Part 33 (2/2)

”Callie Summerlet. Eldrin's nurse.” She glanced up with a hesitant smile, but her agitation came through clearly. His size frightened her, as did his t.i.tle and reputation.

Now that he thought about it, he did remember his mother mentioning she had a girl look after Eldrin for a few hours in the afternoon. By using the Kyle webs and VR technology, Roca could do her work as a Councilor from this house, but she still needed some help with the baby.

It aggravated Kurj that Roca continued to outwit him and attend the a.s.sembly. He couldn't even demand someone else deal with the Skyfall situation. Had it already been a Skolian world, it would have come under the auspices of Planetary Development and Domestic Affairs. But no, the accursed Allieds had to claim it. Until the a.s.sembly cut a deal with them, it continued to be an Allied world, which made it the purview of the Foreign Affairs Councilor. Pah. He had to block her transmissions. She was far too effective a speaker.

That was no reason, however, to alarm this attractive person. Kurj found her lovely, the type of woman he favored. He moderated his voice into a friendly tone. ”How is my brother?”

Her enthused smile lit up her face, taking away her shyness. ”Ah, Your Highness, he is such a delightful baby.”

The room lost its gold tinge as his inner lids raised. ”I'm glad.”

”Would you like to see him?”

He thought of Eldrin, and an inexplicable warmth came over him, a feeling difficult to define. ”Yes. I would like that.”

Callie led him into a bedroom. A white cradle stood by the bed, rocking under its own power. Designs covered it, soft-looking animals with round faces, smiles, and large eyes.

Kurj peered inside. Eldrin was as hale and healthy as ever, but much quieter than usual, taking a nap.

Odd that such a small human could make so much noise when awake and look so beatific when asleep.

Kurj felt the same softening inside that always came to him when he saw his brother. Bending over, he touched the baby's cheek. Eldrin stirred and made sucking motions with his lips.

”He is remarkable, isn't he?” Kurj couldn't keep the wonder out of his voice. Abruptly remembering the girl, he straightened up and schooled his face to impa.s.sivity. The room turned gold.

”Would you like to hold him?” Callie's blue eyes had a glow that made her even more inviting. Kurj thought surely she must be trying to tempt him, but from her mind he could tell her eagerness came from her affection for Eldrin rather than any interest in him. Disappointing, that.

”I don't want to wake him.” Kurj wondered what Callie would do if he kissed her. Probably scream.

That was the trouble with being an empath; he couldn't convince himself a woman wanted him unless she really did. If he pressured her, he would experience her fear. It would make him feel like a monster. Like Darr. At times, he became so angry, it gave his pa.s.sion an edge, frightening some of his lovers and exciting others. It was an aspect of his personality he chose not to examine too closely, lest he find he was no different than the Traders who considered it their right to inflict brutality on the rest of humanity.

What held him in check was the memory of what his father had told him so long ago, that loving a woman meant kindness and compa.s.sion. Perhaps Tokaba hadn't actually said the words, just shown them in his every action toward Roca. It had been so long.

”I think he would like it if you held him,” Callie was saying. ”He seems to like sleeping that way.”

Startled out of his contemplation, Kurj reoriented on the baby. Again he experienced that disconcerting warmth. Odd. Perhaps he had caught a virus. But he didn't feel sick. Looking at Eldrin relaxed him, though why, he didn't know.

He lifted up the drowsy child. Over the past four months he had become comfortable holding Eldrin, as he realized his st.u.r.dy brother wasn't going to break. He settled in the rocking chair, Eldrin in his arms, and rocked back and forth. He was glad none of his officers could see him. G.o.ds only knew what this scene would do to his reputation.

He knew he shouldn't let himself be so easily affected by this tiny life, this child sired by a man who would destroy Roca if Kurj didn't stop him. Yet whenever he saw Eldrin, a deep, abiding emotion filled him unlike any he had known before. He wanted to give the universe to Eldrin. A fierce determination rose within him: he would do anything to protect this child.

Anything.

Roca paused in the doorway, touched by what she saw in the room beyond: Kurj Skolia, formidable warlord of ISC, asleep with his baby brother in his arms. For a while she simply stood, savoring the scene, knowing that if she moved, Kurj's hair-trigger reflexes would awake him, destroying this rare moment.

Despite her attempts to stay quiet, he soon stirred, his eyes opening, first his outer lids, then his inner.

”Mother?”

”My greetings,” she said.

He s.h.i.+fted Eldrin in his arms and rubbed his eyes. It reminded Roca of when he had been a small child awaking from his nap. He had always vigorously objected to taking it, then immediately dropped off into a deep sleep. That was before he had grown up and enhanced his body until he could achieve the equivalent of sleep by recharging parts of himself. He claimed he needed only two hours of sleep a night now, but she had her doubts.

”How long have I been here?” he asked, groggy.

”Several hours. I didn't want to wake you.”

Kurj stood up, holding Eldrin. ”I shouldn't have slept. I have work to do.”

”You work too hard.” When Kurj scowled at her, she couldn't help but smile. ”I'm glad you came to see him.”

”Actually, I came to see you. Business matters.”

Roca tried to fathom his mood. Usually when they discussed business, they met in his office or hers.

Today he seemed pensive, seeking connections with his family. This gentler side of him made her remember his youth, in the days when she could still reach him.

Eldrin began to squirm, twisting toward her. Then he let out a hearty wail.

Kurj winced. ”I think he likes you better than me.” He came over and put Eldrin in her arms. When the baby nuzzled her breast, Kurj averted his gaze, his face reddening. His embarra.s.sment was strong enough that his mood came to her despite both her own barriers and those Kurj used to protect his mind.

He didn't know how to deal with this aspect of her. It confused and angered him, and it evoked a tenderness he strove to repress. Roca wanted to weep for knowing that he believed having gentler emotions weakened him.

Eldrin cried out again, a softer protest.

”He is hungry,” Roca murmured. ”Can you wait in the living room?”

Kurj nodded stiffly. ”Of course.” Then he left.

After Roca nursed Eldrin, he fell asleep. She rocked him for a while, then tucked him into his cradle and returned to the front room. Kurj had settled on the couch, taking up a good portion of it, and was engrossed in the holos above a film he had unrolled on the table in front of him.

”You look so serious,” Roca said.

He glanced at her with a start. ”I was answering web-mail.”

”Bad news?”

He straightened up, rolling his shoulders. ”This supposed offer the Traders made to negotiate is draining impetus from my officers.”

Her anger sparked. ”How can you fault them for wanting peace?”

He frowned at her. ”This is exactly the discord the Traders want their 'offer' to create. They seek to divide our leaders.h.i.+p and weaken our morale. And they're succeeding.”

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