Charles Ingrid - marked man 02 The Last Recall by Charles Ingrid Page A

don't need to get far. Those children were bait. They won't be kept alive any longer than they need to be. They're just trying to pull enough troopers after them to pay a decent blood price."
    The governor's jaw tightened. "Then," she said, "we don't need any more fools riding into a trap."
    Lady had lost his hand when he'd moved so suddenly. She reached out now and put her hand gently over his arm. "She's right," she said.
    He knew they were right. He dropped his arm from Harley reluctantly. "Damn. I know it."
    Irlene looked at Lady. "We're still here. We still have Protectors waiting to be passed, and sworn in."
    Lady put fingers to her forehead as if stilling an inner pain. She smiled weakly. "You're right, Governor." Her lips tightened. Thomas knew she hated the implication, but the governor was right. Life goes on.
    Chapter 7
    "I know you're tired," Franklin said soothingly to Stanhope, "but we've got to complete your testing."
    The tall boy nodded. There was an underlying pallor to his naturally dark skin, a fatigue that all of them who had used their Talents to Protect felt. Their abilities came out of a deep psychic well—difficult to dredge up and difficult to return to often. Thomas understood the effort Stanhope would be making.
    The white bandage sling stood out against his blue tick shirt and dark trousers. He'd dislocated a shoulder trying to fight off the raiders who'd taken Alma and killed Roanne. He'd acquitted himself well and, as far as Thomas was concerned, he'd already passed any testing required of him.
    Blade had not had his own testing from Gillander, and just a summary testing when he'd returned with the Butcher for his bounty. Ironically, if he'd undergone a ritual testing, he might never have been made a Protector, his own abilities had been so dammed up at the time, but no one alive had known that. He caught Lady looking at him and wondered if she was sharing his thoughts, however briefly. She was clever at that.
    She smiled faintly and looked away, once more intent upon the young man who faced them.
    The barracks had lost a bedroom wall and door to fire and axes. The windows and shutters were thrown open to air out the smoke and smell of battle. Tomorrow, carpenters would be in here measuring, cutting, and hammering new boards in place. They could not match the plastic paint that had coated the house originally and wore like iron. The repaired wall would stand out like a scar across a woman's face, a reminder of what had happened here.
    Franklin looked at them. "The three of us will each devise a test of a Talent which Stanhope may or may not be known to have. His reactions and abilities will be what we judge."
    In other words, they were going to judge him as much on what he couldn't do, and how he might handle that when it was asked of him, as on what he could do. Thomas nodded to show he understood.
    There was a shuffle of shoe soles from the other room. No one dared stand in the doorway, but Thomas knew the rest of the children had their ears pressed to the wall in curiosity, to listen to what was happening to Stanhope. He said, a little too loudly, "There are going to be a lot of flat ears in the barracks tonight."
    Franklin grinned. "No doubt. All right, I'll begin. Judges, please remember that we will all evaluate all test results, not merely those we've conducted personally."
    Stanhope blurted out, "C-couid we just get started?"
    Lady laughed softly. She put a hand on his knee. "Franklin's just telling us the rules."
    The boy looked up at her. "I'm just edgy," he said, apologetically.
    Thomas answered dryly, "I wouldn't know why."
    Franklin got down on one knee beside the youth in the chair. The room was bare except for a simple four-legged table with a few objects resting on top of it, nothing remarkable, and a few stools. It seemed odd to have the wind and no wall at their back, but under the circumstances, no one complained.
    "Stanhope, I want you to Fetch the rice bowl from the table