fortuneswheel (69 page)

* * *

Kusac was too busy attending to Carrie to be other than peripherally aware of Vanna and Brynne's interchange. At Brynne's comment, reason had left her to be replaced with an overwhelming terror. Primal instincts came to the fore, telling her that this child was not like her, was not of her species. It was alien through and through, despite the fact that it carried her genes, too. Hysteria took over, and she tried to push Kusac away and get to her feet. She wanted to run and keep running until she left all this far behind, but a small corner of her mind told her that where she went, this problem went, too.
Kusac shoved the scanner aside, grasping Carrie tightly so that she couldn't move. He felt the gestalt start to build and mentally wrenched the control from her, using its power to subdue her.
Through their Link, he forcibly reminded her of their times together, times when they had laughed, times when they had been joined against a common enemy on Keiss, times when they had loved, and fought with each other. Gradually the terror began to fade, leaving her sobbing against him.
Hush, I know. Believe me, I do understand,
he sent.
Forget
Brynne and the other Terrans. We live here, on Shola. What
they think doesn't concern us. We can't live our lives by what
others want of us. We've got each other and a place here to
belong. That's enough.
Take me home, Kusac,
she sent, tears still streaming down her face.
Take me home.
He helped her down and keeping his arm tightly around her, led her to the door. He turned back to Vanna. "We're leaving," he said. "Any more tests can wait." He hesitated. "Until Brynne gets himself straightened out, I'm sorry, but I want him kept away from Carrie."
"Yes, of course," said Vanna, still in shock from what Brynne had said. "I'm sorry. I didn't expect this of him."
Kusac shrugged. "We all react differently to the realization that we've helped create a new life. Look at how I behaved. He is right, though."
Vanna stared after him as he left. She gave herself a little shake. There was a lot to do, she'd better get on with it.

"Esken, I demand to know what the hell is going on! You told me you had this matter of the alien telepaths under control. An isolated incident, you said! Now I hear that the pair who landed here a few days ago have died, that your top interpreter on Earth is on his way here with a human Leska, and under your own noses a link has formed between one of our female medics and a human male! To cap it all, the first pair are now expecting a cub!" He stared angrily out of the comm screen at Esken.
"I'd hardly call that being in control, would you? I have the Council Administrators demanding answers, and Konis Aldatan contacting me every three hours over this damned Challenge his bond-daughter has gotten herself involved in! What do you suggest I tell them?"
"Governor Nesul, I admit that I was wrong about Kusac Aldatan's Link to the human female being an isolated incident," Master Esken said stiffly, "However, now that the medic who was doing most of the research into this has a human Leska of her own, perhaps we'll have a better chance of finding out what causes these links."
"What you're saying is you don't know."
"We've got several working hypotheses, Governor, but at the moment..."
"You don't know," interrupted Nesul, impatient with Esken's evasiveness.
"We are having all the mixed Leska pairs brought to the Guild," said Esken frostily. "The situation is contained. With more cases to study, I'm sure we'll reach a conclusion sooner."
"If you can't solve this problem, then I'm going to involve someone who can. You've had long enough. As to this cub that Kusac Aldatan's Leska is expecting, I suppose there's no doubt that it's his, is there?"
"None, Governor," said Esken, his tone still cool. "Tests show otherwise. The cub is his."
"I want to know how this happened. I was told that these Terrans weren't genetically compatible with us. If there's one cub, there will be others."
"There's no reason to believe that, Governor."
"Don't give me the wrong scent, Esken! You don't believe that any more than I do! What do you intend to do about this child? And this damned Challenge? I presume Konis has contacted you about it, too."
"It's an En'Shalla Challenge, Governor. I've refused to get involved," said the Guild Master. "As for the child, it's a hybrid, neither Sholan nor Terran. Perhaps it would be for the best if it didn't survive."
Nesul's ears flicked contemptuously. "You want it to die, don't you? It's only the first, Esken, mark my words on this. You won't be so lucky a second or third time. One of them will survive."
"Governor Nesul, I've been given my instructions by Commander Chuz, President of the Forces High Command. The pair were sent to me to have their Talents assessed. They were also to attend the Warrior Guild for the same reason. Now that a situation has occurred when their potential to fight can actually be tested, the female will fight the Challenge. Even if I could interfere, I have been ordered not to."
"Since when did you take orders from the military on a guild matter?" demanded Nesul.
"This has been designated a matter of planetary security," said Esken stiffly. "Every guild is cooperating, including the Brotherhood."
"Then why was I not informed?"
Esken began to smile. "Only those guilds involved needed to know, Governor," he said, his tone silky. "There was no need to involve you before now."
Nesul's anger flipped from hot to deadly cold. "Who made that decision?" he asked quietly. "You, I suppose."
"As the primary guild, it was left to my discretion," he admitted with an air of condescension.
Nesul took a deep breath. "Then I suggest that you prepare some answers for me to give my administrators; otherwise, Esken, I will refer them to you personally!" With that he blanked the screen.
His exchange with Esken had annoyed him more than usual, reminding him yet again that he might be the elected governmental head of Shola, but that a great deal occurred of which he was unaware. He picked up the latest message left by Konis and reread it thoughtfully. Planetbound he might be, but he wasn't the fool that those involved in offworld politics thought him. He could see the wind of change coming as well as the next person, and to his mind it was simple. Either one went with it and thus shaped it, or one opposed it and was trampled in the rush. And cubs born of these Leska pairs were that future.
For too long now the Telepath Guild had dominated politics both on and off world. Telepaths, although few in number, generated uneasiness among those who were unTalented in that direction. Telepaths were vital at every level of society, ensuring the honesty of people in business and civil life, and Leska pairs could communicate instantly with other Telepaths over great distances. The one thing that offset their powerful Talent was their inability to cause pain or to fight. These mixed pairs of fighting telepaths challenged that guild's power by their very existence.
Putting the message down, he scratched his chin thoughtfully. Esken was laying down what amounted to his own private army, setting up a situation for future Guild Masters to have the wherewithal to challenge the elected government. Konis was right, the power of the guild over the mixed Leskas had to be curtailed now, before the other guilds and Clans unquestioningly accepted them as part of Esken's Guild House at Valsgarth.
He started to smile as a plan began to formulate in his mind. The fact that it would coincidentally let him best his old adversary was absolutely irrelevant. Besides, he happened to believe in the sanctity of the family, something that didn't affect Esken since he had chosen to remain childless.

* * *

As soon as Carrie and Kusac had left, Rhyasha went indoors looking for her mate. She found him in his study. "We've got to stop that Challenge," she said, pacing round the room. "There must be something we can do! This should be a time of happiness for them, a time of pride when Kusac can look after her in such a way as to show her how good a father he will be— all the normal things that make up any family's life, be they Keissian or Sholan. Instead, you can cut their fear with a knife!"
"I know, Rhyasha. Do you think I'm insensitive to what they're going through? I feel almost as strong a need to cherish the mother of my granddaughter as my son does! Like him, I'm afraid to do so in case she loses the cub. It would only make her pain worse, especially if the child isn't viable."
"She's viable. You don't think I'd let her go to the guild for a scan without me if I didn't know the outcome, do you? I sensed the cub for the first time today."
Konis frowned up at her, his face a mixture of joy and concern. "You did? Why didn't you tell them? Why let them continue to worry?"
"An hour wasn't going to make much difference and Carrie wouldn't have believed me anyway." She stopped by the desk, turning to look at him. "She's so fragile emotionally, Konis, still so afraid of the cub. She's taken it surprisingly well. I'm sure that only the more imminent fear of the Challenge is keeping her going. If only Taizia and I hadn't suggested it!"
"We've been over that several times, Rhyasha. The suggestion in itself was reasonable, if only Carrie had waited for you to tell her when to do it instead of going along with Taizia's premature enthusiasm. As for stopping the Challenge, I don't know what more to do. The guild won't help. Esken says it must remain a religious matter and he can't interfere. You told me Ghyan approached Rala and he said she refused to either cooperate or obey his orders. Kusac's commanding officer says he's officially on leave and therefore it's a civil matter. Governor Nesul's aides say he's too busy to be disturbed. There's no one left we can contact." His ears were lying backward as he spoke.
"No one wants to get involved! Rala's bent on revenge. I'm sure the only reason this became public knowledge is because Rala herself told Infonet," he finished.
"Then we'll contact them, too, and tell them the truth of the matter!"
"Rhyasha, we can't..."
"Why not?" she demanded leaning imperiously over him. "The Clan knows the truth, why not everyone else? Maybe it'll still this fear of our telepaths bonding with Terrans once and for all. What our son and his mate have done is no mean thing. To win the respect and love of someone who is alien, whose whole background is totally different from their own, is a unique achievement that none but our son and Carrie have attained."
Konis regarded her thoughtfully. "You could be right," he said, the tips of his ears flicking slowly. "What better way to deal with it than to bring the whole issue out into the open so it can't be decided in the darkness of closed rooms. Perhaps if we can win that reporter over, then public pressure can achieve what we can't, a cancellation of the Challenge."
"I'll contact them now. What about Carrie's father? Have you heard any more from him?"
"Nothing. I intend to speak to him again this evening."
"We haven't got long left," she reminded him, "only four days. I'll contact this journalist, Vorkoh, and see what I can arrange."

* * *

As Kusac hurried Carrie along the corridor toward the exit, they passed a group of Terrans on their way to the refectory. While they stood back to let them pass, the hysteria started to rise in her again, coupled with a fear that they could tell she carried an alien child. Almost brutally, Kusac forced her mind into a state of immobility, and while Kaid pushed a path through for them, Meral fended the Terrans off with the excuse that they were late for an appointment.
Once they were safely aloft, Kusac gradually relaxed his mental grip, trying to tell her that they were safely on their way home, but he couldn't reach her. Her mind was locked into an ever tightening spiral of rejection and self-hate that he couldn't even penetrate, let alone break. In desperation he reached out and again took control, aware as he did that he was breaking one of the guild's most sacred taboos— not to control another person mentally.
Her eyes glazed over, then closed as she slumped back against the seat, barely conscious.
Distressed and knowing he was out of his depth, for the first time in many years he reached for his father, asking him for his help. The response was instant.
You've taken the right action. I'll be waiting for you, I can
do nothing from here.

* * *

Though the flight was short, it was one of intense worry for Kusac. She'd seemed to be doing so well. Granted, she hadn't been as enthusiastic about their cub as he would have expected a Sholan female to be, but then the circumstances were very different. Sholan females chose to become mothers, Carrie had not, and most importantly, Carrie wasn't Sholan. Was species isolation the problem? Did she need to talk to another human female? Yet the presence of other humans terrified her. He hadn't realized that her fear of their relationship, or of their cub, was still so strong or went so deep.
Konis was standing in front of the house when they arrived. As soon as the aircar had landed and the door was opened, he jumped in, moving swiftly to take the seat beside Carrie that Kusac had just vacated.
"Release your hold and let me use your Link," Konis said, taking Carrie by the hand.
Obediently, Kusac released her, widening the Link to include his father. Carried stirred but remained unconscious.
She's retreated deep within herself,
said Kusac.
I'm afraid
that if she continues like this, we'll be unable to reach her
at all.
Let me work with her,
said his father, gently pushing back the hair that had fallen over one side of her face.
He reached into her mind, entering the dark cavern where the essential Carrie had retreated. Ignoring the faint flashes of light that signaled the workings of her autonomic functions, he searched for the dim glow that was her, the essence of her being. Eventually he found it within the image of a frightened child hiding in the darkest corner. Mentally he took hold of the child, forcing the contact that she was afraid to give.
You hurt me!
she sent, her physical body flinching.
Leave
me alone! I don't want to be with anyone.
I'm sorry, Carrie, I didn't intend to hurt you. You're home
now,
he sent.
You're among your family. There's no need to
be afraid of us, no need to hide yourself from us like this.
Your child is part of us all, part of our Clan.
No, she's not! She's alien! She should never have been
conceived,
came the fearful denial.
But she was, and she's a gift to you both, someone rare
and precious because she's so different.
The tone was gently persuasive.
She's taken the last scrap of my humanity from me! There's
nothing left, it's all been taken! I'm nothing any more.
You're still human, Carrie, a special human who's carry-
ing the first of a new race. You're a bridge between our people, the only one who understands us both. Your Link to my
son has made it possible for there to be peace between your
world and ours, possible for Keiss to gain its independence.
Because of you, we now have allies to help us protect our
worlds from the Valtegans. We have a lot to thank you for.
No one else could have done all this.
The Terrans don't thank me, they just despise me. They'll
despise me even more when they know about the Sholan cub
I'm carrying!
The cub is yours, too, Carrie. She's half Terran. Once they
understand, the Terrans will be pleased for you, too,
came the reply.
I don't deny that it'll take them longer since the
child doesn't look Terran, but they won't think less of you for
bearing the first of her kind.
You're not alone, Carrie,
sent Kusac, his mental tone a caress.
Vanna's pregnant, too.
This shocked the child-Carrie out of her self-pity. The hand that Konis held stirred and her closed eyelids began to move as her mind began to surface.
Vanna's pregnant?
His father echoed the question.
Kusac nodded.
It seems the females in our Leska links
have no choice over whether or not they conceive. There has
to be a breeding imperative within the Link that's overriding
some of our basic functions.
"This bears thinking about," said his father as he retreated from Carrie's mind, guiding her back to consciousness.
Her eyes opened, gradually focusing on Konis.
"Yes, you're home, back on the estate," he said, continuing to hold her hand encouragingly as he got up from the seat. "Come, my dear, the rest of your family is indoors waiting for you," he said, helping her to her feet.
Carrie flung her arms around Konis, hugging him tightly.
Kusac gave his father a puzzled look just as he sensed the answer from Carrie herself.
You're the first people who've ever accepted me as I am,
she wept.
I didn't realize you even liked me,
she continued, burrowing her head against his robes.
I thought you were
just tolerating me as my father tolerates Kusac.
Konis returned the hug, as stunned as his son that she'd not realized how he and Rhyasha felt about her. He gave her another hug, then released her, wiping her tears away with his thumb while tilting her face so he could look her straight in the eyes.
"Carrie, we see your mind before your outward form. You're precious to me and Rhyasha because our son loves you, and because you are yourself. In time your people will look at strangers the same way, but they're a much younger race than us. Now go to Kusac," he said, "and join us in your home as the wife of the Clan Leader's heir."
He gave her cheek a gentle stroke, then turned to make his way out of the craft, cutting himself out of their Link as he did.
Kusac took her hand, stepping in front of her to help her down from the aircar.
See, your fears are groundless,
he sent, putting his arm around her as they made their way up the steps into the house where his mother waited anxiously.
Rhyasha took Carrie's other hand, drawing her into an embrace.
"Carrie, you mustn't be afraid. We're here to help you. You won't be left to cope alone. You've both brought nothing but honor to our family by your actions. The way you've both faced so many changes not only in your lives, but in your minds and bodies— I know I couldn't have coped so well," she said frankly.
"I haven't coped well," said Carrie, her voice unsteady.
"Yes, you have," said Rhyasha, drawing her toward the central courtyard. "All first-time mothers go through a period of fear and doubt. Believe me, even I experienced it when I carried Kusac. He was an alien presence, something not belonging to my body, not completely of my flesh. It passed, though, as does the initial excitement. Then as you get toward the end of your time, there's just the impatience to be done with it all and actually be able to hold your own cub. Let's leave these males for the moment," she said, her voice fading as the two of them went up the stairway to the floor above, "I know exactly what you need. A little pampering in the form of an herbal bath, followed by a massage. Miosh has a magical touch."
Kusac watched them go, feeling strangely bereft after the intensity of the last couple of hours. His father took him by the arm, urging him along the colonnaded walk to his study. "She'll be fine," he assured Kusac as he closed the door behind them. He indicated a chair for his son, taking the one opposite him.
"You'll need to keep her away from the Terrans until the cub is born," he said. "Among us she feels safe and protected; among the Terrans she fears criticism and censure, even if at the moment it's imagined. After the birth she'll be fine because she'll belong to herself again, a separate entity, not sharing her body."
"Do you doubt her sanity at present?" asked Kusac, fingertips tapping unconsciously on the chair arm as his tail tip flicked.
"Unless she stays here, frankly, yes. How could her father have been so unyielding, so lacking in understanding toward her?"
"The consequences of losing a wife and daughter through taking a chance for a better life," said Kusac. "I can see his point of view, though I don't agree with it."
"You're too generous," growled his father. "I had word from the Alien Relations Council while you were at the guild. They aren't prepared to grant Carrie diplomatic immunity. They argue that because she's life-bonded to you, she's now a Sholan citizen rather than a Terran visitor."
"It's no more than I expected," said Kusac with a sigh. "It looks as if she has no option but to fight the Challenge."
"If you remember, I'm hoping the newly formed Keissian and Sholan Council will prohibit the fight on the grounds that she's still a Keissian subject and as you're the first Leska pair of your kind, Carrie's life and that of your child are more important than the law in this case."
"I assume you haven't heard anything yet."
"Nothing. I plan to contact her father again later today when he's available. I believe we may be lucky since I'd be surprised if the Keissians would want Carrie to be put at any risk at all. However, you know how things move through diplomatic channels— with the greatest resistance."
"I won't build up our hopes, then," said Kusac.
"I think you're wise. Now about Vanna. You said she's pregnant?"
"Yes, by Brynne."
"That's impossibly fast. Even detecting a pregnancy chemically takes longer than a week from the date of conception."
"All I can tell you is that once Brynne told her, I checked and it was obvious."
"So why didn't you know with Carrie?"
"She's not Sholan. I'd be able to tell now that I know what to look for in a human. There were little differences about Vanna, things I can't name. I just knew," he said, shrugging his shoulders.
"How could it have happened so fast?" asked Konis, ears flaring slightly so he picked up every nuance of what his son was saying.
"The call for help that we heard owed its strength to the gestalt that Vanna triggered. She believes that when we've triggered it in the past it's initiated the changes in us. If she's right, then it must have accelerated them to the point where they were fully compatible almost from the first."
"I presume Vanna knew nothing about it."
Kusac's tail flicked. "No, it was a shock to her. If she'd considered it at all, she would have thought it far too soon."
"Well, at least Carrie is no longer unique, which should be a comfort to her. I wonder if the Sholan interpreter from Earth and his human Leska will find themselves compatible so quickly. They're due to arrive within a few days. I issued instructions that they were to be kept from as much stress as possible so as to avoid triggering the gestalt. Dammit! I want to know why, and how, we're losing the breeding capacity of some of our best minds! If this goes on we could end up with no pure Sholan telepaths at all!"
"I think that's unlikely, Father," said Kusac, ears flicking uncomfortably.
Konis grunted, his tail tip rising and falling rhythmically. "We'll see," he said. "That's my worry, not yours. You go and join your mate. Forget about training, take the rest of the day to yourselves, it'll do you both more good in the long run. Go on," he ordered, feeling his son's hesitation, "be a family. Show her how we males feel about the females who choose to bear our cubs. She needs the reassurance. After I've contacted Mr. Hamilton again, I'm going to see Governor Nesul personally. His aides can't put me off so easily when I'm standing there."