Heiress: Birthstone Series Book Two (30 page)

I laughed. “I have other interests I need to focus on.”

“He said you mentioned a boy back on the island.”

The smile instantly bled from my face. “Vairda is far away
now. And so is Sai.”

Hesper squeezed my arm. “Sorry. It’s obviously not an easy
subject.”

I tried to shrug it off like it wasn’t a big deal. “Want to
walk me to the map rooms? I have some time before my next training session and
I think a visit with my mother is long overdue.”

Inside Et Loedin’s main council building, Hesper and I
followed one of the long tunnels that led into the mountain. I hadn’t been
through this particular antechamber in a while and I was surprised again at how
many doors lined the walls on each side.

“I never come here. I tend to stay away from places where
boring city leaders like my father congregate to discuss boring city things,”
Hesper told me as we walked. I smiled at her flippancy.

The hall forked in two directions and when I paused in
confusion, Hesper steered me toward the one on my right. There were so many
halls and chambers to keep straight. “Most of our battle strategies and war
councils happen down here,” she reminded me.

After passing several more doors, we’d nearly reached the
end of the hall. She stopped in front of the second to last door. “Your mother
should be in here or the next one down,” she whispered. “Come find me later?”

“Of course. I won’t be long.” I thanked her and walked into
the chamber.

The room was large and bright with Light Gems set into
sconces along the walls. Covering every wall from top to bottom were maps of
all sizes. Many had regions outlined in different colors while others had tiny
sets of notes pinned in various places. The largest cities were usually
surrounded by black ink with pockets of green interspersed. Blue seemed to
cover the least populated areas.

Books with spines thicker than the span of my hand were
stacked upon an intricately carved desk in one of the furthest corners. On the
main table in the center of the room were rolls and rolls of parchment bound
together in groups. Nearby, smaller sheets of parchment had been flattened and
stacked on top of one another. One glance around the room let me know it was
empty.

I stepped toward the table and pulled out one of the seats
placed around it. Easing myself onto the chair’s green cushion, I reached for
the stack of flattened paper. When I drew it toward me, I recognized my
father’s handwriting.

My eyes skimmed his words and a flood of emotions washed
over me. I missed him so much! I wondered if he’d written more than my mother
had let on and as I flipped through the papers, I realized I only recognized a
few of the messages.

I pulled the letters closer and read them hungrily,
absorbing each sentence like a parched flower in a rainstorm.  He told of the
people he was meeting who were without hope until he promised them help was
coming. He mentioned the small skirmishes he’d fought in and how the rebellion
was planning a much bigger battle at the gates of Galaetha. And he talked of
his trust in me.

I miss you both but it has been miraculous to see the
change in people when I tell them about our girl. I have perfect faith in her
abilities. I believe those who have suffered can sense that and it brings them
hope. At times, after a battle in which we’ve freed a small town or village
from occupation, I realize how much we have left to accomplish but how happy I
am to be home in Miranasch, helping these people we left so long ago. They need
us now. They need our daughter.

I have coordinated with your brother and those he trusts
to correspond with me. He’ll be waiting for me in Galaetha on the same day of
the battle. It should be enough of a distraction for him to pass the
information he has to me without drawing notice. He is watched often and in
constant communication with my father so it’s difficult for him to remain
unobserved at any time.

Once I have met with him, I’ll return to you and Aylen.

I glanced at the letter’s heading and realized it had been
sent only days ago. It must have been brought in by a Sky Dweller. It was too
lengthy to have been sent by bird.

I sunk lower in my seat and thought about my father’s words.
While he was out rallying people and trying to convince them I existed, I was
holed up in Et Loedin, warm and safe every night. He was fighting battles and
freeing villages while I played at sword fighting with friends. And still, he
had perfect faith in me. At this point, I wasn’t sure I’d done anything to
deserve it.

 How long did I have before the battle in Galaetha? I
remembered how, during our flight to Et Loedin, Iolar had told me the king
lived there. If that was true, would a rebel invasion pave the way for me to
get close enough to use the Empathy Gem on him?

Although I hadn’t talked about it with anyone, I still
believed understanding him would provide the answers to his defeat. Ever since
my first Empathy training with my mother, the idea had settled firmly in my
mind, but I hadn’t yet decided on a way to implement it. Now, as I thought
about my current situation, I wondered if this might be the only opportunity I
had before Aluce began to monitor my every moment again. My training sessions
had grown fewer and more spread out and I doubted my time would remain
unmonitored for very long.

I heard the door creak and I quickly shoved the letter I’d
read to the bottom of the stack. As my mother entered the room, I stood and
faced her.

“Aylen! Why aren’t you with your instructors?” she asked,
her eyes wide and startled.

“Why haven’t you shared Dad’s latest letters with me? Have
you forgotten I’m here?”

She dropped her head and clasped her hands in front of her.
“Aluce felt it served as a distraction. We were hoping he’d be back before
you’d have time to wonder.”

“You didn’t think I’d wonder about it every day? He’s my
father. I miss him as much as you do.”

Mom lifted her head. “I know and I’m sorry. I disagreed with
her initially but she pointed out the trouble you’d had focusing and some of
the struggles you faced in training early on. Leaving Sai was difficult and we
didn’t want anything more to take your attention away from what mattered. You
already have so much to concentrate on.”

I took a step toward her. “You do realize that Aluce just
said whatever she needed so you’d do what she wanted, right? She just doesn’t
want me to have a reason to leave Et Loedin unless it’s under her conditions.”

“That may be so but I agreed with her this time.”

“Where has she been?” I folded my arms and set my mouth in a
firm line.

She sighed and rubbed at her temple with her fingers. “She’s
currently gathering leaders of tribes and cities. She wants them in attendance
when you’re presented.”

I stared at her blankly.

“She and your father agree that if many of the influential
leaders throughout the land can see you in person and witness your abilities,
it will unify the people much more than anything else.” My mother paused.
“You’ll be exhibiting what you’ve learned in a month.”

I thought about this for several moments. If this was
Aluce’s idea, then she likely had certain skills she wanted me to display. This
was probably the reason she’d kept my schedule so regimented.

“When will I learn what she wants me to do?” I asked. “I
need time to prepare if she has specifics in mind.”

The corners of my mother’s mouth immediately turned up. “I
can’t imagine you doing everything she tells you anyway. So, what does it matter?”

“I’d like to know so I can plan to throw in my own special
touches here and there.” I managed to grin. “But you’re right. It really
doesn’t matter. I’ll figure something out regardless.”

Mom nodded. “Good girl.”

I eyed her for a moment before sighing. “Don’t keep things
from me again. I thought we were past all this. I’m the one people are counting
on to finish this so I’m entitled to information.”

“I agree,” she said. “To prove it, I’ll show you what I’ve
been working on.” She motioned for me to follow her and led me across the room
to one of the walls of maps. She ran her finger along a cluster of dark
markings.

“The black represents King Shir’s strongholds,” she
explained. “The green is where battles were fought. You can see a few in the
outlying areas but most have been inside some of the cities.”

“And the blue?”

“Those are the people we still have left to reach. Many
towns are currently occupied by soldiers and a lot of people are being forced
to serve time in the mines. Those we haven’t reached are scattered throughout
minor villages and towns and across farmland so they’re not easy to make
contact with. The rebellion keeps mostly to the larger cities in underground
hubs.”

I stepped closer to the maps to study them. I didn’t
recognize most of the names but occasionally, I spotted a city that sounded
familiar. Finally, I saw the large black mass that I knew must be Galaetha. Its
black marked borders seemed to spider web out into other territories like
oozing poison. When I followed some of the trails of black with my eyes, many
of them eventually led to mines somewhere in the mountains or scattered
throughout the land.

“Has anyone ever tried to destroy the king’s mines?” I
asked. “They couldn’t be considered strongholds if they were inaccessible.”

“They’re protected. The king employs many different gem
types to keep his mines from being harmed in some way.”

I bit my bottom lip in thought. “But do you think those who
protect the mines have gems more powerful than mine?”

My mother turned her head and met my eyes. “Aylen, it’s not
time yet.”

“You sound more and more like Aluce every day.”

She cringed. “No, I sound like your mother. I need to you to
be patient. If you rush into something, you could end up harming yourself or
innocent people.”

I didn’t answer. I was too frustrated at once again at
having my ideas dismissed. Didn’t I have a say in any of the choices being made
for my life?

When I realized I’d been quiet too long, I turned to go.
“You’re probably right. Besides, I still have a lot of training to do.”

“Go find your next instructor and get started then.”

I smiled. “Of course.” I didn’t look back at her as I left
the room. If I had, my mother would have read the apology in my eyes as I
formulated my plan to disobey her and Aluce.

When I was well away from the map room doors, I began to
run. I darted through the hallways in minutes and threw open the main door
leading into Et Loedin’s city center. Several people glanced my way as I burst
into the streets at a full run, but they quickly looked away. They were used to
me being late to my training sessions.

This time, however, I wasn’t going to train. I turned toward
the fighting rings where I’d left Cole and his friends. As I neared, I saw
Hesper back with them, taunting a few of the boys on their weak swings. Cole
was beside her, his lips drawn and straight, his eyes droopy and bored.

When they heard my approach, they turned. I halted before I
ran into them and leaned on the fence to catch my breath.

“How did it go?” Hesper asked.

When I could speak, I grabbed them both by the arms and
pulled them away from the other fighters nearby.

“Neither of you are to speak about this to anyone, but I
need your help.”

Cole’s eyes lit up with interest. “Don’t tell me the Gem
Heiress is going to take charge of her own life?”

I nodded. “And yours too.”

“What do you need?” Hesper asked.

“I need you to teach me to fly.”

The streets of Et Loedin had grown silent when I heard the
gentle tap on my door. I opened my eyes and lurched out of the oversized, cushioned
chair from where I’d fought to stay awake. Even amidst the constant eddy of
thoughts and worries I could never seem to slough off, I realized I must have
fallen asleep. One glance at the cold hearth, now lit with only a few weak
embers, told me it was late. I glanced toward the door but before I could move
to answer it, the doorknob turned. Hesper poked her head into my room.

“It’s time,” she whispered.

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and stood. “Am I missing anything?”
I asked.

Hesper’s eyes scanned my woolen, skintight trousers and my
long sleeved, form fitting shirt. It was a typical flyer outfit, designed for
warmth and comfort. The back of the shirt was left completely open to allow for
wings to sprout while the full coverage everywhere else offered protection
against wind and ice.

“Looks like everything’s in order,” she said. She motioned
for me to follow her.

We crept through the dark hallway in silence, cringing every
time one of our footsteps landed too hard and echoed on the stone floor.

“That necklace is like a beacon,” Hesper hissed after a few
minutes.

I was so accustomed to its glow, I hadn’t noticed. “Sorry,”
I muttered and tucked most of it into the high neck of my shirt.

After weaving through several hallways, into what I thought
must be the furthest recesses of the building, Hesper stopped in front of a
cracked and marred door. The handle was well worn and unique, the design
ancient in comparison to the newer styles around the city.

Hesper pulled a key from one of her pockets and fitted it into
the lock below the handle. The click that followed seemed to resound in the
hush of the hall. Hesper pushed it open and ducked into the darkness beyond the
door. I followed close behind.

Once we were inside, Hesper closed off our exit. “You can
take your gems out of your shirt now,” she said. “If anyone found us in here,
they’d be in just as much trouble so I doubt they’d report it.”