Sea Dweller (Birthstone Series)

Sea Dweller

The Birthstone Series

Book One

By Melanie Atkinson

For my husband, who I’m still
hoping will take me to a tropical island someday.

And for my mother who, like
Paelor, did everything to protect her daughter.

And finally, for the people
who believed in this story and have helped me reach this point.

You know who you are.

Prologue

Moisture dripped and echoed
in the empty, black prison cell. Javen listened in silence, curled on his side,
his back pressed against the frigid stone wall. He wished the cold would numb
some of his pain. Instead it seeped deeper into his bones, mingling with his
despair. His fingers gripped the tangled, filthy mass that had once been his
hair and pulled in agony.

Moments ticked by, sometimes
with the scramble of tiny rodent feet, the distant sound of tortured cries, or
the continuous trickle of water. Spasms of fear gripped him in the bleak hours
as he waited.

Long after he’d ceased hoping
for rescue, the harsh voices of men who had drunk too much and smiled too
little ricocheted off the stone walls. With them came the sounds of heavy
footsteps and chains. Javen took a deep breath, knowing it would be one of his
last.

A dim, orange glow bit into
his vision and he squinted against the sudden, unwelcome light. Through half
opened lids he watched as the locks to his cell clicked opened. Two men
entered.

“Get up. It’s time,” one of
them said. He didn’t wait for a response. Gripping Javen under his feeble right
arm, he attempted to yank him to standing position. The other man grabbed his
left side. Javen struggled to keep his legs under him but they buckled,
weakened with the moldy bread and tepid water diet he’d been surviving on.

The guards, unconcerned about
his hindered legs, dragged him from the cell and into the dank hall. A third
guard brought up the rear, carrying a blazing torch to light the way. Javen
felt himself being pulled through black corridors, past weeping prisoners, and
out of the furthest reaches of the dungeons. As they made their way toward
lighter parts of the castle, he closed his eyes tightly against the brilliance
of pale morning sun filtering through windows.

His battered legs trembled
from being scraped along cold stone floors. Just as he’d absorbed enough new
pain to force a low moan from his lips, the guards halted. Unceremoniously, the
hands supporting him let go and he crumpled, his head colliding with the
ground. Ignoring the new wound, his fingers flew to his eyes, covering them
against the blinding light. He didn’t stir as footsteps marched around him and
settled in place.

“Dim them,” ordered a voice
Javen knew too well. Immediately, the light dissipated, replaced with the
shadowy flicker of a few torches. Javen removed his fingers and slowly forced
his eyes open. He shifted his strained gaze to the owner of the voice, taking
in the blurry image of a man he’d hoped never to see again.

“How the mighty have fallen,”
the king said, stepping closer to the prisoner. He chuckled, a harsh, ruthless
sound before bending close to Javen. “You weren’t always so humble. I seem to
remember a time when you ran with dissenters spreading vile lies about me. I
must say, it’s good to see you’ve come to your senses.”

Fear rippled through Javen’s
body. Through his teeth he managed to gasp out, “You have brought me here
against my will. I’ll never serve your cause and that won’t change.”

“Perhaps we can encourage
your will to bend with the right motivation.” The king’s lips curled into a
pained smile as he rose. “Bring the jewel,” he said loudly, his voice
thundering in the dim chamber.

Slow tears dripped from
Javen’s eyes as men scrambled to do the king’s bidding. Once more, guards
seized his arms, lifted him to a sitting position, and pinned him roughly in
place. Someone stepped forward and handed a round, cloth-wrapped mass to the
king. He grabbed at it, impatient.

“We’ve been saving this for
you, my friend,” the king said, setting the object in front of Javen. With a
flick of his hand, the cloth was ripped away, leaving behind a large, faintly
glowing blue stone. Pale white veins reached out from its center, throbbing
with weak life. The stone hovered just slightly above the ground, leaving mere
centimeters of space between it and the floor. Javen shook his head.

“This will do nothing for
you. It barely lives,” he said. “And I won’t use it in your behalf.”

“Ah, but you will, Javen.”
The king snapped his fingers once. More guards entered the room from behind
him. When they came into view, Javen gasped.

Flanked between the two men,
a wide eyed girl of thirteen met Javen’s gaze. Her long, russet hair hung in
limp strands and her arms revealed a myriad of angry bruises and cuts. A single
tear trailed a clean path down her filthy cheek but she she attempted to smile
at her father even as a gleaming dagger was thrust to her throat.

“I thought you might resist,
Javen. You’ve always been too solid in your misguided loyalties. I made certain
we had something on hand to assure us of your cooperation.”

Javen closed his eyes and
reached for the stone.

“Don’t, Father!” Ora cried
out to him. He only shook his head in defeat.

“Ask the stone where my
grandchild is,” the king said, ignoring the outburst. He licked his lips in
anticipation. “I’ll spare your daughter in exchange for the information.”

Javen placed his hand on the
stone and felt a trickle of warmth seep into his fingers as it bonded to him.
The king’s demands formed in his mind. Weak, fuzzy images filtered in and out
of his mental vision. He wept as the answers came, though unclear and distant.
He wished he could reject them. Moments later, the stone went dark, clunking to
the earth in the same instant.

“Where is the child?” The
king said, stepping closer.

Javen wanted to force his
lips closed, to deny what he saw, but he didn’t have the strength. The message
demanded to be told. “It was difficult to make out. There was a girl. I saw
warmth and sand. An island somewhere in the southern seas, perhaps.”

“We’ve searched the southern
seas. Be clearer or your daughter dies.”

“Speak to Brood from the
village of Gerolk. North of here.”

“What does he have to do with
anything?” The king ground his teeth.

Javen winced as the words
tumbled forth against his will. “He may be part of the Sea Dweller line. That’s
all I was shown before the stone died.” He buried his head in his hands, unable
to meet his daughter’s eyes as the sound of her weeping reached his ears.

“Sea dwellers.” The king
smiled at this. “Very well. I’ll make do with what I have.” He clapped his
hands together once. “Send out men to find Brood of Gerolk. I want him here
immediately.”

Javen looked up to see the
king’s mouth twist into a cruel grin. “I sincerely hope you’re not lying to me,
Javen. Once we know for certain if you have led me in the right direction, the
life of your child will either be spared or destroyed.”

“I spoke as I saw,” Javen
insisted. “You know concealment is nearly impossible so soon after a reading.”
He afforded one more look at his daughter and read the disappointment in her
gaze. He knew she had hoped he could lie but the pull to speak truth when using
the stone was nearly overpowering. And nothing mattered anymore other than
saving his child.

He turned back to his captor,
meeting his eyes. He saw the king’s words before they were spoken.

“Send the girl back to the
dungeons. And dispose of him. He’s of no more use to me.”

He closed his eyes as a
sword’s silvery blade aimed for his heart. The last sounds he heard were the
sobs of his daughter.

Chapter 1

I had only a day left to
convince my parents to allow something they’d forbidden for sixteen years, and
I still hadn’t mustered the nerve to approach them. My odds didn’t look good.

“You know tomorrow night is
the festival, right?” Sai reminded me as he launched his spear toward the battered
palm tree where we’d painted our target. It landed in the center with perfect
precision. While Sai removed his blowpipe, I trotted to the spot and examined
it closely.

“Of course, but I still can’t
decide how to approach my parents about it.” Placing one hand directly beneath
the spearhead, I used my other hand to gently rock it back and forth, easing
the tip from the surface. “Dead on,” I said, waving his weapon in the air.

Sai shook his head, annoyed.
“Wish I could get the same result with my arrows.” He fitted a practice dart
into the pipe and took it out once more when it didn’t settle into place
correctly.

“You practically do,” I said.
“The difference is miniscule.” I extended his weapon to him and he took it,
strapping it to his back before going back to his blowpipe. Several minutes
passed while he fiddled with it until the dart was situated perfectly. Dappled
sunlight filtered through the forest canopy creating a patchwork of shadow on
his shoulders and head. I watched the light shift across his skin until he
finally raised the pipe to his lips, took aim, and blew. The dart shot through
the air in a slender brown blur.

“Surprise, surprise,” I said,
tossing my hair over my shoulder as I moved to retrieve it for him. “Another
perfect score.” Before I could go very far, Sai’s hand slid over my arm and
gently pulled me to a stop.

“I’ll get it,” he said, his
tone pensive. I frowned, wondering what he was brooding over.

Most of the time, I
understood Sai better than he could possibly understand himself, so even when
he claimed everything was alright I knew better. After nearly ten years of
friendship, it wasn’t difficult to read his moods.

 “This isn’t about your
archery skills, is it?” I asked, shielding my eyes from the sun with one hand. 
I smiled, hoping to tease him into a better mood.

“The island has no enemies,
and except for the surrounding islands, I’m beginning to think we’re alone in
the world. No rebels are attacking the village. Wait, don’t tell me. Are you
trying to take over and become the new chief? Because you know I’d have to rat
you out, right?”

Sai made his way toward me, a
tiny grin playing at the corners of his mouth. “Why would anyone choose to be
Vairdan chief?” He shuddered. “No, I just wish I had something to brag about.
All of my brothers have done everything already.” Sai paused, his crooked smile
spreading across his lips. “Of course, none of them has bagged the giant boar
roaming the north point of the island. That would set me apart.”

“Or get you killed,” I
pointed out. Sai was one of the best hunters on the island, but I doubted even
he would be victorious if he went up against the most dangerous animal in
Vairda.

“Or make me famous,” he
joked, flexing one arm.

I slugged him in the shoulder
knowing I’d hardly leave a mark. “You’re such a glutton for attention.” Sai
reached out to ruffle my hair in return. As I moved to shove him away, he
dodged my hand, turned, and ran down the trail. Giggling, I bolted after him,
my feet sinking into the soft earth with each step. I knew where he was headed
and I raced to keep up. Sai was fast but I could outrun nearly everyone in
Vairda.

I drew closer, smiling to
myself when I was inches away from matching his pace. Just when I knew I could
pass him, he turned from the main path and jumped off the steep sandy cliff
bordering our route. I pulled to a hasty halt, watching in disappointment as he
slid and skipped his way down the bluff. He knew I never followed when he took
the shortcut. Sai had a knack of expertly grabbing vines and roots to steady
himself down the rocky slope but when it came to cliffs, I was barely skilled
enough to tumble down without breaking anything.

Sighing, I continued on at a
comfortable stroll. There was no use trying to catch up now. As I walked, I
swatted at a cloud of gnats, ignored a squawking parrot, and made a vow to
become better at climbing. Someday, I would challenge Sai to a race he couldn’t
cheat at.

Soon the trees around the
trail thinned, revealing a shore of bleached sand, tinted red from the dying
sun. Beyond the beach stretched the ocean, reflecting the sky in hues of pink
and orange. I found Sai in the same place I’d first seen him as a child, when
he’d rescued me on the beach ten years ago. His blond hair mimicked the sky’s
colors as he strolled down the beach, his gait deceptively lazy. Every ten
steps or so, he stooped to examine objects in the sand. Once, he bent over and
plucked something from the ground. I’d been observing him with a half-moon
smile and I fought to keep it from spreading to the rest of my face when I
reached his side.

“I hate it when you take off
like that. It’s such a show-off thing to do,” I said, sending a curious glance
at his fist while trying to appear put out.

“But you’re so fun to tease.”
He chuckled and popped open his fingers to reveal a pale, pink, spotted rock. I
took it and held it up to the sky.

“Pretty.” I turned it around,
admiring the light reflecting through its center.

“Keep it. It’s your twin.”

I allowed myself to grin and
tucked the stone into the small bag strapped to my side. “So, you’re not
completely off the hook yet,” I said, even though we both knew I’d forgiven
him. “And you still need to help me figure out a way to convince my parents to
let me attend the festival this year.”

He sighed and plopped down on
the sand. “The festival is the last thing I want to think about. I’ve spent
most of the day helping with preparations. It’s the same thing every year.”

“Well, since I’ve never gone
it’s new to me.” I tried to keep my voice light, worried I would make him more
depressed than he already seemed. I sat beside him uneasily, his solemn manner
once again warning me that he still hadn’t confessed what was really bothering
him.

Avoiding my eyes, Sai stared
out at the expanse of blue and scarlet melting into one another. “Six hours
fishing in Haran’s lagoon. Another three hours spent completing pointless tasks
for every bossy person who happened to catch sight of me.” He shook his head
and adopted a nasal tone. “I want a hundred pounds of wood carried to this spot
here and another two hundred stones piled right there!”

I couldn’t help but laugh at
his impression of a Vairdan matron. “You’d think they would get tired of
preparing for the same party every year.”

 As soon as the words left my
lips, I winced at how overfamiliar I sounded. In truth, I didn’t know much
about the annual Vairdan Stone Festival but I heard bits of information in
passing and had watched the preparations from a distance. My parents had always
insisted Vairdan traditions were not their own, so I’d had to boycott the
festival every year with them. Usually, I pretended it didn’t bother me when I
was forced to hide at home during island celebrations. Deep down, though, being
excluded stung.  Even though my parents had come from another land, I had not.
Vairda was the only home I’d known and I wondered when I would be allowed to
accept it as such. And until I did, I knew the other islanders would never
accept me as part of the community. So this year, I’d decided I would attend
the festival at any cost. That was the easy part. Acting on my decision,
however, was a little more difficult. 

Sai cast me a sideways look.
“It’s more than just a party,” he said with a catch in his voice, “but it might
be best if you aren’t there this year.”

I held my breath for a
moment. In all the years we’d known each other, he’d never suggested he didn’t
want me with him. Forcing myself to remain unruffled, I watched him closely.

“Your mood today has nothing
to do with your brothers or your weapon skills, does it?” I asked. “You’re
keeping something from me.”

Sai exhaled slowly through
his teeth. “I’ve been compelled to act as an escort.”

“An escort,” I said flatly. I
steeled myself for what would come next, praying my hunch was wrong. “Who are
you escorting?” I hoped my tone was light but I nearly choked on the question.

“Faema.”

 “Faema!” I said her name
like a curse. “Why her of all people?”

Sai crossed his legs and
placed his spear in the sand at his side. Leaning forward, he rested his chin
in his hands. “I didn’t have a choice. With her father being the island chief,
I can hardly say no. Especially when my parents are pushing us together every
spare moment I have.”

I nodded, blinking back
frustrated tears. “But there’s no one on the island who treats me worse than her.
Why do your parents want you with her?”

Sai didn’t respond. For a
fleeting moment, I wondered if her dislike for me was what had earned his
family’s approval.

I’d always counted on Sai’s
friendship as a constant in my life, but over the past few months that security
had sifted through my fingers like fine sand. Time with him, that had belonged
to me for as long as I could remember, was slowly being distributed against
Sai’s will to other obligations. And the worst part was the obligation was
often to a beautiful Vairdan who hated me.

Faema’s dislike for me wasn’t
a surprise. Few Vairdans had ever been anything more than resigned to my
presence. I couldn’t entirely blame them.

When my parents shipwrecked
nearby, they became a hardship to an island steeped in its own culture and
national pride. Once my parents settled in Vairda, they refused to adopt the
island customs and traditions, giving the islanders further reason to ostracize
us. The thing that bothered me the most was how they refused to speak of their
homeland, even though they seemed to be clinging to it as if they’d never left
it behind. Nothing they did made sense to me.

“Faema hates anyone who
doesn’t worship her, Aylen,” Sai said, interrupting my thoughts. “Besides,
you’ve never wanted her approval.”

This was true, and I couldn’t
deny it. While I didn’t like being detached from the rest of the island, in
particular the village, I had never wanted to be part of Faema’s inner circle.
Still, I attempted to argue my side.

“How could she know that for
sure? What if I’ve always wanted nothing more than for her to like me? She can
make people feel really worthless, you know.” I swiped at the sand, watching as
flying particles shimmered in the golden light.

“Vairdans may be closed
minded, but we’re not stupid.” Sai laughed. “You’ve never tried to be anything
other than what you are. I’ve never seen you try to change yourself for
someone’s approval.”

“Other than yours?” I pushed
on his arm and Sai grinned.

“Not even mine. If you didn’t
feel like you could be yourself around me, you would have ditched me long ago.
It’s one of the things I like best about you.”

His comment annoyed me.
Despite my brave facade, Sai knew I longed to be accepted.

“That’s not completely true.
I’ve wished a thousand times to be like you and the other islanders. I want to
be pale haired, dark eyed, tan skinned, and good at being Vairdan.” I hesitated
before finishing my final thought.  “I know our friendship would be easier,
maybe even more if I was a native - if I looked like a native.”

“Aylen. . .,” Sai began, but
I cut him off.

“Sai, I’ve always appreciated
your lack of prejudice, but even you can’t help but see what everyone else on
this island sees. When Faema points out my freckles, dark hair, and lack of
island abilities, you have to admit you see it too. And whether you want to
confess to it or not, somewhere in your heart, it embarrasses you.”

“It doesn’t embarrass me,”
Sai said, a note of uncertainty in his voice.

I pursed my lips in thought.
Pulling out the odd stone Sai had given me, I turned my gaze on him. “Can you
honestly say my poor attempts at fishing, hunting, and even my below average
swimming abilities have never made you ashamed of me?”

Sai was silent.

“And can you truly tell me
you have never compared me to Faema and found me wanting?”

His lack of response was my
answer. I held out the stone and placed it on the white sand. “It sticks out,
doesn’t it?” I said. Sai’s eyes remained trained on the horizon. “It’s pretty,
in its own way. But look at what it’s surrounded with:  an endless stretch of a
brilliant, perfect beach. It just can’t compare.” I sighed and returned the
rock to my bag.

“It stood out to me,” Sai
muttered, glancing down the beach. “Faema lacks character.”

I laughed. “Oh, Faema has
plenty of character. It’s just not the type of character I want to be around.”

“Well, I don’t think you’ll
have a choice before long.”

My eyes darted to Sai before
following his gaze. Sure enough a tall, self-assured girl with waist long blond
hair strode in our direction. I couldn’t help scowling. “She must be coming to
claim you. She wouldn’t honor me with a visit, unless it was for humiliation
purposes.”