Protector of the Flight (48 page)

Boom!
The air
shuddered around them, heated instantly. A liquid fountain of magma missed them
by inches.

Home!
she screamed to
Thunder. No time to stop and soak up energy. If she were Marian she could leach
it from the lava, but she was not a master of fire.

Her
specialty was air. Air. Heat, ash, lived in the air. Trembling, she squeezed
the energy of heat from the air around her, did her best to filter it,
transmute it to Power she poured into Thunder and herself.

Thunder
surged forward, dodging more fiery spurts.

Dreeths
screamed battle cries.

Go!

She
thought of lava, of rock, and croaked a Shield spell.

Their
invisibility spell vanished.

Leaning
down against Thunder’s neck, she urged him on, sent him all the Power she could
spare, even prayed to the Song for a tailwind.

In
the distance she saw tiny volarans speeding toward her, faintly colored Shields
indicating the Marshall Pairs, heading to guard and defend her, battle horrors
here at their home. All she had to do was pass the nest’s Shield, which she
hadn’t even noticed on her way in.

Grinning,
she urged Thunder faster. As fire—dreeth and volcanic—rained down on them, she
drew the energy from them into her Shield.

And
she stuck to Thunder as he dipped and dodged in the air.

Wham.
Wind struck
them hard from behind, ripped at Thunder’s wings, sent them cartwheeling. The
dark blue sea advanced.

Thunder
screamed.

Easy.
Easy.

She
checked him over. No major wounds. Keep him calm though the sky and clouds
spin, the waves’ reach…. Closing her eyes, she drained herself of Power, sent
it all to him. Water splashed around them, icy. Her eyelids popped open. They
were facing the island. A tidal wave bore down on them.

Wind
and wave, flame and earth, by the Song hear me! Help us!

Another
gust of wind swept under Thunder’s wings; he angled them and rode it upward in
a long spiral, heading toward the continental shoreline.

Alexa
and Bastien bracketed them. Bastien flashed a grin.

You
got through the Dark’s Shield. You did it!
Alexa sent mentally.

Marian
and Jaquar waved, then dived under Thunder. He squealed as more wind, a warmer
breeze, lifted them farther, bathed them in energy.

Calli
eased the clamp she had on his emotions. He was fine. Out of danger, and fine.

Alexa
looked back. Calli did, too. Fire and steam still plumed from the mountain. The
tsunami rolled below.

I
hope the camp is packed up,
Alexa said telepathically. Her smile flashed.
Woman,
you really caused a ruckus.

I
doubt it is unaware of me anymore,
Calli said, smiling, conscious of the
cool air drying her sweat.
Can’t go back there anytime soon.

Ttho,
Bastien said.
He shook his head.
You were lucky.

Luckier
than they thought, learning of the volaran’s invisibility talent.

You
Exotiques. Always exciting to be around,
Bastien said.

Like
you wild magic users,
Calli retorted.

He
flung back his head and laughed.

Thealia
Germaine flew around them, outstripped them to take point.
Did you get the
information?

Lady
Swordmarshall, Exotiques always deliver,
Alexa said.

Good,
we’ll debrief Calli as soon as we make camp again. Some new Chevaliers have
arrived to help us on our way back. Apparently, the feycoocus spread the word
that we are returning. I’ll see to the arrangements.
She flew ahead.
Her husband and Shield winked and saluted Calli.

Breath
coming more steadily, Calli asked,
Did Marrec come?

No
answer.

Jaquar
rose to take Thealia’s place.
He has not arrived yet.

Surely
he’d gotten her message. Calli forced a smile, though seeing these loving
couples hurt. She blinked rapidly.
Good to see you all, and together.

We
all had our differences,
Marian reminded drily.

He’d
better come around soon,
Alexa grumbled.

When
they landed in an area they’d camped a few days before, Alexa and Marian hugged
her, then stepped aside so the men could do the same. Calli liked the male
affection, their solidity, though it reminded her how long it had been since
Marrec had held her.

Expression
set, Alexa said,
I’ll inform Thealia that she should go easy.
She
fingered her baton, pivoted and marched off.

Bastien
patted Calli on the shoulder. “Well done.”

“That
reminds me.” Calli plucked the recording stars from both her shoulders and
Thunder and handed them to him. He didn’t even glance at them before flicking
them magically away.

Calli
sighed long, her shoulders slumped. She thought the tension rolled from her in
waves. Maybe as big as the tsunami.

Jaquar
lifted one of her limp hands and kissed it. “You have done us all a great
service.”

“Yes,
you have,” Marian said.

Sniffing,
Calli smelled frying eggs, onions, bacon and salivated. One glance at the sky
showed her it was still midmorning, though it felt like an eternity of days had
passed. “I’m hungry. I’m gonna nab something to eat. I know you two want to
look at those stars.” Calli flapped her hand. “Go.”

Marian
smiled. “One of the stars is with Thealia. We’ll see you in the command tent.”

Calli
nodded, realized she’d been leaning against Thunder, who had his head down. His
feet occasionally scuffed in the earth, drawing Power from Amee, something
volarans rarely did unless they were near the last of their strength. She
rubbed him in his favorite spot. “I need food. I’ll make sure you get prime
feed, too.”

Thunder
swiveled an ear in agreement.
Do not speak of the volaran invisibility to
others,
he asked softly.
Marshalls and Chevaliers would want us to use
the skill all the time, and it is a volaran secret, something a volaran should
decide to use.

“I
won’t talk of it, but you can tell the alphas that the talent is very, very
costly in terms of Power—at least, when newly learned and for a Human-Volaran
Pair. You volarans may be able to wink in and out by yourselves easier. Also it
is mutually exclusive of the Shield spell.” I think.

Thunder
tilted his head, a lock of his mane fell between his eyes.
Perhaps only you
can use it.
He glanced at the others walking toward Thealia’s tent, being
stopped by Chevaliers asking for news of the mission.

Or
only an extremely few can merge with a volaran to Sing such a skill, like
Bastien with wild magic.
Swinging his neck around, he stared at Marwey.
Or
the one best in mind-merging. Or a good mind-speaker like Marrec.

It
had been like an altered state. She grinned. She bet if anyone knew about
altered states it was Marian.
And Marian and Alexa, too.

Of
course, all our Exotiques.

He
sounded like himself. She took in an easy breath. A great weight she hadn’t
realized she was carrying lifted from her heart.

“Chevalier
Callista,” called Thealia impatiently, standing at the entrance to her
pavilion. “We await you.”

Calli’s
squire hovered.
I wish I could stay and groom you.
Her stomach grumbled.

Thunder
rolled an eye, smirked.
I will be pampered.

“I
guess so.” She walked to the campfire where the food was, had the cook stuff a
pocket of bread with eggs and onions and cheese and began eating as she went to
Thealia’s tent. She gulped the food down, then regretted it when she entered
and everyone’s eyes turned to her and her stomach tightened.

“The
stars are useless,” Thealia said. Her lips set into a tight line.

Jaquar
stared at one in his hand. “Now, Swordmarshall, it’s true the Dark may have
superficially blocked our devices—”

Thealia
snorted. “More like they never recorded at all.”

“But
several Circlets created each star. That took plenty of Power. We’ll find a way
through the Dark’s defensive spells.”

“Meanwhile,
Calli’s memory is our primary hope,” Marian said with a commiserating look at
Calli. Marian gestured to a large table with blank parchment spread on it. “The
parchment is magic, Calli. All you have to do is touch it and remember
everything you learned during the flyover. We have a stack.” She looked eager,
as always, to observe something new.

“Huh,”
Calli said. “Water, please.” Her throat was dry.

Marian
handed her an open bota and Calli drank. As she did so, her body absorbed the
innate Power of the water. Interesting. Somehow during the ride, she’d bonded
with another element of Amee, water, and could pull that energy into herself
easily and naturally.

Her
stomach settled, she twitched her lips in a polite smile and went over to the
table.

Setting
both hands on the parchment—render skin, because it took ink best—spread out on
Thealia’s desk, Calli closed her eyes, gathered her best memories of the nest,
sent them down to the waiting sheet. She opened her eyes and saw a precise
topographical map with circular lines going up and up and up to the black open
mouth of the volcano. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting for her, for them, the other
Exotiques.

She
pushed the large page aside. “More!”

A
man’s hands shoved a stack of parchment onto the desk. Jaquar. These sheets
were smaller, but still useful. Again she leaned over and let what she saw
drain out of her…a geographical map of the island. A climatological. The
volcano itself. The boulders, the fissures seething with steamy miasma. The
domes and crevices.

Again
and again and again until her knees gave out and her memory finally blurred and
she crumpled.

Bastien
caught her, his vibrant, vital Song sloughing away some of the grimy film the
Dark had left on her. He helped her to a chair. Someone shoved a goblet into
her hand and the fragrance of the potion cleared her mind. Everyone else
gathered around the table, talking over each other.

“Merde!”
Thealia’s voice was hard. “No good harbor. A few flat spots for volarans, but
all in the open. How will we invade?”

She
looked at Calli. “Good work.” Then the Swordmarshall turned back to the maps,
flipped through them, her forehead wrinkled. “We’ll find some way.”

Calli’s
stomach rolled. Sending volarans…people…Pairs…into that place. Her mind
couldn’t grasp it. Her feelings rebelled. She chugged the potion, rose.

She
couldn’t stay and listen to the endless discussion about strategy. The nest had
worked its evil on her. She knew they wouldn’t be attacking it anytime soon.
Too much bad mojo. Cold, she rubbed her arms, even though the day had been
unusually hot for the north. She left the tent, ignoring calls after her. What
she needed was her bondmate.

But
Marrec wasn’t here.

She’d
never forget that ride, the sight of the festering boil of evil, for the rest
of her life. The shakes had started again in her toes and would spread upward.
She wanted to get out of the camp, where she could fall apart alone. She wanted
to ride in the sun. Fly high—higher than over the Dark’s place—feel the heated
caress of sunlight, the embrace of the cleansing wind.

Thunder
had been as affected as she, and in the back of her mind she heard her squire
and others coddling him—and getting information about the flight and the nest.
She’d have to ask Bastien to write down Thunder’s impressions, too. Marrec
would have been the best person to do that, of course, and she’d hoped that he
would have been waiting for her return. She’d been certain he’d be here. But he
wasn’t and she set aside the disappointment. She was tired, that’s why she was
so emotional, so wanted him.

Concentrating
on the freshness of the air, she strolled to the corral, knowing that there
would be no shortage of volarans volunteering for a high, fast, fun flight with
her. Her mouth curved in a half smile.

“Ah,
a pretty lady, dreaming. What are you thinking?” Raoul’s voice was nearly a
purr, yet it pulled her from a slight daze and she stumbled. He caught her arm
to steady her, linked his with hers. What was he doing here? One of the new
arrivals. She should have known. Sleaze oozed everywhere.

“I’m
flying.”

He
raised his eyebrows. “You just came back from a long flight.”

This
confirmed her judgment that he wasn’t a good Chevalier. She shifted her
shoulders…those muscles were still tense and one of the reasons she wanted to
fly. Sex would be better. “That was a mission. Now I want to indulge in
pleasure.” As soon as she said it, she knew she’d given him an opening she’d
never wanted him to have.