Alora: The Wander-Jewel (Alora Series Book 1) (8 page)

Kaevin observed as the other three drank a swallow from the bright red cans. He lifted the can to his lips and poured some into his mouth, only to send it spewing out across the table.

“Oh! I think there might be something wrong with mine. It tasted strange. I’m so sorry.” He used his napkin to try to wipe up the Coke from the rugged wooden tabletop.

“That’s okay, Kaevin. No harm done.” Charles narrowed his eyes as Beth giggled behind the napkin she pressed to her mouth and Wesley tried desperately to keep a straight face. Alora squeezed Kaevin’s hand under the table, hoping to keep him calm.

“So... Kaevin,” her uncle said, after Kaevin had returned to wrestling with the slippery spaghetti noodles. “That’s an interesting outfit you have on. Is that leather?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Oh,” interrupted Beth, “did we forget to tell you Kaevin is in the school play? He’s one of Robin Hood’s merry men. They had a dress rehearsal today.”

“I see,” said Charles. “Your costume is quite impressive.”

“My mom helped make the costumes,” said Beth. “She’s a great seamstress, isn’t she?”

“Yes.” Charles drummed his fingers on the table in some random pattern. “Yes, indeed.” He turned his attention back to his plate, while the four young people ate in silence.

“So... Kaevin, where did you live before you came to Montana?” he asked.

“I’m from Laegenshire, sir.”

“I’m not familiar with that town.”

“It’s in Scotland,” Beth answered quickly.

“Ahhh. So you moved here from Scotland. And your father is a... truck driver?”

“Kaevin’s mom recently remarried. That’s why they left Scotland,” Beth explained.

“I see.” Charles studied Kaevin, who kept his eyes glued to his plate of spaghetti.

“What kind of horse do you have, Kaevin?”

“He’s magnificent! He’s a solid black Gladenbrook, over fifteen hands high. Very spirited!” Kaevin beamed with excitement. Alora squeezed his hand, trying to signal him not to say too much, but it was too late.

“Ahhh. Gladenbrook? I’m not familiar with that breed.”

“I think that’s a new breed out of Scotland. I remember reading something about it in the last Equestrian Magazine,” said Beth.

“Oh well, Beth. You would know,” said Charles. “Great horsewoman that you are.”

Alora flashed a tiny smile at Beth.
I can always count on her to come up with a story to get us out of trouble. She’s done it ever since we met.

“So you have a gift with horses?” Kaevin asked Beth. “That’s wonderful—we could ride together sometime.”

“I can ride, too,” said Alora with a slight pout, somehow not pleased with the idea of Beth and Kaevin riding without her.

Kaevin turned woeful eyes in her direction. “Of course, I would want you to be there as well. I have no desire to do anything without you anymore.”

Oh no
!

Uncle Charles’s eyebrows pushed down, and his eyes narrowed to slits.

“How old did you say you were again, Kaevin?”

“He’s sixteen, Uncle Charles. He just looks old for his age.”

“And they let you wear your hair like that to school?” His mouth twisted to the side, disbelief written all over his face.

Kaevin pushed his long hair back with his left hand, as his face reddened.

“Yeah, they changed the dress code this year,” Wesley offered. “You can even grow a beard if you want to. But no tattoos or face piercings.”

“Is that so?” Charles sat back in his chair with his arms crossed, regarding Kaevin with suspicion.

Alora felt her palms sweating and her heart pounding.

“Kaevin?” Charles waited for Kaevin to look up from his plate and make eye contact.

“Yes sir?” Kaevin swallowed and the muscles tightened in his jaw.

“You have a very unusual eye color.”

“Do you truly think so? Where I come from, it’s a quite common color.”

“In Scotland?” Charles clarified.

“Uhmm... yes, sir,” mumbled Kaevin, as his eyes dropped down to his plate.

“Because I’ve only seen eyes that color once before in my lifetime. It was a young woman... named Wendelle.”

Kaevin’s jaw dropped open as he gaped at Charles with wide eyes. Alora squeezed his hand in a silent, but futile, warning. Finally responding to the pressure, he glanced toward her. She gave her head a tiny shake and tried to communicate without speaking. He dropped his eyes back to his plate.

“Alora, can I please talk to you in the other room? Privately?” Her uncle’s voice brooked no argument.

“Uhmm, I can’t let go—”

“I’m afraid you’ll have to forfeit your game,” he insisted as he pushed his chair back and rose from the table, tossing his napkin onto his chair. He stomped toward the living room, without bothering to wait for her.

“What should I do?” she whispered.

“We could try letting go,” suggested Kaevin. “Perhaps it’s been long enough.”

“Okay.” She held her breath as she released his hand, but nothing seemed to happen. No pain. She relaxed at his reassuring smile.

“Great. I’ll be right back.” She ran to find her uncle.

“Alora. What’s going on here? Who is this Kaevin? Is he the same boy who frightened you in your bathroom? Does he have something to do with your mother?”

“No, I met him a few days ago. He’s too young to have known my mother.”

“Why do I feel like there’s something fishy about this whole thing? Are you trying to date this boy? Because I think I’ve been quite clear about the age rule, and I find it hard to believe he’s only sixteen.”

“He looks older than he is. People always think I’m older, too, just because I’m tall.” Alora frowned at the pain behind her eyes.

“Alora!” Beth’s voice called from the other room.

“Just a minute!” she called back, her hand rising to rub her temple.

“Even if he’s sixteen, that doesn’t mean I approve of you dating him. I want to meet his parents. I want to know a little bit more about him.”

Alora felt tears spring to her eyes and tried to ignore her throbbing forehead. “That’s fine, Uncle Charles. We’re not dating, but I do like him. I think you’ll like him too, once you get to know him. But please—”

“Alora! I think you need to come now,” cried Beth. “Like, right now!” Alora could hear Bozeman’s frantic barking.

“I’m coming!” she called, starting toward the kitchen. Her head began a steady pounding with sharp stabbing pains.

“Young lady! We’re not through with this discussion yet.”

“Ahhh!” She clutched her head as her knees buckled and she fell to the floor. “Wesley! Help me!”

Wesley burst through the door and scooped her up, carrying her to the kitchen floor, where Kaevin lay unconscious while Bozeman continued his furious
woof
ing.

“What’s happening? What’s wrong with her?” asked Charles.

Alora grasped Kaevin’s hand, and the pain ebbed away. Exhausted, she rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes in relief.

“What’s going on?” Charles demanded. “What’s wrong with them?”

Beth sighed. “Nothing a little hand-holding can’t fix.”

“So, that abou
t
sums it up,” said Alora. “Did I leave anything out, Kaevin?”

“I haven’t explained about the council and how you’ll be a member once we get you back to Laegenshire.”

“
If
,” said Charles. “
If
she goes back with you. It sounds to me like she’s safer here.”

“But she must come back,” Kaevin declared. “She must use her gift to help Stone Clan and all the other clans to defend ourselves against Water Clan. And I will be the next Stone Clan leader, after my father. I cannot remain here.”

“Perhaps you can’t stay here, but Alora can. We’ll just find some way to undo this soulmate thing,” reasoned Charles.

“But it cannot be undone.” Kaevin’s hand tightened around her fingers.

“How do you know it can’t be undone?” asked Charles. “You said yourself you only knew of two other couples who were soulmates. You don’t know that much about it. Surely, this bond can be broken somehow. Especially since the two of you are so young.”

“Excuse me, Mr. Whitford,” said Beth. “I hate to interrupt, but I think Wesley and I need to get home. It’s a school night.” She and Wesley donned their coats and hats.

“I’m sorry, Beth,” said Charles. “Do I need to drive you home?”

“I can take her, sir. I got my license this summer.” Wesley gave a polite bob of his head.

“So... I’m guessing you won’t be at school tomorrow?” Beth asked Alora.

“Sure she will,” said Charles. “I’ll see to it.”

“I think Friday is more likely,” said Alora. “But then we have the Christmas holidays. Three weeks off!” She could feel her uncle fuming silently behind her.

“I was thinking maybe Kaevin might like to go hunting during break,” said Wesley. “Maybe elk or deer?”

“I’d be glad to go on a hunt,” said Kaevin. “I always take part in hunting for Laegenshire. And Jireo and I are masters at laying snares. We’ll have the smokehouse stocked in a few hands.”

“Uhmm... okay. Sure,” Wesley said. “Do you need to borrow a gun?”

Kaevin blinked in confusion. “What’s a gun?”

“You don’t know what a gun is?” asked Wesley.

“I have a better question. What’s a hand? I mean, I know what a hand is,” Beth waved her fingers in front of Kaevin’s face. “But not the way you used the word.”

“A hand is… it’s how long it takes the sun to set if it is a hand’s width from the horizon.” Kaevin stretched out his arm and turned his hand so his fingers stacked sideways.

“Oh, I’ve heard of that.” Wesley mimicked Kaevin’s pose. “We did this at camp as a way to estimate how much time you have left before sunset. One finger is about fifteen minutes, so all four fingers would be about an hour.” He stacked four more fingers from his other hand. “And two hands would be about two hours. Right, Kaevin?”

He stared at Wesley, shaking his head. “Uhmm… What’s an hour?”

Wesley laughed. “You don’t know what an hour is, and you don’t know what a gun is? I don’t suppose you can learn how to shoot a gun by this weekend, can you? I guess hunting isn’t such a good idea.”

“Wesley, aren’t you a big bow hunter?” asked Beth.

“Absolutely—I prefer bow hunting.” Wesley grinned, pulling out his phone to scroll though his pictures. “Look at this awesome compound bow I won in an archery contest. It’s super lightweight, all carbon-fiber.”

“I bet Kaevin can shoot a bow and arrow,” Beth suggested, turning expectant eyes to Kaevin.

“Of course. I’m gifted with weapons.” Kaevin stretched his mouth in a broad smile, flashing deep dimples. Alora thought he seemed relieved to have something in common with Wesley, although his answer sounded a bit arrogant.

“Gifted, huh? That sounds like a challenge to me. We’ll see how good you are on Saturday.” Wesley crossed his arms over his chest.

“Wait,” said Beth. “I forgot the dance is Friday night. Alora, are you coming?
Please
.”

“We’ll see.”

Beth made her lips pooch out the way that always made Alora give in to her demands.

“
Maybe
.”

Beth added an I’m-about-to-cry-look to her pout.

“Okay,
probably
. But that’s the best you’re going to get tonight.” Alora laughed as Beth clapped her hands, bouncing on her toes.

“I knew you’d come. It’s going to be so much fun.”

“I didn’t say for sure.”

“Yes, but I know you won’t disappoint me.”

Alora knew Beth was probably right, but she couldn’t imagine she’d feel like dancing by Friday. “We’ll see. Thanks for your help, Beth. And you too, Wesley. I owe you—both of you.”

As the two dashed out the back door, Uncle Charles still looked like he’d eaten a lemon. “All right. We don’t need to sort everything out tonight. I think a good night’s sleep will help all of us.” He stood up and stretched. “Kaevin, you can sleep in the guest room. I’ll show you. It’s next door to my room.”

“Uhmm, Uncle Charles? I... uhmm, I don’t think that’s going to work.” She held up her hand, clasped in Kaevin’s.

“Oh, I forgot about that. How long do you have to hold hands?”

“I’m uncertain.” Kaevin scratched his head.

“Do you think the bond started on Sunday?” she asked.

“What’s Sunday?”

“That day when you shocked me in the snow.”

“Right. I’m fairly certain that was the beginning. And then the symptoms began when we didn’t touch the following day.”

She ticked off the days with her fingers. “So from Monday afternoon until Thursday afternoon. That’s three days without touching. Four days if we count from Sunday. How long do you think we have to hold hands to make up for that?”

“I don’t know how long it takes to recover from such a long lapse. We’re probably fortunate to be alive.”

“This is insane!” Charles protested. “Are you sure you’re not just imagining these symptoms?”

“Uncle Charles, Kaevin almost died, and I guess I did too. Believe me, the symptoms are real.”

“Well, I don’t like it.” He scowled. “It’s ridiculous!”

“It will be much simpler when we’re married,” said Kaevin.

Alora cringed as her uncle’s face turned beet-red.

“
Married? Did you say married
?”

“Uncle Charles—”

“She’s not—” He stopped to take a deep breath and turned to Alora, speaking between clenched teeth. “
You
.
Are. Not. Getting. Married
.”

“Of course not, Uncle Charles. He means some day in the far, far future. Years from now.” She squeezed Kaevin’s hand hard to keep him from contradicting her.

Charles squinted at them, his furrowed brows almost covering his eyes. “I’ll make a pallet for you here on the floor. Wait here, and I’ll get blankets and pillows.” He took two steps and whipped his head back around. “And I’m sleeping in here with you. Right there on the couch. And I’m a light sleeper!”

*****

Charles tossed and turned on the sofa, until he surrendered to his insomnia, sitting up to rub his eyes. He would get no sleep tonight without something to calm his nerves. Perhaps he needed to make a cup of chamomile tea.

On the floor, Alora and Kaevin slept soundly, their fingers still entwined. Alora’s face was the picture of innocence. Even the boy looked harmless as he slept, but Charles couldn’t know what his intentions were.
I don’t know anything about this boy.
Realizing his fingers had balled the blanket inside his tight fists, he forced his hands to relax.

He stood up, padding across the room to the fireplace. Reaching up on the mantle, he removed a small, framed picture, holding it with trembling fingers.

“Lena,” he whispered. “I don’t know what to do. I’m no good at this parenting thing. You were the one who always made the decisions.”

He stared down at his wife’s face, willing her to answer him. “How am I supposed to raise a fifteen-year-old girl without you? Why did you have to die?”

A tear rolled down his face to splash on the glass. “I’m so afraid, Lena. I’m going to screw this up, I just know it. One wrong decision, and I’ll mess up Alora’s whole life. No one told me it would be this hard when we first held that tiny little baby in our arms. I didn’t know how scary it would be to be a father.”

He pressed the frame against his chest. “What am I going to do about this boy? You and I made up our dating rules for Alora a long time ago, and this boy doesn’t fit at all. He’s too old, and we don’t know his parents. But now they tell me they’re
bound
together. They say they’re
soulmates
, not that I really understand it. What should I do?”

Charles placed the picture back on the mantle, staring once again at her face… so peaceful… so beautiful… the woman he’d loved for so many years. He could still remember how her voice sounded. But that voice was only a memory. Lena didn’t answer him. He was on his own.

*****

The expedition group gathered to leave on horseback at dawn. Twenty-one men and women made up the search party, which would split into three groups after crossing the mountain pass. Graely intended to question clansmen in the towns along the way. Barring a blizzard or attack on the trail, the trip would take a fortnight. Graely, Morvaen, and Nordamen each carried one of three sightstones set in lanyards for the purpose of communicating with Darielle. And these three men would also be the group leaders once the party separated. Graely waited as each horse passed, set to take up the rear of the expedition.

“Wait!” he called to the last horseman, a broad-shouldered man whose face was hidden under a hood. “Bardamen, we’ve discussed this. We cannot afford to risk your life on this expedition. We have no other shaman for the clan. The rest of us can be replaced.”

The man halted his horse, turning to face him with barely controlled anger.

“But you will surely need more than just my father on the expedition. As it is, only one group will have a shaman. What happens if you’re detected? Water Clan has many shamans.”

“Exactly. And what happens if we leave the clan unprotected with no shaman?”

“We have wards here. Laegenshire is well-protected.”

“My decision is final.”

“But—”

“Please, Bardamen.... Do you realize that if Alora completes a transport with my son, they will most likely come here? And Alora will be the main target of Vindrake? Do you really think we can afford to take the risk of leaving Alora with only wards to protect her?”

“Bright!” Bardamen swore, jerking down his hood. “Fine. I will stay. But don’t say I didn’t warn you when Vindrake sends wendts your way. I don’t know how you intend to protect all three groups with one shaman.”

“Bardamen, believe me. I wish you had two siblings. I’m well aware of how precariously this expedition is balanced.” For just a moment, Graely allowed the weight of his worry to show on his face. The gifts were dwindling with each generation born in Stone Clan. His resources were already stretched thinner than he liked, even without the expedition. He shook his head. “Truly, I fear I may never return. You are not only our last shaman, but also my closest successor after Kaevin. If neither of us returns, you will be clan leader. Then you will see for yourself how difficult these decisions are to make.”

Bardamen’s rigid posture crumbled, and he bowed his head. “Forgive me, Graely. My judgment was clouded by my pride. I should not have undermined your leading.” He clenched his fist to his heart. “My prayers are with you.”

*****

Abaddon stirred a foul-smelling brew in the large iron pot hanging over the fire. The odor didn’t bother him, for it was his greatest opportunity for glory. With this feat, he would rise to second in power in the kingdom. And who knew? Perhaps he might eventually be the supreme power. But for now, he must concentrate on the task at hand. “So, you’ve had no more contact from Lena? Not even the slightest pull?”

“None at all,” Vindrake replied. “It has been five days. I must assume she fears me too much to try again.”

“Did her spirit seem so frightened when you spoke to her? If she were that afraid, an untrained bearer ought to have closed the channel immediately.”

“No. … We spoke for several minutes. She seemed quite calm. She is extraordinary.” Vindrake spoke almost like a proud father. “She has inherited much of my strength and power. Imagine, such a feat with fifteen years and lacking apprenticeship.”

“Yes,” Abaddon agreed. “Lena will be a great boon for our cause... if we can find her. However, if her gift were melded with Stone Clan—”

“That will not happen,” snapped Vindrake. “I won’t allow it. I’m certain she isn’t in Laegenshire, for I can sense the gifts there, despite their meager wards. I believe Graely is unaware of her existence, as I was before she called to me.”