And here is my main character

Tamara Sendai looked with apprehension at the retreating coastline. Not even a few leagues from White Island and she was already getting the jitters. The calm salty breeze of the sea did nothing to calm her nerves as she fidgeted with her sash. She had relinquished the grey robes of Vyandir for something less overt. She was wearing a simple riding dress in pale blue and her Sendai staff had been packed earlier with her things in the hold. The Mahdi had been especially clear about stealth. Time was not yet ripe for a declaration.

And yet, Tamara could feel the prickling in her spine. The Mahdi, Mother Marna Domios, had sealed her to secrecy. Made her swear a blood oath. Initially, it had all been rather thrilling. The words of the prophecy, dredged up from the forgotten archives of the White Island library, translated by the Mahdi herself, proved beyond doubt that the signs were clear. The Mahdi was convinced and that was enough for Tamara.

As the small raker lapped the waves and made for Morn, the Menarian port, Tamara allowed herself a brief respite from the present worries and thought of Marna. Not as the Mahdi but as the childhood friend she had trained with. Not many people in the White Island remembered their friendship, but it had survived the tumultuous years leading to Marna's election as the Mahdi. Now, though tradition demanded her to be more than human, Marna remembered her true self when they were alone together. They laughed and gossiped like girls once more.

She knew the trust that she carried, along with the sealed letter. If the letter were to fall in the wrong hands, it would mean instant execution. And the Mahdi would not be spared too. She too would be beheaded for treason. In the White Island, the law was higher than any single person. Even the Mahdi.

But if they were right, she and Marna - then the fate of the world depended on her mission. The Mahdi had entrusted her with the task of finding the Seven, apart from being a courier. And they did not have to start blindly. The prophecies already showed the way.

"From the city wrought by the Lion shall come one who knows Tumla" said the fateful words. The city wrought by the Lion. Only a few scholars knew that Altalan was called the Lion. His royal sigil was a rearing lion. And the city that he wrought, with his own hands, lay to the west. The city of history, the city of power - Elband. Tamara knew of Menaria's rich history, of its current queen. She knew about the princess, already rumoured to have a lot of potential with the Spark. And more than anything else, she also knew of House Tarmalene. They claimed descent from Tumla, the Goddess of Water. Is she the one who knows Tumla?

Even if she was, she was just one of seven. What other words pointed to what other people? How could she find them? It was said that life is like a stream of water which branches into numerous possibilities. But when the need is great, it would bend around those willing to take the initiative. She hoped it would bend around her and bring her closer to the seven. With a chill, she realized that it would mean stepping closer to the end.

"The Great Star protect us all," she whispered.

She was standing at the prow, looking ahead towards the Ethnoi. There was no time to waste now. The winds were changing. She took a deep breath and calmed herself. She sought the void, the emptiness where no passions rule. She felt the seductive call of the Spark within her. Carefully, with the experience of years of training, she opened herself up and touched the Spark. The Power roared through her immediately like a wild beast. To another Sendai's eyes, she would be glowing now, holding this amount of power. She could feel the essence of the Wind around her, swirling like an ethereal river. She reached out and held Wind in her hands. She made a sweeping gesture and the wind around the boat picked up. It unfurled the sails and blew fast, and the boat sped forward like a seagull.

Reluctantly, she let go of the Spark. Her channeling would be enough to reduce travel time by half and she would be in Morn by morning. After that, to Elband to deliver an important letter and to take custody of an important girl. After that... She knew not where.