Free The Abulon Dance by Caro Soles Page A

buttons of his tunic. As Beny came in, he turned his head but didn’t get up.
    “For God’s sake, what have I done to get you so mad at me? Tell me!”
    “I’m sorry,” said Thar-von in a flat voice. “I don’t know what’s wrong. Maybe it’s because, for the first time, you outrank me.”
    “I don’t believe that! There’s not a jealous bone in your whole body. There must be something else.”
    “Talassa-ran Zox. It’s ridiculous, but I feel honor bound to spring to his defense all the time, just because he’s a Serpian. He does seem to get along well with the Abulonian men, though. I think they have discovered they share a passion for gambling.”
    “It’s hard to imagine Talassa-ran having a passion for anything.”
    “Well, he does. It’s the real reason he’s no longer a Raider.”
    “I didn’t know he ever was one.”
    “You never read the files. Anyway, I spend most of my time these days ironing out problems between Zox and your Merculian staff.”
    “ Our Merculian staff, you mean.”
    “No matter how I try, it keeps coming out as two Serpians against all you Merculians.”
    “But it’s not like that! It’s never been like that!”
    “I’ve never worked so closely with you and your people before, Ben. Do you realize that five times in three days you overruled my orders?”
    “So that’s it. I don’t even remember.”
    “For instance, the break-in at the theater. I started an investigation, and you cancelled it, without consulting me.”
    “Oh, Von, that was just a waste of time and effort. You said yourself nothing much was missing, only a few bits and pieces of hologram equipment and some other odds and ends that made no difference to the production staff and aren’t dangerous or anything. It was probably just souvenir hunters.”
    “I doubt it. If you had consulted me, I would have told you my theory that the very fact of the odd choice of things to steal might prove significant. Without an investigation, we will never know.”
    Beny sighed and sat down beside his friend on the recessed window seat. “Why didn’t you say something? I’m sorry. And those other times, too…I guess I forgot to check with you. Please, please tell me right away if something like this happens again. I’m new at this, too, you know.” He shook his head sadly and was silent for a moment. “Von, do you know how I feel here with you, seeing the admiration and respect in the Abulonians’ eyes when they look at you? When they look at me, its only curiosity, puzzlement, sometimes even pity. You’re athletic. You can talk about hunting and…and marathons. They don’t want to talk about music or painting and they don’t seem to have any theater in our sense of the word. If either one of us has the right to be jealous, it’s me. They feel a natural affinity with you. Now I find out they even like Zox! It hurts, Von. It really does.”
    Thar-von looked at him gravely. “I didn’t realize,” he said. “They have no right to feel that way about you.” His lips quirked in a half-smile. “One of them certainly doesn’t.”
    “You mean Luan, the Chief’s son?” Thar-von nodded. “He follows you about like a dog. Every time I drop into the office, he’s there, just looking at you. It must be embarrassing.”
    “They say it’s good to have friends in high places.”
    “If Eulio weren’t here, would you…respond to his interest?”
    “Eulio is here.” Beny sighed. “What’s gotten into you tonight?” It occurred to him that the vow of celibacy might have a lot to do with it. Thar-von handed him the siva and he took a sip, coughed and handed it back. He looked up into his friend’s strong, gentle face. “Oh, damn, Von! Please don’t be mad at me any more!” He flung his arms around Thar-von’s waist and kissed his cheek. “Please?”
    The Serpian tensed, then smiled down at him tolerantly. “Remember the first time you did that?”
    “How could I forget! You threw me across the