Guardian of Honor (8 page)

She sat up straight. "What aren't you telling me about
getting back?"

"It would be a massive undertaking for a Ritual to return you
to the Exotique Land."

"But?" Alexa had spotted a hesitation in the little
woman's words.

A minute pink tongue dampened pink lips. "There's a moment, a
Snap,
when your Land calls to you." She took off from the headboard
and zoomed a circuit around the underside of the canopy. "Like when
sometimes before you fall asleep, your body jerks."

This time Sinafin perched on Alexa's upraised knee. The serious
look on the little pointed face didn't suit Sinafin. "You have a moment to
go or stay. Wish to go, and you're gone. Hang on to something here, and you
stay."

"When does this happen?"

Sinafin shrugged. "Who knows? Days. Months. Years. Different
times for different people. Sometimes the Snap is easy, sometimes hard.
Different for different people." She frowned. "Or maybe sometimes
it's easier for people to stay or go."

"Duh," Alexa said, throat tight.

"But we really need you here."

"Joan of Arc," Alexa croaked.

Sinafin's entire being flashed humor. "Yes. But you can do
it. You are stronger than you think. Stronger than
they
think. They cannot
coerce you in any way—remember that."

"You're not one of them?"

She gave a tiny fairy snort. "Do I look like one of them? No.
I sensed you were here and came. I am here for you." She launched herself
into the air, dipping and whirling, wind chimes rippling with her movements.
Alexa got the idea she was too impatient to sit still. Sinafin hovered before
Alexa's nose, just far enough away that Alexa didn't have to look at her
cross-eyed.

"Deep in your heart you need Lladrana. It can be a home for
you. You can find your place here."

"Argh," was all that came out of Alexa's mouth.

A teeny fairy finger wagged at her. "So don't get scared, or
depressed. Take it as a challenge."

"That's what they always call awful problems nowadays,
'challenges,'" Alexa muttered.

The fairy beamed. "I'm here to help you."

Alexa wasn't sure how a little pink fairy in her dreams could be
of use.

Sinafin flittered around the bed, grabbed the fringe on the
hangings and swung from it. "Don't think of going back. Accept your fate
here and you'll live a long life of great fulfillment."

"You sound like a fortune cookie."

A laugh rippled from Sinafin. "I
am
good fortune. Now,
I know you aren't good with languages. So
listen!"
A delicate wand
with a star on top appeared in her hand. She waved it, and the whole evening
rolled like a movie before Alexa's eyes. Only this time, she could understand
what the people were saying. At least the words, but some of the meanings and
concepts were beyond her. When it ended, she had a million questions. She
opened her mouth to ask Sinafin, but with fairy capriciousness, the little
magical woman had disappeared. A feeling of dark destiny crept over Alexa.

Now she shivered from toes to head as she remembered the
dream and the night before. She clutched a pillow almost as
big
as her. Her arms sank into it and she knew
it was made of the finest down. Everything around her was the finest.

"Hard to go back," she muttered to herself, and knew
that there wasn't much of a life to go back to. She'd have to start all over on
Earth as well as here in...Lladrana? "Find my place here." Tears
welled in her eyes and she was helpless to stop them. All she'd ever wanted was
to fit in, be normal, know she was the same as everyone else who had a family
and friends and a good home.

In Sophie she'd found a good friend, as close as a sister. Sophie
had been outgoing and charming, had expanded Alexa's circle of friends. She and
Sophie had graduated law school, passed the bar, and started their own firm
specializing in domestic law. They'd had three clients.

Then Sophie died and the plans were shot to hell. Before Alexa had
had time to regain her balance, she'd heard chimes and music and had gone through
the silver arch to Lladrana.

She had
chosen
to go through the gate of her own free will.
She knew that. But she sure hadn't known the consequences. Alexa was certain
that in Colorado "ensorcellment" wasn't a valid defense for stupid
decisions. What about here in Lladrana?

She uncurled from a fetal position and looked around her.
Everything in the room—her own room—was of the highest quality. She had passed
"tests" and been granted the status of Marshall. Alexa shuddered at
the thought of the tests. She'd thought a month of studying for the Colorado
bar had been bad!

That was then. This was now. And now was an entirely different
world.

Tests. She'd focus on that. The little star-ball—atomball—had been
a test. Partis had said so before he sent it to her. Many had been surprised
she could handle it. The test was a measure of what they called
"Power."

The next test was obvious. Did she have the compassion to save the
baby? Then, she'd asked for help in keeping the baby alive. Had that been a
test too? Alexa thought so. She wasn't too proud to ask for help. She could
work with others to achieve a goal. She made a disgusted noise. Oh, their tests
had been clever, all right.

The memory of how she'd flung her assailant against a wall
with
her sheer will
burned in her heart. She couldn't sit in bed and face that
fact so got up to pace the room. What could she have done differently? She
wasn't trained in martial arts. She hadn't hurt him on purpose, had only
defended herself. Self-defense was acceptable in Colorado and apparently in
Lladrana too, since she hadn't been punished. But that she'd hurt, maybe
killed, shook her to the core.

A sour taste coated her tongue, so she went to the bathroom and
rinsed out her mouth. On the way back, she stopped at the windows and finally
looked out. She was about five stories up!

Glancing down, she saw her Tower was built on the edge of a cliff.
She flinched back, then looked out onto an expansive landscape. Before her were
fields showing a fuzz of spring green, then wooded, rising hills.

She followed the window to the far left curve—in the distance was
a large, tidy walled town. She looked down and saw a hedge maze just within the
castle walls, and just beyond it a small garden centered around a tall, lovely
white-barked tree. A sweet murmuring, almost beneath her hearing, beckoned to
her. She pressed close to the window. The low music must come from the growing
things, maybe even the land. Rocks? Who knew?

From what she'd already experienced, anything was possible.

She frowned, trying to separate the attractive lilt from other
notes, and finally figured out that it came from the tree. She smiled. The tree
had caught her eye, so it was logical that she'd hear its tune more clearly.

Alexa moved to the center of the window to once again study the
vista of multihued greens. Her heartbeat picked up.
This is home,
a
bone-deep feeling whispered.
This is what you've been searching for
all your life.

She shook her head and backed away, bumped into a piece of
furniture she hadn't noticed before—a mirror on a stand. At her reflection her
mouth dropped open and she stared. Her hair had turned silver in the night. Her
eyes appeared very green—as deep and green as her jade baton.

Alexa ran to the bed, leaped on it and burrowed into the covers.
She'd decided. She wasn't getting out of the bed, or out of this room. She'd
wait for the Snap.

Alexa slept most of the morning, until the strings attached to her
door rippled and Marwey called out. Alexa buried her head in the pillows and
ignored her. After a while the girl went away.

Alexa dozed again until Thealia came and made demanding noises.
The woman was impatient, not even denting Alexa's willpower to hold out before
stalking off—Alexa could feel her irritated energy and hear hard footsteps.

Just as Alexa was beginning to relax, Partis chanted at her door,
comforting, soothing. Lulling, Alexa thought with a snort. She wasn't moving.

Partis sang for about half an hour, then left.

The doorharp sounded again and Marwey spoke. She knocked. Alexa
heard noises out in the hallway and wondered if they'd starve her out. Then the
baby cried just beyond the door.

It went on and on. Alexa couldn't bear it. She got up and stood by
the door, calling softly to the child, murmuring endearments. That only worked
once.

She opened the door and scooped up the baby, who broke into a
smile. Alexa smiled back, and a couple of women nabbed her.

Marwey, eyes wide, advanced and touched the ends of Alexa's
shoulder-length hair. "Argent," she whispered in awe.

Alexa grimaced. She'd forgotten the color had changed from brown
to silver.

"Alyeka, Alyeka, Alyeka." The women called her name.
With a swirl of jewel-toned robes, Marwey and Thealia and the rest, laughing
and coaxing—and cuddling the baby—took Alexa down long, curving stairs.

It wasn't a dungeon, but a big bathing room tiled in white and
turquoise with slim graceful pillars. There were three pools of light blue, and
lush greenery. The whole room was like something out of a harem. To one side
hung a rich robe of dull gold. It looked Alexa's size.

She allowed herself to be led to a pool. Narrowing her eyes she
examined the liquid. It appeared to be water. Thinking it would be easier to
test the stuff than to try to ask what it was, she bent down and cupped some in
her hands. It felt like water. No stinging. Alexa let it trickle through her
fingers.

Lifting her hands to her nose she inhaled the scent the liquid had
left. Herbs. Nice and somehow sweet, not astringent. As she scooped up the
"water" again and lowered her mouth to taste, she watched the others.
They looked amused but didn't protest or stop her. She darted the tip of her tongue
out to lap at the water—again, it tasted of herbs.

Alexa stood and straightened her shoulders. She gestured for
others to bathe before her. Thealia lifted her eyebrows, but moving a little
jerkily, she disrobed and sank into a steaming pool. She leaned her head back
on what appeared to be a padded cushion that rimmed the pool, shut her eyes and
hummed. Alexa eyed the older Marshall and decided to follow her example.

Walking to the hot pool, Alexa summoned the courage to drop her
bathrobe, and, ignoring embarrassment, trod the shallow steps
into the pool. The hot water caressed her arches and Alexa
knew why Thealia had moaned. It felt so good! The water lapped silkily at her
as she submerged; the heat banished the aches and stings the liquid the night
before had burned. Thealia sat on a ledge at the deep end of the pool. Alexa
judged that if she joined the woman the water would rise to Alexa's mouth. She
found a spot and a ledge where it reached her shoulders—ignoring the twittering
of the other women, probably about her height—and flopped her head back on the
pad. Oh yeah! The only thing better would be jets.

"Alyeka," Marwey said.

Alexa opened one eye. The teen offered a tray of soaps. One was
green and Alexa had seen it in Marwey's mind the night before, one was oatmeal
colored and textured, one peach. Alexa sniffed them all and took the green one
that reminded her of the ocean. A pang went through her. Oceans. She wondered
if she'd ever see one again.

"Shh," Marwey said, joining her in the bath and patting
her shoulder.

Battling the ache of tears, Alexa looked at the girl. Marwey
stared into her eyes and frowned. Then, slowly, an image took shape in Alexa's
mind—a rocky coast with a gray-green ocean frothing spume. She closed her eyes
and turned her head away.

Alexa drifted and listened to the cadences of the voices around
her. Just from pitch she seemed able to differentiate the classes. Thealia's
and Marwey's tones were lower, more decisive than those of some of the other
women, whom Alexa had pegged as servants.

She wasn't sure what she thought of servants, or dealing with
them. She and Sophie hadn't even had a secretary to call their own, let alone a
receptionist or legal assistant. Tears stuck in her throat again at the memory
of her good friend. Or maybe it was just all
the changes
she'd been through in a few hours—less than a day. God! Self-pity and sentiment
were overwhelming her and she wanted to bawl her eyes out. Here in the pool
would be fine if she were alone. She sniffled.

"Alyeka." Thealia sounded soothing too, and near.

Alexa sighed and opened her eyelids. She was pretty sure the
Lladranans would never get her name right.

Swordmarshall Thealia held two goblets in her hands. They looked
like gold. Alexa bit her lip. Thealia smiled and sipped from one, then held the
other out to Alexa. She took it and tried a tiny taste. Not too bad—very thick
and heavy with spices.

Thealia ostentatiously held up her glass, and Alexa got the idea
she wanted to toast something. What? Anything the Swordmarshall thought was
great, like Alexa's advent here, wasn't necessarily fabulous to her. She
shrugged and little wavelets spread from her bare shoulders.