Sea Dweller (Birthstone Series) (25 page)

I held my breath until
another wave slammed me against a wall, knocking the air from my lungs in a
rush of bubbles. Disoriented, I pushed off the wall and kicked up toward what I
hoped was the surface. The moment the stale, stagnant air of the cave kissed my
face, I filled my lungs with oxygen in one loud gasp. I pressed my body against
the wall of the tunnel to stabilize myself and scanned the area, looking for
the mainlander. He was nowhere to be seen but my vision wasn’t very accurate in
the dark without my Sea Gem anyway. Inside the chamber, Sai still continued to
dodge the serpent. Sweat and exhaustion ran rivulets down his face and limbs.

Painstakingly, I made my way
toward the entrance to the serpent’s lair, already feeling drained without the
help from my pink jewel. As I forged my way toward the entrance, the water grew
shallower and I touched my toes to the bottom of the tunnel. Just as I reached
the opening into the chamber, another wave of water crashed into me. I gripped
the wall and braced my feet against the floor, fighting to maintain balance. As
the current threatened to sweep me away, I felt a sharp sting on my foot. I
filled my lungs with air and dove underwater, searching for what had sliced me.
On the floor of the tunnel, where my feet had been, lay my mother’s sword.
Ignoring the pain from the shallow cut, I grabbed ahold of it and kicked
upward.

Triumphant, I made my way
through the door and sloshed toward the island. As I began to climb onto dry
ground, Sai thrust his spear upward, toward the serpents jaw. The serpent
dodged the sharp point quickly and swiped at Sai with its tail, catching him in
the side.

Sai flew through the air and
landed in the water with a splash. The serpent wasted no time in charging him.
I chose that moment to charge back. Yelling my best battle cry, I ran forward,
swinging my mother’s sword with gusto, hoping to distract her from my friend.

It worked. The serpent
halted, twisted toward me, and observed me for a moment with cool, fathomless
eyes. I waited, readying myself for the fight of my life as the monster hissed
softly. Crouching like Sai had done, I mentally prepared for its assault. From
the corner of my eye, I saw Sai creep forward from the water. His spear was
snapped in half but he gripped his small, stone knife in white knuckled
fingers.

“Leave the chamber, Sai,” I whispered
out of the corner of my mouth.

“What? You’re joking.”

“You weren’t supposed to be
in here in the first place. She’s angry. Take Faema and leave.”

“No.” Sai was nearly by my
side now, watching the swaying beast warily. Her glittering eyes didn’t leave
my face. “We might stand a chance against this thing together.”

“You need to trust me,” I
said. “This is my mission.”

“This is no time to play the
hero, Aylen.”

“I’m not playing anything.
This isn’t about being a hero. It’s about who should be here and who
shouldn’t.”

“Where’s the mainlander?”

“Hiding. Waiting. I don’t
know. It doesn’t matter anymore. Take Faema and go.”

“Aylen . . .” Sai began, a
hint of pleading in his voice.

“We made it this far. Just
trust me.” My tone was hard, unyielding. Sai understood.

I watched him slowly back
away, eyeing the serpent with every step. Behind me, I heard him pick up a
weeping Faema and carry her through the water and out of the mountain’s
entrance. Part of me wanted to call him back. To tell him I couldn’t do this
without him. He had always been there to save me, in one way or another.

But I knew I
could
do
this. I had to. It was mine to face alone.

The serpent stayed where it
was. Its tail swished in agitation and its head bobbed nervously but I kept my
gaze trained on its eyes, amazed at the intelligence I saw there. Twice more,
it flicked its tongue in the air, testing my presence. Then suddenly, the
serpent stilled.

Little by little, its gaze
never wavering, it lowered its head. I forced myself to remain as still as a
totem but kept my sword ready.

Its ruby colored eyes became
level with mine but it continued to drop its head until its chin rested on the
ground at my feet. I tried not to tremble as the red tongue flicked once again,
touching and tasting the blood that pooled around my wounded foot. An eternal
moment passed while I waited for the serpent to do something more.

Suddenly, a shudder rippled
through its great body. Its tail swished once more, softer this time, without
the rage it had shown only moments before. It backed up, raising itself again
to full height and looked down at me. Then, with flourish, it dipped its head
and lowered its eyes, dropping once again beneath my level. My sword fell from
my fingers in surprise, the clang of metal on earth echoing in the chamber. The
serpent didn’t move while I blinked, unsure if I had understood it. Several
silent moments passed before I gathered my wits about me. Finally, remembering
myself, I lowered my head and with shaking knees, bowed in return.

The serpent immediately rose
again and met my eyes. I stared in confusion until it looked upward. I followed
its gaze to the top of the cavern where slender rays of moonlight filtered
through the trees. The jeweled patterns in the wall shimmered and sparkled even
in the dim light of the mountain and I grew dizzy trying to focus on whatever
it was I was supposed to see. I blinked several times, squinted, and scanned
the space above me.

Then, I saw it.

Floating high above our
heads, almost lost in the colors and glimmers the jewels cast around the room,
was a round circle of stones. The necklace! It hovered in the center of the
cavern near the top where the mountain came to a peak, far from my reach. But,
oh, so close! 

The serpent looked at me and
this time I understood. It wasn’t here only to defend the treasure. It was here
to help me reach it.

The serpent gently dropped
its head and offered me its neck. I stepped forward, reaching out to grasp one
of the crescent horns jutting from the head when I caught the sound of a splash
near the entrance of the room.

Before I could react, the
serpent reared up again with fury, unintentionally throwing me to the side. As
I tumbled, Sai’s voice screamed out a warning.

I rolled over the island and
into the water, cursing as a sharp rock stopped my fall. Pain shot through my
left shoulder. Ignoring it, I grasped the rock to steady myself and pushed
myself to the surface. On the hill, where I’d been standing, was the
mainlander.

His hands gripped my mother’s
sword and in a fevered voice he screamed obscenities at the serpent.

“Take me to it, now!” he
hollered. “Lift me to the necklace or you die, beast!”

The serpent flicked its
tongue at him and swished its tail, clearly tense. I sloshed through the water
toward the island and crept up the hill, praying to remain unnoticed.

As if understanding, the
serpent slithered around him, commanding the mainlander’s focus. Sai, from
beyond the door, tossed his sheathed knife my way the same moment the serpent
smacked the water with its tail, sending more streams of liquid every which
way. The knife landed just out of my reach.

I glanced at Sai gratefully
and stretched for the blade’s handle but the movement caught the mainlander’s
attention. He turned to me, raising the sword to strike, but was too late. My
fingers closed around the knife and I flung it at him with every measure of
strength I could muster. My aim was just off but it struck his shoulder. He
screamed as he stumbled backwards.

He was taken by surprise for
only a moment. Snarling and jumping forward again, he pointed the sword at my
heart.

Behind him, a thick, green
tail made its way out of the water. Closer and closer it came, but he didn’t
notice as he moved toward me. As he raised my sword, preparing to plunge it
into my chest, the serpent’s tail whipped around his legs, tightening and
constricting against his skin. The mainlander shrieked as the serpent lifted
him high off the ground.

 He dangled directly above me
in the serpent’s grip and desperately slashed at the tail binding his legs. The
wound he’d received from Sai’s knife thwarted his efforts and he cried out with
each awkward twist of his body until finally, the sword fell from his grip and
plummeted to the ground. It landed with a shrill clang only a short distance from
me.

The serpent studied the
screaming captive for a moment. Then, as though bored, it flipped him into the
air and with powerful force, used its tail to slap him into the deep, black
water from where it had come. He landed in the pool with a splash. I didn’t
move. Another sound came from the black pool, and then another, both of them
too large to have come from the mainlander. All at once, his yells filled the
air as he surfaced but his cries were cut off abruptly, replaced by the sounds
of thrashing. Long seconds passed before the water’s bubbling and belching
slowed and then grew still. The mainlander didn’t resurface. I stared at the
dark pool, horrified and relieved. When I felt the serpent’s gaze upon me, I
forced myself to look up. It stared at me with fathomless eyes.

Drawing a shaky breath, I
stood. Once more, the serpent lowered its head, offering me a way to reach the
necklace. I stepped toward it, wary but resolute. There was no going back now.

Grasping onto the thick horns
protruding from its slick head, I climbed onto its neck. Before I’d even
settled myself, the beast surged upward out of the water, and a blur of shimmer
and light dazzled my eyes. Blinking once, I looked around and realized I was
near the top of the mountain, looking up at a sliver of the moon as it shone
through the cracks in the earth and the canopy of trees outside the chamber.
Inches from my reach was the most beautiful necklace I had ever seen.

Every stone glowed with life.
As a connected whole, the jewels stayed suspended in the air, balancing one
another in perfect harmony. I lifted my fingers to touch it, but paused,
remembering what would happen the moment my skin brushed a gem of power.

In haste, I looked down at my
now ragged clothing and saw the side of my shirt had been torn during some part
of the day’s events. Seizing the ruined fabric, I ripped a portion of it away.
Careful to leave no skin exposed, I placed the cloth over my hand. Then, as
Sai, Faema, and the moon looked on, I reached up and claimed my birthright.

Chapter 20

I stumbled from the chamber
into Sai’s waiting arms. He wrapped them around me tightly, and steadied me in
the waist-high water, hugging my tired frame. I laid my head on his shoulder
exhausted, but resisted hugging him back. One hand gingerly held the glowing
bundle away from us both, avoiding skin contact.

“We need to get out of here,”
I said, pulling away. My hands trembled and I glanced down, wary of my treasure
and the creature I had left behind in the chamber. I shuddered once, thinking
of what had killed the mainlander. I could only assume they were the serpent’s
offspring.

“You have to touch it,” Sai
said. “You don’t have your old Sea Gem anymore. You have no choice.”

I didn’t want to think about
that yet. Instead, I unfolded a piece of the cloth to get a better look. The
jewels were even more stunning heaped in my hand as one brilliant bundle of
color and light.

I had never seen a stone that
could exceed their radiance. Each one was a different shade – colors I didn’t
have names for - and from each gem’s heart stretched tiny, power filled veins,
reaching out to me, telling me to wield it. However, unlike my grandfather, I
didn’t want to.

“What’s this about?” Faema
demanded. I jerked my head up in surprise. Up until that moment, I’d forgotten
her presence. She’d been silent since she’d escaped the chamber, no doubt
trying to recover from her ordeal.

I didn’t answer her right
away as I pondered her involvement in all that had happened. When I spoke, I
chose my words carefully.

“Didn’t you learn anything
while you were with the mainlanders in their cave? Or should I ask you how you
got there in the first place?”

“They didn’t tell me anything
other than the fact that you’re one of them. They told me they came to bring
you back home.”

I looked at her calmly. “How
are you involved in all of this, Faema?” Sai turned to her, his interest piqued
at the suspicion in my voice.

Faema bit her lip and glanced
around the tunnel, resting her eyes anywhere but on my face. “I’m not. My
father will be furious when he hears his island has been taken over by a bunch
of your horrible relatives.”

“Try again,” I said, my voice
low.

Faema met my question with
awkward silence. The water lapping around our waists swirled and sloshed while
the distant sound of ocean pummeling rock sent a hollow echo through the
tunnel. Sai and I stared at her, undaunted by her clamped lips. When she
realized I wasn’t budging, Faema spoke.

“They told me you were
related to the king of their land and they wanted you back to reclaim the
throne.” Faema coughed. “I agreed to help them so you could go back home. I
thought you would want that.”

“
You
wanted it,” I
said, my voice even. Faema cringed.

“Why weren’t you put to sleep
with the rest of the village?” Sai asked.

Faema sighed. “It’s a long
story. We should get going.” Sai and I didn’t move. I lifted my eyebrows and
watched her, waiting for the truth. Faema threw her hands in the air in
surrender. “Fine!” she said. “I ran into a mainlander two days after the storm.
I was up before everyone because Sai kept leaving early in the morning and I
wanted to find out where he was going. I saw the mainlander wandering around
the outskirts of the village in the dark. He told me they were looking for a
family that had come from their land and they wanted to take them back as
quietly as possible. I knew he was talking about you and your parents.”

“What did you tell them?” I
asked.

“I wasn’t sure I trusted him
so I told him I would meet with him in two days and show him where you lived. I
asked him to keep his people hidden and not come out during the day. For the
most part, he listened. I wanted a chance to talk with you and find out if you
knew about him and I wanted to convince you that returning to your home would
be a good idea.” Faema paused, shaking her head, lips trembling. I narrowed my
eyes and steeled myself for what she was about to say.

“But you and Sai were always
together,” she continued, her voice cracking. “I tried to mention it but you
were just rude to me. The morning you were going to meet Sai on the beach, I
decided to help the mainlanders take you back. So, the next morning, there was
a big group of them waiting for me and I led them to your home.”

“What happened?” Sai asked,
his voice hard.

“When we arrived, Haji was at
your house with your parents looking for you.

“What?” Sai yelled at the
same moment a cry escaped my lips. For a moment, I pressed a hand to my mouth.

“Why was Haji there?” I
finally said, remembering the other unidentified Vairdan bound and hidden in
the shadows inside the mainlanders cavern. I wiped my eyes with the back of my
free hand and drew in a shaky breath. Sai put an arm around me and pressed me
closer to him.

“I don’t know,” Faema said.
“But she claimed to be you. When the mainlanders started to get rough, I tried
to run for help. They captured me and forced me to go with them. They took us
to the top of the mountain in the barren regions and used a stone to create
stairs going down the cliff. They led us to a cave where there were more
soldiers. I heard them say there were still some men out searching further
inland for someone but that she wasn’t as important to find as long as they had
you. That’s when their leader came, took one look at Haji and knew she wasn’t
Aylen. He called them all some pretty nasty names.”

“Why was everyone asleep in
the village?” Sai asked, impatience tainting his tone.

“Haji and your parents
wouldn’t cooperate and they were roughed up for it. I tried to be strong but
when they threatened to kill everyone in Lailie while they searched for you, I
told them to put werngute leaves into the well so the village would sleep
through it all. There would be no reason to hurt anyone if they were passed out
already. I thought they’d leave me alone then, but a little later, they gave me
a Sea Gem and passed me over to the man who dragged me in here. He said we were
going treasure hunting.”

Sai and I glared at her in
silence for several moments when she finally let out a tension filled breath,
as though she’d been holding it in until her confession was complete. Oblivious
to our disgust, she pointed to the tunnel’s exit.

“It’s definitely time to get
going. I’m pretty sure my dad is worried sick about me,” she said.

“No, he’s not.” I kept my
voice even. “You drugged him. He has no clue you’re gone.”

“Oh. Right.” She fidgeted
with the jewel embedded in her palm.

“I didn’t think you had it in
you to be so selfish, Faema,” Sai said, his voice low. She jerked her head up,
her eyes wide with surprise.

“Selfish? Look, I wouldn’t
have been trying to help them if you had just obeyed your parents, Sai. They
told you to limit your time with Aylen and you just increased it. Our parents
are trying to form a union between us. You’re the one who’s being selfish,
going off with your friend and doing whatever you want. Don’t you know how
embarrassing it is to be betrothed to someone who spends all of his time with
another girl? You’re supposed to want to be with me!” Tears sprouted in the
corners of her eyes and her lower lip trembled. For a fleeting moment, I almost
pitied her. Sai, however, didn’t.

“We’re not betrothed, Faema.
We never will be.” Sai’s pushed his words out through clenched teeth. I
flinched in Faema’s behalf. I’d rarely seen Sai so livid.

“But your parents . . .,”
Faema began. Sai cut her off before she could finish.

“Whatever your father and my
parents may have decided, they forgot to ask my opinion. I’m telling you now,
it won’t happen.”

“You led me on! You made me
believe you agreed to the match!” Faema’s shrill voice echoed through the dark
tunnel and I squirmed as my ear drums protested. Still, I watched the exchange
between Faema and Sai, perversely spellbound.

“I never led you on,” Sai
said, mortified. “Whatever you perceived was your fault.”

“But you did! You had no
problem flirting with me at the festival.”

Sai’s face turned stone cold.
“I shouldn’t have let you kiss me, but I didn’t want to embarrass you publicly.
I left you that night to find Aylen. Shouldn’t that have been some indication
of how I felt?”

Faema disregarded his
question with one of her own. “Do you realize how humiliating this will be for
me? To have to tell my friends, my father, the island that you’re rejecting me?
And for who? Some mainland intruder who doesn’t belong on our island. She’ll never
be one of us!”

Sai laughed in disbelief.
“Are you serious? First of all, my relationship with Aylen is none of your
business. Second, we were all almost killed in that mountain. An army of
soldiers have invaded our island and have taken three people captive. And
you’re worried about what your friends will think when you tell them I don’t
want you?”

Sai raked a hand through his
hair, making it stand on end. With his wild hair and anger igniting his eyes,
he was more intimidating than he’d ever been. I glanced over at Faema and saw
sheer defeat in her expression. I mentally flipped through everything I knew
about her. She was an only child and her mother had died when she was young.
Death was common in Vairda, but Faema’s father had taken it hard. He’d poured
everything he had into Faema and she’d grown up being treated like island
royalty by everyone else. She had never been denied anything she wanted. Except
Sai.

True, she was responsible for
helping my parents and Haji get captured. And she had tried to have me
kidnapped from the island. It would take time to forgive her of that, but
somewhere inside of me, a small blossom of pity for Faema began to grow.

“Sai,” I said, touching his
arm.

“What?” His voice was hard
and tired.

“She should know too.”

“She should know what?” Sai’s
eyes met mine and I smiled at him. His expression softened just a touch.

I turned back to Faema and
spoke with as much compassion as I could muster. “I’m as much a part of this
island as you.”

“No you’re not . . .” she
began. I cut her off before Sai could defend me.

 “I can use a Sea Gem too.”

“What does that have to do
with anything?”

“Vairdan legends are wrong.
The stones only work according to certain bloodlines. However distant the
connection, you and I share a bloodline.”

Faema’s mouth snapped shut
and she looked from Sai to me.

“So what about this
necklace?” Faema motioned toward my hand holding the bundle of jewels. “Why is
it so important and why do you get to have it?”

I sighed. “We don’t have much
time but I can tell you that on the mainland, these jewels are invaluable. Each
stone offers the user a different ability. But in order to use them, you must
be connected to a certain bloodline, like you are with the Sea Gem. I have the
bloodline of every stone in the necklace.”

Faema stared, dumbfounded.

Sai took over for me this
time. “And now we have to figure out how these stones are going to help us get
these people off our island and help free Haji and Aylen’s parents.” Sai set
his jaw, putting an end to Faema’s questions. “We’ll explain more later. Right
now, Aylen needs to put the necklace on and we need to get back to shore.” Sai
looked pointedly at me.

“I’m not really sure I’m
ready for this,” I said, fingering the cloth in my hand.

“Of course you aren’t, but
we’re out of options.”

“What if I fail?” I unfolded
the fabric entirely, illuminating the tunnel with light.

“You will fail if you lose
the necklace before you make it yours.” Sai placed his hands on my shoulders. I
stared down at the stones, refusing to meet his eyes. Gently, he touched his
fingers to my chin and tilted my face up, forcing me to return his gaze.

“You can do this. And no
matter what happens, you won’t be alone.”

I studied him for a moment,
absorbing his words. Grateful for his faith in me, I closed my eyes against a
flood of emotion. A stray tear leaked from the corner of my eye and trailed its
way down my face. Sai wiped it away from my cheek with his thumb and then
leaned forward and touched his lips to the same spot. I ignored Faema’s snort
from somewhere behind me. When Sai pulled away, I searched his face, confused
as usual over the meaning behind his actions.

“I might not be the same
person afterwards,” I said.

“You’ll be there somewhere.
I’ll find you again,” he promised.

Silently I nodded, looking
down at the necklace. Gingerly, I touched the clasp, avoiding the stones.
Trying not to think about what I was doing, I flung it around my neck and
fastened it, quickly as possible.

Sai leaned forward, once more
placing his hands on each side of my face, staring deep into my eyes.

The fiery pain didn’t come
this time. At least not the way I expected it. An immense warmth started at my
neck where the stones lay and began to spread to the rest of my body. I closed
my eyes and then wished I hadn’t. Behind my eyelids flashed thousands of scenes
and places I’d never seen. It took me a moment to realize I was witnessing the
gems’ memories of how they came to be.