Peacebringer

Chapter Fifteen- Tana

Tana was clearly the type of person who could command attention quickly in any room. Asha felt immediately drawn to her, like a comforting mother-figure. She was shorter than Asha, and very frail looking, even though she stood up straight and tall.

"Hello, Tana." Asha said slowly.

"Tana is our general." Havi again guessed exactly what Asha was thinking. "She's a water spinner, so she also helps with healing."

"Yes, I do help with both sides of battle," she said with a soft smile. "Although I'd prefer doing a little less healing. We have had so many injuries lately." She gestured to Asha. "Without your impressive display this morning, we would have had a lot more of our brave warriors in need of my assistance."

Asha looked at the ground, still not comfortable with people complimenting her spinning when she had hurt someone so badly with it. Havi nudged her and gave an encouraging smile. It made her feel just slightly better.

"Tana also trains new spinners." Havi said brightly. "She trained me!"

"But you're a wind spinner, right?" Asha asked. She turned to Tana, "How can you train someone who doesn't use the same type of spinning?"

"I train all types, dear," Tana said gently. "The basics of spinning are all the same. It starts with the heart and soul." Asha immediately felt that this was someone she could trust. Tana had an inexplicable warmth about her. "We can begin your training in the morning, if you wish." Asha noticed Finn making a weird face.

"I would like that." Asha beamed. For the first time, she was excited about her abilities. If she could learn to control them, she would be just like the heroes in her favorite stories. Maybe she could help the resistance after all.

Then that sinking feeling came back, she was a fire spinner, after all. "What if I'm too dangerous?" She looked down again. "I already hurt one friend. I don't want to hurt anyone else."

"We'll make sure to practice in a safe area." Tana answered both comfortingly and practically. "We will make sure you have received enough training before we send you in to help. You are correct that fire spinning is the hardest to control and the most dangerous for others. That sense of responsibility for your magic is what will help you to control it. I remember too often in my youth that the fire spinners were often reckless and impulsive." Tana explained. "That is why they were blamed for the death of the queen."

"Wait, they weren't actually responsible?" Finn interrupted. Now both he and Havi looked confused. Asha could tell that neither of them had ever considered the possibility that the accident could be someone else's fault.

"In reality, no one is sure." Tana said. "The events surrounding her death are uncertain. The fire spinners definitely had an argument with the king and fled, but there is no evidence of a fire within the palace. Wherever the accident happened, we don't have proof of it. And yet we have a dead queen and infant princess."

Asha knew that the death of the queen had happened around when she was born. How was it possible that no one had uncovered the truth after all this time?

"So someone lied about it, either the king or the fire spinners." Asha thought out loud.

"Exactly." Tana exclaimed. "Very good. But we can't get in contact with the fire spinners because we don't know where they went, although we suspect they went south. If they had gone to Sayreen, we would know by now. Besides, negotiations with the king himself have been closed for years. There seems to be no end to this series of attacks back and forth."

"So then how can we hope to end it? If we can't negotiate and we don't have fire spinners, what are we going to do?" Havi seemed frustrated. "If all this fighting is doing nothing, then why should we continue?"

"I always said that the young ones are the people who ask the best questions." Tana chuckled warmly. "We need to plan something bigger and cleverer so that we can actually gain some ground."

"What if we tried freeing some of the prisoners?" Finn asked. "I know that many of them are kept in the castle, but there is another secondary holding center not far from here. We could break in and set the prisoners free, maybe we could gain some allies to help us out."

"Brilliant." Tana beamed. "I will clear the idea with our chief strategist and see if we can create a plan of attack.We can bring it up at our next planning meeting in two days.."

Finn and Havi looked at each other in excitement. Unlike Asha, they knew that it was a huge honor to have their idea considered as an attack plan. Hopefully, those prisoners would be freed and could rejoin their families.

"And you, Asha," Tana said. "You and I will begin training tomorrow morning after breakfast. We'll see if we can't get you strong enough to aid in your friend's idea when the time comes."

Asha could hardly contain her excitement. "I eagerly await your instruction," She said brightly.

Tana exited the room after a polite bow. The three friends turned towards each other in excitement.

"I can't believe this is happening. My dad's not going to believe it!" Havi exclaimed. Asha turned towards Finn before she forgot her thought.

"Why did you want me to hide the stone? Wasn't it your mission to bring it back?"

"It was..." Finn hesitated. "But no one has asked about it yet."

"So? Aren't you supposed to turn it in to whoever asked you to get it?"

"That was the general idea.." Finn paused, thinking of how to word his next statement. "I just have a funny feeling about it."

Asha exchanged a glance with Havi. Funny feeling? She thought. You got me involved in this and now you don't want to hand it over? What's wrong with you?

"Tana just...seems odd." Finn said by means of explanation.

"Odd? She's about the most harmless person in Karda!" Havi's face twisted in confusion. "I mean, besides the fact that she's our general and all and she kind of leads us in battle, but-"

"But the point is YOU made a big deal about your mission and now you don't want to complete it." Asha countered. She was irritated with Finn's reasoning.

"I know, trust me, I know." Finn picked at a bandage on his arm. "I just, I have questions. She never told me what it was, and I think we should try to figure it out before we hand it over." He realized the edge of the bandage had come untucked, and he hastily poked it back in. "And sometimes Tana just gives me a weird feeling. Like I get that she's all wise and whatever, but how can she be that calm and pleasant all the time? It's just weird."

Asha wondered if her questioning Finn's mission back near stone creek was the reason he was doubting Tana now. It did seem to be a sudden change, but she wondered if maybe he had these feelings before. Maybe this was just the first time he was voicing them.

Asha looked at Havi for confirmation. He shrugged and nodded. "I mean I guess that's fair," he said. "It's only right that we know what it is before we hand it over, and clearly they aren't going to tell us if they didn't tell you ahead of time. I'm just surprised that Tana would be so secretive about it. She's usually so open about what she's planning."

"That's exactly why I want to figure it out first." Finn said firmly.

"If no one will tell us, it must be important." Asha pulled the stone out to look at it.

"Or dangerous," Havi added, staring at the reflective stone. It was truly mesmerizing in the sunlight that streamed in through the window.

More danger, and I helped bring it here. Asha thought. What have I gotten myself into? And more importantly, If Finn doesn't trust Tana, should I?