Heiress: Birthstone Series Book Two (42 page)

“He didn’t try to kill you?” my mother asked.

With a slow shake of my head, I answered, “It would have
ruined his plans if he had.”

Her eyes narrowed and I saw her fingers clench in her lap.
“Plans?”

“Miranasch’s people are in more danger than ever,” I told
her. “And I’ve become King Shir’s greatest weapon.”

An hour later, Aluce, my mother, Iolar, and Gil had gathered
in Iolar’s home. Several of my trainers had been invited to attend our meeting
and Hesper and Cole joined us shortly before we seated ourselves.

“I’m so sorry to hear about your father, Aylen,” Tanerris said
once she’d entered the room.

I nodded. Speaking about my father with anyone other than my
mother was too difficult and despite my grief, there was too much I needed to
accomplish to dwell on it. I couldn’t allow his death to be in vain.

When everyone was seated, I perched on the edge of an empty
chair. Aluce eyed me warily. I knew she was wondering how I’d managed to take
charge.

With a grim smile, I began. “The king has a gift that no one
in Miranasch has, with one exception as far as we know.” I unclasped my
necklace and held it in my hands. “He doesn’t need to expose the hearts of his
gems in order to access their full potential. His bond with his gems is so
powerful, he can manipulate their gifts as though the heart is already
exposed.”

“That’s impossible,” Aluce said.

“It’s a fact. King Shir can manipulate his gems however he
wants.” I took a deep breath. “And so can I.”

Tanerris nodded as though she’d known this all along but
several others stared at me in surprise.

“All through training, I’ve struggled to keep from
destroying everything around me. Most of you have witnessed this. Only Tanerris
was able to show me how to use the gems in a way that allowed me to retain
control over them. But I discovered one gem couldn’t be controlled as easily,
even with her methods.” I glanced purposefully at my mother. “The Empathy Gem.
It’s one of my most pure bloodlines and the connection I have to it is
profound. Since I first learned to use it, I realized I’m able to feel its
influence constantly, whether I’m fully connected to it or not. Even more, with
the help of the Empathy Gem, I unintentionally convinced someone to comply with
my wishes.” I cast an apologetic glance at the trainer I’d manipulated.

“That only happens. . .” my mother began.

“If the heart is exposed,” I finished for her.

“You act as though this is bad,” Aluce said. Her eyes shone
and she beamed with elation. “Your powers are greater than we thought.”

“This isn’t a good thing,” Tanerris said. I nodded
gratefully.

“How could it not be?” Iolar demanded. “Aylen matches his
power in every way. She exceeds it in the bloodlines he doesn’t have.”

I looked at Aluce. “You once explained to me that the more
gems a person connects to, the more difficult it is to control them all. It’s
like dividing yourself up again and again until there isn’t enough to go
around. The gems all own a piece of you.”

“But you’ve already shown remarkable control,” Aluce said.

“With some of the gems,” I agreed. “But when I connect to
them in such a way that will allow me access to their hearts, I’m turning my
will over to the gems every time. And the more I do this, the closer I come to
losing myself completely.”

“The connection is stronger,” my mother whispered.

“Much. And the gems become the masters.” I shook my head.
“This gift is one of the reasons King Shir seeks so much power. It’s not
necessarily what he wants but he’s a slave to the gems. They fuel him and he is
their vessel.”

They stared at me in silence until Tanerris spoke. “So your
power isn’t as great as the king’s unless you access your gems’ hearts.”

“And destroy myself bit by bit in the process.”

The room remained silent.

“There’s something else you’re not telling us,” Gil pointed
out. I smiled at him, impressed with his ability to read me so well.

“King Shir knew I went searching for him,” I told them. “He
could sense me coming.” I received only blank stares except from my mother. I
watched her face blanch as I said, “He shares the Empathy bloodline.”

“How could he?” Aluce demanded. “Where would that bloodline
have come from?”

“Ophera’s father.”

When Aluce slumped back into her chair in shock, I went on.
“King Shir has a lot of secrets to hide and he didn’t want them exposed. He
destroyed the tribe to protect himself and the truth that he was one of them.
He knew he could use that gem to always stay ahead of his enemies but if he
kept the tribe alive, eventually his abilities would be discovered.” I glanced
at my mother’s pale face and added, “And he wanted to destroy any chance that I
would be born.”

“Where is he now?” Iolar asked. “Why did he allow you to end
the battle?”

I gripped my gems tighter. The moment had come to tell them
what I knew, and I couldn’t show my fear.

“He’s gone. The battle was only a distraction and a warning.
It was meant to devastate his enemies, destroy hope, and keep me from receiving
some important information.” I stood, afraid I would fidget if I remained
seated any longer. “King Shir learned of an unnamed gem and he’s gone to find
it.” The stunned silence in the room didn’t deter me from continuing. “And if
his greatest desire is fulfilled, he will have the means of stealing the power
of my gems and using them as his own.”

“But if he doesn’t have a bloodline to one of them. . .”
Cole pointed out.

“Then he hopes to control the person who does,” I finished
for him. “If I die, my gems die with me. But if I live and he succeeds, the
power of this necklace and all other gems become his.”

I gazed around the room. Hesper’s fearful eyes stared past
me, unseeing. Cole sat beside her, focusing on his hands. Several of my
trainers began to talk at once while Gil watched me, his lips pulled tight and
his face pale.

Aluce stood. “It would seem we have some decisions to make!”
she said over the rising voices. Several moments passed before the hum of
conversation faded and everyone’s attention was on Aluce.

“There are really only three options,” Iolar stated.

I nodded in agreement. “You may choose someone to try and
find the new gem before the king, but there are few who could stand up to him
if their paths crossed. They’d most likely perish. So really, there are two
choices.”

I paused but Aluce motioned for me to continue.

“I go in search of the gem and name it before the king is
able. I have a better chance of finding it than most and I think I was meant to
know about its existence before King Shir. A message with important information
never reached me and the messenger was killed. I believe it was news about this
unnamed stone.”

“And the other option?” Hesper asked.

“We find a way to destroy my gems.”

“But what would that solve?” Aluce argued. “He’ll still have
power over every other gem in the land. We’d all be his slaves.”

“True,” I said, “but his aim at the moment is to wield the
power of my necklace. These gems are stronger than anything he’s come across in
his lifetime. If it was destroyed, he would lack the most powerful stones in
the world.”

“But so would we,” my mother added.

“Which is why we need to act fast,” I said. “If it’s decided
that I search for the gem myself, then I should leave as soon as possible. And
in the meantime, you must all prepare in case I fail.”

The arguing erupted at once. Trainers from multiple tribes
demanded to know if I had any idea where the new gem was located and if I would
share that information. Iolar accused them of wanting to find the gem for
themselves. Hesper slumped in her seat as the fighting got louder and Gil, who
sat on the other side of her, placed a comforting arm around her shoulders.
While the debate got more heated, Aluce and my mother approached me together.

“How long has this gem been in existence?” Aluce asked. Her
voice was low and she leaned close to my ear so I could hear her.

“I’m not sure,” I whispered. “The king didn’t seem to know
either.”

“Does Shir know where to find it?” my mother asked.

I shook my head. “I don’t think so. He doesn’t have the use
of Wisdom Gems to aid him and what he knows seems vague.”

Aluce studied me for several moments while the discussion
became louder. When she sighed, I knew she’d made a decision.

“What would you like to do, Aylen?”

I stared at her blankly. Had she just asked for my opinion?
And would she actually listen this time. I glanced at my mother. She encouraged
me with a small smile. It was the first I’d seen since she’d learned of my
father’s death.

“We need these people to prepare for the worst,” I said. I
straightened my shoulders, confident in my decision. “And I think I need to
validate their hope- give them a reason to place their faith in me. I want to
go forward with the presentation tomorrow and honor my father during it.
Afterwards, I leave to search for the gem.”

Aluce’s gaze was intent. “Are you sure you’re ready for
this?”

“As far as I’m concerned, there’s no other option.”

Amidst the noise in the room, I heard her chuckle. “Then
let’s begin.”

I walked through most of the night, wrapped in the blanket
I’d been given. The snow ripped through the skies and plunged to the earth in
fast, icy clumps, stinging my exposed skin. I shivered with each step while my
boots rubbed my heels raw. Still, I kept going. As the night wore on, the wind
howled, but later grew quiet, unable to settle on a temperament. I nibbled on
the bit of food I’d been given to keep me going after my hands began to shake.

And I wept.

I wept for Tereg. For Aylen and her mother and the life
they’d have without him. I wept for my family- for warm, beautiful Vairda, the
years I’d spent there, and how it was all gone from me forever. I wept for the
people I’d fought and killed. So many lives. So much waste and destruction and
pain.

I wept until I felt the moisture on my face grow cold and
freeze against my skin once the wind picked up again. Then, I bowed my head and
kept going.

The path was rocky and slick but giant trees arched high
above in most places, protecting it from some of the snow. It was well traveled
and this made it possible to follow.

After many hours, I found a giant, hollow log that had
fallen not far from the main path. Exhausted, I left the swords buried in the
snow against the crook of the log and climbed inside. I pulled the blanket
around my body and huddled for a time to wait for the remainder of night to
pass. Sleep came and fled often but I was content to remain still. I whispered
to myself songs from Vairda I’d known my entire life. I sang the Vairdan
mourning song for Tereg and imagined what I would say to him if I could speak
to him for only a few minutes. Vows to take care of Aylen and stay by her side
fell from my lips until I drifted to sleep one last time.

When I finally awoke, the sky was clear and the snow covered
forest glittered in the brilliant sunlight.

I eased out of the log, stiff and cramped. My limbs ached as
I stretched and massaged them. When they began to work once more, I felt inside
my small pack for a bit of food. There wasn’t much so after a few bites of hard
bread and cheese, I went in search of berries.

It wasn’t long before I found the ones the girl had
described. I grabbed them by handfuls and crammed them into my mouth. They were
bland and cold against my teeth, but I ate them until the shaking stopped and I
was ready to press on.

Strapping the swords to my body, I turned once again to the
path.

“Soon,” I told myself. “Soon, I will see her.”

Sometime after the city had quieted and the sky had grown
dark, I fell into my own bed. It would be one of the last nights I slept there,
I realized. I watched the walls flicker with the light of a dying fire and the
softness of my blankets warmed my chilled limbs. I tried not to think about
where I might be sleeping in a few days.

I’d spent my time staying as busy as possible. After
convincing everyone that the presentation would continue and assigning tasks,
I’d personally seen to a few extra details.

Hesper, Gil, and Cole had agreed to help me arrange some of
the events, similar to what I’d seen in Vairda. After I talked with the people
and presented my abilities, we would turn Et Loedin into a place of
celebration.

Vairdans healed from trauma by finding reasons to rejoice.
Usually, this included a festival of some kind. I hoped to borrow Vairda’s
example and give the city a celebration they would remember, long after I’d
left.

In truth, I needed something to rejoice over too. I’ planned
to leave without traveling companions- I couldn’t bear to risk my friends’
lives, especially after King Shir’s attempt to kill Hesper- and even though I
knew it was the right choice, I was scared.

But more than anything, I ached for my father.

As I lay under the thick fabric, I felt the tears began to
fall again, no longer hidden behind a mask of activity and busyness. I curled
onto my side and allowed myself to cry, great, heavy sobs that seemed endless.

Minutes, or maybe hours later, I heard the door to my room
open. I recognized my mother’s soft tread as she approached my bed. The
blankets shifted when she climbed in next to me and wrapped her arms around my
body.

“I wish we’d never come here,” I heard myself whisper.

She sighed, her breath rustling a few hairs on my neck. “Of
course, when something goes terribly wrong, it’s easy to wonder if your
decisions were wrong as well. But someday, Aylen, you may look back, and in
spite of all the sadness you’ve seen and have yet to see, you may be so very
happy you came.”