razorsedge (42 page)

* * *

When Kusac emerged from the shower, Carrie was lying on the bed playing with Kashini. As the door opened, the cub turned, ears pricked toward it, body tense with anticipation, small tail pointing upward to the ceiling, quivering.
He entered, and with a mewl of pleasure, she bounded across the bed, launching herself into space at her father. Carrie, heart leaping into her mouth with fear, dived after her, but Kusac was already there.
"Hey, what's all this about?" he asked her, holding her close to his chest as her small hands twined themselves deep into his long fur. "You mustn't jump off the bed like that! You gave your mother an awful scare," he scolded as he sat down beside a rather pale Carrie. "She's gotten very active," he added.
"Far too active," said Carrie, pushing herself back into a sitting position.
"And larger."
Kashini had grown a lot in the last few weeks. She was now nearly the size of a plump four-month-old Human baby. She was mobile now, though still very unsteady on her legs. At times it looked as if her belly barely cleared the ground. Already the differences between her and a pure Sholan cub were beginning to show. Her straighter lower limbs made four-legged locomotion less easy, as had been the case with Marak, and Vanna's opinion was that it would help them to stand and walk upright earlier.
"I know. I only see her in the evenings now that I'm at the Warrior Guild." Carrie moved back to allow her mate to stretch out on the bed.
Kashini, totally unaware of the anxiety her leap of faith had caused, was now crawling up her father's chest till she reached his face. Once there, she began licking him furiously.
"Yes, I'm pleased to see you, too," he said, running an affectionate hand through the cub's downy hair before tickling her behind the ears. "I've only been having a shower, you know!"
A loud buzzing purr greeted his attentions and, rolling onto her back, she reached up to grasp his hand with both of hers. The furious licks continued for a short while, then turned into attempts to chew his fingers.
"She's teething," said Carrie, holding out a hand covered in bright pink scratches. Kusac winced in sympathy. "Her teeth are sharp, aren't they?" she commented. "Human children don't cause their parents these problems."
"Would you rather have had a Human child?" he asked, flicking Kashini's nose with his fingertips in an effort to remove them from her mouth.
"Don't be silly. You know that's not important to me," said Carrie, reaching out to tickle his ribs, well aware of his thoughts, even at the end of their Link day.
He moved away, letting Kashini roll onto the bed between them. "You're ganging up on me," he complained in fun. "Not fair!"
"That's what you get for teasing me," she said, watching in amusement as Kashini, now out of Kusac's sight upon the pillows, began to stalk his ear. An experimental swipe went wide, missing him by inches.
The cub hunkered down, rear end raised, a frown on her face as she tracked the targeted ear.
"How were things at Stronghold?" she asked just an instant before the cub pounced, claws and teeth closing sharply on her father's ear.
Kusac yowled, reaching up to grab her and save his ear from further savagery. "That's enough, cub," he said firmly, holding her round the ribs, suspended in midair above his face. He tried hard to ignore Carrie who was by now rolling around on the bed, laughing.
"Not to bite me. That's naughty. I think it's time you went back to the nursery. It's well past your bedtime." Sitting up, he transferred her to the crook of his arm and got up.
"Let me say good night first," said Carrie, coming closer to the edge of the bed.
Kusac knelt down till Kashini was level with her. She leaned forward to caress her daughter's cheek and plant a kiss on her brow.
"Good night, Kashini," she whispered, rubbing her cheek against her child's. "Sleep well."

* * *

"I hadn't realized how much of a handful she'd become. I should have been here to help you," said Kusac apologetically when he returned. "How do you cope?"
"You're doing what you have to," she said. "I have lots of help, as well as the nurse. Dzaka's been wonderful, and, strangely enough, Kitra. She's kept me company and played with Kashini a lot."
"Dzaka?" He sounded surprised.
"He said since you were away because of his father, it was his responsibility to help me. He still considers himself her personal guard and has even asked for a permanent bed to be made up in the nursery lounge! He and Kitra sleep there when she's staying overnight. You'd say he's taken to looking after her
like a kitling to the hunt
."
Kusac grunted as he stretched out beside her. "Not surprising considering he was a father once. It's Kitra's sudden liking for domesticity that worries me."
"Don't," said Carrie, reaching out to take his hand. "It's a novelty for now. Once her new term begins at the Guild, she'll be back with friends and interests appropriate to her own age. You'll see."
"I hope so," he said. "Now tell me what you've been doing."
"The same old routine training," she said, pulling a face. "Tell me what you've been up to. You feel more relaxed this time."
Though their Link meant that each was constantly aware of what the other was thinking and doing, they preferred to discuss the more memorable events, both good and bad. It made coping with the sudden influx of information every five days easier.
"I am," he admitted, turning on his side so he was facing her. "No doubt you heard the tale of Master Esken's wife."
"We all did, but go on," she said, aware there was better to come.
"Kaid and I were given the job of picking her up from the Consortia House."
She sat up in astonishment. "With the way Esken feels about our family, they actually sent you?"
He nodded. "Kaid checked, but apparently Master Lijou himself asked for us to be given the detail. So yesterday, we headed out to Ranz to pick her up from the House. She was heavily wrapped up against the cold, but we didn't think anything of it at the time. We'd no sooner taken off than she asked us to stop at a house on the outskirts of the city. They were obviously expecting her, and as soon as we'd landed, she went inside. She couldn't have been gone more than fifteen minutes, but when she came back, there was something different about her. I couldn't put my finger on it, though. Even Kaid sensed it. Once we were underway, she took her coat off and settled down to chat with us. She was very nice, insisted on getting
us
drinks from the dispenser, that sort of thing. Not at all what I'd expected."
"What were you expecting?"
"Some high-class intellectual, too good to talk to the likes of us. You should have seen Esken's instructions on how we were to treat her, Carrie." A low purr of amusement accompanied his grin. "We were not to initiate conversation with her unless she expressly asked for it. We were to see she was offered drinks and snacks on the journey, and anything else she might request. She couldn't have been more different! As I said, she fetched drinks for us, and when it came time for us to eat, she scrounged sandwiches from us rather than eat the fancy delicacies Esken had sent along! She's got a healthy appetite, I'll say that for her. She also spent quite a bit of time asking questions about our good Guild Master."
"I'll bet she did! What happened when you arrived?"
"Esken was waiting, all smiles and politeness till he saw us. Then he commandeered the nearest aircar and, stuffing her into it, headed off to the temple. We were trying to work out what was going on when Sorli strolled up, asking us why we'd brought Mother's friend rather than the Consortia. That's when we realized what had happened."
"The Consortia and Challa must have been in league from the first," said Carrie. "Your mother said at the time that Juilmi Rraoud had accepted too easily and she intended to find out why. Now we know."
"Lijou at least was aware of what was happening. Esken must have assumed, as we were obviously supposed to, that we'd brought the Consortia. Our presence was probably calculated to make him decide to take no chances on being persuaded out of this marriage. That's why he took her to the temple to have the life-bonding ceremony performed immediately."
"I wonder when he figured out that he was marrying the wrong female. I'd have loved to have been a fly on the wall at that moment," Carrie laughed.
"I think during the ceremony. She must have had him make his vows first because they're binding from the time he makes them. When he came back, his face was like a thundercloud! We left as quickly as we could."
A gentle beeping from the comm unit in the other room drew their attention. "I wonder who it is," said Kusac, frowning as he got up to answer it.
She switched off her damper, allowing their minds to completely share, sensing Kusac doing the same as he went into the other room.
"Father Lijou," he said in surprise. "What can we do for you?"
"I apologize for the lateness of the call, but I wanted to let you know there was no need for you to return to Stronghold for the next couple of days," the head priest said.
"Is Kaid all right?"
"Kaid's fine," Lijou reassured him. "He's requested a few days at the Retreat, that's all. Take some time off, Kusac, be with your family. You've both been working hard, you deserve a break. In fact, make that an order," he said with a slow smile. "Leave it with me, I'll let Rhyaz know."
"Is he all right?" Kusac insisted.
Lijou's ears flicked to emphasize his affirmative. "He really is fine. He needs to see to matters of a spiritual nature, nothing more, I assure you. T'Chebbi will contact you when it's time to return."
The call over, Kusac returned to the bedroom.
"So Noni was right," said Carrie. "Kaid is finally healing. Now, what shall we do with this extra time together?"
Kusac began to kiss her, sliding his hands down her sides till he was holding her bottom.
I know what I want to do now.
Tomorrow?
See our friends, and the rest of my family,
he replied, tipping her down onto her back, his tail snaking round her leg.

Chapter 10

It had been five weeks since he'd last visited the temple and he had no idea what had prompted him to come now. Curiosity? A desire to see if Vartra the God would speak to him again? He pulled open the door and waited for T'Chebbi to precede him. He'd rushed her so much that she only had enough time to dress, nothing more, so her hair remained an unbound cloud of browns, golds, and grays that reached down almost to her waist. As she passed him, he reached out to touch it. She stopped to look up at him, puzzled by the gesture.
He shrugged and followed her inside. Stopping, he inhaled the aromatic air, taking comfort from the familiar scent of the incense. Torches cast flickering shadows that were almost old friends to him. It was good to be back in the environment that had once been a home to him. He must be getting old if such things suddenly meant so much.
"Not old, just in need of comfort as we all are at certain times in our lives." Father Lijou's voice came from the shadows at the far end of the main aisle. "It's good to see you back again, Tallinu."
As the Guild Master stepped out from behind a pillar, Kaid began to walk toward him. The glow from the braziers flanking the statue of Vartra turned the streaks of white on the priest's face and ear tips golden.
The color of Kashini's pelt, and her mother's hair,
he thought, realizing as he did that his mind was straying into irrelevancies.
"Not irrelevancies," said Lijou as he stopped in front of him. "Sometimes, during the hours of darkness, we can see what truly matters. The light of day often blinds us to what is in front of our noses all along. What brings you here this late, Tallinu?"
"A visit, nothing more, Father Lijou," Kaid said. "Don't read more into it than there is."
"I would never do that, Tallinu." He reached out to take Kaid by the arm, drawing him away from the central area. "Let's go somewhere quieter."
They walked between the pillars, toward the side wall where the entrance to the largest of the shrines was housed.
"Ghyakulla," said Kaid, blinking as he followed Lijou through the narrow doorway. The light in the Goddess' shrine was blinding after the dimness of the main temple.
Lijou led him to a small wooden seat, its back set against the raw rock face. "Did Father Jyarti ever bring you here? This is one of my favorite places for meditating."
"A few times," Kaid admitted, sitting down and looking round the chamber. Concealed lamps that duplicated sunlight illuminated the shrine, nourishing the plants and allowing them to thrive within their rocky womb. "He said it wasn't time for me to know the Goddess yet."
Beneath his feet, the carpet of grass that covered the cavern floor felt warm. Around him, bushes and rare plants bloomed, their flowers a delight to the senses. A movement of air brought the subtle scent of the nung blossom to his nostrils. He turned his head till he could see the gnarled tree standing in pride of place on a small grass-covered rise. Memories of the day he'd gone to Noni for help for Carrie came back sharply to him. The nung tree had been in bloom then, too.
"We're lucky to have a shrine such as this," said Lijou. "Only Ghyakulla's own temple has one better. The rest are merely painted rooms or chambers. I never could understand how one could worship the Goddess of Shola in a place that was not full of Her living creations. How do the Humans worship their Goddess?"
"Their Goddess doesn't have a formal cult," said Kaid absently as he looked around for the source of the running water. It hadn't been there when he'd last visited. "Just people like Derwent."
"Surely not. No Goddess could be so impoverished, I'm sure."
"Carrie left Earth when she was but a kitling, Father Lijou," said Kaid, finally catching sight of the small stream that issued from under a rocky overhang to his right. "According to Derwent, their planet has lost touch with the world of the Green Goddess."
"Ah, that explains how someone like him came about. Perhaps, when they are ready, we have more to teach them than they think. I come here often. The sound of water soothes my soul like nothing else can. As I said, we're fortunate indeed to be able to enjoy a taste of summer all the year round in our windswept mountains."
"It reminds me of the Wilderness on board the
Khalossa
."
"The Wilderness? I suppose it does, in a way. Just don't let illusion become confused with reality, Tallinu."
Kaid swung his head round to look at the priest, frowning. "Illusion?"
"The Wilderness exists to entertain; this does not. It teaches us many things about life if we can but sit and listen and watch."
A flash of light caught his eye. Kaid turned his head to see what it was, but all he could see was the rock face. He looked back at Lijou. "What lessons are you speaking of, Father?"
Lijou raised an eye ridge. "You ask me that when you've learned so many of them? You disappoint me, Tallinu."
Again the flash of light, and again, when he turned to look, he could see nothing.
"What do you see?"
"Something shining," said Kaid, forcing his attention back to the Head Priest.
"Then go and see what it is."
Their eyes met. "It's an illusion," said Kaid. "A flicker of light, nothing more."
"As you say," agreed Lijou, beginning to get to his feet. "The restrictions on you entering the temple are lifted, Tallinu. You may come and go whenever you wish."
Kaid hardly heard what he said. Something in the rock face was catching his attention and he needed to know what it was. He felt a hand on his shoulder and started in surprise.
"You've been looking at the same piece of rock face for the last five minutes," said Lijou gently. "Why not go over and see what it is?"
Kaid hesitated, then, getting to his feet, he began to walk toward it. The grass was slightly damp and as he moved across it, the scent of the warm, rich earth rose around him. Reaching the chamber wall, he stooped to look down at the rock face.
"Nothing," he said, fingers going to probe at it in disbelief. "It was nothing!"
"Look again, Tallinu," said Lijou from the doorway.
Extending his claws, Kaid scraped away at the lichen and loose debris. Within moments, he'd exposed a small, blue-white crystal, still embedded in the living wall of the Dzahai Mountains. "A crystal! How could I possibly have seen it from where we sat?" he asked, gently rubbing his fingertips over the planes as he looked over at Lijou.
"Yet you knew it was there, hidden within the rock," said the priest. "I think it's time you visited Guardian Dhaika at the Retreat, Tallinu."
Kaid straightened up. "Why?"
"The Guardian will tell you, my friend. Come to me tomorrow morning and I'll arrange for you to visit him. You needn't take Sister T'Chebbi with you unless you wish to," he added as he left the chamber.
Thoughtfully Kaid turned back to the crystal, giving it one last rub before he, too, left the shrine.
T'Chebbi was waiting for him by the main doors. "Father Lijou said my job is over."
Kaid nodded. "I go to the Retreat tomorrow. I'm to see Guardian Dhaika." He watched her, wanting to see what her reaction would be. Even so, he almost missed the slight relaxing of her ears and their immediate recovery. She didn't want to leave.
"You may come if you wish," he said.
She shrugged and began to turn away. "When do we leave?"