season avatars 03 - chaos season (22 page)

“She needs provoking, otherwise she’d never do anything fun. Spring should make people happy, not worry that they’re shirking their chores—”

Pouncer sprang up and hissed at nothing Jenna could see. Fur rose along his spine. Had he sensed a fox, or something far more dangerous?

A bell rang, sending deep notes to penetrate the trees. All the birds flew off. The bell rang four times, paused, then pealed another quartet of notes. Jenna had only needed one note to know what was happening.

“A Chaos Season.” Jenna jumped up. “They never come at good times, do they?”

“Where do you think this one is?”

Jenna grabbed the basket, then decided it would slow her down and set it next to the tree. She could come get it later. “More importantly, who’s going to handle it, us or them?”

“We have to,” Ysabel said as she scrambled back along the trail. “The older Avatars can’t link.”

“Shouldn’t we go straight to my sapling?” Jenna asked. “We have to meet there anyway.”

“First we have to figure out where in Challen the storm is!”

Freeze it, Ysabel was right. It had been too long since Jenna had properly tamed a Chaos Season. “Then this way is shorter.” Jenna wove her way around the oak. Pouncer ran ahead of her on a path too narrow for people. She followed it anyway, brushing each plant with an apology for disturbing it. “What makes you think we’ll be able to link?”

Ysabel didn’t reply, but as she caught up to Jenna, she gave her an odd glance, as if to say they had no choice. Jenna knew that facing the magical weather storm would be nothing next to the emotional storm the four of them would create in their link.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Peaches in Chaos

Gwen paced back and forth in the map room when Jenna and Ysabel arrived, out of breath. Kay huddled in the center of the map, eyes closed and hands outstretched as if she could touch the Chaos Season from here. For once, the presence of Dorian standing in a corner, arms crossed and glaring at his successor, didn’t seem to bother her. Sophia and Charles nodded at Jenna and Ysabel but didn’t speak. They appeared willing to let the other Avatars handle this Chaos Season.

“Where is it?” Jenna asked as soon as she caught her breath. “How big is it?”

“Kay’s still determining that,” Gwen replied. “Maybe Pouncer can help. The rest of us should prepare ourselves while we wait.”

She clapped her hands, and several maids came forward, led by the butler. Some carried serving trays of food and drink, while others bore cloaks and boots. Jenna found more room for cold chicken and cheese, then washed them down with cream-topped chocolate. As soon as she was done, two maids assisted her with dressing. She accepted the cloak but refused the boots. “If it’s not close by, do I need the boots? I can ground myself better if I touch soil.”

“How do you know it won’t come here?” Dorian asked. “If Kay loses control—”

Gwen rounded on him and said, “She won’t if you stop telling her she will. Kay, have you located it yet?”

She didn’t respond, so Gwen went over to her and tapped her shoulder. “Kay?”

She jumped, then shivered as if she’d been shoved into a snowbank. “South of Wistica, near the Salt Waters.”

“Is it close to a town or city?”

Kay frowned. “I don’t know.”

Gwen sighed. “We’ll find out when we link. Are we ready?” She looked at Kay and Ysabel, but barely glanced at Jenna.

So that was how it was going to be. Well, she might not have been born a noble, but Avatars had their pride too. Jenna straightened her shoulders and loudly announced, “I’m ready.”

“Ysabel? Kay?”

Jenna wondered if Gwen had ignored her. Well, she wouldn’t be able to do that when they needed her tree to help extend their link. In the meantime, Jenna marched out of the room without waiting for the others. They could catch up with her.

She was halfway to her tree before she remembered she hadn’t even had a chance to check on Robbie. What a poor mama she was turning out to be.
We had better do a good job of taming this Chaos Season. The Four know I’m not good for anything else.

A stray thought danced through her mind that she didn’t belong with this quartet anymore, that she should leave them and let them find a different Summer Avatar. “Ha!” She shook her head to clear the madness. There were no other Summer Avatars her age; she’d seen her birth record in the Hall of Records, and the page was blank except for her name. No, they were all bound to each other for this lifetime. Only once they were all dead could the Four even think about rearranging the quartets, and Jenna had no intention of dying for a long time.

She hoped her sister Avatars could prevent that.

As Jenna reached her tree, the sky started to cloud over. Summer warmth faded so quickly Jenna searched around her for other signs of Chaos Season. The leaves on the trees stayed green, and snow didn’t fall. Nonetheless, she pulled her cloak around her for protection—though she did remove her boots—and laid a hand on her oak.
You’ve done very well for yourself in such a short time,
she told it.
Now you need to strengthen your roots and help us reach deep across Challen to tame Chaos Season. Are you ready?

The tree’s branches rustled with eagerness.

Gwen, Ysabel, and Kay appeared, followed by the three older Avatars. “Now remember, Gwen,” Sophia said, “Kay needs to tame the weather before you let Jenna and Ysabel restore the plants and animals. Of course, if they’re in danger, you can save them, because we can’t help them if they die.”

Gwen nodded, smiled, and said, “Yes, Sophia,” so politely Jenna was certain she really meant, “I already know this, Sophia.”

As the other girls drew closer, they moved into their traditional positions. Ysabel stood on Jenna’s left. She helped her cat climb up to perch on her shoulder, with Pouncer leaning against her head and resting his front paws on her ear and temple. Kay drew next to Ysabel, facing Jenna. Despite her running to Jenna’s tree, Kay still had pale cheeks, as if neither sun nor blood could touch them. She twisted her head around, searching everywhere for something no one else could see.

“I was wearing an outfit similar to this in my nightmares,” she said.

Jenna supposed dreaming about dying—especially in circumstances that might leave a soul trapped and unable to be reborn—would make anyone nervous. Kay couldn’t afford distraction now. None of them could. “Well, what could happen here on the Avatars’ estate, with the rest of us to help you?” she asked.

“That didn’t help Margaret,” Kay said.

Gwen paused before taking her place between Jenna and Ysabel. “All of the cursed shards are accounted for, Kay. They can’t harm you or anyone else.”

Jenna glanced at Gwen’s violet bracelet, secretly glad she didn’t have to hold that hand. Ysabel would grasp Gwen’s wrist instead.

Gwen took a deep breath. “In the names of the Four Gods and Goddesses of Challen, let us restore the seasons to their proper order, along with the plants and animals of our beloved land.” She raised her hand into the air. “For the Goddess of Spring!”

Jenna copied her gesture. “The God of Summer!”

“The Goddess of Fall!”

“And the God of Winter!” Kay’s voice, though soft, was still firm.

They lowered their hands, then spread their arms out so they could link. Jenna leaned backward against her tree, making contact with her head and one foot. She offered her hands to Gwen and Kay. Kay took one without hesitation, but Gwen took a deep breath before linking with Jenna.

You’re still mad at me, aren’t you?
Jenna winced as she realized Ysabel and Kay were already linked with them. Details of their quarrels past and present leaked out.

That doesn’t matter.
Gwen pictured an orchard covered in ice.
We have work to do. Let’s hunt down the Chaos Season and undo it.

Currents of unease ran through the entire group. Jenna did her best to ignore them. She sent her thoughts into her tree and down into its root system. From there, she searched to the southeast for a disturbance of hot and cold, excessive digging as animals sought shelter, or other signs of Chaos Season. Through the link, she could feel Kay’s mind riding the wind as she outpaced Jenna. The distraction made her fall farther behind, but she continued her quest in case she found something Kay would overlook.

Here,
Kay said.
It seems to be a small one.

Jenna let Gwen bring her back fully into the link. An orchard of peach trees drooped with ripening fruit now coated in ice. Dead honeybees lay scattered over snow. A farming family attempted to drive a cow and a few goats into their barn, but the cow wouldn’t move. It stood in place, mooing.

Her calf is missing,
Ysabel reported.
I’ll send it toward her.

Jenna didn’t bother responding. Her task—restoring the orchard—was obvious. As Kay pulled magic from the air to melt the ice and snow, Jenna moved from tree to tree, fruit to fruit, making sure the peaches didn’t die. A few had, so she let them fall where animals could eat them. She encouraged the rest to keep growing. While Kay removed ice on the outside, Jenna urged the trees to thaw any parts of themselves that had frozen.

I found the calf,
Ysabel said.
But it’s freezing, poor thing. I need more magic to help it recover from snowsickness—and worms.

Gwen shunted more magic to her, draining so much from Jenna she lost contact with the tree she was working on.

Watch it!
she sent.
The rest of us need magic too.

You and Kay have already taken care of most of this Chaos Season
, Gwen said.
Now Ysabel needs a turn.

No, I’m not done. Look at all this fruit I have to protect.
Jenna pictured the orchard. Half of it had been restored to the proper season, but half of it was still covered in frost. An extra-heavy branch broke off and took several smaller branches with it.
See?

Plants are hardier than animals,
Ysabel said.
The trees can wait longer than this calf.
She showed them an animal covered in snow, too cold to call out for help.

Kay immediately warmed the area around the calf while Ysabel tended it. Jenna returned her attention to the trees, but with more magic going to Ysabel than to her, she couldn’t work as quickly. If it was just one animal, then it shouldn’t take Ysabel long to heal it and make sure its owners found it. Jenna worked her way through several trees, depleting her magic without receiving more from Kay. As she neared the farmhouse, she spotted a small vegetable garden that had been frosted over.

Look at this¸
she told the others.
This is where the farmers grow the food they’ll need during the winter. I have to save these plants so they don’t starve. Give me more magic, now.

Magic trickled to her, but not as much as she needed. Ysabel still received the bulk of the magic Kay extracted from the weather.

By All Four, what are you doing with that?
Jenna immersed herself back into the link to check.
Songbirds? You’re healing songbirds?

They’re important too.
Ysabel sounded indignant.
They eat the pests that eat your precious plants.

She was right, but that didn’t mean the birds were more important than the orchard or the vegetable garden.
You don’t need all that magic for them. Let me have some.
Jenna directed her attention at Gwen.
Gwen, share the magic equally. It’s not fair otherwise.

There isn’t much magic I can give anyone. Kay, shouldn’t there be more magic in this Chaos Season?

Kay was silent for a few minutes before saying,
Something else is taking magic from this Chaos Season. It’s leaving me with less energy to restore summer.

Well, where is it going?

I can’t trace it. It disappears to my senses.

That’s impossible!
Jenna said.

We’ve already been through so many impossible things to get to the One Oak.
Gwen sighed.
What’s one more abnormality?

Jenna almost felt pity for Gwen and Kay. Something wasn’t right with this Chaos Season. But if they didn’t fix it, people would starve, and she couldn’t let that happen. The God of Summer would be disappointed in her. So she pulled again at the link, trying to pry more magic from Gwen.

Jenna Dorshay t’Reve, stop it!
Gwen pulled back.
There’s nothing more to give you.

Well, take it from Ysabel then. She has plenty.

I do not. There are more animals in jeopardy here than you realize. They need my help more than these people do.

Under Ysabel’s thoughts was the memory of The Four’s Chals, money given to people of Challen when the Season Avatars couldn’t restore their property. A donation from the Avatars’ coffers would help this family buy supplies for the winter if their peach harvest or personal garden suffered losses, but chals were of no use to wild plant or animals that could only be helped by magic. Jenna knew what Ysabel intended with her words, but the attitude behind them irritated her. When she was growing up, she’d been able to use her talents to keep her family from going hungry, but she knew how thin the margin between feast and famine could be.

The Four’s Chals don’t solve everything,
Jenna snapped.
How will we find these people again to give them the chals? What if they have nowhere to spend them? You may know animals, Ysabel, but you don’t know farmers.

Ysabel drew back from the link as if that had been a deadly insult. By the Four, if Jenna wanted to hurt her feelings, she could do a better job of it—

FREEZE IT!
Gwen shouted.
Everyone stop arguing!

The link was silent for a few heartbeats before Kay whispered,
Gwen, weather….