Molten (3 page)

With no way to generate the standard light show that went with the orchestral performance, she was going to be the substitute.

The torchbearer came to get her with a huge grin on his face. He was dressed in the standard wide trousers with the fabric sash. All the women were dressed like Nanette, and all the men were dressed in blue and white. Everyone wore shades of fire.

Nanette touched her mask and straightened her shoulders. The air was cool, but she didn’t notice it, she was warming up as she passed through the edges of the crowd to the three vats of heated metal that were waiting for her.

The scent of the first vat was familiar, and the area next to it had been prepared for her to use to cast a base.

She stood on her mark, and she waited until the music began. The low, slow start to the music gave her time to pour bases for all three projects and the metal glowed in the darkness as it gave its heat to the surrounding air.

She was back at the first vat, and to the audience’s surprise, she took a dipper of the metal out and drizzled it over her arm to cool it before setting it on the base. Piece after piece was set in place, and when the crowd caught on to the copy of the city that they were in, applause began.

The music ran for ten minutes, and when the first composition ended, Nanette finished the city she had constructed and moved it to the final podium for display. It took some doing, but she managed it.

The second piece was sweeter, slower. She poured a huge puddle on top of the base and stuck her hand into the liquid metal, pulling upward slowly to the rhythm of the music. When the tempo and mood shifted, bright strands flew around the cage, bringing the sculpture higher and higher until it was ten feet of music to Nanette’s eyes. She added wreathes of flowers and leaves.

The second piece was moved while the orchestra set up for the next piece, and as she set it on the pedestal, applause broke out and washed over her.

The final statue was crafted to music that was bright, stirring and powerful. She made it into a Guardian from head to toe, life sized.

All of the unused metals from the other two projects went into this one. She built an image of the only Guardian that she had seen in person and the only one who haunted her dreams no matter how many times she saw them on the news vids.

Rand came to being with his hair made of bronze, his copper eyes bright and the rest of his body in a silvery steel covered by a bronze and copper suit.

Applause and hooting began when she formed the Guardian and his identity became apparent. He seemed to be a local favourite of some sort.

As the music built to a crescendo, she added the effect of his golden hair blowing in the breeze and completed the sculpting with a flourish as the orchestra brought their song to a stupendous end.

Nanette receded into the shadows and moved away from the glowing statue that was slowly cooling in the darkness. Applause roared again, and she shook out her hands as fireworks heralded the official start of the Fire Festival.

She receded into the shadows and watched the surge of bodies onto the open space. Drums sounded, limbs began to move and the population began to dance.

Nanette watched the amazing grace that all members of the W’lyn population seemed to share. They were born of two of the most legendary species that Terrans knew and here the elves and vampires had blended into something more extraordinary than she had ever imagined.

“Nanette!”

She turned to greet the owner of the familiar voice with a smile. “Hiya, Wren.”

Another woman and the four men, who featured prominently on W’lyn news vids, followed Wren.

Wren grinned. “Nanette, this is Beryl, also of Terra, her mate, Drovin, my mate, Toyo, and my brother-in-law, Loesh. You have already met Rand, I believe.”

Nanette smiled and waved her hand toward the statue. “He was the only one I had seen in 3D and the organizer wanted a Guardian statue for the festivities.”

Wren snickered. “He is very festive.”

Beryl extended her hand, but Nanette put hers behind her back. “Sorry. I am still running a little hot. I don’t want to injure you or your occupant.”

Beryl smiled. “I will settle for a bow then.”

They bowed formally to each other and burst into giggles.

Beryl’s husband inclined his head. “I am pleased to meet another one of my wife’s kind. Beryl, may we go dancing now?”

Beryl smiled and the four men took off to join the throng.

The three Terrans turned and watched as the rhythmic motions matched the beat in an eerily beautiful dance.

Wren turned to Beryl, “Did you know they could dance like that?”

Beryl laughed, “I know he moves well, but I have never seen him in action like that, and I promise him daily that I never look at the others.”

Nanette tuned them out as she watched the weird combination of tribal and ancient court dances. Knees, elbows and heels pounded the ground while the dramatic clothing twirled gracefully on the turns.

The metallic colours that were natural to Rand caught her gaze and held it over and over again as he danced with the others. He seemed oblivious to the women who put themselves in his path. He watched her, and she watched him as he danced until his skin glowed silver. He was made of all the metals that she loved, but when she touched him, she didn’t want him to melt.

A hand appeared in front of her eyes and snapped its fingers. Wren grinned at her. “Did you want to get something to drink while they work up a sweat without us?”

Since her mouth was dry, Nanette nodded and was whisked away to a table on a platform to observe the dancing. It was definitely a sight to enjoy.

Bonding with the other Terrans was fun, even though they were married women, or the W’lyn equivalent. It was even easy to remember that they were human, because they did not have the height or the grace of the native species.

The watered fruit juice was just what she needed after her performance. Wine was fun, but she needed to sit on her transport for her ride home.

The music was endless. When one group surrendered the sound, another took it up in a constantly rotating round of band after band.

When the Guardians ceased their gyrations, they joined them on the platform, sweat gleaming on their torsos.

Nanette watched as Beryl and Wren immediately gravitated to their mates. It went beyond affection; they were literally drawn to get closer to their partner.

Rand and Loesh smiled at her.

Rand leaned forward, “You get used to it. It is only nauseating for the first few weeks. After that, you go a little numb when they cuddle up like that.”

She snickered behind her hand. “Thank you for that. I was wondering why I was feeling motion sick.”

He grinned and Loesh laughed out loud.

They drank some of the juice that the servers brought over and the dancing below continued.

“Don’t Terrans dance?” Rand quirked one gold eyebrow up.

Nanette laughed and gestured to those below. “Not like that. We look like fish on the riverbank next to that.”

There was a determined light in his eyes. “Would you like a lesson?”

She looked at him with narrowed eyes. “Are you flirting?”

“Yes. Is it working?”

“Teach me to dance and you can ask me again.”

He blinked with surprise and got to his feet, holding his hand out to her.

She placed her palm against his and she had her own shock to deal with. He closed his fingers around hers with no flinch or hesitation.

With easy strides, he walked with her to the edge of the crowd. He held her out at his side and said, “Follow me.”

He stepped, she stepped, he tapped his heels, she tapped her heels. It went on and on until she found, to her surprise, that she was within the circle of dancers and she was keeping up.

The heavier fabric of her gown didn’t flutter; it swayed as she shifted her weight, raised her arms in the air and twirled.

Time ceased to mean anything. The music flowed from one song into the other, one beat into the next. She felt sweat on her skin, and it startled her into laughing. She never sweated.

The beat slowed, and she watched couples pair off as the light of the moons glowed against skin in all the shades of grey from palest pearl to darkest charcoal.

Rand stood in front of her and wrapped one arm around her waist, holding them hip to hip as they slowly pin-wheeled to the music.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” His voice washed over her through the ambient sound.

“It is surprising fun. How bad am I?”

“No one has stopped to laugh and there have been no collisions, so you are doing very well indeed.” He paused and smoothly switched sides, changing their direction.

She smiled at the warmth of his skin against her gown and the firm but not uncomfortable grip he had on her waist.

He raised his free hand over her head and she grasped it. That moment of skin-to-skin contact changed everything for her. His scent wrapped around her and her heartbeat picked up a rapid beat. Electricity ran up her arm and across her breasts, waking her skin under the gown and sending sexual signals that she had forgotten she could feel.

His fingers on her waist gripped tightly, and she heard him inhale sharply. Energy began to radiate from him and surrounded them in a crackling halo.

Loesh appeared at the edge of the crowd. “Rand! Get out of there.”

Nanette felt his arms go around her, but she was lost in the energy skating between them in dangerous arcs.

He carried her off the dance space and away from the music. She was disappointed when he put her down, but his breathing was coming in harsh gasps and she could see it was as hard for him as it was for her. Looking down, hard was an understatement. Power was circling his hips, and his erection was seeking exit along the loose festival trousers that he wore.

“What did you do to me?” He was staring at his hands where power was skating along his skin.

She blinked, hurt. “I didn’t do anything.”

Her body was humming with energy from the inside out. Normally, her talent worked from her skin outward, nothing touched her core.

He looked at her and cursed, “I didn’t mean…I am overcharging. That hasn’t happened since puberty.”

He took a step toward her and she stepped back. This was a dance she knew. She had freaked him out and he was rejecting her.

He quirked his lips. “I am guessing that I have failed at flirting.”

She blinked away a threatening tear. “I think the moment has passed. Thank you. I have had a lovely evening.”

Nanette turned and walked away from him, away from the close group of Guardians and back to her runner. It was time to go home.

* * * *

Wren looked at him in surprise. “Rand, what did you do?”

He grimaced. “I screwed up. I asked her what she did to me and she shut down.”

Wren covered her eyes. “Wonderful.”

“I thought it would be flattering.”

“If a woman asked you what you had done to her and the question always prefaced rejection, what would you do when you heard that question?”

He leaned back. “I would shut down, back away and pretend that nothing had ever happened. Certainly, I would not have remained in her presence, not if we had just met.”

“You would go back to square one.” Wren shook her head. “This is going to be complicated. You two glowed on that dance floor. She was as bright with energy as you were.”

Rand closed his eyes and his skin brightened again. “I remember. I felt heat welling inside me. I have never felt anything like it.”

“And if that is the experience her human partners had, they would have called her a freak and gone running. My people do not like to admit that talents, the gifted or powers exist. They are traces of magic and alien DNA that none of us acknowledge as possible.”

“So, what you are saying is I did everything wrong.”

Wren patted his arm. “No, you did teach her to dance. That counts for something. Starting over with her again, that will be something else.”

Wren heard Beryl’s voice raised and excused herself quickly. It seemed that Beryl was trying to pick a fistfight with a peacekeeper, and while she would win, it might not be good exercise for the baby.

A Caretaker’s work was never done.

* * * *

Nanette spent the next two weeks working on sculptures in her garden. She created an entire set of Guardians, including Beryl and Wren in the arms of their mates. With a bit of effort, she put all of them in her garden with Rand at the furthest edge, in the shadows. She didn’t like to be reminded of him, but he did complete the set.

The calls for assistance in repairs were infrequent until an earthquake on the other side of the globe had them calling her before it had ceased. She was going to do what she could to help them rebuild.

Her runner was well stocked by now, her needs had been outlined over the first few months she had been on W’lyn, and now, she covered the basics with a more efficient selection of the most common metals in use in building.

She set the coordinates and climbed aboard her means of transport while hoping that there had been little to no loss of life inside city she was flying to.

“Nanette? Can you hear me?”

Beryl’s voice was coming through the com systems on her runner. “I can hear you.”

“The prefect’s home has been caught in a landslide. You are the best bet to get them out.”

“Landslide?”

“Rockslide. I am sending you the coordinates, but I must warn you, this is Rand’s family, and he will be a little eager to see them safe and well. He is on his way to the site; I hope that you beat him there.”

Numbers spun across her screen, and Nanette bent down as her runner picked up speed. If folk that she loved were buried under rock, she would be willing to do anything she could to get them out.

When her vehicle decelerated, she lifted her head and examined the lay of the land and the half-buried stone home under the huge pile of boulders that had landed on it from the mountains above.