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  He’d hardly framed his next question in his mind before they cautiously and rather stiffly got to their feet and turned round for him to examine their backs. His reaction to the partly healed cuts caused by their flogging was so well concealed that Jinoe, concerned at the time he was taking, turned round.

  “It’s all right, isn’t it? They said we were healing well,” she said, an anxious expression on her face, ears twitching apprehensively.

  “You can sit down again, cubs,” said Konis gently, reaching out with his fingertips to touch Jinoe’s cheek in reassurance. “They’re telling you the truth. Your backs are healing beautifully.”

  While they sat down, Konis deftly probed round the edges of their minds, trying to gauge the depth and nature of their Link. What he found puzzled him. This was no ordinary Leska Link.

  Jinoe reached out to touch Konis. “Your son is the one with the Keissian Leska, isn’t he?” she asked.

  “They think we can’t hear them, but we can,” said Rrai as he cautiously lowered himself to the floor again. “They think our Link is like your son’s.”

  “What’s she like, the human?” asked Jinoe. “Is she like us?”

  “Ah …” Konis was momentarily stuck for words. “Quite like us,” he said.

  “But no tail,” said Rrai, flicking his across both his and Jinoe’s laps.

  “No tail,” agreed Konis, trying to stop his mouth from opening in a smile.

  “Can we get to meet her?” Jinoe asked, regarding Konis soulfully.

  “Quite probably,” he said. “Who’s teaching you to understand your Link?”

  Rrai shook his head. “No one. They come and test us, then get us to mind talk to them …”

  “… And send pictures to them, but no teaching,” added Jinoe. “Are we doing it right?”

  “I’m sure you are,” he said, mentally drawing on them, trying to get more information. “What else do you do? Have you got a comm?” he asked, looking round the sparsely furnished room. The floor was scattered with large, soft cushions. At least the unit was making some concessions to their desert lifestyle.

  “A comm? Why would we have a comm?” asked Jinoe, her nose wrinkling in surprise. “Only Clan Leader Ghomig has one.”

  “So you can learn or be entertained,” said Konis. “With a comm you can access the library and have any book you want—stories or books of knowledge. Or listen to the storytellers on the entertainment channels.”

  “Can you get us one?” asked Jinoe.

  Konis touched her face again fleetingly before he got to his feet. “I’ll see one is brought to you as soon as possible. I have to go now, but I’ll be back to see you before I leave,” he said. “I’ll start teaching you myself.”

  Rrai grinned, tail tip flicking with pleasure. “That will be good,” he said. “Oh, they’ve sent for Khafsa. He’ll be mad at you for coming in. We aren’t allowed visitors, not even my mother,” he said sadly.

  “I can deal with Khafsa,” said Konis, suppressing his anger at the insensitivity of the staff looking after the two cubs. “I’ll also make sure your mother gets to visit you every day. I have to go now, but I’ll call in before I leave to make sure they’ve brought you a comm unit,” he said, turning to go.

  “Thank you,” said Rrai.

  In the corridor, T’Chebbi was glowering at the two orderlies in front of her.

  Konis lowered his ears in anger and advanced on them, eyes narrowed and teeth visible. “I’m going to see Master Esken. In two hours I will return and by then, these cubs had better have a decent-sized comm unit installed and working. You will also contact Rrai’s mother and tell her she can visit the cubs daily from now on. Do you understand me?”

  “But Clan Lord, Physician Khafsa is in charge of them and …”

  “I want no excuses!” Konis snarled. “How dare you treat those two young people as if they were laboratory animals! I will hold you personally responsible if my orders have not been carried out!”

  “But Physician Khafsa …” began the other.

  “Can await my return!” Pushing them aside, he strode down the corridor. T’Chebbi at his heels.

  He was seething with anger. “T’Chebbi, use your wrist comm to contact my home and request that Physician Kyjishi access the Telepath Guild’s medical records of those two cubs now. She’s to use the comm in my office.”

  Ahead of them, Physician Khafsa, accompanied by an orderly, was waiting for them. As Konis and T’Chebbi swept past them, the physician reached out to touch him.

  “Clan Lord …” he began.

  As Konis flinched in anticipation of the contact, he caught T’Chebbi’s movement from the corner of his eye. Khafsa was sent spinning backward till he hit the wall.

  “Don’t presume to touch the Clan Lord,” hissed his aide over her shoulder. “You know the law!” The brief interchange hadn’t even caused T’Chebbi to break her stride.

  Quick on the heels of Konis’ uncharacteristic flash of pleasure at the doctor’s discomfiture came the knowledge that a few months ago, this situation could never have occurred. Or could it? For people like Khafsa to behave in this fashion, there had to have been a gradual assumption of powers and authorizations outside the norm. He had the horrible feeling that fur was being rubbed from a raw spot, revealing the infected sore beneath. He pushed the uncomfortable thought to the back of his mind. If that was so, then time would tell.

  *

  As he approached Guild Master Esken’s office, he saw Senior Tutor Sorli standing waiting outside. Well, it was no more than he expected. His anger alone had been enough to announce his presence to the ever-vigilant Esken. Konis stopped beside him.

  “Clan Lord Aldatan,” said Sorli, crossing his forearms in front of his chest and bowing low. “We are honored by your visit. Master Esken asked me to wait for you and inquire whether you would drink c’shar with him.”

  “Not c’shar, coffee,” he said, watching Sorli’s startled expression. Time for him to state where his own loyalties lay—with his family. “I’m sure you have some. Please ensure it’s of the correct strength.”

  Sorli stilled his ears as he reached for the door handle. “Your aide can accompany me to the staff lounge while you are with the Guild Master, Clan Lord.”

  “My aide will remain with me,” said Konis in a tone that brooked no argument.

  Again the startled flick of Sorli’s ears. “As you wish, Clan Lord,” he murmured, opening the door for them.

  The Guild Master looked up from his desk as they entered. “Konis. How nice to see you,” he said, getting to his feet and coming out from behind his desk. He gestured to the comfortable seats by the fireside. “Please, sit. Apart from seeing our new Leska cubs, what brings you to the Guild?”

  As T’Chebbi took up a guard position by the door, Konis reached inside his overrobe taking an official document out of his inner pocket. “This is from Governor Nesul,” he said, sitting down on the single chair opposite Esken’s usual one. “It’s my official appointment as Consolidator of the Specialized Leska Unit.”

  Esken turned the letter over in his hands, making no attempt to open it. “So, the Governor has given our work here official status. And he wishes you to be the titular head. That’s no bad thing. It’ll give public credence to what we’re doing.”

  “On the contrary. The Governor was most insistent that I be the actual head of the project, in charge of the teaching of our new Leskas with enhanced abilities.”

  Esken raised a questioning eye ridge. “Perhaps I had better read his letter,” he said. Inserting a claw tip beneath the seal, he neatly sliced through it. Opening it, he took his time reading the contents.

  Konis waited, hiding his impatience. Nesul had said he’d tell Esken personally. Had he taken the easier option and left the Clan Lord to do it?

  There was a knock on the door and Sorli entered, carrying a tray with two mugs on it. He set it down on the table between them and left.

  Esken’s nose twitched as he
smelled the coffee and Konis smiled to himself, knowing the Guild Master had got his point.

  Meticulously, Esken refolded the letter, placing it carefully on the table before picking up his drink of c’shar. “The Governor must have made an error,” he said. “This is clearly a Telepath Guild matter and should be dealt with internally.”

  Konis picked up his mug and took a small sip of the beverage. He controlled a slight shudder at the bitterness of the drink. He wasn’t fond of it, but it never tasted this bad when Rhyasha made it.

  “Unfortunately not,” he said. “It involves Alien Relations, not to mention the High Command, of which I’m also a member. The Governor felt it vital that someone aware of the politics involved in these cross-species Links head the project. Someone versed in diplomacy and also a telepath should be able to deal more easily with the majority of the problems that seem to be occurring between our two species.”

  “I’ve no objection to your being involved in the project in your official capacities,” said Esken, returning his mug to the table. “We, on the other hand, have a tradition of educating all the telepaths, including the Leska pairs. In fact, as you well know, we are the primary center on Shola for training Leskas. We have decades of experience in producing well-balanced, competent Leska pairs. What makes you think you can do any better? This isn’t your field, after all.”

  “I’m aware of that, Esken,” said Konis dryly. “On the other hand, my son and bond-daughter, not to mention Physician Kyjishi, have all sampled your methods. The Governor and I both agree that a change of direction is needed, and that is best achieved by having a new outlook from the top down.”

  Esken stirred his c’shar. “Being the first, naturally, they have had a few problems along the road to helping us understand the nature of this new Link. Now that we know what we’re dealing with, I’m sure things will advance more smoothly.”

  “I intend to make sure they do,” said Konis, his tone silky as he lifted his mug again. “I trust you’ll follow the Governor’s instructions and have an office made available for me. One of the first-floor interview rooms would do nicely. I also intend to have close ties with your medical section through Physician Kyjishi.”

  Konis watched Esken, picking up the betraying signs of tension in the muscles surrounding his eyes and nose.

  The Governor would have enjoyed this meeting, he thought. It would have made up for all the times Esken has railroaded him during Council meetings.

  “An office, will, of course, be made ready for you,” said Esken. “However, you’ll not take it amiss, I trust, if I check with the Governor first?”

  He hopes to browbeat Nesul into retracting the appointment! I think my next call had better be to the palace.

  “By all means, if you don’t trust the written instructions of our government,” said Konis. “In the meantime, I’ll want a copy of all your files to date on the new Leskas, including the proposed education program for the Humans that will bring them in line with their new partners. I’ll also want files on the three anomalous Sholan Leska pairings, including medical data. I’m most concerned about the handling of Jinoe’s and Rrai’s case. Their education hasn’t even started yet, and they’ve been deprived of any contact with the outside world. Why was Rrai’s mother prevented from visiting them?”

  “We wanted to separate them from the desert tribal influence,” said Esken. “I want to be sure that none of the religious teachings and attitudes of that mad priest of theirs remains with them. To work properly as Leskas they need to see each other as equals, not with one subservient to the other.” His voice was cold.

  Konis felt the Guild Master quickly suppress a spark of concern. He could feel the change in Esken’s attitude toward him. For the first time the Guild Master was having to defend his actions, and he didn’t like it. Esken couldn’t hide behind the sanctity of “Guild Business” with Konis, a fellow guild member who actually outranked him. Perhaps Nesul was cleverer than they’d all realized. In giving him this appointment, he’d placed the only person who had sufficient authority to wrong-foot Esken right in the heart of his empire.

  “That particular case is outside your province, Konis,” he said. “There’s nothing anomalous about their Link—except the fact that they’re so young.”

  “You think not? Well, perhaps you’re right,” said Konis, stroking his chin thoughtfully. “Still, it’ll do no harm to check the files and run a few extra tests.”

  Esken took another drink, obviously savoring his c’shar before he spoke again. “That won’t be possible, I’m afraid. They’re being returned to Laasoi Guildhouse this afternoon.” There was a smugness about him as he relaxed back in his chair, smiling slightly. “On the other matters, once I have Governor Nesul’s confirmation of your appointment, you will have my full cooperation.”

  Konis’ ears swiveled forward in anger. “I resent the implication that the document I gave you is a forgery,” he growled.

  Esken’s shocked reaction was genuine. He hadn’t expected Konis to speak so frankly.

  “May I interrupt, Clan Lord?” said T’Chebbi from her position by the door. “Settle it now. Contact the Governor on this comm.”

  “Do it,” snapped Konis.

  “I don’t think that’s necessary,” Esken began, but Konis cut him short.

  “Do it, T’Chebbi,” he repeated. “Sit down, Esken. You’ve made this a matter of honor—my honor. I want it resolved immediately.”

  Master Esken sat down again: he had no option but to do so. His bluff had been called and they both knew who had lost.

  “I’m through, Clan Lord,” said T’Chebbi a few minutes later.

  “Continue with the call. Explain to him that Master Esken isn’t satisfied with the official letter of appointment, he wishes to confirm it personally.”

  He sat and watched Esken’s jawline tighten in anger, knowing he’d made himself a powerful enemy. It mattered not at all now, he realized, because Esken had made an enemy of him and he was every bit as dangerous and powerful—if not more so. While he waited, he reached out mentally for his son, rendering him speechless with the nature of his request. Then T’Chebbi was turning the comm around so the Governor could see them both.

  “You disturbed me for a matter as trivial as this, Esken?” said Governor Nesul, allowing his ears to twitch in obvious displeasure. “You have my personal verification of Clan Lord Aldatan’s appointment. I hope this isn’t the start of a trend, Esken. I won’t have my meetings interrupted by you every time you disagree with one of my decisions! You have my orders. See you give the Clan Lord all the help he needs. This new unit is effective as of now. You know my opinions concerning your handling of the matter of the mixed Leskas. You failed. It’s time for someone else to try. Konis, I’ll expect an initial report from you within the next twenty-six hours. Good day.”

  As T’Chebbi returned the comm to its usual orientation, Konis turned back to the Guild Master.

  “I have some business to attend to, Esken,” he said, getting to his feet. “I know it’ll take your people an hour or two to set up an office for me, so I’ll be back just after second meal. Thank you for your hospitality,” he added dryly.

  Esken inclined his head politely but Konis could see by the tightness of his jaw muscles just how displeased he was. But why? Surely Esken was letting this get out of proportion. He remained silent and thoughtful until they were in the aircar once more.

  “Where to, Clan Lord?” T’Chebbi asked as she started the vehicle.

  “To Shanagi,” said Konis, coming out of his reverie. “I think it’s time I visited some old friends.”

  *

  It was late morning by the time Carrie gradually realized she was awake. She reached for Kusac, panicking when her hand couldn’t find him even though her mind could.

  “I’m here,” he said, instantly moving closer till his body touched hers. He felt her mind, linked so closely to his, absorb the happenings of the last few hours.

  She t
urned her head slowly, resting her cheek against his chest. Weariness still held her in a warm, comfortable blanket, drawing the strength from her, robbing her of any curiosity.

  Kusac looked down at his human life-mate, seeing the paleness of her skin and the dark shadows that surrounded her eyes. She was so small, so fragile compared to his people. Careful of her injured arm, he gathered her close. She’d nearly died only a few days ago—he was still afraid of losing her. Gently he nuzzled her neck, rubbing his cheek against her jawline.

  “I wondered how long you were going to sleep,” he said. “It’ll soon be time for second meal. You must be hungry.”

  “I couldn’t eat anything,” she said.

  “You’ve got to try, cub,” he said. “You lost so much blood, you need to build yourself up so you can replace it.”

  She made a small noise of denial. I want to rest, she sent.

  There was a peremptory knock at the door, then it opened. Kaid stood there. “Your pardon, Liege, but Vanna sent me for you. The kitlings have arrived and she needs your help.” He hesitated. “She also gave me strict instructions to bring the Liegena down for first meal.”

  Kusac eased himself away from Carrie and sat up, looking at Kaid in surprise. The other gave a brief nod and flick of his ear to indicate a conspiracy.

  Carrie opened her eyes and looked up at Kusac as he glanced back at her uncertainly. “Don’t go,” she said. “I need you here. I don’t want to go downstairs.”

  “I have to go,” he said, his hand caressing her face briefly as he began to rise. “The kitlings will need me.”

  Her eyes followed him as he walked over to the wardrobe to find a clean tunic. She watched the sunlight streaming in from the balcony play on his dark fur as he reached into the cupboard and chose one from the pile on the shelf.

  His pelt seemed to ripple as he hauled the garment over his head. Flattening his ears, he ran his hands through the longer hairlike fur that grew on his head and down the sides of his neck in an attempt to impose some kind of order on it.