Fifth Quarter

I have now completed the second of the books in Tanya Huff's fantasy series about the Kigh. Fifth Quarter tells the story of Vree and Bannon, brother and sister, assassins, and forced to share Vree's body when Bannon's is stolen by Gyhard, a rogue soul over 100 years old.

Gyhard is one of only two or three who know how to manipulate the kigh which constitute the Fifth Quarter. Until this time, the bards have been able to communicate with kigh of the Four Quarters: air, water, earth, and fire. The presence of a Fifth Quarter has long been suspected, but none of the bards trained at Bardic Hall have been able to provide it existed. Karlene, a bard stationed in the Havalkeen Empire meets the joined Vree/Bannon character and learns how to communicate with the two kigh within.

Maybe it was that simple after all. Maybe the bards had never needed to learn to Sing the fifth quarter because they couldn't not Sing it. Every time they touched an audience, or one listener, or one hundred, they were Singing the fifth quarter.