Guardian of Honor (48 page)

Jaquar rose and scooped up his book.

"What do you want for that book?" asked Faith.

He looked down his nose at her Lorebook of Monsters. "I
agree, an abridged version is not terribly useful." Cocking his head as if
listening, he waited a moment, then said, "It is now even odds that the
Towers will need our own Exotique to fight this growing evil. However, we do
not cooperate well, and to form a bond strong enough for us to Summon our
Exotique would take years. Something big is happening. None of us has years. On
behalf of
the Towers, I offer to provide eight spellbooks such
as this one, of the greatest use for your Marshalls, if you Summon our Exotique
for us. Bossgond will provide you with the qualities necessary for our Exotique
by tomorrow night."

His nostrils flared. "We know the next moonmoment and
alignment of the Dimensional Corridor is a month away, but speaking for myself,
I don't want to make another visit to you idiots before that time. We will
communicate by crystal ball." Plucking a maroon sphere from his robe
pocket, he rolled it onto the table.

Reynardus stood. "Easy to snipe at us who have less
Power—"

"You have always found it so, no?" Jaquar said.

"—but we have fought, hand to hand, these monsters to destroy
them. I've not seen you fighting. As for the Exotique, she has not fulfilled
her purpose. She has not revived the borders or shown how to make the
fenceposts. As far as I know, even the Tower does not know how to do those
things."

"The last one who had that knowledge was killed before
imparting it. As for the Exotique, it is not yet time. She must bond with our
world, the Amee-soul—and how quickly can one do that? The Singer was here last
night. Why did you not ask her that question about Alyeka?"

Reynardus was silent.

Jaquar barked laughter. "I see. Your last Song Quest was that
fearsome." He waved a hand, met the gaze of each Marshall. "Review
your Song Quest where you asked for advice and heard of the Summoning. It will
tell you when Alyeka will be ready, will find the knowledge you seek to defend
Lladrana. It is difficult magic to gauge, magic relating to the Snap."

"The Snap!" Thealia had tried to forget about it.

"Her natural bond to her Exotique Land-soul, her bond to
Amee-soul, her bonds to you all, others, Bastien... It's very hard to predict
the Snap." He strode to the corner.

"Wait, Jaquar!" Thealia stood. "The pool of jerir
is still in the Temple, should you wish to avail yourself."

The light was dim around him, but she thought he grimaced. With a
flick of his fingers, the book was gone. "I suppose it would be wise.
Since I'm here. Bastien left one of his prime volarans. I will fly it to
Alyeka's estate, take a fresh one to my island. After." He strolled to the
door, but a new tension showed in his muscles.

As soon as the door closed, Partis started the rendering of the
Spring Song Quest where they'd been told to Summon an Exotique. His was the
best memory for tune. Thealia joined hands with him and picked up a minor
harmony she remembered. She Sang and held out her hand to Reynardus, wondering
if he would break their circle once and for all. He stared at her open palm for
a moment, then took her hand. She shuddered at the rioting energy within him,
not fathoming why he should be so stirred up. Without answer, he evened his
emotions, linked hands with his brother and Shield Ivrog.

So the circle connected, bonded. Partis's voice grew deeper,
richer. Love for him blossomed in her and she wove it into the Song. Ivrog
added fraternal love; Mace and his wife added love that had originally arisen
from a Choosing and Bonding ceremony; Johnsa and Faith added their Paired
woman-love. The Song encompassed them all, brought them to a level that not one
of them could have achieved alone, sharpened their senses.

Partis was the first to recognize the pattern of notes. The spring
mating song of the bluebird. Once, twice, thrice. "Only after the Exotique
has heard the bluebird thrice will she know from Amee-soul how to raise the
defenses of Lladrana. A great battle will come and if she survives, the
Snap—"

The circle broke. Thrown from the stream of Song, it took Thealia
a moment to gather her wits. Others blinked around her.

Reynardus had broken their connection. He sat, gray-faced.

Partis breathed heavily. She took his hands in hers, lifted them
to her lips, sent all her love to him to help him ride out disorientation. Love
would always support them.

Johnsa gagged, ran for the door, Faith following. Mace's wife fell
into his arms.

The link-cutting had been too quick, too total.

With trembling hands, Partis stroked her hair, smiled sadly and
shook his head. He'd noticed something she hadn't. It wasn't often he wouldn't
share information with her, wasn't often he had knowledge she didn't.

Coldness gripped her. She hadn't heard one trill of the bluebird
call. Had Alexa?

Reynardus strode from the room and Thealia hadn't the energy to
stop him. "Will the sangvile go after him?" she murmured.

Partis said, "Him or Faith or Johnsa. Faith and Johnsa will
likely remain together." Partis glanced at Ivrog. "Do you follow
him?"

Ivrog gestured and the book with the new pages on the sangvile
slid over to him. "Not until we find out how to ward off this...beast. How
to lure it, perhaps kill it."

Mace gave a bark of laughter, shifted his wife onto his lap and
circled her with his arms. "I suspect luring it will be no problem. Read
us the monster's weaknesses, Ivrog."

An hour later they were making fire amulets to protect everyone in
the Castle.

T
he sangvile had withdrawn to the darkest corner of the Castle,
hoping the feycoocu could not sense it. It had lost much Power, and all the
wonderful, shimmering magic it had drawn from the little Exotique prey. It
should have been easier.

To survive, it would need a feast of magic. A while later, someone
smelling rich and delicious came. Even later, the one with
strong magic took a volaran back. Now compacted into a
shade of its former self, a tiny speck of cobweb, the sangvile had enough
energy to follow, hooking on to the wake of the volaran.

25

A
lexa was blessedly numb for the flight home. She'd been placed in
front of Bastien on his volaran, and the steady beat of his heart reassured
her. She sensed in him a righteous anger and relief at leaving behind the
Castle, and the restrictions of being a Marshall. His little farewell speech to
the group echoed in her mind, so she hadn't been surprised when he'd presented
her with her baton and called her "Guardian." Sort of nonsensical,
when she felt like she'd been run over by war chariots... if Lladrana had war
chariots, which she didn't know.

So she still had her Jade Baton, and Bastien, the
black-and-silver. Sinafin flew beside them, chattering to Bastien. Alexa
thought they were strategizing as to how to raise an army. She was only an
attorney, she was clueless. She may or may not still be Joan of Arc, but God—or
the Song—wasn't whispering in her ear.

Pascal and Marwey had met them at the door to her suite.

They'd both been stiff with pride, assuring Alexa that their
loyalty was hers and they would follow shortly. Alexa had just nodded
acceptance. Bastien had made another little speech. When he was done, the pair
had glowed with determination.

Bastien had also had a quick word with Luthan before leaving.
Alexa guessed that he'd leave it to Luthan how to tell the news, and to whom.
She managed a little smile. Luthan was solid. He could be trusted. He was
almost family. If she stayed, he would be family.

So much heartbreak. So much risk. So much fear. Could she stay?
Right now she didn't think she could lift a finger to fight, and all she really
wanted was to snuggle into an easy chair watching a video and munching popcorn.
With Bastien. She rubbed her cheek on his chest and sighed. That was the big
problem. She really wanted Bastien—for a long, long time.

Instead of being at home in her apartment, she was flying through
the air to a mansion,
her
mansion. There she'd train to fight, and learn
more spells, and practice horseback riding, and maybe learn to fly atop the
volarans. Too strange—

Bastien's volaran turned its head to look back at her, eyes wide
and liquid with concern. Bastien tapped it on the head.

"Watch where you're flying. She's safe with me."

Sinafin zoomed past, eyeing Alexa.
Very much shock lately.

"That's right." Bastien sighed, squeezed Alexa a little.
"But she's a very strong lady, my Pair woman, she'll bounce back."

Alexa felt like a deflated balloon, all bounce gone forever. She
tilted her head and had opened her mouth to say so, when something flying
behind the volaran caught her eye.

"What's that?"

Bastien and Sinafin laughed. The volaran snorted in distaste.
"My atomball," Bastien replied.

Curiosity snagging her, she sat up a little. "It sure has a
lot of energy."

It will be useful in the battle,
Sinafin
said matter-of-factly, and Alexa didn't know if Sinafin had always known of the
battle, learned it from the monster, or trusted Alexa's word. Then images of a
spiked iron ball zipping around a battlefield played in slow motion in her
mind—blood, gore, ichor spattering, limbs ripped away, heads and bodies
smashed. Alexa hid her face in Bastien's chest again, sure this would be the
only "time out" she'd get. Once she reached her estate, she'd have to
be Lady of the Manor—strong and decisive and responsible.

"I think the first thing we should do is have Alexa walk over
my land and hers. What my dear father left out of his snide remarks was that
wherever she's been,
exactly
where she's walked, no frinks fall with the
rain anymore."

Walking didn't sound so bad. Walking the green fields of her land
and his, the gentle hills... She could do that. It would be good to do that, to
see living and sprouting and blossoming instead of wounding and death.

"When the Chevaliers come, we'll house them in my old house.
It's only a couple of miles from Alexa's hall. I'll clear the old training
areas, the riding and flying rings."

That sounded a little more ominous. Alexa decided to go back to
sleep. She'd been sleeping a lot lately, yet didn't feel rested.

When they landed in the front courtyard of her manor, Alexa awoke
and mentally girded her loins. When she'd dismounted, she lifted her chin,
squared her shoulders and, with legs that wobbled only slightly, mounted the
stairs.

Her butler opened the door before she reached it. He bowed deeply.

Bastien grabbed her elbow, nodded to the butler. "We have
come to stay. The Jade Baton will be calling a Gathering. My squire, Urvey,
follows with plans, as does Alexa's Chevalier, Pascal, and her lady-in-waiting,
Marwey."

Oh boy. Obviously there was a concept for this, and proper words.
Well, Bastien seemed to know them, so let him handle it.

"Yes, Shieldmarshall Vauxveau."

"Open the house, provision it, and the Jade Baton will tend
to all household matters tomorrow." Bastien was moving her up the stairs.
"And don't call us 'Marshalls.' We have severed our connection with
them." He threw the last over his shoulder.

"Is this still my house?" asked Alexa.

"Your house, your land. They can't take it back,"
Bastien said with satisfaction.

"Oh. Good."

"Yes. You did very well. Have done very well since you came
to Lladrana. Don't doubt that."

"All right."

Though he wanted to continue down the corridor, Alexa stopped at
the landing and looked down. The butler was already organizing things. He
seemed supremely unfazed by Bastien's news. She supposed he was still glad to
have someone with magical power in residence. She relaxed a little, examined
the house around her. It was as enchanting as she'd remembered. This was worth
holding on to.

The murmur of voices and bustling came from below. The house was
old, and the servants Lladranan, not of her own society. They probably all had
seen power politics before.

Alexa stiffened her spine.
She
had been the one to walk
away from the Marshalls. It had hurt to do so, but they were wrong. This was
the right course even though it might feel like retreat, like failure. She took
Bastien's hand.

"I'm glad you're here."

"I'm glad I'm here too. It's a beautiful afternoon. What do
you say to a walk?"

She managed a little smile. "I say yes."

The rest of the day she walked her land. The contact steadied her,
and Bastien's undemanding presence and easy company eased her bitter feeling of
loss. They had dinner at Bastien's house—a charming home—then started walking
to her estate. As evening fell, Urvey ran up to them, panting.

"There's a Sorcerer come to call. He flew in on one of your
volarans, Bastien."