Rihou awoke to the feel of the dawn sliding over his face. He just sighed and turned more so that his shoulders blocked the light. He had nothing against mornings. He enjoyed them a great deal, in fact. He just happened to enjoy his current location more. His head was pillowed on Elissa's soft breast, and her arms were still snug around him. He could hear the soft sound of her breathing in the quiet room, and her heart beat soothingly under his ear. Surely, this had to be heaven, that immortal place of happiness where the gods dwelled.
She stirred slightly and her arms tightened. "S'morning?" she asked drowsily.
He slowly tugged free of her arms and rose up on an elbow to look his fill. She was rumpled and flushed, her wild hair even more untamed after being slept on. There was a luminous sheen to her green eyes that only deepened as she skimmed her fingers across his lips. The ache of hunger that had never gone away, even in sleep, prowled through his body. "Elissa." It was barely a breath as he bent his head to take her lips with his.
She sighed contentedly into the kiss as it slowly deepened. She had discovered the only thing better than a man who loved to kiss was one who was really good at it. He fit both definitions.
Desire stayed lazy in the morning light, perhaps because both knew there was no acting on it just yet. There was time enough for everything. It was the first time he had felt the sensation of how time had stopped for him, but it didn't alarm him. He could have spent forever there, feeling his lover in his arms and tasting her breath on his lips.
By the time he lifted his head, she suspected she couldn't move even if she wanted to try. Every muscle had melted in her body, and her willpower had evaporated entirely. Considering her will rivaled his, she could only marvel. "You are really good at that." Her voice was soft and sultry and as inviting as her swollen lips.
"You're welcome." He nibbled on her lower lip and then slowly and reluctantly released her. "We better stop now."
She sighed deeply. "I wish you weren't right." She rolled out of his arms and then out of bed. She stretched largely before turning and looking at him. She stopped breathing for a moment as she saw how he looked. The blankets had fallen to his waist, and the sunlight seemed to gild him in gold. His tousled hair begged for her fingers, and his chocolate eyes had melted again. It didn't help her pulse any that he chose that moment to slowly smile at her. "No wonder the girls in your town tried to warn me about you."
His brows shot up. "Warn you?"
She grinned briefly. "The general feeling was that if you ever decided on a girl you wanted, that you would use, without guilt, every weapon you have to catch her. And there was also a general feeling that you know precisely all your weapons, and how to use them."
His smile slowly turned into a wicked grin. "Maybe." He got out of bed and crossed the room to pull her into his arms. "But I think you'd be the last person to worry about any tactics I might use. You learned from the masters. I just sort of figured it out as I went along."
"Fair enough." She smiled and brushed a kiss across his chin. When he released her, she scooped up her skirts and draped them over her arm. "When we get our new base," she told him, "I'll share your room with you."
It wasn't a question because there was no need for it between them. They had known all along where they were headed, and despite a few detours, they still headed there. Sharing a room was merely a small formality for two people who already shared hearts and souls, and intended to share bodies as soon as Nature stopped tormenting them.
"Good," he told her. He smiled. "I actually slept last night. I can only imagine how well I'll sleep when I can finally claim you for my own."
"I'll try not to tease you unless I can follow through," she promised him. "I'm not a sadist, and it's just as bad for me!" She sighed as she opened the door. "I just had to end up with a walking invitation to sensuality for a destined lover."
He grinned as the door shut behind her. Like called to like. He could not possibly imagine ever wanting or needing any woman the way he wanted and needed his stubborn, easy-going, impossibly sultry bard.
He got dressed in fresh clothes and then headed out of his room. People were beginning to stir and get moving, and when he glanced down into the first floor area, he saw Thalia sitting at a table with Xander. They were both drinking coffee, and Xander hopped to his feet to get another cup when he spotted Rihou. "Good morning, Lord Rihou!"
"Good morning." Rihou had given up on arguing that the title was unnecessary and unwanted. People addressed him however they were comfortable. Some would use the title, some wouldn't. It would be the same even if he was the kind to insist on using the title. Naomi and Elissa—guilt by association was indeed occurring—felt just as resigned.
"You look rested for once," Thalia told him. "Sleep well?"
"Finally, yes." He sat down across from her with a smile. "And, yes, Elissa was with me. But, no, no one can claim the betting pool yet."
She grinned briefly. "Trust me, that was obvious. Rested you may be, relaxed you are not." She pulled a pad of paper out of her backpack and put it down on the table in front of her. "As soon as the others join us, I'll go over what I found out."
Elissa joined them a few moments later, followed by Naomi and Nick. The blond critically studied his brother and felt a little of the tension leave his shoulders. Rihou was finally getting some sleep again and that meant he no longer ran headlong for disaster. "Good morning," he said.
"Good morning." Rihou spotted Kalliope coming into the dining room and smiled at her. "Hey. Good morning." When she walked over, he lifted her up onto the bench beside him. "Coffee?" He offered his mug to her.
She sniffed at it and then took a hesitant sip. Her nose immediately wrinkled. With a laugh, Xander brought over a glass of juice. "Well, coffee is one of those things you either like or you don't."
Ewan and Kyle joined them before much longer, and once everyone was settled, Thalia started talking. "The castle is definitely abandoned, which is the good news. The bad news is that it was abandoned because no one could get into it. Realm Lake butts right up against the castle dock on one side, and the other side is covered with carnivorous plants."
"Carnivorous." Rihou blinked. "Why the hell are there people-eating plants covering a castle?"
"It started with just one." She sighed. "It was a 'pet' to one of the royal family members. When the monarchy dissolved, he didn't take the pet with him. Skip forward a while, and the plant has taken over."
"I should be able to quell the plants," he decided. "Or Nick. We both have Pure Relics, and if regular mages can use regular relics to pacify monsters, then two sorcerers definitely can." He frowned at Ewan and Kyle. "Wait, I'm a Healer, so I'm not a sorcerer. But I'm not at a Healer's strength. What does that make me?"
"I haven't a damned clue," Kyle said dryly. "If you were a Magician type, then I'd say you were a Thaumoturge, but I don't know the Healer equivalent." He saw Kalliope looking at him curiously and explained, "What Rihou's talking about is called 'monster singing.' Long story short, magic users can use their magic to make monsters docile. The stronger the magic, the longer a monster is docile. Rihou and Nick, being among the strongest on the world, can probably make the people-eating plants docile permanently."
"The problem is getting to them before they get to you," Thalia noted.
"Why not just sail across the lake?" Naomi asked. "That'd be my first thought."
"And it would be perfect if it weren't for the fact that there's a monster shark in the lake that goes after any boat that gets too close. It has a pretty wide path that it swims through the middle of the lake, and it has plenty of time to get to you before you get to it. Even the fastest boat in the world takes almost an hour to cross that syrupy lake."
"Syrupy. Yick!" Naomi pulled a face. "Why would it be syrupy?"
"Safety mechanism for the castle?" Elissa asked.
"Bingo! You can only transport on land, so if someone wanted to attack by water, they would have to do it the old-fashioned way. And since the lake itself is a deterrent, the castle is effectively protected from the rear." She propped her chin on her hand. "People have tried to clean up the lake, but the last few years have made it impossible."
"Geez, now what?" Ewan complained.
"A whirlpool. Right smack in the middle."
"Talk about overkill!" Nick grumbled. "How the heck are we supposed to get in, then?"
"Well . . . the whirlpool could be navigated by a good enough captain, and the shark might be inclined to stay away from anyone crazy enough to go through it. And on that note, on the other side of the lake is the town of Tercon. It's not very big—only about five thousand people—but there just happens to be a world-famous captain residing there with his brother."
"Theo!" Kyle sat back in his chair. "Damn. I haven't seen him and Mayo in three years. I was wondering where they'd gotten off to. Hell, knowing Theo, he's probably spending his days drinking and swindling people at dice again."
Ewan looked at Rihou. "A couple things to know about Theo. One, he's a pain in the ass. Two, he only listens to people he respects, and he doesn't respect anyone easily. Three, he and Mayo were Destined Stars for Tyrian. I don't know if they were fixed Stars or not, but even if not, you might be able to use that to your advantage."
Rihou drummed the fingers of his relic hand on the table. "Let me get this straight. We need to travel to a small city where a drunken dice cheat who might be the world's most brilliant captain needs to be convinced to sober up and join a Rebel Army not dissimilar from one he was part of before, though possibly for different reasons, just so he can sail us across a syrup lake filled with a whirlpool and a cranky shark that eats foolhardy travelers, just so we can get into a castle that is covered in the front by carnivorous plants that decided to play while their owners were away."
"That about sums it up," Thalia said dryly.
"When do we leave?" he asked cheerfully. As everyone groaned, he grinned. "What? Am I supposed to wring my hands and be the passive, poor Healer who needs others to do the hard stuff? Please. Much as you all would no doubt love to take advantage of my relic and stick me in the backlines, you can't do it. I'm probably the best combatant we have at this table, other than Elissa or Ewan. And, frankly, I belong on the frontlines. I was born for this."
Knowing he was right didn't make it any easier for the others to handle. Even non-combatants, like Thalia, were driven by the desire to protect him and keep him safe. If trouble entered their base, and it was a choice of fleeing to safety or giving their life for Rihou, saving their Kaiten would win out every time.
"Along the way," Kyle noted, "we can stop by Morville. It's on the road toward Tercon, and we might as well go there before we go anywhere else. Why backtrack? We're looking at about a three-day journey to Morville, then another day or two to Tercon. That's on horseback, of course. On foot, it'd be double. So, who's going?" he asked Rihou.
"Elissa, of course. You and Ewan are coming to help me handle Theo. I want Skyla for some extra ranged skill." He glanced at Kalliope and then at Nick who immediately nodded in understanding. Neither wanted the little girl to be alone yet. "Naomi can take the sixth spot. Nick can hold down the fort, so to speak."
Relief filled Kalliope's eyes. She would have let Nick go with Rihou if Rihou had really needed him, but she really didn't want to be by herself. The people were nice here, but only Nick and Rihou made her feel safe. She immediately crawled into Nick's arms and clung on tightly with her face against his shoulder.
"I'll pick up scrolls for you guys from Laura while you pack," Nick said. He suddenly grinned. "And oversee the packing up of this place. Naturally you're going to succeed, so we need to be ready to make the move."
The party set out onto the road within a few hours. Skyla's claims of accuracy were shortly proven to be correct, and Rihou made a mental note to stick her in charge of any ranged unit he might eventually have. She was really good with that bow.
Much to the amusement of his party, he had brought along the medical book he was studying. If they weren't fighting monsters, he was reading. "So you're seriously thinking about being a doctor, eh?" Kyle asked.
"Yup." Rihou grinned at him. "Maybe it'll take some of the stress off my Destined Stars if I can widen the margin of how many people I can save."
It surprised no one that he had picked up on that. The uncanny understanding between Kaiten and Star went both ways. They knew things about each other and read each other in ways that would take others years to do. But then, they had been sharing the skies for years already.
The size of the city of Morville meant that they saw it long before they reached it, even with all the trees covering the land. At around a population of about thirty thousand, Morville was considered a decent-sized city. It had three militia units, which was also not uncommon. A town tended to average one unit of a thousand soldiers per every ten thousand citizens. Technically, that meant the population was around thirty-three thousand, but census numbers rarely took soldiers into account.
Like the other City-States, Morville was built in and around the forest. Buildings were set just far enough away from tree lines to prevent a rapid spread of fire, and roads had been paved with stone. Word of the events in Riverbaynk had spread quickly enough that the soldiers who patrolled the edges of the city looked at Rihou's hand before they looked at his face. No one barred him entrance, and looks were more curious than alarmed, but Rihou still felt his shoulders tense slightly.
The tension was unintentionally broken when the door to the inn on the outskirts of town unexpectedly flew open and a lovely young woman stepped into the doorway with her hands propped on her hips. "Kyle Raitels and Ewan Grizmar!" she scolded. "You get left alone for a few years and promptly find more trouble to cause!"
With a wide grin, Ewan ran over and scooped her up for a hug. He swung her around and then gave her a smacking kiss. "C.J., you're as a lovely as always! Are you keeping that overworking husband of yours in line?"
C.J. rolled her eyes. "I let him tend bar and check people in. It's safer for my sanity!" She hugged him back and then hugged Kyle when Ewan put her down. "Ooh! I've missed you two!" An arm around Kyle's waist, she turned to study the four newcomers. Her eyes softened as she looked at Rihou. It was like looking at Tyrian all over again. And she certainly didn't need to ask to know which was the Kentei Star! Elissa stood closest to Rihou, and her posture meant she was ready and able to defend the one she loved. "Well."
Rihou smiled. "Hi. I'm Rihou Royaltine. The other three are Naomi, Skyla, and Elissa." He held out his relic hand to C.J., feeling again that tug inside that meant this was someone he needed to have close. An innkeeper, possibly two? That would definitely take some burdens off Xander, and it would be very useful when he claimed his castle and city. "Lend me your strength, C.J. I can't do this without you."
She took his hand and the two stars glowed on her shoulder. "Absolutely." She laced their fingers together and smiled. "Come inside!" She pulled him along as she went inside, and she called, "R.K.! Look what I found!"
A young man peered around the edge of a door and he instantly grinned. "Ewan! Kyle! Long time no see!" He spotted Rihou and fell silent in surprise as he felt that instant, familiar, kick of powerful emotion inside. The need to protect and shelter, to make sure that this person always stayed smiling and safe. "I'm R.K.," he said softly.
"Rihou." Rihou smiled at him. "I'd apologize for making you fight again, but I would be lying. Lend me your strength as a Destined Star one more time, R.K. Please."
He nodded quickly. "You can count on me, Lord Rihou! We'll start packing up this place. As soon as you have a base of your own, just let us know and we'll meet you there." He grinned when Rihou quirked a brow. "Everyone knows everything. You'll get used to it."
"Just don't overwork yourself!" Rihou scolded him. "C.J., I'm counting on you."
She saluted and laughed. "Hey, why do you think I married him?"
"Because you two were more miserable apart than together?" Ewan asked politely. "I ought to know. I'm the one who dragged his sorry ass back to you at the Dragonist Fortress and told you to make him stop moping!"
R.K. took no offense at the ribbing, or the memory. He just grinned. "Which she did." He wrapped an arm around her waist and rested his hand lightly over her belly. "If our child is a boy, we'll name him after you."
"You wouldn't dare . . .!" Ewan broke off abruptly. "Wait, what?"
Kyle brightened. "Congratulations, both of you!" He hugged C.J. again and slapped R.K. on the shoulder. "How much longer?"
"A few months, at the least. We only just learned about it."
"Good." Rihou laughed. "By the time you're ready to deliver, I should hopefully know enough to help!"
Both future parents smiled. "We'd trust no one else," R.K. said simply.
Once outside again, Naomi said musingly, "I don't think I realized how simple it might be. Or how glad I would be to meet the other Stars as well. I finally feel like I'm meeting people that will understand how I feel."
"It's definitely a wonderful feeling," Kyle agreed. "And you'll find that no matter how much time passes, we'll all stay friends. We Destined Stars and our Kaiten, or Kaitens as the case may be, belong together. Land may separate us, but never the sky."
"Okay, now that has to be a Tyrian-ism," Ewan decided.
Kyle grinned. "Laia-ism."
"Laia?" Skyla asked. She cocked her head thoughtfully. "Why is that name familiar?"
"Possibly," Ewan said dryly, "because she's the High General of the Republic of Taron." He arched a brow at Kyle. "Did you ever find out how they managed to convince her to take the position? Leonard never said."
"Remember how Tyrian said he would be President again for a day if she balked?"
"I take it she balked."
"Rather spectacularly, but when the dust settled, she was both a knight and High General."
Ewan snorted. "I'd have paid to have seen that!"
Elissa grinned. "It sounded a bit like you'd known R.K. a long time. The way you got along seemed like more than mere Destiny." She swung her arm around Rihou's waist companionably. Just finding those two new Stars had put more of a smile in his eyes, and taken some tension from his shoulders, for which she was doubly grateful.
"We've known R.K. for years," Ewan explained. "Back before Tyrian even joined the original Rebellion, R.K. was part of it with us. Wore far too many hats, hence why we're always teasing him about overworking. When we met C.J. much later in the war, she promptly made it her duty to keep him in line." He shook his head wryly. "And the sparks did fly!"
Skyla looked at Rihou and said very seriously, "If I found out that they waited to have a kid just so you could practice delivering babies, it wouldn't surprise me that much. Not consciously, maybe, but definitely subconsciously. We provide what you need."
"Just don't go getting hurt just so I can practice setting bones!" her Kaiten scolded her. "Seriously, my heart won't be able to take the strain. Let's start with the small things and work our way up. Paper cuts. I can handle paper cuts."
The others exchanged grins. They knew damned well that he was perfectly calm under pressure and would have an excellent bedside manner. Odds were that the closer he was to the injured person, the calmer he would be because he would have his whole attention focused on healing them. Still, the idea of him wringing his hands over a paper cut amused them all.
There were plenty of directions to point them toward the mayor's house, and people seemed friendly enough. Even still, Rihou couldn't help but get the feeling that no one there truly believed they were in any danger. The 'as long as it hasn't happened to me' mindset may have made the citizens feel better, but it was actually a very dangerous illusion.
He didn't really expect to find any other Stars in the city, yet he was somehow unsurprised when he found himself stopping in front of a shop window where beautiful paintings hung. Some were ordinary scenics. Others had familiar people in them.
"That's Rihou!" Naomi said in surprise as she looked at one of the paintings. "And Elissa!" Her lower lip trembled as she looked at the image of her brother walking hand-in-hand with his Kentei. She had never seen him happier than when he was with Elissa.
Rihou immediately ducked into the shop while the others waited outside. The interior was liberally covered in paintings of all shapes and sizes. Some hung on the walls and others sat on the floor. He saw paintings of faces both familiar and unfamiliar, and he saw events that might not yet have happened. In the very center of the room, scowling at a painting she tried to mount onto a frame, sat a girl with very pale blonde hair messily piled on her head. If she was older than Raine, it wasn't by very much.
"Hi," he said, hoping he wouldn't startle her.
She didn't look at him. "Just a second. This thing is ALWAYS giving me issues! Damn thing is as stubborn as the guy in the paint!"
He peeked around at the front of the painting and saw the familiar face of Ewan. He started grinning. "That's definitely stubborn!"
The girl looked up and her eyes went wide. "Oh. Well then." She smiled and her cloudy blue eyes lit with humor. "Greetings, Lord Rihou! You got here sooner than I expected!" She put down the frame and let him tug her up to her feet. She was of shorter height, which seemed to indicate a not-wholly Human bloodline as much as her eyes did. "I'm Acrylia," she said. "As you noticed, I'm a painter. When I was really little, I started seeing you in my dreams. After what happened in Taron, it got me thinking. And since you're here, then I know I was right. I'm a Destined Star, aren't I?"
"You are," he confirmed cheerfully. "And thank goodness for it! We're about to go take over a castle that's been disused for ages, and you can be sure we're going to need things to hang on those boring stone walls."
She giggled. "Okay! Leave it to me, Lord Rihou! I'll make the castle much prettier for you, and I'll record in oil all the events that we'll want to remember!" She held up a finger. "If my sense is right about the people I've been painting, we're going to have some real characters!"
"We already do," her leader said dryly. "Including the stubborn grizzly man whose temperament wore off onto the frame."
"Oh my." She winced good-naturedly. "Well, I'll get packing. Just send me word when you're ready for me to head out there!"
"Touch base with R.K. and C.J.," he suggested. "They're Stars too; traveling together might be safer and more efficient." He ruffled her hair affectionately. "And if you blackmail me skillfully enough, I might even pose for you."
"Noted!"
Smiling, he headed back out of the shop. He didn't have to tell the others; they all knew. Every Star lifted his spirits even a little bit. It was because of that small thing that allowed a Star to find his or her Kaiten right when he needed it most. Skyla and Xero, however subconsciously, had done it already. It would continue to happen until all one hundred and nine gathered together again.
The pick-me-up from finding three Stars was shortly put to the test when the party reached the mayor's house. The guard standing outside took one look at Rihou and said dismissively, "The mayor wants nothing to do with your 'rebellion.' Go home."
Rihou held up a hand sharply when Ewan and Naomi both bristled. They visibly seethed but bit back anything they wanted to say. "Either you're not paying attention, or you're just stupid," he said calmly. He held up his relic hand. "Destiny chose me. You want to say that the ultimate power doesn't know what she's doing? Feel free. Once you've been smited into a smoldering pile of ashes, we'll go inside anyway."
Almost as if to warn that Destiny was watching, thunder chose that moment to rumble from the storm clouds that had been hovering for the last day or two. The guard looked up warily but no lightning bolts dropped on his head. Still, he wasn't one to ignore a sign. "Hold on." He disappeared into the house and then returned briefly. "He'll talk to you."
"Good idea." Rihou crossed his arms as he led his party past the guard who cautiously kept his eyes on the clouds. "Nice one," he said softly to Kyle. He knew full well that it was his friend's Lightning Relic that had provided the timely 'celestial' warning.
The mayor was an older man probably old enough to be even Ewan's father, pleasant enough to look at, and a shrewd light lingered in his eyes. Still, there was nothing overly welcoming about the way he looked at Rihou. He even sniffed a bit disdainfully as he saw Elissa's bard wear, an action that had Skyla dropping her hand back so that it hovered over her bow. She intensely disliked anyone who would judge someone purely on his or her looks. Elissa was as much a lady as any woman of 'high' breeding.
"I understand you're Rihou Royaltine, leader of the Rebel Army." He studied Rihou closely and saw not only a man who was strong enough for battle, but one whose eyes also rivaled any seasoned general for intelligence. He wore the mantle of leadership as casually as he wore his weapon on his back. A true leader. The mayor had seen a few, though none quite like this one. "At least you certainly look as if you're serious."
"I'm dead serious," Rihou told him. "Potentially because I've seen plenty of death thus far. I'm trying to unify the City-States before another tragedy happens. We've already lost two. We can't lose more. This isn't about Foresalia conquering our lands. This is about a madman's hunger for blood."
The mayor shrugged. "Two small towns. It's of little concern to me. Morville stands and will continue to stand. Foresalia can do whatever they like. We're not some tiny little hovel that has no militia. My units are well-trained, seasoned, soldiers. You'll get no help from me, Royaltine. I'd as soon think that allying with you is likely to make us more of a target."
"Are you an idiot?" Naomi demanded sharply. "You're playing a game of dice with your people as the wager! What're you going to do when the Army drops down outside and starts to slaughter people?! They attack in the night and they don't abide by the laws!"
"Everyone abides by the laws," the mayor scoffed. "Please accept my answer and leave. You're welcome in my town, but we will not ally with you."
It was to Rihou's credit that he managed to keep his resentment under check. He even managed to make a polite goodbye and walk out of the house as if it was no big deal. As soon as he was outside, however, the first thing he said was, "What a dumbass!" His hands curled into fists, his eyes dark with frustration and distress. "Why?" he demanded sharply of his friends. "Why can't people get along? I just don't understand!"
His Healer's curse had showed its head again, and there was nothing anyone could say. Elissa slid her arms around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder. It went against the grain of what he was to simply walk away, and they all knew it was only a matter of time before Morville became a target. "I'm sorry, Rihou," she said softly. "But some people want to believe blindly. It's more comfortable for them."
"Dipshits," he muttered.
Ewan smiled wryly. "Couldn't have said it better myself."
Skyla's ears suddenly twitched and she turned quickly. The others followed her gaze and saw what she had heard first. A male archer approached them, and he was deliberately walking heavier on his feet so they heard him. He stopped in front of Rihou and said very seriously, "The mayor may not find himself mayor next time elections come around."
The tension left Rihou's shoulders and he started smiling again. They gathered when he needed them. The young man standing before him was another Destined Star, and his words reassured Rihou that, at the least, the people knew they were in danger. They would hopefully be more cautious. "I can't imagine why," he said dryly in response, "him being such an open-minded sort."
The archer grinned and bowed gracefully. "Jared," he said. "It's an honor to meet you, Lord Rihou. Please accept my dedication as a Destined Star." He glanced at Skyla and slowly smiled. He had always had a fondness for Elves. He blamed his one-quarter Elf blood.
Much to Rihou's delight, Skyla's cheeks turned slightly pink to match her hair. Pointedly, he caught her arm and pulled her forward. "This is Skyla," he said cheerfully. "She's the only archer I have right now, so having you onboard as well will be very helpful. If I get a ranged unit, then the two of you will be unit leaders."
Ewan coughed to hide a smile. "Welcome aboard, Jared."
Naomi just grinned and linked her hands behind her back. "How did you know what you were, Jared?" she asked curiously. "Oh!" she added. "I'm Naomi, that's Elissa, that's Ewan, and that's Kyle!" She pointed to each in turn.
"Nice to meet all of you." Jared smiled. "As for how I knew, I learned to read the stars a while ago. There's a Thaumoturge that lives in Windance Point. I'd swear she knows everything there is to know about the stars and magic and who knows what else."
"Scholar?" Kyle asked.
"I think so. She never expressly said."
"I'd like to meet her," Rihou decided.
"Oh, you will."
From that, they all knew that this Thaumoturge had to also be a Destined Star. There was no knowing when her path would cross Rihou's, but it was a certainty that it would. Rihou looked forward to meeting her. It would be very handy to have someone around who knew just what the hell was going on. "Good," he decided. "Jared, do you mind waiting here to help escort Acrylia, R.K., and C.J. to our new base when we get it? I'd trust no one else."
"You can count on me," he agreed instantly. He saluted with his bow and then turned and walked away. This time, his feet moved light enough on the ground that they made no sound. Most elite archers possessed just such an ability, especially if they made the trees home. It was hard to sneak up on a target if you rustled through leaves.
After a moment, Skyla yanked her arm free from Rihou and glowered at him. "Don't you dare get any ideas!"
He smiled innocently. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
As Ewan
patted her shoulder sympathetically, Skyla could only groan. She was doomed.
©Stacy J. Garrett. Do not reprint or redistribute without permission.
Chapter 10->
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