Free The Air Singer (The Cantors) by K. Huber Page B

over her cup. Tally watched as the green, brown and orange colors became trapped in the mesh. She took a matching strainer from the center of the table and filled Tally’s cup the same way. Aromas of orange and citrus rose from the clear brown liquid. “What did Roland tell you about me?”
    Tally watched Anna set the teapot back on the table. She took a sip of her tea and enjoyed the warm liquid in her throat. “He said that you used to be a paladin and that you will be in charge of my training.”
    “A paladin never stops being a paladin . I just decided on a quieter life and took the opportunity to manage some of the smaller facilities.” She brought her cup to her lips, “Pinetop is my favorite. A small town in the trees with plenty of water nearby, it doesn’t get nicer than this.”
    “ How many facilities are there?”
    “Oh, there are hundreds throughout the world . The Cadence has been around for centuries and has made sure there are safe places to house and train singers as well as paladins within a few hundred miles of any significant city.”
    Tally sat stunned at the size of the alliance she was now a part of. Anna continued to sip at her tea. “Do you know why you’re here?”
    “From what I gathered from Roland’s mind meld trick, I’m the Air Singer.”
    “Mind meld?” Anna’s smooth demeanor was shaken. “He linked with you?”
    “He had to!” Tally defended her paladin, “I wouldn’t have believed him otherwise, and I sure as hell wouldn’t be here having a tea party with a perfect stranger.”
    Anna re gained her composure and moved on to the next subject. “I suppose with the Spina so close, it was a good decision. We just prefer that a singer have more training before linking with his or her paladin. It can be overwhelming if you are not prepared.” Anna took another sip of tea, her long slender fingers caressing the china. “How familiar are you with history?”
    “ I studied just enough to graduate high school,” Tally was confused at Anna’s question. “Hollywood took over after that.”
    “Okay, not the answer I was hoping for, but I’ve learned to work with what I’m given.” Anna sat in thought for a moment then got up to retrieve a wooden box from one of the cabinets. “Do you know who Queen Elizabeth I is?”
    “ Cate Blanchett played her in one of my favorite movies. Was she a Cantor?”
    Anna took in a deep breath. “No. A Cantor by the name of Zachary Woodward decided to intervene after England faced the Spanish Armada during her reign.” Anna reached into the wooden box and dropped a large coin on to the table. As the coin clattered to rest in front of Tally, she noticed that it was much larger than normal currency. The darkened silver allowed some of the finer details to emerge. A stormy ocean filled with ships surrounded by what appeared to be Latin and the year 1588.
    “What is this?” Tally held the coin between her fingers.
    “That is a replica of a medal Queen Elizabeth had struck to commemorate victory over the Spanish Armada. The inscription reads Flavit Jehova et Dissipati Sunt. ”
    Anna paused as if waiting for a reaction from Tally . Tally let a few seconds pass to study the other side of the coin. Looking up, she saw Anna’s expectant look. “I didn’t take any foreign languages either, so I hope you weren’t expecting me to know what that means.”
    “It means Jehovah blew his wind and they were scattered. During Queen Elizabeth’s rein, an unexpected victory over the Spanish navy was followed by an even more unexpected storm that destroyed an additional thirty five Spanish ships. Even King Phillip of Spain believed that the elements were against him. He is remembered saying that he had sent his navy to fight with men, not the weather.” Anna returned to her seat, “Zachary was an air singer like you.”
    Tally looked at the coin again. “So Zachary was English I take it?”
    “Yes, but what if he had been Spanish? If the Spanish