BLURB:
Two of the Jewels have no Holders and they must be found. The Brotherhood of Wizards also seeks to find them. Jindera is one of the pair and she must escape her cruel uncle. She wishes to find her twin brother taken by the Wizards who will use him in their attempt to destroy the Jewels of Erda. As twins, they can speak via the Inner Path. The Wizards hope to use this.
Mara, is a clanless desert dweller and faces life as the abused plaything of a future clan leader. She flees into an unknown future. On the winds, the crystals call this pair.
EXCERPT:
Jindera left the herb storage hut and strode toward
the cottage. Clouds dimmed the morning sun, then slid away. The leaves of the
oka trees rustled in the summer breeze and the mingled scents of herbals and
seasonings swirled around her. The coming of clouds meant a storm approached,
but she felt certain no rain would fall this day.
Would the medicinals she would brew from the herbals
she'd selected be of any help? She could only hope. All night, she'd fought the
fever raging through her mother's body and had seen no change.
Mama, why did you leave the Healers' House? Her
mother could have remained and raised her children with the sons and daughters
of the other Healers. On his tenth birthday, Jindera's twin would have been
sent to his father. But Jindera's mother had chosen to leave. Love for a man
had been her reason.
Tears blurred Jindera's sight. She had loved her
father dearly. His death seven lunars before had brought sadness to a home
where love had ruled.
Rays of sunlight glinted on the golden stones of the
cottage and brightened the dull yellow of the thatch. Jindera hurried along the
garden paths that meandered among the beds of herbals and seasonings.
The plants flourished. Lajin's touch, she thought.
Her brother had only to tend any ailing plant and it thrived. She paused at the
cottage door and peered along the road from the village. Her twin should return
soon with the staples he'd gone to fetch.
The stench of illness pervaded the room where her
mother lay on a narrow cot. Jindera's breath caught. For a moment, she thought
her mother had left this plane without the blessing to release her.
Holding back a sob, Jindera fled to the kitchen to
blend a fever potion. She carried the mug of steaming liquid to the sick room
and spooned the medicinal into her mother's mouth. A drop or two fell on the
linen sheet and spread like the tears Jindera held inside. She inhaled deeply.
She had to hold grief and fear at bay. When the mug was empty, she rested her
head on the edge of the mattress and prayed the remedy would work.
She jerked awake. How long had she slept? The light
in the room told her 'twas near midday.
The rasp of labored breathing filled her ears. She
felt her own breaths fall into the same pattern. She raised her head and turned
toward the door. Where was Lajin? She tried to reach him on the inner path
where they could speak in secret. Flight. Fear. What had happened to him? Her
hands and body shook. His fear or hers?
Jindera rose and looked outside. The fragrant scents
of the garden brought a welcome calmness to her troubled spirit. 'Twas a false
hope. If Mama dies, what will Lajin and I do? Having but sixteen years, they
weren't old enough to hold the land.
She heard a rasping cough and turned back to the
cot. Her mother's eyes were open. A wave of hope spread through Jindera.
"Mama."
"Leave. You. Lajin. Soon. Danger comes."
"We can't leave you without saying the
blessing."
"Must." Racking spasms shook her mother's
body.
"Mama, don't talk."
"Must. Once. Three sisters."
Jindera listened to her mother's halting words. A
grandsire who was a Master Mage. Mama born on the desert and leaving with her
older sister for a Healers' House. How her two sisters wanted power and schemed
to obtain control of others. One who had talent. One who had none. Mama who had
talent and wanted love.
"Ralor. Comes. Hurt. You. Lajin. No Healers'
House. Not good."
"Mama, be still." Jindera pressed her
hands against her mother's shoulders.
"Starflowers. For Ralor. Make tea. He sleep.
Then flee. Remember, danger from Healers."
Jindera chewed on her lower lip to keep from crying.
The door opened and for an instant, she feared her father's brother had
arrived. The garden, the guardianship, the cottage would pass to him and to the
one the Healers sent to tend the garden. The door opened. She turned.
Lajin stood in the doorway. His flushed face and
panting breaths told her he'd been running. "What's wrong?" she
asked.
"Black robes in the village. Taking boys. What
will I do if they come here?"
Jindera shivered. The mages would learn about
Lajin's talent for nurturing plants. They would take him. "You must flee
to the forest and hide. Go now."
He knelt on the other side of the cot. "Not
until we say the blessing."
"Son. Daughter. Go."
Jindera grasped her mother's hand. Lajin took the
other. "Mama."
The heavy breathing slowed, then stopped. Had she
willed her death?
Jindera's voice joined Lajin's. "Fare well,
Mother. May the sun shine on your days and the moons light your nights. Let
your shade depart and do not hover between this plane and the next."
Jindera met her brother's gaze. "You must go.
I'll follow."
"The grave must be dug."
Lajin, why must you linger? You heard Mama. You must
go."
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Love this sense of urgency. I wanted to yell "Run!"
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic excerpt, Janet. So rich in emotion!
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