Kin is Everything
We return to the
Land of Skies. One battle is already behind the team, the disastrous events
upon Ardosia; time now to concentrate on the stability of Valaris, or the same
fate awaits her.
Hidden from humankind are fourteen sacred Valleur
sites, built upon nodes of power. Vannis Valla advocates unveiling them to
restore balance to the earth, which will aid in the fight against Margus. The
Darak Or has other ideas, and unleashes his soltakin …
In the north, Averroes discovers her true past and she
and Kylan run the Maze gauntlet. Kisha, Mordan, Cristi and Samson prepare the
clans of old for eternal night. In the south, Vannis, Rayne and Saska, along
with the charismatic little Falcon, Phet, move from site to site. Taranis and
the Guardians delve arcane ritual in the Dome to find the answers to the ending
of soltakin, while expecting Infinity to bring her Darkling Horde into the mix.
Meanwhile McSee, unmasked as traitor, meets the crazy Lanto and they hatch a
bold plan, involving a pirate and ancient loot.
Rayne begins the internal battle that will change all.
It began for him on Ardosia when he touched Vannis only to release blue sparks
between them. The ruling house is almost extinct. How, therefore, does a Valla
recognise the blood for the future? By the blue flame of trebac. Kinfire. The
legendary Vannis is kin, but there is more in store for Rayne than the reality
of this profound connection.
The Kinfire Tree has many branches hidden in its
foliage, a condition Rayne suspects, a greater truth he must reveal …
CHAPTER 10
Do not shoot the messenger! Ill tidings have warning!
Listen!
~ Awl, author of Tattle’s Blunt
Adventures
Northern
Valaris
Meth
Peninsula
San
village
TO THE WEST, across the Bay of No Name separating the Vall Peninsula from the Meth Peninsula, Mordan, Cristi, Samson and Kisha entered the main village of the San. Cristi led them through massive wooden gates, which, in living memory, had never closed.
The San were her people, but she was
somewhat nervous about her reception. She vanished from their lives without
warning other than the strange semi-conscious state before her disappearance.
She answered the summons from the Maghdim Medaillon, how to explain that?
How to explain Rayne? Taranis?
Vannis? Annihilation beyond a Rift? A Darak Or bent on snuffing out every
living entity on Valaris? How to explain the populated south, when it was
contrary to every belief the clans harboured?
The north was hillier and less
colourful than the south. There were fields and farms, orchards and the like,
although produce, as Samson pointed out when confronted by the fertility of the
southern lands, grew slower and with less success. Countless streams laced the
land, but there were no large bodies of water and only three watercourses were
worthy of being called rivers.
All clan villages were enclosed,
with one main gate as access. The San enclosure was a wooden fence constructed
of logs as thick as a man’s waist and towered three times the height. Other
villages used natural barriers also, such as cliffs, mountains and ravines, but
all were surrounded. For generations the gates nevertheless stood open. The
paranoia after Drasso gradually eased.
Within, every family maintained
abodes, from where they left each morning to tend the fields, or to the task
earning their place in the village. Each evening they returned. One day in
every eight was a rest day. At night, only travellers walked the paths that
connected villages and clan holds, but travellers were few.
As Cristi entered, most were out, it
being a few hours to sunset. Inside were those who tended fires, fed domestic
animals, cared for the sick and elderly, and taught the young. The Bellwether
would be listening to petitions, greeting travellers, and dispensing advice.
It was towards his hut she headed,
the others following. The Bellwether was her uncle, her late father’s brother.
Her mother would be nearby, as she tended house for him.
To her right, old man Marsh bent over
tending his herb garden, but the poor soul was so deaf he did not hear them go
by. As they twisted through the huts, they encountered children let off from
lessons to go to their chores before the supper fires began. They vanished
screaming and would no doubt shirk duties until the last possible moment. Ahead
they heard a woman’s voice remonstrating about duties before fun, all to no
avail. Cristi smiled. Janine sounded as harassed as ever.
“Cristi, that you?” a young voice
asked.
A boy peeked from a window in the
hut directly ahead, his mouth full of half-chewed bread. He vanished and,
seconds later, flew through the open door, spitting as he ran. His red hair was
an untidy mess and Cristi burst out laughing.
“Yes, Leo, it’s me!”
“Where you go?” He came to a
skidding halt, eyeing the three strangers behind her. “Why you go? No say
‘bye?” His bottom lip jutted out.
“Sorry, love.” Cristi sank to her
knees and took him in her arms. “I had something to do and there was no time to
come give you a kiss, but I’m here now. Will you forgive your naughty cousin?”
He hugged her. Letting go, he ran,
shouting at the top of his little lungs, “Aunt Berna! Mom, come see! Cristi’s
back!”
He vanished between the huts as a
woman appeared in the doorway. “Cristi?”
Cristi was rueful - so much for a
dignified approach. Up ahead she heard a crash like that of breaking glass, and
a muffled oath. “Hello, Leen … I think my mother has …” and she broke into a
run, vanishing as Leo had. The other three followed more sedately, with Leen.
THEY
ENTERED THE public space, well-trampled and
well-used, set roughly in the centre of the San village. This was the heart.
There was a huge fire pit, and great trunks lying in a square served as
seating. Kisha, seeing it, blinked back tears, for it reminded her of her
father. She realised she had not thought about him in days.
Across the clearing Cristi’s mother
enfolded her, both crying. An older man sporting a big smile waited his turn.
By his bearing, the three companions knew him to be the Bellwether. Leo was
there, the bearer of good tidings, and loving it.
The Bellwether noticed the three.
“Berna, Cristi brought visitors.”
Mother and daughter parted. Cristi
waved them closer.
Already a small crowd had gathered
behind Leen.
“Leo!” Leen called out, knowing her
son would soon make a nuisance of himself. “Come here!”
The boy shook his head. The
Bellwether looked down, and Leo changed his mind. Cristi grinned and her
visitors smiled.
“Go now to your tasks; we will
gather at sunset to share Cristi’s news,” the Bellwether ordered. “Jack, will
you see the pit is lit?”
Berna led the three strangers into
the Bellwether’s spacious hut, whilst he enfolded his niece in an embrace,
whispering, “What happened to you, my girl?”
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