LITMIR.BIZ

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leaving a bright blue trail behind her.

      “Why—”

      You should stay here on Lladrana. Here you will have a love of your own, children, land, a home.

      “Guaranteed?” Calli infused great sarcasm into the word.

      Sinafinal fluttered up to within six inches of Calli’s eyes and hung there. Yes, guaranteed.

      Calli’s stomach clutched.

      Everyone wants to be loved. Why do you see your big heart as being a fault?

      Because Dad never valued love? This introspection was getting too damn intense. She didn’t like it. She preferred action.

      By this time tomorrow night you will be sharing a big bed with a lover, a man drawn particularly to you.

      “Uhn.” That idea was so good it hurt. Made Calli’s chest ache.

      When you both awake the next morning, you will choose your land. You will have enough zhiv from the land and an annuity as an Exotique that you will never want for any material thing for the rest of your life. Enough to build the perfect stables and training grounds for horses and volarans.

      The little volaran was sure spinning a sweet story.

      In three weeks you will have adopted a child.

      Calli flopped back, banged her head on the wooden footboard behind her. “Ouch! Dammit all!”

      Sinafinal zoomed over and perched on her head, Calli could feel four little hooves, and goose bumps covered her body. With two flaps of the magical being’s wings, Calli’s headache was gone. Oh, boy. She rubbed the back of her head anyway. “Why are you being so insistent about this?”

      Because without you, the volarans will not bond as much as needed with humans. They won’t be ready for the great, final fight.

      Calli swallowed. “Who won’t be ready? What final fight?”

      There will be much more loss of life.

      “I don’t want to hear this.”

      That’s why I am telling you.

      I don’t want to believe you. Though she hadn’t said the words aloud, the feycoocu answered her anyway.

      I know.

      “Hell.”

      The neon-blue volaran examined one of her wingtips. If you do not believe me and do not continue with the Choosing and Bonding ritual, I will convince everyone that you should consult the Singer for a Song Quest. Perhaps a strong vision direct from the Song will be powerful enough to convince you of your worth here.

      Ooooh. Zinged several hot buttons all right. “Damned if I do, damned if I don’t,” Calli muttered. “This had better be a dream.”

      It isn’t. You will awake here. The little blue volaran’s muzzle stretched in an unnatural smile.

      “Go away. I’m planning on waking up in my own bed on the Rocking Bar T.” But it sounded weaker and weaker to her.

      Sinafinal circled the room. All the Exotiques will have companions. Alexa has me. Marian has Tuckerinal. You have Thunder.

      Calli snorted. “Sidekicks. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m going to bed. I hope not to see you in my dreams.”

      Sinafinal dipped a wing and flew through a closed window into the night.

      Calli looked out at the darkness below—no lights. She looked at the moon and star-bright sky. Not Earth’s sky, not even from the southern hemisphere, too many stars for that. She shrugged. When she woke she’d either be home or not. If she was here, the day would be packed with fateful events from the moment she opened her eyes.

      9

      Calli woke and stretched luxuriously. The bed was wonderful, too bad she was alone in it. She must be treating herself to a good hotel near the next competition…everything rushed back.

      She was in Lladrana. Or at least she wasn’t in her own bed back at the ranch. What was written in those old-time black-and-white movies? “Meanwhile, back at the ranch…” A hollow laugh rasped from her. What little peace she’d felt when she woke up vanished.

      But there were compensations. She walked from the bedroom to the den where she could see the Landing Field. A couple of volarans and riders were already out, lifting their wings and soaring. Her breath caught at the beauty.

      That could be her…flying into the dawn. She watched until they diminished into specks and she became aware of standing naked in a strangely furnished den—with books and scrolls in an alphabet she couldn’t read.

      Her breath came in short bursts and she felt the way she did just before a race, scared and excited and determined. She’d get through this day and the one after that…Back in the bedroom, she dressed near the windows. The only person who’d see her would be riding volaran-back and she’d see them first.

      Lladrana. Fabulous flying horses. Horrible monsters. Nobody had talked much about the monsters she’d be expected to fight. Trying to keep the really bad downside of this life low key. Her stomach clenched. As if they could. As if she hadn’t seen wisps of them in Alexa’s mind, in Bastien’s and Jaquar’s and in Marian’s—a man with tentacles on his face reeking of evil power. Yeah, she had inklings. Enough that it made her pace, unready to open the door and explore on her own. Silly, but with a day full of such strange and magical experiences as the day before, she intended to be cautious.

      Meanwhile, back at the ranch…what would her dad be doing? Thinking she’d run somewhere, no doubt. He wouldn’t gloat. That would take too much emotion, show too much an investment in her, which he didn’t have.

      The doorharp rippled, and Marian’s projected tones said, “Calli, ready for breakfast?”

      Calli didn’t answer.

      “Think she’ll drink a language potion this morning?” Marian asked.

      “Not a chance. Besides, if she doesn’t back out of that Choosing and Bonding ceremony, she’ll get the language transfer in bed.” There was a lilt in Alexa’s voice.

      Calli decided she didn’t like being talked about. The two women were probably not going away. She opened the door. Standing before her, looking perfectly fresh, were Alexa and Marian; near their feet were two small greyhounds.

      Salutations, Calli, said one. Sinafinal.

      Salutations, Calli, said the other. I am Tuckerinal.

      “Tuck’s my ex-hamster,” said Marian. “He’s a feycoocu like that one.” She pointed to Sinafinal.

      I have given her my name so she can call on me at any time, said Sinafinal, my mated name.

      Marian grinned and kissed Calli on the cheek. “Good morning. You should know that only a few people know Sinafinal’s name. Only Alexa and Bastien of the Marshalls. Only Jaquar and I of the Circlets.”

      “Huh,” Calli said. Two minutes on the threshold of her room and stuff was overwhelming her again. Magical hamsters. Sheesh.

      “You really are in a different dimension.” Alexa looked sympathetic. “You slept. Let’s go eat.”

      “Try not to drop too many more bombs on me, huh?” Calli said. Alexa opened her mouth, closed it, but Calli figured they were probably thinking the same thing. In circumstances like these she’d be getting hit with strange problems every hour.

      She ate in the richly paneled Marshalls’ Dining Room, set up like one of the fanciest restaurants she’d ever seen—pastel tablecloths on round and rectangular tables, embroidered in rich colors, with matching napkins. Crystal. Fine china.

      She had a great breakfast of a cheese omelette, bacon and fluffy croissants, and chuckled to herself. Something French she was addicted to, the cowgirl loved croissants, one of the ways

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