Alora: The Wander-Jewel (Alora Series Book 1) (10 page)

“I want you to know, sir, I intend to protect her also.” Kaevin stood eye to eye with Charles, and held his gaze without flinching.

Charles pressed his lips together in a tight line. “But who will protect her from you?”

“I would never hurt her,” he retorted in an offended tone.

“Look, Kaevin.” Charles cut off his protest with a wave of his hand. “I believe you’d never
intentionally
hurt her, but you’re both too young to be in this kind of relationship. And if you take her to your home, it sounds pretty dangerous. So, even if you don’t mean to, you could still hurt her indirectly.”

“But Uncle Charles, it seems like it’s kind of my destiny to go there and help. You know, like it’s why I have the jewel in the first place.”

“Destiny or not, you’re too young. You’re not going off alone with anyone, much less with a seventeen-year-old boy we don’t know anything about.”

“But Uncle Charles—”

“I’m sorry, but this discussion is over.”

Alora and Kaevin escaped outside to avoid Charles’ critical gaze. “We need to tend the horses. And then afterward, I thought we might try practicing with the bearer thing. Maybe you could help me figure out how to do it.”

“I’m uncertain whether I can actually help. When I described the color of your wander-jewel, Raelene told me it would be extremely difficult to learn how to control such a powerful stone. She said it would be futile to pass advice to you through me. Originally, she was going to instruct me somewhat in case I had the opportunity to help you.”

“Well, I’m going to try it, with or without your help. What can you tell me?”

“I only know what I’ve been taught about bearers. I’ve never transported with anyone except you.”

“But you have to know more than I do. Do you at least know what I can move? I mean, you said I couldn’t move large pieces of metal. I know I can move people. Can I move objects like rocks? Or can I only move objects if people are holding them? Can I only move people to me? Or can I move them to other places?”

“Uhmm, I think... I think you can only move one person away from you or to you. And if you go somewhere, you can take one person with you if they’re touching you. So, if you wanted to take more than one person, I believe you’d need to move them one at a time. As for objects...” He paused, scratching the back of his head. “Whatever a person is wearing or holding would transport, unless it’s iron. So, if a person were wearing metal armor, you wouldn’t even be able to move them.”

“But what about moving something like this log?”

“I believe that objects are more difficult for some reason.”

“What about animals? Maybe I could practice with one of the chickens.”

He smiled. “I think animals are easier than objects, but it must be a specific animal you can identify in your mind. You couldn’t just wish for a horse and get one, but you could transport your own horse.” He stopped, frowning as he concentrated. “No. Perhaps a horse would weigh too much.”

“Uhmm, I’d be afraid to practice on Willow, anyway. I might accidentally send her somewhere and not be able to find her.”

“Then I’d appreciate it if you don’t practice on me either.” He flashed a dimple on his left cheek.

Arriving at the horse barn, she said, “Shall we try letting go while we muck the stalls?”

He agreed. “We won’t be far apart, anyway. Surely, we’ve mostly recovered by now.”

They made quick work of the stalls and gave the horses a measure of feed to supplement the hay. Kaevin spent some time with the horses, brushing each one down and talking to them.

“This is one of my gifts.”

“You can talk to horses?”

“They don’t actually talk to me, but I can communicate with most animals. I can sense fear or pain or contentment or excitement. I can tell if something is wrong. For instance, this one has a very small, irritating stone in her hoof. It’s not enough to make her lame, but she’d appreciate us removing it.”

Alora immediately retrieved a hoof pick and cleaned the mud out to remove the stone. Kaevin said, “Your horses are happy and content, though, and well-cared for. I’d like to talk with Beth and see if her gift is similar to mine.”

Alora felt a pang of jealousy. “I don’t know if she’ll have time to come visit.”

“We could talk at the dance, if I went with you.” His enthusiastic smile made his deep green eyes sparkle.

“Oh, uhmm, I don’t know if I could take you to the dance. I’m not sure how I would explain you. I mean... you dress kind of different.” In truth, she didn’t want him to meet any of the other girls from her school—other girls who were older and prettier.

“I understand. I wouldn’t want to embarrass you.” The smile fell from his face as he examined his clothing.

“I didn’t mean it that way. I just don’t want people to ask questions we can’t explain. I’m not really that great at dancing, anyway.”

“But I am.” The hint of smile returned. “I can even do the Winged-Foot.”

“I’m pretty sure none of the kids at school do the Winged-Foot. They do two-step, polkas, and the Cotton-Eyed Joe.”

“I’m certain I could learn quickly.” His dimple danced with a partner on his other cheek.

“I guess, if we could get you some clothes...”

“After I go hunting with Wesley, I’ll have some pelts to trade. Perhaps I could borrow something from your uncle.”

“Yeah, that ought to go over well.” She regretted her sarcasm as his smile faltered. “We’ll figure something out. Wesley’s older brother, Steven, might have left some clothes behind when he went to college. But meanwhile, I want to practice. I know just the thing to practice on.” She reached behind a hay bale to retrieve two frisky kittens. “This is Mittens, and this one with the black band on his tail is Ringo. And I know a great place to practice. There’s a frozen pond on the other side of those trees. I bet if I’m near that pond, I’ll have plenty of power.”

They made their way through the woods to the edge of the pond. The wind had picked up considerably, so Alora had to tuck the kittens inside her coat to keep them warm while they walked. The wind had blown most of the snow off the pond, but there was a small motte of trees near the edge that provided some shelter. Alora set the kittens down onto the ground.

“I thought I’d let them wander off a little, and then see if I can bring them back to me,” she said.

“Okay. What do you do? How did you make it happen when you brought me here?”

“I’m not sure. I think clearing my mind has something to do with it. Yesterday, I didn’t even know what I was doing, really. I just knew I needed to be with you. Maybe I need to have some kind of deep longing.” She smiled at the kittens as they pranced out onto the frozen ice. “I’ll try that. And I’m just going to try one at a time. Mittens first.”

“I’m going to hold your hand, just in case you accidentally move yourself somewhere. I don’t want you going anywhere I can’t find you within a day.”

Alora closed her eyes and attempted to relax. She tried to clear her mind of everything except Mittens. She imagined the little kitten in her memory, with her black fur and white on her front paws. Then she pictured Mittens on the ground in front of her. She opened her eyes, expectantly.

“Awww, it didn’t work.”

“Keep trying. I’m sure it takes lots of practice. It’s supposed to be really difficult.”

“Okay, I’ll try again.” She closed her eyes and concentrated, trying not to think about how cold she was. She opened her eyes to peek at the little kittens, worried they were getting too cold. But both were playing, chasing each other farther and farther onto the ice.

“I hope you can transport them,” Kaevin remarked, squeezing her hand playfully. “I don’t want to walk out on the ice to get them.”

“They’ll come back eventually,” she replied. “Or we can walk all the way around to pick them up on the other side. You can’t walk too far out there in December. It’s still got thin spots in the ice.”

“What’s December?”

“December is... it’s what we call the last month before a new year starts.”

“What’s a month?”

“A month is about thirty days long. Some are longer and some are shorter; February has twenty-eight days.”

“Ah—you’re talking about a moon.”

“Uhmm, yeah... I think it takes about a month for the moon to go through all the phases. I was never that great at science, but we could ask Wesley.”

“Is it always so cold here? We usually don’t get this much snow in Laegenshire. Only the very shallow ponds will freeze hard enough to walk on them. Unless we go to the mountains—it’s much colder there.”

“It stays pretty cold here in the winter—this is fairly typical. And it’s usually cloudy like this in the winter months. The other day when you came to me in the snow... even though the sun came out, it was still below freezing.” She looked back at the two playful kittens. “I should try again to move Mittens. They’re practically in the middle of the ice now.” She closed her eyes to concentrate, occasionally cracking open one eye to see if anything had happened.

“I’m sorry it’s taking so long,” she said. “Maybe we should give up and try to call them to us.”

He rubbed her hand gently with his thumb. “I don’t mind if it takes a while. I enjoy holding your hand without your uncle glaring at us. We can stay out here all afternoon if that’s your desire.”

She warmed at his words and the soft caress of his thumb. A small mewling sound came from her feet, and she glanced down to find Mittens on the ground in front of her. “Look! I did it!” she cried, scooping up the confused kitten and placing her in Kaevin’s free hand.

“Incredible! How did you do it?”

“I have no idea,” she admitted, “but I’m gonna try for Ringo now.”

She started trying to imagine Ringo on the ground in front of her. She tried to relax and repeat what she’d done with Mittens, but nothing seemed to work. She tried with her eyes open and with her eyes closed. Meanwhile, the frightened kitten started crying as he sat alone in the middle of the frozen pond.

Alora and Kaevin started as the scream of a hawk pierced the air. She shouted when she spotted the predatory bird circling the area. “Oh, no!” She dropped his hand, dashing onto the ice. “He’s going after Ringo!”

“No, Alora!” Kaevin cried. “It’s not safe! Come back!”

She rushed toward the kitten, yelling to frighten the hawk away. As the bird abandoned his quest in the wake of her assault, she stopped running, suddenly recognizing her precarious situation. What was she thinking? This was the stupidest thing she’d ever done. The kitten was several yards away, but she knew better than to venture farther.

“Alora!” Kaevin called. “Don’t take another step! Can you lie down gently and spread your weight out?”

She nodded, slowly bending her knees, gradually lowering herself to the ice. At the sound of a loud crack, she froze. She saw Kaevin’s horrified gaze as the ice gave way beneath her.

Vindrake took th
e
flask from Abaddon, removing the lid to sniff the contents. He cringed—it was disgusting.

“Only a small amount is required, Sire. Merely a thimbleful.”

“I’ll take a sip after you have done so.” Vindrake handed the flask back to his shaman.

“Very well, you can see the transformation for yourself.” Abaddon put his lips to the flask and lifted it quickly, swallowing a small amount of liquid. He smiled in an obvious attempt to mask his reaction to the taste. Vindrake never saw the change take place. He was simply looking at Abaddon one moment and looking at someone else the next. The new man had green eyes rather than blue. His hair and build were similar to Abaddon’s, but his facial features were unrecognizable. Vindrake searched his aura for a sign of the bondmark. He could not detect the bloodbond, but some giftedness seemed apparent.

“Your gift is not totally masked, Abaddon,” Vindrake remarked. “Perhaps you did not drink enough.”

The man who no longer looked like Abaddon answered in a voice that sounded different as well. “As there are so few people who have no gift whatsoever, I designed the potion to mimic a peasant’s power. Otherwise you would be suspect, simply by appearing devoid of gift.”

“I see,” said Vindrake with grudging respect. “Perhaps the potion will work as planned. As you predicted, your bondmark is not apparent. You are certain the bond is still effective? I would not like to start this expedition without the guarantee of fealty from my companions.”

“Sire, I assure you, no small potion of my making can counter the powerful bond you have designed for your kingdom’s citizens. You have nothing to fear.”

Vindrake took the flask back and handed it to his weapons master. “You will be next to sample the potion.” One by one, the men and women sipped the awful potion that changed their entire appearances and auras, while Vindrake gave out final instructions for the expedition.

“We will start with the large group of thirty, fanning out into the countryside to question all the small farms and shires of southern Stone Clan. Tonight, we will come back together here.” He indicated a small lake to the east of the main road. “Each morning we will repeat the process, until we have accomplished a thorough search and are certain the girl is not anywhere in Stone Clan. Then we will search the other small clans along the way to the mountain pass.”

The flask came back around to Vindrake, who quickly sipped the liquid, wiping his mouth on his sleeve and ignoring the foul taste. “Be certain you are well armed with sword and knife, as your gifts are no longer effective. We will remain masked until we have located the girl. It is imperative we not alert the Stone Clan of our expedition. Whether or not they are aware of Lena’s existence, they must not guess we have that knowledge.”

Vindrake’s voice sounded strange to his ear. He stretched out a strand of his hair with his hand. The texture felt the same as always, but to his eyes the hair appeared brown and curled. Satisfied, he dropped the hair and held up his hand, indicating the copper ring on his middle finger. “Do not forget to wear your ring at all times so we can recognize one another.”

*****

Alora’s breath left her with the shock of the ice water enveloping her body. She worked to keep her head up, her sodden clothes weighing her down, her hands fumbling on the edge of the ice. In a heartbeat, Kaevin’s hands were reaching out to grasp hers as he lay flat on the thin ice near her. He grappled to pull her toward him, but he had no purchase on the slippery surface. He moved his hold down her arms to her elbows and, bracing his own elbows on the ice, lifted her head from the water.

The frigid water burned her skin with intense pain, such that she could hardly breathe. “Alora,” Kaevin urged, “you need to transport us. Somewhere. Anywhere.” He cried out as he felt the ice crack underneath one of his elbows. He slipped forward, and Alora dipped lower into the water.

“I can’t,” she said, her head barely above the freezing surface.

“You can!” he said. “I know you can!” He felt more cracking near the edge. He tried to scoot his body sideways, hoping for a firmer area, but he couldn’t find traction.

“Just l-let m-me g-go.”

“I’m not leaving you! Either way, we’ll die together.” He tried to pull her shoulders up onto the ice, but only succeeded in pulling himself further toward the hole. Now his arms were fully in the water, wrapped under her arms. He pulled her face toward him.

“Can you put your hands around my neck?” he asked.

She attempted to comply, but her hands, numb with the cold, couldn’t grasp anything.

“Alora,” he said, as he felt the ice giving way beneath his body, “I love you.”

Pulling hard with his hands, he brought her face to his and kissed her frozen lips as the ice cracked and his body tumbled downward with hers into the dark frigid waters.

*****

Charles looked up expectantly at the sound of the door opening. “Oh. Hi, Beth. Wesley. Are you guys out of school early today?”

“Yep,” said Beth. “Bad storm coming this afternoon. The wind’s already picked up a lot. Where are Alora and Kaevin?”

“They went out to tend the horses two hours ago. Should be back any time.”

“We’ll go find them,” said Beth. “And Wesley’s got some clothes that might fit Kaevin. His brother, Steven, left some clothes behind when he moved away. Can we pile them here on the table?”

“Sure. That’s real thoughtful, Wesley.”

“Uhmm, yes sir. I mean, thank you, sir. I mean, you’re welcome, sir.”

“Wesley, I can’t accuse you of not being polite.”

Beth and Wesley followed the tracks in the snow from the house to the stable to the barn and into the woods. As they walked, the snowfall thickened, the heavy flakes affecting visibility.

“Where on earth did they go?” asked Beth.

“Hunting, maybe?” Wesley suggested, as they traipsed through the woods, grateful to be out of the blowing wind.

“Isn’t it too cold to go hunting?”

“There’s no such thing as too cold to go hunting.”

Emerging from the woods, it seemed the new snow had obliterated Kaevin and Alora’s tracks.

“Does it look like they went out on the ice?” asked Wesley, straining his eyes to see through the blowing snow.

“Surely not,” said Beth. “Alora knows better than that.”

“The way the wind has blown the snow, it’s really hard to tell. And with this storm coming in, we should get home. Hopefully, they’re back at the house, and we just missed them somehow.”

A pitiful mewling caught Beth’s ears. “Awww, look at these little kittens. I think these are the same ones that were in Alora’s barn.” She bent down to pick them up, handing one to Wesley. “Hey, sweetheart. How did you get all the way out here? Huh?”

“Let’s drop them off at the barn on the way.” Wesley tucked the squirming kitten inside the warmth of his coat.

With one last glance behind her at the snow-covered lake, Beth turned to trek back toward the house. And warmth. And safety.

*****

“But I feel like I’m missing all the action,” Bardamen complained to Laethan, who was checking on his patients in the healing house. “Obviously, I know all the reasons I had to stay, but in some ways, don’t you wish you could have joined the expedition? I’ve never been to the other side of the mountains. I wonder if the women look different over there. I need to find a wife, and there are no single women of appropriate age anywhere near Stone Clan. At least, there are none I haven’t already met and rejected. I’ve been thinking ever since Raelene told us she married someone from Forest Clan. Perhaps I might marry a woman from Forest Clan as well. Or even perhaps one from Air Clan.”

“Hmmm,” Laethan muttered, holding a healing draught to a patient’s lips and gently lowering his head back to the bed. He moved to the next bed, examining the patient’s wrists and testing for fever with the back of his hand.

Bardamen followed him and sat on the edge of the patient’s bed, by his feet. “And they’ll probably encounter all manner of attacks along the way. I would wager it won’t be long before Vindrake gets word we are searching for Alora. And when he does, he’ll be searching for her as well, even if he doesn’t know why we’re attempting to locate her. He’ll most certainly attempt to find her first, simply because he’ll recognize her importance. And I would wager he puzzles out her identity when he sees her, since she looks exactly like Wendelle.”

“Hmmm,” Laethan muttered, moving to the next bed, where a young child of six lay sleeping.

This time Bardamen sat on the empty bed next to the child. “Don’t you agree?” he asked.

“Hmmm?” muttered Laethan.

“Laethan! Are you listening to me?” asked Bardamen.

Laethan’s patience, which had been wearing thin, snapped to pieces.

“Actually, no. I’m not listening. I have work to do. Too much work. And yes, I would have enjoyed taking part in that expedition, because I think I might have gotten more rest than I will here. But if you’re bored and you’d like to help instead of complaining about...”

Two sopping-wet bodies appeared on the bed, knocking Bardamen off.

“Brightness! Who pushed me onto the floor?”

Laethan stood in shock, staring at the soggy forms, before he came out of his stupor. “Kaevin!” he cried, jumping to the bedside. “Kaevin. It’s Kaevin. Help me! Tamber—go and fetch Raelene! Bardamen—help me lift him off the girl.”

Bardamen’s eyes were wide as he sat on the floor. “Is that... is that Alora? Are they alive?”

“I don’t know. Their bodies are cold and their clothes are wet. We’ve got to warm them.” Laethan and three of his helpers quickly pulled the frigid, sodden clothes off and wrapped them in warm blankets, each on their own bed.

Bardamen drew power from the stone floor and warmed the air inside the blankets. Soon Kaevin began to stir, his head tossing from side to side as he mumbled something. His eyes popped open, and locked with Laethan’s.

“Where is she? Where’s Alora?”

“She’s right over there. She’s warming up.”

“No! She needs me.”

“She simply needs to warm up. She’ll be fine.”

“No, my head is splitting open. She needs me.” He fought to get his feet out of the blankets and sit up.

“You need to lie down and rest,” said Laethan. “We’ll take care of her.”

“Ahhh! I can feel it! She’s not breathing! She swallowed water! We’re dying!”

“Kaevin! Calm down!”

Kaevin flung off the blankets and stumbled to her bed, pushing away the apprentice at her side. Taking her face between his hands he bent down to breathe air into her lungs. Once. Twice. Again. Suddenly, a great gush of water flew from her mouth, and she coughed and sputtered and gasped for air.

She opened her eyes and saw Kaevin bending over her, his tears dripping down to splash onto her face. Then she grabbed his face and pulled him down to kiss him, her own tears joining his. “I love you, too!”

*****

“So, Laethan informs me you refuse to lie on separate beds. Is this true?” asked Raelene. Kaevin and Alora lay side by side on the narrow bed, albeit under separate blankets, with their hands firmly clasped between them. Alora had been speechless since being introduced to the woman she now knew was her grandmother. She stared at her, blinking at tears, trying to make sense out of the myriad emotions flooding her brain. The one that overwhelmed all the others, even more than the shock and fear of their near-death experience, or the joy of meeting her actual grandmother... the emotion that made her want to jump out of the bed and dance around the room came from the fact Kaevin had told her he loved her. Even with watery eyes, she couldn’t seem to dispense with the silly smile on her face.

“We’re soulmates,” said Kaevin. “I told Laethan—”

“Kaevin, you can’t be soulmates. I know it sounds wonderful and romantic. But you are too young to be soulmates.”

“But we
are
soulmates,” Alora finally spoke out. “That’s why Kaevin got so sick and almost died before I brought him to me. And I was sick, too.”

“Alora, dear—you have only fifteen years. And Kaevin has only seventeen. You can’t be soulmates.”

She panicked. Would they try to separate them? “There must be some way to prove it. Can’t you test our blood or something?”

“No. There is no test. But we know the soulmate bond is a very rare occurrence that happens between couples who are at least twenty-one years, and usually even older. When it happens, the couples marry quickly, because they are old enough to do so.”

Kaevin lifted his chin. “Never mind. Believe what you will. Alora and I will do what we must to survive. Anyway, we love each other.”

He squeezed her hand, and her heart beat madly as her grin threatened to reappear. Common sense told her it was too soon to speak of love, but she didn’t care. She was floating.

Raelene looked skyward, as if praying for patience.