Protector of the Flight

by Robin D. Owens

  Alexa cleared her throat. “I guess that means you want to stay and keep looking while I confront the Singer.”

  Grimacing, Marian said, “Ayes. We really are close to finding Calli’s ranch. I think. One more day…”

  “Your idea of close and mine aren’t the same.” Alexa huffed out a sigh. “I’ll go.” Then she smiled. “With luck, I can guilt Bastien into going with me, though he’s as nervous about the woman as I am.”

  Marian joined Alexa in her pacing. “This whole business, Calli’s strange Snap, the volarans’ reluctance to Summon her and Marrec back—it all indicates great Power at work—the Song or Amee or the Singer or all three. I don’t like it.”

  “I don’t, either.” Alexa licked her dry lips. “But I’ll go see what I can get out of the Singer…”

  “Merci.” Marian went back out into the rain, and the droplets didn’t seem to touch her. A whirlwind of air scooped her up and she disappeared.

  She hadn’t finished her brandy. Alexa poured it into her tea.

  Calli couldn’t sleep. Her time here at the ranch grew shorter, and that was a concern…going somewhere new…but she’d had dreams of her children crying and awoke, tears on her cheeks. Marrec slept on and she was glad. She went downstairs for some milk. When she opened the door to the kitchen she saw Will sitting at the table. He looked up at her, stilled.

  “Hi, D—” She’d almost said “Daddy.” “Hi, uh, Will.”

  He didn’t look at her. “Calli.”

  No comfort from him. Never had been. Never. All her night fears and old angers coalesced. She could do nothing about her children, but she could finally face her father. “You sold my horse that I loved!” burst from her. That last rankling betrayal.

  Will glanced away. “I’m sorry for that now. Sorry for a lot of things.”

  Calli’s knees trembled, weakened. She leaned back against the refrigerator. She blinked until the dizziness went away, then stared at him. She launched herself at him, hugged him tight. He stood stiff, touched her shoulder.

  And Calli knew. Despite that she’d loved him all her life, that he’d been the only man in her heart before Marrec, Will’s heart had been scoured of emotion before Dora. He had a limited capacity to love and only his wife touched him. He felt affection for Roy, but nothing for Calli.

  Nothing at all.

  She stepped back, swallowed the last lingering hurt that she would inflict upon herself over this man, forced the pain from her gut into the earth, away from her, out of her forever. She wanted no bitterness in her life. She kept her eyes wide so the tears wouldn’t fall, hoped her dad—Will—wouldn’t see them. “We’ll be out of your way in a couple of days, as soon as we figure out our plans.”

  “Calli, come back to bed,” Marrec said softly from the shadowed doorway. Calli turned on her heel and went to him. His arm came around her.

  Will looked at them, held out his hand to Marrec. “Interestin’ meeting you.”

  Marrec shook. “And you. Calli and I are thinking we will go to Montana.”

  Relief passed through Will’s eyes. He nodded. “Plenty of pretty places in Montana.”

  With a return nod, Marrec ended the conversation, and they walked to the door to the steep stairs up to their room. When it closed, Marrec handed Calli a bandana. She blew her nose and wiped her eyes.

  “I love you,” he said.

  She flung her arms around him, pressed herself to him. He held her tight, his body young and strong and vibrant against her. His sex hardened.

  Their loving was hard and fast and quiet…and near violent, from an excess of feelings. Her hands roamed, aroused him ruthlessly, accepted no mercy from him. They joined and their bodies slicked and their mouths fused and they rode to staggering climax together. Pretending they were ready for another great change in their lives.

  Calli woke to find Marrec gone and her heart lurched. He hadn’t ever left the room before. Straining all her senses, she found him riding to the north. Wait! She flung everything into the one Lladranan word. Wait. Please. Whatever had gone wrong with them, they’d been mending it. Yet now he was leaving—for good, oh, no, she didn’t think that. Not her practical husband who knew he’d need her to navigate the outside world, but he was on some errand of his own.

  I wait.

  Calli slipped on her clothes, ran down to the fence around the house acreage and the cattle grate. There he sat, a dim figure in the dawn. Dressed in cowboy hat and boots and jeans, he should have looked like a cowboy. He didn’t. Something about the way he held himself would always be Lladranan. Had she looked that foreign on Lladrana? She supposed so, but she’d defend him fiercely.

  She strode up to him, he tipped his hat and she almost smiled. “Where are you going?”

  A touch of color came to his golden cheeks. Looking peachlike. She’d never tell him that.

  “I heard a call. It comes from that ‘spread’ next door.”

  “Bert’s place.”

  “Yes, the Honorable Bert who has the fancy horses. I think it is the horse herd Song that is Calling me.”

  Calli rubbed her eyes. “You’re dressed in dreeth leather.”

  “I wish to impress him.” His gaze met hers with a darkly puzzled look. He stood straight. “I think I will want the horses. Now.”

  “We hadn’t planned on buying horses yet. We need the property first. At that place, we might be able to return to Lladrana, we shouldn’t buy horses yet—”

  “The horses Sing.”

  She scrutinized him. He was the most pragmatic, logical man she’d ever known. “All right, then. I’ll go back to our room and get the check. We can sign it over to him if we want the horses, and he’ll deposit any overage to our account. We can trust him with the money.”

  “Because he is an Honorable.”

  Blinking, she said, “Yes, that’s his title. He’s a judge.” Once again something tugged at her memory. Something in Alexa’s book?

  But Marrec was speaking. “A judge was in the building where you went to look at the land records.”

  “The county courthouse. Several, I’m sure.”

  “Judge James.”

  Her brows went up. “You got around.”

  He nodded.

  “Okay, I’ll be right back.”

  Smiling, he shifted and sent his horse back toward the stable. “I’ll ready your horse.”

  She ran back to the house, her own lips curved. So many things to be grateful for. Marrec. To be able to see this place again. To be free emotionally of her father. As quietly as possible she hurried up the stairs. Her Pairling had shot their plans to hell. If they bought horses, it was almost certain they couldn’t afford the land. Snapping the hidden panel of the cabinet open, she jammed the check into her pocket. She trusted Marrec’s instincts. Somehow they’d make it work. Maybe they could rent-to-own the land. Maybe they’d find another place.

  She grabbed the check, decided she wanted to show solidarity with Marrec and undressed, then yanked on her own Lladranan dreeth leathers.

  Her horse was saddled by the time she came back.

  “Thank you, Calli.”

  They reached Bert’s ranch in about a half hour. The sun had risen, but the day was cloudy and gray. His arena had been repaired with new fencing freshly painted and the paddocks showed some electronic fencing. That was the last thing she noticed about Bert’s ranch.

  The horses were absolutely gorgeous. No high-strung, high-bred Arabians these—what most folks thought of as “fancy horses,” but a breed that was more compact, powerful. More baroque.

  Lipizzaners. Four mares and a gelding moved around the arena. Separate from them were two stallions. Two stallions!

  One was in a large paddock, close to the arena, flirting with the mares. The other stallion was in a big stall.

  How on earth had Bert gotten ahold of these magnificent animals? Why? Calli’d never heard that he was interested in the breed. He must be breeding them. Had to be. Dazed, she stopped, just watching
the horses. They weren’t the warm-bloods and the quarter horses she was accustomed to.

  Marrec continued on.

  By the time Calli clucked to her mount to continue to the corral, Marrec stood laconically against the fence, with three mares’ noses waiting to be scratched.

  She dismounted, tied her horse to a nearby tree and joined him—to feel tension humming in his body. Singing from him.

  He wanted these horses.

  41

  Listen to their Equine, he said.

  Clear mind speech, again more intelligent, more curious than she was used to, whispered liquidly in her head. Good-smelling man. Fine. Fine. Beautiful woman. Very fine smell, but whiff of something scary.

  They were wearing dreeth leathers.

  Strange images. Winged equines. Flying us. Wings. Wings. Wings, whispered from many mind voices.

  Calli blinked. The Lladranan leathers must give off a subtle scent of otherworldliness.

  “Howdy,” said Bert.

  Calli jumped. He walked quietly, an elegant man of middle age, still handsome, wearing ranch clothes, hat, boots. “Good to see you again,” he said to Calli.

  Gesturing to Marrec, Calli said, “My husband, Marrec Gardpont.”

  Marrec bowed stiffly.

  “Pleased to meet you.” Bert opened the gate and entered the corral. “Come on in.”

  Calli and Marrec went inside and the horses crowded around them, curious.

  Easy, little ones, Marrec soothed.

  A couple tossed their heads, whinnied, sidled backward. They weren’t used to hearing such perfect Equine.

  They were fabulous. Now they kept a courteous distance from the humans as if they already accepted them as alphas, due to telepathic Equine and regular physical cues.

  “Thanks for talking with me about my finances—and the great investments you made with my money,” Calli said stiltedly. She was finding it difficult to keep her eyes and mind and hands off the horses. The nearest stallion was rolling a come-hither eye.

  “Like my babies?” Bert asked.

  “Gorgeous. Are they for sale?”

  He rubbed his chin, glanced up at the low-slung ranch house. Calli thought it had been spruced up, too. A lacy curtain fluttered. He hadn’t had lace at the windows before, had he?

  Come say hello, cooed a mare.

  She did, stroking the horse from top to tail, loving the animal’s conformation. Compact. Powerful. Fluid. Intelligent.

  “Yes, they’re for sale,” Bert said.

  Calli was jolted back to the here and now. His smile was easy, but his eyes sharp.

  She calculated their expenses. They might be able to talk the Montana ranch owner into renting, or selling a portion of the land—the part that might lead back to Lladrana and their children. If they lived in that pitiful trailer and did a lot of the work themselves…and Calli pulled in every favor she might have in Montana, and spread word she was setting up as a trainer…

  Sidling casually over to Marrec, she brushed her shoulder against his. He glanced down, face expressionless.

  She quoted a figure. “That should buy them all,” she said in Lladranan.

  His dark eyes lit, softened. “I thought only two.”

  Her smile was easy. “You want them all.”

  His glance flicked to the horses, back to her. “Ayes.”

  “We’ll put our money in the horses. Less house.”

  He nodded.

  “Now you bargain. You’re better at it.”

  The smile she loved formed slowly on his face. “We’ll do it together.” Once again he glanced at the horses. “I think we’ll have to walk away, then come back. You can nail him down at the end.”

  Bert said, “You really interested in buying them? They’re all registered and I have official pedigrees.”

  That sounded like an opening to negotiate to her.

  Marrec stepped forward, eyes gleaming. He kept his voice slow, but as the men dickered, Calli realized that Marrec had changed his strategy…and showed much more respect for the man than he had her father. Her Pairling did indeed gesture her to leave and she let out a long breath and drooped a little as she untied her mount, Marrec walking slowly to the arena gate before Bert impatiently called them back.

  Finally, Bert pushed his hat back on his head, took a straw and twirled it. Though he was a big-city guy, there was just enough rancher in him not to make him look too stupid doing that. “We’ll even throw in the fancy saddles. Millana and Pluto won’t be ridden without them.” He gestured to saddles resting on the top fence rail. The tack was the strangest and fanciest getup Calli had ever seen and she stared from one to the other. The stallion’s saddle was midnight-blue leather worked in gold, with edgings of scarlet. Squinting, she thought she saw suns, moons, stars and…the spiral of a tornado? The mare’s saddle reversed the colors, being mostly scarlet and gold with blue facings—and symbols of musical notes? Her heart picked up a beat and she couldn’t tear her gaze away from the tooling that almost made sense, until she heard the slap of hands and she looked over to see the two men shaking on the deal.

  “Why don’t you ride ’em back to the Rocking Bar T, try ’em out. Take the rest on a line. Looks like they’ll follow you. I’ll keep Will’s horses here until you can pick them back up,” Bert said.

  Calli looked at the Lipizzaners. They were gorgeous. Her whole body itched to get on one.

  “Yes,” said Marrec. She sensed he wanted to put her past—and Will—behind them and ride out on their future. Then he cleared his throat. “One moment,” Marrec said. He strode over and picked Calli up, brought her back to the arena and set her down before Bert.

  “What?”

  Patting her on the shoulder, he went to the horse he’d ridden and opened the saddlebag, withdrew the fabulous white beaded scarf she’d seen in the store window and draped it over her shoulders. He jumped over the fence and stood by her side, taking her hands.

  Marrec stared at Bert. “I’ve heard that you are one who can listen to marriage vows.”

  Calli’s heart beat hard.

  Bert’s brows rose. He straightened, his voice deepened. “In Colorado you can exchange your vows yourself.”

  “I do not have the papers, but I would like to say the vows with Calli before you.”

  “You have any objection to this, Calli?”

  “No, he’s my husband.” Her breathing came a little ragged. Acknowledging that was a step toward common law marriage, too.

  “We have shared a Bonding ritual in my land,” Marrec stated, “but I want Calli to have a—some sort of—a ceremony, here, too, again.”

  He’d never been so inarticulate. Calli bit her lip. A wedding. The man was trying his best to give her a wedding. The pretty, long scarf that draped over her, glittering like shards of the crystal, hanging to her calves. She blinked and smiled at her Pairling. “Thank you.”

  “You’re very welcome.” He smiled.

  Bert rocked back on his heels. “I think I’ve conducted enough civil ceremonies to know the words pretty much by heart.”

  Calli didn’t doubt it a bit.

  “We are here to unite Marrec Gardpont and Callista Mae Torcher in marriage, which is held in honor among all people. As they pledge their constant and abiding love to each other…”

  The old words, so familiar, spoken by an authoritative, honorable man. The scarf as her wedding dress. More, the sturdy, reliable man standing in front of her with love in his eyes, his Song rising loud to her ears, merging with the heart rhythm of her own personal Song, twining together, now on Earth as it was on Lladrana—a perfect wedding.

  Marrec said his vows strongly and clearly.

  Calli’s were a little rushed, a little loud.

  “Here is where I’d say something like ‘by the authority vested in me by the state of Colorado,’ but I’ll just say, ‘You are husband and wife, blessings upon you.’” Bert winked at Marrec. “You may kiss the bride.”

  Her husband’s mouth brushe
d her own.

  “Right,” Bert said, “that’s done. The horses are restless.”

  They weren’t really, they’d observed with some curiosity, even hearing part of the Songs, Calli thought. She should take off and fold the scarf, wrap it in the tissue paper stuffed in Marrec’s saddlebags. She didn’t.

  Marrec kissed her again, harder. Calli slid her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

  Bert carefully stepped away from the bunch, folded the check Marrec had given him and stuck it in his back pocket, then grinned. “Good doing business with you. I’ll make sure the excess is invested for you.”

  “No, thanks. Please deposit it in my account. You know the number.” Calli was caught for an instant by his smile. For an older guy, he sure was attractive.

  A head butt brought her back to the here and now, and the group of horses—a small herd—that was the basis of her new life. She swallowed. She could almost see Jetyer and Diaminta mounted on these lovely beasts. She had to look away and swipe her sleeve across her eyes.

  Marrec murmured, “Marian and Jaquar, Alexa and Bastien will care for them like their own, until we find a way back.” Their rote comforting phrase, but his voice broke. He set his shoulders, made one corner of his mouth turn up. “These are our children for the moment.”

  Calli still wanted children but didn’t know if her heart could take the strain. How long would it be before they gave up hope? If they adopted in the future, would that be giving up on their intention to return to Lladrana? Could they possibly take children back with them? Would more lost orphans break her heart further? Ease it slightly? No other children could replace her own.

  But Marrec was ordering the horses so that they could ride back to the Rocking Bar T. Bert saddled the alpha stallion and Calli hurried over to saddle the mare. There were leads to tie the rest so they would follow…though Calli sensed their fascination with her and Marrec would make the task much easier.

  Marrec swung onto the stallion. His face scrunched a little.

  “What?” Calli asked.

  He just shrugged, gathered up the lead lines and looked back at his string of three. “I like this type of saddle,” he said, tapping the horn.