CARNAL, The Beast Who Loved Me (22 page)

Carnal and the four other members that made up his ‘crew’ followed close behind.

The mayor had apparently been alerted that Free and company had arrived because he stood in the middle of the octagonal foyer with his entourage. Rosie noted that there were no clues that would give away the fact that he was the most powerful person in the city. He wore the loose-fitting hemp and wool clothes that Rosie had seen on most of the other humans they’d passed on the way into the city.

He was around fifty and appeared to be on the fit side for men of his age. He was plain-looking, brown hair, brown eyes, not remarkable in any way that Rosie could tell.

Free walked directly to him. Rosie thought the mayor looked wary about an unplanned visit, but covered it with a smile as he held his hand out to welcome Free.

“Mr. Mayor,” said Free without returning the smile. “I’d like a few words if you can manage the time.”

“For you, of course.” The mayor turned and walked in the direction of a conference room near his office and held the door open. The room was light because of a wall of windows. A small fireplace at one end took some of the chill out of the room, but Rosie kept the fur jacket on. Carnal, Clash and Yellow entered the room with Free, but Easy and Joy remained outside.

When some of the mayor’s people attempted to file in behind him, Free said, ”No. Just you.”

There was an unmistakable hint of worry, if not fear, on the mayor’s face, but he nodded at the others to withdraw and watched while Joy closed the door. The mayor took a seat at the head of the table, nearest the fire, but everyone in the room knew it was a symbolic courtesy because, in that moment, Free was definitely in command.

“What can I do for you, Extant?” The mayor used Free’s formal title which, Rosie thought, was a good choice, and tried to keep his voice even, whether he was anxious or not.

Free took a seat midway down the length of the table and motioned for Rosie to sit opposite him. Carnal and the two of his crew who were inside the room remained standing.

Free gave a small wave toward Rosie. “The young woman accompanying us is my guest, Elora Rose Storm. Rosie, this is Mayor Comstock.”

The mayor turned his attention to Rosie and acknowledged her with a nod. “Delighted,” he said with a questioning look, since she was evidently not hybrid.

Carnal, who was standing behind his father, also gave her a questioning look since it was the first time he’d heard her addressed as anything other than ‘Rosie’. He could have kicked himself for not knowing she had a longer, more formal name and not a singular descriptive moniker like Exiled.

She was surprised by the introduction using her complete name, partly because she wasn’t aware that Free, or any of Exiled, knew it. If he’d heard it from Kellareal, she was impressed that he remembered.

“You know,” Free began, his attention on Comstock, “that we have certain attributes that could be said to be
extra
human.” The mayor nodded at Free before quickly scanning the faces of the others present, probably hoping for clues as to why they were there. “One of those is our ability to know when humans are lying.” The mayor blinked, but did not give any other indication that he was uncomfortable with that. “Can you guess why I’m prefacing my questions with that comment?”

The mayor slowly nodded. “You suspect that I might not answer truthfully. You’ve communicated something not previously known, but also issued a hint of a threat in doing so.”

Free accepted that and forged ahead. “I’m in need of information.” He paused, looking more intense than usual. “And it’s critical that it be
truthful
information. I want to make clear from the beginning that the result of this exploration will not hurt you or the humans you represent.”

When the mayor nodded, Free continued. “Do you have some system in place for educating your young?”

The mayor seemed surprised by the question, but answered without hesitating. “Yes.”

Free looked at Carnal, who gave a tiny nod. Rosie surmised that they might be establishing a baseline for the mayor’s bio-patterns by asking a question to which they already knew the answer.

“At what age do you begin teaching your young?”

“Formally, at around five, although some parents teach their children basic things, like how to recognize numbers and write their names, before that.”

“When they are five, or thereabouts, children are taught in small groups?”

“Yes. We’re open about that. Some of our buildings are purposed for education. Children are taught in groups of similar age and ability that usually don’t exceed twenty students.”

“What are they taught?”

“Reading, writing, numbers. The usual.”

“What else besides reading, writing, and numbers?”

“Some are taught cooking. Some are taught carpentry. Some are taught animal husbandry or land management. Basic skills for practical living.”

Free studied the mayor for a minute, then glanced back at Carnal. While he was doing so, Rosie had reached for a pad and pencil lying on the table and scribbled four questions. She tore the top page from the pad and pushed it across the table at Free. He gave her a warning look, but she responded with a guileless shrug. She hadn’t broken faith with Free’s guideline and he knew it. The paper said:

History?

Literature?

Physics?

Chemistry?

Free read the note and looked at Rosie across the table with his chin still tucked. He folded the paper and slid it into a vest pocket, then turning back to Mayor Comstock, said, “What about history, literature, physics, and chemistry?”

Even Rosie, whose abilities were magnificent, but didn’t include lie detection, could see that the mayor was uncomfortable with the direction of Free’s inquiry.

“I’m an administrator,” the mayor said carefully, “not an educator.”

Free’s head bowed slightly. “As am I. Still, I have a general idea what our young are being taught. That’s part of being an ‘administrator’.”

The mayor cleared his throat. “May I ask…?”

“No.” Free cut him off. “I don’t want to be disrespectful. I appreciate that we’ve enjoyed an amicable working relationship and we want to keep it that way. If you want to keep it that way also, you’ll be forthcoming with answering my questions both immediately and thoroughly, to the best of your ability. Later, if more detail is required, we may ask to speak with the person who oversees education in particular.”

That caused the mayor to pale visibly. “Has something happened to cause you concern, Extant?”

“In a sense. I’ve been reminded that humans can be both egocentric and treacherous.”

“I assure you that we…”

“Please, mayor, for all our sakes, simply answer my questions honestly and let me draw my own conclusions. Again, are you aware that humans in Farsuitwail are studying history?”

“They are studying some history. Yes.”

“Literature?”

“Yes.”

“Physics?”

The mayor took in a deep breath. “Extant, how do you intend to use…?”

Free came up out of his chair with a roar that reaffirmed the feline DNA that had been woven into his genetic makeup, and gave the mayor an up close, no doubt frightening, display of fangs. “ANSWER THE QUESTION!”

Rosie jumped a little at the speed and intensity with which Free’s demeanor became threatening, but her reaction was mild compared to the way the mayor paled when the full force of that intensity was directed at him.

“You’re asking me to betray my people,” Comstock whispered.

Free cocked his head. “The result of a refusal to answer my questions will be that your people will be left without protection from the Rautt. The next time there’s a raid, we’ll simply throw another log on the fire and watch from the hill. The choice is yours, but let me tell you what’s going to happen if you choose wrong. Not only will we leave you unprotected, but we’ll also invade your city with a building by building search until we’ve learned what we need to know. Decide now.”

“You’d leave us to the Rautt?”

Free didn’t reply, but sat down, fanned his hands out on the table in front of him and stared at Comstock. Waiting.

Reading the truth in Free’s eyes, that he was not bluffing, the mayor’s throat worked with a gulp before he answered, “Physics. Yes.”

Free glanced at Carnal, whose nod to his father was so small it could easily have been missed. Rosie supposed it was a signal of confirmation, sort of a double check system between the two of them. Rosie hadn’t really realized how much the two of them were alike before, since Carnal definitely favored his mother’s looks. But seeing father and son together at the same time, it was obvious Carnal took after his father in temperament, intensity, and sheer presence. She wondered if he was predisposed to adore his future mate as Free did Serene, but shook that errant thought away. The conversation at hand was too important for daydreaming about beautiful hybrids with sinfully luscious lips.

“Chemistry?”

Again the mayor whispered, “Yes.”

“I see,” said Free. “And are some subjects of study being conducted in secret?”

“Yes.” The mayor was beginning to look ill and, even though it was still cool in the room, a sheen of sweat appeared on his face.

“To what purpose?”

“What purpose?” Comstock repeated.

“Are you repeating the question to stall for time so that you can decide how to best phrase your answer?”

Comstock began shaking his head. “No. Well, yes. Perhaps. This is a very delicate, uh, discussion.”

Free brought the full weight of his considerable authority to bear on the mayor. “And why’s that?”

Rosie caught the flick of Carnal’s glance to her and back again.

“Because there
is
some secrecy involved.”

“Again. Why’s that?”

Comstock’s eyes scanned the room, landed briefly on Rosie, and returned to Free. “If certain things were discovered, the Rautt would surely bring down the wrath of gods on us. Again.”

“Ah,” Free said. “You think that, if the Rautt were sufficiently motivated, that we could not protect you.”

“No offense is intended.” The mayor rushed to offer as a preemptive apology.

“No offense is taken.” Free‘s manner had returned to calm and almost casual. “You’re entitled to your feelings.” Comstock was visibly relieved until Free continued. “You don’t trust us. What you need to get from this little talk is this. We’re entitled to know what you’re up to because we don’t trust you either. When I was the same age that my son is right now,” he waved in Carnal’s direction, “I was held captive by humans, used for experiments thought too painful or risky for themselves.”

Comstock was beginning to slump in his chair. “I know,” he said.

“Are your people afraid of us?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because, as you said earlier, you have extrahuman abilities.”

Free nodded. “Your people feel vulnerable.”

“Yes,” the mayor confirmed as if he was afraid to verify that suspicion.

Free tapped his fingers on the table for a few seconds as if he was trying to make up his mind about something.

“Can that be rectified?”

The mayor blinked, but looked intrigued. “How do you mean?”

“I don’t want my people to fear yours. I don’t want yours to fear mine. What would have to happen to rectify that and build an alliance between us?”

The mayor looked at Rosie, then Carnal, then Clash, before bringing his attention back to Free. He shrugged. “I don’t know. Feelings are somewhat… deep seated.”

“My advisor has suggested that separation fuels fear and mistrust. Is she right about that?”

The mayor pursed his lips. “Possibly.” He glanced at Carnal. “For one thing, your hybrid males would have to stop exploiting the young women of Farsuitwail.”