you.”
Indoctrinate
her. “I’m not staying.” If she was really here. Still, her bladder was full…but
she’d had dreams about that, too.
“It
took all the Marshalls and the Chevaliers to bring you here. How do you think
you’ll get back?” asked Jaquar.
Calli
could feel her expression set into pure stubbornness. She didn’t care.
What
could these dream people do to hurt her? She shifted. She didn’t want to know,
but confidence and fearlessness were as important in relation to people as they
were to horses. “I don’t know, but I’ll think of something.” A thought struck
and her smile widened. Horses didn’t lie in any of their body language and she
believed volarans couldn’t either. “And I can double-check anything you tell me
with the volarans, can’t I?”
Jaquar’s
eyes twinkled. “That you can.”
“I
promise you I won’t ever lie to you,” Marian said. Her aura throbbed with what
Calli sensed was pure truth.
“Okay,”
Calli said.
“On
my word of honor,” Marian said.
Calli
nodded. “Right.” She turned to the door.
“One
moment,” Jaquar said. An extra lilt in his voice caught Calli’s attention. He
sure was learning English quickly. She glanced at him.
“Behold,”
he said.
Marian
coughed.
He
waved and huge chunks of the map went golden yellow. “These are the unoccupied
and unclaimed estates of Lladrana. Many are very prosperous. You will be
allowed your choice.”
Breath
caught in her chest, Calli stared. Land of her own. Everything in the mountains
of the north seemed empty, but so did a bunch of other places in the real
“green” part of the land. Big pieces of land.
Walking
to the map, Marian pointed. “This is where Alexa and Bastien live. Her estate
was vacant. She’s very wealthy now. As am I.”
“Money’s
not everything,” Calli muttered.
“Alexa
wanted a real home. She has that, and a man she loves. I have a husband and a
tower I built myself with magic. I have great magical ability—Power. I’m free
to research whatever I want, whenever I want and I’ll be founding a school in
the future.
“What
do you want? I’m sure whatever it is, we can accommodate you,” Marian
asked.
They
couldn’t give her children. No one could do that. Calli wanted to whirl on her
heel and walk away, but her gaze was still stuck to the map. She wanted a
spread of her own…and look at all that land! Part of her dream could come true.
But land was the least of what she truly wanted. She wanted family. And her
family, what there was of it, was back on Earth and had rejected her.
Now
the watery gob in her throat was more from sadness than surprise and dazzled
greed. “I gotta pee,” she said. She headed out the door and across the
courtyard to the keep building. The Circlets paced her.
“What’s
your vocation?” Marian asked and Calli knew she meant it in the widest sense of
the word, what job really drew her.
With
a lift of her chin, she replied, “I’m a horse trainer.” She’d meant to be. When
she returned to Colorado, she would find a way to make that dream come true.
Marian
smiled. “I bet you’re more of a ‘horse whisperer.’ But you can do that here.
And I’m sure volarans need to be trained, too.” Marian waved a hand. “Or people
and volarans need to learn how to partner each other better.” She glanced back
at the Map Room. “To better vanquish the Dark. The Marshalls and Chevaliers and
Circlets are working on that.” Marian looked at Jaquar. He lifted and dropped a
shoulder. Calli smiled. Obviously academics. Didn’t look at all like nerds or
geeks or whatever, but they sure were more interested in more brainy things
than physical.
“The
volarans talk to some others, too, most primarily Bastien. He’ll know what
Chevalier-Volaran needs are,” Marian said.
A
few minutes later, Calli was checking out the large round guest suite in
Alexa’s tower. There was a toilet, one of the old kind with the tank on the
top, and a
Indoctrinate
her. “I’m not staying.” If she was really here. Still, her bladder was full…but
she’d had dreams about that, too.
“It
took all the Marshalls and the Chevaliers to bring you here. How do you think
you’ll get back?” asked Jaquar.
Calli
could feel her expression set into pure stubbornness. She didn’t care.
What
could these dream people do to hurt her? She shifted. She didn’t want to know,
but confidence and fearlessness were as important in relation to people as they
were to horses. “I don’t know, but I’ll think of something.” A thought struck
and her smile widened. Horses didn’t lie in any of their body language and she
believed volarans couldn’t either. “And I can double-check anything you tell me
with the volarans, can’t I?”
Jaquar’s
eyes twinkled. “That you can.”
“I
promise you I won’t ever lie to you,” Marian said. Her aura throbbed with what
Calli sensed was pure truth.
“Okay,”
Calli said.
“On
my word of honor,” Marian said.
Calli
nodded. “Right.” She turned to the door.
“One
moment,” Jaquar said. An extra lilt in his voice caught Calli’s attention. He
sure was learning English quickly. She glanced at him.
“Behold,”
he said.
Marian
coughed.
He
waved and huge chunks of the map went golden yellow. “These are the unoccupied
and unclaimed estates of Lladrana. Many are very prosperous. You will be
allowed your choice.”
Breath
caught in her chest, Calli stared. Land of her own. Everything in the mountains
of the north seemed empty, but so did a bunch of other places in the real
“green” part of the land. Big pieces of land.
Walking
to the map, Marian pointed. “This is where Alexa and Bastien live. Her estate
was vacant. She’s very wealthy now. As am I.”
“Money’s
not everything,” Calli muttered.
“Alexa
wanted a real home. She has that, and a man she loves. I have a husband and a
tower I built myself with magic. I have great magical ability—Power. I’m free
to research whatever I want, whenever I want and I’ll be founding a school in
the future.
“What
do you want? I’m sure whatever it is, we can accommodate you,” Marian
asked.
They
couldn’t give her children. No one could do that. Calli wanted to whirl on her
heel and walk away, but her gaze was still stuck to the map. She wanted a
spread of her own…and look at all that land! Part of her dream could come true.
But land was the least of what she truly wanted. She wanted family. And her
family, what there was of it, was back on Earth and had rejected her.
Now
the watery gob in her throat was more from sadness than surprise and dazzled
greed. “I gotta pee,” she said. She headed out the door and across the
courtyard to the keep building. The Circlets paced her.
“What’s
your vocation?” Marian asked and Calli knew she meant it in the widest sense of
the word, what job really drew her.
With
a lift of her chin, she replied, “I’m a horse trainer.” She’d meant to be. When
she returned to Colorado, she would find a way to make that dream come true.
Marian
smiled. “I bet you’re more of a ‘horse whisperer.’ But you can do that here.
And I’m sure volarans need to be trained, too.” Marian waved a hand. “Or people
and volarans need to learn how to partner each other better.” She glanced back
at the Map Room. “To better vanquish the Dark. The Marshalls and Chevaliers and
Circlets are working on that.” Marian looked at Jaquar. He lifted and dropped a
shoulder. Calli smiled. Obviously academics. Didn’t look at all like nerds or
geeks or whatever, but they sure were more interested in more brainy things
than physical.
“The
volarans talk to some others, too, most primarily Bastien. He’ll know what
Chevalier-Volaran needs are,” Marian said.
A
few minutes later, Calli was checking out the large round guest suite in
Alexa’s tower. There was a toilet, one of the old kind with the tank on the
top, and a
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