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Authors: Lisanne Norman

Between Darkness and Light (76 page)

BOOK: Between Darkness and Light
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Conner nodded.
“It means you're Brotherhood now, one of us.”
It was Conner's turn to raise his eyebrows. “I belong here?”
“Yes, you belong here, Conner,” Lijou said, letting go his pendant and putting his hand on the old man's arm. “Just as you once belonged at your College, except you will never be asked to leave here. We don't banish our elderly, to cryo or anywhere else. We honor them.”
He could feel his eyes beginning to fill with tears as he clutched the coin more tightly, realizing just what a precious gift he'd been given. To belong again ...
“I've sent for Rhyaz,” said Lijou, breaking into his mood, well aware the other would welcome the interruption before his feelings overcame him. “You will need to be sworn into the Brotherhood. Is that acceptable to you? It isn't often the God chooses a member for us, but when he does ...” He could see he needed to say no more.
“I'd be proud to swear your oath,” said Conner. “I knew my Goddess had sent me here for a reason, but I never thought it would be this.”
“Your Goddess?”
“Gaia, the Earth Goddess. Here you call her Ghyakulla.”
“Ghyakulla's Consort and son is Vartra,” explained Lijou, some what surprised, yet realizing it made sense. “There is a synchronicity to everything. Perhaps you are the link to your world that we've been searching for.”
“I was a Guardian on mine,” said Conner quietly, noticing how Lijou's ears flattened in shock as he said it. “There is so much that is the same.”
“Apparently so,” murmured Lijou as they heard approaching footsteps. He looked up as Rhyaz and Alex entered the shrine. “I didn't expect to see you, too, Alex.”
“I had to come when I knew it was Conner,” she said, grinning.
Alex was right about him,
Lijou sent very privately to Rhyaz, who merely smiled.
“We should do it here, Rhyaz,” said Lijou. “Conner has brought his ties to the Green Goddess, whom he calls Gaia, with him from his own world.”
“Then he's been doubly blessed,” said Rhyaz. “He will be with the priesthood, I take it?”
“Definitely,” said Alex.
You know something,
sent Lijou.
It's not for me to tell,
she replied, her mental tone serious.
Either he will tell you, or you will find out.
I've learned to trust her instincts, Lijou,
sent Rhyaz.
It's something at which the Humans excel.
Conner's swearing of the Creed over, Alex gave him a hug, staying momentarily to whisper something in his ear.
He looked at her in amazement, and shook his head firmly. “I left that behind me,” he said quietly before returning the hug.
As they all left the chapel and walked through the temple, Conner turned to Lijou. “Will anything actually change now for me?”
“Of course,” he replied. “The Brotherhood has two sides, like the coin. It has the Warriors under Master Rhyaz, and the Priests under me. Normally they are interchangeable as all new recruits do time with us both as part of their training, then they choose which side they wish to serve. However both can be called upon in time of need to perform either Warrior or Priestly duties.”
“In your case, however,” said Rhyaz, “you will be excused any Warrior duties, though if we need your services in a Priestly way, I will make use of you.”
“That is to be expected,” said Conner.
“Tomorrow you can start training with a group of our seniors,” said Lijou. “Unless you would prefer to study alone?”
Conner shook his head. “I was taught, and inherited, many skills,” he said. “Tactics and warfare were among them, so were law-giving and law-making. They are at your disposal.”
“I don't think we'll make the mistake Noni did of underestimating you, Master Conner,” said Rhyaz dryly.
Conner's lips twitched slightly. “What do you know of my past at the College?” he asked as they left the Temple and entered the front hallway.
“Euan would tell Master Aldatan very little,” said Lijou.
“There's much I can't reveal,” he said, “but I can tell you that when I was involved in Choosing the new leader, I gave my memories of my incumbency to the young girl who will be his teacher.”
“Nimue,” said Lijou.
Alex started, drawing attention away from Conner briefly so that Lijou almost missed the expression of pain that flitted across the old man's face.
“Just so,” he said. “In my turn, I was given the memories of the leader before me, and his memories, as mine do, held those of all the past leaders. I have memories stretching back in an unbroken line for nearly three thousand years. I think it is similar to how your Leskas exchange memories when they Link to each other for the first time.”
“Vartra's bones!” exclaimed Rhyaz, ears flicking back at the thought. “How do you tell them apart?”
“I don't, at times,” said Conner, glancing at him in amusement. “When I need to, I just search in my mind for what I need and it is usually there. You can imagine that being treated as a novice by your very worthy Noni is not something I am used to.”
“Noni has many admirable qualities, and we value her dearly, but she can also be very irritating,” said Lijou quietly. “It will be interesting to know her reaction to tonight's happenings.”
“All that knowledge,” said Rhyaz. “All that experience! Can't you record it in some way so it's never lost?”
“It's continued in Khyan,” said Conner. “And he will have Nimue to help him.”
“That's not what I meant,” began Rhyaz.
“I know it isn't,” interrupted Conner with a gentle smile. “The Goddess, or Vartra, will tell me what I must do about that. But that knowledge, as I said, is at your disposal now.”
“Thank you,” said Lijou, inclining his head. “Believe me, we are aware of just how much you are offering us. It is appreciated, and as Rhyaz said, will not be underestimated. One thing we do here is make use of a person's Gifts in positive ways. Our Charter as a Guild is to protect Sholan life at all costs, especially the Telepaths, and now the En'Shallans.”
“Then we'll work well together because they comprise the best of both our species. I'll say good night now, if you don't mind. It has been a tiring evening for me.”
“Good night, Conner,” said Lijou as the elderly male bowed to them and headed up the stairs.
“It's Earth's loss,” said Alex, watching him. “But only on Shola could he ever find the respect he's due, and only here will he be free enough to really help us.”
“How do you mean?” asked Lijou as they began to slowly ascend the stairs together.
“You know how they viewed telepaths until you came along,” she said. “What government would ever think of, or admit to consulting him and the College?”
“You have a point,” said Rhyaz. “Shall we include him in our daily briefings for a week or two to see how he works out?”
“It certainly can't hurt,” said Lijou, thinking of the advice Conner had given him in handling the matter of the hybrid cubs and Rhyaz. “I want to know more about his Talent. It may be that we have Brothers capable of working the way he does. And possibly even our few telepaths.”
“Now that would give us a sound tactical advantage,” said Rhyaz with satisfaction.
En'Shalla estate, afternoon
“It could be a fake,” said Kaid, sitting back from the screen.
“Why am I not surprised you said that?” said Carrie, too mentally exhausted to care any more. Kaid had finally agreed to look at the message, but only at the small portion where Kusac was playing with the knife.
She switched the comp off and took the crystal out, putting it away in her drawer.
“It could also be real,” he added. “I have no way of knowing, neither do you.”
“We can go to Stronghold and ask Lijou and Rhyaz.”
“We could call them.”
“No, I want to be there and know if they're lying to us.”
Kaid sighed.
“Did Rezac tell you everything? About what we think the message means?”
“Yes,” he said tiredly. “He told me everything. It proves nothing, Carrie.”
“Wouldn't it explain a lot, including Kusac's behavior?”
“Very conveniently, that's my problem with all this,” he said, gesturing to the now blank screen.
“I'm going to talk to Zsurtul tomorrow,” she said, getting up. “Maybe he knows something that can help.”
“Don't go putting pressure on him, Carrie, remember who he is. Apart from anything else, he's our guest here.”
“I'm well aware of that,” she said testily. “I'm going up to say good night to the children, then I think I'll turn in.”
“I'll come with you,” he said. “Look, Carrie, this ... crusade of yours is driving us apart. We shouldn't be letting that happen.”
She stared at him. “The answer's in your hands,” she said. “It's your attitude that's turned it into my crusade.”
“All right!” he snapped angrily, tail swinging from side to side. “If you find one more thing to support this crazy theory of yours, we'll go to Stronghold and ask them! Now will you
please
call a truce between us?”
She hesitated. “I intend to go to Stronghold anyway,” she said. “If you won't come, I'll go alone.”
“You're impossible at times!” he said and stormed out, closing his mind off to her.
She listened as he went upstairs to his room. “I'm not going to cry,” she muttered to herself, blinking back tears. “I'll be damned if he'll make me cry!”
Next day, Zhal-L'Shoh 28th day (January)
“What is it you want to know, Carrie?” asked Zsurtul as he sat down at Ruth's living room table with her.
“You heard all about Kusac leaving Shola, didn't you?”
“Yes,” he said. “I was sorry for you all. It was very distressing.”
“Did you know the Brotherhood said he left to go back to your people because he'd got so used to J'koshuk's torture that he couldn't exist without it?”
The young Prime Prince looked shocked. “That I can't believe,” he said. “No one would want to go back to that. Besides, J'koshuk is dead. How would going to the Prime world help him? And wouldn't they have told you if he was there?”
“You're quite right,” she said. “They would have, which is why I am convinced he didn't go to them. I think he went to meet Kezule.”
“Why would you think that?” Zsurtul asked after a moment or two.
“He didn't get on with Primes, Zsurtul. Something about your people set him off—look at the way he attacked you.”
“That was different,” he said automatically, then stopped, aware he'd nearly said something he shouldn't have. “He was teaching me to defend myself,” he said lamely.
“That's not what you meant,” said Carrie. “What was different about you?”
Zsurtul was hard pressed not to squirm visibly under her stare. He liked Carrie, and he liked Kaid and Kusac—he admired them all for the strength they'd shown under Chy'qui's dreadful treatment. And he did not like lying to her, or keeping secrets from her.
“He was programmed to kill me. Perhaps he never really got over that,” he said, suddenly remembering the hostage handover.
“I heard Doctor Zayshul and Kezule got married,” she said, switching the topic.
He brightened visibly. This wasn't dangerous ground for him. “Yes. I was at their wedding. My mother helped her prepare for it, dressed her up like a Court lady. She was very beautiful,” he confided in her. “I wonder if she's still alive.”
BOOK: Between Darkness and Light
9.37Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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