Rediscovery (31 page)

“Your apologies are accepted, young Hastur,” he said. “Truly, it is often said in these mountains that ‘If stupidity were a crime, half the human race would be hanged at every crossroads.’ And I will be the first to tell you that I have earned such a fate twenty or thirty times over in my lifetime.”

“What, Kermiac?” asked an old man who stood just behind him, dryly, “Only

thirty?”

That brought a laugh, if only a nervous one, and the tension in the atmosphere

eased, then drained completely away as Kermiac joined the laughter.

Aldaran shook his head and clapped the old man on the back. “You have seen me

eat the fruit of my own folly far too often for me to dispute you, old friend,” he said. “Be welcome, then, Lorill Hastur. This is the season when one should forgive, or so the
cristoforos
would tell us. Let us begin our acquaintance again.”

At that, the postures of everyone in the room relaxed; servants came to take the newcomers’ capes, and the music and dancing resumed. Lorill spent some time speaking with Lady Aldaran and Felicia, leaving both of them smiling with comments Ysaye

could not hear, then he made his way across the room to where the Terrans stood

clustered by the refreshment table. He seemed very relieved to find them here, as well he might be, Ysaye supposed. They gave him a set of “neutral” acquaintances with whom he could speak without worrying about hierarchy or offense.

He greeted the Terrans, slowly and carefully, and smiled with delight when David replied in
casta.
They spoke for a moment, and Ysaye let her mind relax so that she could follow the conversation by picking up Lorill’s thoughts. After a few commonplace comments about the weather between here and his home, and the difficulty of the

journey, David asked how Lorill’s people had taken the news of the Terrans’ arrival.

“Well, I suppose you must know that your arrival has set all astir in the Domains,”

the young man told David. “It will be worse when spring comes, and all those remote from Thendara and out of reach of the Towers learn what has come to pass.”

“I suppose it would have to,” David replied. “The influx of metal tools alone has probably upset the local balance of trade—or will when spring comes and trade starts up again, and those tools end up down in your land.”

“Indeed,” Lorill told him, “And it is those tools and the things you gave me alone that have convinced some of the members of the Comyn Council that you are not some kind of fable, something created by Lord Aldaran to confound us—or creatures from beyond the Wall Around the World. Some of your small gifts to me were things that only too clearly could not have come from any source on our world. Now they are arguing about further contact with you. Some say that you should not stay here—that in fact, we should avoid you star folk at all costs. Your coming represents too much threat to our way of life.”

Ysaye nodded to herself; she could understand that. She wondered if she should

tell Lorill about some of the none-too-subtle requests that Kermiac had made for weaponry. But— no, that would only increase the strain, and since the Terrans had no intention of granting any of those requests, it would make no difference anyway. The

“Restricted” status of Darkover meant that there would be an Empire ship stationed at the hyperspatial exit point at all times, and any incoming ships would have to pass inspection before they were allowed to land—then pass a second inspection of cargo off-loaded. There would likely be some smuggling, but nothing larger than a hand weapon would ever get through. And how could a few hand weapons make any difference, even to a culture this primitive?

“I can see that,” David replied. “But if anyone asks your opinion, you might point out that we are already here, and already an influence. They aren’t going to keep the influence out; they’d be better off trying to control it in other ways. We’ll cooperate if we can, but we can’t cooperate if we can’t participate. Try to shut us out, and you’ll only end up with problems we can’t help to control because you won’t let us help with controlling them.”

Lorill nodded as if he agreed. “That, if they ask me, is precisely what I hoped you would say. I will tell them if I get the chance. But,” he shrugged, “they must have their arguments first, and dance the political dance as always before they will be ready to hear anything new. While that happens, my father thought I should come here, and mend what I inadvertently marred. You see me, David, a sadder and wiser man.”

He smiled weakly. David chuckled. “You have my sympathy. I did something just

about as stupid when I was your age, and my maiden aunt let me have it right between the eyes. In public. And then my
grandmother
took up where she left off.”

Lorill shuddered. “I had rather face armed and enraged Dry Towners,” he vowed,

“than elderly ladies with sharp tongues and the right on their side. The Keeper of Dalereuth was one such as your grandmother, I imagine. I wonder I have any skin left.”

Ysaye kept her mouth shut as David commiserated. Personally, she felt that

whatever Lorill had endured, he’d deserved. The young man’s attitude toward Kermiac’s sister had been too cavalier, and he had been, she thought, quite arrogant in his assurance that there was no way that Kermiac could hold him to account for his actions.

Evidently he had learned better.

After a while, the conversation turned to more neutral subjects. Lorill and David exchanged a few more pleasantries, and then the young Hastur lord turned to Ysaye, who had been feeling rather invisible. She had wondered if either Lorill or David had even remembered that she was there.

“So, lady,” he asked, with a nod of his bright head, “have you learned our tongue yet?”

She shook her head.
Not very well,
she replied, in thought, since she knew that he would “hear” her.

“Ah,” he said, and then continued mind-to-mind.
Shall we go a little apart then,
so that people have the impression that we are speaking aloud? I sense that you are not
comfortable with the notion that your fellow star folk know we can speak this way.

“I should like to practice on you,” she said openly, in fumbling and awkward

Darkovan, “If you do not mind.” And answered him,
That would make me feel a little
better, if you would. You are right. There are those among my superiors who think that
we who claim to speak this way are trying to practice some deception on them.

Deceiving them, or yourselves?
he asked wryly.

Both. Elizabeth
—
some folk think she is
—
unstable.
Ysaye was unable to come up with an adequate description of the attitude of those of the crew who still thought Elizabeth’s claims of telepathic contact were either the words of a fool or a charlatan.

Fortunately Lorill seemed to understand.

In the country of the blind, the man who can see will be thought mad,
he offered.

Come, let us go a little apart.

Graciously, he took her arm and led her to an alcove, near enough to the

musicians to be in full view of everyone—and so, by local standards, within the bounds of propriety—but shadowed enough that no one would be able to tell that their lips weren’t moving. Ysaye wondered what he wanted. He had certainly been eager enough to get her to himself!

By your leave, lady,
he said.
I
hope you will indulge me in this, but I have been
most strictly charged by my sister to ask you several hundred questions.
His expression was wry.
I
have told her all I can of you star folk, and it is you by whom she is the most
fascinated. My sister is very strong-willed, and even my father thinks twice before
denying her!

Ysaye chuckled.
I
think most sisters are that way,
she told him.
Ask what you
wish.

After all, this could do no harm—and might do a great deal of good. If indulging Lorill’s sister’s questions would crack open the barriers to the rest of this planet, Ysaye would answer them until even Lorill was tired of talking.

Elizabeth had held her breath with the rest when Lorill Hastur put in his

appearance, and had sighed with relief when Kermiac Aldaran accepted his gifts and his apologies. She scarcely noticed that Ryan Evans had appeared at her elbow until the man spoke up.

“Well, there’s a little border war neatly averted,” he said, startling her.

She jumped. “What?” she said, willing her heart down out of her throat. “What do you mean?”

Evans shrugged. “Well, the boy basically left here with a lot of bad feeling

following him. He insulted Kermiac’s sister, and that just isn’t done here. By ‘insulted,’ I mean that he managed to cast aspersions on the girl’s honor. Aldaran could have used his behavior as an excuse to declare war on the rest of the Domains; I gather it’s been done before, more than once. This little pocket kingdom and the rest of them have some grievances of long standing, something I doubt Kermiac bothered to tell any of the rest of you. Kadarin was a lot more forthcoming—at least with me.”

Elizabeth’s eyes went back to Aldaran, who was talking with one of Lorrill’s

entourage as if there had never been anything other than cordial feelings between himself and the young Hastur. “Is that why he was hinting he’d like weapons from us?”

she asked.

“Could be,” Ryan replied carelessly. “He won’t get them, though. I’m one of the

biggest libertarians in the world, but even
I
don’t believe in putting weapons of mass destruction into the hands of primitives. Anyway, that’s academic; the boy made a nice apology, it’s been accepted, and everything’s peaches and cream again.”

“One hopes so anyway,” Elizabeth said, a little doubtfully. “At least until that youngster puts his foot in his mouth again…”

“He won’t,” Evans said positively. “I learned a few things from Kadarin out there.

He couldn’t exactly explain what these ‘Keepers’ are, but they have a lot of power. If one of them and his father put the fear of god into the kid, he’s not likely to mess up again. Look, he’s paying no attention to the local women at all; he’s gone straight for Ysaye. Aldaran isn’t going to fret about the reputation of one of
our
women, not for a minute.”

“I suppose you’re right,” she sighed. Evans was going out of his way to be

charming, she noticed; perhaps as a kind of tacit apology for his near-argument about drugs earlier.

“Oh, Kadarin taught me a fair bit about the local cultural mores around here,” he said. “I’m probably better versed than most of us, now, since he made me live by them.”

“Really?” That got her interest. “David and I have gotten permission for a field trip together. I’m horribly afraid that I’m going to make some kind of dreadful error.”

Evans laughed, but it didn’t sound like his usual sarcastic tone. “Why, Elizabeth

—if I didn’t know you better, I’d say that sounded like a plea for help!”

“Well,” she admitted reluctantly, “it is, actually.”

He seemed to think things over for a moment, then nodded. “Look, I’ll tell you

what—I’d rather not talk here, because you can’t tell who of these natives has managed to pick up enough Terran Standard to get offended by something I say. Why don’t you come meet me somewhere in about fifteen minutes? You can ask me all the questions you want then.”

Elizabeth hesitated. There was something about him that made her a little uneasy

—and why couldn’t this be done during working hours?

Then she chided herself. This was David’s friend! There was no reason to think of him as some kind of a—a threat. And during working hours, they were both busy; this might be the only chance they’d get to discuss things uninterrupted.

“Where?” she asked.

“Oh—someplace quiet,” he replied casually. “Somewhere neutral. Hmm—your

house is too far away, and so is the ship. How about—how about my greenhouse? You know where it is, don’t you? In the Science building? I left some experiments running—

native plants I was trying to grow, and I haven’t had a chance to check on them. We can talk while I look them over.”

She could have chuckled with relief; obviously she had misread him. If he were

intending something improper, surely the last place he’d choose for it would be his greenhouse in the lab complex!

“It sounds perfect,” she said. “Thanks, Ryan. I don’t know how I’ll ever manage

to repay you.”

He grinned. “Oh, don’t worry, I’ll think of something you can do,” he said, and

turned to head for the door.

She tried to find David in the fifteen minutes Evans had stipulated, to tell him where she was going, but her husband had vanished somewhere.

Finally she ran into Jessica Duval who at least knew who he was with. “That

Kadarin fellow showed up,” she replied, in answer to Elizabeth’s question, “And David went off with him.” She wrinkled her perfect nose a little in distaste. “I can’t imagine why; that man gives me the shivers.”

“Well, would you tell him I’ve gone off to look at some of Ryan’s new plants if he comes looking for me?” she said, exasperated by David’s disappearance. “Honestly, every time I want him, he’s gone and wandered off and stays away for hours.”

Jessica just laughed. “You knew what he was like when you married him, Liz,”

she replied. “Oh, I’ll tell him, but you’ll probably see him before I do.”

“Probably,” Elizabeth sighed. Well, she had tried.

No one seemed to be paying any attention to her, and it didn’t look as if anyone in particular was going to miss her, so she slipped out without bothering to tell anyone else where she was going, collecting her coat from one of the servants and stepping out into the snowstorm.

Fortunately, it wasn’t all that far a walk to the Science building once she got to the Caer Donn complex. And the computerized Directory at the front entrance told her exactly where Ryan Evans’ labs were, even though she had never been in that part of the building before. He had a set of labs on the top floor.