Heiress: Birthstone Series Book Two (28 page)

I eagerly watched as she spread the pieces on the table, one
by one. There were ten trinkets, some hanging on chains long enough for
necklaces. Most were attached to hair pieces or bracelets. I examined them
carefully, searching for the exact symbol I’d seen. Trees of unique shapes and
sizes adorned each piece of jewelry. Only one came close to what I was looking
for. It lacked the lightning strike and the branches were closer together. The
trunk was slightly more warped than what I’d seen on the wall and in the
cavern, but I wondered if that was just a lack of craftsmanship in the piece.

“That one is my favorite,” I said, pointing to the necklace.
“It’s the closest to what I think she would like.”

The woman pursed her lips and studied me for several long
seconds. Finally, she nodded. “I have others similar to that if you would like
to see?”

Before I could respond, she turned, rummaged through her
boxes and pulled out more jewelry. She swiped the others to the side before she
displayed the new items on the worn wood. There were at least twenty pieces.

This time, they all closely resembled the tree I’d seen with
few variations. It was then I realized I was being tested.

I glanced up at her, my eyes wide. Her stern expression
didn’t change. Instead, she only raised an eyebrow, waiting for me to choose.

I studied them in awe, trying to remember exactly what I’d
seen on the wall. It had only been a crude carving and the details hadn’t
seemed nearly as important as they did now. A few of the trees had slight knots
in the trunk and some had branches that spread in different directions than
others. Some had suns above them, others clouds and even more with lightning
strikes. Immediately, I searched through those, sorting out the ones that had
branches too close together or trunks that were too knotty. After several
minutes, I’d narrowed it down to two. Both were near perfect replicas of the
one I’d seen on the wall with one exception. One of them had a tiny imprint of
a hand in the trunk, just like the door in the cavern.

I knew if anything should have been the symbol for the
rebellion,
that
should have been it. I’d personally seen the power
behind that door and what it meant. Could the artist who’d carved on the wall
accidentally left out the hand print? I rubbed at my jaw with my knuckles, deep
in thought. Time was running short and Haji, Lirig, and Faema would be
wondering where I’d gone. I had to make a decision.

 With a shake of my head, I pointed to the symbol without
the hand print. “I think that’s the one she wants,” I whispered. My voice
cracked and I cleared my throat.

“Are you sure?”

I met the woman’s eyes again and tried to read her
expression. It revealed nothing.

“Yes,” I said, this time with more surety in my tone. “How
much?” I cringed inwardly, knowing I had nothing to offer her.

“What will you trade?” she asked.

The only thing I had was my weapons, and I knew I needed
those. But I needed to see where this would go. Biting my lip, I yanked the
stone knife I’d hand carved in Vairda out of my boot. The handle was worn but
sturdy and I’d kept the blade sharp.

When I set it down on the table, the woman’s mouth twitched
for the first time. “I’ve never seen a blade like this. Where did you get it?”

“I made it.”

“Where did you get this type of material?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

Her eyes snapped up. She narrowed them as she studied me.
Finally, her hand shot out and snatched the knife. It was buried in her cloak
before I could blink.

“It’s a good trade,” she said. She turned, reached for a
piece of parchment, and wrapped the necklace I’d chosen inside. After she’d
thrust it into my hands she looked at me expectantly, waiting for something.

“Thank you,” I mumbled, disappointed. As I turned to leave
she grabbed the hem of my vest.

“Inside the parchment is the place where our jewelry is
created. Some have found more of what they’re looking for when they’ve
visited.” Her mouth quirked up at the corners. “But then, some have been killed
for trying to make unfair trades.”

I yanked my vest from her fingers. “Thanks for the warning,”
I said. “Who would have thought jewelry making and murder would go hand in
hand?” Before she could respond, I tucked the wrapped necklace in my fist and
strode away.

Once I reached the bottom of the hill outside the city, I
raced through the forest in search of the place where I’d left the rest of my
gear. After I’d retrieved it, I made my way to the last place I’d seen the
group.

 I slowed as I drew near and listened for the sound of
voices. We’d learned to be cautious when speaking in case anyone was close
enough to overhear so I wasn’t surprised when the forest was silent. I rounded
a cluster of twisted, large trees with entangled trunks, and glanced around the
camp.

Lirig saw me first and rose from where he sat, grim faced.
His spear was out and had been aimed at Nil who was strapped to one of the
trees.

“Sai!” Faema cried out when she spotted me. “Where have you
been?”

I dropped my gear with a grunt. “Did anyone come near the
camp? Soldiers? Strangers?”

“I scouted around and came across a couple soldiers close
by,” Haji said. I glanced at her. She sat alone on the ground, nursing one of
her arms. Blood seeped through the cloth wrapped around her skin. One of her
eyes was swollen and her face and arms showed several bruises and scratches.

“What happened?” I demanded. I strode toward her and
crouched down. Gently, I peeled back the cloth. The cut was sword-made and
dangerously deep.

“I won,” she said. “With Lirig’s help.”  She pulled her arm
away and wrapped the bandage tighter.

“They think Nil led the soldiers here,” Faema said. Her
voice wavered.

“I have no doubt he did.” I glared at Nil, slumped against
the tree.

I reached into my vest, retrieved the sign I’d ripped from
the wall, and dropped it at his feet.

“I ran into some of your friends today, Nil,” I said,
between clenched teeth. “Seems they heard you were planning on helping King
Shir’s men get ahold of some foreigners. They all had a good laugh over that.
Apparently, your reputation for following through isn’t that great.” I leaned
in close to him and willed him to look me in the eyes. When he didn’t, I
chuckled. “You thought we’d fix all that for you, didn’t you? Four foreigners
would make you the best trader in the land? Isn’t that right?”

Lirig drew toward us and picked up the parchment. While he
skimmed it, his eyes turned stormy. A few moments later, he crumpled the notice
and threw it at Nil. “Haji could have been killed! We all could have! I ought
to-“

“No!” Faema yelled. “Just leave him. He can’t come after us
if he’s tied to a tree.”

Lirig opened his mouth to protest but Haji cut him off.
“Faema’s right. Whether the king’s warriors or wild animals find him isn’t our
concern. I’m not going to have his blood on our hands. I’d like to retain at
least a little of my Vairdan honor if I can.”

I looked at Lirig, waiting for him to respond. Finally, with
a resigned sigh, he answered with a curt nod of his head.

“We’ll leave just after sundown,” I said, turning my back on
the traitor.

“Where are we going?” Faema asked.

My smile was grim. “I’ll let you know on the way. Just trust
me.”

When the sky had turned dusky and the forest was filled with
the haunted sounds of unfamiliar night animals, we turned our backs on Nil and
set out. Lirig didn’t say anything more to him as he hoisted Haji’s and his own
gear onto his back. Haji kept her focus on staunching the blood flow from her
wound. She’d grown increasingly pale as the night went on and I knew she needed
help quickly. We didn’t have any of the plant that had knit my cut back
together during our journey and we knew too little about the area to find
something similar.

Only Faema paused to have one last conversation with Nil. I
stayed behind with her and waited. Still bound to the tree, Nil looked up and
met her eyes.

“It isn’t what you think, Faema,” he whispered.

She shook her head. “I don’t know how I can believe you.”

Nil’s eyes darted to me and then back to Faema again. “When
I went to get your supplies, I told some of my friends that I thought I’d found
some foreigners. They must have reported me. It was stupid. I shouldn’t have
said anything.”

“Nil, I saw you going into the city at night when you
thought we were asleep. You’ve done nothing but lie to us.” I struggled to keep
my tone steady.

Nil’s eyes never left Faema’s. “That was my sister in the
first village we visited. The soldiers knew I would go there first. When I saw
how seriously they took my claims, I began checking the cities at night to make
sure no one had been asking about me. Everywhere I went, though, the king’s men
had been searching for me. I was trying to keep us safe.”

“Nil . . .” Faema whispered.

“I thought they’d lose interest. I thought they’d find
someone more important to pay attention to.” Nil’s voice was desperate now.

Faema turned to me, her eyes wide, brimming with tears. I
looked from her to Nil and shook my head. “We can’t trust him. We were foolish
to trust anyone in the first place.”

Faema turned back to Nil, her shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry.
I have to be loyal to my friends.”

I held my hand out to her and she took it. She swiped her
other hand across her eyes as I led her in to the trees.

“I’m telling the truth, Faema!” Nil screamed behind us. “I
would have died before I’d have let anyone hurt you!”

I put my arm around Faema and pulled her to me as we walked.
She stared ahead, cold resolve in her eyes. But despair flickered there as
well. When we caught up with Lirig and Haji, she pulled away and forged on
ahead of the rest of us.

“Well, that was quite the scene,” Lirig muttered. “I’ll be
surprised if that doesn’t attract the attention of every soldier within fifty
leagues.

“We’ll be long gone before they get here,” I promised.

Haji winced as she shifted her arm. With a quick glance my
way, she said, “Nilym might have been telling the truth. He did seem surprised
to see all of those soldiers back at the village. Remember how he wanted our
help?”

Lirig snorted. “Only because he’d gotten his sister in
trouble.”

Haji sent a furtive glance toward Faema who had gone far
enough ahead that I thought she was out of earshot. “Faema was happier in the
last few days with Nil here. Yes, she was still rude and obnoxious at times,
but it was obvious she liked his company. His attention made her happy.
Couldn’t he come with us? We could guard him until we reach our destination.
Maybe those leading the rebellion could figure out what to do with him.”

I halted and glanced back through the trees. I didn’t want
to take responsibility for keeping Nil out of trouble but I couldn’t deny Faema
had been easier with him around. And I was having doubts about his guilt.

“I’m not sure how, but maybe some of his knowledge will come
in handy again.” I winced, wondering if I was making a giant mistake.

“Then go,” Haji said. “Hurry. I need to find someone who can
heal my arm.”

I turned and ran. I didn’t think we’d gone very far already,
but by the time I reached Nil, I found he’d already managed to free one hand
and was rapidly at work freeing the other.

“Those were pretty strong knots. You must be familiar with
having your hands bound,” I said with a wry smile.

“You come to finish me off?” he asked.

I took a step toward him and withdrew my sword. “The girls
want me to have pity on you.” I sliced the remaining coils of rope. “So, now
you’re coming with us.” I hauled him up by the back of his vest. “Call your
stupid bird and grab your things. And walk in front of me. We’re doing this my
way now.”

Nil was strangely obedient. He remained solemn as he marched
in front of me with my sword at his back. We moved through the trees quickly,
our pace steady as the night deepened. By the time we caught up with the rest
of the group, we were nearly at the edge of the forest.

As we approached, Faema gave me a tight smile before letting
her gaze land on Nil. His look was pleading but she only shook her head and
turned away. Haji gave me an approving nod.

“Where are we headed?” Lirig asked.

I reached into my vest and pulled out the parchment wrapped
necklace. Under the watchful gaze of my companions, I unwrapped the parcel and
held up the tree symbol. “This will get us into wherever the rebellion meets.”
I passed the necklace to Lirig and examined the parchment in search of
instructions.

When it was obvious I was looking for something and unable
to find it, Nil cleared his throat. “Perhaps it’s only visible after it’s
altered.”

“Altered?”

“Sometimes people create a type of parchment that will
reveal information after it’s been immersed in something. Usually oil. Then it
can be used for kindling and destroyed once the message is read.”

“Do we have oil?” Haji asked.

Nil grinned, which bothered me. He really wasn’t in a position
to be so arrogant. “In my pack,” he said.

Rolling my eyes, I yanked it off his back and began to
rummage through it. When I found a small vial of oil, I drizzled a few drops
onto the paper and used my fingers to spread it around.

It took a few moments for an image to appear. Instead of
words or a message, it was a small sketch of an alley next to the tavern I’d
been to earlier that day.

Nil, who was looking over my shoulder, guffawed. “That’s
where we’re going? The only thing you’re going to find there are a bunch of
drunks and men hiding from their wives. Besides, it’s going to look suspicious
to go traipsing around there with a group of five.”