Sea Dweller (Birthstone Series) (21 page)

Aluce’s tired eyes met my
own. “I wouldn’t doubt it.”

“But if there are more,” I
said, “then it’s too late.” I paused as my own words sunk in. “My parents!” I
turned to Sai.

“We’ll warn them,” Sai assured
me, touching me with cold, trembling fingers.

“You don’t have time,” Aluce
said, shaking her head. “You haven’t even found the necklace yet. You have to
let your parents defend themselves.”

“How many are on the island?”
I asked, turning to the man. His eyes had rolled back in his head and I noticed
for the first time his convulsing limbs.

“Poisoned arrows,” Sai
murmured. “If the wounds don’t kill him, the poison will soon.” I glanced at
Sai. His eyebrows were knit together, hooding the distressed look on his face
and his body still shook, much like the dying mainlander’s.

Taking a deep, breath I knelt
near the man. “How many are there?” I asked, trying to make my tone demanding.
Firm.

He offered me a rickety laugh
before succumbing to a spasm of violent coughing. “Scouting the island now,” he
gasped. “They’ll find you.” He smiled for a fleeting moment before convulsions
took over his body. I stood and scooted backwards.

“Aylen, go now. Find the
necklace,” Aluce said.

No.” I turned for the door.
“I’m going to see my parents first.”

“You’ll be running right into
their arms. Where do you think they’re scouting around? He probably saw you
come into my hut. If he could find you in the deeper part of the forest, don’t
you think they’ll have lookouts closer to your home?”

I paused, weighing her words.
I glanced toward Sai but his eyes were watching the mainlander.

“You’re probably right,” I
finally said, “but they’ve sacrificed their entire lives to keep me safe. I’m
not leaving them unprotected now. They need to know.” I turned and fled through
the door, ignoring Aluce’s cries of protest. Sai followed close behind.

“You sure about this?” he
asked as we began to run through the thick copse of trees. 

“I’m not sure about anything
anymore.”

It was true. I didn’t know if
I was doing something that might end with me being hauled away to the mainland
on a boat, but I believed my parents were my first priority. Aluce and Perin
knew more about what I would be facing and they had probably given me sound
advice according to what they felt, but they’d also manipulated me. I refused
to be their puppet, even if I had agreed to help them. I needed to rely on my
own instincts.

We ran, trading words for
breath, for what seemed like hours. The woods were unusually quiet and I kept
waiting for armies of the king’s men to jump out at us. As we neared my home
without incident, I wondered if the mainlander had lied. When we approached the
hut, I expected to see my parents outside, ready to scold me for leaving but
silence consumed the area. From what I could see, the hut was dim on the inside
and my front door was partially open.

I halted as the uncomfortable
quiet urged shivers down my neck and arms. Sai stopped beside me, his lips
downturned and his eyebrows knit together in an anxious pucker.

“This isn’t right,” he said,
speaking what I felt, almost inaudibly. I cringed at the way even his voice
seemed to break through the heavy stillness, like an unwelcome guest. He
reached behind and pulled out his spear where it had been strapped to his back
next to his bow and arrows.

I took a timid step forward,
my toes scuffing against the soft earth. Sai followed close behind as I moved
toward the entrance, the weight of apprehension lurking around us. I placed my
hand on the door, and paused. Turning toward Sai, I looked into his face for
reassurance. He only shook his head. Slowly, I pushed open the door.

I shuddered at the scene
before me. Trunks had been opened and the contents spilled over the floor and
throughout the room. Partitions had been ripped down and my precious things had
been tossed carelessly into one corner. Dull, powerless gems I never knew my
parents owned had been thrown around, leaving holes and dents where they’d met
nonresistant surfaces. Gashes had been ripped into the walls with what I
assumed were swords.

Tears welled in the corners
of my eyes when I saw my parents sleeping mats crumpled and twisted at my feet.
I turned to Sai once more. He gaped at the damage in horror.

I crouched down, touching a
strange print on the earth of the floor and traced its foreign lines and curves
with my finger. “Nobody in Vairda leaves a mark like this.”

Sai knelt beside me and
placed a hand on my arm. “We have to go. They could still be nearby.”

“Would you leave if it were
your parents?”

“Okay then.” Sai rubbed his
temples, exhaustion from the day’s events setting in. “What do you suggest we
do?”

“We find more tracks,” I
said, standing and walking out the door. “They wouldn’t have been captured
without a struggle and there would’ve had to be more than one or two people
they were up against. My parents are warriors. They know how to fight.” Sai
followed close behind, stopping when I stopped.

“There,” he said, noticing
the strange prints in the damp earth the same time I spotted them.

“We’ll follow them, then,” I
said, grimly holding my sword. “Wherever they lead.”

“We need to tell the village.
Some of the Vairdans might want to help us.”

“They wouldn’t want to get
involved.” I shook my head in vehemence. “If it can be avoided, I don’t want to
put any of them in danger anyway. Like you said, Vairda was innocent in all of
this. You can go back for help if you want, but I’m following those tracks.”

“Aylen, you’re considered an
islander. They’d want to defend your family.”

I glared at him, hoping I
looked more confident than I felt. Finally, he sighed.

“Fine.” Sai shook his head,
as though dreading what he was about to say. “I’ll come with you.”

I nodded, trying to hide the
relief I felt. “It’s your choice, but I could use your support.”

He squeezed my fingers
firmly. I turned forward with resolve, determined to face whatever was waiting
for me.

“Let’s get to it then,” I
said.

We followed the mainlander
prints stamped into the earth closely, looking for broken branches and any sign
of struggle. As we walked, we found ourselves gaining elevation. The trees grew
sparse and we realized we were heading toward a section of the island nicknamed
“the barrens”. It was a small, well-known part of the island that had been
considered too rugged to settle and too mountainous to grow crops or farm.  One
main mountain rose up near the edge of the barrens and the tracks led straight
up the narrow trail, heading toward the top.

 I halted, needing a rest.
“I’m surprised we haven’t been ambushed yet.” I whispered, drawing in air
sharply as my eyes scanned the area.

“There might not be that many
on the island. It may be only a few that happened to stumble upon your parents
and recognize them.” Sai laid a gentle hand on my shoulder.

I breathed in deeply and nodded.
“Let’s keep going.” I strode ahead, this time without hesitation as the trail
wound up the steep mountain, along a jagged cliff side, and over trembling
terrain. Sai stayed at my heels, gripping his spear for support.

Up we went, far above the sea
and higher than the swinging vines and lacey canopy of the jungle. Wind whipped
around us in angry gusts, as though cautioning us away. It seemed to cry
through the sad brittle trees, warning us to flee.

Finally, we reached a plateau
where the mountain stopped climbing. Sai and I glanced around, searching for a
place where my parents could have been concealed, but saw nothing. Beyond the
mountain was the ocean, stretching infinitely into the distance. The sun had
begun its decline for the day, marking mid- afternoon. My stomach growled
hungrily but the only sound we heard was the wind. It whirled and shrieked
around us, pulling at our hair and pushing us away with furious insistence. As
it tore at us, it brought something with it. A sound.

I knew Sai heard it too when
his eyes grew wide and he jerked his head in the direction it came from. Over
the edge of the cliff.

Carefully, we crept toward
the side where the land dropped off abruptly into nothingness. Neither of us
was sure how solid the ground was so we went, inch by inch until our toes were
just grazing the edge of the drop off.

Fighting off dizziness, I
peered over where the faint sound of distant music purred up at us.

I strained my eyes,
attempting to see where it could be coming from when Sai pulled at my arm. My
eyes followed where he pointed, down and toward the right. I could make out a
narrow step carved into the cliff, just slightly below the drop off of the
edge. I drew closer and saw several more, leading down the sheer face of the
mountain. I couldn’t help but shudder.

“I don’t think I can go down
there,” I groaned.

“I don’t think we have a
choice,” Sai shook his head. “You climbed down a cliff a few days ago. You can
do it again.”

“Yeah, and look how well that
turned out.” I looked down once more and closed my eyes, remembering my fall.
My knuckles ached as I gripped my sword for support and every limb on my body
trembled. The cliff I’d climbed inside the mountain had been rocky and
variegated, with countless hand and footholds. There had been an unexplainable
pull nearly commanding me to climb down. Still, I’d fallen.

This was a sheer wall with
practically a slide for steps.  But I knew there was no other choice. I had to
find out what had happened to my parents.

Pulling courage from some inner
reserve I didn’t know I had, I nodded in agreement. “Alright,” I finally said,
opening my eyes. “I’ll lead the way.” Vigilantly, I placed my sword into its
scabbard and stepped off the cliff.

Chapter 17

My stomach lurched as I eased
down the narrow steps alongside the wall of the mountain. Sai stayed close
behind. His presence offered some security, but not enough to keep me from
pushing myself up against the rock wall as far from the edge of the stairs as
possible. In the cave, I had been unable to see what lay before me or how high
from solid ground I was. This was different. I knew how far I had to fall.

We had only descended a few
steps when I slipped. Gasping as I lost my balance, I began to tumble toward
the edge. Sai reached from behind, grasped my shirt, and pulled me back. Slick
pebbles rolled beneath my feet and I landed on my backside, hard.

Slowly, I touched my hands to
the earth, grateful to feel the solidness beneath my fingertips.

“Are you okay?” Sai asked, helping
me to my feet.

“I think so.” I offered a
shaky laugh. “Cliffs just don’t like me.”

“No kidding.”

“Remind me to never climb
again if we get out of this alive.” I placed my hand against the smooth walls
of the cliff face and began to descend the stairs again.

I tried not to wonder if we
were headed into a trap but concentrated instead on each step, working to keep
my feet on solid earth. It was some time later when the mountain wall I was
using for balance disappeared. The stairs continued on further down, but it was
as though the face of the cliff beside me had crumbled into nothingness,
leaving a gaping cavity. Glancing inside, I saw it was large enough for several
people to climb into and it extended into a tunnel. “Sai,” I whispered, afraid
to speak too loud for fear someone might be listening. “There’s a cavern in the
mountain.”

He nodded when I motioned
climbing in, and waited patiently as I used the stairs to launch myself into
the tunnel. Once inside, I discovered it was high enough for me to stand while
still allowing room overhead. I took a couple steps forward and waited for Sai
to join me. Outside, the sun had begun to shift in the sky, marking
mid-afternoon and I wondered if this would be the last time I would ever see
daylight.

“I’m pretty sure no one in
the history of Vairda knew this was here,” Sai whispered once he was standing
beside me.

“I don’t think it’s been here
long.” I squinted against the dimness. “It’s too smooth. Too perfect. It’s
unnatural.”

Sai took a hesitant step
forward in the dark. I glanced back longingly once at the daylight before
facing forward. The sounds of strange, distant music echoed off the walls
around us.

“Hold on to me. And keep your
spear ready,” I murmured as I placed a hand on one wall for guidance. Sai
promptly obeyed.

Walking in the dark proved to
be the easiest part of our journey. The path had been cleared of any rocks or
debris and the walls were flat and even, as though carved entirely for human
passage. We made quick progress and it wasn’t long before we were rewarded with
a glow of warm light in the distance after a final bend in the tunnel.

Sai released my hand and from
the corner of my eye I saw him grip his spear tighter. I removed my mother’s
sword from its scabbard.

As we walked, the walls of
the tunnel slowly became illuminated. I scanned my surroundings, keeping watch
for any strange movement in the shadows and curves of the walls.

“We should have gone for the
necklace first,” Sai abruptly said, his voice barely audible.

I turned to face him. “It
could take ages to find,” I whispered. “We don’t even know how to get through
the door. For all we know, that necklace will turn me into a lunatic. How can I
help my parents if I can’t even think straight?” I paused, preparing to say
more if he chose to argue with me. Before he could, somewhere in the tunnel,
the sound of human laughter rose over the steady beat of music.

  Sai and I flew to the
ground, hunching down in the few shadows against the wall. We waited in silence
and once more, raucous voices assaulted our ears.

Stealthily, we crept toward
the wall. It didn’t provide much cover but it didn’t matter. Knowing we’d
possibly found the place my parents were being held had eliminated any desire
to turn back. I stole forward, listening as the music and voices became louder.
It was a rowdy tune, somewhat like the ones played at the Vairdan festival, but
it seemed harsher, hostile even.

As we reached the end of the
tunnel, we stayed as low as possible, pressing our bodies into the few
scattered, broken shadows. I had to fight back the urge to gasp when the tunnel
opened up into a vast chamber so massive I wondered if the entire village of
Lailie could fit inside its depths. Giant torches, taller than Sai, had been
placed around the cavern side by side, spitting great yellow flames. They were
the only source of light. I watched as countless people milled about and my
eyes widened with dread when I realized every one of them were soldiers.

Some of them played music on
strange instruments I had never seen. Many practiced sword fighting while
others drank and ate roasted boar and mangos. Vairda’s mangos. As they laughed
and talked loudly, I quickly scanned the scene for any sign of my parents.

“There’s so many of them,”
Sai said.

“How did they get here unnoticed?”
I shook my head in awe.

“There must be over a few
hundred here. We need to warn everyone.”

“They won’t hurt the
islanders, Sai. What they want is the necklace and my family.”

“The man in Aluce’s hut said
the king would want Vairda too.” Sai glared at the scene below.

“Right. So in order to avoid
that, we’ve got to figure out what’s going on here and how to stop it.” I
scanned the room again, when something out of place caught my eye. I grabbed
Sai’s hand. “There, in that corner,” I said, motioning toward a shadowed nook
at the back of the chamber. “Those people are bound.”

We both peered toward the
cluster of people and squinted at them in an attempt to see their faces in
spite of the shadows surrounding their features. It only took a moment for recognition
to set in.

“That’s them,” I whispered
when I saw my father’s lean frame and a flash of red from my mother’s hair.

Sai nodded. “There’s a couple
of Vairdans down there as well.”

“What would they want with a
Vairdan?” I leaned the slightest bit closer, my face creeping out of the
shadows for just a moment.

“One of them is Faema!” Sai
said. My jaw dropped as I realized he was right. It
was
Faema. I should
have recognized her perfect frame and beautiful face sooner. It showed up
regularly in my nightmares.

“Why would they want Faema?”
I asked. “How did she get mixed up in this?” I shook my head. I remembered on
the beach earlier how she’d mentioned meeting a mainlander. I’d first thought
she had somehow learned about Aluce’s presence on the island but had she been
talking about the mainlanders arriving in Vairda? If so, why hadn’t she warned
everybody?

“It won’t be long before the
entire island is involved,” A voice behind us whispered in the dark. I whirled
around to see Aluce, crouching behind us, her face contorted into a wrathful
grimace.

“When I tell you to do
something, you do it,” she hissed, her eyes narrowing more than I thought
possible. In her fist she gripped her jeweled dagger. “You’ll be no help to
your parents if you are caught and taken aboard one of the king’s ships.”

“Yeah, well I’m no good to
them if I’m crazy either,” I shot back. “Besides, if I’m suddenly mature enough
to take on all this responsibility, then aren’t I mature enough to follow my
instincts instead of taking orders from you?”

Aluce sighed, shaking her
head. “Alright, Aylen, I manipulated you. No one has been completely honest.
And yes, you
are
old enough to make your own decisions. But you’re going
to need my help. You’re going to have to trust me.”

I stared at her, trying to
read more than just her surface expression which had softened somewhat. “Earn
it.”

Aluce nodded. “Fine,” she
began. “We have to get you both out of here. This is the worst place to be
right now.”

“We need to get my parents
and the other Vairdans out of here too,” I whispered. I gave Aluce a hard look
and then turned from her to view the exhibition in the chamber.

 “I still can’t make out who
the other one is,” Sai murmured, squinting at the cluster of people across the
cavern.

“We’ll rescue them later,”
Aluce said in a hushed voice. “They’re not in any immediate danger yet.” With a
firm hand, she took hold of both our shirts from behind and yanked us
backwards, dragging us several feet from the edge where we crouched.
Exasperated, I turned to face her.

“We can’t just leave them
here!”

“We won’t, Aylen. Not
permanently. But if you want any chance of getting your parents back and
getting these people out of Vairda, I suggest you listen to me and try to see
reason.” I glared at her, hating that she made sense. Part of me still felt
betrayed, and while I knew there wasn’t much I could do to help my parents at
the moment, I needed to know they would be alright while I went in search of
the necklace.

“I realize you’re just
discovering a sense of freedom you’ve never been allowed,” Aluce continued. “I
know you feel empowered by your Sea Gem. But none of that gives you allowance
to make rash, thoughtless decisions that put your life in danger as well as the
lives of those you care about.”  

I stayed silent, feeling my
cheeks grow warm at the truth behind her words. “This isn’t about my freedom,”
I said, staring her down. “This is about making sure the only people in my life
who matter are safe before I fulfill what you want from me.”

Aluce opened her mouth to respond,
but a cry of surprise echoed not far behind us. Whirling around, I was sure
this time I wouldn’t see as friendly a face as Aluce’s had been. I was right.
Only yards away stood a deeply bronzed man, giant in stature. His arms were
bare but his chest had been covered with sleeveless metal armor where an
antlered animal head engulfed in flames had been engraved. The man’s long black
hair hung in thick, matted braids all over his head and his goatee had been
woven into one single large plait. In his hand he wielded a massive sword,
longer and more intricate than any I had ever seen. A glint of excitement
flickered in his black eyes as he looked us over. With a smirk, he chuckled and
said, “Welcome to our celebration. You’re just in time to join our other
prisoners.”

Grabbing me by the arm, Aluce
jerked me behind her for the second time that day. “Run!” she hissed. Sai was
already on his feet and pulling me with him toward the distant entrance of the
tunnel.

Aluce turned to follow us as
the man charged, screaming an order for backup to other soldiers in the
chamber. His heavy footsteps pounded closely behind. Soon more followed. Aluce
moved faster, urging Sai and me on in front.

“We’ll never make it up those
stairs,” I said, thinking of the narrow steps we’d faced coming in.

“That’s why you’re going to
jump,” Aluce gasped, daring to look back. The man was gaining and several more
were not far behind.

“Are you insane?” Sai said.
He held his spear tightly in one hand, prepared to use it if need be.

“There’s nothing but deep
water down below. Use your stone and jump,” Aluce instructed, eyes wide as
shadow began to encompass us.

“What about you? You can’t
use a stone!” Sai yelled.

“I’ll follow. We aren’t as
high as you think. The stairs were a long climb down.” Aluce struggled to
breathe between each sentence. “Just find me afterwards. It’s our only hope!”

“There’s got to be another
way!” I said, coughing on my words.

“Use your stones now!” Aluce
commanded, as we rounded a bend. Suddenly, a torch was lit and a shout of
triumph from our oppressors reached our ears as we came into view.

“Aluce!” I gasped, prepared
to disagree with her.

“For once, do as I say!”
Aluce shrieked. The opening of the tunnel grew closer. I fumbled with the pouch
strapped to my body, trying to wrench it open to retrieve my gem. Finding it, I
wrapped my hand tightly around its glowing mass. At the same moment, Sai’s and
my body took on sea dweller form as we silently obeyed her command.

Using her dagger, Aluce cut
the twine of her cloak around her neck. She caught the fabric as it flew off
her body, waited for the right moment, and released it, smiling grimly as it
caught the closest assailant in the face, buying us precious moments.

“Almost there,” I said,
mustering a burst of speed which Sai matched.

The opening of the tunnel
loomed closer and closer, only yards away now.

The soldiers behind us
laughed, believing we were cornered. Upon nearing the edge of the tunnel, Sai
and I stopped. We turned to see Aluce close behind, followed by a horde of
mainlanders. Sai grasped my hand. With one last look at Aluce and one more
glance at each other, we ran to the edge of the cliff. Gathering all our
remaining strength, we leaped from solid ground into the nothingness below.