The Immortal Renshai, page 10
“I’ve told them,” Tae said, cursing Imorelda’s moodiness. He needed her as a go-between to have any chance of coordinating their telepathic abilities or, at least, allowing them to evaluate one another’s motives without relying entirely on nonverbal expressions and gestures. Without her, he could only act as a verbatim translator. “I think I have their leader convinced, but he’s having trouble bringing the others on board. If I could only find a way to get you talking directly to one another . . .”
Kentt pursed his massive lips and nodded. “It’s hard to deceive using anari. You can mask your state of mind, somewhat; but the act of doing it suggests deliberate deceit. If they could only hear it . . .” He looked askance at Tae, though they had discussed the situation before. Kentt believed the Easterner when he claimed he had little control over when he could or could not hear and send anari; but, in the past, Tae had always been able to talk Imorelda into assisting when doing so was truly important. Now, he was entirely at her mercy. She knows lives are at stake, including my son’s. Why isn’t she here? The thought evoked his own bad temper. Imorelda had a right to become prickly, especially carrying kittens she had not wanted in the first place. She had become pregnant only to appease the queen of Béarn whom she loved and who desperately wanted a replacement for Imorelda’s mother. But she had no right to risk Subikahn and the other missing soldiers.
As if on cue, Imorelda stuck her face through the open doorway. *Come!* she commanded.
Tae was in no mood for games, and he let every bit of his pique leak through the contact. *You come here. You know I need you!*
Imorelda disobeyed, disappearing back into the hall. In a moment, he could see only the white tip of her tail, then nothing at all.
*Damn it, get back here!*
Receiving no reply, Tae tempered his sending. *Imorelda, please. You’re the most wonderful of all beings, and you know I can’t function without you.*
Tae’s humbling also earned him no reply, which only made him angry. What in all of Hel does she want? Do I have to sacrifice myself on an altar to appease her?
Captain looked at the empty doorway, apparently trying to figure out what fascination it held for Tae. Clearly, he had not spotted Imorelda’s momentary appearance. “The elves want to know what type of magic Kentt can share with us.”
Dutifully, Tae put the question to Kentt.
The Kjempemagiska’s response contained long strings of words that Tae could not translate. He knew enough usaro to communicate with ease in common situations, but explanations of magic defeated his knowledge. Usually, when things became complicated, the switch to anari allowed them both to fill in details using pictures and concepts. Without Imorelda, he could not figure out what Kentt intended to convey.
The cat’s head reappeared. *Come!* she said.
*I will,* Tae promised, fighting frustration and rising rage. *As soon as I’m free. That will happen much sooner if you could just help me. Please.*
Again, Imorelda left his sight and mind, this time with a vague trail of displeasure. She was at least as upset with him as he was with her.
*Imorelda, I really need you, and it’s very important. I promise I’ll devote the rest of the day to whatever you want if you’ll just help me.*
Again, Tae got nothing back from the cat. He gritted his teeth, knowing he had to rein in his temper. He could not afford to explode on Kentt or Captain. He deferred to the cat on most matters trusting that, when he really needed her, she would be there for him. She had always vexed and pushed him; but, in the past, she seemed to recognize her limits. This went far beyond them. *Imorelda!* He addressed Kentt. “You’re going to have to repeat that, more slowly. There’s too much I just don’t understand.”
The cat reappeared suddenly, ran directly to Tae and dropped a newborn kitten into his lap. She fixed her gaze on him.
Gently, Tae picked up the tiny creature. Its eyes were tightly closed, its gray-pink ears folded flat against its head. Its tabby pattern seemed imprinted onto skin as much as fur, and a piece of umbilical cord dangled from its belly like wet, pink string. It made a soft moan of protest. In an instant, Tae was on his feet, following Imorelda to the door, the kitten cupped in his hands. He managed only a terse, “Excuse me,” before dashing into the hallway, afraid to lose sight of her.
Despite his concern, Tae had no difficulty following Imorelda to his room. Not knowing her location and hoping she would join him, he had left his door open. She dashed inside, Tae trailing, and he paused only to shut it behind them for privacy, the kitten cupped between his fingers and his chest for warmth and security. Imorelda hopped onto his bed, greeted by tiny mews of distress. Beside her, something moved slowly and sinuously. Cautiously, Tae sat on the edge of the bed and placed his burden beside its mother, watching it wriggle toward Imorelda.
Apologies would not satisfy Imorelda, so Tae merely asked. “How many?”
Imorelda rose, and a kitten dropped from her belly to the bedcover. She stepped aside to reveal three, including the one Tae had carried: one silver tabby, one calico, and the third off-white and conspicuously abnormal. Smaller than the other two, who barely spanned the length of Tae’s palm, its paws curled under its legs, its tail was stubby, and its ears crimped.
“Congratulations,” Tae said, grinning. “You’re a mother!”
Imorelda clearly did not share his excitement. She had claimed from the start that she did not like or want kittens. She had proclaimed them dirty and annoying, saying she would have them only if Matrinka cleaned and fed them. To Imorelda’s surprise and dismay, Matrinka had agreed to those conditions. Certain Imorelda’s maternal instincts would take over, Tae had observed the arrangement with amusement. Up until the last week, Imorelda had seemed content with her pregnancy, and she had clearly performed the instinctive acts at birthing. Other than a single wet spot, a few small blood smears, and the kittens, she had left no evidence. Despite her stated revulsion to consuming the afterbirths, she had either done so or done a spectacular job of hiding them. The kittens appeared clean, their fur appropriately groomed.
Imorelda’s voice entered his head like a moan, *Don’t tell Matrinka.*
The request made no sense. It was only because of Matrinka these kittens existed. Tae forced himself not to laugh. “Imorelda, you told her you were pregnant. She knows more about the process than any human.” Clearly more than me. I didn’t expect them for months. “She’ll be watching for kittens, and she’ll want to help you as much as possible.”
More angst assaulted Tae’s brain. *No one can help me. It’s hopeless.* Imorelda walked a circle, then lay down. Two of the kittens dragged themselves toward her belly, grunting and squeaking. The third tossed its bulbous head and attempted to manipulate its paddle-paws.
Tae carried the misshapen kitten to Imorelda’s teats to join the others. “It happens, Imorelda. One abnormal baby’s not the end of the world. We’ll work with it, and there’re still two perfectly normal—”
Imorelda fairly howled her grief. *You stupid two legs! You don’t understand.*
That silenced Tae. His concern for the elfin-Kjempemagiska negotiations had driven him to rush this situation, acting and speaking on assumptions. Imorelda was trying to tell him something important. He sat on the edge of the bed, careful not to disturb the feeding newborns. “I’m sorry, Imorelda. You’re right; I don’t understand. Please explain it to me.”
The distress that had only risen since Tae followed Imorelda to his room finally receded a bit. No longer bombarded by the cat’s misery, Tae found himself calmer, able to think more clearly. *None of these kittens are acceptable.*
Tae shook his head. He still did not get it. “Two of them look perfectly normal to me.” He watched them suckle eagerly. “And they seem to know what to do.” Even the third one managed to latch on, though it did not flail its paws or twitch its ears like the others did as they drank.
Imorelda ran her tongue over the tabby, as if to lick away all contact with Tae’s hands. *This one looks normal, but he’s not right. He’s . . .* She seemed to struggle with the concept as well as the words. * . . . Ivana as a kitten.*
Tae did not like Imorelda’s description. They had only just gotten the elves to stop using “ivana” as a general, negative noun. “Mentally underdeveloped?” Tae tried.
Though she did not respond directly, Imorelda seemed to accept the terminology. *The girl is normal . . . for a cat.*
Tae blinked, uncertain how to respond. If “cat” had become an insult in Imorelda’s mind, he had no idea how to refer to her. He considered all the information Imorelda had given him. The kittens lacked adequacy. The best of them was normal for a cat. “Are you telling me . . .” It finally came together. “None of them has inherited your genius? Not one of these three will be able to communicate with humans?”
Imorelda sent him nothing but waves of sorrow and a decidedly uncatlike and mournful expression. *Don’t tell Matrinka.*
Now, Tae finally understood. Matrinka had spent years breeding Imorelda’s siblings and their offspring, trying to create another Mior. She had felt certain Imorelda was the key, that the ability must be passed from mother to child, perhaps only through the firstborn, like the bard’s curse. “They’re freshly born. It’s impossible to know what the future holds.”
Imorelda continued to lick the tabby. She did not look at him.
Tae kept talking, “You were nearly two months old before Mior offered you to me. I don’t think she knew you had the ability to communicate until then. You were all too young to tell.”
Imorelda continued to focus on the kittens. *I know.*
Tae doubted it. He worried Imorelda’s inexperience with infants might cause her to do something dangerous or foolish. “Matrinka has to know about the birth of the kittens, but I won’t tell her you don’t think any of them can replace Mior. Give it some time. Why quash her hopes before we know for certain?”
*I know,* Imorelda repeated.
Tae refused to argue. It would only spur Imorelda to cling more tightly to her position. “Promise me you’ll take care of them, regardless of their presumed . . .” He used Imorelda’s word, “Adequacy. And you’ll share them with Matrinka.”
*Do something for me.* Imorelda’s mental voice had a purr in it that Tae recognized. She would not allow him to refuse, but Tae also knew better than to make an unconditional promise to anyone.
“What do you want me to do?”
If Imorelda detected any hesitation in his voice, she gave no sign. She had become adept at reading tones of voice and deciphering human expressions, but verbal responses gave her less information than mental ones did. *For me to make kittens, Matrinka agreed to some conditions.*
Tae remained cautious. Some of those provisions were reasonable. Others, such as Matrinka feeding, cleaning and mothering the kittens, he would strongly discourage. “At the time, Béarn Castle was overrun with cats. You had her build two sheltered pens, one for the males and the other for females, to discourage breeding. It was hoped the elves would have a magical way to sterilize most of the cats so that they could run freely.”
*Do they?*
Tae had not found the opportunity to ask and had no idea whether Matrinka had done so. “I don’t know. The war and its aftermath still take priority. When we’ve settled the fates of humanity and elfinkind, I’ll ask them.”
Though it suggested two-legged creatures were more important than Imorelda’s own kind, she did not complain. Tae believed her personal hierarchy placed herself on top, followed by various individuals before concerning herself with groups. He believed he was second on her list, though she would never admit it. *I had her make a separate place for the cats pregnant at the time. Go there now and find a mother with young kits, preferably whose eyes have not yet opened. Bring her and her offspring here.*
Wary, Tae considered his assignment. “I’m not going to allow another cat to harm these kittens.”
Buffeted by a familiar wave of scorn, Tae knew Imorelda found him stupid and tedious at times. And this was one of them. *Cats share and steal kittens from one another all the time. She won’t harm them. I just want to demonstrate something to you.*
Acutely aware of time passing, Tae sighed. “I have to get back to the elves and Kentt. I promise I’ll do what you asked as soon as I’m finished.”
Imorelda stared at him with angry eyes and a lashing silver tail.
“It’s important,” Tae explained.
The yellow-green orbs narrowed, and Tae realized his mistake. He had essentially called Imorelda’s problem with her own children of lesser significance than his need to help establish communication between two unrelated beings. Though probably true, he would never convince her. Rather than wasting more time arguing, it made sense for him to appease her. It would still leave him plenty of opportunity to bridge the elf/Kjempemagiska communication gap, and her cooperation would go a long way toward solving the problems that had plagued him earlier.
Tae amended. “I’m sorry. You’re right, as usual. I’ll be happy to do this favor for you now with a promise that, once you make your point, you’ll help me find a way to connect the elves and Kentt so they can talk to each other.”
The rage left Imorelda’s eyes. *Agreed.*
* * *
Moments later, Tae gently placed the wrapped bundle of strange cat and kittens on his bed. The mother looked wildly around her new surroundings and tensed, her five blind kittens mewling their protests. Tae spoke to her quietly, stroking her sleek black head. “It’s all right, Mama. I won’t hurt you.”
The black cat settled down on the blanket, purring. She flopped onto her side. Two of her black-and-white kittens snuffled up to her belly to latch on, their diminutive claws opening and closing as they kneaded the fur around her teats. Two others curled around one another to sleep, while the last one continued to cry pitifully. The mother eeled her head around the feeding kittens to check on the complainer. Then, apparently satisfied it was safe, she closed her eyes and continued to purr.
Imorelda had claimed the chair, leaving her tiny kits sleeping on the bed. Tae had deliberately positioned himself between them and the new family. *Give her the girl.*
Tae twisted toward Imorelda’s kittens. He had not sexed them, but he knew from Matrinka that all calicoes were female. Imorelda had told him the healthy kittens were a girl and boy; so, unless she meant the anomalous kitten, she was talking about the calico. Dutifully, he rolled the tiny creature into his palm and presented it to the black cat.
The mother cat half-rose, dislodging her progeny to sniff Imorelda’s kitten in his hand. She loosed a loud meow, then stood up fully as her own babies released multiple noises of complaint. Reaching into his hand, she seized the kitten by the scruff of its neck.
*Imorelda!* Tae sent, worried for its safety.
Unperturbed, Imorelda remained in the chair, sitting up attentively. *It’s all right. She’s not going to hurt it.*
Tae allowed the black cat to pick up the kitten, though he remained warily poised. It would only take a moment, barely a movement, to kill something so delicate.
The black cat set the calico down near the others. Lying back down, she set to work licking it vigorously, purring all the while. Soon, the calico crawled away to join the sleeping kitten pile.
*Now give her the boy.*
Less nervous this time, Tae did as Imorelda instructed, watching the same scenario play out. Unlike its sister, the tabby kitten worked his way to an empty teat and suckled. Neither it, nor the black cat, seemed concerned this kitten had become so intimate with the wrong mother.
*Now the last one.*
Tae gingerly placed the last of Imorelda’s kittens into his hand and held it out to the black cat. This time, when she leaped up and sniffed at the bundle of fur, she made an odd noise that sounded like a combination of growl and purr. Where the other two kittens had gone limp and silent as she hefted them, this one let out a squeak of distress. She carried it a few steps away from the others, dropped to a crouch and started gnawing at it.
Horrified, Tae grabbed the abnormal kitten from her and cradled it in his lap. As she headed back toward the kittens, he jumped up to rescue Imorelda’s other two babies.
*Leave them,* Imorelda commanded calmly.
“She’ll kill them,” he protested.
*No she won’t. Leave them. She’ll mother them.*
Tae hovered over the litter, but the black cat simply returned to the seven kittens, all interspersed now, and curled up beside and on top of them. Some of the black-and-white ones mewled when she dropped on them. She repositioned herself, and they managed to move into a safer position.
“She was going to kill this one.” Tae would not accept a lie.
Nor did Imorelda give him one. *Yes. She would have eaten it, a far less painful way to die than the slow withering you want me to inflict on it.*
Tae studied the malformed infant in his hand. “This kitten has defects incompatible with life?”
*Yes. Why waste milk on it when you have others to feed? Some mothers would just push it away and let it die of starvation, but most would put it out of its misery by eating it. Like the afterbirths, it’s good meat her body could convert to the energy she needs to take care of her brood.*
Tae understood, though it bothered him. “Why didn’t you eat it? I’d have assumed you only had two kittens.”
*What a revolting thought! Would you have encouraged Tem’aree’ay to eat Ivana?*
“No,” Tae admitted. “But she didn’t eat the afterbirth, either.”
