Keepers of the Flame

“Split us up!” Bri said, and realized she was speaking French—sort of.

The line between Sevair’s brows dug deeper as if he tried to understand what she said.

But Elizabeth was frowning, too. “What did you say, Bri?” she asked.

“They want to split us up. Send one of us away.”

“Yeah,” Alexa rolled her eyes. “All the way to Castleton. Two miles downhill.”

Bri felt her cheeks pinken. “Oh.”

“Two miles downhill from a Castle on a hill means walking two miles uphill for someone,” Elizabeth said.

“True,” said Bri.

Jaquar waved the vial near Bri’s nostrils again. Wonderful scent. She clenched her teeth, then said, “How much would give me language skills for the day?”

Marian’s gaze met Jaquar’s. She cleared her throat. “Language skills, ah. You might be interested to know that during sex there is a definite transfer of the language with your partner. That is to say, you’ll get Lladranan. They get English too, but there’s not much chance to practice it.”

Bri moved until she was shoulder to shoulder with Elizabeth. “We look like the easy types to you?”

Marrec shook his head. “No Exotique is easy. Not a one.”

“Pity,” said Bastien.

Jaquar said, “Two drops for today lasting perhaps until tomorrow noon.”

The medica stepped farther into the room and said something that escaped Bri. You understand that? she asked Elizabeth.

No. “Please translate,” Elizabeth said. She’d tensed up again.

The other Coloradan women shared a glance, grouped together and murmured a bit, then Marian looked at the twins and said, “She speaks in words and concepts that we are not sure of, even though we have done Song healing. Something about wanting to consult you about the rhythmic cycles of each energy point-pulse.” Marian didn’t look pleased that she didn’t get it.

Bri turned a little to Elizabeth. If I try, I can hear each chakra tune. Can you?

Elizabeth squinted, then a corner of her mouth lifted. Not really, but I can “see” different colors of swirling energy. I definitely see auras now, more than I ever did on Earth.

Chakra auras.

I suppose. Elizabeth held out her hand, and Bri clasped it. They looked at Marian. The sounds Bri heard merged with Elizabeth’s sight. Each chakra had a series of notes, a color, spun in a different pattern and to a different beat.

Now that you help, I CAN hear the notes. Probably what the medica was talking about, Elizabeth said.

For sure. And with our link I can see the chakras better than I ever could on Earth. The seven main ones and all the way to the thirteen. Bri felt Elizabeth scrutinizing the medica. We could learn from them, and teach them, too!

You got the parents’ teaching gene, Bri said. I think I’ll take a chance.

You always do, Elizabeth said.

Dropping Elizabeth’s hand, Bri went to Jaquar, who still held the small bottle. Now she wasn’t physically connected with Elizabeth, sounds were amplified and her aura sight dimmer. She reached and drew Power from the atmosphere, boosting her sight. Yep, easy to see auras. Jaquar had a shadow in several of his energy pulses, as if a lingering sickness was finally passing.

“What made you sick about a year ago?” she asked him.

He stilled, straightened to his full height. “I lost my parents. A Dark monster drained their Power and killed them.”

The room suddenly seethed with sorrow, anger, determination.

“He was sick with grief,” Marian said. “Almost mad with it.”

Jaquar grimaced.

“Those particular monsters, sangviles, especially like to kill people strong in Power,” Alexa said. “Like Circlets. Or Exotiques.”

Bri looked back to Elizabeth. They do need our help.

And they aren’t about to let us go before they get it.

“Two drops only,” Bri said, and stuck out her tongue.

Plink. Plink. Oddly enough, the taste wasn’t nearly as good as the smell. Bri wasn’t sure what she expected, a sweet honey like columbine perhaps, but she didn’t get it. She turned to the medica.

“Say that again.”

The medica nodded. “We believe this sickness was sent by the Dark in some way, but the symptoms are not the same for every patient. It affects the rhythm and Song of the different energy pulses of a person—chimes—but not the same chime.”

You get that? Bri asked Elizabeth. And they call a chakra a chime. Bri shrugged. Only natural in such a culture, I suppose.

But Elizabeth was staring at the medica, then Jaquar. Bri could feel her waves of curiosity. She stared at the vial. He offered it, and she sniffed, wrinkled her nose. Overly sweet, she said to Bri. But I know you liked the scent.

Elizabeth held up two fingers. “Two drops only.”

Jaquar nodded.

The tip of Elizabeth’s tongue peeked from between her lips. Jaquar carefully poured one drop, then a second.

I like the taste, Elizabeth said.

Speaking of taste, what do we do with the spuds? Bri went to the bags of potatoes and pulled out three of each, then said to Sevair, “Do you have botanists who’d study these? They’re a very good crop on Earth, called potatoes.”

She thought she heard Alexa moan.

“They are a delicacy,” Marian said to Sevair.

Sevair had pulled a folded bag from his pocket, snapped it, then opened it. The man was prepared. How depressing.

With a smile, Bri carried the potatoes heaped in her hands over to him and dumped them in the bag, then drew one back out. “You germinate them by the eye.” She pointed to one on the Idaho potato. “These are better baked, the others are better boiled.”

“That one is excellent fried. Deep fat fried,” Alexa said.