darknadir (21 page)

* * *

Mara had only just collapsed into a chair at the long trestle table when she heard a footfall behind her. Smothering a sigh, she waited for the inevitable words. They didn't come, instead the steps stopped and she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Greg standing over her.
"You did a good job explaining to Toueesut why he wasn't invited to the Sholan funerals yesterday," he said, passing her a cup of coffee. "Can I join you?"
"Sure," she said, taking the mug from him. "How'd you know I wanted a coffee?"
He slid onto the seat opposite her, putting his own coffee on the table before handing her a sandwich. He leaned closer, almost whispering in her ear. "Dealing with our Touiban colleagues still gives me a headache. You've no idea how grateful everyone is that they've taken to you. Leaves me free to get on with our own work rather than mediating between our species. I've a proposition to put to you," he said, sitting back and taking a sip of his drink. "I've been talking to Dzaka. We've a space on the team, and he says you're free to take us up on any offer of employment we want to make. Are you interested in formalizing what you've been doing with us? And getting paid for it?" He grinned, looking at her over the top of his glasses.
Mara took a bite out of her sandwich, looking consideringly at him. In his mid-thirties, he was considered young for the position of team leader here at the monastery site, but any objections from the Earth delegation had been overridden by the Clan Lord as head of Alien Relations. The Humans had wanted Greg, the Sholans wanted him, and the Touibans were ecstatic to see the back of their previous team leader. End of discussion.
"I know you don't need to worry about money, being a member of the En'Shalla Clan, but..." he began.
"Oh, it's not that," she said, interrupting him. "I like what I'm doing now. I don't know if I'd want to be told where to go and what to do."
He shook his head in a quick, negative gesture. "Nothing like that," he reassured her hastily. "You'd carry on doing what you're doing now. It just makes it, well, official. With your Leska Link to Josh, you know everything he does about archaeology— it's like having two of him now." He realized how she might interpret that and began to cover his tracks. "Not that I mean you don't have your own flair and patience, you do, it's just that..."
Mara grinned and reached out to touch his hand where it lay on the table. "It's all right. I do know what you mean," she said.
"Uh. I suppose you do, being a telepath," he mumbled, running a hand through his thinning sandy hair to hide his embarrassment. "Well? Are you interested?" he returned doggedly to his original point.
She took another bite of her sandwich. "Master Konis wants me recruited to AlRel in the fall."
"What about till then? You might be able to do both. You'd continue to get hands-on experience with our Touibans," he wheedled, making his pale blue eyes wide and innocent. "At least think seriously about it. See what Josh says."
She couldn't help but laugh at his humor. "Josh says I should accept, but..."
"Then it's done," he said, sitting back satisfied. "May I be the first to officially welcome you to the team?"
"It isn't that easy!" she exclaimed, slightly rattled at being bulldozed into the position. Within her mind, she could feel Josh sending soothing and congratulatory thoughts. "You already asked Josh about this!" she said. "Has this been set up between the two of you?"
"Not at all," said Greg, suddenly very much the professional. "You're genuinely being offered a position on the team. The fact that if we don't have you, then we have to accept whoever HQ sends has nothing to do with it. You were unanimously elected to the post."
Conflicting emotions were running through her now. Some of the surprise and pleasure she'd felt had evaporated. Sandwich discarded on the table, she began to get to her feet when a familiar trilling and gentle scent wafted over her. She shut her eyes and groaned softly.
"Is trouble? We watch from farther away so no intruding into your business, but concern makes me need to approach." The familiar fluting tones of the Touiban Speaker, Toueesut, sounded from behind her. "Happiness there should be at being part of this great digging and finding of ancient artifacts. Talent you have in plenty for the job, and ability to focus on what is important. You are the ideal Human for the position."
"Everyone's been consulted apart from me," she said, letting herself fall back into her seat.
"I said it was unanimous," said Greg placidly.
"Who's behind all this? Is it Vanna, suggesting it as therapeutic for me?" she demanded, not sure whether to be offended or not.
"Vanna has nothing to do with it. And we can't afford to have someone working for us who isn't pulling their own weight," said Greg. "This site is still the most complete one on Shola, the most important. None of us would be here if HQ had any inkling exactly what is buried here. Only the fact it's on En'Shalla territory has prevented all of us from being replaced. They'd love to get us winkled out of here and their top experts in— not just for the site, but because they'd be able to put some anthropologists and others in the team and spy on you all!"
"So you're using me to keep the boogeyman away."
Not true,
sent Josh.
The person who suggested it was Master Konis himself as soon as Garras showed him the request to send a new team member out here. Why look anywhere but among our own when we have you, and you have all my knowledge at your fingertips?
It's not mine! It's not for me, it's for the estate!
she replied.
"It is that we are bothering you too much, that we make too many demands on your person?" asked Toueesut, his bristly chin wriggling in concern as he fairly bounced around from foot to foot behind her.
In the distance, she could hear the distressed trilling of his swarm mates. As she turned, she saw them swirling round each other in an intricate dance.
"No, no," she said placatingly, touching him on the sleeve of his brightly embroidered jacket. "It's nothing you've done. You know I'm happy to help you at any time."
"Then why you distress all with your confusion over accepting this position?" he asked, catching hold of her hands, beginning to almost massage them with his callused, leathery fingers.
She'd never gotten this close to one of the little people before and now that they were touching, she could feel his thoughts and emotions, was aware of how soft and fragile he felt she was. His hands held hers firmly yet they were never still, the thumbs rubbing over the back of her hands, the fingers doing dances of their own across her palms and digits. She marveled at how hands that had essentially evolved for supporting themselves against the ground and rocky outcrops in order to walk upright could be so flexible at manipulating almost microscopic electrical components. How could these beings be the comm tech experts of the Alliance?
"It is us who requested you be made a permanent member of our working community, so that the high level of peace and efficiency could be maintained," he said, enveloping her in sweet scents of every kind until she was almost choking. "We are those responsible for being selfish enough to want you to continue smoothing matters between the discordant ones and ourselves. It is your music that sounds so sweetly in our minds when you are here." He stopped, even to the point of standing still and holding her hands tightly between his own.
"Stay," he said. "It would sadden the swarms if you did not. Is it selfish to want to work with those who create harmony in our lives on a world alien to us both? You bring a touch of home to us."
Astonished by them for the second time, Mara could only blurt out, "But why? Why me? I've done nothing special for you!"
Toueesut put his head to one side, brown eyes twinkling at her from their dark sockets, the bristles around nose and chin suddenly pointing forward as he concentrated totally on her. "But you have," he trilled softly as behind him the other eleven Touibans made a harmonious accompaniment to his voice. "I told you. Your mind-music sounds sweeter than any others here."
Mara Ryan,
came the thoughts of Konis Aldatan in her mind,
Have you any idea of the breakthrough you've made with these people? If you dare turn that position down....
"I'll take it," she said hurriedly, though she knew well that Master Konis had only been half-joking. "I'll do what you want, work with the team."
Those were the last words she got out for the next five minutes, as twelve deliriously happy Touibans descended on her, pulling her to her feet and twirling and whirling her round with them until she had to beg them to let her go lest she fall down with giddiness.

* * *

From the lab, Dzaka watched the remarkable display dispassionately. At his side, Josh stood, mouth agape, experiencing it as immediately as Mara. When she was eventually returned to her seat at the table, he spoke to Dzaka.
"How unusual is this kind of behavior?"
"Unique," said Dzaka, looking away and continuing with his cataloging. "Interaction with other species is normally strictly confined to business. They prefer to interface with us through a telepath, and tend to live in Valsgarth rather than any other city. Master Konis could tell you more if you're interested, or one of the AlRel staff living on the estate."
"He already has," said Josh, watching the two groups of Touibans returning to the lab, chattering and trilling as they went. "Toueesut said he liked her
mind-music,
and Master Konis has just called it a breakthrough."
Dzaka grunted in surprise, interested despite himself. "I always thought they had a level of awareness akin to our psi talents. They've been employed at Stronghold before now, and never demanded a telepath from us. I take it she decided to accept the post."
"Yes."
"She needed a direction, now she has it. She's already paid the Touibans back in full for their support of you both against Pam Southgate."
"So that's partly why they asked for Pam to be removed from the team. We could never figure out why," Josh said thoughtfully.
Dzaka looked up at the bearded Human. "If they sensed her mind, then they'll also know yours," he said. "Even more so now you're Leska Linked."
Josh shrugged, dark eyebrows disappearing beneath his sandy hair in embarrassment. "Yeah, it's weird being the only Human Leska pair. I wish Zhyaf hadn't died, but it was no life for Mara being Linked to him. Look, I'm sorry things are bad between you and Kitra."
"Kitra decided there's no longer anything between us," he said, concentrating on copying the data from the notebook into the comp unit.
"I didn't realize things were that bad. Everyone's saying this bonding is just a political one."
"It's political," he agreed, "but no less real because of that."
"You should have asked for her yourself."
"I couldn't. She has to marry within the Clans to pass on the telepath bloodlines," he said shortly. Why the hell did everyone feel the need to give him advice he couldn't take?
"We're a Clan," Josh pointed out as he went back to his work. "And your parents were telepaths. Everyone knows Kaid is or he couldn't be Kusac's and Carrie's Third."
"Everyone might know it, but it isn't written in the records, and I'm not about to tell Master Konis officially. It's for my father to reveal his Talent, not me."
"Dzaka," he began.
"You know nothing about our family," said Dzaka, his anger boiling briefly to the surface as he glared at the Human. "My father had to conceal our relationship even from me until a few months ago because he feared for my life at the hands of Ghezu! Do you think I'd betray him for anything?"
"I didn't mean it like that," stammered Josh. "You're right. I know nothing about your family. I should have kept my mouth shut."
The fire went out of Dzaka's eyes and he sighed, breaking eye contact. "No, I should apologize. I know you're like all the others, only concerned for us. I'm gene-altered, like you. I can't give her the cubs the Clan Council demands. There is nothing I can do but accept the Clan Lord's decision."
"Is there anything we can do? You really love each other, don't you? Mara could take a message to her if you want."
"I gave my word to Master Konis not to communicate with her until after the bonding, and Kitra's made it plain she wants nothing to do with me because of that. It's over between us, Josh. I've had to accept it, so will everyone else." He'd finally said it, and as he did, he could feel it take form, a reality all its own. Logic was one thing, feelings and emotions were another. He felt the coldness he'd known when he heard of the death of his wife and cub begin to creep once more into his heart. This was the last time he'd let himself care so deeply for another person. "It's over."

* * *
Day 10

Snow and ice covered everything, turning the false dawn into a pale blue wonderland. Before Carrie's face hung the tendrils of some plant; caught and encased in ice, they glittered and sparkled in what little light there was. They chimed hollowly as they swayed gently against each other in the faint breeze.
She became aware of the cold then— a cold so bitter it almost burned, enough to freeze the dead.
"Not in my realm," a voice purred in her ear. "My snows insulate the ground, keep it warm, letting the life within sleep and gather strength to face the heat of the new year. Like you, my soft, furless Sholan." A cool tongue tip touched her cheek, caressing it briefly.
Carrie whimpered. She could feel a furred body pressed against her, an arm laid across her shoulders, but she herself was unable to move.
"You're safe while you sleep within my arms, little one, but your Warrior will not fare so well. I grant you this last look at him before you wake."
A silver-pelted arm reached past her, parting the frozen fronds till she could see Kusac lying sleeping within a bank of snow. Only his head remained visible. Fear leaped into her heart at the sight of him.
"Hush, little one! He rests safe for the moment," Khuushoi said softly, her breath cold upon Carrie's cheek as she held her closer. "It's been so long since anyone visited me here. Dreamers like you are rare."
Coldness, not warmth, spread from Khuushoi's body to hers. Carrie tried to move, to reach out for Kusac, but she was held still within the embrace of the Goddess of Winter.
"There is no need for fear." Khuushoi's tone was amused. "Those kissed by Winter cannot wake till the appointed time. Your company has brought me pleasure, eased my loneliness. In return, heed me well, I have a warning for you. Prepare yourself for a time when you may have to choose between him and your child. When that time comes, choose wisely, little Human."
Once more, the cool tongue caressed her cheek as around her, the light began to fade.