fortuneswheel (72 page)

* * *

"You've checked that the Protectorate's got the estate perimeter and the entrance covered?" Kaid asked T'Chebbi.
"Checked, and we've got the eastern coastline covered," she said. "Everyone is in position and knows what to do."
He turned to Rulla and Dzaka. All four of them now wore the Brotherhood grays to identify themselves immediately as the inner guard. "We're only waiting for Garras, and he's on his way."
He looked up at the roof of the house where a couple of snipers were strategically placed. He activated his throat communicator. "Position Delta. Confirm visibility and reception."
"Confirmed, Alpha."
Still looking at the front of the house, Kaid addressed the little group behind him.
"T'Chebbi, I want you with Meral at the edge of the circle. You'd better get into position now."
"Aye, sir," she said, walking away from them.
"Rulla, Dzaka, you'll be on the hundred meter mark, facing the house. Garras and I will be beyond you, covering the area between there and the treeline. I don't need to tell you what to look for, do I? If in doubt, shoot first. We can sort it out afterward." He turned round, his gaze pinning Dzaka for a long moment. "Positions, then. Keep an eye out behind you as well until Garras and I take up our positions."
"Are you sure you want me that close to them?" asked Dzaka.
"Only people I trust are in the immediate vicinity of the Challenge circle," said Kaid. "Trust, Dzaka." Once again he gave him an uncompromising look before turning and walking away toward the house.

* * *

Carrie paced around the kitchen, unable to relax.
"Eat something," urged Kusac, trying to follow his own advice though the food tasted like sawdust in his mouth.
"I can't," she snapped. "I feel like I'd throw up if I tried."
"Then leave the eggs and meat. Have some bread at least. You can't fight on an empty stomach."
"Cub, you must have something," said his mother, fetching a container from the cupboard. She opened it and offered her one of the ubiquitous energy biscuits that were always plentiful in telepaths' houses.
Reluctantly she accepted one, taking a small bite.
Kusac handed her the mug of coffee, grasping her by the hand and pulling her down onto the bench at his side.
"Now sit still for a moment," he said. "You'll be worn out before you begin."
She took a larger bite, and a drink. "Taizia says there'll be other people there. I didn't realize we'd have an audience."
Kusac glanced at his mother.
"We've insisted on the minimum number of people necessary to satisfy the legal requirements," said his mother soothingly, coming to sit on Carrie's other side. "Kusac will be there, of course, and his father to act as judge in the matter. Rala will be accompanied by her older brother and two Warriors. T'Chebbi and Meral will represent us."
"Why the Warriors?"
"To make sure neither Kusac, nor Rala's brother, interferes, and to judge when the first blood is drawn. Then it will all be over," she said, patting Carrie's hand.
"Is there any chance it will be canceled?" asked Taizia from her corner of the table.
Kusac shook his head, looking at his wrist unit. "There's not enough time left now for that."
Kitra came rushing in. "Your friend Vanna is here," she announced as Vanna, Garras, and Chena followed her into the room.
Kusac's mother got up to greet them. "You've time for some c'shar?" she asked, ushering them to the table.
Vanna checked the time. "We should have," she said, sitting down beside Taizia.
Carrie got up and began pacing again. "I can't stand the waiting," she muttered.
Kusac rose and went over to her. She evaded him, walking over to the window.
"There's another craft arriving," she said. "It feels like Rala."
"They'll call us when they're ready," said Kusac soothingly as he followed her, only too aware of how nervous and jumpy she was.
A few minutes later, his father came in. "Taizia, I've got a job for you."
His daughter looked up unhappily.
"I need you to stay in the study by the comm in case a message arrives from Keiss. If it does, you're to bring it to me immediately."
"Yes, Father," she said.
If it hadn't been for me, she
wouldn't have Challenged Rala. This is all my fault,
she sent on their private wavelength.
Tazia, we've been all through this before,
sent Konis.
You
weren't to know the Challenge wasn't necessary. It's no one's
fault.
Kitra grinned from ear to ear. "Good! I can watch the fight."
"You will be keeping your sister company," her father said sternly.
"But, Father!"
"No arguments. You stay with Taizia. Off you-both go."
He noticed Vanna and her two companions and nodded cordially to them. "I think it's time for you to join the others outside now, Vanna."
As they left, Kusac moved away from the window, still following Carrie.
"They're not ready for you yet," Konis said to his son. "I'd like to speak to you both first," he continued.
Once the room was empty except for his wife, he put his hands on Carrie's shoulders. "Whatever happens today, remember that we love you as our daughter. No one blames you for Challenging Rala. The idea in itself was a good one, it's just a damned shame all this is so unnecessary now. Forget us, forget Kusac, forget everything but the fight. Don't let yourself be distracted by anything. You will win, I'm sure of it," he said, hugging her.
She returned the hug and he released her, turning to his son and putting a hand on his shoulder.
May Vartra and all the gods be with you,
he sent, the message aimed only at Kusac.
Kusac put his hand up and squeezed his father's arm affectionately, unable to say anything. Then, taking Carrie by the hand, they went outside to be met by Kaid and Garras carrying the weapons.
Kaid looked Carrie up and down with approval. "You remembered," he said, pointing to her loose-fitting, sandcolored trousers and shirt. "With those on, you'll present the minimum target possible. I would fasten your jerkin, though," he warned, leading the way round to the combat circle at the front of the house.
"She'll do fine, lad," said Garras, touching Kusac briefly on the arm. "Don't worry."
"I'll try not to," he said.
Carrie stopped when she saw the knot of people, panic flooding through her.
I can't do it, Kusac,
she sent.
He sensed her fear and put his arm around her, pulling her forward with him.
Yes, you can,
he replied.
Rala turned round and saw them. As she caught sight of their bracelets, they felt her hate like a physical blow.
I know
you can hear me, Terran. By the end of this fight, he'll be
mine again!
"The bitch, she's sending to me!" Carrie muttered, pushing Kaid aside as she picked up more thoughts pertaining to her alienness and corruption of Kusac.
Kaid held her back.
"Patience," he said. "Remember what we've taught you. Keep your emotions out of the arena. The first to lose her self-control will lose the fight. Remember that and you'll do all right." His fingers touched her cheek fleetingly, then were gone.
Once again she heard the quiet voice in her mind, this time wishing her luck.
Kaid beckoned Meral over. "I'll leave you with Meral for now," he said. "I have to see to security. We don't want any journalists here, do we?" He hoped she'd forgotten the second killer was still at large.
Meral stood back a little from them, giving them a last moment of privacy. T'Chebbi was already standing beside Rala and her brother while Rala's two Warriors waited for Kusac.
Kusac pulled Carrie around to face him and began to lace up her leather jerkin, the only form of body protection the combatants were allowed.
"Shield yourself fully from her," he said. "Don't let her use her hate to distract you. Stay calm and think of it as a practice with Kaid or Meral."
Carrie could feel Rala's anger mounting because of Kusac's obvious partisanship. She risked a glance round Kusac's shoulder at the Sholan female. Rala's face was contorted in fury. Her ears were flat, and at her sides her hands clenched into fists as the hair rose on her neck and shoulders. Her tail swayed like an independent entity, bushing out to twice its normal size.
Enjoy it while you can, Terran, because it's the last time
he'll touch you!
came the vitriolic thought before Rala pointedly turned her back on them.
He'll be mine five minutes
from now!
Ignore her,
Kusac sent as he reached the top of the jerkin and tied off the cord, tucking the ends safely away before looking at her. His arms went round her and he held her close, almost crushing the breath from her. His mouth found hers in his equivalent of a kiss.
Remember you are as pre-
cious as life to me. Do whatever it takes to win.
He released her reluctantly, going over to Rala's warriors and her brother.
She watched him walk away, suddenly realizing that in this crowd of furred Sholans, she was the only human. She began to panic as she rubbed her hands together. They felt strange to her, lacking a covering of fur. Her thoughts began to fragment into his/her reactions, then Meral came up to her with the weapons.
With an effort, she forced back the panic and tried to focus on the task ahead of her. Her errant thoughts wandered again, this time worrying how Kusac would react if she did lose the child. Instinctively, she tugged at the jerkin, easing its fit across her stomach.
You are the important one,
was the fierce reply as he turned to look at her.
Meral handed her the shield, his presence pulling her back to the moment. "You're winning already," he said quietly. "Look at her. She's hyping herself up with anger. She's going to make mistakes. Don't worry." He helped her fasten the shield on and handed her the short sword.
She balanced it in her hand, giving it a quick spin to loosen her wrist. It was a vicious weapon, resembling a reversed claw. The spine of the blade went from a T-section near the enclosed handle to a diamond shape at the tip, with a secondary cutting edge on the upper surface. The blade extended along the base of the grip, again with a razor sharp edge to it.
No delaying it any more, she thought, stepping onto the sand. She waited for Rala, realizing that most of the fear had gone now that the adrenaline was beginning to take over. Similarly equipped, Rala stepped into the circle.
Carrie remembered what Kaid had said. "Don't see her as a person, see her as an obstacle between you and your Leska."
Carrie moved nearer the center, crouching down and watching her opponent. At a signal from Kusac's father, Rala took a guard position and began to pace around her.

The stone was really beginning to hurt now, its jagged edges cutting into his hip. It was no good, he had to move. Everyone's attention was focused on the combat circle anyway; he was unlikely to be seen. Cautiously, Chyad eased his stomach and hips upward, shifting his legs a few precious centimeters to the right. His movements disturbed the bird that had been perched in the bush. Shrieking and scolding, it fluttered angrily up through the branches above him and flew off.
Chyad's head sank back down on his forearms as he cursed quietly to himself, waiting for the inevitable. Nothing, not a sound. They'd not noticed. He began to breathe again. He raised his head, looking out through the foliage. No chance for a clean shot yet, everyone was milling around.
There was the male from the
Khalossa,
their bodyguard. So, he was one of the Brotherhood, was he? So much the better. He'd stick to his original plan and take one of them out during the fight when perhaps his shot would go unnoticed. His revenge against him would be even sweeter. He'd have to live with knowing that he'd been beaten by an ordinary Forces male.
Now that the damned bird had gone, he could move a little more freely. He reached down and scratched at a halfhealed thorn cut on his leg. He'd been here for the last week, living rough off the land out by the ruined temple until a couple of nights ago. Knowing they'd step up the security in the days before the Challenge, he'd managed to find himself a lair in the middle of this thornbush. It was an ideal location for what he had in mind. Thumbing the power on, he lay there, cradling his pulse rifle, watching, ready to spin the wheel of fortune one final time.

* * *

Kaid turned his back on the circle, walking the couple of hundred meters toward Garras. There he had not only an uninterrupted view of the combat, but also of the cleared area around them.
"Everyone's in position," said Garras quietly. "Anything moves, we'll see it, and they've got instructions to shoot down any autovids."
Kaid nodded, grateful for his friend's presence. Garras' ability to follow his thoughts was even more invaluable now.
"Was it wise to place Dzaka so close?"
"I've snipers on the roof. One way or another, I find out today if I can trust him." Kaid's voice was bleak. He thumbed the communicator clipped at the base of his throat. "All units, report in."
The males and females he'd requested from Ghezu reported in one by one. There were ten in all, scattered throughout the grounds and at the entrances to the estate. His people were taking no chances with the renegade male from the
Khalossa
still at large.

* * *

Carrie turned to keep Rala in sight, allowing the other to do the work while assessing her movements. The Sholan seemed to have poor shield control, as if she disliked it or had spent more time learning to use the sword.
Deciding she couldn't tempt the human into attacking, Rala suddenly rushed toward her, sword raised, aiming for her head.
Carrie blocked using her shield, pushing the Sholan back while cutting with her blade to Rala's left side. It bounced off the other's shield and she pulled back to feint at Rala's right, changing direction at the last minute for a shoulder level blow. Rala turned just in time, managing to take it on her sword. Using her greater strength, she pushed Carrie's blade aside, ramming her in the stomach with her own shield.
Staggering back, Carrie recovered her balance, managing to get her weapons up in time to block the flurry of blows Rala rained about her upper body. As Kaid had warned, she was having to work hard just to defend herself. Waiting for a chance, she shoulder-charged the female backward, rushing in to punch Rala's shield aside while the other was still off balance. It gave Carrie the opening she needed and with a single cut to Rala's side, she had taken first blood.
Rala looked at the rent in her jerkin, seeing the blood beginning to seep out. Going down in a crouch, her face contorted by hate, she moved closer to Carrie as Kusac's father turned to the watching Warriors, waiting for them to declare First Blood.
"If I can't have him, then neither will you," she growled. "You may be a telepath, but you're not Sholan! I call the Blood Rite on you!"
Oh, God,
thought Carrie, an icy wash of fear running through her,
not that, not the death Challenge!
As Rala ran toward her, Kusac moved forward, only to be grabbed by one of the Warriors.
"No!" he yelled, sheer terror in his voice. "Stop her!"
He turned on the Warrior, trying to pull free, but was firmly grasped from the other side as well. Caught between the two, he was unable to move. He felt the gestalt snap into being and hadn't the time to even curse before he saw Carrie stagger backward under its power.
Meral and T'Chebbi stood frozen, unable to intervene for fear of distracting Carrie. Then it was too late.
Rala's cut to her thigh went home, leaving a long slash that began to bleed instantly. The shock jerked Carrie back into control of herself just as Rala, seeing her standing wide open, lunged forward with a stab aimed at her heart.
There wasn't time to block, only to avoid. Carrie turned, taking the blade in the upper arm. It sliced into the tricep muscle, tearing the flesh as it was ripped free.