Conflict and Courage (27 page)

“Why did you
come?” was Brian’s reasonable question, “Mother and Father didn’t
think you would ever accept training. I was surprised myself when
your name was added to the roster.”

“Jim persuaded
me and Kolyei agreed, he said that the southerners weren’t the only
dangers.”

“You’re not the
only one to dislike weapons-work,” Brian consoled her with a
brotherly pat on the head, “Emily ‘frinstance but she sees the
sense of it now. Even though she’s a Holad student she still
attends arms practice.”

“And talking
about Emily,” teased Tara looking up at her ‘big brother’.

Brian
coloured.

“She’s a
friend,” he answered a little too fast.

“Like that is
it?”

“Sofiya finds
Ilyei attractive,” he explained.

“Would you
accept some advice?” asked Tara.

“Go on
then.”

“Take it
slowly, very slowly. Emily’s still mourning Thomas even after all
this time. She’s frightened of getting too close to anyone. Be her
friend, yes, but don’t try to take it further. You’ll know when
Emily’s ready and warn Sofiya that, even if Ilyei likes her, he
won’t do anything until Emily is.”

“How long?”

“Will you have
to wait?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t know,
years maybe. Now don’t press me. Emily’s my friend, I’m a friend of
you both and I don’t want to see either of you hurt.”

“Has she said
anything?” pressed Brian.

Most people
confided in Tara at some point, it was part of her make-up but
Brian should have known better than to ask and the look Tara gave
him said as much.

“Be patient,”
she advised, “what will be, will be. We’re all too young to be
thinking of permanent attachments.”

“You and Peter
a case in point,” he teased.

“Peter Crawford
is twelve years old,” she answered, refusing to rise, “he’s a
little boy. His voice hasn’t even broken yet. Give us a few
years.”

Brian
laughed.

“I think,” Tara
added, “that those of us paired with Lind grow up quicker than
those not so lucky. At fourteen the Lind are adult and think like
adults, mind-linked as we are, I think it influences us, matures us
earlier but not so early that Peter and I should make a commitment,
no matter how Kolyei and Radya feel about each other.”

“I’ll wait,”
Brian promised, “but Emily doesn’t actually dislike me does
she?”

“No. She’s just
not over Thomas yet.”

Brian smiled to
himself; at least he had gotten that much out of Tara. He would
bide his time.

* * * * *

Asya waddled
across the daga.

“I am most
uncomfortable,” she complained. “I wish ltsctas would decide now is
the time to join us.”

She looked
jealously at Laura who sat in the doorway cuddling her new son
Thomas.

“I’m sure it
will be soon,” comforted Laura, “and patience is a virtue.”

“Not much
virtue in what I feel,” Asya snapped. “Where is Faddei?”

“I’m not sure,”
temporised Laura, knowing that he was keeping well away from his
irritable mate.

Asya gave Laura
one of her looks and flounced away in high dudgeon.

: Watch out
:
Laura warned Faddei
: Asya is looking for you :

: Thrice
blast it :
he sent back and Laura became aware of him rising to
his feet and making his way towards the river. Unless Asya felt in
need of a bath he should be safe there. She found the journey to
the bathing pools easy enough but in these last days of her
pregnancy, the trek uphill back to the stronghold pretty nigh
impossible.

: Don’t get
too comfortable :
advised Laura, chuckling to herself as she
placed Thomas in his crib.
: It shouldn’t be long now. Talya is
saying that the little ones are on their way :

Faddei did not
reply, concentrating as he was on finding a hidey-hole.

Unable to find
Faddei, Asya decided to go and see Talya.

“I cannot find
Faddei,” she complained, “he has closed his mind to me.”

“You and Faddei
do want a family?”

Asya
growled.

“Pregnancy is
only way I know to have ltsctas.” There were no native egg-layers
on the planet.

Asya lay down
with a heartfelt sigh and manoeuvred her bulk into a relatively
comfortable position, “my back hurts and they give me no peace.
Always they kick and squirm.”

“A good sign my
dear Asya,” said Talya, “soon they will be born and running you
ragged with their antics.”

“I prefer that
to this,” Asya sighed as she laid her head down to rest.

The little ones
were born that evening.

* * * * *

Tara and Kolyei
completed their cadetship and, as predicted by Janice Randall, they
did not choose the Vada as their future. At the end of the seventh
winter after they had arrived on the planet, they returned to domta
Winston, spiritual home of the Holad for a rest and to plan their
future together. For Kolyei, as Tarmsei (Susa of the Afanasei
Lindar and Kolyei’s greatest friend) could have told anyone who was
interested enough to ask, had itchy paws. He wanted to explore,
learn what was beyond the next hill, the furthest river, even as
far west as the great western sea. Tara’s great dream of writing
down the histories and traditions of the Lind was unabated, a dream
that Kolyei had come to share. The following summer they set out
west into the rtathlians of the Lind, accompanied by Emily and
Ilyei, now qualified medics and Brian and Sofiya who had been
granted extended leave of absence from the Vada. His wish to
accompany them had surprised many, because hitherto all Brian’s
energies had been centred on his and Sofiya’s careers. With them
went Hilary Templeton and Gsnei, on a special mission to find out
the healing properties of certain fauna and flora specific to the
western side of the continent. The party was completed by a retired
vadeln-pair called Liam and his Lind Aiya, glad of the chance to be
useful, since he had been badly injured during a fracas with some
pirates three years earlier and forced to retire from active
duty.

In Argyll, a
continuing trickle of families moved out to colonise the islands
but not so many as made more than a tiny dent in the growing
population. The colonists prospered. The sudden death of Robert
Lutterell from a heart attack in year eight caused hardly a ripple.
They continued to extend the cultivated land, but did not forget
the threat from the south. One never knew where and when the
southern pirates would attack. Stone defensive keeps were built
along the shores of both Argyll and Vadath, the former manned by
small regular Garda units.

Vada numbers
increased and the vadeln-pairs became renowned. Their combat
skills, honed to a fine art by Weaponsmaster Wilhelm and
Weaponsecond Ross were second to none.

At pack Ratvei,
the tiny human settlement prospered, led by Gerry Russell and his
adoring wife Jessica who took time off from their horse-breeding
programme to tend their growing number of offspring.

In the Kingdom
of Murdoch, Lord Regent Sam Baker consolidated his power base and
planned how he was going to extend his grip on the realm. Baker had
assassinated Lord Bryan Brentwood, who had amassed power and riches
with his monopoly of the slave trade. To keep the peace between the
varied members of the Conclave he arranged a series of betrothals
between his own and the other noble children. As Regent of the
young King Elliot, he was the most powerful man in the Kingdom. In
the tenth year after they had arrived on Rybak, he turned his
avaricious eyes towards the Lordship of the only man who was secure
enough in his own position to dare defy him, Lord Pierre
Duchesne.

Aoalvaldr the
Larg perfected his own plan for revenge and began to sound out
selected pack-leaders. As he continued his campaign of subversion
he gained a following from the packs and the Largan and his
immediate circle began to take notice. Aoalvaldr’s time was
coming.

* * * * *

The first
warning arrived in a letter from Lord Pierre Duchesne.

He returned
hotfoot from Winter Conclave at Fort and lost no time in passing
the news north across the water.

Jim Cranston
and Larya were visiting Francis, Asya, Laura, Faddei and their
assorted offspring at the stronghold when the messenger pair ran
in, the rider tumbling out of the saddle in her agitation to
deliver the slim packet that held Pierre’s letter.

It was
addressed to Jim.

“From
Duchesne,” he said recognising the coded glyph, slit the edge open
and extracted the thin pages of closely written sheets, “wonder
what he’s writing about, I wasn’t expecting anything for
weeks?”

He read it
aloud.

“
I put pen
to paper this night with a heart full of dread of what is to come.
This morning I returned from Fort where Lord Baker rules in all but
name. As you suspected, the Larg are growing ever more restless and
he is under pressure to take part in what they are planning. I
greatly fear that he can do nothing else but agree to their
demands.

The Larg will
attack Argyll at midsummer, supported by three regiments of Baker’s
infantry. It appears that the Largan will not take no for an
answer.

I do not fully
understand why they insist on an attack now. It seems however that
a major requirement of a young Larg’s passage into adulthood is
that he be blooded in battle. With the arrival of man on the
planet, their traditional enemies, your Lind friends are, in
effect, out of reach and as there is only one route north, the
human settlers of Argyll have been selected as the target.

From what Baker
told us, the Largan feels that if he does not agree to an attack
the packs may well turn on each other so great is their desire for
a fight.

Baker, much as
I dislike the man, is in a no-win situation. He doesn’t, I think,
wish to help the Larg but if he refuses to help them they might
well turn on us, treaty or not.

At least I can
warn you, although I do not know for how long. I am sure Sam Baker
has doubts about my loyalty, thank the stars he has no proof as
yet.

He intends to
crown young Elliot very soon and will take the opportunity that
such a gathering presents to consolidate his power base.

I try to keep
my distance but it is growing more and more difficult. The Kingdom
is awash with suspicion and distrust; each Lord has his own agenda.
Sam Baker intends to stamp this dissent out. He has drawn up a list
of marriages between the children of us Lords and believes this
will bind us together. My two eldest sons are to be betrothed at
the coronation ceremony and I am ordered to bring them with me when
I attend. I fear that I will be ‘requested’ to leave them at Fort
when I return home as surety for my good behaviour. As you can
imagine, I am not overly enamoured with the idea. Jacques is only
eight and Jean two years younger.

I dare not take
the boys to Fort with me and I am sure the day is fast approaching
when I will be forced to flee.

Will you of
Vadath give me, my family and my people sanctuary?

My other news
is of Anne. She is pregnant again and ill. This last visit I did
not manage to speak to her, which fills me with trepidation as to
her future wellbeing.

Heed my
warning.

D.”

“That’s the
lot,” said Jim.

“Quite enough
too,” growled Asya.

“Do you believe
him?” asked Francis.

“He’s not been
wrong yet,” was Jim’s answer, “I’d better warn the Lindars, get
them moving west at winter’s end.”

“Leave the Vada
to me,” said Francis.

“And I
believe,” continued Jim after a pause whilst he mentally conversed
with Larya, “that as usual, my mate is ahead of me. The Council in
Argyll will know by nightfall.”

Francis
chuckled. “Duchesne?” he ventured.

“I think it’s
time our young friend paid another visit to Duchesne’s castle.”

“He won’t like
that. The passing out parade of the final year cadets is scheduled
for next week. Cherry and Baltvei are part of the graduating
class.”

“It can’t be
helped. I need someone down there. Letters take too long, if things
are moving as I think they are, I need to know immediately.”

“I’ll speak to
them,” promised Francis, “they’ll understand. You staying
here?”

“No, we’d best
get back, speak to Fernei face-to-face. He might know something.
Also, Tara, Kolyei and the others are due home any day now and I
promised Janice Randall that Larya and I would be there.”

“Louis and
Ustinya?”

“Give them the
week,” decided Jim, “it’ll take time to arrange a ship south
anyway.”

The stronghold
bell pealed out and Francis got to his feet, “Asya reminds me that
I have a class this bell,” he said. “Care to join us?”

“I’d rather be
excused,” grinned Jim, “teaching juniors the rudiments of tactics
is not my idea of fun. I’ll go and root out my godson and spend
some time with him.”

“If you want to
take young Jim to the river for a swim you’ll have to take Fanya.
She and Jim are inseparable these days.”

“I’ll take the
risk,” laughed Jim following Francis outside, “if need be, Larya
should be able to squash their juvenile exuberance.”

Jim, who had no
children of his own, took great delight in playing with his
namesake.

During the
splossily-wet hour that followed, Jim managed to forget Duchesne’s
bombshell.

Francis,
embroiled in explaining flanking manoeuvres to the teenagers in the
junior cadets, did not find it so easy.
At least
, he
thought,
these kids will not be in the forefront of any
midsummer battle. Their elders in the seniors might not be so
lucky.