Souls of Aredyrah 1 - The Fire and the Light (33 page)

“Why are you not welcome here?” Dayn asked,
moving closer.

“It is a long story and I do not wish to go
into it. I just think it would be best if we stay hidden until the
smith gets here.” Reiv stepped around Dayn and Alicine and headed
down the alleyway at the side of the building. In the darkness he
could just make out the shapes of crates and barrels stacked
alongside the wall. He made his way over to them while Dayn and
Alicine followed at his back.

“Look, we can settle ourselves behind these,”
Reiv said. “Perhaps we can get a bit of sleep while we wait.”

“Fine,” Alicine said curtly. “You know, Reiv,
one of these days we are going to get all of these stories out of
you.”

Reiv did not respond and lowered himself next
to a barrel. He wrapped his arms around his bent legs and rested
his chin on his knees. His mind raced with the events of the
previous day, as well as the previous year, and pondered how his
life had come to such a sorry end. What had he done to deserve it
all, he wondered. He placed his forehead on his knees and closed
his eyes, willing the questions and images to go away. If he could
just sleep, maybe he could get a respite from the noises in his
head, at least until dawn when he knew the real nightmare would
begin.

* * * *

Reiv awoke and realized it was daylight. He
jumped up and pressed his back against the wall. A crowd of people
could be seen gathering in the alleyway, staring at the three of
them as if they had dropped from the sky. Reiv kicked Dayn with his
foot. Dayn responded with a grunt and a grumble, then he, too,
jumped up and pressed himself against the wall next to Reiv.

“Alicine,” Dayn said in a raspy morning
voice.

She mumbled and frowned in her sleep. Dayn
reached down and shook her, then yanked her up by an arm. Rubbing
her eyes, she stared in bewilderment at the curious onlookers.

A small gang of Jecta men joined the crowd
and pushed their way through, scowling in the direction of the
three newcomers standing against the wall. The men eyed them up and
down, muttering and whispering, then crossed their arms and cocked
their heads. Reiv inflated his chest, determined not to look like a
coward.

“Well, what new trash have the illustrious
Guard plopped down in our midst now?” one of the men sneered. He
eyed the three with a look of disgust, but clearly the look, as
well as the remark, was intended for Reiv.

A second man took a bold step toward them and
leaned toward Dayn. He eyed the birthmark on Dayn’s neck. “So,
you’re not as pretty as you first appear,” he said with a smirk.
His eyes narrowed as he glanced between Dayn and Reiv, noting their
fair features and extraordinary hair. “Humph! Even royal birth
lines don’t prevent the treachery of the Tearians. They throw their
purebloods into the garbage with the rest.”

Reiv seethed at the remark, then ushered Dayn
and Alicine to stand behind him. The three of them edged down the
alleyway, navigating the maze of crates and barrels at their backs,
but it did little to distance them from the throng that continued
its approach.

Two small boys darted up, one touching Dayn’s
arm, the other Reiv’s hair. Reiv reproached them, and one of the
boys jumped back, laughing, while the other bowed in feigned
reverence. Alicine huddled closer to Dayn, who wrapped an arm
around her. The noise of the crowd cramming its way into the narrow
alley became louder as questions and comments were passed back and
forth.

The wall of dark-haired, tattooed faces
pressed forward. Reiv clenched and unclenched his fists at his
side. A confrontation was in the making; he could feel it. Dayn,
who must have sensed it too, moved next to him. Reiv motioned him
back impatiently, then planted himself before the approaching
crowd. He held his arms back in a protective gesture and flashed
his violet eyes in the direction of the approaching dark ones. Some
of the Jecta snickered in response, but others stared mutely, no
doubt wondering what the former Prince of Tearia intended to do.
But then a rumble of voices swelled from behind the crowd and all
eyes shot toward it.

The mob parted like two great waves in a sea
of bodies. Faces turned upward to stare at a huge man shouldering
his way between them. The man bellowed orders for the onlookers to
step aside, then stopped before the three young strangers and
folded his great arms across his burly chest.

Reiv gulped, his Adam’s apple lodged like a
boulder in his throat. Staring up at the towering man, he felt
dwarfed by the magnitude of his size and nervously impressed by the
scars that crisscrossed his tawny skin. The man’s black and gray
streaked hair was pulled back from his ruddy face and revealed a
line of intricate tattoos that outlined his forehead and trailed
down his jaw.

The man raised his thick, black eyebrows and
eyed the three of them intently, then grinned with amusement. He
uncrossed his massive arms and rested his fists on his hips.

Reiv reached his hand to his side, but he
knew it was a foolish move. There was no weapon there to grab. He
struggled to form a defense in his mind and looked around for
anything he could use. But there was nothing other than his own
fists, and they were not strong enough to stop a man such as this.
The giant took a step toward them, and Reiv retreated, pushing Dayn
and Alicine along as he went. He quickly found himself at a stop,
pressed against the two of them. They had backed into a wall.

“Well, if it isn’t the Prince,” the towering
man said.

Reiv tightened his jaw and glanced from the
man toward the faces in the crowd. Hundreds of eyes were boring
into his, some hating him, some pitying him, and maybe even a scant
few respecting him, but then he spied a pair of strikingly blue
ones and the face of the beautiful girl behind them.

The girl held his gaze as she worked her way
between the mass of bodies. She stopped when she reached the man
who still loomed over them. “Gair, you are frightening our young
guests,” she said. She turned her face up to him, and he leaned
down while she whispered into his ear. The man narrowed his eyes in
contemplation and nodded. They then turned their attentions back to
the three.

Reiv felt his face grow hot. “Speak your
business or leave us be,” he growled. “We tire of your Jecta
welcome.”

“As is to be expected,” the girl said. “After
all, some of the residents have been less than courteous.” Her eyes
darted back to the crowd, settling momentarily on a few who lowered
their heads in response. She looked back at Reiv, then said, “I’m
Jensa. I’ve been sent to fetch you.”

Reiv opened his mouth, then snapped it shut.
He wasn’t sure how to respond. The girl was unlike anything he had
ever seen before. Tall, willowy, and golden skinned, she stared at
him with pale eyes that were elaborately outlined with Shell Seeker
kohl. Her arms were tattooed with repeating patterns of ocean waves
from just below the shoulder to midway to the elbows.
Breathtakingly beautiful, she was dressed with only a strip of
material wrapped around her breasts and another draped about her
hips.

“I am Jensa,” she repeated, appearing
somewhat baffled by his silence. “Come; follow me. I’ll take you
all to the Spirit Keeper.” She motioned them to her, then turned
and walked toward the crowd.

For a moment the three hesitated, but then
Dayn pushed at Reiv’s back. “You heard her. She’s taking us to the
Spirit Keeper. Go!”

Dayn and Alicine shoved past the still
dumbfounded Reiv and followed Jensa into the crowd. Dayn shot Reiv
a look. “Come on, fool,” he shouted.

Reiv watched as his cousin caught up to the
beautiful Shell Seeker, then he too sprinted forward, hustling to
take his place at Dayn’s side.

The two boys walked behind Jensa, watching
her backside as though under a spell. Her hair, in both braids and
ringlets, bounced to her stride, and the shells that adorned her
body sang the melody of her movements. Dayn and Reiv looked at each
other momentarily, but neither said a word and returned their
attentions to her backside.

Gair took up the rear of the group, making
sure the crowd kept a safe distance, but that didn’t prevent the
spectators’ comments from reaching their ears. “Ruairi . . . prince
. . . royalty.” Words that could be heard all too clearly now.
Alicine and Dayn glanced in simultaneous curiosity at Reiv, but he
did not acknowledge their stares, just as he did not acknowledge
those of the crowd.

Jensa continued to lead the brigade through
the winding, dusty streets. The original crowd of onlookers began
to lag, mostly due to Gair’s hostile glares and threatening
gestures, but new, equally curious faces moved in to take their
place. Some paused along the sides of the street, while others
stood in doorways or leaned out of windows. Many merely stopped and
watched as they passed, but most dropped what they were doing and
followed the peculiar group. Children chased the visitors, laughing
and darting around and between them. But most ran alongside Reiv,
their small eyes staring up at him in wonder. “It’s the Prince!”
young, excited voices were heard saying over and over again.

“Reiv, what does ‘prince’ mean?” Alicine
asked.

Reiv remained silent, not knowing how to
answer. She would find out soon enough, but later would be better
than now. “It is intended as an insult, Alicine. That is all you
need to know,” he said.

“What kind of insult?” Alicine persisted.

Jensa turned her head around and looked at
Reiv as though surprised he had even been asked. But he did not
look at her, nor did he answer the question.

“Shall I tell them then?” Jensa asked, a
touch of amusement in her voice.

Reiv’s eyes shot to hers. “No!” he snapped.
“They will know soon enough.” He marched on furiously.

“But Reiv,” Dayn called out, “why can’t—”

“No!”

Dayn looked down at his feet, aggravated by
Reiv’s curt response. “You’re always so impatient,” he grumbled.
“You’d think after all we’ve been through together. . .”

Gair followed like a great watchdog, no
longer a force to be feared, at least not by the newcomers. Any
brash comments he now made were directed toward unruly members of
the crowd, not the strangers themselves. Hearing the brief but
emotional exchange between Reiv and the others, he said, “Be
patient, little ones. The gods choose when they wish to make things
known.”

Alicine looked up at the man, a giant from
her perspective. “What do the gods have to do with it?” she
asked.

Gair looked down at her and smiled. “The gods
have a plan for every person and every living thing, and even some
things not living. Usually we don’t understand their plan, if we’re
even aware of it at all. But sometimes the plan is so great, the
gods ¬decide to share the knowledge of it with us.”

“What plan?” Alicine asked.

“In due time.”

Alicine stopped and stomped her foot. “Why is
the answer to every question either ‘later’, or ‘in due time’? Dayn
and I are tired of being kept in the dark about everything.”

Gair laughed, amused by her sudden display of
temper. “Keep walking, girl.” He turned her around by the shoulders
and nudged her forward. “Like I said . . . patience.”

“Patience, indeed,” Alicine hissed under her
breath. But she resumed her march, now several paces behind the
others.

The walk through the streets seemed to take
forever. The actual distance was probably not far, but it was
difficult to gauge since frequent interruptions by curious
onlookers slowed their pace. Reiv, realizing he was getting ahead
of Jensa and had no clue as to where he was going, dropped back
reluctantly and resumed his pace alongside Dayn. Alicine seethed
behind them. They ceased further discussions and walked silently,
each deep in their own thoughts.

The sun was higher in the sky when they
rounded what seemed like the hundredth corner and found themselves
standing before an earthen dwelling. It was much smaller than most
of the ones they had previously passed, but it looked cozy and
inviting. Clusters of fragrant herbs and colorful flowers
surrounded its dull walls, and a bent woman stood in the doorway,
her long, gray hair blowing in the breeze. The knowing smile that
graced her lips spoke a silent greeting to the dusty group that now
stood before her.

Jensa approached and bowed politely to the
woman. “Nannaven, I have brought them to you as requested.”

“Praise to the gods for your safe arrival,”
the woman said, looking the newcomers up and down. She stepped from
the doorway and hobbled over to Reiv. Reaching out she motioned him
to bend down to her, then placed her small, wrinkled palms upon his
cheeks.

“We are so blessed that you’ve come to us,
Reiv. Thank you, my dear, dear boy.”

Reiv opened his mouth to respond, but wasn’t
sure how. “Oh, you—you are welcome— I think,” he managed. He
glanced at Dayn and Alicine, then shrugged his shoulders in
confusion. The woman said nothing more, but continued to stare at
him, her hazel eyes twinkling. For a moment Reiv found himself
searching her face for a hidden message. Finding none, he looked
away, praying she would move her probing eyes to someone else.

As if reading his mind, the woman moved over
to Dayn and Alicine, who stood side by side. “I’m Nannaven, the
Spirit Keeper of Pobu,” she said, motioning them down to her. They
looked at each other, then complied. Nannaven placed a hand on each
of their cheeks. “You have been through so much. Come, let us go
indoors where you can be refreshed.” She ushered them toward the
house.

Nannaven turned to see Reiv lingering, his
arms crossed. He shifted his weight and stared at the ground.

“Come, Reiv,” she said, motioning him
forward. “You must walk beside us.” Seeing his hesitation, she
approached him and hooked her arm through his.