Free darknadir by Lisanne Norman Page A

began to purr. He was totally unprepared for the flood of emotions that rushed through him as he stroked the tiny brown-furred hand. Gathering her closer, he laid his face against her tiny head, taking in her scent, bonding to her. Suddenly, this cub he'd tried so hard to avoid conceiving because of his love for her mother, was even more precious.

"A daughter," he said, looking over to where she lay, exhausted from the birth. "We share a daughter."

Light, streaming in from the small window in Noni's main room, blinded him.

"I know," she said, her voice tired but holding a purr beneath the words.

Still dazzled, he moved his head in an effort to see her clearly. As he blinked, his vision cleared— and the image was gone.

     
    * * *

Day 3
     
    General Kezule, Chosen of the God-King, Emperor Q'emgo'h, stirred, took a deep breath, and was instantly awake and squatting at the mouth of his lair. Peering through the bushes that concealed the entrance, he scanned down the slope in front of him toward the margins of the Taykui Forest. It was dawn. He blinked once, slowly, lashless green lids closing over his large eyes. Forked tongue flicked out, tasting the air for any Sholan scent, no matter how old. Nothing. The air was clean.

He relaxed, sitting back on the pile of grasses he'd made his bed while he slept in his laalgo trance; not to heal, but to pass the time until it was safe for him to venture out into the forest once more.

For perhaps fifteen minutes he sat there, constantly surveying the countryside, watching for anything that might betray the presence of Sholan hunters. He'd had a near miss a couple of days ago. They'd been out in force, their soldiers quartering the last three miles at the edges of the forest, obviously determined that if he tried to make a break for the plains, they'd catch him. He'd concealed himself in the tree canopy, and only the fact that they'd disturbed a pack of wild felines with young cubs to defend had saved him from discovery. The soldiers had had to scatter for safety themselves, several of the slower ones getting badly mauled in the ensuing chaos.

A flock of birds rose suddenly, squawking and bickering, making him tense, but it was only a carnivore after a meal. He relaxed again, continuing to watch.

The trances served another purpose. When in that state, there was no chance his would-be captors could pick up his thoughts with their telepaths, and he could save the power cell in his wrist unit. Thinking of that reminded him to switch it on. He'd taken it from the Sholan he'd found in the hut by the swamp at the beginning of this journey. He gave a hiss of amusement as he remembered him. After the treatment he'd received from the Sholans while in captivity, the groveling terror of the male had soothed his ego— briefly. Fear of not doing one's duty was one thing, but the abject terror displayed by the Sholan was that of an incompetent officer waiting for his underlings to turn on him and rend him to pieces. There was no dignity in witnessing either, especially as he couldn't afford to let him live. Scuttling the swamp vehicle had saddened him; he'd enjoyed using it.

He checked the unit, making sure it was still emitting the signal that would prevent them from sensing his mind. It had been relatively easy to do. If they'd known in his time what the Sholan telepaths had been capable of, this disaster would never have befallen his people and they would still be in their rightful role as overlords of this world.

Sighing, he reached for the other comm, activating one of the news nets. Fifteen minutes later, he'd learned nothing much of interest and his stomach was growling with hunger. It was time to venture out and hunt. Pity he'd had to leave the female: her scent had helped mask his for the short while she'd been with him. He frowned, remembering her fear of him. That had angered him beyond reason at the time. He'd never abused her, why hadn't she trusted him? All he had intended was