Plague of Memory (21 page)

His hand spanned my jaw and tilted my face back so that he looked into my eyes.
She would never have offered herself like this to me. She reserved her passion for her work and her patients.

Suddenly I understood.
But you wished her to. You wanted her to need you as much as you needed her. Yes, I did. So you see, you have given me what she never could.
He bent his head down and kissed me.

196 S. L. Viehl

As I felt the mind-bond melt away, I wondered if this passion between us would be enough.

"Mama?"

I looked over to see Marel looking in on us. Beside her was CaurVar, TssVar's youngest child. "Marel, where did you find this male?"

"Hiding," my daughter said. "CaurVar didn't want to get sick so he got off his daddy's launch when no one was looking in the launch bay." She placed her small hand in the Hsktskt boy's claws. "I found him and hid with him for a while but now we're hungry and tired. Can he stay in my room, Mama?"

ELEVEN

Explaining to Marel that the Hsktskt chief peace negotiator's son could not share her sleeping chamber was a simple matter. I said "No" and that was the end of it. I then busied myself making a meal for the children, which in CaurVar's case required cross-referencing the menu database for reptilian fare.

Returning the young Hsktskt to his family on Vtaga proved to be much more difficult.

"There may be accusations of abduction made," Xonea said as he came to our quarters to discuss the situation. "The Hsktskt have a large planetary defense fleet in readiness in orbit, and their flight patterns are altering as I speak. We have attempted to signal the surface, but our relays are being jammed."

"SubAkade TssVar was already offended by the Senior Healer's remarks to his daughter," my husband said. "When he discovered his son missing, he made an inevitable if erroneous conclusion."

Xonea frowned. "What sort of remarks did Squilyp make?" "He threatened to sell the boy into slavery," I said, "or to cook and devour him as his next meal." The captain muttered something under his

breath and went to look out our hull viewer at the planet.

I went to check on CaurVar and Marel, who had finished their meal and were playing with the small beasts in her chamber. CaurVar seemed fascinated by the way the gray feline and his black mate stalked a ball of twine that my daughter drew slowly across the floor.

"Healer, are they good hunters?" he asked me eagerly.

I gave the beasts a wry look. "Not as long as I dwell here." I heard Reever and Xonea arguing out in the other room and eyed Marel's console. Every moment our men debated how to respond to this crisis, and TssVar refused to communicate with the ship, the boy's mother would be in an agony of not knowing what had become of her son. "CaurVar, do you know the personal relay code for your mother's console?"

"Yes, Healer."

I was betting TssVar had not jammed any family channels. "Would you like to send a signal to her to let her know you are well and not in distress?"

"She will be very displeased with me." He eyed the console with as much reluctance as Marel displayed when she was required to tidy her chamber. "Do I have to?"

"Females of any species can become agitated when unexpectedly separated from their offspring," I explained. "Beneath her anger will be much gratitude and relief."

The young male thought about it, and then nod

PLAGUE OF MEMORY 19 9

ded and came over to the console. I watched as he input the signal code and enabled the relay.

The viddisplay coalesced into the fury-filled visage of a female Hsktskt. "You dare use this . .. CaurVar. Where are you? What has happened? Why did you not return with your father and the others? Are you being imprisoned?"

This was the female of whom Cherijo had delivered five Hsktskt infants. Faced with the same choice, I suspected that I would not have done the same. I would have treated her like any other threat. My gaze moved from her ferocious countenance to that of her son. As much as I liked children, I probably would have done the same to her offspring.
Which once again makes my former self better than me.

"I am well, Mother. I am on the warm-blood's ship with my new friend, Marel. She is Terran. No one has imprisoned me. I had Tingalean food for my evening meal." He turned and beckoned to my daughter, who joined him at the console.
"I
do not want to come home and get sick like fourth cousin GurunVa and have to go to hospital. May I stay with the warm-bloods?"

"My mama says CaurVar cannot stay in my chamber," my daughter chimed in, "but we have many other places on the ship. The captain is my ClanUncle. I will ask him to give CaurVar a nice room like mine."

UgessVa stared at both children before making a visible effort to compose herself. "Is your mother there, child?"

"I am." I stepped in front of the vid lens so she could see me. "Forgive the abruptness of this relay.

200 S. L. Viehl

Your mate is blocking all signals from our ship, and I knew you would be worried about your son."

"I have been .. . anxious . .. that my son not become caught in the middle of something unpleasant." She turned her head to speak quickly to someone out of visual range before she added, "Tension is escalating, Healer. We must repair the damage that has been done before more occurs."

The Hsktskt, it seemed, were as proud as the Jorenians—and equally protective of their kin. "In this, I must rely on your advice, Khedera."

She nodded and thought for a moment. "In addition to the present difficulties, my mate's superior has just died of plague. If you were to agree to provide a small group as ceremonial escort for CaurVar to his sire's rite of elevation, I believe I could arrange safe passage."

"Who would need to be included in this group?"

"You, your mate, and your offspring. The commander of your vessel." Her inner eyelids drooped. "If you could bring the one who made the unpleasant remarks about CaurVar as well, and have him make formal apology for them, it would alleviate much of my mate's ire, and put an end to this situation. I will give you my promise that no one will try to kill him."

"Reever and I will attend the boy. I may be able to convince the captain and the Senior Healer to accompany us as well. Marel..." I had been doing everything I could to keep her away from the Hsktskt and the planet, and I certainly didn't want her near this powerful-looking female while she still might be feeling vengeful. It was not safe, and Reever would never agree to such a thing.

"You now know how J felt when TssVar told me he was taking our youngest to your ship," UgessVa said, reading my silence with lethal accuracy.

That decided me. "I can do no less, then." I gave her a hard look. "Perhaps, next time, you will keep your son home."

UgessVa inclined her head, and then her voice went low and soft. "I am grateful you found this way to contact me. CaurVar is the last of my brood, and very special to me. Whatever happens, I was right to choose you to be my daughter's Designate."

I did not tell her that if she had chosen me, her daughter and the rest of her offspring might never have drawn their first breaths.

A formal escort flew to the ship and took position, waiting for the launch that would carry us to Vtaga to attend TssVar's elevation rite, and permit us to formally return his son and apologize for the offense caused to his bloodline. The presence of the waiting scout ships eliminated much of the usual objections and debate over the situation, and the captain reluctantly agreed to fulfill UgessVa's terms.

Squilyp might not have done the same, if his mate had not overheard me requesting he make the jaunt to the planet and offer an apology for his insensitive words. Garphawayn was already up and hopping around the Medical Bay, however, and she insisted he accompany us to, in her words, "prove

o the Hsktskt that Omorr are honorable and ethical,

202 S. L Viehl

and only behave as utter barbarians under extreme duress."

Marel was excited about making the journey, and infected CaurVar with her enthusiasm. The two never stopped chattering away about CaurVar 's home and Vtaga and the many wonders he could show her.

Reever said little beyond his terse agreement to bring our daughter along, and his inquiry as to which weapons I would be carrying. He armed himself as though preparing to enter a battle zone.

When I reported to the launch with Reever and the children, I wanted nothing more than to slip away as CaurVar had when no one was watching, and hide until they were gone. So much rested on what happened over the next few hours; perhaps even a renewal of war.T was a healer and a mother; I had already fought one war. When would come my time of peace?

The Adan sent every warrior they could fit on the launch with us, and no one protested their presence. If I could have squeezed every warrior on the crew into the passenger compartment, I would have. Like Xonea, they wore the Jorenian silver-blue formal uniforms that were reserved for important ceremonies, although the dignified garb only partially concealed the number of powerful weapons they carried.

The children seemed oblivious to the tension, or so I thought until we had left the ship and were en route to Vtaga. My daughter released her harness and unexpectedly climbed onto my lap.

PLAGUE OF MEMORY 20 3

"Mama," she whispered, "why is everyone upset? Is CaurVar in trouble?"

I glanced over at TssVar's son, who had been seated across from us and appeared to be engrossed in a discussion with Xonea. "No, Marel. It is just that tempers are strained, and everyone wishes to ensure that nothing bad happens to us while we are visiting the surface."

"Nothing bad will happen if we do nothing bad," my daughter said with the absolute assurance of a child. "Only sickness does bad things."

"Sickness?"

Marel wrinkled her nose. "The one on the planet. CaurVar told me about it. He said it scares him to see grown-ups hurting themselves. He hid on our ship because he doesn't want to catch it." She rested her head against my heart. "You should mix up a medicine to make the sickness go away, Mama. I don't want CaurVar to get sick."

"None of us do, daughter." I held her against me, and the precious weight of her made me feel exhilarated and exhausted. How much I wanted to protect her, and how inadequate I felt to the task. "I will find a medicine that will help them if I can."

She gave me one of her brilliant smiles. "I know you will, Mama. ClanUncle Squilyp said that you are the best healer in the universe, even if you can't remember that you are."

I turned to look at Squilyp, who had been sitting in a frosty silence ever since we left the ship, and was now staring at it through the back view panel. "Did he."

Reever was watching us, and some of the coldness left his eyes as Marel climbed down and wandered over to talk to one of the tall, fierce Adan guards. "How simple things would be if we were to put the children in charge of these matters," he murmured, bemused.

"I will suggest it to the council when next I contact them." I sighed and rested my head against the hull wall. "It is good that Marel has this friendship with CaurVar." Something occurred to me. "Can Terrans and Hsktskt become mates?"

"It has never been attempted," my husband said. "Nor will it, if you are thinking of someday pairing our daughter with TssVar's son."

"If Terran females can mate with Hsktskt males, it would be a good match." I studied the young male. "His sire has great status on this world. She might never find another male with as much promise."

"Jam."

I glanced at him. "Yes?"

"You will arrange an Iisleg-style marriage for Marel only over my dead body," he said flatly. I shrugged. "It was only a thought."

The elevation rite was to be held on TssVar's family estate, which was located on the outskirts of the city. Reever had told me that the Hsktskt lord's estate was one of the largest in the vicinity, but what came into view as we flew through the lower atmosphere appeared to be more like a small city, with an enormous cluster of towering structures in the very center. The heart of the estate was surrounded by all manner of walls and heat-collection domes and watchtowers, as well as long tracts of cultivated
land. So many satellite dwellings lay beyond these that I wondered just how large a family TssVar had.

Compared to the Hanar's Palace, the design of TssVar's main compound dwelling was more formal and stark, all smooth brown and white stone following simple, rounded lines. It seemed much older than the Hanar's Palace as well, but its simplicity made it all the more impressive. Perhaps his many kin had occupied this estate for generations, as the Kangal had in the skim-cities of my home-world, with each new generation building outward to accommodate their growing numbers.

"This is nothing,"
a female voice said suddenly.
"You should see what's buried out in the desert."

I tensed as I looked around. Aside from Marel, I was the only woman on the launch.

I had heard that voice before, and it only took a moment to remember when. The same voice had called to me just before the
Sunlace
transitioned.

Just before I had fallen into a coma.

Was this the Maggie Reever had spoken of when I regained consciousness? Why was she speaking to me now? Would this have the same effect as the last time? If I told the others, they might turn the launch around and return to the ship. Such a thing might make the Hsktskt believe we had decided against bringing the SubAkade's son back to the planet. Given the tension on both sides, this dangerous situation then might very well turn lethal.

I did not know what to do, so I sat quietly, listening for the voice, but it did not speak again. Once we landed, we were thoroughly scanned and submitted to another extended biodecon before