Sea Dweller (Birthstone Series) (33 page)

Chapter 28

“Aren’t you ready yet?” Sai
called from outside my hut.

“Almost,” Haji answered for
me, peeking her head through the front door. “Be patient.”

I tried not to squirm as she
applied the last stroke of paint around my eyes, but my nose twitched with a
suppressed sneeze.

“Don’t. You. Dare.” she
murmured as she swished the paint up my temple into one final curl. Finally,
she pulled the brush away and scrutinized me, closing one eye in concentration.

“Can I see now?”

“First get your dress on.”

Smiling, I obediently fled to
my newly finished corner of the home.

 It had taken months to
repair the damage the island had suffered. The first storm, which we’d
discovered the mainlanders caused, had created plenty of damage. But the worst
destruction had come from the war and the tempest I’d conjured up. Guilt
consumed me every time I reflected on it. After Vairdan and Nethran leaders had
made sure everyone had temporary places to stay, reconstruction of the island
and huts had begun. We all helped, patching roofs, building walls, and clearing
debris. Everyone had been present for the laying of the new center stone in
Lailie, except for my mother. We had built a new hut much closer to Lailie but
she’d still been unable to do much while she healed, physically and
emotionally.

The villagers visited often,
bringing her gifts of food and replacements for lost household items in spite
of having lost so much themselves. At first, she seemed almost fearful of
trusting anyone who came to see her. Over time, she softened as the sheer
generosity of countless Vairdans willed her to open her heart and trust again.
When we received an invitation to a festival honoring Vairda’s victory in the
first— and hopefully last Vairdan war, she graciously accepted and said we
would be there as a family. At the time, she’d still been unable to walk well.

Several island healers
traveled from across the Vairda to work with her, helping her limbs and muscles
regain their strength. In the meantime, the rest of us had prepared the island
for the biggest celebration ever. Lailie would be the host. Most of the
surrounding islands hadn’t even seen a mainlander during the invasion, but
because the storms had affected everyone, an enormous turnout was expected.

And for the occassion, Haji
had made me an outfit.

Shaking off lingering
thoughts of guilt, I slipped into the silvery dress Haji had designed. During
the limited free time I’d had in the past several months, Haji had sent me in
search of as many pearl oysters as I could find. Perin had presented me with a
new Sea Gem and I used that to aid in my efforts. Obviously, it had paid off.
All over the surface of the skirt, Haji had sewn the tiny black pearls I’d
brought to her and they glistened delicately against the pale gray fabric.

Around the neckline was a
circle of multicolored flower buds meant to represent my necklace even though I
hadn’t worn it since the night of the storm. I had no desire to ever put it on
again. Along with my unclaimed Fertility Gem, I’d hidden it away inside my
trunk where I wouldn’t have to look at it.

Placing the white and black
pearl cuffs Haji had made around my arms, I smiled to myself. She’d gone out of
her way to create a warrior themed costume with as much glamour as possible.
The final touch was a thick, plain black belt I fastened around my waist, from
which I could hang my sword if I wanted. Glancing at it once, propped against
the wall near my sleeping mat, I decided to leave it behind.

“Haji, you have a gift,” I
said as I held out my hands and twirled gently.

“I really do.” Haji grinned,
extending her looking glass. It was one of the few useful things that had
washed ashore from the mainlanders destroyed ships after the storm. Many people
had fought for it, but no one argued against Haji after she’d mentioned she
wanted it. After all, not only had she been held prisoner, but she’d also
willingly put herself in danger by claiming to be me, buying me more time. She
was considered an island hero.

I carefully held it out and
examined my reflection. Gray and black swirls of paint curled around my eyes
and up my temples as little green, leafy vines mingled among them. My lips were
a deep red, bringing out the dark freckles standing out against my skin.

Moving the mirror, I examined
my hair. It had been pulled back into hundreds of tiny, black braids, twisted
around my head and topped with a simple wreath of pink flowers. I smiled when I
remembered having to hide my identity the last time I’d attended a Vairdan
celebration. I was grateful I could go as myself.

“It’s incredible,” I
breathed, glancing at Haji.

“I know, but don’t thank me
too much. I saved the best costume for myself.” She grinned as I handed the
mirror back to her.

“You do look amazing,” I
agreed. Her brilliant red dress was armored in white pearls and dead Sea Gems
from the Nethrans. She was positively striking.

 “We’ll look amazing
together.” Haji checked her face one last time before wrapping the looking
glass in a thick, protective cloth and storing it away inside her box of
supplies. “Do you want me to come with you and your parents or can I meet you
there? I promised I would help a couple of other girls with their paint if I
had some spare time.”

“No, you can go.” I gave her
a quick hug. “I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you for everything you’ve done
for me.”

“Are you kidding? I’m keeping
those pearls on your costume. I can think of a million uses for them. Those are
payment enough.” Haji paused for a moment, her hand on my front door, ready to
push it open. Smiling, she added, “Besides, we’re friends.”

I nodded. “I seem to be
discovering a lot of those lately.”

“They were always here,
Aylen.” Haji grinned one last time and pushed the door open. “Some of us were
just harder to find.” She waved once. “See you soon.”

The door shut. I took a deep
breath, knowing Sai and my parents were waiting for me.

“She’ll be right out,” I
heard Haji tell them as she left. I decided not to stall any longer. Opening
the door, I stepped outside. Sai stood nearby, his mouth twisted in a slanted
grin as he held out his hand to me. He was dressed simply, a new spear and a
set of arrows strapped to his back.

“Not exactly a girlish
costume,” I began, “but appropriate, maybe?”

“You look beautiful.” Sai
pulled me into his arms and kissed my cheek, careful to avoid the paint.

“That girl has talent,” Dad
said. “How did she put together a dress like that?”

“She’s pretty amazing.”

“Are we ready to go?” Sai
asked, lacing his fingers through mine.

I glanced at my parents,
waiting for their approval. “I think so.”

“If it would be alright,” my
mother began, gripping her cane, “I’d like to walk with Aylen. You two men can
go on ahead of us. We’ll catch up.”

“Of course,” Sai said,
reluctantly dropping my hand. He turned to follow my father, who seemed to have
already known about my mother’s plan, before casting one last glance my way. My
stomach flip flopped after him.

 After they had disappeared
through the trees, I turned back to my mother, grinning sheepishly. She took a
painstaking step forward and I held out my arm. Waving it away, she smiled.

“That’s what the cane is for.
Soon I won’t need it any longer.”

“You’ve come through so much,
Mom,” I said as we began our short journey toward the village.

“So have you. I know it
wasn’t easy for you. Aluce still believes she’s going to get you back to the
mainland but no matter what you decide, you’ve proven yourself.”

“Not really,” I said,
sighing. “I proved that I needed a lot of help and I made a huge mess of
things. A lot of people lost their lives defending us and the island. If it
weren’t for me . . .”

“Don’t,” my mother
interrupted. “I’ve had time to do a lot of thinking, and I’ve realized you were
right about several things. If I had listened to you sooner, maybe the island
would have been better prepared for a mainland invasion. Maybe you wouldn’t
have had to claim the necklace in the first place.”

“How do you figure?” I asked.

“Your father and I never
embraced the island or its people and they mirrored our behavior. After living
on the mainland, I couldn’t allow myself to trust anyone. If I had, I wouldn’t
have had a reason to keep you so close all the time. I thought I was protecting
you but really, I was protecting myself from my fears. From losing you, whether
to the mainland or to a life in Vairda. Perhaps if I had trusted them enough
and been open about who we were, they could have prepared long ago for an
invasion.”

“Mom,” I began, my tone
carrying a note of gentle reproof. “You wanted what was best for me. I
understand that now.”

“Maybe so, but I could have
protected you and still integrated our family into the community.” Mom stopped
walking and grabbed my arm. “Aylen, you can’t imagine the things I saw in
Miranasch. I know Perin and Aluce painted me to be a warrior and maybe I was at
one time, but I watched entire families destroy each other over power. People
lied and murdered just for the hope of one stone. I was beaten, nearly killed,
and pursued simply for my bloodlines. When I came to Vairda, I didn’t want a
community. I wanted to hide our family away from what I knew would eventually
find us.”

“It’s not like that here,” I
said, trying to reassure her.

“Isn’t it? Faema didn’t turn
on us to get you off the island and away from Sai?”

“But she didn’t know—” I
began.  She cut me off once again, holding her hand up.

“Aylen, evil is everywhere. I
was foolish to think I could hide you from it, especially when we all have it
inside of us in some form or other.” My mother took a deep breath before
continuing. “But looking for it in people will only bring it out. And hiding
from it will also hide opportunities for goodness to rise to the surface. I
taught you to see only the ways in which we were treated poorly because I
didn’t trust the islanders’ kindness when it was offered. It was there, all
along.”

We walked in silence for a
time, drawing closer to Lailie. I took my mother’s hand and squeezed it,
grateful she was with me.

“This is our home now. Vairda
is where we belong,” she said. “And I’m ready to be a part of the island.
Together. As a family.”

“Me too.” I glanced at her
curiously, knowing there were still so many mysteries about her needing to be
unraveled. “And I know the Vairdans have accepted us. I realized that when I
saw how quickly they came to our aid.”

She smiled at this. “I think
I owe them more than can ever be repaid.”

“Becoming a part of the
community is a start.” Thinking of my relationship with Faema, I frowned.
“There will always be those who won’t welcome us, but even if we weren’t
outsiders, they’re the same people who would have found a reason to dislike us
anyway.”

“Very wise, Aylen,” my mother
agreed. “Very wise.”

We finally reached the edge
of Lailie where Sai and my father were waiting. Dad took my mother’s hand and
helped her into the village, already crammed with people. Sai slung an arm over
my shoulder and we followed.

The village was nearly
bursting with festival goers from all over Vairda and its surrounding islands.
Mingling among the crowds were Nethrans, including Perin. When he saw my
parents, he ran to greet them. I watched as my mother stiffly but graciously
spoke with him. I knew she was still hurt from his betrayal.

In various places around the
village, memorials made of totems and cairns had been set up in remembrance of
the islanders who had fallen in battle. Sai and I walked past each one, soberly
studying the flowers and personal items loved ones had placed on display to
honor those who’d been lost. One of the largest memorials was for the former
Chief Frin. It had been draped with giant bouquets of flowers and palm fronds
and covered in polished sea shells. Inwardly, I cringed, feeling the weight of
guilt over each loss. Especially the Chief’s. It was the devastation the island
had struggled with the most. However, tonight no one looked at me with blame or
anger. I was grateful for the forgiveness most people had shown me.

Everybody from all over the
island had transported food to the festival so there were countless dishes to
try. Sai and I grabbed some of our favorite things and went in search of our
friends, a difficult task amidst the growing swarm of guests.

We eventually found Haran,
Faema, Corla and several more of Sai’s old school friends clustered together.
Haran had his arm around Faema’s shoulders but when she glimpsed Sai, she
shrugged it off. As Sai turned to chat with Haran, I nudged Faema lightly.

“How are you?” I asked. Since
the battle, our conversations had been strained and Faema had distanced herself
from everyone but Corla and Haran.

Faema didn’t answer. Instead,
she turned away so I couldn’t see her face.

“Haran seems nice,” I said,
hoping to find a happier subject.