Sea Dweller (Birthstone Series) (23 page)

Minutes passed before I saw
him move from the shadows and past several sleeping figures in Lailie’s center.
He crept closer to the middle of the city, his eyes darting around and taking
in his surroundings. Finally, he reached the stone in the center of the wheel
of paths and knelt beside it. I glanced around, looking for anything out of the
ordinary but Sai was the only thing moving in what looked to be an abandoned
village.

He singled out one of the
tools he’d brought from his home and began to scrape at the hard earth packed
around the rock— a rock that had been the central part of Lailie for as long as
anyone could remember.

Sai hammered and chiseled at
the ground for several minutes. I watched and worried about any odd shadows
seeming to shift within a hundred yards of him.

Suddenly, out of a group of
trees and from behind a cluster of huts, I saw movement; three armed
mainlanders, making their way through the village and toward Sai’s location. My
hands flew to my mouth and I let out a single urgent Tinamou call followed by
one more authentic one. My hands shook while I kept them cupped around my
mouth. Definitely not among my most convincing bird calls.

In the shadows of the huts,
the soldiers halted, listening in the silence of the night. Shivering, I leaned
further behind the leaves of the nearest branch and waited, praying they
wouldn’t look in the tree’s direction.

From my perch, I watched as
Sai quietly kicked loose soil back over the rock and retreated into Faema’s
hut, where her father was most likely sleeping. I waited, jumping a little when
the soldiers began moving again, rapidly progressing to the area where Sai had
just been. Moments passed before they made their way into the center of the
village and stopped.

All three of the men were
dressed in armor with dangerous looking swords swinging from their sides. One
of the men nudged a sleeping villager with his foot, none too gently, and
laughed. He earned a smack across the head from one of the other men who glared
at him while swiping his hand across his neck in a sign meant to silence him.

My heart pounded painfully
behind my rib cage while I tried to convince myself to calm down. Apparently, I
wasn’t listening because my limbs shook uncontrollably.

The tree must have rustled
oddly or perhaps one of them saw a glimpse of me lit by the moon through the
leaves, because the man who appeared to be the leader turned in my direction. I
watched him proceed closer, praying he would change his course, but no such
luck. He was zeroed in on my location.

The other men followed him,
drawing further away from the main part of the village. I prepared myself to
scramble down the tree and run if need be.

As they made their way
closer, a crash echoed through the silent town from the direction of Faema’s
hut where Sai was hidden. The soldiers paused, withdrew their swords, and began
to retreat back where they’d come from, running toward Sai’s hiding place. All
three men skidded to a halt near the first hut and glanced around, trying to
place the noise.

Before they were able to
decide where to search, a small dart flew from the barely open door of Faema’s
home and planted in one of the men’s cheeks. He cried out when the sting of the
poison pierced his skin.

The two remaining men sprang
into action. One dashed behind a hut while the other raced toward Sai’s hiding
place, using trees and shadows as his cover. Sai shot off two arrows but they
missed the man by inches both times. He ducked into a neighboring hut and
stayed near the doorway, watching for movement from Sai.

Several moments passed in
tense silence while I waited for someone to make a move. Then, when I was
nearly ready to jump down and search for my friend, Sai crept from behind
Faema’s hut and moved into the dark shadows of the neighboring home where the
soldier hid. Using the rough outer walls for footholds, Sai scaled up the
structure silently. Remembering the other man who had hid nearby, I began to
scan the shadows in case I needed to send out an alert to Sai, but he seemed to
have disappeared.

Sai reached the roof of the
hut and sprawled himself flat across the thatching. I remembered hearing that
one of the leader’s homes had needed major roof repair from the storm. I was
grateful he had been too lazy to take care of it as I watched Sai stealthily
began to work away some of the thatching, piece by tiny piece, until he created
what looked like a small hole. From his quiver of arrows, he pulled out his
blowpipe and fitted it with a dart. He put the blowpipe to his mouth and slowly
lowered it through the hole in the roof. I tensed, waiting for the dart to find
its mark. Before I could witness the outcome, a rustling in some nearby bushes
caught my attention.

My gaze flew to my left,
where the gloom of evening cloaked most everything in darkness. My hand, still
shaking, went to my sword and slowly pulled it from its sheath. I waited.

A loud crack sounded
somewhere in the dusky air and I jumped. Only feet from me, perched on a
branch, appeared the remaining soldier.

“Hello there,” he said,
offering me an arrogant smirk. I gripped my sword with one hand and clung to
the branch I’d been backed up against with the other. I figured he had used one
of the Travel Gems Aluce has told us about to be able to appear in the tree
like that.  I wasn’t going to take the time to ask him.

A quick assessment of my
surroundings told me I had very limited options. One large branch hung to my
right close enough to grab but it didn’t offer very many places to go from
there. The easiest escape route was being blocked by the man, which, I guessed,
had been his intent. Above me a few smaller branches stretched, just out of my
reach unless I stood and balanced on the large one I’d wrapped my legs around.
If I managed to grab them, I would possibly have a means of escape. Or a longer
fall. I wasn’t sure which.

I hastily sheathed my sword
to free up my hands. As the man began to inch his way closer, I grasped a
handful of nuts from the overhead tree limbs and hurled them in his face,
buying myself precious moments of distraction. While he dodged my makeshift
weapons, I pushed myself up, balancing my feet on the knotty wood. My fingers
barely had the length to grip the branch overhead, but the moment they wrapped
around the limb, I pulled myself upward, using my arm and stomach muscles to
get my legs and feet up as well. I dangled from the branch, legs and arms
holding on for dear life, and began to inch along the limb further away from
the man. He scrambled after me, sweat beading on his forehead as he tried to
keep up at such an incredible height.

Bit by bit, I crept closer to
another section of the tree where I saw a path of descent. His strength was an
advantage. His large hands grasped the branches and he pulled himself closer to
me quickly. I picked up my pace until I spotted a thin branch just below me.
Cautiously, I lowered my legs and touched my toes to the fragile limb, wincing
as it creaked beneath my weight. Taking a deep breath, I released my fingers
and dropped my entire body to the lower branch. Without breaking momentum, I
gripped it with my fingers and hung on tight while I swung the rest of my body
into a much sturdier part of the tree. With a crack, the branch snapped from
the tree. Still on the upswing, I flew through the air and flopped into the
next limb with a grunt, barely wrapping my arms around it in time. Above me,
the man cursed as his pursuit suddenly became much more difficult. It was my
turn to smirk.

I didn’t waste time to
observe his next tactic. Scurrying down my new escape route, I ignored the
growls and moans of the man behind me as he was hit with branches and stuck
with sappy thorns. I clenched my teeth against my own injuries until I finally
reached the bottom. There, I jumped from the tree and began to run. Seconds
later, I collided with Sai.

“Where is he?” he asked. He
pulled out his blowpipe and fit it with another dart.

“Coming down the tree right
now,” I said, rubbing where I’d hit my head on his chin.

Sai dashed to the tree and
glanced upward at the flailing man. “Not a very good tree climber, are you?”
Sai said, cheerfully. Placing the tube to his lips, he aimed and blew. From
somewhere in the boughs of the tree, the man grunted, lost his balance, and
fell. A branch caught him on the way down, breaking his descent, and he landed
unconscious on the soft earth where he lay perfectly still. Sai crept forward
and turned him over.

“Is he. . .?” I left the last
word out of my question, horrified.

“No.” Sai shook his head,
shuddering. “Just knocked out. These darts won’t kill anyone.”

I nodded, taking a step away
from the sleeping mainlander. “We should get the key.”

“Right,” Sai agreed, standing
and turning to leave. “New plan, though. This time, come with me. It won’t take
me long to finish the job and I’d rather stay together now.”

Silently, I followed, casting
one last glance at the man who had pursued me.    

It took only a bit more
digging and hammering around the rock before we were able to pull it from its
cozy location. Inside the hole we left behind, frantic earth worms and insects
scurried for cover. I felt an odd sense of pity for them. They were nearly as
displaced as I felt.

We didn’t waste time
examining our key. Instead, Sai tucked it under his arm and we slipped through
the trees in silence, using them as shelter to avoid detection before we
reached the ocean. As we walked, my mind whirled around the next challenge I
would be facing. Finding the necklace and claiming it.

Would I be the same person
afterwards? How would it be of any help if it completely overwhelmed me? My
fears tumbled around in my head with such force I hardly noticed when we
reached the water. I blindly followed Sai, hoping he would take the lead. I
knew I should be the one to blaze ahead, fearless and determined. After all, it
was my mission. My journey. He was sacrificing so much to help me and for the
time being, I was relying too much on his strength.

I glanced at his face while
we swam toward the underwater tunnels. He looked so sure of himself. So
vigilant and strong. His eyes darted around, most likely searching for any sign
of an attack, but he continued forward, unwavering.

Curiosity got the better of
me and I reached out my fingers to touch his arm gently, hoping he wouldn’t
notice. For just a moment, a tiny spark of warmth traveled up my arm, carrying
with it the image of the man in Aluce’s hut, collapsed and taking his last
breaths on the floor. I jerked my hand away, shocked. Sensing the motion, Sai
turned to me, his eyes sad, weary. I didn’t try to communicate anything more to
him. Instead, I swam past him and took my place in the front.

Suddenly, it didn’t matter
what the necklace could do to me. My reservations were instantly replaced with
memories of the last several days. Making Sai follow me down a cliff. Sai,
defending me in Nethra and saving my life in Aluce’s hut. Helping me find my
parents against his better judgment.

I knew Sai ached over some of
the choices he’d been forced to make in such a short while. I wasn’t alone in
having to face difficult tasks. In behalf of Sai, my parents, and an island I
was beginning to realize I cared about, it was time to become the person I was
born to be. Regardless of my fears.

And whatever was waiting for
me behind the door of the underwater tunnel would be mine alone to face.

All seemed calm as we
approached the entrance to the tunnels, but for some reason, I was uneasy. I
expected something or someone to jump out at us, wielding powerful stones with
which to threaten us. I tried to push away my looming sense of dread, choosing
to focus instead on the task at hand. I forced myself into the entrance and
moved swiftly down one of the dark tunnels, Sai close behind with the key in
his hands.

I knew we were close when the
water took on a familiar stagnant feel. I picked up speed, feeling an urgency
to finish the task before me. I nearly ran into the bottom of the door.

Gripping my sword, I broke
through the surface of the water and gazed up at the giant wall blocking my
path. Gently, I touched one of the carvings and traced it with my shaking
fingers.

Sai surfaced beside me. “You
ready for this?” he asked, frowning. I realized I needed his smile before I did
anything else.

“No.” I turned to him and
attempted to grin. He nodded, managing a small upturn of his lips. It was
enough and I sighed with relief. Sai faced the door, his eyes trailing upward
and resting on the spot right above the serpent’s head.

“What now?” he asked.

“I think we both know.” I
held out my hands and Sai passed me the key. Turning it over, I examined the
carvings on the rock, turning them the way I thought they would best fit into
the door. With a deep breath, I reached up and shoved the key into the
indentation. For a moment, nothing happened.

“Is this right?” I asked,
wondering if we’d been misled in thinking Lailie’s center stone was the key.

“It has to be,” Sai said.

I pushed at the key once more
but my hand slipped. In that moment, the rock turned ever so slightly.