Heiress: Birthstone Series Book Two (44 page)

When I blinked at the haze clouding my vision, I realized
the crowd had turned. They were no longer looking at me, but at the mountains
behind them, outside the city.

In the pale sunlight of waning day, where ice had once laid
claim, the jagged slopes of rock and soil glittered with a sea of color.
Wildflowers, grass, small trees and blossoming bushes rippled over the land. In
the distance, a few waterfalls cascaded over parts of the mountains, where they
traveled down ivy lined rivers and into the forested valleys. And for now, the
scarred battlefield was covered in white snowdrops, to mask the horror that had
just taken place there.

One by one, faces began to turn. As I met the eyes of so
many people, I felt their emotions once more. This time, I felt their hope.
They hadn’t given up. They believed in their future.

And they knew I would fight to save them.

By late day, I found myself in the middle of a deep, snowy
plain. My feet felt nearly frozen and my hands shook from the cold. Weak with
lack of food, I forged on, hoping the snow covered hills ahead would be the
last before I reached the city.

The air nipped at my face and I wrapped the blanket tighter
around my mouth and head. I’d managed to drape it around my body from the waist
up to protect my exposed skin and eyes from the cold wind and the sun’s glare
on the snow.

With my gaze trained on the ground, I was careful to avoid
the largest drifts. Onward I trudged, congratulating myself with every step
forward. My legs wobbled but held strong half way through the plain. Then,
without warning, I felt them give out beneath me. I tumbled forward and landed
with my face in the snow. Grunting, I pushed myself to my feet and brushed the
ice from my cheeks and eyebrows. Before I could tread further, I stumbled
again.

This time, I caught myself before my face took the brunt of
my fall. Crouching with both feet planted firm on the ground, I waited, unsure
of what to expect.

Moments later, the earth rumbled beneath my boots.

“What-?” I muttered. I tried to lift a foot but my toes
nearly came up bare when my boot held fast to the ground.

I stood, ripped off my head covering, and surveyed the land.
The snow covered plain glistened in the sun’s rays, wet replacing the hard
crust I’d been walking through. It was melting.

I turned and saw the footprints I’d left behind. One by one,
they seemed to disappear beneath the snow’s crust, turning to liquid before
they were swallowed up by the ground. After a quick glance around the plain, I
noticed several larger clumps of snow. Jagged edges of gray stone peeked
through some of the layers of white coating their surfaces. I bent down,
grabbed the tops of my boots, and yanked them free from the mud. I began to
run.

With each step, my feet slipped and stuck. My legs burned as
I fought to free them from the mud with every stride.

By the time I reached one of the boulders, the snow around
its base was nearly gone. I clambered on top of it, breathless and splattered
with dirt and water.

I balanced on the highest point of the rock and watched the
land around me shift. The change in the ground was nearly imperceptible but as
snow melted, the soil seemed to absorb the liquid. Soon, only brown, thick mud
remained.

For a moment, the world was silent. I waited, my heart racing,
until, as if on cue, thousands of green sprouts shot up from deep within the
earth, bursting through the surface with a chorus of tiny pops. A surge of warm
air washed over the field and the sprouts responded. Some grew taller while
others formed tiny buds that grew larger and larger. Then the buds began to
open.

I turned around as sprout after sprout bloomed. They spread
out their petals and leaves and stretched higher until the entire field was
awash in color.

For the first time, I lifted my eyes to the peak of the
mountain towering above me. Much of it was still covered in snow but many of
its jagged slopes were bathed in wildflowers.

I glanced around once more, in search of the trail. I could
hardly see it beneath the carpet of flora, but parts of it were visible up the
hill. In a few places, the road was lined with ivy, but in other places, it
nearly disappeared beneath the thick green of leaves and flowers. Cautiously, I
eased myself off the boulder. My boots sunk slightly but I lifted them out of
the mud again and slogged toward the trail.

At first, each pace on the soft ground was met with
resistance. But with the passing moments, the soil began to firm and soon,
though exhausted and mud-splattered, I was racing through the field.

I crested the first hill and wound my way back down until I
reached the next rise in the trail. Once I reached the top, I found more slopes
and hills, but I didn’t pause. On and on I went, jubilant now as the warm sunrays
urged me forward.

After awhile, I paused to rest and eat the last bit of food
in my pack. Once I’d chewed my last bite, I kept going, this time up a winding
path, covered in white flowers. As I neared the top, I caught my first glimpse
of Benduin, nestled in one of the many crooks of the mountain.

Sturdy, small cottages filled the little valley and sloped
up the steep hill. Like Indikae, a large, stone wall had been built around the
front of the city and wrapped around its borders.

With a glance at the darkening sky, I began to sprint, hoping
this would be my last run for a long time.

When I reached the city, I nearly fell into one of the
sentries who stood outside the wall.

“Easy,” one of them said as he grabbed my arm to steady me.

My knees buckled and gently, the sentry lowered me to the
ground. I wheezed there for several minutes while a small crowd of guards drew
near.

“Did you come from Indikae?” one asked. “Has there been
another attack on the city?”

“Few travel that road without a guide. Where is yours?”
another demanded.

“There’s been no attack,” I panted. I managed to push myself
to my feet. “I came alone. I was told flyers weren’t taking anyone else to
Benduin.”

I glanced around the group of guards. There seemed to be
more than necessary, but I guessed they were still on high alert after the
battle in Indikae.

“You walked?” one of them asked.

“Ran mostly,” I muttered. “I need to get to Et Loedin.”
Further down the wall, another guard began to walk my way.

“You don’t choose to go to Et Loedin. You’re only invited.”
I watched the guard’s eyes take in my ragged clothing, mud splattered legs, and
filthy face. Small battle wounds still stung various parts of my arms and
hands. My hair, dirty but mostly blond once more, was in wild disarray.

“I understand,” I said, “But I have an important message for
the Gem Heiress.”

Several sentries regarded me with sympathy. “We can offer
food and rest. You’ve earned that much at least though our city is full,” one
said. “But no one has told us the Gem Heiress is expecting a message.”

“It was from her father. He was killed in battle.”

I watched them pass somber glances between one another.

“I have his sword,” I added, withdrawing it from my belt.

“That could be any man’s sword. Perhaps you could show us
the message and we could send it with a flyer to Et Loedin.”

I gave a vehement shake of my head. “Tereg entrusted it to
me. No one can see it but Aylen. I was told to deliver it directly to her.”

Once more, they grew silent.

“Please,” I said. I straightened my shoulders only to have
them slump again in one exhausted breath. “I know how I must look. But I’ve
lost count of how many weeks it’s been since I’ve been searching for Aylen. I
barely left the battlefield where I watched the man who I looked to as a father
die, and honestly, I haven’t had a decent meal in days. But I can’t rest until
I get this message to the Gem Heiress.”

“Wait,” one of the guards held up a hand. “If the message is
from Tereg and he only just entrusted it to you, then why have you been in
search of the Heiress for weeks?”

As the words left his lips, I realized my mistake. In
desperation, I’d spouted off more information than necessary. But it was too
late now.

“I’m a Sea Dweller,” I said. “I knew Aylen before she came
to Miranasch.”

One of the sentries took a step closer.

“What is your name?”

I stared at him blankly for a moment. “My name? What will
that prove?”

“Your hair isn’t pale.”

“Yeah, dirt usually isn’t,” I said.

“Tell us your name.”

“I go by Sai. It’s an island name. I doubt you hear it in
Miranasch very often.”

His eyes grew wide and his lips stretched into a smile. One
of the other guards laughed.

“Looks like you’ve been issued an invitation to Et Loedin
after all.”

Before I could ask him what he meant, giant, feathered gray
wings sprouted from his back. A moment later, a second guard sprouted dark blue
wings of his own.

“Hang on tight,” one of them said. He grabbed my arm and
looped it around his neck. The second guard followed suit with my other arm.
Then, before I knew what was happening, we were in the air and flying toward
the peak of the mountain.

“Et Loedin recently finished presenting the Gem Heiress to
the citizens and tribe leaders,” one of them shouted over the wind. “She’ll be
hard to reach now that the festivities are under way.”

“Can’t you bring me to someone who can lead me to her?” I
asked.

“We can’t leave our posts at Benduin’s wall for long. The
city is still vulnerable since the recent battle. Besides, Et Loedin is filled
to capacity and everyone is celebrating. We don’t have time to navigate the
crowds.”

I sighed. I didn’t know if I had the energy to stumble my
way around an unfamiliar city among more strangers.

“Will there be food?” I asked.

They both laughed. One of them answered, “There’ll be food.”

I fell silent, satisfied that at least I wouldn’t be hungry
anymore.

A few minutes later, we rounded the other side of the
mountain and the massive entrance to Et Loedin came into view. I gaped in awe.

The entire city looked as though it had been scooped out of
the mountain. It was set deep inside an opening near the peak, with buildings
formed into the walls and up the sides. Several flyers drifted in and out of
the entrance. Some lounged on crags and protruding rock outside the mountain,
while others milled about inside the city on the ground and on large perches
high built into the walls.

We landed on the large, flat entrance into the city and the
guards released my arms. After I’d steadied myself, I glanced around, suddenly
aware of how I looked. Several people eyed me, their gazes resting on my blood
stained, torn clothing.

Most of the flyers were dressed in form fitting clothing.
Those who weren’t Sky Dwellers appeared to be bundled in warm cloaks and robes.
I knew I appeared out of place in my rags but I hoped the low light would hide
most of that. It was dusk now and the city was lit mostly by torch. It would be
easy to keep to the shadows.

“Best of luck,” a sentry said, eyeing the crowds further
into the city. “If you can’t find the Heiress, you can ask around for Iolar.
He’d help you and everyone knows who he is.” With a slap on the back, they took
off again. They saluted several fellow flyers as they whirled away. I watched
their bodies grow smaller with distance before I turned to face the grimaces
and stares of so many strangers. Checking to make sure I still had both swords,
I set my jaw and began to walk.

As I neared a heavy congregation of people, I saw several
noses wrinkle at my appearance. I tried not to think about it. Instead, I
pushed on, threading my way around laughing, chattering clusters of people. I
passed a table filled with food and considered stopping but the grimaces from
those nearby quelled the desire. When I passed another with fewer patrons, I
finally halted.

A dark haired girl close to my age eyed me from behind the
table, her hands full of dishes.

“Here, take one,” she said, coming around to my side.

I reached a cautious hand toward the dish. “I don’t have a
way to pay.”

“No one pays tonight. It’s been donated by the citizens of
Et Loedin. Besides, you look like you just got back from the battle. You
deserve a meal.”

I smiled gratefully. I noticed a few others around me
dropping food choices onto their dishes and I followed them around the table,
eager to try everything.

“You must be cold. Those clothes won’t keep you warm this
high in the mountains,” the girl said, her eyes still following my movements.

“The food will help. I’ll get by.”

She pointed past a cluster of people toward a burning fire
pit.

“Go warm yourself there. They were built to keep the cold
away.”

Once again, I smiled. “Thank you,” I said. As I turned to
go, I noticed a booth close by, surrounded by smiling, laughing people. I
paused, curious to see what had attracted such a large crowd. Hanging from the
top of the booth was a giant, stuffed creature someone had hastily sewn
together. It wobbled and swung back and forth erratically while people took
turns throwing a weapon at the small target on its front.

My eyes grew wide when I saw the poorly made spear being
hurled toward the target.

I whirled around, nearly flinging the food from my plate.
The girl behind the table stared, her eyebrows raised.

“Can you tell me who planned all of this?” I asked her.

The corners of her lips turned upward. “A lot of people took
part in putting it together.”

“Did the Gem Heiress take part as well?”

She laughed. “There were a few things she insisted on.”

I looked down at my plate and blinked. I felt my heart swell
inside my chest as I imagined Aylen demanding elements of Vairdan culture to be
included in a city further from island life than any other.