Heiress: Birthstone Series Book Two (2 page)

“Then what?”

“Sometimes, I feel like I’m wearing the necklace again, but
instead of receiving images from so many different times and places, I’m just
getting one. It’s just as overwhelming and forceful, but because it’s only one
message, I feel compelled to do what it says.”

“And you’re being told to go to the mainland?”

Slowly, I nodded. “I’m beginning to wonder if, even when I
don’t wear them, the gems still have a hold on me. Kind of how we were led to
find the necklace.  I felt pulled to it. It’s sort of like that, only this time
much stronger and I’m being pulled to the gems’ home. They want me in Miranasch.”

Sai’s eyes darkened. I waited for him to say something but
his lips remained locked tight over his unspoken thoughts. Finally, I lifted my
hand to his face and touched it, a gentle plea for him to look at me.

“I want to stay here. More than anything, I want to live in
Vairda. But we both know any future we
build here will be threatened by
my homeland.” His expression softened a touch. Encouraged, I continued. “This
island would be undamaged if it weren’t for my family. If there’s any reason to
return to the mainland at all, it’s to protect these people.”

“I promised you once that I would go with you. I think it’s
too soon, but if you feel it’s time to start thinking of leaving, I won’t let
you go without me.”

“Great. Another reason for your parents to . . .”

I didn’t get to finish. Sai leaned forward and pressed his
lips to mine. I melted in his kiss, momentarily forgetting everything we’d been
talking about.

“It’s decided then,” he said as he pulled away. “I’ll break
the news to my family while you talk it over with Aluce and your parents.”

“You’re sure about this?” I asked.

“Sure about being with you?” Sai raised an eyebrow. “Almost
as sure as my victory today.” Before I could stop him, he snatched the
crumpled, forgotten flag from the sand and took off at a run down the beach
toward the village. I grabbed my sword and followed, determined to have a few
more hours of fun before I committed to something I feared I’d regret.

I stood outside Aluce’s door and fought back the urge to
flee into the jungle. Part of me wished to be anywhere else, but the gems I
held in my hand seemed to glow brighter than usual beneath the cloth in which
I'd wrapped them. They knew I was responding to their call.

Exhaling, I pushed the door open and stepped inside. Aluce
stood a few paces away, her arms folded as she waited for me. I yelped in
surprise.

“Do you barge into everyone’s home or is that just an
adorable habit you’ve reserved for me?” she asked.

“I’ve missed you too,” I quipped. “I don’t know why it
matters. You always seem to know when I’ve come, anyway.”

“Perhaps, but manners never hurt anyone.”

“Respecting someone’s personal decisions doesn’t either.”

“It does when your choices affects other people’s
wellbeing.”

She had me. I hated when her logic trumped my arguments.

“Do you want me here or not?” I asked. I had a tiny speck of
hope she would be irritated enough to turn me away. That hope was dashed a
second later.

She motioned to one of her thatched chairs. “Sit down,” she
ordered. This time I didn’t challenge her. My knees trembled more from
nervousness than exhaustion but I needed a rest after the long hike to her hut.
Aluce noticed my agitation and a small smile lifted the corners of her mouth. As
she sat across from me, she moved her eyes from my white-knuckled hands and met
my gaze.

“You’re ready, then?”

I nodded first, and then shook my head no. “I’m not sure if
I can say that,” I began. “I don’t want this and I don’t think it’s fair to
have this dropped on me.” I paused and drew a sharp breath as a torrent of
emotions from the bundle in my hands washed over me. I tried to fight back the
gems’ jumbled, overwhelming feelings as their power flooded through my body.  The
sensations were unwelcome reminders of why I was in Aluce’s home in the first
place.

“I don’t think I have a choice,” I said when I could breathe
again. “I think the necklace keeps pulling me back to the mainland. To whatever
is happening there.”

Aluce nodded and I narrowed my eyes at the satisfaction that
lit up her eyes.

She didn’t seem to notice. Instead, she leaned forward to
ask, “Have you told your parents?”

“No. I thought you should be with me when I do. That way,
they’ll be angrier with you than with me.”

“You’re going back to the mainland to face your grandfather
but you need me to take the heat when you talk to your mom and dad?” She
laughed.

“Have you seen my mom angry?”

Aluce sobered again. “Fair enough.”

We eyed one another for several moments. I still didn’t
trust her entirely. She would do everything she could to keep me alive, but
only as long as I could help her accomplish what she wanted. In the time I’d
gotten to know her, I’d learned that Aluce had noble intentions, but her reasons
behind them were almost always selfish. She wanted the right things, but for all
the wrong reasons. I had no doubt that could prove dangerous.

“You still don’t trust me,” she said. It was unnatural the
way she could see through me so easily. I shrugged in an attempt to throw her
off. She rose from her seat and made her way to her trunk. As she opened it and
began to rifle through its contents she turned to look at me over her shoulder.
“You learn to read people when you’ve been alive as long as I have. And you
don’t hide your emotions very well, Aylen. You should work on that.”

“Is there a stone for that?” I joked. As soon as I said it
though, I cringed. “There isn’t, is there?”

Aluce pulled from her trunk a round object, wrapped in
fabric. A jewel. “Don’t worry so much. It’s just a Wisdom Gem.”

“That wasn’t funny.”

“But the look on your face was,” she said. She passed me the
wrapped jewel and scooted her chair closer to mine. When she sat in it, her
knees pressed my own. I let my bundle drop into my lap and held the Wisdom Gem
in my hands where I tested its weight and strength. It was heavy but not very powerful.
Still, I sensed it had enough energy to get the job done, whatever that may be.

“I’ve known for some time that you would be ready to set out
for the mainland,” Aluce said. Her hands fidgeted as though she was nervous, an
unusual behavior for her. “I asked a Nethran with a Wisdom Gem bloodline for
help. Through a gem, he was able to determine the best methods for leaving the
island and who should leave with us.”

“Wait,” I interrupted. “I didn’t think that needed any
discussion. The only other people coming are Sai and my parents, right?”

“That’s the problem. I wanted to know if everyone would be
safe as we traveled. I searched for any possible reasons why someone shouldn’t
come.” Aluce shook her head. “I’m sorry, Aylen.”

She didn’t have to tell me who she believed needed to be
left behind and I doubted she was sorry. Aluce wanted me completely focused on
accomplishing her desires, and she thought only one person could get in the
way.

“I’m not telling you this to hurt you,” she insisted when my
expression betrayed my thoughts. “I’m trying to spare you future pain. Connect
to the Wisdom Gem.”

“But how accurate can the gem be? Wouldn’t a change in plans
also change an outcome? I thought Wisdom Gems weren’t reliable at predicting
the future.”

“Usually they aren’t which is why we don’t often use them
for such purposes.” Aluce sighed and rubbed at her temples. “When people rely
on them too much, they tend to second guess their own decisions. Their flawed information
can cripple them later when they try to act. But in this case, I think you
should see for yourself.”

I glared down at the gem for several moments. “I’m not sure
I can do this. I haven’t connected to anything other than a Sea Gem for a year.”

“You’ll be connecting to multiple gems anyway once we reach
Miranasch. You might as well try now. This is important, Aylen.”

For half a second I contemplated dropping the gem and
fleeing but instead, I gritted my teeth and ripped away the fabric protecting
its exterior. The moment my skin met contact with its rough surface, a small
jolt of heat zipped into my blood and through my veins. I waited for the warmth
to ebb from my body before I lifted my eyes to meet Aluce’s.

“Now, ask it a question. Any question, just to test it. Make
it something simple and be careful how you word it,” she instructed.

I placed my hand over the stone and focused on sensing the
life that pulsed inside of it. There wasn’t much it could give, but I’d be able
to gain a little wisdom from it before the heart grew dim if I concentrated.
With as much feeling as I could muster, I thought, “What will my mother cook
for our end-day meal?”

The response was weak at best but an image sprouted in my
mind of a large, white fish coated in some sort of green herb as it turned over
the spit outside our hut. It was the fish I’d caught earlier in the morning.

“I’m having fish for dinner,” I said blandly.

“That’s what you asked?” Aluce didn’t try to hide the
exasperation in her tone.

“You said to keep it simple.”

“Yes, but you know you’re having fish. You always have fish.
You’re supposed to ask something you don’t already know.”

“But what if I don't really want the answer?"

Aluce opened her mouth to argue some more but no sound came
out. Instead, she paused for a moment and took a deep breath. With a nod, she
tried to arrange her face into what I assumed was an expression of compassion.
It seemed to be a struggle against her nature.

“You’ll to have to face this at some point, Aylen.”

I knew she was right. I felt sick, but I choked back the
sensation and once more pressed my hand against the cold surface of the rock.
Closing my eyes, I felt the stone’s life as it passed from its heart, through
its coarse body, and into the pads of my fingers. I pictured tiny tendrils of power
worming through my veins as they called out for my unanswered questions. Almost
instinctively, I resisted but I knew I had to see for myself what Aluce was
telling me. Careful to keep my thoughts clear, I worded the question in my
mind.

What happens to Sai if he comes with me to the mainland?

Images flooded my mind, each one uglier than the last. Scenarios
poured into me as I fought back every answer with what-ifs.

What if he and I leave alone by sea?
I saw him
attacked and killed by some sort of hideous, scaly, green thing with two heads.

What if the Nethrans go with us?
They battled the creature
while Sai was killed.

Is there any other way we can travel?
A white stone
with its heart exposed flashed through my mind. A Travel Gem.

What if Sai comes with me that way?
Mainlanders
captured him and I watched as he was separated from me. Later in the vision, he
crumpled to the ground after a sword sliced into his middle.

With each image, I struggled to remind myself it wasn’t
real. Sai was alive and safe on the island. Still, I kept searching for a way
he could be with me, hopeful that one of my what-ifs would bring me the answer
I needed. By the time I was done, I had watched Sai die too many times to
count. When I opened my eyes, took in my surroundings, and gasped, I felt hot
tears coursing down my cheeks.

“I tried everything,” I said and pushed the stone from my
lap. Aluce caught it before it rolled to the ground. I grabbed for my bundle of
gems and thrust it toward her as well. “Take care of this for me.” I rose to
leave.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“I need to be alone.” In a few short steps I was at her
door.

“It’s for the best,” she said. “You need to stay and discuss
the plan.”

I shook my head, furious. Had she ever cared about anyone
other than herself? I forced thoughts of her murdered family from my mind. If
she had truly cared about them, it was long ago. Did she even remember the pain
of losing someone she loved?

“Can’t you at least give me time to grieve?”

“Time isn’t something we have, Aylen.”

“You’d better find it because I’m taking it anyway.” I
pushed my way through the door, ignoring its snap as it protested my abuse. Everything
around me turned into a lush, green blur as I took off at a sprint. The gentle
breeze that always drifted around the island turned into a wind and abused my
skin, smacking against my legs and arms, leaving them numb. I welcomed it and
wished it could numb the rest of me.

On and on, I ran, grateful for the ache in my lungs. My
limbs begged me to stop, but I couldn’t. I needed pain. I needed to fight for
every breath, because if I didn’t have to fight for it, I might just give up
entirely.

I didn’t stop until I reached the beach.
My
beach. The
place where Sai and I went to be alone. The place where bodies of islanders and
mainlanders had lain, injured and dying on the sand only a year before. The
same place where Sai had promised me he would follow wherever I went. When I
reached the water, I collapsed onto the sand, partially in the foamy surf. It
warmed my aching limbs and I cursed the caress of water as it worked to soothe
me. I didn’t want gentle. I wanted physical sting to supplant the ache in my
chest. But it was too late. The lulling flow of water washed over my legs and
around my waist. It quieted my rage, and left me empty of everything but grief.

It didn't seem fair. It had taken Sai years to realize he
loved me and since he had, we’d grown closer than I could have ever imagined.
My soul was tethered to his and I feared leaving him would leave a portion of
me fragmented and broken.

Part of me hoped he would fight to go to the mainland, convince
me he could survive, tell me there was no way I could leave without him. But
the better part of me knew I'd never take him, no matter what he said. I loved
Sai too much to risk his safety. Even if it meant leaving him to some other
girl. Leaving him to a future without me.