Heiress: Birthstone Series Book Two (18 page)

“I don’t think it was an accident,” I said. I lifted my
sword a touch higher, leveling it at his neck.

“Well that’s an accusation if I ever heard one.” He laughed
and tossed the gem in the air once, caught it, and held it up between his thumb
and forefinger. “This is mighty strange wrapping. Very rare to find a gem
protected in this kind of material. What kind of gem could we have here, Solo?”
The bird let out a sound that was a cross between a cackle and a croak before
he took off again.

“Give it back or I’ll kill your feathered friend,” Haji
demanded. She yanked the blowpipe from my hands and aimed it at the tree branch
overhead where the bird had settled.

The young man shrugged. “That would be a shame. I’d hate to
lose my bird but it would be worse off for you. Should you kill Solo, I’d be
less likely to help you. And judging from your clothing, you need my help.”

He tossed the gem at me and I lowered my sword to catch it.
Once it was enclosed in my fist, I raised my sword again and glared at him.
“What makes you think we’d trust you after your bird stole from us?”

He chuckled and turned away from me. Haji and I watched as
he sauntered behind a tree and emerged a moment later with a bulging pack,
hoisted over his shoulders. “Solo only helps me find those with something worth
trading. He found you. It was never my intention to steal from you so take me
to your goods and we’ll start discussing what you need and what I ask in
return.”

I gaped at him, too stunned to speak. There was no way I’d
take a scheming rat like him into our camp.

“Follow me,” Haji said and motioned forward. They took off
without me. I stared after them, first dumbfounded, then furious. Within a few
quick paces, I’d caught up.

“Are you crazy?” I asked Haji. “We can’t trust him.”

“What choice do we have? We need his help. Look at his
clothing and then look at ours. We’ll never blend in.”

I wasn’t in the habit of checking out another man’s clothing
but I glanced at it quickly before turning back to Haji. “We’ll find another
way.”

“How? You want to steal what we need? Get ourselves in
trouble our first day into this?”

“You’re saying too much,” I warned.

She sighed. “I think bird-brain here is just as eager to
remain as secretive as us.”

“I can hear you, you know,” he muttered. “No need for name
calling.”

“Oh that was nothing,” Haji said. “I’m holding back.”

I fell silent, too tired to argue. Instead, I tromped behind
them and threatened our intruder with a glare every time he turned to look at
me.

Faema and Lirig were still away by the time we reached our
camp. Haji pushed through one of the walls of foliage and we followed close
behind. Our fire had died to a few weak embers so I stirred it up again with
the tip of my sword and threw in a few more branches.

“A little tip for remaining undiscovered,” our guest said,
“fire will get you found every time.”

Of course I knew this but we’d been willing to risk it at
the time. Now I realized how stupid it seemed.

“So, let’s talk about that gem of yours,” he said, dropping
his pack to the ground.

“First, your name. I won’t do business with people I know
nothing about.” Haji gave him her sweetest smile but I knew that look. She was
determined to make sure our end of the bargain was the better deal.

Our guest offered a deep bow and grinned. “Nilym Ardalay at
your service. Those I do business with call me Nil.” 

“What exactly is your business?” I asked.

“Trade, of course. I can always find what someone needs, if
they know where to find me.”

“In this case, you found us,” Haji said.

Nil nodded. “It’s rare for me to be intrigued enough to
approach someone first.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “How long were you watching us?”

“Long enough to know you’re foreign.”

Haji rolled her eyes. “Enough already. What do we have that
you want?”

Nil flicked his head toward my fist. “What kind of gems are
you carrying?”

Haji dug her claimed Sea Gem out of her pocket and held it
up.

Nil’s eyes grew wide. He took a step forward. “Where did you
get these?” When we didn’t answer, he glanced back and forth between us.
“You’re the first sea dwellers I’ve met, you know. And that’s the first Sea Gem
I’ve ever seen. They’re hard to find.” He held out his hand to Haji. “May I?”

She passed the gem to him and he allowed it to hover over
his palm.

“We have a few more unclaimed gems,” Haji explained. “We may
be willing to trade one for clothing and traveling supplies. Enough for four
people.”

Nil whipped his head up, chuckled, and passed the gem back
to Haji flippantly. “That’s a lot to ask for one little gem.”

“You’re the one who said they’re hard to come by,” I said.

“But I didn’t say they were valuable.”

I bristled. I wasn’t in the mood for games. “You obviously
don’t want what we have so you’re wasting our time.” I took a step toward Nil,
hoping to edge him further away from our camp site. He didn’t have time to
react before Lirig and Faema rounded a tree and came into view.

Lirig carried several large fish impaled on his spear. Close
behind him was Faema. Her wet hair hung in loose waves down her back and over
her shoulders. Her cheeks were flushed from the cool air. They halted as soon
as they saw our guest.

Nil whirled around when Faema’s foot snapped a twig.

“Everything all right here?” Lirig asked me. His eyes
narrowed as he studied Nil.

“Nilym was going to trade clothing and supplies for a Sea
Gem but apparently, what we have isn’t good enough.” I stepped closer to Nil,
trapping him between Lirig and myself. He didn’t seem concerned. I watched his
gaze slide past Lirig, fall on Faema, and linger there. His lips lifted into
what looked almost like a smile and his chest rose deeply with one sudden
intake of breath. Uncomfortable seconds passed as he regarded her.

Faema stared back at him, unabashed, her eyes registering
half-lit boredom. Her lips seemed to twitch as though she wanted to grin back
but then thought better of it. Instead, she flipped her hair over her
shoulders, gave Nil her coldest scowl, and stormed past everyone. Typical.

Nil turned to me, a bright glint lighting up his eyes.
“Perhaps you have what I want after all.”

“So it’s settled then,” Aluce said. She glanced around the
candlelit room, her eyes bright with enthusiasm. “Aylen will begin pre-flight
training from Cole in the morning.”

I glanced at Cole briefly before turning away. Hesper
snickered as I rolled my eyes. In the last several days, I’d tried to avoid
Cole the same way I would avoid a thorn in my toe. I treaded everywhere he
wasn’t. The few times I’d been in his company, he’d droned on about my important
responsibilities as the Gem Heiress and how lucky I was to have all the
bloodlines. “I would give anything to have your power,” he’d said, again and
again. “I don’t believe you’re taking this seriously enough?” he’d accused
multiple times. After Aluce’s daily lectures, I didn’t need to hear it from him
too.

Between his obvious disdain for his sister, whom I quickly
adored, and his obsession with my duties, it had become increasingly difficult
to respond to him politely.

“When will the rest of the gem trainers arrive?” Hesper
asked. She tried to give me a sympathetic smile but it shattered into a
full-fledged giggle when Cole glowered at her.

“We were expecting them within the week,” my mother said,
“but since so many small battles have broken out and new rebel groups are
forming every day, we’re having trouble locating some of them and transporting
them here.” Mom had been put in charge of trying to keep track of the different
uprisings throughout the kingdom. In the last several days while I’d been
training with Gil on the Weather Gem, she’d organized methods for contacting
the leaders of each group and had put them in contact with others close by for
support. In the short time since our arrival, we’d received word of at least
ten new rebel units a day. Through trained carrier birds and courier flyers, my
father and other rebel leaders had been sending information regularly. From
these messages, we’d learned many of the groups had already fought in a few
small skirmishes with some of the king’s soldiers.

“So, just flight training in the mornings?” I looked at
Aluce pointedly. She had kept me so busy after my first night in Et Loedin when
I hadn’t shown up for dinner, I doubted she would leave my schedule with much
free time. She’d been careful to fill every second with strategy meetings,
meals with various sky dweller leaders, clothes fittings, and introductions to
anyone she deemed important. I knew she wanted me too busy to think about Sai,
and in a way it worked. I rushed from one place to another and I had little
time to focus on how much I missed him.

What Aluce didn’t understand was that his absence left a
gaping hole in my concentration when I tried to tune out the gems. I had begun
to realize the significance of Ylira’s comments about needing an anchor.
Without the addition of Sai’s presence and strength, my gem-poisoned mind was
like a storm tossed ship. I grew closer to sinking every time I used a stone
and I walked in a cloud of misery because of it. It was no secret I was unhappy
and I didn’t care who knew about it.

“Pre-flight training,” Aluce clarified. “You’re not leaving
the city.”

My mother cleared her throat. “I’d like to go over my
specialty gem with you in the afternoons,” she said. She took a small sip from
her goblet and proceeded to finish the rest of her meal.

I shook my head. “I mean no disrespect, but I don’t see how
the Fertility Gem is going to help me.” Both Hesper and Cole snorted. Their
father silenced them with a look.

“No, Aylen,” my mother clarified. “A different stone,
although I think you underestimate the Fertility Gem’s many uses.”

I sighed. “I thought I was going to be trained by those with
some of the most direct bloodlines. You specialize in another gem?” Why was there
still so much I didn’t know about my mother?

Aluce shifted in her seat and frowned. “I’m not sure that’s
a good idea Paelor. Time is limited and I don’t see the importance of it.”

My mother smiled and patted her lips with her napkin. “She’s
my daughter. I’ll decide what’s important.” She looked at me with an expression
that warned me not to argue. “Tomorrow. At half past noon I expect to see you
in my chambers.” She excused herself and rose from her seat. I watched in
silence, eyes wide with surprise. My mother had allowed Aluce to remain in
charge of most of my schedule. This was the first time I’d seen her interfere.

She left Iolar’s large dining room and we listened to her
footsteps echo across the polished stone floors of the entrance until they disappeared
entirely. I whirled around to face Aluce, my mouth agape.

“What’s she talking about?”

Aluce dropped her linen napkin onto the table. “Pardon me,”
she apologized. With a bow to Iolar and mumbled thanks for the meal, she
practically fled out of the room.

I stared after her until Hesper tapped her goblet with one
of her eating utensils. When I turned to face her, she rose her glass. “A toast
to Aylen,” she said, her voice trembling from what I knew was suppressed mirth.
“May the drama that has followed you since your arrival continue to eclipse the
small catastrophes I cause daily.”

I laughed.

“Hesper!” Iolar hissed. “If you believe I haven’t noticed
your inattention to the few simple tasks I’ve given you this week, you’re
mistaken. You’re lucky I’ve been too busy to properly address the issue.
However, after hearing your flippancy, that will end tonight.”

Hesper sighed but didn’t look too concerned as she took a
generous bite of her dessert.

I scooted my chair back in preparation to leave. “Where should
I meet you tomorrow?” I asked Cole as I gathered my dishes. Iolar waved a hand
at my efforts, excusing me.

“At the city entrance near the landing pad. I’ll be there
after breakfast.” He didn’t look up from his food as he spoke. I guessed he
wasn’t too thrilled about spending time with me either.

“I’ll be there,” I promised. I smiled at Hesper, thanked
Iolar for another wonderful meal prepared by his cook, and left the room.

I had made my way into the large entrance to his home and
was about to let myself out the front door when I heard footsteps approaching
from behind.

I turned to see Cole dashing toward me, my cloak in his
arms. I grimaced. I wasn’t used to all the heavy fabric I’d been draped with
since I’d arrived and even though the air was frigid in Et Loedin, I never felt
comfortable wrapped in so much clothing. It seemed as though I was always in
danger of being smothered.

“Thank you.” My attempt at a smile faltered but I held out
my arms as he extended it to me.

“I’ll walk you home,” Cole said. “You’re not to be alone
anywhere other than in your chambers. I’m in charge of making sure you arrive
there safely.”

For the second time that night, I rolled my eyes. I fingered
the necklace that never left my throat. “Most powerful gems in the world, remember?
I should be fine.”

Cole disregarded my comment with a shrug and led the way out
the door.

We walked in silence through the darkened streets of the
city and for once, he didn’t try to make conversation. We passed cozy houses,
lit from the inside with warm fires. A few people still lingered outdoors. Some
played instruments while others simply gazed at the stars crowning the
mountains in the distance.

When we reached the guest quarters, Cole walked with me as
far as my chamber door before he stopped.

“I think you’ll enjoy the pre-flight lesson,” he stated. I
sensed he was searching for something more to say. My instincts told me to help
him out a little and open up the conversation but I was too exhausted. And I
had other plans.