The Amulet Keeper's War

By Azure Avians and Laura Ware

The aftermath of war brings its own challenges. Now charged with the safekeeping of one of the most powerful talismans ever created, Paladin Kele of Talman turns to her magic-wielding sister for help in better understanding the Amulet. But plenty of other parties want the Amulet of the Four for themselves, and they'll go to any lengths to procure it. Kele wants nothing to do with it, but the gods leave her little choice. She can't let it fall into the hands of those who would misuse its vast power.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bluetrix Books
• Release date: May 24, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463425220

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

Kele sat up straighter on the hard bench of the wagon and rolled her shoulders to ease some of the tightness. The two brown horses in front of her continued to plod forward on the dusty road, and she had the amused thought that she could drop the reins and the pair would still continue on the way, not stopping until they were back home on the family’s farm. They knew the scant miles between Talman and their home that well.

Keeping one hand on the slack reins, she reached down into the bag at her feet and pulled out a rosy apple. Hey, Hana, are you hungry?

Her twin continued to study the scroll on her lap, oblivious to her sister’s question. Kele grinned and thrust the apple beside her sister’s face, letting its sweet scent break the mage’s concentration.

Hana started, then looked over at Kele, her expression a mixture of fondness and annoyance. A breeze wafting down from the north stirred her long black hair. I’m sorry. Did you say something?

I asked if you were hungry, Kele repeated, waving the apple under her sister’s nose. Breakfast was hours ago. They’d done their parents a favor and taken the tontoc to Talman. After waiting while various merchants paid for and unloaded it, the sisters were making their way back to the family farm.

Hana nodded as she plucked the apple from her sister’s tanned hand with her pale one. Thanks, she said, taking a bite of the juicy fruit. Her eyes strayed back to the scroll in her lap, the script a fiery red.

Kele snagged another apple from the bag and craned her neck so she could see what her sister was reading. Is that magical?

Hana shook her head. It’s a historical document. I’m hoping there’s some reference to the Amulet of the Four in it.

Kele’s good mood vanished. I thought between us and the Dark Warrior we had all the information that existed?

Some things might have slipped through the cracks, Hana said, her eyes on the parchment. The merchant I got this from wasn’t very forthcoming on where he’d gotten it—maybe one of the Dark Warrior’s minions sold off the scrolls when he died.

Kele shuddered. She’d been the one to end the Dark Warrior’s life—with the help of the powerful Amulet of the Four he’d sought to control. Now she kept it, after a vision from the White Goddess Azrial herself told her the gods wanted her to be its guardian.

And not a day went by that she didn’t wish they’d picked someone else.

Stop it, she told herself. You’re the Paladin of Talman, not some weak fainting child.

She was just starting to turn back to the road when she detected movement. Thick bushes lined this part of the main road. A figure in black burst from behind the dark green leaves, a bow in his hand, an arrow nocked and aimed right at the sisters.

Down! Kele shouted as the bowman let the arrow fly. She grabbed her sister by the shoulder and forced her to bend over, ducking herself.

The arrow whistled over their heads, close enough that Kele could feel it ruffle her short dark hair. If she hadn’t acted, the arrow would’ve buried itself in her twin’s neck.

With one hand Kele hauled on the reins, bringing the wagon to a jerky halt. Pulling Hana after her, she rolled off the vehicle and ducked down, her free hand grabbing her sword hilt.

The wagon was now between the sisters and their attacker. Kele drew her sword and glanced down at Hana, who’d landed on her hands and knees on the road. You all right?

Hana sat up and dusted off her hands. An arrow thunked into the far side of the wagon. Fine. How in the name of the Four did they get the drop on us?

Who knows? Kele said, risking a glance across the road. Anyone could have seen us leave the city.

The archer still stood there, but was there was a rippling of the air around him, as if something she couldn’t see was moving nearby.

At least one, but there may be others magically concealed, she told her sister. She wished she had her armor. But of course this hadn’t been an official trip—she and Hana had offered to take a shipment of tontoc pods to the city so the rest of the family could finish up the harvest. And Kele hadn’t expected trouble in the middle of the day.

Hana raised an eyebrow. I can do something about that. She hefted a small brown pouch she removed from her belt and muttered some words. Then she tossed it over the wagon, towards the other side of the road.

There was a bright flash of light and now instead of one man there were six. The five that appeared were also dressed in black and armed with swords. They looked startled but immediately drew their weapons.

Hana peeked over the wagon and swore. That should’ve knocked them out. They have magical protection of some kind.

Great, Kele said. The fight had just gotten harder. She had no doubts about herself and Hana taking on a half-dozen brigands, but it seemed these were more than that.

The largest man of the four, with a jet-black beard and narrow eyes, spoke up. We want the Paladin! Give her to us and the other one can go free.

Right, Hana snorted. She began to pull out spell components. Do you see any mages among them?

Kele risked another fast look then shook her head. What do you want with the Paladin? she demanded of their opponents.

They spread out, except for the archer, who stayed where he was. The spokesman of the group called out, We have business with her. Me and my men.

What sort of business? Kele asked. She moved towards the back of the wagon, sword at the ready. The five men moved closer, their own weapons glinting in the noonday sun.

It’s the Paladin herself, one of the other men said. You were right, Brutus.

Course I was right, the larger man snarled. Now, Paladin, you drop yer weapon and come with us before someone gets hurt.

You’re the ones who will be hurt if you don’t surrender, Kele warned.

Brutus laughed. We ain’t leavin’ without you. Unless you just want to tell us where the Amulet of the Four is. Then we might consider letting you go.

The Amulet. Kele sighed. She should have guessed it was involved. A glance at her twin told her Hana was prepared to act. Kele caught her eye and gave a curt nod. Now.

Hana darted up and cast a small fireball over the wagon. It landed in the bush in front of the archer, igniting it. With a yelp the man dropped his bow and stumbled backward.

At the same time Kele rounded the wagon, her sword raised. The man closest to her didn’t even have time to parry before her weapon came down hard on his wrist.

The blow was hard and should’ve cut deep, making him drop his blade. Instead, it was as if she’s struck a stone wall. Another magical shield.

Kele quickly took a step back and parried the man’s attack. She shouted to her sister, They have more shields!

Hana didn’t respond, but Kele hoped her twin could do something about that. A second man had joined her opponent and she was now busy keeping them both at bay. She heard Brutus yell, Don’t kill her! We need her alive!

It was so tempting to just wish them all away. But Kele drove that thought away before it fully formed. She would not go down that path. Instead she focused her attention on the battle in front of her. A blaze of light to her left and a man’s cry of pain and surprise told her that her twin was occupied.

Kele knew that magical shields usually could only take so much damage before they were dispelled. While she’d used rings imbued with such power on occasion, she didn’t like to rely on them because of their limitations.

She did her best to exploit her knowledge, landing blow after blow on her two attackers to weaken the spells. Had all six converged on her she might have had a problem, but Hana was keeping the others off her for the moment.

Finally a burst of light signaled the failure of one of her opponents’ shields. She took advantage of the situation and swung. With a scream the man went down, clutching at his bleeding throat.

The other man wavered, and Kele struck him. The blow didn’t hurt him, but the force of it sent his sword spinning out of his hand. He gave her a look full of fear and turned to run.

Kele let him go for the moment, her eyes scanning the area. Two other men were lying face down, unmoving. The archer was nowhere in sight. And Brutus—

Kele’s breath caught in her throat. Brutus had somehow gotten behind the wagon and attacked Hana. The mage lay on her back in the dusty road. And Brutus was bringing his sword down for a killing blow.

No! Kele shouted. She was too far away, but she had to stop him before he killed her sister.

It happened quickly.

She had to save Hana. Needed the attacker away from her. But before she could decide on how . . .

. . . Kele felt power drain from her. At the same time the spot where the heavy metal pressed on her chest burned like lava but without marring her skin.

As if an invisible giant hand had reached down and grabbed him, Brutus sailed through the air and slammed into a nearby oak tree with the sickening sound of bones breaking. The tree shuddered, and as Brutus fell to the ground, Kele spotted a large crack where his body hit the trunk.

Kele sheathed her sword and rushed to her sister, who was sitting up. Are you all right?

Hana stared at the broken body at the foot of the trunk. Kele, what did you do?

He was going to kill you. I had to stop him.

You lost control, Hana said. You let the Amulet act, didn’t you?

Kele stared at her twin. Did you hear me? He was going to kill you!

I was fine! Hana snapped even as she accepted her sister’s hand up. I have a protection spell on and was getting ready to hit him with a spell of barbs.

You were on the ground! Kele protested.

He tripped me. I was fine, Hana repeated, then took a deep breath and put aside her anger. We need to figure out where they got their protective spells from—they don’t come cheaply.

Kele surveyed the area. Her last opponent had fled, leaving his dead companions. Swallowing, she approached Brutus’s body, a tangle of broken limbs. Kele drew out the Amulet she wore under her forest green tunic. It sparkled, the sun’s rays catching its faceted surface of four colors—white, blue, red, and green.

She felt sickened looking at it.

Kele was not above killing in battle. But when she killed, she killed. Because she saw no other choice. She’d wanted to save Hana, but would have spared the attacker if she could have. Not necessarily out of altruism but to question him. No shiny chunk of metal should take that choice from her…

She felt Hana’s hand on her shoulder. Kele—it’s done. Stop beating yourself up about it. We’ll keep practicing —

"I’ve been practicing! Kele snapped. She glared at her sister. Don’t you think I’ve been trying? I’m supposed to guard the Amulet, not use it!"

Hana returned her angry look. You have to work harder. This isn’t swinging a sword around, but it’s just as important! Maybe more so! Then she drew in another deep calming breath. We’ll talk about it later.

Kele dropped the Amulet back under her shirt. We should clean this mess up. And I need to alert my guards.

Later indeed. Hana’s lips thinned, her stern expression reinforcing that the discussion wasn’t over. But she merely replied, Certainly. I can get word to their mage. And I’ll, she hesitated, mouth tight as she surveyed their handiwork, clean up.

Good. Thank you, Kele said, taking another glance around. The bushes still smoldered although most of the magical fire had burned out. I’ll put those out, she said, gesturing.

Hana looked over at the foliage. Good idea. We shouldn’t cause a forest fire.

Kele went to the wagon and pulled out one of their water skins. She walked over to the bushes and poured the liquid over the smoking branches. Kicking dirt over a few glowing embers at the base of the bushes, she concentrated on her task until there was no chance of anything nearby catching fire.

Hana leaned against the wagon, her eyes appearing to look at something far away. Kele recognized that her sister was in magical communication with someone and left her alone while she checked over the horses and pulled out the arrow that had buried itself in the wagon.

Finally Hana blinked and relaxed. Done. Your soldiers are on alert.

Kele watched as Hana cast a spell that caused the bodies to vanish in a violet puff of smoke. A faint burning smell drifted in the air. Except for a few bloodstains and the crack in the tree, Kele could almost believe nothing had happened here.

Both sisters climbed back into the wagon. Hana picked up the scroll she’d been looking at and brushed the dirt off it. Maybe we can practice more tonight.

Kele grimaced. We’ll have to be more watchful. He said they weren’t the last. Others may come after us. She picked up the reins and clicked at the horses, causing them to resume the trip home.

She felt Hana’s gaze on her but kept her eyes firmly on the road in front of her. She knew her twin was right. She needed more practice to control herself so that she didn’t accidentally invoke the power of the Amulet.

But a dark part of her wondered if any amount of practice would be enough.

CHAPTER TWO

Kele sat on the stairs leading to the front porch of her parents’ house and, rather distractedly, watched the empty drive that curved away to the main road as she rolled an apple between her hands. She didn’t want the cursed Amulet. She had no idea what to do with it. She remained unconvinced it belonged with her at all, however much she trusted her instinct. She had prayed, but . . .

Sighing deeply, Kele closed her eyes in silent, heartfelt prayer to the White Goddess Azrial. She prayed for guidance. What should she do? What did the White Goddess expect of her? She had often felt the barest response, the faintest, tickling brush of magic she took as a reply when it washed over her.

This time Kele heard a mellifluous, powerful feminine voice, jolting her to her very soul. Vast and strong yet barely audible—the whisper of a breeze, not the roar of a gale—but still achingly clear. Kele felt the energy in every cell of her body, leaving no doubt, no room for misunderstanding. Azrial spoke to her. The Amulet is yours.

Kele’s eyes flew open in shock as she leapt to her feet. She half feared, half anticipated seeing the lithe, fair goddess standing before her. But she still stood alone in front of her family’s porch.

The brush of air surrounded her, enveloping her completely. She no longer smelled the earthy tontoc, or the impending rain. Believe in yourself. I expect nothing more and nothing less than your best.

Then the goddess departed, and the natural sounds and scents rushed back in. And the drive leading away remained empty. Not even any sign of Hana yet.

Should she even tell Hana about the visit? Kele wasn’t sure. Somehow, it struck her as too intimate, too personal. Maybe not.

She sighed and watched the drive. Hana wouldn’t arrive by that route. That morning notwithstanding, Hana rarely walked or rode horseback. She’d simply conjure one of her magical portals and appear when class finished.

Kele leaned back and closed her eyes, letting the sun warm her face. She heard the few remaining tontoc stalks rustle in the soft breeze that stirred things around the farm.

She opened her eyes and checked the drive. No sign of her sister yet.

Hana and her husband Tavan both taught at the nearby Blue Temple. Kele didn’t expect her sister to abandon her responsibilities just because she’d reconciled with the rest of the family. But ten years was a long time to make up for, and Kele found herself wishing her sister would spend more time in Talman, and especially with their parents.

Not only had Kele missed her, the wounds between them needed not just time but attention to heal. Plus Hana was supposed to be helping her figure out the Amulet.

She hadn’t articulated her feelings to Hana. Should she, Kele asked herself as she crunched into the tart fruit she held. Would it do any good if she made the effort?

Loud squawks and caws drew Kele’s eyes to the top of their barn, with its omnipresent flock of zellies on the sloped tile roof. Their feathers gleamed brilliant blue in the bright sunshine as two of the birds played tug of war with a golden tontoc stalk that each grasped firmly in a talon.

The tontoc abruptly snapped, almost sending the birds tumbling. But they spread their wings and flew off, disturbing the rest of the flock in the process. With an earsplitting cacophony of complaints, the birds rose like a wave of blue leaping into the sky.

The avian bickering reminded Kele of the many childhood disputes between her and her twin. Of the plentiful minor, meaningless ones before the real blow-up. Their fight that had caused the decade-long estrangement had come from selfish narrow-mindedness and from an immature lack of communication and empathy. Kele didn’t hesitate to accept half the blame.

For the fight.

Afterward, though, Hana had fled. Not only run away—and ignored Kele’s letters, which was bad enough—but Hana had refused to communicate with their parents. She’d gone so far as to vanish again when they had come to the Blue Temple to get her.

Kele sighed as she wiped juice from the corner of her mouth. How could she depend on someone who simply up and ran? Abandoning not just her, but their parents as well. Kele had seen firsthand the wounds Hana had left behind. She felt more anger on her parents’ behalf than on her own, and still didn’t understand Hana’s actions.

Kele didn’t trust what she didn’t understand.

Yes, Hana had finally returned home. Just like the zellie birds, who circled as a swirling blue cloud of cerulean a few times overhead before settling back onto the barn-top roost.

But after ten years, Kele no longer knew her well