Heiress: Birthstone Series Book Two (12 page)

“I don’t need access to any of them. I’ve seen the tribes of
people who use them. They’re as dissimilar as wood and water.”

I nodded. I had little experience with the tribes myself so
I wasn’t about to argue my point. I knew it wasn’t sound anyway. “I watched you
use your gem in Analar so that helped a little. But really, the mist seems to
come naturally. If you couldn’t tell, I’ve been a little gloomy lately.”

Gil snorted. I gave him a good glare and continued. “The
mist sort of feels connected to my mood. It just came on its own and I’ve been
keeping it up ever since.” I shrugged.

“What about your fog friend? Who was that?”

I hesitated, unsure of how much to share. Finally, I settled
on the shortest explanation possible. “He was my way back when I lost control.”

“Ah,” Gil said, “I’m sorry.”

I shook my head in an attempt to clear it of memories I
didn’t want to dwell on. “So, you’re going to teach me how to use this gem?”

Gil grinned shyly and I was surprised at how much it suited
his features. “It looks like you’ve already got a lot figured out.”

“Stop flattering me. I’ve got the basics.” I fingered my
necklace and cast him a sideways glance. “We both know I have an endless amount
to learn. Believe me. Aluce put me through worse than you ever could.”

“She seems the type.”

I nodded in agreement.

“Well, in that case,” Gil began, “I’d like to see how well
you do at pushing wind into the sails so the ship will move faster.”

It didn’t sound difficult so without a word, I attempted to
sense the air current and manipulate its direction. Instead of a gentle,
controlled breeze, a giant gust of wind screamed toward us. We were pelted with
sea water as my squall rushed past the ship and into the sails, nearly throwing
us overboard and rocking the ship onto its side.

I heard the screams of the captain and several of his crew
as they attempted to gain control of the ship. Gil grabbed for me as I slid
across the deck. An instant later, the gust had passed and the ship had righted
itself.

My legs wobbled as I pushed myself to my feet. Gil tried to
help steady me as I grasped the deck rail.

“What was that?” he demanded. He turned from me and stared
at the sails in the ship. Several were torn and hung in shreds.

“I’m not sure.” My voice quavered as the words left my lips.

“Does that always happen when you use a gem?”

I brushed sticky, wet strands of hair back with shaking
fingers. “I told you I lose control.”

“But you conjured the fog. And you use a Sea Gem just fine.”

“I didn’t have to try with those. They just worked
naturally.”

Gil glanced at the ship's crew as they scrambled to repair
the damage. “Don’t let anyone know you were responsible for that.”

“I’m not a coward. I can own up to my failings.”

“No, Aylen. You’re the Gem Heiress. If people know how
little control you have over such a massive amount of power, they’ll lose faith
in you before you’ve even begun to master your gems.”

I sighed and sank to the floor of the deck. “Then what do
you suggest?”

Gil slowly lowered himself down until he was crouched beside
me. “We start very, very small and see if we can figure out why you’re able to
control some things and not others.”

I didn’t have an argument for this so I nodded and leaned
the back of my head against the railing.

Gil sat with me for a while and allowed me to rest. During
that time, my parents came to make sure I was all right. Gil convinced them the
wind gust wasn’t my fault but when my mother rolled her eyes before she left, I
knew she didn’t believe him.

We spent the rest of the day talking about which gems were
easiest for me to use. I described the instances when I’d had the most success
and what had helped me. With that information, he began our lessons over the
next several days.

Each morning, Gil came up with more activities to try, from
redirecting the wind to shaping moisture into clouds. When he thought I was
ready, he began to teach me how to form clouds that could produce thunder and
lightning. I became so engrossed in these lessons I almost forgot to think
about who I’d left behind in Vairda and what I was facing on the mainland. And
Gil proved to be a much friendlier instructor than Aluce.  

Producing clouds and cloaking us in mist wasn’t difficult
for me because it had matched my mood and I’d done it with ease since I’d
arrived on the ship. Manipulating the wind, however, became a challenge. I had
to focus my wind gusts in a direction that wouldn’t affect the ship which made
it challenging to gauge how strong they were. From what I could see in the
distance, I wasn’t getting the strength of my wind under control well, but I
was able to conjure them up more easily each time.

Several days later, by the time we neared the tiny town
where we’d port, I knew my streaks of lightning were powerful, my squalls could
be deadly, and I was still struggling every moment to keep the gem from taking
over. When we dropped anchor Gil stood next to me. Together, we watched the
little village from the deck of the ship.

“What will you do now that we’ve reached Miranasch?” I asked
him. Behind me, Aluce and my parents prepared the small boat that would take us
ashore. I had everything important to me already strapped to my person:
Weapons, clothing, my necklace. I shivered as I remembered the things I’d left
at the island. It seemed eternities ago.

“I’m going where you go,” Gil said, with a shrug of his
shoulders.

I lifted an eyebrow. “You must be really desperate for
friends if you want to stick around our group.”

He laughed. “I promised to train you. I intend to do the
best job possible.”

“You’ve taught me so much in such a short time, but I’m
still a danger to myself and others. I don’t think you’re going to be able to
change that.”

Gil smiled. “Maybe not, but there’s bound to be someone who
will.”

“I hope you’re right,” I whispered.

“You were destined for this. You’re a princess and a blood
heiress of every known gem.”

I gripped the railing of the deck tightly and used it to
pivot myself around so my back was to him. I didn’t mean to sound snappish, but
already, I was so tired. “No, I’m not really,” I told him. “I’m just an island
girl from Vairda.” I glanced at him sadly before I walked away. Was it only a
year ago I’d wanted nothing more than to get away from that cursed island?
Hadn’t I been mocked and ostracized there for most of my life? And yet, I
couldn’t deny it was still my home. It would always be home as long as Sai was
there.

As we boarded our small vessel I observed the captain and
his crew rapidly shoving supplies into two more boats.

“What are they doing?” I asked Aluce.

“They’re going to destroy the ship.”

When my father saw my bewildered expression, he explained.
“This ship is marked. The king knows it carried his enemies. It can’t ever sail
these waters again.”

We rowed further and further away from the ship and I
couldn’t help looking back at it, grateful the Captain has sacrificed it for
our cause. As we neared the shore, I saw the first bright flames begin to glow
from the deck. Soon, the fire spread to the mast and sails, licking hungrily at
the beautiful gleaming wood someone had painstakingly shaped and polished.

When I finally turned my eyes to the land, I tried to
envision my future there. I would learn to control my gems in this place and
even face the person who had tried to destroy my family.

I eyed the tiny little houses, snugly situated along the
coast. They seemed cleaner, less crowded than the ones in Analar, and I
wondered if that had to do with the king’s lack of involvement with this
particular port.

As our boat skimmed the sand, I jumped out to help drag it
ashore. I looked up, studying our location. A moment later, I realized
something was wrong.

“This is a port,” I said, halting and rearing back.

“What’s wrong?” my mother asked. She snapped her eyes away
from the burning ship and turned toward me.

“Even if it’s a lesser known port, shouldn’t there be some
activity going on?” I motioned toward the deserted shore and the silent dark
houses. The chimneys sat cold and smokeless while the boats were all docked and
tied.

“It’s a trap. Get in the boat Aylen,” Aluce commanded. She
tugged the vessel back into the water. The three crew members who had come with
us scrambled to help her.

“It’s too late,” I whispered. I pointed at the band of men
emerging from behind the houses. They wore black armor with the king’s seal
engraved upon their chests and every single one of them carried some sort of
glowing gem.

“Aylen, use your Protection Gem. Get out of here,” Aluce
said. She whipped out her sword.

“Not going to happen.”

More men began to emerge from the shadows and even from
inside homes. Quickly, I weighed the risks of losing control or allowing
everyone to fight without me. As more soldiers appeared, it took only a moment
to realize I’d be the only survivor if I obeyed Aluce’s instructions.

Next to me, Aluce disappeared while my father’s Warrior Gem
glowed brighter where he’d strapped it onto his arm.

I passed Gil my bow and arrows and pulled my own sword from
its scabbard.

“Can you shoot those things?” I asked him.

“I guess I’ll find out.”

“I can,” my mother said. He passed the weapons to her and
grabbed an oar instead.

“I’ve been using these most of my life. They make as good a
weapon as any.”

With a nod, I turned to my father. “Ready?”

“Chose a gem Aylen,” he said.

I already had. From the sky thick white clouds seemed to
gather from nothing, forming one giant mass as they crept toward the earth. The
soldiers drew closer. My mother stood motionless, her arrows nocked while she
searched for vulnerable spots in their armor. Finally, the clouds collided into
the men. Thick frigid air blanketed and circled around them in a disorienting
dance.

My father, Gil, and I ran toward the mass of cloud, our
weapons raised. I wasn’t sure where Aluce had gone but I sensed she was close.

Before we could reach the soldiers, my cloud shifted. It
twisted and rose, revealing a soldier at the front of the small army, using
Weather Gem as well.

I watched my cloud morphed into something black, ugly, and
more powerful than anything I’d tried to create.

“Protection Gem now Aylen!” Aluce’s voice hissed near my
ear.

Instead, I waited for what I knew was coming. Within
moments, the clouds lit up. I anticipated the massive streak of lightning
before it came. Painfully, with a scream, I conjured up my own streak just in
time to redirect the soldier’s. The moment they connected, the air thundered
and the ground shook.

Trembling, I disengaged myself from the Weather Gem and
focused on the one gem that terrified me more than any others. I didn’t want to
remember the feel of its power, its heat boiling in my blood. I loathed the
dark way it seemed to leech into my soul. But once again, I was left with
little choice. I let its power poison me.

The Destruction Gem seemed to welcome my connection to it
and, as its slave, I knew exactly what it wanted me to do. Glaring at a small
group of soldiers, I concentrated on their weapons and armor. Within seconds,
their swords splintered and broke. Armor shattered from their bodies, flying
through the air in sharp fragments. I turned my attention to another group and
repeated the process, and then once more with a third group. Each time, I felt
the gem’s power seep deeper into my blood. Rage blossomed inside my chest.
Hatred for the king and his followers strangled my senses. With a gasp, I
fought to remain focused on my surroundings.

The soldier with the Weather Gem fell over and I recognized
Aluce’s dagger protruding from his chest. My father and Gil rushed toward the
soldiers without weapons and I turned my attention to the homes.

I sensed the innocent people within them, hiding from a
battle they had no part in. Whispering apologies they would never hear, I
concentrated on the walls of the homes closest to the soldiers. The Destruction
Gem seemed to squeeze my heart as I pictured each wall shattering and exploding
out, shards of stone and wood hitting the soldiers in their path. It happened
the moment the image entered my mind. It was nearly too easy.

Behind me, my mother’s arrows flew. She hit her target more
often than not. The captain and the rest of his crew reached shore, ran past
me, and jumped into the fray.

From some of the broken homes, I saw people begin to emerge,
several armed with poorly constructed weapons.

“Get back,” I screamed at them, as more soldiers came from
the trees and behind buildings.

Furious that we were so outnumbered, livid for being forced
to destroy these villager’s homes in self-defense, I felt the Destruction Gem
take over again and several more walls exploded. They flew outward at the newly
arriving soldiers the same time their armor and weapons shattered from their
bodies.

Scores of them crumbled under falling debris and sharp
pieces of rock. Amidst the clamor, I heard my mother called out to me.

“Release yourself from it Aylen! Choose another!”

“It’s the only one that can do enough damage,” I wheezed.

An arrow whizzed past me and hit another soldier between the
shoulder blades.

“Better to die as yourself than to survive as something else
entirely,” she cried out. I opened my mouth to argue but before I could, my
eyes caught the faces of children and adults, peeking out from behind broken
homes and crumbled walls. Terror gazed back at me through their eyes. It was
enough.

The Destruction Gem fought and tugged at my mind but I
managed to disengage with a painful gasp. Without its cloak of power, I felt
exposed. I thrust my focus onto the Warrior Gem in search of someplace else to
direct my attention. Its strength coursed through my veins. Gripping my sword,
I ran headlong into the battle, straight to my father’s side where he fought several
men at once.