Authors: Robin D. Owens
Of course, when necessary, but their primary function is to defend
their Swords.
Sinafin jumped to the ground.
Alexa shrugged. Well, now she knew what it was to fight and kill
and nearly die, just as she'd known what it was to be part of healing and
helping others survive. Someday she'd have a partner of her own, be one of a
Pair. Then she'd be integral to the Marshall team.
Not wanting to stand alone anymore, she crossed to join the rest.
"There should be a blooding ceremony," Albertus, the
oldest Marshall, said.
A gleam appeared in Reynardus's eye. "Oh, by all means,"
he purred. With a negligent wave of his ivory baton, he transported a mangled
render—probably the most revolting one—that lit with a sickening
thud
between
them.
Alexa shortened her breath and stared beyond it, not focusing on
her kill. The thought made her shiver. Killing would be a part of her life now.
Maybe even daily. She'd have to accept it.
Though killing monsters, especially those who tried to kill her,
was a whole lot easier to justify than any other killing she'd done in her
life, renders and soul-suckers were not flies or mosquitoes.
"Allow me to do the blooding," Luthan said, emerging
from the group.
His leathers looked unstained, and Alexa wondered if he'd been in
the short massacre. He wouldn't avoid battle.
Luthan continued. "As a blood relative to a Marshall—"
he nodded his head at Reynardus "—a Chevalier in good standing, and
Representative to the Singer, I am a symbol of three of the six communities of
Lladranan society."
Reynardus's lips thinned, but he inclined his head.
With fascinated repulsion, Alexa watched as Luthan bent to the
still body on the ground and dipped his right index finger in
a dark messy wound. She gulped. She was not going to like
this. She stood soldier straight, eyes ahead. Suck it up, tough it out. If this
was the price for being recognized by the Chevaliers, she'd pay it.
Luthan's finger was warm. And sticky. And it smelled awful. She
froze as he dabbed once on her cheek.
Cheers rose.
A gentle smile curved his lips. "Very well done, Marshall
Alyeka. I salute you."
Beneath disgust, pride bubbled, triumph even. It was just as
fantastic a feeling as being sworn in as a new attorney to the Colorado bar.
She was part of a community, had the knowledge and skills that that community
valued, spoke a common language. Her mouth turned down at that—not quite, not
yet, but she would! She'd redouble her efforts.
"You call that a proper blooding streak?" Reynardus
sneered, swiping his own fingers knuckle-deep in gore.
Luthan straightened and looked down the aquiline nose he had
inherited from his father. He raised one brow. "Yes. It's a proper
blooding, especially since we don't know how render-ichor will affect Alyeka's
skin. I know you would not wish to harm our newest Marshall."
Alexa hadn't thought whether the green monster blood could hurt
her, but her cheek didn't tingle or burn. Just smelled nasty. She wondered how
long she'd have to wear the mark.
Reynardus stood, emanating waves of frustration. He said a string
of words and not only was his hand clean again but the various heaps of dead
monster flesh disappeared. His voice rose. "I trust none of you wanted to
claim the bounty for these kills."
"None of us are independents that need zhiv," Luthan
said.
Alexa guessed that meant this little foray had been open only to
top-ranking people or their trusted Chevaliers. In any event,
they'd made quick work of the horrors. "And none of us
would claim the new Marshall's kills."
"I will ensure Alyeka receives her bounty," Thealia
said.
Huh. She'd made money in defending her life. Alexa shifted and
felt the pull of sore muscles and bruises that would stiffen later. Not the
best way to make money, and not the easiest, but it would be good to have, all
the same. She wasn't sure how much she had.
A butterfly again, Sinafin fluttered into sight and lit on Alexa's
head.
It is time to go,
she said, booming to all minds.
Alyeka will
ride with Luthan. There is another stop we must make.
Alexa couldn't catch the faceted eyes of the shapeshifter to
protest, so she just sighed and accepted Luthan's offered arm.
Ever since he'd gone zombielike in the tavern, he'd changed toward
her, and she didn't think she liked it. The whole thing screamed of some sort
of magic at work.
Though she was learning quickly, and controlling her own magic didn't
spook her as much as it did originally, the thought of someone else having a
magical vision about her creeped her out.
"Look!" Marrec called, and pointed.
Everyone followed his finger to Alexa. Again. As usual.
A loud gasp came from the crowd as people pointed at her, and
behind her. She turned to look back. The boundary line that had been dull,
glowed, and jade flames about a yard high flickered.
She was a hero! She grinned. She could like being a hero.
Luthan lifted her up onto his volaran. She liked the stallion and
sensed it approved of her too. That it was even proud to carry her. She
wondered if its attitude had worn off on Luthan.
Sinafin flew up and perched on the volaran's head. The flying
horse rolled his eyes and flicked his ears.
I think it's time you see something,
Sinafin
broadcast. Her eyes twinkled.
"What?" asked Alexa.
A surprise.
The feycoocu proceeded to flap her
wings, pointing with one, then the other. After Luthan and Thealia nodded,
Sinafin took off in a spiraling rise.
Luthan mounted and gathered her to him. The pulsations of his aura
made Alexa think he now thought of her as the way he would a close relative, a
cousin or even a sister. She cleared her throat. The last and only other person
who'd considered her that was Sophie. And Alexa would have died for Sophie,
had
done all she could to help her lost friend, in law school and after.
Then the volaran ran to the edge of the cliff and took off. Alexa
was too petrified to scream. Instead she clutched at Luthan's steely arms. He
hummed at her as they fell.
The flying horse spread his wings, and they caught an offshore
breeze and circled upward into the blue sky.
Alexa trembled and mentally checked her underwear. Still dry. She
hadn't actually wet her pants, it only felt like she might. As they flew near
the cliffs, over the rocky beach below, she huddled next to Luthan. He
continued to croon, but there was a note of amusement in the lilt of his voice.
Alexa didn't care. She preferred flying in airplanes.
About fifteen minutes later they angled inland and beneath them
lush green fields turned into a rising plain and then rolling hills. The
landscape was so appealing that Alexa was able to breathe normally and watched
the clumps of sheep and cows and villages below. Finally, they started an easy
descent. They landed on a big green lawn attached to a mellowed red brick manor
house of four stories.
Luthan dismounted, set gauntleted hands on hips and surveyed the
countryside. He muttered, sounding a little irritated, "Who chose this
estate?"
"What?" asked Alexa, yawning to pop her ears.
"Who chose this estate?" he repeated, slowly and
distinctly.
"Ah heard yoush the firs' time," Alexa replied.
Sinafin drifted down to land on Luthan's shoulder. He flinched and
she nearly fell. Rolling her antennae, she flew over to perch on Alexa's
shoulder.
Alexa smirked at Luthan's narrowed eyes. He took his gauntlets off
and slapped them against his leg, looked at the lawn, the house, across the
land into the distance. "Why did you choose this particular land as your
Exotique estate?"
"What?" Now Alexa looked around, trying to absorb
everything. This place was beautiful. Absolutely, positively beautiful,
obviously well-kept and equally obviously wealthy.
Your home,
said Sinafin.
"Mine?" Alexa had never dreamed of having something as
beautiful as this.
Do you like the house?
"It's a dream house," Alexa breathed.
Sinafin preened.
I told you to trust in me.
"You did good," Alexa said. Since Luthan was still
staring into the distance, it didn't seem like he was going to help her down.
She slipped onto her stomach, then slid off the volaran, her tabard rucking up.
It was a couple of feet before her soles hit the ground. The volaran whuffled.
Luthan came forward as her knees sagged, and braced her with a muscular
arm. "The feycoocu advised you to choose this land as your Exotique
estate?" He was looking at Sinafin, who pulsed silver and pink. The
Lladranans sure liked color.
"Yes, she told me to pick this land." Alexa reminded
herself to speak as slowly and precisely as Luthan. "But it was on the
map. I didn't know it would look like this." Now steady on her feet, she
detached herself from Luthan to walk around. The lawn rose gently to frame the
house. There weren't any bushes in front of the place, but she could plant
some.
Frinks got the bushes.
Alexa's mouth turned down. The only frinks she'd seen were a
couple of nasty little dead shells Sinafin had dragged in as a cat.
Luthan stared at her with solemn brown eyes. "There haven't
been frinks in the rain at the Castle or Castleton since you were
Summoned."
"Oh." She couldn't think of anything else to say.
Joining her, Luthan offered his arm. "Do you know the history
of this place?"
"Not all of it."
He started walking up to the manor house. "Many generations
ago, it was a Marshall's house. An
Exotique
Marshall's home. Then it
passed to his son, who didn't care to Test to become a Marshall and accepted a
lesser noble title. After a while, a daughter married a wealthier man, moved to
his estate and sold this one."
"Who owned it last?" They'd come to the covered portico
in front of the house.
Luthan shrugged. "Again, minor nobles of the Janin family.
The last one was a young Chevalier who died two years ago, leaving no family. A
soul-sucker got him."
"Oh."
This was the physical evidence of her place in this world—land and
a home of her own that she would have had to work decades to achieve in Denver.
She took a step to it, and her muscles ached. Oh yeah. The price
for this place would be steep. Alexa glanced around at the fields, the woods,
the landing place for volarans, the stables housing volarans of her own.
Partial payment for this place of hers had already been taken from her in the
form of the Testing of the Marshalls. She had killed for it.
She could
be
killed for it. She could pay more in blood and
flesh and stress and other ways she didn't even know.
But she could belong. All the Marshalls were considered powerful
and odd—being an alien Exotique would just be a little harder for regular folks
to accept, wouldn't it? And among the Marshalls, as they came to know her and
she to know them, would come respect and friendship. With most of them, she
sensed that.
Alexa took the wide steps to the door, and there, slightly above
her head, was a knocker in the form of the Exotic flower. A knocker, not a
doorharp.
"What is it about this estate that interests you?" she
asked Luthan.
"Pardon?" He raised his eyebrows.
Alexa shook her head. "Don't act innocent now. You were
fascinated that this estate was mine. Why?"
His lips curved upward in the merest hint of a smile. "I
don't want to frighten you off."
She straightened to her full height and waggled a thumb at her
chest, an action he watched with fascination. "I am the big, bad Exotique
Marshall. Able to wield the Jade Baton. Able to slice renders to bits—"
"Able to dance along the magical border and revive the
boundary lines. The Singer's Friends will be interested in that," he
murmured.
Her mood deflated. "Probably won't last."
"Perhaps not, but that you could resurrect them at all is
incredible."
Alexa shrugged, feeling a bit uncomfortable under his scrutiny.
"We've wandered from the subject. This manor in relation to myself
interests you."
Luthan inclined his head. "True."
"Why?"
He turned her and pointed. "My brother Bastien's holding
adjoins yours. It is small, but fruitful."
Bastien, the guy she'd rescued from the jerir. The black-and-white
that taunted his father, Reynardus. If Luthan was the honorable firstborn, good
son, Bastien was the rebel and rogue of a bad son. Too bad they weren't
twins—they could have been the basis for a good-twin, bad-twin story—
"Not impressed with Bastien," Luthan said. Now he was
actually smiling.