
generally get into as much mischief as they could.

She began to
realise what her future would be. Her parents were hinting at
marriage and her father had already asked Father Anselm about a
suitable match. ‘Holy Writ’ said that marriage was mandatory for
‘all females of childbearing age’. She could not pray to God for
deliverance. It was God’s word that said she must be married. Tina
prayed to the Lind to come and deliver her.

Her prayers
were about to be answered. The Lind Daltei (who was, incidentally a
much younger brother of Mislya and Jsei) was barely an hour away.
Mislya had noticed the girl on her way to find Wilhelm, peering at
them from behind a doorway and had sensed her potential. She had
communicated her findings to Daltei.

Daltei reached
the woods on the outskirts of the farmstead and settled down to
wait until dark when the Charles family would be sleeping the sleep
of the righteous.

Tina was in bed
but was suffering a restless night, her dreams filled with strange
and wonderful impossibilities.

: Tina Tina
Tina :

: Tina. I am
Daltei. Come to me :

Daltei, once he
had located Tina by searching out with his mind for her
dream-thoughts had found it an easy matter to link his mind to
hers. Tina’s unconscious broadcasts of longing mixed with despair
were very clear. As Mislya had promised, she was right human.

Tina’s eyes
snapped open.

: In the woods
:

: Daltei :

For some reason
it was neither strange nor unusual that she and Daltei were having
a telepathic conversation and that she knew his name
: you sound
very loud :

: I am very
close. In the woods. Come to me :

Excitement rose
within Tina.

: Come to me.
You want to. I want you to :

: Now? :

: Ceja. Now
:

She sat up in
bed, placed her feet on the floor and felt around for her shoes.
She bent down as she eased her feet inside them, fumbling with the
fastenings and buckles. Then she stood up, holding her breath. The
bed creaked a little as she shifted her weight and she tensed,
listening for any sign that her mother or sisters had been
disturbed.

She tiptoed to
the bedroom door, opened it just enough to allow her to squeeze
through and climbed down the loft ladder, careful not to make any
noise. Her not much younger brother was sleeping in the pull-down
bunk near the outside door and she watched him as she descended
rung by careful rung.

Keep
calm
, she thought, her breathing sounded so very loud, surely
he could not help but wake?

She tiptoed to
the door.

It was the
latch that betrayed her. It was both stiff and very heavy. It
clinked open with a thunk and David’s eyes opened and he recognised
her ghostly figure.

Oh Gods
,
Tina thought,
he’ll call Father, I’ll be married off before the
week is out.

Brother and
sister looked at each other and then the terrified Tina received,
what she always said afterwards, was the biggest surprise of her
life.

“You’re going
then?” whispered David. “I thought it would be soon. Didn’t think
you’d be stupid enough to let them marry you off like that. Have
you got somewhere to go?”

“Yes,” Tina
whispered back, “Daltei is waiting for me.”

David nodded as
he rose from the bunk. He stretched over and picked up his own fur
coat from the peg.

“This is warmer
than your own,” he said as he wrapped it round his stunned
sister.

“You’re not
going to try and stop me?” she gasped.

He smiled, “no,
I certainly am not, although when I am questioned in the morning I
will say that I slept soundly all night and never heard nor felt a
thing, even when you stretched over me to get the coat.”

Tina stared at
him.

“I have been
expecting this for days and only volunteered for door-watch each
evening to make sure you got away okay.”

Cupping her
face in his hands, he looked at her, adding softly, “take care
sister. You have made your choice and I am glad for you. Remember
that I will always love you, no matter how far away your new life
takes you. We may not meet again, you will never be welcomed back
here in the village. They will disown you.”

Tina hugged
him.

“You knew?”

“Of your
daydream to be chosen by the Lind? Yes.”

“Goodbye,” she
whispered. “I will miss you.”

A final
farewell kiss was planted on Tina’s forehead and she passed out of
the door for the last time. Like a little dark shadow she ran down
the path that led to the woods where Daltei was waiting. A sad
David watched her go. He had done the right thing. What Tina might
never know was that he too had had the chance.

He too had been
approached by a Lind but had refused the honour. His father was
getting older, his family needed him and it was his duty to stay.
At least his favourite sister would escape from the stupefying way
of life of their community. One day, when his siblings were grown
up, he would also leave.

David closed
the door and went back to bed. He lay awake until dawn,
contemplating what might have been and rehearsing his story for the
morrow.

Tina knew
nothing of these wheels within wheels as she and Daltei sped west
towards Vadath. She was nervous that her family would try to stop
them and urged Daltei on.

“No human can
run fast enough to catch us,” he informed her in no uncertain
terms, “and no Lind will come between us.”

* * * * *

To Tina it felt
that she and Daltei had journeyed forever and a day before he
announced that they were approaching the stronghold. As they
approached the gate she spied a man waiting for them.

“Very pleased
to see you both,” Ross announced with a smile as they entered, “we
have been expecting you.”

Tina looked
down from Daltei’s height of fully sixteen hands, at the man who
was one of the cadets’ instructors,

She answered
him in a voice not much above a whisper, “I thought we’d never get
here. We’ve been travelling for ages. I didn’t know the country was
so big.”

“You’ll be
hungry, tired and sore,” Ross answered her, “lets get some food
inside you and Daltei both, then a hot bath should put you right.
Climb down and both of you come with us now.”

“Thank you,”
said Tina as she dismounted. She winced as her feet hit the
ground.

Ross put a
comforting hand on her shoulder and began to guide her towards what
was, he informed her, the cadet barracks.

As they walked
(in Tina’s case limped) Ross tried to put her at her ease and
talked of general matters.

“Emily and
Ilyei are waiting for you,” he informed her, “once we knew you were
on your way, she got your cubicle ready and has gathered up some
essentials after Daltei told Ilyei you had nothing with you apart
from what you stood up in.”

“I couldn’t
bring anything,” Tina faltered, worried that she had done something
wrong.

“So I gather,
well, no matter, you’re not the first to arrive like this. Emily
will look after you for the first few days, help you get settled
in, show you what is what. You’ll like her and she is very good at
looking after new people.”

Daltei and
Lililya, following at their humans’ heels, were likewise
conversing, Daltei being most eager to learn of the Vada
arrangements for feeding and hunting.

: She needs
gentle handling :
telepathed Ross to Lililya
: She like
frightened vuz :

Lililya agreed,
having made her own observations.

Tina walked
beside him, her eyes on the ground. She was listening to his
chatter, of that he was sure, she kept giving him little sidelong
glances when she thought he wasn’t looking, but otherwise she kept
her eyes averted from his.

: It is how she
is. Daltei say she is naturally shy and how she was raised in her
domta make her more so :

: Tell Emily to
be gentle :

: Emily is
always gentle :

Lililya was
right in her assessment of Tina’s mentor, Emily, who was turning
sixteen now and had expressed a wish to train with the Holad when
she became a Senior Cadet. She was noted for her quiet common sense
and friendliness. Ross thought Tina might well tend in that
direction too.

: I not
think so :
was Lililya’s comment.
: This young
enthusiast
(she was talking about Daltei)
will not be
content with that, he wants to fight and he would not choose Tina
if she was not of similar mind :

: A spell on
coastline patrols might well dampen his enthusiasm :

: I have
spoken to Mislya :
answered Lililya with the Lind version of a
giggle. She telepathed Ross some images of Daltei’s more crazy
pranks when he was young which had been passed to her from the
Weaponsmaster’s Lind
: Mislya thinks there will be trouble ahead
:

: They will
be good for each other :
replied Ross
: Young Tina here will
put a brake on his wildness and Daltei will bring his vadeln-pair
out of this shell she is encased in though from what you say, most
of the common sense from this pairing will come from her :

Tina was
blissfully unaware of this mental interchange as she approached the
low building where Emily and Ilyei were waiting.

After the
introductions, Ross and Lililya left and the girls looked at each
other.

“Hi Tina,” said
the older girl at last, “this is Ilyei, my vadeln.”

Tina looked
shyly in Ilyei’s direction but said not a word, not so Daltei who
greeted his fellow Lind in his usual indomitable and exuberant
fashion. Ilyei looked resigned. He too had ‘spoken’ to Mislya.

“Let’s go to
your cubicle and tend to Daltei, shall we?” Emily said, drawing
Tina inside. She laughed, “it is well drummed into us to tend to
our Lind partners before we see to our own comforts. Not that we’d
do anything else.”

She led the two
newcomers up the narrow corridor and opened a swing door with Tina
and Daltei’s names on it.

“Once we have
rid your Daltei of all the dust and burrs in his coat,” she
continued, opening the shutters to let in some light, “Ilyei will
take him for something to eat whilst I get you settled in.”