season avatars 03 - chaos season (29 page)

Well, if Gwen’s not going to let me talk some sense into her, I’m just going to stay here and enjoy the shade with my child.

Robbie started fretting and wouldn’t calm down when she let him suckle on her sadly dry breast. The summer heat became uncomfortable, even in the shade. By the time Ysabel and Pouncer approached, Jenna was ready to roll up the blanket and take Robbie in.

“Gwen wants the four of us to meet in her study,” Ysabel said when she was close enough to talk to Jenna without raising her voice.

“Another meeting? Here, can you hold Robbie for a heartbeat? Thanks.” Jenna shook the blanket out before rolling it up and tucking it under her arm. “Do we really need to go over another report about all our mistakes? It’d be nice to have people grateful to us for a change. We helped a lot of people and plants—and animals, but we always get blamed for not saving everyone and everything.”

“Sometimes the Four use Chaos Season to harvest souls.” Ysabel’s normal smile disappeared. “I suppose it’s easier to blame us than the Four.”

Jenna sighed. “You’re right, but it never gets easier no matter how many lives we lead.” She reached for Robbie again, craving to cuddle him. “Let’s go see what more bad news Gwen has for us.”

She hoped it didn’t have anything to do with deathbushes. Charles, Kron, and Sophia had dosed all the plants they could find with chocolate, and Lex had returned to Wistica to claim more cocoa powder for them to keep on reserve. She almost wished the deathbushes were still a threat so he’d have to stay at the One Oak. Even if he didn’t love her, maybe she could seduce him into another kiss.

Robbie continued to fuss, so as soon as they reached the house, Jenna kissed him and turned him over to his nurse. Then she descended to the second floor where Gwen waited in the Spring Study. The room smelled of lemons, wax, and Gwen’s ever-present violet bracelet. Despite the warm day, a fire burned in the fireplace as Gwen tossed letters into it. Kay sent the heat out of the open window.

“I don’t feel right keeping Margaret’s personal correspondence,” Gwen said at Jenna’s inquiring look. “I would pass it to Dorian, but…”

“I don’t care if he ever gets one of her letters, or anything else he owns,” Kay said with uncharacteristic venom. “He interfered with my magic.”

“And a lot of other things.”

With Dorian gone, he could no longer deny Gwen or Kay full access to the Spring and Winter Wings of the house. No wonder Gwen felt the need to remove traces of the older Avatars from her study.

Jenna squeezed next to Ysabel on a window seat. “So, did you send Dorian’s things to his family’s house, or just give them to the poor in Midpoint?”

“I sent them back to his family. There’s still no sign of him in Challen.”

“Lex isn’t going to like that,” Jenna said.

Ysabel shifted away from her. “Well, Kron didn’t portal Dorian away for safekeeping, even if he says we still need him. I suppose his dream of ending Chaos Season for good is just a dream, never to come true.”

“Now is not the season to worry about that.” Gwen held up an envelope marked with a red eagle. “A messenger from the king dropped this off only an hour ago. He must have sent her as soon as Lex returned to Wistica.” She picked up a gold-trimmed letter opener and slit the envelope. She cleared her throat for effect, then read aloud, “To Lady Gwendolyn lo Havil, Ava Spring; Jenna Dorshay t’Reve, Ava Summer; Ysabel s’Ivena Lathatilltin, Ava Fall; and Kay Seltich, Ava Winter; greetings. Our brother reports that you have demonstrated your skill at taming Chaos Season. We therefore request, desire, and command you—”

“Surely one of those would have been enough,” Jenna muttered.

Gwen raised her eyebrow and remained silent until Jenna said, “Sorry.”

She continued, “Command you to appear before us in exactly one quarter-moon, the final day of Cornmoon, to swear loyalty to us and be acknowledged as the rightful Season Avatars of Challen.”

At last, everyone would acknowledge them as Avatars. It was what Jenna had wanted for so many years, to be seen as someone more than just another farm girl. But now she could only think of Lex. He would be there. He would have to be there. Seeing him was more important than going through a ceremony to make the king feel as if he was in control of the Avatars. She’d been an Avatar all along. But maybe now Lex would see she was truly his equal, worthy of being more than just a tumble behind a barn.

“Will there be a ball afterward?” Jenna asked. That would be the perfect place to battle again with the Avatar of War, especially since she now had a better idea of what to expect and how to handle the men there.

Ysabel’s eyes brightened; Kay looked as if she wanted to dive under the furniture and never come out.

“I imagine so.” Gwen sighed. “After this, I’ll have no excuse to postpone my marriage again.”

“But you won’t marry William?” Jenna asked.

“No. Which means I have to reconsider all of the candidates my family will surely suggest to me.”

“Tell them you’ll only marry a summer-born,” Jenna said.

She raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

Because only a summer-born would be able to bring out the passion she suppressed. That wasn’t something Jenna felt comfortable telling Gwen in front of Ysabel and Kay, no matter how many times the four of them had linked.

“Lathtin always wanted to visit Wistica, but Father didn’t want him attending University there,” Ysabel said. “I hope we have some time to see the city as well as the palace.”

“But we’ll have to get formal dresses, won’t we?” Kay shook her head. “So many seamstresses will have to work into the night to finish them in time.”

“I’ll wager the head housekeeper already made arrangements for them as soon as we all returned.” Gwen set the king’s letter aside. “So, I take it we’re ready to be officially recognized as Season Avatars?”

“It still doesn’t feel right.” Kay wove her fingers together. “I wish we’d found out what happened to Dorian.”

“He can’t bother us anymore, Kay,” Gwen said. “Salth hasn’t been sending you nightmares again, has she?”

Some of the worry left Kay’s face. “I have been sleeping better,” she replied. “But it—it’s still coming.”

The death she’d foreseen? How could that reach her here?

“Then we’ll weather that season when it arrives.” Gwen rose. “For now, let’s go see about formalwear suitable for Avas.”

* * *

Jenna smoothed the silk of her green-and-white gown—more green than white, of course—as Clover finished putting her hair up. She wished the other Avatars were in the same room with her so they could talk as they prepared themselves for the ceremony. Apparently it was an honor for the king to grant each of them use of a different room. Too bad it didn’t do anything for her nervousness.

“You’ll be fine, Ava.” Clover sighed as she pinned a rose over Jenna’s ear. “You’re used to this sort of thing, aren’t you?”

Jenna laughed. “I was born in Bull Rock, remember?”

“But you’ve been here in other lives, haven’t you? Even the One Oak isn’t half as grand as the palace—begging your pardon, Ava. It’s so kind of the palace servants to let us watch from a hidey-hole. I’m looking forward to the feast afterward.”

Jenna’s stomach rumbled at the mention of food. She hadn’t had to use her plant magic recently, but preparing for a royal ceremony was exhausting in its own way.

“What about Robbie and Callie?” she asked. “Where will they be?”

She’d invited her family to the investiture, but they couldn’t be spared from the farm. She’d have to write them later and tell them about it. She’d deliberately excluded her absent husband’s relations. They hadn’t been fond of her during the brief moons of her marriage, so they didn’t need to profit from her now. Robbie was her only family present, and she didn’t want him to be neglected.

“I think she was going to sit off to the side, so she can take your son away if he gets overtired.”

Hopefully Lex would have a chance to see Robbie again before that happened.

Someone knocked on the door. A male servant announced, “Ten minutes, Ava.”

“You’d better join the other Avas, Ava. That sounds strange, doesn’t it?” Clover giggled, causing Jenna to join in. By the time someone knocked on the door again, they could barely hear it over the laughter.

Gwen shook her head, making the dyed ostrich feathers in her hair bob. “Jenna Dorshay t’Reve, I should have guessed you wouldn’t take this seriously. You never do.”

“Well, you always take things too seriously, Lady Gwendolyn lo Havil, so I have to balance you out.”

Gwen smiled slightly for a few heartbeats. “Let’s go.”

Clover helped Jenna by straightening out the train of her gown. Ysabel and Kay were already outside, bedecked in so much finery and jewels they looked lost within it. Jenna wondered if she looked equally strange to them.

A nobleman wearing enough medals to compete with Lex approached Gwen. “Ava, I need you to line up the other Avatars so we can proceed to the main entrance of the formal reception room. You will tell each of them to wait until I cue them—”

“We’re right here, able to hear you,” Jenna said. “You can address us too.”

A pained expression crossed his face for a heartbeat. Then he turned to Gwen again. “Lady lo Havil, will you please explain to the other Season Avatars that they technically aren’t ennobled until after the ceremony—”

Gwen crossed her arms. “Lord su Ziggen, we’ve all been Avatars long before your family invaded Challen with the rest of the Fip army. We are born into different backgrounds to help us develop our magic, not so others can look down on an Avatar born without a prefix to her name.”

“But surely they aren’t as familiar with the protocol—”

Trumpets announced the king arriving in the formal reception room below.

“Freeze protocol!” Gwen said. “We have to hurry!”

They dashed down a staircase, nearly getting their trains tangled in the confusion. Maids met them by the doorway, hovering like birds as they made last-minute adjustments to their outfits. Gwen fussed with one of her long silk gloves embroidered with violets to match her bracelet, but her personal maid scolded her and tugged the glove back into place. Gwen shrugged and leaned closer to Jenna, Ysabel, and Kay. “Don’t worry about the ceremony,” she whispered. “We’ve been through this before, and you’ll remember what to do. After taming that Chaos Season, we can do anything.”

Musicians began to play a delicate tune with piping flutes. Gwen straightened herself as the doors opened, then paced through them with stately dignity. Jenna tried to copy Gwen’s poise as she waited for the music to change. Her cue came as stringed instruments took over the melody. She took a deep breath and entered the room. On each side of the aisle, she could see hundreds of nobles staring at her.
By the Four, what if there’s a stain on my dress somewhere, or what if Clover forgot to do up all my buttons and my unmentionables are showing?
Her smile felt frozen in place, but her feet glided forward. Seeing Gwen calmly kneeling in front of the king helped steady Jenna’s nerves. Even better, though, was catching sight of Lex standing behind his brother. His gaze shifted to her, and he smiled slightly, enough to ease her nervousness but not enough to show if his care for her extended to a deeper level. Perhaps he didn’t dare display his feelings in front of such a large crowd. Or perhaps he still thought she was beneath him.

She looked away and focused on Gwen. When Jenna reached the king, she executed a curtsey, then sank to her knees on a green cushion next to Gwen. Sometime during her procession, the music had shifted to a Fall theme. However, she didn’t dare glance back to watch Ysabel. Instead, she studied the embroidery on the king’s robe and the patterns in the marble floor.

When Kay had made her own way to the front of the room, the music halted. The king rose. Shuffles from behind Jenna indicated the nobles were paying respect to him too. He raised his hands and spoke: “Nobles of Challen, the Four Gods and Goddesses of Challen have sent us Their Avatars to tame Chaos Season and provide for this country. As each God or Goddess yields to another in the proper season, so does one quartet of Avatars make way for another generation to take on their sacred task. We honor the previous Avatars: Margaret gran Garnell, Ava Spring; Charles vin Estecher, Avi Summer; Sophia vin Estecher, Ava Fall; and Dorian gran Garnell, Avi Winter. Now that the gran Garnells are with the God of Winter, it’s up to these four young women to replace the entire quartet.”

Does he think both Margaret and Dorian are dead?
Jenna wondered. Maybe Dorian would find peace if his soul had been reunited with his wife’s, or maybe he’d been frozen forever for turning on other Avatars. But that could only happen if he really was dead. Jenna wasn’t sure.

“Lady Gwendolyn lo Havil, come forward and pledge loyalty to me,” the king said.

She rose, took a few steps, then knelt again directly in front of him. It seemed a bit silly to Jenna, but she knew she’d have to do it too if she didn’t want to cause problems for the other Avatars.

“I, Gwendolyn lo Havil, Spring Avatar, do pledge before the Four Gods and Goddesses of Challen to serve my country and its ruler all the days of my life,” Gwen recited.

When the Fips had first conquered Challen, they had demanded each of the Avatars provide them with tribute or perform a service for them before being recognized. These days, with the staff at the One Oak automatically sending chals to the king at every season change, no valuables changed hands at this ceremony. The only remnant of that part of the ceremony was the king kissing Gwen’s cheek as he helped her rise.

“Jenna dor Treve,” the king said, looking at her with irritation, “come forward.”

By the Four, it would take some time to get used to the new version of her name. Jenna suppressed the urge to hurry as she approached the king. She copied Gwen’s motions and pledged herself as before, but her gaze kept straying to Lex’s face instead of the king’s. Lex’s mouth tightened as his brother leaned in, scraping her cheek with his beard.

“So you’re the mother of Lex’s child,” he murmured.