Андрэ Нортон - Beast Master's Circus

The big cat yawned, fangs closing with a sharp snick. *That could be true—if he waited many hours. Since it is you for whom he waits, he is only impatient to see you again.* His eyes shut and he relaxed, then opened one eye. *Go, or do you dream of mating, go.* Laris blushed and went hastily.

Logan was admiring the tigerbats. He took her hand when she arrived. "It's so great to see you again. Tell me about this bunch. You work with them, don't you? How hard are they to train?"

She talked tigerbats. Logan was easy to talk to. He knew animals and liked them. Understood some of the ways in which they thought. She found herself telling him again how she wished Skreel, the lead tigerbat, and his tiny swarm could be free. Logan looked at her.

"Have you ever wondered about the last couple that arrived? Lereyne found out that tigerbats were almost extinct about five years ago. Since then they've put aside a special reserve for them. Dad says that it's been illegal to export them from Lereyne since then."

"But Dedran got ours just over two years ago." Laris was thoughtful. "Of course, other worlds have them in zoos. He never said where this pair came from. And some rich VIPs keep them to show off." She looked at the tigerbats. "If they were stolen from their home, Logan, that's awful."

"There's a way to know."

"How?"

"If you took samples Tani's aunt and uncle could check. You know they run the ark. All they have to do is match DNA with the existing gene pool on Lereyne. That'd tell them if the tigerbats were from there."

Laris wrinkled her brow. "But aren't all tigerbats related? Wouldn't the samples just match anyway?"

"Nope. Brad checked. It's been five years since tigerbats could be legally exported. But they were getting rare for years before that. Lereyne looked up the records. The last permit was almost seventeen years before that. They can run the DNA matches right down to recent generations. If your two show DNA that matches, then they came from Lereyne in their lifetime. I can't explain it all to you. Just take my word for it." His fingers tightened on her hand.

"I do, I am." Laris was flustered. "What do you want me to do, just take samples and get them to you?"

"Yes. I promise we won't make trouble for you." His tone became edged. "I'm sure Dedran will have an innocent explanation of how he came by them." Laris was sure of that too. "But if they were stolen from Lereyne, they'll be confiscated and returned. You'd like that for them?"

Laris had no doubts about that answer. "Yes. I would. I just wish they could all go back. They aren't happy in cages. They aren't like the carra or the dogs. They really love this life. The tigerbats don't."

"Then help us find out."

She nodded slowly. "All right. When?"

He swung her to face him, a broad smile on his face. "How long can you spend with me?"

"Cregar said a couple of hours. Anyhow I'd have to be back in plenty of time for the next performance. Why?"

"We'll go to the park and have something to eat. Then, when we come back if you think it's safe you can get the samples and I can leave with them."

By the time they returned, Laris thought, the other circus people would be busy getting ready for the ring. Dedran would be busiest of all. No one was likely to question what she did. But she mustn't let Logan know how often she took samples. She let him tell her how to do the job and provide the slides as he led her toward the park. At the far side of the green area were benches. They settled there, eyes on each other as they talked. Laris felt happy all over when he reached for her hand. His gaze on her was gentle, almost—she was afraid to believe what her heart told her—perhaps his gaze was loving, yet that could be wishful thinking.

They strolled a while, her hand still clasped in his. Laris had never felt so contented, but her joy was tinged with a bitter guilt—if Logan knew what she'd done he would hate her. In that hour she alternated between happiness, fear, and rage that she had been swept up in Dedran's schemes. Finally they returned to sit at the small cafe, ordering food and drink.

"Finish that bun and listen." Logan leaned forward. "Brad was able to get your records as far back as the camp on Meril. All he's got so far is your full name. No trace of your mother. You were alone on Meril. But we've got that far." He saw her face fall. "Brad says it all takes time but he's sure he can trace you farther back." He grinned teasingly. "Don't you want to know your name?"

Her face told him the answer. "Okay. You are Shallaris Trehannan. Brad looked that up too. Where the Shallaris came from, we don't know. But Brad says that Trehannan is a very old Terran name. When he found that he read an old rhyme to us. It goes, 'Tre, Pol, and Pen are the Cornish men.' "

"What does that mean?"

"Cornwall was part of the British Isles. It was one of the oldest lands settled there. Many Cornish families had prefixes in their names like that. It means that if you hear a name with Tre, Pol, or Pen at the beginning the family most likely came from this Cornwall."

"Trehannan!" Laris tasted the feeling. She had a name. A place of origin. She was Shallaris Trehannan and her family had come originally from Cornwall on Terra. Maybe not in her generation, but once. Her face lit with a smile of pure uncomplicated joy, and Logan caught his breath. It was wonderful to know he'd made her that happy. He saw a shadow slide over the delight.

"What is it?" If Brad had found out that much, Laris knew, he must also know what she'd hidden and Dedran had lied about. She was a bond-servant, not Dedran's ward. She summoned resolution.

"I'm ... Dedran bonded me," she blurted. Logan smiled gently.

"I know. He lied. Brad says you weren't of legal age either. You could get the bond revoked. We'd help if you wanted that. Tani has a special status here. She'd talk to the governor for you. Trastor has bond laws and Dedran's broken just about all of them."

She sat thinking. They'd help. Would they still help her if they knew the rest of it? And what about the samples? What would happen to all of the animals if Dedran was discredited? If he was ruined because of her, he'd talk. About her, about the thefts she'd carried out at his order. How understanding would the authorities be over those? And what if Dedran insisted on claiming Prauo?

A tickle in the back of her head. *Tell him you'd rather wait until you can be sure the tigerbats are safe. He'll understand that.*

Laris reached out to take Logan's hand. "I know Dedran broke laws, but he hasn't abused me." She grinned wryly. "Well, just cuffs, a beating, and a crack of the whip now and again. He's fed me decently though, and I've been respectably clothed. It was my only way out of the camp. I don't like Dedran." The look in her eyes said that statement was milder than the truth. "Still, if I'm here until we know about Skreel, my lead tigerbat, and his swarm, I can make sure they stay put. That Dedran doesn't have them spirited away or killed."

"That's sensible so long as it isn't too hard on you."

"I'll manage," Laris assured him briefly.

"Then, Shallaris Trehannan, shall we walk?" He stood as she giggled at the alliteration.

"Why, we shall lope, Logan." She ran for the park's broad acres of grass, laughing as he chased her. She danced. "Can't catch me!" The words ended in a squeak as he caught her arm and spun her into his arms. His lips touched hers with a tenderness that was pain. He wouldn't do that if he knew the truth. He wouldn't hold her like that. As if she would break.

*Live for today, sister. Tomorrow may change all things.* She gave her lips to Logan then, praying that it would.

They returned to the circus. Content to walk holding hands. Everyone was busy as they'd hoped and Laris drifted them along unobtrusively in the direction of the cages. Once there, she took the slides held out to her, and the small needle. She listened solemnly a second time to the muttered instructions before she took the samples, then stowed them away carefully for him in a bag. Laris watched him leave, with what was by now an almost familiar mixture of joy and guilt, before going in search of Cregar. Quietly she told him what she'd learned. Her eyes on him showed trust and he answered that with a warning hand on her arm.