Sea Dweller (Birthstone Series) (12 page)

Sensing his need for air, I
once more pushed him to the surface. I rose with him, this time noticing we had
a few seconds before the next wave would crash over us.

“You alright?” I yelled above
the roar of the ocean.

Sai nodded before taking
another breathe. I pulled him back under and we rolled with the wave as it
crashed on top of us.

Over and over, we breached
for air and went under again, making little progress as we swam against the
ocean. Finally, on the sixth breach, I noticed we were just a short swim away
from the first shore rock. “We’ve got this!” I said gasping, my body spent even
under the gem’s power.

“Good job, Aylen,” Sai said
weakly before taking another breath. I pulled him under again and in moments
that seemed more like years, my fingers finally brushed the first barnacle
pocked rock marring the shore. Together, we gripped its sides and clung on
while the sea washed over us, beating and tearing at our bodies in angry
torrents. I continued to shove Sai upward and he climbed, inch by inch, choking
on salt water. Barnacles and mussels cut into his skin as he progressed,
leaving trails of blood that washed away as quickly as they’d appeared. I
followed, heaving myself out of the ocean as it tried to wrench me back into
its depths. The sea wanted me. I was a part of it, the gem told me. It would be
so much easier in the water. I would be safe there.

But I rejected the idea. Sai
needed me with him.

When we reached the peak of
the rock, we found ourselves somewhat protected from the wall of water grasping
at us from behind. We huddled, arms around each other, clinging to the edges of
stone and barnacle as giant gusts of wind tore at us. Several minutes passed
until we were able to catch our breath and continue on. When we finally
scrambled down the rock, we were greeted with another, rising above us.

On and on we climbed, over
mussel covered boulders, slimy from foam and tangled kelp. Finally, after
boulder had melted into rock and rock had melted into smooth earth, we found
ourselves able to breathe easier. The wind wailed. Groaning, twisted trees
whipped at us while we fled through the jungle. In comparison to the wild pull
of the tide and the cuts stinging our feet, knees, and hands, it did little
damage other than knock us to the ground at times.

We pushed on, deeper into the
forest in silence. It became more unfamiliar as we walked and I wondered if
anybody could have made a home on such an undeveloped part of the island. I
clung to my gem’s power, afraid I wouldn’t have the strength to continue if I
didn’t.

I longed to lie down and wait
for the storm to consume me when, amidst the trees, a tiny hut, barely visible
in the gloom, beckoned to us.

I grabbed Sai’s arm and
pointed it out to him. When the hope of shelter registered, his eyes flickered
with new courage. Gripping my hand, he began to pull me toward it. I was
grateful to no longer be leading.  With what little energy I had left, I released
myself from my gem’s power as we tripped toward the hut.

When we reached the door, Sai
fell forward, pushing it open. He collapsed onto his knees in the entrance of a
fire lit room. Behind him, I stepped closer, hesitated, and stumbled. As I
fell, my eyes focused on the figure rushing to my side.

Thick, black hair cascaded
over her shoulders and framed her pale face. As I drifted out of consciousness,
I looked into her eyes.

They were as blue as the
midday sky. Foreigner eyes.

 They were the last things I
saw before the world around me disappeared into a cocoon of sleep.

Chapter 9

Unwelcome light seeped under
my eyelids as whispering, troubled voices sifted around me. I fought to sink
back into the cozy void of unconsciousness, but my mind rebelled. I was awake.

Struggling to shift my heavy
limbs, I realized my body was encompassed in thick warmth. I remembered the
woman with the black hair. Had I imagined her or had the weak light played with
my vision? Forcing my eyes open, Sai flickered into view.

 “Hi,” he said, his voice
tender.

I tried to respond but the
words tore at my parched throat. Immediately, a hand slid under the back of my
head and lifted it. A cup was pressed to my lips and warm, spicy tea dripped
into my mouth.

“This is an interesting way
to finally meet you,” a new voice said. A foreign lilt flavored the words.

As my eyes began to focus, I
moved my gaze from the hand holding the cup to the face of the woman it
belonged to. She was older than I’d originally thought before I’d lost
consciousness. In fact, she seemed positively ancient even though her features
and skin were unlined and radiant with youth. Her age hid somewhere behind her
eyes, where I nearly missed seeing it.

I coughed against the strength
of the tea but she offered more.

“It will help,” she promised
in a soothing voice. I hesitated, but accepted another sip.

Clearing my throat, I pulled
my stare from the woman’s face and took in my surroundings. I was lying on what
seemed to be a bed of fur. The bed, a simple platform reaching about two feet
off the ground, was amazingly large and comfortable unlike the hard, woven mats
I was used to sleeping on.

In contrast the hut was tiny,
even by Vairdan standards. Most island huts were small and simple, but this one
proved more so. In a little stone chimney, a fire crackled happily. A single
chair sat in one corner of the room, and a large ornate chest, where I guessed
the woman kept her clothes and belongings, rested against the wall. Near the
fire were a tidy set of shelves lined with dried berries, fruits, fish, and an
assortment of herbs. From the ceiling hung plants and flowers bound together in
bundles. Had we found a medicine woman?

Sai sat next to the bed in a
chair, and I caught him watching me. I offered a weak smile.

“How are you feeling?” I
asked, my voice little more than a croak.

“I’m fine. I got a lot of
rest last night. Aluce fed me.”

“Aluce?”

“That would be me.” The woman
stepped forward. “It’s nice to meet you, Aylen.” She smiled and held the cup of
tea out to me. With Sai’s help, I scooted into a sitting position and accepted
the drink. After the liquid made its way down my throat, I leaned back again.
Closing my eyes for a moment, I tried to make sense of the questions swimming around
in my head. Before I could voice them, I remembered my gem. I’d dropped it when
I’d collapsed.

“Where’s my Sea Gem?” I
asked, trying to bolt upright. I fell back again when my head began to spin.

“It’s safe,” Aluce said.
“I’ll return it to you before you leave. I want you to give yourself at least a
full day off from using it after what you put yourself through yesterday.”

“I’ve been here all night?” I
shuddered. “My parents must be going crazy right now.”

“The storm isn’t quite
finished yet,” Aluce said. “There’s nothing you can do other than wait it out.
Besides, they might not be relieved to discover you’re with me.” She turned
toward the chimney and poked at something in a steaming pot.

“You saved my life. I doubt
they’d be anything but grateful.” I hesitated as Aluce shook her head, her eyes
clouding with some unspoken concern.

“How do you know me?” I
asked. “And what do you know about my gem?” I struggled to sit up again.

“You rest and then we’ll
talk. You’re too tired to speak with me now and answers will only bring more
questions. You’re not ready for that, yet.”

I glanced over at Sai and he
shrugged. Sighing, I laid back and allowed the warm drink to settle my stomach.
I needed strength and without the gem I felt insurmountably weak. After having
been under its power for so long, my own skin seemed feeble and foreign.

We sat in silence, listening
to the howling of the wind outside, the merry crackle of the fire, and the
steamy bubbling of Aluce’s pot.  I wondered how late in the morning it was but
I quit caring when my stomach rumbled, adding to the other noises.

“Are you hungry for something
more substantial than tea?” Aluce asked, hearing my midsection from across the
small room.

“I don’t want to burden you.”

“Your friend already did.”
She began filling a clay bowl with dried fruit, berries and goat cheese. My
mouth began to water.

Aluce brought me the bowl and
I gratefully accepted.

Sai watched as I ate, his
forehead stitched with worry. I finally met his eyes with a sheepish smile.
“I’m starving,” I said.

 His expression remained
grave. “When you fainted, I realized how much it took to save us both. I know
the gem sustained you, but when I saw how you looked without it. . .” Sai
paused a moment before continuing. “You were so pale. So human again.”

“It was nice to be on the
giving end for a change.” I frowned, realizing it hadn’t been my own strength
that had helped us. “But there’s really nothing I can do for you alone. It was
the gem’s power that saved you.”

“You got me out of there
alive and I couldn’t have done that by myself.”

“The gem got you out of there
alive.” I stared into my bowl, concentrating on the food that had suddenly
become tasteless. 

“You used it to save me,” Sai
insisted.

“I got you into trouble
because I was reckless. That almost cost you your life.” I hadn’t wanted to
admit it, but I knew it was true. I’d been so concerned with trying to prove
myself that I’d done something thoughtless. If I had just stayed put in the
cave and not gone off exploring on my own, Sai and I would still be safe and
dry, albeit a little hungry. I’d almost lost my life and my best friend because
of my carelessness.

“Some things happen for a
reason,” Aluce broke in. Sai and I whipped our heads around and looked at her,
having forgotten she was sharing the room with us. “Sometimes, we are led to
make a choice that takes us exactly where we need to be.”

I studied Aluce, remembering
the pull to climb down the wall and explore the other tunnel. Had I been led?
And if so, what was doing the leading?

As I pondered this, I scooted
over and Sai plopped down beside me, leaning back on his elbows. Aluce seated
herself in the chair and turned her eyes to me, observing me closely.

“Can I ask you some questions
now?” I asked. She shifted in her seat but didn’t look away.

“Yes, but I might choose not
to answer.” Aluce’s mouth twitched and I wondered if she was serious. Her eyes
were unreadable so I went on, beginning with the most obvious question.

“You’re from the mainland,
aren’t you?” When the words left my lips, Sai guffawed. I swatted him without
taking my eyes from Aluce.

“Of course. But you knew
this.”

“How did you get here? And
without anyone knowing?”

“As all mainlanders come.
Over the sea or with a Travel Gem.”

“Travel Gem?” Sai asked.

“There are Travel Gems on the
mainland. They used to be plentiful but they’re rare now and usually weak
except for . . .” Aluce broke off, shaking her head. “They won’t take you very
far.” To my annoyance, she shrugged lightly. The meaning behind her words was
so foreign to my logic and yet, she acted as though her talk of Travel Gems was
the same as telling us she’d taken a canoe to one of the outer islands.

“How long have you been
here?” I asked. “Why haven’t we ever seen you before? Do my parents know you’re
here?”

“Aylen, one question at a
time. I’ll answer how long I’ve been here later. As for your other questions,
I’ve tried to conceal my presence to the best of my ability, but I wouldn’t be
surprised if your parents knew I’ve come.”

“Then why hide yourself?”

“I have my reasons. One of
them being that your parents wouldn’t want you near me.”

Alarmed, I drew back, “Why?”

“I imagine they want you to
have as little to do with the mainland as possible.”

“I’ve noticed that.” I nodded
in agreement. “But they talk like they miss it at times.”

“I’m sure they do. It was
their home for many years and there are parts of it they will always regret
having left. Going away from the mainland was probably the most difficult
decision they ever made.”

“But they didn’t choose to
leave it permanently. They shipwrecked and then settled here.”

Aluce’s eyebrows raised a
fraction. “Is that what they tell you?”

“Yes, but I’ve never believed
it. Do you know the truth?”

Aluce lifted a hand to the
side of her head and rubbed it wearily. “Your questions are all out of order.
Each answer will lead to another question which will lead to another confusing
response. Why don’t you tell me what you would like to know and I’ll try to
answer what I can.”

“I have questions, too,” Sai
said, meeting my eyes. When Aluce nodded at him, he went on. “Why is the
mainland so important? All my life, I’ve been told it’s an evil place. You
mainlanders act like it’s the best place in the world, which makes me wonder
why you leave it.”

“And you, Aylen?” Aluce
switched her gaze from Sai to me.

“I want to know more about
the stones and what they do.” I paused and took a moment to gather my thoughts.
“I want to know where I’m from and what you’re doing here and what a Travel Gem
is and . . .,” I stopped speaking again and glanced once more at Sai. “I want
to know everything.”

Aluce took a deep breath
before she began. I stared at her, waiting, praying she wouldn’t turn me away
like my parents always had. My need for knowledge blazed inside of me, an
inferno I could no longer extinguish.

“You must first understand,
Vairdans don’t believe as mainlanders do. My knowledge would only bring harm to
Vairdans. They’re safer in their naive state.”

“How do you know it’s not
your beliefs that are naive?” Sai broke in, ever loyal to his island.

“Because I’ve seen much of
the past with my own eyes.”

Intrigued, I leaned forward.

“I’ll answer some of your
questions, but are you sure you’re ready to hear the truth about your heritage,
Aylen?”

Goosebumps prickled my arms,
neck, and spine. For a moment, I glanced at Aluce’s front door wondering if I
should flee her home. I had no idea who she was or what she wanted from me, but
I could see she knew more about my life and past than I did. Was I ready for
that knowledge? Was I ready to learn the things my parents had spent years
concealing from me?

I looked over at Sai. I
remembered the ways he had always helped me, stood up for me even when I
embarrassed him. He’d always been duty bound, even at a young age, and his
sense of pride and obligation came from knowing who he was and where he came
from. He had a home and a future. He had convictions. This made him strong.

I’d always wanted the
opportunity to know more and understand my history, but my parents had denied
me this. Now, with the chance to learn the truth, I was scared. Would it make
things worse? Could I handle the responsibility of knowing the story of my
family?

I thought of the gem, the
confidence and strength it seemed to give me. I had felt so sure of myself when
I’d explored the cave and began climbing the cliff. Yes, it had probably been a
stupid decision, but looking back, I had felt led to do it. I’d believed I was
making a decision for myself that was right at the time. I had even been able
to handle the consequences. And that experience had led me to Aluce’s home. A
place where I was being given the chance to get the answers I’d been searching
for.

I snapped my eyes up to meet
hers. “I want to know,” I said.

Aluce smiled. “I thought you
would.” Leaning forward, her face grew serious while she seemed to gather her
thoughts. Something flickered behind her eyes, an emotion I couldn’t read. She
set her lips, and with a nod of her head, I knew she’d decided what to share. I
was ready to listen.