Chapter XII, Reading 1

Kewero awoke one morning with the distinct feeling that it was time for Flindra to leave the caverns and begin her quest.  She recognized the touch of the Spirit in the feeling and she knew she couldn't choose to ignore it.  It was time for Flindra to go.

"Oh Spirit," she whispered.  "Is it time so soon, so very soon?"

She was overwhelmed with sadness and she wept into her pillow.  She loved Flindra and knew she would miss her.  It would be like losing a beloved child.  Kewero hadn't realized just how lonely she had been until Flindra came into her life.  Now the caves were going to feel depressingly empty without the sound of her cheerful voice and the sight of her bright smile.

She indulged her sorrow for a few moments longer and then the sadness was replaced by fear.  She knew, better than anyone alive, that the Ansu were a horrible and menacing enemy.  An untested innocent was going forth to challenge this monstrous evil.

Thinking about the situation - and being brutally honest with herself - Kewero had to admit that she had been delaying Flindra's departure with minor tasks and lessons.  It was her fear for the safety of her beloved Princess that had made her use delay to keep her here in the safety of the caves.  The truth of the situation was that Flindra knew what she needed to begin her fight.  Experience would have to become her teacher.  Kewero could share little with her now.  She needed to let go and allow Flindra to continue on her journey.

It was impossible to go back to sleep, so Kewero reluctantly left her bed and began to dress.  As much as she didn't want to, she needed to organize the things that Flindra would need to take with her.  It was still early enough that she would be sleeping in her room.  Kewero would let her wake up on her own and have breakfast before breaking the news that it was time for her to begin the next chapter in her life.

Kewero had infrequent contact with a trader who occasionally traveled across the Northern Reaches to do business with the Ainaz.  He was not her main source of supplies, but he had some items none of his competitors carried and he was a gossip.  He always knew the latest news in the kingdom and was anxious to share the information.  The man was honest when dealing with his customers but was a veritable scoundrel when dealing with the authorities and their tax collectors.  He was a consummate smuggler.

Several years before Kewero had asked him to make a saddle for her, a smuggler's saddle with hidden compartments in the wooden saddletree.  In this saddle, Flindra could hide the treasures she needed to take with her.  It was her responsibility to take the other crystals: the Blue, the Red, and the Yellow.  She also needed to take with her the hereditary symbols of King Meldh.  These treasures would prove Flindra's identity and would serve as a regal dowry.

Kewero didn't feel like eating so she went instead to a storage room deep in the heart of the caverns.  It was in this hidden room that she kept her dearest possessions.  Among her treasures was the leather satchel King Meldh gave her when she left his court.  She sat down beside the common looking bag and knew the greatest treasures of the world were hidden within its stiff leather sides.  A wave of memories flooded over her when she opened the latch and peered inside.