Stardancer (Tellaran Series) (18 page)

Aidar shifted on the bed to brush a kiss against her hair. “It is better the Az-kye way. Tellaran courting takes too long.”

Kinara smiled. “What do you know about how Tellarans court?”

He smiled back wryly, his fingers tracing the skin of her back. “Too little, since I could not woo you thus.”

She shook her head. “What are you talking about? You never tried to court me.”

“I did!” he exclaimed, affronted. “I did dancing, the walking and the—”

“Poetry!”

At the chagrin in his dark eyes she burst out laughing.

He shifted his weight. “I did only what is Tellaran custom.”

“Oh, Aidar,” she breathed. “I’m laughing because I was trying to court you the Az-kye way.”

His brow furrowed. 

“Oh, come on! I couldn’t have done so badly that you didn’t even
notice
I was trying to seduce you.”

He blinked. “This is so?”

“Of course.” She couldn’t have done
that
badly. “What did you think? That I always sit around with my top open hoping someone will warm me up?”

His eyes were velvet soft. “I did not think you were wanting me to warm you,
Cy’atta
.”

She traced the line of his jaw. “Well, then I guess I need more practice.”

A grin spread across his face and he bent to kiss her. She wrapped her arms around him, her fingers threading through the gold of his hair as his mouth found hers.

Kinara dunked Aidar’s head under the water and laughed as he came up sputtering. “I had a sercat once who got caught outside in a rainstorm. You look a lot like him right now.”

Aidar pushed the hair away from his face and caught her against him. “I do not know ‘sercat’ but I think it is not pleasing to be compared to one like this.”

“You’re right.” She studied him for a moment. “More like a wet yentath, I think.”

She squealed when he pretended to bite at her. “This I
know
is not pleasing,
Cy’atta
. And yentath do not have hair this color.”

“Oh?  What color are they?”

“Do you think to distract me?” His body slid against hers in the water and his voice was husky. “I am already well distracted, my mate.”

“Mmm, that’s nice,” she said, a little breathless now that his lips were against her neck. She ran her fingers through his wet hair. “How
did
you get hair this color? Az-kye almost never have hair this light.”

He lifted his head to look at her with amused exasperation. “This you must know now?”

“I was just wondering if maybe one of your ancestors was Tel—uh . . .” she trailed off under his glare.

“Was
what
?” he growled.

“Nothing,” she said, her voice thick as she pulled away. “Never mind.”

She got out of the pool, dried quickly, and threw a robe around her shoulders.

Kinara pulled her wet hair out from the collar of her robe as he got out of the water and wrapped himself in a towel.

She suddenly had a heart-wrenching thought. “Aidar, if we had a child, he couldn’t admit to being half Tellaran, could he?”

He blinked. “Are you—?”

“No,” she said quickly. “But if . . . he wouldn’t—he
couldn’t—
could he? Like my parents, all my ancestors weren’t worth acknowledging, right?”

His brow creased. “You are Az-kye. Our child would be too.”

“And that child could never meet my father, could he?” she continued. “My uncles, aunts, cousins? Even if he did, he’d have to look right through them because he’d be shamed if he acknowledged them, right? That’s what you’d expect of me if I saw my family too, right?”

Aidar looked away. “Such will never happen. Az-kye cannot go into Tellaran space. Your—
Tellarans
—will not come here.”

She closed her eyes briefly. “Aidar, everyone knows that some Az-kye merchants trade with Tellarans on the sly. Clearly they’re getting in and out of Tellaran space so I could, I mean maybe once everyone’s home and I have the clan leader thing under control, I could . . . you know, visit.”

His head snapped back. “What?”

“Visit.” She shifted her feet. “Go home for a little while.”

He stared. “What is this you say?”

She threw her arms wide. “Look, I just don’t see why I couldn’t go home once in a while. I’d come back!”

He blanched. “This is what you think of? This is why you study so diligently? To set things so you may
leave
?”

“I just don’t see why a visit should be out of the—”

He pushed past.

“Aidar!” He didn’t even slow down. “Damn it!”

The women were already coming in to their apartments. Their friendly chatter stopped as soon as they saw her. Only Laric smiled in greeting as they approached. 

Kinara lifted her chin.
We’ll see about that.

“Metha,” Kinara said, addressing the woman whose standing was the next highest. “Do you come from a funeral that you frown in my presence so?”

Metha looked startled. “No, my lady.”

“Do you find it chilly in here, Laric?” Kinara asked.

Laric bowed her head. “It is even as my lady says.”

“Metha, build up the fire,” Kinara said.

Metha drew herself upright. “My lady—!”

“Shall I send you back home and choose another to attend me, Metha?” Kinara asked coldly.

“No, my lady!”

Her face flushed and Metha hurried to perform her task. 

Okay, one down, forty billion Az-kye to go. 

Kinara held her arms out for Nathe to take her robe.
 

Kinara ordered a full honor guard and selected six of her women to accompany her to the Az’quen estate. Theirs was nearly as old a clan as the Az’anti and the Az’quen’s heiress, Unata, was in residence at their townhouse now. It was with her that Kinara decided to start her venture into Az-kye society. 

One of the heiress’ maids led her into the garden and Laric whispered the identity of the girl seated with Unata. 

Right, Lianna of talking-to-Tellarans fame.
Kinara smiled inwardly. 
I’m going to make myself a friend today.
 

It was easy to tell who was who. Unata’s dress was more elaborate, she was both plumper and older than the other girl, and she had a smug look about her. Lianna instantly got to her feet but Unata remained seated, a tight smile on her face.

Kinara smiled warmly at Lianna, raising an eyebrow when she turned to Unata. It took several moments for Unata to realize that Kinara was not going to blunder into allowing her to sit while she greeted her. Kinara remained unmoving, looking down at Unata until the woman climbed to her feet.

“I see Az’quen manners are as flawless as I’ve heard,” Kinara said icily.

“I did not expect your visit,” Unata said with a smile that did not touch her eyes. “My lady has not graced us so before.”

Kinara sat in the shade of a blooming tree. She waved her colorful fan before her face in the slow way that indicated boredom. “Yes, well, I’m sure you will discover why I have been so neglectful of social visits when you take a bound mate of your own.” 

Unata’s face went red. Laric’s information about the girl’s unsuccessful bid for a handsome son of the Nin clan was dead on. Unata sat and Lianna paused for a moment before retaking her own seat.

Kinara took her time choosing among the sugared fruits and candies the servants offered. She sipped a bit of white tea then handed her cup to Laric. “But I am not the only one visiting these days.”

Lianna had the wild-eyed look of an animal caught in a trap. “I was merely curious about the Tellarans, my lady.”

Kinara smiled warmly. “And why shouldn’t you be? It’s natural to be curious about new things.” Kinara looked at the Az’quen heiress. “Don’t you agree, Unata?”

Unata shrugged, her beady eyes hooded. “If curiosity stays within
acceptable
behavior.”

Kinara nodded. “Of course, one wouldn’t wish to pry where one is unwelcome.”

Unata shot a glance at Nathe.

Kinara saw her maid shift her weight.
Well, I know whom she’s really working for now. 

“But,” Unata said, “there is much difference between curiosity and looking a fool.”

The teacup rattled in Lianna’s hand.

Kinara tilted her head. “Don’t you agree, Unata, that our duty to the Az-kye must be first, even if it sometimes means stepping beyond convention?”

Unata gave a tight smile. “To be certain the duty of all
Az-kye
is to her people.”

“Absolutely,” Kinara replied sweetly. “And curiosity can lead us to wonderful discoveries. There must be among us some brave enough if
our
people are to flourish, don’t you think?”

Kinara held the girl’s gaze.
Oh, go ahead, Unata, out and out say I’m not Az-kye. I’ll storm out of here offended and you can look forward to explaining to your mother why you showed a guest such appallingly bad manners.

Unata nodded stiffly.

“It pleases me that you and I are of the same mind in this.” Kinara stood. “I shall mention
your
opinion to Tana of the Az’vah when I visit her today.”

Unata’s eyes narrowed and she suddenly bore a startling resemblance to an Utavian desert serpent. 

I better never give her a chance to strike back. Her venom is likely deadlier than the snake’s.

“Are you going to see her now?” Lianna asked, rising. “May I accompany you?”

Unata made a sound like a choked growl. Lianna’s abandonment made it clear the scales were about to tip out of her favor. 

Kinara bent her head graciously. “It would please me if you would.”

Unata nearly spat the ritual words of goodbye at the house gate and Kinara breathed a sigh of relief to be away from her. She waved the litter away and walked beside Lianna instead, their jewels and silks sparkling in the sun. Followed by Kinara’s maids, her guards and two of Lianna’s own guards
and
the elaborate litter, they made quite a colorful parade.

Suddenly Kinara remembered running through the corridors of the
Ty’pran
, unescorted, barefoot, her hair hanging free and dressed only in a bathrobe.

Stars, Aidar must have been appalled.

She made no other friends that afternoon but neither did she make any other enemies. By the end of the day, Kinara was satisfied Lianna’s reputation had been repaired, and that she would tell her mother who had come to her rescue.

Kinara studied the girl as she walked Lianna back to her family’s townhouse. She was tiny, a graceful and delicate looking young woman, and couldn’t be more than nineteen. Quite pretty too, her Az-kye dark eyes fringed with long lashes and she had a shy, sweet manner to her. 

Kinara waved the women back a bit so they wouldn’t be overheard and asked quietly, “Why did you try to talk to the Tellarans?”

Lianna hesitated. “Just the one, my lady.” 

“Which one, Lianna? Do you know his name?”

“Oh, I know they do not have names,” the girl mumbled then rushed on. “He has brown hair like one of us but eyes as green as aratite jewels and he is so different from—from—”

Lianna’s cheeks were very pink, and Kinara smiled encouragingly.  “Warriors can be pretty forbidding.”

“Yes! They never smile and all they care about is acting like warriors.” Her voice dropped to a whisper again. “I think it is very silly.”

Kinara laughed. “So tell me more about this Tellaran.”

“When I spoke to he smiled at me and he is very handsome.”  Lianna blushed again.  “When I go to see him now—”

“You
still
go to see him? I mean, if I went with you, maybe between us we could figure out his name.”

Lianna’s eyes widened. “I go when everyone is at the evening meal. I have to wait until your mate has brought him back, but then—”

Kinara’s stomach clenched. “Aidar takes this man out?”

“Yes, every day.”

“Why?” Kinara demanded. “When the man is brought back how does he look? Is he—is he hurt?”

“Oh, no. He looks . . .” Lianna paused, considering. “He looks very amused.”

I did only what is Tellaran custom. 

Kinara covered her smile with her hand. He’d been trying to woo her in the Tellaran way, and how else could he have learned of it except from a Tellaran!