Smoke Gate by Kay L. Moody

Author:Kay L. Moody [Moody, Kay L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Marten Press
Published: 2020-04-06T23:00:00+00:00

NINE

THE SMELL OF EVERGREENS AND THICK TREE sap filled her nose as Talise trudged through the forest the next morning. She didn’t want the amulet. She didn’t want its power or its corruption, and mostly, she didn’t want to be responsible for it.

But she did have to take it. Unless she wanted to hand it over to Kessoku with a little bow on top, she’d have to convince the guardian she was worthy.

Twittering birds sat in the trees above her, which seemed highly ironic considering the fate she planned to doom herself to. Apparently, they didn’t know or care about the trouble Kamdaria faced.

When the guardian’s hut came into view, she marched straight for the hedge bushes that fenced in his garden. Pressing one hand to each side, she shaped the earth inside of the hedge branches and leaves until it opened for her.

Inside the garden, Eben sat cross-legged on a steppingstone near the vegetable plants. His face looked serene with closed eyes and a relaxed face. He didn’t seem to notice her presence.

Except then he asked, “When did you learn to shape plants?” His eyes remained closed as he waited for the answer.

She glanced at the chrysanthemum bush near the mud walls of the hut and found the yellow petals and broken stem still lying on the soil. It caused a shudder to flick through her.

“During the third stage of my schooling. My instructor taught us how to sense the earth within plants of all kind. But most earth shapers can do it. Isn’t that why the earth-shaping symbol is a tree?”

Eben’s eyes remained closed, his body completely still. “No. The earth shaping symbol is a tree because of Kamdar’s daughter. He chose a waterfall for water because it denotes strength and power, even destruction in some circumstances. He chose a tornado to represent air for the same reasons. He felt flames alone looked ferocious enough, so he did not choose anything different to represent fire. But earth was different.”

Eben rose from the ground, stretching his arms out as he did. He wore a similar set of tunic and pants as the day before, but today they were forest green and his belt gold. His dark brown cloak rested on his shoulders, but the silver clasp hung limp on the ends.

Walking through the garden, he gestured over his house at the mountains behind it. “Kamdar had a deep appreciation for nature. As you may recall, he was born next to a chrysanthemum bush. He said the soil itself caught him after his birth. When he created the amulet by imbuing his mother’s pendant with shaping power, he did not carve a tree on top to represent earth, he chose a mountain. He believed mountains signified strength and wisdom, for it was in the mountains he gained his knowledge of shaping.”

Talise rubbed her forehead, taking great pains to breathe before she spoke. “Does this matter? You may not know, but other people besides me seek the amulet. They want to use it to defeat the emperor and his army.

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