season avatars 03 - chaos season (5 page)

“What I want,” Dorian said slowly, enunciating each word carefully, “is to have my wife back and continue using my magic.”

Jenna shook her head. She felt sorry for him, but obviously the Four weren’t going to give him his wish. He should resign himself to waiting for their next life together. Since they were both Avatars, they would meet again. Of course, maybe the Four would play a cruel trick on Dorian and Margaret and arrange things so they couldn’t marry each other, like reincarnating them as the same gender.

“At least you know you’ll see her again,” she said. She didn’t want to reveal too many details about her relationship with Gwen to Avatars she barely knew.

“In our next life. But how many years will I have to wait for Margaret?” Dorian paced, hands clasped behind his back. “Why do I have to live in a world without her? If the Four truly value us and honor our feelings, They should have taken me with her.”

“Dorian! By All Four Gods and Goddesses, you shouldn’t say such things.” Sophia’s face turned white as a lily. “What if They take your words seriously and act on them?”

He stared at her. “Would you really object?”

Her nostrils flared, but she didn’t speak.

A flash of light made them all turn around. Kron reappeared in the doorway, by himself. His expression was strained.

Gwen, followed by Kay, stepped into the room. They’d managed to sponge some of the dirt off of their clothes. “Where’s Ysabel?” Gwen asked.

“She wouldn’t come with me. She wants to stay with her family.”

“Have they found a place to live yet?”

He shook his head. “They sent a servant out to look for rooms, but no one seemed to know where to find boarding houses in Wistica.”

“I have an idea, but I’ll have to consult with Aunt Gabri about it,” Gwen said. “Is she still there?”

Kron nodded.

Gwen let a sigh escape. “All right, I’ll portal over with you.”

“Not by yourself, you’re not,” Jenna said. “I’ll come with you in case you need to draw on my magic.”

Kay glanced at the other set of Avatars and added. “I’ll come too.”

Jenna wasn’t sure how much help Kay would be with Ysabel and her family, but she appreciated the offer. Gwen nodded in acceptance. She snatched the last pastry from the platter and split it into thirds, offering pieces to Jenna and Kay. “Let’s go. Kron, will this portal take us directly to them?”

“If they haven’t left the Temple.”

“The Temple?” Sophia asked. “The Four allow you to use your magic in Their holy place?”

“It’s a good thing They do, since that’s the only building in Wistica that hasn’t changed in eight hundred years,” Kron said drily. “I don’t know what would have become of me if it wasn’t there.”

As Sophia gaped at him, Jenna and Kay followed Gwen through the portal into the Temple. They arrived in a side corridor not far from the central altar area. Voices and running footsteps echoed in the stone hallway.

“Is something wrong?” Kay asked.

“I don’t know.” Gwen raised her skirt to ankle height and strode forward as if she meant to clear out the Temple single-handedly—not that Jenna would let her do that, of course. She hurried to overtake Gwen.

She came out into the altar room just behind the Ava Spring. In front of them was a sight Jenna was sure had never been in the Temple before. Trunks and carpetbags, some left open, had been piled in the center of the room where worshippers normally stood. A footman attempted to organize the pile, while a maid and a cook chased a handful of young children as they raced from altar to altar. Ysabel’s cat patrolled around Fall’s altar, hissing at any child who got too near, and Ysabel’s mother knelt in front of it, forearms bare. Ysabel herself wiped water up from the God of Summer’s altar with a cloth. Cut roses and a shattered vase lay next to the altar. Small wonder she kept glancing around, shoulders hunched as if she expected Summer to appear and scold her for the mess.

Since Summer was Jenna’s God, she felt obligated to assist. “What happened?” she asked as she knelt to pick up the roses.

Ysabel blushed. “My family.”

Kay frowned. “By All Four Gods and Goddesses, what are you doing? You should be more respectful of Their Temple!” A strong breeze spread rose petals and their perfume around.

Kay complains about the mess even as she makes it worse.
Jenna collected a few petals before they blew out of their reach.
She’d better work on her control before we have to tame a Chaos Season.
In previous lives, Kay had been able to guide thread through a needle with a breeze. How long would it take her in this life to regain confidence in her abilities?

“I’m sorry,” Ysabel said. “I didn’t expect to meet the Four under these circumstances. But Mama’s not done praying to Fall yet, and my brothers and sisters are getting restless.”

“Then we’d better find somewhere else for them to go.” Gwen peered around. “Where’s my aunt?”

“If you mean the lady with the outlandish hat, she stepped outside for fresh air.”

Gwen nodded and headed off for the main entrance of the Temple, where the mock fights were staged. Jenna finished gathering the flowers and stood up so she could find a new vase for them. Before she could leave, the scents of apple cider and smoke overwhelmed the roses. Jenna glanced around for their source. Blinding light appeared near Ysabel’s mother. Jenna turned away, and everyone else stopped what they were doing.

“She has accepted me back!” Ysabel’s mother cried. “I’m a Fallswoman again!”

She held out her left arm. Above her marriage tattoo of her and her husband’s initials was a new one. It said “Fall” in large scarlet letters so ornate Jenna could hardly read them. The marriage tattoo was now surrounded by a pearl-white border.

Ysabel dropped her cloth. “Mama…is that…is that…Fall did that, just now?” She ran over and touched her mother’s tattoo with trembling fingers. Her mother stared at her arm and tilted it from side to side, an elated expression on her face. Jenna and Kay exchanged glances of their own. It wasn’t often that one of the Four marked a Fallswoman or Summersman personally. Summer was the most reclusive of the Four, but Jenna couldn’t help wishing He would appear, just for a heartbeat.

The servants and children gathered around Dame s’Ivena—no need to add her married name now. “Mama, what does that mean?” a sulky girl of about fourteen years asked.

Ysabel’s mother grinned. “It means I’m not married to your father anymore.”

The children’s eyes grew wide. Then they all spoke at once: “Why not?” “But Mama, when are we going to see Papa again?” “When are we going back home?”

“We’ll find another home.”

The sulky girl stamped her foot. “I want to go back to Tradetown! All of my friends are there!”

“It’s all right, Bethany.” Ysabel embraced her sister. “Wistica is a very nice place to live. You’ll make new friends—”

“I don’t care.” Bethany struggled out of Ysabel’s grip. “You ruined everything. It’s not fair.”

Jenna exchanged sympathetic glances with Ysabel. If Jenna had ever acted like that, her mama would have taken a switch to her. She hoped Bethany’s governess or mother would put some sense into her.

Gwen returned, supporting her aunt. “I have good news,” Gwen said. “Aunt Gabri has kindly agreed to let Ysabel’s family stay in our Wistica house until they can find a more permanent place to settle.”

Lady lo Havil grimaced as she surveyed the children, but she didn’t contradict her niece.

“Thank you, Gabri,” Ysabel’s mother said. “Don’t worry. The children have had a few shocks today, but they’ll calm down quickly.”

Bethany scowled at her older sister. Ysabel sighed and touched her mourning brooch. She attempted to hug Bethany, but when the child refused to acknowledge her, she left her to stop one of the toddlers from eating a rose Jenna had overlooked.

“I sent an urchin to the lo Havil house for the carriage,” Gwen said. “They should be here soon.” She looked at Ysabel. “Which things are yours? There must a footman or two back at the Avatar’s house brave enough to pass through the portal for your belongings.”

“My belongings?”

Gwen put on an earnest expression. “We need you. It’s our quartet’s season now.”

“So soon?” Ysabel glanced back at her family. “I thought I would have more time. You’ll need my help sorting things out here, won’t you, Mama?”

“Fall needs you more. Go with Her and the rest of the Four, dear.” Her mother opened her arms for an embrace. “Don’t worry about us. Now that I’m a Fallswoman again, She’ll look after me.”

“A Fallswoman!” Lady lo Havil fanned herself. “By All Four, Mattie, what happened? You must tell me everything!”

As the two older women started talking, Ysabel hugged each of her family members—besides Bethany—including the servants. Jenna realized she still held the roses from Summer’s altar. Kay silently gave her a replacement vase. Jenna arranged the roses, then curtseyed to the altar.
Summer, if Fall gave Ysabel’s mother her dearest wish, will You grant mine? Please don’t let Gwen remember her last life. Let her accept me in this one. We can’t marry this time, but we’re still bound to each other.

Ysabel set a trunk and a carpetbag aside before following Jenna and the others into the hall. “Where are we going now?”

“Back to our own house here in Wistica,” Gwen replied. “The summer soltrans is tomorrow.”

“Will you and Jenna battle?”

“They always do,” Kay said. “Even when it’s not the soltrans.”

Jenna felt herself flush and caught Gwen doing the same. She was grateful for the chance to distract the others. “Actually, the Avi Summer doesn’t mind if we perform this soltrans, but the Avi Winter complained—and he doesn’t even have a role in the summer soltrans!” She turned toward Gwen. “I say we ignore Dorian. People will want to see us at the Temple, not the older Avatars.”

Kay shrank back. “We shouldn’t ignore Dorian. He has strong magic.”

“So do we, and we’re a complete quartet.”

“Maybe it would be wise to give the older Avatars a final soltrans.” Gwen spoke in a firm tone that indicated she’d made up her mind. “My father and I perform the soltranses for our neighborhood, but he doesn’t feel comfortable fighting me. All we do is tap our staffs together a few times and move on to the reconciliation. I need to practice more before I perform at the Temple.” She yawned. “Besides, I need to rest and recover my magic.”

Jenna forced her disappointment down. They would have plenty of opportunities to engage in the soltrans in other years. She wasn’t ready to risk linking with Gwen by herself yet.

“There’s always the fall soltrans,” Ysabel said hopefully. “By then we’ll be fully established as the new Season Avatars.”

Gwen halted in front of the portal and drew them off to the side before someone in the Avatars’ house noticed them. In a low voice, she said, “First we have to prove we can tame a Chaos Season. The Four have given each of us a special challenge in this life. I have to keep this froze pottery shard in my hand so Sal-thaath can’t take it, and I’m not sure how it will affect us when we face Chaos Season.” Gwen turned to Jenna. “You have a child to raise, and…caring for him will drain your energy.”

Jenna flipped her braid to her other shoulder. She knew what Gwen was too well-bred to say directly. Although they’d hired a wet-nurse to care for Robbie, Jenna still nursed him as much as she could. Her body needed to produce both milk and magic and would need as much food and rest as she could give it.

“I can handle it,” she said.

“You don’t have to make it so hard on yourself.”

“He’s my child.”
Especially since his real father hasn’t acknowledged him yet.
“I want him to know who his mama is and not run to a servant for comfort.”

Gwen narrowed her eyes at Jenna before returning to Ysabel. “I know you’re going through some…family difficulties at the moment, but we’ll help you as much as we can.”

“Thank you.” Ysabel touched her brooch. “If only Lathtin was here to see this. Other than my mama, he’s the only one who knew I was the next Fall Avatar.”

Gwen drooped. “He’s…absent? What happened to him?”

“He caught scarlet spots while he was trying to figure out how outbreaks spread. Papa wouldn’t even let him come home when he found out Lathtin had been in sick neighborhoods. You would have liked him, Gwen. He wanted to go to the University and study medicine instead of taking over Papa’s watch shop.”

“Such a shame,” Gwen murmured.

Yes, it was a pity the first youth Gwen had shown interest in was no longer alive. Of course, her family would have probably rejected him anyway for not being a nobleman. Maybe Gwen would end up a Fallswoman in this life despite her best intentions. Jenna wondered if that would make things easier between them—or worse.

“May the Four give your brother a good sleep and a gentle rebirth,” Gwen said to Ysabel before turning to Kay. “Kay, you’re stronger than you give yourself credit for. We know you can tame a Chaos Season. You just have to embrace your magic and tap into your memories.”

“But my dreams—”

“Are just dreams.” Gwen beckoned them all closer. “I know Kron wants us all to help him attack Salth in the Dead Land, but let’s worry about taming the next Chaos Season. That’s more important—and we only need four of us to do it.”

Jenna hesitated. There was something else their quartet might need to tame. Or she specifically. Maybe the deathbushes were a unique plant and she’d never seen them again. But if their seeds were the ones she’d seen being blown over Challen, then they could be anywhere by now.

She took a deep breath. “Gwen, I haven’t told you about the deathbushes yet, have I?”

“Deathbushes?” Gwen raised her perfectly arched eyebrows. “What are those?”

“A plant I’ve never seen before. Grows very fast, even without my magic, and has possibly poisonous thorns.” With a few additions from Kay, Jenna described how the plants had been critical for delaying Ysabel’s father so they could all escape. She finished by saying, “I’m sure I killed all of them, but at some point I’ll have to go back to check.”

Ysabel’s face paled. “Papa is very harsh, and he gave me over to Sal-thaath…but he’s my father. It doesn’t seem right to wish him ill, even if he does deserve it. Besides, this plant might kill animals as well as people.”