season avatars 01 - seasons beginnings (32 page)

Hala shook her head. “That would be an insult to Her.”

Kron didn’t join in their banter. How could Salth have created the

time distortion between her land and Vistichia? More importantly, how

2 2 0
·
S a n d r a U l b r i c h A l m a z a n

much time was passing for Bella and the others, and what was happen-

ing to them? He reminded himself that he’d given the Avatars

protection before he left, so Salth shouldn’t know where they were. That

was, if they didn’t make a big display of their magic, or if she didn’t

have some way of tracking all living things in her domain. But if she

was the mistress of time…

Kron stumbled and had to brace himself against the wall. The Four

had said before that Salth wasn’t able to pass the final test that had al-

lowed Them to Ascend into godhood. Maybe that meant she didn’t have

complete mastery of time, despite her extensive talent and experience

with magic. He still had a chance to return to Bella before Salth could

hurt her. But how? What did he need to do?

“Come on, Kron.” Flilya unbarred a door leading to an underground

tunnel. The air felt close and damp. “I thought you were in a hurry.”

The tunnel was shorter than he expected, but it brought them far

enough from the crowd to escape without notice. Food vendors called

to them as they ran down the street, but for once the Avatars didn’t

seems to care about eating. Kron couldn’t run as fast or as long as the

women, especially after his earlier sprint. A sense of urgency propelled

him on without rest. By the time the house was in sight, he wished Galia

had come with him to give him a second wind. However, he pointed to

the apple tree and gasped. “We must be careful. Salth may have left a

trap for us.”

“No, I did that,” Flilya said. She turned red under Kron’s stare and

added, “Well, we were out of apples, and it seemed like a good way to

practice my magic.”

“Never mind.” Kron sank down on a bench. “You two go ahead and

gather supplies. We may have to stop somewhere overnight, so be sure

to bring bedding. Extra food and water would be good. I’ll stay here

and catch my breath.”
And figure out if there’s any way my artifacts can

counter Salth’s talent with time.

While Kron waited, he studied the garden. No sign of the portal was

visible from this side, and he panicked for a heartbeat. He could rebuild

Sea so n s’ Be gin n in gs
·
2 2 1

the portal, but it shouldn’t have closed like that. A new portal would

have to be stronger, resistant to time. The trees wouldn’t work. The

stone wall, however, might. It would only provide one side of the portal;

he needed more stone to form the other side and the top. All he could

see was a statue of a dancer with her arms overhead. He couldn’t lift

her, but maybe he could make her move of her own accord.

He’d sat long enough to be able to breathe normally again, so he

walked between the prickly bushes surrounding the statue. Then he

grasped the statue’s buttocks and pushed. The stone resisted his physi-

cal efforts, but once his magic poured into it, the dancer extended first

one leg, then another. With surprising grace, she leapt off her pedestal

and flattened a bush. Kron took her by the arm and guided her into po-

sition. She had to bend over to form an arch with her neck and arms.

Kron and the other Avatars would have to stoop to pass through the

portal, but it was worth it to have something Salth wouldn’t be able to

tamper with.

Now, is there any way I can use Salth’s time magic against her, or

at least undo it?
A water clock, I need a water clock.

As he hurried into the house, Hala came out with a bulging sack.

“Where is the water clock?” he asked.

She closed her eyes. “In the kitchen, opposite the hearth. Why bring

that, Kron?”

“I’m not going to bring it. I’m going to destroy it.”

“Destroy it?”

“Well, maybe just alter it.”

The water clock was where Hala had said it would be, but no one

had filled it recently. Kron rolled the jar outside, next to the portal. He

paused for a heartbeat, then knelt, touched the jar, and fused all the

holes. “Now we can add the water.”

Hala shook her head. “We had plenty of other jars in the pantry. You

could have used one of those.”

“But not for this magic.” He glanced around. “How much longer

will the other Avatars be?”

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

“Flilya’s still packing. I don’t know where Ocul and Tylan are.”

“Can you use animals to check on them?”

After a few heartbeats, she replied, “The birds report that the crowd

by the temple is breaking up. But they can’t tell people apart, so I can’t

use them to track how close Ocul and Tylan are to us.”

At least they shouldn’t have to wait much longer for the other Ava-

tars. Kron rested, reserving his power, while Hala filled the water clock-

turned-artifact with water from the well. Magic bubbled up inside him.

Perhaps power wouldn’t be an issue in the upcoming battle with Salth,

but knowing how to use it would be.

Ocul and Tylan returned heartbeats before Flilya dragged the last of

her supplies—how did she suppose they would carry them all?—out of

the kitchen. She wiped her hands with an air of satisfaction. “That’s

food for everyone,” she said, “and I have things for them too.” She nod-

ded at the two male Avatars.

Kron stood up and stretched his back. “Then I suppose we can leave

immediately.”

“Right now?” Tylan asked. “We should—”

Kron didn’t care what Tylan was about to propose. “You two should

help me push this artifact through the portal.”

Despite the resentful expressions on their faces, they assisted him.

As soon as the jar was exactly halfway through the portal, Kron turned

to Ocul. “Freeze the water in that jar, now!”

“All of the water, or just on the surface?”

“All of it!”

Ocul muttered, “It’s the wrong time of year for this,” but he did it

anyway.

“Perfect!” Kron said. “That should keep Salth from playing with

time while we pass through the portal. I’ll go through first and make

sure no surprises are waiting for us on the other side.”

“But I thought the other Avatars were waiting for us.” Hala frowned.

“Or do you think they could be in trouble?”

Sea so n s’ Be gin n in gs
·
2 2 3

“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Kron distributed the protective brace-

lets he’d made for the Avatars. Then he brought his magic-finder out

again and grasped it in one hand while he scooped some enchanted

metal shavings in the other. Prepared for anything, he stepped through

the portal.

After the gentle warmth of spring, winter’s cold assaulted every ex-

posed part of his body. Snow pelted his face, making it hard to see.

Where were Caye and Domina, and why hadn’t they bothered to tame

this weather? Maybe they still needed to regain energy after all of the

magic they’d used on this journey. He called out, “Bella? Galia? Janno?

Caye? Anyone here? I’m back with the other Avatars.”

Only the wind answered him.

C H A P T E R T W E N T Y - O N E

Two Krons

Kron swept his magic-finder in a circle, trying to use its heat to sense

where the Avatars were and what had happened. He bit back a curse as

his own portal overwhelmed the readings. If Salth had scrambled time

here, the traces of her magic had probably faded by now. What would

Salth have done to the Avatars? More importantly, would Bella or Galia

had left him a clue as to what had happened? And how could he find

anything in this snowstorm?

“Ocul!” Kron called through the portal, “Come here and clear up

this weather!”

The Winter Avatar hesitated for a few heartbeats before obeying. He

raised his hands and squinted into the storm. “I need a link!” he shouted.

One by one, Tylan, Flilya, and Hala crossed into Salth’s domain. As

they joined hands, Kron brought over the rest of their supplies and the

water clock with frozen time. Maybe he would still be able to use it

against Salth.

The snowfall tapered off, leaving their whole world white. Hollows

in the snow suggested footprints. From what Kron could make out, a

single person about his size had approached the group from the direc-

tion of Salth’s house, and the Avatars had followed him.

“Where did he come from?” Kron murmured. How could anyone

wander around here without protection? More importantly, why had the

Avatars followed him?

Sea so n s’ Be gin n in gs
·
2 2 5

“I thought you said the other Avatars were here, Kron,” Tylan said.

“Where are they? Back on the ship?”

Hala shook her head. “I already checked there through the field

mice. All of the supplies are gone.”

Kron exhaled with relief. If they’d taken supplies, then they’d cho-

sen to leave and hadn’t been hurt. But why had they left? He couldn’t

tell how much time had passed for them.

“Well, we should follow them,” he said. “If we’re lucky, we can

catch up to them. How fast can Galia move anyway?”

“Do we have to walk?” Tylan asked. “Can’t we bring the oxen

through to pull a wagon?”

“They won’t last long enough here. Do all of you have the protec-

tions I gave you? Put them on now and let’s get moving.”

Despite the Avatars’ grumbling, they quickly prepared for the

march. However, by now it was close to sundown. If the situation hadn’t

been so desperate, Kron would have allowed them to camp in the dead

grove and set off at dawn, but fear for Bella gave him new energy. He

used the magic-finder to guide him, holding it high so they could all see

its glow. The Avatars stuck right behind him as if they’d all been woven

together into one tapestry. Ocul, at the end, rolled the frozen water clock

along.

Kron kept his other senses alert for any other signs of a threat. The

silence was unnerving. No mice rustled in the meadow, no owls or bats

flew overhead. Even the snow seemed muted as he slogged through it.

As the moon rose, he realized the snow was giving way to mud, clinging

to his boots like a lover pleading for him not to leave. His feet became

heavier with each step, but with nowhere to camp, he was forced to keep

moving. The Avatars brought out hunks of bread, rinds of cheese, and

a small skin of watered wine. The first bite awakened his appetite, and

he ate as if his magic depended on it. For a while—he wasn’t sure how

much time passed in this barren landscape—they all marched with re-

newed vigor, but then the Avatars’ pace slowed.

2 2 6
·
S a n d r a U l b r i c h A l m a z a n

“Kron, I know you’re worried about Bella and the others, but we

won’t be of any use to them if we collapse before we can reach them,”

Tylan said. “We need to rest somewhere—anywhere. I don’t care where

we sleep as long as we do.”

Kron studied his magic-finder as he walked, mulling over Tylan’s

words. Tylan made sense, yet something urged him to keep walking.

Bella and the others could be right in front of them. Or Salth could have

warped time and put them a heartbeat out of reach. How could he stop

until he knew? Maybe he should let the Avatars rest and continue his

search without them. But would he be able to find them again?

“Perhaps you could rest here for a bit while I go a little further

ahead—”

Hala held up her hand. “Wait! I think I heard something!”

Everyone held still and listened. At first, Kron thought she’d been

mistaken. But then he heard it: a female voice, holding a pure note that

rang through him.
Bella.
Where was she? Why was she singing? They

couldn’t possibly be that close to Salth’s house!

“Bella?” He called. “Is that you? Where are you?”

The singing cut off. Without the sound, Kron couldn’t guess which

direction to go. But Bella and the other Avatars didn’t speak.

“Bella, it’s me.” Kron raised the magic-finder over his head. The

glow still didn’t extend past an arm-length or two. “Where are you?”

A burst of hail answered him.

Kron snapped his robe to strengthen its protections. “Watch out!” he

yelled to the others behind him.

Ocul advanced, palms outspread, and the hail melted. But another

barrage followed, then another, faster than he could counter.

“What’s going on?” Tylan stepped forward to touch Ocul. “Are the

other Avatars attacking us? By All Four Gods and Goddesses, why?

It didn’t make sense to Kron either. How could Bella not recognize

his voice? Maybe it was time to disregard caution and light up the area

so they could all see each other. He took a candle stub out of his pouch

Sea so n s’ Be gin n in gs
·
2 2 7

and lit it. Its glow only extended an arm-length in front of him, so he

pushed more power into it, rolling back the darkness.

Domina and Caye stood in front of him, balls of ice in their hands.

Magstom and Galia peered out from behind them, their hands on the