Keepers of the Flame (20 page)

“Arrogant,”
Bri murmured.

“Ayes,
both me and them. All of them.” He made a wide gesture, his eyelashes lowered
halfway.

“I
was Summoned with my sister, my twin.”

Nodding
he said, “Lucky, that. The Castle healers got ahold of her, they should be
satisfied with her, leave you alone. We’ll have to confront the city and town
medicas, equally arrogant. But you can do that. You’ll win.”

He
sat and stared at her, cocked his head, narrowed his eyes, as if he were
measuring her Song, then his eyelids closed and his muttering transformed into
a snore. His body relaxed and he slid off the stool right under the table.

Bri
stood. Her mind spun and her legs buckled. She was more tired than she’d
realized. The fumes had gotten to her, as had the long day, the healing—that
fabulous connection to the universe through Zeres.

Now
she’d let her guard down, sleep crept up on her. Her body demanded rest. Her
brain was in no shape to think and her mental shields had vanished.

Song
filled her, pretty notes coming from Zeres, raucous undertones left over from
the bar. It was silent now and she couldn’t pinpoint when that had happened.
How long had she been floating like a star?

She
shivered. It was very late or very early. In any case it was dark and she was
tired. Zeres had curled onto his side on the floor, his mouth open but not
snoring, passed out. The door remained shut. Bri put her head on her arms and
laughed-cried. Wouldn’t you know it. Even here she’d fallen in with the
alternative medicine faction-of-one. She fell asleep.

S
evair hated
being at the Castle, disapproved of by all.
Hated
waiting in a small
anteroom for Elizabeth to wake. Naturally word had leaked during the long night
of searching that the city had misplaced its Exotique. A Chevalier or two had
snitched. Circlet Jaquar had continued to be sympathetic.

The
Marshalls eyed him with amused disdain. The other Exotiques had refused to
awaken Elizabeth, saying that she needed sleep and through her link with her
twin, would know if Bri was in any danger. That was something, at least.

So
now he sat in his formerly-best-robe for Elizabeth.

Bri
had still not been found. They’d traced her movements. She and the male
fey-coo-cu had left her house and gone to the Nom de Nom, then other taverns.

Both
feycoocus had vanished, too.

Sevair
ground his teeth. Why couldn’t Bri have stayed
in
?

Because
she was a woman always on the move. He shouldn’t have expected that she’d stay
at home. The Citymasters hadn’t planned to leave her alone during the first
evening. He was to stay with her until she retired, ready to answer any
questions, arrange for any additional needs.

But
the guilds had been upset by events and no one had taken his place, something
everyone was chastising themselves for now. The Citymasters were holding off on
a door-to-door search until Sevair spoke with Elizabeth. His mouth turned down.
Every single one of his colleagues had shown relief when it was pointed out
that Elizabeth knew Sevair best, and he should be the one to break the news to
her. He hadn’t seen such a unity among them in the three years he’d been a
Citymaster.

At
least he waited alone. Everyone else was in a council, talking about the
discovery of frinkweed. Sevair figured that the Marshalls would soon be
visiting their home estates to see how rampant the plant was. Independent
Chevaliers would be hired to examine the north for the frinkweed, especially
near the remaining gaps in the border fence line.

The
door across from him opened and Elizabeth stood on the threshold, smooth
shoulder-length honey-colored hair tidy, dressed in a medica’s summer robes.
The sun was shining today, had already burnt off mist and was warming the
ground. Only Sevair’s internal weather was gray and dreary.

“Citymaster
Masif,” she said cooly.

He
stood and bowed. “Please call me Sevair. May I have a word with you?”

She
blinked. “Of course.” Stepping back from the door, she led the way back into
her suite.

The
sitting room contained a lot of purple, bright in the streaming sunlight.
Elizabeth took a chair, twitched her robes around her. Not clothes she was used
to wearing, no matter how good she looked in them.

“How
can I help you?” she asked.

Taking
a deep breath, he eased it out. “We have misplaced Bri.”

16

L
aughter rolled
from Elizabeth. “Oh, this is rich.” She shook her head, still grinning. “Our
parents were
constantly
misplacing Bri.”

That
made him feel slightly better.

Elizabeth
tilted her head. “She’s fine.”

He
cleared his throat. “Can you tell me where she is?”

Pressing
her fingers to her temples and closing her eyes, Elizabeth was silent for a
moment. “She’s not answering me telepathically. I think she’s asleep. And she’s
definitely in Castleton.” Elizabeth opened her lashes and smiled.

She
was so like Bri in looks and the occasional expression, but so unlike in
manner, that Sevair swung from thinking they appeared identical to believing
they didn’t look at all the same.

Elizabeth
stood. “Bri’s okay. I think I’d like breakfast in Castleton. We can wait for
her to wake up, or I can trace her. I’m famished.”

Elizabeth’s
casualness reassured Sevair. “I flew up, and would be honored to show you your
home in Castleton.”

Wariness
appeared in her eyes. She opened her mouth. Sevair forestalled her with a
raised palm. “I know, neither you nor your sister intend to remain here like
the other Exotiques.”

With
a little release of breath of her own, Elizabeth nodded.

As
Sevair led her to the courtyard, he felt a twinge of relief that the
Citymasters had planned that breakfast would be the introduction of the city
medicas to their Exotique. Plenty of food. The healers had been told Bri was
missing, but he was sure they’d all show up anyway.

Mud
greeted Elizabeth with a quiet whicker, and no one else questioned their
leaving. The flight down to Castleton was quick and silent. Elizabeth didn’t
feel at all like Bri before him. As soon as they dismounted, Mud was aloft
again, and flying to her stable. Sevair sensed that the volaran was embarrassed
that she didn’t have enough emotional connection with Bri to find the Exotique.

Elizabeth
murmured approval when she saw the house, her Song lilting with pleasure. “It’s
perfectly lovely,” she said.

“Thank
you,” Sevair said. He paused in the kitchen to tell one of the two serving
women to cancel the search for Bri. Her sister would find Bri after breakfast.

The
scent of food—eggs and fresh bread—permeated the house, as did voices. When
they stopped by the dining room, they saw there was the entire half-dozen
Castleton medicas, along with four Citymasters.

Everyone
rose and bowed to Elizabeth. She flushed. “Thank you.” She smiled. “I see we
haven’t started eating yet.” She went to the empty chair at the head of the
table and sat. Both chairs flanking her were empty; Sevair took the right.

A
servant bustled around, lifting the tops from chafing dishes and scooping out
fluffy eggs, started the bread basket around the table.

The
town medicas near Elizabeth peppered her with questions regarding the day
before and her training at the Castle.

The
door opened and slammed shut. A moment later Bri stood on the threshold, hands
on hips. A strong scent of liquor emanated from her. She appeared tired. Her
clothes were wrinkled and dirty. “Glad you’re all having a good meal. Looks
like you all had a good night. I was kidnapped.”

Cool
relief was followed by hot rage in Sevair. He dropped his cutlery. Outrage and
fury spiked Songs all around him.

Elizabeth
remained placid. She gestured to the chair at her left. “Kidnapped or not, I
see you’ve landed on your feet.”

Bri
snorted, frowned at her sister, and stalked to the table. When she lifted the
top of a dish, she smelled mouth-watering eggs. “I can see you’re distraught.”

“I
could tell nothing was wrong with you and underneath your irritation, you’re
excited,” Elizabeth said.

“Kidnapped.”
Sevair rose, walked over as he examined her. The other people in the room
stared. Most wore medica garb. Checking her chakras—chimes?

“I’m
fine,” Bri said, feeling the ache of her body spent sleeping on a cold stone
floor. When she’d awakened, Zeres was still sleeping, and the lock spell on the
door was gone. Once she’d found a main street, she’d seen the guildhall and the
Castle on the bluff and had wended her way to the house. As soon as she’d drawn
near, she’d known Elizabeth was there and a weight had lifted.

“Her
chimes ring true and strong and Powerful,” said a medica.

Sevair’s
palms warmed her shoulders, ran down her arms and cradled her hands in his own
large, calloused ones. The stone carver determining the soundness of his
material?

“A
friend, concerned,” he said. “A sculptor thinking about the loveliness of a
woman.” He answered her thought. He’d gotten at least the gist of it directly
from her mind. She blinked up at him.

“I
heard you spent much of the evening with Koz and other Chevaliers at the Nom de
Nom.” Dropping one of his hands, the other closed over her fingers and tugged
her to the table. Pulling away, she waved him to his seat, then filled a plate.
She met Elizabeth’s gaze with a smile and her twin eased. Everyone in the
Drystan family cherished breakfast.

A
female Citymaster lifted the top of a covered dish to show thick slices of
bacon.

Elizabeth
said, “The dishes are…bespelled to heat.” Poor twin, her view of the world was
taking a hit. Bri sent her a wave of love heart to heart, received one back.

“You
spent time at the Nom de Nom?” Sevair prodded.

“Ayes,”
she smiled at him. “And the Vert Chevalier, and the Stella Luna and the Bier
Cruche, and the Risible Chien.” She brushed at her clothes. “I don’t know the
name of the last one, but I was only in a back room.” A flash of images had
accompanied her retelling—Koz, of course, from the Nom de Nom, but also the
trophies. Bri eyed Elizabeth. Had she seen the monsters yet?

As
if sensing her strain, Elizabeth said, “You’re safe, eat.”

Bri
pushed tired, irritable thoughts away. “Yes.”

With
one last clench of his jaw, Sevair said, “Tell me who laid hands on you and
I’ll see that he—or she—regrets every minute for the rest of his life.”

Bri
looked at him, dressed formally again, she realized. The rest of the table was
too—citymasters and medicas. “That won’t be necessary.”

Sevair
frowned. “We were worried about you.”

“I
can see that.” Bri gazed pointedly at everyone who was tucking into breakfast.

“Bri’s
grumpy in the mornings,” Elizabeth said. “I told them you were all right.” Her
face tightened. “Kidnapped?”

“Yes,
seems there’s someone alienated from the medical establishment—” she waved at
the medicas “—who believes they’re handling the sickness wrong and has better
ideas.”

Elizabeth
closed her eyes, gave a tiny shake of her head. “Only you, Bri.”

“Yeah,
that passed through my mind.”

“Who
is this person who questions our methods?” asked one of the city medicas
stiffly.

After
swallowing the wonderful eggs—a touch of cheese and other spices—Bri said, “His
name is Zeres. He’ll probably be along.” If he was really determined to help,
if he really believed what he said the night before.

Scowls
of disgust circled the table.

“How
dare he do such a thing as kidnap you and babble his stupidities in your ear!”
one of the male medicas said. His fork clinked his plate as his fingers shook.

“Thought
that would be your reaction,” Bri said. She ate a few bites more, said, “Please
excuse us.” To Elizabeth, Bri said in English, “I’m inclined to believe the
guy.”

“What!
Of course you are. You’re used to thinking all standard medical practices are
hidebound.”

Bri
finished a piece of bread. “You’ve got that flip-flopped. Standard Western
medical practice thinks what I can do with my gift of healing hands is pure
BS.” She met Elizabeth’s eyes steadily. “If
my
practices had been
acceptable, I’d have been right there with you through medical school.” She
shifted her shoulders, letting past disappointments roll away.

“But
here they
practice
like you do!” Elizabeth said. “Must you always be
contrary?”

Scooping
eggs onto another slice of wonderful bread sprinkled with seeds, Bri said, “The
bottom line is, he’s right, these people haven’t been able to cure the
sickness. They called us across
dimensions
so we could do it.” She
switched to mental and emotional communication.
I felt this incredible
connection with him, heard this fabulous Song, like no one else we’ve met
.