Protector of the Flight (31 page)

He
dismounted and pulled her from Thunder, held her close.
Well done, Shield
and Chevalier.

I
have won my reins?
Calli asked.

Yes.
Today’s training must have been a final test.

“Oh.”
His body was all hard strength. She let herself lean against him, enjoy the
warmth of him and the sun, the scent of volaran and leathers and man.

All
the volarans of the Castle Sang,
Chevalier Shield Calli,
our
Exotique.
Calli raised her head to see they’d entered the Landing Field, as usual. Lady
Hallard stood, hands on hips, shaking her head. “Guess we’ll have to get used
to this.”

With
one arm around her waist, Marrec turned to the volarans. “Shall we groom these
two, then celebrate at the Nom de Nom?”

“Sounds
good to me.”

Alexa
ran to them. “You did it, you helped kill two little dreeths!”

“
Little
dreeths!” They’d looked plenty big to her.

“The
big ones don’t shoot fire.” She grinned, gestured to Marwey and Pascal. “Marwey
won her reins, too.” Alexa quivered with excitement. “And Bastien and I got to
be one of the dreeth illusions and
I
worked with his volaran for
two
attacks. I’m learning to fly, too!”

“You
certainly are,” Calli said.

Bastien
dipped his head at Calli. “Thank you. I have been unable to teach her. The
volarans get charmed or fascinated or nervous that they’ll lose her and don’t
partner with her well.”

Alexa
lifted her nose. “It’s speaking in English. I understand nuances in English.”

“Of
course it is,” Bastien said. He bent over and whispered something to Marrec that
Calli heard only as a ripple of notes in her husband’s personal Song. Color
bloomed under the golden tone of his cheeks.

Swordmarshall
Thealia strode up, smiling. “An award luncheon is already set in the Marshalls’
Dining Room. Today’s review will be brief.”

A
surge of disappointment at not celebrating with her Pairling came. Marrec’s arm
stiffened behind Calli’s back. She sent a responding pulse of resignation to
him.

Their
squires showed up, beaming, congratulating her. Dark Lance and Thunder began mind
speaking with the two young men, telling them all about the flight.

“I
want a shower before lunch,” Marrec said, heading toward their rooms at
Horseshoe Hall.

“Right,”
Calli said, thinking of the big bed.

Thealia
snorted. “Lunch in fifteen minutes. Be there.” She walked away.

Alexa
shook her head. “No time for fun.”

“That’s
what you think,” Bastien said, scooping her up.

A
twinge of envy came from Marrec. Calli glanced at him with a puzzled look.
“What?”

He
opened his mouth, then shut it, walking a little faster.

“Please,”
said Calli.

He
looked at her, then focused on the narrow passageway between Training Hall and
Horseshoe Close.

“Please
let me know what you are thinking when I ask,” Calli said a little stiltedly.
“Please help me understand Lladranans.” And you.

“I
wished I could be as easy with you as Bastien is with Alyeka.” Marrec shrugged.
“But he is a charming man and I am not. He’s a nobleman and I never was.”

“But
they weren’t always easy together,” Calli said, keeping up with his stride. “It
was very rocky between them at first. He—” Hell, what was the phrase for
“screwed up”? She flapped her hands. “He was awkward.”

“Truly?”
Marrec entered the Hall and they strode through the corridor to the stairs.
Everything in Horseshoe Hall was built in reasonable proportions as opposed to
the keep.

“I
read it in the Lorebook of Exotiques,” Calli said. “Alexa’s story, though she
doesn’t give a lot of details.”

Marrec
grinned, showing the long crease in his cheek. “Too bad.” His eyes glinted as
they took the stairs. “As far as I know, no one here has exact knowledge of
when and where Alyeka and Bastien met. Can I read this Lorebook, too?”

“It’s
in English. But Marian said she’d made some in Lladranan. There’s probably one
in the Marshalls’ Library.”

Marrec
grunted and opened the door to their suite. “I’m becoming reconciled to lunch
with the Marshalls at the keep, after all.” He stripped quickly and Calli
followed suit. He was aroused. So was she.

He
scooped her up and carried her into the large shower stall. “We’ll just be a
little late.” He laughed and set her on her feet, turned on the water, which
was hot and steamy and smelled of mineral salts.

“What?”
She closed the door behind her.

“Bastien
told me that now I have a bondmate I’d often get aroused by battle.”

“What
does he know? He and Alexa aren’t bonded.”

“He’s
Paired with an Exotique. And so am I.” Marrec’s hands were slick and slippery
as he soaped her, transforming the leftover fear into sexual need. Calli
couldn’t think, let alone reply in Lladranan, so she just melted into his
embrace and let passion rule.

He
was warm, she was wet and the Song between them rang loud in her ears, composed
of sex and the triumph of the morning and the fantastic feeling of
rightness.
She was exactly where she was supposed to be.

Then
the invasion alarm clanged.

22

T
he heavy clamor
of the Klaxon rose over the shower. Gasping, Marrec shook his head, braced
himself with an arm on the wall, shuddered once then swore.

Calli’s
voice rasped with fear. “I’ve won my reins. I’m a Chevalier now.”

“Yes.”
With a twist of his wrists he turned the faucets off, flung the door open,
grabbed a towel and dried as he jogged to the bedroom.

Calli
caught up her own bath sheet and followed. “I did well this morning. The
invasions aren’t usually very big, right? We can fight together, as we should,
as a Pair.” She gulped, raised her chin. “Are our volarans able to handle
battle?”

Marrec
glanced at her. “You’re the Volaran Exotique. You should know.”

“You
are more experienced. I don’t want to hurt them,” though when she probed she
knew she wouldn’t take Thunder, he was too tired.

Tilting
his head as if he, too, did a mental sweep of their mounts, Marrec said, “Dark
Lance is big and tough. The grooming has reenergized him sufficiently that he
can handle the Distance Magic and battle. Thunder can’t.” He began reciting a
list of volarans in the Castle stables—ones she’d flown with.

Exhaling
slowly, Calli named one of Bastien’s.

Prepare
Sunray for battle,
Marrec ordered their squires mentally. Through her link with Marrec and the
men, Calli heard Sunray’s excited trumpet. The volaran’s mind brushed hers.
We
will fly
well! His blood hummed with determination to protect, with hatred
of the monsters invading the land, killing.

Thank
you, Sunray.

Marrec
wrenched open the wardrobe door and dressed quickly—the thin long underwear,
his toughest leathers. He pulled out her second set of chain mail and his new
chain-mail tunic, dreeth breeches and bespelled boots.

Calli
dressed in silk undergarments and her second set of battle leathers.

Catching
her fingers in his, Marrec brought them to his mouth, kissed them. “Are you
sure you want to do this?”

“Ayes.”

“Alyeka
had much more training.”

“I’ve
learned a lot from you. I’ll be a Shield,
and
I fly a volaran very
well.”

“Better
than well. Exceptional.” Expressions she couldn’t read ran across his face.

“What?”

He
grit his jaw, then answered, “I’m proud of you. As a Chevalier, I think you’d
do fine. But I fear for you.”

“I
fear for you, too, and it will only get worse if you ride away and I don’t.”
She helped him on with his chain mail.

Quick
strumming came from the doorharp. It sounded much too innocent. A hard rapping
or loud knocks would have been more appropriate to Calli—something that matched
her heartbeat. She opened the door.

Seeva
stood on the threshold, looking a little pale. “I didn’t win my reins, so I
can’t fly to battle.” Her shoulders straightened. “But I am still the head of
staff of Horseshoe Hall and I know you don’t have a servant yet and thought you
might need help with your armor.”

“She
has me,” Marrec said.

Expression
strained, Seeva said, “Of course, but I meant both of you. It’s faster when you
have someone to help dress.” She gestured to the window. “The first wave is
already taking off for the battle.”

Marrec
glanced out the diamond panes. “Led by Bastien and Alyeka riding his primary
stallion. Damn, the man’s fast.”

“All
the Marshalls and noble Chevaliers have servants. You need some, too, but for
now, can I help?”

Calli
wanted to giggle. She didn’t think Marrec had been referring to Bastien getting
dressed, but Bastien getting Alexa. But then, hot monkey sex often went fast.
She and Marrec might have made the fifteen-minute deadline to lunch. She cleared
her throat. Humor, no matter how minor, always helped her before a competition.
“Sure…” She gestured to the full mail that she’d only worn once. “Help me with
this stuff.”

Seeva
looked Marrec over as if checking his fastenings and the strength of his armor,
then picked up Calli’s mail tunic and hurried toward her. The process was
unexpectedly easy and quick, the mail lightened magically, only heavy with the
duty of protecting Lladrana.

Seeva
patted the shoulders and handed Calli her helm. “Chain mail is good, and so are
protected leathers, but the best of all is dreeth skin. You’ll have that soon,
truly.” She smiled, waves of excitement coming off her.

“Marrec!”
Lady Hallard’s shout accompanied her running bootsteps. She halted by the open
door, glanced at them. “You’ve decided to fight.”

It
was stupid to feel a little left out of the bond between the Lady and her
former household Chevalier.

“Don’t
you think I’m ready?” Calli’s lips were cold now.

Lady
Hallard squinted at her, considered for a couple of seconds, yanked her
gauntlets from her belt and on. She nodded sharply. “Ayes.” Then her smile
flashed and she looked years younger. “I had three squires working to
reenergize my volaran. Let’s go.”

“I
helped dress Calli,” Seeva said.

“Good.
Find a maidservant for her, and a man for Marrec. Alyeka and Bastien will lead.
They’re the only ones with several seasoned battle volarans. Half of the older
Marshalls refrained from training this morning just in case of this
eventuality.” That meant three pair. “All the younger Marshalls who didn’t
participate in training will go, too.”

“Twenty-four,”
Marrec said. His shoulders seemed to ease. “Plenty to guard Calli.”

The
quiet was broken by the alarm clanging the call to arms again. Seeva handed
Calli her gauntlets and the battle helmet Calli disliked.

Marrec
met her gaze, his face expressionless. He was fully helmed, gauntlets on. He
held out a steady hand.

Knowing
what he asked silently, feeling more than hearing the huge, overwhelming melody
between them that twined with an undertone of partnership in the face of death,
Calli put her hand in his. “We fight together.”

In
the yard, she mounted Sunray. He was a blond sorrel…with scars. His body was
muscular under hers and she merged well with his mind. Thinking of mind-merging
talent, she glanced left to where Marrec and Dark Lance flew in a bubble of
Distance Magic. Sunray, too, was strong in this Power. He was fresh, and
excited to be her partner to her first battle. Beneath that excitement she
sensed determination to “blood” her—introduce her to combat as easily as
possible.

Calli
snorted. Like that wasn’t going to be a culture shock. She set her back teeth.
She’d get through this and only hoped that no one she knew fell. That would be
the hardest, and that circled back to the question she wanted to ask about
Marwey, the youngster best in mind-merging. Testing her bond with Marrec, she
found him focused but not deeply entranced.

Marrec,
she
mind-whispered.

He
turned his head, his deep brown eyes meeting hers. Serious.

Marwey
won her reins this morning. Is she flying to battle, too?

He
tilted his head, and she heard distant echoes of those who were linked with him
and her in a loose net of Chevaliers who would work in a team. Not nearly as
close as the Marshalls’ ties.

Alyeka—everyone—wishes
to protect Marwey as long as possible. She and Pascal remain at the Castle.

Nodding,
Calli looked forward again at the curve of her own Distance Magic bubble that
showed blurred blue sky and green land with hints of snow-topped mountains.
She’d be the only one experiencing her first battle then. She let out her
breath with a slow and easy exhalation. She’d be protected, too. Physically.
She was pretty darn sure that this was going to take a toll emotionally. The
Calli who flew back to the Castle would not be the same person as she was now.