season avatars 03 - chaos season (10 page)

“I…I’ll go beg his pardon.” Jenna set the glass aside without having touched a drop. She would have given it back to Gwen, but she didn’t want to risk linking with her and letting her feel Jenna’s guilt.

CHAPTER EIGHT

The One Oak’s Welcome

Kron accepted Jenna’s apology, but he chose to sit with Dorian for the afternoon train ride. Nothing good could come from associating with that discontented Avatar, especially since Dorian seemed very interested in what Kron had to tell him and asked several questions about Salth, the Dead Land, and the Avatars’ first life. Jenna joined a card game of Seasons with her sister Avatars and misplayed most of her hands trying to listen to Kron and Dorian. By the time the entire party disembarked at Midpoint, she was grateful for the chance to move around. Gwen’s Aunt Gabri had chosen to stay behind in Wistica to help Ysabel’s family settle in, so Gwen posted instructions to her servants at her country house. Then everyone boarded carriages for the last leg of the journey. Soon Jenna’s opportunities for more journeys would be limited.

She stared through the twilight at the oaks lining the path to the old house, which had been built shortly after Challen had been annexed into the Fip Empire. The first Summer Avatar who had lived here had started a tradition of force-growing an oak tree from an acorn as a counterpart to the Fall Avatar’s anilink. The tree helped the Summer Avatar extend his or her reach across Challen. Each new Summer Avatar grew a new tree. Over the centuries, the trees had created their own little forest. Tomorrow, or as soon as Jenna had settled in, she would have to select an acorn from storage and find the perfect spot to plant it. She hoped she could find a clearing, but since the trees were considered too sacred to cut down, they crowded together, choking off new life.

Jenna hoped the house and the old Season Avatars wouldn’t do that to her.

Before they’d boarded their hired carriages in Midpoint, Sophia had summoned an owl and persuaded him, despite derisive cawing from her crow anilink, to carry a message to the One Oak ahead of them. Jenna wasn’t surprised to see the grooms waiting to assist them, but she didn’t expect the other servants—from the butler down to the lowest scullery maid—to be lined up in front of the entrance and dressed in clean uniforms. Lanterns posted along the drive cast a crescent of light above them.

The butler stepped forward and bowed to each of the older Avatars before turning to Gwen and bowing again. “Ava, welcome home, and congratulations on finding the rest of your set. All Avas this time, I see.”

“Yes, Frederick.” She beckoned Jenna, Ysabel, and Kay forward. “Jenna t’Reve, Ysabel s’Ivena Lathatilltin, and Kay Seltich, I would like you to meet our new butler, Frederick Pippen. If there’s anything you need when we’re here, it’s his job to arrange it.”

Gwen led them to the chief housekeeper, Dame Elga H’even, a woman with iron-gray hair and a back as straight as a hoe. The housekeeper then took over the job of introducing every single servant to them. Jenna lost track of the names after the third maid, but Gwen spoke to and blessed each of them, taking care to use her unscarred hand. Jenna nodded at the servants, but she wasn’t sure if she should bless them. Since her magic dealt with plants, it wouldn’t be as effective here. Ysabel and Kay followed along, with Kay too shy to speak.

By the time the introductions were done, Jenna was exhausted and ravenous. The servants had set up a cold buffet in the dining room, but first she had to help Callie settle her overtired child. Robbie fussed so much it was difficult to get him to nurse. Once he calmed down, Jenna strolled with him through the public rooms of the One Oak, reacquainting herself with the layout and furnishings.

The original house had been built around a central courtyard, with each Avatar assigned to a separate side of the house. The front of the house was Spring’s side, with Summer on one side and Winter on the other. Jenna turned toward the Summer side, distinguished by floral wallpaper and potted plants throughout. She passed a small parlor to head into the study. Books and journals lined the room from floor to ceiling, occasionally interrupted by pressed and framed leaves and flowers. Jenna grimaced at the thought of having to read everything to find clues about the new plants—if there were any clues to be found. Hopefully Charles would help her.

She noticed a door leading into the central courtyard. Did it lead where she thought it did? Shifting Robbie to her other arm, Jenna opened the door and peeked inside. Warm, humid air greeted her, along with scents of moss, soil, and various herbs. The atrium. It was dark inside, with not enough starlight to show her the rows of plants and the seed bank in the corner of the atrium. Tomorrow she would come here to choose an acorn, but if she couldn’t find any information about the deathbushes, she would have to try growing them here under controlled conditions and learn the best way to destroy them.

“Jenna, aren’t you going to eat?” Gwen glided up behind her. “You’d better come to the dining room before all the food disappears. I don’t think the staff realizes yet how much food seven Avatars can eat every day.”

“I’ll be right there. Where’s Callie? Robbie’s ready for bed.”

“Speaking of that…” Gwen lowered her voice. “Apparently Charles and Sophia share the Summer Avatar’s suite. You’ll have to take another bedroom.”

Jenna sighed wistfully. From what she remembered, the Avatar suites were bigger than her family’s farmhouse, big enough to boast two fireplaces, a sitting area, and a dressing room. She wouldn’t be surprised if Charles had had one of the new water closets installed. She itched to have a place of her own she could fill with pretty dresses. Hopefully now that they were settled, they could send for seamstresses to make new wardrobes for everyone.

“I suppose you don’t have to worry about that since Margaret is with the God of Winter,” Jenna said.

Gwen shook her head. “No, Dorian shared the Spring Suite with her. He says he wants to stay there with all of her things so he doesn’t forget her.”

“How sad.”

Gwen sighed. “From the way he glares at me, I think he’d like to eject me out of the Spring Wing altogether. I have a feeling my bedroom will be freezing tonight.”

“Maybe you should stay in the Summer Wing with me,” Jenna suggested. “We can keep each other company, the way we did while we were traveling so much.” It would be dangerous continuing to share a room with Gwen, as they might accidentally link. But having Gwen close by would make this huge house more homelike.

“No, I’m not going to let him drive me out of my own wing.” Gwen’s voice developed an edge. “I’m not going to toss him out of the Spring Suite, but I’m the current Spring Avatar now. Once the four of us prove we can tame a Chaos Season, then the older three Avatars need to step down so we can be officially recognized. We’ve been doing it this way for hundreds of years. Dorian knows what to expect. He should give way to Kay as gracefully as the real seasons do.”

“And has he ever done that?”

Gwen sighed. “Not in any life we know was his.”

“What are you going to do about him?”

“Normally, I’d let the Avatars from his own set handle Dorian. But with Margaret gone, Charles and Sophia can’t manage him.” She lowered her voice. “You’ll see what I mean in the dining room.”

Callie waited in the hallway, and Jenna gratefully passed her sleeping son to him. Robbie seemed to have gained twenty pounds on the walk back. Ysabel and Kay, on the other hand, were absent when Jenna entered the dining room with Gwen. As Gwen had predicted, most of the food was already gone. However, the wine still flowed at the end of the table occupied by the three older Avatars. Charles leaned back in his chair, snoring. He must have had a magic talent to sleep while Sophia and Dorian, backs toward the door, argued with each other.

“By All Four, they’re not ready!” Dorian said. “I don’t think they’ll ever be ready. There’s something wrong with their set.”

Gwen raised a finger to her lips, but Jenna didn’t need the caution. She flattened herself against the wall, wishing her dress didn’t stand out so much against the pale yellow wallpaper. Maybe the best thing to do would be to sneak out of the room silently before the other Avatars noticed them. Jenna’s stomach rumbled again. She needed to eat now, and her curiosity was almost as strong as her hunger.

Gwen tapped Jenna’s arm—the sleeve prevented her from linking—and sank to the floor. Jenna copied her. They faced each other. Gwen scowled, but Jenna didn’t think the anger was directed at her—for once.

“What do you mean, something’s wrong with their set?” Sophia slurred her words. “Have you noticed we’re the ones without a Spring Avatar?”

“You frozen fool! How can I forget for a heartbeat that Margaret’s gone? She calls out to me in my dreams, pleading for help.”

“Help? Dorian, she’s with the Four now.” Sophia patted Dorian’s hand. “They will take care of her until the two of you can be reborn together.”

“That’s the problem. They don’t have her!”

Sophia snorted in a most unladylike manner. “How much wine have you had?”

“Less than you. We’ll talk more about Margaret in the morning, when your winehead has cleared.” His tone hardened. “Even with wineheads, we’re still better suited to handle Chaos Season than the girls are.”

“Nonsense. Youth doesn’t matter when they have their memories.”

“Are you sure of that? Because the way the Fall and Winter Avatars were wandering around, they didn’t seem to remember the One Oak at all.”

“It was their first time here in this life, Dorian. Every set changes the house a little. In another day or so, it will be home to them.”

“And it’s still our home.” Dorian punctuated “our” by slamming the glass down on the table. A piece of the base broke off and bounced against the wall.

“And I still think we should leave after they’ve proved they can handle a Chaos Season,” Sophia said. “So should you. Go visit that adorable grandson Margaret helped deliver.”

“Margaret needs me to stay here.”

Sophia shook her head. “Let her rest with the God of Winter, Dorian. She deserves it. You’ll see her soon enough.”

“So will a lot of other people.”

“By All Four, what do you mean?”

Jenna crept closer to the buffet table, followed by Gwen.

“The Spring Ava didn’t heal anyone at the soltrans, did she? Maybe that frozen shard stole her magic, just like it stole Margaret’s life.”

Gwen winced.

“But she said they linked, all four of them.”

“Ha! I’ll believe that when I see it. Wasn’t there some blasphemy involved with the Fall Avatar?”

“She might be the first Avatar who’s part Selathen,” Sophia said slowly, “but that doesn’t matter.”

“You mean, you hadn’t heard she had a twin brother?”

“A twin…brother?” Sophia laughed. “By All Four, Dorian, you’ve had too much wine. Avatars can’t have twins; that would interfere with their magic. My Goddess would never allow a twin brother anywhere near one of Her Avatars. We’re lucky She allows us to marry.”

Gwen and Jenna exchanged glances. Dorian had learned a great deal about their quartet. It didn’t matter, though. They’d worked with Ysabel and knew her magic was effective. If it wasn’t, they would have lost her—and Gwen too—when Sal-thaath captured them.

“It gets worse,” Dorian said. “Their Winter Avatar doesn’t want to use her magic at all.”

“That is bad,” Sophia agreed. “Without Kay, they have no chance of taming a Chaos Season. But we can’t do it without Margaret either.”

“I can pull the magic from the weather—”

“And then what would you do with it? How would I heal animals and Charles restore the harvest? No, our group is done, Dorian.” Sophia rose, grasping the edge of the table as she swayed. “Thank the Four. Even Margaret would say you mourn her too much.”

“You never knew her the way I did!” The air grew colder, as if Dorian intended to make it snow inside the house. “You and Charles may have linked with us, but she never let you two see her most private thoughts!”

“That didn’t matter. She made no secret of being ready to step down. Healing people is never-ending, weary work, Dorian, even harder than tending plants or animals. She wanted a rest. Let her have it.”

Sophia staggered out. Dorian poured himself another glass of wine as he mumbled to himself. Jenna couldn’t make out everything he said, but she heard the word “sunshine” several times. Gwen crept forward. As he stared into his glass, frosting it over, Gwen rose behind him and touched his ear. He fell forward and would have landed on his wineglass if Gwen hadn’t moved it at the last heartbeat.

Jenna crept out from under the table and straightened herself. “Thank the Four I can finally eat. I’m starving.”

“I could use some more bread and cheese myself.” Gwen wiped her hands on her dress as she stepped away from the snoring Dorian. “I don’t think my curse affected him. If there was anyone I might wish it on, it would be him, no matter how much he’s grieving.”

Jenna grabbed a loaf of bread and sliced off a piece as thick as her thumb. “What, not your tender fiancé William?”

“At least he doesn’t have a grudge against my sister Avatars.”

“Dorian’s in mourning, Gwen.” His snow-white suit made Jenna feel guilty over wearing pure green. She should switch to half-mourning for Thomas, her absent husband. “He hurts so much he thinks his wife shares his suffering. Don’t you feel any pity for him?”

“I would, if I didn’t think he loves his magic as much, if not more than, his wife.”

Jenna chewed on that as she ate. She washed down the last of her sandwich with some wine. Finally she said, “Well, it doesn’t matter what he thinks or says about us. He can’t tame Chaos Season without the rest of his set. All he can do is teach Kay—oh.” Jenna widened her eyes. “He’s the last Avatar who should work with her. One day with him, and she’ll hide in some windowless room and never come out again.”

“If we’re lucky, he won’t have anything to do with us.” Gwen stared at him. “The four of us can practice with Kay. I see no reason why Sophia can’t assist Ysabel or Charles help you. But we should discourage Kay from having Dorian teach her.”