Free Valley of Embers (The Landkist Saga Book 1) by Steven Kelliher

manner painted a stark contrast to the Second Keeper. Further along the bench, which bowed under his considerable heft, was Baas Taldis, who was one of the Emberfolk in name only, his father well known as the son of the River Patriarch of the Fork. Taldis had largely been raised among the Emberfolk of the Lake after his father had settled with one of their own. Though he was undoubtedly the strongest man on the Lake, Baas left the guard duties to the Embers and their ilk. He preferred fashioning weapons to wielding them. As for why he was here, Linn had it on good authority that he found her particularly fetching. She had no qualms about using that to her advantage.
    Standing off to the side was a duo that likely made up the most deadly pair in the Valley—the twins Taei and Fihn Kane. They were a strange lot, and though only Taei was Landkist, Fihn could more than hold her own with a blade. Where Taei was calm, cool and collected, his sister was quick to anger and long to forgiveness. Linn had no idea where they would fall in this.
    As for the final member of the gathering, Kaya Ferrahl had likely only come because Jenk had. The youngest Ember in the Valley held no love for Linn or Kole, and the feeling was mutual. Given the covert nature of this meeting, taking place out of earshot of the First Keeper, Linn was not entirely comfortable with her presence. But beggars could not be choosers, and for all her faults, Ferrahl wielded the flame. That was reason enough to have her along.
    Kaya mostly ignored the front of the room, focusing instead on the gouts of steam that issued up from the grates. When she did glance at Linn, she did so with hateful eyes. Truth be told, Linn did not know where they had fallen off with one another, though she suspected it had something to do with the fact that Linn took a more active role in safeguarding the Lake than an Ember. Sometimes, however, Linn had to admit to herself that she knew exactly how Jenk looked at her, and how Kaya looked at him.
    “We’ve been meeting like this for weeks,” Jenk said, blushing as Larren raised his brows. “We cannot keep doing so without making a decision. That said, you do seem a bit unhinged at the moment, Ve’Ran.”
    Linn bristled.
    “I’d say the whole of Last Lake should be feeling the same,” she said, trying to keep her voice level.
    Jenk pulled up a stool and moved aside. He sat, nodding at Linn to continue. She had trouble deciding if he was condescending or not, and then decided that it did not matter either way.
    “What’s this about?” Larren asked gruffly.
    “I’d hazard a guess it has to do with Reyna,” Kaya sneered. “What state is he in? What on earth was he doing out in the woods during the Dark Months? He’s not half the Runner his father is.”
    Linn winced. She tried her best to ignore Kaya, but she cursed herself for not approaching Larren and explaining her plan separately. Her demeanor must have been more off-putting to him than she had expected.
    “The Dark Months should have ended a week ago,” Linn said.
    “They’re tailing off,” Nathen said. “The sun floats higher in the lake each day and hangs longer before sinking.”
    “Yes, Nathen. But the attack that took down our gate was the worst we’ve ever seen, and now one of our Embers, our Keepers,” she looked challengingly at Kaya, “has been attacked in the woods by something far worse than the Dark Kind. You’ve all heard the whispers, try as Ninyeva and Doh’Rah might to dispel them. You’ve heard the word they’ve been tossing around.”
    “Sentinels,” Baas said. He did not elaborate.
    “Tall tales from the desert days,” Larren scoffed, but he looked unsettled.
    “What is a Sentinel?” Nathen asked.
    Jenk cleared his throat.
    “If the stories are to be believed, then the Sentinels are the sentient Captains of the Dark Kind in the World Apart,” he said, staring at Linn all the while. “Where the Dark Kind are an unthinking mass of tooth,