Finally reaching the shores of Jargoiden, the four companions discover that following the kaerlings is not as straightforward as they had imagined.
"The relatively peaceful opening moves through a series of escalating peaks of tension, culminating in an intense and frightening conclusion. There's a great mix of characters who stand out from one another and even contrast ‐ eg. Tari's vulnerability versus Otta's fearlessness." W Thomas
Not only is the scenery of Jargoiden foreign and alien to the travellers, the very inhabitants of the land seem intent on thwarting the companions' progress… When disaster strikes and they are separated, Tari and Erl take refuge in a pine forest in order to escape from the bandits pursuing them. Meanwhile, Lored and Otta must set aside their differences as they set out on a long, dark journey in the bowels of the earth.
Excerpt
He could hear the sighing of the wind in the boughs above his head, as if he still slept in Zorat. He opened his eyes and discovered dawn colouring the sky above the rock beneath which he and his companions lay. He rubbed his eyes and checked the turban that concealed his fast growing hair was secure. Sitting up he gazed at the bright sky, hearing the soughing sea all around him.
His four friends slept peacefully nearby. Nilo snorted in deep dreams as he sat propped against the black rock at his back. Erl twitched as he lay on his side, head resting on his mail coat, one arm outstretched towards Lored’s sister. Tari lay on her back, tousled curls awry, her voluptuous body totally at peace. Otta lay apart from the others, curled up in a similar fashion to her twin, her kaerling-like features for the moment hidden by her long, dark tresses.
Lored stared at the young woman feeling a mixture of fear, admiration and frustration. He feared Otta’s similarity to the evil kaerlings whom the companions pursued. He admired the woman’s strength and source of power. But he also felt frustrated at her ongoing refusal to let him help her control the sheer energy within her. Only a few days before, her power had destroyed two ships, killing all but the companions on board.
One of the Zoratti, Kimorka, who had pretended to be the priestess of Aqua in order to protect Tari from the kaerlings in Aura Vere, had warned Lored that Otta’s power was greater than anything she had ever known. The taku-kevir felt a shiver tiptoe down his spine as he stared at the sleeping woman. Not only did Otta look like a kaerling, (though she and Erl insisted she was not one of the evil race), her ability surpassed even the Zoratti who had always been the most powerful of the iendu tribes. Who were her parents? Both she and Erl refused to speak of their ancestry. Lored could understand that. After all, he was prohibited to speak of his own parentage, both for his parents’ safety and for the safety of himself and Tari. The Zoratti also claimed Otta was the Fire Daughter. How could the god use someone who looked and acted like a kaerling to protect the Weird Stones?
He sighed and shook himself out of his reverie.
“It’s dawn!” He called and the others stirred, groaning as they woke. “The shores of Jargoiden are at hand!”
