Protector of the Flight. Robin D. Owens

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      Alex huffed out a breath. “According to Marian, the biggest pterodactyl-type dinosaur on Earth is called a quetzalcoatlus.”

      “Oh.”

      “It has a bigger belly, though.”

      “Sorta bat winged?” asked Calli, trying to imagine the thing.

      “Yes. Clawed front legs and spurred, too.”

      “Huh.”

      “Marian?” Alexa held both hands out, palms up.

      “Oh, very well,” Marian said. She linked fingers with Alexa and to Calli’s amazement a 3-D image formed above the table of a flying reptile.

      “Not a dragon,” Calli said, looking at the hideous thing.

      “No,” Marian and Alexa said in unison.

      Its beak was long and curved. “More sharp teeth. Everything around here has sharp teeth except us and volarans.”

      “The teeth are poison, like slayer spines,” Alexa said.

      “Of course they are,” muttered Calli. “Regular teeth would be too easy. How big?”

      “About the size of a bungalow,” Alexa said.

      A short shriek and the clatter of plates toppling onto their table caused Marian and Alexa to break apart. They snatched two meals. Calli saw one plate overturn. “No!” The burger and bun stopped in midair, the plate turned right side up and the food slid back onto the thick pottery. Marian reached out and nabbed it, smiling at Calli. “You saved it.”

      She’d used magic! Instinctively she’d stopped the mouthwatering food from falling. She’d even repiled the strange white fries. She looked at one dubiously. “What are these?”

      “Turnip fries,” Alexa said, biting into her burger.

      “Turnip?”

      “They don’t have potatoes,” Marian explained sadly.

      “I taught the cook burgers and buns, and they’re all the rage, of course, but without fries…” Alexa shrugged.

      “What kind of meat?” Calli bit off the end of a turnip fry. Not even hot oil and salt could make it good. She dropped the fry onto the plate.

      “Cow,” Marian said.

      “Okay,” Calli said. “We got mustard and ketchup?”

      “Something that might barely pass for about a gold coin more,” Alexa said.

      “Shoot.”

      “I’m working on that,” Marian said.

      Since she was working on so many other projects, Calli didn’t think she’d be seeing the condiments soon.

      “Ketchup is easier than mustard. They grow plenty of tomatoes here.” Marian peeled off her bun and showed lettuce and tomato.

      The burger was plump and juicy and had Calli forgetting about everything except eating. The lettuce and tomato actually had taste, unlike most of the standard stuff she’d had in diners. She bit, swallowed. Breakfast seemed days instead of hours ago.

      A man cleared his throat.

      Calli looked up to see a tall, somber-looking guy wearing brown cotton trousers and shirt with a sleeveless tunic of dark gray over it. His left temple showed a streak of silver—that indicated he had magical powers, she remembered.

      He made a little half bow to Alexa, then Marian, addressing them by name. Alexa gestured that he could join them and scooted over so he could sit next to her. He raised a hand and the waitress hurried over. Calli heard “burger,” and smiled. By the time Alexa, Marian and she were done with Lladrana, the people would sure have some Americanizations in their language.

      Alexa put her sandwich down. Calli noticed she’d only eaten a couple of fries. “Calli, this is Sevair Masif, Representative of the Cities and Towns to the Marshalls.”

      Another new face. Another guy looking her over coolly. “Tell him I’m pleased to meet him.” Though she really wasn’t much, she inclined her head. “What cities?”

      Marian muffled a snort beside her.

      “They just aren’t as urban as we are,” Alexa said.

      “Castleton is, like, the main city, right? And it doesn’t have mustard and ketchup?”

      Alexa sighed.

      Marian said, “We did tell you that people would give you presents. This man did me a wonderful favor by sending my teacher and me and Jaquar an excellent cook.”

      “He had a spice master send me a gift of tea. Expensive here. You want to ask him for mustard?”

      Marian frowned. “Have you asked about mustard, Alexa? I think the southern part of Lladrana might make it, or the country south of here.”

      “Haven’t asked,” Alexa said. “How important is mustard to you, Calli? Enough to ask for it as a gift instead of anything else? Tea’s important to me.”

      “And let me tell you, that cook has been a lifesaver…or at least made my crotchety old mentor into a reasonable human being,” Marian said.

      The waitress set down Masif’s plate and curtsied.

      “Gifts. No strings attached?” Calli asked.

      Alexa said something apologetic to Masif. He nodded and began eating, a little awkwardly, as if he wasn’t used to eating with his hands, concentrating on making sure the bun’s contents didn’t slip. For some reason Calli found that endearing.

      “No strings attached.” Alexa grinned. “The thing is, everyone wants to get on our good sides, and since we’re virtually inexplicable, no one expects anything in return…at least not for the first gift.”

      “Huh,” Calli said. “No strings? Ask the guy if he intends to put something on my Choosing table.”

      Eyes dancing, Alexa did. All three Exotiques stared at him. A faint redness appeared on his cheekbones under his golden skin. He seemed to grit his teeth around his bite of burger. Glancing at her, then away, he swallowed and said something that sounded flowery.

      Alexa coughed. Marian turned to Calli and said, “He asked if you’d be unhappy if he did so.”

      “Unhappy.” She looked at Marian. “What’s the word for ‘no’?”

      Alexa laughed. “I learned the word for ‘no’ within an hour here!”

      Calli could believe that.

      “Ttho,” said Marian.

      Stomach fluttering with butterflies, Calli met Masif’s gaze and said, “Ttho.”

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