Calli was there, smiling, her blue eyes twinkling. “Mud says she’d like to fly you both down to Castleton. I don’t fly with her often and she likes Exotiques. They smell so good.”
“Mud?” Bri couldn’t think of an uglier name for such a beautiful creature.
Calli’s smile widened. “Her name is really, ‘Rich-Earth-Warm-And-Soft-From-A-Summer-Shower-To-Play-In.”
“Mud.” Bri smiled.
“It’s not far to Castleton,” Sevair said. “It would be a very short ride.”
Mud batted her eyelashes at him, whickered.
“Don’t you fly?” Calli asked.
“Ayes, but I don’t keep a volaran.”
“Mud can be yours. I’ll call others for you,” Calli said.
Another bow from Sevair to Calli, this one a stiff inclination of the torso. “I thought you and your bondmate were settled on your estate.”
“We are,” Calli said, “but since Bri and Elizabeth have arrived, Marrec and I have decided to come with our children to the Castle—and Castleton—at least once a week.
“Children!”
“We adopted. Continue to adopt.” Calli’s smile remained in place, but hurt shadowed her eyes.
Bri couldn’t help it—she heard a tiny tinkle of chimes in the back of her mind and Calli’s Song became emphasized, not the Song of the Exotique Calli, the total person, but just the physical. The murmur of her second chakra was low, or rather, one note of that melody was missing. Calli’s ovaries were gone. She couldn’t have children.
“You know, don’t you?” Calli said quietly. “You can see my physical health?”
“No,” Bri said absently. “I hear it.” She met Calli’s gaze. “You are in excellent health.”
“Exceptional,” Calli said.
“Yes.”
Sevair shifted beside her, and Calli’s attention went back to him, even as Bri absorbed the shock of being able to hear what might be wrong with a person. Mud pawed the ground.
Calli said, “Surely as a Citymaster, you travel.”
Nodding, Sevair said, “I have a coach.”
Calli looked at the streak in his hair. “You have the Power to call wild volarans. I sense you’re an excellent partner.”
His expression froze into an impassive mask. “My sister loved volarans. She had planned to call one.” He lifted a strong shoulder, dropped it. “Or several. Perhaps become a Chevalier. That didn’t happen.”
Since he used the past tense, Bri knew what had happened.
“Ah,” Calli said. “But it would be easier for you to perform your duties if you flew with a volaran. Using their distance magic, your trips would be much shorter. I’m surprised no one has considered this before.”
With a lift of one brow, Sevair said, “Are you? The Marshalls have avoided telling the Citymasters much, the Circlets—”
Calli waved that away. “I understand. Lladranan society has been segmented.” She lifted her chin. “But we Exotiques are mending the situation. Mud will love to partner with you.”
“I don’t have room near my house to stable volarans.” Sevair’s voice was even.
“Contrary,” Bri said.
He frowned, then said, “We’ll fly to Castleton. Mud, would you like to be my regular mount? Stay in Castleton?”
Mud pranced in place.
Calli slid her gaze to Bri, “Along with the estate and the salary, volarans are an Exotique perk.”
Bri didn’t answer. She looked at Elizabeth, who was watching their little scene, hearing the shadows of their conversation through their twin link. Bri would be the first of them to fly on a winged horse! Elizabeth might stay in the safety of the Castle, but Bri would fly! She couldn’t prevent a grin, and heard an audible mind-sniff from Elizabeth.
9
With a last stroke of Mud’s softly feathered mane, Bri said, “I’ll get my backpack.”
Calli nodded and Bri was off before Sevair could say anything. She walked fast. Her feet weren’t itching, but her hands were, wanting to pet that volaran more. Riding a flying horse! That would be worth this trip. She shut down the thought of her parents. They were in Hawaii right now and enjoying themselves, basking in the sun.
Then she was at the door and up, into the suite that was the most luxurious quarters she’d stayed in since she’d left home for college. She grabbed her pack, stuffed her clothes into it, eyed her stack of books and dumped them in, too, then hesitated. She fumbled for the digital camera, checked the memory. She had plenty, had just put in new for her Dad’s birthday party.
When she reached the courtyard again, she saw that the clouds had parted and the sun shone bright, gleaming on Mud’s rich hide, lighting hints of red in Sevair Masif’s hair, turning Calli’s coloring of blond hair, blue eyes, pinkened cheeks into a perfect picture. So she snapped it, and tucked the little camera back into the pack, began to hook up the charging cord up to the solar panel, then had second thoughts. Who knew what spectrum of light this sun had? How the solar power collected would affect Earth devices? She replaced the memory bit with a new one, took the shot again, backed up and took a few pics of the Castle—the keep and Temple. Then she connected the camera to the battery pack, not the solar panel, and headed out.
Calli stared at the backpack and touched a silver grid. “What is this?”
“Solar power, for all my electronics except laptop. Which I didn’t bring with me anyway.” A little pang of regret, though it would have been useless here.
“I can’t believe this,” Calli said.
Bri thumbed on the music player, put an earbud next to Calli’s ear.
“Wow,” Calli said.
“What is that?” Sevair’s brows were down again.
Somehow Bri didn’t think he’d appreciate her music. Music for itchy feet. Loud and raucous. She sent him a cheeky smile. “Just toys.” She put the music player away. “Reminds me.” She pulled her cell from the pouch, looked at the power indicator which showed it was juiced though the connectivity showed nothing. She hit redial for Elizabeth’s apartment. Futile.
She gulped, turned the phone off, stuck it back in its pocket, made sure everything was protected. Shrugging, she said, “That was a communication device. Nothing.”
“Hmm,” he said.
“You had to try,” Calli said softly.
“Yes.”
Let’s
