season avatars 01 - seasons beginnings

by sandra ulbrich almazan

  know how to get to the Magic Institute. And from what I overheard, I

  knew neither magician would take me there, since then they would have

  to turn me over to the other magicians so I could be trained properly.”

  Kron got up to search for another suitable pole for the portal. Some

  loose branches were piled behind the henhouse, so he borrowed one.

  “What did you do then?” Bella asked.

  “I listened to Milas’ instructions on how to make a portal, but I soon

  realized it would only take me to a place I knew well, not somewhere

  I’d never been before. All I knew from what I overheard was that the

  Magic Institute had the most powerful magic and magicians in the

  known world. If I could only figure out the direction with the strongest

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  sense of magic, I could find my way there on my own.” Kron took a

  deep breath. “That’s when I created my first finder. Then, when they’d

  passed out from the wine, I stole some supplies, enchanted a cloak so

  no one would notice me, and ran away.”

  “How brave!” Bella said. “I’ve never even been out of Vistichia.”

  Kron, busy fusing the branches together, couldn’t respond at first.

  He supposed it had been brave for an inexperienced youth to travel all

  the way up the Chikasi River on his own, but at the time he hadn’t

  known how long the journey would take. He didn’t want to relate to

  Bella everything he’d done on that trip either.

  “Well, as soon as the portal is ready, you’ll see the Magic Institute,”

  he said. “It’s not something many Nils—I mean, people without

  magic—get to see. Do you think Phebe will go through the portal on

  her own?”

  Some of the excitement left Bella’s eyes. “She won’t even come out

  from under the table. I hope Troge and the boys don’t see her like this.

  They won’t believe what happened. I’m not sure they would have be-

  lieved it even if they were there.”

  “I don’t know how long we’ll be gone,” Kron said. “Travel will be

  quicker than anything you can imagine, but healing her mind may be

  difficult. If we’re not here when Phebe’s family returns, they won’t

  know where she is. That could be a problem.”

  Bella chewed her lip for a moment before saying, “I guess we’d bet-

  ter wait for them, then. I’ll finish supper.”

  Kron decided it would be better to finish charging the portal when

  they were ready to leave. Otherwise, stray animals—or children—

  might find themselves in the Magic Institute. He followed Bella inside.

  While she baked the flatcakes and fried slices of cured ham, Kron ex-

  amined Phebe again. Still acting like a chicken, and still no sign magic

  was causing this. Maybe taking her to the Magic Institute wouldn’t be

  helpful, but this wasn’t something an herbalist or surgeon could cure.

  Besides, the fewer questions raised locally, the sooner he would be free

  to resume his journey.

  Sea so n s’ Be gin n in gs · 3 5

  Bella draped the blanket over the table, creating a shelter for her

  sister. She had just finished cooking the last flatcake when a heavily

  muscled, bearded man tromped in, followed by a pair of youths who

  were obviously his sons. All three of them dropped carpenters’ tools by

  the door. “Phebe, is dinner ready?” the man asked. “We’re starving.

  Bella? Where’s your sister?” He turned his head toward Kron and

  merged his bushy eyebrows. “Who are you, and what are you doing in

  my house?”

  Sweat trickled down Kron’s back as if to point out how dry his

  mouth was. This man, though not much taller than him, possessed

  enough bulk to make two of him. “I’m...I’m Kron Evenhanded.” His

  voice retained its normal pitch, but it wavered. “And I’m here...”

  “Because Phebe isn’t feeling well,” Bella continued. “She needs a

  healer. He’s going to help me take her to one.”

  “You mean Galia? Is Phebe with child again?”

  “I don’t think so. This is different. She needs another healer.” Bella

  peered into a jug. “Troge, could you get more beer? We’re out.”

  As soon as he left, Bella ducked under the table and grabbed Phebe.

  Kron copied her, and they pulled her out. “Mother?” one of the boys

  asked. “What were you doing under there?”

  She clucked at them and tried to gather them under her arms.

  Bella, pressing her lips together, gestured toward the courtyard.

  They had to haul Phebe there, as she didn’t move no matter how much

  they coaxed her. Once they were outside, Kron left Bella to handle her

  sister while he activated the portal. He grabbed the supports, closed his

  eyes, and brought up the memory of the receiving area: a square with a

  fountain in the center surrounded by walls with a mosaic of the sun,

  moon, and stars. It was an image that was meant to be easy to remember,

  so magicians could always return. Not all of them used portals the way

  Kron did, but everyone who could transport themselves needed land-

  marks.

  Once the fountain was visible through the portal—the bright sun in-

  dicating it was still mid-afternoon, not early evening—Kron stepped

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  back. “This portal is too small for all of us to go through at once. Do

  you want me to go first, or are you willing to try it?”

  Bella walked around to the other side of the portal without answer-

  ing. Many people did that the first time they saw a portal, as if they had

  to see for themselves that the portal only worked from one approach.

  She bit her lip again when she returned. “I’m sorry, Kron, but could you

  please go first? I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

  How sweet she made his name sound. “Many people feel that way

  at first, Bella.” Did she like it when he dared to use her name? “There’s

  nothing to fear. It’s just like walking through a door.”

  To prove it, he stepped through. Warm sunlight made him realize

  how cool Vistichia had been, and as he approached the fountain, the

  water shifted to pour over chimes, an alert that a magician had arrived.

  Kron turned back to see if Bella had followed him. She and Phebe were

  still on the other side of the portal. Bella stared at him with a curious

  look on her face, while Phebe pecked at the ground.

  Kron approached the portal and extended his arm through, hoping it

  wouldn’t startle her. “Come on, I’ll help you through.”

  Taking a deep breath, Bella grabbed her sister with one hand and

  took Kron’s with her other one. He guided her through first, then, before

  Phebe could struggle too much, helped Bella pull her into the courtyard.

  Once there, Phebe shook herself before continuing her hunt for food.

  Bella walked to a mosaic and traced the pattern of stones.

  “Kron Evenhanded?” a familiar deep voice said from behind him. “I

  thought you were returning to your family. What brings you back

  here?”

  Kron turned to see Pagli, one of his teachers, striding toward him,

  wearing the traditional lavender tunic over bl
ack wool leggings and

  boots. It had only been a few moons since Kron had left the Magic In-

  stitute, but Pagli’s red braids had faded slightly, and his smile didn’t

  match the rest of his serious expression.

  “This dame here,” he gestured at Phebe, “was the victim of a magic

  prank. I did what I could to reverse the spell, but she’s still not acting

  Sea so n s’ Be gin n in gs · 3 7

  like herself. I thought maybe Valadia or Utho might be better suited to

  help her.”

  Pagli hesitated for a few heartbeats before saying, “Neither of them

  are here, but I’ll summon another healer to examine her.” He gave Kron

  a heavy look. “In the meantime, you’ll have to tell me more about what

  happened—and who did it.”

  He beckoned all three of them past the fountain into one of the In-

  stitute’s private nooks. Bella had to urge her sister to sit on a stool next

  to a fireplace. Pagli poured a handful of a blue powder into his palm

  and tossed it into the fire, which flared for a heartbeat before returning

  to normal. Bella flinched, but Kron told her, “It’s a way of passing a

  message through the chimneys. A novice will come here soon to find

  out what we want and who we need to see.”

  Pagli didn’t bother to sit. “And while we wait, Kron, tell me what

  happened.”

  This was the moment Kron had been dreading. He had to tell Pagli

  about Salth and her son, but part of him wanted to protect the boy. It

  occurred to him that perhaps Pagli would blame him for not reporting

  Sal-thaath’s existence sooner, or doing more to control him. While he

  didn’t fear censure or loss of his gift, he didn’t want his former teacher

  to think less of him.

  “The tale would be easier to tell with a flagon of wine and some

  cheese,” he said. “I’ve performed a lot of difficult magic today.”

  Pagli nodded slightly. “Have you come all the way from Delns?”

  “No, I wasn’t able to portal home, so I’ve had to sail down the

  Chikasi. I met these women in Vistichia while earning passage to

  Delns.”

  “And what have you seen?” Pagli asked. Unvoiced was the question,

  “How are the lands recovering from the recent spate of disasters?”

  Kron shrugged. “Farmers farm and traders trade, though there’s less

  of the latter these days, and more robbers. That’s why I’d rather sail up

  to Delns than make the overland passage north to the strait.”

  3 8 · S a n d r a U l b r i c h A l m a z a n

  Pagli glanced at Bella. “And what do you think of your city’s king?”

  When she didn’t speak, he added, “His ears don’t stretch this far. You

  can speak freely.”

  She stared at the floor and whispered, “I want to sing, but not for

  him. He’s cruel. Why can’t you magicians do something about that?”

  “Rulers? How do you change their nature?” Pagli threw up his

  hands. “Some things even magic can’t fix, Dama.”

  “Well, someone should try.” A fierce light gleamed in Bella’s eyes.

  “If I had your magic, I would do something.”

  “Knowing what is the best thing to do is always harder than finding

  the power to do it.” Pagli spoke with authority, as if he’d told this to

  many other magicians before.

  A novice arrived with refreshment, followed in a few heartbeats by

  a woman in blue robes and a collection of crystals. “You summoned

  me, Pagli?” she asked.

  He gestured at Phebe, who hadn’t touched her bread or wine. “This

  one was enchanted in body and mind. Kron broke part of the spell, but

  apparently not all of it.”

  The healer asked Kron and Bella a few questions before taking one

  of her crystals and passing it in front of Phebe. She repeated the process

  with crystals in different colors before saying, “Fear is keeping her

  mind imprisoned, but I think I can soothe her.” She looked at Bella.

  “Are you her sister? Will you come with me? I’ll need your help.”

  Bella nodded and urged Phebe to follow the healer.

  When they had left, Pagli said, “Now that the Nils are gone, you can

  tell me what really happened.”

  Bracing himself, Kron summarized how he’d first met the women,

  his encounters with Salth and Sal-thaath, and the disaster in the market-

  place. “I don’t know what disgusts me more,” he said. “Salth’s raising

  of the boy, or her insistence she can harvest magic from non-magi-

  cians.”

  “A harem-raised woman like Salth would have grown up wild her-

  self,” Pagli said “It wouldn’t matter as long as the children were

  Sea so n s’ Be gin n in gs · 3 9

  secluded. I’m sure spending time with you would only help Sal-thaath,

  Kron.” Pagli leaned forward. “Anyway, I want to hear more about what

  she told you. What does she think is about to happen? Why is she watch-

  ing the sky?”

  “I don’t know. She didn’t give details.”

  “Could you find out and report back?”

  Kron tensed. “Why? Do you think there’s something to what she

  says?”

  “I might not have thought so before, but if she’s discovered a way

  to create a child with magic, she needs to be watched. Power on that

  level can only cause problems.”

  Kron wondered if that applied to the Magic Institute. Some magi-

  cians left the institute to serve kings—or to try to become rulers

  themselves. Many other magicians remained at the institute to teach or

  study magic, each one as independent as a cat. Even getting them to

  work together to build something like the Magic Institute required much

  persuasion. If they all banded together to work in concert, how much

  power could they wield, and what would they do with it? It was a ques-

  tion Kron didn’t want to consider.

  “Salth has always been one of those to study magic for magic’s

  sake,” he replied. “Even if there is some magical event about to occur,

  why would she change?”

  Pagli shook his head. “Think, Kron. She’s the mother of a half-mag-

  ical being.”

  Kron’s eyes widened. “So, this event—it could affect Sal-thaath?”

  “It’s possible.”

  Kron couldn’t think while he was sitting, so he rose and paced the

  length of the alcove. A magical event could change Sal-thaath’s

  power—or even his nature.

  “I should probably tell her what Sal-thaath did, though I doubt she

  would care,” he said.

  “Excellent.” Pagli studied his wine. “And then you can report back

  to me.”

  4 0 · S a n d r a U l b r i c h A l m a z a n

  “Then what will you do?”

  Pagli lowered his glass. “Obviously, Kron, it depends on what you

  tell me.”

  * * *

  The water level in the jar dropped two holes before the healer re-

  turned with Bella and Phebe. Bella was smiling, and Phebe walked

  normally instead of hopping, so the healer must have been successful.

  If only Kron’s effort had worked completely, so this trip wouldn’t have

  been necessary and Bella would be grateful to him.

  “Kron! She’s better!
Phebe’s herself again!” Bella danced forward,

  face extended toward his. For a wild moment, he thought she might be

  bold enough to kiss him, but she pulled back before committing herself.

  “Thank you, thank you for all you’ve done for us!”

  Phebe gave her sister a sharp look before giving Kron a tight smile.

  “Yes, Kron, thank you. I would like to go home now, though.”

  “I’ll guide you back to the portal, Dame.” Kron suddenly remem-

  bered Phebe’s family might have found it. While he didn’t think they

  would go through on their own, he hoped they hadn’t destroyed it. He

  didn’t know the courtyard well enough to make another portal directly

  to that location.

  “I’m glad your mission here was successful, Kron,” Pagli said. “And

  don’t forget about what I said.”

  Kron led the women back to the portal. Before crossing through,

  Bella asked, “Kron, will we need to bring these magicians any goods in

  trade for their help?”

  He shook his head. “No, that won’t be necessary. I’ll pay them back

  in information.”

  Which meant he had to return to Salth as soon as possible—to-

  night—whether she welcomed him or not.

  C H A P T E R S I X

  A Midnight Visit

  At Bella’s insistence, Kron paused long enough to eat with Phebe

  and her family—a tasty meal, but one made uncomfortable by everyone

  staring at him and asking him questions about magic—before taking

  down the portal in the courtyard. Then he returned to his shelter and

  studied his collection of materials. Salth wasn’t likely to be forthcoming

  with information, so he might learn more by studying her unobserved

  for a while before revealing himself—assuming she didn’t detect him

  first. Maybe he should bring some protection along too in case she be-

  came hostile. Weaving cotton into his sandals ensured no one would

  hear his movements, and he already had a cloak enchanted to make him

  difficult to see. He renewed the spell on it, then, for good measure,

  swept a collection of nails, pottery shards, and other small items into a

  pouch, which he tied at his waist. If he needed to, he could enchant them

  into weapons or something else that was useful.

  When Kron couldn’t postpone his departure any longer, he created

  a secret portal to the spot where Sal-thaath had taken him. The sun had