thefiremargins by Lisanne Norman Page A

face. "Let's leave the Telepath Guild, yes, but the rest? Dammit, Lijou's offer holds more hope than this!"

Kusac had flinched at her comment about their lost cub; now he reached out to cup her cheek in his hand, his eyes looking into hers. "You've got your own life, Vanna. You have Garras, and your own Leska, Brynne, as well as a child on the way. It's time for you to choose your own way and leave us to ours. You heard Kaid. It will happen."

"Don't wrong-spoor me, Kusac!" she said, batting his hand away. "You believe in the Gods as much as I do! If you've had enough of life and want to commit ritual suicide, why not say so and be done with it! Why this charade?"

"It's not a charade, Vanna," he said patiently. "I believe we'll succeed. I don't intend for us to die."

"You infuriate me, you ... you ... Ah!" She sprang to her feet and spun away from him to the other side of the room, pelt bushed out round her head and tail. "Someone talk some sense into him, he won't listen to me!"

"Your decision affects all of us, Kusac," said Kaid, leaning forward. "I have no intention of leaving you. Apart from Garras, the others belong to the Brotherhood and they are subject to Ghezu's orders. If they remain with us against Stronghold's orders, they face death. Ghezu will have them hunted down and killed."

"Let him try," said Rulla, his voice a deep rumble of menace. "I've told you that I intend to leave and follow you."

Kaid cast an exasperated glance in his direction. "Enough, Rulla," he said.

"What's to talk about?" said T'Chebbi, looking hard at Dzaka. "I follow you. When Stronghold stoops to placing undercover operatives among us, we're all at risk. Even on the streets of Ranz they trusted me." She turned her head away from Dzaka to look at Kaid. "You knew. You chose me for your Liege and Liegena. I stay."

Kusac glanced from T'Chebbi to Kaid, suddenly curious about her past. Ranz, one of the towns nearest to Stronghold in the Dzahai Mountains, was still infamous for its street gangs. As he looked, Kaid's right ear gave the barest of flicks in acknowledgment to her.

Rulla gave a bark of laughter which Kaid ignored.

"There's the matter of accepting Lijou's offer first," said Kaid. "If we're to curb the power of the Telepath Guild, it has to be done through the Brotherhood. Agreed you need to break from your guild soon, but until you're ready to walk the Margins, you'll need the protection that belonging to the Brotherhood will give you."

"When Lijou claims that the only guild that can realistically accommodate us is the Brotherhood, he's not being altruistic, he wants to use us as much as the Telepath Guild does," said Kusac.

"Brynne asks what's the difference between being used by Ghezu and Lijou and being used by Esken?" said Vanna to Kaid. "They're each as bad as the other." She glanced at Dzaka. "They both resorted to kidnapping and drugging us. How would it benefit us to change guilds?"

"The type of change Kaid is suggesting is unheard of," said Kusac. "Telepaths with medical talents also become members of the Guild of Medics, but their main guild remains the Telepaths. What he's suggesting is breaking completely from one guild to join another. There's no law that says we can't do that, but it's rarely done. There'll be opposition to us, and possibly legal action taken against us by Esken."

"Of course Lijou and Ghezu are using you," said Kaid. "The Brotherhood wants full guild status but they can't petition for that unless they can prove they possess a specialized skill belonging to no other guild. You, as fighting telepaths, represent that skill. If the move is made publicly, during the next All Guilds Council meeting, then there is little Esken can do but accept gracefully as you apply to be released from the Telepath Guild to join Stronghold. Then the Brotherhood can be awarded its full guild status. As I said, membership in the Brotherhood will protect you from Esken and the Telepath Guild."

"Lijou is offering us