As soon as the jar was exactly halfway through the portal, Kron turned
to Ocul. “Freeze the water in that jar, now!”
“All of the water, or just on the surface?”
“All of it!”
Ocul muttered, “It’s the wrong time of year for this,” but he did it
anyway.
“Perfect!” Kron said. “That should keep Salth from playing with
time while we pass through the portal. I’ll go through first and make
sure no surprises are waiting for us on the other side.”
“But I thought the other Avatars were waiting for us.” Hala frowned.
“Or do you think they could be in trouble?”
Sea so n s’ Be gin n in gs · 2 2 3
“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Kron distributed the protective brace-
lets he’d made for the Avatars. Then he brought his magic-finder out
again and grasped it in one hand while he scooped some enchanted
metal shavings in the other. Prepared for anything, he stepped through
the portal.
After the gentle warmth of spring, winter’s cold assaulted every ex-
posed part of his body. Snow pelted his face, making it hard to see.
Where were Caye and Domina, and why hadn’t they bothered to tame
this weather? Maybe they still needed to regain energy after all of the
magic they’d used on this journey. He called out, “Bella? Galia? Janno?
Caye? Anyone here? I’m back with the other Avatars.”
Only the wind answered him.
C H A P T E R T W E N T Y - O N E
Two Krons
Kron swept his magic-finder in a circle, trying to use its heat to sense
where the Avatars were and what had happened. He bit back a curse as
his own portal overwhelmed the readings. If Salth had scrambled time
here, the traces of her magic had probably faded by now. What would
Salth have done to the Avatars? More importantly, would Bella or Galia
had left him a clue as to what had happened? And how could he find
anything in this snowstorm?
“Ocul!” Kron called through the portal, “Come here and clear up
this weather!”
The Winter Avatar hesitated for a few heartbeats before obeying. He
raised his hands and squinted into the storm. “I need a link!” he shouted.
One by one, Tylan, Flilya, and Hala crossed into Salth’s domain. As
they joined hands, Kron brought over the rest of their supplies and the
water clock with frozen time. Maybe he would still be able to use it
against Salth.
The snowfall tapered off, leaving their whole world white. Hollows
in the snow suggested footprints. From what Kron could make out, a
single person about his size had approached the group from the direc-
tion of Salth’s house, and the Avatars had followed him.
“Where did he come from?” Kron murmured. How could anyone
wander around here without protection? More importantly, why had the
Avatars followed him?
Sea so n s’ Be gin n in gs · 2 2 5
“I thought you said the other Avatars were here, Kron,” Tylan said.
“Where are they? Back on the ship?”
Hala shook her head. “I already checked there through the field
mice. All of the supplies are gone.”
Kron exhaled with relief. If they’d taken supplies, then they’d cho-
sen to leave and hadn’t been hurt. But why had they left? He couldn’t
tell how much time had passed for them.
“Well, we should follow them,” he said. “If we’re lucky, we can
catch up to them. How fast can Galia move anyway?”
“Do we have to walk?” Tylan asked. “Can’t we bring the oxen
through to pull a wagon?”
“They won’t last long enough here. Do all of you have the protec-
tions I gave you? Put them on now and let’s get moving.”
Despite the Avatars’ grumbling, they quickly prepared for the
march. However, by now it was close to sundown. If the situation hadn’t
been so desperate, Kron would have allowed them to camp in the dead
grove and set off at dawn, but fear for Bella gave him new energy. He
used the magic-finder to guide him, holding it high so they could all see
its glow. The Avatars stuck right behind him as if they’d all been woven
together into one tapestry. Ocul, at the end, rolled the frozen water clock
along.
Kron kept his other senses alert for any other signs of a threat. The
silence was unnerving. No mice rustled in the meadow, no owls or bats
flew overhead. Even the snow seemed muted as he slogged through it.
As the moon rose, he realized the snow was giving way to mud, clinging
to his boots like a lover pleading for him not to leave. His feet became
heavier with each step, but with nowhere to camp, he was forced to keep
moving. The Avatars brought out hunks of bread, rinds of cheese, and
a small skin of watered wine. The first bite awakened his appetite, and
he ate as if his magic depended on it. For a while—he wasn’t sure how
much time passed in this barren landscape—they all marched with re-
newed vigor, but then the Avatars’ pace slowed.
2 2 6 · S a n d r a U l b r i c h A l m a z a n
“Kron, I know you’re worried about Bella and the others, but we
won’t be of any use to them if we collapse before we can reach them,”
Tylan said. “We need to rest somewhere—anywhere. I don’t care where
we sleep as long as we do.”
Kron studied his magic-finder as he walked, mulling over Tylan’s
words. Tylan made sense, yet something urged him to keep walking.
Bella and the others could be right in front of them. Or Salth could have
warped time and put them a heartbeat out of reach. How could he stop
until he knew? Maybe he should let the Avatars rest and continue his
search without them. But would he be able to find them again?
“Perhaps you could rest here for a bit while I go a little further
ahead—”
Hala held up her hand. “Wait! I think I heard something!”
Everyone held still and listened. At first, Kron thought she’d been
mistaken. But then he heard it: a female voice, holding a pure note that
rang through him. Bella. Where was she? Why was she singing? They
couldn’t possibly be that close to Salth’s house!
“Bella?” He called. “Is that you? Where are you?”
The singing cut off. Without the sound, Kron couldn’t guess which
direction to go. But Bella and the other Avatars didn’t speak.
“Bella, it’s me.” Kron raised the magic-finder over his head. The
glow still didn’t extend past an arm-length or two. “Where are you?”
A burst of hail answered him.
Kron snapped his robe to strengthen its protections. “Watch out!” he
yelled to the others behind him.
Ocul advanced, palms outspread, and the hail melted. But another
barrage followed, then another, faster than he could counter.
“What’s going on?” Tylan stepped forward to touch Ocul. “Are the
other Avatars attacking us? By All Four Gods and Goddesses, why?
It didn’t make sense to Kron either. How could Bella not recognize
his voice? Maybe it was time to disregard caution and light up the area
so they could all see each other. He took a candle stub
out of his pouch
Sea so n s’ Be gin n in gs · 2 2 7
and lit it. Its glow only extended an arm-length in front of him, so he
pushed more power into it, rolling back the darkness.
Domina and Caye stood in front of him, balls of ice in their hands.
Magstom and Galia peered out from behind them, their hands on the
Winter Avatars’ shoulders. Kron couldn’t see the others, particularly
Bella, but he guessed they brought up the rear. All of them stared ahead
towards Kron’s group, but their faces were slack, as if they didn’t un-
derstand what they saw in front of them.
“Why have you stopped?” a very familiar voice called out. “Keep
attacking, Avatars!”
Kron’s double, identical except for his lighter clothing, positioned
himself directly between Caye and Domina, smirking at Kron.
The candle slipped from Kron’s fingers, distorting his vision. “Who
are you?”
“Can’t you guess?”
The taunting tone gave him the answer: Sal-thaath. But how was he
still alive, let alone disguised so cleverly to fool his own wife?
“What have you done to the other Avatars, Sal-thaath?” Kron asked.
“Domina, Caye, it’s us! Stop attacking!”
Together, they threw more hail, aiming not just at Kron, but at Tylan
and Ocul.
“What are they doing, Kron?” Tylan asked. “It’s like they don’t rec-
ognize us!”
“Maybe they don’t.” Kron directed his will to the candle stub, inten-
sifying its light. Then he studied the Avatars. Was Sal-thaath
controlling them directly? He didn’t think the boy understood people,
even magicians, well enough to manage that. An illusion, then. If he
could figure out how Sal-thaath was creating this illusion, perhaps he
could counter or disrupt it. Could this be related to time? He wasn’t sure
how, but then again, he wasn’t sure if Salth’s powers were just limited
to time or if she could still use the rest of the magic she’d learned. Even
if Salth’s magic was specialized, Sal-thaath’s might not be.
2 2 8 · S a n d r a U l b r i c h A l m a z a n
While Kron considered what to do, Ocul raised an ice barrier be-
tween the two groups of Avatars. At first, Domina’s and Caye’s attacks
actually helped him, but then they changed tactics and blew strong
winds against the still-fragile wall. It toppled over like a pile of badly-
placed jugs.
“If we don’t stop them soon, they’ll hit us with lightning next!” Ty-
lan said. “Maybe I should try to put them to sleep before they kill us.”
“Wait! I have another way to stop them.” Kron turned to Hala and
Flilya. “Bring me the water clock.”
The women rolled it to him through mud, which clung to the jar as
though assisting Sal-thaath. Kron pushed it through the remainder of
Ocul’s ice wall. At least the cold would help keep the water frozen.
Kron had planned to let the water clock roll on its own to the other
group of Avatars, but when he released it, it simply stood there. He gave
it a final push with magic, directing it toward Sal-thaath. If Sal-thaath
was as skilled with time as his mother was, the frozen time wouldn’t
hold him for long. But if it worked, even for a few heartbeats, then the
Avatars might break free from Sal-thaath’s magic. If they didn’t, Kron
might be able to help them.
“Forget the enemy!” The false Kron pointed at the water clock. “De-
stroy the artifact!”
Domina raised her hands, sparks crackling between her fingers. But
before she cast them at the clock, Caye spoke. “The artifact?” She spoke
slowly, as if still waking from a deep sleep. “But Kron, I thought you
were the only magic-user left who could make artifacts.”
“I am!” Sal-thaath’s voice slipped into a childish register. “I mean,
I mean….”
The water clock bumped into him. Kron watched for some sign he’d
been affected by it. But Sal-thaath didn’t stop moving or breathing. In-
stead, he reached down to touch the artifact. With a single tap of his
fingers—Kron’s fingers—the clay shattered, leaving behind a block of
ice. Sa-thaath crouched next to it and pulled it toward his chest as if it
would give him strength and power.
Sea so n s’ Be gin n in gs · 2 2 9
Well, of course it would, you fool. Salth was obsessed with two
things: her magic and her son. She must have used time somehow to
bring him back to life...
Kron shuddered as he recalled the drained land and the corpses, both
drained and animated, he’d encountered. Perhaps Salth wasn’t draining
life, but time, time she could transfer to her son. If so, then all he’d done
was give this abomination more time he didn’t deserve.
“You...you frozen thief!” he shouted. “I’ve had enough of you and
your mother!”
Sal-thaath smirked and crossed his arms. “Too bad you can’t do an-
ything, you powerless old man. All of your artifacts put together can’t
affect me.”
Rage built in Kron, wakening depths of untapped power. With a tilt
of his head, he saw how to reassemble the broken water clock—and
what to do with it. The golden magic he’d absorbed so long ago flowed
out of his hands and surrounded the pottery shards. They flew back to-
gether, melding smoothly enough to let not a single drop of water
escape. But that wasn’t what it was meant to hold this time. Kron flexed
his fingers, and the pot swung about, its mouth facing Sal-thaath. Time
streaming out of the child and into the jar. Sal-thaath backed away from
it, his face turning pale and shifting back to his own features. He shrank
as well. Domina, Caye, and the other Avatars halted their attack to stare
at him.
“Bella? Galia? It’s me, Kron,” he called. “I’ve brought the other Av-
atars. That other Kron was Sal-thaath, Salth’s son.”
They glanced his way as he spoke, but then turned back to Sal-
thaath. What was going on? Maybe there was another spell or time dis-
tortion affecting them. His magic-finder fizzled out, as if his most recent
effort had been too much for it. He sent more power into the light arti-
fact until he could see all twelve of the Avatars clearly. Then he realized
that when he peered at Caye, Domina, and the rest, their images wa-
vered as if a screen of smoke separated them.
2 3 0 · S a n d r a U l b r i c h A l m a z a n
Maybe we’re looking at each other in different times. The thought
terrified him. How much time separated him from Bella? Caye and
Domina didn’t appear to have aged much, if any. Perhaps he and the
final quartet of Avatars had aged. No, he was sure his back and knees
would tell him if that had happened. The real question was if he could
destroy this temporal curtain.
“Bella?” he called. “Where are you?”
“Kron? Kron?” She peered around as if she couldn’t see through the
time rift. “Where did you go? You were just here, and now you sound
so far away—” She turned and gasped as she stared at Sal-thaath. Kron
had troubl
e recognizing the boy. His skin had turned ash white, and he
flickered in and out of view as if he were stuck in the middle of a portal.
Yet he didn’t seem bothered by it. He smiled at Bella, exposing needle-
like teeth. She didn’t flinch or scream as Kron had expected. Instead,
she scowled at Sal-thaath as if he’d stolen the teeth from one of her
favorite animals. Other Avatars were less calm. Domina screeched and
hid behind Magstrom, and Janno jumped in front of his mother.
“By All Four, what’s going on?” Galia pushed herself in front of
Janno but halted when she saw Sal-thaath. “Who are you?”
He pouted and gave her a forlorn look that did nothing to improve
his appearance. “I’m lost. Can you help me find my mother?”
Kron hoped Galia wouldn’t fall for Sal-thaath’s trick. But he also
had to figure out why the other Avatars didn’t seem to know where he
was. If it was a time distortion, how could he correct it? He glanced at
the water clock, but it was out of reach. Unless...he crooked his fingers,
drawing on his connection with the artifact. It rolled toward him. He
slowed it down, testing for resistance. Yes, there was a heartbeat where
the water clock had to push against an unseen surface. He forced the
water clock to halt, then crack. As the jar released the magic he’d
drained from Sal-thaath, the barrier shimmered. More importantly, it
disappeared from Kron’s magical senses, not just his vision.
He beckoned to the four Avatars he’d brought with him. “Hurry!
Follow me!” He ran forward. As he passed the jar, he felt the world
Sea so n s’ Be gin n in gs · 2 3 1
beneath him shift. The feeling was similar to crossing through a portal,
but less smooth, like running from a well-maintained path onto sand.
He managed to keep his footing, but Ocul staggered as he came up to
Kron. Ocul nudged Kron to the side, where he had a clear view of
Salth’s crystal house, now twice as large as it had been last time.
Salth’s house? How did we get so close to it? I thought we were a
couple of days’ march away!
Kron only had a few heartbeats to stare at the structure before Bella
ran over and threw her arms around him. “Kron! Is it really you?”
“I’d answer yes whether or not I was trying to trick you, wouldn’t
I?”
She laughed. “Only my Kron would say something like that.”
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