01 Taxilas Children

TAXILA'S CHILDREN
been maintained. He did not seek out the company of his oldest son. Danyk sensed that it
wasn't Steve Holt which troubled him, or even the disaster which had overtaken the three
Adepts. It was something which had been present from the start of the visit of the High
Thane.
For good measure, Danyk had probed the mental status of his siblings. He had been
startled and repelled by what he had found in Laoni's mind. It was blocked certainly, but the
block could not mask an utter hatred of Steve Holt, which was beyond mere prejudice and
bigotry. There was also something else hidden, something which he couldn't grasp, but it was
coupled with a sense of high excitement and anticipation - it was also not wholesome. Danyk
withdrew, he was never welcome in Laoni's mind.
Maia, as could be expected, was in a state of shock and grief. She hid nothing. She loved
Steve Holt and their loving had resulted in conception. She was alone and vulnerable. There
was little Danyk could offer in the way of consolation. It was yet another reason why he had
felt compelled to set off in search of Steve, before the household was conscious of his
desertion. He had no desire to argue with a sister determined to accompany him.
Krin was the least affected by what was happening around him. His grasp of the Gift was
not great and would probably never mature to the degree of that possessed by his older
brother. He liked the blue-eyed Scarn and his romantic stories, but that was as far as it went.
He mind was occupied with other things, the thoughts that fifteen year old healthy boys
always had. Danyk had grinned and had withdrawn.
Hepha his mother, was unreadable. She had always been so. Her mind block was
impervious, but he sensed she shared the hidden concerns of his father.
By this time, they would all know that he was seeking Steve Holt in the deserted city. Rho
Arpor, together with his seven remaining Adepts, would be evaluating Danyk's motives.
There would be no pursuit, Danyk sensed that the High Thane had greater considerations on
his mind. He would be leaving the Thanehold before long, for there was no pressing reason
why he should remain more than a few days.
Lyot would be expected to clear up the matter of the mutant Scarn to the satisfaction of the
Council of Thanes. If the steps he took were considered to be inadequate, he would be
politely censured and the lapse would be noted. Rho Arpor would take no further action, he
would not sully his hands and risk the loss of further valuable personnel, the cost in prestige
would be too great.
There was plenty to occupy Danyk's thoughts whilst the Vix plodded through the forest. He
met no one, it was almost as if everybody was giving the old city a wide berth. Undoubtedly,
there was a disturbance in the Psi for those who possessed the Gift. That which had befallen
the three Adepts would be common knowledge and this information would be passed on to
those who did not have the Gift.
Danyk thought back on his dream, that was also a disturbance in the Psi. Until that
moment, he had hardly dared to relive it. The dream had been particularly vivid. He had been
drawn from his physical form on the bed and had looked down to see himself laying there. He
had soared upward into and through the stars and he had been hurtled towards a great curtain
of light, which had resolved into a thicker and denser turbulence of flame and fire. He had
cried out but he hadn't been touched by it and then he had slowed, whilst the stars flowed by
to each side and below and above.
Steve Holt had been waiting for him, his hand extended in greeting. As he had drawn near,
he wasn't so sure that this was his blue-eyed Scarn, but then he was reassured and their hands
touched in greeting. He had returned to his physical form and had awoken to stare into the
darkness.
The trees were thinning out and the Vix nosed forward eagerly. They never liked the forest,
they were creatures of the plains. Spires and pinnacles filled the sky in front of him. Steve
142