Between Darkness and Light (106 page)

The elevator doors opened and they stepped out into the corridor.

“My office is over by the Command area,” said L' Seuli. “I imagine you still remember your way around here.”

“How could we forget?” asked Carrie as they headed off to their right.

“Jiosha's waiting for us,” said L'Seuli.

“I'll look forward to meeting her again,” she said.

Carrie took Dhyshac from Kaid again as they settled themselves round the table in L' Seuli's office.

“You shouldn't be here, you realize that, don't you?” said L'Seuli. “Lijou and Rhyaz both ordered you to remain on Shola. I'm disobeying my orders in letting you even see the other cubs, but since Dhyshac had foreknowledge of your arrival, I know the others are aware of your presence. I figure there's no point in preventing you from meeting the rest.”

“They know,” confirmed Dhyshac.

“You have two cubs of mine here,” said Rezac, his voice tense. “If Dhyshac can sense his father so strongly, then they will because I can. I have no intention of being prevented from seeing them!”

Jo put her hand on his. “L'Seuli has just said we can meet them, Rezac,” she said soothingly.

“I want more than to meet them,” he said forcefully. “They're staying with me!”

“Let's get this settled now,” said Kaid smoothly. “Clan comes before anything else, you know the law, L' Seuli, and these children belong to our Clan. We've come for them.”

“You know the situation,” began L'Seuli.

“They're Clan,” interrupted Rezac with finality. “There's nothing more to discuss.”

“Kaid,” said L' Seuli, looking at him.

“My brother has said it all.”

Carrie looked over at the priest and within moments, his face creased in distress and he looked away.

“That was unfair, Carrie,” L'Seuli said. “I know Dhyshac wants to be with his father, I didn't need you sending me his feelings on the matter.”

“Yes, you did,” she said. “This cub, like the others, was dragged into the world by uncaring beings to be used against us. Tanjo has looked after and cared for them very well, and I know you and Jiosha have done your part, but they need the love of their parents and the rest of their family now. They need to know they belong, and that they
are
precious and wanted, things only we can give them.”

“I can't allow it,” he said, his voice hardening. “When their existence is discovered, it could destroy not just the treaty but the Alliance. Too much depends on it.”

“They'll be taken to the estate, L'Seuli,” said Kaid. “No one outside will see them. How can it threaten the Alliance? We've no intention of taking the matter further and exposing them to the reporters and the newsvids. All we want is our children—and Kusac.”

“I can't give you him either. We've had no word from him or his crew since they left several months ago.”

“You must have some idea of where they met Kezule.”

“None,” said the priest.

Kaid felt Dhyshac stir both mentally and physically beside him, before Carrie sent him a warning.

I know,
he sent to Carrie on a tight mental wavelength. The cub had a good idea of the location, how, Vartra alone knew, but it could prove useful.

“You can't leave here, Kaid, you realize that, don't you?” continued L'Seuli.

Kaid raised an eye ridge. “And how long do you intend to keep us here?” he asked. “Until our cubs back home are ten? That's impossible. Be realistic, L'Seuli.”

“The Touiban Speaker has been told to return to Shola,” said L'Seuli, ignoring his question. “You will remain on Haven for the present. As for the cubs, they can stay with you for the time being at least, but they will have to resume their studies in a few days.”

Rezac began to rumble in anger. “Their education is not your decision to make,” he said.

“What are they being taught?” asked Jo.

“How to use their Talent,” said Jiosha.

“We know that,” said Dhyshac. “We were taught with sleep tapes made from the mind of Kusac.”

Exclamations of shock and surprise rippled round the table.

“How do you know that?” asked Jiosha, staring at him. “You never mentioned this before.”

“It wasn't important till now,” said the cub, leaning against Carrie.

“In which case, they're fully trained Telepaths, L'Seuli,” said Kaid. “There's no need for them to be educated here; Rezac is right.”

L'Seuli got to his feet. “I think you and I should continue this discussion later, Kaid, alone, when you've all eaten and rested,” he said. “Jiosha will show you to your quarters. We have four double-occupancy rooms where you can stay. Meals are at the usual times. When Tanjo returns, I'll have him bring the cubs to you.”

Kaid got to his feet, bending to lift Dhyshac from Carrie. “Very well,” he said. “But you won't change our minds.”

“We need access to our shuttle,” said Carrie. “We have overnight things we need.”

“I'll arrange for two of you to be escorted down,” said L' Seuli. “And, Kaid, I'll want your weapons.”

Kaid raised an eye ridge. “What weapons? We left our side arms in the locker on the shuttle, and they'll stay there.”

L'Seuli sighed as they left.

 

T'Chebbi and Garras had returned with their overnight bags before Tanjo arrived at their room with the other cubs, holding a very nervous Gaylla in his arms.

“Liegena,” he said as the other three clustered close around him. “Gaylla knows neither of her parents are here and feels ...”

“I understand, Tanjo,” she said, reaching out to take the little female from him. “We know about Gaylla. Hello, sweetie,” she said, smiling at her. “My, you're heavy, aren't you? I swear you're heavier than Dhyshac!”

Gaylla surveyed her from enormous eyes, keeping her fingers firmly in her mouth.

“I've got something in my bag for you and the others,” she said, carrying her over to the bed. “I bet you've never had candies before, have you?”

Gaylla shook her head as Carrie put her down beside Dhyshac.

“You'll like them,” grinned Dhyshac, holding a lollipop out to her. “They taste really nice. I chose this one, with a face on it, for you.”

She took it from him and looked at it, unsure what to do next.

“I promise it tastes nicer than your fingers,” said Carrie, gently taking the cub's fingers out of her mouth and urging her to put the lollipop there instead. An expression of surprise, swiftly followed by delight, lit up her features. Carrie turned back to Tanjo, looking carefully at the other three cubs, frowning slightly.

“This is Vazih,” said Tanjo, urging the light brown-colored female forward before the two young males. “Zsayal and Shaylor.”

Gods, this is a mess!
she sent to Kaid, paling slightly even as she welcomed them and urged them to help themselves to the candies on the bed.
I'm the mother of both those little males, and one of them is Rezac's!

I don't know how
I
feel about it, Kaid. He's my son, too!

Then you share him,
said Kaid calmly, resting his hand on her shoulder.
Let's see which of you they're drawn to. You see to Shaylor, I'll get Rezac and Jo.

 

By the time the introductions were over, and they'd all eaten, it was obvious that despite the cubs' obvious desire to be with their parents and family, they didn't want to be separated.

Reassured that they wouldn't be except at night because of the physical limitations of the rooms, they'd bedded the cubs down, leaving Gaylla with Dhyshac and Shaylor so they could use the room Garras and T'Chebbi were sharing as a lounge until they all retired for the night.

Gaylla had attached herself to T'Chebbi, wanting to sit with her in the mess and following her around as they walked back to the bedrooms. When she'd offered to have the little female in with them overnight, Carrie had accepted gratefully.

“Can they really keep us here?” asked Jo, as they were finally able to relax. Kaid's and T'Chebbi's search of the room had turned up only two concealed listening devices, both of which were now sitting in coffee dregs in the bottom of a disposable cup.

Kaid nodded, rubbing an oilstone gently over the blade of his belt knife. “Can, and will,” he confirmed.

“What's the plan?”

He stopped to test the edge on the ball of his thumb. “We sit it out and wait for Toueesut and the others to come up with the goods.”

Rezac threw him a curious glance. “And what's that?”

Satisfied, Kaid grinned, slipping his knife back into its scabbard. “Wait and see. It'll take four, maybe five days. Things should start to move late tomorrow when the
Tooshu
arrives and parks outside.”

Carrie laughed softly as Rezac's lips twitched at the edges.

“One upmanship,” said Rezac. “They tell Toueesut to leave, so the Touibans send a destroyer.”

“Watch and learn,” grinned Kaid.

They heard a scratching at the door and Kaid got to his feet to answer it. “It's a runner to say L'Seuli's ready to see me now.”

“Want me to come with you?” asked Rezac.

He shook his head. “No need. He's going to say nothing new except how pissed Rhyaz and Lijou are that all Haven now knows the cubs belong to us, and that we'd risk the Alliance to come here.”

K'hedduk, flanked by twenty of his altered Workers, crept silently along the second floor colonnaded corridor that led to the Great Hall. The evidence of his main force's passage was plain to see as they passed guards, their throats slit, lying in pools of their own congealing blood. The drugged food and wine served at the banquet had done its job well, as had the weak ale served to the guards and in the barracks. Here and there he'd seen the signs of a struggle and bodies battered beyond recognition when someone had remained conscious long enough to object.

His people weren't subtle or particularly bright, but they were fanatically loyal to him, as were the half M'zullians the Sholans had returned to them. So far, everything had gone as planned and this had been nothing more than the wholesale slaughter he'd hoped for. Another fifty of his people were in the barracks now under Zoshur, making sure the threat of Kezule's offspring was dealt with permanently.

There was still the mop-up work to do, which was why he and his twenty, under Shekkul's command, were making their way to the Great Hall where the evening's banquet had been held. Gelshuk had already checked the room, and killed all the guards, and was now checking the rest of the Palace, but only he could decide which of the Courtiers would be allowed to survive the night.

Sporadic gunfire sounded in the distance and he triggered the comm set he wore. “Report, Zoshur,” he said, signaling his people to stop.

“Meeting some resistance, Commander. Seems some of them were in the sick bay and drank no ale.”

“Take them alive if you can. Bring them to the Great Hall and lock them in the office there,” he said, motioning his people forward again. Zoshur was a good leader, one capable of keeping his small army of psychopaths in order.

Silence reigned in the Great Hall. People lay where they'd fallen when the drug had finally claimed them. Some were slumped on the tables, others had realized something was wrong and remained conscious long enough to attempt to crawl to safety. Thanks to the custom of everyone, including the guards, having to drink a toast to the Emperor at the beginning of the meal, they were all either unconscious or dead. Two of the Sholan Embassy guards had pretended to take the toast, then when they saw everyone collapsing had shown the presence of mind to do the same. It hadn't saved them, though. As soon as his people entered the room, a firefight had ensued, resulting in their deaths when he wanted them kept them alive as a bargaining tool. It had also cost him dearly—ten of his fighters had died under the Sholans' gunfire.

He picked his way through the bodies and the debris caused by servers spilling their trays of food as they fell, his gaze darting all around the room, checking details, making sure the slaughtered guards were where he expected to find them. Every now and then he'd point to one of the people at the tables or on the floor and give the order to kill them. He gave the two dead Sholans a wide berth, checking the number of them all again to make sure none had been missed. Almost falling over one of the unconscious ones, he landed several well-placed kicks before moving on. Tonight, he was repaying all debts.