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  "I think this is ill-considered madness ..." Ghyan began.

  "You'll make all the records you have regarding the rituals available to Liegen Aldatan, and give him and his Leska your personal tuition, won't you?" Lijou interrupted in a voice that brooked no argument.

  "Yes, Father Lijou," said Ghyan in a subdued tone. "Have they chosen a third member yet?"

  Kusac's ears swiveled round to face his friend as he turned his head toward him. "A third?"

  "There are always three," said Ghyan. "A Leska pair and a Warrior to guard them."

  "They have their third," said Lijou. "Kaid. He's admirably suited to the job. Since the God has told him they will walk the Margins, then he should be the one to walk with them. To my mind it seems he was chosen before they were."

  Kusac turned to look at Lijou. He could sense the other's amusement at the choice of Kaid— he made no effort to hide it.

  "The negotiations seem a little one-sided to me," said Lijou. "Since I will have to convince Leader Ghezu to accept this proposal, my support for you comes with a condition."

  Kusac looked at him with grudging respect. That Lijou would make his own demands hadn't occurred to him.

  "The Brothers' Oath of Allegiance is made not just to Ghezu, but to me as Head of the Order. They are the Brotherhood of Vartra, after all, and I'm Vartra's prime representative on Shola. I will persuade Ghezu to release the Brothers from their oaths to him, but I will not release the Brothers from their Oath to the God. However, I am prepared to second them to you. Had any of the previous Triads succeeded in returning from the Margins, they would have been subject only to Vartra and his Order. I'm only asking what is due. Stay within the religious side of the Brotherhood, as priests. You'll find Shola will accept your people more willingly if they see that you're accountable to one of the guilds. That's my price, Kusac."

  "They'll think that anyway, Lijou. They won't know that we've never really joined the Brotherhood."

  "You'll have to join, Kusac, then your proposed alliance would exonerate you from your oath to Ghezu— but not to me. I want an alliance, too, one that will remain. If you call yourselves the En'Shalla Brothers, then it'll be known where your loyalties lie."

  "What's to stop your Order demanding that my people submit to tests or arranged marriages for breeding programs, Lijou? How would it benefit us to remain with you and the priesthood?"

  "You'd be En'Shalla. We'd have no jurisdiction over such areas," said Lijou. "Ask your friend. Ghyan is my deputy, he knows the laws. Presumably you trust him to tell you the truth."

  Ghyan stirred as Kusac looked at him. "He's telling you the truth. If you disagree with the Order on any issue, you have access to the usual neutral appeal channels. As for the benefits to you, you'd be legitimately able to practice not only as Telepaths but as Warriors, without owing allegiance elsewhere. You can't afford to let your people be outside the guilds, Kusac. We know you have principles, but in times to come, others may not. You're talking of setting up a powerful group of people, with far-reaching abilities— we've no idea how far-reaching they will be— and having nothing to prevent them taking the law quite literally into their own hands. They'd have the ability to read minds and the skills to kill. A far too powerful combination to be left unchecked, my friend."

  "I'll need to think about this," said Kusac. He could see that the points they were raising were sound, ones he'd thought of but as yet had not come up with any solution.

  "There's no time. What I'm suggesting is, shall we say, unethical?" said Lijou, picking up a crystal ornament from Ghyan's desk and examining it.

  "Independent of Ghezu," murmured Kusac, watching the other carefully. He knew Kaid's mind concerning the Warrior Leader, but Lijou...? Here he was, acting independently, putting himself on the line. All it took was for one of them present in the room to mention this in the wrong quarters, and if the Head Priest survived long enough, he'd be cast out of not only the Brotherhood, but also the Telepath Guild, even though traditionally he owed that Guild nothing.

  "Very well," he said. "What do you want in surety?"

  Lijou looked at Ghyan. "Type a transcript of our agreement, Ghyan. I want it signed and witnessed now."

  "Very well, Father Lijou," said Ghyan, activating his comm.

  "You'll excuse me implementing our agreement here and now, Kusac, but as I'm sure you appreciate, I can't afford for any details to become public knowledge."

  "I understand," nodded Kusac. "And for the agreement with Ghezu?"

  "We have an agreement."

  As they waited, Lijou broke the silence. "I have just such an ornament as this on my desk, Ghyan. Very nice. Of local origin, is it?" he asked, putting it back.

  "Yes," said Ghyan, handing Kusac the document. When he'd read it through carefully, he accepted the stylus and leaning on his friend's desk, signed it then passed it over to Lijou.

  "You've made a wise decision, Liegen Aldatan," said Lijou as he affixed his signature to the agreement. "I think you'll find that Kaid will support your actions tonight."

  "I make my own decisions, Father Lijou," Kusac replied stiffly.

  "I know, but the approbation of one you respect does matter," replied Lijou, mouth opening in a gentle smile. "The official Brotherhood view of Kaid doesn't agree with what I've heard from the people who knew him. Though a loner, he was respected by most of his colleagues, despite the erratic end to his career with us. He was attached to the religious side for many years, you know."

  Kusac raised an eye ridge. "You didn't know him personally?"

  "Barely. I was appointed during the last year he was there. Those were troubled times for him, I'm afraid," he sighed. "From all accounts, you couldn't have a better mentor. Vartra knew what he was doing when he sent you Kaid."

  "You surprise me," murmured Kusac. "I thought you were involved in choosing him."

  "Was I?" said the priest, his tone bland as he handed the document back to Ghyan. "I forget. Keep this safe, Ghyan. It mustn't fall into the wrong hands."

  Lijou got to his feet. "Have your document of alliance drawn up and delivered to us at Stronghold and we'll sign it. All I ask is that you delay your... trip ... until after the Council meeting. Don't forget to append the names of the Brothers you wish permanently assigned to yourselves. I take it they will include all those currently working for you?"

  "Yes, I believe so," said Kusac. "We don't intend to take the ritual until Carrie is fully recovered in any case."

  "A wise decision," agreed Lijou, folding his arms in the pouch at the front of his robes. "Till we meet again, Liegen. It's been a pleasure doing business with you," he said, bowing his head before he turned and walked toward the door. He stopped and waited for T'Chebbi to open it for him, then swept out into the dark corridor.

  Ghyan let out a hiss of anger as he sank into one of his own chairs. "What the hell are you trying to do, Kusac? Commit suicide? How could you even think of taking the Fire Margins ritual!"

  "Don't you start, too," Kusac said tiredly. "It's the only way we can avoid being used by the main guilds. If we belong to ourselves, we're free of the lot of them."

  "At what cost? It will likely kill you!"

  "Not according to Kaid."

  "And that's another point! You can't take Kaid with you. It has to be someone you can trust, and I wouldn't trust him if he was the last Sholan alive. He's devoid of any feelings ... he lives only for duty."

  "You're wrong," said Kusac, sitting back in his chair and closing his eyes. "I trust him implicitly. He's with Carrie at the moment. He's taken her to some Healer up near Stronghold. She isn't improving, Ghyan, she's getting worse. Sleeping all the time and refusing any food." He paused. "Kaid has feelings, we just can't sense them."

  Ghyan snorted. "Convenient!"

  "Excuse me, Liegen," interrupted T'Chebbi, making both males look toward her in surprise.

  "Know I'm speaking out of turn, but Kaid is the right choice. Has the gifts you need for your third. He'd die rat
her than let you down."

  "I know, T'Chebbi," said Kusac, opening his eyes again. "I don't doubt him."

  "You realize that all three of you have to work together, become a Triad, your minds linked to each other?" said Ghyan. "He'll have to be at least on the edges of your Leska Link with Carrie. Can you let him into such an intimate position?"

  "If that's what it takes, yes," said Kusac, getting up from his seat. "I want our cubs to grow up without fear of being taken from us in the night by some guild determined to study them. If we're En'Shalla, they won't dare touch either them or us." He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. "I need your help, Ghyan. Search out the books that tell about the ritual so that at least we can read them in preparation for starting our training as soon as Carrie is fit."

  Ghyan nodded reluctantly. "I still think you're mad, but look at what you've already achieved with the help of Vartra," he said quietly. "You've married your Human Leska, and though you lost your first cub, you will have others. These things I would also have said were impossible."

  "You did, my friend," said Kusac with a faint grin as he reached out to touch Ghyan on the arm. "You did say they were impossible. I have to leave now. I'm expecting news from Kaid any time."

  "Take care, Kusac," said Ghyan, as he watched them leave. "I'll find the records you need and contact you as soon as I've got them. You realize that the agreement you signed with Father Lijou means that all our resources are at your disposal now, don't you?"

  "I didn't, but thank you for telling me. Good night, Ghyan."

  "Good night."

  * * *

  *áá*áá*

  * * *

  Taizia mentally checked the house again. No one was up but the guards, and she'd already avoided them. Silently she padded down the staff corridor to Meral's quarters. Hand on the door lock, she hesitated briefly. No point in losing her nerve now. Any day her father, as Lord of the Sixteen Telepath Clans, could inform her he'd found a suitable life-mate for her— a male to father the child who'd lead the Aldatan Clan after Kusac. Well, she had other plans, at least for her immediate future.

  It had to be tonight. The time was right, and she had the opportunity. Taking a deep breath, she pressed the palm lock.

  Silently the door slid back, allowing her to enter. She waited a moment, letting her eyes adjust to the change in light levels.

  Meral was asleep. She could see him lying on his back, the covers tangled round his legs, his breathing low and even. Her mouth opened in a grin. He wouldn't stay asleep, she intended to see to that!

  Pressing the shoulder seals on her tabard, she let it slip to the floor. Stepping out of it, she approached the bed, tail gently swaying, ears pricked forward to catch the slightest sound. She knelt beside the bed, listening for any change in the rhythm of his breathing. She needed the element of surprise for her plan to succeed: the more drowsy he was, the better.

  Leaning over him, her dark hair falling down in front of her shoulders, she reached out to touch his chest, enjoying the softness of the longer fur that grew there.

  He started, awake instantly, his hand closing on hers, claws pulled back at the last moment. "Taizia? What're you doing here?" he asked, his voice groggy with sleep. "I thought you were staying at your guild."

  "I am, but I thought I'd join you tonight," she purred, sliding her hand out from under his and continuing its journey across his chest, then under the covers to his lower belly.

  Blinking the sleep from his eyes, Meral reached up for her, pulling her down into the bed beside him. "I'm glad you did," he murmured, beginning to nuzzle and lick the underside of her neck and jawline as he untangled himself from his bedding.

  She extended the claws of her other hand, drawing careful patterns on the inside of his thigh, feeling his belly muscles tighten as he began to respond to her. Her tail curled round his leg, the tip gently moving against him.

  His claws were out now as he pulled her closer, matching her body to his as he began to nip less gently at her cheeks and mouth.

  Taizia reached for his mind, projecting her sensations to him, surprised when she found him responding mentally.

  Now was the moment of decision for her. Resolutely she suppressed the muscles that would prevent her conceiving and increased the power of her sending so he'd not notice the change in her scent. Chances were he wouldn't recognize it anyway as she was sure he'd never fathered a child before, but this night she wasn't prepared to take any risks.

  The onslaught of sensations was too much for him, and with a low sound somewhere between a growl and a purr, he flipped her over onto her other side, grasped her hips from behind and pulled her down onto his body until they were joined. Within moments he'd climaxed and Taizia knew her plan had worked.

  They lay like that for several minutes, Meral trying to apologize for his urgency and at the same time trying to find the words to ask what it was that she'd done to make him respond so quickly.

  Her conscience began to twinge, and as she turned to face him again, it was with a great deal more gentleness that she began to arouse and reassure him.

  * * *

  The pale light of morning stole through the window hangings as she rose from his bed, content yet at the same time frightened of what she'd done. They'd both face the censure of their families for her night's deeds, but as she quickly donned her tabard and slipped from the room, she knew this was the only way they could stay together. The crime of conceiving a cub outside a three- or five-year bonding contract with one's partner carried heavy social penalties, not to mention legal ones, but she'd thought it through and decided that for her, at least, it was worth it. As for Meral ... her conscience pricked her again, but she ruthlessly subdued it. In a few weeks it would be too late to do anything about it, then she could tell Meral.

  The thought that he might not wish to sign a bonding contract with her, cub or no cub, flitted through her mind briefly, only to be dismissed as she padded through the still silent house to the garage. He'd be angry, but she knew he'd also be pleased. To have a bond-mate from one of the oldest telepath families on Shola prepared to carry his child was no mean achievement for any male.

  Squaring her chin to the world, like a shadow she slipped between the aircars into the grounds where she assumed a four-legged stance. Minutes later, she'd cleared the gardens and was heading for the vehicle that lay concealed in the woods to the east side of the estate.

  * * *

  "The Liegena Taizia Aldatan has just left, Lieutenant Ni'Zulhu," said the guard watching the perimeter screens.

  The officer at the rear of the gatehouse's main control room nodded. "Very well. Make sure you log the departure time. What's her heading?"

  "Back to Valsgarth, sir. I presume she's returning to her guildhouse as Kaid said she would."

  "Keep one of the cameras on her till she leaves the vicinity," said Ni'Zulhu.

  "Yes, sir."

  * * *

  The Chemerian Ambassador sat facing Commander Raguul of the Khalossa. On either side stood his Sumaan guards, dwarfing him with their height and bulk. Concealed in his hand the Ambassador held a computer data cube.

  "Commander, between our species, trade has been good, no?"

  "You could say that," agreed Raguul, sitting back while his adjutant filled two small silver goblets with the aromatic wine that was a major Sholan export item to the Chemerians.

  "Many lucrative generations exchange goods. All benefit. Sholans and Chemerians both. We know some items you keep to selves, but we do same."

  "Ambassador Taira, we operate a free-market system," said Commander Raguul stiffly. "The goods available to you are the same as those available to all Sholans and the Allied Worlds. What you are suggesting is against the spirit of our agreements."

  Taira regarded him unblinkingly for a moment. "We keep species-specific items only. No use to Sholans or others." He broke eye contact again, blinking rapidly as he waved a thin long-fingered hand in the air. "But no matter. That not
what I come to speak of."

  Commander Raguul's eyes narrowed as he regarded the Ambassador. The Chemerian had requested this audience, which was unusual in itself. Normally Raguul would receive a peremptory summons to the Ambassadorial quarters, a summons that he would decline equally bluntly while issuing an appointment for a meeting in his office. This time that had not been the case.

  Gently he tapped a claw tip on his desk. This current tour of duty, quieter now that the Valtegans had been driven from Keiss, had more than its share of problems even without the added abrasive presence of Ambassadors from the Allied Worlds.

  The Chemerian began to look uneasy, his large eyes blinking rapidly. He leaned sideways, speaking briefly in Sumaan to one of the huge reptilian bodyguards that always stood at his side.