No Other Love (15 page)

“Is this building your home?” she asked.

“Of course not. Who would wish to live in so
large and empty a space?” Dulan gave a short, broken laugh. “This
is the Gathering Hall.”

“The statue of the Chon is magnificent,”
Merin said.

“You know of the Chon?” Dulan’s short figure
exuded tenseness.

“We lived briefly in the northern part of
this continent,” Merin said. “We had some contact with them.”

“How is it that we did not sense your
presence?” Dulan’s head bowed, as if the weapons still being held
in slim fingers were being examined. “You say you are exiles. Are
you telepaths?”

“No, but we know you are.” At Herne’s words,
Dulan moved back a pace or two.

“Have you come here searching for us, to do
us harm? If so, you were foolish to hand over your weapons.” Dulan
turned them over and over, the motions of those pale hands
imparting to Merin a distaste and a reluctance to handle them.
“They are unusual. I have never seen any like them before.”

“That’s because – oh, blessed stars.” Herne
looked helplessly at Merin. “You’re the historian, you tell me how
we can explain how we got here, or what you think happened, without
sounding completely insane.”

“There is no reasonable explanation,” Merin
said to Dulan.

“Your confusion, these strange weapons – now
I begin to understand,” said Dulan.

“You do?” They both stared at the blue-robed
figure.

“If I speak the name Ananka, will it be
familiar to you?” asked Dulan.

“It will,” said Herne, looking grim.

“As I expected. How many others are with
you?”

“There is no one else,” Herne said,
adding,“we were forced to land here. At the moment, our ship is in
need of repair.”

“Of course it is. You want to return to your
proper place. I shall try to help you. In the meantime, let me
offer you my hospitality. Perhaps it will be some small recompense
for the inconveniences you have suffered.” Dulan indicated with one
hand that they should follow, then led them toward the garden wall
where they could now see a door that had been partly concealed by
shrubbery and white flowers.

“Dulan, how long have your people lived
here?” Merin asked.

“For almost exactly one hundred of this
planet’s years,” came the reply.

At this, Merin and Herne exchanged glances.
Both had read the records of Tathan that were stored at their
headquarters building, so they knew Tathan had been one hundred
years old when the Cetans attacked and destroyed it. Behind Dulan’s
back, Merin touched Herne’s arm. Perhaps startled by this unusual
gesture on her part, he stopped walking to look at her.

“Say nothing of what we know about the fate
of Tathan,” Merin whispered urgently.

“Don’t worry,” Herne whispered to her.
“That’s a vital piece of information to be kept secret in case we
need it later, to bargain for our lives.”

“Is something wrong?” Dulan paused by the
garden door, waiting for them.

“Do we appear solid to you?” Herne asked.

“To my eyes you are perfectly normal,
substantial human beings,” Dulan said. “However, I understand your
concern. Indeed, I share it. As soon as we have reached my house, I
will do what I can to dispel the mystery that so disturbs you.”

Dulan led them through the door into a narrow
alley that ran parallel to the garden wall. Along the opposite side
of the alley was another stone wall into which, a short distance
away, was set a dark wooden door. Dulan pushed this door open.
Inside, they found a pleasant, cozy room with dark wood ceiling
beams. Colorful, finely woven banners hung on the white walls,
wooden chairs were cushioned with more bright textiles, a fire
burned merrily in a raised fireplace. In one wall a series of
windows looked out across a salt marsh to the sea. Above the
undulating grasses three Chon were hunting their dinner, diving now
and then to snatch at prey.

“My mate is away from home on a brief retreat
to Lake Rhyadur,” said Dulan, “so it is left to me alone to make
you comfortable. I have more than enough food and drink here. Since
you are familiar with the Chon, perhaps you will wish to join us
tomorrow evening, for our Gathering with them.”

“We would be honored,” Merin said.

“Actually, we would like to be gone by
tomorrow,” Herne said. “You offered to help us repair our
ship.”

What is wrong with your vessel, or perhaps I
should say, the conditions that I believe resulted in your arrival
here, will take more than a single day to repair,” Dulan informed
them. “Please, seat yourselves near the fire. We chose to build at
Tathan because the climate here is uniformly pleasant, but at this
time of year, as summer ebbs, the sea breeze can be surprisingly
cool and damp. Let me find refreshments to share with you.” Dulan
left them, passing through an archway to the left of the room.

Once again, Merin touched Herne’s arm and
raised a finger to her lips, signaling caution.

“Somehow, we have been moved in time,” she
began in a whisper.

“No, it’s all an illusion,” Herne
interrupted.

“Whichever it is,” Merin told him with a hint
of impatience, “we must be careful not to reveal anything we know
about the fate of Tathan.”

“I have already agreed to that.” Herne
nodded. “I think it would also be wise not to mention our colony.
And, Merin, we are going to let Dulan believe we are mates.”

“
What?”
This suggestion so startled
her that she forgot to whisper.

“Hush, talk softly. It’s a way of making sure
we aren’t separated through an entire night, until we find out what
has really happened to us. We’ll have to take turns standing watch.
Dulan seems to be friendly enough, but we can’t be certain what is
planned for us. We don’t even know if that is really Dulan in
there.”

“Your point is well made, Herne. For the time
being, I am willing to act as if we are mated while we are with
Dulan and the other telepaths whom we will probably meet here.”

“Are you sure you know how?” He grinned at
her in a manner most unlike the Herne she knew.

Merin wondered if he was experiencing the
same occasional giddiness she had been feeling ever since leaving
the shuttlecraft, but before she could ask him about it, Dulan
returned with the promised refreshments. He brought them brown
bread, a plate of several kinds of fruits, a pitcher of foaming,
golden liquid, and three pottery mugs glazed in a lovely shade of
blue.

Dulan set the food on a low table, pulled a
third chair close to the fire, and sat down to pour out the liquid.
It proved to be a tangy, beer-like beverage. Merin drank it with
thirsty pleasure, but she noted that Herne barely sipped at
his.

“I have promised to tell you what I know, or
can conjecture about your coming here,” Dulan said. “To begin,
everyone in Tathan or farming on the outskirts of the city is a
telepath. Most are human and some are members of the other Races.
After the Act of Banishment forced us to leave the Jurisdiction we
made a long journey together, ending finally in the Empty Sector,
where we found this suitable planet. There were but sixty-four of
us left when we founded Tathan a century ago, but on this world all
Races live much longer lives than is usual. Sixty of the original
founders are still alive. All of us have prospered and multiplied
our kin through several new generations until now there are over
two thousand of us. We brought with us the technology to build our
beautiful city and to make the best use of soil and the sea. For
nearly one hundred years, we have been safe and content, until
recently.”

Since this information was familiar to both
Merin and Herne, neither said anything, but let Dulan continue the
story.

“Among telepaths there are universally
understood barriers to the expansion of our skills,” Dulan told
them. “But in every group of intelligent beings there are those,
usually young, ambitious, as yet untried souls, who want to abolish
all limits.”

“It happens in most societies,” Herne put in.
“The young rebel for a while, but in time they mature and learn to
control themselves. By then of course, there is a new generation
coming along to cause fresh trouble.”

“So it was with our previous young ones,”
said Dulan, nodding agreement. “But in the case of this particular
generation two new factors have been added. The first was Saray, a
girl born with remarkable powers. She studied with me for several
years, until she outpaced her teacher. The second factor is the
entity known to us as Ananka.”

Herne drew in his breath with a sharp sound.
Dulan’s head turned in his direction, as if the telepath was
studying Herne’s expression.

“Is there something you wish to add to this
story?” asked Dulan.

“Not yet,” Herne said. “Perhaps later.”

“Very well.” The blue hood now faced toward
the fire, as if Dulan was gazing into the flames, considering what
to say next. After a time, the low voice resumed. “We had known of
the presence of several similar entities on this world before we
settled here. They are creatures of light and energy, without
bodies as we know them. Our powers were not great enough to allow
full contact with them, but we received the impression that our
settlement was not unwelcome. For almost a century we largely
ignored this form of life, and it ignored us.

“Now Saray claims that she has made friends
with Ananka, and that Ananka is helping her to enhance her
telepathic abilities. I have seen Saray move objects and even
herself through space,” Dulan continued. “I have also observed a
brief though successful attempt at transportation through time. I
think that is why you are here. I believe Ananka and Saray were
experimenting on you.”

Merin and Herne stared at each other, saying
nothing.

“You knew the name the entity uses,” Dulan
said, “which makes me believe you have witnessed one of its
manifestations.”

“I did,” Herne admitted. “Twice. She appeared
as a beautiful young woman.”

“Where was that?” asked Dulan. When Herne and
Merin said nothing, as they had earlier agreed, Dulan spoke again.
“I need to know in order to determine how strong the Saray-Ananka
alliance has become. If the effects they create can be extended
beyond this immediate area, then our problem is more serious than I
have believed.”

“When the malfunctions in our shuttlecraft
began we were directly above Tathan,” Herne said, avoiding an
answer on the subject of where he had first met Ananka. “We thought
the solar storms were affecting the instruments.”

“The term ‘shuttlecraft’ implies a larger
ship somewhere near,” said Dulan. “And, to my certain knowledge,
the sun is in its quiescent period just now. There are no solar
storms.”

“We can’t tell you,” Merin began.

“You must,” Dulan interrupted her. “If my
theories about Ananka and Saray are correct, the lives of everyone
in Tathan may depend upon your answer.”

“All right.” Herne leapt to his feet, almost
knocking over the table where the food sat. “Merin, we have to tell
Dulan everything. There is no one else who can help us leave
here.”

“Herne,” Merin protested,” we agreed to keep
silent.”

“Why?” asked Dulan. “Is there something I
dare not know?”

Merin bit her lip, thinking about the coming
Cetan attack. Herne spoke again to Dulan, expressing an attitude he
had voiced before, to Merin.

“Look, could you remove that hood? It covers
your face, and I hate talking to someone I can’t see.”

“I could, but you would wish I had not.”
Dulan paused for the duration of a sigh. “Long ago, when I lived in
the Jurisdiction, I was tortured in an attempt to make me reveal
the names of other telepaths. My face was badly scarred, my voice
permanently altered. I was fortunate to escape with my life.”

“I’m sorry.” Herne sat down again, looking
hard at the blue fabric covering Dulan. “I’m a physician and
surgeon. Perhaps I could help.”

“I thank you, but it is too late for that.”
One of Dulan’s hands moved in a beseeching gesture. “Please tell me
everything you know about Ananka. It is vitally important. I swear
not to reveal your secrets to the other telepaths.”

Merin sat watching Herne as he produced a
carefully edited version of what had happened to him while
exploring the ruins of Tathan. He did not mention Tarik or the
other colonists, instead giving the impression that he and Merin
had been exploring by themselves. He also made the
Kalina
sound like a much smaller ship than it was. He did not mention the
coming Cetan attack.

“So, Tathan will end in ruins,” said Dulan
when Herne was finished.

“As all cities end, in time,” Merin said.

“Time is precisely the dimension we must
consider,” Dulan told her. “With Ananka’s help, Saray was able to
change the position in time of a small animal, and later to move
you. You will note that the second transference included your ship
as well as your persons. We must conclude from this that the power
produced by the union of the two is growing stronger.”

“Dulan, can you help us?” Merin asked.

“It is possible.” Dulan rose. “I want to
consult with my friend, Tula.”

“You swore you wouldn’t tell anyone what we
said.” Herne was on his feet again, looking angry.

“If you walked to the center of Tathan from
the outskirts of the city, then everyone knows you have arrived,”
Dulan said.

“Everyone we passed acted as it we didn’t
exist.” Herne still sounded angry.

“It is rude to stare at strangers,” Dulan
explained. “They noticed you, but would not speak until you were
properly introduced.”

“Huh,” said Herne, frowning.

“There is no breaking of my promise in
inviting Tula to join us for the evening meal,” Dulan told him.
“After you have met him, you may decide for yourselves how much you
want to tell him. In the meantime, you will not be disturbed while
I am gone. The guest accommodations are in the rooms to your right.
Perhaps you would like to bathe, or to sleep for a while. So long
as you are my guests, my home and all I possess are at your
disposal.”