The Restorer's Journey

by Sharon Hinck

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t know who to tell. It’s how I know Cameron’s new Records are a lie. The era of Restorers can’t be over.” His silence frightened me. “Please don’t say anything to the others yet.”

  He finally shook himself. “Have you told Wade?”

  “No. I will. I’m just trying to figure out the right timing.”

  Arland paced a few steps, tangling his hand in his hair. “In every time of great need, a Restorer is sent to fight for the people and help the guardians.” His voice was soft. He was reciting to himself. “The Restorer is empowered with gifts to defeat our enemies and turn the people’s hearts back to the Verses.” Arland faced me. “But you want to go against the Verses.”

  “Not the real Verses. Just these new Records. They’re a lie. And I don’t know if I’m supposed to fight for the people yet. I’ve had the signs for only a month or so.”

  Arland stalked back toward me. I lifted my hands. “If I’m supposed to help, I will. But first I need to make sure my mom is okay.” He ignored my words and grabbed my arm with his left hand. His other hand slid a dagger from his boot sheath. Before I could pull away, he sliced down my forearm. I winced and tugged against him, but his grip was a manacle. He kept his eyes on the skin every second as if he expected me to play a magic trick. When it healed, he let his eyes lift and, for a moment when they met mine, he let me see his confusion.

  “Please,” I tried again. “Just let me stay here and train. At least until Wade comes back.”

  “Whose side are you on?” His brows canted down in a hard line.

  Complex question. I lifted my chin. “I serve the One.”

  I couldn’t read his face. Maybe that wasn’t the smartest answer. Arland and all the men were angry with the One. In their view, they’d been deserted and even betrayed by the Records. Cameron claimed that he was the One’s chosen king.

  He twisted my arm and looked at it again, shaking his head. “Come on.” His words gave nothing away. He shoved me ahead of him toward the clearing.

  My stomach twisted at the thought of the men’s response. I stopped and looked back at Arland. His face was grim, and he didn’t meet my eyes.

  Chapter

  13

  Jake

  The men were tearing into some hard bread loaves, and Ian handed me a piece as I limped into the clearing. Sinking onto a boulder near the edge, I looked out over the rooftops of Braide Wood. I’d rather be in Tara’s home, sipping clavo and talking to Tristan—letting him make a plan. Or even Kieran. He would have known what to do. My lips twisted. Shoot, even little Dustin and Aubrey probably would handle this better than me.

  I kept a wary eye on Arland, but he just grabbed some food and sprawled near his men. When he didn’t look like he planned any proclamation to the group, I relaxed a bit but still didn’t have much appetite. He looked angry—well, angrier.

  All the men carried a layer of frustration as pervasive as the smell of sweat and wet leather. These men were guardians who had pledged faithfulness to the Verses and protection to the clans. Now they didn’t know how to fulfill the second without betraying the first.

  I sympathized. The One had been stirring in me. He wanted me to stop Cameron, but like the men here, I didn’t know how. I closed my eyes and prayed for guidance. When I opened my eyes and looked at Braide Wood, I knew part of my answer was there. I’d have to convince Arland to let me talk to Tara.

  Just as I resolved that, Arland sprang to his feet and I tensed. “All right,” he said in a loud voice. “Break camp.”

  Relief flashed over me—and faded just as quickly. We were leaving? I elbowed my way through the activity in the clearing. “Arland, don’t we need to wait here for Wade?”

  Arland frowned like he was having second thoughts about keeping my secret. “Too risky. Wade will catch up.” He tugged a strap on his pack and shoved it to one side.

  I swallowed and stepped in front of him. “I think I should stay here.”

  He pulled himself up to his full height and stared me down. Back home, with three younger siblings and fresh from my senior year, eighteen felt mature, strong, and capable. Here in this clearing full of trained warriors in their twenties and thirties, I felt like a scrawny kid. I didn’t like the sensation. I also couldn’t go skulking around the countryside with them and miss Wade’s return with my mom.

  “Are you heading closer to Lyric?”

  Arland gave me a hard look. “Blue Knoll.”

  “Then I’m staying here.”

  He grabbed my arm and cast a quick glance around. The other men were busy packing and covering signs of the camp’s presence. “Don’t push me, Jake. You’re coming with us.” His voice was quiet but as threatening as if he had shouted the words.

  I kept my voice low too. “If you believe me, even a little bit, then you know I’ve got to take orders from the One. I need to wait here.”

  He cursed and let me go. “Do you have any idea how it will look if you leave now? They’ll be sure you’ll betray them.”

  I forced myself to meet his eyes. “Do you believe that?”

  Arland rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “No. I’m inclined to think you mean well. Heaven knows why. Still too attached to the old myths I guess.” He frowned. “That doesn’t mean I think you have much to offer. Keep quiet and stay out of trouble.”

  “I don’t want to cause trouble, but I’m staying here. Wade will come back to Braide Wood first, won’t he?”

  Arland nodded.

  “Then I want to be here. I’ll come with him to join you later. Please.”

  A low growl rumbled in his throat. His eyes traveled to my arm, where he had watched a cut heal.

  “Fine,” he snapped. “Head down to the village now. When they notice, I’ll tell them I sent you on an errand. They won’t like it, but I’ll manage.”

  I offered Arland my sword arm. He scowled at it but then gripped my forearm. “Thank you,” I said. “And I promise I’ll find a way to help.”

  He raised one eyebrow. “Right.” The sarcasm didn’t exactly warm my heart, but I scampered down the trail before he could change his mind.

  Weight eased from my shoulders as I got farther from the campsite. The barely veiled animosity and distrust had been hard to deal with. People almost always liked me. I hadn’t felt so much suspicion since—well, since Kieran caught me following him outside of Lyric. Not that I blamed these guys, but still, I was glad to get away.

  I slipped into Tara’s house without knocking, not wanting to risk being seen outside her door. She looked up from the common-room table with a nervous start. She wasn’t alone. My stomach did a funny flip.

  It was her. Linette. I had met her briefly the last time I was here and thought of her often. Her white-blonde hair was pulled into a long braid, but I imagined the hair in a soft curtain around her shoulders. I bit the inside of my lip and stopped myself from imagining anything else as I took in her graceful form.

  She had startled at the sound of the door opening, but now her eyes softened as she smiled. “Jake, I didn’t know you were here.” She was obviously a songkeeper. Her voice was like music. I’d happily learn Verses from her all day long.

  “Close the door, Jake.” Tara’s chiding hid a thread of amusement. I had been frozen and staring, like the first time I’d met Linette. I blinked and forced myself to move.

  “The men are heading to a new site.” I pulled the door closed and walked toward them. “I need to stay in Braide Wood until Wade gets back. He went to find my mom.”

  “She’s here?” Linette’s eyes brightened.

  “Does he know where she is?” Tara asked at the same time.

  I sank into a chair at the end of the table and focused on Linette. “She’s here, but Cameron forced her to come. He must be holding her somewhere in Lyric.” I sat up taller and cleared my t
hroat. “I came to rescue her.”

  “And Wade went to get her?” Tara ladled clavo from a bowl on the table and passed a mug to me.

  My skin heated. “He wouldn’t let me go with him.”

  “That was wise,” Linette said quickly. “Lyric sounds like a dangerous place right now. Kieran sent me to find out what I could about what’s happening in the clans.”

  “From Hazor? Isn’t that a rough trip?” What was Kieran thinking, using her as a messenger?

  She laughed. “You sound like him. He wasn’t thrilled about it. Insisted on sending a dozen of Zarek’s soldiers to escort me to the pass. I slipped across to Morsal Plains this morning. They’ll wait for me just over the mountain.”

  Her smile faded. Afternoon rain pattered on the roof like drumming fingers.

  “Why didn’t Kieran come himself?” Disapproval colored Tara’s voice. Seemed the guardians weren’t the only ones angry that the Restorer had apparently deserted them.

  Linette turned her soft eyes to Tara and patted her hand. “It was his first impulse—to ride straight to Lyric. He was furious when he heard Cameron declared himself king. He came up with a dozen counterplans. Zarek gave his blessing too. Of course, Kieran would have found a way to come even if Zarek had locked him up.”

  “So where is he? Why didn’t he do anything?” I drained my cup and set it down on the table.

  Linette’s finger traced a pattern of whorls in the wood. “That night, the One came and talked to Kieran. Told him to stay in Hazor and keep doing the work he was called to.” She shook her head in rueful affection. “He hasn’t been very happy about it.” She looked up at me. “Still seems to argue with the One a lot. But he’s been doing great work in Hazor.”

  The admiration in her voice was clear, and for some reason I didn’t like it. I shifted in my chair. Then a flash of rational thought finally broke through the haze that took over whenever I was around her.

  “Tara, could I talk to Linette alone?” My ears grew warm, and I hoped I wasn’t blushing.

  Tara didn’t tease me. “Of course.” She stood slowly, letting her old joints readjust before leaving the room.

  Linette watched her and sighed. “Things are even worse here than we were told.”

  “Told by whom?” I asked.

  Her eyes brushed over me and away. “Oh, you know. Messengers.”

  She was hiding something. Would she tell me the truth about other things?

  “Linette . . .” I liked saying her name.

  Jake, focus.

  “Linette, has Kieran lost his Restorer gifts?”

  I hadn’t planned to be that blunt, but I didn’t know how to ease into this topic. Her eyes widened and she leaned across the table.

  “Why would you ask that?” Her voice dropped to a wary whisper. Great. More distrust.

  I jumped up and retrieved a small knife from the kitchen. A quick slice across my index finger drew a thin line of blood and a gasp from Linette.

  When she saw it heal, she sagged back against her chair, studying me with a blend of equal parts wonder and sadness. “Oh, Jake.”

  “So does Kieran know? Or is he still a Restorer too? What am I supposed to do?”

  She considered for a long minute, then sighed. “Yes, he knows. After we got to Sidian, he got a bruised rib from sparring with Zarek. It didn’t heal fast. He’s kept the knowledge hidden because he’s not sure how Zarek will react. The whole reason Hazor didn’t destroy Lyric was because Kieran offered them a Restorer.”

  Her pale forehead wrinkled. “He still hears the One, and he’s been able to heal other people sometimes, but he doesn’t have the Restorer signs anymore.”

  Now it was my turn to slump against my chair. I had hoped he was still a Restorer, that my time hadn’t come yet. Or that there would be two Restorers at the same time—even if the Verses didn’t record that happening before.

  Linette slid her chair closer and rested a hand on my shoulder. “Jake, if the One has called you to be the new Restorer, He’ll show you what to do.” Her words rang with so much strength and fire that I managed not to think about how close she was to me. “When your mother came here, she didn’t even know what a Restorer was. The One brought people to help her and equipped her for her role. She saved Braide Wood and the Council. And when Kieran was called by the One . . .” Linette’s lips curved. “Well, it wasn’t easy for him, either. But he stopped the entire army of Hazor from destroying Lyric.”

  “But people don’t even believe in Restorers anymore, thanks to Cameron’s lies.” I wanted to act confident and courageous in front of Linette but couldn’t help being honest with her. Fear churned inside me. “Things are a mess.”

  She squeezed my shoulder. “Yes, they are. You won’t be able to do this by your own power. That’s what your mother learned—and what Kieran is still learning.”

  She stood up suddenly.

  “I could use a little encouragement myself,” she said with a shy smile. “Come on, I’d like you to meet someone.”

  I liked sitting at Tara’s table with Linette. I was tired of meeting new people and guessing who to trust and how much to reveal. “Does this someone have a sword?”

  She looked bewildered. “No. He’s Braide Wood’s eldest songkeeper.”

  “All right.” I pushed myself to my feet without much enthusiasm.

  My rain poncho would look out of place, so I borrowed a cloak from the pegs by the door. Our feet squished on the wet paths along the edge of the village to a small home under a tall spice tree. Linette’s gentle tap garnered a hoarse invitation to enter.

  We shook the rain from our cloaks, and then she took my hand to lead me into the cabin. A tingle traveled through my arm and fluttered in my lungs. The sensation stopped when Linette dropped my hand to hang up her cape.

  “Jake, this is Lukyan.”

  The old man gave us both a warm smile from his chair but didn’t rise.

  “Linette, what a treat for these tired eyes. And welcome, young Jake.”

  Lukyan’s eyes were blue, clouded by age. Veined hands rested in his lap, and he seemed so frail that I was afraid if he took a deep breath, his bones would snap. Linette waved me to pull up a chair near him, and she settled gracefully to the floor near his feet, tucking her legs under her.

  “Have you finished your work in Hazor?” He reached out with one trembling hand. She took it in both of hers and held it for a moment against her cheek.

  “No. But we’re making progress. I’ll tell you all about it later. Jake needs your help.”

  Lukyan turned his rheumy eyes in my direction and studied me. He began to nod, but I wasn’t sure if it was age tremors or intentional.

  “Go ahead,” Linette urged.

  I looked at her.

  “Jake, you can tell him everything. He helped your mother. He even took a dagger in the back that was meant for her.”

  My eyes widened, impressed. He was the eldest songkeeper of Braide Wood. What better place to start in my desire to prove Cameron’s new Record was a sham? I poured out my story, with occasional help from Linette. By the time I had reviewed everything that had happened and the huge dangers facing all of us, my throat felt raw.

  “So where do I start? How do we stop Cameron and save Rendor? How do we let everyone know the Records are fake?” I noticed my foot tapping, and I stopped it with effort.

  Lukyan hadn’t taken his eyes from me while I talked. Now he turned to Linette. “I can help, of course. But you see the greater danger, don’t you?”

  Linette looked up at her teacher and frowned in concentration.

  Greater danger? Things weren’t bad enough?

  “Linette, think. What will happen when Jake makes this known?” His voice wasn’t as frail as the rest of him.

  She shook her head once, still puzzled. Then something clicked; color
washed from her face.

  Lukyan nodded and turned back to me. His shoulders caved and his eyes drooped. “Jake, your course could destroy our People.”

  I pushed my chair backward and launched to my feet. “How did I become the bad guy in this? How could telling people the truth destroy them?” I turned a pleading gaze toward Linette, but she shook her head and studied the floor.

  I looked at Lukyan again. Why wasn’t he happy? I’d just let him know that the People had a new Restorer.

  “Sit down, Jake.” His voice was weary. “If this is what the One has called you to do, we’ll both help you. But you must understand: The problem is much worse than you realize.”

  “So explain it to me.” I gave him my full attention, wishing I could stick my fingers in my ears instead.

  Chapter

  14

  Jake

  Lukyan stood up slowly, waving away Linette’s offer of help. He hobbled over to a wall cubby and pulled out a wooden case. Made from the twisted golden branches of the strange spice trees that grew throughout the clans, it was worn smooth. When he brought it to the table, Linette and I gathered close. He lifted the lid and folded back a layer of forest green cloth.

  “A few days after Hazor’s army retreated, Cameron called all the songkeepers to Lyric. We assumed it was to show support for the new Restorer or to celebrate the victory of the One.”

  “Hold on.” I rubbed my temples. “A few days? Cameron and Medea came into our world the same day that Kieran made his deal with Zarek. They were in our world for over a month.” Lukyan and Linette gave me blank looks. I’d forgotten that with no visible moon, they didn’t measure by months. “I mean half a season. This doesn’t make sense. Does he have a twin?”

  “Jake.” Linette’s mellow voice held off the headache that kicked against the inside of my forehead. “I knew your father slightly when we were both studying in Lyric. He was a Council apprentice. I was a new songkeeper. We were both eighteen then.”