Joanna, a chubby comfortable woman in her forties, opened the door and
gave me her hand. "Come in, Race. Juli's expecting you."
"It's good of you." I broke off, unable to express my gratitude. Juli
and I had come from Earth--our father had been an officer on the old
starship _Landfall_ when Juli was only a child. He had died in a wreck
off Procyon, and Mack Magnusson had found me a place in Intelligence
because I spoke four of the Wolf languages and haunted the Kharsa with
Rakhal whenever I could get away.
They had also taken Juli into their own home, like a younger sister.
They hadn't said much--because they had liked Rakhal--when the breakup
came. But that terrible night when Rakhal and I nearly killed each
other, and Rakhal came with his face bleeding and took Juli away with
him, had hurt them hard. Yet it had made them all the kinder to me.
Joanna said forthrightly, "Nonsense, Race! What else could we do?" She
drew me along the hall. "You can talk in here."
I delayed a minute before going through the door she indicated.
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