The Lestchal

The Leschthal

by Nancy Hand

Copyright 2021

Published by Nancy Hand at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either fictional or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is coincidental.

~~~~

Ca'er was pleased with his reflection on the shimmer-wall. The skinny kid he'd once been was long gone. The man who looked back at him had broad shoulders, strong legs, and a solid torso. Mari claimed to like the gray and white strands in his hair, but then she liked to tease him and he'd noticed how quick she was to hide the white in her own hair.

He watched the others in the reflection of the shimmer-wall as they continued their exercises. Mari, his partner of many calendars, though still fit, had let her body soften into ample curves he found attractive. Xuan, who'd been with the crew for about seven calendars, wore his long black hair in a braid to show off the glimmer-tattoos on his over-built shoulders. Ice, young, pale, skinny, and distant as the snow fields of Ristan was currently bent over backwards clutching her ankles. She had only joined the crew four calendars ago. Ca'er thought of the other members of his team, now scattered here and there in their retirement. They'd all dreamed of retirement, spoken of what they'd do if they ever were able to quit, and three full calendars ago they had.

He looked around the apartment. It was large, furnished with what the realtor described as an elegant, all-blue décor. Even the ceiling and floor were blue. There were two sleeping alcoves with their own dressing areas. Between them was a larger common room divided into three parts. The entry doubled as a small sitting area. From there a couple of steps led down to the main lounge on the left and an exercise area on the right. The two spaces were divided by the shimmer-wall. The apartment was far more expensive than he had ever imagined possible. The four of them now shared the one apartment as a means of conserving their remaining credits.

He walked toward the outer wall. Far below he could see sky-trains carrying people from one tower to another in the city. Below the sky-trains he could see the rooftops of some shorter buildings and the raised tracks for the lev-trains. If he looked straight ahead he could see pale blue sky, a few clouds, and one or two of the other tall residence towers.

Mari stepped up behind him and ran a finger teasingly down his back. There's warm water, or if you'd prefer, there's also cold water to clean off some of that sweat.

He reached around and pulled her against his back. Are you going to tell me to clean up before we get all sweaty again?

She giggled, Well, if you put it that way. Why waste the water?

An hour later, as they lay nestled against each other on the sleeping couch, the others came to see what was planned for the rest of the day. Ca'er was amused by the way Xuan studied Mari's nakedness. Ice merely gazed out the window at an empty sky. She never seemed comfortable around people, dressed or undressed.

Xuan addressed Mari's chest. There's a new restaurant in the Third Level shops. Kwa-Rang style food. Supposed to be good.

Ca'er looked at Mari's smile. She was enjoying the attention, I don't really like Kwa-Rang. Isn't there an Ixian-style place on Third.

Ice addressed the empty space in front of her, No. They closed the shop on Third and moved up to Second. Reportedly doubled their prices and cut the quantity served.

Ca'er frowned as Xuan's eyes drifted further down Mari's body. I'm not really interested in going up to Second. What about another tower or someplace in the lower city?

Xuan shrugged. Aelph Tower offers much the same as any of the other towers. It would just mean adding a sky-train ride to the drop-shaft.

Ice turned to Xuan, I've heard of a place in Nones Tower. It's supposed to be good. Farshu-style food, Ixian drinks.

Ca'er wanted to laugh. Somehow Ice knew he didn't like Kwa-Rang because they didn't serve anything he wanted to drink. Farshu? I don't think I've had Farshu before.

Mari poked him in the ribs as she got up, Yes you have. You liked it at the time, but maybe it was the restaurant staff you liked.

He, and Xuan, watched the sway of Mari's hips as she walked toward the dressing area, That little place on Clar Platform with the... ?

She didn't turn around to answer, Yes. The one with the overly-attentive staff.

Ca'er didn't know why she sounded like she was complaining. As he recalled she'd enjoyed the staff as much as he had. He shrugged at Xuan's back as he got up to join her.

A thin trickle of warm water traced across Mari's body from the water valve. It was one of the extravagances of the apartment she enjoyed. Ca'er hadn't been able to convince himself water was of any use in cleaning his body. He used his old Soni-Lav stick instead. Mari hadn't even been able to talk him into buying a new stick. He preferred the old one which he trusted to remove dirt, sweat, bacteria, and dead skin as needed.

Are you sure you don't want to try the water?

No. I like that fountain-wall in the main room, but this bath thing just seems silly. And expensive. He remembered the agent who'd shown them the available units in the tower. Wasn't this the first level to have water features?

Yes. Levels Three and above. Ice says there's a big fountain on the First Level concourse.

What's she been doing up on First Level?

Exploring. Shopping. She doesn't like to stay in if she doesn't have to.

Unlike Ca'er and Mari, Ice wasn't native to the platforms and seemed to like the freedom of planetary life. She flitted from tower to tower, from Fortieth Level up to First Level and back down. She was the one who discovered the door in the outer wall that led to a view-platform, maybe because she was the only one of them who thought of outside as habitable. Sometimes Xuan went with her but mostly Ice wandered the city alone. She drove Ca'er crazy with her restlessness and silence. He wasn't aware of his frown until Mari spoke.

You know, if you don't like her, you could ask her to leave. I've told you before, you aren't responsible for either one of them. If they're broke, that's their problem. They can find another job somewhere.

He made believe he didn't hear her objections as he playfully threatened Mari with the Soni-Lav stick, I'd rather make sure you're clean before you put on those fancy new clothes.

****

The restaurant at Nones Tower was fancier, and probably more expensive, than Ca'er had anticipated, though the drinks were decent. As he raised his second glass he noticed a group of six people walk past their table. Five of them were young, very attractive, and wearing the most extreme of fashions. He could see the glint of glimmer-webs, implanted just under the surface of the skin, on two of them. The sixth was older and more conservatively dressed but the edge of a glimmer-web peeked over the top of his high collar.

As Ca'er put down his glass he noticed Xuan staring after the group. What are they?

Xuan shrugged as he continued to stare. Mari shook her head.

Ice addressed her drink. Lamerlie. She said it as if the single word explained everything.

Ca'er turned to stare at her, What's a lamerlie?

She turned toward Mari instead of Ca'er, Rich people keep them. Like toys.

But they let them out to play with other lamerlie? Ca'er wanted to make Ice as uncomfortable as she made him but, when she turned to face him, she just looked confused.

No. They're all from the same house. When their owner tires of them they'll be sold, given away, thrown out. Until then their guard will keep them together, apart from others.

Mari looked across the room to where the group was being seated. Sold? Like slaves?

Ice shrugged as she studied the patterns on the table in front of her.

Ca'er wanted to know what else Ice knew about lamerlie and rich people. He'd seen the glimmer-web embedded in her pale skin. It wrapped from the middle of her back around her left side and down across her abdomen. Xuan had complained about the cost of his tattoos, down to the last quarter-credit, so he had an idea of how much a web like hers cost. He wanted to know how she'd managed to pay for it. Their food arrived before he could pry any information from Ice.

As conversation at their table stopped Ca'er found himself listening to bits of conversation from nearby tables. At one table two older women discussed business. Another table had a party of ten, celebrating something with lots of laughter. At a third table, behind him, four people talked about their recent trips off-world. At the mention of a house outside of town, left empty while the owners were away, he began to pay attention.

David, are you really going to spend a fifth-calendar on Pharos? The man sounded amused.

Yes. Possibly longer. The chance to study Pharonic music forms from a master on Pharos is rare. That they've accepted my application, even for a fifth-calendar, is just overwhelming. They're not in the habit of accepting off-worlders. David didn't sound young enough to be a student.

The first man continued. But David, you're already a master musician celebrated on three worlds at least. Why go back to school? Kara, can't you talk any sense into him?

A woman laughed. Georg, you've known David for how many calendars now? Maybe enough to know he'll always think of himself as a student of music, not its master?

A second woman, sounding younger than the others, responded. David may think of himself as a student of music, but Pharos isn't known to be the easiest society to fit into. Where on Pharos will you be staying?

David answered, Quor. The master I'm studying with has a summer house there. We'll be staying in staff housing for the seminary at Quor.

Georg sounded even more amused, They allow couples in seminary housing now? Maybe things on Pharos have changed since we were there. However. If the house here is going to be empty, are you taking the Lestchal with you?

No. We're not taking much. I've been told the rooms we're getting are small. We have security and cleaning firms to keep an eye on the place. It should be fine where it is.

Talk at the table changed to people and politics at one of the local universities and Ca'er lost interest. He tried to remember the name of the object being left behind since it seemed to have value. Cleaning crews and security firms didn't impress him as a good way to keep valuables safe. He'd spent too much of his life proving the insecurity of security systems to put much trust in them.

The bill for dinner was even more than he had anticipated. At this rate they'd be broke before the end of another quarter. Retirement was going to be far shorter than he'd originally planned.

On their way out of the restaurant they walked past the table where the lamerlie were seated. Ca'er looked again and saw three males and three females, all exceptionally beautiful and expensively dressed, with stress lines at the corners of their eyes.

****

Ca'er looked up the drop-shaft as they returned to their apartment high in the Third Level of Aelph Tower. Their place was only twenty floors below the Second Level Concourse but it might have been a whole world away as far as he was concerned. He hadn't been to the Second Level Concourse since he and Mari had signed the lease for the apartment on Third. They'd been to the First Level Concourse, they had even been in a couple of apartments in the lower floors of First Level, but he had never bothered to go back. Mari had accompanied Ice on a recent trip up the drop-shaft, but hadn't said much about what they'd seen or done.

The shimmer-wall that divided the main room of their apartment was almost transparent now, with just enough light shimmering across it to warn of its solidity. Ca'er dropped onto a couch and thought about what he was going to do. Then he addressed the wall, What is a Lestchal?

The apartment's personality solidified from the decorative shimmer. Ca'er wondered what Mari had been thinking when she'd last updated the design. She hadn't been pleased with the standard personalities available in the apartment, so she'd designed her own. Then, during the tedious effort of implementing the design, she'd gotten bored and dropped the project. Every once in a while she'd edit the design, but it remained unfinished. He now faced the image of a naked young man, muscles rippling across his body, painted in stripes of pink and green, with bright red hair, only one leg, and flat, fan-shaped paddles for hands. The figure's prominent erection appeared to have increased substantially since Ca'er had last called up the personality.

A soft, masculine voice droned, The Lestchal has not been seen publicly in over 200 calendars. It has been in the private collection of the Geier family of Seldac for at least 300 calendars. David Geier is the current holder of the Lestchal.

Is the Lestchal valuable? Ca'er realized Xuan was standing behind him.

The voice continued, The Lestchal is considered priceless. Since it has not been on the market for over 300 calendars, an exact value is unknown.

Xuan leaned forward, Are you thinking of going back to work?

Ca'er ignored him. What does the Lestchal look like?

There are no images in memory.

How big is it? Ca'er saw Ice walk toward the door.

Unknown.

Xuan whispered in his ear, How would we know what to steal?

Ca'er ignored the comment. He figured the only way to identify the object was to get into the house. Tell me about David Geier.

The voice droned. David Quentin Geier is a professor of music at Cascara University. The Geier family has owned and operated the Liberty Transit Works for over 300 calendars. David Geier is a majority holder in the business. He and Kara Selene Risi were married 25 calendars past. They have three children, all male, ages 23, 19, and 18.

Ca'er took note. Very few people went through the ancient ritual of marriage. Generally only those from exalted families bothered. People who wanted a formal recognition of their pairing declared a partnership in front of a government official. Most people didn't bother with the formal declaration.

Xuan was, as usual, impatient, Fine. But you haven't answered the basic question. What is the Lestchal?

The personality seemed to turn toward him. The Lestchal is said to be a talisman of good fortune.

Ca'er looked down at Mari as she cuddled next to him, What's a talisman?

The personality's voice droned. A talisman is an object believed to provide the holder with unnatural benefits or powers.

Mari shrugged, Maybe it's like that necklace Teleana wore. She was afraid to walk out the door without it.

Though she hadn't asked a question of the personality it responded anyway. Yes. In such a situation the necklace would be considered a talisman.

Ca'er leaned forward, ignoring Mari. Then the Lestchal is small, like a necklace?

"Most probably. Talismans are usually small enough to carry or wear. Jewelry and clothing are common