Authors: Lisanne Norman
* * *
The meal was a nightmare. Killian had been the life and soul of the party, full of unsubtle humor regarding women, obviously aimed at Taradain, who sat through it all in a silent but furious rage. Jo wondered why Killian had bothered to insist she come, too; the level of conversation was more suitable for male-only company. Then, toward the end of the meal, the storyteller was announced. She sensed both Kris and Gary suddenly become alert.
It was, indeed, Railin. He proceeded to regale the company with two winter tales of encounters with beasts and monsters in the high pass. The latter she finally began to recognize as the tale of the crashing of the shuttle, the one he'd told them in the Inn. He'd refined it to a work of art that praised Lord Killian's bravery for protecting the good people of Kaladar from the evil that fell from the sky.
As he took a break, Jo sent to Kris.
Ask him why he's here.
Is it wise? Killian doesn't realize we're telepaths. If we let Railin know...
Send to him!
She watched Railin carefully, seeing the usual glazed look come over his face. It affected everyone like that at first, telepaths just learned to conceal it better.
* * *
The full news had to wait till they returned upstairs. Zashou had taken over a chair as a makeshift bed and was settled there wrapped in her blankets. Jo looked curiously at her, then at Rezac, but all felt well— in fact, very peaceful. The remains of Zashou's special meal was on the table nearby and, for a wonder, she'd managed to eat most of it.
"Railin's here to find out why Killian has kept us. Apparently he should have informed the rebellion leaders that we were here. He didn't," said Kris, sitting at the table.
Davies joined him. "So Killian really is building his own little power base."
"It appears so," said Jo, taking one of the easy chairs. "In return for this information, Railin is willing to help us escape."
"Is he, now?" Davies' tone was thoughtful.
"We could be leaping from one cage to another," said Rezac. "We should try to escape on our own."
"If it were possible, yes, but it isn't," said Jo. "We've accepted his help."
"You should not have made that decision without a discussion." Rezac's voice was a low growl of disapproval.
Jo turned to look at him, but Davies answered first.
"Jo's the leader, Rezac. She calls the shots. I agree with you about Railin, but it's still her call. Besides, he needed an answer there and then. We couldn't be sure of reaching him later. He's not a telepath."
With an effort, Rezac flattened his ears in a gesture of apology. "I led for too long," he muttered. "I'm not accustomed to having others making the decisions."
"Railin is acting for the leader of the rebellion, Lord Tarolyn," continued Jo. "He's Lord of the state of Galrayin, Bradogan's neighbor, and the least suspect state because he considers he's bought Tarolyn with off-world goods."
"Why upset a good deal? What's in it for Tarolyn?" asked Davies.
"He will take over the Port, but..."
"No altruist, then," said Rezac.
"I'd suspect him if he were," said Jo frankly. "He's a more enlightened landowner. Believes his serfs will work harder if they have a stake in the land, so all his people are free. He wants true off-world trade available to all on Jalna at a fair price. And he wants to control it."
"My bet is that Killian plans to use this gun against Tarolyn, then Bradogan."
"Killian isn't exactly a despot," said Davies. "Fair enough, he's doing what he is to us, but his people seem content enough."
"People are rarely black or white," said Jo. "Killian's no exception. However, it isn't up to us to back one leader against the other. In helping us escape, Tarolyn will achieve what he wants, which is to prevent Killian risking the whole rebellion in a preemptive strike on him."
"And the creation of a weapon too dangerous to be let loose on Jalna," added Kris. "There's been no mention made of bringing it with us."
"There will be," said Rezac. "You wait and see. So how does he plan to get us out of here?"
"He doesn't know yet. There isn't enough time to help us this trip, but he'll be back in six weeks with help. This caravan is one of merchants. The next will include soldiers."
"Six weeks," said Rezac, looking at Jo bleakly. "Have we got six weeks?"
"Railin is going to see some of the food his caravan carries is handed to the cook for Zashou," said Jo. "He's from Galrayin himself. They know of the problem, and have more or less eradicated it from their land. They provide the bulk of the food sold in the Port to the spacers and Bradogan. That's another reason why the rebellion chose Tarolyn to lead them. What his father and he have done with their land can be done by all the landowners. He plans to negotiate with the aliens for the appropriate technology to speed up the process."
"Terraforming on a massive scale. But why? Arnor inferred this allergy to the food is rare. And who has achieved that level of eco-engineering?" asked Davies.
Jo turned to look at Gary. "There is a species that can, and they trade at the Port. It'll cost, of course..."
"And then some!"
"...but in return, Tarolyn will open Jalna up for trade. It'd mean a bigger local market for everyone."
"You still haven't said why this land issue is so important."
"That's the interesting part," said Kris. "Tarolyn believes there's a correlation between the episodic violence and what's poisoning the land."
"How could the food be responsible for the violence?" asked Zashou, taking an interest in the discussion for the first time.
"Not the food, something in the soil," corrected Jo. "Everything in the food chain is dependent on the soil. The plants, the cattle that eat them, and the people."
"Not to mention the water that runs through it," added Kris. "Tarolyn's father had an epidemic of his people getting sick and dying from this allergy. He systematically began cleansing the land and replanting with crops and cattle from areas that had a low incidence of related deaths. It worked, and as a side effect, he realized they also had far fewer incidences of violence during the winter and early spring."
"The time when the people live off food stored for the winter," said Davies. "It makes sense."
Jo had noticed Rezac reaching out for the remains of his meal. He'd picked up a piece of bread and was looking intently at it. "I know what it is," he said quietly. "I know what's poisoning us."
"You do?" asked Jo. "What?"
"The Valtegan plant that makes the stones. Laalquoi."
"It can't be that," said Kris. "You said the stones were used to control telepaths, to subdue them. And how could a plant contaminate the food chain on such a vast scale?"
Rezac turned round and held the bread out to him. "Look at it! Have you noticed how much greener it's become over the weeks we've been here?" he demanded.
Kris took it from him and examined it. "He's right. It has."
"Old grain," said Rezac. "They're reaching the last of their reserves now. We
know
it's in the food. Zashou's allergy is proof of that. We don't need to know how, dammit!"
"They've been here before," said Jo. "That's where the plants came from."
"That's how they know the stones control the violence," said Zashou.
"I'll buy some of it," said Kris, handing the bread back to Rezac. "But I still don't see the relationship between the plant and the violence if the stone subdues people."
"Maybe it mutated on Jalna. What the hell does it matter anyway?" asked Davies. "I agree with Rezac on that. But have you folks considered that perhaps the reason you can't reach our ship, or any other telepaths on Jalna, is because we're eating that damned plant and it's blocking you?"
Kris sat down suddenly. "Right under our noses," he said quietly, "and we missed it."
"It's my bet that Vyaka thinks we're dead, along with the two missing Sholan telepaths," Davies continued. "I think we can forget any help, people. We're on our own for sure now."
"No," said Jo, rousing herself. "`No, we're not. Rezac's sending was answered by Carrie and Kusac. They know we're alive. They'll come, I know they will. But you're right, Gary, we have to act as if they won't, because when they arrive, they still won't be able to reach us! Tarolyn's help is even more important now."
Silence greeted her remark for a few minutes as they each absorbed the implications of what they'd discovered.
Rezac turned to Zashou. "Six weeks," he said. "Can you cope?"
"I'll have to," she said, leaning back against her pillows. "The meal tonight didn't make me feel sick. If this Railin's food is better, then I should be all right. We don't have an option. If we try to escape on our own, we risk everything."
"I suggest we develop our own plan," said Jo, rousing herself. "Keep it in reserve in case we can't wait the six weeks. In which case, we head for Galrayin and Tarolyn's help anyway."
"Sounds the wisest course all round," said Kris. "However, you've overlooked one thing, Jo. We can mind-speak to each other. Why isn't this laalquoi affecting us? We don't know for sure that when help comes, they won't be able to contact us."
"No, we don't, and I've no idea why our Talents aren't affected, just damned glad that they aren't! Keep checking for other telepaths, Kris, but carefully. Try not to draw attention to us. The same with you, Rezac. I don't know enough about my Talent to use it properly yet."
Rezac and I will teach you,
sent Kris.
It's important that you learn. We can do a lot with knowledge transfers. I'm not good at them, but it's better than nothing.
Jo nodded her agreement. "We should cut back on the food we eat during the day. The meals with Killian are safe because he uses Tarolyn's produce. We don't know what harm we've done ourselves already, all we know for sure is that Zashou is more susceptible to it than we are."
"I suggest we turn in now," said Kris, yawning and stretching. "Someone's coming for us early in the morning to escort us down to the barn."
"Don't forget to try contacting the ship again, Kris, please," reminded Jo.
"I never forget, Jo."
She made an apologetic gesture. "I have to say it."
He nodded understandingly as he left.
As Davies began to move off to the bedroom, Rezac came over to sit with Jo.
Will you come with me? Zashou says you need my company tonight.
Jo looked from him to Zashou in surprise.
Go with him. You need his company more than I do. I will stay here.
We could talk.
His hand touched hers hesitantly.
She knew what would happen if she went with him. Already she could feel her resolve not to get too involved with him emotionally beginning to weaken.
Talk and sleep only,
he sent, his tone firm.
To do anything else at this time would be to risk too much.
His fingers were interlaced with hers, and she didn't even remember taking his hand. "It's magic," she muttered, as she let him help her to her feet. "This damned world's finally getting to me."
* * *
"The sword is beautiful, Kusac," she admitted, wrapping it up again. "but it's no substitute for Kaid."
"He didn't send it for that reason. They were also birthday gifts, he said."
"I'd rather have talked to him than this."
"I understand your anger. But if you won't contact him, and you won't let me talk to him about it, what's left, Carrie?"
"Don't ask me. You know him as well as I do now!"
He did, and he'd been trying to figure it out for himself during the trip home. What made the most sense was one of the last things Kaid had said before he'd left. "I think it has something to do with his need to feel he'd earned the right to be our third, rather than just had it given to him by fate."
"In that case, he should be in touch now. Look," she'd said, coming over to sit beside him, "let's just leave it. This is just getting me more annoyed, and you know it. I contacted Conrad and Quin. They're due over in an hour or two for third meal. I thought it better that you met them socially rather than at the Warriors Guild tomorrow. T'Chebbi's coming, too."
"T'Chebbi?" he'd asked.
"We've gotten close," Carrie had said, with a flash of wry humor, "especially after this afternoon."
Now they waited for the two Humans to arrive. A knock on the door, and they were ushered in by Dzaka.
Dzaka?
sent Kusac as he rose to greet them.
Everyone's curious about them,
Carrie replied.
After all, they assume they're taking over our protection on this mission.
The two men were very different. Conrad was tall, his brown curly hair now reaching almost to his shoulders. He sported a small mustache that outlined his upper lip, adding a maturity to his youthful appearance. Quin was a good six inches shorter, and appeared some dozen or so years older. His hairline might be receding, but his round, mobile face and stocky build belied the age one would automatically attach to him. Both now wore Sholan winter robes in preference to the usual Human attire.
"You must be Kusac," said Conrad, coming down the den steps toward them. He held his hand out, palm upward, in the Sholan telepath greeting. "I'm Conrad and this is Quin. It's a pleasure to meet you at last."
Kusac touched fingertips with him, then turned to do the same to Quin.
"Believe you've been up at Stronghold," said Quin as Kusac gestured to them to sit down.
"As you say, at last we meet. Yes, I've been up at Stronghold. I'm sorry my own training has prevented us from meeting till now." As he'd touched each of them, he'd liked what he'd felt. Kaid had chosen well.
"Love to see the place some day," Quin continued, taking one of the easy chairs. "I'm interested in different combat styles, and I've heard those used by the Brotherhood aren't taught outside."
"I'm afraid so," said Kusac, sitting down. "Each of our guilds possesses a unique skill, and to learn the discipline, you have to belong to the appropriate guild. However, when Kaid joins us, I'm sure he'll be passing on some of his techniques. Can I offer you some coffee? We've a little time before we eat."
T'Chebbi arrived as Kusac was pouring the drinks. As she moved past him to find a seat, Kusac realized that she'd dressed for the occasion. Naturally longer furred than was common, she'd decided to wear something lighter in weight than winter clothing. The paneled tunic of soft gray accentuated her tabby coloring, and tonight, she'd left her hair unbound.
You're about to spill the coffee,
came Carrie's gentle thought, and he looked back quickly to the brimming mug. Realizing that the Human males were also busy looking at T'Chebbi, hastily Kusac tipped a little into his own mug and continued pouring the drinks and handing them round.
I hadn't realized she could look so attractive,
he sent by way of explanation.
Oh, T'Chebbi's been changing a lot recently. I think she's rediscovered herself. I'm glad she took my advice. We've become good friends while you two have been playing warriors up in the mountains.
He gave her a long look as he passed her mug over to her. "Coffee or c'shar, T'Chebbi?" he asked, turning his attention to the Sister.