up at her with huge brown eyes and tongue lolling, Enerin said, I can now do many, many shifts and forms. As many as I like! The puppy rolled from Raine’s grasp to under the altar cloth and emerged as a kitten.
You like this form best. She smiled a little cat smile showing baby teeth.
Raine smiled back.
Now I can go with you on the Ship.
Raine stopped smiling.
Singer’s Abbey
The next morning, Jikata awoke late and only thought she was in Denver for a few seconds. The new soundtrack of her life reminded her she was in Lladrana. For better or worse. She was managing to deal with the day-to-day stresses. Still, she’d need some answers soon.
Chasonette chirped, “Salutations, Jikata.”
“Hello, Chasonette.”
Apparently the bird took that as an invitation to fly through the open side bed curtains and perch on her knee. Chasonette tilted her head and revved up her personal Song. Jikata eyed her. “So, Chasonette, what do you want?”
The cockatoo shifted from one of Jikata’s knees to the other, her tail lifted and dipped and Jikata had misgivings but the cover stayed clean. A tiny sound almost like the clearing of a throat came from the bird.
I am your companion.
“I suppose so.”
So I should be with you all the time.
Jikata chose careful words. “I don’t believe that’s true.”
The bird seemed to perk up. No?
“No.”
The feycoocus and volarans said so. One yellow eye turned to consider Jikata.
“What are faycouscous and volarans?”
Chasonette preened. I am with you to help you learn our ways.
“Thank you.”
Feycoocus are magical beings. A trill of Song, full of wonder. They can shape-shift into many bird forms. Animals, too. Chasonette clicked her beak in disapproval. They are about my size, whatever shape.
“Ah.”
Volarans are winged horses.
“Oh, right.” The maid had used that word last night when Jikata had opened the curtains at the foot of the bed. Jikata had been nude and that hadn’t seemed to bother the young woman, but leaving the curtains open had. They’d had a mimed discussion that got vigorous, particularly after Jikata had asked who’d see her from the third-story window, with no close buildings around. The maid had flapped her arms like a bird, then galloped like a horse. Jikata hadn’t believed her, they’d both thrown up their hands, then the maid had made a pleading face. Jikata had given up and gotten into bed fully intending to open the curtains but had immediately fallen asleep.
The afternoon before had consisted of a quick tour, then lunch, then bathing in a wonderful spa-like pool under one of the buildings, a massage, then dinner.
Learning to live with a soundtrack had taken a lot out of her and she’d retired early.
Now she said, “Flying horses?”
Of course.
They stared at each other. Chasonette clicked her beak. Come to the window, then. She flew there.
Jikata slid off the high bed, grabbed a robe hanging on a garment rack, slipped it on, tied the belt, then sauntered over to the window.
Chasonette gave a piercing whistle that had Jikata stumbling back, then the bird turned her head and ruffled her comb. Wait. They are not as fast as birds.
Jikata shrugged, looked for her backpack. Obsessive or not, she always checked it every morning and every evening. The bag, and smaller pouches within, were all she had of her own…world. Everything was there, but a little jumbled, not in the order she liked. She arranged the smaller bags.
Chasonette whistled again, and Jikata looked up, irritated.
And froze.
Hovering outside her window was a gorgeous animal.
It looked like a horse with wings.
The song coming from it was ravishing.
It is one of the Abbey volarans. It is glad to see you so it can gain status with gossip. But it is not good at staying in place. Chasonette tapped the window glass with her beak. The horse flung up its head, then fell away, wings beating.
“Wait!” Jikata dropped her pack, but by the time she reached the windows it was out of sight.
I am your companion, Chasonette said. She slid a glittering gaze toward Jikata. But I don’t think I need to be with you when you have your lessons from the Singer this morning or visit the Caverns of Prophecy this afternoon. She fluffed up her feathers as if cold.
Jikata felt a chill, too. Of change, of premonition.
9
Marshalls’ Castle
Raine watched her beautiful model boat cruise around the sacred pool in the Temple. She was pretty sure this design would work to take an invasion force to the Dark’s volcanic island. It had room enough for crew, provisions, twenty-five pairs of Marshalls, twenty of the top Chevaliers, six Circlets of the sorcerous persuasion, six Friends from the Singer’s Abbey, flying horses for all of them, the four Exotiques and their mates and the remaining two Exotiques, which included her.
She didn’t want to go invade a hideous evil so huge and ancient it could suck the life out of a planet.
It was the biggest ship she’d ever designed by herself or with her family in Connecticut. It was all wrong that she should be working on a galleon, a battleship, instead of a yacht. It was beautiful.
She’d gotten used to building models by magic here in Lladrana, designing them on heavy handmade paper, cutting and folding them until they looked like the ship she’d seen in her mind, setting them in water, then concentrating hard with her Power, and making the pulp in the paper into wood that was a model ship. She didn’t think the process would work for a real, full-sized ship.
Not to mention it lacked a power source.
The model floated and cut through the water of the pool fine, pushed around by her Power. She couldn’t imagine even the most Powerful of the mages on Lladrana mentally propelling the ship. Wouldn’t it drain them quickly and leave them stranded?
Of course it had two big masts, two small ones and sails. They could take advantage of the wind.
Except no one had consulted any sailors. The anger of most of Lladranan society toward the Seamasters who had messed up Raine’s own Summoning was still in force.
Raine’s early days on Lladrana were fading
