Sea Dweller (Birthstone Series) (14 page)

“Another stone?” I asked.

“A map. I’ve never used or
needed it because I’m unable to use the Sea Gems. Besides, I have my own ways
of communicating with the sea dwellers. But I’ve kept this, nevertheless.”

“Where does it lead?” Sai
leaned forward, eagerly reaching for it.

“It will take you right to
their city and they’ll be able to tell you a little more about Vairdan history.
Don’t open it unless it’s underwater or it will crumble to dust. Once it hits
sea water, it will soften and unroll.” Aluce passed it over to Sai before
adding, “Don’t lose it. I’d like it back.”

Sai and I scrutinized it
closely. It looked like nothing more than a thin roll of sun-bleached dead
seaweed. It had no visible writing or etchings. “You sure this is a map?” I
asked.

“Just because you can’t see
the potential in something doesn’t mean it isn’t there.” Aluce smirked and then
looked toward the door. “The sun will be shining soon and your families will
wonder where you’ve gone to.” 

“She’s right.” Sai rose and
helped me stand. “When would you like the map returned?”

“When you’re finished with
it,” Aluce said as she reached into a little pouch hanging at her side. From
it, she withdrew my stone and held it out to me. “But I hope it’s soon because
I appreciate visitors. For some reason, I never get any,” she said, winking.
Then she added, “And I have much more to tell you when the time is right.”

“Don’t worry.” I assured her,
taking my gem. “I have more questions.”

Chapter 11

The sun inched through the
clouds in warm, friendly patches as we walked through the forest. The birds had
begun to cautiously chirp again and I caught sight of several rabbits emerging
from the underbrush.

“My parents will be tearing
the island apart,” I said, grabbing Sai’s hand. Together, we ran through unfamiliar
jungle, the ground wet and soggy as we made our way past mangled trees and
fallen branches. Mud caked our feet, streaked our legs, and splattered onto our
faces. By the time we reached the outskirts of Lailie much later, we were
nearly unrecognizable.

As we rounded more downed
trees and scattered underbrush, the urgent voices of my parents infiltrated the
after storm quiet.

“She wouldn’t lie to us!” I
heard my mother say.

“We need to be calm,” Dad
answered.

“How can you say that? You
know what this storm could mean.”

Sai and I slowed down, still
hidden in the shelter of forest and shadow. I placed my finger to my lips and
turned to Sai.

 “Cover for me?”

“Of course,” he promised. We
emerged from the trees together.

Walking into the village, I
called out to them. “I’m alright!” I yelled, ignoring the surprised looks from
other people in the village who were assessing the storm damage.

With a startled cry, my
mother ran to meet me, my father close behind.

 “Where have you been?” she
sobbed into my hair. Dad crushed us both in his arms.

“Sai and I found shelter
together.” I hugged them back, and hoped my soft tone was setting an example.
People were beginning to stare.

“I wanted to clear up the
misunderstanding Aylen and I had yesterday so we hung out a little bit to
talk,” Sai said, observing the scene with one raised eyebrow. “We found a cave
and hunkered down for a while. We fell asleep. When we woke up, the storm was
over.”

“Haji said you refused her
company.” Dad eyed me suspiciously.

“I thought it was important
to clear the air with Sai. When I returned Haji’s costume, I told her I would
go fishing by myself. I’m really sorry I wasn’t with who I said I’d be with.” I
tried to look remorseful and waited for my father’s suspicion to dissolve.
After several silent moments his face began to relax.

“You’re safe. For now, that’s
all that matters,” Mom said, taking my hand. “Our home survived the storm.
Barely. But nothing matters as long as you’re alright.”

“I’m fine,” I insisted,
turning to Sai. “See you tomorrow?”

Sai nodded in the affirmative
while my parents pulled me away.  I wasn’t sure if they’d let me out of their
sight again.

Two days later, I was still
pleading to be allowed to leave the hut. My parents had watched my every move
whenever possible. When they thought I was asleep, I’d caught snatches of
whispered conversation passing between them.

“Do you think she knows?” I
heard my father quietly ask my mother late on the second evening, long after
I’d retired to my bed.

“There’s nothing to know,” she’d
insisted. “We live here now. It’s all behind us.”

“She seems distant, lately.
As if she knows. She’s hiding things from us, if not being completely
dishonest. I can feel it.”

“So, shouldn’t someone in
this house talk?”

As if in response, Mom had
fallen silent afterwards and the conversation hadn’t continued for some time.
Much later, she suddenly cried out, “It won’t ever be behind us, will it?”

On the third day just after
the sun had risen, before I’d fully wakened, my parents approached me.

“What’s wrong?” I asked,
rubbing sleep from my eyes as I sat up.

“Do you feel we hold you
back?” my mother asked, the expression on her face betraying her weariness.

“Yes,” I answered still
groggy and uninhibited. They both cringed at my response.

My father cleared his throat.
“You showed maturity at the festival and during the storm. Your choices may not
have been ours for you, but they still proved to keep you safe. We are willing
to offer you more freedom.”

“You mean I can go see Sai?”
I perked up at this news.

Mom sighed. “If you’re going
to leave our property, yes. We just want to know where you are. There are . . .
things
that could hurt you. You never know.”

I shook my head. “There’s
nothing on the island that can hurt me. We’re safe here.”

“I’m not talking about things
on the island,” she said.

With a quick glance at my
mother, Dad reached for my hand and gripped it firmly. “Aylen, is there
anything you’ve learned about our homeland that you’re not telling us?”

I blinked at him. wondering
what he suspected. With a shrug of my shoulders, I answered, “There isn’t much
I know other than what I’ve learned from you and at the festival.”

My father pressed his lips
together and studied me closely. I stared back, willing myself to be the
picture of innocence. My mind conjured up an image of my Sea Gem buried snug
inside my trunk. I was grateful my parents couldn’t read my thoughts. Or could
they? My fingers twitched against the urge to retrieve my stone and make a run
for it.

After several agonizing
moments, my father sighed. With a slight, doubtful shake of his head, he said,
“As you probably already suspect, we chose to leave the mainland. It was a
place we fled from because our family and way of life was threatened. We left
to protect you. There are moments when we fear it may have followed us to
Vairda.”

“Have you seen any evidence
of it in all the time you’ve lived here?” I asked, trying to speak kindly. It
was rare for my father to share so much. Although I always felt close to him,
the past life he’d concealed from me was always wedged between us.

“Not . . . yet,” he paused.
“Some days we think we have. Other days, no.” He shrugged.

“What danger do you think
will come to the island? What are you afraid to tell me?”

“This is why we’re talking to
you now. We’re not sure how much we should say but we’ve decided to share
enough information to help you understand our fears.”

I turned to my mother,
scrutinizing her reaction to my father’s words. She sat in stoic silence, only
her eyes revealing the pain concealed beneath her strong demeanor.

I waited for Dad to continue,
knowing how difficult this was for both of them.

“On the mainland there are
many different classes of people. Some of those people have abilities. Powers,
I guess you could say.” He cleared his throat nervously. “Like the Sea Gem they
talk about in Vairdan legends, only the powers are much more complex. And there
are many different types.”

“So, you’re saying the
Vairdan legends are true?” I tried to feign disbelief but it came out sounding
forced. If they noticed, they didn’t let on.

“Some of them. It’s really
not important, though,” he assured. “What is important is what happened on the
mainland before your mother and I left.”

I nodded, hoping to encourage
him.

“There was a king on the
mainland. He was worried about future rulers taking over his throne and he
didn’t like me. He was worried I might be the next king.”

“Why? Did you say you wanted
to be the next king?”

“Let’s just say that I had
some rights to the throne.” He smiled hesitantly. “We learned he was seeking to
destroy anyone who was a threat to his reign, real or perceived. When we
discovered he’d murdered several potential rulers, we knew I would be next.
What was worse, we learned the king was very angry we were expecting a child.
You became a threat as well.”

“How could I be a threat? Why
would I want to rule some kingdom?”

Dad smiled at this. “I’ve
never regretted our decision to raise you here. This was truly where you were
meant to be.”

“Tell the other Vairdans
that,” I muttered.

“They’ll realize it someday,”
my mother said, a smile cracking her tough façade. She stroked my hair once
before turning to my father, encouraging him to continue. 

“To make a long story short,
when we discovered the king’s intent to destroy our family, we left. We learned
of Vairda by seeking out help from a tribe of people with unique abilities.
Vairda is unknown to most on the mainland and for many years, it would seem
it’s remained that way. There are many who found ways to keep the king from
discovering the islands.”

“Then why are you and Mom so
afraid all the time?” I asked.

“Not even sixteen years can
erase the memories of running and fighting for our lives,” my mother said.
“Every corner we turn, every new day we face brings with it the potential of
being discovered.”

“But wouldn’t the king just
realize you don’t want the throne? Why would he come after you if you’ve made
your home someplace else?”

Dad sighed and seemed to be
gathering his thoughts for a minute. I watched the lines in his forehead deepen
and I wondered when they’d become so defined. “I don’t know what to tell you.
I’m not sure what you’re ready for. With knowledge comes power, but this is a
power we’re not sure we want you wielding. Let me just say that the mainland
king does not rest easy when there is unfinished business. I know him well
enough to understand that as long as we are living, he will never be content.”

I scanned the surface of the
water carefully, hoping to catch a hint of where Sai might be. After my parents
had confided in me, I’d been allowed to leave the hut with the condition that I
find Sai and pass my time with him. Promising to be obedient, I went first to
the village. Sai’s parents had been reluctant to admit he’d gone fishing in the
cove but after I wrangled the information from them, I made my way in that
direction, ignoring the unguarded snickers of villagers.

“Still trying to get Sai to
notice her,” someone muttered as I passed. Several Vairdans giggled as I walked
through the streets, my head high, cheeks flaming. I tried to convince myself I
didn’t care what any of them thought of me. I’d been so dishonest with my
parents lately, I figured I could lie to myself as well and maybe I’d start to
believe it. It didn’t work.

When I finally reached the
cove, I searched for signs of my friend. The warm green-blue of the water
welcomed me and suddenly, the taunts of a few villagers didn’t matter anymore.
I smiled at the cool, smooth feel of the Sea Gem in my hand. A treasure they
could only dream about owning while they listened to the half convoluted
legends they told around a bonfire every festival. I squeezed my rock happily.
I’d missed using it.

A streak of pale gold burst
from the water, glittering in the afternoon sunlight. It arched in midair
before plummetting back into the sea, piercing the water with perfectly smooth
precision. I’d found my friend.

I held the stone in my palm
and felt my body change. It was natural, now. I almost felt more comfortable in
sea skin than without it.

Moments later, I was slicing
through the water, hardly leaving a wake. Fish blurred past and even the
tangling, thick kelp was no match for my speed. I was stronger than I had been
in a while. The gem felt as though it had missed me.

I spotted Sai far ahead and I
searched for a way to get his attention. I didn’t have to try for long. He
noticed me right away and began to swim in my direction. I surged toward him,
demolishing the distance between us in seconds until we reached each other. He
grabbed my hand. As our fingers touched, I felt a tiny, fiery pulse run through
my arm and up toward my ear. Distinctly, his voice spoke to my mind.

 “I missed you,” he said.

Wide eyed, I stared at him in
astonishment. “Did you just speak to me?” I thought.

Sai’s eyes widened as well.
“Did you just speak to me?” he asked mentally, as the little jolt of fire went
up my arm again. Then, “What did I say before?”

I couldn’t help grinning when
I realized he hadn’t even known he’d communicated his thoughts with me. “You
told me you missed me.” I looked him in the eyes and thought the words clearly.

“You heard that?” Sai shook
his head in awe. “This just gets better and better.”

A laugh escaped my lips,
sending bubbles fluttering to the surface. Having been alone during my previous
swims with the stone, I hadn’t thought much about communication under water.
Now, touching Sai’s hand, it made sense that it was possible.

Without breaking his grip
from my hand, Sai began to pull us upward and I willingly followed, watching
the azure ripples of a sun-kissed surface come closer. When our heads broke
through, I laughed again, deliriously happy.

“You look so different as a
sea person,” I said, observing Sai’s new outer skin in the sunlight. Pulling my
hand away, I thought to myself how handsome he was.

“I have to admit, I was a
little nervous at first. I felt so strange.”