Keepers of the Flame (54 page)

“Please
pairbond with me, in a
coeur de chain.
”

Bri
avoided looking at the open box and the knife. Her breath came fast. “That’s
the really big deal, right? The if-I-die-you-die thing.”

He
sat beside her, took her hand. His fingers were steady, hers trembled. “Ayes,”
he said.

She
met his gaze, equally steady, very determined. “I don’t know if I can.” Her
breaths became pants.

His
strong hand flattened above her breasts. “Breathe slowly. The ritual doesn’t
hurt.”

“I
read about a bloodbond in Marian’s lorebook, and the
coeur de chain
in
Calli’s. I don’t think I can.”

“You
can do anything.”

She
peeked at him. He looked the same, utterly confident of himself and of her.
Wow.

“You
accepted the Song inside you, taught others, me, to do the same.”

“You
weren’t sick!”

His
solemn face broke into a laughing grin. “During loving.”

“Oh.”
She felt better now he wasn’t so serious, bit her lip.

“Watch.”
He put a hand over his heart, closed his eyes. When he pulled his hand out, the
image of a bubble came with it.

Bri
stared. He’d obviously worked on it. It wasn’t a clear bubble, no. It was a
round sphere that looked like thin stone—layers and layers of stone carved in
moveable balls, like those she’d seen as souvenirs in Chinatowns the world
over. She found her tongue. “Wow.”

But
a little crease was between his brows. “There’s a roughness here—”

“No!
Do not mess with that right now in front of me. I’m glad you’re One With The
Universe, but I don’t need proof.”

He
chuckled again, stared at her. “You showed us all how to do this, make a sphere
of our Song tuned to the universe.”

“Yes.”

“It’s
no wonder I love you.” He offered the box and knife.

“Can
you put that away, it makes me nervous,” Bri said.

He
let it sink back into his chest. “I can see that. Let’s consider this matter
rationally.”

“Huh.”

“I
love you.” He leaned over and pressed a kiss on her lips. Waited, again with
the patient look.

“I
love you,” she admitted.

“Good.”

“You
returned here to Amee, to Lladrana, to me after the Snap.” His voice was rich
with satisfaction.

“Ayes.”

“I
want to live here with you, in this wonderful tower.”

She
eyed him. He looked sincere. His Song sounded sincere.

“Okay.”

“Do
you want me to live with you?” he prodded.

“Ayes.”
No hesitation there.

“Good.”
His hand enveloped hers. “We’ve established the fact that we love each other
and want to live together. Our Songs have already entwined in a pairbond—”

“That
should be enough. Living together, loving each other. Certainly enough for
now.”

“I
want it all,” he said.

She
was flapping her hands. “This bloodbond, mind, heart, soul thing. It’s too
much, I think. We don’t have stuff like that on Earth.”

“Perhaps
you only need a little time,” he said indulgently.

“Maybe.”
She wasn’t so sure.

A
squeeze of the hand, another tender kiss. “Just leave all the arrangements to
me.”

Irritation
snaked through her. “You think you know me better than I know myself.”

“Ayes,
I do.” He stood, pulled her up, took her mouth until she melted against him.
Then he stepped away. “I must work. I’ll take care of everything. All you need
to do is show up.”

“When?”

“When
you’re ready. I’ll give you a week or two to settle.” He smiled. “And I’ll make
sure the other Exotiques bring you.”

“I
don’t know that I like this.”

One
of his dark brows raised. “If you would prefer to plan the ritual….”

She
crossed her arms, stuck out her chin. “I’m not sure.”

Another
brief kiss on her forehead. “I am.” He tapped her heart with his forefinger.
“And you are, here.” On that last word, he left the room.

41

W
hat had she
done!
Bri kept the cheerful smile on as she closed the door of the house on her last
patient the next afternoon.

The
people in the class on Aligning Your Song with the Music of the Spheres—a New
Age title if she’d ever heard one—had been nearly wild with enthusiasm.
Everyone had heard of the Snap. How Elizabeth had left and Bri had stayed, and
Bri was the recipient of effusive gratitude.

She
hadn’t had a minute to herself all day. She, who’d ordered her life exactly how
she wanted it for as long as she could remember.

Not
to mention the Exotiques had sent a note down saying that there’d be a Girls
Night In at Calli’s suite this evening. The Future of Lladrana would be
discussed as well as men. That meant the invasion of the Dark’s nest and that
final ritual spell—untying the weapon knot.

She
wanted to run, but where? She was well and truly stuck. Here in an alternate
dimension.

She
sank onto the floor of the entryway and crossed her legs and brought her head
low to the floor. A hiding-thinking position she’d developed when stressed to
the max.

It
had seemed to be the right thing to do at the time, but she was way beyond
second thoughts now, coming up on hundredth.

She’d
followed her heart, her gut, her own damn Song. But like every other certainty
in her life, this had vanished. Now it was her head that said she was right to do
what she’d done, and currently her gut said run, run, RUN.

The
door opened and closed. Sevair’s Song enveloped her. Strong, steady. She
resented it. What happened to Bri who was the free spirit?

“Ah,
I suspected this would happen.”

Smug,
too. He was strong and steady and
smug
.

His
large hands settled around her waist, lifted her.
Bri, beloved
.

She
flinched.

You
are not trapped. You are free to go anywhere. Nuare will take you
.

“Oh,
yeah, that’s great. Free to go anywhere in a world I don’t know.” She let her
feet down, but still couldn’t reach the floor. She didn’t meet his eyes. He
toted her into the parlor, set her down and she watched as he opened a wall
safe she didn’t know was there, disguised by paneling.

He
took out a clinking leather pouch. Then he went to the table and spilled
out…gold and silver and jewels. “This would last you a lifetime anywhere on
Amee,” he said. He scooped the valuables back into the pouch and handed it to
her. “Running money.”

She
set her mouth and lifted her chin. His expression was serious, as usual.
“Merci.”

“It
was supposed to make you feel better.”

Pressing
a hand to her heart, she said, “I forsook everything I knew. Everything I was
in the past.” She was just beginning to understand the ramifications. They
didn’t even have ice cream, did they?

“We
need you,” he said. He put the pouch down, took her hands. “
I
need you.
I will cherish you.”

Her
breathing slowed; the anxiety attack backed off.

“I
love you,” he said.

“I
love you, too.” Solid, steady. He’d get her through this if she let him.

She
couldn’t run anymore, even if she wanted to. Now she had to trust herself and
this man and her new life. “But I think I moved too fast.”

He
inclined his head. “You weren’t given much choice.”

Quiet
fell between them. She wanted him to say that he wouldn’t press for the
pairbonding thing.

He
didn’t.

O
ver the next
week and a half all the Castle and Castleton were busy implementing the
training of ordinary people to link with their pattern in the universe. It
wasn’t easy, but all Lladranans cherished the Song and were willing to try
anything to beat the illness. A recognition and connection with the Music of
the Spheres, a legacy of Elizabeth’s, was a concept the people could accept. As
well as the idea of a stronger, reciprocal bond with their home planet.

If
this had been the States, everyone would have been in big, big trouble. Bri
left the town square to stroll home, which, oddity of oddities, would also
become Sevair’s home. Time for him to leave the house of his family, though
he’d dealt with that abandonment issue. Her heart twinged as she thought of the
pain she’d put him through. Relatively short, but intense none the less.

On
impulse, she stopped in at the Nom de Nom. Sevair was probably already home by
now. She tried not to think about a ritual bonding, soul-melding ceremony with
Sevair, because panic nibbled at her nerves. She didn’t want to run away. Not
really. And her feet didn’t itch. Even if they did and she did run away, where
would she run
to
on Amee?

But
it was hard sticking it out when she thought of being completely and totally
committed to Sevair.

So
she’d moved from running away to avoidance. Hey, a step up in coping
strategies. She told herself that she’d be ready when the ritual came, somehow,
and believed it. Sometimes.

It
was odd not to see Koz lounging against the counter, but now that he’d become a
mirror magician, he hung with a different crowd in a different part of town.

Chevaliers
looked up at her entrance, smiles lit their faces and Bri sniffed back tears.
She’d miss Elizabeth and her parents forever, but she’d found her own place in
a different world. She whipped out her camera and took a flash shot. Elizabeth
would like seeing this. With a little tinkering by Koz, all the images could be
sent home—no!—back to Earth.

She
slipped the camera into her bag, a new leather healthy back bag that had been a
gift from Sevair, and scanned those before her. They looked wearier, worn,
thinner, and tougher than when she’d taken that first step inside this tavern.
The month and a half had been hard on them. Bloodier battles, greater losses,
the fear and anxiety that each would be the next one to fall to the Dark’s evil
sickness.

Sevair’s
ex-assistant had much to answer for. Suppressed fury roiled within her. She’d
make him pay.

She
walked to the Exotiques’ booth and found Faucon drinking in the shadowy corner,
watching her. Oh, man! She closed her eyes for a moment, braced herself.

He
scowled when she joined him. Instead of taking the bench across from him, she
slid in next to him. His eyes looked bleary, his clothes rumpled. His Song
lingered in the low register, sad. She rose a little and kissed his cheek,
feeling stubble.

“Go
away,” he said.

“No.
I want you to continue to be a good friend.”

“Seeing
you hurts me.”

That
hurt, so her voice was rough. “Sorry, but I don’t entirely believe that. You,
more than anyone, always saw us as different.”

“Yes,
but memory fades.” His mouth stretched in an unamused grin. He patted his
heart. “I hope. You’re all who is left of her.”

Bri
sniffed. “Elizabeth would have given you gifts.”

He
raised his cup and drank. “Ayes. But she did not find pleasure in mine. Perhaps
that was my mistake. I didn’t know her well enough. Didn’t have time to.”

Bri
laid a hand over his. “You made no mistakes. It just wasn’t meant to be.” How
stupid she felt uttering such banalities. “Lladrana wasn’t for her. She had too
much waiting for her at home, a career she’d worked very hard and very long
for, our parents.” Her voice trembled.

He
turned his hand over, squeezed her fingers, then looked aside. “And that other
man. I believe she thought of him, sometimes, when she was with me, or tried to
make me him. She just didn’t know it, and neither did I.” He stood abruptly,
swayed a little. “No offense, but I’m leaving.”

He
nudged at her and she reluctantly slid out of the booth, but blocked his way,
curving her hands around his face. “You’re a little drunk. I can take that
away.”

“Please
don’t.” He picked her up and set her aside, took a couple of careful steps.
Another twisted smile from him. “Unlike those machines in your and Elizabeth’s
minds, volarans don’t need to be steered home.”

H
is heartache
wasn’t easing. Faucon had stuck it out nearly two weeks, but being in the
Castle, in Castleton, wasn’t helping. Alexa had forbidden him to fly to battle
and fight and his teams and volarans were obeying her.

Bri
and Sevair spent more time at the Castle. Sevair was coordinating a
coeur de
chain
ceremony between Bri and himself and between Bastien and Alexa, that
Bri was willfully blind to. Bri herself worked smoothly with the Castle
medicas.