Eternity Row (44 page)

His eyes, which had lost all color, shifted to my face. “He cages you with his politics, the same way Joseph caged you like a specimen. I will not have it.” To my ClanBrother, he said, “I challenge you. Here, in one hour.”

“I accept.” The Captain made an eloquent, terse gesture. “One hour.”

Somehow we had gone from me pretending to want Qonja dead to Reever and Xonea fighting over my future. “No. I won’t let you two do this.”

“I protect what is mine, too,” Reever told me softly.

Qonja came to stand beside me as both men strode out of the environome. “Healer, I apologize. Perhaps if I had been permitted to tell you sooner, this might not have happened.”

“No, Qonja.” I stared at the door panel. “I think this has been brewing for a long time, and I’m just now seeing it.”

I couldn’t track down Reever or Xonea, so I ended up in Medical, wandering around the inpatient ward trying to figure out how to stop the two men I loved from killing each other. I was staring blindly at a patient’s chart when I noticed a couple of the nurses having some trouble at the other end of the ward, and went over to help.

Dhreen lay on the berth, laughing and swatting at them as they attempted to take his vitals. “I’m fine, I’m fine.” He saw me, and sat up. “Hey, Doc! What say we get out of here and play some whump-ball? I’ve got credits burning in my pocket, just waiting for you, how about it?”

“Dhreen, calm down.” I took out my scanner and passed it over him. His heart rate and blood pressure were spiking.

“I told you, I’m fine.” His eyes never stopped scanning our faces, and the nurses had to grab him again as he tried to climb off the berth. “Come on, Doc, lighten up! Let’s have some fun, I’ll spot you twenty points; what do you say?”

He didn’t stop talking, but I tuned him out as I prepared a syrinpress. “How long has he been like this?” I asked one of the nurses.

“Most of the day. One of the engineering staff brought him in when he was found toying with a prep unit in the galley.”

“Toying?” I injected Dhreen with a mild tranquilizer.

“I believe the crewman said the pilot was offering to prepare traditional Oenrallian dishes for everyone who wished to use the unit.”

I checked the time, and saw the hour was nearly up. “All right, keep him quiet, and monitor his vitals closely.” As Dhreen settled down, I unfastened his tunic to check the shunt, but the mold was gone. “Put another Lok-Teel on him and strap him down, if the dose wears off before I get back.”

Squilyp caught up with me in the corridor. “I heard the news. What provoked Reever into challenging the Captain?”

“I’ve been elected to Joren’s Ruling Council. Whether I like it or not.”

The Omorr grimaced. “That would do it.”

I quickly briefed him on the latest development with Dhreen, while he updated me on Hawk. As we entered the environome with a crowd of crew members, Squilyp said, “It seems visiting their homeworlds did neither of them any good.”

“You can’t go home again,” I agreed, then stopped. Someone bumped into me and apologized, but I simply waved them on. ‘That’s it. That’s the connection I was looking for.”

“I don’t understand.”

“They both visited their homeworlds after an extended absence. Think about it.” I led my boss to the gallery seating, and pulled him down on a chair beside me. “Hawk had never been to Taerca, and Dhreen’s been away for about the same amount of time. Their immune systems couldn’t cope.”

“The biodecon prior to landing on both worlds would have identified any bacteria detrimental to them.”

“I don’t think it’s bacterial. It’s something else.”

Squilyp’s dark eyes narrowed. “We will have to obtain biosphere samples to test-food, soil, air, and water. I doubt, however, that either species shall willingly provide us with them.”

“Reever sent a remote probe to Jxinok. He could do the same thing again for Oenrall and Taerca.” I looked out at the warriors quad, where my husband and Xonea stood facing each other. “God, I’ve got to stop this.”

“Yes, you must.” Salo came and sat down on the other side of me. When my brows rose, he added, “Qonja came to me and explained what has happened. I think I can help, if you’ll allow me to do so.” He placed an ancient Jorenian book in my hands. “These are the very first laws created for our people.”

I was afraid to open it, it was so fragile. “And there’s something in here that will keep them from killing each other?”

“Yes.” He opened it to a central passage, and pointed to a heading mark identical to the pictoglyph Qonja wore on his vocollar. “Listen, and I will translate for you.”

It took a few minutes for Salo to interpret the symbols for me. As I listened, I watched both men warming up. Xonea seemed even more enormous than ever, his muscles bulkier, his entire frame emanating sheer, animal power.

Reever, who would never be as tall or muscular as the Captain, had other advantages-speed and agility, which he demonstrated by going through a number of those odd, inhuman moves the Hsktskt had taught him.

Watching them made me realize for once just how dangerous both of them were.

“That is all that is written, but I believe it is enough,” Salo said when he finished translating the passage.

“I can’t do this unless I say okay to the whole deal, right?” Which was going to make my husband furious, but would keep him alive.

My friend made a cautious gesture. “You must assume the appointment in order to take advantage of the law.”

“An appointment for life-a life for two lives.” My lips twisted. “Not a bad deal, really.”

“Are you certain?” Squilyp asked.

The gallery fell silent as Xonea turned to address the crowd. “Ship’s Linguist Reever has challenged me, by the right of bond. I have freely accepted, thus no retribution will be taken against Reever, should he prevail.”

Reever only stood, silent and waiting. I nearly got out of my seat then, but Salo clamped a hand on my arm. “Patience, ClanCousin. It must go to the point of death-strike, and only then can you act.”

“You’d better be right about this, Salo.”

Xonea returned to his position in the quad, and nodded to Reever. An eerie silence fell over the gallery as both men entered the central quad, circling each other. They seemed to do that forever, until Xonea feinted to one side and slammed into Reever from the other. My husband pivoted in the same direction of the blow to his abdomen, and returned the favor.

Then the gallery exploded with shouting voices, and the two began to literally beat the life out of each other.

My chest tightened as I watched, and waited. I couldn’t help the sounds I made when either of them took a fist or kick to their body, couldn’t help the tears that welled in my eyes as I saw the first splatters of red and green blood stain the quad’s surface.

“I can’t wait,” I said to Salo, my voice cracking.

“You must.” He put an arm around me. “Be strong for them now.”

The fight went on. At first it seemed Xonea had a greater advantage, with his superior size and strength, but slowly Reever began moving faster, working up to that blurry, frightening speed he had used in the past. After fifteen minutes, both men were covered with bruises and contusions, and panting from pain and exertion, but Reever seemed to be holding his own.

I kept flinching and jerking as each blow landed, almost feeling them on my own body. The tears in my eyes now streamed down my face, and I couldn’t smother my sobs. Salo’s arm tightened, and he placed the book in my hands.

“Now it comes,” he murmured.

The crowd fell silent as Reever flipped down on his stomach, almost completely prone, then vaulted up and back when Xonea tried to straddle him. Somehow he got the Captain facedown on the quad, one strong arm locked around his blue neck. The Jorenian thrashed and writhed under my husband, but it was obvious he wasn’t going to get out of the hold.

“Now.” Salo thrust the book into my hands, and I jumped up and ran for the quad.

“Ruling Council intercedes!” I shouted as loudly as I could, to be heard over the now-roaring crowd. “Stop the challenge and adhere to what I say now!”

Duncan looked up, his face a battered mask of blood. He frowned, as if not quite sure it was me. Reluctantly, he released Xonea, and got to his feet. “What are you doing?”

The Captain slowly rose, rubbing his throat. “You cannot stop us.”

“I just did. According the First Laws of Joren”-I held up Salo’s book-“a member of the Ruling Council can and will intercede in any matter pertaining to the welfare of the HouseClans. Xonea, you yourself had me appointed to the Council, and know that I may speak for them in their absence.”

“That is only during times of conflict, when the Council members are separated.”

I deliberately gazed around me. “I don’t see any Council members around here, do you?”

“They can be signaled,” the Captain insisted.

“Our communications array is not functioning, Captain.” Salo came down to stand beside me. “I believe it will take several days to perform the necessary repairs.”

“We are not in the middle of a conflict,” Reever pointed out.

I’d anticipated that, too. “HouseClan Jado goes to negotiate peace in the League/Hsktskt conflict. By doing so, Joren enters the war and under those conditions, I am obliged to protect our people.”

“Say what you will, wife,” Reever wiped some blood from his eye. “You are not joining their Council.”

“By announcing the intercession, I already have.” I shook my head at him when he would have responded, then turned to the crew, “Duncan Reever has prevailed, and by doing so has the right to divert Clan-Leader Torin’s path. However, our people must have a ClanLeader who understands the war we have entered. As there is no Torin with more experience in dealing with the League and the Hsktskt, Xonea cannot be replaced. The law reads that the needs of the Clan are more important than any one of the House, and by that law, I declare this challenge is ended.”

Reever stared at me for a moment, then limped out of the environome.

“What would you have said if I had prevailed?” Xonea asked me.

“The HouseClan also needs allies willing to help them prevail over their enemies,” I said, and handed the book to Salo before slipping my arm around the Captain. “In case you haven’t noticed, Reever is the best ally we have.”

His pain-filled eyes met mine. “I knew you would not wish to join the Council. Why did you do this?”

“You left me no choice, and we’ll talk about it later. Let’s get you to Medical.”

“You will serve Joren well,” one of the crew said as he passed us.

I smiled, only a little bitterly. “Now that I have no choice, I guess I’d better.”

I confined the Captain to a medical berth and a dermal regenerator for the night. “You’re not scaring my kid by letting her see you like this,” I said when he objected. “Sleep. We can discuss the hows and whys of this tomorrow, when you’re apologizing to me.”

He took my hand in his before I pulled the regenerator over him. “I regret my actions provoked your bondmate, ClanSister.”

“Me, too.” I bent over and kissed him. “Good night, champ.”

I had the feeling Reever wouldn’t go back to our quarters looking the way he did, so I took my medical case and went to his second-favorite place on the ship. It meant taking a gyrlift all the way down to level thirty-five.

Beneath the transparent panels of the observation dome, a lone figure sat in the dark, staring at the stars. He didn’t turn around when I stepped off the lift. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to watch you sulk.” I switched on the lights, then sat down beside him to survey the damage. “And bleed.” I pushed his head to one side to get a better look at a nasty gash above his ear. That and a dozen other small wounds were still oozing, so I opened my case. “Xonea looks worse, if that helps.”

“Xonea
lost
.” There was some deep, primitive satisfaction in the way he said those two words.

“You would have killed him out of jealousy over me.”

“No. But I would have killed him for changing who you are.”

I stopped blotting up blood and sat back. “What?”

He lifted a swollen hand, and brushed a piece of hair from my face. “Xonea is a warrior. He wishes you to become a warrior. To be truly Jorenian, like his people. He wants you to lead them, to fight for them.”