The Carnelian Legacy (19 page)

“Come, gentlemen,” Savino ordered. His eyes flashed and his voice dropped an octave as soon as Darian and his friends were out of sight. “We’ve got work to do.”

CHAPTER 13

RIPPLES

THE
FOUR
RIDERS
EXITED
through the northwest edge of the city. Marisa noticed that they were headed in a different direction from where they had originally come. The mountain road was muddy from the recent rain as the horses trudged down it until they reached a crossroads.

Talvan bid them farewell and turned around to go back up toward the castle. Once the warrior was out of sight, Darian glanced at Marisa and noticed her worried expression.

“Don’t worry, we won’t be traveling through any rijgen-infested forests,” he said.

“How long will it take us to get there?”

“If all goes well, we should reach Crocetta within three, perhaps four days,” Arrie interjected.

As the mountain slope gradually ascended, the road became so narrow that it forced them to travel single file and not much was said over the next couple of hours. Marisa was in awe of the vast mountain range surrounding them, and it reminded her of photos of the Rocky Mountains. Abbadon was situated at a high elevation, but now they were ascending even higher.

She wrapped her cape tightly around her body and pulled the hood over her head. They had been traveling just below the timberline for most of the morning, but toward the early afternoon, they began to descend from the high mountains down toward a beautiful valley.

As they approached an alpine lake, Darian announced that they would be stopping to eat along the southwest shore. He helped Marisa down off her horse and removed a blanket from his saddle. Arrie tossed him a leather pouch as he led the horses down to the water’s edge for a drink. Darian spread the blanket out on the grass just a few hundred feet up from the shore.

Marisa jogged down to where Arrie stood with the horses at the edge of the lake. Rolling her head around slowly, she stretched her neck, back, and shoulder muscles that had become stiff after sitting so long in one position.

She noticed that the beach wasn’t made of sand, but instead consisted of millions of tiny black pebbles. She took off her shoes and stockings and slowly dipped her feet one at a time into the cold lake.

The water was so clear that she could see the pebbly bottom and lots of tiny fish swimming just a few feet away. It reminded her of a fishing trip with her father up to Mt. Hood one summer. He had rented a small cabin for the long weekend where they had spent hours on the beautiful banks of the Upper Sandy River fishing for rainbow trout. Marisa’s always seemed to jump off the hook just as she was about to reel them in.

It made her wonder what her brother and Uncle Al were doing. Were they sleeping or eating? Maybe Mark was at school. Uncle Al might be on one of his Harley road trips up to the Gold Ray Dam. She wished she could call them just to hear their voices. At this point, she’d even settle for a text message.

Marveling at the wide expanse of the large lake, she studied the mountains’ inverted reflections on the still water. Her thoughts wandered to what life would be like once they reached Crocetta. She wondered if it would include Darian. With each day that passed, she was finding it even more difficult to be around him.

Knowing that she couldn’t avoid him forever, Marisa returned to the grassy area where he and Arrie sat, enjoying their meal in the fresh mountain air.

“Marisa, would you like to try some wine? It comes from the Fiore family vineyard,” Darian asked.

She hesitated at first but then nodded. He poured the sparkling wine into her cup as Arrie handed her a plate of food loaded with bread, cheese, and some fruit. They ate quietly, in awe of the breathtaking mountain scenery. They were all avoiding an awkward discussion of what had transpired the night before.

“You know, Marisa, before we return to Crocetta, we must figure out what we shall tell people about you,” Arrie said finally.

“I’m a mute. I can’t talk. End of story.”

He smiled. “No, I don’t think that will be required. What are your thoughts, Darian?”

“She can’t continue to be a mute. It would be too complicated, and it wouldn’t be fair to her,” he replied. Darian took a bite of apple and chewed it slowly.

“We could find her a nice position at the palace, don’t you think?” Arrie suggested. “That way, we could also keep her under our protection, eh, Darian?”

“Do I have any say in this, or are you two just gonna plan out my entire life for me?”

“Marisa, we told Savino that you are mute. He thinks that you cannot speak,” Darian said, his face turning serious. “Under this pretense, he has made you an offer of marriage and will not be amused when he discovers that all three of us have deceived him. Word travels quickly here and sooner or later, the truth shall get back to him.”

“To hear both of you talk, it sounds like you don’t think I’m ever going home. I thought we were gonna find that Celino guy who can help me get back to Jacksonville.”

Arrie and Darian exchanged uncomfortable glances.

“Marisa, we told you that to keep you from panicking,” Darian said. “It would be best if you accepted this world as your new home now. As Arrie explained before, the chances of a person returning through a vortex are—”

“So you lied to me? Are you saying that there’s no chance that I’ll be able to return? Ever? Do you even know someone from Earth named Celino? What else aren’t you telling me?” she demanded.

Both of them looked at her sheepishly. She jumped up and stormed off toward the edge of the lake. She loosened her braid and shook it out as tears pooled in her eyes and her cheeks flushed with anger.

Knowing that she should accept and embrace this new world as her home, she fought the tears that refused to stop. Not wanting them to see her crying and feel sorry for her, she kept her face toward the water.

Darian stood up and watched her as she strolled along the edge of the water and decided to give her a few minutes alone. Finally, he walked down to where she was dipping her toes into the lake.

“It’s amazing, don’t you think?” he asked softly.

“What is?”

He pointed at the water. “Look at the size of this lake. It’s so big, and the water is so still, like a perfect pane of glass with nothing to disturb it. But all of a sudden, you appear out of nowhere and start dipping your toes in it. With that one small action, you create ripples that are felt throughout this enormous lake.”

Marisa said nothing as she gazed across the lake. She was not in the mood to be polite to him.

“Please tell me what is wrong. I would like to help you if I can,” he said softly.

Her face sank. “You won’t understand.”

“Perhaps I already do.”

She sighed. “I’m only eighteen and I haven’t lived my life yet. I should be in college now, learning things and having fun. But the only option I have is to marry some man I don’t even know. I’m not ready to be saddled down with a husband and twelve kids yet.”

“You don’t have to marry him. You do realize you have the option to say no, don’t you?”

“What about your peace treaty?”

“Just you let me worry about that.”

“But if I don’t marry him, what will happen then? If I’m the one person who could prevent war from happening, then what kind of woman would I be if I didn’t try to stop it?”

“Marisa, you’re assuming far too much responsibility,” he said. “Savino is itching to go to war and probably will, regardless of your decision. You just make sure that you do the right thing for you and let me worry about the rest. I’ll make sure you are safe.”

“You can’t keep taking care of me, Darian! This has got to end somewhere.” She crossed her arms over her chest. She didn’t want to hurt him, but it was time to cut bait.

“You are, without a doubt, the most fascinating guy I’ve ever known. I can’t even begin to explain how exciting it is just to be around you—it’s like watching some action hero out of a movie or something.”

He shook his head. “Marisa—”

“Darian, look—we both know that this is going nowhere. You’re a prince, for crying out loud. With a little bit of luck, hopefully someday you’ll be king. And I’m just a lost girl trying to find my way home. We are literally from two different worlds. We can’t change who we are.”

“You’re right,” he said sadly as he stared out over the water.

“The sooner we each can accept that fact and go our separate ways, the better it will be.”

“Marisa, in just two days, we shall reach Crocetta. Many things will change after we arrive, but one thing shall never change—how I feel about you.” He moved up close and put his arms around her. As he gazed tenderly into her eyes, he removed the earpiece from her ear and spoke to her softly in English.

“I love you, Marisa.”

He pressed his lips against hers and goose bumps tingled down her arms. Her heart beat so hard that it felt as if it would escape from her chest. In the safety of his strong arms, she could feel the warmth emanating from him. Her heart couldn’t take any more, and if she had to live in Carnelia without him, she would rather be dead. A life without his love was no life at all.

“I know it was unfair of me to confess that right now in light of our circumstances, but I just couldn’t help myself,” he said. “I may not ever get the chance again.” He held her tightly as his eyes wandered out over the hills.

Suddenly Darian’s face lit up. “Marisa—look!”

She turned to see where he was pointing. “What? What are you looking at?”

“Come, quickly!” Darian said excitedly.

Marisa followed him as he hurried over toward the meadow. He kneeled down on the grass next to two small flowers with petals just barely sticking out above the grass. Tenderly touching one, he looked up at her and smiled.

“What is it?” Marisa asked. She bent down to look at it closer and wondered what all the fuss was about. The flower had several beautiful white petals radiating from an ugly, dark brown clump in the center.

“It’s a wounded heart!” Darian exclaimed. “I can’t believe it. These flowers are extremely rare, but there are two of them here.”

“What’s so special about it?”

His eyes sparkled. “For most of its life, the flower’s center appears as it is now; brown and hard, shaped like a human heart. Do you see it?” He pointed to its center.

“Yeah? So?”

“Right now, it’s just a little white flower and nothing extraordinary. But one day, the pod will open and reveal a color so spectacular you must see it to believe it.”

“When will it open?”

“That’s just it—for each flower the timing is different. According to the legend, on the day that one sees a wounded heart bloom, they shall find their heart’s destiny at last.”

“But why is it called it a
wounded
heart?”

“This flower is a symbol of hope—of second chances. You see, now it’s just a small white flower with an ugly, hard center. It looks like a heart that has been wounded or broken. But one day, someday totally unexpected, the flower will have its chance to blossom into something so incredible and so beautiful that will make it stand out among all the other flowers.”

“Have you ever seen one open?”

“Yes, but it belonged to another,” he said. “Wait here.” He ran over to remove something from his saddle and quickly returned with two metal cups.

Carefully digging the flowers out with his dagger, he placed each of them into the cups and took them down to the lake to saturate the soil with water.

“You aren’t actually taking those things back with you, are you?” she asked, laughing.

“Of course I am! Wounded hearts are rarely ever found near Crocetta. They only grow at higher elevations. That should be just enough water.”

He wrapped the flowers in a piece of cloth and guided her back toward Arrie and the waiting horses. “I shall never forget the things we have shared on this journey, Marisa,” he said softly.

She smiled gently at him but felt pangs of sadness in her heart once again. How could she possibly find another man to fill the gap he had already created?

Impossible!

Marisa knew that she had to start pulling away from him for her own sanity. She needed to begin the painful process of tearing herself away from him before it was too late.

He helped her up onto Siena’s back before mounting his own horse. She avoided eye contact with them for most of the way and spoke only when necessary. After a while, she grabbed the iPhone out of her satchel and stuck the buds in her ears, unable to hear the sound of his voice anymore.

After several more hours on the road, they stopped at sunset in a small outpost called Snowton where they spent the night at the Sleepy Eye tavern.

CHAPTER 14

FROZEN

“
MARISA
,
ARE
YOU
AWAKE
?”
Arrie’s soft voice called to her from the other side of the door. Still half-asleep, she stumbled out of bed and opened it for him.