season avatars 01 - seasons beginnings (36 page)

to send her foul magic through every few years. The Avatars have their

hands full dealing with the problems it causes.”

Kron glanced at the remains of the water clock. “Speaking of Sal-

thaath, what happened to him?”

“We are certain he did not enter Challen,” Spring pronounced.

“Even the water clock was not enough protection to keep Us from sens-

ing him. That’s why it split: so We could permit you to return to

Vistichia while keeping Sal-thaath out. The shards from his half of the

water clock are scattered all over Challen, though.” She tilted her head.

“The question is, did he return to his mother, or did he go elsewhere?

What other God or Goddess would accept him?”

“He had to return to Salth,” Kron said. “He’s...not really alive any-

more, and all the time she stole is to sustain him.”

Fall scowled. “And to attack Us.”

Summer raised His head, and His cheeks grew greener, as if He was

flushing. “Salth creates erratic time shifts in Our domain. The weather

becomes unpredictable, My trees grow and shed leaves out of season,

and Fall’s animals try to hibernate when they should be active. Despite

all that, Our Avatars keep the time shifts from destroying Challen and

even make the country thrive.” He halted and looked around, as if sur-

prised He’d spoken so much. “Still, We want the Chaos Season to stop.

Destroy that crystal house and take care of Salth and Sal-thaath.”

“We will do the rest,” Winter promised.

The Four Gods and Goddesses watched Kron as if expecting him to

immediately promise to help Them—again. He sighed. “Maybe you say

eight hundred years have passed, but to me, it all feels like the same

day. I want to see Bella—”

“Ysabel,” Spring said.

Sea so n s’ Be gin n in gs
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2 4 7

“I want to see my wife first before I do anything. And honestly, if

my artifacts weren’t good enough against Salth before, why would they

be any better now?”

“The world has changed much while you were in the water clock,

Kron,” Winter said. “Mortals have created many new, stronger materi-

als. An artificer like you could use them to create much more durable

artifacts.”

Despite all he’d been through, Kron’s curiosity was piqued.

Spring came forward and squatted in front of him. Her eyes into

eternity were obscured by Her hair, but the rest of Her face radiated

concern.

“You have indeed endured much already, Kron Evenhanded,” She

said. “And you have much to learn about this new Challen and Wis-

tica—that’s the new name for Vistichia. Here.” She touched his

forehead. Energy flowed through him, as if he’d eaten his fill and slept

for a day.

“Permit me to give you another gift, that of the modern language.

No one will understand you otherwise, not even your Bella.”

She must have sensed his agreement. Before he could speak, new

words poured into him.

“You will be able to read as well,” Spring said. “It is a common skill

these days. In fact, it would be strange for someone as intelligent as you

to be unable to read. I could give you all the history too, but I don’t wish

to overwhelm you. You may want to study at the University of Wistica

so you can absorb a little of it at a time.”

“University” was a new word for Kron; it was a place where young

adults could study other disciplines besides magic. Pagli would have

appreciated knowing something similar to the Magic Institute still ex-

isted.

“Some scholars at the University study the past,” Winter said. “They

would be very interested in the remnants of your water clock. I recom-

mend you take it to them.”

“But when will I get to see Bella?” he asked.

2 4 8
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S a n d r a U l b r i c h A l m a z a n

With a smile, Spring slid a golden bracelet off of Her wrist and held

it in front of him. A young woman appeared in the middle of it, as if the

bracelet was a portal. The girl’s skin was darker than Bella’s had been,

and her hair was bound up and covered so he couldn’t see it. But her

eyes bore the same green-and-gold flecks he’d always admired in Bella.

This new version of Bella sat in front of a wooden device, pressing

white-and-black objects inlaid on the front of it. Her lips moved in time

with her fingers.

“It’s a new way of making music,” Spring said. “I don’t think music

will be enough to shatter Salth’s crystal, but she still enjoys it.”

So different from my Bella, but so alike in many ways. Does she still

remember me? What did she experience without me at her side? How

did she feel when I didn’t portal after her?

Spring withdrew Her bracelet long before Kron tired of staring at

Bella. “The sooner you start your new life, Kron, the sooner you’ll see

her in the flesh. Gaila, Janno, Caye, and other Avatars too. Farewell,

Kron. May the next time We see you be under better circumstances.”

“Farewell,” the others echoed. Then They faded away.

Kron raised himself to his feet. He knew the Four had only told him

a little about the new world, but he felt overwhelmed. He took his time

reassembling the water clock from the shards. At least this familiar task

hadn’t changed. Only half of the water clock was here, including part

of the dividing wall he’d built. Even so, it was too big for him to carry.

Kron shrunk the water clock down so he could tuck it under his arm.

He passed through the dusty corridors of the temple toward the front

entrance. This area had been renovated, with sculptures and paintings

in colors and poses he hadn’t seen before. He spent several heartbeats

studying the artists’ techniques. Yes, the world had changed greatly

while he’d been trapped. He hoped he still had a place in it.

With a deep breath, Kron finally walked out onto the front porch of

the temple. Beneath him, the whole street had changed. Even in the

evening light, he could see that the road was covered with a strange

substance. The buildings surrounding him were stone, not mud-brick,

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and they towered over the old temple. At the corners and entrances to

each building, poles bearing lights lit up the street. He couldn’t tell what

powered the lights. Few people were about, but they wore clothing sim-

ilar to the Four’s. Kron glanced down at himself and transformed his

clothes so they resembled what Winter had worn. The Four might not

have told him everything about this new world, but They’d given him

what he needed to make his way here.

Kron stared out over Vistichia—no, Wisticia. Off in the distance,

the Chikasi River still wound its way to the sea. So much had changed

in eight hundred years that he was once again a stranger in this city. But

this time he knew there were old friends out there, ready to be reunited

with him.

The University would be the first place he needed to go on his jour-

ney back to Bella. He set out to find it.

Afterword

Thank you for reading my book; I hope you enjoyed it. Please con-

sider leaving a review on
Amazon
or
Goodreads
to help other readers discover this book. It also helps me promote my work so I can eventually fulfill my dream of writing science fiction and fantasy full-time.

This novel is an expansion of my short story, “Demon’s Diamond,”

which I wrote to develop the background of the Season Avatars’ world.

Thanks to my friend Aviva Rothschild for inspiring me to write it.

I would like to thank my beta readers for their input in helping me

improve this story. They are Bert Hammerstad, Sheila Babcock, Susan

Curnow, Elizabeth Hull, and Heidi Garrett. Maria Zannini of
Book

Cover Diva
designed the cover, and the template for the interior book design (for both the paper and eBook versions) came fr
om Book Design

Templates.
As always, special thanks go to my husband, Eugene, and my son, Alex, for their love and patience as I spent many hours at the

keyboard writing, editing, and formatting this book.

If you’d like to know when the next book in this series will be avail-

able, you can watch my
website,
blog,
or
Facebook page
for announcements. Or you can also subscribe to my newsletter (link is on

my blog). I hate spam as much as anyone else, so I’ll only send it out

for announcements of new work and sales. Eventually, I plan to offer

bonus stories to subscribers as well.

Thanks again for reading
Seasons’ Beginnings
. I look forward to

sharing
Scattered Seasons
, Book Two of the Season Avatars, with you

soon. Please read on for a sneak peek.

Best,

Sandra

The Season Avatars of

Seasons’ Beginnings

Group 1

Galia—Spring

Janno—Summer

Bella—Fall

Caye—Winter

Group 2

Magstrom--Spring

Carver--Summer

Sylva—Fall

Domina--Winter

Group 3

Tylan—Spring

Flilya—Summer

Hala—Fall

Ocul—Winter

Scattered Seasons

(Book Two of the Season Avatars)

Lady Gwendolyn lo Havil is an Ava Spring, born to heal others

and lead the Avatars of her generation. When the current Ava

Spring dies in a riding accident, Gwen must find the other three

Avatars she will link with. Only a full quartet of Avatars can deal

with the destruction of Chaos Season, times when the seasons all

appear at once. But two Avatars are missing, and with Gwen’s own

magic is crippled by an ancient, cursed pottery shard, Gwen will

have to use all of her skills to find the Avatars. Can she trust the

stranger who claims to know the shard’s origin, or is he her ancient

foe returned?

Coming 2015—read on for an excerpt!

Lady Gwendolyn lo Havil fixed a smile in place as her head

throbbed. She wished she could blame it on her future mother-in-law,

but as dreadful as her taste was—witness the sickly sheep pattern on

her wallpaper—something else had to be at fault. Gwen hadn’t felt this

much physical pain since she was twelve springs old and her healing

magic had blossomed. What could be causing this? Something in her

in-laws’ mansion? Or did it have to do with her own Avatar magic?

“Gwendolyn, dear? Are you paying attention?” The false sweetness

in Lady Shellinda’s tone wouldn’t have flavored her weak tea. “I was

asking if you and William wanted my second-best plates for the wed-

ding luncheon.”

If she meant the ones imported from Fip, with the country’s war ea-

gle in the center of every dish, then no. Gwen could never forgive Fip

for the war that had brought Challen into its empire. It had taken place

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2 5 3

several hundred years ago, but she still remembered that life, and all the

injured people she’d treated, more clearly than she liked. Could her cur-

rent headache have something to do with her memories of the past?

Lately they’d been coming more frequently, stretching back closer to

her very first life as an Avatar for the Goddess of Spring. Perhaps this

was a sign from the dear Goddess Herself.

“Is it time?” Gwen murmured. “Time to find the others?”

“Whatever are you talking about, Gwendolyn? Are you ill? I

thought you were supposed to be healthier than a horse.”

Gwen drained the last of her hot chocolate, wishing the cup wasn’t

so dainty, and rose. “I think I need some fresh air, Lady Shellinda.”

William’s mother complained flowers made her sneeze. Gwen had

postponed trying to heal her affliction and was now secretly glad she’d

done so. Maybe she could steal a few moments to be alone, cure her

headache, and figure out what had caused it.

“Well, if you insist. But I wouldn’t advise staying out there too long.

There’s simply too much to be done before the wedding next moon.”

And if I don’t hurry back, she’ll choose something horrid for the

lunch menu.

Gwen decorously lifted her skirt hem off the floor as she left the

parlor and slipped out into the garden. Bright sunshine made her squint;

it beat on her head as if to increase her headache still further. The roses

weren’t in bloom yet, but row after row of tulips marched like a squad-

ron ahead of her, showing her the path she was meant to travel. Gwen’s

late mother had established a maze in their garden and changed the path

through it every year. Gwen wished she was there now, someplace

where she could hide instead of being exposed to watchers from the

house. She forced herself to glide casually through the flowers. But alt-

hough she took deep breaths, they didn’t calm her. Something stirred at

the edge of her magical senses. Something that didn’t belong in Chal-

len.

What is it? Is it close by, or do the reigning Season Avatars feel it

too?

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