Tanza Read Free

place.’
    ‘All is well now,’ Rekala said, sensing my distress. ‘We are on track to get help for Jaria and Lyth.’
    ‘Maybe,’ I replied. ‘But waiting in Lantaid to see if a skyearl will claim me seems like a waste of time. The longer Sarlice and I take to find allies, the less chance Jaria and Lyth will have.’
    ‘We’re also here to find out if you are a Sleffion,’ Rekala reminded me.
    ‘I can’t be,’ I argued. ‘I’ve already been given so much. I have the two of you and now this sword. I hadn’t even got used to being a Rada when you came along, Tiaro, and it’s the same with the sword. Things are moving so quickly for me, and yet they drag for my people back in Jaria.’
    ‘You are being propelled forward to your destiny,’ Tiaro declared. ‘If anything, I’d say the appearance of this Tolite-kin of yours is proof you are going to be an Astor.’
    ‘But an Astor hasn’t been seen for years,’ I protested, frightened of the prospect of having yet another magical gift to learn. ‘Me? Anzaii, Sleffion, Tolite and Rada? It’s too much for one person.’
    ‘I hope you don’t find us that much of a burden,’ Rekala sulked.
    I glanced over at her—she looked dark grey in the stormy morning atmosphere.
    ‘You are not,’ I replied, ‘but a skyearl and all the cultures of this place to learn along with it? That would be too much.’
    ‘Just think how much a skyearl could help you on your quest,’ Tiaro argued. ‘If you get a big enough one, you’ll be able to fly! Imagine how much time that will save for the return trip.’
    ‘You’re right, Tiaro,’ I said, ‘but I’m concerned the time we’d save would be negated by the bonding and training that will be necessary beforehand. If the Tanzan king isn’t willing to help Jaria and Lyth, the sooner we find out and get out of here, the better.’
    ‘But if Watercrag has indeed fallen, what other Kriite allies does that leave us?’ Rekala asked—and I had no answer.
    Instead I called out to Tivac. ‘Does the king of Tanza live in Lantaid?’
    ‘Nay,’ he said, allowing me to ride Fleetfoot abreast of his horse. ‘The king rules from Centan, the capital.’
    He wiped a hand through receding, grey hair. ‘The people you will meet in Lantaid are mostly from Watercrag.’
    ‘I knew it!’ Sarlice exclaimed. ‘It was the only explanation for Talon’s new Tolite-kin.’
    ‘I’m grateful, but I am not certain I deserve such a fine weapon.’
    ‘There will be people in Lantaid to help you,’ Tivac said. ‘It has been only three and a half weeks since they came, but one of the first things they did was establish a bonding charm in the barrier shield. They call it the Curtains of Battle.’
    ‘Has it been difficult to integrate the two cultures?’ Sarlice asked. ‘My understanding is that Tolites are almost as ancient as Sleffions.’
    He waved his hand. ‘Oh, it’s just what you would expect. They have lost their Caverns of Forging. There was some contention about combining the magic of the Tolites with the Tanzan Barrier, but it is done.’ He looked at Sarlice. ‘Did your passage through the barrier leave you with a weapon-kin as well?’
    ‘No. I travelled to Nooneagle years ago for mine.’ She gestured at the sleek warbow on her back.
    ‘That’s interesting,’ Tivac replied. ‘Maybe you’ll know somebody in Lantaid who is from Watercrag.’
    ‘Perhaps,’ she said quietly. ‘Talon is Anzaii as well. If he takes on the rank of Sleffion as well as Tolite, that will make him A.S.T.R.’
    ‘Is that right?’ Tivac said, looking at me more closely. ‘Astor is an important rank—we have not had one for a long time.’
    ‘Although I grew up in Jaria, I am a new Rada,’ I said, ‘and an even newer Anzaii—’
    ‘There are a few Anzaii here,’ he jumped in enthusiastically, ‘but none of them can reach far in the waves. Flight squads are occasionally sent into the Kiayr Range to see if the Anzaii can get word