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with the word. Sighing, she shot him an apologetic look. Sometimes I forget that too. That there are words we use that aren t in our shared vocabulary. Like indoor plumbing. That s a big one, yes. Anyway, Jessica is able to see the future. Like random pictures in her head. Important things, information that will allow her to shape present events, advise and warn others. But Keira saw& He looked down at his hand. Yes Keira saw your future. A moment of it anyway, something that was important and would impact her. It s likely she ll never see anything beyond that, as far as your future goes anyway. Oh and by the way, thanks for the beautiful granddaughter you re going to give me. Um, you re welcome. No problem. Her father was excited too. She sighed. That man s got a thing for babies. Loves having them around. Hmmph. He even tried 97 Where My Warrior Leads to talk me into having another one last night. Imagine, at my age. Anyway, he said if the subject came up to mention to you that he d be grateful if you d consider not stopping after just one. The first one s going to be a girl but he s itching for a grandson. Or two. Blinking, Raull watched her hustle around the greenhouse, gather up small trays of tightly packed seedlings, separate them out and replant them in the bigger trays. Now you re wondering how Keira might be persuaded without my help, she said, glanced back at him then resumed working. It doesn t take a psychic to figure that one out. All I can tell you is that my daughter takes her responsibilities very seriously. The quick, sure movements of her hands slowed. The look in her eyes softened. If Jessica is heart, Keira is head. Jessica is impulsive but the bravest woman I ve ever met. Keira is the fiercest. You d do well to remember that, Warrior. She d die for any of us. But she forces us to be strong so that none of us force her to make such a sacrifice and weaken the colony through the loss of a gifted soldier. We re better, stronger with her. She knows that. 98 Where My Warrior Leads So convincing her to leave will be difficult. But not impossible if her vision is correct. And her visions are always correct. There she is. Mary Ellen led Raull into a large building. They entered a broad, rectangular hall. A number of Sibyls were inside. They were all tall, although none were quite as tall as Keira, and muscular. In groups, they practiced with long swords or hand-to-hand fighting techniques. Raull stared in astonishment as they deflected blows, redirected the inertia of their opponent s attacks, kicked with a fluidity and grace that almost disguised the crippling potential of their strikes. Keira stood near the middle, in front of two rows of children. In slow motion, she led them through an exercise with blunted stabbing sticks. I ll leave you here then, Mary Ellen said quietly before she left. Joining a loose grouping of other Warriors who were watching just as raptly as he was, Raull couldn t stop staring at the way Keira moved. Her 99 Where My Warrior Leads strength and balance riveted him. He realized he was breathing deeper as he watched the flexing of her long leg muscles inside her battle leathers, watched the sun light up her hair. Like yesterday, the calm, deep modulation of her voice as she instructed her students and praised them, made him want to drag her off to bed and keep her there for hours. They say she is their general, one of the Warriors said casually. You wouldn t mind if I asked to spend time with her, would you Raull? Growling, Raull turned on the younger Warrior without thinking, bared his teeth, closed the distance between them. Oh damn, the second Warrior breathed then held himself at the ready. Just don t damage my face. A couple of the Sibyls said I was cute. Raull became aware of restrained laughter around him and lowered his fists. Keep that up and you re next, he barked at the rest of the men. The other Warriors laughed even louder. There was nothing they loved more than seeing one of their own lose that legendary Warrior control. 100 Where My Warrior Leads Especially Raull because that simply didn t happen. He cuffed the young Warrior on the head and turned back to watch Keira. Her class was coming to an end and she was making sure her students put their sticks back in a storage trunk. So I guess that particular Sibyl is off limits for the rest of us, hmm? another Warrior, this one a few cycles older than Raull, taunted. He grinned and chuckled when Raull shot him a dark look. Are you going to practice too? A small girl, no more than eight or nine cycles old, stepped out of the tight cluster of children who d moved closer to the Warriors and were staring up at them. Like the others, she had pale eyes and hair. Obviously braver than the rest, she looked them over curiously, planted herself in front of one of the young Warriors and seemed to be waiting for an answer to her question. Yes, he said after glancing back at Raull. If we are invited. Well come on then, she said, grabbed his hand and tugged. She led him over to the soldiers who paused in their exercises and watched the 101 Where My Warrior Leads Warriors with smug amusement. Plant your feet here. And here, she ordered, grabbed his ankles and arranged his body to her satisfaction then stood beside him in an identical pose. Bend your knees. Not too much. And watch out for Isobel s left jab. It s wicked fast. What does wicked fas ? He got his answer when the left hand of the adult Sibyl standing in front of him jerked forward. It stopped just before her knuckles hit his chin. I believe I understand its meaning now, he drawled as the Sibyl patted his cheek, flashed him a taunting grin and stepped back to bounce lightly on her feet. Raull chuckled, crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back as the Warriors divided [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |
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