and watched his sister for the longest time.
She grunted finally, annoyed with something, and looked up at him. 'Oh. Hello.'
'Cara said you're out of danger.'
'I suppose. I feel bloated. And my-' She broke off and crossed her arms over her chest. 'Anyway, I've got some ideas here, but I don't have enough information. I'd like to interview-well, just speak with-some female Chapalii. Do you think I never came across any before because they don't move freely outside of Chapalii enclaves, or because my status as your heir made me an honorary male? If you'd treated me as your sister, not as your heir, would I have found access into their side of the culture? Is it even that separate, or is it somehow woven in with the male culture in ways we don't understand? We still often think of the universe as dualistic and forget how simplistic that philosophy is. Especially when we're dealing with what is alien to us.'
'Good questions,' said Charles. 'I can't answer them.'
'I should leave Rhui.' Tess stared into the floating pattern she had created. 'I can't do this here.'
A thrill of fear ran through Aleksi. But Tess had promised to take him with her. She meant that, didn't she? He bit down on his tongue to stop himself asking her right here, right now. It wasn't an auspicious time.
'I thought you were going to stay on Rhui and act as the information conduit here, for my saboteur network,' said Charles evenly.
'I'm sure you can make other arrangements. And it won't work anyway. Aleksi is going to get married, so he won't have a tent. I don't have anywhere to hide the equipment I'll need.'
Charles crossed the chamber and halted behind her, resting his hands on the back of her chair. She stood up at once and moved away from him. 'But, Tess, I've been thinking about this. Ursula wants to stay, too. We'll give her one of these large tents, and then there'll be no problem with keeping any such equipment concealed.'
Aleksi didn't like the way Tess was standing. Her back had a stubborn, angry line to it. She did not turn to look at her brother. 'Ursula! By what right can she stay here? Isn't that meddling a bit far with the interdiction?'
Charles sighed. 'Tess. The interdiction is all shot to hell as it is.'
Now she spun. Her face was white. 'What did you tell Hya?'
'I told him the truth-'
She flushed red. 'You told him the truth! You might as well have stuck the knife in his heart and killed him!'
'I told him the truth,' Charles repeated patiently, 'in terms by which he could understand it. Tess, don't you understand?' He twisted his head to regard the latticework glowing above the table, and he spoke two words. The latticework faded to black and out of black a sphere grew and formed, a blue ball laced with white wisps, like smoke or clouds, and muddy patches. 'That is the planet you live on, Aleksi,' he said. 'We call it Rhui, for no good reason except that it was the name of the first indigenous language any of us learned, who came here.'
The ball rotated slowly, floating in nothing. Aleksi reached out toward it. He felt a tingle as his hand neared its bright surface, but where his hand met the field, the field blurred and vanished until he withdrew his hand again.
'Tess,' said Charles softly. 'I must sacrifice the interdiction in the end for the sake of the rebellion. It may take ten years. It may take one hundred. I don't know whether the choice is right or wrong. I only know that I must do it.'
She did not reply. Aleksi watched her profile. Her face was taut, strained, and she looked angry, just so angry, not at Charles really, or at anyone. But maybe it was easier to be angry than to mourn her dead child.
'Tess,' Charles added in that same quiet, implacable voice, 'I want you to stay here.'
She snorted. 'You've changed your tune. That wasn't what you came here for in the first place.'
Aleksi watched as the prince's lips pulled up into a wry smile. 'I didn't get where I am today by refusing to alter my plans when it was necessary to. Even a river changes course from time to time.'
'That's all very well, but I don't want to stay anymore. I want to go-' She choked on a word, could not say it
'Go home?' Charles asked.
'Go back. I want to go back to Earth. Oh, just leave me alone!' Her arms were pressed tight against her chest, and Aleksi saw that her tunic over her right breast was damp. She shifted her arms to hide the spreading stain.
'Let me go get Cara,' said the prince, and Aleksi was amazed to see him retreat from the engagement.
'I don't want to see Cara!' Tess shouted after him.
The sphere floating above the table vanished, snapped into oblivion, as soon as the prince lifted the tent flap. Aleksi heard horses, and Soerensen paused half in and half out of the tent, squinting into the sun. 'Thank the Goddess,' the prince murmured. 'The cavalry arrives just in time.' He swept out. The entrance flap rang down behind him.
Tess stared into the shadowed corner.
Bells chimed. Looking travel-worn, Bakhtiian came in. 'Tess?' He looked so tired that Aleksi was amazed he could stand up. He circled the table and stopped behind Tess. He rested his hands on her shoulders and leaned his head against hers.
'You smell,' she muttered.
He turned her around. 'You're all wet,' he said, sounding mystified, touching a finger to the front of her tunic. Then he said, 'Oh,' in an altered voice as he realized what it was from.
Tess burst into tears, sobs that wracked her body.
Aleksi judged it prudent to leave.
Outside, the prince waited, listening. 'Well,' Soerensen said, 'she's crying. That ought to help.'
'She must mourn the child,' said Aleksi, 'before she can give it up.'
'Very wise,' agreed Soerensen.
Very wise, thought Aleksi, a little perplexed by this praise. A sudden image of Anastasia's face rose unbidden in his mind, her sharp brown eyes and narrow face, the stubborn quiver of her chin and the simple generosity of her smile, the sheer brutal strength with which she had driven them on. She was as clear to him across the gulf of years as the day he last saw her, as the day he left her empty on the grass and went on alone. Gods, he hated the pain of seeing her. Better not to think of her at all-
Soerensen cocked his head to one side, watching Aleksi.
But he had to think of her. He had chained her to himself for all these years. It was time to give her up.
Tears rose and he let them run silently down his cheeks, sure that Tess's brother-who was by some strange link his own brother-would not judge him for his grief. And Charles Soerensen ducked his head and looked up again, and tears ran down his face as well.
'Oh, hell,' said Soerensen. 'I hate this.'
And thus they stood together a while longer, not needing to say anything else.
At last Soerensen broke the silence. 'Aleksi, do you think Tess meant it, about leaving Rhui?'
Aleksi considered the question for a while. The prince allowed him the silence in which to do so. 'No. I don't think so. That was just her grief talking. They can always have another child, can't they?'
Soerensen blinked. Aleksi read, briefly, in the prince's face that an idea had emerged. 'Well,' said Soerensen, musing. 'I wonder. I think I will go talk to Cara.'
Aleksi watched him walk away. He felt-gods! — he felt at peace with himself in a quiet way. Riders milled out beyond, but they dissipated quickly, returning to their own tents, to wash, to eat, to sleep; to prepare for the next battle. Aleksi strolled aimlessly out through camp, and soon enough he discovered that his path had taken him to the Veselov tribe. He hailed a passing child and sent the girl in to convey his greetings to Mother Veselov. The girl ran off, returning quickly with Mother Veselov's request that Aleksi come in to see her.
He found Anna Veselov reclining on pillows in the outer chamber of her great tent. She was pale still, but she greeted him with a smile.
'Aleksi Soerensen,' she said, nodding as he sat down before her. 'I am pleased to see you. What news of Tess? Is she well? How is she recovering?' She glanced at her own little son, who lay on a pillow at her feet, pushing himself up on his arms and grunting as he tried to crawl.
Aleksi gave her a report, drawing it out. Anna considered it all gravely, as well she might, since she had come close enough to losing her own son, another early child.
