Chapter 17

Winter passed, and with winter Safron’s birthday, which was celebrated with flavored ice and sledding down the cultivation hill and skating on the surface of the river. The twins were also born in the winter, and rather than celebrating their birthday in unison they were each given a day dedicated to the celebration of their life on the day before and the day after. The day itself was supposed to be spent in quiet contemplation.

But it wasn’t.

As far as the kids were concerned it was a three day party and they had a blast.

Then the thaw came, and soon after the thaw, Tan’s own birthday. He turned ten, and once the weather warmed to the point where the snow had melted and the grass turned green, it was decided that it was time for him to leave the farm on his quest to find five spirit stones to replace the ones that he had cost the family with his impertinent rescue of Kora’s fire spirit.

He had spent the entire winter preparing for this. It had been a mild winter, and he was anxious to get this task behind him, but also excited that he was being allowed to venture so far from home.

He was given a necklace to wear, as were the other children, and told that it would keep them safe and to break the carved token that hung from it if they ever felt that they were in real danger. They accepted the token without much contemplation, unaware the value of such life-saving talismans, especially ones created by cultivators as powerful as Tren and Wensho.

The adults felt a little foolish to be giving their children such things when likely the most dangerous things they would be facing were the elements, of which the children were already the master. But it was better to be safe than sorry.

Safron asked where her necklace was and she was promptly given one as well. Just a string to go around her neck with a pebble that Tren quickly attached to it to make it look special. It wasn’t a lifesaving talisman because she wasn’t leaving the farm and the hidden wards of the farm far outstripped any of the talismans the children were given. But it made her feel like one of the big kids and she wore it proudly.

Before they left, Tren took Tan aside and gave him a stone with a very faint spiritual signal to it. “Son, I just wanted to let you know, the truth is that the stones in the shed are not the sort that I truly expect you to find. I know that I call them ‘middling strength,’ but that’s because the spirits that our family wields are all of the imperial class. Most of the stones are, to the rest of the world, of the highest classification available. You don’t have to bring me five high-class spirit stones. Five low class ones will satisfy me.”

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“I thought it was strange when you called them high-class spirit stones to the Zangs,” Tan admitted. “How much stronger are our spirits than normal?”

“As with many things, it is not so much the strength that they possess but how it is used. Cultivating a spirit like we do is a partnership. We strengthen the spirit and the spirit strengthens us. You have been passing through the stages of cultivation very quickly. That is largely due to your inborn talent. You are my son, and Wensho’s son, after all. However it is also because Zephyr is a wild imperial spirit. She has been bound before and remembers the process vividly, if not completely. Much of your success in cultivating her is also her success in cultivating you. Do you understand?”

“I give to her, and she gives back,” Tan said.

“Exactly so,” his father agreed. “You are both growing so strong and I am so proud of you that I cannot find the words to express just how much. But you must understand, for the other children, their spirits require more tender loving care and direction. You shouldn’t ever lord your own powers over anyone who lacks them, because while you have been diligent for a child, much of your power isn’t really yours, is it?”

“No,” Tan admitted readily. “I’m strong because you gave me a strong spirit to bind when I was younger. I haven’t really been working as hard as the others but I’m stronger than them anyway.”

“You’re a smart child. And for a child you’re wise. But your mother and I also wish for you to be kind,” his father explained. “And just.”

“I will return with the five highest stones that I can find,” Tan promised.

“You don’t have to find them all in one journey either, Tan,” Tren said. “Either way I expect you to return within two weeks, or sooner if you run into any trouble. And I brought this stone because it’s the weakest spirit stone that we owned. I wanted to say that even if the stones you return with are much weaker than this, I’ll still be proud of you.”

Tan studied the weak stone for a moment when his father handed it to him. “It’s an air spirit,” he commented.

“Yes. A strong one, actually. Young but with much potential. Most air spirits are minor things. It’s fairly uncommon for them to live long enough to become bound to anything, but once they manage that they can grow very quickly.”

“Zephyr was so much stronger in her stone.”

“Zephyr is ancient and powerful,” Tren pointed out. He grinned. “The journey to find and bind her was very eventful. It’s a shame that you were too young to appreciate my toils at the time. Perhaps when you come back, I’ll share the story in greater detail.”

Tan grinned. “I’m looking forward to it!”

They left early in the morning three days after Tan’s birthday. They ate a big breakfast with lots of eggs, packed their camping supplies and the food that they were given for the first few days so that they didn’t have to scower the wilderness for something to eat until they’d been on the road for a while. Tan hugged and kissed his family. The other kids were likewise embraced and told to come home safe.

And then they were off, traveling to the north where the rolling hills grew steeper and the wilds wilder.