Alora: The Wander-Jewel (Alora Series Book 1) (14 page)

He flinched at her words. “I do know you, and you’re nothing like him. And I didn’t speak those words of love lightly, so I refuse to take them back. I believe love is a commitment. If you don’t like the fact I love you, that’s unfortunate. Because I will continue to do so, and nothing you do or say will change it. I will love you until we die.”

“And if I decide to try to talk to my father and influence him to change?” she asked, crossing her arms and jutting out her chin.

“Then I will love you until we die, but our time together may be shorter.” He felt his throat constrict. “Honestly, I don’t know if there’s any way to keep you safe, unless we both hide here in Montana. And that’s not the kind of man I am. I can’t hide from my responsibilities. But I don’t know if I’m the kind of man who can sacrifice the one he loves for the good of the clan, either.”

“Oh, Kaevin—”

“There you are,” Raelene interrupted. “Come, come! We must be about our training. Kaevin, I’d appreciate if you’d allow us some time alone. We have much to learn.”

*****

Graely listened to Jireo’s account with growing apprehension.

“Could you see their eyes?”

“I thought their eyes were green, but I can’t be positive. The only light was the campfire and the moon.”

“You’re confident they didn’t see you?”

“I’m not certain, but I believe if they’d actually seen me, they would’ve checked the road. Since Surefoot was still tethered where I left him, I assume they weren’t aware someone overheard their conversation.”

“Good... good,” Graely mused. “I simply don’t know how to interpret this.”

“There’s something else you should know. I overheard the council discussing the strangers’ visit. No one seemed to believe her, but Alora thought one of the men was Vindrake. Perhaps they have some kind of disguise?”

“That seems highly unlikely,” Nordamen remarked. “Bardamen, at least, would have detected such a mask. But somehow these men must be in league with Vindrake. Ow! Morvaen, you stepped on my foot! Can you not be still for a moment?”

“Sorry. I have too much energy to sit down.”

“The council sent me to tell you Raelene now believes Alora and Kaevin are quite some distance from here. She spoke with them before Alora transported them back. Raelene says you should begin your search beyond the mountain pass.”

“Then we must make haste through the passage,” Graely said. “If it’s true these men you observed are in league with Vindrake, then he must be aware of Alora’s existence, although they are inquiring about a girl of a different name. It is unlikely there would be two missing girls of fifteen years.”

“I forgot to tell you one of the men spoke of
Lena
being Raelene’s granddaughter.”

“Then there can be no mistake.” Graely groaned. “He knows about Alora, although he doesn’t know her rightful name. It’s imperative we reach her before Vindrake finds her.”

“But what if she and Kaevin transport back to Laegenshire?” asked Jireo.

“If that happens, it will mean she has gained control of her gift. And if she had control, she could transport herself to safety. The real danger lies in Vindrake finding her before she can protect herself.”

“Raelene said it will take a long time for her to gain full control.” Morvaen continued pacing. “I assume that’s the reason she and Kaevin almost drowned in whatever freezing lake they were in. We must reach her before Vindrake does, to provide protection while she’s training.”

“Now what are we to do with you and your sister?” Graely asked Jireo.

“I’m sorry about Arista. I couldn’t send her back alone.”

“We can’t take them with us,” reasoned Morvaen. “They have no choice but to return to Laegenshire.”

“Perhaps being so young, they will not raise suspicion with the enemy search party,” said Nordamen. “If it were only Jireo, I wouldn’t worry. But with his sister along, I’m reluctant for them to travel alone.”

“And if they are stopped and questioned?” asked Graely.

“We would never betray you,” said Jireo.

“If they have a judge, you wouldn’t be able to lie,” Nordamen argued.

“We’re both good hunters and good riders,” Arista’s voice chimed in from behind a nearby tree. “We’d be a great help on the expedition.”

“And you’re obviously good at hiding and eavesdropping,” Graely shook his head in mock disapproval, but his lips split into a smile. He’d always had a soft spot for Jireo’s sister. She’d been following Kaevin and Jireo around like an unwanted shadow since she first learned to walk. She was impetuous, but brave. Despite her parents’ misgivings, she would likely join the ranks as a Stone Clan warrior someday… if she survived long enough.

“You could take us with you to the last shire before the mountain pass. We have a cousin who lives there. Darielle will see we’re with you, so our parents won’t fret when we don’t return.”

“You simply want to put off facing Mother and Father as long as possible.” Jireo gave a sideways smirk, and Arista stuck out her tongue.

Graely looked to Nordamen with a silent question. His answering nod lacked enthusiasm.

“And your opinion, Morvaen?”

“I don’t like it.” He accented his words with heavy stomps. “But I see no better choice.”

“Then we’ll set course for the mountain pass as soon as you’re prepared,” said Graely.

“I’m ready now, but our horses will need a bit of time to recover,” Jireo declared.

“We’ll make better time if both you and your horses have recovered from your vigorous rides. Go and take your rest.”

“I’ll spread the word and make preparations,” said Nordamen.

Arista bounced on her toes. “See, Jireo. Aren’t you glad I came? If it were only you, they’d send you back to Laegenshire. My first expedition! I’m going to be a great warrior some day.”

“We do prefer warriors who’re obedient to their superiors,” Morvaen commented.

“So much for you, Arista.” Jireo bent, adjusting the leather binding on his boot. He straightened to find Arista’s tongue outstretched again. In a flash, his hand swept across her wet tongue, depositing a fistful of dirt.

“
Ahhh
!
Pthu
!
Pthu
!” She spat. “Jireo, I’m going to kill you!”

*****

“Go ahead and ask your questions,” said Raelene after Alora had successfully transported the two of them to the end of the driveway and back three consecutive times. “I sense you have many concerns. I will answer anything I am able.”

“Okay,” Alora said, taking a deep breath. Indeed, her mind had been swimming such that concentration was quite difficult. “First, how did I take Kaevin and me somewhere I’d never been when we left the lake and went to Laegenshire? That was the first time I’d ever traveled. Before that I just brought Kaevin to me.”

“Bringing someone to you is the easiest transport to accomplish and the most common to occur accidentally. When you transport yourself to another place or send someone to another place, you either identify the place you wish to go, or the person you wish to be with. Since you’d never been to Laegenshire and didn’t know anyone there, there are two possibilities. Either you reversed your last transport or you gave control to Kaevin and allowed him to image the place.”

“I can do that? I can give someone else control of the transport?”

“No. That’s not precisely correct. If a strong relationship of trust exists, such as the one you have with your Uncle Charles, you could follow someone’s guide to a destination. But this is a difficult skill to master. In this case, you undoubtedly reversed your last transport. That explains why you arrived on the same bed from which you transported Kaevin.”

I can reverse a transport, and I can let someone else direct the destination.
Alora filed this information away in case she could use it later.

“Okay, next question. Why Kaevin? Why did I contact him to begin with? It started with images when I was in the shower. I’d never seen him before, and I had no idea who he was.”

“I’ve puzzled over that myself. I’m certain your mother would have attempted to leave you with an impression of your home in Laegenshire. Wendelle must have left a latent impression that would be revealed to you when you came of age. I believe when your mind traveled to Laegenshire, Kaevin was the first person you saw. It could have been me or Graely, or anyone else in Laegenshire.”

“Kaevin says it happened because we’re soulmates,” she mumbled.

“Alora dear, I know you both believe you’re soulmates. But trust me when I tell you that’s simply not possible. You will see the two of you can function quite well apart from each other.”

“Yes, but only since we’ve contacted each other on a daily basis,” she argued. “Before that, we were both in pain.”

“How can I put this delicately, Alora? It would be extremely difficult to survive as soulmates when you’re unmarried. It takes more than holding hands for a few breaths once a day to avoid the affects of separation sickness. You’ll soon see you won’t suffer from separation more than any other young couple in love.”

Alora’s cheeks heated. “We... we’re not...”

“It’s perfectly fine, dear. Young love often blossoms into a real long-lasting relationship. But there’s no need to rush things. Let it happen naturally.”

Alora chewed the inside of her cheek. Her grandmother’s argument was persuasive. Could she be right? She decided to tackle a more comfortable subject. “If my wander-jewel is more powerful than others, what will I be able to do? What could I do beyond what I could with a normal jewel?”

“Well, obviously you can move yourself and two other people at the same time. That alone is amazing. You might be able to move two people without transporting yourself. That’s the most I’ve ever heard of. Your mother could do that as well.”

“What else could she do?”

“Most transports are done to yourself or away from yourself. Your mother could transport a person to or from any place she could see with her eyes. So, she could find me in Laegenshire and transport me to the top of that hill over there. Or from that hill to Laegenshire. The danger is the farther away you are from their landing place, the less control you have on the landing.”

“If you were in Laegenshire, but then you went on a trip somewhere, could I send Kaevin to you? Where would he go?”

“Yes, you could do that, and he would go to me, wherever I was; but you could only do that if you could form an accurate image of me in your mind. So, I could describe Kaevin’s father to you, but you wouldn’t be able to send him to his father—”

“Because the image wouldn’t be accurate. I’ve got it,” she said, nodding her head.

“The danger comes if you succeed in sending someone to the wrong place. For instance if you meant to send me into the house and you accidentally sent me to the middle of the lake. I have no way to let you know I’m not where you meant for me to go.”

“So I have to be able to concentrate...”

“Yes, it’s imperative you concentrate, no matter what’s going on around you. Imagine trying to help in the midst of a battle and sending someone to the wrong place. Of course, when a bearer is present in battle most soldiers wear metal belts so an enemy cannot transport them against their will. But there have been no active bearers for several years now, so we’ve abandoned that practice.”

“Oh, I didn’t know bearers were used in battle.”

“That’s why you’re so important right now. You’re the only active bearer in all of Tenavae. And the power of your red-heart jewel transcends protective wards. Only a shield of iron can protect someone from your assault.”

“But I’d never transport someone against their will, at least not in a bad way. I’m not that kind of person.”

Raelene’s eyes filled with sympathy. “I hate for you to lose your innocence at such a tender age, but consider this. What if someone were holding a knife to Kaevin’s throat? Or to your uncle’s throat? Would you still refuse to use your gift?”

Alora swallowed hard. “I... I hadn’t thought... I don’t...”

Raelene hugged her tight, and her voice trembled when she spoke again. “Don’t worry, Alora. We will take every precaution to prevent you from ever facing such a terrible choice. But I hope you will be able to help us in battle after you’ve become proficient with your gift. Your mother could heft huge boulders and drop them on the enemy. But moving lifeless objects is the most difficult skill to master. You may have eighteen or twenty years before you can predictably accomplish such a feat.”

Alora was swallowed by a sudden exhaustion. And it must have shown on her face, because Raelene said, “I think we’ve trained enough for today. Kaevin mentioned going on a hunting trip tomorrow. Perhaps that would be a good time for us to practice again.”

“That sounds good, Grandmother. My head is starting to hurt.”

When Alora entered the house, she found Kaevin on the couch watching television with Charles. When their eyes met, he gave a weak smile.

“I’m not certain I have the energy to attend the dance tonight,” he said.

“Me, neither.” She plopped onto the couch beside him.