Sorceress of Faith (35 page)

Marian
nearly closed her eyes at the energy radiating from the woman.

“Hot
springs,” Marian repeated reverently.

“Yup.
The best are the Chevaliers’ baths in the bottom of Horseshoe Hall. Efficacious
minerals, good Powerful soothing spells, a series of different temperature
pools.” Alexa waved. “Whatever you need.”

“Sounds
wonderful.”

“They’re
also the busiest. Probably full right now. Co-ed bathing.” Alexa slid a glance
Marian’s way.

Marian
was shaking her head.

“Yeah,
I know, I don’t care for it, either. The Marshalls have a fancy public bath in
the bottom of the Keep—pretty mosaic tiles, greenery.” She cocked her head. “No
one’s there right now. It’s co-ed, too, so Jaquar can keep you company. Between
the two of you, you could ward the door and make it private.” Alexa wiggled her
brows, then sobered. “Marian, you
do
know that every bond you make—with
Bossgond, the blood-bond I forced you into—”

“Don’t
you say that! I agreed.”

“You
didn’t—don’t—know all the ramifications—”

“Maybe
not, but I’m an adult. Don’t take my choices away from me. I don’t want you
feeling guilty over this.”

“Oh,
all right. But to continue my warning from my vast experience of three
months—every bond you make with someone here, with Amee itself, will tie you
here, and I know that’s not what you want. You have one helluva a Song going
with Jaquar already.”

“I
know.”

“Just
saying—”

“Thank
you, but I’ll be fine.”
I have to be
.

21

W
hether Jaquar
had noticed that their pace had sped up, Marian’s agitated voice or a ruffling
of the Song he shared with her, he caught up and walked with them.

Actually,
he strutted. “The feycoocu has graced me with the gift of her name.”

Marian
and Alexa shared a glance. “Sinafin?” they asked in unison, looking at the
bird.

Jaquar’s
mouth twisted. “I should have known both of you knew it.”

Of
course
,
said Sinafin.
They are Exotiques. All the Exotiques will know my name
.

His
eyes narrowed with calculation.

“That
reminds me,” Marian said, switching back to Lladranan. “The woman we met at the
Nom de Nom, Perlee Desolly, looks as if she has some Exotique blood. I was
under the impression that children from Exotique-Lladranan unions are rare.”

“True,”
Alexa said. “But they do occur. My estate—the one gifted me as an Exotique—and
you’ll get one and a salary, too, Marian—was established by an Exotique who had
children.” Alexa stared straight ahead. “I doubt Bastien and I will have
children. It’s not good to bring children into the world when both parents are
fighters.” She shrugged. “And if Lladrana ever wins this war, I still don’t
think we’d be blessed. During the two visions I had of my life on Earth or my
life here, children were not in my future. We practice birth control, anyway.”

“How?”
asked Marian.

Now
Alexa turned her head and smiled. “Really a curious person, aren’t you,
Marian.”

Marian
was glad the dark would not show her flush. “Yes.”

“Only
to be expected, you being an academic and all. But I would have thought that
Jaquar would say something about it—or Bossgond, even.”

Marian
stared at Jaquar’s profile. “They didn’t.”

Jaquar
shrugged. “It didn’t come up. I know Marian can’t stay. I did what was
necessary.” Sinafin asked him something and he turned his head to talk with
her.

“Powerful
people—such as Marshalls or Circlets—can control bodily functions. During sex
we usually turn up the body heat and kill the little swimmers.”

“Sperm?”
Marian asked.

“That’s
it,” Alexa replied cheerfully. “Fry ’em to hell.” She waved her hand. “Poof.
They’re gone.”

“Interesting,”
Marian said. She was almost distracted from the topic she wanted to pursue.
“Has anyone ever kept track of all the mixed bloodlines through genealogy?”

“Like
an Exotique descendants’ Lorebook?” Alexa asked.

“Yes.”

“I
don’t know.”

Marian
caught Jaquar’s attention and repeated the question.

“I
haven’t heard of any,” he said, and picked up the pace so that Alexa nearly had
to run.

“Didn’t
your parents ever discuss your heritage with you?” asked Alexa. She wasn’t even
panting.

“No.
I was abandoned as a child. In Krache.” He gave a humorless smile. “A seaport
with few decent people. My adoptive parents found me living in the streets
there.”

“Oh,”
Alexa said. “Sorry.”

Sinafin
rubbed her feathered head against his cheek, crooning.

Alexa
stared at Jaquar, then shook her head. “Well, at least I don’t have to look at
that hat anymore. Bastien made it for himself, you know. Really ugly hat.”

Marian
followed the new conversational lead. “Very ugly hat. Uglier than your purple
muff.”

Sinafin
clicked her beak in amusement.

They
arrived at the main gate of the Castle. The Marshalls’ Castle. Marian had
visited a couple of castles in France, but this one looked more like Windsor
than a French chateau.

There
was a drawbridge, and the edge of the iron portcullis showed near the top of
the entryway. The hallway beyond the gate must have been at least fifteen feet
long, leading into a courtyard.

Since
Jaquar and Alexa walked quickly and the buildings overshadowed the grassy
courtyard, details were lost.

Alexa
headed toward the far door of the yard. “This is the lower ward,” she said.
Pulling her jade baton from its sheath, she pointed it at a large, square
wooden door with iron strap-work and hummed two notes. The door banged open.
Marian caught horrified looks on the faces of two uniformed soldiers as they
flattened themselves against the inner wall.

“Sorry,”
Alexa said. “I didn’t know anyone was minding the door.” She slipped her baton
back in its sheath and stepped over the foot-high threshold of the door.

Jaquar
chuckled and did the same.

As
Marian followed she met the eyes of the soldiers—both middle-aged, one man and
one woman—and found them staring at Jaquar, then her, mouths open.

More
gossip would circulate, for certain.

Alexa
waved to the massive Keep. “Thealia’s Tower is the closest, mine is behind
hers, overlooking the cliff.” She angled toward it.

This
yard wasn’t grass like the previous one, but stone. A huge round building about
three stories high dominated the far end.

Jaquar
held out his hand and Marian took it. He gazed down at her, smiling. Did she
look as lost as she felt at this turn of events?

Sinafin
emitted a piercing cry and Marian wondered if Alexa had kept track of all of
Sinafin’s forms; it seemed the creature had an infinite variety. The hawk flew
across the yard.

“She’s
going to Bastien and his laboring volaran,” Alexa said.

“This
is Temple Ward,” Jaquar said. He gestured to the round building. “That’s the
Temple where the Marshalls Summoned you.”

Memory
images clicked into place of the gigantic round room, a pentacle, an altar. “If
I want to return to Earth, should I leave from there?”

Alexa
halted, glanced back at them. “Probably best. The Marshalls are the strongest
team in the country. I don’t think a band of Circlets would have the experience
in blending their Power to accomplish such a difficult and delicate task. Or
you can wait for the Snap.”

“I’ll
figure out how to recompense you for sending me home before I leave. The timing
of the Snap is too uncertain,” Marian said.

They
entered a cloister walk of open stonework arches that ran along most of the
Keep, then went to the far Tower, where there was a door. Alexa ushered them
through and into a large hallway. She indicated the left wall. “That’s the
Marshalls’ Council Room.” When they came to an intersecting corridor—another
wide hall—Alexa turned left. “The hall at the end of the building opening to
the right leads to my tower. I’ll show you to your suite, then I think I’ll
check on Bastien in the volaran stables.”

So
they traversed the corridors and mounted the stairs in Alexa’s tower. As in
Jaquar’s Tower, the steps were a tight spiral of stone.

Alexa
crossed the circular inner entryway to a door and flung it open, then turned
left down a dim, narrow passage and threw open another door. “Your rooms. Be
glad the Marshalls only used an incredible amount of purple in my suite.” She
grinned at Jaquar. “You should know lighting and housekeeping spells—you might
want to dust.” Then she hurried away.

Whistling
several notes, Jaquar entered as light flickered in crystal orbs on the walls.

“It’s
beautiful,” Marian said. She stared into a richly colored bedroom—rugs of
complementary patterns, a wide expanse of windows that followed the curve of
the tower. To her right was a huge canopy bed, complete with curtains.

Marian
stared at the bed. The heat of her blood seemed to rise until it pulsed just
under her skin, sensitizing every nerve.

She
was intensely aware of Jaquar standing beside her, though she didn’t turn to
look at him. She could hear his every breath, sense the waves of his aura, and
the melody between them rolled like thunder in her ears, in her heart. She
barely breathed herself, afraid that moving might shatter her mind, the sensory
input was so great. She didn’t know how she stood the feeling throbbing between
them.

“I
can’t,” she whispered in English.

But
he must have known it was denial.

His
footsteps were mere brushes of shoe upon thick rug, yet she heard
them…retreating. At the door, he murmured, “I’ll be in the Keep baths at the
lowest level. Follow our Song if you wish to join me.”

A
slight disturbance of air indicated the opening and shutting of the door.

Marian
trembled violently, took one step, two, toward the bed. Fell across it. She
panted and tears leaked from under her eyelids. She lay there for a moment,
doing nothing but existing, as if her mind spun in starry space, scattered into
electrical impulses that were stars, no thought, only being.

She
was afraid her heart had developed a small crack that could wrench it in two.
One part of her longed to stay in Lladrana, become a Sorceress, fulfill her
natural potential…learn more of Jaquar.

The
other part would always need Andrew—for brotherly love, to protect and be
protected. Her family.

How
could she merge the two?

She
could return to Earth and stay.

She
could return to Earth, explain everything to Andrew and return to Lladrana.

She
could stay in Lladrana—but, no, that was not truly an option.

The
most exciting, the most frightening possibility of all was to convince Andrew
to return to Lladrana with her. But could she? What if he would live longer and
better on Earth? What if there really was no hope for him on Lladrana? What if
she couldn’t come back, let alone bring Andrew with her? What price would they
pay to return?

And
why was she thinking of all these abstruse matters when there was a sexy hunk
of man waiting to pleasure her in the wet, steamy, exotic baths…? Because she
was afraid her feelings for Jaquar played a big part in her decision.

But,
of course, there was such a thing as thinking too much, overanalyzing. That was
exactly what she was doing now.

Marian
stretched, and grit pricked her skin—dust from the road? Caked mud from
lovemaking in the field? Electricity of her body attracting particles during
the lightning ride? Probably all three.

She
hopped from the bed and did a quick exploration of the tower suite. She was
becoming well informed about tower living arrangements. This one had a bathroom
with a shower, but no bathtub, as usual.

Definitely
time for a wash.

Humming—and
realizing she was lilting a portion of the tune that linked her to Jaquar—Marian
let the notes seep into her, lead her feet instinctively. An interesting
alternative to thinking—simply following instinct. She seemed to be much more
tied to the world and people and Songs here than on Earth.

She
reached the lowest level of the Keep. Instead of dark and dank, twisty
passages, she found well-lit corridors that were wide.

For
a moment she hesitated outside the door. Their previous sex could be
rationalized away as excitement from playing in the storm. If she went in now,
they’d join together again—knowingly and deliberately on both their parts.

Letting
her emotions, her sexuality, surface and overwhelm the sharp thoughts, Marian
pushed the door open.

He
stood waiting for her, shining droplets scattered over his body. The lush
setting of colorful mosaic tiles complemented his golden skin, dark hair, blue
eyes. A man in the prime of his life, he moved toward her with muscular power
and grace. He could be a sultan, a water god. He was a Circlet, a great
Sorcerer. A magnificent man.