Heiress: Birthstone Series Book Two (20 page)

“That was only a part of it,” she said. I raised an eyebrow,
surprised. “If I was the only threat, the king would have probably left the
others. But he felt our abilities were dangerous. He knew they could prove
powerful.”

“What exactly is this gem?” I folded back the cloth and
immediately recognized the pale purple stone, similar to one already on my necklace.
The sensations coming from the gem were less noticeable than some of the others
and I could barely sense the familiar hum I’d come to know when a gem’s power
was within reach.

“It’s called the Empathy Gem.” 

I couldn’t hide the disappointment from my face. I’d been
expecting something a bit more frightening than a rock named for a passive
emotion. I held back a sigh of impatience.

“Aylen, don’t look like that!” my mother scolded. “You
remind me of Aluce with that expression and that’s something I never want to
see again.” I tried to paste a neutral expression on my face while she
continued.

“The story behind this gem is vague but we know that it was
named by a person whose greatest desire was to fully understand someone and
know their pain. The discoverer had to have been a very selfless person because
the best way to make the gem work is to emotionally put the needs of others
before your own.”

I shook my head, baffled. “But how is this something that
can help me end the king’s reign? What am I supposed to do with this?”

My mother’s eyes glinted dangerously in the firelight. She
leaned toward me, her face only inches from mine.

“Think, Aylen. Only when you completely understand someone,
why they make certain choices, what brings them pain, what motivates them, what
they want, then. . .” she paused and grasped my fingers, “you have complete
power over them.

I let her words sink in slowly. I tried to sort what she had
just told me but still, it didn’t make sense. How could I use the gem to gain
power over the king when I couldn’t even connect to it unless I put his needs
before my own? I opened my mouth to ask her but she pulled away and eyed me
from across the table.

“You and Aluce don’t see this as a valuable gem for the same
reasons. It’s motivated by selflessness and you worry that would make you doubt
your mission if you directed those feelings toward the king. But Aylen, putting
any person’s needs before your own will allow you to feel empathy for whoever
else is in your path. And you’ve already done that.”

“By coming here,” I whispered. I placed my hand over the gem
and felt its power zap my palm with heat. When the feeling ebbed, I closed my
eyes and focused on sensing my mother. I thought of her love for me and her
sacrifices to preserve my life. I concentrated on my desire for her safety and
happiness as the final outcome. I wished fervently that I could send her back
to Vairda where it was safe, even if it meant being without the comfort of her
presence.

Like I’d been hit in the stomach, the air seemed to whoosh
from my lungs. I gasped for a second, trying to inhale before I noticed another
sensation. A heavy, crushing weight seemed to press into me from all sides.

My eyes flew open and landed on my mother. I stared at her
and tried to sort through what I was feeling. When I understood, my lips parted
and I stared at her in awe. The depth of her love for me and my father was
nearly overwhelming. I experienced her sadness for my father’s absence which
she’d been trying to hide amidst her efficiency and duty. I sensed the enormous
pain for her lost parents still lingering in the recesses of her memory and her
regret at having to leave Vairda. And I felt her every fear, concern, and
sorrow and understood their sources. In that moment, I understood her better
than I knew myself.

“Detach from it,” my mother commanded. “It will consume you,
Aylen.”

I shook my head slowly. “You live with these emotions every
day. How?”

My mother reached over and pried open my shaking fingers.
Firmly, she pulled the gem from them. “Because they are mine. These trials,
these heartaches belong to me. They shape who I am just as yours shape you.”

I lifted a trembling hand to my eyes and swiped at them,
surprised to find tears I hadn’t known I’d shed.

“Aylen,” my mother said, “an Empathy Gem does not displace
your own emotions. It only adds more to what you already feel. And while it
allows you to deeply understand someone, it can give you pain that isn’t meant
for you.”

I nodded. I was still attempting to fully detach myself from
the gem but I could feel the weight of my mother’s burdens lifting from my
mind. As they did, I noticed a lingering sense of appreciation for what I’d
experienced. It was as though the gem had branded a hint of what my mother felt
permanently on my soul.

“You need to know, “she said, her tone gentle, “you’ll feel
more from me than most people when you use this gem. The connection to other
people won’t be quite as potent.”

“Why not?” I asked.

“Usually, you’ll only sense what a person feels without knowing
the cause or history behind it. But the closer blood connection you have to
someone, the more you’ll understand. You'll discern the reasons for their
emotions, the thoughts connected to them, what they choose to do because of
them.”

I was silent as this knowledge settled over me. I understood
where she was going with this and while I agreed with the idea, it terrified
me. “Do you really think I could use this against the king?”

Mom nodded emphatically. “You need to learn to temper it.
You can connect to it by degrees and once you have a strong sense of someone
and what they feel, you can detach from the gem. Start small, with people you
have little to no relation to. It won’t be so overwhelming then.”

I frowned. “I still can’t understand why it was worth wiping
out an entire tribe of people because they had the ability to feel someone
else’s pain. And if the king had no relation to anyone in the tribe, then there
was very little information that could be gleaned from using the gem on him at
the time.”

“Aylen, when my people understood someone’s greatest pain,
it became easy to use it against them.” My mother swallowed hard and set the
gem back on the table where it rose several inches in the air and hovered. “It
was also a carefully guarded secret that when the heart of the Empathy Gem was
exposed, we could manipulate another person’s emotions. While that wasn’t
typically the way our tribe used our gems, it remained a possibility. This
provided ways of controlling people. Because of the king’s insistence on destroying
my tribe, I’ve wondered if he may have discovered this aspect of our gem. It
could even be that there was something he simply didn’t want us to know.”

I sat in silence again for several moments, contemplating
her words. Did she want me to find a way to get in close proximity to my
grandfather? Using the Empathy Gem on him made sense. It would give me insight
into his mind and possibly allow me to pinpoint something that would bring him
down.

I sucked in a lungful of air. “When?”

“You’ll know when the time is right. You’re not to leave Et
Loedin right now and the situation would need to be as safe as possible. For
now, learn to control the gem. Don’t allow it to control you.”

I gave her a slight nod but looked away in thought. She was
right. I had to be in complete control of my abilities before I went anywhere
near someone like the king. So far, I hadn’t made much progress in mastering
most of my gems but wasn’t that the reason I was in Et Loedin? And whether I
liked it or not, every lesson would take me closer to saving these people.

Everyone was surprised when some of my trainers arrived the
next evening.

“Didn’t Aluce say they were delayed?” I whispered to Hesper
as we stood near Et Loedin’s entrance. We peered at the dark, cloud-filled
skies, in search of the flyers who were transporting my trainers into the city.
“I’d counted on having some free time.”

“That was very optimistic of you,” Hesper said. She pointed
to a terrified looking woman strapped to one of the flyers. Their approach into
the city was faster than some of the others and the woman’s mouth was open in a
soundless scream. “Oh, I’ll bet she’s a fun one.”

I shrugged and turned away, too tired to laugh.

I’d managed to get through another unsuccessful flight
lesson with Cole that morning and my failure to fly had left me exhausted.
Later, when I’d met with my mother again, I’d had no problem using the Empathy
Gem but this time, besides my mother’s emotions, I’d felt the emotions of
everyone within the same building. The sensation was so overwhelming, I’d
nearly collapsed.

“This isn’t typical,” my mother had said after I’d broken
the connection. Even then, there had been a lingering heaviness, as though I
was still linked to those nearby.

“So much for starting off small,” I’d gasped.

Mom had watched me warily for several minutes while I tried
to clear my mind.

“No more,” she eventually said. “Rest for the day.”

When she excused me, her eyes betrayed her alarm.

Now, as I watched the arrival of those who’d be teaching me,
I couldn’t deny the apprehension I felt. If I was already worn out after two
simple lessons, how would I handle several a day?

Hesper linked her arm through mine and turned us away from
the landing pad. “We should escape for a while before it’s too late. Aluce will
have new instructions for you in a matter of minutes.”

I sighed and allowed my friend to lead me into the town
square. We passed a small bread stand and stopped long enough to each purchase
a soft, nut covered sweet roll before we continued on.

“Since Aluce has put Gil in charge of your schedule, maybe
he’ll go easy on you,” Hesper said between bites.

“Now
you
sound overly optimistic,” I retorted.

She giggled. “Gil’s an easy subject for optimism.”

“Oh, you like the rugged, rebellious Weather Gem types?”

Hesper didn’t even blush. “What’s not to like?”

I shook my head but fell silent, too intent on finishing my
warm roll before it froze in the cold air. When we finally reached the entrance
to my building, Aluce was already waiting for me.

“You have an early morning ahead of you and I want to
discuss tomorrow’s plans before you retire for the night,” she said. She
glanced sharply at Hesper who excused herself with an apologetic smile.

Once I’d said goodbye, I followed Aluce back to her chambers
and took a seat near her fireplace. After she stoked the fire, she sat across
from me and pulled out a piece of parchment from inside her cloak. 

“Those are today’s arrivals,” she explained, passing me the
paper. “Yuta of the Passion Gem, Bevalow of the Healers, Dierchae of the
Destroyers, Virinna of the Endurance Gem. . .”

“I can read,” I muttered. My eyes scanned the list of names.
Altogether, ten trainers had arrived. Besides the four Aluce had read out loud,
I would receive training on Concealment, Youth, Travel, Protection, Light, and
Beauty.

“Couldn’t you have trained me on the Youth Gem?” I asked.
“Did we really need another trainer for that?”

Aluce shook her head. “I don’t have time. I’m already
overseeing too much. I need someone who can fully dedicate themselves to the
task.”

“Is that really necessary, though?” I squinted at the list
of gem purposes. “Beauty? Seriously? How is that going to help me?”

“Many a person has been conquered by a beautiful face,”
Aluce said flippantly.

When I scowled, she laughed. “Don’t worry. I’ve received
word that more are expected to arrive tomorrow. You’ll have plenty of other
gems to learn. We’ll keep the less crucial gems to minimal training.”

“I haven’t heard anything about being trained on the Wisdom
Gem,” I said. “Is that on the crucial list?”

The faint lines around Aluce’s eyes and lips tightened. “You
won’t be training on the Wisdom Gem.”

I stared at her. “Why, in Vairda’s name, not?

Aluce took a deep breath. “Aylen, there’s so much you have
to concentrate on and you can’t afford distractions. Information from a Wisdom
Gem can easily become obsolete. People, King Shir included, shift and alter
their decisions all the time.” She reached out and fingered the blue jewel on
my necklace. “Still, those who have access to the gems often become obsessed
with trying to learn every possible outcome to every choice. They lose the
ability to make intelligent decisions on their own. They forget how to think
for themselves.”

“But if I don’t use the gem to understand future decisions-
if I use it to only receive guidance for my present circumstances, can’t it
help?”

She saw through my question. “If you check on Sai and you
don’t like what he’s doing while you’re away, how will it affect your focus
while you try to master your gems?” When I didn’t respond, she continued. “There’s
a reason the Wisdom Tribe has gone into hiding. They know how damaging their
abilities can be to those who overuse them. For now, Aylen, promise me you
won’t use the Wisdom Gem. It will make you second guess your decisions. It will
damage your ability to concentrate and weaken your resolve. You’d be feeding
your self-doubt by relying on an external force for guidance.”

I hated that she was right. There were plenty of times when
Aluces instructions seemed restrictive, but this time, I knew I couldn’t
disobey her. Not when I was already struggling for confidence in my abilities
and control over my gems.

“I promise,” I finally whispered.

“Good,” she said. “Someday, the gem will come in handy, but
right now, it’s not worth the risk.”

I scanned the list again, looking for a change of subject. “Gil
will break these up over several days at least, won’t he? So much at once will
be exhausting.”