Blade Of Lightning (Book One of The Keepers of the Way)

By Fran LaPlaca

*Water.*
*Earth.*
*Air.*
*Spirit to hold us.*
*Knowledge to keep us.*
*Warrior to defend.*

There are three Faces a Keeper can swear to, and three elements to bind their souls. But the elements number four, and although Fire was forbidden nearly five hundred years ago, the time for it to return is at hand. And the only thing standing between the Keepers of the Way and total destruction is Kei Ayumi.

"What are your weapons?" Keeper of Earth Secchi Amara asks Kei Ayumi the first time they meet. "Anything," she answers. And Secchi soon learns it is not a boast, for although he may be the ranking warrior in the Fortress of Earth, Kei Ayumi is beyond deadly. With a past hidden in smoke and fire, and wrapped in a grief so profound she cannot even speak of it, Kei Ayumi faces challenges that daunt even a warrior. For although she has only just been bound to the Wayline, her path will take her from the snow covered Galdain Mountains to the hot sands of the Honshara desert as she tries to unlock her lost memories, defeat an enemy wreathed in flames, and face a firestorm of lightning.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fran LaPlaca
• Release date: Feb 26, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301137336

Fran LaPlaca

Fran LaPlaca is the author of the Keeper of the Way series, including Blade of Lightning and Keeper of Fire. Non-series novels include The Aduro and To Serve the High King. Short stories have appeared in the DAW anthologies Better Off Undead and Something Magic This Way Comes, and also in the original Warrior and Wisewoman and the Realms of Wonder anthology, Fantastic Companions.When not writing, she enjoys reading manga, wishing she could draw, and trying to find ways to disguise onions and mushrooms so that her children will eat them unknowingly. (Edited to add: The onions and mushrooms thing isn't working out so well.)You can find more information and a complete list of titles available at http://www.franlaplaca.com, as well as a really nice picture of a llama.

Book preview

Book One of The Keepers of the Way

a fantasy adventure

by Fran LaPlaca

Smashwords Edition

Copyright Fran LaPlaca 2012-2013

Other titles by Fran LaPlaca

Keeper of Fire (Book Two of The Keepers of the Way)

To Serve The High King

The Aduro (Book One of The Guardians of the Temple)

Blueberry Faery and the Dragons

Visit http://www.franlaplaca.com

For more info

Chapter 1

Two years past, you say? Yes, I was here then. I been in this spot for more than ten years, young man, and near every tribe comes to me when they need fine bladework done. Two years?

The young man, his flame red hair and pale skin out of place in the desert, nodded. His eyes, though the blue of northern lands, held the characteristic tilt of a desert tribesman, and the old man knew his profession without asking.

Two years, yes, elder.

He picked up several of the blades on display, checking their balance expertly.

May I? he inquired, and the older man nodded and led him behind the tent. Several well used targets were set up. The young man held the first blade by the tip, raised his arm, and threw. The blade hit dead center. He threw the second, and watched it hit, quivering, side by side with the first.

Very nice, the bladesmith said grudgingly, and he went to remove the knives from the target. I recollect that two years past would have been just around the time those so-called peace talks came to an end, yes?

Why, yes, elder, so it would. You have a good memory.

Tea? the old man asked, and the red haired man nodded.

Thank you.

When they had settled themselves comfortably on cushions in the inner tent, tiny cups of steaming tea in their hands, the smith asked, Describe her again.

Small, the size of a young girl, but a woman grown. Long hair, to the waist, the color as brown as the okala tree nuts, with dark eyes as well. Desert eyes, such as yours, he added.

And she would have looking for blades?

Possibly.

The man shook his head regretfully.

I be sorry, young master, but I truly do not recall her. I do sell to women on occasion, but never to one such as that. But you might check with Shanin. She gets more female customers than I.

Shanin?

She be in the blue tent, the one with the gold edging, nearer to the center. Always a showoff, Shanin is.

The young man finished his tea and stood.

How much for these two? he asked, gesturing to the knives he'd tested.

Well, they be two of my best. Anyone else, I would charge two hundred each. For you, two hundred for the both of them, and my prayers that you find your friend.

Done, the young man said instantly, and as he strode away the bladesmith's wife joined him.

Two hundred for both of them? she asked in amazement. Why not just give him the whole tent while you're at it? They were worth three times that.

Peace, woman. That outland boy is a Star Blade, or I miss my guess. If he likes them, we'll be getting a lot more business soon.

Outland?

Aye. Someone from his tribe was northern.

Haven't seen hair that color but once, his wife agreed. Who was he looking for?

Don't know for sure. But he seemed real eager to find her. Most likely he's a Blade of Death.

The wife watched the distinctive red hair disappear in the market crowd.

An assassin? Then those knives you just sold him might very well be used on that poor girl he's looking for.

That's not our business, and the smith cuffed her sharply. If a Blade has someone marked for death, then death is what they deserve.

~~~~

She stared into her mug of mulled wine, her shoulders slumped, what could be seen of her face dull and exhausted. Small for a woman grown, her hair cropped short, she was dressed in typical mountain style; sturdy trousers, though mended at the knees, several layered tunics covered with a patchwork leather vest dyed a mottled green, and a knitted scarf which hung loose around her neck. Her boots were the most expensive item she wore, sturdy and weatherproof, though scuffed and worn, both with sheathes for utility knives, though only one hilt showed. Her eyes, when they could be seen, seemed lifeless, uninterested in the various muttered conversations that were going on in the inn's common room.

The innkeeper brought her a serving of cottage pie, and she began to eat after giving the none too clean spoon a cursory swipe with her scarf.

The door to the village's main street opened, and a half dozen roughly dressed men entered with a swirl of chill wind. After a swift glance around, the men headed to where a solitary man sat at a large table next to the common room's crackling fire.

One went to the bar and came back with a pitcher of ale, the innkeeper following with a tray of mugs. They waited until the innkeeper retreated behind the bar before one leaned forward.

How much longer do we have to wait? he growled. He done promised us we could have this place, and we been doing nothing but hiding out for over two weeks.

Soon, the man who'd been waiting answered placidly. And keep your voice down.

Ain't no one listening, Jory, leastways no one what matters, the first man retorted, looking around the room derisively. His eyes slid right past the lone mountain woman, and rested on two oldsters arguing in the corner only slightly longer.

Cato will be here in a fortnight.

Two more blessed weeks? What in hell do we do until then?

We got plenty we can do, another chimed in. There's at least ten steadings nearby, all but one with only one or two families. We can take those without Cato and his tricks.

The other men looked at each other uneasily.

Without Cato? the one called Jory finally repeated.

Yeah, without Cato.

He won't like that, Jory said. But anyone watching would have seen a slow smile begin to cross his face.

We was doing this before he ever bought you off, Jory.

True, Jory said, not denying the accusation. But we'd never have been able to take a whole town. Once Cato gets here, these mountains are as good as ours.

Not if'n the Keepers come back, one muttered, and another made a warding sign.

Well, we ain't taken no town yet, though it sits here ripe as can be. No matter how many big words and tricks he done showed you down south.

Jory paled.

They're not tricks, Nicus, I seen him do it myself, down in Nedda Province. His voice was hoarse.

Seen 'im do what? Nicus asked.

Jory didn't answer right away, then he shook himself.

Never you mind. You're right, we were doing this long before Cato. And the Keepers are all cozy and content back in their nice, protected little valley. Cato said to lay low, but so long as no one catches us, I'd say that was low enough, yes?

A chorus of relieved agreements broke out.

Each of you bring your men to the meeting place. We'll start day after tomorrow.

One by one the men drifted back out, until finally only Jory and Nicus were left. Nicus rose to leave, but lingered after standing up.

What? Jory asked the other bandit leader.

What'd you see, Jory, down south?

Jory wouldn't meet the other man's eyes. Finally he spoke, his voice low.

Terrible things, Nicus. But they weren't no tricks.

Was it magic, like Ulie said?

No such thing as magic, Nicus, and you can't make me say there is. But there's some can use powers most of us can't.

Startled, Nicus opened his mouth to speak, but Jory stood up and tossed a few coins on the tabletop.

There's some, Nicus, can talk to the wind, and the wind answers.

The flames in the fireplace flickered and shrank. A small boy, his resemblance to the innkeeper apparent, scuttled in with an armful of logs. With a glance at his father for permission, he built up the fire and the flames danced once more.

Her cottage pie long finished, the woman sat nursing her wine, watching the flames as if mesmerized. Then she, too, tossed a coin on the table and left.

~~~~

You were right.

The mountain woman, the dull expression gone as if it had never been, dropped lightly down to the ground. Their campsite was sheltered by a rock wall that jutted out from the hillside, and Kei was pleased to see Haaku had felt comfortable enough to scrape away a section of the forest floor and start a small, welcome blaze among the melting spring snow. She held her hands out to the warmth, and the flames sparked. Normally this was her job, as Haaku na Jass, who spoke to Water, did not do well in fire-making. But more, it meant that he must have found the main bandit encampment, and that they were far enough away from it that the small fire would not announce their presence.

It's the same groups as last year?

Haaku had been convinced the recent rash of raids, never uncommon this far into the mountains, and this close to the border, were the work of a ragged assortment of bandits that he and Kei had chased out of the area not quite a year past.

Kei nodded.

They've banded together.

Do they think that we'd forgotten and they could just move back in and start all over?

So it would seem, Kei answered him. Maybe they feel they're far enough north now that no one will find them. Or look for them.

Kei Ayumi had only lived in the mountains herself for about a year. Her own arrival at the northern border, which for so long she had pictured as the last place anyone would look for her, as an escape, had in fact proved to be nothing of the sort. What she ran from traveled with her always, and showed no interest in lines drawn on maps.

It was there, at the border, in a mountainous land so different from her home, that she realized something. Whether or not she survived the mountain pass, or whether she journeyed back three hundred leagues south, she would never escape.

Another person, faced with a grief so potent, and powers so terrifying, might have given in, and ended either a gibbering wreck of a person, or dead.

But Kei was not any other person. She may have lost her way in this world, but she clung to the life she had left.

So she began to try to harness the unusual situation in which she found herself, and had actually made a finger's breadth of progress, when a man nearly as old as her father might have been, with wild hair and piercing blue eyes, had walked into her rough hut without invitation and offered his help.

Haaku told her weeks later that her fumbling efforts to reach the Wayline had resonated throughout the hills, and she counted herself lucky it had been this Keeper, Haaku na Jass, who had followed the disturbance to the source, and not another. For Haaku saw her need, and her potential, and was willing to break rules to help her reach it. While others might have tried to destroy her, Haaku nurtured her.

Rules are made for good reasons, he'd told her, and they are broken for better ones.

Kei accepted the piece of dried beef Haaku now handed her, and her strong, white teeth tore a strip off. She chewed thoughtfully.

Something was different, though, besides them teaming up. Jory, he's not making the final decisions anymore. None of them are.

Haaku's eyebrows rose.

No?

No. They're waiting for whoever this other person is, Jory said a fortnight. Kei frowned. That's not all of it. After the others left, when it was just Jory and the one with the bad breath, and Haaku interjected, Nicus.

Yes, Nicus. They talked about something that happened down south.

What?

He didn't say. But Haaku... she picked at what was left of the dried beef with one fingernail, her eyes on the fire. It frightened him.

Haaku pursed his lips.

Frightened him, eh? Too bad we don't know what it was.

Why?

Haaku grinned.

If it scared him down south, imagine how he might feel if we could make him believe it followed him into the mountains.

Kei laughed.

You're a devious man, Haaku.

Her smile faded though, and she added, Though I'm not altogether sure that it didn't. Or that it won't.

At Haaku's inquiring look, she said, Jory mentioned powers, Haaku, and people talking to the wind.

Haaku frowned.

A Keeper?

Kei shrugged apologetically.

That was my first thought. You said Air Keepers can speak to Air the way you speak to Water. Haaku, what was the name of the Keeper you told me about, the one that the Keepers disavowed?

The one we severed from the Wayline, you mean? Haaku said, suddenly grim. Cato Dunai, yes. He was Water, and sworn to the Spirit, as I am. My apprentice, many years ago, before we exiled him.

That's what I thought. Well, the man they're waiting for? Jory called him Cato.

Haaku na Jass suddenly looked years older.

Could it be the same man? Kei asked. They said 'talking to the wind'. Can someone who spoke to Water learn to speak to Air?

I did, Haaku reminded her. "And the Three, of course, speak to air, water and earth combined. But I haven't been cut off from the Wayline, and no one, so far as I know, has ever connected himself to the Wayline."

Kei felt a wary alertness take over.

I did, Haaku.

You did, yes, though only partially. The connection would most likely have broken of its own accord if I hadn't strengthened it when I did. He stared at her, his mind working. But you didn't know what you were doing. It was just instinct. Cato does know. He was an experienced Keeper, and strong, too. He was second level, but that was only because Master Gar mistrusted him, and refused to test him for first. Haaku frowned. So he has the knowledge, and though the path is bound before the Face is chosen, any Keeper, no matter the sworn Face, could be chosen by any of the elements, as you have proven. And someone who was originally sworn to Spirit would have a better than even chance of forcing another element. His face cleared as he made a decision. We must let Gar know, Kei. The Three must be told. We have two weeks, you said. We can reach Trien in one. There's a bonded messenger there, and we can send word to the Fortress of Earth.

One there, and one back, which means we'll get back here just when Cato is due to arrive. And we won't get any help for another two to three weeks, Kei pointed out.

If we don't get any help, Haaku said grimly, then we'll take him down ourselves.

What of the steadings? They plan to hit the outlying ones while they wait for this Cato.

Do they? Haaku smiled, and Kei saw the predator in him rise to the surface. Then we'll just leave them a little gift before we leave.

Chapter 2

The journey had been long but uneventful, and Secchi was grimly grateful. Even his Warrior-trained stamina had a limit, and he'd reached it several days past.

A sudden flash of Liriana's face, always so serious and thoughtful, was followed the image of her bloodied and defeated body, as Kirian had held her, his grief-wracked heart unable to release her to her element.

Secchi had placed one heavy hand on the other man's shoulder, speaking no words of comfort, simply letting his remaining teammate know he was there. Kirian had mastered his grief, Secchi remembered, and without a word had carried her body to the river himself. His face gray with agony, he'd given her powers back to the Water to which she was bound.

Secchi looked over at Kirian now. They made their way through familiar woods, nearly home. The month it had taken had been needful for the other man to conquer his emotions. Secchi had not once offered false comfort. Kirian looked nearly back to normal, but Secchi knew him well, and knew the hot lance of his mate's death still burned in Kirian's soul.

The hill crested, and the Fortress of Earth was before them.

Despite his weariness, both in body and soul, Secchi's heart lifted. The walled town in center of the huge valley was where his path had been bound, where he'd sworn to the Warrior Face. Where he'd come as a child, leaving his family behind, only to find another family, with ties of oaths and vows, and, yes, Secchi admitted with another glance at Kirian's face, ties of love.

Home, he said simply, and Kirian's mask cracked just for a second before he nodded and said in return, Home.

He'll not begin to heal, not until we treat his spirit, and we can only do that here.

Secchi led them at an angle as they left the trees, and it was a matter of only minutes until they intersected the well-worn dirt road that Secchi had avoided for so long. The road led down to the long, flat, treeless expanse, dotted with outlying farms and homesteads, and then to the massive village gates.

Do you... Kirian's voice cracked, then he cleared his throat. Do you remember the first time you saw that?

The walls? Secchi stared ahead, watching as the great walls, so tiny at first, began to grow the closer they approached. I do. I was amazed, when we reached the gates proper, to see how high they rose. He shook his head. My father told me they'd been built by Keepers of Earth, to defend the town, and I didn't believe him.

And now you are a Keeper of Earth, Kirian said, his voice still low, sounding unused and dry, as well it might. Secchi didn't think he'd spoken more than two words in the past three weeks. What do you think of them now?

Now? Now I'm even more amazed. To think of the effort that must have been expended. The walls are over ten feet thick, Kirian, and taller than ten men. He shook his head. And all for defense against something that doesn't even exist any longer.

The path of Fire, Kirian said softly, then added, I remember the first time I saw the walls, Secchi. I was sent here from Sky Keep. Air Keepers were needed, they told me, in the Fortress of Earth. Teams were being formed. I never thought I'd feel at home, here where the sky is so often hidden.

His eyes swept the mountains and hills that surrounded the great valley. Above their heads, the afternoon sun shone from a bowl of deep blue, and Kirian stopped walking, his gaze on a drifting cloud.

But here is where I found my true home. My true calling. Here is where I swore to Knowledge, and learned to speak to the Air I was bound to.

And here is where you met Liri, Secchi said softly, finally finding the courage to speak her name.

Kirian kept his eyes on the sky above. Secchi raised his own eyes, watching the clouds, following the lone hawk so far off, the late afternoon sun. He tried to see the air above him the way Kirian must. But Secchi was a Keeper of Earth, and the sky was beautiful, but it was only the sky. He knew Kirian saw so much more.

Yes, Kirian finally answered. Here is where I met Liri.

His eyes dropped, and met Secchi's openly. The pain in them was almost more than Secchi could bear, and he was unsure if he should say more.

Kirian, he said hesitantly, and Kirian shook his head.

Don't, Secchi. Don't avoid speaking of her to spare me. If we don't speak of her, it's as if she didn't matter. And she did, Secchi. She did.

Secchi looked away, his own eyes stinging.

She did, Kirian, he finally said. You're not alone in your loss. I loved her as well. But not as you did, and I would not insult your love for her by pretending to understand.

Kirian turned and began walking again. Secchi followed, and it wasn't until the walls loomed overhead, and the inner life of the town could be seen through the approaching gates, that he heard Kirian speak again.

It's no insult, Secchi. I hold onto the love, you see, and only then can I face the loss. Secchi didn't answer, and Kirian added, I can only hope that one day you love someone as much, my brother.

They entered the massive gates, recognized by the guards on duty, and Secchi led his bereft partner toward the center of town, to the Keeper Hall.

But I am a Keeper of Earth, sworn to the Face of the Warrior. A Warrior cannot allow himself to love that deeply. I must always be strong.

~~~~

The Council of Blades, in the city of Jacarta, in the heart of the Honshara desert, met once every week in normal session. They were not due to meet for another three days, but red smoke rose from the roof of the Hall of the Star Blades, and in less than an hour, all the council members were assembled.

Hasta ken Rennan watched them take their seats with a troubled heart. The Lord of the Star Blades had held his position for ten long years, and he had served as a Council Blade for ten years prior to that. Tough and competent, he kept his skills by training every day. He had been a formidable Blade in his younger years, and there were few even today who would care to cross swords with him.

He stood now, an imposing figure in his loose, desert clothing, and addressed the twelve members of the Council.

Last night, he began, and every night for the past three nights, I have been visited by the Goddesses.

The red smoke had been unusual enough that everyone in the room was alert and tense, but his words still shocked them.

Finally one spoke.

That was indeed an honor, Lord Blade.

Perhaps, perhaps not, Lord Blade replied.

Are they angry with you? another asked.

It would seem so. He stared down at his clasped hands and gathered his thoughts. The visitation is the same each time. The first night, I thought it a dream, and spent some time in the morning pondering its meaning. The second night, when it came again, unchanged but for the increasing attention of the Goddesses, I knew it was more than a dream. Yet still I hesitated, unwilling to admit that the meaning might be more than a simple warning. Last night, they were very angry with me for not paying attention. And so this morning I called you here, to tell you the message, and to reveal certain truths.

All twelve members leaned forward.

It begins with a night sky. The stars shine over the sands, as they do each night. I am walking through the Great Expanse, and the Goddesses walk beside me.

Someone murmured something soft.

Ahead I see a tent, and when we reach the entrance, the Goddesses motion for me to enter first. He bowed his head. It is the tent of the treaty massacre.

Another murmur, this time unquestionably a prayer.

I don't wish to go further, but they will not let me leave. And so I stay, and watch. And one by one, the bodies of the dead rise, and the Goddesses speak to them, lay a hand on their heads, and take them by the hand and lead them out of the tent. Servants, honor guards, tribal lords, wives and children, all those who were present for that final meal. When it is over, there are but two bodies left. These two do not rise, but stay where they lie. And then the Goddesses speak to me.

He paused, and if a grain of sand had fallen into the silence it would have echoed.

"'Lord Blade,' they say, 'look about you.' I look, but still all I see are the two who did not rise and join the others. 'What would you have me see?' I ask, and they shake their heads.

'Look about you,' they say again, and again I look. And then a third time they entreat me to look. And this time I see what they wish me to notice. And I realize that of all the dead who rose, seven who should have, did not. And instead, scattered around the tent, I see three silver blades, shining in the starlight. For the tent is gone, and once again the stars shine upon us."

Only three blades?

Yes, Lord Blade said softly. And then, within one of the bodies that did not rise, a fourth blade appears.

Four blades. But, Lord Blade, there were seven Blades in that tent. Were the Goddesses telling you that the rumors were true? That the massacre was a conspiracy, and that sworn Blades were a part of it?

That I cannot believe, one woman burst out. I spoke against that when it was first brought up, and I speak against it now.

But the Goddesses...

You don't know that's what they meant, the woman said angrily. The Goddesses do not always leave clear messages. You know that.

The Blade Lord raised his hand, and the two subsided immediately.

Three tribal chiefs there were that survived that massacre. Lords Onnek, Siti, and Bentan. They survived of all that were inside the tent. This much is common knowledge.

He paused, and met their eyes.

I will tell you something now that I have held in secret for two years. This information is known to only myself, and those three Lords.

He took a deep breath.

Two others were found alive in the tent. They were gravely injured, and were found exactly where they should have been, doing exactly what they should have been doing. Protecting their charges.

The silence was absolute, broken finally by the eldest Blade in the room, Tirla ken Benla.

Two of the Star survived?

Yes.

Tirla drew a sharp breath.

And what was the reason we were not told this? The Black Star of Jacarta was renounced, and the reputation of every Blade was tarnished from one end of the Great Expanse to the other. These two have the knowledge we need to determine what truly happened.

Wait, said one who had not spoken yet. You say two survived. If two survived, then five died. Yet only four blades appeared in your visitation. Unless there is more you have hidden from us.

Lord Blade met the other's gaze.

That was not the end of the vision. Two bodies there were that did not rise. One wore the robes of a tribal chief, but although four tribal chiefs died, which tribe this body belonged to was unclear to me. The second body, a Blade, but which Blade I could not tell. Three more Blades, represented by three silver blades shining in the dark. And then I looked, and two of the Goddesses held one silver blade each in their hands.

Six Blades, someone said.

"And then the Goddesses pointed to the night sky. I looked up. The stars shone as brightly as before, but one streaked through the black night, and I saw it fall to the sands in front of me.

'Pick it up,' the Goddesses commanded me, and I had to obey. I leaned over to take it, and saw that its light was gone. It was dark, as dark as the night sky."

Again the room was silent.

A black star, someone said in a hushed, wondering voice.

And I took it in my hand, and its form changed, and it became a seventh silver blade. And the Goddesses spoke again. 'This life is in your hands. Find the lost Blade, so the truth shall be known.

The lost Blade? But which one? Who were the two survivors?

Does this mean another survived? A third?

But if one of them did live, and you didn't know, that means whoever it was abandoned the mission, and abandoned their Star. The Council Blade who said this spoke in a blank voice. That has never happened. Never.

No. It never has. Lord Blade looked around the table. But there is a law that covers this. A Blade forsworn must be tried in condarr, in front of the seven tribes and the full Council. And that is the message the Goddesses wished me to hear. They have called for a condarr.

The Goddesses themselves have called for a condarr?

This was unheard of, and the Council members looked one to another in shock.

And the Blade? If found guilty?

Lord Blade met their eyes one by one.

Death.

Chapter 3

There’s someone I'd like the two of you to meet.

Master Gar Re, Third of Three, the six-colored single stripe on his sleeve proclaiming his status, sat behind his desk, his seamed face looking oddly tired. Kirian and Secchi had given their report, though Kirian had spoken little. As one on the path of Knowledge, it was his responsibility to place a written report in the archives, but this was one time he would let himself bend the rules. Secchi had already promised to write the report himself.

An applicant? he asked Master Gar.

Yes, though he will not need to test for resonance.

No?

Gar stood and opened the door to the outer office.

Briadan, if you would, there is a young man in the waiting room down the hall. His name is Denar. Find him, please, and bring him here.

Gar took his seat again and changed the subject.

You are incomplete.

Kirian felt his face go white, and he forced himself to remain calm.

There are three Faces to the Wayline. Knowledge and Warrior, and Gar nodded to Kirian and Secchi, and the Face of Spirit. Three Faces, which is why we function as three-man teams. You are missing the Face of Spirit.

Kirian had known Liri would have to be replaced, but he hadn't thought it would be so swift. He ground his pain under with an iron fist.

Of course, Master, he heard his own voice say calmly. We expected you would assign someone.

As it must be someone bound to Water, I have only one Spirit Keeper to match your levels and abilities who is unassigned. Haaku.

Secchi leaned forward, and Kirian felt a surge of interest in spite of himself.

Haaku na Jass had been a first level Keeper in the Valley of Waters before Kirian had even had his first test at the age of six, twenty years past. Haaku was known in all three Keeper towns, though he had made the Fortress of Earth his home for the past fifteen years. He was also the only Keeper to advance as swiftly as Kirian had himself, passing first level, rumor had it, at the age of only sixteen. His powers over Water were legendary, and it was accepted that one day Haaku would succeed Master Andaro in the Valley of Waters as First of Three.

Kirian knew that not only did Haaku speak to Water, but a few years back it had been discovered that he had an affinity for Kirian's own Air as well. This was unusual enough that Ke'ataar himself, Second of Three, and the beloved leader of Sky Keep, had given Haaku training in Air. And for Master Gar to awaken and train Haaku's affinity with Earth would be all that was necessary for him to be ready. To be one of the Three, the Keepers of the Way.

Haaku is in the mountains. The last message he sent back stated he was near Border Pass, following rumors of a new troop of bandits. But that was fifteen, nearly sixteen days past. He could be anywhere by now. Gar looked at both men. Anywhere, but hopefully along a definite line on the map. In fact, I have more than one reason to send you to him, he said. The bandits must be taken care of, yes, but Haaku's stated mission was with the river.

The river? Secchi asked.

Haaku has been investigating the route of the Galdi, Gar explained.

The river Galdi ran through the valley, cutting through the Fortress on its way, its birth spring a stream high in the Galdain Mountains to the north.

The river had been shrinking over the past year, and Kirian knew Liri, and all the Water Keepers assigned here, had been adamant that the cause be found. So. It was Haaku who had gone to seek the reason.

I think you'll be able to help, or at least Secchi will. Gar nodded at Kirian. You answer to Air, Kirian. But Secchi answers to Earth. He should be able to help Haaku. I was going to send Jalen, as he was free, but then we placed him on a team and sent him south to help with the drought.

When the drought in Nedda Province, so close to the Honshara desert, had become so severe, over a dozen teams had been sent from the Fortress of Earth alone. Kirian knew the other two Keeper villages, Sky Keep and the Valley of Waters, must have sent teams as well. Water and Air would work to bring rain, and Water with Earth to try to locate the subterranean moisture and coax it to the earth's surface. A Keeper of Water, such as Haaku or Jalen, was the pivot point of the team, able to work with either of the other two elements. Air and Earth, like Kirian and Secchi, could work side by side, but never together.

As the Air meets the Earth, always touching, never together.

If they had not been sent already to Taldar Province, they might have gone to Nedda themselves.

And Liri need not have died.

He closed that thought off as soon as it surfaced, and turned his mind to why Gar had not sent Haaku south, and Jalen into the mountains. As the strongest Water in many years, Haaku's powers could only have helped in the south.

We have need of someone strong in the mountains, Gar said, as if reading Kirian's mind. Which is why I did not recall Haaku. And this news of brigands returning? We thought we had rid ourselves of them last year. If I send you two to team with Haaku, you could seek out the problem of the river, and bring the bandits under control at the same time. And Haaku has another mission he is on, one which he'll share with you when you reach him.

Kirian forced himself to listen to what Master Gar was saying.

Haaku has someone traveling with him. Someone he's training in the Way.

An apprentice? Secchi sounded surprised. Who?

Someone he met in the mountains.

An apprentice that didn’t come through a Keeper village?

Yes. He's been training her for quite some time, close to the whole time he's been in the mountains. A year or longer.

A year or longer, Secchi repeated. A girl he found in the mountains?

A woman, Secchi, and he found her in the mountains, yes.

A woman? How old?

All Haaku told me was that she came into her element late. Master Gar looked thoughtful. I had felt a disturbance in the Wayline, and when Haaku mentioned it as well, I asked him to take the time to seek it out. Which he has. But when you find him, remind him she must be brought here soon, here or to Andaro in the Valley of Waters. She must be sworn to a Face.

Secchi nodded.

What Face will she swear to, has he said?

No, Gar said. I assume Spirit, since he's still training her. But with you two joining him, it will be easy to assess her skills and help her to choose. In fact, I'm about to ask both of you to do the same thing. Take an apprentice with you as you head into the mountains.

Kirian and Secchi exchanged looks, Kirian's interest growing. Take an apprentice into the mountains while they hunted for bandits?

The boy he'd spoken of earlier, and he wants us to take him into a situation where we'll be fighting?

Denar comes from Nedda Province, which is hard enough in these days, Gar began.

Nedda Province, even without the drought that had devastated the land, was a harsh homeland. Close to the desert, and ruled by clans as hard and dry as the land they lived upon. The politics of Nedda were almost always at odds with the other provinces of Akashi, and of late, diametrically opposed. Two of the most militant factions had met in agreement on one issue–the Keepers. Both wanted the Keeper Villages, if not done away with, then at a minimum placed under direct control of the provincial governors. The Keepers long-held autonomy was in question, and though nine of the other provinces were adamant about keeping the Keepers as they were, already Southern Province had begun showing interest in Nedda's statements.

There are other issues, however, politics aside, that make it imperative you take Denar with you.

He nodded acknowledgement at the question on both their faces, but only said, Bring him in, if you would, Kirian.

The boy Kirian led into Master Gar's office seemed oddly blank. His age was close to twelve or thirteen, old for a new apprentice, but not too old. His eyes, though, seemed older. He showed no interest in anything, not his surroundings, nor the three Keepers who greeted him.

Is he dull-witted? Kirian wondered, then a flash of something in the boy's eyes made him re-assess. Slow moving, yes, but with the wariness of an frightened animal. And as uninterested as his eyes appeared, Kirian suddenly realized that Denar not only had taken in everything in the room, from Kirian himself down to the small beetle crawling along the windowsill, he had catalogued, arranged, and then dismissed it all.

Including, Kirian saw, us. A swift glance at Secchi showed the other Keeper making the same observations, and Secchi nodded imperceptibly.

Denar Kierstal, this is Kirian Besson, Keeper of Air, and this, Secchi Amara, Keeper of Earth.

The boy nodded once, and Kirian stood.

Master Gar has asked us to take you as apprentice, Denar, and teach you the Way.

Denar met his eyes but said nothing. Kirian waited until the boy suddenly flushed, as if he'd only just realized an answer was required.

Yes, sir, he said belatedly, and though Kirian's face didn't change, he felt a sense of relief. The boy's tone held nothing of insolence or contempt. He had, it seemed, simply lost the knack for dealing with other people.

Kirian held Denar's eyes just long enough for the boy's expressionless face to begin to show a hint of worry.

Come with us, he said finally, and he and Secchi rose and left the room. He didn't need to look back to know that Denar was right behind him.

He also saw the looks of relief exchanged by Secchi and Master Gar as they saw his interest in