The Forlorn(50)

"But . . . but, I'm helping him!" he said helplessly

"Listen to me for once you . . . idiot. Why do you think he was angry when you came back with the core section? It was supposed to be a total disaster with you getting killed. I know. He was all set to dump your kit back in the caravanserai. I put it on to the packhorse. Then when you took S'kith as well he was worried as well as mad. Don't do it again!"

"I don't believe this stuff. He's Cru, for heaven's sake. Why would he send Bey with me if he thought I'd get killed?" Keilin said, doubt in his voice.

"Beywulf had orders to give you away, maybe, or even to kill you . . . or Cap didn't trust you on your own. I don't know. All I know is he wasn't expecting you back. He can afford to lose one `psionic' as he calls us. And you were supposed to be an example to the rest of us. `We'd better do things his way or else.' Look, just be cautious, and step carefully around him. If you need to get him to do something, let him think it was his idea. Tell him how clever he was to think of it. He doesn't mind then, as long as he gets all the credit," she said.

"Okay. I'll try. But I'm a terrible liar," he promised.

"Then keep your big mouth shut. You only open it to change feet anyway. Now, why did you come creeping to my bed?" There was an edge in her voice at this. It suggested that his answer had better be good.

"I was just bringing your bracelet back."

He was not sure what the look was. Relief? Disappointment? At least he hadn't made her mad at him . . . yet.

"Oh . . . um . . . look, would you keep it? I'm sure someone searched my things." She cocked her head slightly, and tried something different, "Please?"

He grinned. "That's the first you've ever said that to me. I thought you saved pleases and thank yous for Cap. Yes, sure. I'll keep it."

She stood up, her chin rising slightly. He scrambled to his feet, too, reaching out and taking her arm. She shook his hand off angrily. "Look, Kim. D-don't go. Oh. Um, er, Bey and I . . . we bought this for you."

She eyed the proffered parcel suspiciously. "What is it?"

"It's that dress. You know, the one Cap made you take back. We thought you might like it."

She said nothing. Just stood there looking at him.

"Look, I'm sorry it's second-hand, but, well, we didn't have much spare money. You don't have to take it."

She did, however. If the moonlight had been brighter Keilin would have seen that the little Princess was close to tears. "Thank you," she said, her voice slightly husky. "I suppose you've never heard me say that to you either."

He grinned "Na. Another first for tonight. But you can thank Bey, too. It was his idea really."

"Beywulf! But he doesn't like me. He's always so rude."

"Only rude to people he likes. He fights with the others. Insult him back. He says you remind him of his daughter. Just about as much of a pain in the ring as she was, too."

"He says that about his own daughter! What does she say about him!"

"She doesn't. She's dead. It's his way of dealing with it, see."

There was a long silence at this. "Cay . . . That core section. It described you both . . ." He was sure she was blushing. He began to glow himself. Then she began to giggle. "It got S'kith right, and it wasn't so far off about you."

She would say no more, and after a few minutes they went silently back to the camp, each lost in words unspoken. But Keilin noticed a change the next morning in her response to Beywulf. She took a second helping of breakfast. Bey snorted, "God, not more, you frowsty little hen. You're getting as broad as an ox cart."

Instead of the usual haughty silence which had been her response to his heckling, she replied calmly, "I vomited the first lot up. It was full of some ugly ape's hair."

This provoked a snort of laughter, and a swat across the posterior. She jumped. Nobody did that to her. Then she noticed that both the ape and Keilin were grinning at her. But it was too much to ask her to ignore it completely. She reached out and dug her nails into Beywulf's arm with all her strength. It was about as yielding as teak. "Don't you dare do that to me again, you damned gorilla!" A further snort of laughter.

"Or you'll beat me up, eh? Yes, yer ladyship. I'll be good."

"Good for nothing most likely, you overgrown baboon."

The broad, hairy man drew himself up to his full five-foot-six. "I'll have you know there's not a drop of baboon blood in me. Pure chimpanzee." His face had a look of injured innocence.

"No, the baboon blood is in his cousin Alfeus. The respectable member of the family." This was Leyla, joining in the fray.

"Huh, you just liked his body."