Cornerstone (19 page)

“
It is, indeed.” Emariya smiled. She thought perhaps Russell was just trying to make polite conversation. At least that was something she was practiced at.

“
It's an awfully large camp you have here. Do you stay here fulltime?” She noticed the camp was larger than she had first thought.

“
Some of us do.” Russell nodded. “Others of us travel in small groups.”

“
If you stay here fulltime, why don't you build something more permanent than tents?” Emariya was truly curious. She couldn't imagine living out of a tent, never having a real home.

“
Because we have to periodically change the location of our camp. We don't stay in any one place too long.”

Emariya grew more uneasy. Why didn't they want to be found?

Her manners won out over her fear. “Why? Wouldn't it be better to have a home?” She turned to look at Khane and sucked in a sharp breath, surprised to see he wasn't there. Where had he gone?

“
We go where we are needed, My Lady,” Russell said quietly, his eyes boring intently into hers as if trying to judge something.

“
And why are you needed here?” She wasn't sure she really wanted the answer.

“
Because you are here.”

Emariya gasped.

“
We know where you are headed, Lady Warren, and I'm sorry, but we can't let you get there.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Not So Familiar Faces

The snow continued to fall, giving the camp an eerie glow as the snow reflected the moonlight. From just inside the dry confines of his tent, Garith watched Emariya sitting beside the fire and talking to Russell. There was a man he didn't recognize sitting on Emariya's other side. Jessa and the other boy who had come into camp with them had left together a few minutes before. Part of him wanted to rush out there and demand answers. But part of him couldn't stand the thought of hearing it from her own lips that she had kept her secret from him.

It wasn't entirely strange, watching her without her being aware of it. He had stood and watched her many times before. He was familiar with the way every strand of her blonde hair moved. He was familiar with the way she smiled when she was talking to someone as Lady Warren instead of as simply Riya. That smile was different than the one she saved for him. She seemed to be nodding at something Russell had said. She was smiling, but she didn't mean it. He wondered if Russell could tell.
Probably not,
he thought.
He doesn't know her like I do.

But did he really know her, either? He thought he had always been able to tell when she was holding something back. She had a tendency to keep her thoughts to herself. But maybe she kept more to herself than he'd ever dreamed. He just couldn't believe she hadn't told him. Had she told Jessa? Suddenly Garith was struck by an idea. Jessa hadn't come back to camp yet. He could slip out to the paddock. Jessa was likely to still be there. He'd ask her for the truth. And if Emariya hadn't told her, he'd tell her, and then together they would confront Emariya and get her away from here, far away from Thalmas and far away from Torian Ahlen. He was going to have to convince her to go quickly. He wasn't entirely sure that he trusted the Separatists. Their cause was a noble one, but something made him suspect that their means might not be just. He didn't want to stick around to find out what they would do if Emariya chose not to believe them and was determined to continue on to Castle Ahlen.

And if Jessa already knew about the Cornerstones? If Emariya had trusted Jessa with her secret, but not him? What then? He tried to shove the thought out of his mind as he left his tent, pulling his gray cloak tightly around him. With a last glance at the fire, he saw Emariya still sitting between the man who had come with her and Russell. Confident that Emariya wasn't going anywhere right away, he headed to find Jessa.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Not Without A Fight

Emariya scrambled to get footing as she was dragged rapidly backwards. They were moving too fast and she couldn't get her feet under her. She tried to twist around, but it was no use. The man's hand was wrapped tightly in her hair, forcing her neck in a very uncomfortable angle. All she could see was the snow falling down toward her in the moonlight and a few branches from the scattered trees around the camp. The man’s other arm circled around her chest while his hand clamped down over her mouth, silencing her and holding her to him at once as he dragged her away from the fire. One of her arms was pinned painfully between her back and the man’s ribs.

With her other arm she tried to free herself, alternating between clawing at the hand that clutched her hair as well as the hand over her mouth, and trying to claw backwards wildly at the man’s eyes. She could feel the sharp stubble on his face, the weathered wrinkles.

She heard him cry out once, as her fingers found their mark, and she clawed at his cheek. She was almost positive it was Russell who had grabbed her, but why? She'd turned to look for Khane, and the next thing she knew, someone was grabbing her by the hair. She'd managed to scream once, right before the hand clamped over her mouth. Hopefully Khane had heard her.

Suddenly, the light changed. She saw canvas above her and she realized they had entered a tent. Russell's voice was in her ear. All the friendliness he'd had with her earlier was gone. “We can do this easy or hard, sweetheart, but I'm going to need a few answers. What do you think, can you be good?”

Mindful of the hand still gripping her hair, she gave a tiny nod. The hand on her mouth started to loosen. She screamed. “Khane! Help!” The hand closed over her mouth again, harsher this time.

“
Let me make myself clear. My men have your little red haired friend, and the boy. This doesn't concern them, and I'm happy to let them be on their way. It's up to you. Now, do you think you can behave, for their sakes?”

Emariya closed her eyes.
Oh, by The Three, Jessa.
Her shoulders slumped as the fight went out of her. She nodded again.

“
That's better. Now, sit.” The hands simultaneously released her, and gave her a hard shove, sending her sprawling to the dirt beside the wall of the tent. Slowly, without rising from the ground, she twisted around to glare at the man who'd brought her here. She and Russell weren't alone in the tent. There was another man beside him.

For a long moment, Russell stood still, looking at her. His eyes never wavered, and he didn't speak. Emariya shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. Finally, he spoke.

“
You have a brother.”

It didn't really sound like a question. She suspected he already knew the answer and he was testing her honesty. She nodded.

“
Good. Just one brother?” Nod. “Any sisters?”

She shook her head no.

“
Where is your father?” He fired off his questions rapidly, one by one.

“
Sheas prison, I think.”

“
And your brother?”

She could see no reason to lie here. It would be easy enough for anyone to figure out that her brother would be leading the estate in her father's absence. “Warren's Rest.”

“
Whose idea was it to bind the lines?”

“
Bind the what?” What was he talking about? Bind what lines? Was he talking about the trade routes? She thought maybe sometimes people called them lines.

“
Don't play stupid with me, child, I've not the patience for it.”

“
You mean the trade routes? My father shut them down after my mother died, years ago.”

In two strides Russell crossed the tent. He grabbed her by the throat, lifting her to her feet. “I mean the bloodlines. Who arranged your marriage to Torian?” She felt the blood pulsing beneath his fingers as he gripped her tightly. She realized his hold on his temper was tenuous, at best. She didn't doubt that he'd kill her with the slightest provocation.

“
Torian requested my hand,” she managed to choke out, barely. The hand on her throat disappeared. Emariya tested her ability to swallow now that her throat was free. A lingering ache reminded her not to incite him again. If only she knew what it was that he wanted.

Russell took a step back. Was that what this was about? Were they trying to figure out whom to ransom her to? Now that she was standing, she could see more of the tent. It was sparse, definitely not someone’s sleeping tent. A small table sat on the other side with two chairs. Her eyes quickly roamed the room, looking for something—anything—that she might use to defend herself.

“
Can you use your gifts, child? Do you have the sound of the Stones yet?” Russell’s eyes narrowed and she forced herself to focus directly on his face. Scanning the room would have to wait.

Sound of the Stones.
Suddenly she remembered the stone gate at Three Stone Pass. Had it really talked to her, after all? And there was also the voice warning her of this place while she sat by the fire. She'd been beginning to think she was going crazy, but maybe she really did hear someone talking to her. Did these men know who it was?
If there is someone out there talking to me, now would be a really great time for them to speak up,
she thought ruefully.

“
I'm sorry, I have no idea what you are talking about. What is it you want?” she pleaded. “I don't know anything about any lines or Stones or gifts.” She could see it on their faces: they didn't believe her. There was something else there, too. Their eyes were wide, their shoulders tensed and wary. She realized with a shock that they were afraid of her.

“
She could be sendin' a message to her brother, warnin' him. We’d better hurry,” the other man said anxiously.

Russell stepped toward her.

She tried to take a step back, but the wall of the tent stopped her. Emariya trembled as he reached up with his calloused hand and gently stroked her cheek. When had he removed his glove?

Part of her was tempted to turn away, to hang her head and not look at him. Instead, she held her chin high and looked him defiantly in the eye. She tried to look confident, unafraid. Whatever he was about to do, she was determined that she'd make him look her in the eyes as he did it. If she was about to die, she wasn't going to go forth hanging her head. And she suspected that was exactly what was about to happen.

Hopefully Jessa and Rink had ridden away. She knew Jessa had been angry that she decided to stay here through the night.
Looks like she had good cause to be.
Maybe Khane hadn't come to rescue her because he knew it was no use, and he was busy getting Jessa away. She could only hope.

“
I really am sorry,” he whispered. The knife whined as it slid out of its sheath. “Your mother—she was different. She knew what she was doing. She made her choice. But I don't think you knew. All the same, the Stones cannot be allowed to bind.”

The rage consumed her all at once. She felt it billow up from the pit of her stomach, spreading its warmth through her chest as it ignited her with fury. This bastard had killed her mother! All thought of taking whatever was coming with quiet dignity fled. She made a grab for his knife, snatching wildly. Russell jumped back in surprise. She grabbed for the first thing she could find: one of the chairs sitting at the little table. It was too heavy for her to lift, but she managed to pull it in front of her just as Russell thrust the knife toward her. The blade made a muffled whine of disappointment as it found wood instead of the flesh it craved. They were circling each other now.

“
Maybe you aren't as like her as I thought. She didn't fight.” Russell glared as he lunged for her again. She jumped back, right into the waiting hands of the second man. She'd been so focused on Russell and his knife that she'd forgotten the other man. Her quick-won courage abandoned her as fast as it had arrived.

The ground rushed up to meet her. Her vision faded to black as her fear pushed her into unconsciousness and her legs gave way beneath her.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Sound Of The Stones

“
Look at you, you've grown up to be everything your father and I ever hoped for.” Her mother smiled proudly.

“
Mother?” Emariya couldn't remember what her mother had looked like. She’d been less than a year old when her mother had been murdered. But this woman standing in front of her could be her own twin. She saw now why people always said she was her mother's image. They were right.

Her mother kissed her on the forehead. “I am so sorry you had to find out this way. Your father should have told you.”

“
Told me what?” Emariya took hold of her mother's hand. She was real. She could really feel her! Her mother's hand was warm and comforting in hers. So many times she had wondered what it would be like to be able to talk to her mother, to have her hold her when she was sick or scared. She never wanted to let go.

“
Emariya, you are a Cornerstone. And not just any Cornerstone: a Second Stone. That means that, unfortunately, there are people in this world who fear the change you could bring. Those people—people like Russell—will try to stand in your way. You must not let them.” Valencia suddenly seemed to be farther away, and she dropped Emariya's hand.