Heiress: Birthstone Series Book Two (19 page)

Feeling slightly guilty, I opened my door, and said,
“Probably. I guess we’ll find out tomorrow,” before shutting it soundly between
us. I waited for his footsteps to recede down the hall before I peered out.

Once I was sure the halls were clear, I tiptoed toward my
mother’s chamber and leaned softly against the door. Just as I’d thought, I
heard Aluce’s voice.

“You were once a fighter, Paelor,” she said. “Do not let
what was done to you make you weak. Remember what happened to my family? I’m
stronger because of it.”

“Strong or reckless?” my mother responded. “I’ve watched you
use your grief to fuel manipulation and greed. You’ll stop at nothing to
accomplish your goals.”

Aluce laughed the cold, calculated chuckle I hated. “I know
what must be done to finish this. Fear controls your choices. You’re only
holding Aylen back.”

My mother’s voice dropped and I strained to hear her. “I
know what will help my daughter better than you. Make no mistake Aluce, I
haven’t forgotten how to fight. My methods will only benefit her and I defy anyone
who attempts to take away her choice in how to handle this burden. That
includes you. Remember, I have more bloodlines than you. I will use every
single one of them in my daughter’s defense. Do
not
question my
strength.”

“You weren’t always so concerned with letting Aylen make her
own choices.”

“And look where that got me. Learn from my mistakes, Aluce.
She’s proven herself now and she deserves the opportunity to choose for herself
how to go forward.”

I heard the tap of footsteps as someone shifted on the other
side of the door. I staggered backwards and crept down the hall toward my
chamber. Their words spun around my mind, a whirlwind amidst the emotions that
had already claimed space there.

After I collapsed into bed, I continued to think about
everything until nothing made sense anymore. But then, I remembered, things had
stopped making sense long ago.

Cole was waiting for me when I arrived at the designated
location in the morning. Hesper was by my side. In the past several days, she
and Gil had been my closest companions and being near them made me feel like a
regular person. Almost.

“You’re not staying,” Cole said to his sister as we
approached.

Hesper smiled sweetly. “Of course I am. Someone needs to be
chaperone.”

The idea of needing a chaperone around Cole was so
ridiculous I choked on my laughter until I noticed Cole’s face. His skin had
turned several shades pinker and his eyebrows were drawn together in a glower
so tight, he could have held his Sky Gem between them.

I wasn’t sure what had offended him so deeply but I didn’t
want him to feel as uncomfortable as he’d made me my first days in the city.
Hoping to ease the tension, I nudged Hesper with my shoulder. “We’ll be fine.
Go talk to Gil. He’s probably bored today.”

Hesper’s eyes lit up at this suggestion. With a final saucy
grin for her brother, she flounced away. I waited for his gaze to find its way
back to me before I attempted a smile.

“I’m sorry about shutting the door on you last night,” I
offered when his eyes found me. “I was out of sorts.”

“That seems to be the standard, doesn’t it?” He fiddled with
the pale yellow gem attached to a leather string tied around his neck.

I drew back, slightly hurt. Even though I knew he was
referring to my less than gleeful attitude, I asked “What’s that supposed to
mean?”

Cole shook his head. “Nothing. I shouldn’t have . . .,” he
paused to suck in a deep breath. With a grimace, his fingers reached for my
necklace and clamped down on a gem similar to his. “This is your Sky Gem. Can
you connect to it?”

I pulled away from him and lifted the necklace from around
my neck. When I located the Sky Gem, I let it rest in my palm so I could study
it. Like Cole’s, mine was a pale yellow and had a golden heart beating deep
within. Turquoise veins wove a spider web of color throughout its body. I
concentrated on discerning its voice amongst the others. As usual, it wasn’t
easy but perhaps something about being on the top of a mountain, out in the
open, helped.

A moment later, I thought I tasted cloud and sunlight. When
I heard the beat of wings and grasped hold of an image of someone soaring into
the sky from the top of a mountain, I knew I’d found it. I replaced the
necklace around my neck and met Cole’s eyes.

“Now what?”

Cole took another deep breath. “This is the difficult part.
It’s different for everyone.” He leaned in slightly, the intensity in his gaze
growing. “What gives you wings?”

A smile played at the corners of my mouth. “Explain.”

“This gem’s power was born out of elation. The founder felt
so much joy in the moment the stone was discovered, he wanted to soar. You have
to decide what brings you enough joy to inspire you to fly.”

“Well, that complicates things,” I said.

Cole wrinkled his forehead. “Why?”

“I just assumed the gem founder’s deepest desire was simply
to fly. I didn’t consider where that desire came from. Right now, I’m
struggling to find enough joy to inspire me to do much of anything.”

“You can’t think of any reasons to be happy?”

“Happy is only a mild form of joy. Which did you mean?” I
asked.

Cole sighed. “You honestly can’t figure it out yourself?”

“I’m not the instructor am I? I’m simply asking you to
clarify what you need me to do.”

Cole’s jaw grew hard and his shoulders stiffened. For a
moment I felt a twinge of remorse for aggravating him but part of me was
satisfied. His self-righteous lectures over the last few days made it easy for
me to be difficult.

“Joy. Elation. Euphoria. Rapture.” Cole said every word
between clenched teeth. “They all mean the same thing. Pick your favorite word.
That’s what you need to feel.”

I fixed a steely gaze on him and shrugged. “Like I said,
there’s no reason to feel any of those emotions so I guess this is a failure
from the start.”

With what sounded like a growl, Cole ran his fingers through
his hair and turned his back to me.

“I’ve had enough!” he said. He began to storm away but
paused before stomping toward me again. “I’ve never seen someone mope so much.
You’ve only just come to our land but you’ve already got legions of followers
forming armies in your behalf since your arrival. You’re wearing the most
powerful weapon in the world.” He paused to take a breath amidst his rage. I
opened my mouth to stop his tirade but he cut me off. “Our entire city is
willing to do anything for your comfort. What can possibly be so bad that you
can’t even fake enthusiasm just for our citizens’ benefit?” Cole shook his
head. “I can’t believe we’re relying on you to save us. We’re doomed.”

He didn’t wait for me to respond, but it was probably for
the best. I wouldn’t have known what to say anyway. Instead, I watched in
silence as Cole stormed away. He muttered under his breath as he went, sending
little white puffs of air above his head with each step.

After he’d disappeared from sight, I stayed there, rooted to
the ground. I stared out at the vast space between the distant mountains and Et
Loedin and tried to block out Cole’s words but still, they settled over me like
a blanket of fog, chilling me to my core.

I didn’t want to believe anything he’d said. Could his words
be spoken out of jealousy? Since I’d arrived, he’d acted as though he wished
the responsibilities I’d been given were his. It had to be his own envy
speaking.

Didn’t he realize I had left behind everything of importance
in my life to save a land of strangers? I struggled every day to stay in
control of the gems and I was obedient to whatever Aluce told me to do. My
father had been ripped from my side nearly the moment after I’d set foot on the
mainland, but in spite of all this, I’d been selfless enough to choose this
instead of refusing the responsibility.

But still.

If I was to be honest with myself, my decision hadn’t been
entirely honorable. I’d come to Miranasch because the gems and Aluce had told
me there was no other option. I’d made my choice based on what should be done
rather than what my heart desperately desired. And every day since, whether on
the ship or in Et Loedin, I had worn my bitterness like a badge because of it.

I sunk to the frigid ground and knelt there, still and
silent. Time passed as I watched a few flyers leave and others arrive, some
carrying supplies from other parts of the kingdom. They seemed so carefree when
they were winged. Delight poured from their faces the moment they took flight
and spun through the air.

Desperately, I searched for what would give me a reason to
fly. My heart ached too deeply with the loss of Sai to find inspiration in
thoughts of him. The lack of my father’s presence and my worry for him was a
constant reminder of what I would soon face so I would need to turn my thoughts
from him as well.

I sighed. For the moment, flying was a lost cause. But my
behavior wasn’t. Cole certainly wasn’t trying to see things from my
perspective, but that didn’t need to stop me from trying to see things from
his. With new resolve, I stood. It was nearly time to meet my mother but I knew
I’d come back the next day in hopes of finding Cole. I needed to set things
right.

When I turned to go, I stumbled to a stop. Motionless as a
statue, Cole stood only a few paces away.

“I shouldn’t have spoken to you that way,” he said, before I
could acknowledge him. “I’d like to apologize.”

I shrugged weakly. “You had some good points. It hurt but I
needed to hear it.”

Cole shook his head. “Hesper keeps telling me how difficult
this is for you but I just don’t understand.” He took a step closer. “I mean,
you’re everybody’s hero. Don’t you want to rise to the occasion?”

“I never wanted to be a hero, Cole.”

He chuckled softly. “Everybody wants to be a hero at some
point.”

I thought about it for a moment. “Maybe, but I wouldn’t have
chosen this particular path to heroism.”

Cole studied me. Then, with a confident gleam in his eye, he
strode toward me. He was only inches away when he halted. I felt his warm
breath on my face as he leaned in closer.

“No one chooses their path to heroism, Aylen. But how we
decide to act once the opportunity arises will determine whether we’re heroes
or cowards.

His eyes searched mine for some kind of response. I didn’t
know how to answer. Finally, when the city clock began to chime, he backed
away.

“See you tomorrow, Princess,” he said. For the second time
that day, I stared after him, my cheeks warm despite the frosty air.

When I realized I was late for my next training session, I
began to run.

Once I arrived at my mother’s chambers, she was already
seated at a small table, waiting for me. Her chair was positioned near the
hearth where a fire blazed. She watched as I approached, a little smile on her
lips.

“How did you enjoy your lesson?” she asked after I slid into
the seat across from her.

I gave her a sheepish frown. “It didn’t go as planned.”

She laughed, the genuine hearty chuckle I hadn’t heard since
my father had left. “I didn’t think it would.” She waved her hand dismissively.
“Don’t rush it. Despite what everyone says, you need to learn things in your
way and on your own time.”

I pointed to the gem hovering above the table’s surface.
“So, what am I learning about today and why does Aluce think this is a waste of
time?”

My mother eyed me with suspicion. “How much did you hear
last night?”

“Enough to know she doesn’t see this as important.”

Mom sighed. “She sees the importance more than she lets on.
In fact, I think it scares her because it will mean many of her tactics aren’t
as effective as she believes.” She motioned toward the chair across from her.
“Sit down after you put your necklace on my bed. I don’t want you to have
physical contact with it during your training session.”

I obeyed her request happily. Separating myself from the
necklace didn’t completely remove the constant barrage of emotions and voices,
but it certainly helped.

When I slid into the seat, my mother held out what I guessed
was a gem wrapped in cloth. “This will be yours to practice with until you
learn to recognize it easily. Without practice and an understanding of its
value, it will seem less powerful when placed next to the others at first.
However, because you have such close blood ties to it, this gem may eventually
become one you’ll have the strongest connection to.”

“What does it do?” I asked. I weighed the small bundle in my
hand and tried to sense the power hiding behind the exterior layer.

My mother touched my hand. “It’s one of the few gems from my
original tribe. You and I are the sole survivors.”

I figured I knew the answer to my next question but I asked
anyway. “What happened to the rest of the tribe.”

Mom shook her head and looked away for a moment. When her
eyes found mine again, they brimmed with pain. “Your grandfather wiped them out
when I was just a child. I was meant to be among the dead, but someone spared
me.”

“Who?”

She smiled wistfully. “Your father.”

“But then he was just a child too,” I gasped.

“Yes,” she nodded. “He was.”

When she saw my surprise, she chuckled softly. “My people
were somewhat nomadic. We traveled from place to place because our abilities
made it difficult to become attached to one location. It proved complicated and
. . .” she paused and grimaced, “painful at times. Because of our travels, my
ancestors ended up mixing gem bloodlines over several generations. That was how
I was born a blood heiress to numerous gems.”

“And your tribe was destroyed because your bloodlines were a
threat,” I finished for her.