Set in Stone (39 page)

She sniffed airily then flashed a warm smile. "That's very good, Connor." She slid a finger down his cheek, setting his skin tingling and his body glowing with warmth. "I like a man with a good tongue."

He matched her smile.
She thinks I'm a man
.

She leaned a little closer and her eyes sparkled in the firelight. "Connor, in the past couple of days, you've gone from not even knowing how to fully tap your . . . curse, to demonstrating a powerful secondary affinity with basalt."

"You said that's rare, right?"

She placed one hand on his arm. "It is. Maybe one person in a generation can achieve affinity with dual igneous stones. We call them Guardian-Agor."

Shona scooted still closer until her thigh pressed against his. She seemed unaware of the close contact, but Connor found it very distracting.

"Then today you decide to trigger an unprecedented affinity for sandstone. Do you know what this means?"

"No."

Her face glowed with excitement, and he had to fight a sudden urge to touch the smooth skin of her cheek. Amazing to think only hours ago it had been cracked like a fractured granite block.

He might be a Guardian-Agor, but she was still a high lady. He could not forget his place, especially not with his Patronage still unconfirmed.

"I gave you that soapstone to try something."

"Like what?" He'd be willing to try just about anything she suggested.

"It's a metamorphic stone. Maybe one in twenty Guardians who achieve strong affinity with a sedimentary stone can reach any kind of affinity with a metamorphic. We call it the tertiary power."

Sounded like one of the diseases Mhairi would make you drink tonic for.

"Most metamorphic affinities are formed after years of training and practice. But you're special, Connor. I believe you can do it, right now. If you can . . . " Her voice trailed off into a squeak of excitement.

Sitting there, with Shona leaning close, face shining with excitement, eyes sparkling with firelight, well he'd have run out and pantsed Captain Peader for her.

He grinned and tried to sound casual. "There's only one way to find out. How do I do it?"

Her excitement faded just a little, "I'm not entirely sure." She squeezed his hand, "How did you use sandstone?"

"Do they work the same?"

She shrugged. "I have no idea, but it can't hurt."

He'd held the sandstone pendant in his hand. Trying that with the soapstone would be unpleasant, so he just said, "Well, I just focused on it and willed it to work."

"Really? That's it?" She looked disappointed.

"Well, I concentrate really hard."

"Try it."

Connor took a deep breath to calm his nerves, and only then remembered she hadn't bathed since the battle. Better to breathe shallow for a while.

With his Curse, he didn't have to think about how to unlock it. It was always there, rippling just under the skin, although right at the moment he didn't feel it. Then there was the basalt, which felt so similar to granite, although that was missing too.

"Wait a minute, what's that double-tap sickness you mentioned earlier? That's not going to happen again, is it?"

"No, don't worry. That happened because you absorbed both granite and basalt at the same time. Don't do that again."

"Can't Guardian-Agor use two igneous stones?"

"Not at the same time."

That sort of made sense once he thought about it. Kind of like not shoving your fork and your spoon into your mouth at the same time.

He frowned. "So, on the battlefield today, I should have just kept running in circles until I used up all the basalt?"

Shona laughed. "Of course not. Just purge."

"Is that like throwing up?" Old Mhairi could purge a patient faster than they could make the run to the outhouse.

Shona punched him lightly in the shoulder. "Stop it. I'm serious."

"All right. Pretend I am too. How do I purge?"

"It's pretty simple. You focus all the power into the center of your chest." She placed her hand over her heart, closed her eyes, and said softly, "Then you drive it out."

"Does it hurt?"

"Not really. It pushes out through the skin and forms a white powder called lamacal."

That seemed weird, but then he remembered the odd ritual the Grandurians had performed at the camp by the river, just before he helped Shona escape. So, not only were Petralist and Guardian powers similar, but they purged them the same way.

"So you just use it again later?"

Shona gave him a disgusted look. "Of course not. It's just waste."

Made sense. He'd never tried to re-use anything else he'd ever purged.

"Now focus," Shona commanded.

"But I don't know what soapstone does yet."

"Affinity to water, same as Kilian."

The Water Moccasin scared Connor, but the thought of maybe skating on water thrilled him.

"Focus," she repeated.

Connor tried, but sitting so close, he found it even harder than when old Marcas had been standing right beside him, whispering in his ear. Shona's voice was definitely more pleasant.

Maybe she'd whisper in his ear? Maybe she'd punch him in the face if he asked.

As he tried to focus, his blood pounded in his ears, louder than he'd ever known. It was a wonder Shona couldn't hear it. He tried to force the annoying distraction aside, but the more he tried to focus, the louder the pounding of his own blood drowned out all thought.

For a moment he wondered if he might have a cracked blood vessel or a stuttering gallbladder, or . . . that wasn't right. He couldn't think clearly or remember what Marcas had just taught him with all that noise. It was like a river flowing through his body.

Then it hit him. Blood was water, so it must be tied to the soapstone. He opened himself to that pounding, rushing sensation, and only then did he become aware of a pulsing energy that flowed all through his veins, in time with the pumping of his heart.

As soon as he felt it, he became aware of Shona's heartbeat and the pumping rush of her blood right next to him.

Weird.

Beyond Shona, he felt a powerful connection with the water bladders hanging in a row on their tripods.

Connor grasped at the surging stream of power and willed it to manifest itself. He wasn't sure how to focus it, but he just tried to release it like his long-hated Curse. The rushing strength surged to greater intensity until it felt like he was going to pop.

The connection to the distant water bladders sharpened, and in a desperate attempt to release the power, Connor reached through the link to those water bladders, and willed all the soapstone power out through that link.

With loud rips, the water bladders ruptured simultaneously. Connor and Shona spun, and gaped in identical open-mouthed amazement at the five columns of water that leaped into the air and arced toward Connor.

For a moment, he felt it, connected with the water, and it became an extension of his hands. He could direct it, extend it through the air. He grinned as the columns of water responded to his will, reared higher still, and flowed into delicate arches that met directly over their heads.

Shona shouted, "You did it, Connor!"

The connection with the water wavered, and Connor yanked on it to try to get it back.

He pulled too hard.

Shona's triumphant shout turned into a shriek that ended in a gurgling protest as the water blasted her off her seat and sent her sprawling. It doused the fire in a gout of steam and flooded the area.

The drenched Shona staggered to her feet, and Connor moved to help. Only then did he realize he was completely dry. Thankfully, she didn't seem to notice.

Captain Rory and several of the Fast Rollers came running at the sound of the shout. Rory frowned. "What's going on here?"

Shona waved a dismissive hand. "We're fine, Captain."

Rory dismissed his men with a gesture, but he remained. Shona ignored him. She grasped Connor's hands and he cringed, expecting her to be angry.

She laughed. Her rich voice pealed forth in joyous laughter, and after a second, Connor joined her. She looked so pretty when she laughed.

"Connor, you did it!"

She kissed him squarely on the lips.

It only lasted a couple seconds, barely enough time for Connor to freeze in terror. Rory was going to punch him to the moon.

Shona released him and gave him a wet hug. Connor couldn't help but hug her back. If Rory was going to kill him, might as well enjoy the moment first.

Captain Rory, looking less than pleased, said, "Lady Shona, may I suggest you dry off?"

"Of course, Captain. Good idea." Shona giggled, kissed Connor's cheek, and left him. Connor stood beside Rory, watching until she disappeared into the darkness.

"You have a rare gift, lad."

"Thank you, sir." Connor wondered if the beating was about to begin.

"A word of caution."

"Please."

"Tread carefully around that one."

"Shona?"

"Aye, lad. I don't want to see you get hurt."

Connor frowned. "She's just helping me explore different affinities."

Rory nodded. "A worthy effort, but ask yourself why."

"I don't understand."

Rory paced away, "It's not my place to interfere with Lady Shona. Just have a care. There are dangers inherent in what she's doing with you."

"What dangers?" Other than maybe execution for kissing High Lord Dougal's daughter.

"Best I leave that for Lady Shona to explain." After a brief hesitation, he added, "I'm sure she's planning to." He gripped Connor's shoulder. "Just promise to talk with me before trying another stone."

He turned and left. Connor sank back down onto the log beside the drowned fire and stared at the dead coals. He could scarce believe he'd experienced so many wonders, and witnessed so much destruction all in one day.

It scared him more than a little to wonder what tomorrow might bring.

Chapter 42

Connor paused at the top of a steep incline and drew in a deep breath. The air tasted cool and fresh in the still hour before dawn. The waning moon did little to illuminate the mountainside, but Connor easily picked out the nearby landmarks.

"Are we there yet?"

He turned to help Shona up the last few steps of the steep slope. She lingered close, and slid one hand up his arm as the rest of the company reached the summit.

"That was quite a climb, but you're not winded at all."

He grinned. "Basalt was the right choice. I feel great."

Connor had led the strike force downriver a mile to where they could climb a saddle between peaks. There, Shona arrived unexpectedly and declared she would join the party. After overruling Rory's strenuous objections, she handed Connor pouches of both igneous stones he'd established affinity with, and he'd chosen to absorb basalt. As they climbed, he'd barely tapped the boundless energy that burned in his legs, and still leaped up the steep slope like a mountain goat.

Rory joined them, still frowning. "Lady Shona, please reconsider. If anything were to happen to you, it would mean my head."

"Drop it, Captain. I am here on my own authority, and I will see to securing Ilse for interrogation." As she spoke, she patted the canvas pack she carried slung over one shoulder.

Rory scowled and turned to Connor. "Where do we go from here, lad?"

Within the hour, Carbrey's army would rouse and assemble at the southern end of the slope beneath the plateau to draw Ilse's gaze. Timing would be tight, and they could not waste any of it arguing. Connor enjoyed Shona's presence and attention, but he worried that Rory might be right that she would be wiser to stay in camp.

"We're on schedule, Captain. We follow this ridge for a solid hour to a game trail that will lead us right down to the quarry road."