Echoes in the Dark (12 page)

“Salutations,
Koz,” she said belatedly.

Nodding,
he said, “Hey.”

She
found her fingers had twined together tightly. “Mirrors for my family?” was all
she could force out.

He
hadn’t brought anything with him.

8

K
oz said, “Yes, I
can establish connections with Earth through my mirrors. Links I think will
even survive when the Dimensional Corridor shifts and Earth is no longer
accessible from here.”

A
mirror set in her father’s house! Or one of her brothers’, or even all of her
brothers’! She hadn’t really hoped for so much. She gasped. Calli came and
rubbed her shoulders.

Reality
cleared her mind. “There is no way my father or brothers will believe in
mirrors that suddenly appear in their houses, in talking mirrors, in any of
this.”

“Doesn’t
mean we can’t get something there, and you can’t check up on them once and a
while,” Koz said. He lifted his forefinger. “However…”

Raine
tensed.

“I
can’t place the mirror or mirrors myself. Bossgond must do that.”

Raine’s
spirits sank.

She’d
had a few sessions with the most brilliant Sorcerer in Lladrana—the cranky old
man. She didn’t think the CIA could debrief better.

“Sorry.”
Koz gave her a half smile.

Marian
coughed. “Maybe he’ll be reasonable….”

Everyone
stared at her.

She
shrugged. “All right, he won’t, but we should try, and right now.” Pulling out
a small crystal sphere from her pocket she called Bossgond.

The
ball hummed for about a minute, then came a voice but no image. “What! I’m
working!”

“Koz
and Raine have a project for you.”

A
heaved sigh, then wisps in the ball solidified into the image of the skinny,
wrinkled Sorcerer. He sat with arms crossed and listened as Koz explained what
he needed.

Bossgond
sniffed. “It will cost you.”

Raine
had anticipated this, but anger spurted through her anyway. She jumped to her
feet. “Cost
me!
” Glaring at him, she said, “Am I or am I not the one who
spoke to you for
hours
about every little detail of my Summoning here
and my life? Haven’t I given you
masses
of information about…stuff. My
grandmother’s mirror that originally came from Lladrana. The Summoning. Living
here on my own. Travys who had the innate repulsion.” She waved her hands.
“Whatever. You should owe me!”

“She’s
got a point.” Koz rocked on his heels, grinning.

“Excellent
strategy,” Alexa said.

Another
big sigh from Bossgond, though Raine thought she saw the eternal curiosity that
marked a Sorcerer in his eyes. “You can locate your father’s home?”

“My
father and four brothers.” Raine stuck out her chin. It didn’t matter that none
of them would believe in talking mirrors or interdimensional communication. She
wanted a connection to them all.

Bossgond
let out an undignified squeak. “Five!”

“Yeah,
tough,” Raine muttered. “I love them all, and they love me.” Even if there
hadn’t been much understanding among them. She’d wanted to take the family
shipbuilding company into the second millennium with double hulls and metallic
alloys. The guys had insisted on staying with wooden sailing ships. She
probably would have left the company by now, but that was all in the past. Her
future, for the moment, was on Lladrana.

“I
want to get a message to them that I’m okay, too.”

Koz
gave a little cough, gazed at Raine, then switched to Bossgond. “I have an
idea.”

“Ayes?”
asked Bossgond.

Koz
looked Raine in the eyes. “Are your father and brothers honorable men?”

Raine
had rarely given that phrase much thought on Earth. Here in Lladrana it was
important. “They’re known for always keeping their word.”

“Right.”
Koz nodded. Again he swept a look from Raine to Bossgond. “What say we send the
mirrors to their attorney. You know their attorney?”

“Yeah,
I know him well.”

“You
could locate his office,” Koz said. A gleam came into Bossgond’s eyes. He loved
discovering new places of “Exotique Terre.”

Raine
shrugged. “No problem. They’re a family firm, too. A family firm run by men
doesn’t often change drastically. They’ve been in that building for twelve
generations. The Lindleys were upstarts in Best Haven at four generations.”

She
looked around and Marian anticipated her, whisking a piece of paper and pencil
in front of Raine. With a few quick strokes Raine laid out the plan of the
office.

Koz
took the layout with a low whistle. “You are one good draftsman. Draftsperson.”
He studied the map for a couple of seconds. “What if we deliver five mirrors to
this attorney, along with money, saying it’s an inheritance from your
great-grandfather’s lover’s estate…”

“That
would be the Singer here on Lladrana,” Raine said. She still marveled that her
great-grandfather had been an Exotique, the last one Summoned before Alexa.

“Yes.
A mirror for each of your brothers and your father. To be hung in their living
rooms for…say…three generations. With the mirrors will be some sort of payment.
We’ll think of that later.” He waved a hand like a man who’s never known
poverty. “Like helping convince my sister that I should be on the invasion
force.”

“I
can’t—” Raine started.

“How
soon do you wish this project to be done?” asked Bossgond from the crystal
ball.

“I
have a stock of mirrors ready,” Koz said.

The
older man raised golden brows. “Ayes? You don’t want to consult the Singer on
her
mirror, one that can be tuned to the Dimensional Corridor, too?”

Marian
said, “You old fox. You just want Koz to do some research for you.”

Bossgond
pursed his lips, said, “The Singer does not answer my calls to her crystal.”

“What
of her Friends?” Koz asked.

Silence
from the old man.

Koz
rubbed his chin. “Okay, I’m hooked. I’d like to visit the Singer, in case
she’ll give me more and better info.” He glanced at Raine. “That all right?”

“Whatever’s
best,” she said.

Nodding,
Koz said. “I’ll fly to the Singer’s Abbey first, shouldn’t take more than a day
or so if she’s cooperative.”

Marian
snorted, and Alexa said, “Not likely,” then stared into the crystal ball.
“These old, Powerful folks don’t do anything they don’t want to. Pity they’re
so stuck in their ruts.”

Bossgond
huffed, said, “I will be on the invasion force.”

Koz
turned to Raine. “After that, you and I can go to Bossgond’s island and the
dimensional telescope. You can leave a note with the mirrors, say you ended up
in France with your great-grandfather’s lover’s family or something.”

Raine
tottered. She’d never considered what she could say to her family to reassure
them, explain without explaining, and not sound like a selfish, insensitive
bitch or raving lunatic.

But
she did know something. She swept her gaze around the room, meeting everyone’s
eyes. “I don’t want to go. It would be faster if you went alone.” She met
Bossgond’s gaze in the sphere. “You have my notes and a good enough map of Best
Haven. Pearson and Pearson is located in their own three-story building on the
southwest corner of Main Street and Seadrive Boulevard. Koz can find it.”

Koz
raised his brows, then grinned, rubbing his hands. “Fun.” Then he winked at
Bossgond. “More time to look around the town, than if Raine came with us. You
know Marian likes us to limit our time, but without Raine…”

Marian
frowned, turned to Raine and asked, “Are you sure you don’t want to go
yourself, see your home?”

Raine
didn’t think she could bear it since there was no way
she
was going home
before the ship was built…but if she had strong moral support…“Would you be
coming with me?” Raine trusted Marian.

“I
can’t, I have—”

“I
have responsibilities, too—the ship,” Raine said. “My task for Lladrana, Amee.
My turn, now.”

Koz
said to the crystal, “I’ll be there no later than tomorrow unless the Singer
cooperates. I’ll let everyone know if that happens. See ya,” he said to
Bossgond, then waved the crystal ball dark, leaving a grumpy sound coming from
it.

He
paused with his hand on the doorknob, looked at Raine and again sympathy was in
his eyes. “I’ll give you time to think of a story, write a note.”

Raine
raised helpless hands. “What can I tell them that they might believe?”

Shrugging,
Koz said, “I dunno.” His grin was fast and charming as he scanned them all.
“Bunch of very creative women, you’ll think of something.” He sketched a bow
and left, whistling “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.”

Babble
erupted as the women began to brainstorm. Alexa and Bri concocted the most
outrageous stories. Marian frowned and tapped her lips with her finger, Calli
just shook her head.

A
few seconds later Koz popped his head back in. “Oh, hey, down payment could be
a hat like Bastien’s. Thought it was ugly at first, but every Chevalier who
is
a Chevalier has one.”

“Guys
wear those hats,” muttered Alexa. She sniffed. “
We
have cowboy hats. The
Exotique Gang.”

Koz
winked again, this time at Raine. “’Kay, I’ll take one of those, too.” He shut
the door.

It
was going to happen! She would be able to see her father and brothers after
nearly a year. The emotions swamping her were too huge. “I have to go.” Raine
bolted to the door. “Arrange stuff with the master tailor in Castleton.” That
lady would have Koz’s measurements.

The
talk stopped, the other Exotiques shared a glance.

Calli
said, “Honey…”

Raine
didn’t listen but heard Marian’s voice in her head as she hurried down the
flights of stairs.
We’ll figure out some story.
A soft sigh.
But I
think Alexa and Bri are right. It may have to be a sailing accident, amnesia, a
wealthy foreigner with pressing business and a private jet. A love affair in
Europe. We’re thinking Sweden. Your memory has just returned.

Raine
gritted her teeth—sounded like some novels she’d enjoyed but didn’t believe.
Obviously the others had the same taste in fiction.

Her
body remained tense until she knew nobody was coming after her, though from the
buzzing in her mind she understood that the others were discussing her. Fine.

She’d
meant to turn back to town, but her feet took her to the Temple. As usual, the
hum of Power in the building enveloped her, merged with her own, and she felt
less anxious, more able to handle anything that happened.

She
wasn’t the only one in the Temple. Knots of Chevaliers were discussing the new
situation and she sensed they were all relieved not to have been in a Summoning
circle.

Some
individuals were Singing—praying. Raine heard one soprano requesting she do
well on the trials for the invasion force and be chosen to go on the great
adventure.

Raine
shuddered.

Though
people nodded at her, no one bothered her and she went to the altar again. The
chime candles were lit.

She
stared at the gong. There was something about it. She walked around it, brushed
it with fingertips. There was an energy she couldn’t quite understand but
thought she should….

Raine!
Puppy Enerin
bulleted to her, jumped into her arms.

Looking
up at her with huge brown eyes and tongue lolling, Enerin said,
I can now do
many, many shifts and forms. As many as I like!
The puppy rolled from
Raine’s grasp to under the altar cloth and emerged as a kitten.

You
like this form best.
She smiled a little cat smile showing baby teeth.

Raine
smiled back.

Now
I can go with you on the Ship.

Raine
stopped smiling.

Singer’s Abbey

T
he next morning,
Jikata awoke late and only thought she was in Denver for a few seconds. The new
soundtrack of her life reminded her she was in Lladrana. For better or worse.
She was managing to deal with the day-to-day stresses. Still, she’d need some
answers soon.

Chasonette
chirped, “Salutations, Jikata.”

“Hello,
Chasonette.”

Apparently
the bird took that as an invitation to fly through the open side bed curtains
and perch on her knee. Chasonette tilted her head and revved up her personal
Song. Jikata eyed her. “So, Chasonette, what do you want?”

The
cockatoo shifted from one of Jikata’s knees to the other, her tail lifted and
dipped and Jikata had misgivings but the cover stayed clean. A tiny sound
almost like the clearing of a throat came from the bird.