season avatars 03 - chaos season (13 page)

“Le—The Avatar of War? He’s here?” Jenna’s heart hammered. Why had he come? “How did he get here so quickly? He must have left soon after us!” Maybe he’d missed her, or maybe he wanted to see his son. No, hadn’t he said something about war? When had that happened?

Gwen scowled and planted her hands on her hips. “The treaty states we are not required to assist the military. Our duties are to Challen and its people.”

“I don’t think that’s what he has in mind, Ava,” the butler said. “But he wants to discuss it with all of the Avatars at once.”

She sighed. “And I suppose everyone else is already gathered. How long has he been waiting?”

Jenna looked down at her bare feet and muddy dress. They reminded her too much of the first time she and Lex met. “Well, he’s going to have to wait a few minutes. I’m not respectable enough to meet him.”

She didn’t wait to hear where he was. Instead, she bolted for her suite. Thoughts of not being thought respectable enough for Lex—or anyone noble—taunted her. As an Avatar, she should be above such concerns. She should be respectable enough for anyone.

There’s nothing wrong with enjoying the pleasures of the body. Summer Himself would approve, even if He doesn’t practice such things. Pleasure is part of His season.
She sensed the truth of it even though it had been lifetimes since she’d had direct contact with the God she served. The problem was convincing the rest of Challen pleasure wasn’t only for breeding.

I wonder if Lex will stay long enough to see his son. If I find Callie, I’ll tell her to dress Robbie in his best outfit and make sure he’s been changed recently.

When Jenna entered her room, Clover jumped up from her seat, letting an old dress of Jenna’s fall from her lap. “By All Four, Ava, I wasn’t expecting you so soon!”

“No one told me the Avatar of War would call. I need to wash and change quickly so I don’t look so much like a farm girl.”

“There’s no shame in being a farm girl, Ava.” The maid poured fresh water into a bowl, then fetched a towel. “Especially when everyone knows Summer prefers Avatars with dirt under their fingers.”

That was true, but her words made Jenna scrub her hands a little longer than she would have otherwise.

Clover laced her into a pale green dress with matching slippers. “Should I redo your hair, Ava?”

“Just pin it back in place. I better not keep him waiting.” Beauty could do only so much if she angered him.

She nearly ran out the door without saying anything else, but remembering what Gwen would do, she said, “Thanks, Clover. Could you please find Callie and ask her to dress Robbie in his best outfit and bring him to me in an hour?”

Clover smiled. “Of course, Ava.”

Jenna wished she had time to nurse him now, even though she wasn’t aching or leaky yet. If her milk dried up, she’d have to either let Callie nurse Robbie all of the time or ask Gwen to restore her milk. Neither option sounded appealing.

She descended to the main level. The butler was waiting by the stairs and ushered her, not to the Spring Parlor as she would have expected, but the Map Room in the Winter Wing. Here the Winter Avatars kept records of the weather patterns they felt across Challen and plotted places where they expected Chaos Season to strike. Shelves with journals lined the room, and all of the chairs had been pushed to the walls to show off the mosaic of Challen in the floor. Lex paced over it as if he meant to reconquer their country. Gwen sat with a polite smile on her face and tension in her eyes as she watched him. All of the other Avatars—and even Kron—watched him silently as well.

Jenna walked around the edge of the mosaic to ask Gwen in a whisper, “What’s going on?”

Lex halted and stared at her. “Summer Ava.” His tone was harsh. “You are the last one to report for duty, even though I have word you are the one most involved in this battle.”

The accusation stung, even if she wasn’t sure what he accused her of. It was almost enough to distract her from his broad shoulders and rugged face. “Your Highness.” She curtseyed just low enough to avoid an insult. “I wasn’t aware there was a war going on among the plants. And even if there was, you could give us enough notice to receive you properly.”

He narrowed his eyes. “How could you not be aware, when your own Spring Ava reports the plants you grow yourself are fighting you?”

Gwen had already told him about what had happened this morning? She should know better than that. A Summer Avatar who couldn’t control her plants was as worthless as a cursed Spring Avatar. Jenna would have to have words with her later. For now, she tried to cover up how unsettled the incident had made her. “These plants are new to Challen, but once I’ve had time to study them, I’ll be able to bring them under control.”

“They are invaders in a war of magic—and gods.”

“Gods?” all of the Avatars echoed. Kron nodded as if he’d known this all along.

“Yes. Hold while I prepare myself.”

Lex commandeered an empty chair and sat in the center of the Challen mosaic as if to remind them who really controlled their country. Jenna half-wished him to fall onto the blue tiles representing the Chikasi River. He tilted his head back and spread out his hands, palms up. A shudder passed through him. Slowly he turned to stare at Gwen. His eyes were covered with a steel sheen that hid his dark brown pupils. By All Four, where had that come from?

“The Goddess and Child of Time are not satisfied with Their rule over the Dead Land.” Lex’s voice had deepened so much he sounded like an organ, yet Jenna was still able to understand him.

Gwen traced the compass rose of the Four over her heart. Jenna copied her, but it took her a few heartbeats before she realized what was happening.
The God of War is speaking through Lex.
She shivered, thankful the God of Summer had never asked such a thing of her.

“They seek to unseat the Four Gods and Goddesses of Challen,” Lex continued. “If the Four permit Time to break through Their border, then Time will invade the rest of the world, conquering not just the human lands but the divine realm.”

Goddess and Child of Time? He must be referring to Salth and Sal-thaath, the ancient enemies of Kron.

“Salth is not a full goddess,” Kron said, “She has not Ascended.”

“Neither have you, God of Artifacts.”

At that, everyone sucked in their breath and turned to look at Kron. Kron, a god? Gwen said he had a yellow-white aura, too light for a typical spring-born, but otherwise he seemed ordinary.

“I’m not a god,” he said. “I’m a magician from a time when humans were born with magic and didn’t depend on deities for it.”

“You still have star magic, God of Artifacts. If you chose, you could Ascend.”

Ascend? What does He mean by that? Kron could become a god?
Jenna wished she had her own chair. She felt weaker now than she had after giving birth.

“I don’t have enough star magic. The Four told me so. Besides,” he glanced at Ysabel, “I’ve no wish to Ascend.”

Ysabel flushed and stared at the floor.

“You choose to remain weak when you’re at war?” The God of War sounded scornful. “Even if Time is not a full goddess, She is still very powerful. No wonder you failed in your first attempt to subdue Her. I hope the Season Avatars are more reasonable, or else it’s not worth My sending My Avatar to ally with you against Time.”

Kay’s hand shook as she made the sign of the Four over and over.

Face pale, Gwen rose and curtsied as if before the king. “War, You wish to…work with us? Not conquer us this time?”

Lex’s eyes turned storm gray. “Have a care, little Avatar. Spring may favor you, My own Avatar may desire you, but you are still mortal and subject to the fortunes of war.”

“How would Your Avatar help us?” Kron asked. “And at what price?”

Lex slumped, and the gray faded from his eyes.

Gwen brushed her hand against Jenna’s long enough to send her through the link,
Notice how the God left without answering us. I don’t trust Him. It’s like the gods are at war with each other, and we’re caught in it.

Gwen, what can we do against gods? What if there’s a threat to Our Four?
No one—except maybe Kron—knew for sure what the Four looked like, but Summer was always pictured as a thin, green-skinned youth. Many pictures showed Him as half-hidden by a tree. Jenna imagined Him as a shy youth who had to be coaxed into enjoying life. He didn’t deserve to be bullied by foreign gods.

This is the Four’s country. They’re strongest here.

Gwen withdrew the link before Jenna could ask what she meant by that.

Lex stirred, staring at each of them. His eyes were back to normal. “What did He say?”

“You don’t remember?” Jenna asked.

“When the God fills you, there’s no room for anything else—even you.”

She shivered, grateful the Four never asked such things from Their Avatars.

“Apparently your God thinks we should work together to defeat Salth and Sal-thaath, Your Highness,” Gwen said. “But the Four have not given us a similar sign.”

Kron shook his head. “The Four told me long ago twelve Avatars are needed to bring Salth down. They never said anything about a God of War or His Avatar.”

“Perhaps I’m supposed to replace a Season Avatar, then.”

Sophia stirred. “If the third set of Avatars has been reborn—”

“They’d still be too young,” Dorian snapped. “And he’s no replacement for my wife.”

Lex’s eyes narrowed, but before he could speak, Kron said, “Just what kind of magic do you have, War Avatar?”

Lex raised his eyebrows. “You don’t know?”

“I’ve been inside of a water clock for eight hundred years. I wasn’t expecting the Fip city-state to take over the world while I was occupied with Sal-thaath.”

“You’re eight hundred years old?” Lex leaned forward. “There’s more to your magic than I thought, Delnsman.”

“It has nothing to do with my magic.” Kron looked sheepish. “I’m an artificer. I specialize in enchanted objects, either creating or destroying them.”

“Such as weapons?”

“No. No weapons.”

“A pity. We could use improved weapons in our campaign in the Spice Islands. Even traps to counteract theirs aren’t helping us.”

“And that won’t help us with Salth either,” Kron said.

Lex steepled his fingers. “How about battle strategy, uncanny skill with weapons, and the ability to inspire superhuman effort from ordinary people?”

“What good will any of that do against someone who can control time?” Gwen asked. “Kron and I defeated Sal-thaath’s human allies, but he reversed time and captured us. And he’s capable of much worse.” She displayed her scarred palm to Lex.

“Eagle Talons!” Disgust crossed his face as he backed away. “I was told your magic could heal almost anything.”

How dare he insult her? He has no idea what she endured!
“Sal-thaath tried to rot Gwen’s hand away,” Jenna said. “If her magic wasn’t as strong as it is, she would have lost her hand altogether, or maybe even her life.”

“I could barely heal myself fast enough to keep up with his destructive magic.” Gwen grimaced. “I needed to link with my sister Avatars to beat him, at least temporarily.” She glanced at Kron. “If he and Sal-thaath can turn time backward, can they also look forward? If they can find out what we plan in advance, they’ll be able to defeat us no matter what we do!”

“There are still strategies we can use, Ava.” Lex rose and paced over the mosaic to the western end of Challen. “We can provide the enemy with false information. Better yet would be to find out their weakness. The easiest way to defeat an enemy is to trick them into fighting themselves.” He crossed over to stand in front of Gwen. Jenna was close enough to smell his musky aftershave. “I am willing to ally myself with you against this Salth, but I think we should look for other ways to make the alliance permanent.”

Gwen’s face was expressionless as she said, “I will pray to the Four and seek Their guidance. Excuse me, Your Highness.” She left at somewhere between a walk and a run.

By All Four, he still wants to marry her? I thought her scarred hand would put him off. He doesn’t deserve her, and he won’t make her happy. Why isn’t she refusing him outright, like we agreed?

Jenna wasn’t sure she would accept him anymore herself. What if the God of War took Lex over while they were intimate? The thought pained her more than she wanted to admit.

Callie appeared in the doorway with a bundle of silk in her arms. Jenna hoped her son could breathe under all that cloth. She pushed it away from his face before taking him from the nursemaid.

Conscious of the other Avatars still in the room, Jenna said, “Your Highness, would you like to see my son, Robbie?”

Lex’s ears turned pink. He peered at Robbie, keeping his hands behind his back. “He has a good nose and chin.”

He got them from you.
“Thank you, Your Highness.” Freeze it, she’d hoped he’d show more interest in his child than that. Maybe he would if they were alone.

Sophia rose, curtseyed, and said, “Will you be spending the night, Your Highness?”

He nodded.

“Splendid.” Something about her tone struck Jenna as false. “I’ll have our staff prepare a guest suite in the Winter Wing for you.”

“I trust it will not be snowy,” he said.

Jenna laughed, even though the other Avatars looked uncomfortable. At least Lex could make a joke.

He gave her a stiff nod. “Perhaps the presumptive Ava Summer could privilege me with a tour of the grounds before dinner?”

Her stomach growled. Heartbeats later, so did his.

“Then again, some refreshment would be appreciated,” he said.

Jenna saw her opportunity. “We could have something brought out to the gazebo in the rose garden.” They could speak privately there—though she supposed they wouldn’t be permitted complete privacy. Privacy was probably the only advantage her parents’ farm had over the One Oak. If she had to have a chaperone here, then she’d pick one before Sophia volunteered for the job. “Callie, please bring Robbie to the gazebo with us. The air would be good for him.”

Lex surprised her by offering her his arm. She squeezed it, approving of his firm muscles. She led him through a side door and onto a brick-laid path heading upriver from her newly planted tree. The path wound between patches of clover, ornamental grasses, and wildflowers. Jenna’s face tingled from the warmth of the sun, but she tilted her head and drank in the blue sky, the slight breeze from the river, and the sense that this was the perfect summer day, a tribute to her chosen God.