Read Online season avatars 03 - chaos season by sandra ulbrich almazan - Free Book Online
Authors: sandra ulbrich almazan
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nutrients. The entire system was extensive, about the size of one of her family’s fields. But with the magical support of her sister Avatars, Jenna swept her power across the roots in heartbeats. Then she went back over the roots a second time to make sure she’d destroyed all of them. Maybe she should give them some time to die before attempting to pull them away from the stones. She feared if she removed the roots too soon, she’d damage the foundation before Kron could restore it.
Gwen, can you check to see how Kron’s coming along with his magic? Jenna asked.
I’d have to break the link to do it. Are you finished? Maybe if we watch, we’ll see something happen—or feel it affect the roots.
Ysabel said, Maybe we can see more of what’s going on if I tap into an animal’s senses.
They all agreed she had the best magic for that task. Ysabel recruited several moles to tunnel near the foundation stones. Jenna maintained her link with the deathbushes’ intertwined roots to make sure all of them died. Parts of the net dropped out like a tree shedding leaves. Jenna focused her attention on the remaining sections.
Ysabel helped them interpret the moles’ senses. Vision was unimportant to this animal; it relied more on smell and touch. The moles dug easily—maybe a little too easily—through the soil as Dorian dried it out. As they drew closer to the foundation, the soil became moister and packed more readily. As roots rotted, Ysabel sent other creatures to break down them down. The temperature rose, and the moles scurried away out of Ysabel’s control. Alarmed, Gwen broke the link before Ysabel could gather more details.
Jenna swayed as she rose. For a heartbeat, she thought it was the Temple shaking, not her body’s response to using so much magic. Gwen, Ysabel, and Kay blinked as they readjusted to being four separate people, not one linked entity. Once Jenna steadied, she examined the deathbushes at her feet. They drooped but weren’t completely dead. Freeze it, what did it take to destroy them? She lifted her skirt and crushed a plant underfoot, wishing her own boots were sturdier. Charles stretched as he stood up from a sickly yellow deathbush. Behind him, Dorian lowered his lands, and the temperature plummeted from scorching hot to seasonal warmth. Jenna shivered, her silk dress suddenly clammy.
“Everything still looks level,” Gwen said. “I think it’s safe to assume Kron succeeded. I’d better check on him, though. Ysabel, will you come with me?”
“That isn’t part of the normal summer soltrans, is it?” A deep voice asked. “Is something wrong?”
Jenna whirled to face Lex, the Avatar of War and the only other person with the authority to intrude upon the Temple during this ceremony.
CHAPTER SIX
A Weapon Test
“Le—Your Highness,” Jenna managed to blurt out. “I wasn’t expecting you here.”
He raised an eyebrow. By The Four, he looked impeccable in his scarlet jacket with a row of golden eagles flying over his heart. The touches of gray in his beard and hair gave him a regal presence. Even the plain sheath for the dagger on his belt lent him power. He should have been the ruler of Challen, not the Avatar of War. But as an Avatar, he was more accessible than the king would have been.
“Here at the soltrans?” he asked. “Or here on the Temple steps?”
“Here specifically, Your Highness.” On a step above Jenna, Gwen sank into a deep curtsey, so graceful she must have spent hours as a girl practicing it. Jenna’s childhood skills of shelling peas and bundling hay would never be appreciated in her new setting.
Gwen rose to stare directly at Lex. “Your Highness, you shouldn’t be here. The Temple requires foundation repairs, and we’re not sure they’re complete yet.”
“But you were still planning to hold your ceremony anyway?”
Gwen rested her good hand on Jenna’s shoulder, touching only fabric. “We just discovered the problem and are taking measures
Gwen, can you check to see how Kron’s coming along with his magic? Jenna asked.
I’d have to break the link to do it. Are you finished? Maybe if we watch, we’ll see something happen—or feel it affect the roots.
Ysabel said, Maybe we can see more of what’s going on if I tap into an animal’s senses.
They all agreed she had the best magic for that task. Ysabel recruited several moles to tunnel near the foundation stones. Jenna maintained her link with the deathbushes’ intertwined roots to make sure all of them died. Parts of the net dropped out like a tree shedding leaves. Jenna focused her attention on the remaining sections.
Ysabel helped them interpret the moles’ senses. Vision was unimportant to this animal; it relied more on smell and touch. The moles dug easily—maybe a little too easily—through the soil as Dorian dried it out. As they drew closer to the foundation, the soil became moister and packed more readily. As roots rotted, Ysabel sent other creatures to break down them down. The temperature rose, and the moles scurried away out of Ysabel’s control. Alarmed, Gwen broke the link before Ysabel could gather more details.
Jenna swayed as she rose. For a heartbeat, she thought it was the Temple shaking, not her body’s response to using so much magic. Gwen, Ysabel, and Kay blinked as they readjusted to being four separate people, not one linked entity. Once Jenna steadied, she examined the deathbushes at her feet. They drooped but weren’t completely dead. Freeze it, what did it take to destroy them? She lifted her skirt and crushed a plant underfoot, wishing her own boots were sturdier. Charles stretched as he stood up from a sickly yellow deathbush. Behind him, Dorian lowered his lands, and the temperature plummeted from scorching hot to seasonal warmth. Jenna shivered, her silk dress suddenly clammy.
“Everything still looks level,” Gwen said. “I think it’s safe to assume Kron succeeded. I’d better check on him, though. Ysabel, will you come with me?”
“That isn’t part of the normal summer soltrans, is it?” A deep voice asked. “Is something wrong?”
Jenna whirled to face Lex, the Avatar of War and the only other person with the authority to intrude upon the Temple during this ceremony.
CHAPTER SIX
A Weapon Test
“Le—Your Highness,” Jenna managed to blurt out. “I wasn’t expecting you here.”
He raised an eyebrow. By The Four, he looked impeccable in his scarlet jacket with a row of golden eagles flying over his heart. The touches of gray in his beard and hair gave him a regal presence. Even the plain sheath for the dagger on his belt lent him power. He should have been the ruler of Challen, not the Avatar of War. But as an Avatar, he was more accessible than the king would have been.
“Here at the soltrans?” he asked. “Or here on the Temple steps?”
“Here specifically, Your Highness.” On a step above Jenna, Gwen sank into a deep curtsey, so graceful she must have spent hours as a girl practicing it. Jenna’s childhood skills of shelling peas and bundling hay would never be appreciated in her new setting.
Gwen rose to stare directly at Lex. “Your Highness, you shouldn’t be here. The Temple requires foundation repairs, and we’re not sure they’re complete yet.”
“But you were still planning to hold your ceremony anyway?”
Gwen rested her good hand on Jenna’s shoulder, touching only fabric. “We just discovered the problem and are taking measures
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