Heiress: Birthstone Series Book Two (10 page)

We followed them toward the entrance that led into the
underwater city while Haji and Faema chatted with two of the men who’d insisted
on tagging along. Lirig hung back with me. I tried to pretend I didn’t notice
him until he nudged me with his shoulder. Hard.

“Look, I already introduced them to you. It’s not my fault
they prefer talking to other people,” I said.

“Why didn’t you go with Aylen?” I heard a note of exultance
in his tone.

“Aluce has her convinced I’ll die if I go.”

Lirig snorted. “So, you’re moving on with those two
already?” He cast a meaningful glance toward Haji and Faema. “Guess your
feelings never ran very deep after all.”

I halted mid stride and turned to face him. We stared each
other down, nose to nose. Mentally, I dared him to make a move, to do something
to challenge me further.

He didn’t.

Instead, the grim twist of his lips cracked and he laughed.
“I’m not stupid. I know why you’re here.” He turned forward again.

I slowly relaxed my fists and rolled my shoulders, trying to
loosen the knots hiding inside my muscles. “What are you talking about?” I asked
as I resumed my pace.

“Perin won’t let you go after her. He talks about being a
strong leader, but when it comes to Aluce, he’ll always cave to her demands.”

“I’m prepared for that.”

“So, seeing Perin is all just a ruse. You plan on getting
ahold of our gems another way?” Lirig said.

I rolled my eyes. “I only said I was prepared for Perin’s
response. You’re assuming the rest.”

“You’ll need help. There’s no way you can get into the vault
without getting caught.”

I laughed. “Thanks for the warning.” It wasn’t difficult to
understand why he was so confident. As far as he knew, I was unaware there were
any other paths to the vault besides the one everybody on the island used. The
truth, though, was that I wasn’t too concerned about being caught. Aylen and I had
spent ample time wandering around Nethra as guests and “accidentally” getting
ourselves lost on their island whenever we felt a little too cramped under the
Nethrans’ watchful eyes. During the times when we’d disappeared, we learned the
island wasn’t as well guarded as they’d had us believe. On one occasion, we’d
discovered some old, unused passages into the city. They’d made for great
places to hunker down when we’d wanted to avoid being located. I smiled to
myself as I remembered the fun we’d had whenever we stole some alone time in
the middle of Nethra’s mountains. Sometimes, the charade went on for hours
before we emerged, feigning confusion and relief at having been found.

“What’s so funny?” Lirig muttered.

“Nothing you want to know about,” I said, my smile growing
wider.

Lirig watched me from the corner of his eyes. I pretended
not to notice. Finally, in a low voice, he said, “I can help, you know.”

“A lot of people seem to think that lately.” I looked
pointedly at Haji and Faema. They were in full flirt mode with the guards ahead
of me.

“But it’s true. You won’t be able to do anything without
me.”

“You’re pretty confident for a lowly Nethran guard.”

“I have a right to be. I know things about the vault no one
else does.”

“What makes you so special?”

Lirig pressed his lips together as though he’d pop like a
berry if he didn’t spill his secrets. Somehow, he managed to swallow down
whatever he was hiding and said, “If you give me a chance, I can tell you
more.”

I acted as though I hadn’t heard him. I was confident in the
passages Aylen and I had discovered and if I started relying on other people to
bail me out when things got tricky, then I doubted I’d be ready when my journey
became truly difficult.

“Just think about it,” Lirig urged, slowing his pace as we
neared the door into the mountain passage.

“I don’t need to owe anyone any favors right now, least of
all you.” I hung back, afraid the rest of the group would hear us but Haji
tossed me a significant look and I realized she’d preoccupied the other guards
on purpose.

“I’m not asking for anything.”

“Yeah, because I said no. But you will ask for something and
I don’t want to find out what it is. Why else would you be doing this?”

Lirig didn’t answer. We’d reached the door. With a sappy
smile for Faema, one of the guards rolled it open and led us inside. Brushing
past Lirig, I followed, determined the conversation would end there.

We walked in silence through the tunnels and into the
underwater city. Lirig didn’t attempt to speak to me again, probably because
Faema chattered enough for everyone. She pointed to everything she saw and
asked about it even though she’d been in the city a least twice before.

I breathed a sigh of relief when we finally reached the
tower where Perin was housed. Time passed while we waited for him to come greet
us and the girls filled it with ample flirting. Lirig continued to glare at me
from the corners of his eyes while I stared stoically forward.

Eventually, Perin emerged from a long hallway, his arms open
like a father, ready to embrace his children.

“Sai, it’s so good to see you. You know you’re welcome to
wander around much of the city at your leisure. To what can I possibly owe the
honor of a request to see me?” I detected a hint of unease in his voice and I
guessed he understood why I was there.

“My friends and I would like to speak with you in private,
if that would be alright.”

Perin’s eyes darted to the guards and he motioned for them
to wait outside the building. Lirig cast me a knowing look as he followed them.

When the guards were out of hearing, Perin turned to me.
Before I could open my mouth, he said, “I can’t help you, Sai. I wish I could,
but it’s not possible.”

“You haven’t even heard me out yet.”

“You want me to help you get to the mainland. Aluce sent
word that she was taking Aylen back and you wouldn’t be going. I understand
your desire to follow and no one would doubt your loyalty to Aylen, but in the
end, I have to do what’s best for Aylen’s mission.”

I fought to keep my voice even but already it cracked with
frustration. Raking a hand through my hair, I choked out, “How can keeping me
from her be best for the mission? I can help. I’m a skilled fighter and I would
die to protect her. You just said yourself, you don’t doubt my loyalty.”

Perin held up a hand to silence me. “If you were to die
protecting her, Aylen might wonder what else she had to live for. It would
destroy her ability to focus. You’re still new to the intricacies of the gems.
Her connection to you may be what keeps her from losing control.”

“You underestimate her,” I said, my voice hard. I wanted to
tell him how little he understood about Aylen. In the eleven years I’d known
her, I’d never seen her back down from a commitment, even when she was unsure
of the outcome. I had no doubt that if anything happened to me she’d grieve
immensely, but I also believed she’d go forward, with even more resolve.

Telling Perin this wouldn’t do any good. Not when his mind
was already made up. So instead, I tried a different tactic. “You allowed her
to bring her parents. You don’t seem to be concerned that one of them will die.
Are you saying it wouldn’t affect her as greatly?”

Perin shook his head slowly, looking at me with pity in his
eyes. “The Wisdom Gems indicated only you would die if you chose to go to the mainland.”

“But that was if I went with them. I’m going on my own. That
has to alter the outcome in some way, doesn’t it?”

Perin hesitated before responding. “It may, but we won’t
know how unless we consult another gem. I see no reason to do that at this time
and I believe our best chances for success will be if you remain in Vairda.” He
placed a solid hand on my shoulder and looked me in the eyes. His expression
was a plea for me to accept his decision. When I didn’t respond with more than
a glower, he dropped his hand and sighed. “Vairda has been protected from the
beginning. You and your people are under our care and even if I felt you would
be safe going to Miranasch, I wouldn’t allow it because I want to preserve the
innocence and safety of Vairda. It was tainted last year, but I vowed that
wouldn’t happen again. You were born there and that’s where you belong.”

“Who are you to tell us where we belong?” Haji said. She
pushed her way in front of me. “If I remember right, Vairda was supposed to be
a type of prison for our ancestors. Telling us you want to keep us contained
there is just another way of saying you still don’t trust us.”

“That’s not what . . .” Perin began, but Haji cut him off.

“Of course it is. But I’ll tell you something.” She took a
step closer to him, her gaze steady with his. “Vairda is as much a part of this
as everyone else. You can try to claim otherwise, but no one will tell me I
can’t defend my home the way I want.”

Haji spun around and grabbed Faema’s arm, pulling her toward
the front entrance. I stared at the ground quietly. I didn’t want to admit
Perin’s words had penetrated something inside of me. Would my presence make
things worse for Aylen? I tried to put myself in her place. If anything
happened to her, it would leave a gaping hole in my life that could never be
filled. I wasn’t sure I could move on. Was going to the mainland, possibly to
my death, damning her to that fate?

“Sai,” Perin whispered. He took a step toward me and placed
a hand on my shoulder. “Please consider my words. I realize you’ll find a way
to accomplish what you want if you have enough determination, but I beg you to
think before you act.”

I turned to leave, suddenly unsure of what to do next. The
fear of hurting Aylen further hampered my resolve, which, of course, was
Perin’s intent. I might have decided to give up and go back to Vairda if Perin
hadn’t spoken one last time.

“You don’t truly want to leave your island, do you Sai? For
Aylen, it was only a stopping point, but Vairda is your home.”

I stopped walking but didn’t face him. His words had nudged
a memory from over a year ago, when I’d promised Aylen I’d always stay by her
side. “You’re wrong.” I spoke so softly I wasn’t sure he could hear me. “My
home is wherever Aylen is.”

I continued toward the door, aware that Perin was close
behind. When I exited, the guards were waiting with Haji and Faema.

“Make sure they leave Nethra,” Perin instructed them. “I’ve
decided extended visits are not welcome today.” He didn’t offer a goodbye as he
strolled back inside.

We were a somber group as we made our way toward the exit
above the city. My mind spun in several directions as I tried to rationalize my
purpose for following Aylen. I also needed to come up with a way to get back to
the beach where I’d left my weapons without the guards following me.

When we reached the exit pool, Lirig stepped forward. “I’ll
see them out,” he offered. “They’re not problem causers so I doubt we need more
than one person to make sure they go.”

The other guards didn’t argue and before leaving, one of
them winked at Faema. “Come visit again,” he whispered, loud enough for the
rest of us to hear.

Once they were gone, we connected with our Sea Gems. After
we jumped into the water we allowed Lirig to lead us away from Nethra and out
to sea.

When we were far enough away from the island that no other
Nethrans were close by, Lirig changed direction. It didn’t take me long to
realize he was taking us back to the unguarded beach where we’d stashed most of
our belongings.

“How did you know?” I asked him once we’d scrambled ashore.

“Know what?” Lirig stood, fists on his hips, glancing around
our little strip of sand appreciatively.

“How did you know to take us here?” I rummaged through my
weapons to be sure nothing had been disturbed while I'd been gone.

“You and Aylen used to come here. I followed you a few
times.”

“That’s creepy,” Haji muttered.

“Creepy was how they acted when they thought no one was
around. Believe me, I left
that
alone.”

“Jealous?” I said, strapping a knife to my leg.

“Not on your life. If the Gem Heiress wants to waste her
time on the descendant of a traitor, that’s her business.”

“Watch it,” Haji growled. “You’re insulting my ancestors
too.”

Things were tensing up again so I decided to bring the
conversation back around. “What do you want, Lirig? You didn’t lead us here out
of the kindness of your heart.”

Lirig snorted and flopped onto the sand. “I brought you here
because I want out of Nethra and the only way that’s going to happen is if I go
to Miranasch with you.”

“Why don’t you just leave if you want out so bad?” Faema
asked.

“Are you kidding? It takes more than one person to break
into a vault. Besides, it would be suicide to travel the sea alone.”

“Yeah, well you’re not coming and we don’t need your help,”
I said.

“Yes, you do.” Lirig said, unruffled by the surety in my
tone.

I didn’t want to encourage him but I asked, “What makes you
so confident?”

“I’m one of the few on this island who knows where the other
vaults are.”

This information surprised me. Apparently, it surprised Haji
too because she asked, “There’s more than one vault?”

“You’ll never find them without my help.”

“Why do you know about them if no one else does?” I tried to
appear unimpressed.

“Because I’m one of the few in Nethra who also has the
Concealment Gem bloodline. My ancestors were brought here to keep the island
and the other vaults hidden. I’ve been training for that job since I was ten.
If I stay, I’ll be sharing the responsibility with some of my relatives in a
couple more years.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“It’s not if you believe the way to preserve our safety is by
hiding. But I was born to fight and sitting in a chamber, guarding a vault is
not my idea of changing things for the better.”