Protector of the Flight (44 page)

Jetyer
rippled with a shock from beside him, small fingers clamping hard around
Marrec’s. The boy was dazzled by Calli, and he
needed.
He yearned for
the soft touch of a mother more than Marrec ever had.

31

C
alli pressed a
smiling kiss on Marrec’s lips and their Songs met and knit and their Pair Song
rose and it was sweet, sweet. Damn. He should have had her come to the inn last
night, rented the adjoining room for them. He didn’t know if he could last
through a long ritual.

Then
her smile widened—he wondered if he looked love struck—and she stepped back,
moved in front of Jetyer and knelt until her eyes were level with the child’s.

“I
am Callista Gardpont,” she said, her voice accented. “I will be your mother, if
you please.” With a slow gesture, she reached for his head, gleaming brown-red
in the sun, stroked his hair.
Calm, dear boy,
Marrec heard her say,
including him and Diaminta in the mind-speak. She sent comfort and approval to
Jetyer and he released Marrec’s hand, flung himself at Calli.

She
held his thin body, stroked his back. Tears trickled down her cheeks.
Their
Song billowed, shadowy visions of uncaring men in both their pasts merged,
vanished in the knowing of like to like.

“Well,”
said another voice. “This shouldn’t be difficult.”

Marrec
hadn’t noticed Luthan Vauxveau landing, but the noble Chevalier stood in
pristine white flying leathers before them. Marrec wondered what Luthan saw.
He’d never known the cool nobleman well, but since the man had become the
representative of the Singer, even more depth lingered behind his dark eyes and
his streak of silver had widened. Marrec supposed that the Singer had chosen
Luthan because he had prophetic moments.

Luthan
gestured to the medica.

Calli
tensed, sheltered the boy. “Shouldn’t we be private—”

But
the medica had already touched Jetyer’s temple, sent a mind probe. The healer
frowned. Luthan set a hand on the medica’s shoulder and all of them connected
mentally—Marrec and Calli and Diaminta and Jetyer and the medica and Luthan.
The medica sucked in a harsh breath, dropped his hand and stepped back, shaking
his hands and his head, flicking the Power that had risen and cycled through
all of them from his fingertips.

“Interesting,”
Marian commented lightly.

Marrec
blinked, noticing that she was dressed like Calli, in a dress identical except
for the embroidered gold lightning bolts. He thought she was considering
joining the connection and Jaquar clasped her around the elbow, holding her
back.

Luthan
stepped aside. He looked at the medica and spoke coolly. “It is my
understanding that when the bloodbond is forged, Jetyer will have the mental
and emotional support of the rest of his family in diminishing his stammer.”

The
medica nodded. “That’s my reading of the situation, too. As the boy’s life
stabilizes, he will lose his affliction.”

Calli
stiffened.

“Shh,”
Marrec said.

“Release
your soon-to-be-mother and we will proceed with the ritual,” Luthan said.

“Oh,
good,” Marian said, rubbing her hands. Jaquar smiled and slipped his free arm
around her waist.

Jetyer
snuffled and let go of Calli. Marrec reached into a pocket and handed his son a
fine linen handkerchief. The boy fingered the quality of it for a moment, then
blew his nose and smiled up at Marrec with a brilliance that shot straight
through him.

“That
Temple is far too small for all of us.” Luthan stood with hands on his hips,
surveying the village, the manor staff, the resplendent Circlets and Marshalls,
and their family.

We
witness, too!
Thunder and Dark Lance and the other volarans whinnied in unison. Marrec hadn’t
seen Dark Lance arrive.

Luthan
cocked his head. He didn’t speak mental Equine. An excellent, patient Chevalier
and fierce fighter, but not one blessed with the talent to hear the winged
horses.

“The
volarans insist on witnessing the ceremony,” Marrec said.

Nodding,
Luthan said, “Then I think we can do this outside, here. It will please the
Song and Amee equally. We will need the traveling altar from the Temple.” A man
hurried away to fetch it and Luthan gestured Marrec and Calli and the others to
move to the center of the square, the volarans to go to the edge.

“I
will continue to hold Diaminta since I will be her and Jetyer’s
parentie,
”
Jaquar said smugly.

Marian
sniffed. “I’ll be part of the ritual, too.”

Luthan
said, “Best form a bond between you and the children, too.”

The
volarans called.

“They
want to participate in the ritual,” Marrec said.

“No,”
said Luthan. “Humans only in the pentacle.”

The
townsman returned with the light traveling altar and implements and set it in
the middle of the square where a faint pentagram showed as a trampling of the
grass.

A
horrible screeching arose. Luthan’s shoulders tensed. Jaquar and Marian smiled.

“It
only needed this to complicate the ritual further,” Luthan muttered.

Two
peacocks, feathers fully spread, pranced toward them.

“The
feycoocus.” Luthan sighed.

All
around the square people nudged each other, commented excitedly.

Marian
clapped her hands and a rumble of thunder reverberated around the square.
Everyone fell silent.

“Everyone
is welcome to witness the Gardponts adopt their new son, and the designation of
the Circlets as
parenties.
” Luthan projected his voice. “Family and
parenties,
enter the pentagram with me. Volarans, stand outside the circle at even
intervals. Townspeople and well-wishers, circle around and link hands.”

The
ritual was slow and stately. Luthan spoke in a loud, clear voice so all could
hear. The binding this time was more complex but fully as potent as the one
when they’d adopted Diaminta in the Castle’s Great Temple. Though they didn’t
have the impressive resonance of Power used and stored, the different
atmosphere of tree-dappled light, blue sky and land underfoot that had been the
gathering place of simple people for ages touched Marrec more.

Baby
Diaminta and Jetyer were bound first, and Jaquar and Marian formally linked to
the family as
parenties
to the children with a few drops of blood. Even
that small amount of Circlet blood made Marrec dizzy and Calli helped him and
Diaminta and Jetyer stay conscious. Then came the bloodbonding—the cutting and
binding of arms, Jetyer between Calli and Marrec himself. Luthan had judged
that they should all be bound for only four hours and Marrec was grateful.

They
walked from the green a family. Then there was a disturbance among the
volarans.

One
comes,
Dark Lance said mentally.
A mount for the children.
He snorted and
Marrec got the impression that he didn’t think much of the volaran.

The
other winged horses parted to show a bluish-gray mare, one of the smallest
Marrec had seen. The volarans were getting smaller, seemed to be breeding for
daintiness. Not too good for big Chevaliers. He’d mention the notion to Calli,
see if she could encourage the herds to breed for larger mounts.

Like
me,
said Dark Lance.

Jetyer
let out a breath, then his eyes focused on the bluish-gray mare. “Sh-she’s
b-b-beautif-ful.”

She
was, in the manner that volarans prized, but she was too small for anyone to
ride but a youngster—or an equally small woman like Alexa.

I
am Sapphire.

Sapphire,
said Jetyer,
easy in Equine.

Calli
slanted Marrec a glance. “Think we can put Jetyer on for a try?” She didn’t
wait for him to answer, but spoke Equine with her body, and reassured the
little winged horse as she moved behind the mare.

The
volaran stood still, turned her neck to look at them. Marrec thought he was the
only one of them to realize that Calli had complete control of the winged
steed’s mind. The mare could not kick. He and Calli lifted Jetyer to sit
bareback.

Jetyer
shouted in joy.

A
flood of memories tangled between them—Calli on her first horse, Marrec his
volaran. Calli and Thunder, Marrec and Dark Lance.

“Me
and Sapphire!” cried Jetyer.

“She’s
so intelligent and quick,” Calli said, beaming as Jetyer leaned forward and
stroked the mare’s neck.

I
am intelligent and quick,
Dark Lance said.

Not
as quick as this one,
Marrec said. “Beautiful lady,” he said aloud.

Yes,
Sapphire
replied in Equine, lifting her head and tilting her ears.
I flew in for the
boy.

“Me,
me!” screamed Diaminta, waving little fists.

“Jetyer?”
asked Calli.

“She
can sit ahead of me.”

“Good
boy,” Marrec said.

“That’s
kind of you,” Calli said.

Jaquar
placed Diaminta on the volaran and stepped away. He shook his head. “Truly, the
Volaran Exotique.”

They
let the children sit a while on Sapphire’s back, then Jaquar took Diaminta, and
Marrec and Jetyer and Calli walked slowly back to the manor. The blood
traveling through them caused their minds to daze, as usual.

Sometimes
the boy’s blood and memories were more familiar than Calli’s, sometimes the
events Marrec had shared with Calli were easier to accept and understand than
Jetyer’s ideas.

Calli’s
and Jetyer’s Songs harmonized amazingly. So well that Marrec was almost jealous
of his new son.

Once
again emotionally bound with Calli, Marrec understood she’d been hurt by his
withdrawal, yet his logical side continued to insist that what he was doing was
right, for the best of them all. It was true that Calli still had a great need
to be loved and to please others, but he saw her strong determination that
their child—children—not be forced into the Chevalier life that was expected of
both her and Marrec.

Once
they reached the manor, they lay on three side-by-side pallets in one of the
parlors. Diaminta’s crib was close so that she’d experience their binding Song.
The room didn’t get direct sunlight and was cool and shady, and Marrec’s mind
drifted away on music until voices rang around him and the cloth bonds of he
and his Pairling and his new son were cut away.

They
all embraced—with Diaminta—and then spent the evening in celebration. Jetyer
kept close to Calli, and Marrec got the idea that he was spilling all his hopes
and dreams—in only slightly stuttering language.

Later
in the night, he and Calli loved with desperate tenderness.

T
he next morning
breakfast was cheerful and lively. Afterward, Calli took Jetyer to the arena
and she and Marrec gave him his first volaran-partnering lesson. The grin on
his face made Calli’s eyes sting.

Finally,
though, it was time to wash and change for her flight back to the encampment.
Her steps dragged, her movements slowed.

She
had just dressed when there was a quick, hard rapping on the door.

Marrec
and she shared a strained glance, both knowing Jetyer was outside their door.
Marrec strode and opened it.

“Mama?”
Jetyer said, shifting from foot to foot on the threshold.

“Yes?”

“I…I…h-heard
about the S-s-snap. W-will you b-be l-l-l-leaving?”

“Oh,
honey.” She opened her arms and he ran into them, burrowed close, and she shut
her eyes as she heard the pretty strains of his boy Song, smelled his scent. “I
love you very much, and the more an Exotique is bound to Lladrana and its
people, the easier it is for her to stay. I’m bound to you and your father and
baby Diaminta. They say the Snap is a
choice,
and I choose to stay here
with you and the rest of our family.”

“Are
you sure?” The words were muffled against her body, but they were clear.

“Very
sure. I won’t go back.”

“Son,
I’ve
heard from Shieldmarshall Bastien that I can help Calli during the
Snap by hanging on to her. When it comes, why don’t we both hang on to her.”

The
boy released her to look at Marrec. “T-truly?”

“Ayes.”

“And
baby Diaminta, too? M-mama could hold her.”

“Well,
you know Diaminta still prefers you and your papa,” Calli said.

Jetyer
shook his head. “I th-think you should hold her.”

Smiling,
Calli brushed his hair from his forehead, pretended not to see his wet eyes.
“We’ll do that. Feel better now?”

“Ayes.”
But there was a little frown between his brows.

Calli
went to the love seat and sat down, patted the cushion beside her. “You know
you can ask me anything, right?”