LC01 Sweet Starfire

  “I don’t know.”

  “Perhaps they heard the call but didn’t follow.”

  Cidra frowned. “Why wouldn’t they follow? We did.”

  “We were camped in the vicinity for two nights. The others might have merely caught traces of the call as they went by on a skimmer. The odds are no one’s ever camped in that particular spot before. It might take a while for the call to focus in on a mind and become strong enough to draw someone to this place. If it’s a mechanical device, it might have to tune itself.”

  She nodded. “That makes sense.”

  “There’s another possibility. Someone may have found this place before but not lived to tell about it. If a man thought that he’d get the same protection going out as he got coming in, he’d be in for a rude surprise. I wasn’t expecting protection, and I was still rudely surprised. Your Ghosts have a nasty sense of humor.”

  “I don’t think they would have set a trap to lure intelligent beings here, show them their history, and then leave them unprotected. Perhaps they assumed that whoever found this place would be smart enough to protect themselves on the way back.”

  He groaned. “Never make assumptions. Case in point sitting right here in front of you.”

  She was shocked at her own words. “Oh, Severance, I never meant to imply that you . . .”

  “That I’m not very bright? Don’t worry. You don’t need to imply it. Facts speak for themselves.”

  “Are you always so hard on yourself when things go wrong?” “Only when they go wrong badly enough to get someone killed.”

  “Neither of us has been killed, Severance.”

  “I’ll cling to that thought.”

  He stood up again and walked back to the stream to wash the grease from his hands. He needed rest very badly, Cidra thought as she unobtrusively nut down the uneaten section of her meat. She didn’t think she could swallow any more. Something was very wrong in the region of her stomach.

  “Let’s try to get some sleep. Since we don’t know for certain just how reliable this circle is, we’ll take turns keeping watch.” “I’ll take the first watch,” she volunteered.

  He shook his head. “I’m liable to feel worse later on tonight. I’ll need the rest then. I’ll take the first watch while I’ve still got some energy left.” Severance sank down onto the ground with his back to the curving wall. “Turn off the flamer. Don’t want to waste fuel. We’ll use the quartzflash for light.”

  “I think the circle is very safe. Nothing has even tried to cross the boundary.” Cidra was only absently aware of what she was saying. Her attention was on the growing nausea that was simmering in her stomach, She was swallowing rapidly now, and her forehead felt damp from something other than the local humidity.

  Cidra?”

  “It’s all right, Severance. Just give me a minute.” She kept her back to him and walked slowly to the edge of the circle, just beyond the range of the quartzflash.

  “Cidra, come back here. What do you think you’re doing?”

  At that moment she lost the battle with her stomach. Her first meal of meat exited the way it had entered, leaving Cidra shuddering with unpleasant convulsions. She felt Severance’s good arm around her even before she was finished.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I guess eating meat takes a little practice.”

  “I’ll admit you don’t seem to be taking to it as readily as you do to other Wolf ways.” Gently he led her over to the stream, purified some water for her, and started to bathe her face.

  “I’ll do it.” Embarrassed, she took the bag of water from him and knelt to finish washing her face and rinsing her mouth. “I’m all right, Severance, honestly. You must be careful not to start that shoulder bleeding again.”

  “Yes, Otanna.”

  She shot him an uncertain glance and realized that he was smiling laconically. Hastily she finished washing herself. Then she joined him at the wall where he was trying to settle into a reasonably comfortable position with the pulser resting on his drawn-up knee. His other leg was stretched out in front of him. Slowly she sank down beside him.

  “You’ll call me when it’s my turn?” she asked.

  “I’ll wake you. Try to get some sleep, Cidra. Put your head down on my leg.”

  Carefully she obeyed, intensely conscious of the long, smooth muscles of his thigh as she used it as a pillow. She couldn’t think of anything appropriate to say under the circumstances, so she lay very still, listening to the sounds of the darkness and trying not to think of the previous night’s lovemaking. After all, she lectured herself, this was neither the time nor the place to dwell on the emotional and physical intimacy she had found in Severance’s arms.

  His arm moved, draping across her shoulder and breasts with casual possessiveness. Cidra flinched and then relaxed. His touch was comforting, she decided, not sensual. She went back to trying not to think of what she had experienced with him.

  But she was very much afraid she would never forget that time of pleasure and passion. There had been a raw, primitive response coursing through her last night that had nothing to do with serenity and calm ritual. It was an emotion totally pegged to the man who had held her, and Cidra knew that a lifetime would not be long enough to dim the memories. Severance kept telling her she was a Wolf, like it or not, and last night he had proved it.

  “Go to sleep, Cidra. Stop thinking about it.” His hand stroked her arm with reassuring gentleness.

  She knew for a fact that he couldn’t read her mind. “Stop thinking about what?”

  “Last night.”

  She grimaced. “How did you know that’s what I was thinking about?”

  He chuckled softly. “It was either that or else you were thinking of what you had for dinner. Since you weren’t showing any signs of getting nauseated, I decided it was probably sex that was keeping you awake.”

  “Your ego at work, no doubt.”

  “No. Actually it was a lucky guess based on the fact that I was thinking about the same thing.”

  There was a pause before Severance said gently, “It changes everything, you know.”

  “I don’t see why it should.” But she was lying and she knew it. He was right. Everything had changed.

  “Sweet liar.” He bent his head and brushed her cheek with his lips. “You’re picking up all sorts of new habits, aren’t you? I’ll bet you never told a single lie all the time you lived in Clementia.”

  The truth of that observation was disturbing. “I didn’t make this journey to become a Wolf, Severance.”

  “I know.” The brief amusement faded from his voice. “I know. Go to sleep.”

  She closed her eyes and was surprised to find that she could obey.

  When Severance awakened her a few hours later, Cidra stirred stiffly, sitting up slowly and yawning as she shoved the butt of the pulser into her palm. She blinked sleepily, realizing vaguely that in the light of the flash his face looked more drawn and exhausted than it had earlier. She didn’t think his eyes appeared quite as clear, either.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Lousy. But I’ll live till morning. Know how to use the pulser?”

  “I know the theory, yes.” She was surprised by how cold and heavy it felt in her hand.

  “Shoot first if something crosses the edge of the circle. Believe me, I’ll be awake shortly thereafter.” He stretched out along the side of the wall, pillowing his head on her lap as if it were the way he bedded down every night. His eyes closed immediately.

  Tentatively Cidra rested her arm on his chest. It seemed to her that he felt very warm. Too warm. She hoped the antiseptic spray she had used earlier was doing its job.

  Staying awake with a pulser in one hand proved to be a formidable task. Cidra decided that she had never given enough credit to the heroes in the First Family novels who spent so much time standing guard. The problem was boredom.

  Behind her back, the wall of the safehold continued to radiate the warmth it had collec
ted during the day. Rather than being uncomfortable, it was rather pleasant, although by rights the balmy air should have been sufficiently warm. Beyond the edge of the circle, night things moved about their deadly business. Cidra occasionally got disconcerting glimpses of prowling eyes. Fortunately, for her peace of mind, very little else was visible. The circle was holding. The knowledge made her wonder again why the mind call had not provided a safe path back to the campsite.

  That thought led to another. She realized that she was totally unaware of any lingering call in her mind. Having served the purpose of drawing the visitors to the safehold, the telepathic lure had dissolved. And with it, perhaps, had dissolved her chances of discovering the truth behind the legend.

  If this safehold was the source of those small hints and uncertain promises she had set out to track down, she might be at the end of her quest before it had even properly begun. Furthermore the results of that quest showed every sign of being useless. A faded mind call left by a people who had long since passed into the shadows held little hope of being converted into the magic elixir that would make her a true Harmonic.

  There was always the possibility that the mind call was not what had prompted the legends, however. If this safehold had survived the centuries intact, who knew what else might be hidden on Renaissance? She let her mind drift back to the history she had seen in the safehold. The ending bothered her. It wasn’t just a sense of sadness she felt for the passing of a great civilization. Cidra realized that she also felt anger. Deep inside she hadn’t wanted the Ghosts to fade away without a struggle of any kind.

  Unconsciously she had wanted them to fight back against their fate, not bow serenely to it.

  Severance shifted slightly, not waking. She touched his forehead and found it dry and hot. Anxiously she examined the wound. As far as she could tell, no blood was leaking through the plastic adhesive. The flesh around it was swollen and red, but that probably wasn’t unusual under the circumstances. Cidra rested her head against the safehold wall again and stared out into the darkness. Renaissance had a way of forcing a person to view things in fundamental terms. She found maintaining a belief in wispy tales and legends difficult when she was constantly being faced with so many real-life monsters and challenges.

  Sooner or later she was going to be forced to decide how far to follow her personal dream. Every step with Teague Severance had an odd way of moving her goal farther from her grasp. Yet she could think of no other method of pursuing her quest. The thought of dropping the search altogether left her feeling shaken. She had dreamed for too many years.

  Memories of the twinkling fountains and perfumed air of Clementia drifted up to tease her, reminding her of what she sought. But the delicate fragments of her visions kept getting demolished by the more powerful memories she was accumulating with Severance.

  Even as she said his name in her mind he stirred again on her lip. She touched his forehead again and began to worry in earnest. He was far too warm. The wound must be infected. That thought left her feeling helpless. There was no way she could guide a wounded, sick man through the jungle. They would be easy prey.

  Perhaps Severance carried other medicine in his utility loop. Trying not to disturb him, she began going through the pouches one by one. The contents were varied and curious, covering everything from the utility knife to a spare set of Free Market cubes. Sometime she would make a point of asking him why he carried the extra cubes. The explanation, Cidra was sure, would prove interesting.

  She found a packet of tablets that had long since lost its label. No point speculating on what they might be. But other than the antiseptic and the adhesive bandages, there was nothing else that appeared medicinal.

  Severance turned on his side, clearly fretful and uncomfortable in his sleep. Cidra hesitated and then decided to get some water from the stream. She could soak his shirt in it and use it to cool him down somewhat. Gently she lifted his head off her lap and pillowed him on the ground cover. She opened the lightweight bag and hurried to kneel beside the stream. The water felt cool against her hands, and she hoped it would have the same effect on her patient.

  She was getting to her feet when she realized that Severance was trying to stagger erect. Alarmed, she went back to him. In the moonlight she could see that he wasn’t focusing on her. His eyes were fevered and restless.

  “Lie down, Severance. I’m going to cool you off.” She tugged coaxingly on his arm.

  He reacted as if he weren’t even aware of her. Pulling free of her grasp, he leaned against the wall of the safehold and began making his way along it toward the entrance. Cidra suddenly realized where he was going.

  “Severance, no!” She raced forward and caught his arm again, this time much more firmly. “You can’t go in there. Lie down. You’ll feel better when I bathe your face. Lie down, Severance.”

  Again he shook free of her and started toward the entrance. Cidra became frantic. If he got inside and activated the illusion trap, she would never get him back out, not in his present condition. There was no telling what the terrifying images would do to him while he was burning up with fever. They were hard enough to deal with when one was feeling normal.

  He was almost at the entrance when Cidra acted out of desperation. Smoothly, swiftly, she moved against him with the dancing patterns of Moonlight and Mirrors. Given his current condition, the motions should have folded him gently to the ground.

  But when he felt her touch, Severance reacted as if he were under attack. He swung around, blocking her with a swift, violent throw that caught Cidra totally off-guard. She was flat on her back before she even realized what had happened.

  “Severance, wait!”

  It was too late. He had vanished inside the safehold.

  FIFTEEN

  Severance was out of his head with fever. But even as she reached that conclusion, Cidra had to wonder where he had gotten the strength to toss her aside so easily. The next question was what had made him, even in a delirium, want to go back into the safehold?

  She scrambled to her feet and raced to the vaulted entrance. There she braced one hand on the wall beside her. Touching something solid as she leaned into the chamber gave her a small sense of security. Inside, she could see nothing at all. The walls that allowed light to pass through them during the day produced no illumination during the night. There wasn’t any sign of either the Ghost narrative or the illusion trap.

  “Severance? Come back, Teague. Please. You don’t want to be in there. Turn around and walk back toward me.”

  When there was no answer, Cidra darted over to where the quartzflash had been left. She picked it up, flicked on full power, and swung the beam around inside the safehold entrance. The light fell on Severance almost at once. He was crouched beside the heavy stone Cidra had tried to use against the apparition of the bloodsucker. His large hands were curved around the smooth surface.

  “What is it?” Cidra asked, cautiously taking a step into the safehold. She had to talk him out of here if she could. If both of them got trapped inside by the illusions, she wasn’t sure she would have the strength to lead him out. “Tell me what you’ve found, Severance.”

  He was totally oblivious to her. His whole attention was on the stone. Cidra took another step inside, wondering at what point the illusions would be activated. Perhaps not until she tried to turn around and walk out. She studied Severance’s crouching form in the light of the quartzflash and knew she wasn’t going to be able to talk him out of the safehold. She was going to have to lead him forcibly back to safety.

  Counting her steps in the hope that she could retrace them even through a hail of illusion. Cidra advanced slowly into the darkened safehold. Her cautious movement didn’t trigger any images. When she reached Severance, she touched his shoulder. This time he looked up at her. Cidra was shocked to see the raging fever in his eyes. She put her arm around him, and her voice instinctively slipped into the gentling, hypnotic cadence Harmonics used when they sought to soothe one of their
own.

  “Come with me, Severance. All is safe with me. Let me lead you to safety. Outside, the air is cool and calm. You’ll feel better outside. Come with me and be safe. Outside, all is serene.”

  She felt him tremble and sensed that somewhere in his fevered mind he was trying to understand. Cidra also had the impression that he was torn between conflicting needs. She saw the way his hands rested on the stone.

  “Is it the stone you want? Bring it with you, Severance. Pick up the stone and bring it with you. Let’s go outside where it’s cool and clear.”

  His shoulder muscles flexed beneath her arm, and he picked up the stone. Cidra straightened, relieved when he stood up beside her. When she tugged on his arm, he followed her docilely. Warily she guided him toward the doorway, fully expecting to find their exit impeded by anything from a giant bloodsucker to a wall of light.

  Nothing happened. Using the quartzflash, Cidra made it back outside with her patient in tow. Breathing a sigh of relief, she guided Severance to the wall and eased him down onto the ground. He was still astonishingly docile, willing to go where she led as long as he had the stone.

  “What is it about the rock, Severance? Why do you want it?” He clutched it protectively. “Warm. Feels good. Feels warm. I’m so cold.”

  “You’re already burning up,” she whispered, knowing that he didn’t really hear her. “Lie down and I’ll see if I can break that fever.” She pushed him down onto the ground. He curled around the stone and closed his eyes.

  He did seem calmer, Cidra decided as she began bathing him. Perhaps the stone was having some beneficial effect. She couldn’t imagine what it could be, though. When she touched it, the hard, smooth sphere felt faintly warm. Perhaps it carried a residue of the heat it had collected during the day.

  The hours dragged on toward dawn. With one eye on the small movements that occasionally occurred around the edge of the circle, and another on Severance, Cidra kept watch and worried about the fever. The pulser was never far from her hand, although she no longer had any fear of something crossing the unseen boundary of the circle. She kept the pulser close primarily because Severance’s last, clear instructions had been to do so. He was still the pilot in command, she thought as she filled the water bag for the fifth time. And she was still the one and only member of his crew.