Protector of the Flight (5 page)

Calli
shuddered.

Marian
touched her shoulder. “It takes some getting used to.”

Ignoring
the banter, Calli swung her legs around, pushed off from the high bed and
jarred to her feet. Bastien caught her hand in his and placed it on his arm,
steadying her balance. There was a faint spurt of warmth from his touch but it
felt unlike the women’s.

She
should have shrieked in pain at the combination of movements. Instead, she felt
almost as good as new. There was still a tenseness about her muscles, a sense
of the fragility of her mended pelvis, something she didn’t think would ever go
away, but she moved as if the fall had been a year ago, not months. That, more
than anything, scared her into believing she was “somewhere else.” She didn’t
want to think about that, though. She cleared her throat. “What did you do to
me?”

“We
healed you,” Alexa said.

Marian
said, “We have magic.
All
of us have magic, and you do, too. It’s called
Power here, and the culture is an aural one—more based on sound than vision.
They call the Supreme Being ‘the Song,’ and use singing to channel their
magic.”

Yeah.
Right. Calli narrowed her eyes. Marian looked like a woman who would call the
Supreme Being “Goddess.” Calli hadn’t often run into that religion, except the
time when a pagan group held some sort of retreat on a campground near town.

She
licked her lips.

“Want
some water?” Marian asked. She went to an elegantly carved wooden corner table
topped with marble and poured water from a pitcher into a heavy glass goblet,
then brought it to Calli.

Calli
sniffed, it smelled minty.

“Only
water with peppermint,” Marian said.

Calli
didn’t drink.

Alexa
heaved a sigh. “On my word of honor, only minty water.” She touched her baton
sheath.

Marian
nodded. “On my word of honor.”

Alexa
was from Denver and Marian from Boulder. Both city types. Would their words be
good? Calli considered them and decided to trust them. It might just be a
dream, after all.

As
the water slid down her throat, leaving a tang of peppermint on her tongue,
Calli thought it tasted awfully good and was pretty damn wet for a dream. She
finished the glass and handed it to Marian, who put it back on the table.

“First
things first,” Alexa said, starting toward the door. Bastien tucked Calli’s
hand in his elbow and he and Calli followed Alexa.

Alexa
continued. “This is the main healing room in the Keep of the Castle.”

“Keep?”
asked Calli. That didn’t sound too familiar.

“Uh,
the Marshalls’ Headquarters,” Alexa said. They exited into a wide hallway made
of gray stone. Rustling behind her told Calli that others would be leaving,
too. Now that they’d healed her. Huh. She wondered who would accompany her on
the “tour.” She had an idea Marian and Faucon would come along.

“We’re
on the second story of a five-story building, near the front that faces the
Temple Ward. A ‘ward’ is a courtyard, and this one has a big, round Temple at
the end. That’s where we Summoned you and where you came through the
dimensional corridor this morning,” Alexa said.

They
turned left and walked to the end of the hallway to a set of stairs.

“We’ll
give you a map,” Alexa said.

“When
we brief you later,” Marian said. “In private.”

That
might be good. So many new faces were a little intimidating. Calli really hadn’t
believed she had such an imagination to populate this dream. All of her other
dreams—until recently—had been of simple stuff.

She
suddenly recalled the dream that had woken her that morning. Alarms. People
needing help…like several she’d had lately.

They
tromped down the stairs and sounded like a bunch of people clattering down a
stone staircase. The floor was hard under the soles of her boots, too.

“My
tower’s diagonally behind us.” A smile flickered over Alexa’s face. “I have a
whole tower to myself, here at the Marshalls’ Castle. I also have an estate of
my own. You’ll get one, too.”

“A
spread of my own?” Calli pounced on the statement.

“Yes.”

“Are
there mountains?” Even walking down the large hallway, Calli could tell the air
was more humid, felt different in her nose and on her tongue than the air she
was used to. All her senses fed her unfamiliar information. She had to be
dreaming, or there was a really big catch.

A
shadow passed over Alexa’s face and for the first time she answered hesitantly.
“There are mountains, but I don’t think you should live in them.”

“I
can handle anything the mountains throw at me,” Calli said. She’d been through
blizzard and fire and drought. But that was Colorado. If she was in some other
dangerous place, she didn’t want to stay. She wanted her land, her ranch.

They
reached a door. Alexa threw it open.

And
Calli saw dozens of winged horses. Once again a flood of affection came from
them.

Bastien
urged her forward, but as soon as she took a step outside into the yard, the horses
trumpeted in greeting.

She
couldn’t help herself. Fascination at their beauty mesmerized her. She threw
off Bastien’s hold and strode into the yard and was immediately surrounded by
horseflesh. No,
volaran
flesh. Warm and fragrant and strong and just
completely marvelous.

They
pushed against her, noses snuffling at her hair, her shoulders, everywhere.

She
was buffeted and…passed around.

What
was even more fabulous was that she heard—whisperings—brushing her mind.

Our
Exotique.

Our
Calli.

Our
friend.

She
reached out and stroked a neck, patted a nose and finally touched the wing of
the dappled gray stallion.

The
volarans moved several lengths away from her and the gray. The courtyard fell
silent. Quietly, with infinite grace, the gray stretched out his wing for her
to study.

It
was simply the most beautiful thing Calli had ever seen. Huge and soft with
feathers. But this was a big horse. She didn’t know how it could fly.

Magic.
She heard the
word clearly in her mind.
And our bones are strong but hollow.

She
swallowed.

Quick,
small footsteps advanced and Alexa joined her. The woman’s face was alight with
wonder.

“They
love you,” Alexa said. “You’ve only just met them and they all love you.”

Once
more Calli became aware of the delight emanating from them. This time it wasn’t
words or just a feeling. This time it was a Song of welcome, blended of
harmonies that sang of wild flight with the wind, of running, of pirouetting
and playing in the air.

Like
the sound that she had heard as a child when riding free and fast across a
mountain meadow. A sound so sweet it made tears sting her eyes.

There
were quick notes that skipped like her pulse before a barrel-riding
competition.

The
tune changed, became a song of fighting in battle.

An
alarm clanged, echoing around the stone castle walls, pounding danger into the
silence, breaking the mental song into a hundred fragments.

“Horrors
invading through Arde Pass!” Alexa shouted.

Suddenly
Bastien was there, running past them and grabbing Alexa. Saddles appeared on
the backs of many volarans. Calli goggled. Had to be magic.

Bastien
flung Alexa up onto the back of a big, black volaran, sprang into the saddle
behind her and they rose in an upward spiral.

Calli’s
breath caught as feathered wings swept the sky, flashing all colors against a
bright blue. There was
nothing
so beautiful as a volaran in flight. The
loveliness tightened her stomach.

Others
ran and claimed their mounts. Calli saw Lady Hallard, Faucon, a man in pristine
white leathers. Chevaliers in riding garb and Marshalls in their armor, all
rose on a flurry of wings.

Two
hawks bulleted from the Castle walls and flew beside Alexa. Soon, only a few
volarans remained in the courtyard, including the gray and a mare with her
young filly. Marian, a tall man with startling blue eyes and a golden headband
standing next to her and some soldiers were the only people around.

Slowly
Calli turned to the Circlets—Marian and her husband. A question she didn’t want
answered tore from her throat. “Where did they go?”

“They
go to fight the invading monsters. To live or die,” Marian said, face white and
strained.

It
had
to be a dream.

4

C
alli ran her
fingers all along her skull, paying attention to her temples, and the side of
her head that would have hit the crystal. No cracks, no breaks. No pain.

She
pressed a hand to her chest, felt the
thump-thump-thump
of her heart.
Hearing it in her temples, it was slightly loud, slightly fast.

“You
really are in a different world,” Marian said. Her gaze swept the empty ward,
her smile forced. “Well, it looks as if the briefing is up to me.” Her hand
reached out for the man’s next to her and was immediately clasped and squeezed.

Another
woman who’d found love on Lladrana.

After
a deep breath, Marian said, “We have several choices as to where to go. Alexa’s
tower guest suite is open. The Chevaliers, of course, prepared a suite in
Horseshoe Hall and Jaquar and I are living in the Sorcerers’ guest rooms. We’ll
have tea.”

Calli
stared at her. “Tea! What about beer? Better yet, whiskey.”

The
man snorted. He appeared totally masculine in the long robe. A thought struck
Calli.

“Shouldn’t
he
not
understand us?”

Marian
flushed, but answered with more grace than Calli might have managed. “We’ve
developed a potion that helps with language comprehension. Naturally, we needed
a test subject. Jaquar volunteered. He’s the only Lladranan who understands
contemporary American usage.”

“You
said you were from Boulder. The university, right? What were you, a prof?”
Calli asked.

“Close,
a grad student on the way to a professorship and a nice tenure track.”

“I
might understand the words, but the concept of that last sentence eluded me,”
Jaquar said in English. He bowed. “My pleasure to meet you, Lady Callista
Torcher.”

“Boy,
you catch on fast.” Calli stared at him. His words had a definite lilt,
especially when pronouncing her name, but were perfectly understandable.

Since
Calli wasn’t wearing a dress, and wasn’t sure how to curtsey anyway, she
inclined her torso. Without pain.
That
notion still amazed her.

“Though
drink sounds good, I think it might be most illuminating for Calli to visit the
Map Room,” Jaquar said.

“I
don’t know—” Calli started.

The
little filly danced up to Calli, butted her.
I am here and wanted you here
and we all wanted you here and you came! Love us.

Another
hard shot to the heart. How could she
not
love this dainty…what?
Tentatively she stretched out her hand and stroked the little hor—volaran top
to toe.

The
dappled gray crowded close.
Except for this one, I am the best at talking to
humans. So I am yours to partner with.
He nickered, then sniffed at her.
You
are healed and well. Want to fly?

Her
hand went to her throat, clogged with turbulent emotions. Would they
ever
calm down and sort out? What a day! “I…I don’t know how.”

The
volaran blinked. She’d spoken English. But it had spoken…what? Pressing her
lips together in concentration, she sent her wide-eyed amazement at a flying
horse to the volaran, with the image of a lot of horses—a herd of horses, and
no volarans.

Horses
only?
His mental voice held disbelief.

She
nodded.
Yes.
Nibbling her bottom lip, she considered what to do. Just
the offer by the gray volaran was a challenge.

Marian
and Jaquar stared at her, muttering to each other, faces set in fascinated
expressions.

“You’re
talking to the volaran?” asked Jaquar.

“Did
he speak telepathically to you?” Marian said at the same time.

Calli
rolled her eyes. “Shit, you two.”

Marian
chuckled. “Yes, we’re endlessly interested in everything. I saw you nod. A nod
means agreement, just like in the States.”

Practicality
surfaced. Calli’d never ridden a strange horse without playing games on the
ground with it first. She sent an image of her favorite game, followed by
Play
first?

Snorting,
the volaran said,
I am not a horse. Volarans are much superior.
He
paused and she realized that he wasn’t speaking English or—or that other
language. He was speaking horse-volaran-equine.