by Jeri Baird
Silence descended upon the crowd, shocked at the sacrifice from one so young to enter into seclusion. They turned to the remaining questers.
Gazing at Zander as she strode forward, Kaiya looked determined. “I am called to be a warrior.”
Cries from the village rose as they understood her intention. Moira had called a female to fight?
Bindi and Yarra joined Kaiya. Tarni stood with Cobie next to Eva.
Alexa stood alone. Even in that moment, she knew not her path. She glanced at her mother’s hopeful face and rubbed the heart token Zander had used to save her life and given her to keep. Calm seeped into her being. Her choice became clear. She almost laughed aloud as she stepped forward. “My path also breaks from tradition.” She stepped toward Melina Odella. “It is the fortune-teller I apprentice with.”
Her mother burst into tears and Father gasped. She would try to explain later her destiny had never been with the bakery.
As Alexa stood next to Melina Odella, a red-haired boy appeared next to her. His smile eased her nerves.
He whispered, “You don’t smell like bread anymore.”
“What do I smell like now, Zeph?”
Zeph wrinkled his nose. “Lavender. You smell like lavender.”
She laughed. That would do. She touched her still-tender cheek. Her bruises would fade, but she’d live with the jagged scar at her neck. Her neck, Dharien’s cheek, Zander’s chest. They each had reminders of the bond that bound them.
Alexa rubbed the round scar remaining on her palm from the stone she’d used to save Zander. She glanced at the worried faces of the villagers. The quest had ended not as they expected. Warriors, healers, and an anchoress.
They would need a second fortune-teller.
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
Zander
Smiling, Zander touched his own scar as Alexa rubbed the matching one on her palm. He’d wondered what she would choose, but he never expected it would be a fortune-teller. What a strange turn that the one who betrayed them would now be her mentor.
He didn’t know yet what it meant to be a warrior. His mind whirled. He’d been shocked when Elder Warrin offered his estate for training. Greydon had already approached him to volunteer. He hoped the fighters would not be needed, but his heart told him Moira would not be wrong in her choosing. And the girls as warriors? He wouldn’t forgive himself if Kaiya came to harm.
The villagers glanced timidly at him. He would not view their secrets lightly. Even without his favor, he felt their fear. He would train hard to protect these people. His people.
Moira stood smiling behind the villagers. Puck wavered next to her. As much as Zander wished otherwise, they weren’t done with him. Train warriors, unite the tribes, and save the village. Only then would they leave him in peace.
The calm power of the red stone in the pouch at his waist flowed into Zander. It had stayed Alexa’s blood, and he might need it again. Whatever the future brought, he would do his best to deserve his name.
Defender of all.
EPILOGUE
Moira
The questers survived because their people need them. It will be less than a year before the warriors defend the village from invasion. If Zander can unite the tribes, he will rise to his destiny.
The healers will be needed, as they always are in war. Alexa? Her favor of embroidery shall be vital in their strategy.
And so, they all survived the quest, but the true test will come in battle. There, they will not be as lucky. In war, they will find that the shadow boy called Zephyr will make the difference between victory and defeat, at great cost to himself.
I said I did not have a heart, and I do not lie. It is my task to see that humans follow their destiny.
I can, perhaps, be forgiven if, occasionally, I feel pleased with the outcome.
To Be Continued . . .
Acknowledgments
If it takes a village to raise a child, then it must also take a village to birth a book. I belong to four critique groups. So many writers helped me not only to revise, but to keep the faith during the long times of querying, entering contests, and being rejected.
So here’s my shout out to my village—the wonderful writers who undoubtedly made me a better writer—I couldn’t have done it without you!
Anny, Ashley, Charmaine, Chris (always grateful for his male perspective), Diane, Donna, Emily, Joan, Karen, Kathy, Laurie, Linda, Marcia, Melinda, Nancy, Rebecca, Robin, Sandra, Sandy, Sarah, and Wendi. Thank you for your suggestions, your encouragement, and your belief in Zander and Alexa.
A special thanks to Tina Brockett. We met in an online critique group and then actually met at the 2013 SCBWI Summer Conference. She’s become a friend who’s supported and encouraged me many times! Thank you for loving Zander as much I do.
Much gratitude to the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators for their wonderful conferences and for creating a safe haven for hopeful writers.
Love and thanks to my husband, Mike, who doesn’t always understand me, but always believes in me. And even more importantly, he makes me laugh.
I will forever be grateful to my editor, Reece Hanzon, and Jolly Fish Press, for making my dream come true.
And finally, to Kate DiCamillo, who doesn’t know me and whom I’ve never met. I’ve admired her writing since I first read Because of Winn-Dixe. Her books inspired me, and her Facebook posts kept me from giving up.
Before becoming an author, Jeri Baird worked as a handmade paper artist, an entrepreneurship teacher for at-risk high school students, a reflexologist, a rock painter, and a zombie (in a film, not a real one).
As an Illinois farm child, she shared her life with an assortment of pets including mice, hamsters, rabbits, cats, dogs, ferrets, a rescued sparrow named Chicken, and a pony named Red Baron who thought he was a dog. Jeri now lives on the Western Slope of Colorado with her husband and one cat, who both make her laugh. When she’s not writing, she enjoys kayaking, the scenery from the back of her husband’s motorcycle, and visiting her sons in Wyoming and California.
Visit Jeri online at www.JeriBaird.blogspot.com