Chasing Xaris (17 page)

“
W

HAT
?” I asked.

“Ari and Prytanis are dead,” Delphina said, her voice rising. “They never came out of the storm. It swallowed them. They’re just… gone. Like the gunmen.”

I didn’t hear any more wailing. My ears were pounding too hard. But I felt Jordan’s arms around me, and I saw Winnie beside me. She kept saying something while Jordan kept holding me.

My chest howled, sharp and strong. I didn’t fight it. I just shook and thought my body might finally give out. Ari was dead. Dead.

Delphina rose to her feet. Her spear pointed toward me.

“You killed them,” she shouted.

I blinked.

She lunged toward me, but Jordan jumped forward, blocking her. They both landed on the ground in a heap.

“Stop this,” Nikandros said. He yanked Delphina to her feet, pulling her away from Jordan.

“Chandler murdered them,” Delphina cried, spitting on my cheek.

I touched the wetness and felt a rumble of heat.

“No, I didn’t,” I snapped. “I almost died protecting your people. And my parents did die protecting you.”

“What?” Delphina asked.

“
Forget it,” I said. I wouldn’t betray Ari’s memory. But it felt wrong to even think about his memory. That made him dead. And I still couldn’t believe Ari had actually died. Maybe he’d gone into the Triada, like me.

But when I glanced over my shoulder, I looked right through the blue globe, to the trees beyond it. No one was in there. Not Ari. Not Prytanis. Not Mr. Whit or Gene. Which meant the murderers had really died, too.

“You will die,” Delphina said to me.

“Since when is that your decision?” I asked.

“The foreigner stopped the storm,” another voice said. Delphina’s mother walked forward, sweeping a white braid from her face. Her cheeks were stained with tears. “Even my daughter must see that.”

“I see that Ari and Prytanis are dead,” Delphina said. She whirled around to face Nikandros. His eyes were red and wet. “Your family is dead, Nick. Don’t they deserve justice?”

Nikandros nodded. “But justice is found in the hands of our people.” He lowered his voice. “Delphi, we cannot act above the law. We’ll try Chandler and her friends in court.”

“Try us for what?” Jordan asked. He stood between me and Delphina.

“For trespassing,” Delphina said. “You have brought us nothing but death, and you will pay with your lives.”

“With our lives?” Jordan asked. “Seriously?”

“If the court decides it,” Helena replied.

“But my friends are innocent,” I said. My voice was loud and hot. “Kill me if you’re so bloodthirsty, but you have to let them live.”

“And Chandler too,” Winnie said, stepping forward. “She saved you guys from the twister.”

“I know,” Helena said. Her dark eyes searched mine. “How did you manage that?”

I’d taken the stone with me into the globe. But wait, that made no sense. You couldn’t go inside xaris—I’d walked on its surface. I’d held it in my hand.

My fingers drifted to my pocket. The misos stone. I fished it out, noticing how much lighter it felt. And it wasn’t red anymore—it was a shimmering, beautiful blue.

“How did you stop the storm?” Helena asked again, drawing my attention back.

“I…” But I couldn’t imagine telling her the truth. I’d sound insane. Had
Aletheians ever gone inside the Triada? I doubted it. Ari would have said something about that if they had. And instantly my mind whirled with memories of him in the olive orchard. He’d shared his fears, frustrations, dreams. I had pushed him away and now he was gone.

“Where is our misos stone?” Helena demanded.

I stared at the blue stone in my hand and then peered up. The red shield in the distance had disappeared.

My stomach sank. Was it gone for good?

“You must tell us—” Helena began.

“It’s here,” I said, holding up the blue stone
. “The twister spit me out and the stone had… changed.”

Helena’s eyes widened. She snatched the stone from me.

Murmurs grew through the crowd. People searched for their shield, their faces growing panicked. Voices rumbled and rolled, turning into shouts of frenzy.

“Search her,” someone yelled. And hands reached for me, patting me down. Grabbing me.

My heart pounded. I swatted them back, but more hands lunged forward.

“Get off her,” Jordan bellowed. He pushed
Aletheians away, but they knocked him to the ground.

“Leave her be,” Helena shouted. “Now!”

The hands slowly released me.

“Invaders will come,” someone yelled.

“We must prepare to fight,” another said.

Helena raised her spear, and people quieted some.

“Our shield has fallen, and now we must decide the next step for our people,” she announced into the clearing, shimmering with the blue of the Triada under the dark sky.

How could it still be night? It seriously felt like morning would never come.

“We will hold court here,” Helena said. “I invite the elders to come forward and join me.”

She backed toward the edge of the clearing, with only the line of cypresses behind her. Delphina and Nikandros stood to her right, and a dozen
Aletheians hurried forward to flank her left side. They all had long white braids and weathered faces.

Jordan, Winnie, and I stood near the front of the crowd, facing Helena.

“We must sentence the foreigners,” Delphina said. “Two Aletheians have been killed and one has been injured.”

She
pointed her spear past me, and I glanced over my shoulder. Two women were supporting a third, who had a tight bandage around her arm. I exhaled, relieved that Gene’s bullet hadn’t done worse.

“We will,” Helena said to her daughter. “But first we must prepare for what is to come.”

“We should fight the foreigners,” someone shouted from the crowd.              

People clamored in agreement. Several elders banged their spears, but the grass muffled the sound. We definitely weren’t in their great hall.

“They would surely overpower us,” Helena answered. “We saw what happened during the great wars.”

More shouts burst across the clearing like flames.

“We must make some sort of agreement with them,” Helena said.

“We must not,” one of the elders said. He had bright blue eyes that looked much younger than the rest of his face. “I remember the days when we visited the mainland. I remember the fear and suspicion that consumed the place. They will surely imprison us!”

The crowd clamored even louder. Elders bellowed their agreement.

Helena’s eyes flashed. “The more we shout, the weaker we become.” Color rushed to her face. “We are one people, and we must speak to the rest of the world as one voice.”

A few quieted. They gripped their spears and watched Helena with fearful faces.

“If we don’t present a united front, we won’t keep control over xaris, our island, or ourselves,” Helena said. “Our fate will be decided for us.”

She glanced at the clump of elders. “We must proceed with order, not anger,” she added quietly, “or our children will be doomed to repeat our errors.”

After a moment the elders raised their spears in unison, and a strained silence rippled over the crowd.

“We should request to become their territory,” Helena said, “like the territories of Hawaii and Alaska.”

“They’ll just seize our land and imprison us!” someone yelled.

More shouts erupted. Helena shook her spear, trying to silence them, but they still rumbled on.

Then Nikandros joined Helena’s side.

“The united country may have changed,” he called out. “It has been nearly sixty years since your trips to the mainland.”

His declaration quieted everyone in the clearing. They all gazed at their surviving prince.

“Their land is vastly diverse and still thriving,” Nikandros said. His voice was thick but clear. He spoke with the same depth of passion as his father and brother. “Many of our Greek brothers and sisters call the united country home.”

The crowd murmured. Some were nodding.

“In many ways, we would still govern ourselves,” Helena said.             

“And in many ways we would not,” one of the elders added. He gave a heavy sigh and rubbed his eyes. “Our shield was never supposed to fall.”

“But it has,” Helena said firmly. “And now we must adapt, like our forefathers before us.” She rested a hand on Nikandros’ shoulder. “Future generations are depending on us to unite and prepare wisely for what lies ahead.”

People shouted their agreement.

“This is the best course,” Helena declared. “We will petition to become a territory of the united country. Come, let us speak together and choose our own fate! Those in favor?”

All of the elders raised their spears, and many in the crowd raised their spears in turn, shouting in accord. One giant cry echoed throughout the clearing, drowning out every other sound in the night air.

All I could picture was Ari and his father’s spears stuck into the grass. Waiting for them to return.

“You may lower your hands,” Helena said. “Those against?”

A couple dozen voted. But not enough.

“Then we will begin preparations,” Helena said.

“We should disperse our xaris,” Nikandros shouted, before the crowd could drown out his voice. “The foreigners will want to study it. They’ll seize it and keep it in their institutions. Xaris should not be locked away from the world.”

Helena gave a deep sigh. “We do not know that, Nikandros. We can hope for the best.”

“But we shouldn’t let them decide for us.” Nikandros glanced at Delphina, and she gave him a grim nod, her eyes red and swollen. He took a deep breath and addressed the crowd.

“Ariston believed that xaris should be seen. He wanted to share it with the world. And he would be leading you right now, suggesting this very course if he weren’t… gone.”

The crowd murmured.

“It isn’t wise to give away our most valuable resource,” one of the elders said.

“It might be taken from us,” Nikandros replied.

“And it might not,” the elder said.

“Nothing is certain,” Nikandros agreed. “But this is certain: Our shield is gone. We no longer risk exposure by sharing xaris with the world. We can honor Ariston son of Prytanis and choose to disperse xaris while that choice remains ours to make.”

The murmurs grew into shouts of approval.

Helena and the other elders studied Nikandros.

“How would we disperse it?” Helena asked.

“We could divide the Triada and let the sea carry it afar,” Nikandros replied.

“We will vote,” Helena announced.

“We have barely discussed the matter,” an elder protested.

“We have precious little time,” Helena said. “We must still sentence the foreigners and prepare for the coming officials.” She lifted her spear and addressed everyone in the clearing. “Those in favor of dispersing xaris?”

Nikandros and Delphina voted, but only a handful of people in the crowd raised their hands.

Then Helena raised her hand. Three elders quickly followed her lead, and more hands in the crowd rose. Definitely more than half.

“You may lower your hands,” Helena said. “Those in favor of keeping xaris on the island?”

Several elders voted and many in the crowd, but not enough. The results were clear.

“We will disperse the xaris,” Helena announced.

The crowd erupted—in applause and cries of protests. Their joy and anger collided furiously, seeming to shake the ground and stir the moss in the trees.

“That’s good, right?” Jordan asked, beside me.

“It’s really good,” I said. And somewhere, deep down, I felt a flicker of warmth.

Helena lifted her spear.

“
Order,” she called. “We haven’t much time, and we must judge the foreigners.”

“
W

E
should execute them immediately,” Delphina said, pointing her spear towards me.

Winnie grabbed my hand. Her skin felt
so cold. She gave me a squeeze and I squeezed in return. Jordan stood on the other side of me, staring down Delphina with his eyes blazing.

“Do not let grief steal your wisdom,” Helena said to her daughter. “We must govern according to our
nomos
. If they are found guilty of trespassing, they will die.”

“That’s insane,” Jordan said. “You’d kill us just for coming here?”

“Yes, foreigner, we would,” Delphina said.

“Foreigners have brought us grief for centuries,” Helena said. “We did not write this law lightly.”

“We’ve seen that grief tonight,” Delphina said.

“But we didn’t cause that,” I argued.

“Yes, you did,” Delphina said.

Helena gave her daughter a pointed look. “We will determine that as a court. Chandler Bloom, we will begin with you. Join me and speak your case.”

I nodded and stepped forward, to the side with the elders. Not Delphina. Jordan and Winnie joined me, standing at either shoulder.

I gave them each a nod, my heart pounding. But I could speak. I could. I just couldn’t tell them everything about Ari. He wouldn’t be remembered as a traitor.

“I found xaris and left Aletheia Island last night,” I said. “When I got back to my grandparents’ house, they were worried about where I had gone. Then earlier tonight, my teacher and his brother, the men who had led me to find Aletheia Island in the first place, kidnapped me and my friends.” I nodded to Jordan and Winnie.

“They threatened my friends at gunpoint, and so I gave them xaris to save my friends’ lives. Then we were all bound and brought to your island tonight against our will. We didn’t choose to come here, so we definitely didn’t choose to trespass.”

“But you still gave the foreigners xaris,” Delphina said.

People murmured. Several shouted.

“Chandler gave Mr. Whit xaris because his brother was threatening me,” Winnie said. “She saved my life.”

“At what cost?” Delphina asked. “Why does Chandler get to decide who lives and dies?”

“I don’t get to decide,” I snapped, my cheeks warming. “You think I’d choose for Ari to die? Or his dad? Or anyone else? And why do
you
get to decide who dies now?”

J
ordan moved his hand to my back, and I realized I was trembling again.

“We’re not trying the foreign girl for murder,
kori
,” Helena said to her daughter. “We’re trying her for trespassing.”

“Then let’s try her,” Delphina said. “We’ve heard her defense.”

Helena’s gaze drifted to Nikandros. He stood apart from the others, his shoulders stiff and his mouth tight.

“Would you like to add anything?” she asked him softly.

Nikandros shook his head.

“Then we should vote,” Delphina said.

“We must let the other foreigners defend themselves as well,” Helena said. She turned to Jordan. “Please state your name and defense.”

“Jordan Lane,” he said, “and you’ve heard what happened. Our teacher kidnapped us. We didn’t want to come, but it’s hard to protest when you’re tied to a boat with a gun to your head.”

“He didn’t come willingly,” I added, for emphasis.

He shot me a faint smile.

“All right,” Helena said. “And you?” she asked Winnie.

“Winifred Rollins.” She raised her chin. “If our crime is coming to this island, then know that we came against our will. We never meant to betray anyone.”
             

Helena nodded.

“They’ve said their part,” Delphina said. “It’s time we vote.”

Helena ran a hand over her white braids an
d sighed deeply. In that moment she actually looked her age.

“Those in favor of the death of Chandler Bloom?” she asked, raising her spear.

Hands began to rise. Nearly every hand in the crowd. And of course Delphina raised her hand.

My blood stirred. Where did they get off? They had no right. Twice, they’d gathered and pronounced judgment over my life. A group of strangers who knew nothing about me. I wanted to scream at all of them, the whole island. But then I realized not everyone was voting.

A dozen or so in the crowd had kept their hands lowered. So had Helena. And Nikandros.

I stared at him, waiting for his hand to move. He’d just lost his entire family. Out of all the
Aletheians, he should have wanted vengeance the most.

“You may lower your hands,” Helena said. “Those in favor of the life of Chandler Bloom?”

Nikandros raised his hand and looked over the crowd. A few followed his lead, including Helena. But only a few.

My ears pounded, and my hands trembled.

“This is insane,” I said. But my voice came out so quiet.

“You may lower your hands,” Helena announced. “Chandler Bloom is sentenced to death.”

“We should carry out the sentence immediately,” Delphina said.

The crowd roared in agreement. They raised their spears into the air.

My throat dried. They were really going to kill me.

“No,” Nikandros shouted. Again and again. He kept shouting and waving his spear until a hush fell over the entire clearing. He took a deep breath, and his shoulders expanded to their full breadth. He looked so much like his father. Like Ari.

“We cannot place the blame at Chandler’s feet,” Nikandros declared. “She wouldn’t have come to our island if she hadn’t found xaris on Santiago’s journal.” He turned to address Delphina. “And her teacher wouldn’t have had the journal if I hadn’t taken it to the mainland and mailed it to his university three years ago.”

Soft gasps rippled across the crowd.

“That can’t be true,” Delphina said, shaking her head.

“I’m sorry,” Nikandros said. “I was such a fool.”

“But why would you…” Delphina began.

“I wanted to leave our mark on the world—like Pericles, Archimedes, and Socrates. I didn’t want history to forget us.”

“But why give xaris to foreigners?” Helena asked.

“I didn’t know xaris was on the journal’s cover,” Nikandros said. “I never would have mailed the journal if I’d known that. And I made sure that none of the maps led to our island. I
didn’t mean to harm our people. I only wanted to tell our story.”

Delphina and Helena exchanged a look. The crowd had slowly come to life, murmuring and clucking their tongues.

“You can’t sentence Chandler when it is I who committed the crime,” Nikandros said. “I am guilty of treason.”

“You aren’t a traitor, Nick,” Delphina said. “We won’t try you as one.”

“
Kori
, we must follow our
nomos
,” Helena said gently. “That is the way of our people.”

“Amnesty is also the way of our people,” Delphina said. “We gave it to Chandler once. We’ll grant it to Nikandros now.” She turned to the crowd, her eyes pleading. “Do you really wish to kill our own? After all we’ve already endured tonight? Who would vote in favor of the life of Nikandros son of Prytanis?”

Many older Aletheians raised their hands, including Helena. Others joined. And then more and more, until all I saw were hands in the air.

“Wait a minute,” Jordan said, breaking his hold on my shoulder. “What about Chandler?” he shouted. “How is she any guiltier?”

“The foreigners are right,” Nikandros said. “I won’t accept amnesty unless you grant it to Chandler and her friends.”

“Chandler already had her chance at amnesty,” Delphina said.

“I’m not changing my mind, Delphi,” Nikandros said, meeting her scowl with his own. “I’ll share the fate of Chandler and her friends.”

The crowd stirred. Their voices grew louder and louder. Several of the
Aletheians were shouting at Helena. She stared back at them, nodding and listening but saying nothing. She looked so calm.

“We must vote,” Helena said. Her voice rang through the
clearing with a volume that shook everyone into silence. “We have run out of time. I urge you to remember that Nikandros has tied his fate to the foreigners. For that reason, we will vote for them together.” She paused, letting the weight of her words settle over the crowd.

Winnie squeezed my hand. Jordan breathed deeply
, but I couldn’t breathe at all.

Helena raised her spear. “Those in favor of the deaths of Nikandros son of Prytanis, Chandler Bloom, Jordan Lane, and Winifred Rollins?”

No one raised their hand. Not Delphina, and not one person in the crowd.

“Those in favor of the lives of Nikandros son of Prytanis, Chandler Bloom, Jordan Lane, and Winifred Rollins?” Helena asked.

Every hand rose. Every eye focused on Nikandros.

I exhaled slowly, feeling a flood of relief. My friends would live. I would live. But then I immediately thought of Ari. And my chest throbbed, stronger than ever.

“You may lower your hands,” Helena said. “They live.”

Winnie gave a soft sigh.

“We’re going home,” Winnie said, squeezing my hand. I returned her squeeze and glanced at Jordan. He was beaming at me. I gave him my best smile back, but his faltered.

He was reading me, like always. Why couldn’t he just let me be? I was beyond exhausted. And being read by him was even more exhausting.

“We get to live, Ms. Bloom,” Jordan said. “Don’t you get that?”

I nodded.

“We must act now,” Helena announced, lifting her spear. “The elders will join me in preparing for the foreign officials. The Hunters will see to distributing our xaris.
Yia sas
.”

“
Yia sas
,” many replied. The elders raised their spears in salute, and those in the crowd followed suit. Everyone began moving and talking in hushed tones.

Helena turned to me. “Chandler Bloom, you and your friends are free to go. We will not discuss your presence here with the officials.”

“Thank you,” I said, knowing she was saving us from a ton of questions. “What about Mr. Whit and Gene? The coast guard or somebody will find their boat here.”

“We’ll take care of that,” Helena said. “The officials won’t learn of their presence here, either.” She eyed each of us. “We expect your discretion, of course.”

“Of course,” I said.

“Fine by me,” Jordan said.

“I just want to go home,” Winnie said.

Helena nodded. “We must have someone see you to the shore.”

“I’ll do it,” Nikandros said solemnly.

“Nikandros, you must rest,” Helena said. “You have endured much this night.”

Nikandros shook his head and looked straight at me. “It would be my honor to assist the foreigners.”

I blinked. He genuinely wanted to help us.
After everything.

“I’ll go, too,” Delphina said, looking at Nikandros.

Helena nodded, and Nikandros waved for us to follow him into the cypress trees beyond. Winnie hurried after him and Delphina, and Jordan and I followed. Jordan kept looking at me, and I kept ignoring him.

I glanced over my shoulder at the Triada one final time, remembering the warmth inside its core. Blue light stretched toward me, glittering and brilliant, but I turned my back and followed the group into the cypresses.

“Stay close,” Delphina barked, up ahead.

She and Nikandros led us through the cypresses and back into the jungle
that had become so familiar. Minutes passed, and my mind drifted to Gran. I wondered what time it was, what I should tell her, what would happen when Mr. Whit didn’t show up at the school. But then I rubbed my eyes and decided to stop wondering altogether.

Instead, I fo
cused on the back of Jordan’s tee shirt, all muddied and dirt-stained. He had been through so much, and I had been so annoyed with him. I vowed to change my mood, and soon palms and mangroves finally gave way to the west beach.

As I stood on the sand, peering at the Florida shore in the distance, I realized how vulnerable the island seemed without their shield. And I had been the one to take it away.

“You’ll need to take two kayaks,” Delphina said. She and Nikandros each lugged one to the water.

Jordan approached Nikandros, his face solemn and
tight. “I’m really sorry about Ari and your father.”

Nikandros’ jaw worked. “Thank you,” he said.

“And you saved us back there. I mean, you seriously saved our lives. Thanks, man.” Jordan held out his hand, and Nikandros took it.

“It’s time you leave,” Delphina said, gazing out to sea.

I could sense the tension coiling in her. I felt it, too. Any minute, a boat could be heading toward the island.

“I’m sorry,” I said. The words slipped out before I could stop myself.