Sorceress of Faith (32 page)

By
the time she’d dressed, the sheathing clouds had dissipated to show a large,
white moon. The night sky held swaths of stars. She tilted her head back to
experience the night, found a bubble of happiness shimmering through her. She
felt lighter, freer than she had for a long time. Too much work and not enough
play. And what spectacular play sex with Jaquar had been!

She
rolled her shoulders, aware of the new range of movement now that the tension
built up over the past few weeks had eased. Smiling, she looked to Jaquar.

He
stood gazing down at her. Inscrutable.

“Do
you think we made a mistake?” she asked.

He
pushed his stupid hat onto his head. “I don’t think we need to talk about it.”

Men
were the same even across worlds.

“All
right,” she said coolly.

He
took her hand. Music crashed through her—the intensity of emotion from him made
her stumble and he slid an arm around her waist. His tender actions seemed at a
variance from his cool manner, so she set his earlier words aside. She didn’t
want to analyze anything—his words in relation to his actions and emotions, or
her own.

“I
have you,” he said, his voice softening.

“I
have you,” he repeated, lilting, and she didn’t know if he meant that he
wouldn’t let her fall or that he was keeping her as a lover—reluctantly. She
shivered from the strange fury of emotions she’d experienced in the past couple
of hours and he stopped to drape his cape around them both, pulling her close
to his side. Still befuddled, she nevertheless realized that they kept pace
with each other—she lengthening her stride a little, he shortening his own.
Their steps matched. Something else she didn’t want to consider right now. She
shook her head to clear it, looked once more at the brilliant sky glittering
with at least two veils of stars—was there more than one arm of a galaxy
visible? As she inhaled deeply, fresh air helped clear her mind, while the ruts
of the soil centered her.

She
cleared her throat before she spoke. “Where are we?”

With
his free arm, he gestured to a smooth area in front of them. “The road between
the Marshalls’ Castle and the town of Castleton.”

Marian
stopped, looked up at him. “That’s on mainland Lladrana,” she croaked.

He
raised his eyebrows. “The wind took us to the mainland. The lightning storm was
wide. I thought it best to ride the lightning down here, near one of the most
populated places in Lladrana.”

Again,
Marian stared at the sky. No trace of clouds. She found herself shaking her
head in disbelief. “One hell of a way to travel!” When she said it, another bit
of knowledge jolted her—she’d picked the word for “hell”—anfer—from his mind!
Her Lladranan accent was now near perfect, and her comprehension of the nuances
of the language a great deal better than they had been.

His
hand squeezed her hip, his eyes darkened. “I can’t ride the lightning by
myself. I don’t have the skill or Power.”

She
swallowed hard. “You showed me how, you controlled our descent.” If she’d been
by herself more than likely she’d have plummeted to the ground and made a large
dent. End of Marian.

Now
his teeth gleamed in a smile. “I’d traveled that way with the last Weather
Mage, Sorceress Entanra, when I was an Apprentice.” He shrugged. “And I knew
the theory, of course.”

“Of
course,” Marian said faintly, trembling.

He
wrapped his arms around her. “Shh,” he said into her hair.

She
felt his warm breath, but couldn’t seem to stop shivering.

“You
have the knowledge to Ride the Lightning, to Dance with the Wind. If you don’t
think about failure, it won’t happen.”

“Are
you sure?”

Chuckling,
he said, “No.”

Oh
yeah, that made her feel a whole lot better. Her nerves were shot. The intimacy
between them was growing and that scared her, too. She
liked
him far too
much, didn’t dare become deeply attached to the man if she planned to return to
Earth. No future in it, and she didn’t know if she had the finesse to handle an
affair. The emotional connection between them was already stronger than it
would be for any casual fling.

She
needed balance. So she stepped away from the comfort of his arms, but was still
glad when he slipped his arm around her waist.

She
looked at the road, glanced up the hill and saw the dark hulking shadow of the
Marshalls’ Castle. Alexa. She sighed in relief. Alexa would be the perfect
person to help Marian sort out her feelings. So she gazed toward the Castle and
sent out a mental call.
Alexa?

A
fleeting surprise throbbed to Marian from her link with Alexa.

Marian?
You sound close.

I
am close, on the road between the Castle and Castleton.

Confusion.
Why did you fly in?

I
didn’t
,
Marian sent dryly.
I rode the lightning as part of my training and we ended
up here. Jaquar is with me.

Pure
stupefaction throbbed from the other end of the bond with Alexa, then
curiosity, excitement.
Rode the lightning! That is so cool!

Jaquar’s
mouth tilted up, and Marian knew he was hearing a small echo between Alexa and
her. He urged her onto the road and they turned to the Castle.

We’ll
be at the Castle shortly
, Marian sent.

Wait!
I’m at the Nom de Nom, a Castleton inn that the Chevaliers frequent.
The noise
around their mental bond increased.

Oh.

I
think Jaquar knows of it. See you in a bit
, Alexa said.

Marian
glanced up at Jaquar. “Did you hear? Do you mind going to the Nom de Nom?”

“I
heard. Are you sure you want to visit the inn? The Chevaliers can be…rowdy.”
Again his arm tightened around her waist, and she thought she felt a tendril of
jealousy. Chevaliers were the knights of Lladrana, those who fought the
horrors. They probably were real testosterone guys, adrenaline junkies.

A
chuckle rumbled in her throat before she could stop it. “You’re an
exceptionally sexy man, Jaquar.”

He
stiffened, then picked up the pace. “You think so?”

“Very,
and so does Alexa.”

“She
does?” He sounded pleased. “By all means, let’s go to the Nom de Nom. Is
Bastien there?”

“For
you to tease by flirting with Alexa?” She pinched his arm. “You’re with me, and
I don’t approve of that sort of behavior.”

Jaquar
laughed.

They
neared the town gate. The archway through the walls was well lit by huge white
balls of magical illumination. Two guards garbed in green and blue stepped into
the arch.

Jaquar
didn’t hesitate in his stride. “Sorcerer Circlet Jaquar Dumont and Exotique
Scholar Marian.”

The
men’s mouths dropped open and they separated to each side of the arch.

“The
Tower’s Exotique!” one whispered in excited tones. “No one’s seen her except
the Marshalls and the Tower. This will be something to tell!”

“She’s
a nice size,” the other said. “Not like that strange little Marshall.”

There
was the sound of a blow, a grunt from the guard. “Marshall Alyeka has always
been kind to me. Keep your mouth shut, dolt,” one said to the other.

Marian
could feel their gazes on her as she walked away. Irritation at the men surged.
Obviously news of her visit would be spread far and wide, probably by morning.

Jaquar
guided her along wide sidewalks through the equally wide streets and elegant
squares of a town. The city looked more like late Renaissance or early
Industrial Age than Medieval. Each building had a caged magical light.

Yes,
Alexa was right. There were a lot of interesting aspects of Lladrana.

She
heard the inn before she saw it—and felt it vibrate to her bones from the huge
and Powerful Songs. She slowed a little, tilting her head, trying to sort
through the Songs. “So many Songs, so rich,” she murmured.

Jaquar
looked startled. “The Nom de Nom is three blocks away.”

Marian
just shook her head, tried to piece together what she was experiencing. “Songs
of one person, two…”

“Those
would be paired fighters, a Shield and Sword for defensive and offensive work.”

Frowning,
she said, “Some crisscrossing and almost
woven
nets of Songs.”

“Chevaliers
working together as teams when necessary.”

“Some
Songs have one primary tone and branch off, adding other little tunes.”

“Ah.”
Jaquar led her around a turn. “Probably a Noble with Chevaliers sworn to him or
her.” Jaquar waved to a three-story building that seemed so old it leaned a
little. “The Nom de Nom.”

Just
before they reached the threshold, Jaquar stepped away from her with a little
sigh. He ran a hand through his hair, smoothed his clothes, then looked at her.
He touched the shoulders of her gown and adjusted them a little. After one
comprehensive, sweeping glance at her, he nodded, his mouth quirking in a grin.
“Any dishevelment you have could be attributed to a wild lightning ride.”

For
an instant, his hand curved softly around her cheek. “You are quite, quite
fabulously Exotiquely beautiful.”

She
stared at him, stunned.

Then
the door opened before them and some Chevaliers emerged, bringing the scent of
smoke and beer. Marian blinked when she saw four women and a man, all equally
tall, all dressed in well-worn leather. They hesitated a moment at the sight of
her and Jaquar. The men goggled at Marian. Then the women muttered greetings
and went off, hauling the man with them. A spicy musk lingered from their
passing.

“What’s
that scent?” asked Marian.

“Volaran.”

Flying
horse. She hadn’t noticed that Nightsky’s fragrance had been so strong.

“This
will be your first exposure to many Lladranans,” Jaquar said. “And a group not
of the Tower Community. Ready?”

Marian
nodded.

He
grinned again. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been in here.” He tilted his
hat. “Not since my early youth.” Sweeping open the door, he held it for her to
enter first.

Noise
and color rushed over her. To her right was a long bar with many Chevaliers—men
and women in equal number—lounging against it, talking. She had the feeling
women had been part of the fighting force for as long as men had. She saw
people ranging from an older man who looked as tough as beef jerky to a
fresh-faced teenaged girl who walked toward them. Her eyes widened as she
passed them, and she dipped her head in greeting.

Others
stepped back, giving Jaquar and Marian a clear path. She blinked and finally
saw Alexa at the last booth on the left. The Marshall stood and waved,
grinning.

Each
booth held four or more people, except the one just before Alexa’s, which held
an intense couple clutching hands and sharing a strained conversation and
potent Song under-laid with deep sexual tones. Alexa’s booth held only her.

When
they reached the booth, Jaquar indicated Marian should slide along the leather
seat closest to the wall and face Alexa. He followed, placing his body between
Marian and the Chevaliers.

“Salutations,
Marian,” Alexa said, and Marian heard the more casual
Hey, Marian
in her
mind.

“Salutations,
Alexa,” Marian said.

“Salutations,
Alyeka,” Jaquar said.

Alexa
inclined her head to Jaquar. “Salutations, Jaquar.”

“I
don’t see Bastien,” Jaquar said as Alexa sat. He slid his hat to the far corner
of the table near Marian.

“No,
he’s at the Castle volaran stables. A wild, pregnant volaran flew in and asked
for his help. Apparently she thought the birth would be complicated. My
personal assistant, Marwey, just updated me—you saw her on the way out.”

“
You
have a personal assistant?” The words escaped Marian before she could stop
them.

Alexa
laughed and sat. “I have a personal assistant, and
ten
Chevaliers.” She
rolled her eyes. “Some of the Chevaliers should be in Bastien’s employ, but he
doesn’t like being a boss. Do you want beer, Marian?”

A
serving woman had sidled to the table. She stood near Alexa as if believing
even a slightly known Exotique was better than a strange Exotique and a
Sorcerer.

“Do
they have wine?”

“I
wouldn’t recommend the wine here,” Jaquar said. “The mead might be acceptable.”

“I’m
drinking tea.” Alexa lifted her mug. “They keep it for me.”

“Mead
is honey wine, right?” Marian asked, searching her memory.

“Ayes,”
the waitress confirmed.

Marian
smiled at her. She took a step back.

Marian
said, “Mead is fine.”