Heart Fortune (Celta)

by Robin D. Owens

  Twenty-eight

  Jace cleared his throat one last time and read. He paused for breath after the opening.

  “Oh, oh, oh,” Camellia’s voice sounded like mournful coos. Tears ran down her face and her husband pulled her close and her Fam purred louder.

  “We already know it ends happily,” Glyssa said in a soothing tone.

  Camellia gave a watery sniff and looked at Jace. “I think I’d rather stop for now, until Tiana can join us.”

  He put the papyrus down with relief, but another big feeling moved in his chest . . . he’d made a GreatLady cry with his words, his storytelling! Incredible.

  “You have another gift,” Laev said to him.

  “Just modified the man’s journals,” Jace said. Glyssa picked up the papyrus and took them to Camellia, set them beside her.

  “I doubt that,” Laev said. He stood and picked up Camellia who held the cat and papyrus and nodded to Jace. “You’re a man of many gifts.”

  Jace stood, too. Glyssa slid her arm around his waist. “We’ll teleport home,” she said.

  “To the Licorices,” Jace said.

  Lepid zoomed through the open door bringing with him the coolness of the ocean breeze. Zem and I want to stay here for a while, he announced. His feet pattered as he jiggled a dance, leaving damp spots on the carpet. We can play in the ocean! It is not like the Sea that Zem knows. WE CAN FISH!

  Everyone laughed. Glyssa flapped her hands and said, “Go!”

  He came over and rubbed against Glyssa and then Jace. MY FamWoman. My FamMan. He lifted his nose and fluffed his tail at the cat.

  Foxes, the cat sighed.

  I caught you and your mate a rat, cat.

  The cat’s ears perked.

  Brazos is eating most of it, Lepid said, barked a laugh, and ran out into the day and to the GreatLord’s estate. The cat followed. Jace quashed a thought that he would have liked to see the place.

  Good day, FamMan, I will be back in a couple of hours, Zem said mentally.

  Where are you?

  In a large oak just outside the door. The hunting has been unusual and good. There is excellent prey in the tide pools I want more of.

  That’s fine, Jace replied. He was walking arm in arm with Glyssa. She hugged the Hawthorn couple, Camellia still in Laev’s arms, then stepped aside.

  He decided to bend down and kiss Camellia on the cheek. After all, she was one of Glyssa’s best friends, and more importantly, she loved his gift and his story. “Thank you for praising my work.”

  She reached up and patted his chest. “It deserves it.”

  Jace bumped his fist against Laev’s shoulder. “Later.”

  Showing teeth whiter and more perfect than Jace had ever seen, Laev said, “Yes.”

  “He means that, you know,” Camellia said. “He’ll hunt you down.”

  Jace winked. “I think I can handle him.”

  Camellia chuckled and rubbed her head against her husband. “They all do. But even Glyssa got entangled.”

  “I’ll watch out for traps,” Jace said.

  “You’ll never see them coming,” Laev said, nodded at him. “Merry meet.”

  “And merry part,” Jace said, the response coming automatically now. He’d never said the phrase so much in his entire life as in the last couple of days.

  Laev lifted a brow. “And we’ll definitely meet merrily for both our profit again.” He turned and walked up the stairs with his wife.

  After a sigh, Glyssa said, “They look so good together. I’m glad they found each other and worked through their problems.” She tugged on Jace’s arm, so he followed her down a wide corridor.

  “They had problems?”

  “Doesn’t everyone?”

  He didn’t think she wanted an answer, which was good because he wasn’t going to address that topic. She opened the door to a small room with a tall, opaque window, closed the door, and flipped the teleportation indicator that would show the pad—the whole room!—was in use. “A whole room set aside for teleportation,” he said.

  “One on every floor,” Glyssa said. “Like in the PublicLibrary. But unlike the library, most visitors here can teleport. There’s a marked-off area in most of the rooms here, too.”

  “Huh,” Jace said, stepping up onto the pad and opening his arms. He could provide Flair for Glyssa if she needed it to teleport them, which she didn’t. Otherwise she’d be doing all the work, ’porting them. “Where are we landing?” he asked.

  “My bedroom.” She paused. “I hope you will stay.”

  “Sure.” Energy ran through her, too, and he finally said what they’d been ignoring. “We can spend time together before your hearing. And Camellia approved of the novel, so your Family shouldn’t be able to use that against you—us.”

  “Probably not.” Glyssa sounded doubtful.

  “Camellia is the judge of the quality of the story, not the FirstLevel Librarians, and I think she’s happy with what we’ve got so far.”

  “Yes.”

  “I know something that will ease those nerves.” He grinned, and she leaned back against him and his body hardened. She snuggled her ass around his cock and the blood drained from his head.

  “Glad we’re going to your bedroom,” he said hoarsely.

  She said, “You’re right. The reading, as short as it was, went well. I’m sure Camellia will say so for my progress report hearing.”

  Before he could say anything else they were in her bedroom, a couple of minutes later naked and rolling on her bedsponge.

  He was having a difficult time getting enough of the woman. But he wouldn’t stay in the city with her.

  * * *

  Still, in two septhours he sat on a hard wooden bench in the corridor behind the door marked “PublicLibrary Administrators Only.” Across from him was the door the Licorices had gone through, Glyssa lagging two steps behind for a quick hug and kiss.

  “You can do it!” he said, though he didn’t know whether she’d be successful in defending her fieldwork or not. He sat on the bench and waited, completely out of his element.

  * * *

  Inside the room, Glyssa blessed her bespelled formal tunic and trous that wicked away sweat as she gave her progress report and answered questions about her studies and work at Lugh’s Spear.

  Her mother, mouth down with lines bracketing her lips, examined every detail—still not happy at all with the project, with Glyssa being outside of the PublicLibrary and Druida City.

  Her father watched her with a shuttered gaze. She had no clue whether he’d vote approval of her report and continued support of her work or not. She did decide that how her father voted would be partially due to Jace. And she had no idea what her father thought of Jace.

  Enata simply scowled and drew sketches—no doubt unflattering ones of Glyssa—with her writestick.

  “You continued to work with Maxima Elecampane and Jace Bayrum on the blueprints of Lugh’s Spear in your third day at the excavation,” D’Licorice said.

  Lady and Lord help her. They’d only gotten to the third day. Maybe she could move it along, jump along the timeline a bit.

  “Yes. And I began my work on the novel for D’Hawthorn. Later, I heard GentleSir Bayrum’s storytelling at the bonfire and within a week we were working together.” She smiled as she lilted Jace’s name, couldn’t help it.

  Despite everything, she’d achieved one goal. Yes, she desperately wanted to become a FirstLevel Librarian, and it would leave a hole in her, destroy her notion of the future if she didn’t . . . but Jace remained more important.

  So did the sheer discovery of Lugh’s Spear.

  Her sister snapped up straight. “With the current information we have regarding the SecondLevel Librarian’s field project and paper, we can determine whether they are acceptable and can be continued or whether they are unacceptable. Further, we can promote or demote her instead of wasting any more time on this issue now or in the future. So, I call the question of the SecondLevel Librarian b
eing approved to become FirstLevel. And if she fails, that she be remanded to the Gael City Library immediately.”

  Glyssa gasped. Why would her sister do this to her?

  Her parents appeared surprised. Her mother recovered faster and wiped expression from her face, turning impassive.

  Her father looked appalled. “Enata,” her father snapped, then shut his mouth, but his brows went down over his eyes.

  Enata flushed and lifted her chin. “It’s an acceptable action.” She coughed. “I have doubts about SecondLevel Librarian Licorice being at the excavation of Lugh’s Spear, about the importance—uh, her recording of that project, since nothing much seems to be occurring. As for her transcription of Captain Hoku’s journals, she has help with that.”

  “I have help with telling Captain Hoku’s story, creatively.” Glyssa lost her temper. “I thought writing such a story would be easy for me. It’s not. It’s not one of my talents, is that what you want to hear?”

  “SecondLevel Librarian!” Her mother’s voice was frigid.

  Glyssa pulled the old shell of professionalism around her. Too small and tight, it hurt. It hurt being the person she’d been before the camp, before Jace. She stood straight and stiff. Her eyes burned and she shifted so her whole body faced her sister.

  Who looked defiant and scared and . . . miserable? Glyssa hadn’t checked on her bond with her sister lately—it tended to be prickly. Her sister was unhappy and blaming her unhappiness on Glyssa. Why? Glyssa searched her face. She couldn’t tell. All she could feel was that discontent. Her own irritation died, though it wouldn’t have a month before. She’d have fought and fought her sister hard, lined up arguments. Her mind would have scrambled for defense, words cool and logical would have emerged from her brain, issued from her mouth. Her brain would have lined up options . . .

  Instead, with the experience of the additional close bonds of Lepid and Jace, she did what she’d do with them—her young FoxFam and her touchy HeartMate. She opened her bond with Enata wide and sent love. Just complete acceptance and love. The situation would work out some way or another in the future, Glyssa didn’t have to handle that now. She only had to love her sister.

  Enata’s eyes rounded and her mouth opened in surprise.

  “The question of promoting SecondLevel Librarian Glyssa Licorice to FirstLevel has been called,” their mother said. “The vote must be unanimous.”

  “I believe this vote is untimely and untoward,” their father said. He stared at Enata. “But I vote that SecondLevel Librarian Glyssa Licorice be promoted to FirstLevel Librarian.” There was a rare note of challenge and warning in his voice that Glyssa had heard only a few times and that had her standing straighter still. Her father supported her.

  The silence from her mother stretched longer than Glyssa anticipated, giving her time to become nervous as she yet looked at her sister, continued to send the woman love, mixed with a little wish for forgiveness if Glyssa had hurt her feelings somehow. Glyssa didn’t look at her parents, thought there might be a private, mental discussion between them.

  “Ah.” Her mother began, paused a few seconds, then spoke. “With regard to the promotion of Glyssa Licorice from SecondLevel Librarian to FirstLevel Librarian, I state her work is acceptable by . . . our . . . standards and affirm her promotion,” D’Licorice said.

  Now Glyssa’s feet unstuck and she turned to see her frowning mother. Glyssa could barely hear over the pounding of her heartbeat in her ears.

  “I . . . I . . . vote for Glyssa to become FirstLevel, too,” Enata said. There was a clunk as her heavy empty water glass tipped over when she pushed back her chair and rose from the table. She rushed from the room.

  Glyssa goggled.

  D’Licorice’s gavel hit. “SecondLevel Librarian Glyssa Licorice has been considered and raised to FirstLevel. The board has spoken and it is done.” Another bang of the gavel. “Congratulations.”

  This was supposed to have been a progress report hearing. Now she was a FirstLevel Librarian! Wonderful!

  But how would this change her life, and her relationship with Jace?

  Twenty-nine

  The door slammed open, and Jace, legs stretched out and staring at the window at the far end of the hallway, came to his feet. But the running woman wasn’t Glyssa, but her sister. He held out his hand to her. “Can I help?” dropped from his mouth before he could stop it.

  “You!” she spat at him, then hurried down the hall. “No, no, no!”

  He carefully set the book he’d been looking at aside. The meeting had to be over. And if Glyssa’s older sister looked like that, his lady must have won the skirmish.

  D’Licorice and T’Licorice exited next, his arm around her waist, very unprofessionally. “We will deal with our children, Rhiza.”

  “But she wants to return to the wilderness . . .” D’Licorice nearly wailed. “Why can’t Glyssa be happy here? And what was Enata thinking?”

  T’Licorice nodded at Jace. “Bayrum will take care of Glyssa.”

  “Maybe now she’s a FirstLevel PublicLibrarian, she’ll stay?” whispered D’Licorice, not glancing at Jace.

  “No, dear,” T’Licorice’s voice was soft. They turned down the hallway, too, in the same direction Enata had gone.

  Jace took three paces to the door and opened it. Glyssa was leaning against a big wooden table, looking dazed. She held out her arms to Jace and he gathered her into his arms. Her voice was muffled as she spoke. “Enata exploded the whole meeting. She forced everyone to decide whether I was ready to be a FirstLevel Librarian or not.”

  His heart jumped in his chest. “Are you staying here?”

  She blinked. “No.” Inhaled. “No!” Then she tilted up her head and gave him an amazing kiss.

  A quiet hum and a vibration rubbed against Jace’s thigh, making him flinch. Glyssa’s expression went blank for a minute, then she said, “My scry pebble.” She frowned, snapped in disapproval, “Who would be scrying me when they know I would be in a meeting?” She fished in her sleeve and pulled out the pretty marble, sighed. “Laev T’Hawthorn. He’s leaving a message.” She slid her thumb over the pebble and a full-sized Laev holo jumped into the room.

  “. . . and I have news of the cook, Myrtus Stopper.” He winked at Glyssa. “Greetyou, FirstLevel Librarian!”

  “You know already?” she asked.

  “Your surprise leaked to Camellia and Tiana. Camellia told me.” He nearly smirked. “Camellia is baking a cake, I think.”

  “Oh.”

  “News about Myrtus Stopper?” Jace asked.

  “Yes, I’m going to visit a business acquaintance and thought Glyssa . . . or you, would like to come?”

  “How do you know of Myrtus Stopper?”

  Laev raised his brows. “The Elecampanes asked Straif T’Blackthorn to track him, but when Straif found the money trail, he called me in to—ah—deal with a low-level entrepreneur.” Laev smiled. “Because I am competent with finances.” Then his expression turned serious. “Every one of us in the FirstFamilies takes the theft and sale of colonial artifacts seriously.” Laev’s eyes gleamed. “Want to come? This could be fun.”

  Glyssa shook her head. “I need to talk to my sister. She’s hurting emotionally.”

  Both Jace and Laev flinched. “Good luck,” Laev said heartily.

  “I could join you, Laev,” Jace said.

  “Excellent. I’ll send a hired glider for you. It will be outside the PublicLibrary shortly. Later.” He signed off.

  “You’re sure you don’t want to come?” Jace asked.

  “Something’s wrong with my sister,” Glyssa said. “I need to help her.”

  “She hasn’t been kind to you,” Jace said. Remembered what T’Licorice revealed to him, and as much as he didn’t want to bring up the subject, said, “She doesn’t have a HeartMate?”

  “No. Not this lifeti—Oh!” Glyssa’s frown deepened. “Our bond . . . yes, that is it. She’s envious.” Glyssa kissed his jaw, moved in to hold him ag
ain, and then dropped her arms. “You go find out about Myrtus.” She turned away.

  “What’s down that hall?” Jace asked.

  “The teleportation room.”

  “Oh.”

  Glyssa kissed him again and smiled. “My parents are taking a little break, then will return here. My sister is off for the rest of the day. I’ll see you in a while.”

  “Yes.”

  And she was striding down the corridor. Jace thought about teleportation. Flinched again at the memory of his father’s death. The amount of time he was thinking about that lately . . . maybe he’d develop some sort of callus over the pain. Instead of denying the pain, he accepted it and moved on with his thought.

  After his Second Passage, he’d done a little teleporting. But the skill was mostly related to light, knowing the light of the place you were ’porting to, and he didn’t stay very long in one spot. Might be interesting to study the guest suite and try a couple of times.

  Glyssa opened a door, waved back at him, then went through it and he headed out of the library.

  * * *

  The meeting with Laev T’Hawthorn’s contact was short and boring, but better than being with Glyssa and her sister.

  Jace enjoyed the glider trip through Druida, recognized the area where they were meeting—a lower class neighborhood—if not the man.

  Who turned out to be a guy who dealt in stolen goods and blackmarket artifacts. He’d genially admitted to selling a lot of subsistence sticks as genuine Lugh’s Spear objects, which they were, since Jace studied the one he had left and confirmed it.

  The man appeared pained at Laev’s veiled threats, but refused to give up his client list, stoutly stating that he expected an honorable FirstFamily Lord such as Laev wouldn’t punish him just for doing his job—and well. Hinted himself that he might be helpful in the future . . . if he wasn’t arrested for theft. After all, he hadn’t known the sticks were stolen when he’d sold them.

  One extremely important fact Jace and T’Hawthorn did learn, and that was Myrtus had insisted to the fence that he hadn’t been the one who’d set the explosion. He’d just taken advantage of having all the subsistence sticks. The temptation had been too much for him. The low-level entrepreneur had stated virtuously that he wouldn’t have dealt with a man who’d hurt anyone.