Prologue
The black-robed wizard
slipped through the doorway leading to the Queen’s chamber. He paused and
studied the wan woman propped against the black silk pillows. As he approached
the bed, his robes rustled.
The Queen
grasped the Black Jewel, symbol of her reign. “Be gone, I say. I have no need
of you.”
“Your time has
passed. ‘Tis time to cede the Jewel to your successor.”
“Not yet.” She
raised the Black Jewel. Dark rays pulsed in its heart. “Be gone and let me be.”
He
evaded the dark beams. “What of the White?”
She
laughed. “Do you think I fear that thing? My sister failed to find the gem. For
generations, there has been no sign of its existence. There have been but myths
and rumors.”
He smiled. “The
White stirs. I sought and I found.”
“Where?” Her
eyes narrowed.
‘Tis where it
has always been, waiting for the one who can hold the jewel. But fear not. ‘Tis
not your battle. Soon you will be gone, and I will have the training of the one
who is to follow you. This time there will be no mistakes. As Holder and Chosen, she and I will rule.”
“Be gone, dark wizard.”
The Queen raised the Black and poured her anger into the gem. Thunder roiled
the silent night and a great display of colored lightning brightened the sky
above the palace.
Chapter One
From The Lore of the Jewels
In days long past, just after the world was
formed and the people rose from the dust, Mother Sun and the Sister Moons
beheld what had been wrought and were troubled by what they saw. For as people
moved across the lands, chaos rather than harmony ruled.
“We must bring peace and order.” Mother Sun
spoke to the pale reflections of herself.
From her depths, she drew molten elements
and fashioned them into Jewels. The icy breath of the Sister Moons cooled the
gems. To Earda, they were sent and for each Jewel, there was a purpose.
And from the hearts of the six Jewels, light
radiated and coalesced to become the White.
Liara closed the
Lore of the Jewels. Everyone knew the ruling Jewel was black. And the tale of
how the gems were formed was naught but an interesting fable. Her foster mother
had given her the book on her last name day. Tana’s insistence that she learn
the legends puzzled Liara. What use were these mystical tales to one who might
never hold a Jewel?
She heard a
disturbance in the courtyard and peered through the open window. Several men
dismounted. Their steeds were magnificent beasts with burnished horns. Who were
these visitors? They looked to be men of importance.
Tana’s maid
appeared in the doorway. “Milady Holder bids you remain in hiding until her
guests leave.”
Liara sighed.
Twice this lunar, visitors had arrived to see the Yellow Holder. Both times,
she had been bidden to keep her presence a secret. Not that she minded missing
lessons, of course. The complicated exercises in visualizing had no practical
purpose she could see. What bothered her was not being allowed to sit in
company and hear about events beyond the keep and the village.
Curiosity gnawed
at her thoughts. In hopes of learning more about these unexpected visitors to
the High Sanctuary, she hurried down the back stairs and lingered in the
shadows near the postern gate. But the men had gone inside before she could
hear what they said.
Excitement
fluttered like the jeweled wings of a flitter. She was free, at least for the
afternoon. She slipped outside and climbed the path beyond the walls of the
massive stone tower. Then she broke into a run, deftly avoiding the roots of
the gnarled, wind-shaped balsa trees.
A branch caught
her kerchief and her hair tumbled free. Inky black strands whipped around her
face. Clutching the scarf in her hand, she reached the end of the path.
Clusters of multi-hued silk-sheep browsed among the grass and wildflowers.
After breathing
deeply of the scented air, she ran across the meadow to the tumble of rocks at
the edge of the cliff. She stared at the distant gray tower and peered at the
village where the houses resembled pieces from a child’s toy. She turned and
gazed at the sea and watched white froths of foam roll across the dark blue
expanse to dash against the rocky slope.
Settling on the
grass, she used a rock for a backrest. As she soaked in the sun, she braided a
necklace of yellow fiolas, Tana’s favorite. To the chain, she added blue hearts
and red chyrsmas. For health, she thought.
Sadness rose.
Her foster mother’s health failed with each lunar. Though Tana denied what
Liara saw, she knew the older woman was dying.
While Liara
considered the future without Tana, a million questions arose. The sun moved
toward afternoon. Liara sighed. There were no answers, only questions.
“Liara!”
Her foster
brother’s shout set her heart pounding. She dropped the necklace in her skirt,
quickly braided her hair and tied the kerchief over the crown of braids.
Another puzzle to be solved, she thought. Her head had never been without a
covering. Though she’d asked why, Tana had never answered.
“Liara, come!”
She lifted the
necklace and hurried toward the path. “I’m on my way.”
Brader emerged
at the edge of the meadow. “Mother said you would be here. She wants you.”
A lock of amber
hair fell across his forehead and brushed his lighter eyebrows. Amber eyes
studied her intently. She felt his leashed anger. With her or with his mother?
These days, she barely knew him.
Since she’d
begun her intensive studies with Tana, she and Brader had grown apart. Her
lessons, his time with the armsmen, and his excursions to the village tavern
left them with little in common.
“Have the
visitors left?” she asked.
“They didn’t
stay for the evening meal. They’re on their way to Pala. I begged leave to join
them but Mother refused to release me.” He shoved his hair from his forehead. “I’m
tired of being caged here. There’s much of Earda I want to see.”
“Did Tana say
why she wanted me?” She watched the setting sun stain the ocean whitecaps with
streaks of orange. “Not for lessons, I hope.”
He shrugged
shoulders that had grown broader the past year. “You are to sup in her room.
Don’t stay long. The visitors tired her.”
“When has she
listened to me?” Liara held up the floral necklace. “Perhaps this will refresh
her.”
“Maybe. She’s
worried about something and she won’t tell me what.”
Liara clasped
his arm. “All will be well.”
He laughed. “Have
you become a Healer making vague and pretty predictions?” His muscles tensed
beneath her hand. “All will be well for you. You’ll have her Jewel. Why else
has she kept you by her side? I’m so tired of the High Sanctuary and of being
the Holder’s son.”
Liara frowned.
When had he grown so resentful? Did Tana know about his discontent?
When they
reached the postern gate, the armsman stepped aside so they could enter. Never
in all her years had there been armsmen at the gates.
Once inside the
massive stone tower, she hurried to her foster mother’s rooms. At the door, she
paused and tucked stray strands of hair beneath the kerchief. Then she opened
the carved wooden door and stepped inside.
Tana was abed.
Liara crossed the room and kissed the older woman’s flushed cheek, then slipped
the floral chain over her foster mother’s head.
Tana inhaled the
blended fragrances. “Ah, Child, you remembered a bit of the Healer’s teachings.
Sit and eat. There’s much I must tell you.”
Liara studied
her foster mother. Though flushed, there was a translucent quality to Tana’s
skin. Sunken cheeks, glazed amber eyes. Liara knew Brader thought his mother
was tired, but there was more. The scent of death floated above the aroma of
the flowers.
She sat at the
table and picked at the slices of roast banta, shredding more than she ate. The
open window brought a breeze laden with moisture. Liara cut an appa, ate several
crisp slices and then pushed the tray away.
“Come closer.
The time grows short.” Tana’s voice held a whispery quality.
Liara sat on the
chair beside the bed and took her foster mother’s hand. “Perhaps you should
rest.”
“There will be
time for rest later.” Tana sucked in a breath. “Just listen. Your mother was
twin to the one who holds the Black. Through trickery and deceit, the Jewel was
usurped by your aunt. Your mother found the book of lore I gave you. For many
years, she searched for the White.”
Liara shook her
head. “The White is but a tale told by old wives and written in that ancient
book. Tell me about my mother.”
Tana grasped
Liara’s hand. “Child, myths are ever based on some truth.”
“My mother didn’t
find this Jewel, did she?”
“Alas, the Queen
hounded her. She was chased from every refuge she found. She brought you here and
left. Her Chosen was captured by the Guards. His house was destroyed by the wizards.
One by one, your mother’s friends were killed.”
Liara studied
the bed coverings. “Why tell me now?”
“The Queen is
dying. While she is weak and before her daughter...your cousin masters the
Black, you must find the White. When you do, the lessons I’ve taught you will
help you harness the Jewel’s energies. You must succeed. The people of Earda
have suffered long enough.”
Liara shook her
head. She had no desire to leave the High Sanctuary. She had believed one day
she would follow Tana and hold the Yellow. Now all had changed. “Do not force
me to leave you,” she pleaded.
Tana sank
against the pillows. “I’ve been summoned to Pala. Even now, Guards are on the
way to act as my escort.”
“Will you go?”
“Nay, they will
come too late. You must be gone before they arrive lest someone questions who
you are. Child, your life is in danger should your aunt discover you still
live.”
Tears welled in
Liara’s eyes. “I cannot leave you.”
“You have no
choice. Brader will go with you.”
Liara held back
her tears. She’d known no mother other than Tana. “But who will...?” She couldn’t
force herself to finish.
“There will be
others who will do what is needed.” Tana pulled her Jewel from her neck and
wrapped the gem and the chain in amber silk. “I have no daughter to follow me
and the Yellow is not for you. I’ve sent a call to my successor.” She will meet
you on the way.”
A million
questions arose but they couldn’t push past Liara’s rising grief. “Does Brader
know how ill you are?” She forced the question past a massive lump. “He’ll want
to stay. So do I.” Her voice broke. She pressed her face against the blankets
and let the tears flow.
Tana stroked
Liara’s arm. “You must go, for you are needed. Take the book and seek the
answers. Maps your mother brought are on the table. Memorize them. Once Brader
has seen them, they will be destroyed so all traces of your journey will be
gone. You must follow your mother’s path and succeed where she failed.”
Liara wiped her
eyes and reached for the maps. She studied them until the wizards were engraved
in her mind. Then she walked to the window and stared at first moon. “I cannot
leave you.”
“Evil spreads
through the land. The Black Jewel. The Queen. The Brotherhood of Wizards. Soon
Earda will be too polluted by evil to survive. Send Brader to me.”
Liara hugged her
foster mother and fought another storm of tears. “Farewell, Mother of my heart.”
She bit her lip and hurried from the room.
In the hall, she
pressed her forehead against the rough stone wall. Soon Tana would leave this
plane and journey to another. The High Sanctuary would never be home again.
Liara gathered her tears inside and went to find Brader.
