Sea Dweller (Birthstone Series) (31 page)

When I was finally able to
make out the lazy murmur of the sea, I nearly cried in relief. Once I was in
the ocean, I would use my Sea Gem and find a way to get to the ships. The
Vairdans in the water with Sea Gems could help me get my parents off the boats.
Together, we’d find a way to sink them. The trees began to thin and the earth
beneath my feet transitioned into soft sand. I passed through a thick fringe of
forest, my eyes watching for the nearby water. But when I cleared the trees, I
jerked to a halt.

Vairdan men lay, scattered on
the beach, injured or dead. One of them was Chief Frin and my heart plummeted.
Not far from shore, a ship had already made its way out to sea. Two more were
close behind. At the shoreline, blocking my path to the ocean was a small army
of soldiers. I recognized some of them as the men who had disappeared in the
forest. Orin stood at their head. I opened my mouth and closed it again to keep
my chin from quivering.

“We’ve been waiting for you,
princess
,”
Orin said.

I stared at them, my body
shaking violently. On the sea, bathing in moonlight, the boats drifted
peacefully. My family was on those ships, tucked away, out of reach.

I looked from side to side
for an opening, for Vairdans who could help me. I saw nothing. Behind me, in
the forest, I heard the sounds of an occasional shout, cry, or clang from
metal. At any moment, more soldiers would be arriving behind me, completely
surrounding me.

So many of my fellow Vairdans
had already died.

Sai had not returned.

My parents were captured.

And on the very beach where
Sai had rescued me as a child, the place where we’d met at dusk every night for
nearly ten years, where I’d lived a thousand beautiful memories, I was now
utterly and completely alone.

Chapter 26

Orin sauntered forward, a
triumphant glint lighting his eyes.

“Ready to give up, Aylen?
Your grandfather is waiting.”

I didn’t respond.

“In a moment you will have my
men on every side of you. There’s nothing you can do. You can choose to come
with us or you can see more of your friends die here tonight.”

“I told you I would have gone
with you if you had released my parents,” I said, looking at his feet to avoid
his eyes.

“We both know you were lying.
Even if you would have kept your word, your parents would have fought us.” He
paused, considering me for a moment. “I underestimated your abilities. Had I
known you had the ability to use the Warrior Gem effectively, I would have
refused to negotiate.” He sighed as though tired of the whole exchange. “The
king has given me instructions that I should return with all three of you. I
obey
him
.” He smiled at me in the moonlight. “I’m genuinely impressed
with your talents. If you’re worried about the treatment you’ll receive in our
land, I can promise you there’s no need to fear. No one on this insignificant
island will be able to appreciate your gifts. In the land your parents came
from, you’ll be admired and honored.”

“Your king is a murderer,” I
said. “He killed his own family for power. My so called talents will only
ensure myself as a threat to him.”

Orin shook his head. “No,
Aylen. The king has softened over the years. He regrets his choices. He’d like
to make it up to his son and you, his heiress.”

Behind me, I heard more
soldiers arrive, leaving me surrounded. Orin held his hand up to halt them.
They obeyed, although they remained ready to seize me the moment their leader
gave the command.

“We don’t want to take you by
force. It would be much better for you, for all of us, your island friends
included, if you came willingly.”

“You’ll take the necklace,” I
pointed out, stalling.

“What does it matter? You
don’t understand its powers well enough to use it properly. When you’ve proven
yourself a friend to the king, it may possibly be returned.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“You don’t have a choice
anymore, do you?”

As the words left his mouth,
I realized the truth behind them.

Without meaning to, I lowered
my sword as my hand dropped to my side. I looked past Orin at the ships
imprisoning my family. They rested so serenely on the smooth water. Beyond
them, the ocean stretched on for eternities, a blank space on which to write my
future if I gave in and went with him.

Orin, sensing my faltering
resolve, took a step closer. “You’ll hurt your mother more by not coming.
There’s no way you can reach her. You don’t even know which ship she’s on. If
you come, you ensure her protection. You’ll ensure the rest of the islanders’
safety.”

I glanced around at the
injured Varidans. They were anything but safe, and it was my fault. Had Sai
lost a brother tonight? How many islanders had lost loved ones? As much as I
disliked Faema, I hoped she was alright and I hoped her father was only
injured. He was all she had.

Orin took another step. “The
power of the necklace is too much right now, isn’t it? It would be more than
the island could handle too. The king could help you. He’s suffered from the
effects of so many stones for years. He would understand. He’d help keep the
power from consuming you.”

The necklace throbbed and
battled with my mind, glowing merrily in contrast to the pain it brought. My
knees buckled and I sunk to the ground. Behind me, the men stirred, twitching
to use the moment to pinion me. Orin shot them a look of warning and I
understood. He wanted me to come on my own accord. If I did as he asked, it
would stop further battle with the Vairdans and there would be no chance of me
using the necklace against him— no chance of me losing control because it would
mean I had surrendered it.

I wanted to fight. I wanted
to stand, raise the sword my mother had given me, and battle my way to the
ships, but the barrier of soldiers all around me was too great. Aluce had
disappeared. Sai hadn’t returned with the Nethrans. Defeat engulfed me.

I stared down at the sand,
contemplating my failure. With a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, I
remembered I had failed before in this very place.

The first time I had walked
this beach alone, I had believed I was powerful and strong. My parents had
never let me out of their sight, so when I escaped, I thought I could prove to
them how grown up I was. I’d been wrong then too. Was it really almost ten
years ago since Sai had found me, alone, drowning in one of the deeper tide
pools? It seemed like only weeks had passed since the day he’d lifted me out of
the churning water and carried me on his back through the foamy tide.

With sharp clarity, I could
still envision wrapping my arms around his neck. His warmth against my
shivering body had cloaked me with comfort. What had begun as the most terrifying
experience of my life had ended as the most beautiful when the boy on the beach
saved me and then became my best friend. He’d always been my sanctuary.

Like a Protection Gem.

The stone flickered in my
mind, a beacon in the despairing night. Its presence slowly warmed me. I
welcomed it, basking in the strange sense of refuge blanketing my fears. As I
embraced the feeling, the pressing cacophony of the other stones grew muffled
and distant, as though the Protection Gem had hushed them like a mother quieting
a petulant child. The darkness clouding my thoughts evaporated. I was still
strong. I would save my family.

 I lifted my head.

 Four soldiers were reaching
for me, desperately trying to close their fingers around my arms. They couldn’t
grab ahold of me. With each attempt, their hands only swiped at air.

I skimmed my surroundings,
realizing the world looked much clearer again without the flurry of stones
claiming space in my veins. In the distance, the ships lingered, waiting for
me.

Ignoring the soldiers, I rose
and strode toward Orin. His jaw was clenched tightly on words that seemed to be
choking him.

“If you survive to make it
back to your land, please give your king our apologies,” I said to the
mainlander, my voice low and steady. “My family will not be meeting with him.
Ever.” Orin’s eyes scorched me with a silent rage. I met his gaze evenly. With
a final nod, I brushed past him, ignoring the last desperate attempts his
soldiers took at grabbing me.  Once more, I pictured Sai, the concern in his eyes
for the little girl he’d discovered amongst the tide pools, the rush of joy I’d
felt when he’d carried me home. My limbs tingled with the same happiness and
sunk into my bones. The Protection Gem glowed brighter. I began to run, pushing
past the soldiers with ease as they tumbled over themselves to stop me. Behind
me, Orin screamed for them to stop.

“To the boats!” he demanded.
“Guard the king’s prisoners!”

I dove into the water and
began to swim. I wasn’t about to try and use the Sea Gem while drawing power
from another stone, but I wasn’t sure how fast I would swim without it.

The water pulled at me as I
fought against rolling swells. I gritted my teeth.
I am strong
, I told
myself. And it was true. My time with the Sea Gem had improved my swimming abilities.

Close behind me, the soldiers
rowed in small boats, rapidly gaining. I dove back under water and kicked,
holding my breath for as long as I dared. I knew I wasn’t nearly as fast as Sai
or the other islanders would have been, but I was swimming better than I ever
had.

When I surfaced, the
soldiers’ boats were still closer than I was comfortable with. Once I reached
the ship, I would need more time than I had. Time to find my parents, time to
free them, time to make it past whoever was guarding them onboard. The thought
exhausted me.

The ship loomed ahead and I
gasped for air once more before diving underwater. As I continued to glide
closer to the ship, I caught a glimpse of movement in the water. For a moment,
I thought Sai had returned with the Nethrans. Looking closer, however, I saw
how their skin blended with the dark of night, unlike the fair pallor of the
inhabitants of the underwater city. They were Vairdans, using the Sea Gems
Aluce had given them.

I breached the surface and
glanced around. In the glossy moonlight, their faces grinned at me. One of them
swam toward me.

“Aylen!” I recognized Atarom,
one of the village leaders. “We were going to attack the boat once the soldiers
began rowing you out to the ship. How did you get past?”

“I’ll have to tell you about
it after we get these people off our island.” I smiled at the way “our island”
had rolled so naturally off my tongue.

He grinned at me, the first
he’d ever offered in my behalf. “Another celebratory festival perhaps?” With a
flick of his head, he added, “Come on. We need to find your parents.”

I nodded gratefully before
diving under again. Atarom offered his arm. I tightened my fingers around it as
several other Vairdans joined us. Others swam toward the soldiers’ boats and my
heart swelled with gratitude for each one of them.

 Atarom pulled me through the
water with the same speed my Sea Gem would have given me. Moments later, we’d
reached the ship.

“Go on, Aylen,” he said when
my head breached the surface. “We’ll stop them if we can.”

Gasping my thanks, I dove
back under. Swimming along the ship’s side, I searched for the best way to pull
myself up. Half way around, I found a net dangling in the water from over the
edge of the deck. I grasped it with both hands, placed both my feet on the wet,
taut rungs and began to climb.

Nearing the top, I paused.
Peering over the rim of the ship, I scanned the deck in search of what awaited
me. Several soldiers and sailors walked onboard, preparing the deck for the
journey ahead, occasionally eyeing the dark water. Slowly, silently, I stole
aboard, landing with a wet thud on the floor. With as much speed as my
waterlogged body could muster, I scrambled to a tall pile of rope. Crouching
behind it, I looked over my surroundings, hoping to spot a way to get inside
the belly of the ship.

Somewhere on the water, Orin
shouted and the sounds of fighting carried across the sea. Time was short.

The noise drew the attention
of several sailors and they moved to the edge of the ship to examine the
commotion. Orin’s voice rose above the shouts below. I knew he was drawing
closer, but I realized he hadn’t seen me climb board while the Vairdans were
attacking his boat. I needed to act fast before he instructed his sailors to
look for me. I peered up from behind my hiding place and scanned the deck,
searching for a hatch or some sort of door. Just as I spotted one, my eyes
landed on something nearly hidden from my sight. Slumped against one of the
masts, bound with rope, was a slender figure I would never mistake.

Gasping, I jumped up and tore
across the ship. With a cry, one of the men on deck saw me and followed. It
attracted the attention of the other soldiers on board but they didn’t move.
Instead, they laughed.

I reached her side in
moments, ignoring the taunts of the men. When I saw my mother up close, my
heart plummeted into a dark chasm somewhere inside of me. Her eyes were swollen
shut. Ugly purple bruises marred her neck, one side of her face, and her arms
and legs. Fresh and dried blood mingled with sweat at her hairline and her head
was flopped over to one side.

“Mom?” I whispered, touching
her face with trembling fingers. She didn’t respond. That’s when wet sloshing
footsteps sidled up behind me.

“You joined us after all. I
knew with the proper motivation you would come to your senses,” Orin said.

“Why would you do this? What
do you have against her?” I asked, turning to face him.

“You did that. Punishment for
your unwillingness to comply with the king.” Orin grimaced. “She encouraged you
to run and you did. She had to be silenced in case she chose to mislead you
again.”

 My body shook with
unsuppressed rage. The suffocating presence of the stones had returned, more
insistent than before. Each one spoke to me, racketing through my head with
overwhelming insistence. My veins ached to suck in the power and pour it back
out in some way at the men around me. 

“She’d been warned,” Orin
continued, clicking his tongue with feigned regret. Then, turning to his other
men, he called, “Raise the anchor. Leave the rest. We’re leaving!” With a
smile, he snapped his fingers toward my mother. “Lock the traitor in the hold.
She’s accomplished her purpose here.”

A soldier cut the ropes
binding my mother to the mast and picked her up, carelessly throwing her body
over his shoulder.

“Don’t take her!” I cried
out, reaching for her. “What did you do with my dad?” I hadn’t seen any sign of
him. Had they hurt him too?

“You didn’t really believe
we’d keep them together, did you?” Orin scoffed at me while the man opened the
hatch and disappeared below, my mother in his arms.  I wanted to stop them—
heal her, if I only knew how. Wasn’t there a gem that could help with that? My
mother, who had only lived to protect me, was dying and they were taking her
away from me.