Protector of the Flight by Robin D. Owens Read Free Book Online Page A

it, the Castle. She sighed,
definitely ready to return. Calli noted how big the Castle was, larger than
she’d thought. Frowning, she understood that there must be even more to it than
the two courtyards she’d seen. On the land below it—what direction?—was a large
town.
    South
of the Castle is Castleton.
    Castleton,
huh? Well, that made sense. And if Castleton was south, that meant they were
flying east toward the Castle and had been flying west to the…great lake? Sea?
Ocean?
    The
Circlets have Towers on the islands off the west coast of Lladrana in the Sea
of Brisay.
    Thunder
seemed eager to please, now. His mind was completely unruffled, and completely
accepting of her.
    Calli
tried more telepathy. I saw no one else flying.
    The
horrors invade from the north. Thunder tensed under her. He flew
faster, tucked his legs close to his body. A prey animal making himself a
smaller target. Whatever these horrors were, Calli got the idea that they ate
volarans. Predators.
    You
will see, Thunder said. He quivered and his thoughts disintegrated into images and shapes
and tones she couldn’t understand. True equinespeak that she could feel but not
completely understand.
    The
Castle loomed bigger and bigger, with a wall about three stories high and the
square building with four towers rising an extra two.
    Awesome.
    Most
of it was gray stone, though part was of yellow, and she could discern the
round white building of the great Temple.
    There
is a Landing Field. Thunder’s ears flicked. It was more a question than statement.
    We
will land from where we took off. I’m sure Marian and Jaquar are waiting for
us. Now she thought of them, she could feel them, as if they’d connected
with her some way. During the healing? Probably. Wouldn’t folks who healed you
with magic from the inside be connected with you afterward? Made sense. She
might have a lot of bonds already, then. Huh.
    More
than feeling them, she could hear Songs. An interesting, intricate Song with
echoes of Earth rhythms from Marian, an equally complicated, more masculine
bass and brass from Jaquar. And a powerful twining Song greater-than-its-parts
from them as a couple.
    She
saw them in the courtyard, sitting and observing her, leaning together. A brief
spurt of envy held her still.
    Thunder
zoomed down, turned. The wind caught his wings and he tipped sideways. Calli’s
fingers slipped from his mane and she fell right off him. She screamed and
plummeted. A whisk of air surrounded her, spun her like she was trapped in a
gentle whirlwind, then she was righted and set onto her feet before Marian and
Jaquar.
    Marian’s
eyes were huge, her hands to her throat. Jaquar’s right arm was outstretched.
Calli stared at it. It had been he, the Sorcerer, who’d caught her and
brought her down safely.
    Magic.
    She
really needed that whiskey.
     
    M arrec could
hardly believe Dark Lance was back and they were flying to battle, just as they
had for many years. He swallowed hard. The cool wind stung his eyes. He blinked
and looked around him, awed by the sight of all the Marshalls and Chevaliers
streaming to the battlefield at the same time. Bright colors, shining armor and
gleaming volaran coats flowed like banners against the summer blue sky.
    Usually
there’d be fighters caught elsewhere when the alarm rang, who’d arrive later,
but all the Chevaliers of the Castle had been near the Keep, or lounging in
Temple Ward, to glimpse the new Exotique.
    So
they flew together and Marrec’s heart lifted. The Castle alarm was connected to
the magical fence posts along the north border of Lladrana. When it rang, the
pattern of the notes and the stridency alerted them to the place where the
monsters invaded and the number of horrors to expect. Experience had taught him
to understand the alarm. They flew to the northeast.
    As
he watched, opaque bubbles formed around volarans and riders, masking the bold
heraldic colors and gleam of mail. “Distance magic,” spells that increased