- •I brushed a trembling hand through my hair. What was going on? What happened? I was looking at the vases and…
- •I tore my eyes from the box and back to the—
- •I raised my eyebrow like Spock and waited.
- •I looked quickly at Suzanna. She was no damn help; her eyes were squeezed shut and her lips were moving in what looked like some kind of silent prayer. Jeesh.
- •I should have been nominated for some kind of Greco-Celtic Academy Award for Best Voluptuous Ascent to a Throne. God, it felt good to sit down.
- •I could see my door guards (yes, they did appear proportional) snap crisp sword salutes as the horses reached the doorway and entered the ro—
- •I could feel my jaw setting, but before I could respond, Alanna stepped in. Gracefully, she took my hand and helped me to my feet.
- •I had to clear my abused throat before I could squeak out an “I forgive you.”
- •In a formal, stilted voice he said, “Please excuse the interruption, my Lieutenant had matters of great import to discuss with me.”
- •I shut my eyes. Of course Dad wouldn’t want me to get hurt. If only it were that simple.
- •I opened my eyes. Seeing clearly—finally.
- •I looked at those high stirrups. And the tall mare. And considered my thirty-five-year-old body.
- •I mean riding a horse (one that’s actually alive) for several hours. Alternating between trot, canter, walk, back to trot. On a thirty-five-year-old butt. Without breakfast.
- •I reached down and patted her neck fondly. There are some things about this world that were just plain cool.
- •I sighed melodramatically and gave a big pretend sob while I wiped pretend tears from my eyes.
- •I just wanted to pee and then go back to sleep.
- •I closed my eyes and tried to relax, think, forget about my stomach and keep warm.
- •I straightened and took a step closer to Epi, hating the guilt he made me feel.
- •I swallowed a piece of cheese and took a quick drink of wine. “I had to see about my dad.”
- •I looked down at my half-eaten sandwich. “Are you still willing to take me there, knowing the creatures might be there?”
- •I felt a little like a mother whose four-year-old had just toddled happily off to preschool without her.
- •It was midmorning when I spied some lovely brush cover (and some soft-leafed plants) next to another stream that bisected our roadway.
- •I felt suddenly all Marilyn Monroe–like as my eyes went to half-mast and a moan escaped my lips.
- •I managed to moan some semblance of thanks.
- •I had to agree with him on that.
- •I had only taken a couple steps when I heard Dougal’s hooves thud behind me. I spoke over my shoulder to him.
- •In another world, he’s still alive.
- •I heard a snort of laughter from behind me.
- •I sniffed the air.
- •I swear, a rush of electricity shot from his teeth straight to my crotch.
- •I know it was unusual, but I didn’t know what to say.
- •I smiled at Dougal and saw him practically squirm with pleasure. If he had had a puppy’s tail, I’m sure it would’ve wagged vigorously—and he probably would’ve wet himself. He really was cute.
- •I translated that as centaur for “You’re full of crap.” But I acted as if I didn’t speak the lingo.
- •I curled my body around him and snuggled against his warmth.
- •I nodded my yes against his chest.
- •I didn’t see any fish frying. But I still smelled cooking food.
- •It took a moment for me to realize they were waiting for my permission.
- •I even managed to wave. Thank God I’ve watched a lot of pbs specials about The Royal Family.
- •I had to interrupt her. “Alanna, I can’t stand this ‘my Lady’ stuff. Can’t you call me something else?”
- •I squeezed her hands and turned back around. “At least she was a smart slut.”
- •I opened my mouth to interrupt.
- •I tried not to babble incoherently and to remember that I was dressing for my husband, not for a spot on a tv evangelism program.
- •I nodded at her to go on.
- •I shivered, remembering the weird mirror vision of myself I had glimpsed in the pot as it burst into a fiery ball.
- •I rubbed my fingers and took a wary half step away from it.
- •I blinked in surprise. “No, I didn’t know.”
- •I looked at Alanna and sighed. “Alanna, pour yourself some wine and sit here with me.”
- •I’m telling you, this guy could go on a lecture/training circuit and make a fortune teaching the Non-Octopus Technique to semi-bald, divorced, middle-aged men.
- •Intrigued, I nodded.
- •I smiled but felt the definite stirrings of nervousness.
- •I like to think I’ve attracted my share of men, but one hundred guards is just plain gluttonous.
- •I turned and began beating a hasty retreat down the empty hall.
- •I heard a ripple in the crowd. Suddenly, centaurs surrounded us and members of my guard were rushing from the temple to join them.
- •I took all of this in, but I found it hard to stop staring at the doctor. I knew this man, or perhaps I should say I knew this man’s mirror image—very well.
- •I turned back to face ClanFintan and tugged on his arm until he bent for my quick kiss.
- •I frowned at her. “Don’t worry about it. It just means she’s crazy about him, too.” She looked like that explanation helped. “You two aren’t married in this world?”
- •I shrugged. “Whatever, but we might be here for a while, so feel free to sit and pour yourself some wine. After all, grapes are my favorite breakfast fruit.”
- •I looked at Alanna’s worried face and sighed. “I can’t do this anymore,” I said to her. My eyes sought ClanFintan’s. “I don’t want to lie to you anymore.”
- •I returned his smile before looking nervously back at ClanFintan.
- •I wanted to throw my arms around him and bury my face in his heat, but I could feel Alanna’s and Carolan’s eyes boring joyfully into our romantic interlude.
- •I shouldn’t have been surprised. I already knew he was a biter.
- •I kissed him lightly on the cheek.
- •I felt ClanFintan’s startled reaction, which made me remember that the map that zapped me had shown all the land to the east of the river as centaur lands.
- •I remembered their horrible, ground-eating strides and had to agree with him.
- •I tried not to get distracted by the lovely image he was painting, and the thought of what it might look like now.
- •I searched my memory, wishing the biology electives I had taken in college hadn’t been ten-plus years ago.
- •I smiled my thanks at her before turning back to Carolan. “Well, what do we need to do?”
- •I found myself suddenly encompassed within the centaur’s strong arms.
- •I swear, underneath the layer of sweat and yuck he blushed. “Perhaps it has slipped my mind.”
- •It was the assistant who had been sent to get the dead child’s parents. I could see the shadowed forms of two people standing behind her in the hallway. I squared my shoulders and walked toward them.
- •I complied happily, resting my forearms against the ledge on which I had been sitting. He swept my hair out of the way and began rubbing soap all over the back of my body.
- •I remembered his little tкte-а-tкte with my guards and grinned. “You won’t have to.”
- •I rejoined Alanna, pulled the robe over my head and walked down the stone stairs into the warm pool to give myself a quick morning bath.
- •I smiled at his accented pronunciation.
- •I studied her face, thinking I saw a familiar expression.
- •Victoria caught my eye and raised her eyebrows at me. “I know a young centaur who would be happy to be our runner.”
- •I mean, please, I am an English teacher. Some things just aren’t acceptable.
- •I frowned and continued to dry myself.
- •I gulped and tried not to look worried.
- •I snuggled comfortably against him. “Are you sure it was just me? I think you cast some kind of spell or something.”
- •I wriggled around, pressing myself against his hard chest so that I could breathe in his ear, “Why not?”
- •I smiled at him and patted his arm like he was a cross between a teenager and a puppy. “Thank you, Dougal. It’s perfect.”
- •I thought poor Dougal might faint.
- •I laughed, but my eyes gravitated to my husband’s handsome profile. As if he felt my gaze, he turned his head in my direction and smiled warmly from across the fire.
- •It was wide and sturdy, and I didn’t have any trouble balancing on it. I looked at him and grinned happily.
- •I playfully slapped his hand away and smiled through my eggs. “You’re so fresh.”
- •I turned my face into the breeze, shaking out my own hair, liking the way it was lifted off my shoulders. I breathed deeply, stretching my sore muscles, and…
- •I closed my eyes and whispered, “Please don’t make me go down there.”
- •I had the disconcerting feeling that she knew who I was. On impulse I slid off ClanFintan’s back, and took her hand in mine, squeezing it warmly.
- •I leaned over and whispered to ClanFintan, “Isn’t Terpsichore the Muse that danced at our handfast?”
- •I tried more delicious food than I could keep count of, then, satisfied, I leaned back against my husband’s warm chest to enjoy the talent of the Muses, and the delicious quality of their red wine.
- •Vic covered his hand with her own. “Fight the battle with a clear mind, my friend. I will protect Rhea with my life.”
- •I took the small telescope and tried to thank her, but she had already moved away and was speaking to a group of nervous young girls.
- •I heard the Huntress directly behind me, I think her name was Elaine, snort a quick laugh at my response. Nope—they sure didn’t act nervous.
- •I slid off her back, and Vic opened the door. Sila was in the middle of the room, helping patients from their beds and onto thick blanket-like pallets. She looked up as we entered.
- •I almost called her Michelle, but caught myself in time.
- •I saw that Terpsichore was walking purposefully to stand by the dark woman’s side. She looked serene and lovely and spoke in a calm, unhurried voice.
- •In response, Dougal unsheathed his claymore, and Victoria pulled her crossbow and quiver from the sling at her side.
- •I went back to work on his cuts. He stood quietly, and soon I was able to lather in the salve. That done, I reluctantly moved to the rear of his body.
- •I saw Dougal flush in happy surprise. When Vic finally raised her eyes to meet his, I thought I detected an unaccustomed shyness in her gaze.
- •I pulled one foot up, and put it out in front of me, set it down—
- •I brushed some of the clinging sand from his face, then kissed the spot I had cleaned.
- •I jerked upright.
- •I smiled at him, but ClanFintan didn’t hesitate in his pace.
- •I stepped into Alanna’s arms, returning her embrace.
- •I took a long drink, focusing on getting the trembling inside me under control.
- •I looked away, unable to watch their agony.
- •I nodded against his chest and sent up another plea to the Goddess for her to watch after the mare.
- •I could see Alanna was putting on a brave face, and I smiled in response.
- •I shrugged my shoulders in a nonchalant way. “When isn’t it in my way?”
- •I tried to come up with a pithy reply, but in actuality I was relieved when Victoria’s voice cut through the need for any further words.
- •I saw the familiar figure of Victoria firing off arrows quickly, each finding its deadly mark. Between loading and shooting, her attention suddenly wavered, and she met my gaze.
- •I pulled my attention from Alanna and what was happening around me. Instead, I listened to my heart, or maybe, more accurately, my soul.
- •It seemed the mare battled on that small hill for time unending, but my mind knew logically that only minutes had passed before dark, winged shapes completely surrounded us.
- •In the middle of my thought I felt the tremor that passed through my body as it became semivisible. I mentally crossed my fingers that I was doing the right thing.
- •If you enjoyed the eBook you just read, then you’ll love what we have for you next month!
In another world, he’s still alive.
My cheeks felt cold and I realized they were wet with tears. I opened my eyes and looked toward the castle.
The sunset that had earlier colored the ocean so beautifully had now darkened to deeper shades that were more reflective of the end of evening. Oranges and reds painted the uppermost walls of the castle an all-too-familiar bloody tint while casting the rest of the stones into shadow. Through my tears the building took on the blurred appearance of a crouching beast, still red from the kill. I knew all the rules of metaphor and the power of figurative language, but this image wasn’t typed neatly on paper and I wasn’t curled up with a favorite book and a glass of wine, getting a little too lost in an author’s make-believe world. I shook myself and wiped my eyes. This world was my reality, but the malevolent image before me didn’t have to define my new life. Turning my back on the castle, I concentrated on the sea and the sunset, breathing in deep, cleansing breaths of the evening air.
10
The sun had almost disappeared when I finally climbed down to the nervously waiting centaur who looked relieved as I approached.
“Don’t ever worry about me doing something stupid like that. I’m not a quitter.”
“Of course, my Lady.” He looked slightly ashamed of himself. He really was a cute young guy/horse/ whatever.
“Thank you for caring, though.” I smiled at him and he blushed back at me. I glanced at the castle. The sinking sun had left a glow in the sky and it was getting hard to see, but I thought all the bodies had been moved inside the castle walls.
“How much longer do you think they’ll be?” ClanFintan had been right; I didn’t want to be here after dark.
“Soon, my Lady. They will be finished soon.” He, too, was looking at the castle. “Most of the bodies were near the courtyard and outside the front gate.”
As he quit speaking I thought I noticed rising from the castle a wisp of darkness against the graying. “Is that smoke?”
“Yes, my Lady. Look, they return.” I could see the centaurs, illuminated now by torches they carried, just outside the walls of the castle. As I watched, they threw the torches within the castle and the yellow and orange of catching fire reflected off their coats. I saw all seven of them back slowly away from the castle, bow their heads in unison and salute the dead. Then they turned as one and galloped to where I waited.
I felt my heart perform a funny little leap as ClanFintan drew near me. His face was set and serious, as were the rest of the centaurs’ faces, but his eyes sought mine and I swear I could feel the warmth of his gaze as he closed the distance between us.
“Rhiannon, let us leave this place.” He held out his arm for me to grasp, and the centaurs barely paused as I was swept up to his back and we headed through the forest of pines. I craned my head around and looked at the castle. Smoke billowed from it and flames were already licking its walls.
“We will rest in the storage barn near that last stream.” His voice brought my head back around and I gripped his shoulders as he picked up the pace. I vaguely remembered some kind of barnlike structure that we had passed just before we left the road and cut through the forest.
I hated to complain, but I couldn’t help asking. “Can’t we stay in, well, a house or something in the town that’s just south of the castle?” A real bed and a bath sounded like a wonderful idea.
“Rhiannon, Loth Tor was the first town evacuated to the temple.”
“I’m sure the people wouldn’t mind if we borrowed a place to stay for the night.” Was that me whining?
“Of course they would not mind.” He glanced over his shoulder at me as if I had turned into a moron. “They would be honored to succor you, but firing the castle will draw attention to the area.” He paused and seemed to consider his words before continuing. “If the creatures were to return, the village would be the first place they would raid.”
“Oh—I didn’t think of that. Never mind, I’m sure the barn will be fine.”
“I think you will be quite comfortable, my Lady.”
Well, of course he would consider a barn “quite comfortable.” He was half horse. I scratched my hair and thought longingly of the huge mineral bath at the temple. I didn’t even want to consider the possibility of any kind of parasites, but I started searching my memory to see if I could recall ever hearing about a case of horselice.
It wasn’t full dark yet when we broke from the cover of the trees and crossed a fairly deep stream that bubbled and gurgled its way into the forest not too far from where a barnlike structure stood. ClanFintan set me gently on the ground and Dougal slid open the door. Peeking inside, I could just make out mounds of stuff that smelled like freshly cut hay—which was actually a very pleasant smell. But I knew from Oklahoma experience that snakes like the smell of hay, too (as do mice and rats), so I hung around nonchalantly while the centaur named Connor built a nice-size fire. I watched the other centaurs set up camp and noticed that they were much quieter tonight. And, something else…
“ClanFintan!” He turned quickly from unloading his packs and approached me with worry outlining his handsome face. “You’re missing two of your centaurs.” I hated to be the one to tell him, but he had to know. Were the creatures following us, picking us off one at a time?
The lines of worry softened and he smiled. “They are hunting our dinner. They will return shortly.”
The other centaurs mirrored his smile, which helped to ease my feeling of embarrassed stupidity. At least they could still smile.
“Oh, uh, I knew that.” I breathed deeply of the night air and was rewarded with a decidedly stinky smell. I sniffed again. It was me—I sniffed in ClanFintan’s direction—and him. “Sheuw!” It was the horrible stink of my sweat mixed with the lingering scent of death, oil (must be the lamp oil they used to light the pyre) and, let’s face it, funky horse smell.
“I smell bad!”
ClanFintan shot me a shocked look and I heard several guffaws from the busy horsies.
“I think the water forms a pool a short distance downstream. If you can stand the cold, you can freshen up.”
“Freshen, hell, I need a serious bath.” I sniffed knowingly in his direction, “and I’m not the only one.” This time Dougal laughed out loud. “I didn’t mean just him, either,” I said pointedly to the young, now blushing, centaur. That made ClanFintan laugh. Which decided me.
“Grab a spare blanket and come on then.” I walked purposefully past him and headed toward the stream. I didn’t hear him following, so I stopped and turned to face him. “You don’t expect me to go out there alone in the dark and take a bath, do you?”
He still stood there, looking confused and helpless. Very much like a guy.
“Didn’t you swear to protect me?” That seemed to get through to him, and he yanked a blanket from the hands of one of the eavesdropping centaurs and started after me. I decided suddenly to use a little of Rhiannon’s bitchiness and turned to address the rest of the herd. “It would really be nice if I had a hot meal waiting for me when I finish my bath.” Then I winked and grinned at them. “Something tells me I’m going to need it.” I marched toward the stream, loving the sound of their laughter as it floated in the night.
“Where was that pool?” As usual, I had no idea where I was going.
“A little farther downstream. I noticed a small beaver dam right over there.” He pointed to a mound of tree parts that covered most of the stream.
And he was right. There was a round, basinlike area that made a nice catch pool of water just on the other side of the dam. We walked to the water’s edge and stopped. Darkness had begun to thicken and the light from the centaurs’ campfires threw an eerie glow around the barn. The light didn’t actually reach us, but it reflected off the water upstream and helped to cut through some of the darkness. I could see the pool clearly. It looked about waist deep, fed slowly as the dammed water escaped from an open place amidst the limbs and collected in the basin. The excess ran off in a tiny tumbling waterfall.
“Uh-um.” I succinctly cleared my throat. I felt him looking at me. “That water’s going to be cold.”
“Yes, it is.” He definitely sounded amused.
“Don’t be so smug—you smell bad, too. I have to ride you, which means you get a bath, too.”
“Oh.”
And we were silent again. Jeesh, this was ridiculous. This guy/horse/whatever was, after all, my husband. And it wasn’t as if I hadn’t done my share of skinny-dipping. I glanced over at him and found he was looking at me. Again. I took a deep breath—reminding myself firmly that I’ve never been shy (my mind whispered that I’ve also never had sex with a horse). Another deep breath and I reached out, resting one hand on his withers to balance, and began taking off my boots.
“Might as well get this over with. It’s sure not going to get any warmer.” I shook my hair loose, handing him the leather tie, then unlaced my pants and slid them off and lay them across a large, flat rock, trying to decide if I should leave my thong on or not. I opted for not (there are better reasons for having a wet crotch than bathing in your panties) and stepped daintily out of the small triangle of material. Without looking at ClanFintan, I reached around and started trying to worry the knot out of the lacing in the back of my shirt—and I heard him move behind me.
“Let me do that.” His voice was deep and had that velvety, sensual tone to it that I was already beginning to look forward to hearing. His fingers replaced my own and I could feel his unique warmth through the soft leather. Far too soon the tie was loosened and I could draw the shirt over my head.
As I walked into the water, I worried briefly about what my butt looked like to him (and hoped fervently that it didn’t jiggle too much), but the second my feet stepped into the water thoughts of butt flub fled my mind and were replaced by—
“Ohmygod! That’s freezing!”