Echoes in the Dark Read Online Free PDF Page A

person who had no knowledge that their Song
was hurting him.
    He
waited and it didn’t come. Instead he saw the long legs of the woman dressed in
that sturdy blue material the Exotiques liked so much. Soft cloth draped her
breasts and a harmony ball gleamed against their round fullness. She had
equally full lips. Her eyes were as tilted as his own, as his people’s, her
skin not as golden as most Lladranans, but not that strange paleness of the
other Exotiques, or Marian’s hint of olive.
    Studying
the length of lovely legs and slender torso, he knew she wouldn’t have the
height of Lladranans. Marian would still be the tallest, this one was near to
the size of Calli, the Volaran Exotique with the yellow hair. But this woman’s
hair wasn’t yellow, or the red of Marian’s, or the browns of Bri and Raine. Nor
the black with varying deep colors of his people. It seemed to be a very dark
brown with black mixed in, not the other way around.
    No
repulsion. Had he finally mastered it? Squeezed the hideous moment from full
minutes to less than a second? He didn’t know. He didn’t care. He only blessed
the Song that this lady brought no instinctive repulsion and following shame.
    In
fact, her Song was vaguely muffled, heard dimly and not with the clarity of
everyone else’s in the world. Odd, but relieving.
    A
red cockatoo watched over her.
    His
anger at the Singer had dissipated. It would return, but now he felt only
extreme wariness. He inclined his torso to the Singer, not the full bow he had
given her when he’d first become her representative two years ago.
    “Sweet
Song salutations, Singer.” Difficult not to hiss the greeting, to keep the
proper rhythm and lilt, but that’s how she judged her Friends, judged him.
Irritation would have made his tones hard and he was glad he’d lost it. He’d be
courteous until the new Exotique was settled.
    When
his gaze met the Singer’s, he knew she saw that he doubted her deeply.
There was a flash of arrogance there, her own annoyance.
    A
long glint caught his eye and he peered into the shadows of the cavern wall
opposite them and saw a huge mirror, the glass covered with a faint sheen of
blue that he thought could be sapphire dust.
    He’d
taken part in tuning Raine to the vibrations of Amee. Grimly, he said, “I see
that you have chimes, and the crystal bowls for additional Song, cymbals to
approximate the gong. But not the gong itself. You brought the Exotique by
mirror magic.”
    The
Singer’s eyes flashed Power. She lifted her chin. “Do you presume to think that my Summoning could be inferior than the Marshalls’ puny chanting Song?
Especially now that Partis has died and cannot lead them?”
    A
shaft of pain speared him—Partis had been his loved godfather. Luthan held his
ground, narrowed his own eyes. “Your Song is incredibly more Powerful than the
Marshalls—”
    Her
expression relaxed.
    “Your
voice magnificently trained, your Friends almost as good a team as the
Marshalls.”
    “Almost!”
    “I
have fought with the Marshalls, been mentally linked with them as a team in
battle, in healing circles after battles. They are the premier team on
Lladrana.” He gestured to the people in colored robes around them. “Neither you
nor these Friends have experienced life-and-death circumstances that form such
a bond. Further, the Marshalls participate within their bond as equals. Your
Friends will never be allowed to be equal to you. Could never be equal to the
Singer.”
    Her
expression showed pride mixed with irritation. Not many told her the truth.
“But my team must have done well enough. We drew her here.”
    Luthan
nodded. “She is here, but how tuned are her personal Exotique Terre vibrations
to our planet of Amee? You have the chimes, the crystals, cymbals. But you do
not have the gong.”
    “And
the gong is so necessary?”
    “I
have been at four Summonings and a tuning, have seen and felt and heard what
occurred. You have not attended. Yes, I