Keepers of the Flame (61 page)

That
kept them all quiet as they arranged Raine and made sure she was secure and
supported by the net.

“Well,
it’s gonna be moot in a few months anyway,” Alexa said, mounting her volaran.
“The Dimensional Corridor is closing.”

“To
Earth,” Marian said.

They
stared at her. She shrugged. “There have been two other worlds Summonings have
pulled from, in the ancient past.”

Calli
broke the silence. “We need to take care of
this
Exotique.”

Bri
heard the horsewoman speak mentally in Equine to the volarans as she vaulted
onto her steed. “Besides, the last Exotique from Earth will be for the Singer.
I doubt she needs any help Summoning someone.”

“Probably
doesn’t think she needs anyone,” Alexa muttered. “Too bad. We take care of our
own.
We
should Summon the next, all of us and the Marshalls and
Chevaliers and Circlets and Citymasters.”

“Ayes,”
Marian said. “We should.” Another little sigh. “I noted that you left out the
Seamasters.”

Alexa’s
expression hardened. “They opted out themselves.”

“I’m
sure one of Raine’s tasks is to integrate them into the rest of the culture,
like we’ve done with the others. We all have a common cause, after all, and we
may need the Seamasters when we sail to the north to invade the Dark’s nest.”

Bri
sucked in a quick breath and straightened her spine.

“If
we need Seamasters, we’ll have Faucon set up a circle of those we can trust,”
Alexa said.

“Thus
fragmenting that particular segment of society further,” Marian pointed out.

Alexa
tugged her gauntlets onto her hands, squinted with irritation at Marian. “Why
are you playing Devil’s advocate?”

“Because
if Raine’s task is to integrate the Seamasters as well as design and build the
ship, she’s going to need all our support and not our antagonism against them.”

“They
deserve our antagonism. They hurt one of ours.” Alexa stared at Raine, shook
her head. “She
is
one of us, ours.” For Alexa, that was the last word.
Her volaran shot into the sky and away northeast toward the Castle.

46

R
aine woke to
hideous pain of a thousand needles piercing her body. A shriek tore from her
raw throat. Her sweaty hands were grasped on both sides, the left by Bri, the
right by Alexa, and the pain diminished. She was hauled to her feet and only then
realized that she’d been lying on cool, hard stone.

Marian
linked hands with Alexa and the pain was shared again. Calli took Bri’s hand
and Raine’s head cleared further, enough to grit her teeth and bear it, stop
the screams ripping from her. She stood in a huge, circular building with high
windows, some of stained glass, some clear. Around her a large circle of people
linked hands—the Marshalls in color-coded pairs, those who wore flying
leathers—Chevaliers. Middle-class townspeople were there too—she recognized
Bri’s serious husband; Circlets stood in long velvet robes with bands of
precious metal and jewels around their foreheads.

And
those who wore clothes that showed they worked on the ocean—Seamasters. Those
who had originally Summoned her, torn her from her world. There weren’t many of
them, four, at what might be the compass points. They looked as grim as she
felt.

The
thin guy was nowhere to be seen, but the big guy caught her eye and ducked his
head. Then there was a man who resembled Faucon—a cousin? A third, older, bent
man with shrewd eyes and a hard jaw. Looked as if he might have come out of
retirement. The fourth was middle-aged, but had lost a hand and wore a hook.

Raine
couldn’t see Faucon, but knew he was there.

The
man in white leathers who’d shaken with revulsion upon meeting her but had not
attacked, raised his voice in Song. The others Sang too, chanted. The
Exotiques’ men. Even Alexa and Marian and Calli Sang. Bri hummed.

What’s
going on?
she asked the other Earth women, jolted a little when she realized she’d sent
them words with her
mind
as well as muttering them.

You
weren’t Summoned properly.
Marian’s mental voice was laden with disapproval.
You
must be attuned to Amee by the gong and chimes. That way you will come into
your full Power.

And
the pain will go away
,
Bri said.

And
you will be able to fly anywhere in Lladrana,
Calli said.
Blossom wants to
fly with you.

Raine
glanced at Bri and saw a drop of sweat bead at her temple and trickle down her
cheek. She was dressed in a deep blue-green gown, more sapphire than emerald.
Each of the others also wore a gown—Marian’s flame red, Alexa’s the brown of
rich loam, Calli’s a cloudless sky blue.

Raine
herself wore white cloth that shimmered with many colors like possibilities.

Brace
yourself
,
Alexa said.
We’re coming to the end of the first verse. The rest of us will
let go of your hands a bar before the end. You will have to endure the pain
yourself.

Or
just succumb,
Calli said.
We will still be here inside the pentacle with you
.

They
were in a pentacle? Now that Calli mentioned it, Raine saw the flaming lines of
neon blue. She didn’t like this, any of it, but figured like the rest of her
life the past six months, it would have to be survived.

The
chant rose, perfect and beautiful, one rhythm pulsing like her heart, secondary
voices breathing in time with her. Or she was with them. Magic. Power.

Bri
and Alexa let go of her hands and the needles were back in force, piercing her
flesh. She fell to the floor, writhing, sweat instantly coating her body. She
didn’t have the breath or the energy to scream. Agony was all.

Chimes
rippled and the pain tugged through her, faded a moment. The gong rang and the
note reverberated through her; her limbs thrashed.

Her
ears popped and the Song coming from many throats surrounded her, beautiful.
The pain
was
less. Bri and Alexa took her hands, lifted her again. She
became aware of the smooth stone under her bare feet, the marble walls, the
beams with Power crystals overhead, the sunlight in the windows.

Is
it almost over?
she asked the women linked with her, standing with her, becoming her friends.

Two
more times,
Marian said.

A
wave of empathic sympathy came from the other Exotiques. The sweat that had
been drying on Raine’s body slicked again. She gritted her teeth and
concentrated on the Song. Some of the transitions were not quite smooth.

We
lost Partis and Thealia, the lead Marshalls, who led all the Summonings before
. Alexa answered
her thought with quiet grief.
Luthan is leading now, mentally linked with
the Singer, whom he represents. But before we Summon the last we will need a
stronger Singing pair.

Luthan
was the man in white leathers, the honorable treasure of a man. He had
controlled his revulsion of her. Having experienced Travys, Raine could respect
the man. He met her gaze with grave regard, inclined his head. Now that she
listened
she could hear Songs better, nuances better, even see auras a bit. Luthan’s
shone bright with integrity. She nodded back.

There
were two other male voices adding depth and Power. Cocking her head she sought
out the next one, found him—Calli’s man. Marrec? He smiled at her, reassuring,
letting her know that not only the women stood with her, but all those in the
circle wished her well, wanted her here.

End
of verse coming up
,
Alexa warned. She squeezed Raine’s hand and some of
her
memories
flashed. Alexa had been attacked when Summoned, both by a monster and one of
the repulsed ones. Raine turned her head, locked gazes with Alexa. Then the
women released her hands and a massive pressure gripped Raine, crushing breath
from her. She landed on her knees. More pain shot through her. Chimes rose and
fell, the gong sounded. Raine panted.

This
time when Bri and Alexa grabbed her hands, she got her feet under her and
pushed up.

You
are doing very well,
Marian said with warm approval that eased Raine’s stinging pride that so many
witnessed her weakness.

Not
weak at all,
said Calli, and from that woman Raine saw that she, too, had been damaged
before her Summoning, had collapsed with pain.

The
chant got louder and not from the force of breath, but of Power shared and
resonating. Harmonies and tones melded together in an intricate weave of melody
and magic. Power was audible now, and nearly visible as darkly glowing threads.
Luthan, Marrec, both men with extraordinary voices. Raine heard a lilt rolling
through the melody giving it a different twist, a little something extra.
Another man. Raine looked around. Bastien, Alexa’s man, one of the rare,
brilliant black-and-whites, winked at her. Raised his brows as if asking her
forgiveness for his blow.

She
found her lips curving and smiled back. He made a show of a sigh of relief.

He’s
a love,
Alexa said, grinning.

Bastien
winked at Alexa, too.

Yes,
the chant, the Song was as deep and Powerful as an ocean swell, pulling at her,
preparing her? Attuning her to the land, more, to the sea.

The
women around her were single, pure, major chords. Raine pulled knowledge from
Bri—chakra tones, embodying energy and Power of the elements.

But
there was one last throbbing rhythm that she needed to follow, to find. A
harmony that wasn’t as aurally exquisite as Luthan’s and Marrec’s voices, not as
unusual as Bastien’s lilt, or as rock steady and solid as Sevair Masif’s beat,
but which called to her more.

She
sank into herself, listened with more than her mind, flowed with the surge of
her blood.

Behind
her.

She
turned gently, the other women pinwheeling slowly around her, until she could
see him, though she knew his voice and his Song before she caught sight of him.

Faucon.

Their
gazes locked.

Yes.
His was the Song she wanted, that provided her with everything—strength,
wonder, comfort.

Fascinating
man.

She
heard the verse coming to an end, and dropped Bri’s and Alexa’s hands. Let the
pain wash over her like an old aching bruise. Endured it. Stood tall.

The
chimes rang and this time they were fizzing in her blood, down every nerve. She
trembled.

The
gong sounded and all her mind was the tone of it. Her body arched.

She
kept her gaze on Faucon, gasped as Power swept through her and around her and
expanded to the sky and the earth, the wind and the wave.

Pain
was banished. Her gown turned deep emerald with a dark blue shimmer.

Faucon
was still there with her, mouth tight, unwilling.

She
didn’t care. She felt incredible.

Fabulous
Song.

O
ver the next few
days Bri spent more time at the Castle than in the town, helping Raine settle
into Elizabeth’s old suite, one floor below Alexa in her tower. Learning Raine
preferred dark chocolate, Bri had given Raine the last of Elizabeth’s stash,
thinking it might comfort her.

Bri
accompanied Raine to her first few lessons in Power, something that came easily
to her now and brought a radiance to her face, straightened her hunched
defensive posture into the confidence she must have had before.

There
were short introductory meetings with the Marshalls and Chevaliers, and more casual
evening gatherings that included meals. Alexa had a very different style of
leadership than the lost Thealia.

Faucon
had returned to his seaside estate to travel to other coastal towns with his
cousin, ostensibly to speak individually to the Seamasters.

Koz
and the rest of them had learned that a mirror had been pivotal in Raine’s
Summoning, and that she was indeed the descendant of Thomas Lindley, the man
who had been the Singer’s teacher and lover. Who had taken a mirror from
Lladrana home to Earth somehow. Or the Singer had transported the mirror to
Earth and to Thomas.

These
deductions had fired Calli and Marrec’s irritation; everyone concluded that the
Singer
had
somehow primed the crystal in Calli’s mountain to show
Lladrana when she was a child, and later bring her through. They all suspected
she had help on Earth.

Sevair
spent the nights in Bri’s bed and the sex was wonderful. When they spoke, it
was of daily happenings, or the additional renovations Sevair wanted to make to
their tower, or the fact that the couple next door had been persuaded to move
away to a new house in the southern part of the city. Their old, smaller,
square two-story building would eventually be Bri’s new office and surgery
space. Or they’d talk of life plans, after the Dark was defeated. Bri got the
idea that Sevair was gently accustoming her to the fact that she’d have to face
the final battle with the Dark, with five other women to help her. Despite all
their plans, she might not survive that battle. Sevair did not speak of the
bloodbonding thing, but Bri knew he hadn’t given up those particular plans.