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    Under normal conditions, the Third Circle housed about half of Jordfaste’s growers and most of the geomancers. This was where one would find the Kin’s schools, governing bodies, and the guild headquarters necessary to keep a kingdom running.


    Emeryn and Heylien rode through in silence, only stopping to replenish their stores of provisions and water. No one minded or demanded payment. There was too much food and water to bring with them, and the growers could make more food when they arrived at their new home. No one went to bed with an empty stomach in the Kinship.


    At first, Emeryn stopped a few of the Kin, but since they didn’t learn anything new, and everyone questioned Heylien''s unusual presence, they then mostly kept to themselves and pointed their horses to the northeast.


    Their next stop was Jorden, the capital of the Kin and the home of the Fourth Circle. The roads were packed with Kin heading east, but by the time they were on a dedicated road to Jorden, the two found themselves utterly alone.


    As they traveled and slept, Emeryn wondered if her old home would be deserted as well, or if her family still remained. What would the Fourth Circle have to say about the Kin’s migration?


    As it turned out, Jorden teemed with life. No one had left yet, as far as Emeryn could tell, when she rode into the compound. They called it the capital of The Kinship of Jordfaste, but in reality, it wasn’t more than a handful of sizeable buildings spread out across a plot of land about the size of the keep in Fyrie.


    Groves of trees with powerful limbs bore fruits of all sizes, shapes, and colors. The sound of birdsong carried from every direction, and small animals scurried back and forth in the tall grass. The coming fall didn’t touch this place, and neither would winter.


    Emeryn noticed the bustle as the Kin loaded up their wagons. They didn''t appear to be a hurry like the residents of the other circles. No oxen waited to be strapped to the wagons. There was still time.


    A sense of overwhelming nostalgia washed over Emeryn as they rode in on the road that would take them to the square in the center of Jorden. She’d climbed every tree in the community as a child, knew every branch, every leaf. She ran her hand down her bare left shoulder. She wouldn’t be climbing anything now.


    Heylien gave off a low whistle and reached up from his saddle to pluck a ripe pear from an overhanging tree limb. "The growers keep the place alive like this?"


    "It’s her touch," Emeryn said. "Taera."


    He stopped himself from taking a bite out of the fruit, eyed it, and then threw it to the side. "She’s really here, then?"


    "Never actually met her, very few do, but she’s around here somewhere."


    "In one of the buildings?" Heylien asked.


    A woman came into view as they entered the square, one Emeryn would recognize anywhere. She sat up straight and answered Heylien, "Doubt she’d just be sitting in a building, but who knows? Access to her is restricted to a select few. I was never among them. Now shush, my sister is coming. Let me do the talking."


    The young woman approached them on foot. Her hair was cropped short, like a boy’s, and the combination of her slender frame and the sun-kissed skin on her bare arms and legs painted the picture of a blooming youth.


    A not altogether pleasant smile played across the young woman’s lips, and she raised a slender eyebrow as she spoke. "Emeryn, you’ve returned to us."


    "Kienna," Emeryn said. "You look well."


    "I wish I could say the same of you, but you left with two arms, if I recall correctly."


    Emeryn dismounted. "I did."


    "And you brought back an Eldian," Kienna continued, displeasure emanating from the grower.


    "I did."


    The displeasure lingered for a moment, then it ran off Emeryn’s younger sister''s face like water over a rock, and she beamed a smile. "Thank goodness you’ve returned, sister. We started to worry we would journey east without you."


    They embraced, Emeryn breathing in the heavy scent of fresh earth lingering about her sister. She’d missed that scent. "Where is mother?"


    "She’s very busy now, with the Fifth Circle and all, but I’m sure she’ll see you."


    Emeryn broke the hug and breathed in sharply. "Fifth Circle?"


    "What is the Fifth Circle?" Heylien asked.


    Kienna glanced at him, then back to Emeryn.


    "You don’t have to keep any secrets from him," Emeryn said, turning to Heylien. "There hasn’t been a Fifth Circle since before the fall of the gods. The Fifth Circle only consists of one person—the voice of Taera."


    "That’s right!" Kienna said, clapping her hands in glee. "Can you believe it? Our mother!"


    "Have you seen Taera?" Heylien asked, directing the question to Kienna.


    The smile fell off her face and her lower lip started pouting as she turned to Emeryn. "You should head into the house. Mother is there."


    After Kienna left, and they’d secured the horses, Heylien asked, "Was that rude?"


    "Yes," Emeryn confirmed.


    "Should I apologize?"


    She shook her head, and they walked down a path that would take them through an apple grove and then to her old home, a two-story building of brick and stone. "Don’t worry about it. Perhaps you’ll get the chance later."


    A servant she hadn’t seen before greeted them at the door and said they were expected. He asked them to wait for the Fifth Circle to see them. The house was silent and bare and seemed smaller than she remembered. They were seated on a hard wooden bench and the servant didn’t take his eyes off either of them.


    "Where are my sisters? My father?" Emeryn asked the man.


    "Your questions are best reserved for your mother," the servant replied. Emeryn and Heylien kept quiet while they waited. Silence reigned in the house.


    "What is she doing in there?" Emeryn asked, nodding to the door.


    "All in good time."


    She didn’t like this.


    The servant suddenly went up to the door, opened it, and stepped aside. Emeryn entered and Heylien made to follow when the door slammed shut behind her, leaving the archer outside.


    The room used to be their dining hall, the most spacious room in the house. Once, it had been a place of comforting familiarity with paintings of long dead relatives, books read to the point of disintegrating in your hands and carpeting to keep the chill away from their bare feet when the sun set. Emeryn''s mind was filled with memories of heads bent over books and endless conversations over mouthwatering feasts. Now that was all gone.


    Gone was the beautifully carved wooden table. Gone were the stacks of books and the warmth and the familiarity. In its place, grass and roots forced their way through the floor and wall, burrowing between the cracks in the stone with the kind of wild determination one could only find in nature.


    A throne of simple and carved wood, almost brutal in its design, with sharp edges and a sense of incredible weight was the only piece of furniture remaining. In it sat Emeryn’s mother. She wore robes of brown and gray, with vines, sprouting leaves, running along the seams and flowing out through every gap in the fabric, binding her tight to the chair.


    "Child," she said.


    "Mother."If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "Fifth Circle," she corrected.


    "Maybe I should just call you Taera, the god who refused to die?" Emeryn shot back.


    Her mother shook her head. "I’m still me, child."


    Emeryn took a few steps closer and saw that she spoke the truth. "So you are, mother."


    "Fifth Circle."


    "You speak with the voice of Taera," Emeryn said, ignoring the correction.


    "I was so chosen. Come closer so I can get a good look at you, Emeryn."


    "You are broken, child!"


    Emeryn’s face and chest flushed, but she did not shrink back. "My connection with the earth is stronger than ever. It is just a limb." She hated the waver in her voice.


    "You should never have left. At least now you’ve returned." Her mother’s voice was warm, almost like an embrace, but her body sat frozen in the throne.


    "You travel east."


    "We travel east."


    "Why?" Emeryn asked. "Are you running from the rhinn?"


    Her mother narrowed her eyes, as if searching for something.


    When her mother did not answer immediately, Emeryn continued, "I’m here to gather those willing to fight against the rhinn invaders alongside me and my husband, Goslin!"


    Emeryn’s mother’s eyes widened in surprise. Then it turned into a sneer, an expression she’d never seen on her mother''s face before. It turned her beautiful face harsh and ugly. "You married an Eldian? You return to me a traitor? Worse, a broken traitor?"


    Emeryn almost doubled over in disbelief. Could her mother truly speak in such a way? Yes, it was her eyes behind that mask of anger, but there was something more to it. Like a silent desperation, a slight quiver in her lips.


    "Taera," Emeryn said. "Tell me why you’re leaving."


    The anger did not leave her mother’s face, but speaking the god’s name with conviction caused the mask to finally fall away. "You are no Kin of mine. Out of respect for your mother’s sense of duty, I will allow you to leave with your life and the rest of your broken body intact. Do not press me, child."


    Each word reverberated through Emeryn’s skull. Child. It was spoken in her mother''s old, familiar voice. She was still in there. Her mother''s eyes pleaded with her to leave.


    Emeryn wanted to protest. To fight back. But how could she do so against her own mother? Against a god? She needed to find another way. Silently, Emeryn turned. The door opened at her approach and she left without looking back at her mother.


    The door shut behind her. Kienna had returned and waited along with two other growers, a man and a woman. She recognized them both but couldn’t remember their names. They stood on either side of Heylien, who had his arms tied behind his back with vines.


    "It’s unfortunate you couldn’t come to an understanding," Kienna said. "I’m sure mother would have loved for you to join us on our journey to the dark continent."


    "She is no longer our mother," Emeryn said, blinking the tears out of her eyes.


    Kienna gave her a long look, then nodded. "I know."


    "And yet you dance to her song."


    "There is no authority greater than that of a god''s," Kienna said, taking Emeryn’s hand. "Let me escort you out."


    The grip was unexpectedly firm. Kienna faced forward, but her eyes turned to Emeryn and her grip tightened even further. The words coming out of her mouth were barely a whisper. "I am a grower and tied to her as firmly as our mother. You know I cannot disobey."


    Emeryn squeezed back. She knew, but she would not let it stand.


    The trio of growers walked Emeryn and Heylien to their horses. "Please take care, Emeryn. Our father and sisters are already on the new continent, and the rest of us will depart soon. I’m sorry to see you go, but you’ve always walked your own path, haven’t you?"


    "Maybe one day we will see each other again," Emeryn said, embracing her sister again.


    "If Taera wills it," Kienna said, reflexively. She giggled, embarrassed at her words, then teared up and turned away before fleeing out of sight.


    The two other growers remained silent, intent on escorting Emeryn and Heylien out of the Fourth Circle. Except Emeryn wasn’t ready to leave yet.


    She exchanged a glance with Heylien. Without breaking her stride, Emeryn fed the power inside her and the ground reached up and crashed into the male grower. As the rumble started, Heylien slammed his head against the female grower''s face, crushing her nose. Both their opponents fell to the ground, unconscious. As they did, the vines binding Heylien’s arms lost their strength and fell away.


    "Now what?" Heylien asked, his eyes wary of their surroundings.


    No other Kin were present, as far as Emeryn could see, but it wouldn’t be long until Taera knew what had happened. "Hide!" Emeryn hissed. "Grab the horses and ride into the grove," she pointed at a thick clump of trees, "then join me in the shack. Quickly!"


    Heylien didn’t hesitate and tossed their saddlebags toward Emeryn. He mounted his horse and grabbed Emeryn''s reins and disappeared into the orchard. Emeryn carried the bags to a nearby shack. She hid within and waited for Heylien to return.


    After waiting for several long minutes, Heylien slipped into the small room. "Where were you?" she asked.


    "The unconscious Kin," he said, holding up two bundles of clothes. He threw one to Emeryn. "Wear that."


    He pulled off his tunic and tossed it aside. Emeryn turned quickly, her face burning.


    "I’ve turned around," he said. "You can get dressed too."


    Emeryn hurried to get dressed. The dress fit, though it was snug in a few places.


    "I’m done," she said, facing Heylien again. She took in his disguise. "You look just like a grower, except for the darker tone of your skin and your long hair."


    "Should I cut it off?"


    "No, just put the hood up and you should be fine."


    "So, what do we do now?" Heylien asked, peering out through the window.


    "Taera is holding my mother. We have to find her and somehow prevent this exodus. Maydian needs the Kin. We’re already outnumbered."


    "I’ll find her," Heylien said. "Then we’ll decide what to do next."


    Emeryn grabbed his cloak. "I can’t let you risk yourself like that."


    "You already risked my life when you decided to fight back against the growers. Besides, you’ll be recognized instantly. Trust me, I can do this."


    "Fine," she said. "Just be careful."


    By the time night fell, Heylien still had not returned.


    Darkness crept in, and the Kin moved back and forth across the wide compound, working and getting ready to leave for the dark continent. It wouldn''t be long now before they were all gone.


    Strangely enough, she did not see any of the Kin looking for the growers that she and Heylien incapacitated. Perhaps, Heylien killed them, thus severing their connection to Taera. Or, were they tasked to escort her and Heylien out of Jordfaste and they didn''t expect them to return so soon?


    It didn''t matter, except for how it confirmed Emeryn’s suspicions. Taera was not all-knowing in regard to those under her control. She could assert her control at will, seemingly without restrictions, but she did not know everything that happened to each and every grower. Emeryn hoped this meant that she could convince some of the growers to join her in saving Maydian. But how long would that last? Surely Taera''s will and command to take the Kin east would reassert itself no matter how far they went.


    Frustrated at the lack of information, Emeryn grew more and more restless. Where had that stupid Heylien gone off to now? He should have returned, rather than keeping her alone in the dark like this.


    The metal hinges of the door gave off a soft whine as it swung open. Emeryn spun on her heels to give Heylien a piece of her mind, only to see it wasn''t the archer.


    It was a young woman wearing the same dress as Emeryn. By the shocked expression on the young woman''s face, she hadn''t expected to find anyone hiding, further proving the point that no one was looking for her, at least not yet.


    The woman might have been young, but she did not hesitate. Before Emeryn could utter as much as a word, or call on her powers, the grower used her own. Thick vines broke through the stone floor, binding themselves around Emeryn''s legs and wrapped up her body. A branch planted itself between her teeth to make sure she couldn''t even speak.


    "Who,” the young woman asked, panting, “are you?"


    Emeryn grunted, focused, and brought forth a pillar of stone. It struck the grower in the head, and she collapsed onto the ground.


    The roots and vines that bound Emeryn remained intact. She let out a muffled scream of irritation. She struggled against their hold to no avail.


    After she realized the futility of trying to force her way out, Emeryn calmed herself and began picking the vines and roots apart with thin strands of stone pulled from the floor and walls.


    The process took agonizingly slow minutes to complete, but when she was finally freed, the young grower still lay unconscious in front of her. What was she supposed to do with her? She couldn''t just let the girl lie there. Someone was bound to realize she was missing.


    Emeryn rummaged through the saddlebags and retrieved one of Heylien’s knives. She got down on her knees by the prone woman and gently shook her shoulder. When she got no response, she shook again, harder. Nothing.


    Emeryn slapped the grower across the face with as much force as she could muster. The young woman stirred, groaning. She held the knife to the grower’s throat. "Make a wrong move or sound and I will slit your throat."


    The grower''s eyes flickered open. "How did you?"


    Emeryn pressed the knife into the woman''s skin. "I''ll be asking the questions. Nod if you understand."


    The grower nodded.


    She really was young, Emeryn thought, as wide fearful eyes looked up at her. "Why is she taking you all east?"


    The grower was about to speak when her mouth slammed shut with enough force to make her teeth clack together. The woman managed to force a single word through her clamped jaw. "Running."


    "Running?" Emeryn asked, frowning. "From what?"


    The grower''s jaw worked against an invisible force.


    "Tell me!" Emeryn shouted, forgetting the need for silence. She pressed the knife harder, drawing a drop of blood.


    The young woman on the floor struggled and whimpered, but then fell slack.


    When next the woman spoke, it was not with her own voice. "You stayed. Your mother weeps silent tears for you."


    Taera. Emeryn cast about with her mind for what she could do. She looked at the knife, now stained red with blood. She couldn’t kill this poor woman. It wasn''t her fault. "Grower," she said, trying to keep her voice steady and calm. "You have to tell me where she is. Where can I find Taera?"


    The grower gave Emeryn a contemptuous little smile. "Do you think—" then she was cut off, and the struggle resumed, the woman’s body thrashing against the uneven floor.


    Emeryn quickly withdrew her knife.


    "Cave," the young woman muttered through clamped shut teeth, and from under fluttering eyelids. A single word, but it was enough. Cave. Emeryn knocked her out with a loose rock, giving her some earnest respite from the broken god’s influence. She hoped the grower wouldn’t sustain any permanent damage.


    Emeryn couldn''t wait any longer for Heylien and raced out into the night. Shouts rose behind her, and people came running toward the shack, but they were too late. Emeryn was already gone.