Heart Fortune (Celta)

by Robin D. Owens

  “Yes.” Her pulse rushed in her ears, accepting their death. Not only hers, but Jace’s and their wonderful animal companions. She might have sacrificed herself for them if it would do any good, but it wouldn’t. She wanted to live, her HeartMate to live, her Fam and Jace’s Fam to live.

  Jace grimaced. “With all the options for teleporting to somewhere in camp gone, we don’t have any choice but to risk the long chance.”

  She nodded. “I agree.” She paused for a breath, then said, “I think it would be best if we trie—if we teleported to my bedroom. I know that room very well, was in it every day for many years. The rest of you have been there, too, so you can add your individual images and knowledge of it. That will be a benefit for all of us.” She smiled at Zem. “It will include your perch, which you know the best.” She actually sounded confident. “I know the light, and all the furnishings. No one should be there. My Family will be at work in the library.”

  We can do it! Lepid gamboled around the hallway. Glyssa’s gaze met Jace’s uncommonly serious one. He thought they’d die, too. He glanced up and down the hallway. “Better than staying here, fading away.”

  “Yes.”

  “Then let’s do it now.” Frowning, Jace lifted Zem from his shoulder. “I think Zem should be held closer.”

  And me, too! Lepid said.

  “What about slings?” Glyssa asked.

  “Those would work,” Jace said.

  They rooted around in a couple of bags of the colonists’ pitiful belongings before they found some material and fashioned slings that hung against their chests for both Fams. Jace placed Zem carefully in his, tightened it.

  Zem asked, What happens if we don’t make it?

  “Another unknown,” Glyssa said. She kept her tone light. “We might disintegrate. Throwing all our effort into this, everything we each have, holding nothing back, we’ll probably go unconscious. So, ah”—she cleared her throat—“if we, uh, materialize in, say, a mountain in one of the ranges between here or there, we will probably never know. I’m sure it’s quick!”

  Flying into a mountain often is, Zem said.

  Actually, Camellia, who’d been in the next room from a man who’d died teleporting, had told Glyssa his scream had lasted long, agonizing seconds. But he’d been conscious at the time. She didn’t think they would be.

  “I’m sure it’s quick,” she repeated.

  A couple of minutes later their preparations were done. Glyssa leaned back to stare into Jace’s beautiful misty gray eyes. “You never said what your primary Flair is.”

  His mouth twisted. “I did tell you that I’m not strong enough in psi power to manifest a primary Flair.”

  “I disagree. You had defined Passages. You made a HeartGift.” She gestured to the bespelled envelope. “Your secondary Flair, leather working, is intricate and gorgeous. That indicates a powerful primary Flair.”

  He scoffed a sound of disagreement.

  She tightened her arms around him. “I think I know what your Flair is. It’s extremely subtle, but I’ve deduced it.”

  “Deduced it, eh?” He smiled.

  “Yes.” She framed his face with her hands, made sure his entire focus was on her. “It’s luck.”

  “What!”

  “You’re luckier than a man should be, especially with regard to dangerous, perhaps potentially fatal events.”

  He blinked in astonishment. “You must be joking.”

  “No. I’m not. Think of all the hazardous ventures you’ve been in, all the chances you’ve taken, and you’re still whole and sane, haven’t had any major Healings. You’ve been able to do pretty much as you please all of your life and recently you came into a small inheritance. You’re phenomenally lucky, Jace.”

  “You really believe this.”

  “I do. And you need to, also. That’s what I’m counting on to get us home.” She glanced at Lepid. “When we teleport, you must use all your Flair, saving nothing. You must believe that Jace’s luck will see us through.”

  I do. I DO! Lepid looked at Jace with liquid eyes. I KNOW FamMan is lucky. We will be ALL RIGHT!

  Zem said, He is lucky, and we who associate with him are lucky, too. He hesitated, then added. I will use all of my Flair in this teleportation. I will hold nothing back, though it kills me.

  “Right,” Glyssa said with only a small wince. He didn’t have to have said that last bit. She met the hawkcel’s eyes and nodded, then looked back at Jace, willing him to accept this theory. It was a good theory. Perhaps even true. She refused to doubt.

  “And you must not doubt, either, Jace. Lover. HeartMate. We need your total belief.”

  His eyes went distant, as if he considered his life. “Maybe you’re right.”

  “I am right. You are phenomenally lucky.”

  “Phenomenally lucky.”

  “‘Say it three and it will be,’” she said an old children’s charm. Anything that would help. “Phenomenally lucky.”

  “Phenomenally lucky, phenomenally lucky,” Jace said, his lips curving in a smile. “I’m phenomenally lucky to have you and Zem and Lepid.”

  Phenomenally lucky, phenomenally lucky, phenomenally lucky, chanted the Fams.

  He picked up the envelope that held his HeartGift and grimaced. “I’ll need to remove the spellshield, and when I do—”

  “We’ll be swamped with sexual energy.” A notion wisped through Glyssa’s mind. “Wait, wait!”

  He tilted his head. “Yeah?”

  “Count down before you release the spell.” She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to recall a spell she and her friends had practiced in their teenaged years, transmuting energy from emotional turmoil to physical energy. They hadn’t done it very often, because it had left them jittery. Still, she and Jace and the Fams would need every iota of energy they could scrape up. She wet her lips, saw Jace focus on her mouth, then meet her eyes with a smile. “I think . . . I think I might be able to snatch that sexual energy and transform it to, um, regular physical and Flair energy, store it in our bodies. There will be, um, increased arousal, but I don’t want to waste any of our time or strength on sex.”

  Jace laughed. “Having sex is not a waste of anything.”

  Embarrassment painted hot spots on her cheeks. “Maybe not, but our energy would be better spent making sure we can teleport out of here.”

  He nodded. “All right. One, HeartGift mine; two, Glyssa mine; three, Flair is ours!” He dropped the shield. A teenage boy’s lust, her HeartMate’s young sexuality hit her with intimate need. Her body clenched. Opening her eyes wide she saw the red orange energy, yanked at it, flipped it, recited the four rhyming couplets.

  The intense yearning changed shape into bright blue energy, radiating Flair. An unexpected source of power. Inhaling, she halved it, took some into her body, feeling the lightning jolt, blew the rest to Jace and saw it hit him, sink into him, arc his body.

  For a couple of minutes they trembled with the aftermath. Her finger shaking, she pointed at the envelope he’d dropped. Zem hopped over and snipped the soft string tie with his beak, pushed the top up and open.

  Glyssa gasped at the beauty of the small rounded rectangular pursenal. Deep wine red, the darker color she preferred to licorice red, the gold of simple and elegant curlicues gleamed in a pattern that settled into her as much as the Flair coating it had. The most innately pleasing design to her.

  “Your pattern, no one else’s,” Jace said. Stiffly he leaned down and plucked it from the envelope, offered it to her. A gold filigree clasp showed on the front. “My HeartGift for you, to you.”

  She took it, tears dewing her eyes. “Thank you.”

  He inclined his head in a dignified nod. She tucked the pursenal in her tunic.

  “One last thing to do.” She flung all of her bonds wide. Family and friends. Jace and Zem, Lepid and I are trapped in the ship Lugh’s Spear with little hope of rescue. We are teleporting to my bedroom on three. If you can help us, give us Flair boosts down our bonds, p
lease do.

  Madness! cried her mother. No, we must talk—

  Shut up! Her father cut off any more of her mother’s protest to Glyssa.

  I love you, I will help, Camellia said.

  I love you, but WAIT! Tiana Mugwort said. I can put an emergency circle together here at GreatCircle Temple to help you. We can channel the light of the Lady and Lord. Give me twenty minutes, please!

  The Licorices are leaving for GreatCircle Temple NOW, Glyssa’s sister said. By glider with the emergency alarm running, to save our energy and help my sister and HeartMate.

  Glyssa looked at Jace. He appeared stunned and blinked rapidly. “A GreatCircle Temple ritual to help us.”

  “You met my friend Tiana, she’s a priestess there.”

  “I’d forgotten.” He grimaced, rubbed his hands over his arms. “Twenty more minutes.”

  I will form a circle here at the Deep Blue Sea, Laev’s voice came even more strongly than her close friends, he was so much more powerful in Flair. Twenty minutes. As a FirstFamilies GreatLord, he was accustomed to leading rituals for his Family several times a month and at GreatCircle Temple at least once a year. Like Tiana, he could put together a ritual in a hurry. I have alerted my allies in Druida City. Those who are willing and able to participate at GreatCircle Temple are on their way

  Thank you ALL! We will wait for twenty minutes and I will try to connect to you all, Glyssa said.

  Jace looked at her questioningly.

  She shrugged. “I don’t know if this works. I don’t even know if Tiana or Laev knows if this will work, if we can get Flair from them, help from them through emotional bonds.”

  Stroking her face, he said, “I am phenomenally lucky to have you in my life. Even knowing there are others ready and willing to help us, eases my mind.” He led her to a large, soft-looking sack in the corridor. “Let’s all cuddle together, get warm, save our strength and energy for the teleportation.” Once again she sent out mentally to all she was linked to, Please let us know when you are ready, our energy is fading keeping ourselves warm and with light.

  She received a shocked exclamation from her mother, grim determination from Laev . . . and settled down against Jace.

  With all of them together, her spell light as faint as she could make it and still give comfort, she settled on Jace’s lap and Lepid crawled on hers.

  “Put the light out,” Jace said.

  So she did and let herself relax and quieted her mind. Not only light was comforting. Sharing the darkness with the others—tunneling her fingers in Lepid’s thick fur to keep her hands warm and reassure him, smelling Jace, her HeartMate, and the forest scent Zem carried on his feathers—all satisfied a deep need within her. And, oh, how she’d rather be lost in the forest than trapped in this ship! But she’d tensed up again and had to ease her muscles. To her surprise, though Jace’s vitality was still evident, his muscles, too, were loose.

  “This is nice,” he said, his voice a little sleepy.

  “Yes.”

  She let thought go, thin to tendrils and just felt, enjoyed the moment, this precious moment.

  Sometime later, she received Tiana’s thought. We are ready for you. I will lead the ritual but the high priestess of GreatCircle Temple is here and will help. The high priest could not make it.

  Our circle is ready, Laev added immediately.

  Glyssa stirred and sat up straight. “They’re ready.” Her pulse sprinted faster, her heart picking up beat. Fear. No, excitement.

  “I heard,” Jace said. He sounded completely calm. She peeked at their link. He was calm. More than she.

  Zem’s feathers rustled. I heard, too. I am ready. It will be good to get out of this metal tube.

  I am ready for another adventure! Lepid sounded energized by his nap. We will be heroes again.

  “Well, we’ll certainly be famous,” Glyssa said drily. “One way or another.” She wondered if their bodies would be fou—No! No negativity.

  She lit a spellglobe. Adjusting her sling for Lepid, she placed him in it. He stretched up and licked her face and she giggled.

  Jace smiled back at her, slipping Zem into his own sling.

  She faced her man, her lover, her HeartMate and their hands met and fingers entwined.

  Still holding his gaze, she said, “I think it’s time to go.” She leaned in and kissed Jace, cherished the softness of his mouth, his taste. Then Jace embraced both her and Lepid. She looked at Zem in the makeshift sling strapped to Jace. “All right and tight?”

  He bobbed his head.

  Sucking in a deep breath, she returned her gaze to Jace’s. That his face might be the last she ever saw pleased and consoled her.

  She squeezed his hands. Kept her stare locked on his. “We do this together.”

  “Yes.”

  “And give it our last iota of strength. Everything. All or nothing.”

  He winked, as if once the decision was made and he was ready to roll the dice, he was more settled in the matter. A thousand doubts plagued her each second.

  “All or nothing.” He grinned.

  All or nothing! piped up Lepid.

  All or nothing, said Zem. He closed his eyes.

  Glyssa did, too.

  For the last time, she opened herself, gasped at what her inner sight showed her. The huge link between her and Jace had enlarged to more than heart-sized and flowed with sensations from all aspects of themselves, physical, mental, emotional, spiritual. They were linked together, and there was the HeartBond, lying in golden coils.

  Jace said telepathically, I thought the HeartBond only showed up during sex.

  Glyssa shrugged. I don’t know that anyone has ever studied that aspect of being HeartMates. She let her smile show her love, her unconditional trust. We might check that out together when we get home.

  He nodded, serious now. “I want to HeartBond with you now.” His shoulders shifted. “I have the energy from my HeartGift jazzing in me. It was originally sexual, I bet that will help forge a HeartBond without sex.”

  She thought about the whole matter. “HeartBonding would be good, maybe give us all even more of a chance to teleport well.”

  To survive.

  “More,” he whispered. “Because it is right that I show you how much I care.”

  He took the golden loops of the HeartBond and threw them to her, and she let them wrap around herself, bring her close together to him . . . and, yes, there was the fizz of lust, of sexual need. Not to be fulfilled now.

  This was not how she’d ever dreamed she’d be connected with her love, her lover, her HeartMate. She swallowed tears.

  What was separate in her was no longer. What was hidden in her—and Jace, too—was revealed but the overwhelming memories, feelings, needs, flaws, came too swiftly for her to sort out. Some sort of terrible memory featuring his parents—his father’s death, but they dared not think of death. She concentrated on life, on hope.

  He groaned and she whimpered.

  We are one, Jace said, awe in his voice.

  “Ready to teleport to my bedroom in Druida City?” she asked.

  Ready! Lepid said, tucking his nose between her arm and her side.

  Ready! Zem said, hidden in his sling.

  “Ready,” Jace said. He began layering the memories he had of her bedroom from his own perspective. Cozy, female, reflecting Glyssa. The wide bedsponge, the elegant and simple carving on the frame. He let her take care of painting the light right. Zem’s perch that Gwydion Ash had made, sturdy golden wood that matched no other wood in the room. Wood, beautiful wood, natural Celtan fabrics. He recalled the sight and feel of those, so different from the complete alienness of this ship.

  Zem’s visualization merged with his, skewing the image a bit, as did Lepid’s. Then Glyssa absorbed them all, set them all so Jace could nearly believe he was there. Jace’s heart lifted as he fixed belief that they would be there, shortly. They had so much going for them. They would succeed!

  “Counting down,” Glyssa
said, sounding as serious as always, though there was just the touch of breathiness in her voice. He sent her love, belief, love, acceptance. Love.

  They all joined in a small circle of love, of total dedication and belief.

  “One, Jace, Zem; two, Lepid; three, and home!”

  And they weren’t in the ship.

  No, NO! You MUST die for making her leave me! shrieked a mad wind in Jace’s head, Trago. He felt a slight tug, as if a small hook caught in his clothes. He could not allow the evil man to hurt his Glyssa. They were all in this together. Diverting a bit of Flair, he smacked the man. Heard some long echoing scream. Jerked as he felt the guy die. The visualization vanished.

  He scrambled to build the image again, held it hard.

  But knew they were in trouble.

  Forty

  Teleportation usually was instantaneous. But this lasted for long, long seconds. Glyssa’s chest squeezed and she couldn’t breathe. She struggled to draw air. What of Jace? What of Lepid? She didn’t feel them, not physically nor emotionally. A scream stuck in her chest hurt.

  She would die alone. Though they should all be together, they would each die alone.

  She might have felt the tiniest boost from Laev and Camellia and Tiana. She did “see” a great burst of white energy from the direction they were going—Druida. Had the sensation of passing long miles.

  No! Stup! Visualize your room! The light as autumn came, the slant of the sun. How it sparkled on the prisms in her window. Her comforter, her bed . . .

  And her vision went black, white, yellow.

  She crumpled to the ground, tried once more to drag a breath in, couldn’t. Struggled to open her lashes. Raw, raw pain against her eyeballs. Jace, matted hair, gray-looking complexion. Lepid limp in her arms. She couldn’t see Zem.

  Still felt none of them.

  Couldn’t inhale.

  The floor vibrated. She thought she saw bold, eye-searing colors of Flair as women rushed to her.

  Then nothing.

  * * *

  Fists pounded on Jace’s chest, Flair enveloped him. “Breathe, damn you!” shouted someone. It hurt, all of him hurt, but with another compression of his chest, he hauled in air.