Oriana's Eyes (9 page)

 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

I can’t escape them, the blue piercing eyes. They follow me wherever I run, wherever I try to hide in this black abyss. They see my every movement, surrounding me, blocking my attempts to reach freedom. The eyes bore into me, not only looking at my face but cutting through me, seeing my soul.

They laugh, and the sound vibrates in my ears, causing me to fall. There is nothing beneath me, and I hurtle downward, the cackling clouding my thoughts and blocking any resistance. I reach out for something, anything to grab before I reach my death. Below I see them, watching me descend rapidly, those crystal eyes. They know there is no one to rescue me, no one to swoop down and snatch me from the air, to keep those eyes from swallowing me, taking control of my every thought and movement. I cry out, screaming to find a way to escape them.

My eyes snap open, and I sit up in bed. The sound of a scream is dying away, and I realize it has come from my own mouth. I’m breathing heavily, and cold sweat drips off my forehead onto my hand, which clutches the blanket. I look around, slowly remembering yesterday’s events and why I’m here in a foreign place. I remember fear, trying to escape, but from what I can’t recall. The more I try to, the more it seems to sink into my subconscious.

I turn my attention to the sunlight streaming in through the heavy cloth flap that is folded slightly inward. It moves slowly in and out with the breeze. Running my hand through my hair a few times, I get to my feet, slipping them into the sandals I kicked off sometime during the night. I stand in the doorway a moment soaking in the rays, but something spoils the moment, making it seem not quite real. I feel burdened still, despite finally getting a night’s rest. In fact, I feel weaker than usual.

I start for Dorian’s cottage, hoping to wipe the disturbing thought from my mind. I’ve almost reached his doorway when I notice Malise walking toward me. She holds the hand of her younger brother, and Toby follows behind. He notices me first.

“Good morning,” he says cheerfully.

He looks away shyly as I smile back. “Hello.”

Malise looks up at me as her brother waves.

“You’re the pureblood Oriana,” he states innocently. Malise tugs on his arm.

I approach, bending over to reach his level. “Yes, I am, and you might be …?”

“M’name’s Aaron,” he replies confidently, ignoring his sister’s eagerness to continue away.

“Well, nice to meet you, Aaron. I suppose you’re off to somewhere important, so I’ll see you another time.” With a quick wave, I start for Dorian’s door again.

Before I reach it, Malise calls, “Dorian has already left. Tor held an early meeting.”

I turn, sure disappointment is all over my face. “Oh …” The word escapes in a rush of air.

“If you’d like …” Toby begins, “you can come with us. We’re going to help forage for food.”

Malise hesitates for a moment. “Yes, you should join us. Who knows how long the meeting will last? They may talk for hours. We’ll show you around.”

Aaron nods in earnest.

I follow them across the platform and down the rope ladder. We continue downward until we reach the lowest platform, which holds the curved dining hall. The building’s doors have been tied open so that a cool breeze rushes through it, and we can smell freshly baked breads. The others hurry toward it, and I follow willingly, the feeling of hunger striking me as well.

Once we’re inside, the source of the smell is clear. The long wooden table has been adorned with wooden platters filled with fresh breads in all kinds of shapes. Some contain fresh berries that burst in my mouth with a warm tartness. I sample everything my stomach will allow: scones, twists, and breads filled with fruit and walnuts.

I’m relieved when we’ve reached the other side and the tables of food have come to an end. We reenter the sunlight filled to bursting. Malise leads the way to the final ladder. I grumble to myself. I was afraid foraging for food might mean climbing back down the ladder I painfully climbed only yesterday.

Malise reaches the ladder and instructs her brother to wait until she has made it a few rungs down. Aaron starts down once his sister calls to him. When he has gone a fair distance, I take a deep breath assuring myself that my second experience will be as successful as the first. I take my first steps and gain the confidence to move quickly. Before long my foot touches soft earth. I step away from the ladder, holding my breath to steady myself and stop my head from spinning. I find Malise and Aaron waiting not far behind me.

Once Toby joins us, we head down the hillside I climbed the day before. Soon Malise turns aside from the route I remember. We shortly reach a tumbling brook that snakes its way at an angle from us. Once reaching its mossy bank, Malise picks her way upon the large smooth stones that interrupt the rushing waters. Her brother hops playfully from stone to stone, humming a tune to himself. The rocks seem slippery in the morning sun, and I eye them warily. I place a foot upon the nearest stone, testing its reliability before putting my weight on it. My foot holds, and I continue on, my steps turning into light taps to the melody of Aaron’s murmured song.

As we continue downward, Malise still in the lead and Toby following behind me, I notice that the woods on either side have become extremely dense. The brook is a clear-cut path through the brush, which is why stone hopping is the most practical way to travel. As the sun reaches its peak, the thick forest opens into a broad field full of blooming wildflowers. The water slices through it and continues on through the trees below. I maneuver my way to the grassy embankment and cross the water, taking a final leap from my rock island to land on the soft ground.

I notice others across the field. Some are collecting flowers and herbs, while others meander through the bordering forest gathering nuts and fruits. Malise begins to pick her way through the high brush, her hands searching through the stalks. Finally she plucks a purple flower upon a long stalk. She hands it to her brother, who runs over and presents it to me proudly.

“This is lavender. My sister says it’s your job to get it,” he states matter-of-factly.

I smile and take the flower by its stem. I inspect it closely, twirling it around to study its shape.

Aaron rummages in a side pocket of his oversized cloth shirt and pulls out a square sack made from the same tan material. He extends it toward me. “Here, use this.”

“Thank you.” I take the sack and, after memorizing the flower, place it delicately inside.

We head off in different directions. I turn to watch Toby head toward a group of other young part-bloods. My eyebrows rise as I notice that they’ve been distracted from their work. They stand pointing and laughing as two boys have decided to wrestle one another playfully down the slope of the field.

I smile to myself, feeling the sun on my cheeks and the buzz of bees whirring by. As I search the ground, my mind trails off into a series of questions. What exactly is Tor’s early meeting about?

I find a cluster of lavender plants amid the grass. I decide to take a seat alongside them, laying them inside the cloth sack carefully.

What do their plans have to do with the Rebirth? More important, what do they have to do with Dorian being a half-blood? I had heard those two girls talking about it as well. Is there some reason that everyone is so concerned with him?

The frustration causes me to toss a yellow flower into the bag. I sigh, rummaging through the purple ones to pull it out.

“You must be Oriana.” Two girls have come up to me before I noticed them. The speaker has a sweet smile, perhaps trying a little too hard to be nice. The other stands awkwardly behind her, fumbling with a cloth sack that is half-full.

I get to my feet to greet them. “Yes, I am, and you might be …?”

“Oh!” I can’t tell if she is surprised that I’m actually speaking or that she has not introduced herself. “Well, I’m Lily, and this is Piper.”

Piper smiles weakly and nods at the sound of her name, yet remains silent.

Lily grabs a strand of light brown hair and twists it around her finger. I can tell she is about to ask something of me from the way she hesitates.

“We were just wondering … a few of us were going to head to the river to freshen up.” She looks back at Piper for reassurance and then turns. “Would you like to join us?”

I look back at the flowers forlornly, knowing that I’d be wise to take this opportunity to meet new people. It isn’t just an obligation; I’m starting to enjoy making friends, at least the few I
have
made. I’m not too sure how Azura, Liam, or even Malise feels about me.

I turn to the girls expectantly. “Sure, I’ll go.” They both grin and seem to relax a little.

I follow them to one side of the pasture, toward the forest barrier. Piper and Lily are silent, glancing at one another occasionally. I decide to end the awkwardness.

“Have you lived in the Great Oak all your lives?”

It’s Piper who answers. “Just about. We were born into Odon’s lands, but were lucky enough to escape when we were children.” She clamps her mouth shut as if she might have offended me. Do they actually think I still follow Odon? Or perhaps assume I’m jealous of their early freedom?

“Yes, you are lucky. It’s great to be welcomed into such a place; I couldn’t feel more fortunate.” I think back to the others, Lenora and Aurek. Do they think of me? Do they even remember me? If only they could leave that place and see all this. Would they change as I have?

The girls slow down to walk beside me, one on either side. “What is it like there now?” Lily asks warily, yet eager to know.

“Are they as strict as Dorian says?” Piper chimes in.

I pause for a moment, unsure of how to describe it. “I—” I glance back and forth, looking into eyes that are still young and hopeful. “I would not wish it upon anyone.”

Lily swallows. “I see.”

I regret speaking so harshly when it causes another spell of silence to settle upon us. We enter the forest, and the air seems heavier, muffling any sound of wildlife.

“This way!” Piper shouts and begins to jog through the trees. Lily picks up the pace behind her.

I take a deep breath and urge my legs to move faster. They lurch into motion, feeling rusted and heavy. It isn’t long before I’m out of breath and straining to keep up.

Once we’re past a row of evergreens, a cool breeze picks up, rushing through my hair and nudging me toward the drop to my right. I can hear rushing water nearby, and I can discern the sound of shouts above the din.

The girls rush toward the end, stopping themselves by grabbing onto trees at the last minute, some of which grow outward into open air at a right angle, hanging on by merely their roots.

I approach from behind carefully, unsure how steep the drop actually is.

“How cold is it!?” Piper is calling down to someone as I walk to stand beside her. She is inching closer to the edge, both hands firmly grasping a sturdy tree trunk.

I look down. The drop is shorter than I expected but still frightful. It overlooks a magnificent waterfall directly to my left, which is near deafening at this distance. Its spray reaches my cheeks, overlaying the beads of sweat that have accumulated from the run. The waterfall cascades in a spray of colors, thrusting into a deep river that sweeps off into the distance and out of sight. At the base of the falls I see the source of shouting, clearly the ones Piper was attempting to contact. A dark-haired boy stands beneath the thundering water, waving his arms for us to join them.

The girls do not wait for an answer. They are already picking their way toward the falls by the near vertical stairway of flat rocks. I watch from a distance, trembling slightly as they find a ledge jutting out over the falls. The boy has swum to a group of other boys further down the river, leaving the space beneath Piper and Lily open. Lily steps to the edge first, slipping off her sandals and curling her toes over the side of the rock to remain balanced. Her arms over her head, she dives over the side. I wish to close my eyes, but instead find myself moving closer to see if she’s survived. The water barely splashes as she enters fingers first. I hold my breath until she reaches the surface waving her arms as the boys cheer and Piper claps, giggling to herself. I can’t hold back a sigh of relief.

“Oriana, c’mon, it’s safe. We do this all the time. Just aim straight down. You don’t have to dive; just jump.” My stomach drops. Piper turns to me again, and I wish I could disappear within the trees. She reaches out to me, beckoning me to join her upon the rock ledge. I look down toward the others. Lily is shouting something and gesturing me to join her, which I’d gladly do, if only they’d show me a safe side path around the falls.

I feel myself shaking, and it isn’t because of the cool breeze or the spray of water. I get low to the ground, sliding myself slowly down the natural rock stairs. Piper has her hands out to catch me, yet I can picture myself slipping and her going straight down with me. I close my eyes for a moment, erasing the image from my mind. Then in a short time I’m once again on a flat surface.

Piper laughs. “I guess they don’t have anything like this at the University.”

I shake my head. I thought nothing would be scarier than that place, which causes me to reconsider my circumstances. I have been through a lot, feared things much worse than death, so what makes this so much scarier? I get to my feet slowly, still trembling. Shouts rise from below, which I think are words of encouragement. I look over the edge.
Let go, Oriana
. I gulp at the thought.
Let go of your fears, and trust yourself
. I judge the center of the river, testing my footing and the bounce in my legs. I slowly take off my shoes, feeling the sun-warmed stone beneath bare feet. I close my eyes, and jump.