"Where is the Orb now?" Kaldill's voice was soft. Deadly.
"Kaldill, if we destroy the Orb, we'll destroy Quin with it. Now do you begin to understand?"
Kaldill cursed. Daragar, who hadn't spoken, placed a calming hand on Kaldill's shoulder.
"Whatever and however Liron planned all this, I think his intention was to protect Siriaa and its people. When Cayetes fired his weapon at Siriaa, the Orb reacted. I believe it's sending Quin on a suicide mission to take him down, now. If we attempt to circumvent that directive, it may appear and fling her into the future again. We had a hard enough time dealing with this the first time. I don't want to work that hard to thwart the Orb a second time."
"So the Orb is still working to obey a dead god's commands?" Daragar spoke for the first time.
"It looks that way. Unless we find a way to disconnect her from that thing, we may never be able to protect her properly."
"What do we do in the meantime?" I asked.
"First, we have to find her. Second, I have to do a similar attachment to anyone who wants to stay with her—it means you'll be connected to her as she's connected to the Orb, but the difference will be that I can perform a disconnect if it's desired. Quin has no choice, until we can figure this mess out."
"You mean that if she's flung somewhere by that infernal Orb, then we'll be flung with her?" Kaldill asked. I was surprised he hadn't punctuated his words with more cursing.
"That's what I mean. It won't alter your power; it'll only ensure that you travel with her, wherever the Orb takes her."
"Mighty Heart," Daragar inclined his head, "I believe we will accept that assignment."
"Everyone here agrees?" Bree studied each of them.
"Yes," Justis hissed.
"All right. Let's go find her."
* * *
New Fyris
Quin
At least the ones who'd come to greet the new arrivals came in a more conventional manner—driving up in solar vehicles. They brought food and water in larger vehicles behind them. Lafe and Terrett stood beside me as Brandl, with Randl standing beside his father, spoke with the interpreters.
Randl had already assured his father that these people only wished to help, and I was grateful for his perception and guidance.
"Quin?" Lafe took my arm and pulled me away from the crowd. It was the first time he'd used my real name when speaking to me.
"What is it?" I asked, looking up at him.
"Wherever you go, Terrett and I will be with you," he said. "I will demand it."
"What do you mean?" I asked, as Terrett nodded his agreement.
"It means he'll go with you," Queen Lissa said behind me.
I whirled to see her, discovering others at her back. Blinking back immediate tears, I stared in disbelief at Justis and Berel.
* * *
Lissa
Justis had her in his arms quickly, with Berel and the others right behind. Quin sobbed against Justis' shoulder—I understood, then, that she really had believed him dead.
"I told you," Breanne placed an arm around my shoulders.
"I missed you," I sighed, slipping an arm around her waist.
"We've been doing cleanup. You wouldn't believe how many booby-traps those idiots left behind, just waiting for somebody to trip over them and set an apocalypse in motion."
"Speaking of an apocalypse, what are we going to do about those creatures—the ones poisoning everything?" I asked.
"We have to get Quin disconnected from that Orb, first," she said. "Then we'll work on that problem."
"If you say so," I shook my head. "All we can do is put a bandage on it for now."
"I know. You'll have to trust us on this."
"All right."
"I'm going to change her eye and wing color, too—temporarily. LaFranza is correct—she'll stand out less with brown eyes, black wings and hair. This way, he won't have to keep dyeing them."
"That's a shame," I mumbled.
"It won't be forever. Just while she's still connected to the Orb."
"I understood that the Orb couldn't travel beyond Avii Castle," I said.
"That was on Siriaa. It can go anywhere it wants—now that Siriaa no longer exists."
"That's frightening."
"To me, too."
* * *
Quin
Eventually, when I couldn't stop crying, Daragar stepped in, lifted me from Justis' arms and began his soothing hum. I was asleep quickly.
* * *
Lissa
"I can take you back to Le-Ath Veronis," I said. "But I can't guarantee the Orb will allow you to stay there."
"I think we understand that, now," Kaldill shook his head. While Quin slept peacefully in Daragar's arms, Breanne had performed the link with each of them, LaFranza and Terrett included, because they refused to be separated from Quin.
"I'm hoping it'll give her time to rest before it shows up again," I said. "Is everybody ready? I'll take you to my palace and find beds. I hope you get to use them."
* * *
Vogeffa I
Vardil cursed, still. Everything in his suite was destroyed already. Even his warlocks cowered, and that was unusual. If anyone other than Bleek had brought the news, they'd have been killed—at Vardil's command.
The four-armed giant stood near the door, his stance stoic, all four arms crossed over his massive chest. It had taken all his skill to deliver a killing blow to LaFranza, and he'd been rewarded by Cayetes himself for that act.
In truth, Cayetes was afraid of Bleek. Bleek wanted to smile at the thought, but held back; Vardil was still too upset to see any humor in the situation.
The fact that every farmer, wagon and animal had suddenly disappeared was unusual in the extreme. Bleek had images of the disappearance—every gunship was equipped with vid-recorders.
Vardil had even witnessed the disappearance firsthand, as he'd watched a live feed from the lead ships. He merely couldn't believe it, or understand how it had happened. He'd been cursing for half a click about it, too.
"Find out where they went," Vardil said. Bleek kept his face expressionless as Cayetes uttered the first coherent words since the mass disappearance. "I want them back and the ones responsible for this outrage killed."
"As you command," Bleek dipped his head and turned to leave. He'd had enough of Cayetes for the moment, and hoped his search took him far away from Vogeffa I. He had no desire to stay on a dying world. If Cayetes had any sense, he'd leave now. Bodies could be found elsewhere.
Once the poison infiltrated your system, no matter how strong you were, you'd die. Not everyone had Cayetes' resources to move into a clean body once that happened. He'd seen Cayetes' continual dependence on new flesh and had no desire to be caught up in that unstable vortex. The poison and Cayetes weren't the only reasons Bleek had for getting away, either. He had no desire to discuss that with anyone; it would make him vulnerable.
"Get everything ready to move. Immediately," Vardil shouted.
"Get information," Bleek snarled at his First Lieutenant after shutting Cayetes' suite door behind him. "Find out who just increased their population by several thousand farmers."
"Yes, Commander Bleek."
* * *
Le-Ath Veronis
Quin
"Time to eat."
I knew that voice. It merely belonged to someone older, now.
I blinked my eyes open while Berel's image swam into focus. A wide grin split his face when he saw I was awake.
"Berel," I lifted a hand.
"I'm here, love," he took my hand and kissed it.
"Let me touch your face," I pulled my hand away from his. "You look so handsome." I ran fingers down his cheek. "So much like your father. How is he?"
"Father is fine. He was overjoyed to hear you're alive. Come, now. Dinner is waiting."
My stomach rumbled at his words. My most recent meal, after all, had been on Vogeffa II. "I'll get up," I said. Berel helped.
* *
*
"Sit here," Kaldill smiled and beckoned for me to sit between him and Justis. Berel took the seat next to Kaldill's, while Terrett and Lafe sat on Justis' other side.
I'm sorry, I apologized mentally to Kaldill. I knew he'd suffered at my absence.
You're here now. My heart is singing, he replied. Eat. You look too thin.
I ate while the others talked around me—LaFranza was more than happy to find other Falchani at the table. I understood that he was meeting very old friends there, and he hadn't expected that. They spoke in his native language, telling stories of Lafe's experiences as a warrior and tattoo artist on Falchan in the distant past.
I wasn't the only one brought forward in time in an attempt to thwart Cayetes and his Storm. Terrett, too, had experienced much the same as I.
I'm glad you're here, I sent to him.
Leaning in so I could see, he gave me a smile and a wink.
"Quin, we've changed your wing and hair color so LaFranza won't have to dye it," Lissa said. "It's temporary—when we get this Cayetes mess sorted, it'll be changed back."
"That's fine." I rustled my feathers. I'd noticed that they looked much like Justis' feathers, now. At least I understood the reason for it.
"My love, it will be all right," Justis placed a hand on the back of my neck. "Black wings aren't so terrible."
"Why would I think that?" I asked. "Your wings are beautiful." He surprised me by leaning in to kiss me.
"I almost died," Lafe said, covering the hush that had fallen when Justis kissed me. "I had no idea Quin could bring me back from a mortal wound."
"Quin has brought all of us back, I think," Kaldill replied. Terrett nodded emphatically. It made me giggle.
* * *
Lissa
"Terrett, I understand you have mindspeech," I said. I'd sent for him after dinner; we'd met in my arboretum at the top level of the palace.
I do, he agreed. Quin pointed it out.
That's what I wished to speak with you about, I said. Are you sure you want to be connected like the others? I can return you to Avendor if you want.
I will stay with Quin, he said. I love her, and I've never loved anyone, before. I am loyal to LaFranza, too—he treats me as a brother instead of a mute imbecile.
The others are prepared to accept you as such, too. I merely wanted to confirm your feelings on the matter.
Quin said you were so much better than I could imagine, he said. She was right. None other would ask for my opinion or place value on my feelings, except for her.
Then you've been hanging out with the wrong people, I said and smiled.
Most certainly I have, Lady, he returned with a grin.
* * *
Quin
"Any idea where on Vogeffa I the bastard's hiding?" Kooper Griff sat across from me in Queen Lissa's library.
"Not exactly, and I believe he intends to move—that's what I saw in his servant—the one who came to Gungl to convince the residents to attack the outlying villages," I replied. "I imagine the disappearances of his quarry will facilitate a faster move. It'll be difficult for any of your men to find him, because he's constantly switching bodies."
"I knew that already," Kooper dropped his gaze and stared at his hands for a moment. "That's why I never sent anybody there, although we suspected as much. Who the hell is going to recognize him, now?"
"I will," I shrugged.
"Yes. I heard that, too."
"I dislike the idea of you getting close enough to recognize him," Justis said.
"She—we—may have no choice in the matter," Kaldill scolded lightly.
"Ah. Well, she will have us with her, then. The bastard should prepare to die, should she point him out."
"He has a warlock with him—never forget that," Kaldill said. "The warlock is keeping the bastard alive by transferences."
"Any warlock willing to do that will have no qualms about killing any one of you." Lissa walked in, accompanied by her warlock mate and their son, the King of Karathia. He it was who spoke, as he would know as well as anyone what warlocks might accomplish. Karathia was filled with warlocks and witches.
"King Warlock," I stood and inclined my head to him. "Queen Lissa."
"How the hell does she know these things?" Rylend, King of Karathia, asked with a smile. "Hello, Quin. My mother speaks highly of you."
"What? Nothing for me?" Erland, Rylend's father, teased.
"Mighty warlock," I nodded to him. "May your spells never fail."
Erland stopped in his tracks. "Bugger me," he sighed. "My father used to say that."
"Quinnie Bee," Lissa said, "I have it on good authority that your official age is twenty. Here's your Alliance ID, showing you're a citizen of Le-Ath Veronis, in good standing and entitled to those things afforded to all citizens of this world."
She handed a small envelope to me. I frowned—I knew what it contained—a tiny chip that would identify me on any Alliance world.
"It will not harm you," Daragar said, reaching out to take the envelope. "I shall place it."
"I've placed a special spell on it—it'll only be found on Alliance worlds," Erland grinned. "Everywhere else, nobody will even know."
"You're not telling me everything," I said.
"True," he laughed. "Does that upset you?"
"No. I understand you only want to protect us." He, Lissa and Kooper could find me anywhere, with the small chip that Daragar employed power to place under the skin of my wrist. There was no pain—my Larentii saw to that. I hugged him afterward, which he enjoyed.
Our conversation continued after that. Lissa sat on a nearby sofa, between her warlock mate and her son. I understood their reasons for being there—we'd have to find Cayetes' warlocks, just as we had to find Cayetes. He had an army of loyal soldiers and servants about him, and that could take time.
At least nobody attempted to dissuade me from looking for Cayetes. Somehow, they understood that this was my mission. Fortunately, Kaldill and the others intended to go with me. I was grateful, as they had more experience at these things than I did. After all, I'd never set out to intentionally harm anyone before.
Cayetes, however, was an abomination. In order to save others, he had to be destroyed. "You've already started training her?" Justis pointed his question to Lafe.
"Yes—mostly self-defense; we haven't had much time."
"I was worthless the first moon-turn," I mumbled. "I thought you were dead. Berel, too."
"Back to business," Lissa interrupted. Justis was ready to rise and move everyone else aside to get to me. "Kooper and I wish to arm all of you—in a way that will make it easier to protect yourselves. I want to give mindspeech to those who don't have it, too. That means you, Berel, and you, LaFranza."
"I'll have mindspeech?" Berel's voice held reverence.
"I can give you that, at the very least," Lissa smiled at him. "I think Dragon and Crane will have something for our master swordsman, there. Terrett, I'll have something special for you, too. I expect you to use it wisely."
Terrett nodded respectfully to Lissa, his appreciation shining in his eyes. In all his life, nobody had ever given thought to him. He'd been a mute convenience and disregarded most of the time.
"Our Sirenali will ensure that none will find our party by scrying or using power," Kaldill nodded. "That in itself will be a welcome asset."
"You," she turned to Berel, "Kooper and I have this for you." She held out her hands, in which a carved, wooden case appeared. "Inside is a ranos pistol. Only you may handle it. It will identify with you and only fire for you. Anyone else it will destroy. Do you understand?"
"I do. I've done my research," Berel's lips curled in a small smile. I understood, then, that Berel had trained with Lissa's troops and knew hand-to-hand combat and how to fire weapons. He'd been busy for the past five years.
"I'm sending one more with you," Lissa said. "Yanzi?" she called out.
Another appeared in her library, employing the ability to fold sp
ace as Kaldill and Daragar could do. My breath caught.
They called him a reptanoid. He was so much more than that. A smile spread slowly across his face as he studied me. I smiled back—I couldn't help myself.
"I wish to go, Grandmother."
Someone else had come.
"Bel?" Rylend, King of Karathia, stood immediately. Bel, the new arrival, was his son and only child.
"Father, you said yourself that I am an accomplished warlock. Who better to send to recognize the work of other warlocks?"
"Honey?" Lissa stood and held out her hand.
Bel Erland Morphis, Prince-heir of Karathia, was in his mid-thirties, but I could see that he chafed at the protectiveness of his father and grandmother. I worried about him, too—his life was very precious.
For many reasons.
"If you go, you will only be an equal, not a prince," Erland, his grandfather, wisely pointed out.
"I know that. I look forward to it," Bel replied, giving his grandfather a slight nod. "I don't really need someone to clean my clothes and pick up after me. I know how to do that for myself. I can cook, too—Mom made sure of that."
His mother was Reah, and he was here with her blessing. He looked more like his father and grandfather than his mother or grandmother, though.
"Quin?" Lissa turned her eyes on me.
"You want the truth?" I asked.
"Yes."
"He should come," I sighed. "He will be in no more danger than the rest of us."
"I watch," Yanzi grinned, causing Bel to laugh. They knew one another—very well.
Gurnil, Ordin, Dena, Wolter, Orik and Deeds wish to see you, Justis sent. I understood that he'd notified Jurris of my survival. I also understood that Jurris wanted to see me, too, but Justis wished to keep me away from Avii Castle, in case the Orb might be lurking there.
All of them—that I could read, at least, were worried about the Orb. Something blocked all the information from reaching me, however. I couldn't explain that and resolved to ask about it later.
Will they come here? I sent mindspeech back to Justis.
They are coming, he closed his eyes slowly to acknowledge my sending.
I want time alone with you—and the others, I said. I missed you so much. That admission made me want to weep, but I forced tears back—Kooper was still speaking.
BlackWing: First Ordinance, Book 3 Page 4