with peace of mind,” Roine said. “With everything you’ve seen, you are the only person who can tell me if I’m not thinking straight.” He met Tan’s eyes and held them. “I trust you, Tannen. More than I can explain.”
They both turned as Amia entered the courtyard. Her long golden hair was pulled into a braid. The band around her neck matched her hair. She studied both Tan and Roine and her hands gripped the fabric of her dress. “You’re going to them.”
“We are. The Aeta requested to meet with the king,” Roine said.
“I’m no longer one of the Aeta.”
Roine sighed softly. “I understand. And you don’t have to come if you don’t want to. My Athan seemed to think you would, though.”
“Athan?” There was another question as Amia met Tan’s eyes, but she held it back from him. “What does that mean for him?”
“Not much, I’m afraid. A marker of office. He can speak with my voice, for whatever that’s worth.”
“You know what that is worth. And you know where that will lead him,” she said to Roine. “You want this?” she asked Tan.
Tan didn’t yet know what he wanted. A chance for peace so that he could simply be with Amia. The opportunity to understand his gifts. But serving in this role made a certain sort of sense. He was a warrior now, more skilled than he’d been even a month ago. With his connection to the elementals, he understood the land better than most. And with what he’d seen in Par-shon, he understood the risk better than anyone other than Roine and his mother.
“It’s a responsibility I think I need to accept.”
He felt her uncertainty, but she said nothing as she took his hand. “Do you know what this will mean for you?” she asked softly. Next to them, Roine started his shaping, pulling it toward him and disappearing in a flash of white lightning.
“For me? Nothing has changed. I’m the same person. I feel the same way I did before. Par-shon needs to be stopped. We need to understand the elementals. The kingdoms need to be kept safe.”
Amia nodded. “All of that is true.” She kissed his cheek as he began the shaping that would carry them toward the Aeta. She seemed to bite back whatever else she was thinking, holding it away from the bond. Then she laughed softly. “There’s something else you probably didn’t consider.”
Tan frowned at her. “What’s that?”
“Your mother. Now you outrank her.”
Tan laughed as he pulled the shaping toward them, lifting them into the air on a streak of lightning. With this shaping, he had to have a sense of direction, to know where he was going. He guided them to the place where he’d last seen the Aeta, coming down to the ground in a rumbling bolt of power.
They were alone. There was no sign of Roine.
Tan should have known that the Aeta wouldn’t have been in the same place. Days had passed since then and the wagons would have rolled onward. How had Roine known where to go, then? Probably another trick of shaping that Tan still didn’t know.
The summoning coin in his pocket vibrated and Tan focused on it and followed it with another shaping.
When they landed, Roine was watching him, a smile on his face. He stood on a small rise, a cluster of elm trees to his left and the sun high overhead. In Ethea, it had been overcast, the clouds covering the sun, but here in what Tan presumed to be Ter, the sun was high and not quite warm.
The Aeta caravan camped at the bottom of a gentle hill, stopped in a tight circle as if to trade, though none of the windows were open like they were when they traded. The paint of these wagons was faded, different than most of the Aeta he’d seen before, almost as if scrubbed free. A line of people stood in front of the wagons, looking up the hill. If there was a spirit shaper with them, they might have known they were coming.
“I overshot,” Tan said.
“You’ll need to learn to travel less directly.”
“Less direct?”
“Because you can shape spirit, your
They both turned as Amia entered the courtyard. Her long golden hair was pulled into a braid. The band around her neck matched her hair. She studied both Tan and Roine and her hands gripped the fabric of her dress. “You’re going to them.”
“We are. The Aeta requested to meet with the king,” Roine said.
“I’m no longer one of the Aeta.”
Roine sighed softly. “I understand. And you don’t have to come if you don’t want to. My Athan seemed to think you would, though.”
“Athan?” There was another question as Amia met Tan’s eyes, but she held it back from him. “What does that mean for him?”
“Not much, I’m afraid. A marker of office. He can speak with my voice, for whatever that’s worth.”
“You know what that is worth. And you know where that will lead him,” she said to Roine. “You want this?” she asked Tan.
Tan didn’t yet know what he wanted. A chance for peace so that he could simply be with Amia. The opportunity to understand his gifts. But serving in this role made a certain sort of sense. He was a warrior now, more skilled than he’d been even a month ago. With his connection to the elementals, he understood the land better than most. And with what he’d seen in Par-shon, he understood the risk better than anyone other than Roine and his mother.
“It’s a responsibility I think I need to accept.”
He felt her uncertainty, but she said nothing as she took his hand. “Do you know what this will mean for you?” she asked softly. Next to them, Roine started his shaping, pulling it toward him and disappearing in a flash of white lightning.
“For me? Nothing has changed. I’m the same person. I feel the same way I did before. Par-shon needs to be stopped. We need to understand the elementals. The kingdoms need to be kept safe.”
Amia nodded. “All of that is true.” She kissed his cheek as he began the shaping that would carry them toward the Aeta. She seemed to bite back whatever else she was thinking, holding it away from the bond. Then she laughed softly. “There’s something else you probably didn’t consider.”
Tan frowned at her. “What’s that?”
“Your mother. Now you outrank her.”
Tan laughed as he pulled the shaping toward them, lifting them into the air on a streak of lightning. With this shaping, he had to have a sense of direction, to know where he was going. He guided them to the place where he’d last seen the Aeta, coming down to the ground in a rumbling bolt of power.
They were alone. There was no sign of Roine.
Tan should have known that the Aeta wouldn’t have been in the same place. Days had passed since then and the wagons would have rolled onward. How had Roine known where to go, then? Probably another trick of shaping that Tan still didn’t know.
The summoning coin in his pocket vibrated and Tan focused on it and followed it with another shaping.
When they landed, Roine was watching him, a smile on his face. He stood on a small rise, a cluster of elm trees to his left and the sun high overhead. In Ethea, it had been overcast, the clouds covering the sun, but here in what Tan presumed to be Ter, the sun was high and not quite warm.
The Aeta caravan camped at the bottom of a gentle hill, stopped in a tight circle as if to trade, though none of the windows were open like they were when they traded. The paint of these wagons was faded, different than most of the Aeta he’d seen before, almost as if scrubbed free. A line of people stood in front of the wagons, looking up the hill. If there was a spirit shaper with them, they might have known they were coming.
“I overshot,” Tan said.
“You’ll need to learn to travel less directly.”
“Less direct?”
“Because you can shape spirit, your
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