Your brother, Vagrian, was here.
Oh no!
Yoshuk didn't sound pleased.
Ah! You used the past tense? My congratulations on your perception and immediate dismissal of Trouble on Two Feet.
Yes. I sent him back to Blundell. I nearly sent him to you two to help with your workload.
Merciful heaven, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for that show of common sense.
Is he as ... difficult as I read him, Yoshuk? You're not.
Most emphatically I am not my brother Vagrian. Whyever was he sent to you of all people?
I think my grandfather had dynastic notions.
Ha! Earth Prime's slipping, or his initial screening has developed serious flaws. Not that Grian couldn'tâwithout half trying, I might addâgive the right answers. Unless someone thought to deep-probe him. Did you? So that you found out how poisonous he is? Accept my profound apology for being related to him. That might have had something to do with your grandfather's momentary lapse of good sense. Or he was taken in by circumstances of Grian's sudden emergence as a Talent.
Chagrin colored Yoshuk's tone.
You've relieved my mind, Yoshuk. I didn't think my judgment had failed me. Especially when Kincaid's reaction was total rejection and abhorrence.
Kincaid was right on line, and the first thing my dear brother would have done is to displace Kincaid.
That isn't possible.
Oh yes, it would be if Vagrian desired to ...
Yoshuk paused. There was a smile in his tone as he continued.
Kincaid deserves your loyalty, Laria, and I'm glad it's in such deep measure for him. You will never regret it.
Are you peeking, Yoshuk?
Laria was surprised and clamped her thoughts down.
Me? You're the Prime! I do suggest that you stop broadcasting quite so loudly, or both Vanteer and Lionasha'll hear.
Thanks, Yoshuk.
On the contrary, thank you, Laria,
for sending that bad
package right back where it can be dealt with,
“Laria?” Kincaid called at the base of the Tower steps.
“Coming.” She ran down the flight, taking the plate of sandwiches from Kincaid's hand, smiling as she did so. “Yoshuk is not enthralled with his younger brother either,” she said, joining the others at the table. “Good thing I didn't send him there. We could probably have heard the roar of rejection all the way from Sef.”
“A bit of a shame, though,” Lionasha said, casting a sideways glance at Vanteer. “He'd've cut a fascinating swath through the compound here.”
“Not if he intended to make a handfast arrangement with Laria, he wouldnât,” Van said in a low growl of dislike. “I wouldn't've liked that for you, Laria. Or for you, Kincaid,” he added. “What I'd like to know is how he passed Gollee's screening?” He directed that query to Laria.
“Oh, that one could pass any screening he'd a mind to,” Lionasha replied. When the others regarded her with surprise, remembering her reaction to Vagrian's charm, she grimaced. “I may have been susceptible to all that masculinity, and the smarmy way he came on to you, Laria, but I'd've come to my senses pretty quick. Especially after I caught that shaft he aimed at you, Kincaid.”
“I appreciate that, Lio,” Kincaid said with a wry grin as he regained his equilibrium. “I thank you too, Van.”
“We haven't worked this Tower so long that I'd let you down when someone like that piece of ego threatened you,” Van said staunchly. “You're a helluva lot more man than that one can ever be.”
Kincaid looked slightly bemused and surprised.
“Well, it takes all kinds to make this universe, you know,” Van went on, a little abashed.
“The devil you know?” Laria said teasingly.
“Better than that one, that's for sure,” Van said, one hand unconsciously closing into a fist again. Then he rose. “Dig, Nim, would you clear this away for us so we can get that siesta while it's quiet?”
SURE, SURE, SURE. The chorus came from all four 'Dinis.
“When are yours due back?” Lionasha asked. “I've missed them.”
“We all have.”
YES, YES, YES, was the unison reply as the four 'Dinis began to pile dishes and take them to the recycling unit.
The Humans were all smiling as they dispersed to their quarters. When Laria heard the last door close, she 'ported into Kincaid's room. He had his back to her, pulling down the top sheet of his bed.
Yes?
Kincaid,
she began, not quite knowing exactly how to break her news to him.
He turned, eyebrows rising in surprise at her obvious hesitation.
She walked up to him, took his hand and laid it on her stomach.
We started a child last night.
How can you be so sure?
he demanded, astonished.
It's one thing a Prime knows almost instantly: that a new life has started. I wasn't positive ... because this hasn't happened to me before.
She reached up to stroke his hair with an affectionate hand.
I knew when Vagrian threatened you ... because he threatened me as well. If you do not object, I shall nurture the embryo. If you do object, I can removeâ
He pulled her into his arms, embracing her as tightly as he could, as if warding off any possible harm to her or his seed in her womb.
No, no, no. Please. To father your child?
More
luck than I ever dreamed would happen. As much as I can, and in spite of my orientation, I love you, Laria, as much as it is possible for me to love a woman.
As tightly as he already held her, the pressure of his arms increased.
Did
you
know how terrified I was when Vagrian appeared? Terrified to lose the gift of friendship you gave me when I arrived here sick and desperate and wanting far more to die than live?
I knew you were in very bad shape ...
And she let him see that she had not known how close to suicide he had been.
He held her away from him and she saw the tears in his eyes.
You healed me then with such a simple acceptance of what I was. What I am now is all your doing.
She put her fingers on his mouth. “No more regrets, my friend. No more looking back. I don't require any promises from you, Kincaid Dano. I do, however, require a father for the child.”
He folded her tightly against him again and, with a shaky laugh that was almost a sob, said, “That would give me the greatest possible joy.”
“Even if I should require more children from you?” she said, her lips against his ear. “We Lyons tend to be prolific, you know.”
“Let's see how we do with this one first, shall we?” he asked, but his voice rippled with amusement. Then he picked her up in his arms and, carrying her to the bed, laid her down, settling beside her and âporting the cover over them both. “It's more important than ever that you take a siesta,” he said in a stem voice, turning his head to frown at her. “And if your grandfather will talk to you again in the next few weeks, d'you think we can get a more congenial T- 2? Or even a couple of 3's?”
She put her fingers on his lips. “Shhhh. Morag's just about old enough for some Tower training. I'll ask Mother first.”
“Good idea. Now close your eyes and sleep.”
I don't think I can, I'm so wired ...
I'll help ...
Gently he put his hand over her heart.
As if you could overcome a ... T ...
“I've a few tricks you don't know about, dear heart,” he said softly, as her face relaxed and her breathing slowed to the rhythm of a natural sleep.
Â
“How could we possibly have missed Beliakin's overweening self-importance, Gollee?” Jeff Raven asked, rattling his fingers on his desk with aggravation.
“Because he's an exceedingly clever young man.” Gollee said, and tossed over a folder of hard copy. “With good shields that only you, the Rowan and perhaps Damia could have penetrated. I certainly caught nothing more than an intense pleasure at activating a Talent he was sure he had, since his only brother is a T-2, and the hope that he would get a âgood assignment.' No harm in such thoughts and aspirations. However, if you run down the names of those who passed him through the testing process, there's only one male. To be quite candid ...” Gollee sighed briefly. “With the workload in my department, I was delighted to find a T-2 proving out. I reviewed the assessments and had no reason to doubt them, since he most certainly possessed a strong kinetic T-2 when I put him through his paces. With a sibling as capable as Yoshuk already working as Talent, I made the mistake of assuming more familial integrity and rectitude than he appears to have.” Gollee thrust the file into the reader, scrolling down to nearly the end. “I just looked over these comments from acquaintances again. I should have paid more attention to them. While he doesn't appear to have made close personal friends, that is not uncommon for the Talented. I originally dismissed the references as malice or understandable envy. On a closer perusal, all of them were men and women of sound judgment and personal integrity. They were attempting to warn us.”
“And I, like a damned fool, was so delighted to find a splendid young fellow for Laria, I didn't question those careful comments either.” Jeff flipped the folder shut. He sighed. “Well, no one's perfect.”
Gollee chuckled. “So you figured he'd suit Laria?”
“If he hadn't had this serious personality flaw, as a T-2 he'd've been ideal. I think we'll give him to the Navy as Laria suggested. God knows we're hard pressed to provide kinetic T's to keep the distant elements of Hive Search supplied.”
“Good idea. He can hardly take over a ship as he evidently planned to take over Clarf Tower. Send him out on the
Strongbow.”
Gollee's grin was definitely malicious. “That should pay them back for the gauntlet they ran Kincaid through.”
“You're not the vindictive sort, Gollee,” Jeff remarked, raising his eyebrows in surprise.
“Only in particular cases,” Gollee said with a droll grimace. “I just don't like manipulative Talents when they're as strong as Beliakin and can so easily inhibit lesser Talents. We can at least employ his unquestionable abilities where they will do the least damage.”
“I believe I concur with that. Which brings us back to the original problem: who do we have to assist Laria's team? They're overloaded right now and the traffic is not likely to ease off for several more months.”
“Morag's how old now?”
Jeff regarded Gollee with surprise and chuckled. “With all those complaints about nepotism coloring the political scene? Do we dare augment Clarf with yet another Lyon?”
“She won't be in charge. And why shouldn't she visit her sister and get some on-the-job training?”
“I'll ask Damia. Morag is close to seventeen now and has been merging with her parents on a regular basis. She'd know the proceduresâthat would be a decided advantage. Afra says the four local Talents they discovered after that mine collapse are fitting in very well as support staff. Xexo's snagged one as an engineering prospect... a T-5. Nothing like a brush with calamity to stimulate resources.”
“Which,” Gollee said, rising to his feet, “is exactly what brought Vagrian Beliakin to our notice.”
“We shall be more careful, shan't we?”
“Indeed we shall. And make sure we have an even distribution of the sexes in the initial interviews.”
“And for anything above a T-3, a Prime does the final check probe,” Jeff said.
“When, that is, you can fit it in,” Gollee remarked, and 'ported himself out of the office.
Did you hear all of that, my love?
Jeff asked, leaning back in his comformable chair and propping his feet on his desk.
Can I never eavesdrop but you know I'm doing it?
the Rowan asked with some asperity.
We are of the same mind and heart, Lady of the Tower. How can I not know when our minds are linked?
Hmmm. Beliakin seemed almost too good to be true. But then I've no clairvoyance, even if I should have been more suspicious just because it was such a perfect solution.
Jeff heard his wife's mental sigh of remorse.
Send Kaltia with Morag, Jeff,
the Rowan said after a moment's pause.
They are accustomed to working together and will be company for each other in what is definitely an older grouping.
What? And deprive Damia of more of her childer?
I've an even better idea ...
Send Beliakin to Iota Aurigae?
Jeff snatched the notion from his wife's mind with the ease of their long association and closeness.
What a splendid solution! Damia and Afra
will
handle him, and he's unlikely to realize he's being tutored and having his thinking adjusted. When he 's suitably reformed
âJeff chuckledâthen
we can responsibly send him to a Search ship.
He can't do any damage at Damia's at all. Not even to the two youngest. He may be a strong kinetic, but looking over his file, I think that's all he has. He's not strong on telepathy, only on short sends and receives. Also, we must do all we can to redress the embarrassment he received at Laria's hands ...
Embarrassment?
All right, humiliation,
the Rowan corrected herself.
But I suspect he came on too strong, so cockily sure of his ability to enchant any female that he succeeded in alienating her. Isn't that what the therapist said?
You hadn't read the report?