Authors: Lisanne Norman
* * *
Kusac was still sitting at the comm when he felt the sudden surge of power pass through him. Not the gestalt again! He felt it grip his mind, this time only tugging at him mentally until briefly they merged, then everything went dark and quiet. Frantic, he got to his feet. What the hell was happening to her to make her so terrified that it triggered the gestalt? He had to find her.
Trying to convince himself that his head felt better, he attempted to walk slowly across the room to the door. Each step made him feel more nauseous as it jarred his aching head. Screwing his eyes up against the light, he opened the door, heading slowly down the hallway. He stopped halfway, knowing he was kidding himself. He wasn't fit to be up on his feet, let alone take part in a search.
His stomach finally began to rebel and he turned, stumbling blindly for the kitchen.
That was where Kaid found him several minutes later, hanging onto the food preparation sink and looking and feeling utterly wretched, his hands slick with sweat.
Kusac looked myopically at him as he entered. "You shouldn't be up," he said.
"Neither should you," Kaid replied, limping across to him. "What caused the sickness? Her blocking your Link?" He turned to the tap and picking up a mug, filled it for him.
"No. She forgets to shield," he said, taking the drink thankfully. "And when she's angry or upset, it causes the headaches. This one is the worst yet." He drank deeply, then put the mug down.
"It's all right when she's experiencing pleasure, I expect," said Kaid with a slight flick of his ears.
Kusac began to grin. "Not so bad," he admitted. "It has its up side too."
"How's the head now?"
"Better," he said, straightening up. "Not good, but better."
"Do you want to lie down?"
"I can't rest. Let's go back to the lounge," he said, offering Kaid a steadying arm.
"Have you picked anything up that might give us a clue as to where she is?"
"She was terrified, that I felt. It triggered the gestalt again, but seconds later, everything went silent. Someone's got her. I saw a room with some kind of a bed in it, then she blacked out. I think she's unconscious. We've got to find her, Kaid," he said urgently.
"They'll find her," said Kaid confidently, opening the lounge door. "Even if they have to do a room by room search, they'll find her."
They made their way over to the settee and collapsed there, their mutual infirmities drawing a grin from both of them despite the circumstances.
"Do you want to tell me what happened?" asked Kaid. "It might help to work out where she was headed."
* * *
Dzaka crouched beside the human female. Garras was calling Vanna. He had her to himself for the moment. Reaching out, he pressed a hand to her neck, checking the pulse. Slow and steady, the rhythm the same as a Sholan's. He saw the torc. The Aldatan cub's intentions were serious, then. It might have been easier to deal with them both had they not been emotionally attached to each other. As it was, given his age, Kusac was likely to be somewhat irrational in his defense of her. He sighed. Then there was his family. Kusac wasn't exactly the sort of person who could disappear without causing a ripple, nor was he the sort of person whose every move wouldn't be watched by the media-nets back on Shola.
Her attempt to strangle Garras had him seriously concerned. That was a Talent destined to cause a disaster, especially if she couldn't control it. He wasn't sure which was potentially more dangerous, her lack of control, or the possibility that she would develop it.
He glanced toward the door. Garras was still busy. There was time for him to solve that problem now. His hand slipped easily round her throat. Just a little pressure in the same area as the already livid bruises and it was over, for both of them. No further need for concern over her strange mental talents, or their ability to fight. He might never have another chance. Unconscious as she was now, she couldn't stop him. If he left it till later, the result could be a battle which he might not survive.
This was the first time he'd seen her close up. Kaid, at least, had been observing them for several days. Like him, he couldn't yet form even a basic conclusion regarding their outlook or their talents. Of the two, perhaps their outlook was more important. While he hesitated, Garras came out of the inner room. Dzaka removed his hand and stood up, moving away to sit on the plinth of the statue.
Garras pressed the towel more firmly against his arm. The wound was still bleeding copiously despite Dzaka's cold water treatment. Who'd have thought she'd have teeth capable of inflicting so deep an injury? He looked down at where she lay sprawled on the mats. He'd tried to place her in a comfortable position, but he didn't know enough about Terran anatomy.
"So this is the Terran all the excitement is about," Dzaka observed from his perch.
Garras nodded, still watching her.
She lay there, her chest rising and falling faintly with her shallow breathing. He'd have been gentler had he known she was pregnant. He frowned, surprised he hadn't heard about her condition. Crouching down, he touched her jaw carefully with his hand. Already an angry bruise was beginning to form. He hadn't realized her skin was so fragile. Remembering the feel of her in his arms as she struggled against him, and the smell of her scent, he could understand the appeal this human female held for Sholan males. He wasn't unmoved by her himself. His hand strayed down to the torc that nestled at the base of her throat. Maybe the lad had more sense than anyone credited him with.
Standing up, he turned around, and, still keeping the pressure on his wounded arm, he joined Dzaka.
"She needs your help," he said abruptly. "She was so terrified even I could feel her fear."
Dzaka stirred, changing his position so he could see her better. "I don't know that I can help," he said. "I need to know what caused her to be so afraid that she tried to strangle you. Her talent is dangerous, you realize that?"
"Don't confuse her with Sholan telepaths," said Garras. "She can, and will fight as I've found out to my cost," he said, looking down at the towel that was slowly becoming dark with blood. "But I don't think she realized what she was doing. It was an unthinking reaction to a situation in which she felt utterly helpless."
"Has she ever done this before?"
He shook his head. "Never. She's alone here, Dzaka, isolated from her own kind because of her fear of their reaction to her Link with Kusac. She needs to learn to cope with that fear. You can help her do that. You're obviously running meditation services here, which means you're authorized to teach."
"I can only help her if she'll cooperate with me," he said, "and if their minds work the same way ours do."
"At least give it a try."
Dzaka sighed. "We'll see."
* * *
Draz's call to Vanna's room had proved futile, the same with her personal pager: she'd turned it off. The Terrans had seen nothing of Carrie either. Draz had just received a call from Kaid asking him to avoid contacting the guild and the Clan Leader if at all possible. Working on the premise that they would have contacted Kusac if they'd been aware of her, Draz was prepared to leave them for the present. He dispatched his men to check out the levels above and below.
* * *
The towel was a bloody rag by the time the door went. "Who is it?"
"It's me, Vanna Kyjishi," came the answer.
He opened the door and stepped aside for her to enter.
"What's all this... Gods, what happened to you, Garras?" she said, catching sight of him standing beyond Dzaka. She pushed past the Brother, anxious to reach him. "Sit down and let me see to it." Then she saw Carrie lying on the mats.
"Just what the hell's been going on here?" she demanded, going instantly to the human girl's side.
"She's just unconscious, Vanna," said Garras, his ears twitching as he tried to prevent them from lying backward along his skull. "I found her down on this level when I came off duty. She was hysterical. I had to do something."
Obviously satisfied by her quick examination of Carrie, Vanna left her to return to Garras. "Tell me about it while I see to your arm," she said, placing her medikit on the floor. "And it better be good!"
Garras sat down on the plinth again, resting his arm on his thighs.
Squatting on her heels, Vanna carefully unwrapped the towel. Blood was still oozing from the crescent-shaped wound.
She glanced up at Dzaka. "Fetch me another towel, please."
When he handed it to her, she placed it under Garras' arm, discarding the soiled one. From her kit she pulled out a container of sterile water and some soft wool and began swabbing the wound carefully to see the full extent of the injury.
"Tell me what happened," she said, reaching for the coagulant spray.
"I'd just come off duty when I saw Carrie running toward me," he said, watching her begin to clip back the fur at the edges of the wound. "That's one hell of a deep bite."
"It is," she agreed, spraying an antibiotic over the whole area. "Carry on."
"I could see from her face that she was in a panic, so when she drew level with me, I grabbed her. She went berserk, Vanna, laying into me with hands and feet— and teeth."
"So I see," she said, looking up at him before pulling a dressing and bandage out of her kit.
"I've never seen anyone so terrified," he said, glancing over to the girl's still form. "She'd gone feral. So I picked her up and brought her in here to get Dzaka's help."
"Another of your old friends?" she asked, not expecting an answer. "So why did you need to knock her out?" She finished tying off the bandage. "Try moving your arm."
"It's the damnedest thing, Vanna," he said slowly as he lifted his arm and flexed it carefully. "It's fine," he nodded. "I couldn't get her to let go of me, so I dumped her on the mats. As I tried to open her mouth, I began to feel as if I was being strangled. It was as if there was something tight around my neck. I knew she was doing it. There was nothing else I could do but..."
"Hit her on the jaw," finished Vanna.
He nodded. "Believe me, I wouldn't have done it if there was another way. Especially since she's pregnant."
Vanna looked at him sharply. "What?"
"Well, it's obvious, isn't it? I have to admit I would never have guessed if I hadn't held her."
Vanna's frown cleared. "She's not pregnant, Garras. Terran females are different from us, that's all."
Garras looked puzzled. "Are you sure?"
"Positive. I carried out the initial medical examination on her, remember? If she was pregnant, believe me, I'd know about it," she said, pulling her hypo gun out and loading it. "I'm giving you a large dose of a broad spectrum antibiotic, and an analgesic, just in case," she said, swabbing down his upper arm before triggering the drug. "You're also off duty for at least a week till that arm begins to heal." She packed the hypo away then got up. "Let's have a look at Carrie now."
She sat down beside the girl, reaching out gently and taking hold of her jaw. "You made a good job of that."
"I didn't realize she'd bruise so badly," he said apologetically.
"Well, she's still out cold," said Vanna, checking the girl's eyes to find the inner lids closed. "and likely to remain so for some time from the looks of her. Have you called Kusac yet to let him know where she is?"
Garras shook his head. "No. I thought it best to contact you first."
"I'd better give him a call. He'll be beside himself with worry. Have you a comm I can use?" she asked Dzaka.
"In the other room," he said, nodding toward it.
Getting up she went over to the room and sat down at Dzaka's desk. She switched on the comm, selecting the vidiphone channel, and keyed in Kusac's number.
The image resolved to show Kaid.
"What the hell are you doing out of bed?" she demanded, then shook her head. "Never mind, just get me Kusac."
Kaid's worried look cleared. "You've found her."
"Yes, we've got her. She's here at the temple with Garras and me. What happened to make her leave there on her own?"
"They had a row," said Kaid. "I've just persuaded Kusac to lie down again because of his headache, and I don't want to disturb him yet. How is she?"
"Unconscious. Garras had to knock her out she was so hysterical. Beyond that, she appears to be fine. Garras wasn't so lucky. She took a chunk out of his arm."
Kaid's eye ridges went up. "She's a fighter," he said.
"I could have told you that," said Vanna. "What's wrong with Kusac? He isn't unconscious, too, is he?"
"No, just sleeping. Give me a moment to contact Draz and call off the search," he said, moving aside from the screen. He was back a moment later.
"This morning Carrie was involved in an abortive attempt to question a captive Valtegan. Afterward she let rip at the Mentor for criticizing the way she'd handled the situation. Then this afternoon Kusac was called down to his Tutor's where pressure was put on him to make Carrie toe the guild line and turn up for training, or else," said Kaid. "The Mentor's concerned that Carrie's undisciplined Talent and bad attitude is a danger to the guild, which is why she wants her brought in line."
"What the hell is the Mentor playing at?" Vanna asked angrily. "I gave her a copy of the current medical data on them both and took the trouble to explain it personally to her. She knows their endocrine levels are in flux at the moment! They can't handle the stress of this sort of pressure! Tell Kusac she's safe here with us. We'll bring her back when she comes round, but I want to talk to her first."
"Oh, almost forgot. Kusac says the gestalt triggered for a few seconds, then she became unconscious."
Vanna nodded. "I'll sort it out from this end. Tell him that he can call her if he wants, but to leave it for about an hour. How's his headache?"
"He took one of the pills you gave him a few days ago, but since then he's thrown up. He seems a little better, but I convinced him it would be wise to lie down."
"I'll turn my pager on. If you need me, call."
Kaid nodded, and she cut the connection.
She turned round to face Garras. "I want a word with you in private," she said.
He followed her to the door and stepped outside. "What is it?"
"Why bring her here? I don't like you involving the Brotherhood, Garras."
"There wasn't anywhere else I could take her, Vanna," he said reasonably. "There's nothing wrong with Dzaka. If I hadn't had to knock her out, he'd have been the ideal person to help calm her down."
"I don't like it, Garras. The Brothers have always been a two-edged benefit that can go either way. I'm afraid for Carrie."
"Look, I'm here, don't worry. I wouldn't let anything happen to her."
"I have to go. Just watch her well because I don't trust Dzaka. She's likely to be out for another hour at least. Can you cope? I have a few words I want to say to Rhuso and Mnya," she said grimly.
"We'll be fine," he said.
"Make sure that if she wakes she can't get out. I don't want us to be chasing her all over the ship again."
"Vanna," said Garras, catching her by the arm. "I didn't know Terrans went feral with fear."
"They don't, as far as I know," she said quietly.