1.5

Keri sipped her tea again, while watching Heron from behind her cup. She waited quietly, as though to see what Heron would say this time. But the boy was speechless. So much so, that he couldn’t even manage another one-word expression of disbelief like ‘what’, ‘how’, or ‘why’. He just blinked, looking blankly as though he wasn’t even staring at Keri anymore. As though he wasn’t staring at anything.

Heron’s father put a hand on his shoulder, and his mother asked, “But why now? With such short notice? What’s happened?”

Keri put down her teacup, placing both hands on her knees and leaning forward as she spoke gravely. “Please understand that it is only because the situation requires it. I’m sorry, but there is nothing I can do to change that. I thought there would be more time, until I was presented with two crucial pieces of information. Firstly, recent reports confirmed to me that not only are the Coheretist forces gathering strength as their leaders look for the Kaherian Relics, but they are also looking for Heron. I had hoped that I effectively hid all traces of it, but it seems they found out there was a survivor from the massacred Kaheri family. I don’t know what they are planning, but I’m certain they are determined to either use or destroy him. Secondly, a number of old documents I have in my possession tell of prophecies about the Relics, warning that the true quest for one of the Kaheri to find the Relics must be embarked upon when the stars are aligned properly, roughly indicating late summer in a year when the alignment of the joint sets of-”

Keri paused, brushing back a few wisps of white hair that had fallen in front of her face. She then straightened up a little, saying: “I’m sorry, I should just skip to the point of it. Well, I had thought that several different years over the next two decades would fit the description, but very recently I acquired and managed to interpret an older document containing a more complete telling of the prophecies. It indicates an additional convergence of stars that would only align with the others every 100 years. After the next new moon, it will be too late to start the quest under the correct formation of stars.”

Heron’s father nodded slowly. “Everyone knows the most accurate prophecies have always been those which refer to the stars. But the next new moon is less than ten days away.”

“Eight days.” Keri said, and then fixed her gaze squarely on Heron. Her hands shook a little, with anxiety now clearly visible in her posture and expression.

“Heron, you have been chosen by the Hands of Fate. This is not something that can simply be passed on to someone else. If the Relics are to be kept out of the wrong hands, it must be you that finds them, and the quest to that end has to be embarked upon immediately if it is to be successful.”

“You gotta do it!” Sadie exclaimed, running in from the kitchen doorway to throw her arms around Heron in a hug. “You can’t let people who killed your other family get away with it! ‘Specially if they’re gonna come after you!”

Heron hugged his little sister. If they’re gonna come after me? If they do, my family -- this family will be in danger. I can’t let that happen. He looked at his Godmother and said: “I’ll do it.”

Keri leaned back, allowing herself to relax a little. She nodded at Heron. “Good. We must leave by dawn tomorrow. Pack lightly.”

Heron nodded, but really was thinking over ways he could ask for more time. It would be a burden to his parents to not have him around to help with the ranch. And he really had wanted to be there when his uncle came to visit next month. And he wanted more time with his friends before leaving on a long journey. He didn’t even know how long he might expect to be away, but somehow had the feeling that even if Keri knew, she wouldn’t want to tell him. Most likely it would depend on things none of them could know for sure yet. And no matter what he might say, Godmother Keri would tell him that they had to leave in the morning without fail; he was certain of it, from the serious way she had already spoken of the urgency of his leaving.

He took a deep breath and decided against any attempt to argue or negotiate with Keri. His Godmother was sternly stubborn whenever she had made up her mind on anything, and Heron never thought of himself as being good at things like negotiation anyway.

0.1 Prologue (read first, if possible)

Prologue

(five days before arriving at Heron’s house)

All the reports Keri received these days told her the same thing as her own readings of the night sky. She knew that time was getting short, but it wasn’t yet clear how much time was left. Hopefully it would be just enough... or all that she had dedicated her life to would be lost.

She did not like the uncertainty there, but after years of watching for the right signs she was feeling relieved to finally see some. Yes, it had been a long time to wait. She was old now, but still in good enough health to pace around her study; anxious but somehow appearing relatively calm for how impatient she felt. 

Keri had sent her messenger off again as soon as he’d reported the latest updates to her. Now, all she could do was wait for her other hired man to finish preparations to drive her to Little Hastingburn.  A 5-day trip to the middle of nowhere, to fetch someone who might not successfully make it through what had to be done. Though he might not succeed, there was no other option. Keri wished she could manage everything herself, but that was impossible. The one chosen for the task had to accomplish it himself, and the time had to be now. There could be no more waiting; she had to set things in motion quickly and bet everything on this one hand.

Pausing at her desk momentarily, she picked up a magnifying glass and peered once again at a very old parchment. The first things to have been written on it were horribly faded, and had been overwritten more than once; the parchment re-used for some kind of estate bookkeeping, and later on for a letter. But Keri couldn’t focus on deciphering more of the oldest writing on it, she was too anxious. Frustrated, she dropped the magnifying glass back onto her desk, and resumed pacing, reflecting on what she had already managed to learn from the document.

The one who she needed to set on his way towards finding the Kahy Relic would have many difficulties with the task. She couldn’t tell him everything, of course, or he would surely decline. She’d best not tell him about the singular Kahy Relic yet, but if he could find the rest of the Kaherian Relics, he’d surely find the way to that one as well. The rest of the Relics mattered in a way, but the most important would be the one that was once known as the Kahy Vector. No mere relic--though it was called so now--the item was believed to be of such great power and utility as to be the deciding force in any battle or contest of wills. She hoped the old document she’d been studying would tell her more about it--it was essential that she discover more before it was found, so she’d have some idea of how it could be safely handled. When the one seeking the Kahy Relic successfully found it, the very finding of it would seal his doom. That was the part she really had to avoid letting him learn.

1.4

Heron stared agape. This sounded like some kind of story for old folks to tell over roasting fires at festival times. Granted, Godmother Keri was certainly old, but this wasn’t time for a festival or for idle stories. And Keri spoke like one who completely believed what she was saying, not like someone simply repeating a story. But it seemed unbelievable to Heron nonetheless. He looked at his parents, and saw his father nodding at him encouragingly. His mother patted his shoulder again.

“Are... you saying...” Heron swallowed before continuing. “...you’re saying that my entire family was killed over some antiques they had collected?” He thought maybe they were supposed to be more than just antiques, but didn’t want to think about that yet.

But Keri wasn’t going to let that statement go by without correcting it. And then some. “Antiques? No.” She shook her head emphatically. “Listen here, boy. Long ago, there was a powerful family led by those who desired power above all else. They sought to conquer all of the known world and gathered up every powerful weapon they could get, recruited every capable fighter they could buy with all the wealth they had amassed. And they sought out every form of magic that would help them get more wealth and power. After a long war, they were defeated by an alliance of those who opposed them, directed by wise and capable leaders. Those who were power-hungry were defeated, their army and skilled fighters either changed their allegiances or were annihilated. Their wealth was plundered and all of the weapons and magic they had gathered was destroyed, except for a handful of powerful magic items that proved to be indestructible. They were considered too powerful to be trusted to any one person or family, so they were locked away and put under the guard of a neutral society of wizards sworn to uphold peace and never do harm to anyone or anything under any circumstances. But over time that society of wizards died out, and their responsibilities passed to a local family of nobility that had traditionally supported the wizards. They were hardly remembered by anyone outside of their own province anymore, and they and the relics of the ancient war were only mentioned in obscure legends. But the wizards left behind a prophecy that whoever would next seek after those relics to gain power would be defeated by one of the Kaheri family. Generations passed, and many of the Kaheri didn’t know where the relics were locked away, much less that they had ever been more than legend. But they are real, and they are needed again. The ones who killed your family must be stopped. And prophecy has declared that you are the one to stop them, as the last of the Kaheri.”

1.3

Heron stared at his godmother like a mouse cornered by a cat. “What?” He looked at his parents. Were they his parents? They had to be. Everyone always said he had his mother’s eyes and his father’s nose.

    Keri continued, completely unfazed, like she’d half-expected this. “Heron. They’re your parents. They raised you, they love you. It’s just that you had another family first before you had them. You were too small to remember, but that’s probably for the best. What I really have to tell you about is that. Please listen while I explain further.”

    Keri waited to make sure Heron wasn’t going to interrupt again, and looked to see if his parents were going to also encourage him to sit quiet and listen. They looked at each other, then Heron’s father nodded to Keri while his mother gave Heron an encouraging pat on the shoulder.

    “You came from a family that was part of the local nobility a few provinces away, on the other side of the Kern Mountains that are to the west of here, beyond the marsh and forests. Your family, the Kaheri, had inherited some relics that had been said to be keys to a great power. Some bad people who wanted those relics gathered an army together and attacked the Kaheri estate, destroying both the castle and the little town around it. They also drove off all the tenant farmers and anyone else who was associated with the Kaheri, giving the land and animals to other local nobility who had supported their army. They thought they had captured all of the family members, but one of the smallest children got away. I had been visiting them to talk about the relics and the prophecies associated with them, and your... mother was holding you while walking with me on the grounds behind the castle when the attack came. She told me to get you to safety, and ran back to try and get your twin sister and see how many of the rest of her family could get away. Unfortunately, neither she nor any of the others were able to escape after that. The Kaherian Relics had all been hidden away long before then, so the attackers were not able to find any of them, but they killed the entire family and their closest friends and servants because of a prophecy that one of them would later rise up and defeat those who had led the attack.”

1.2

    “What?” Heron blurted. He looked at his parents, and they just looked back at him. He turned to Godmother Keri. “What do you mean?” he insisted.

    Keri stared back at Heron levelly. Without turning her head, she slid her eyes to his parent’s faces, then back to Heron. “You haven’t told him, then?”

    Heron’s father started to answer, but was cut off immediately by a gesture from Keri. “That’s all right.” she said calmly. “I never expected you to.”

    “Tell me what?” Heron insisted, unintentionally speaking louder and looking from his Godmother to his parents. “Ma-”

    “Heron, shh.” His mother said softly. “Listen to Godmother Keri. You did want to explain, didn’t you?” She addressed that last part to Keri, who nodded.

    “Yes. Listen to me, Heron. Your parents... I had heard of them, but never met them before 13 years ago. But they were recommended to me. I’m your godmother because I rescued you as an infant and brought you here for them to adopt.” Keri paused to see if Heron needed some time to think it over.

1.1

 One - Keri

    Heron knew that his Godmother Keri was coming to visit, but didn’t expect her to be there when he got home from the market that day. The messenger bringing her letter had only just arrived at Heron’s home that morning, so his family didn’t expect her to get there for at least a day or two. His little sister was watching for him from the kitchen window and ran out to meet him before he’d walked more than halfway to the house from the main road that he’d walked on from the village. Sadie was only seven, about half Heron’s age and still shorter than most of the other kids her age who lived in the area. She skidded to a stop in front of him, raising dust clouds and grabbing the market basket from him.

    “Mama’s waiting around back!” Sadie spluttered breathlessly. “She’s got a clean shirt for you, and a- a basin! With a clean- towel. Hurry and wash up, I’ll bring the groceries in!” She was struggling to heft the full basket and still walk, but somehow managed to let go with one hand barely long enough to shoo at her older brother. “Go on!”

    “What’s going on?” Heron insisted. “Why do I-”

    Sadie hefted the basket higher off the ground, still trying to catch her breath. “Gramma Keri! She’s here already! Go! Quick! She and Papa are waiting for you! Come on!”

    Heron’s eyes went wide. “Really?” He thought his sister might be teasing him, but then realized she wouldn’t take over a chore like carrying the groceries in for a joke. If she were joking, she’d have tried to get him to run while still carrying the basket and trying not to spill any of the produce.

    He hurried to the back of the house near the pump and stripped off his shirt to wash up before putting on the clean shirt. His mother brushed the dust off his pants while he dried off with the towel she handed him.

    He then pulled the clean shirt on while his mother told him to go ahead to the living room where his father and godmother were. She smoothed his hair over while explaining that Godmother Keri wanted to talk to the three of them, so Mama was going to finish getting the stew ingredients in the pot for dinner, then leave Sadie to watch it while she joined the others.

    Sadie walked up with the groceries, and Mama took the basket from her so she could take it to the kitchen and get what she needed for the stew from it. “Go on ahead.” she said, “Sadie can put away your shirt and wash things.” Heron saw Sadie stick her tongue out at him for it, but she smiled and shooed him when he looked at her directly. She might not like to clean anything up, but he knew she wouldn’t really hate him for it.

    Heron was a little apprehensive, actually. It threw him off that his godmother had come sooner than expected, since it was the sort of thing she never would do under normal circumstances. Sadie called her Gramma, and she looked more than old enough to be their grandmother, but really Keri was just Heron’s Godmother and otherwise unrelated to the family. She generally didn’t pay much attention to Sadie but usually would bring the girl a little something every time she brought gifts for Heron and their parents. She was somewhat elegant and well-dressed, even though the clothes were old and didn’t fit her as well as they must have when she’d first bought them. Perhaps she had been wealthy in her younger days but didn’t have as much money now. Heron had never bothered to ask since Godmother Keri never seemed to want to talk about herself. She didn’t visit regularly and Heron never knew how far away she traveled from to get to his family’s home. He didn’t even know how his parents had ever come to meet a woman like her in the first place, since they didn’t talk about her either except to say that she liked for them to have everything nice and clean and orderly when she was coming to visit. She would come around as though she were inspecting the home and family, give them small gifts, ask about how they all were and especially how her Godson Heron was doing, then stay the night and leave early the next morning. Her coachman and messenger would always stay at the town inn, and come to get her at dawn.

    Heron walked to the living room, trying his best to use the proper posture that he’d been taught but never bothered with except when Godmother Keri came to visit. He bowed politely as soon as he entered the room, then looked up to make sure his godmother was sitting in the armchair she usually took, and walked up to kiss her hand because she liked things like that. Really, she must have come from some sort of local nobility in whatever province she lived in. Or a wealthy family with pretensions of associating with nobility? Heron was only a tiny bit curious, never enough to really put much effort towards trying to find out.

    “How are you, my boy?” Godmother Keri inquired airily. She acted like she was casually asking, but she always paid close attention to his answers. She withdrew her hand and daintily picked up the teacup sitting on the low table near her chair. She sipped it while asking Heron a string of follow-up questions, all about how his health was and where he was at in his schooling and what kind of games and hobbies he’d been into lately. He didn’t see why she’d care that he liked running and wrestling, or that he sometimes rode horses with a friend a couple ranches down the road. He didn’t care for taking care of his family’s chickens, and he hated to pluck them but had been trying to save the best feathers to use when his uncle came to visit because he was hoping to learn to make arrows from him. He did okay with school but didn’t have much interest in reading or arithmetic.

    Heron was very relieved when his mother came in from the kitchen. Godmother Keri told Heron to pull up chairs for his mother and himself to sit close so she wouldn’t have to talk very loudly, and she motioned for his father to also pull his chair closer.

    “The time has finally come.” she said importantly, speaking more to Heron’s parents than to him. “I am going to be taking Heron away with me tomorrow morning.”