Guardian of Honor

by Robin D. Owens

  Inside there is a large diamond. It is enough.

  Opening the bag, Alexa gently sent a stream of jewels, silver and gold coins pouring onto the table. She caught her breath. Jewels. She was sunk. She had a weakness for even the cheapest costume jewelry. It would make her greedy, for sure.

  Gemstones glittered. Alexa's fingers itched. Oh, the large sapphire and the little square emerald were lovely. She could not stop herself from scooping up the bloodred spinel. It looked a lot like one in England's crown jewels.

  She took the diamond, which was the largest and dirty white, to pay her way in Town, and the spinel, just for herself. The rest she slid back into the pouch and shoved into Lady Hallard's hands before her avaricious streak got the better of her.

  Setting her hands firmly on Sinafin for translation, Alexa met the weathered woman's eyes. "This is enough. Divide the rest amongst the Chevaliers who contributed."

  First Hallard looked surprised and pleased, then she stiffened, and ruffled pride showed in her expression.

  Alexa lifted a hand to forestall Hallard's protest. "My needs are few. This is enough."

  Again they matched gazes, then Hallard nodded and went back to her chair next to Luthan.

  Alexa let out her breath unobtrusively and faced the Marshalls. Thealia looked dismayed. Reynardus still sneered, as if the entire incident was of no import to him at all. The glow from doing a good deed evaporated.

  Leaning back in her chair, Alexa wished she knew more about yoga so she could curl her fingers right and chant "om" and look seraphic as events played out.

  Silence unfurled from a seed to a blossom as they all waited.

  "Enough of this silliness!" Partis said. "We Summoned you, Alyeka, and we need you. The events of this afternoon amply prove that." He slapped a hand down on the table, cocked his head as if listening to distant voices. "I speak for all of us."

  Then there was more quiet.

  "I'm tired of this," Partis continued. "Lord Knight Swordmarshall Reynardus has disapproved of what we've done for months, and in disapproving, has made everything more difficult. I call for a vote of confidence to remove Reynardus as Lord Knight of the Marshalls."

  Gasps ran around the table.

  Alexa thought one of them was her own. But this was interesting, seeing real law and Power altered before her very eyes.

  "Not all of us are meeting. This is not private," Reynardus protested.

  "I am linked to all of us, and time flees with every second, letting horrors invade our land. We must ensure our future."

  Reynardus flung his chair back to clatter to the floor as he stood, towering over the smaller man. "The position of Lord Knight is determined by combat. Who is going to challenge me,little man? You? You aren't even a Sword who fights monsters, but a Shield who provides defense. Or do you plan on letting your wife, your Sword, combat me?" he sneered.

  Thealia rose too, her face set in pale, angry lines. "If you wish to battle Sword to Sword, I agree. If you wish to fight Sword and Shield to Sword and Shield, both Partis and I agree. I do not see your Shield here to support you."

  This was good. Better than watching a mock trial. Better than watching some real jury trials Alexa had studied.

  She wouldn't have thought that Partis's face could harden, his eyes go cold, but they did. He gestured to Thealia to sit. She hesitated, but did as he requested.

  Partis smiled widely, not a nice smile. "Combat isn't the only way to determine the Lord Knight of the Marshalls. There is also Testing, or have you forgotten?"

  Reynardus's expression froze.

  "We all have to Test to become a Marshall. Difficult Tests that few pass. But we can also designate Tests to name a Lord Knight. And who has been Tested the most the past couple of days? Who has passed Tests to prove herself a Marshall, who has saved a life and taken one, who has healed, has braved the jerir three times? Who has shown honor, and independence, and leadership?"

  Everyone looked at Alexa.

  Uh-oh! This wasn't a play anymore. It had turned personal, and nasty.

  No. No way. Not Joan of Arc. Not right now—maybe never.

  "Marshalls choosing a new leader, in a time of war, which this is, can measure the actions of candidates in a three-day period—"

  Three days. Alexa jumped on the thought. She was used to winnowing out important information from an oral argument. She hadn't been here three days. Maybe she was saved.

  Now Reynardus really did snarl, with sound and all. "I will not be mocked! How can you think to put a thing like her in my place!" His ivory baton was in his hand, pointing at her, a stream of dark red shooting straight at Alexa.

  Sinafin jumped to the table. Barked. The red energy bounced off her and shot to the crystal lights. She'd shielded Alexa.

  Alexa's baton flew to her hand. Without thought she pointed. The bronze end turned into real flames and sparks of green hit Reynardus square in the chest. He made a strangled sound. Alexa's arm, palm and fingers tingled.

  The silence seethed with emotions—shock, anger, fear.

  What would have happened to her if Sinafin hadn't taken the hit? Alexa's insides chilled. Cold sweat dampened her spine. She had the nasty idea that she'd have been fried for good.

  A minute passed. Reynardus stood as still as stone, mouth half open, eyes bulging with effort—to speak? To free himself?

  What had she done? He appeared trapped. How long could the spell last? She'd used all her will, but she didn't know the specifics of a magic spell—such as how long Reynardus would be statue-like.

  When it didn't look as if he was going to move, Alexa regained control of her temper. But she had some points to prove. "Don't anybody move," she said, knowing she sounded like a character in a bad movie.

  She set her baton in her lap, hoping it didn't show that all the strength had left her fingers. She leaned against the chair. Every muscle in her body had strained in her self-defense. Even her toes hurt.

  Sinafin jumped back onto her lap and Alexa grunted. The little dog sat at regal attention.

  Put your hands on me and I will bring energy from the storage crystals to you.

  Alexa petted Sinafin with both hands.

  Hold still.

  Alexa did. In a few seconds, she felt a spritzing energy on her skin that sank into her, revitalizing her. She grinned and said, "Listen up." She met Reynardus's furious eyes. "I am not a 'thing.' I am a mature woman. I will not be treated as a thing—manipulated and lied to and sneered at. This is how it's going to be."

  She stared around the table and wished she had pen and paper to draft a list of demands so she wouldn't forget something. She did so much better with notes.

  "First, Partis says everyone's linked together. How many of you are there?"

  Thealia said, "Presently, not including you, we are ten. When we Summoned you, we were twelve."

  So Alexa had made thirteen. Bad or good luck? A witches coven was thirteen, wasn't it?

  The older woman studied Alexa consideringly. "We have decided to expand the ranks of Marshall to the greatest number historically, thirty-eight members—nineteen Pairs of Sword and Shield. When you Pair—uh—find your Sword or Shield, that will make forty members of twenty Pairs."

  Alexa's mind reeled. Only forty People of this status! This was a real high-stakes game. She'd thought to work up to the big leagues __

  "Only three of you are here," Alexa said.

  "The others in the Castle are all linked with me," Partis said.

  She tried to remember all the faces, and recalled the Pairs had been color coded. Reynardus wore fox red. Alexa didn't recollect seeing his partner. What woman would put up with him? Thealia and Partis were in malachite green. At least she didn't have too many new people to learn to work with. About the size of the law journal staff. Her mouth turned down. That was all gone. Before.

  "We are all linked," Thealia agreed.

  "Right. Good. Well, then. I don't want a leadership position. In fact, I doubt that I can stay
a Marshall. There would always be bad blood between Reynardus and me. Working in a small group with such friction is impossible. The group could never come together in a cohesive whole." Feeling major disappointment, she took her baton from her lap and shoved it into the center of the table. The wand had become so important to her in such a short time. That smacked of unnatural magic, too.

  Everyone frowned.

  Thealia looked between Reynardus and Alexa. The Swordmarshall's jaw tightened. "You are right. We must be unified in our actions and goals. But you miss a point. Reynardus has been a source of discord all along the way. It does not appear that he will change his attitude. One reason that your spell was so strong was that it used his own negative energy focused on you, another Marshall, against him. This is against our rules. If we choose, we can dismiss him from our ranks."

  Very interesting.

  A chair scraped the floor as Luthan stood and gazed at his father. "I have consulted with the Cloister of the Singer regarding Reynardus and his recent Song Quest. I would remind us all that most Song Quests show differing life courses and melodies for a person, based on crucial choices. This seems to me to be a time of decision for him."

  The crystal lights dimmed. A wind whisked around the room, as if gathering an element of the atmosphere—magic—and drawing it to Reynardus. He was trying to free himself from the effects of her trapping spell!

  She hadn't liked Reynardus standing like an evil statue and glaring at her, but hadn't had a clue how to break her own spell. Shewould have lost a lot of face before the Marshalls if she'd tried to release him.

  Reynardus glowed yellow, his face contorted in a rictus, every muscle of his body strained.

  The wind whipped again. Alexa ducked her head and closed her eyes, gathering all her strength and will, and every scrap of memory of fantasy movies to help her. Release! she chanted in her mind to the wind. It pulled at her, plucking the command from her, and thundered toward Reynardus. She opened her eyes to see that he glowed white, blue-hot. Then the heaviness of the storm inside the room broke and he was free.

  From his teeth-snapping grin, Alexa knew he thought he'd broken free on his own. Had he?

  Sinafin turned big brown eyes on Alexa. You were the one who forged the spell to bind him. You freed him. He merely showed you how.

  "Don't tell him that," Alexa murmured in a pointy ear.

  Thealia stood and addressed Reynardus. "Do you wish to remain a Marshall or not?"

  "Of course."

  "Alyeka has Tested to become Marshall and has shown her valor. We need her in our ranks. I will remind you of our Oaths as Marshalls to respect and support one another."

  His nostrils flared. He turned and strode to the door.

  "Running away?" asked Partis softly.

  Reynardus's spine stiffened. He spun, baton in hand.

  "As the Representative of the Singer, I need to report whether the Marshalls continue to be a viable body of leadership for the rest of Lladrana. Do you cooperate with each other or not?" Luthan asked.

  The question hung in the air, fully as ominous as the wind that had zoomed around the room a moment before.

  Thealia murmured, "The evil wins if we are not united."

  Reynardus took his seat, placed his baton on the table so gently it didn't make a sound. He steepled his fingers and looked over the tips at Alexa. A series of emotions flickered in his eyes— anger, pride, triumph... and finally, acknowledgment and resignation.

  Alexa sensed his feelings. He wanted to continue to resist the will of the rest of the Marshalls because she was an element out of his control. But he'd have to bend his pride if he wanted to keep his leadership position.

  "Welcome to Lladrana, Alyeka," he said in a melodious voice that she'd never heard from him, a tone that rivaled Partis's. Reynardus smiled wolfishly and separated his hands to tick off points. "We will need to explain our Oath and Rules to you. You must learn to control your magic, master our language, and fight with us as a team. We will start your training immediately."

  She just leveled her gaze at him. "No."

  10

  Shock ran around the inn's table. Reynardus sat up straight. She thought she could see how his mind was working. He scanned the others and his mouth soured. He must have realized that he would have to truly modify his behavior toward her or leave the Marshalls.

  "I will not have you dictate to me." She looked at Thealia. "I will not allow you to manipulate me further. If you wish me to do something, you will request it of me, and you will explain until I understand your reasoning. I will then follow your request or not. I agree that there are many things to learn. Magic—" with a snap of her fingers her baton leaped to her hand "—your language—" she stroked Sinafin's head "—fighting." She kept the frown from her face. "But I will work out a schedule for that with you. I will have final approval of my teachers."

  She stood and lifted her chin. "You Summoned me. You must trust yourselves and this Song of yours that you chose the rightperson. If you don't, we can part company. I passed your Tests. I killed with magic." She hurt just saying the words, still had trouble acknowledging it to herself. "I saved a life." Now that was an achievement. "So I think I have proven myself to you. You, however, have not proven yourselves to me."

  They gazed at her. Partis broke the silence with a chuckle. He lifted his left hand and clasped Thealia's, then offered his right hand to Alexa.

  "Sit and feel us, then. Learn us through your senses." He winked. "A good first real lesson in the Power."

  Good advice, Sinafin said.

  Thealia held out her left hand to Reynardus and kept her nose in the air until the Lord Knight took it. A strong current sizzled from the others to Alexa. Reynardus was still plenty hot with anger.

  She smiled sweetly at him before sinking back into the chair, and then closed her eyes and tried to sense the Marshalls. Maybe she could get a handle on them that way.

  At first she felt them in Pairs, and the auras of the individuals mingled together in the couples. Something else she envied. The Pairs were bonded, linked in some inextricable way, by love or by blood. Each had complete faith in his or her partner, had trusted one another with their lives, their hearts. More, there was a synergy that flowed among the Marshalls—all had been in battle together. Whatever their arguments and conflict with Reynardus off the battlefield, they trusted his leadership implicitly in a fight.

  The Marshalls vibrated with intensity. They believed in their vision to save Lladrana. They were dedicated. As devoted to service as any public defender Alexa had known. She respected such commitment; it resonated with her core beliefs.

  Alexa liked what she sensed in these people—honor, dedication, willingness to sacrifice and put the greater good of future generations above their own lives.

  She couldn't deny that their purpose was the best she'd ever known. She couldn't deny that it was a great and worthy cause that appealed to her. Saving lives, defending a country from truly inhuman monsters that only wanted to destroy—this was an ideal she could wholeheartedly embrace. Most of all, she couldn't deny that she felt a kinship with them and knew that they would come to respect her and call her friend. She could finally fit in and make a place for herself that would earn her the respect she needed, the companionship she craved.

  Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes.

  "Well?" asked Partis. "I felt your touch." He cocked his head. "Everyone says they did." His eyes crinkled. "A very unique, Exotique, but refreshing touch." He let loose of her hand and the rest unlinked too.

  "You are good people," she said simply. For the first time she noticed the beverage an inconspicuous server had set in front of her. Frowning, she lifted it to her nose and sniffed. As expected in an inn, it smelled alcoholic. "What's this made from?"

  "Hops," someone said.

  "I don't drink alcohol," she said primly, not since that close escape from date rape at a party in college. She waited for their reactions. They didn't disappoint.


  Everyone stared at her, horrified. Sinafin gave an undoglike squeak.

  Then Partis laughed. "This will be interesting."

  Fun! Sinafin lolled a tongue.

  "Do you have anything made from..." She didn't know whether to say tea or leaves or what. Since hops had translated well, maybe tea would also. "Tea?"

  More stares. Reynardus sighed. "An expensive woman. I should have known we would Summon an expensive woman."

  Alexa guessed that tea was as exotic as she was. She tried to remember if she'd had any in her fanny pack and if so, how much. If she did, it would be good quality. She'd been indulging in top-grade Assam since Sophie's death. She sniffed again at the lager, ale, beer, whatever. Sophie had loved beer.

  The whole alienness of the scene crashed down on her...again. Golden-skinned people with subtly different beautiful features. Light from large crystals. An inn that smelled of beer and sweat but not cigarettes. And a Jade Baton with a bronze flame that glowed before her, signifying Power and magic that she didn't understand.

  How her expression changed, she didn't know, but Sinafin dug sharp dog-claws into her thighs and Partis hummed low.

  Thealia cleared her throat. "I have the pleasure—" she glanced at Reynardus and lifted her chin "—to inform you that according to custom you may choose an estate—land and manor house—tomorrow."

  Your home! Sinafin exclaimed.

  Alexa thought the feycoocu had only spoken to her. Yes, there are some rich vacant properties. Be guided by me.

  Oh boy. All her emotions were being tugged to make the decision they wanted. Her heart was with them. With what they offered. Her head reminded her that if she returned to Colorado she would have to start a new life there too.

  The Marshalls would be her colleagues, and perhaps her friends. She thought of friends and acquaintances back home. None pulled her enough to know that she should return.

  Lady Hallard tapped a fingernail on the table and all eyes turned to her. "It is well and good that the new Marshall will be integrated. But as I understand it, she has been wronged by the Knight Lord Marshall Reynardus Vauxveau. I, myself, saw how he tried to use his Power against an untrained novice."