“Ayes,” Alexa said cheerfully. “He’s sexy, rich, noble, a good Chevalier and a good guy. He’ll want to Pair with you.” She shook her head. “Twins. He’ll go mad at the choice. I’d advise you to take him up on any offers.”
“We aren’t staying,” they said together. Bri continued, “Our parents—” The thought of their parents grief at the disappearance of their daughters clutched at her gut.
“It’s difficult,” Marian said. “I couldn’t leave my brother Andrew.” Then her voice softened, held a wrenching undertone. “He came with me, but was badly wounded, and dying. We transferred his mind and soul into a dying Lladranan, Koz. Now Andrew is Koz.”
That still sounded weird.
“There’s a cure for MS here?” Bri asked.
Marian grimaced. “We didn’t know. We hoped. But my place was here, with Jaquar and the Circlets.” She took her husband’s hand. “With my mentor, Bossgond, and the school we wanted to found, did found.”
“I don’t believe it.” Elizabeth shook her head.
A smile lingered on Marian’s lips. “Come meet him, then.” She nodded to the medica who was waiting patiently by the door. “Jolie was the main medica to make the transfer, if you’d like to talk with her.”
Jolie said, “You did it yourself, Circlet Marian. That procedure is a matter of the soul and the Song. We medicas only kept the receiving body alive.”
All Bri’s nerves shivered at the thought.
“It was a matter of faith in herself,” Jaquar said, kissing his wife’s cheek. “She knew her Power was strong, and fashioned to be more of use here than on Exotique Terre.”
A definite prod at them, Bri thought. She said, “I have always used my healing hands.”
Jaquar switched his gaze to Elizabeth. “And you? You both have great Power here, otherwise the Song would not have reverberated in your mind—the gong, the chimes.”
Bri jerked in surprise. “How did you know that?”
“It is the way Exotiques are Summoned.” He nodded to the books on the table. “You can learn much from the others’ experiences.”
“Later.” Alexa walked to the door, sent the twins a challenging look. “Can’t hide in here all day.” She snorted with laughter as if at a secret joke. “Come along. Your new life awaits. If you dare.”
Bri spared one last glance around the room, then watched carefully in the hallway when Jaquar bespelled the door.
As they walked down the stairs the medica, Jolie, began asking Elizabeth questions. Soon they were deep in a conversation about medical techniques. Bri blinked. She didn’t want to face another new day in another new place. She was supposed to be in Denver.
When the outer door opened onto the wide courtyard of the Castle, they all hesitated.
“One of the twins should come with me to Castleton. We have a house prepared,” Sevair said. “The Exotique Summoned was for Castleton and the other cities and towns.”
“Sounds like traveling,” Elizabeth’s voice was strained. She met Bri’s eyes. A bad feeling slicked Bri’s gut.
I don’t want to leave the Castle. Elizabeth was even more hesitant.
Bri couldn’t resist the plea. She pasted on a smile and jutted a hip. Looks like it’s me, then. Think this telepathy thing works across two miles?
Elizabeth’s eyes sharpened. An interesting experiment.
Yeah. Bri straightened her shoulders. “I’ll go.” She sent a glance around the cluster of people. “For a while. We aren’t chessmen to be pushed around.”
“Of course not,” Bastien said. “No Exotique can be pushed far.” His smile was crooked, his gaze admiring.
Alexa said, smiling, “We get to Castleton often, usually to the Nom de Nom.”
“A worthy establishment,” Sevair said, but something about the way he said it made Bri think he didn’t really mean it.
Bastien laughed. “A Chevaliers hang-out.”
Of course he hadn’t really said hang-out. Had he? Bri could hardly distinguish the English words from the Lladranan, especially since she realized that the Exotiques had already had a definite effect on the language. “Okay” was commonplace. Maybe Bastien had said hang-out.
“Lodging, food, and clothing is a priority. We will shelter and care for our Exotiques.” Sevair’s broad hand with scarred fingers gestured to Elizabeth and Bri.
“Merci,” said Elizabeth. “It’s comforting to know we have a place here at the Castle and in Castleton.”
“Not only there,” Marian said. “If you prefer Circlet Towers you can live with me or Bossgond.”
“Marrec and I have a big house at your disposal, too,” Calli said.
“Exotiques are valued,” Sevair said, “but I think you will find that no one values their Exotiques more than the Cities and Towns.”
At that moment a couple of women strode up to the group. The older one was the Marshalls’ leader, the other wore expensive leathers. Bri vaguely remembered them from the night before.
The Marshall bowed brusquely to them; she wore Authority like a surgeon’s coat.
“I’m Thealia Germain, Lady Knight Swordmarshall.”
Okay, make that the Authority of the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Thealia jerked a nod at the woman beside her. “Lady Hallard, representative of the Chevaliers.”
Bri thought it sounded like the two top warriors in the world. She stepped back. She’d avoided war zones on her travels. Poverty and disease of third-world nations was bad enough without being caught in a struggle between vicious groups.
Elizabeth nodded at them. “Ladies.”
Well, Elizabeth had served her time in emergency services and ICUs; she’d have seen plenty of wounds inflicted on people by others.
“Exotique Medicas,” Hallard said.
Thealia continued, “It’s time for the morning briefing about last night’s battle. My husband and Shieldmarshall noticed a different pattern in the fighting, as did other Shields. We also received a message from the horrors, or perhaps I should say from the new Master of the Horrors and Servant of the Dark.”
Just the titles had Bri backing up a little more, into the solid shape of Sevair. He steaded her with a hand on her shoulder, then said in voice full of suppressed fury, “You mean my ex-assistant.”
Thealia spared him an impatient “get over it” look. “All three of our groups were betrayed last year.” She indicated Hallard with a stern jerk of her head.
“Yes, of course.” Now Sevair’s voice was quiet, even soothing. “My anger and grief are not solely my own.”
“The briefing,” Thealia snapped.
“What was the message?” Marian asked. “This isn’t a good sign.”
“I prefer to speak of that in private.”
“Hey, Jean,” Bastien called to a soldier in the Castle colors, lingering on the edge of their group. “What was the Master’s message?”
“‘Our Dark plague will take you all.’”
On the receiving end of scathing stares from the Lady Knight Swordmarshall and Lady Hallard, the soldier shrank back into the dark shadows shrouding