Sea Dweller (Birthstone Series) (16 page)

Countless paces later, I
finally summoned the courage to speak. “I was told there was an underwater city
nearby?”

“That’s correct,” Tolik said.
“I’m taking you to its entrance.”

Sai nudged me and motioned to
my left side. Hiding in rocks, brush, and around trees I caught glimpses of
more guards observing us.

Sai and I fell into a steady
pace, maintaining a safe distance from Tolik and the man behind us. As the
mountains in the distance loomed closer, I noticed the outline of what looked
to be another door. I couldn’t see the path leading any other place except into
the mountain, so I assumed we were being led underground. I sighed. After my
stint inside the cave and tunnels back in Vairda, I was getting tired of being
underground.

I looked at Sai to see if
he’d noticed. He nodded, reading my thoughts. “I hope we haven’t gotten
ourselves into something we can’t get out of,” he whispered, his voice barely
audible over the crunch of gravel beneath our feet.

“We did sort of trust Aluce
after meeting her only once.”

“She gave me a Sea Gem.
What’s not to trust?” I glanced at Sai sharply and noticed the grin playing at
the corners of his mouth.

“Well, if that’s all it takes
to gain your trust and loyalty. . .” I trailed off, but ended the sentence with
a playful shove to his shoulder.

“No. Just for some people. It
didn’t take much for you.”

We glanced at the guard
behind us, wondering if he could hear our conversation. Luckily, he was a
comfortable distance away. When his eyes met mine, he winked. Surprised, I
turned back around. “So, what did I have to do?”

Sai was quiet for a few
minutes. I waited out his answer by listening to the distant call of seabirds,
the soft murmur of the ocean, and the sound of our feet slapping the earth with
each step. Suddenly, I felt his fingers lacing through mine and he glanced at
me out of the corners of his eyes.

“You had to need me,” he
whispered so only I could hear.

I pulled back slightly, not
expecting his response.

“You mean on the beach? When
I was six?”

“Yes. But other times too. I
never felt needed until you came along. I was just convenient for everyone
else. I’m the last of five brothers in my family. Before you, I wasn’t anyone
important.”

“Oh.” I didn’t know what to
say. I wasn’t sure how I felt about his confession. Was he saying I was needy?
Was I incapable of taking care of myself without him? Definitely not. 

As if sensing my concern, Sai
squeezed my fingers. “I wasn’t just useful to you because I was good at fishing
or I was one more person to get something done. You’ve always needed me to be
myself. It’s an expectation I can live up to.”

I understood. He was right.
In a way, I’d always needed him to be himself because it was the very thing I
loved about him. I didn’t expect him to keep saving me the way he had when I
was a child. But as we’d grown, my expectations had shifted. I needed him to
open his eyes and realize he loved me too. I bit my lip, disappointed.

“But now, you’ve got your gem
and you want to find out where you come from. Maybe even return to your
homeland.” He hesitated. When he spoke again, he’d dropped his voice lower. “Do
you even need me anymore?”

Yes.
I thought.
But not how you think
. Instead, I
said, “We’re best friends. We need eachother.” I smiled and dropped his hand.
He opened his mouth to respond but Tolik halted in front of us. We had reached
the base of the mountains. Before us was a massive black door, looking as
though it had been carved directly into the rock. Above its arch, carved in
intricate lettering was the word “Nethra”.

Tolik placed his hands on two
worn spots on the door and pushed. It groaned as it rotated sideways into the
mountain, revealing a dark underground trail leading downward.

“Down there?” Sai asked,
eyebrows raised.

“This is our visitor
entrance.”

“Another reason why you don’t
get many guests,” Sai mumbled. He stepped forward and I proceeded in after. The
two sea dweller men followed and the younger man slid the door back in place.
For two seconds, everything was black before we heard the sound of crackling
and the walls around us lit up, brightening our surroundings.

We were in a lengthy, narrow
hall. On either side of us, in thin channels built into the walls were lines of
bright fire, burning in long rows. The hall extended for several yards before
dropping off into stairs leading downward. Then, the path straightened out
again until reaching more stairs. It continued on like this for as far as I
could see.

Tolik stepped forward and led
us into the depths of the mountain. Once more, we walked for an unfathomable
amount of time until we passed a small doorway to our right.

“Was that our way out?” I
asked, ignoring the slight echo from my voice.

“For Nethran natives.”

“Oh.” Leaning toward Sai, I
whispered, “We get the special door.”

Sai chuckled.

A little further down, we
finally saw the hall come to a stop in front of another giant door. Its width
spanned the length of several people and the crack of light down its middle let
me know it opened from the center. Our guide walked confidently toward the
bronze colored handles and pushed, swinging the massive structure wide open.

Blue tinted light blinded me
for a moment. When my eyes adjusted, I stepped out of the tunnel, took in my
surroundings, and gaped, speechless.

In the valley below nestled a
glittering city in hues of pink, white, and lavender. Beyond its distant
borders and suspended above and around the city, as though an invisible bubble
kept it from rushing in and flooding the city’s inhabitants, was an infinite
expanse of blue ocean.

“Welcome to Nethra,” Tolik
said, sweeping his hand across our view of the valley. “You have reached the
Sea Dweller’s city.”

Chapter 13

When the doors shut behind
us, I turned for the first time and saw we were backed by the other side of the
mountains. We had emerged somewhere between the base and the peak and there
were still an immeasurable number of stairs leading down into the valley of the
city before us. Above the door we had just come through was a thick arch. Along
the front of the entire arch was a tall lip. On the front of the lip grew lush,
emerald moss while brilliant ivy curled up and around the door frame. Cascading
high above the doorway, a thin waterfall tumbled from high above and landed on
the arch, flowing down each side of the door into a stream, eventually making
its way around the entire city in a small river. The ground where we stood was
slick with moisture so our guide instructed us to watch our footing.

As we began our descent into
the valley, I breathlessly took in the view. Below, the streets were paved in
pale pink stones: Sea Gems that had lost their power. The homes below were
solid structures made from white clay and decorated with shimmering lavender
mussels and multicolored shells. Nearest to us, at the head of the clusters of
homes, was the tallest building in the city. Like the homes, it appeared to be
made of clay but glittered pink, as though it had been coated in ground up Sea
Gems. Sharp, round spires curled upward from each corner of its foundation. In
the center of the building, the tallest point rose far above the rest and a
series of small windows and a circular balcony adorned the top.

The city of Nethra was
stunning, but it was outside that offered the most breathtaking views. Above
and beyond the city’s protective bubble was the brilliant azure of the
surrounding ocean. Sunshine and water melted together, casting dappled light
and aqua shadow across the tops of buildings, pathways, and land. Above the
city, the water swirled in a shallow mixture of sun and sea. Outside the bubble
sea dwellers swam in the ocean. With them were creatures I had never seen
before. I stared in awe at their slender snouts and long necks, adorned with
flowing white manes. On each side of their bodies were giant, beautiful fins.
Their forelegs ended in webbed hooves while the backs of their bodies formed a
graceful tail covered in scales. I grabbed Sai’s arm and pointed to one of the
creatures in the distance.

“Kelpies,” the younger guide
said from behind, anticipating my question. “They won’t hurt you.” Smirking at
me, he added, “Even if they were dangerous, I’d keep you safe.”

“Legend says they eat
humans,” Sai insisted.

“Be careful which legends you
put your faith into,” he responded. I glanced back at him again and frowned.
When our eyes met, his arrogant grin turned into another wink for my benefit. I
faced forward, blushing.

“What about that building?” I
said, hoping to change the subject.

“Perin and the other Nethran
leaders live there with their families. That’s also the place where we bring
visitors.”

“We’re going there?” Sai
asked.

“Just the two of you. I’ll
return to the surface to guard the shore with Lirig,” Tolik answered this time.

I looked once more at the man
tailing us. Pointing to his chest, he nodded and mouthed his name. Then,
pointing to his right temple, he whispered, “Don’t forget.” Fighting back an
embarrassed laugh, I turned forward again. When I glanced at Sai, he was
staring at me with an unreadable expression.

“You got a new boyfriend?” he
muttered, a catch in his voice I couldn’t help but notice.

“Trying to keep my Nethrans
straight.”

“Sure.”

Ignoring him, I continued on
with my questions. “What keeps the water from getting into Nethra?” I asked,
looking upward and almost stumbling. Lirig lunged forward to steady me from
behind, even though I’d already caught myself. Sai muttered something
unintelligible in return.

“Like all stones of power,
the Sea Gem’s heart is where all of its energy lies.” Tolik answered. “If the
heart is damaged in any way, it will destroy the gem’s ability to work.
However, if the heart is exposed properly without being damaged, the stone
works in an entirely different way. Its power is unleashed and in the Sea Gem,
it manifests this by creating a shield against water. Hundreds placed around
the city limits create a giant shield, big enough to protect all of Nethra.”

It was the most he’d spoken
since we’d met him.

“Incredible,” I breathed,
watching in awe as sea dwellers played just outside the shield. I wanted to
join them.

I fell silent, absorbed in
watching the activities around us until we made it into the valley. We were led
through an elaborately manicured courtyard filled with palm trees and fruit
orchards, past a pool of tropical fish, and to the front entrance of the large
white building. More guards stood at the doorway but instead of questioning our
guides, they smiled and pushed the doors open, inviting us to enter.

We were met by a massive
corridor, brightened by walls inlaid with pink and white stonework. Overhead
swung a jeweled chandelier lit with flickering, golden stones. The floors and
windows were draped in rich, smooth fabrics, luxuriant in a way I didn’t know
fabrics could be.

At the other end of the
corridor was a magnificent white staircase, swirling upward and separating into
two different directions. A man descended from one side, his gaze trained on
us. As he drew closer, I noticed his eyes were lighter than the typical brown
of the Vairdan’s and his skin was nearly as white as a clam shell. The smile
lines around his eyes told me he was older but his face seemed ageless to me.
Much like Aluce, he appeared young and ancient all at once. His clothing was
similar to our guides’ but he wore a lightweight, white shirt with blue
stitching woven around the bottom edge.

His gaze locked on mine but
his expression remained the same, smooth and unreadable, with the exception of
a small twitch in his jaw.

“Perin. We leave our visitors
in your charge. You will be interested to know where they hail from.” Tolik
bowed briefly before handing him Aluce’s map. A hint of a smile played at the
corners of Perin’s mouth.

“Thank you.” Perin returned
the bow. “Have you seen any sign of ships today?” My ears perked at this.
Ships? This close to Vairda? I glanced quickly at Sai and noticed his furrowed
brow.

“Not yet. The other scouts
have seen nothing as well. This means—”

Perin held up his hand. “We’ll
discuss it later. For now, I’m willing to hope for the best and believe we’ve
been misled.”

“Very good, sir.” Tolick
bowed again and turned to go. Before following our guide, Lirig grabbed my
hand, turned it over, and planted a soft kiss on the inside of my wrist.
Leaning close to me, he whispered loud enough for Sai to hear, “Nethra wouldn’t
take you for granted the way your island has.” I stiffened, thunderstruck he
knew so much about me. As Lirig slipped away I glanced down, biting my lip,
suddenly very uneasy. Next to me, Sai’s fingers were clenched into tight fists.
When I raised my eyes to meet his, however, it wasn’t apprehension that met me.
It was sheer naked jealousy. Maybe Lirig had just done me a favor without even
knowing it.

“Well,” Perin said, snapping
my attention back to him. “It’s a pleasure to have such unique visitors to
Nethra.”

“I doubt that,” Sai said, his
features betraying his annoyance. Perin nodded in understanding.

“There was once a time when
we were a more trusting people and those with obvious sea dweller bloodlines
were easily welcomed into our city. It’s no longer that way.” Perin waved his
hand, beckoning us toward the stairs. “You must be hungry after traveling such
a long distance.”

“How do you know how far
we’ve traveled?” I asked.

“It isn’t difficult,” Perin
said as he began his ascent up the stairs. I followed eagerly while Sai hung
back until I motioned him toward me with my hand. Rolling his eyes, he caught
up.

“There aren’t many places you
could have come from. Particularly you,” Perin turned to look pointedly at Sai.
“Obviously one of the Vairdan islands. Am I correct?”

Sai’s eyebrows lifted
slightly. “How familiar are you with Vairda?”

“Nethrans know it well. My
people led your people to its shores.” We followed him to the second floor and
into a large set of doors leading to another stairway. This one curled upward
in a spiral at a steep incline. I hesitated this time but Perin offered a
reassuring smile. “This leads to one of the higher rooms. I thought you might
like to have a better view of the city. When friends come to visit, we often
lead them to this particular room for its view and because we keep it prepared
for guests.”

Nodding, I continued after
him. Sai followed close behind.

“That isn’t true,” Sai said,
clearing his throat. “The part about your people leading my people. My people
discovered the gems that helped them get to Vairda because they wanted to
escape the mainland.”

“That’s a convenient story.”
Perin chuckled softly. I turned to see Sai’s eyes narrow.

The stairs led to another
hall before finally opening up to a large, lavish chamber. Elaborately carved
chairs and tables set with flickering candles had been placed around the room.
Glossy bowls of fruits and berries and the heavenly scent of broiled fish
beckoned from one of the tables.

“How were you able to have
this all prepared?” I asked.

“We have watchman in the
highest towers. We recognize visitors in many ways. Often by the way you enter,
if a guard accompanies you, or by your appearance. As you can see, most of us
in Nethra look similar.”

“It’s like that in Vairda.”

Perin smiled at this. “I
know. That must be difficult for you.”

“You have no idea.”

“So how did your people end
up here with an abundance of gems and riches while my people ended up in Vairda
with only stories,” Sai broke in. His arms were folded in a defensive position
across his chest. I looked at him, hoping to make eye contact long enough to
convey to him that he needed to lighten up but Sai pointedly avoided my gaze.

 “How about we sit down to
eat and I’ll tell you about your islands,” Perin suggested, sweeping his hand
toward the set table.

“Sounds great.” I tugged
Sai’s arm and pulled him toward a chair. “Relax,” I whispered quietly, through
gritted teeth. I couldn’t understand why he was so worked up. It was so unlike
him.

Ignoring me, Sai dropped into
his seat . Perin kindly feigned ignorance and slid into a chair across from Sai
while I plopped down gracelessly, too exhausted to worry about manners.

I moved a plate of fish
closer before piling several foreign, colorful slices of fruit from another
platter onto my dish. Sai didn’t glance at his food but instead, studied Perin.

“You don’t live in Vairda, so
how could you possibly tell us anything about it?” he asked.

Perin leaned forward,
clasping his hands on the table. He offered Sai a kind smile and nodded. “Very
good question— what is your name?”

“Sai,” he answered curtly.

Perin began again, “Sai, I
know much about your islands. Your people are descendants of the original sea
dwellers, like most of Nethran’s people. However, the original settlers to your
island were voluntarily exiled to Vairda and its surrounding islands long ago.”

“Why exiled?” I asked,
popping a chunk of fruit in my mouth. For some reason this new information
didn’t surprise me.

“The mainland has been ruled
for a long time by extremely wicked and powerful kings. Back before Vairda was
first settled, the mainland king of that time had set his sights on gaining
control of the Sea Gems and the underwater cities. We have unique resources and
a greater understanding of the ocean and water travel than any other people. He
sought power over our cities first through trickery and then by force.”

“How?” Sai asked.

“He tried to lure many of our
people into giving away our secrets and our locations through rewards. He
promised more stones and greater access to mainland resources. When that didn’t
work, he threatened our people with war and death. He found ways to stop trade
so that our cities failed to receive needed supplies. Many sea dwellers began
to suffer. Some wondered if being under the king’s rule would be better than
being free.”

“Nothing is better than
freedom,” I murmured before sampling a bright orange berry I didn’t recognize.

“Quite true,” Perin agreed.

“That still doesn’t tell me
why my people were exiled,” Sai pointed out.

Perin continued. “A large
group of Nethrans and other sea dwellers wanted to give in to the king’s
demands. They even began threatening Nethran leaders. Soon, they were
considered a danger to our secrecy and way of life. It wasn’t loyalty to the
king but fear that motivated the group to dissent. Few are ever truly loyal to
someone who invokes such terror as the mainland’s kings have.”

“So you exiled them?” Sai
said.

“They were given a choice. We
wouldn’t allow them to live on the mainland because they would take our secrets
with them and give them to the king. We offered them the option of settling in
a sea dweller city but without the use of gems. They would be imprisoned within
the confines of the city at all times for our safety. The other alternative was
to start over with their families. They could begin life anew on the Vairdan
islands without Sea Gems, but away from the threat of the king and protected by
the sea dweller cities surrounding them.”