Beast Master's Circus

Chapter Four

The circus landed on Arzor with the minimum of official fuss and the maximum glare of publicity. Not since the half-forgotten days before the war had there been such an event. Some of the oldest families at Arzor Port liked to consider themselves sophisticated. But sophistication is in the eye of the beholder. It pleased the first-ship families to decide that a traveling circus was sophisticated and to have their entire families attend in their best clothing.

With them, as Dedran had expected, came the beast master here. Laris was watching when they arrived.

"Is that them?"

Occasionally Dedran enjoyed showing off what he knew. "Yes, see. The man at the end with the woman. That's the beast master and his wife. His name is Hosteen Storm and she is Tani."

"Who're the others with them?" Laris was peering at the distant figures with fascination.

"His stepfather and younger half-brother. Storm only joined the family after the war. He was raised apart. But the stepfather is from a first-ship family. He doesn't make a parade of it but there's some wealth and a lot of influence there." He studied her briefly. "I'd have no objections if you spoke to them. With you handling the animals here they may well wish to talk with you." His fingers bit into her arm. "Just be very careful what you say, my dear. We wouldn't want them to be warned in any way, would we?"

"No, of course not. I'll be careful."

But he'd put the idea into her mind and she thought about it all through the performance. She gave it up reluctantly. If Dedran thought she'd let anything slip it would be her body on the turntable; what would Prauo do then? Even as her mind flew in search of ideas she soared on her trapeze. The carras soared with her, tumbling like the happy beasts they were, whirling about her, clowning to her serious act so that Arzor Port alternately gasped at her skill and laughed as the carras foiled her attempts to be a serious artist time and time again.

She caught glimpses of the family as she swung. They were laughing as hard as anyone, all but the beast master and even he wore a half-smile. Somehow it pleased her, that they should admire her. She pushed her act to the edge and brought gasps from below. She ended the performance by dropping lightly from the trapeze to land bouncing in the safety net, the carras dropping with her, chittering merrily.

The family was clapping for her as she swung down, to turn, bowing to the audience. She scampered with the beasts from the ring and Dedran watched her take up the carras. That had been an interesting display. The girl had pushed safety to the limits and given an act that had brought the audience halfway to its feet in horror and then applause. But how much of her daring had been a determination to show her skill before a beast master, Dedran wondered.

His mind paused at that thought before following the path. How much had been admiration for beast master skills? Maybe a desire to see the man's animals remain where they were? Dedran was not a fool. He knew the girl was more and more unhappy over the stolen animals that died. So was Cregar. Could it have been one of them who had brought down those spies from the authority, and later, Baris and Ideena, upon the show? He'd have to think about that. Cregar and Laris could be replaced. Not easily on the part of the man but for the girl, there was the De Pyall camp where he'd first found her.

His lips twisted into a sneer. In a refugee camp there were always those who'd take any job, accept any condition to be free of the place. He'd known the girl's fears. But she'd still followed him. Signed a false closed bond and held to it. His glare became a scowl. He hoped to leave the circus behind if his patron's plans worked out well. He would take the girl—someone with her skills was worth real credits to arena buyers if he faked her signature on an open bond. He had to be careful there. Between officials, the patrol, and do-gooders who checked on bondservants, he dare not make the wrong move. Not yet. But the closed bond under which he held her did not allow the bond's sale to someone else. An open bond would permit that.

He wanted the money he could get for her. But the guild had no time for what its members wanted. He had a job to do and until it was completed he dare not take time for his own wishes. Not that it mattered anyway. There were months yet before her bond was completed and where would she go then? No, she'd sign for another year. Surely by that time he'd have taken a few live beasts. He must.

A small shiver ran down his spine. The guild was becoming impatient. The latest message from his patron had indicated that Dedran's position could be in danger if he didn't produce something soon. And the guild had a simple way of seeing that an out-of-favor member told no tales. The lean man shivered again as he ran into the ring, spinning to bow and garner the audience's attention in his upraised hands. Cregar had better not fail or it could be the death of all of them.

He switched off his thoughts, concentrated on the clapping fools around him, and signaled the next act. He had a show to give and that too was part of it. Lull the idiots, then strike. He'd use the girl to open a gap in beast master armor. She was quick. She'd make friends. Then return to give him what Cregar needed to take the animals once the circus was safely away. He settled to the whirl of acts about him.

Laris came on again in her boyish guise as the tigerbat cage was pushed in and connected to the larger cage where she'd display their play. Her old friend was first out and she saw the crowd stiffen. She faced it, then turned her back as it ran on its wing-knuckles to lie on the ground, pulling the light branch across its lower body.

She turned back, miming her shock, her fear at the sight of the deadly beast—and tigerbats were deadly, in that there was no fakery. To the Terran eye they looked like an amalgam of tiger and large bat, hence the name. They stood some five feet tall, and one on the attack appeared to be all reaching teeth and long sickle-like claws. They'd been a horror to the settlers on their original world, although by now they had been almost wiped out there. Still, enough people on other worlds had seen depictions of them and their depredations to know how truly dangerous they were.

Laris mimed her fear, showing to the crowd then her growing realization that the savage beast was trapped and no threat to her. She was triumphant, raising her weapon to kill, then slowly finding sympathy for the injured beast, freeing it, and standing to watch it dart away.

In the front ringside seats, a ranger leaned over to speak to Storm. "He's clever, but aren't those things dangerous?"

"Dangerous enough alone and lethal in a major swarm. I doubt they'd have that here. A real swarm has a hundred members or more."

The man returned to his seat and Storm concentrated. Beside him he could feel Tani doing the same as her hand slid into his. Her whisper came to his ears alone.

"That's the girl from the trapeze act, isn't it?" She caught his nod. Her senses extended to touch the animal in the cage. "Friendship. It trusts her. She is kind."

"How many of them?"

"I feel five, no more."

Storm nodded slightly. That was the number he could feel as well. Enough to tear the girl to pieces in seconds if they attacked in swarm-rage. But he sensed no anger. Only anticipation, enjoyment. They liked what they would do. He watched the act. It was clever. The whole tiny play was a timeworn idea, the person who saves an animal only to have the beast save them in turn. But it was well done and tigerbats could be genuinely lethal to the person who acted with them. She was skillful. From his ringside position he could sense that she was in no danger from these.

She took her bow and the tigerbats ran down the tunnel to the smaller cage. It was rolled out and the carras returned with two Terran dogs to put on a clown show which had everyone laughing as the main cage was swiftly dismantled and removed.

Storm and Tani came out after the performance still smiling. His father looked at him in resignation.

"I suppose you want to see the girl and her animals. Go on then. I'll get a ride with Put Larkin. He'll drop me off. It's a fine night. I can walk down our road."

Tani fidgeted and Storm gave one of his rare smiles. "It looks as if I should. Tani wants to see the animals." He glanced at Logan, his younger half-brother. "And I suppose you do too?"

"Darn right." He showed off a little. Storm and Tani weren't the only ones who could see through a disguise. "Except that it's the girl I'd like to see. Anyone who can sit around in a cage full of tigerbats and look casual is someone worth meeting."

Tani giggled. "She isn't bad looking but don't you think she's too young for you?"

Logan flushed. "I think she may be older than she looks, and anyhow, I'd just like to see her act again. She's good." His voice went up enthusiastically. "Did you see her on that trapeze?"

Tani nodded. "She was good. You're right. And I loved those little animals with her in that act. Storm?" She turned to her husband. "What were they?"

"Carras. They're a bit like Terran monkeys, aren't they? They have similar habits too, but nicer natures." His voice lowered. "What did you sense from them?"

"Pleasure," Tani said softly. "They like the girl and they enjoy their act with her. They were having fun in that clown act too. They aren't abused, Storm. They're working for the fun of it and the food treats."

Her husband nodded. It was something Kelson, head of the ranger group, had asked them to find out. He looked down at Tani. They'd been married only a few months and he was still a little incredulous at his good fortune. After so long walking alone save for his beast master team he'd never thought he'd find someone who would slip into place with them all. But Tani had. She was not officially trained but her gifts were, if anything, a little stronger than his own.

Her team, together with his group, had been left at the main Quade ranch. Tani wanted to walk the animal cages, study their inhabitants, and maybe arrange to take samples from some of them to send on to the interstellar ark her aunt and uncle ran. It preserved species against permanent destruction and the Terran dogs should be immortalized in its tissue-sample banks.

They made their way slowly through the crowd. It was a good-natured bunch here this evening, Storm thought. But then with some of the port VIPs present, the rangers and security were also out. Few of even the most enthusiastic brawlers would be silly enough to start trouble here. Tani danced ahead and his face softened again as he watched her. It had been barely six months since the end of Arzor's problem after Xiks had seeded the deadly flesh-eating swarms of clickers in Arzor's lands of the Big Blue.

He knew she still had nightmares sometimes about the clickers and no wonder. He had a few himself. But Tani had almost recovered from the trauma the clickers had caused her. Last week she and Storm had been off hunting with the Djimbut tribe of the Nitra, the Arzoran natives with whom Tani had made such firm friends while she and Storm sought out the origin of the clickers. The swarms had slain natives and settlers alike and in the end, both peoples had combined to destroy them. Tani and her beast team of coyotes and Mandy the Ishan paraowl had accounted for a full bag of grass hens on the hunt last week.

Storm's team had remained at home. Surra, his dune-cat, was in heat. She had not become pregnant last time. But this time he was sure she would. After that she'd bear the first dune-cat cubs to appear in the three and a half years since Terra's destruction. Baku the African eagle might take longer to produce her eggs. But she'd accepted the mate Tani had given her from the ark's tissue samples. Hing, the meercat, had had no scruples about a mate. She'd taken one look at the male offered and accepted him with churring approval.

The meercat group of Hing, her new mate, her four adult offspring, and their mates, were producing a meercat population explosion just at present. Not that this was a problem. The all but extinct Arzoran rinces had occupied an important ecological niche on the planet, since it was they who helped keep several desert species of large insect and small lizard under population control. They also ate the eggs of the big solitary venomous yoris lizard, when they could tease a female from her nest in safety.

The rinces had almost died out after human settlement and a rince plague which followed two generations later. Even scientific intervention had failed to improve their survival rate. The meercats were moving into the rince niche and doing it in style.

Hosteen loved to see them. After so long without a mate Hing was making up for lost time. The original group with added mates had been ten. All had mated and produced so that now the group numbered almost thirty. Normally only the dominant female would have bred, but this time at least, they had been encouraged to ignore custom.

Hosteen and Tani had chosen a second site for a meercat home. Once the babies were adult they'd move half of the group there. Later the meercats would move on to form their own new groups. In time they'd spread across Arzor's desert lands. Both settlers and natives would approve of that; the yoris were having a population explosion of their own and needed the meercats to cut back on the big lizard's numbers.

Up ahead of him he felt a surge of excitement from Tani. She turned to beckon him. He reached her and looked in the cage. He blinked as he studied Prauo.

"What on Arzor is that?"

"I thought you'd know."

Logan joined them. "What's that?"

Hosteen snorted. "I've seen many animals but not that one." He studied the longer gold fur, the gleaming black of the shorter, plusher fur that clad the creature's legs, face, and tail. "I really don't know. It's beautiful but I'm certain I've never seen one like it before. I wonder where it came from."

Laris had been listening quietly, unobtrusive around the cage corner. She allowed herself to be seen as the question was asked. The younger man saw her and nudged his brother. The three of them turned to look at her. Prauo was in her mind.

*Good scent,* he said sleepily.

*Don't distract me. They're the kind who'd notice.* Aloud she spoke politely. "You like my cat, noble visitors?"

Logan spoke first. "He's beautiful. None of us have ever seen one like him before. Were did he come from?"

"Fremlyn," Laris began.

The other man cut in. "I've been to Fremlyn. They don't have an animal like this."

Laris eyed him coolly. "I never said they did. I said he came from Fremlyn. Where his home world is, none of us know. I found him as a tiny starving cub when the circus was there. He was on waste ground at the edge of the port. He's been with me now for a long time. For all I know he was some experimental beast and has no breed."

The girl grinned. "My name's Tani, this is Storm, my husband, and Logan, his brother. I'm pleased to greet you."

Laris nodded. "I'm Laris. You seem to know animals?" Her tone was a question.

Tani laughed softly. "Storm is a beast master, if you've ever heard of them."

"I've heard." Laris closed her mind tight.

Logan smiled. "You should have been one as well," he said cheerfully. "That act with the tigerbats was wonderful. But the stuff on the trapeze had my heart in my mouth." He laughed suddenly. "When that carra caught onto your foot just as you swung, I've never seen anything so funny."

Laris found she was smiling too, seduced into verbal carelessness by the honest praise. "It's part of the act but they enjoy it so much. Sometimes we just add in bits. Everyone does. Particularly if we need to stretch the acts because one's missing."

Tani looked interested. "What act was missing, what happened to it?"

"Nothing much." Darn, it was Cregar who was absent and she shouldn't have mentioned it. She covered quickly. "The trainer has a bad cold. He's resting until he gets over it. He doesn't want to give it to anyone else."

Storm said nothing but he'd heard enough lies in his time to know one when it was thrust at him. So did Tani. She changed the subject with more admiration and speculation as to Prauo's origins. Laris could lose herself in that very happily. But she was careful to suggest nothing of the big cat's other talents. These people weren't fools. She thought that Storm had guessed her to have been less than truthful over the missing act she'd carelessly mentioned.

She showed them around the other beasts, accepted an invitation to eat with them, and found she was enjoying herself. It had been so long since she'd had free time. Afterward she returned alone and walked toward her cabin. Prauo's mind voice broke into her thoughts.

*Dedran waits for you. His mind churns.* With that warning she did not jump as she rounded the corridor bend to find the man waiting. She took the initiative swiftly.

"I've made friends with them as you asked. I think I can get them to invite me to their ranch in a day or two. How hard do you want me to push this?"

His posture relaxed a little. "Don't be obvious. But as quickly as you can apart from that."

Laris wanted to keep him pleased with her. Perhaps the possibility of more information would do that. Technology had advanced in the ten generations since Terrans had first settled another planet. She remembered where she had seen one of the tiny card-sized voice and picture recorders. One of those could tape some five hundred hours of recording, for replay on a larger machine.

"What about taking one of the mini recorders? Cregar had one I could use if he's left it behind."

She saw the last tensions leave his body. "Too dangerous. If they spotted it they'd ask questions. Do nothing to alert them. If they ask you to stay a few days, you may. Don't tell them you're a bond-servant either. I want you to get a look at their security precautions if they have any. See as much of their land as you can."

"I want to take Prauo."

His body tensed again. "Why?"

"Because they're interested in him. The girl wants tissue samples." Dedran snickered at that but said nothing. "And I can use him to check out security more thoroughly. They'll think it natural I have him. The man's a beast master, remember. He's inclined to believe that someone with an animal is more trustworthy." She wasn't at all sure that was true but Dedran would believe it. He did.

"Very well. Prauo can go with you if they ask you to visit and if they're happy with that. In the morning you can drop the news that I've decided to stay a while longer. We'll be performing here for a couple of weeks. After that I plan to rest the animals and performers several more weeks before we leave. See those people as often as possible until the season is finished. After that, hint that you'd like to see their ranches."

"Ranches?"

Dedran grinned nastily. "I said your friends have money. There's the main Quade ranch in the basin. But the old man has land in the Peaks country about five hundred miles away, and Storm and his wife have more land running alongside it up there. Quade mostly lives in the basin, but the other three all spend time at the second place. There's some strange tales about that family." Laris flicked a look at him. He was standing there and she could tell that he'd stopped being suspicious of her and was wondering about Storm, Logan, and Tani. She prompted him.

"Strange tales?"

"Some gossip about Xik holdout groups. Apparently Storm found one and brought in friends to destroy it. The rumor was that he had native help. After that there was a hush-hush deal in the desert. Some high muckymuck got lost there and Storm went in to find him at a time the tribes were up in arms. All of that story was hushed up by the patrol, or so talk has it." Laris shivered. "Yeah. I don't want them around, myself. After that there's a tale about some kind of plague that killed natives and started in on humans. I heard that Storm and the girl stopped it cold somehow."

Laris stared, stating a common belief in all Terran space. "Diseases don't cross species. If it killed natives surely it wouldn't harm us?"

"I know, I know. But that's the rumor." He pushed off from where he leaned against the wall. "You get to bed. Just remember: Tread carefully with that lot. I want you in there with them thinking of you as a nice little girl with a cute pussycat."

He turned away abruptly and walked off, leaving Laris looking after him. She knew the way he thought. He was wondering if she'd find the Quade family so much to her liking that she'd be too talkative. She'd reassured him for the moment. But she'd have to be wary. The problem was that she did like what she'd seen of them. But if Dedran decided to be rid of her they'd be of no use to her and in danger themselves. Better she should stick to what he wanted. She plodded wearily to her cabin, moved Prauo over, and slumped down. She was asleep almost before she pulled the hotcover over herself.

For the next twelve days she obeyed Dedran's instructions. She was openly delighted to see any of the family whenever they appeared. She arranged for Tani to have tissue samples from the dogs. She talked by the hour about the circus, Prauo, and the other beasts and acts. All without saying anything which would anger Dedran. She listened in turn to Logan's tales of the natives, and Arzor. She noticed that despite his apparent openness as well, he said nothing of the rumors Dedran had heard. At first she had seen all three of the younger family. But by the time the circus was due to close it was Logan she saw most often.

He found her by the carra cage. "Laris, I see the show's shutting down. When do you leave?"

She smiled at him. "Not for weeks yet. Dedran says we're all tired. We're to take a break. We'll stay here for a few weeks and rest up before we go on to Trastor. We have quite a long season there."

Logan studied the ground. "Do you ever get any real time off? I mean, can you leave the circus?"

"Not for good." Her reply was quick.

He looked up. "No, I mean, could you spend time on our ranch? I could teach you to ride. Would Dedran agree to let you come and stay with us for a few days?"

"We could ask him." She wasn't sure how to play this. Let Dedran give her the cues. Logan led her in search of the circus boss and once they found Dedran, asked straightforwardly.

"My father would be pleased if Laris could stay a while with us. We'd show her Arzor. She'd be quite safe." Yes, but would the family be safe from her, Laris thought sadly. Dedran was considering.

"I have no objection. My ward is a sensible girl and I'm sure you would see she came to no harm." He watched Logan react to the words. The boy was becoming attracted. All to the good. He'd be less on his guard, and the others, seeing him so, would accept the girl more swiftly. He glanced kindly at his little piece of bait. "When would you like to leave, my dear? I can have Girran take your orders. Tell him anything he must do to care for the beasts."

"Is it all right if I take Prauo?" He nodded and she turned to Logan. "Will anyone mind if I bring him?"

Logan grinned. "Storm said you'd probably want to. He won't try killing anything without your say-so, will he?" She shook her head firmly. "Then it should be fine. Be ready the day after tomorrow. I'll come with the crawler to collect you about midmorning." His smile widened. "It'll be great to have you at the ranch, and don't worry. You'll have a wonderful time with us."

He left Laris with Dedran and hurried away. The girl kept her face blank knowing Dedran was looking at her. "You know what to do?"

Laris nodded. "Check out all the security systems," she recited for him. "Map the layout of both places. Learn the routine and who's where and when. What if they have a safe or something? Should I try for the code? It might help if Cregar can confuse their local patrol about the real target."

Dedran looked approvingly. "Well thought. Yes, if you can get the safe code do so. But take no chances. Besides, even on these rural planets, many these days have security systems that are quite sophisticated. Not around their property but certainly protecting a safe. If it's that secure, then Cregar will have no time to play about."

His last words were emphasized and Laris hid another shiver. She knew the guild methods of opening such security. It often required only the hand which would make a print. More technical systems required a live hand. That too could be arranged, as could the owner's voice. Few refused to cooperate when shown a family member and told the alternative. The guild was known for its ruthlessness.

But she would enjoy this brief time away. She could pretend that she was an ordinary girl visiting friends. Prauo could run free, be happy, and hunt where permitted. He'd never had the chance to do that before. Logan was on time and she seated herself with him while Prauo jumped easily onto the back of the crawler.

"Do you have many of these?"

Logan shook his head. "Nope. Just this one for hauling loads. Arzor uses a minimum of technology. It breaks down, has to be fixed, and it's very expensive to import. On the ranches we get around on horseback. The rangers and security have copters. But only a few."

"Security, that's what you call your local patrolmen?"

Logan looked a little surprised. "Men. What about women?"

"Oh, on Kowar they'd never have let a woman join. They only have patrolmen."

"Kowar? Is that where you come from?"

"Sort of." She changed the subject. "What's that bush? It's so pretty."

He started to tell her about the plants they passed. Then the land. By the time they were almost at the ranch he'd forgotten the question she'd never answered. But Laris felt she must decide. Should she tell them the truth if they asked again? She could do so safely. The only thing she had to hide was her exact status with Dedran. He'd claimed her as his ward with the Quades. That was respectable. Some planets didn't hold with the bond-system.

She thought Arzor might be one of them. And still more worlds did not approve of bonding underage children. She'd keep silent on all that but if they asked again she would tell the truth about the little she remembered of the times before Meril then Kowar's De Pyall refugee camps. She had just made the decision when the crawler passed the Quade ranch gates and halted at the top of the rise. Logan pointed.

"Home," he said softly.