Echoes in the Dark (60 page)

Sevair
rose and started the tai chi exercises that Jikata had taught them. He and
Luthan seemed to like them the most—Earth element people. Of course Alexa was
too impatient for them, would rush the movements and preferred other exercise.
Raine had seen her dance.

For
herself, Raine sought the long, low, tones of the depths of the ocean and it
soothed her.

She
turned her head and looked at Faucon’s aristocratic profile, the handsome lines
of his face. He was the reason she’d never back out. He wouldn’t. He’d go on
and fight. It would be terrible if he fell and she didn’t. She knew he felt the
same about her, and would actually prefer her to live without him.

He
opened his eyes and she jolted.

Touching
her face with his warm hand, he said. “Anxieties are always worse just before
the battle.”

“I’m
not going to stay on the Ship.”

His
eyes softened. “Of course you won’t.”

“You
knew that.”

His
smile was the sweetest she’d ever seen. “Of course. You love the rest of the
Exotiques. You’d never leave them to meet their fate alone.” He paused. “As
they, and I, and any of their men would never desert
any
of them.”

She
searched his face. Her fear now had a thin lid of resolve, keeping it from
shooting into full-fledged panic. She could do that now. The months at the Open
Mouthed Fish had taught her that. If she’d had to face this battle, this man,
before, she didn’t think she would have been able to control her fear. Not that
she was grateful for the experience, or cherished it or anything. She still
wished she’d learned whatever lessons she’d needed to in a gentler way. That
was probably impossible, but so it was.

She
rolled close to him, hung onto him, buried her face in his chest and smelled
the man, the wonderful lover she had, through his shirt. He’d discard that,
take a quick dip in the ocean before changing into new linens and dreeth skin
leathers that would mask his scent from her. “If only I
knew,
” she
whispered. “I think I could face the known better than this awful unknown.”

His
arms clamped hard around her, brought her into his body and rubbed his chin on
her hair, brought his mouth to her ear. “I asked Luthan.” His words were barely
breath. She wondered that he spoke aloud then realized she needed to hear it
formed into words, would oddly question it less than if telepathically spoken.
“Luthan said that the future was still too changeable to
know
which of
us would live or die or survive broken.”

Raine
stifled a gasp. She hadn’t thought of the last alternative. It was always live
or die.

Faucon
put his hand under her chin, tilted her head so her eyes met his flinty gaze.
“I think I would rather die, too, than live broken, remember that.”

Raine
shuddered.

“What,
you think one of us is going to take a sword and finish you off if you’re
flopping around like a fish?” Alexa said harshly and both Raine and Faucon
flinched.

The
small Marshall was standing, hands on hips, her gaze equally hard. “Think
again, dude. We’d want you in our lives despite anything.”

Smoothly
rising to his feet, Faucon pulled Raine to hers, made a bow to Alexa, smiling,
and it was almost carefree. “I am delighted to hear that, Alexa.” He kept an
arm around Raine’s waist, looked at Bastien, who was irritably flinging away
covers and grunting, hair in his eyes. “But that opinion is about a year and a
half too late.”

“Raine
fits you better than I ever would anyway,” Alexa said with a sniff, then walked
over and yanked Bastien to his feet. The two Marshalls scowled at each other,
then kissed so deeply Raine turned away.

“They
know,” she murmured. “At least they know that if one of them dies, the other
will not survive alone. Faucon—”

“Ttho.”
He framed her face in his hands, kept his eyes matched with hers. “If I fall, I
want you to
live.
As magnificently as you can.” He cleared his throat.
“I’ve left everything except Creusse Landing to you.”

Raine
opened her mouth. He put a hand over it. “Please, this is what I need to do.”

She
huffed out a little breath.

He
scanned the stirring company, bent close and whispered in her ear, again with
just the slightest sound. “I overheard Luthan and Jikata once. Calli will
survive, and since he’s bound to her, so will Marrec, with few injuries.”

It
wasn’t her own good future, but somehow it eased Raine. Two would survive, the
two with children. Her muscles relaxed infinitesimally. She leaned against
Faucon, muttered into his chest, “Does she know?”

“Ttho,
neither she nor Marrec. Jikata said they should not be told. They might become
too reckless and change the way events should unfold. That would be
disastrous.”

“Huh.”
Raine frowned. What would she do if she knew she’d live? She looked into
Faucon’s brown eyes, at the other women. She’d try and save whomever she could.
But she didn’t accept that they would all perish. She
didn’t.

And
they wouldn’t. Calli and Marrec would survive.

Taking
a deep breath, she let it go slowly, listened to Chasonette warble at the sun’s
rising.

Enerin
came and settled on Raine’s shoulder, Sang Jikata’s morning Song.
It is a
good day to live.
She rubbed her soft bird feathers against Raine’s cheek
and Raine felt the love. “Ayes, a good day to live.”

With
a smooth move, Sevair scooped up two hammers, one large and one small, and
moved from meditation pattern into fighting pattern. His hammers whistled
through the air, deadly as blades.

Then
it was full light and people were coalescing into battle groups.

Raine
strode to a muttering sailor who had to stay behind and man
The Echo.

“Line
up!” she barked to her crew in a tone she hadn’t used before and that she hoped
worked.

They
fell into ranks she didn’t quite understand—according to their duties on the
Ship, their previous career, their birth status. No changing that at this late
date.

“Those
who tested for battle and are with the invasion force to the right.” She
gestured. More moved there than were supposed to.

Raine
studied the sullen faces of those remaining, including Jean and Madam Lucienne.
“You were chosen for the skeleton crew.” She turned her head, speared her gaze
at several to the right who also had been chosen. They shuffled their feet but
didn’t move back to the lines.

Quiet
crept over the Ship as everyone watched. Raine’s neck heated. There were at
least ten better leaders on this boat than she. But she was Captain and it was
the seamen that she had to order.

She
looked at the discontented expressions of the men and women who would sail the
Ship to a deep harbor safe from an explosion and tidal wave.

Slowly
she shook her head. “Don’t you all know that you have the most necessary job of
everyone here?”

The
quiet became intense, not a cough, not a whispered aside, everyone riveted on
her. Her throat tightened and she went on. “You will save the survivors.”

She
let that sink in. “We may be wounded, in need of rescue. Who will save us
except those who stayed behind? How will we get home?” Home. Faucon’s Castle.
Lladrana was home now and how fiercely she loved it!

“Who
will take the helpless from the shores or the sea? Who will heal us and tend us
and return us to our lives if not you?”

People
began to walk back to the ranks of the crew before Raine, those who now stood
tall with sternly determined expressions.

“It
will take enormous skill and Power to return fast to pick us up before we die,
especially if we are in the cold sea.” She glanced at the deck where the
volarans stared at her. They understood better. She actually thought her own
feelings were closer to theirs than any of the humans. “The volarans cannot
help everyone.” Many of them wouldn’t survive or would be hurt, too. That
caused an ache in her heart. “All our hope for our futures depend upon you.”
She cleared her throat, looked to the group to the right. “Who will stay to
save us?”

With
lowered gazes people moved from the group at her right back to the proud lines.

Jean
lifted his head, the silver streaks of Power had widened. “We will Power the
rescue Ship.”

Raine
inclined her head.
“Merci.”

Then
her knees began to tremble and she went down to the cabin to change.

When
she returned to the deck a few minutes later, Alexa coughed, wrapped her arms
around Raine. “Good job.” A shuddering breath came from her. “I only hope I can
do as well with my St. Crispin’s Day speech.”

“What?”

“You
know, ‘rally to the cause,’ ‘go, team, go!’”

Raine
hadn’t thought of that, but she supposed that inside she’d anticipated such a
speech, and from Alexa. The smaller woman stepped back, and though her face was
calm, her eyes were a little wild. “I’ve made them before. I haven’t worked so
hard on a piece of writing since my law journal days. Marian’s been helping.
This speech has to be perfect.”

“No,”
Raine said, and touched Alexa’s breastbone. “It only needs to come from your
heart, and you have plenty of heart.”

Alexa
blinked. “Thanks.” She inhaled. “Well, you showed me how it’s really done.”
With a nod she walked away.

Raine
watched her in wonder.
She
had given advice to
Alexa.
And Alexa
hadn’t seemed to think that was unusual or strange.

Raine
was one of them. She’d known that, known they had accepted her as one of them
since the moment they’d learned of her existence. Had always treated her as an
equal, a person with her own skill set. But
she,
herself, hadn’t truly
accepted that she was equal to them. She hadn’t been Summoned by the Marshalls
in a proper ceremony, hadn’t been welcomed, hadn’t immediately meshed with the
portion of Lladranan society that she’d been sent to integrate into a whole,
wasn’t from Colorado like the rest of them. Something tight inside her hadn’t
accepted that she was equal, now that loosened and she knew. She
would
hold up her part in this undertaking, would provide her own unique Song when
they did that dreadful spell.

Faucon
was there before her, bowing deep, lifting her hand to his lips, eyes warm.
“Well done, beloved.”

She
wanted to fling herself into his arms. Instead she smiled at him, feeling a
little light-headed, and said, “Thanks.”

And
the morning progressed, quietly, efficiently.

Intensely.

Calli
stepped to the middle of the deck and once again everyone quieted.

“I
have a secret to reveal. Something that will reduce our casualties.” She
gestured to her volaran and the winged horse trotted forward.

Then,
as they watched, it disappeared.

“This
is a volaran’s ultimate defense,” Calli said. “They can, and will, carry us to
the shores invisibly. They can even fight so, but it takes enormous Power. Use
it well.”

Calli
turned to Alexa, whose expression was floored surprise. Calli smiled sweetly.
“Your turn, Alexa.” Calli settled herself, ready to listen.

Alexa
cleared her throat. “Ayes. Well.” Then she glanced at the tall black mountain
in the distance and her face hardened. She lifted her chin, set her hand on her
jade baton. Then she cut the top of the sheath away.

A
shiver went up Raine’s spine. No action could have been clearer that Alexa
meant to fight, with all she had, all she was. To the end, using all the Power
she could from the Jade Baton of Honor that she’d won.

Her
speech was wonderful. She started out slow and low, so people had to strain to
hear, then the cadence picked up and so did her volume until she was shouting
and punching the air and everyone else was cheering.

Then
Raine went up to Jean and handed him the small guidance gems…a formal turning
over of the Captaincy. He glanced at the island and his jaw clenched, then he
gazed down at her, most of his usual optimism gone in savvy awareness.

She
said, “I need you here. Sail to where it’s safe and…when it’s all over…come
back and pick up the survivors.”

He
nodded shortly, bowed in a sharp, military fashion. “I won’t fail.”

“Of
course not.” Standing on tiptoe, she kissed his cheek. “You are an excellent
Captain, I’m glad you’re with us.”

He
ducked his head. “Thank you.” Then he mentally yelled,
Come about,
and
the Ship turned to present her broadside to the island, better for the volarans
to take off in waves.

The
battle was beginning.

44

A
lexa shifted
nervously from foot to foot while Calli double-checked all the volarans’ tack
and mental states.

Then
Alexa blew out a breath. “Since the volarans have that nifty little trick of
invisibility, we should go with the first wave.”