Shades of Gray (107 page)

“I, the true Zsadhi, challenge you, in the name of the Goddess,” he said, drawing his sword and holding it aloft. As he did, the moon passed away from the face of the sun, and the fire in the sky shot like a lightning bolt to his raised sword, bathing him in flames. When they died, light returned to the land, and Zsadhi had resumed his true form, and the people saw that there were two of him.”

“So the Entities took a hand,” murmured Kusac.

“Tashraka cast off her crown and her robes. Beneath them she wore armor made of glittering links of bronze that glowed like a banked fire. Drawing her own sword, she stepped forth to meet Zsadhi in combat,” said J’korrash. “The fight was terrible, for Tashraka was no mean warrior. Anger and fear fueled her, for she knew the Goddess had kept her sister’s husband alive and had hidden his true form in that of her lover. She flung her evil magics at him, but each time Zsadhi countered it with one of his own, one learned from the Goddess. Till dusk they fought, each taking grievous wounds, until at last Zsadhi’s sword pierced Tashraka’s evil heart, killing her. As she died, her own shape returned, and all could see she was indeed Tashraka and not Ishardia. At the same moment, her lover once more became the guard, and with a cry of rage, he flung himself at Zsadhi. Before he had taken three steps, the Royal guards turned on him and cut him down.”

“What of Zsadhi?” asked Kaid.

“Zsadhi was wounded to death,” J’korrash said. “He fell to his knees, his crimson blood spilling over the sand. But before he could die, the Goddess herself appeared, a bowl of water in her hands. She bade him drink, and miraculously he was healed. She told the people that he was their King, and he would rule over them justly until the time there was one worthy to take his place. For the first time ever, a male ruled alone in our land. His first acts were to condemn the sorceress to death by fire and to expose all of Tashraka’s supporters and give them to the people to toil on their behalf in improving the lives they had ruined. He ruled for many years, fathering daughters to succeed him, though never marrying again. It was said he could see into the hearts and minds of people just by looking at them, but he was a good and just ruler. The tomb he built to honor his murdered Queen stands to this day by the Summer Palace. On it is inscribed this story.”

“It sounds as though he had telepathic abilities,” said Carrie.

“Well told, J’korrash,” said Kaid. “I would never have suspected that there was such a legend among your people, given how male oriented it is now.”

“That was the doing of another Queen, who chose to make the males her warriors rather than risk her telepathic females,” said J’korrash, sitting back and sipping her maush. “She was the one who divided our people into castes. Our father has memories of her and what she did. When the males rebelled against her cruelty, she died horribly at their hands. They apparently slaughtered nearly every female, and those they did allow to live, they put in harems and sedated them heavily so they couldn’t communicate mentally with each other.”

“And so the Valtegans we know were born,” said Kusac. “What happened to Zsadhi?”

“It’s said that Zsadhi didn’t die,” said J’korrash. “That when his end was near, the Goddess came for him and took him to her Realm. The people believe he sleeps still in her kingdom, waiting for their time of dire need. Then, with fire and thunder and lightning, the Goddess will wake him once more. His name has become legendary for truth and justice.”

“Very similar to the Arthurian legends,” said Carrie. “Arthur fought against his sister Morgause and their illegitimate son. He killed Mordred but was mortally wounded. The Lady of the Lake, a kind of Earth, or Mother Goddess, had him taken to her Realm of Avalon to sleep until his country’s hour of greatest need.”

“I don’t care what happened to Arthur or Zsadhi, I have no intention of dying like them,” Kusac said, frowning. “Or waiting around for centuries like Vartra.”

“Thank you for telling the story so well, J’korrash,” said Carrie, elbowing Kusac in the ribs.

“Yes, thank you,” he added hastily, rising to his feet. “If we’re going to track down this new Lord Nayash, we’ll have to leave early in the morning, so I’m turning in now. All the males will come with me. I’ll take some of the females in their scent-masking suits and the chameleon ones, but I’ll decide who tomorrow. We’ll dress in a mix of our khaki uniforms and more casual clothing for now until we can get hold of their regular uniforms. Kaid, Banner, and T’Chebbi will, of course, remain, and Kaid will be our handler, as we’ll constantly be broadcasting images from small cameras back to him. Good night, everyone, and make sure you get a good night’s sleep.”

“I’ve had enough of being a Valtegan,” muttered Kusac as he crawled into their tent after Carrie. “I want my own body back.”

“Can you do that inside the tent?” Carrie asked dubiously, sitting on her sleeping bag and beginning to pull off some of her layers of clothing.

“Changing back is easier,” he said, collapsing on his bag and hauling on his bootlaces. Taking the boots off, he tossed them to the rear of the tent and began stripping. When he was naked and shivering, he lay down on the bag and began to slow his breathing and concentrate.

He let the change flow through him, not fighting the pain when it came, letting it just wash over him. Then it was done, and he was Sholan—and warm—again.

“Come here,” he purred, reaching out to help her undress and pulling her into his arms. “I need to remember who, and what, I am.”

“You’re the man I love,” she murmured, using the Human word as she sank her fingers into his pelt, pushing her hands through the luxurious soft fur on his chest and belly. “It’s so good to have you back as you.”

He rolled her over onto her back, supporting his weight on his knees and one forearm as he pulled her sleeping bag over them both. Lowering himself gently on top of her, he eased her thighs apart gently with one knee then sighed as he matched his body to hers.

“We fit so well like this,” he murmured, nibbling on her earlobe. “It never feels this right when I’m a Valtegan.”

“Mmm,” she said, eyes half closed in pleasure. “We can’t do anything about it, though, with everyone else so close by.”

“Says who?” he asked grinning at her, ears tilted toward her.

“Kusac,” she said warningly.

“A Challenge!” he said happily. “I like Challenges like this. When I’m done, you’ll not care how close the others are!”

“Kusac, no!” she whispered, trying to squirm out from under him as his hands caressed her and he began to lick and nibble his way across her jaw and down her throat.

The first tinges of light could be seen among the trees as he and Carrie ran through the snow, their hands and feet paws now, barely touching the surface as they seemed to skim over it. He angled closer to her, glancing briefly at her golden-pelted form before launching himself at her and bringing her down so they tumbled over and over in the powdery snow. They finally rolled to a stop under a tree, she lying on her back and he crouched possessively over her, his tail swaying gently from side to side.

“I never dreamed it would be like this,” she said, her warm breath making clouds in the frosty air as he lowered his head to run his tongue along her jaw.

“Snow can be fun,” he said, extending his right hand to scoop some up and rub it in her face.

She laughed, a deep purr underlying it as she batted at his offending hand with both of hers.

“The other dreams were never this vivid,” she said.

He stopped, his body going rigid as he raised his head and sniffed the cold, crisp air. “This isn’t a shared dream,” he said quietly, bending his head to nuzzle her. “This is real.”

“It can’t be,” she whispered, looking down at her golden Sholan body. “How can it possibly be real?”

“I have no idea, but it is,” he said, stepping off her and sitting down on his haunches. “Look at us. We’re different than we’ve imagined ourselves. Before, you looked as I visualized you would in Sholan form, but Gods, Carrie, you’re far more beautiful than I could ever have imagined.”

He reached out to take her hand and help her up. “I must look different to you.”

She accepted his hand, settling herself on her own haunches, the last foot or so of her tail gently rising and falling as an indication of her confusion.

“You are different,” she said slowly. “I see you with all my senses—your scent tells me more about you now, and there’s another dimension to reading your body signals.” She smiled, a Sholan smile as she lowered her jaw, teeth covered, yet the edges of her lips curled up. Leaning forward, she put her hand around his neck and kissed him.

“You do yourself an injustice,” she murmured, drawing him closer, responding to subtle shifts in his scent. “You’re far more beautiful than the youth you portray yourself as. There’s a maturity about you that I love. Now I know what Tasia meant about the broken hearts our marriage would cause. How was I so lucky to have you fall in love with me?”

I’m the lucky one,
he sent as their kiss deepened and his hands slid down her sides, claws just extended, sending shivers through her.

She arched herself toward him, head back, throat exposed, submitting to him in the age-old mating ritual.

He growled deep in his throat, taking her gift, his teeth closing over her larynx and holding her there. He could feel her heart beating against his lips and tongue, smell her scent—intoxicating him now, driving common sense from his mind.

We should be worrying about how this happened,
he sent, releasing her only to start gently nipping and licking his way down the side of her neck and along her shoulder.

“When we Linked last night—you showed me then. Right now,” she whispered, “I only want to be your Sholan wife, be loved like a Sholan!”

I will—I am,
he sent, raising his head to lick her ear briefly before sliding his arms behind her back to lay her down on the ground. Straddling her, his tail whipping from side to side, he threw back his head and let loose a growl that rose to a challenging roar that bounced off the trees around them.

Mine!
he sent as they both felt Kaid’s presence demanding to know where they were and what was happening. Even as Kaid backed off, he shut him out with a
Later
and lowered his head to bite and lick his way down her body, his claws raking through her fur, drawing sharp gasps of pleasure from her as her hands kneaded his shoulders before she drew her claws down his back, less gently.

There was no time for thought, only raw emotion. He moved lower, his nips less gentle, his tongue more searching, until her cry of need for him rang out in the forest.

Flipping her over, he pulled her up onto all fours then parted her long hair, his teeth closing on her scruff, and then he entered her, instantly swelling to his full arousal. Their minds, already Linked, spiraled around each other, taking them higher and higher until release came in an explosion of senses that left them clutching each other and gasping for breath.

They lay in the snow, bodies still shuddering as they began to return to normal again. Around them, dawn was breaking, lighting the sky with rose, pink, and turquoise.

“That was . . . unprecedented,” Kusac murmured, licking her cheek gently. “It’s never been like that before.”

Sated, Carrie could only muster a faint purr.

“We should get back to the caves. The Gods alone know how far we’ve come.”

Kaid’s still trying to reach us,
she sent.

“I know.” He sighed and moved, gently letting himself slide out of her despite her whimpers of protest. He licked her nose, chuckling. “You are a delightful Sholan, you know. Come on, we’ve a long day ahead of us, we need to get back.”

“But I’m still Sholan,” she said, sitting up to watch him rolling in the snow.

He stopped to grin at her, ears and tail twitching high in pleasure. “Yes, you are.” He pounced on her, rolling her into the snow until she was alert and yowling her complaints. “Come on,” he said, nudging her with his nose as they started to lope off back along their trail.

 

They were only ten minutes from the caves, and before they came in sight of the entrance, they reared up into an upright stance.

Nezaidu was on guard duty, and though she didn’t bat an eyelid at Kusac, she did a double take when she saw Carrie.

“You know Carrie,” he said, taking his wife’s hand and pulling her to his side as he walked past her.

“Oh, Gods, what are they going to say?” murmured Carrie as they walked along the short tunnel into the main cavern.

“I have a rough idea,” said Kusac, squeezing her hand as every head turned to look at them.

He knew exactly what impact she’d have on the Sholan males there. In Sholan form, she had a delicacy of body and movement that was belied by the reality of those who knew her. She was, quite literally, stunning to look at with her golden pelt and long hair. The color was rare among Sholans, only belonging to a few families, Kusac’s being one of them. Several jaws dropped in shock as they saw her.