season avatars 01 - seasons beginnings (21 page)

she doesn’t detect it. That way I can fetch the final group.”

The Avatars gathered in their groups, exchanging glances with each

other as if each eyebrow lift or slight frown was a word in a language

Kron couldn’t hear. Occasionally the Springs looked at each other, but

most of their attention was for their group members. What did that en-

tail for the Avatars’ confrontation with Salth? Would all of them be able

to work together, or would their union fall apart?

Galia seemed to be their spokesperson to Kron. She was the only

one who seemed able to read everyone else, and she was the one to face

him and say, “That doesn’t seem to be what the Four intended for us to

do.”

“They didn’t specify all twelve of you had to journey up the river,”

Kron said. “Besides, it would be much easier for you to portal to Salth’s

territory than traveling on the river, especially in winter.”

By now, he should know better than to point out any weakness to an

Avatar. Galia straightened to her full height, though she still had to tilt

her head to glare at him. “I may be old, but I’m not frail. What about

your wife? Would you ask her to stay behind too?”

To keep her safe, I’d do that and a thousand other things.
Kron could

feel non-magical heat in Bella’s stare and chose not to argue with her

in front of the other Avatars. Instead, he pressed his attack on Galia.

“Does that mean you agree to my plan?”

“I said nothing of the sort!”

Janno grinned. “Mother, if this plan means we can leave now, I say

we should do it.”

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“By the Four, Janno, you’re not ready to face Salth.” Kron feigned

tossing another pebble at the Summer Avatar, and Janno flinched. “The

overland journey will give you more time to develop your magic.”

“How much more do I need to develop?” Janno flexed an arm. “I’m

plenty developed in all ways that matter.”

His mother turned her head away from him and made a disgusted

face. Kron wondered if Janno was married, and if so, how his wife put

up with him. Then he worried if Bella found him so difficult.

Janno smirked at Kron. “I bet I can beat you in a fight, old man.”

All of the Avatars’ attention was on him again. Kron shook his head

as he stared at Janno. The woodsman was half a head taller than him

and nearly twice as broad, but Kron felt no fear, only annoyance.

“How many times do I have to tell you this fight won’t be physical?”

he asked.

“If I can stop you from using magic, you’re nothing.”

“Nothing? Really?” Kron choked down memories of the magic-us-

ers who had seen him as just a handy tool. “Did nothing stop Salth and

her son from trying to sacrifice Bella? Would the Four have asked me

to mentor you if I was nothing?”

Janno snorted. “My mother would be a better mentor! If she was the

leader, we’d be halfway to Salth’s by now.”

She shook her head and said softly, “Janno, that’s not true.” But he

didn’t seem to hear her. Instead, he took a deliberate step toward Kron,

as if trying to flush game from its hiding place.

If he thinks I’m going to run away, he’s very much mistaken. That

never worked with my cousin. Only standing up to him made him leave

me alone, even if we both wound up with bloody faces.

Kron squared his shoulders, smiled, and stepped forward. Overhead,

a bolt of lightning fractured the sky and disappeared. “Since you’re so

confident, Janno, I’ll let you throw the first punch.”

That made him widen his eyes, but Janno took the opening and

stepped forward, his fist seeming to come at Kron with the speed of a

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snail. Kron dodged and countered by grabbing Janno’s arm and throw-

ing him to the pavement. His defense teacher at the Magic Institute

would be pleased that he’d remembered that move.

Janno grunted as he rose, his tunic ripped. Then he rushed Kron

again. This time, Kron let him collide with him. The force knocked him

back a couple of paces, but his tunic and outer robe absorbed most of

the blow and turned it back on Janno. He staggered backwards. While

he scrambled for balance, Kron stepped forward to tap him with the

second pebble, allowing only a little bit of magic to escape. Even so,

the jolt made Janno yelp and his mother hurry to his side.

“Are you hurt? How badly?” She glared at Kron and said to him,

“That last bit wasn’t necessary.”

“Better from me than from Salth. She won’t hold back.”

Galia turned away and touched Janno’s shoulder, intent on healing

minor scrapes and burns. Kron noted wryly the other two Spring Ava-

tars didn’t come forward to check him. Bella took a couple of steps

toward him, concern shining in her eyes, but he waved her away. “I’m

not hurt, dear. My clothes are enchanted to protect me.”

Galia glanced in his direction. “Then you should do the same for us

before we set out on our journey.”

“You still believe you’re ready to face Salth?”

She sighed. “Maybe not. But we have to do something, and I think

we’ve learned all we can in Vistichia. Maybe your portal idea is a good

one, Kron.”

Pride that she agreed with him warred with his worry for Bella. He

didn’t want her exposed to the dangers of the trip, but he hated the

thought of leaving her behind—especially if Janno stayed with her.

“Who’s going to stay behind?” Bella asked, her eyes dark.

“Not me,” Janno said as he stood up. “You might need me out there

on the river.”

“Your talent is for wood, not water,” his mother reminded him.

“At least you know the boat won’t leak.”

Galia and a few other Avatars smiled at that.

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“Are you still planning to stay in your quartets?” Kron asked. “Galia

might prefer to travel by portal. It’ll be easier on her.”

“Nonsense. I feel at least ten years younger now, maybe even

twenty.” Galia straightened, but she still appeared hunched over.

“And if there are two of us Springs, we can take turns healing each

other if need be,” Magstrom said.

And two to take care of Bella if she needs it.
Kron sighed as rain

clouds formed above the courtyard. They still had a lot of preparation

to do before they could leave Vistichia, and Salth wasn’t going to make

it any easier for them.

* * *

Now that they’d decided it was time to go, it turned out that there

were no boats available in Vistichia that could sail upriver in the middle

of winter. After more discussion, Carver suggested they hire a boat

builder to make them a boat. “If we help him, it won’t take long,” he

said. “We can shape and harden the wood.”

“Are we going to collect it ourselves?” Janno asked. “It’ll take a lot

of trees for a boat big enough for all of us—and supplies.”

A couple of people laughed at that, as all of them had larger appetites

now. Kron, however, took the matter seriously. Normally they would

be able to barter for food along the way, but during the winter, supplies

would be more precious and people less willing to part with them. For-

aging would also be more difficult, though perhaps the Summers and

Falls would be able to help with that, just as the Winters would have to

make sure the Chikasi wasn’t impassable with ice.

“Let’s start with the boat first,” he said. “We’ll need a lot of wood,

so let’s collect it.”

Carver and Janno, along with the other Summer, a woman named

Flilya, led Kron into the forest near Vistichia. The Avatars had been lax

about tending this area, and it showed in the snowdrifts high enough to

swallow Kron. Cold ate away at the protections on Kron’s clothing,

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leaving him with a dripping nose and chunks of snow inside his boots.

Animal tracks showed them the best path, but breaking through the

snow slowed them down. Kron’s ox struggled through the deeper drifts

and almost got stuck. Too bad they hadn’t thought to bring a Fall with

them to make the animal more cooperative.

“How far are we going in?” Kron asked. “And how are we going to

bring the wood back? Our ox won’t be able to haul it all in a single trip.”

“We’re almost there,” Carver said.

It felt more like a season had passed by the time Carver halted in the

middle of a grove. It must have been impressive at one point, with trees

taller than the city-king’s palace. Now several of the giants lay toppled,

some having taken their neighbors with them.

Carver turned to Kron. “How many trees do you need again, and

how big do they have to be?”

Kron paced off twenty strides. “They should be this long. Are we

using oars or sail?”

“Sail, of course, since the Winters can summon the wind,” Janno

said. “Or are you going to enchant the oars so they work without us?”

“I’d rather not rely on magic when Salth’s storms could interrupt it.”

Janno narrowed his eyes. “You mean, Salth’s storms could prove

stronger than three Winters?”

“Only two Winters. And yes, they could. Better gather wood for oars

too.”

Janno and Carver grumbled as they conferred with Flilya. She pro-

tested that she knew more about herbs and healing plants than trees.

However, the three of them went to the fallen trees and put their hands

on the trunks. Most of the trees were still sound, but the Summer Ava-

tars judged a few of them to be too rotten to use. They decided to harvest

some of the standing trees too.

“Do we cut and shape the trees now, or do we just bring them to the

boat makers?” Janno asked.

“They’ll probably want to cut the planks themselves.” Kron rubbed

his hands together, trying to coax warmth back into them. The sooner

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they could return to the city, the better. “I say hitch them up to Brownie

so we can go.”

Flilya busied herself with weaving fallen branches into a makeshift

sled. Janno and Carver downed the selected trees, secured them with

ropes they’d brought along, and dragged the trees over to Brownie.

Flilya came over with her sled and tried to tell Janno that it would make

hauling the wood easier, but he refused to listen to her.

The pouch at Kron’s waist grew warm. The only artifact in there that

would react like that was a magic-finder, but he’d fine-tuned it to ex-

clude the Avatars. “Magic’s coming,” he announced. “Be prepared—”

A portal opened in the middle of the clearing, big enough for a per-

son to step through. Salth, dressed in white, pointed a finger at him. A

bolt of red energy writhed toward him but bounced off the portal. She

grunted and stepped forward, only to halt before passing through the

portal.

Kron couldn’t help but grin as he reached into his pouch for a pro-

tective artifact. Maybe Salth’s power was limited after all, or maybe the

Four had managed to prevent her from traveling to Vistichia again.

“What do you want, Salth?” he asked.

“Besides your head? Or your wife’s?”

It took all his effort not to flinch at the threat to Bella. “Our deaths

won’t bring Sal-thaath back to life, Salth.”

“If you hadn’t interfered, your death would be unnecessary.” As if

noticing the Avatars for the first time, Salth glanced at Janno. “You

jumped-up Nils should be careful of Kron. They call him Evenhanded,

but he causes more problems than he solves.”

Janno snorted, but Flilya, who hadn’t spent as much time with Kron,

glanced back at him as if she was seeing him through a broken far-seer.

She wouldn’t believe Salth over him, would she? Salth was a stranger,

and someone who’d confronted the Avatars’ gods. But Flilya asked, “Is

that true, Kron?”

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The familiar feel of rejection strung for a moment until he reminded

himself that Bella loved him, Galia asked for his advice, and even the

Four respected him.

“I never wanted Sal-thaath hurt. I just wanted him—and his

mother—to leave everyone else alone.” Anger surged through Kron as

he spoke. Why let Salth stir up further trouble? She had no right to open

a portal to Vistichia, even if she remained on her side of it. He turned

to her. “Close this at once, before I do it for you.”

“Then go ahead and try, if you’re able.” Her mouth twisted in a

smirk.

Kron ignored her to focus on the portal. No matter how powerful

Salth was, she needed something physical to anchor her portal. Would

he be able to reach it on his side? Crossing over would be suicidal, but

if he could break one of the items Salth was using for the portal, the

entire opening would collapse. Using a magic-finder as an aid, he tried

to identify the portal anchors, but he couldn’t sense them.

“Something wrong, master of artifacts?” Salth asked in a tone that

made him want to slap her. She must have done something to stop him

from closing her portal, but what? Even if the anchors were invisible,